Steven Gerrard Wants More Of The Same For Euro 2012 Qualifiers As England Beat Bulgaria 4-0

Steven Gerrard today demanded more of the same after England got their bid to qualify for Euro 2012 off to the perfect start.

Liverpool’s captain was a key figure in England’s 4-0 dispatching of Bulgaria at Wembley last night, playing with great elegance and control as Fabio Capello’s men seized control of Group G.

But with the memory of such shoddy effort at the World Cup finals still fresh in the mind, Gerrard was quick to put a lid on expectations as he pointed out England have not redeemed themselves yet.

It might be a slightly different story if they follow with a victory in Switzerland on Tuesday and Gerrard believes the players owe it to Capello to produce a similar display to the one last night.

“The manager has taken a lot of criticism but he has been around for a long time and he has got a lot of experience,” said Gerrard. “He will take everything on the chin and he is handling things very well. It is up to the players to put in the performances that will ease that kind of pressure. We have got to try and build on this in Switzerland. They are a good team and we know it is going to be tough but we go there with confidence and believe we can get the right result.”

Though it was difficult to ever see England losing once hat-trick hero Jermain Defoe had fired them in to an early lead, Capello was indebted to a couple of smart stops from Joe Hart.

One such save on the hour was the catalyst for Gerrard to lead a rapier counterattack which led to Defoe doubling his and England’s tally and from there they never looked back.

“It was exactly what the manager wanted,” said Gerrard, who is hoping to play in Jamie Carragher’s testimonial this afternoon. “We put in a good performance and were difficult to beat.

“I always thought that if we kept a clean sheet then we’d win the game. We had some exciting players out there and getting the early goal was the key. We went on from there and it boosted everyone’s confidence. Joe made a couple of good saves but that is what we expect from him. I experienced what he could do first hand a few weeks ago.

“When he is in this kind of form, he is unbeatable.”