Gerrard admits concern over Lampard partnership
Gerrard also says that fans who booed Ashley Cole were entitled to their opinion
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Monday, 13, Oct 2008 11:21
Steven Gerrard had admitted that he is struggling to capture his club form when he partners Frank Lampard in the England midfield.
The Liverpool midfielder was decidedly under par during Saturday's win over Kazakhstan, but claims that he expects his partnership with Frank Lampard to improve the more they play together, and that the most important thing is that the team are successful.
"I think both Frank and I have been on record in the past to say that we have not been at our best for England," said Gerrard.
"We admit that, but we are working hard on the training ground to try and build the relationship.
"But it is just a small part of the team. And I think the big picture is that we have a successful team and we have a good manager and we are moving in the right direction.
Following last month's win in Croatia – when Gerrard was absent through injury and Lampard had one of his best games in an England shirt – and the second-half performance on Saturday Gerrard has said that the atmosphere in the squad is impressive.
"Confidence is high and it is growing, but we are not getting carried away. We have got off to a fantastic start, three wins from three and we are looking to make it four wins from four and we are looking to go in to the New Year top of the group."
"We are expecting a tough game, but we are ready and it is about how we play. Confidence is high and we are ready for the game."
Gerrard also says that the fans who booed Ashley Cole on Saturday were entitled to voice their opinion.
"Any supporter, when you pay money, you deserve to voice your opinion," he said.
"But we need their support. If we're going to be successful in the future, we need them with us.
"It's not going to help Ashley and it's not going to help the team but the support we got was fantastic, they stayed with us throughout the game and I think the fans went away happy with the 5-1 win, three points, top of the group.
"He [Cole] is disappointed and the players are disappointed because no one likes to see players booed, but what players have been talking about is the amount of England fans that turned up on Saturday.
"I think there were 90,000 at Wembley which was fantastic[and] I think 2-3,000 of them are going to Belarus on Wednesday. We appreciate the support but we urge the fans to stay with us."