Mental toughness, character and the culture within the group might have done in the previous regime with the English National team, but as reported on FIFA.com, Steven Gerrard believes England's spirited fightback in their 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa qualifier against Ukraine wouldn't have been possible before Fabio Capello took charge because the team weren't mentally strong enough.
Capello's side looked on course for three points when Peter Crouch scored in the first half at Wembley on Wednesday, but England were rocked when Andriy Shevchenko came off the bench to equalise for Ukraine late in the second half. During the reign of Capello's predecessor Steve McClaren that would have been the signal for England's fragile morale to collapse according to Liverpool midfielder Gerrard.
The psychological flaw proved costly on several occasions during England's failed attempt to qualify for UEFA EURO 2008, but Capello has instilled a sense of belief missing for too long and the hosts stirred themselves to snatch a priceless World Cup qualifying win thanks to John Terry's 85th minute goal.
"That was the pleasing thing," Gerrard said. "I think 18 months ago when we got a goal against us this side might have gone into our shell and played the final 20 minutes with fear. But this was much more positive. It was a good reaction. We showed a lot of character and deserved the win in the end.
"The performance was OK but I think we can improve on that. We're all pleased with the three points. That's the main thing because it was a difficult game for us. There is still a lot more to come. You have seen how far we have come in a short space of time but there is a long way to go to the World Cup. There's a lot of work to do and hopefully we are a better team by the time the World Cup comes around."
It's amazing what you can accomplish when everyone buys in, and it certainly seems like Fabio Capello has been the right salesman for England.
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