England News

• Nickname:Three Lions
• Founded: 1872
• Manager:Roy Hodgson

• Ground:Wembley Stadium
• Capacity:90,000

Gerrard: No Barton problem

05 Feb 2007 - 11:50:08

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Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard insists there will be no problems between himself and Joey Barton when the pair join up for England duty this week.

In the absence of regular skipper John Terry through injury, Gerrard is expected to captain Steve McClaren's side in Wednesday's friendly meeting with Spain.

Barton, who is in line to win a first cap in midfield, was critical of the England players who released autobiographies following the World Cup last summer, but Gerrard claims there will be no ill-feeling towards the Manchester City player.

Gerrard, who released his own book 'My Autobiography' in the wake of the failure in Germany, said: "There's no hard feelings between myself and Joey. We're from a similar area.

"The interview he's done has gone over my head. We'll give him the welcome he deserves. His form has been fantastic of late.

"It's great that there are rivals at club level. It shows how strong our league is when players battle every Saturday against each other, but there's got to be respect there when we join up for our country."

Meanwhile, Gerrard is looking forward to captaining the national side on Wednesday.

"It will mean an awful lot to me," he added. "To walk out at the front and lead the boys out into battle will be extra-special."