With Frank Lampard being ruled out of the Bulgaria game through injury, Gerrard was able to take his place alongside Gareth Barry and produced a superb display as England cruised to a 4-0 win in their opening Euro 2012 Qualifier.
Wayne Rooney was given freedom to play in a deeper role and the combination proved too much for Bulgaria as England tried to get the World Cup disappointment out of their system.
England face a tough trip to Switzerland on Tuesday night and Gerrard is hoping Capello with keep faith with the same system.
Gerrard said: “I enjoyed playing in that position. The manager was happy with my performance and I am happy with it as well.
“He asked me to try and control the tempo of the game and I thought with Gareth dropping in beside me and Wayne dropping in, I thought we controlled the middle of the park. That is where games are won or lost.”
Capello has faced a barrage of abuse for England’s woeful display in South Africa, but Gerrard has nothing but praise for the way he has battled through the criticism.
Gerrard added: “He has taken a lot of criticism, but he has been around for a long time and with his experience I don’t think it is a problem.
“He has taken it on the chin and handled it very well and asked the players to put in a performance to ease the pressure.”
No comments:
Post a Comment