VIDEO: Out on a high
By Alex Shaw
Saturday, 02 June, 2012
Captain Steven Gerrard wants to lead England into Euros on the back of a win
Steven Gerrard admits there will be not let-up from England despite seeing Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry ruled out of EURO 2012 through injury.
Lampard damaged a thigh in training while Barry limped out of England's friendly win over Norway last week and both will miss the tournament but skipper Gerrard says England will go into every training session and Saturday's match with Belgium with the same intensity.
He said: "First and foremost, it's a huge blow (to lose Lampard) especially after losing Gareth Barry as well.
"But you can't afford to ease back or relax. It was very high tempo and physical as normal.
"The responsibility is on the whole squad. Those two will be missed so as a group we will have to share the responsibility around."
Jordan Henderson will replace Lampard in the England squad and Gerrard believes his Liverpool team-mate can make an impact.
"Nobody wants to see a player get injured but you have to take your opportunity and Jordan is one for the future," he added.
"There's been times when I have been flying solo (as the only England player) so it's good signs for England as well."
With Belgium set to provide Roy Hodgson's men with a stern test in the final warm-up game before England's clash with France in the opening group game, Gerrard has urged his team-mates to go for the win to go into EURO 2012 on a high.
"We've got to go for it," said Gerrard.
"It's a big game as it's the last preparation game before the big one against France.
"We want to go to the tournament on a high so we want to win the game.
"The Belgium team has world class players and the future is bright for them. They have Vincent Kompany, Thomas Vermaelen and Eden Hazard but we have to focus on them as a whole."
Speaking about the France match, Gerrard said: "It's a big game but there's two others after that as well. If we can avoid defeat it will set us up nicely.
"I watched France last night (against Serbia) and they looked very strong. We know all about them and are aware it's a very tough game. We respect them but they are not unbeatable."