Sven-Goran Eriksson will today claim that he remains in control of team affairs amid suggestions that it is the senior players who are dictating which tactics will be used for the match away to Wales tomorrow.

Eriksson, the England head coach, is toying with the idea of adopting a 4-5-1 formation for the World Cup qualifying match at the Millennium Stadium, with Wayne Rooney occupying the role up front, and Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and David Beckham playing in the centre of midfield.

Eriksson has been weighing up a shift in formation for the match in Cardiff with his coaching staff ever since the 4-1 defeat away to Denmark last month.

He discussed his ideas with senior players, including Gerrard, Beckham and Lampard, on Tuesday evening after watching a video of the Denmark debacle.

The players then experimented with a 4-5-1 system in training on Wednesday, with Shaun Wright-Phillips introduced to the side on the right side of midfield.

With Joe Cole on the left flank, that would reflect the tactics employed by Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, as well as Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, in giving England greater defensive solidity.

Eriksson was without Gerrard during the Wednesday session - the Liverpool midfield player was still working out away from the main squad after a calf injury - but he trained with everyone else yesterday.

The absence of Michael Owen because of suspension, coupled with the second-half collapse against Denmark, has nevertheless prompted the shift in thinking, with Jermain Defoe now at risk of missing out on a starting role and Wright-Phillips poised for his first competitive start.

Eriksson has listened to the views of senior players in the past, most notably during Euro 2004, when he abandoned his diamond system in favour of a flat midfield.

However, it is understood he will use his press conference today to maintain that he remains in full control of his team selection and tactics.

Rooney's lone forward role, with Cole and Wright-Phillips on the flanks, could put even greater demands on the teenager's shoulders.

However, when asked about the expectations on him ever since Euro 2004, Rooney said: "I don't think it is [too much] pressure. I am a professional player, I love playing football and, as long as I have given my best, then hopefully it will all go right for us.

"Obviously you get nervous before any game but when you walk out on to the pitch you have got to try to blank everything out and concentrate on the match.

"If you can do that and then give your best, you can't ask for much more. I have quite a few caps now and have scored a few goals, plus there are a lot more players in the squad that I've played with or against at club level, so I'm a lot more settled than when I first got into the team."

Rooney is in no doubt that England can see off the challenge of Wales and Northern Ireland to put themselves in the driving seat for World Cup qualification and beyond.

"We can go all the way," Rooney said. "If you look at the team and the squad, we have got some great players here. Over the past year or so it has mostly been the same squad, so hopefully we can start playing together well and qualify for the World Cup.

"It is all about winning most of our games coming up to the World Cup. Then hopefully, when we are there, we can get that bit of luck and can go all the way."

Rio Ferdinand has warned Wales that England will be like a "wounded animal" in Cardiff as they seek a cure for the hangover of their embarrassment in Denmark.

Ferdinand admitted that England's unacceptable second- half collapse in Copenhagen was an "open wound" and is determined to ensure the pain is not increased by defeat in tomorrow's World Cup qualifier.

He has been reassured by Eriksson that, contrary to one report, he is not facing the axe when Sol Campbell and John Terry are fit again, but accepts his own display against Denmark was not up to scratch.

"If any player has a bad game it's there in the back of your mind in the next game," Ferdinand said. "There's always a hangover.

"When you put in a good performance it puts it to rest a bit, although it doesn't completely disappear. You don't want to lose 4-1 to anyone, regardless of whether it is for club or country.

"The sense of urgency always rises after a defeat like that. It's good that we're playing so quickly because the wound is still quite open."