SWITZERLAND: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Part of Eriksson's Ivory Coast squad gather in Switzerland

Record ID: 181977

  • Title: SWITZERLAND: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - Part of Eriksson's Ivory Coast squad gather in Switzerland
  • Date: 21st May 2010
  • Summary: MONTREUX, SWITZERLAND (MAY 20, 2010) (REUTERS) IVORY COAST FOOTBALL TEAM BUS ARRIVING ON PARKING LOT IVORY COAST TEAM COACH SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON GETTING OFF THE BUS VARIOUS IVORY COAST PLAYERS GETTING OFF THE BUS IVORY COAST DEFENDER KOLO TOURE BEING PHOTOGRAPHED WITH A FAN PLAYERS GETTING READY ON THE PITCH OF MONTREUX'S "STADE DE CHAILLY" FOR TRAINING (SOUNDBITE) (French) IVORY COAST TEAM DEFENDER ABDOULAYE MEITE, SAYING: "We know we're in the death group, so we've got nothing to lose. So we'll play our best and we'll be freed." ZOOM OUT ON PLAYERS WARMING UP ON THE PITCH PLAYERS WARMING UP ON THE PITCH ERIKSSON ON THE PITCH ZOOM OUT FROM DEFENDER EMMANUEL EBOUE WARMING UP ON THE PITCH VARIOUS OF TEAM WARMING UP ON THE PITCH COACH ERIKSSON ARRIVING AT THE PRESS BRIEFING PHOTOGRAPHERS (*** FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY ***) (SOUNDBITE) (English) IVORY COAST TEAM COACH SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON SAYING: "Of course, it's not the best of situations because now I have, for this week, 13 players, which I start to know, how they work, how they are privately and so on. Then there are 17 which are coming on Monday, I have never worked with them. I have met them, most of them, but I have never worked with them on the pitch. So of course that's not a perfect situation, but that's a fact and we have to be quick." PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) IVORY COAST TEAM COACH SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON SAYING: "Pay attention to North Korea, nobody speaks about North Korea but they play good football and they are physically probably better prepared than any other team because they've been in a training camp for, I don't know, 6 months maybe." PRESS BRIEFING ROOM
  • Embargoed: 5th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Switzerland
  • Country: Switzerland
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA31O3NMBVRAF3NGCEGHNEUFV18
  • Story Text: Ivory Coast soccer coach Sven-Goran Eriksson says he will have to work quickly as he tries to prepare his squad for next month's World Cup finals.
    Ivory Coast coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will have his entire squad together for the first time next Monday (May 24) -- less than three weeks before the start of the World Cup.
    The Swede was appointed at the end of last March and will have only two friendlies against Paraguay and Japan to shape the Elephants before being plunged into a tough World Cup group that also includes Brazil, Portugal and North Korea.
    Eriksson, a former mentor of Brazil coach Dunga, began a training camp this week in Montreux, Switzerland with 13 of his 30-man preliminary squad -- four goalkeepers and nine defenders.
    The players kept a brave face as they arrived for their first training session on Thursday (May 20), confident that they can perform well in Group G.
    "We know we're in the death group, so we've got nothing to lose. So we'll play our best and we'll be freed," defender Abdoulaye Meite told Reuters Television.
    Many of the Ivory Coast players have yet to work with Eriksson, who took over the job in March following the sacking of Vahid Halilhodzic after Ivory Coast's quarter-final exit against Algeria in the African Nations Cup in January.
    "Of course, it's not the best of situations because now I have, for this week, 13 players, which I start to know, how they work, how they are privately and so on. Then there are 17 which are coming on Monday, I have never worked with them. I have met them, most of them, but I have never worked with them on the pitch. So of course that's not a perfect situation, but that's a fact and we have to be quick," coach Eriksson told reporters.
    Captain Didier Drogba and the other 16 players are expected to join the rest of the team on Monday for another training camp in Switzerland.
    Eriksson challenged his players to improve on recent performances when he named his preliminary 29-man World Cup squad in the West African nation's commercial hub of Abidjan. He also warned that his team will have to be wary of North Korea in their group matches, as well as Portugal and Brazil.
    "Pay attention to North Korea, nobody speaks about North Korea but they play good football and they are physically probably better prepared than any other team because they've been in a training camp for, I don't know, six months maybe," Eriksson said.
    The Elephants opening match is against Portugal on June 15 in Port Elizabeth.
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