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Fabio Capello Has Taken Away The Shackles Of Fear From The England Squad - Steven Gerrard
Liverpool captain reckons Italian has the Three Lions roaring...
28-Feb-2010 12:03:00 PM
By Adithya Ananth
England vice-captain Steven Gerrard believes manager Fabio Capello has been successful in transforming the Three Lions into a confident side, capable of roaring against any other team in the world.
The national team has been subject to intense scrutiny in the past, leading to the players being burdened with high expectations coupled with the pressure to perform. This has been cited as the root cause in underwhelming performances prior to the arrival of the Italian.
"I can certainly say I experienced fear when I went out to perform," Gerrard told the News of the World.
"The pressure from supporters always transmitted itself on to the pitch.
"It's always an honour to wear an England shirt but you only had to see some of the performances, myself included, to see it could also be a burden.
"There was a lot of fear out there, it was difficult to play and we made hard work out of the fixtures we should have won.
"Fabio Capello has got rid of all that. The shackles are off and we play without fear now."
The Liverpool skipper has grown accustomed to his role on the left and insists he is happy with his situation in the national squad, as he will be handed the armband due to the absence of Rio Ferdinand during the friendly against Egypt.
"He has given me some freedom on the left to go and express myself," added Gerrard. "He has helped me positionally and tactically too.
"The main thing I've noticed now is that when I go out there I really believe in myself. The fear has gone."
The Kop favourite drew parallels with Reds' boss Rafael Benitez and Capello, citing the tactically astute nature of the two managers.
"He was very similar to Rafa when he arrived at Liverpool," added Gerrard.
"Capello is really good for players, he helps you individually.
"He's not the type of character who will be cracking jokes and having you in fits of laughter. But you don't want that from the England manager, you want the best football man, the man who is going to improve both you personally and the team.
"When you listen to him talk tactics you know straight away that you're going to be playing in a good team.
"Fabio is one of the best managers because he can give you that belief, which you can see in how we play for him.
"We're playing some nice football, everyone is enjoying themselves and we've got smiles on our faces. The manager has brought that out in us."
The 29-year-old midfielder believes that if England are to taste any form of success in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, then it will be under the masterful guidance of Capello.
Gerrard continued: "He has that aura when he walks into a room. As soon as he talks about football you want to listen. He has the players' respect.
"We all listen to him, we want to learn and we want to improve. He told us that we had under-achieved but now he has instilled confidence in us and that has been shown in our performances.
"I'm confident that he can take us really far in the World Cup. I don't want to inflate expectations but I do know is that if we are going to be successful it will certainly be with Fabio Capello."
The national team has been subject to intense scrutiny in the past, leading to the players being burdened with high expectations coupled with the pressure to perform. This has been cited as the root cause in underwhelming performances prior to the arrival of the Italian.
"I can certainly say I experienced fear when I went out to perform," Gerrard told the News of the World.
"The pressure from supporters always transmitted itself on to the pitch.
"It's always an honour to wear an England shirt but you only had to see some of the performances, myself included, to see it could also be a burden.
"There was a lot of fear out there, it was difficult to play and we made hard work out of the fixtures we should have won.
"Fabio Capello has got rid of all that. The shackles are off and we play without fear now."
The Liverpool skipper has grown accustomed to his role on the left and insists he is happy with his situation in the national squad, as he will be handed the armband due to the absence of Rio Ferdinand during the friendly against Egypt.
"He has given me some freedom on the left to go and express myself," added Gerrard. "He has helped me positionally and tactically too.
"The main thing I've noticed now is that when I go out there I really believe in myself. The fear has gone."
The Kop favourite drew parallels with Reds' boss Rafael Benitez and Capello, citing the tactically astute nature of the two managers.
"He was very similar to Rafa when he arrived at Liverpool," added Gerrard.
"Capello is really good for players, he helps you individually.
"He's not the type of character who will be cracking jokes and having you in fits of laughter. But you don't want that from the England manager, you want the best football man, the man who is going to improve both you personally and the team.
"When you listen to him talk tactics you know straight away that you're going to be playing in a good team.
"Fabio is one of the best managers because he can give you that belief, which you can see in how we play for him.
"We're playing some nice football, everyone is enjoying themselves and we've got smiles on our faces. The manager has brought that out in us."
The 29-year-old midfielder believes that if England are to taste any form of success in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, then it will be under the masterful guidance of Capello.
Gerrard continued: "He has that aura when he walks into a room. As soon as he talks about football you want to listen. He has the players' respect.
"We all listen to him, we want to learn and we want to improve. He told us that we had under-achieved but now he has instilled confidence in us and that has been shown in our performances.
"I'm confident that he can take us really far in the World Cup. I don't want to inflate expectations but I do know is that if we are going to be successful it will certainly be with Fabio Capello."
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