 |
 |
 |
|
WATFORD, England (AP) -Nothing less than a demolition job against Andorra will appease England's dwindling traveling fan base when World Cup qualifying begins Saturday.
On the surface, starting against the 182nd-ranked country seemed like a gift to manager Fabio Capello, but he will need a much better performance than what the team produced under Steve McClaren when they last met.
England was jeered off the neutral Barcelona pitch at halftime in March 2007 after a team packed with global stars couldn't breach a largely semiprofessional Andorran team.
Eight months later, England's defeat to Croatia - Wednesday's opponent in an all too familiar qualifying schedule - denied England a spot in the European Championship and led to McClaren being fired.
"It's important it probably stays in the players' minds a little bit, but we can't focus on it too much because it's a negative moment," midfielder Gareth Barry said Thursday. "The hurt will stay with the players for a long time and it's important we learn from that. It's a new campaign for England and everyone in the squad is looking forward to getting off to a good start."
Barry had a good view of Andorra's stifling tactics from the bench in the last game, which England eventually won 3-0.
"They get all the bodies behind the ball and no matter who they are, they are tough to break down as we experienced last time," he said. "That is something we can learn from."
Portsmouth striker Jermain Defoe is looking to capitalize on Michael Owen's surprising omission by Capello and is set to partner with Wayne Rooney. The Manchester United forward has struggled on the international stage, netting just three times in his last 15 appearances.
"Wayne is only going to get better," the 25-year-old Defoe said. "Maybe you could say the expectation on him has been unfair but he has set such high standards, by doing so well in his career.
"But he is at a great club, he is still young and he is still learning."
Defoe is confident they will thrive under Capello.
"He makes it pretty clear what your job is because mainly, he is trying to get us to do the same things at international level that we do with the clubs," he said. "Basically, we just have to believe in ourselves because we have great players."
The fans remain unconvinced - and the players know it.
