Frank Lampard hits back over Slaven Bilic mind games

Bilic claimed that his side's 3-2 victory at Wembley two years ago which denied England the chance to compete at Euro 2008 will play on the minds of Fabio Capello's team, despite standing just one win away from qualification.

But Lampard, who started on the ill-fated night that turned out to be Steve McClaren's final match in charge, said: "Memories of losing to Croatia will only affect us in a positive way.

"Having been a very low point for all of us individually, we are all determined to put that right.

"We have come a long way in terms of confidence and the way we play in that time.

"Slaven is a very clever manager and he is saying certain things now to get his own team worked up and maybe to get into our heads.

"But it's very important we don't let that happen. There is a real spirit in the team and we have to keep that going.

"I never like to talk about past games too much, they are irrelevant. I don't think the 4-1 win [in Croatia last year] or the defeat at Wembley matters too much.

"The aim of being here is to qualify for the World Cup. We need to finish the job and the sooner the better."

David Beckham, who was an unused substitute for Saturday's 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia, said: "We had negative thoughts back then in 2007 and for a few months after that but this game is not about that.

"It is not about revenge — it was a tough time for the players, for everyone involved and the fans.

"They will want us to beat them on the revenge side but the most important thing for us is knowing that if we win, we are in the World Cup finals in South Africa next summer." Bilic, who saw his team struggle to beat Belarus 1-0 in Zagreb in Group Six on Saturday, also claimed that England are still "missing" something under Fabio Capello.

Asked about the change in England under the Italian Capello, Bilic said: "They are a very different team. They have some advantages but they are also missing something from their game. They are missing some Englishness, some of the things that have always made England teams difficult to defend against and play against.

"All I will say is that they are definitely
missing something and we know what it is. But, of course, I'm not going to tell you now what it is. It's our secret."

But Lampard was again dismissive of Bilic and said: "We won't let the talk affect us. Missing Englishness? What does that mean?"

Lampard also offered backing to underfire defender Glen Johnson, who was blamed for making the mistake that led to Slovenia's late goal at Wembley. Capello said after the match that the Liverpool player was still one of the best right-backs in the world and Lampard added: "I agree with the manager's assessment. No-one can have perfect games all the time. He has given us an extra dimension down the right."

Meanwhile, Beckham has confirmed that he has still not decided where he will play once the LA Galaxy season ends in November. He said: "I have a few options back in Europe, which is always a nice place to be in."