Le Saux: Eriksson Losing Players' Confidence

[Shivek]

Graeme Le Saux believes there are similarities between Glenn Hoddle's final months as England manager and the current reign of Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Le Saux played for Hoddle in the 1998 World Cup when England were knocked out in the second round but then struggled after impressing in the tournament.

Eriksson has recently been criticised following the embarrassing defeat to Northern Ireland in a qualifier, although they should still secure a place at next year's tournament in Germany.

'Within a month there has been a huge shift in climate and you have to look at the management team and their responsibility for it,' Le Saux wrote in his column for The Independent.

'The lack of understanding being transmitted from the training field to the match itself has to be my greatest concern. These guys work together and prepare together yet seem so fragile when things don't go as they expect.

'If there is a problem that needs solving they seem unable to use their collective knowledge and the playing system to do so.

'For me there are parallels to the situation that developed under Glenn Hoddle after France 1998.

'We had had a frustrating World Cup in terms of where we had got to, being knocked out in the second round, but we had played well most of the time and had reason to be optimistic about the team's development.

'Yet it was very obvious when we regrouped for the next European Championship qualifiers that during the summer Glenn had managed to lose the players' confidence.