Milner praises Gerrard
Thursday, 09 September, 2010
James Milner pays tribute to the leadership of Steven Gerrard.
Manchester City midfielder James Milner says he can learn a great deal from Steven Gerrard, and praised the leadership he displayed in England's opening qualifiers with Bulgaria and Switzerland.
He said: "When you've got good players they are going to shine through. You know Steven Gerrard is another top player that we are lucky to have.
"He has shown his leadership skills. Not everyone has to be a shouter. He will do that, he'll have a word and shout at you when it needs to be done.
"But he leads by example on the pitch, without or with the ball, and we are lucky to have a player like that. I'm lucky to be able to look up to a player like that and learn as much as I can off him."
Milner has adapted to a number of different midfield roles for club and country, and similar to Gerrard is able to perform at both ends of the pitch. And Milner believes that flexibility will be key to the development of this England side in the coming years.
When asked about the ability for the England squad to adapt against the major football nations, he said: "I don't see why not. It is down to the manager how he wants to play.
"I think we've got the players in the squad to be able to play like that (against Switzerland) and other formations as well.
"If the manager wants to play three in there, if he wants to play a diamond, whatever, we've got the players who can change and play the way he wants to play.
"I think that helps and gives him options when we play against teams who play different ways. You have to be able to adapt your style."