Source: Daily_Mail
Peter Crouch: We have to find a way to stop my Spurs mate Gareth Bale
Judging by developments in Hertfordshire and Cardiff, the Welsh seem rather more relaxed than their English rivals when it comes to preparing for Saturday's European Championship encounter. [LNB] Gary Speed's young players have shown no hesitation in talking about the game at the Millennium Stadium. Gareth Bale has spoken, as has Aaron Ramsey. All very chilled apparently. [LNB] Target man: Crouch may be only a substitute on Saturday, but is still determined to find the net[LNB] In the England team hotel a few miles north of London, however, it was a very different scene. Players, locked away in their rooms because of a golfing ban, opted to stay there when the alternative was a chat with the media. Not the most exciting alternative, admittedly. But when a request for Jack Wilshere and Andy Carroll was rejected, it didn't seem to bode well when there will be nowhere to hide this weekend. [LNB] Fortunately for the FA they can still rely on more senior members of the squad, guys who recognise the responsibilities of international football, and one player who has a remarkable knack for delivering for his country came good again. [LNB] Peter Crouch was charm personified and fascinating on a variety of subjects. He might end up as understudy to Carroll this weekend. It was essentially the role he performed yesterday, stepping off the media bench as a substitute for Liverpool's ?35million striker.[LNB] But he spoke like the respected pro that he is, explaining why Bale is someone to be feared but not even close to being 'the best player in the world', why Craig Bellamy poses his own unique threat and why he will continue to battle for more international recognition despite too often being seen as a last resort. [LNB] Relaxed: Gareth Bale (centre) shares a joke with team mates[LNB] He was gushing about Bale, whom he sees every day at Tottenham's training ground. But there was a slightly startled, refreshingly candid response to being told, seemingly for the first time, that Fabio Capello considers him the finest footballer on the planet. [LNB] 'Really?' he replied. 'He's got some way to go to be Lionel Messi's standard. Messi sets the bar extremely high. Messi and Ronaldo are out there on their own at the moment, with the sheer number of goals they've scored.[LNB] 'Gareth is only young, developing. In that position he's got to be up there with the top players in the world. He's done it in the Champions League. What he did to Inter Milan, over two games, showed people what he is capable of and what he will do in the future.'[LNB] Crouch said Bale would feature prominently in plans for this weekend's qualifier. [LNB]'Their biggest threat is Gareth,' he said. 'That's no secret. He's a top-class player and he's been on fire for the last two years.[LNB] 'We only assess opponents on Thursday and Friday, looking at videos. But I'm sure Gareth will be prominent in a lot of those videos. We might have to double up on him! But West Ham coped well with our two wingers at the weekend, so maybe we'll look at that game. But sometimes he's unplayable. He's got tremendous pace. He runs the whole length of the pitch with the ball and then he runs the whole length back just as quickly. Then he's ready to do it again in a minute's time.'[LNB] On the run: Gareth Bale beats Inter duo Lucio and Maicon[LNB] On the right comes another threat. Crouch encountered Bellamy in their time together at Liverpool and said: 'I remember him shouting and screaming at me during one training session. Afterwards I pulled him up and said, "What's that about?" and he said, "I forgot where I was but that's the way I play. I have to shout to get myself geed up for a game". He'd only been there a week. But it's the way he fires himself up and he's a good lad and a top, top player who is always desperate to win. All the talk will be about Gareth Bale but Bellamy is certainly a player we have to watch out for.'[LNB] Reminded of a certain incident involving Bellamy, a golf club and John Arne Riise, Crouch laughed. 'Yeah, of course, there's that side to him as well,' he said. 'But he's a sparky character and a great character to have around the place.'[LNB] Crouch has character too. Does he mind if he only gets five minutes on Saturday? Not in the slightest. He would prefer to play from the start but says it remains 'an honour' just to be involved, while his sights remain fixed on climbing up the international scoring charts. [LNB] 'I'm not going to lie,' he said. 'I've had one eye on those stats as well. It would be an amazing achievement. I think I'm on 22-odd goals and I've seen that Nat Lofthouse is on 30 and in the top five. I'm not a million miles away. Even coming off the bench you still have opportunities to score. In the last game I played, against France, I only had about five minutes but I managed to get a goal. It's another one for the album.' [LNB] Lampard fears England axe as Capello considers advanced role for Wilshere Gareth Bale delivers warning to England ahead of Euro 2012 showdownWales v England dossier: It will be red hot in the Dragons' denMilner: Forget fuss over Terry... it's just business as usual for England[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Gary Speed, Craig Bellamy, Peter Crouch, Fabio Capello, John Arne Riise, Andy Carroll, Jack Wilshere, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi Places: Cardiff, Liverpool, London, Hertfordshire, France, United Kingdom
