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‘You have to aim high’ – Erikssonpublished at 14:31 19 July
England
Former England manager Sven Goran Eriksson has been speaking about who should replace Gareth Southgate as the Three Lions’ new head coach.
Eriksson said that because of expectations England have now set themselves, they should aim high, adding that Premier League winners Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp should top the list of targets for the FA.
“Gareth’s results and achievements have set the bar very high. The expectations are now through the roof,” Eriksson told the Telegraph.
“After he stepped down, I saw lots of comments about whether the next manager should be English. For me, it should not matter.
“The most important thing is to find the right man who can not only take the team to a final, but also go the full distance and win it.
“If he is English, or foreign, I don’t think it should mean much. You just have to find a top manager, or a young one with a good future.
“If you want to aim high, the obvious two contenders are Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola. They know English football, the players and culture. If there was even the slightest suggestion they were interested in the job, England should go for it.
“We are talking about two of the best managers in the world. Klopp is taking a break and I’m not sure whether stepping down from Manchester City is in Pep’s mind. But you have to aim high, and appointing either of those two would be a huge statement for England and their aims for the future.”