Wayne Rooney will score goals against Algeria says Matthew Upson
Matthew Upson is convinced the goals will start flowing again for Wayne Rooney. The England attacker goes into Friday's Group C match with Algeria in Cape Town having netted just once in eight internationals in the last year.
His solitary goal came in last September's 5-1 trouncing of Croatia, and he failed to fire on Saturday as England began their World Cup tournament with an unsatisfactory 1-1 draw against the United States.
But Upson does not think there is any need for alarm just yet.
With the ability Rooney has, the 31-year-old insists, a return to form will happen sooner rather than later.
"As a striker, the worst thing you can do is start thinking about scoring all the time," said Upson.
"It will happen. Wayne's movement is great. He is a class player and he is totally gifted.
"He just needs to relax, play his game and the goals will come because he is top drawer."
While Rooney is assured of his place in the team on Friday, Upson knows his own situation is rather more insecure.
He was the preferred stand-in for Rio Ferdinand just before Fabio Capello announced his 30-man provisional team, when Jamie Carragher and Ledley King were brought in.
As King is now out of action with a groin strain, and Carragher's position is under threat due to a lack of pace, Upson may be due a recall.
However, the West Ham defender will continue to give his best for the team, whether Capello selects him or not.
"It is disappointing because I want to play," he said.
"It was an objective for me to be here and I achieved that. While I am here I want to play as much as I can.
"I do feel very happy with my international contribution under Fabio Capello but these are his decisions, which I am willing to accept because we are here to win something as a group."
Upson has rubbished German legend Franz Beckenbauer’s claims that the England team has a “kick and rush" approach, claiming they have gone the wrong way under coach Fabio Capello.
Upson said, "We want to win matches, so we will play according to that. We will play the football that suits us best.
"If we are accused of kick and rush but win something, I don't think many people would complain."
He added, "Whatever he thinks about our style of play is his opinion."
England have been heavily criticized for their display in the 1-1 draw with the United States last weekend, but Upson made it clear that Capello had not been too tough on his players. "The manager has indicated he was very pleased with certain aspects of our performance," added Upson.
"Whenever he watches us play he looks for the things he wants to see. It might be different to what everyone else sees.
"On Saturday he saw some things he was very pleased with. I also think he saw some things he would want us to improve on.
"That is the key to management. We have been working on it in training and hopefully that will make us a better team."
Goalkeeper Robert Green has been under extreme scrutiny since making a blunder that handed the US a point in Rustenburg, but Upson says that he has responded well to the critics and was ready to take on Algeria in England's next game.
"Robert is 100% ready to play on Friday," said Upson. "These mistakes happen, although I cannot ever recall him doing anything like that.
"But he is a big boy and has handled it really well. He just has to put it behind him and move on."
Upson was pretty much a regular in the starting line-up, before Capello chose his 30-man provisional World Cup side, but seems to have fallen down the pecking order subsequently.
"I am desperate to play my part," Upson admitted. "I have to be patient, keep focussed and keep working hard in training.
"That has been my main focus since I have been here and that is not going to change for the duration of the tournament. Everything else is outside my control."
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