'We need the right attitude'
Thursday, 04 June, 2009
Steven Gerrard sets his sights on six points from next two games.
England ace Steven Gerrard has his mind firmly set on collecting six points from the next two games and completing what would be a fine campaign for The Three Lions.
Gerrard and his team-mates are in Almaty preparing for Saturday’s clash with Kazakhstan before they return to England for next Wednesday’s game with Andorra at Wembley.
Two victories would mean Fabio Capello’s men would go into next season having won all seven of their World Cup qualifying games, giving them a fine chance of progressing to the competition in South Africa next year.
Despite many of the players having just finished a hectic season with their clubs, the 29-year-old feels the attitude within the squad is one of determination and desire to get maximum points.
"We need to approach them with the right attitude and get the job done,” said Gerrard.
“If we win these two games, we will be three points away from qualification with three games to play and that puts us basically in the driving seat.
"It can be difficult if you think negatively or you think you are tired, if you are thinking about the end of the season – but for me there are still two big games to play to get seven wins out of seven and put ourselves into a fantastic position to qualify.”
The Liverpool man knows that it will be a tough game in Kazakhstan and then back at Wembley, with both teams sure to be highly motivated against the Three Lions.
"The majority of the time when England play these type of teams we are expected to win very comfortably, but these teams can be very organised and difficult to beat and everyone wants to beat England,” he added.
"That's the unfortunate position we are in, because we have one of the best leagues in the world and a lot of our players are big names throughout the world, everyone wants to beat us.
"We want the job done as soon as possible though, and with all due respect to Kazakhstan and Andorra, these are games we should win."
The last few games have seen Gerrard playing in a more advanced midfield position in which he offers attacking support to Wayne Rooney and he admits that it’s a role he has enjoyed.
"It's been working well of late, the relationship with Wayne, and the team's been playing well,” he said.
"The manager put me there with strict orders to pick up dangerous positions in a central area and I feel more confident in this position, I can express myself.''
You can see Gerrard and his team-mates in action on Saturday live on Setanta Sports.