Don't take qualification for granted, Sven warns
Sven-Goran Eriksson today gave his England side a final warning that they cannot take their place in the World Cup second round for granted.
Eriksson’s side need a point in their final group game against Nigeria to qualify for the knock-out stages, where they would meet either Senegal or Denmark, following France’s early exit.
The England coach is set to keep faith with the line-up that started the second half against Argentina, with Trevor Sinclair retaining his place on the left flank.
However, Eriksson warned: ‘‘It’s very simple - if we’re not concentrated and don’t go out with 100% effort, we will not win.’’
He has urged his players to learn the lessons of their past two victories against Germany - at Euro 2000, when they were knocked out a few days later against Romania, and last year, when they then struggled to beat Albania.
Especially given that Nigeria are already eliminated, he added: ‘‘When you play Germany or Argentina, you are automatically very concentrated.
‘‘This is one of those games where we have to pep-talk ourselves. There is always a danger but the players are intelligent enough to learn.’’
England have three players - Emile Heskey, Sol Campbell and Ashley Cole - who would miss any second round game if they picked up a second booking of the competition.
