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Gerrard still smarting after NI defeat

05/10/2005

Steven Gerrard believes England will return to form this Saturday against Austria mainly because the players are still feeling ashamed of last month's loss to Northern Ireland.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's team were embarrassed in Belfast as they went down 1-0 but all involved are determined to lay that night to rest with victory in the next crucial World Cup qualifier at Old Trafford, the Liverpool skipper said at today's press conference.

"In Belfast it was not a good changing room to be in. The coach and the manager were not happy and the players were embarrassed by the defeat and we need to put that right," Gerrard said.

"We are still hurting and can't wait until Saturday comes along so we can get that defeat out of our system."

Gerrard is expected to line up alongside Chelsea's Frank Lampard in a two-man central midfield pairing come Saturday, with skipper David Beckham moving from the third central position to his traditional wide right role.

And the Reds captain believes that this will prove to be a crucial, and hopefully successful, tactical change.

"I think you will see a better England team from the last two games," he added.

"This time around a lot of the team are firing on all cylinders, myself included. It is very important to bounce back and we need to put in a good performance against Austria. I think the England fans deserve a good performance from the team."

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