Eriksson: Wags not to blame for failure

London: When Rio Ferdinand spoke out about the "circus" which, in his opinion, had made football almost secondary to the England players' wives and girlfriends at the 2006 World Cup, the implied criticism of Sven-Goran Eriksson was clear. So too was the apparent contrast with the regime of Fabio Capello.

"People were worrying more about what people were wearing and where they were going, rather than the England football team — that then transposed itself into the team," Ferdinand said.

"To give yourself the best chance, you have to be focused. It was just a bit too close and football wasn't really separated. This squad's in a different frame of mind to ones I've been in before. It is a very, very professional regime."

Diplomatic as ever, Eriksson has not hurried to reply but, when the subject turned on Monday to the much-maligned Wags of Baden-Baden, his response was uncharacteristically blunt. "It's a stupid excuse, isn't it?" said Eriksson. "The Wags were invited when I thought it was the right occasion to do it and that didn't happen very often, so that's not an excuse. It had absolutely nothing to do with the football. "It shouldn't have made an impact. In the past England are not different from any other country in the world. The Swedes do the same as we did. The Germans, everyone."

Rigid rules

Even so, rigid rules will be in force next year, with Capello having made it clear that the Wags will only be granted access to their partners on the day after a game. More importantly, they will be expected to stay far away from England's base, possibly in what will amount to a holiday and holding camp where they can be flown in and out for games.

"Is Capello tougher than me? I don't know," said Eriksson. "I've known him for many years. Maybe he's a little bit different to me. Is that to be tough or not tough, inviting the wives and girlfriends? I was very proud of what we did and I'm sorry we didn't reach a semifinal or a final. They are good memories."

Amid the unfavourable comparisons with Capello, it is easy to forget that Eriksson's qualifying record was exemplary, while three consecutive quarterfinals amounted to a model of consistency in major tournaments that no other England manager has matched.

Few are better placed to advise Capello on what lies ahead over the next 10 months and Eriksson is convinced that the challenge will be as much psychological as physical, tactical or even technical.

Asked what he would have done differently as England manager, he said: "Prepare the team mentally better for penalty shoot-outs, especially the last World Cup. That's my only regret. But if that would have helped a lot, you never know."

Another danger, says Eriksson, is the huge expectancy that will surround England. "When you come close to the World Cup, England must already have won it almost before the first kick of the tournament."