Eriksson wants immediate return after England exit
Sven-Goran Eriksson does not want a break from football when his England career ends in the summer.
Instead, Eriksson believes a two-week holiday will be enough to refresh his mind and body and he then wants to thrust himself straight into a new challenge.
Eriksson said: “I don’t want a break from football. Absolutely not. I would like a couple of weeks holiday after the World Cup but after that what is there to do if you’re not in football?”
The Swede has permission from the Football Association to go job-hunting and he hopes to have one before the World Cup.
Italy’s rumourmill has already linked him with Inter Milan and the managerial merry-go-round will start to move if Real Madrid poach a top boss from a rival club like Fabio Capello of Juventus.
Eriksson said: “If I want to work in football from August 1, I have to sort that out before the World Cup.
“Who takes a new manager at the end of July? No one. Do you think I should wait and see if I win the World Cup? No.
“I’m not taking my phone and calling clubs, asking if they want me. I’m sitting waiting and if the phone rings it rings. It hasn’t rung yet but I’m not worried about that. What happens, happens.”
Eriksson will leave his England post after the World Cup but claimed today it had not been his choice.
He hinted yesterday the FA had made the decision after the fake sheikh revelations, when he was tricked into talking to reporters about his star players and his own future.
Eriksson said: “I haven’t taken any decisions. I’ve literally done what people told me to do. It doesn’t depend on me but that’s okay.”
The England manager insists he has the class in his squad to win the World Cup in July and go out in a blaze of glory.
Such an outcome would leave his FA bosses to squirm with embarrassment as they waved him out of Soho Square.
But it is not Eriksson’s style to turn around and taunt them about making mistakes.
The Swede said: “I don’t have any feelings of revenge in my body. For many years I know who I am, I know what I can do, I know what I can’t do. I know what I have won in different countries and I don’t need these kind of feelings.
“Life goes on and hopefully I will win trophies even after moving on.”
Nor does he feel any relief the end is in sight – even though he has struggled to cope with what he considers to be an invasion of his privacy by the press.
Eriksson said: “I’m not relieved. I go on with my work. It doesn’t a make a difference if I’m leaving. The World Cup has been our big target for the last one and a half years. We wanted to qualify and we think we have a good chance.”
England go into their friendly against Uruguay looking for valuable experience against South Americans.
Paraguay are the first opponents in the finals but England will be confident after beating Argentina on their last outing.
Eriksson said: “If we want to give the players a fair chance to feel South American football we should meet those teams. They have a different style and different mentality.”
Eriksson has picked what he is calling his strongest available team but Chelsea’s Frank Lampard will not play after he withdrew from yesterday’s training session with a tight hamstring.
His place in midfield is taken by Tottenham’s Michael Carrick.
Darren Bent will be given his debut in attack alongside Wayne Rooney.
