Sven Goran Eriksson admitted that he enjoys working with Ivory Coast more than being England's manager because the Elephants 'smile all day'. The Swedish tactician, who coached the Three Lions for five years, took over Ivory Coast only this year ahead of the ongoing World Cup. Although he has just spent few months with the Ivorian players, Eriksson left no doubts that he feels more comfortable with the African team than with England. "It's more or less the same, because there are top international footballers and big stars," he said. "The only difference between this job and the England one is that the players smile all day - on the bus, in training, in the restaurant. They are extremely happy and they talk a lot. "I can't believe that these players had problems in the past. They're more lively than any European team I know, but I like it very much. "It's just their nature and their mentality, but it's great fun for me every day to work with these players." Eriksson parted company with England after the 2006 World Cup, where the one-time world champions were ousted from the quarter finals upon losing to Portugal in penalty shootout. Pressure In the wake of Ivory Coast's goalless draw with Portugal in their World Cup opener on Tuesday, Eriksson highlighted that his team are eager to make amends for their poor African Cup of Nations campaign. "They feel the pressure because I don't think the fans were very happy after the Nations Cup. They have so many big names that there is huge expectation on them," he added. Eriksson's side slumped to a 3-2 loss to Algeria in what was deemed a big surprise in the Nations Cup quarter finals.
