Gerrard: Jury is still out on new England
ENGLAND are breezing towards Euro 2016 but former captain Steven Gerrard fears the gentle qualifying campaign makes it impossible to chart Roy Hodgson’s progress.
Hodgson has been trying to forge a new team around the next generation since last year’s World Cup and the retirement of stalwarts like Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole.
England have won every competitive game and are clear at the top of Group E, but Gerrard admits this will not prepare players for the demands of a tournament.
‘I’m experienced enough not to get carried away at the moment,’ said Gerrard. ‘With respect to the other teams in the group, England should be beating them and beating them comfortably.
‘So we’ll have to wait to see how far the team has come and how much Roy has improved them. And that will be in 2016. I don’t believe he’ll know until next year.’
The same goes for Wayne Rooney, in his first campaign as captain and one short of Sir Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 England goals.
‘He’s done a good job,’ said Gerrard, who won 114 caps while at Liverpool and now plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in MLS. ‘Wayne Rooney commands respect because of the player he is. And to be fair to Wayne I’ve been really impressed since he took things over.
‘I’m sure he’ll be judged as a captain after the tournament. What type of job will he do during the most pressurised and intense time?
‘Roy’s done the right thing by bringing youth into the team to prepare them for the tournament. And the strength of the qualifying group enabled him to take a few more risks than he might have. He’s been able to test young players and build the team.
‘With due respect, everyone knew we were going to come out of the group. The team have done well to win whatever’s been put in front of them. They’ve done it in style and played well but, for me, the test this England team has had was against Italy, when they drew.
‘The next test will be in 2016 when they come up against strong opposition.’
England can qualify for Euro 2016 by beating San Marino on Saturday. But the Football Association share Gerrard’s view that it is better to wait until after Euro 2016 before deciding whether to extend Hodgson’s contract.
Lampard, who won 106 caps and has joined Gerrard in moving to MLS, believes only better England players can guarantee improved performances in tournaments.
‘It’s not easy,’ said Lampard, now at New York City. ‘The level out there is very high. We have quite a young team and I think it is good if our expectations are a little lower.
‘The main thing is the players themselves, young players developing. A lot of them are not established in their teams and they have to play consistently well.
‘We have a thing in England where a player has one good year and we proclaim them to be the next big thing for England but then they’re in and out of their club team. So the players have to improve and then we have to look at the next lot coming through. It’s a long game for England.
‘ I’m not trying to sound defeatist. As an Englishman, I hope we do well at the Euros but we do have to look at the bigger picture and over the next five to 10 years in terms of who is coming through.
‘It is about coaching and giving the kids the right education — football education and life education — to make them the next top players.’
On Hodgson and his hopes for a new contract, Lampard added: ‘I like Roy and a lot will depend on the Euros, the performance and we how the team develops. But if Roy stays on, I know the players respect him a lot.’