MX23RW : Thursday, January 9 10:37:26| >> :600:259274:259274:

Steven Gerrard: 'Stupid, naive to say England will win World Cup'

Steven Gerrard admits that it would be "stupid and naive" to say that England are going to win the World Cup in Brazil this summer.

England captain Steven Gerrard has insisted that he is under no illusions that the Three Lions are among the favourites to win the World Cup this summer.

Manager Roy Hodgson has focused on youth in his 23-man squad for the tournament, which gets underway on June 12 in Brazil.

Gerrard, who narrowly missed out on lifting the Premier League title with Liverpool this season, has praised the inclusion of youngsters Luke Shaw, Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley.

While the 33-year-old believes that England are down the list of realistic contenders to win the World Cup, the midfielder is adamant that the team will give everything to succeed.

"It would be very stupid and naive of me to stand here and say 'yeah we're going to win it'," BBC Sport quotes Gerrard as saying. "What I can guarantee is that we will go there and give 100%.

"There are some top teams around the world all fighting for the same thing, but all we can do is try and stick together, work hard and see if we can prove some doubters wrong."

England will kick off their campaign with a Group D clash against Italy in Manaus on June 14. Uruguay and Costa Rica complete the group.

ID:155829: cacheID:155829:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2616:
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Steven Gerrard of England celebrates scoring the second goal during the FIFA 2014 World Cup Qualifying Group H match between England and Poland at Wembley Stadium on October 15, 2013
Read Next:
Gerrard hails England youngsters
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!