The Italian wants his two stars to continue to express themselves when England have the ball...England coach Fabio Capello has revealed that he intends both Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard to play in 'free roles' when their side is in possession.
Gerrard lined up nominally on the left during yesterday's 4-0 friendly victory over Slovakia at Wembley, with Rooney playing just off main striker Emile Heskey. The two men interchanged at will though, and roamed about the pitch to good effect, with Rooney scoring two goals.
"I want Rooney and Gerrard to be very free to move around when we have the ball," the Italian told Sky Sports News.
"That is the way I want them to play. I am very happy when Rooney plays.
"He is different to the other players and has always done well with the national team. I was sure he would score goals for us. I told him some things about the movement he needed to do in front of goal.
"But he is a very big talent. He can do everything."
Capello also revealed that it was always his intention to withdraw Steve Gerrard and Aaron Lennon from the action at half-time, protecting them for future challenges, something which perhaps hints at starting role for the Tottenham Hotspur man on Wednesday night against Ukraine.
"I decided before the game that Lennon would play until half-time and it was the same with Gerrard," he explained.
"They are both in fantastic form so I didn't want to play them too much. I want them to be fresh for the next game.
"Lennon in particular I tried to protect. He is so quick and sometimes when they are playing against someone like that, the defenders will try to bring them down."
Meanwhile, Capello also dismissed suggestions that he should recall Michael Owen, reiterating that he only picked players who were in form and fit, regardless of prior achievement.
He concluded, " I have to choose players to play against the Ukraine, not against history. I have chosen the best players who are in good form at the moment.
"It is impossible to choose someone who has only played for 20 minutes. Why didn't he play the last game?"
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