England's wise old heads tried to dampen rising hopes that they could claim the World Cup for the first time in 44 years after a routine over Andorra kept up their perfect qualification record
England's wise old heads tried to dampen rising hopes that they could claim the World Cup for the first time in 44 years after a routine over Andorra kept up their perfect qualification record.
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A 6-0 win over their lowly opponents at Wembbley on Wednesday means they are just one result from next year's finals in South Africa and already supporters are beginning to believe 1966's victory could be repeated.
"There's always the expectation because of the players we've got but we've got to be careful," former captain David Beckham warned.
"We've won seven games and put in seven good performances but we're not a team who gets carried away, we can't afford to," he added.
Beckham's caution is understandable having been in this position before only to see his dreams dashed through under-performance, bad luck and an inability to handle penalty shoot-outs.
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| David Beckham gives thumbs up after England thumpedu00a0Andorra 6-0 in a World Cup Qualifier late on Wednesday.u00a0PIC/AFP |
Optimism this time around is fueled by the genuine belief that in Italian manager Fabio Capello, the perennial underachievers have a leader who can get the most out of talented players and who knows how to win.
Beckham, who played under Capello at Real Madrid, praised his former club boss.
"The manager has brought professionalism and hard work into the team," the former Manchester United man said.
"The players have responded to everything he has asked because he has great respect for the game and we work hard for him. That's a good recipe for the seven wins that we have got."
Fellow midfield veteran Frank Lampard echoed Beckham's cautious optimism.
"There's a togetherness, I see it in training every day, and that's the difference," he said.
"We've qualified for all the major tournaments apart from the last one but it's hard when you are in the quarter-finals playing teams like Portugal and Brazil.
"We know we'll be judged by how we do in the World Cup, not in qualifying. I just hope we can pull it off," the Chelsea man added.
The former West Ham man turns 31 later this month but said that he is as determined as ever to land a major international winner's medal.
"The older I get the more I feel the appetite. The more experienced I get the more I enjoy my football," he claimed. "I'm feeling more confident about myself and just want to keep on playing."
England's destruction of Andorra was brought about by three goals in each half.
Central to the flying first-half performance was star striker Wayne Rooney who grabbed two goals to make it eight in seven qualifying games for the Liverpudlian.
If England are to win in South Africa, the Manchester United man will have a key role. However, the 23-year-old played down these expectations.
"I haven't really thought that too much," the former Everton striker said. "I'm just concentrating on qualifying and then on the preparation.
"Myself and the other players were really hurt by not qualifying for the European Championships but now the manager has come in and really got us playing as a team and winning games," he added.
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