Gary Cahill has credited coach Gary Neville for helping England toughen up defensively and feels the team are starting to play like Chelsea as they chase a record run of clean sheets. England have moved on from their failure at the summers World Cup by winning all four of their games since - three of which were Euro 2016 qualifiers - as well as putting together a run of clean sheets that will extend to a record-equalling tally of six if Roy Hodgsons men keep out Slovenia in Saturdays qualifier at Wembley. The achievement is something defender Cahill and his international team-mates are really proud of. And when asked about the influence Neville is having as he assists Hodgson, Cahill said of the former England and Manchester United fullback: He was a fantastic defender. And he likes being hard, and tough to play against, being physical -- almost like old-school, whereby you let the attackers know they are in a game and feel your presence, just by being aggressive and getting tight to them. Cahill believes England are over their World Cup disappointment © Getty Images Enlarge RELATED LINKS News: Drogba hints at Chelsea exit at end of season News: Rooney will only get better - Hodgson News: Rooney in pantheon of English footballs finest News: Pitch problems not down to NFL, says Wembley chief Its something weve certainly addressed. We are definitely a lot harder to play against defensively. It is about being physical and wanting to win the ball back and putting tackles in - the basics of defending, really. I think at the minute we are doing that really well. Wayne Rooney suggested after the 2-1 defeat to Uruguay at the World Cup that England needed to be more streetwise, and Cahill says the team are developing more of an edge mentally as well as physically. I think at times weve been too nice, and [changing that] comes with experience, Cahill said. Its a big part of the game - knowing when to slow things down, or when not to play from the back. Its just managing the game really, which maybe we are doing a lot better. Cahill has certainly been having a successful time as part of an unbeaten Chelsea side who are currently top of the Premier League. And the 28-year-old believes England are starting to show some of the game management the his club side appear so expert at. When put to him that Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is a master of that art, Cahill said: Yes, exactly - its a part of our play at Chelsea and thats because there is so much experience in that squad. But its something thats coming into the make-up with England, and I think thats another reason why we are progressing. Cahill is not convinced Chelsea can go the whole Premier League season unbeaten. Its tough, were not even at Christmas yet, he said, but his confidence in England is such that he rates it as likely they will retain their 100% record for the whole of this qualifying campaign. And with regard to his international manager Hodgson, Cahill has backed the 67-year-old to lead England beyond Euro 2016. England to beat Slovenia by a three goal margin, at 5/1 with bet365 * For full odds visit bet365 >> *All odds correct at time of publishing. There has been talk this week about the possibility of the Football Association extending Hodgsons current contract, which runs out after the 2016 tournament in France. And asked if he thought Hodgson was the right man to continue taking England forward long-term, Cahill said, Yes - I think he has been great for us. The manager has addressed things he wanted to address and it is working at the minute for us. We are building and going in the right direction. Everyone is behind the manager. England skipper Rooney is set to win his 100th cap in Saturdays match, which Cahill has no doubt is a fantastic achievement, particularly given the Manchester United forward is only 29. Cahill, holder of 31 caps himself, regards the forward as a world-class player and believes he will break both Peter Shiltons England appearances record of 125 and Sir Bobby Charltons goal recordof 49, which Rooney currently trails by six. Cahill said: He can break both records. He will be reaching 100 caps at the weekend, and for someone as young as he is, that is such a fantastic achievement. I dont see why not. He is a fantastic footballer and Im sure he will be in the set-up for many more years to come. Meanwhile, Cahill has stressed he only sat out England training on Tuesday as a precaution due to a minor hip issue that should present no problem in terms of his availability for Saturdays game. - #jay
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 08:42:08 +0000