Sven-Goran the Wet Fish

Former England striker Ian Wright has brought attention to himself by calling Sven-Goran Eriksson among other things “useless.” Our favorite quote:

“The man’s like a wet fish. He’s got as much passion as a tadpole. He’s useless.”

While I don’t agree with his assessment of Eriksson, Wright’s comments are an example of why I think England will not hoist the cup this year.

In a country starving for football success, every move that Eriksson and his team make will be debated and questioned. This is no different than what happens in Italy, for example, but the weight of expectations in England are always the team’s biggest opponent. Because the Premiership is the most watched league in the world, England’s players are more well-known and more scrutinized than any other country’s.

Their talent as individuals is expected to translate into talent as a team. As we have seen in year’s past, this simply isn’t the case. But you will never convince blowhards like Ian Wright of this and as a result there will always be frenzied expectations on the team, and unnecessary pressure on its wet fish of a coach.