MILNER: WE’LL IMPROVE

England midfielder James Milner has expressed his confidence that the team will improve ahead of their first group game against France at the Euro 2012. England have recently appointed former Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson to lead the team not only at the Euro 2012, but also at the 2014 FIFA World Cup as well. He started his tenure in the best possible manner after recording two 1-0 wins over Norway and Belgium. Despite the victories, there has been a slight negativity around the England camp due to the nature of the win. Manchester City midfielder James Milner, though, is of the opinion that England will improve just-in-time to do well in the match against France.

The first group game is the most crucial for an international team due to the fact that would provide confidence for the rest of the tournament. In the case of England, it is even more crucial because they will be facing former world champions in the form of France, who come into the tournament on the back of a 21 match unbeaten run. The 26-year-old midfielder has acknowledged that England have not yet reached the heights that many have expected, but they will attain good form by the time the tournament kicks off.

“That’s the manager’s decision and hopefully I’m in the team. We haven’t been together for too long with the new manager, so we’re still working on things in training. We’re all learning the way that the manager wants us to play, and the more we play together and train together over these next days before that first game, the better we’ll get and the more compact we’ll be, and we’ll put the ideas of the manager into practice. We can improve with the ball but I think that’ll come with time together,” said James Milner.

CRUCIAL MATCH ON MONDAY

Manchester City will be facing a crucial match against Manchester United on Monday night. United come into the match with a three-point advantage knowing that if they draw the match against City, they can win the title with only two matches remaining. Hence, City are in a position where they should win the match in order to realistically think about winning the title this season. City will be facing QPR and Newcastle in their next two matches, while United will be up against Swansea and Sunderland. Many already reckoned that it is United who have the much easier fixture list.

Manchester City midfielder James Milner, however, reckons that winning the league title is something that cannot be done overnight. This should come as a major shock for the owners from Abu Dhabi, who have invested more than £ 400 million into the club since taking over back in 2008. Following the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, Milner said that City will be contenders for the title next season as well, but they need to forget about the title this season. United opened an eight-point advantage at the top of the table back then, but it has since been reduced to just three points.

“We have brought players in and it takes time for them to settle, coming from abroad or from other clubs, and gelling as a team. We have challenged this season and are still fighting until the end. As a team, to move forwards, to keep improving, you have to work hard and be together for a number of years. Hopefully, we will keep improving as a team and moving forwards as a club. United are obviously a strong side, but we knew that all season,” Milner said after the Arsenal match, although things have changed a lot since then.

MILNER WANTS CAPTAINCY

Manchester City midfielder James Milner has said that he would love to have the opportunity to lead England one-day. Frank Lampard was recently sacked as the captain of England. This led to the resignation of Fabio Capello. Stuart Pearce has been appointed as the interim manager for England.

He is right now pondering over the decision to use James Milner as the future captain of England. Recently, he highlighted the fact that Milner had all the required capabilities of being an England captain. When asked about the possibility of wearing the captain’s armband for England, James Milner said that he would be overjoyed with the prospect and that it has always been a dream.

Many regard James Milner not to be a potential captain mainly because of his age. It is something that the midfielder also agrees, but has said that anyone can deal with the job if he is entrusted with it. One of the main reasons for Milner to say that he is eligible for the England captaincy is the fact that he has been playing with top quality players at Manchester City for many seasons now. It has made him aware of the responsibilities one should have when dealing with players of such quality.

“People say I’m the ideal age to be a captain, between the younger players and the more experienced ones. I can’t control that. but if asked to do the job I will jump at the chance. As a kid growing up, you want to play for your country and dream of one day captaining your country. If I am asked to do that, I would be very proud and do it to the best of my ability on and off the field,” James Milner said when asked about the England captaincy.

MILNER BACKS HART

Manchester City midfielder James Milner has said that Manchester city goalkeeper Joe Hart is extremely unbelievable and that he could make a great captain for England in the absence of John Terry. John Terry was recently stripped of the captaincy due to alleged racist remarks former fellow England defender Anton Ferdinand. The trial to determine whether John Terry is guilty or not will not be happening until the end of the Euro 2012, which means that England will need a new captain for the European Championships. Fabio Capello resigned from the England managerial position after announcing his displeasure at the removal of John Terry as the captain of the England national team.

Manchester city midfielder James Milner has said that this time that Joe Hart will make a great goalkeeper and also captain for England. Despite being relatively young, Joe Hart has become the first choice goalkeeper for England. He is expected to be part of the England squad that will travel to the Euro 2012 irrespective of the manager who will take charge for the major tournament. It has been rumoured that Harry Redknapp is a contender for the vacant England managerial position.

Despite being only 24 years old, Joe Hart has a number of games under his belt and will be a suitable choice for captaincy according to James Milner. “I’d give it to Joe, my friend. Harty has been fantastic all season. It wasn’t just against Villa (yesterday) that he’s made a world-class save, he’s done it in a few games. “That is why he is being talked about as one of the best in the world,” James Milner said after the Aston Villa match. Manchester City won the match 1-0 to take them top of the Premier league table ahead of Manchester United in the second place.

MILNER DEMANDS FOCUS

Manchester city midfielder James Milner has said that the club need to be awake and they take on Manchester United in the third round of the FA Cup because the Red Devils will be eyeing revenge for the 6-1 drubbing at Old Trafford earlier in the campaign. The 6-1 loss ranks as the worst defeat for Manchester United at Old Trafford, while Sir Alex Ferguson also claimed it to be the worst defeat of his entire career. Now, both teams will be coming together in the third round of the FA Cup, which will be taking place at the Etihad Stadium.

This will provide an opportunity for Manchester United to take revenge for the huge defeat, and it is something that James Milner has also acknowledged. The former Aston Villa midfielder has said that Manchester City should be aware of the danger posed by Manchester United. Even though United are not coming into the match on a good run of form, the same can be said of Manchester City as well. Hence, Manchester City should perform well and also be extremely aware of the risks of attacking too much against Manchester United according to James Milner.

“That will have hurt them bad. Everyone, from the players to the management, will be more than up for it. As much enjoyment as we got from it, they probably felt three times as much pain. We have got to be aware of that. It’s down to us to put another good performance and build on our [3-0] win over Liverpool [on Tuesday],” Milner said to The Daily Mirror. Manchester City will be facing Liverpool in the next match, as they prepare to make it into the Carling cup semifinals. This will be the first leg of the two-legged semi-final.

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