Lampard has ton of worries over Brazil

14 November 2013 23:46

Frank Lampard admits that he will have to fight to ensure his place in the England squad at next year's World Cup finals despite being only the eighth Englishman to rack up 100 caps.

The Chelsea star will skipper England in Friday's friendly against Chile at Wembley where he will also be presented with a special golden cap having reached the landmark against Ukraine last month.

But the 35-year-old knows that his reputation alone will not guarantee a place in Roy Hodgson's Brazil-bound squad.

"All the players are in the same boat. What we've done up to now carries a bit of weight, some more than others, but if your form isn't good enough up until the end of the season...," said Lampard.

"If I walked around thinking my 103 caps would get me on the plane, I'd probably be on the beach, because that means you're taking things for granted. I don't think any of us can afford to do that."

Lampard added: "I understand that, with age and at different parts of your career, you have different challenges."

"I'm very determined in my challenge to show the manager, regardless of age -- and he's always said it doesn't matter if you're 17 or 35 going on 36 -- he'll not look at you any differently, so that's nice to hear. The rest is up to me."

Source: AFP