Eriksson pledges to make amends

Injured Cole out of England squad Players back Eriksson, says Owen

Sven-Goran Eriksson wants to use England's World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Poland to banish the memory of defeat to Northern Ireland.

The England coach, who was heavily criticised after the 1-0 defeat, said: "We want to put it right - I'm looking forward to it as much as the players.

"It's been a long three-and-a-half weeks since the Northern Ireland game, especially for me.

"These next matches are important, we are playing for our World Cup ticket."

Eriksson said he was convinced England would secure the points necessary to qualify automatically as Group Seven winners.

England need two wins to be sure of qualification, while a second-place finish could result in the side having to go through the play-offs.

"We will be ready for the play-off but we don't want to be in that position, we want to win the group and believe we will," said Eriksson.

Sometimes you play better football and lose as we did in the last game England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson

The side take on Austria on Saturday and Poland next Wednesday, with both games at Old Trafford.

"We have to take six points and if you look from the outside we should be favourites with two home games," said Eriksson. But Eriksson admitted it would be a disaster if he team did not qualify for the World Cup finals.

"Are they the biggest games of my career? I don't know. Every game is important. I've played some European finals with teams I have been with which were very important," he said.

"But for England not to reach the World Cup would be a disaster. "Will I consider my position if we don't qualify? I've never talked about `if' because I think that is very negative. I will answer that question after the two games.

"But I don't think you will put that question after the two games."

Eriksson insisted the team's faltering recent form had not diminished the players' confidence in his coaching abilities.

"In football you have to try to win every game and unfortunately sometimes you play better football and lose as we did in the last game," said the Swede.

"That doesn't change the working relationship with managers, coaches and players. You have to lose a lot more games before that changes."

Striker Michael Owen said the players still supported the manager and that reports suggesting otherwise were wide of the mark.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. The players are fully behind the manager," said Owen.