Sven Goran-Eriksson: Gareth Bale Wouldn't Get In England Team

Sven Goran Eriksson has hailed the brilliance of the Three Lions at the World Cup and has a warning for Wales.

Speaking to Midnite, Eriksson also said:

• Jude Bellingham could be better than Scholes and Lampard
• Gareth Bale would have to fight to be on the England bench
• Three Lions have so much depth Gareth Southgate could pick a team with eyes closed
• Bale is wrong - Wales don’t have more passion than England

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who led the Three Lions through two World Cups during his tenure, reaching the quarter-finals in the process, has been speaking to Midnite following their World Cup opener which saw them demolish Iran 6-2 in Qatar.

Sven hailed the current England set-up, with particular focus on superstar Jude Bellingham whilst also firing a warning to rivals Wales ahead of the pairs’ highly-anticipated clash on November 29.

Iran were supposed to be a resolute and hard to break down side to face first up - given that was the case, how impressive was what you saw?

I was very impressed with what I saw from England. From the first minute until the last they dominated everything and they played extremely good football. The only negative, which I think the team and Gareth Southgate would think too is that they conceded two cheap goals, especially given their skill level.

Anyhow, they scored six goals; one more beautiful than the other and it's a very, very good start for the World Cup and it will give the squad self-confidence and is very positive for the future.

In tournament football, is it important for sides to ‘make a statement’? If so, what message did England send out with that?

Everyone will now know how strong England are. Normally in the first game, there are nerves and teams are a little cautious but England were great. So far they are absolutely the best team in the tournament but of course, there's a long way to go. England couldn't have started any better.

Gareth Southgate opted to go with perhaps the most attacking set-up of his time in charge. Is that the way forward for England now?

It wasn't just the starting XI that played well, those that came on were fantastic. Marcus Rashford played very well when he came on, Jack Grealish also played well and Callum Wilson played a fantastic pass for the last goal so Gareth Southgate has a lot of options.

For the remainder of the group stages, England can continue to play offensively as they did against Iran but things may be different depending on who they meet in the knockout stages.

How important is it to see that England aren't having to rely on Harry Kane for goals anymore?

It's very good for the whole team that they're not having to rely on Harry Kane anymore. Harry has started to become a playmaker now; he runs deep, takes the ball and I think everyone in the England squad is extremely happy because everything went so well for them. The only negative was that they conceded two goals, but who cares if you score six?

Given Harry Kane and Callum Wilson's impact yesterday, can you see Southgate playing two strikers from the start?

For the next game at least, Gareth Southgate will keep the organisation that England had in the game against Iran. It's difficult to defend against England because if they win the ball and are given a little bit of space they're very quick to counter-attack and it's a very good weapon for the future.

You saw the talent of Wayne Rooney at such a young age. What kind of talent have England got in Jude Bellingham?

Jude Bellingham has a brilliant future. He's brilliant already, but he'll get better and better with age. He has everything. He can score goals, assist and he can defend. He's a very complete footballer. I think very soon he will be playing for one of the top clubs in England.

It's dangerous to put too much pressure on Bellingham but I really like him because he's a very elegant player and he can do everything.

What does having the freedom of a precocious young player add to a national team in a big tournament? Did Rooney being so good provide a spark to the older players in 2004, for example?

Everyone loves having a young player like Jude Bellingham in the team. He's extremely difficult to take care of for the opponents. He reminds me of Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes because they had that gift as well. It's difficult to mark him [Bellingham].

Who knows, maybe Jude can become better than Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes, but if he can be as good as them then he'll be a very happy man.

Slow starts have been something that has blighted previous England campaigns, does getting such a convincing display first up release the shackles?

USA were very good against Wales in the first half. They played typical American football, very aggressive, a lot of life and they looked very well but in the second half they died and Wales took over. USA find it difficult to play 90 minutes so on paper I think it will be rather easy for England to win their games against USA and Wales.

It's important for England to get the first goal because after what they saw yesterday I don't think opponents will attack England from the start.

Do opposition teams actually sit up and take note? For instance, was there something Portugal did in their earlier matches in 2004 and 2006 make you approach your quarter-finals differently?

Every team try to analyse opponents as much as possible and then you try to pass on that information to the players. You can't give out 1,000 details on players but everyone in this World Cup knows how their opponents are going to play. With all the videos these days, it's very difficult to have any secrets in football.

Bukayo Saka isn’t often compared with the likes of Phil Foden or Jack Grealish, but for England he has been a shining light. How good is he?

Bukayo Saka is doing great things for Arsenal. One-on-one he is fantastic to watch and he can score goals so he's getting better and better. It was good to see that every goalscorer was a young player in this young England team. Saka is fantastic.

Gareth Southgate has so many options, it is gold for England. You can almost close your eyes and pick a player and it will be a good option. I just want to say that I was impressed yesterday with Harry Maguire. A compliment to Southgate who trusted him and let him play - you need some courage to do that.

England were able to introduce Rashford, Foden and Grealish from the bench. What does that say about the strength of the England squad?

England's squad depth is incredible. Rashford, Foden and Grealish could easily be part of the starting XI and you wouldn't see a difference at all because they're all top, top players.

What Callum Wilson did as well by passing to Grealish instead of shooting is top-class football. This squad is the best one that England have had for a long, long time. During my time as England manager, I had a very strong squad but it wasn't as strong as this one.

Kane didn't score yesterday but he's one of England's most important players and has been for years. Today he acts like a father to all the young players playing around him. You could take all 11 players from yesterday's squad and put them in my England squads that I had because the performance they put in was absolutely top class and if they continue like that then they will win the World Cup.

Did you see anything from USA that should frighten England on Friday?

I'm not sure USA will play the same against England as they did against Wales because if they attack with as many players as they did [against Wales] then England will kill them.

It's good if opponents attack England because when England win the ball, they have skill and pace so I would be scared to leave space if I were the manager of one of England's opponents. If you were to bet on the match, you can only realistically see one winner.

Are Wales carrying Ramsey and Bale on name alone? And can they afford to?

Wales is a small country and you can't compare them to England but in one game they can make it difficult for England, although I don't think they will.

Wales depend a lot on Aaron Ramsey and Gareth Bale whereas England have a bench which is better than most of the players in Wales. The difference between England and Wales is huge and if Bale doesn't play his best then it's a huge blow [for Wales].

Is there anyone from the Wales squad that would get in the current England team?

Bale maybe, but I'm not sure that he would start - he would have to fight for a place on the bench. The strength of England is simply fantastic and it will be interesting to see if they can replicate the performance against Iran when they play USA.

Gareth Bale recently said he thinks Wales have more passion than England. Do you disagree? Or could that make Wales tricky opponents?

Wales don't have more passion than England. If you put an England shirt on, you want to win and you're very keen to perform 100%. Wales will feel that it's more important to win against England than England will feel it is to win.

England will want to beat Wales, but for Wales, it is a dream to beat England because it almost never happens. Wales will be trying to play the game of their life against England as if England are their big brother and they want to impress them.

Wales seem preoccupied with facing England. How dangerous is that as they prepare to face Iran?

It may be dangerous for Wales to be too focused on England but I understand it. Whether you're Ireland or Wales, it's a dream to beat the big brother, England.

Who do you think is the greatest British footballer of all time? Do Wayne Rooney and Gareth Bale make your top 3?

There are so many British and specifically English players, it's not fair. I don't like to say as I could say anyone, from a goalkeeper to a striker. I prefer not to say an individual. England is a great football nation and I hope they win the World Cup soon.

On current form, do you see England breezing past Wales?

England will have to prepare for the game properly because it won't be a walkover but I'm quite sure that England will dominate the game, they will decide how the game plans out and they will know how Wales will play.

Do you think you could have won a World Cup or Euros for England if you had Gareth Bale?

No. I'm not sure that Gareth Bale would play in the starting XI if he was English, I'm quite sure he would have to fight if he wanted to do that.