Fabio Capello has made Steven Gerrard his captain for his first match in charge of England and set out his plans to instil a "winning mentality" in his under-achieving squad.
Gerrard, 27, takes the armband for Wednesday's friendly against Switzerland in the absence of John Terry, the regular captain under Capello's predecessor Steve McClaren, who was sacked after England failed to reach Euro 2008. Capello indicated that he will not be deciding on a long-term captain until just before England begin their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign in September.
"Gerrard is not going to be a permanent captain and I am not going to name one before the first qualifier against Andorra," Capello said. "But he is an important player for all the team, he can pass on things and inspire other players." Gerrard, who will win his 64th cap on Wednesday, has captained the side six times previously, with England winning two and losing four of those matches.
Terry remains the favourite to continue in the role once he resumes playing but Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand is also a candidate. By the time of the Andorra match, Capello wants to have created a group of players drilled in the methods that brought him success at AC Milan, Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid. "Our objective is to form a group that will gel together before our first game against Andorra," he said.
"These last two days we worked very hard on the tactical front. We have analysed videos, all of this in order to create a group mentality and more importantly a way of moving on the pitch that reflects my ideas about football. "I have seen very good cooperation from the players." Capello, speaking in Italian, side-stepped a question about his decision to leave David Beckham out of his first squad, denying him a 100th cap.