England can still rule the world – Capello

And captain Steven Gerrard says that while England are in a must-win situation they "want to make the nation proud."

Capello's pre-tournament assertion that England were capable of competing for the biggest prize in the game at Soccer City on July 11 has looked a little hollow over the past fortnight.

After starting with a mixed performance against the United States, England's Group C campaign took a wrong turning against Algeria in Cape Town.

A virtually unanimous assessment of that tepid goalless draw was that it was one of the worst England performances in living memory.

The result sends the Three Lions into their final encounter with group leaders Slovenia with their backs pressed against the wall, knowing anything other than victory, against determined opponents who only require a draw, will almost certainly consign them to an early flight home and public ridicule.

Yet Capello, who was anxious to put a turbulent few days behind him and forget all about the John Terry-led rebellion, which he slapped down so brutally, retains faith in his players.

"I am not crazy," he said. "When I said my target is the final of the World Cup it was because we showed this is a really good squad.

"I think if ... no, not if, when we win tomorrow then all the teams have to fight against us."

The rallying cry may have been delivered in faltering English but the resonance was the same as Terry managed with his own, ultimately ill-advised, passionate speech on Sunday.

Capello will only find out this afternoon whether his own assertion of authority over the man he once called captain has any lingering effect.

"He is one of the most important players and no, I did not think about dropping him," said Capello of Terry.

"This is a really important game for us, everything else has gone out of the minds of the players. Speak about the game, not John Terry."

Nevertheless, Capello, when pressed, admitted he had made mistakes.

Ignoring Joe Cole during two games where England have struggled badly to create chances is mystifying, as Terry acknowledged, although there is a suggestion he will be overlooked once more, with Jermain Defoe partnering Wayne Rooney and James Milner filling the right-sided midfield slot and Gareth Barry on the other side to halt the Slovenians' flow of possession.

In truth, Capello could select any line-up from his 23-man squad – Ledley King and Jamie Carragher miss out through injury and suspension, respectively – and they should still have enough ability to beat the 25th-ranked nation in the world and the smallest country to make these finals.

The answer lies in England's players getting near the performance level that brought them nine wins from 10 in qualifying, including nine goals against Croatia and a victory over Germany in Berlin, results which convinced Capello to make his bold statement.

"At this moment, we are down from the level that I know, that they know, that we all know. But tomorrow we will be fit to fight. Definitely," claimed Capello. "My reputation is not important. We are a team, a group. This is a play-off, like a final of the Champions League. That is the spirit we have to find because we have to win."

Gerrard also insists the players have a "hunger and desire" to make amends for the woeful performance during the goalless draw with Algeria on Friday.

"I can certainly understand why the fans are angry," said Gerrard. "We came here with big expectations. We have got a lot of support here. People have paid big money and expect us to win games.

"The last thing we want to do is to go home after the group stages. That would be an absolute disaster for this group of players."

A number of players, including Terry and David James, have bristled at Fabio Capello's suggestion that fear is holding them back.

Yet, sat next to his manager, Liverpool captain Gerrard humbly accepted Capello was right.

"The fear of not winning drives you on," he said. "We have come here to stay in this tournament to the end. We want more. We want a performance tomorrow.

"But the key is to try and live without fear. There is pressure and fear. You are playing for England and you have massive support. But it doesn't help to go on to the pitch and play with that fear. You have to go on to the pitch and try to relax and be patient. Then the performance will come.

"We need to change the perception of how we have done so far. It is a do-or-die situation. We want to make the nation proud and happy and a good win can give the players more confidence. We can't wait for the game to start to put it right."