SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: Lampard denies there's a crisis in England camp

Record ID: 452425

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: Lampard denies there's a crisis in England camp
  • Date: 22nd June 2010
  • Summary: PHOKENG, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 21, 2010) (REUTERS) FRANK LAMPARD, JOHN TERRY AND WAYNE ROONEY WAITING FOR TRAINING TO BEGIN/JOE COLE AND LAMPARD WAYNE ROONEY ENGLAND MANAGER FABIO CAPELLO AND COACHING STAFF CAPTAIN STEVEN GERRARD CAPELLO HOLDING MEETING WITH PLAYERS BEFORE TRAINING/GERRARD, JAMIE CARRAGHER AND JERMAIN DEFOE AT MEETING/JOHN TERRY AT MEETING WAYNE ROONEY AND OTHERS WARMING UP/JOHN TERRY/JOE COLE/FRANK LAMPARD MATTHEW UPSON WARMING UP/FABIO CAPELLO PHOTOGRAPHERS WATCHING WIDE VIEW OF HOTEL MARANG BUILDINGS WHERE PLAYERS ARE STAYING REPORTERS AND WIDE VIEW OF TRAINING ENGLAND MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD WALKING INTO NEWS CONFERENCE /CAMERA OPERATOR (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD SAYS: "I think this one has got particular attention over the last day it seems. Really the manager just spoke, we watched the Algeria game which we all knew was a poor performance, we won't make any bones about that, everyone was slightly disappointed about that, and we addressed that game and the manager addressed it. I mean I haven't seen the reports back home but I think it has been completely overdone in terms of crisis meeting and things like that." WIDE VIEW OF PHOTOGRAPHERS (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD SAYS: "The truth is we are all trying to find a way to turn the Algeria performance into a win on Wednesday and then really kick on in the competition. So the relationship is the same. The manager has total respect from everybody and I think he respects all the players here and we are all working together. There is nothing we want more than to play against Slovenia, win and go through and give all the fans something to be a little bit proud and happy about and then go further in the tournament." ENGLAND EMBLEM ON TABLE (SOUNDBITE) (English) ENGLAND MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD SAYS: "I think playing in the best league in the world, most of us, all of us playing in the Premier League, I think we have to play with that pace, that passion that we play with at home. We don't play with that South American style, we have to be able to press teams who play with a lot of energy and are very direct, and I don't think we played like that the other night and that's the basics of the game for us." ENGLAND MIDFIELDER FRANK LAMPARD LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA84EXSKTZP6MXU9VN96RXTHRT4
  • Story Text: Under intense media interest, the England squad arrived smiling for training at the Bafokeng Sports Campus on Monday (June 21) amid stories and counter-stories of disarray among the players.
    The team have just one more chance to move out of their group after underperforming.
    Defender, and former captain, John Terry spoke in Sunday's (June 20) news conference of players wanting to "get off their chests" their concerns about the way the campaign was going, and suggested this would happen during Sunday's review of the 0-0 draw with Algeria, conducted by manager Fabio Cappello.
    But midfielder Frank Lampard told reporters on Monday that the meeting was a routine one in which Capello spoke about the team's performance in the Algerian game.
    "I think this one has got particular attention over the last day it seems," Lampard said about the meeting. "Really the manager just spoke, we watched the Algeria game which we all knew was a poor performance, we won't make any bones about that, everyone was slightly disappointed about that, and we addressed that game and the manager addressed it. I mean I haven't seen the reports back home but I think it has been completely overdone in terms of crisis meeting and things like that."
    England travel to Port Elizabeth next where they have a final chance to drag themselves up the order of Group C on Wednesday (June 23) as they face group leaders Slovenia. England have scored just one goal in two drawn matches and will go home unless they can defeat Slovenia. The United States face bottom of the group Algeria in Pretoria at the same time.
    Lampard said the relationship between Capello and the players had not changed, and they were all united in trying to find the key to better performances from England.
    "The truth is we are all trying to find a way to turn the Algeria performance into a win on Wednesday and then really kick on in the competition," he said. "So the relationship is the same. The manager has total respect from everybody and I think he respects all the players here and we are all working together. There is nothing we want more than to play against Slovenia, win and go through and give all the fans something to be a little bit proud and happy about and then go further in the tournament."
    Lampard said that the team watched a video of the Algerian game and knew what they had to do.
    "I think playing in the best league in the world, most of us, all of us playing in the Premier League, I think we have to play with that pace, that passion that we play with at home," he said.
    "We don't play with that South American style, we have to be able to press teams who play with a lot of energy and are very direct, and I don't think we played like that the other night and that's the basics of the game for us."
    Michael Carrick missed the training session to work in the gym while Ledley King is still not training after being injured during the USA game.
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