Gerrard - Pressure is on

England skipper hopes for positive start to qualification campaign

By Chris Burton   Last updated: 2nd September 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Gerrard - Pressure is on

Gerrard: Expectations are high

The team hasn't been picked yet, but obviously I relish that position on the pitch where I can get forward and support the attacking players.

Steven Gerrard
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Steven Gerrard admits England will be under pressure to deliver in their opening Euro 2012 encounter.

The Liverpool midfielder is set to lead out the Three Lions against Bulgaria on Friday in the continued absence of national skipper Rio Ferdinand.

He is hoping Fabio Capello's men can hit the ground running at Wembley and make an early statement of intent.

Gerrard is confident the players can handle the expectations which accompany the start of a new qualification campaign and is determined to do all he can to help banish the painful memories of a shocking showing at the 2010 World Cup.

"The players realise, and the manager, that we are under pressure at the moment, which is normal after underperforming at a World Cup," he told Sky Sports News.

"It will really help if we could put in a good, positive performance tomorrow and get maximum points. Then we can take that into the Switzerland game on Tuesday.

"We qualified really well for the World Cup, playing good attacking football. If we can perform at that level, I'm sure we will get out of this group in a similar fashion.

"The difficult thing is that there is slightly more pressure on us this time around. But we have to cope with that, we have to handle that. We have certainly got the exciting players to get off to a winning start.

"I think it's very important that we make a statement in the group and make it clear that we want to qualify comfortably."

Gerrard could be asked to occupy a more forward-thinking role again by Capello on Friday, in much the same way as he did when bagging a brace in a 2-1 friendly victory over Hungary in August.

He admits he would be more than happy to take on that position, as supporting the frontmen is what his game is all about.

"The team hasn't been picked yet, but obviously I relish that position on the pitch where I can get forward and support the attacking players," he said.

"We will have to wait and see what the manager decides to do, but I'd love that opportunity."

Gerrard is also hoping that the spate of withdrawals which has hindered England's preparations can be turned into a positive, with a number of players looking to make their mark on the international stage.

He added: "After the team underperformed in South Africa there have been changes made and with injuries as well it's a fantastic opportunity for players to stake a claim, perform well and give the manager something to think about."

Comments (1)

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Geir Breivik (Liverpool fan) says...

Time for England & Gerrard to shine! Expect a difficult game, though. Finally England have a reliable goalkeeper. Gerrard should be named captain permanently - Rio F are not the same player as he used to be

Posted 14:26 2nd September 2010
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