No long balls for England: Eriksson

Sven Goran Eriksson has warned that the long upfield passes that have brought success to his England team will be a rare sight in their World Cup qualifier against Greece on Saturday.

England have won all five of their qualifiers since the Swede took effective charge this year, and have regularly exploited the lightning pace of Michael Owen, latching on to a long ball on the break.

But with the prolific Liverpool striker now ruled out by injury, and Eriksson acknowledging there is no-one in England to match the 21-year-old's pace, the Swede has little choice but to look again at his attacking options.

One thing is certain, Eriksson will want to make as few changes as possible to a winning formula, and a radical overhaul has already been ruled out for a game they must win to be sure of an automatic place in the finals.

"I think I would be stupid at this moment to even try to change the organisation," he told a news conference on Tuesday.

"Of course, the pace of Michael Owen we can't find in another player in this country," he said.

"So maybe it will be a little more difficult to come in behind the Greece defenders, but that's only normal. You have to keep the same organisation -- but maybe fewer long balls behind the defenders."

One option would be to draw on the finishing skills of Liverpool's Robbie Fowler, who has the ability to move into scoring positions from outside the box, coupled with the sheer physical presence of his Anfield team mate, Emile Heskey.

Superb Goals
Two superb solo goals which helped secure key victories -- one against Alaves in last season's UEFA Cup final and one against Albania last month -- underlined just how dangerous a striker Fowler can be.

A further option, particularly if the match on Saturday was entering the final 20 minutes with England still needing a goal, would be to send on Teddy Sheringham.

Tottenham Hotspur's new captain would relish a return to Old Trafford after his memorable four-year spell with Manchester United, which included a priceless equaliser as a late sub in their 1999 Champions League final victory over Bayern Munich.

He is currently on form and would be no stranger to the passing patterns of United's England midfielders Paul Scholes and David Beckham, or fellow striker Andy Cole if the United forward were picked.

Whoever is chosen, they will certainly be able to draw on the team spirit and buoyant self-assurance which has become a hallmark of Eriksson's England. For although tactics count, the Swede also knows that psychology -- and in particular the belief in victory -- is just as important in creating a winning team.

"I think with every positive result we got this year, the spirit of the team has grown," the Swede said. "And also, of course, the knowledge that it's a good football team, a very good football team, who can go out and beat anyone.

"And that's very important in football. Confidence in all sport is very important."