Eriksson keen to focus on work after off-field dramas
Trevor Huggins
Sven-Goran Eriksson hopes that football rather than his private life will now set England's agenda after admitting to one of his toughest weeks as a manager.
An affair with television presenter Ulrika Jonsson which ended earlier this year was back in the headlines as newspapers published extracts of her forthcoming autobiography.
But after initial signs that there was nothing damaging in the Swede's account of their relationship, Eriksson can prepare for Wednesday's Euro 2004 qualifier against Macedonia without expecting an inquisition into his love life.
Asked if the past week had been his toughest as a manager, Eriksson said: "Football-wise, no. In other ways, I could have lived without it.
"Football-wise, I've had many tough weeks during the last 20 years -- and many good weeks as well.
"But my private life has never been so exposed like this."
Speaking after his England team recovered from a first half deficit to beat Slovakia 2-1 in Bratislava, Eriksson insisted the gossip and speculation had not disrupted his preparations for their opening qualifier in Group Seven.
"I am focused on the work," he said. "I want to win football games and reach Portugal in 2004, and it's very important to me not to involve that in my private life."
Unflappable under pressure, the Swedish coach has made it clear he has no intention of quitting as England manager simply because of the unwelcome probing into his personal affairs.
UNWANTED ATTENTION
He remains proud of both his post and his players and has long accepted that a certain amount of unwanted attention comes with the territory.
"As long as I cope with it, it's okay," he said.
But while the media may waver, the England players are without question behind their manager -- as the manner of Saturday's comeback illustrated.
"With good team spirit, you can do a lot of things in football," Eriksson said.
"We talked at halftime and I said we can and we have to win this game. From the first minute of the second half it was a different story.
"It showed a lot of character because the pitch was very bad, it was very difficult to play quick football."
Playing the game is above all why Eriksson is very unlikely to be deflected from his task of taking England to Euro 2004 and subsequently to the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
For the Swede, few emotions can match those he has enjoyed since taking effective charge of England in February of 2001.
"Winning football games is one of the best things in the world," he said. "It always has been."
