Sven-Goran Eriksson: On second thoughts…
Just over a year ago, there was not a more unpopular man amongst the English football fans than Sven Goran Eriksson. His time as England manager had been an expensive experiment which was, at best, an era of unfulfilled potential. Stories about his private life were as common on the front pages of newspapers as England’s results were on the back, and his reported 5M per year salary was the cause of much controversy. After an average World Cup display from England in 2006, Sven stepped down. Such was the ferocity of the backlash against Sven, it was difficult to see where he would get his next job. His time as England boss may have been financially lucrative, but it left him with a shattered reputation, and he was seen as a laughing stock. Now, some sixteen months after Eriksson left the England post, and with his England successor living on borrowed time, Sven has taken Manchester City to new heights. Is it time to re-evaluate just how good he was?
Sven was appointed England manager because of his impressive pedigree at club level. He is the only manager in the history of European football who has won top flight titles in three different countries. He took IFK Goteburg to the Swedish title, as well as the UEFA Cup, before winning the Portuguese league with Benfica, then the European Cup Winners Cup and the Scudetto with Lazio. This is not to mention his domestic cup successes at Sampdoria and Roma. He was clearly someone who knew what he was doing when it came to managing a football team. At the time of his appointment, England were in need of direction- Kevin Keegan had fallen on his sword, following a 1-0 defeat at home to Germany and a disastrous Euro 2000 campaign. Eriksson took charge in January of 2001, and made the perfect start, winning 3-0 against Spain thanks to goals by Nick Barmby, Emile Heskey and Ugo Ehiogu. The press were gushing in their praise, and continued this trend as England put in superlative performances against Mexico (4-0) and Germany (5-1). It was only at the 2002 World Cup that Eriksson was first criticised. England were defeated 2-1 by Brazil, thanks to a sublime/ridiculous free kick from Ronaldinho. However, the same player was then sent off for a foul on Danny Mills, and England failed to capitalise on their numerical advantage over the Brazilians in the second half. Brazil then went on to win the tournament. Little by little Eriksson started to lose the support of the press, and with them the public. His public affairs with Ulrika Jonsson and Faria Alam hurt his reputation, as would his alleged meeting with the “fake sheik”, Mazher Mamood, over a fictitious approach to become Aston Villa manager. Despite exceptional qualifying records for both Euro 2004 and the World Cup in 2006, his popularity continued to wane. He was criticised for using too many players in friendlies, or playing in form players (notably Andrew Johnson) out of position. After the World Cup, it was clear that he could no longer continue and he stepped aside.
Eriksson’s tenure in charge of England had several high points. Not only was he in charge of the side that beat Germany 5-1, but he also led the side to the top of their qualifying group for the major tournaments in 02, 04 and 06. When Eriksson took the England job, they were ranked 17th in the World. When he left the post in August 2006, England were ranked 4th. On top of this, England were the only country during this time (other than Brazil) to make the Quarter Finals of 3 consecutive International Tournaments. Sven’s record speaks for itself. In his 5 and a half years in charge, he lost 5 competitive games- 2 of which were on penalties. Of the losses, only the 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland was surprising, as there is no shame in losing to Brazil or France. Twice England lost on penalties to Filipe Scolari’s Portugal side, and both times they were denied the services of the player which Sven saw as the most gifted he had available- Wayne Rooney. The first time was through an unfortunate injury, the second by an act of stupidity on behalf of the player. In the game against France, England allowed Zinedine Zidane- the greatest player in the World- two chances, and were punished with two goals. It was not Eriksson’s fault that Steven Gerrard elected to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper from so far inside his own half, nor was it his fault that Beckham missed a penalty at 1-0. He could do little about England’s inability in a penalty shoot out either. The main reason Eriksson was so maligned is that when his side were off form, they didn’t ever look like winning. But surely the players must take more than part of the blame for this, if the same players were capable of such heroics against Germany and Argentina? He was also criticised for an inability to make match turning decisions. Those who do so forget that England went 1-0 down when they beat Germany 5-1, and were down1-0 at half time against Slovakia, Macedonia (games they came back to win) and Greece (the Beckham Free Kick game) in Qualifiers.
Another criticism which is often thrown at Sven Goran Eriksson regards the amount of money which he was paid for the job he did. Unfortunately this is part of the cost of getting a recognised International manager. International management does not hold the glamour that it once did, and countries must compete with clubs when it comes to appointing a manager. It is easy in retrospect to say that the decision to offer him 5M a year was a bad one, yet he came from club football with an immaculate reputation and a history of winning things. He was in demand, and if England wanted to get their man, they would have to pay the going rate. Whether he is available or not, consider the possibility of Jose Mourinho taking the England job. His salary would be in the same ballpark as Eriksson’s, he would be greeted with a rapturous reception from the press, but what guarantee does he offer of success that Eriksson didn’t? Both have/had been successful in every job they have/had been in previously.
It is difficult to build a reputation, but almost impossible to rebuild one. However, this seems to be exactly what Sven Goran Eriksson is on his way to doing. He has returned to club management with Manchester City, and transformed them from a team who couldn’t score at all last season, into the side most likely to break into the Top Four. Ten games into the season and they have already equaled the amount of Home goals they scored in all of 2006/07 and boast a 100% home record only equaled by Arsenal. There is no doubt that Eriksson is responsible for the turnaround, as it has been his shrewd eye in the transfer market, and focus on bringing through young players, which has transformed Manchester City’s fortunes. Under his management the club have come on leaps and bounds, with talented youngsters (Micah Richards, Nedum Onuoha, Michael Johnson, Kasper Schmeichel) complimenting the talented players Eriksson brought in (Elano, Martin Petrov, Geovanni). They are still perhaps short of a 20 goal a season striker (a weakness that may be galvanised if they succeed in bringing in Alfonso Alves from Heerenveen) but Manchester City look like a real threat, and have been a joy to watch this season. Those who previously doubted Sven’s passion, or his ability to make match turning decisions, only need to look at their recent results against Fulham and Newcastle to see that this is not the case.
International management is considerably different to club management. International managers must rely on sporadic get-togethers throughout the season to build a “club” camaraderie. They spend months at a time preparing for one or two matches in the space of four days, and then frequently have many more months until the next fixtures. Perhaps most tellingly of all, there are no transfers. Each manager must craft a team from the players they have available to them. If the talent isn’t there, tough. There are many managers who have found the transition between the two impossible. Most find it difficult to go from club management to the international stage (see Keegan and Hoddle), while some rare breeds find the opposite impossible (Bora Milutinovic for example). There are few who have managed to be successful in both spheres (perhaps Gus Hiddink is the best example). However, Sven Goran Eriksson will be seen as a failure in international management when both his record and the record of Steve McLaren suggest otherwise. He didn’t deliver the World Cup, or the European Championship, but his record as England manager is far better than history will suggest. Far too much of his era in charge will be attached to stories off the pitch, than the actual results which were achieved on the pitch. There is a definite feeling that he might get a chance to change people’s perception of his abilities at Premiership level sooner rather than later. What price a title in a fourth country to add to the collection?
