England to smooth rough edges for World Cup South Africa 2010
Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard believes the England team still have some work to do before they can believe to be ready for the upcoming world cup. His comments came after a rather comprehensive win against Mexico; the 3-1 win was not enough proof for the midfielder to say that his team has all ends covered.
The Mexican team, who has made it to the world cup finals, was evidently more in control of the ball in the early exchanges, and the English side looked short of a plan when it came to set pieces, but goals from Ledley Kings, Crouch and Johnson did earn them a win.
The defence seemed to be the area for worry at least in the early stages of the match, as Robert Green had to make full length saves to deny Carlos Vela, and Carlos Salcido could have given the away side lead had he not struck the woodwork instead of back of the net.
Up till the half time, England looked not in total control, and there were times when they were taken by surprise in certain areas of the pitch, as the Mexican’s stepped up the heat, and a half time teak talk from Fabio Capello seemed to have put their head in the right place, as their showing in the 2nd half was much more improved.
Gerrard said: ‘’the manager wanted more aggression. They had too much possession in the first half. We stood off them and let them play”
‘’In the second half we got in their faces and stopped them playing”
‘’I think the key at half-time was the manager stressed we needed to get closer to them. We gave them too much respect in the first half and they are very good players and good in possession.’’
Gerrard knows that England have not won anything big in football since the world cup in 1966, and the expectation level from the fans is more then ever, as 88,000 gave them a resounding send off, which was full of faces expecting their team to finally do it for them.
Gerrard also known As Stevie ‘G’, believes the team needs to play out of their skin if they are to have a chance of going all the way, and more importantly they have to play for the fans.
“The fans were magnificent. They got behind the team for the whole game. You could see on their faces how desperate they are for us to go to South Africa and do well”
‘’We can play better than we did tonight but there is still time to sharpen up and we promise the fans we’ll go there to the World Cup and give it our best shot.’’
Tottenham defender Ledley King marked his first England appearance for almost 3 years, with the first goal of the match, but the former spurs captain was not fully satisfied with his overall performance. He said that if he makes the final cut when the final 23 man squad is announced, he will give it all for the team in South Africa.
King said: “I wouldn’t say it was one of my best games but it was tough out there. They are a good side".
They move the ball quickly, they’ve got good movement and the manager made it known at half-time that we weren’t getting tight enough. We came out in the second half and did a lot better”
“As regards my fitness, the knee is OK; the more I play the fitter I get. I’ve ended the season with three games in 10 days and we’ve got a great set-up here”
“The medical staff are doing a brilliant job to help me prepare for the games. I’ll try and be as fit as I can and we’ll see where it goes.’’
England play another friendly on Sunday against Japan, and play their first match in the world cup on June 12th against the United states, and Gerrard to some degree is right, that England do need to sharpen up the edges if they are to have any chance of making it big in South Africa.
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