摘要：
身为英格兰队主教练的埃里克森近期确实很忙，也很烦。一方面随着德国世界杯的日益临近，他要尽快确定英格兰队的主力阵容；另一方面，在被假扮阿拉伯酋长的记者戏弄之后，埃里克森在关于谁将在世界杯后成为英格兰队新任主教练这个问题上又被人涮了一把。
Steven Gerrard will play the fortysixth game of his marathon of a season when he leads Liverpool out against Manchester City at Anfield today, and his forty-seventh in the same stadium on Wednesday if, as expected, he is in the England team for the friendly against Uruguay. Should his mind and body continue to take the strain and should Liverpool and England keep winning, he has a long way to go yet: the World Cup final on 9 July, if England play in it, could be Gerrard's seventy-sixth appearance of a 13-month campaign.

身为英格兰队主教练的埃里克森近期确实很忙，也很烦。一方面随着德国世界杯的日益临近，他要尽快确定英格兰队的主力阵容；另一方面，在被假扮阿拉伯酋长的记者戏弄之后，埃里克森在关于谁将在世界杯后成为英格兰队新任主教练这个问题上又被人涮了一把。

据英国《卫报》26日报道，在"酋长门"事件之后遭遇"逼宫"的埃里克森曾经通过媒体表示说，自己将在世界杯后卸任，并且支持荷兰人希丁克担任英格兰队主教练。然而根据埃里克森自己的描述，他根本就没有说过这样的话，言外之意他又上了一回当。

埃里克森说："当时我正在瑞典一家餐馆和家人就餐。这时有人走过来并用一个伪装成火柴盒样子的相机给我拍照。这个人告诉我说，'希丁克已经得到了你的那份工作。'于是我说，'好啊，那就祝他好运！'就是这样。"

正如埃里克森自己描述的那样，事情的经过确实很简单。但为什么近期受伤害的总是埃里克森？要么天下记者一般黑，要么就是他自己太天真。不过随着5月15日国际足联规定的各国世界杯参赛球员名单上报日起的临近，埃里克森现在也已经无暇顾及这些琐事了。

据报道，3月1日（本周三）英格兰队将同南美劲旅乌拉圭队进行世界杯前最后一场热身赛。通过这场比赛，埃里克森将最终敲定英格兰队的大名单。然而在这样一场至关重要的热身赛前，如利物浦队主教练贝尼特斯公开表示希望埃里克森不要征调本队中场大将杰拉德。

他说："关员球员的使用，我不会给埃里克森任何建议的。埃立克森是一位经验丰富而且明白事理的教练。他应该明白这样一个道理，要想让球队在赛季结束后保持最佳状态迎接世界杯，有些主力球员必须得到足够的休息。很显然，我们没有必要每次都对这些球员进行考察，我们应该想想怎么做才是最好的。埃里克森应该有这样的逻辑。"

截止到上周末利物浦同埃弗顿队的比赛，利物浦队中场球员杰拉德在本赛季已经一共踢了46场球，而本周同乌拉圭队的热身赛将是他的第47场比赛。假设杰拉德所在的利物浦队和英格兰队能够分别在欧洲冠军联赛和世界杯赛场一路高歌猛进、双双挺进决赛的话，那么在这13个月中，场场都作为主力上场的杰拉德本赛季的上场次数将达到惊人的76场比赛。这一数字相当于一支球队两个赛季的比赛数量。这样大的比赛密度对于任何一名球员来说都将是一次巨大的考验。另外过度疲劳也很容易让球员意外受伤，而这显然不是贝尼特斯所愿意看到的。

（国际在线独家资讯 张海山）

Steven Gerrard will play the fortysixth game of his marathon of a season when he leads Liverpool out against Manchester City at Anfield today, and his forty-seventh in the same stadium on Wednesday if, as expected, he is in the England team for the friendly against Uruguay. Should his mind and body continue to take the strain and should Liverpool and England keep winning, he has a long way to go yet: the World Cup final on 9 July, if England play in it, could be Gerrard's seventy-sixth appearance of a 13-month campaign.

Seventy-six games is the equivalent of two complete Premiership seasons in one, yet Gerrard, arguably England's finest midfielder, is unlikely to have much of a rest between now and the World Cup.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez cannot tell his captain to take a breather while his team continue to push on three fronts, the Premiership, Champions League and FA Cup. Injuries to Bolo Zenden and Mohamed Sissoko, the two men able to cover for Gerrard on the right and in the centre of midfield, have made it impossible for Benitez to even contemplate easing his player's workload.

Instead, Benitez has shifted the onus on to Sven-Goran Eriksson to consider the 25-year-old's wellbeing. He said: 'I don't want to give Eriksson advice because he is experienced and he knows, but he must think about it. He must say, "I know this is a key player for us and maybe I don't need him playing two games every week." If you want to have your squad at their best at the end of the season, maybe you need to rest some of them now.

You don't need to see some players every time. It is best to think about what is best for them. The manager [Sven] must use this analysis.'

The dead leg that led to Gerrard starting last Tuesday's 1-0 Champions League defeat against Benfica on the substitutes' bench has improved sufficiently for him to face City today, but his workload for the next 10 days is demanding. City today, England on Wednesday and Charlton next weekend before the second leg against Benfica. Four tough games to test any lingering injuries.

The Uruguay game is the last opportunity for experiment before the World Cup squad is announced on 15 May, and the faint hopes of Anton Ferdinand, Joey Barton, Nigel Reo-Coker and Kevin Nolan have effectively been dashed. The in-form Charlton striker Darren Bent is in the squad and is expected to play at least part of the game alongside Wayne Rooney.

Eriksson and several other leading coaches are unhappy with having to name their squads three weeks before the tournament starts and will be lobbying Fifa next month to put back the date by a fortnight.

Eriksson, who will be at Loftus Road on Tuesday to watch World Cup opponents Trinidad take on Iceland, says he has absolutely no preference over the identity or nationality of his successor. He will leave after the World Cup and was quoted recently giving the impression that Guus Hiddink had his backing, but now says he was set up by Swedish journalists.

'I was in a restaurant with my family when someone took a photograph with a camera disguised as a pack of cigarettes,' Eriksson said. 'Then someone told me Hiddink had got the job, so I said, "Good luck to him." That was all.'

Poor old Sven, set up in two countries. Either journalists are the same the world over, or the England manager is an easy target.

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