Our beloved England manager has has a rollercoaster ride since his appointment in January 12th 2001, from the 5-1 defeat of Germany in the September '01, to the penalties defeat to Portugal in 2004, and despite a good early start he doesn't seem to have endeared himself to England fans (or more importantly the media) particularly well.

His perceived lack of passion during games, propensity to substitute as many players as possible during friendlies, and very public 'private' life have all contributed to a growing criticism from many, especially the Tabloid press. Despite all this, the defeat to Northern Ireland in 2005 was the his first ever defeat in a qualifying match, and England have only lost three competitive matches under the Swede.

Sven still believes England can win it in Germany this year: "England are at the same level as Argentina, Brazil, Holland, Italy, Germany and France...We are better now - much better. I would say England now have a team with good players who have the right experience, and that's why I think we have a chance to win the 2006 World Cup."

There's a full interview with Eriksson at The Guardian.

world+cup, sven-goran+eriksson, england, football, soccer