Fabio Capello demanded aggression from England, says Steven Gerrard
Posted Tuesday, May 25, 2010 by theguardian.com
• 'In second half we got in their faces and stopped them playing'
• Ledley King admits he struggled with Mexico's movement
Steven Gerrard said Fabio Capello demanded more aggression at half-time as his England team secured a 3-1 friendly win over Mexico at Wembley.
Mexico were allowed to dominate possession in the first half, although England went in 2-1 ahead at the interval after goals following set pieces from Ledley King and Peter Crouch. Guillermo Franco scored on the stroke of half-time before a solo effort from Glen Johnson early in the second period put the game beyond the visitors.
"The manager wanted more aggression from the whole team," Gerrard said. "They had too much possession in the first half, we stood off them and let them play. In the second half we got in their faces and stopped them playing. We need to be more aggressive.
"We need to be able to adapt to different formations during a game and also for different opposition. That's down to the manager and what he decides to go with. We can play better than we did tonight; there's still time to sharpen up."
King, making his first England appearance for almost three years, admitted he had struggled with Mexico's movement. "It wasn't one of my best games but it was tough out there," he said.
"They're a good side, they move the ball quickly and the manager made his feelings known at half-time that we weren't getting tight enough. But we came out in the second half and did a lot better. The knee is getting better. The more I play the better I get."
Asked whether he could cope with the tough schedule in the World Cup group phase, the injury-plagued King added: "I've done it this season [with Tottenham] so why not? The medical staff are doing a great job getting me prepared for the games but it's down to the manager."
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