Eriksson support for Cole

When Cole showed his dogged persistance to set up Robbie Fowler for the first goal, he must have impressed the England manager. However, seconds later he lost the ball in dangerious territory, leading to the first Italian goal, and his actions might have stricken him from the mind of another England manager. But not Eriksson:

"This was a valuable lesson for Joe Cole. I'm not worried or angry about it. If you are young and playing Italy for the first time in your life, it happens that you make a mistake.

"I think it showed Joe's lack of experience but I thought he played very well. He worked very hard for our goal but when you are a young player you will make mistakes now and again.

"Hopefully in two months or two years, who knows, you learn something from it. He played very well and, if you are young, it is better to make mistakes now than in the future."

So all is not lost for Joey. He has an uphill struggle to get on the plane with the senior squad, but with time on his hands, the Under-21s may be the better option for now.