Gerrard focused on England
Tuesday, 24 March, 2009
Liverpool's Steven Gerrard is looking for two positive England results.
England v Slovakia
International Friendly
5.15pm, Saturday 28 March 2009
Wembley Stadium
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England v Ukraine
2010 FIFA World CupTM Qualifier
8pm, Wednesday 1 April 2009
Wembley Stadium
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England
midfielder Steven Gerrard says he is ready to forget about Liverpool for a week and focus fully on the international team.
Gerrard has been in fine form for his club as he has helped them beat Real Madrid, Manchester United and Aston Villa in recent weeks and while he is pleased with his club form, he says England is now the only thing on his mind.
He said: "There are plenty of times that I have joined up with England on the back of defeats and it is not nice for the first few days, but once they are out of the way everyone is focused on England and all the players are pulling together to get the right results for the country.
"It has been a hectic few weeks, although the results have been really good. We have some important games coming up for Liverpool, but at the moment it is all about getting two important results for England."
Ledley King's call-up and withdrawal with a knee injury from the squad has dominated the headlines, but Gerrard says that when fit, there is no better player than King.
He added: "As an England player I am going to be biased and say that I am sorry to see Ledley go.
"When he is out there he is top drawer. I have been fortunate enough to play with him a few times for England and when he is fit and available, he is as good as anyone."
Meanwhile, Gerrard believes that England's upcoming friendly against Slovakia will provide good preparation for next week's World Cup Qualifier with Ukraine.
And the Liverpool midfielder says that if all the players are as good as his team-mate Martin Skrtel, then England will be in for a tough afternoon.
He added: "It will be a good tie and a good test for us. I have got a team-mate, Martin Skrtel, who is a fantastic player and someone who is getting better all the time and if his team-mates are as good as him, then we will be in for a really tough game."
If David Beckham plays any part in the game, he will become England's most capped outfield player on 109 caps, one more than World Cup-winning captain Bobby Moore and Gerrard says the former captain deserves the record.
"It is an unbelievable record to have. Let's hope David breaks it, I think he deserves to, he has been a fantastic servant and I would love to see him break the record," he added.
"I would like to stay around the squad for a long time. I love playing for England and love being in the squad. I am happy with my 70 caps - I have missed a few games through injury but hopefully I can get many more in the future."