Wednesday 21st March 2007
Anyone who thinks that England's Euro 2008 qualifier away to Israel is going to be easy is badly mistaken - although I'm confident there is more than enough quality in our squad to come away with all the points.
The fact is that football has changed over the last 10 or 15 years and countries that at one time you could bank on beating have moved on. They now get a lot more international experience and their players have the chance to play abroad for bigger teams.
Israel is a big enough country to produce a lot of quality players and you have guys like Yossi Benayoun at West Ham, Ben Haim and Tal at Bolton and Ben Sahar who's a young talent at Chelsea.
I think we have to be honest enough to accept that Andorra isn't a strong team and we really shouldn't have too many problems when we face them on Wednesday, but Israel on Saturday is a different matter and we have to treat them with a great deal of respect.
They got a 1-1 draw in Russia and narrowly lost 4-3 to Croatia so we know what they are capable of. You simply don't treat a side like that lightly and there is no way that England will do that.
International football is very tough and just because a team isn't Brazil or Italy doesn't mean they are going to roll over, because they don't. Having a better side on paper is all well and good but these games aren played on paper and anything can happen on the pitch.
We've had a few more injury worries but luckily there is a real depth of talent in England and the manager has got a lot of players he can call into the squad who can do a great job. I don't want to comment directly on players who have been drafted in because that isn't my job, but I will say that when you're in the England squad you meet up and see new guys stepping up and that's great.
At the moment it is just about getting the results on the pitch and if England have to play in a certain way that might not be the prettiest football that's fine so long as it is effective. England need to get back into a winning frame of mind after losing to Croatia.
You can't just switch confidence on and off and the simple fact is that results breed confidence. I know England will have been working hard in training and they will be looking to get the result in Tel Aviv that can start a little run going. I've no doubt that they can win the game.
I'm sure nobody is looking too far ahead and nobody is thinking about qualifying or not qualifying as such. It is just a matter of playing game by game and digging in to get the results.
The fact that John Terry is fit and able to lead the side is important for the team. He's a phenomenal defender and a captain who leads by example. You need that sort of experience in these big, high pressure games and it will really help the less experienced lads.
It hasn't been an easy qualifying campaign so far but we've suffered with having a number of injuries and the manager has had a lot to deal with. In the circumstances the manager has done a really good job and we're still right in there fighting for a qualifying place. It's all in our own hands and that has to be good.
England fans are right to demand a lot from us as England players and expect us to win games. We have a great league and great players and it's now time for us to deliver the goods.
From a personal point of view these qualifying matches have come just a bit too early. I'm just getting back into training and with luck I'll be available for the next round. I just want to get fit and be in a position to help the lads on the pitch.
Because of injury I've only played once for England since the World Cup, in the 1-1 draw with Holland. I was pleased with my performance on that day and I'm just working to get back to that level and do my part for England.
Anyone who thinks that England's Euro 2008 qualifier away to Israel is going to be easy is badly mistaken - although I'm confident there is more than enough quality in our squad to come away with all the points.
The fact is that football has changed over the last 10 or 15 years and countries that at one time you could bank on beating have moved on. They now get a lot more international experience and their players have the chance to play abroad for bigger teams.
Israel is a big enough country to produce a lot of quality players and you have guys like Yossi Benayoun at West Ham, Ben Haim and Tal at Bolton and Ben Sahar who's a young talent at Chelsea.
I think we have to be honest enough to accept that Andorra isn't a strong team and we really shouldn't have too many problems when we face them on Wednesday, but Israel on Saturday is a different matter and we have to treat them with a great deal of respect.
They got a 1-1 draw in Russia and narrowly lost 4-3 to Croatia so we know what they are capable of. You simply don't treat a side like that lightly and there is no way that England will do that.
International football is very tough and just because a team isn't Brazil or Italy doesn't mean they are going to roll over, because they don't. Having a better side on paper is all well and good but these games aren played on paper and anything can happen on the pitch.
We've had a few more injury worries but luckily there is a real depth of talent in England and the manager has got a lot of players he can call into the squad who can do a great job. I don't want to comment directly on players who have been drafted in because that isn't my job, but I will say that when you're in the England squad you meet up and see new guys stepping up and that's great.
At the moment it is just about getting the results on the pitch and if England have to play in a certain way that might not be the prettiest football that's fine so long as it is effective. England need to get back into a winning frame of mind after losing to Croatia.
You can't just switch confidence on and off and the simple fact is that results breed confidence. I know England will have been working hard in training and they will be looking to get the result in Tel Aviv that can start a little run going. I've no doubt that they can win the game.
I'm sure nobody is looking too far ahead and nobody is thinking about qualifying or not qualifying as such. It is just a matter of playing game by game and digging in to get the results.
The fact that John Terry is fit and able to lead the side is important for the team. He's a phenomenal defender and a captain who leads by example. You need that sort of experience in these big, high pressure games and it will really help the less experienced lads.
It hasn't been an easy qualifying campaign so far but we've suffered with having a number of injuries and the manager has had a lot to deal with. In the circumstances the manager has done a really good job and we're still right in there fighting for a qualifying place. It's all in our own hands and that has to be good.
England fans are right to demand a lot from us as England players and expect us to win games. We have a great league and great players and it's now time for us to deliver the goods.
From a personal point of view these qualifying matches have come just a bit too early. I'm just getting back into training and with luck I'll be available for the next round. I just want to get fit and be in a position to help the lads on the pitch.
Because of injury I've only played once for England since the World Cup, in the 1-1 draw with Holland. I was pleased with my performance on that day and I'm just working to get back to that level and do my part for England.
