Sven: England must be mentally tough

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The Swede, now director of football at League Two Notts County, feels the 'golden generation' of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Wayne Rooney can come of age in South Africa next summer.

"That is one thing which is very important, the mental strength," said Eriksson, who will be a summariser as part of Perform's live Internet coverage of Saturday's match with Ukraine in Dnipro,

"I guess to win a World Cup you must be strong in every area, mentally as well.

"But, if you look at the [England] squad, some of the key players have already been to two or three tournaments, and that is a very big thing for England."

Eriksson knows expectation levels will be "above the roof" between now and when the event kicks off at Soccer City Stadium, Johannesburg, on June 11 2010.

Yet the former Manchester City boss feels that pressure should not hinder a squad full of talent which has plenty of big-game experience.

"That should not be a problem. It should not affect them," he said. "They will perform very well. I do not think they suffer from it. Experience in big tournaments is key.

"[Frank] Lampard, [Steven] Gerrard are at the right age, [Wayne] Rooney is better and more experienced. I think they have a good chance.

"As always, they will need not to have many injuries and to have their big players in the best shape in June, but I am confident for them."