LONDON (AP) - With his job on the line, England coach Steve McClaren appealed
to his players Tuesday to regain their winning mentality.
McClaren is under pressure to win in Israel on Saturday or face the strong
possibility of England failing to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.
"We've got players in the squad who can change the game, who can
win a game and that's important when you look at the top teams,"
McClaren said when the squad gathered for training. "They have special
players who can win them football matches, who step up when its needed
and I think that time has come for us."
When McClaren took over from Sven-Goran Eriksson after last year's World
Cup, he had the ideal start. After a 4-0 victory over 2004 European champion
Greece in a friendly, England crushed Andorra 5-0 and won 1-0 at Macedonia
in Euro 2008 qualifiers.
After those three victories, however, England was held 0-0 at home by
Macedonia and then lost 2-0 at Croatia. McClaren's team is now three points
behind Croatia in Group E, one behind Russia and is level with Israel
and Macedonia.
Only two teams from each group qualify, which means McClaren runs the
risk of being fired unless England picks up at least four points against
Israel on Saturday and Andorra the following Wednesday.
McClaren's preparations for the tough trip to Tel Aviv were hampered by
FA Cup replays on Monday. Manchester United's 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough
and Chelsea's 2-1 victory at Tottenham involved 14 members of his squad.
No England players were injured, but McClaren's time to work on tactics
has been reduced.
In order for key players like Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard to recover,
a planned full workout Tuesday at Arsenal's training ground near London
was canceled.
After a light session, Lampard urged England to adopt the fighting spirit
exhibited by his Chelsea teammates against Tottenham.
The Blues midfielder said it is vital the squad forget about the defeat
to Croatia in October. But he is fully aware of the hostile reception
facing England.
"It's a very heated atmosphere, a good atmosphere but very pro the
home team," said Lampard, who was on the Chelsea UEFA Cup lineup
beaten 3-1 at Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2001. "I'm sure it will be very
similar. It all adds up to a very tough game, a tough place to go."
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March 21, 2007.
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