England Spur for Jenas
Wednesday, 06 February, 2008
Jermaine Jenas says he sees similarites between the transition with England to that at Tottenham Hotspur.
England v Switzerland
International Friendly
8pm, Wednesday 6 February 2008
Wembley Stadium
Jermaine Jenas has compared the transition with England to the change he has seen at Tottenham Hotspur, as Fabio Capello begins his reign as England Manager against Switzerland this evening.
Having enjoyed fine recent form since Juande Ramos took over as Spurs boss in October, Jenas sees similarities in the new arrivals of managers for both club and country.
Speaking exclusively to TheFA.com, Jenas said: "It's been a very similar transition, I have to say. It was very new to a lot of the lads joining up here, but to me it kind of felt like I'd just gone through it already.
"If this manager can do what Juande Ramos has done for us so far, then I'm sure it will be great."
Although Jenas has shown strong form in recent months, he puts that down to the strength of the team around him.
Having scored twice against Arsenal with Fabio Capello watching from the stands, Jenas is sure that performances like that helped him to secure a place in the England squad.
"I'm sure they were important. I think he likes to pick players on form - if you're playing well then you will be selected - and I think that's a good policy," Jenas explained.
"He has to draw from the experience that is already there, because you will need that at times. But for a lot of us other squad members it gives us a chance, because you know that if your form's good then that gives you a chance of being involved."
Crediting his form to the strength of the team, Jenas said: "He [Ramos] simplified our game and made us stronger at the back, and that strength in defence gave me the feeling that I could break forward more and be creative, and score goals as well as create goals. So I've certainly benefitted from that."
After meeting Capello and his coaching team, Jenas says that he, along with all the other players, have been extremely impressed.
Jenas told TheFA.com: "It's been good. He knows what he wants and he's gone about it in the right way. The lads have been really impressed.
"We're looking forward to getting stuck into this game and the friendlies ahead, and then the qualifiers later in the year.
"It's no secret that he's learning English still, but he gets his point across and if there's ever any problems he can speak to his interpreter.
"It's a new beginning, the gaffer will obviously have his own thoughts and ways of doing things, and we're just heads down and working really hard."
Jenas says that following the disappointment at not reaching Euro 2008 the England players are determined to give the fans something to cheer about at Wembley.
"After the disappointment of not getting to the Euros, the lads can't wait to get into this qualifying campaign and hopefully make sure we qualify for the World Cup," Jenas added.
"Switzerland are a good side and they can pose a lot of threats, but we're going to be concentrating on ourselves more than anything.
"It would be nice to get a good positive start at Wembley and get the fans cheering again."