Eriksson buoys Carragher after Terry blow
Aug 31 2005
By John Curtis, Daily Post
SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON is bracing himself for the prospect of being without defensive lynch-pin John Terry for the climax to England's World Cup qualifying campaign in October.
The England coach has already had to rule the Chelsea centre-back out of the double header with Wales at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday and Northern Ireland in Belfast four days later.
But Terry is facing at least a month on the sidelines with the knee ligament damage suffered during the weekend Premiership clash at Tottenham.
And that is giving Eriksson cause for concern regarding the two qualifiers at Old Traf-ford against Austria and Poland which could decide whether England top group six.
It also puts a mbuttive question mark over whether Terry will be fit for Chelsea's group match in the Champions League with Liverpool at Anfield on September 28.
Eriksson, who has added Fulham's Zat Knight to his squad, said: "We have to see if John will be ready for the October games because the doctors said he will be out for at least four weeks with a knee injury."
Eriksson would have preferred the presence of Terry to combat the physical threat offered by John Hartson but he has every confidence in Jamie Carragher to fill the breach.
He said: "Jamie Carragher has improved a lot in the last year. I don't know if it is a Liverpool attitude but he never gives up and the game he played in the Champions League final was incredible.
"I think he had cramp but he didn't leave the pitch. Fantastic."
The good news for Eriksson is that midfielder Steven Gerrard is expcted to be fit after his calf injury and he was put through his paces by England physio Gary Lewin.
The Liverpool captain will go through the same routine today with a view to joining in with full training 24 hours later.
