Gerrard remains a realist

England midfielder warns that Capello will need time

Last updated: 8th February 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Gerrard remains a realist

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Steven Gerrard concedes England still have an awful lot to do before they are anything like the finished article.

The Liverpool midfielder captained his country on Wednesday in the absence of John Terry and impressed in putting in an all-action shift.

Reaction to Fabio Capello's bow as England boss has been mixed and while Gerrard is relieved they were able to see off Switzerland, he is refusing to get carried away.

Gerrard believes it will be a case of evolution rather than revolution under the Italian's regime and with no competitive action until the World Cup campaign begins against minnows Andorra in September, Capello will have plenty of time to make his mark.

Improvement

"It was nice to get a win, but this team still has some improving to do," he said.

"There were some positives, some decent performances - but we realise under this manager there is still a lot of improvement and a lot of steps to take before we get to the level where we are really happy.

"It is important we don't carried away and we don't raise expectations.

"It is only early doors. We've started off with a win, but we realise there's still a long way to go before we're really happy."

Captaincy

Capello has yet to decide on who will lead England on a permanent basis, with Gerrard and Terry the obvious candidates to wear the captain's armband.

Gerrard concedes there is no greater honour than to captain your country.

"We'll have to see long-term what his idea is for the captaincy, but I was really pleased to lead the side out," he added.

"I don't want to push myself forward for the captaincy, I think that would be disrespectful to John Terry - but you ask any English player if they want to lead their country out on a permanent basis and they will say yes."

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