Source: Team_Talk
Gerrard: Players have belief in Capello
Skipper Steven Gerrard has defended Fabio Capello and hopes his England future does not depend on their opening two Euro 2012 qualifiers.[LNB] England tackle Bulgaria at Wembley on Friday evening and then are away to Switzerland on Tuesday.[LNB]Gerrard believes it is "crazy" to suggest that England will suddenly be transformed into a tournament-winning team by a "knee jerk" change of head coach.[LNB]The Liverpool star insists the players and not Capello should bear the majority of the blame for their dismal showing during the World Cup.[LNB]And Gerrard dispels the theory that there has been a communication breakdown between Capello and the players.[LNB]Gerrard said: "I wanted Fabio to stay. I have a lot belief in him.[LNB]"It's important that Fabio is still given a chance. For me, he's a fantastic manager.[LNB]"Who out there that is an English manager has the CV that Fabio Capello has got?[LNB]"Will his future decided by these two games? I don't know. I hope not. I'm not in control.[LNB]"It has happened before but hopefully that won't be the case again. Hopefully we can get two good results and start slowly building for the future.[LNB]"There are still good managers out there.[LNB]"But it would be a knee-jerk reaction to sack a manager after one bad tournament, then think everything will be rosy when you start with a new guy and we'll go on and win Euro 2012.[LNB]"That's crazy. It's crazy to think it's as easy as that."[LNB]Capello has become public enemy number one in some sections of the media after England's dismal showing in South Africa.[LNB]Gerrard said: "It seems as if there's a lot of blame going towards the manager.[LNB]"But it was the players who under-performed out there. People talk about tactics and stuff, but there's only so much that a manager can do.[LNB]"The players have to deliver, and the players never delivered in Africa.[LNB]"Of course, everyone knows in football that the manager eventually gets the blame if things don't go well, but for me, we should get behind him now.[LNB]"The communication between players and managers is also not a problem. He talks to the players individually, and the team, and the message does come across."[LNB]Gerrard believes Capello has not been affected by the criticism which has rained down on his shoulders since the 4-1 mauling by Germany in Bloemfontein in late June.[LNB]He said: "It doesn't seem to me that it affects him. He's got a lot of experience and he's handling it quite well.[LNB]"But it's up to the players to ease the pressure and take the focus off him, and make us a better team, more successful."[LNB]Gerrard is aware the absence of key players such as Frank Lampard and John Terry puts greater emphasis on the other experienced players still available to Capello.[LNB]He said: "I was disappointed to lose John and Frank because they're two fantastic players, big players for us, leaders with fantastic experience, and they'll be missed.[LNB]"When you're losing big players with that amount of experience, the other guys have to share that responsibility out.[LNB]"But it's a good opportunity for other players to come in. The challenge is can we get two wins without those guys and prove we can cope without them?"
