Frank Lampard has told Rio Ferdinand's critics to get off his back and insisted the Manchester United defender should not be blamed for Saturday's defeat by Ukraine.

Ferdinand was at fault as he watched a long ball reach Artem Milevskiy, who was then brought down by goalkeeper Robert Green in the 14th minute.

Andriy Shevchenko missed the resulting penalty but England were hampered for the rest of the match by having only 10 men after Green was sent off.

Ferdinand made high-profile mistakes in England's 2-2 draw with Holland in a friendly in August, as well as in last month's Manchester derby, when his error allowed Craig Bellamy to run clear and score.

This uncertainty has left Ferdinand's position alongside John Terry in central defence looking a little vulnerable but Lampard is confident his former West Ham team-mate will be back in the groove when England begin their campaign in South Africa.

“We will see the best of Rio in the World Cup,” said Lampard, who is due to win his 75th cap for his country against Belarus in the final World Cup qualifier on Wednesday.

“His consistency alongside John Terry over the past four or five years makes him one of the top centre-halves in the world. That's not being biased, because I think virtually every other player in Europe would say that.

“There always seems to be one player taking stick but it doesn't have to be like that. We need to get right behind our big players. The important thing is that all the players and the manager are behind Rio.

“If a player has to make a mistake, you have to hope he makes it in a game that doesn't matter as much as the top matches. Rio will deliver in the big games.”

England will have to make do without the injured Wayne Rooney at Wembley this week after the United striker pulled out of the match with a calf strain.

Rooney has been in inspirational form during England's march to next summer's finals, scoring nine times and establishing himself as a pivotal member of Fabio Capello's side.

England fans are already worrying about how their team would cope in South Africa if the 23-year-old were not fully fit, but Lampard believes the game against Belarus represents an ideal opportunity for other members of the squad to shine. Tottenham striker Peter Crouch and Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor are options for Capello.

Lampard said: “Perhaps it is a nice thing for us to have to get on without Wayne. He is a big player for us, he has been in fantastic form for a long time and he has undoubtedly been our top player in this qualifying campaign.

“But we have other good players in the squad and they are eager for a chance. We can't just rely on individuals to win games for us. The manager has always placed great importance on the squad.
“Of course, it is a shame to miss Wayne but as the game doesn't matter in terms of points it is a good thing that we'll see what some others can do.”

Despite the reverse in Ukraine, England's qualifying campaign has been a hugely positive experience, with Capello's men booking their ticket to South Africa with two matches to spare.

England's dominant performances have been in sharp contrast to some of the other leading nations, with both France and Portugal likely to have to negotiate the European play-offs, and Argentina still needing a win in Uruguay on Wednesday to secure their place.

These teams' difficulties have increased the optimism of England fans but Lampard warned: “Our form has been a credit to us, but it won't give us a head start when we get to South Africa.

“It is fantastic that we are there already, but if Portugal and Argentina sneak through — as I think they will —they will turn up at the tournament in the same position as us. The big players and the big teams will be firing come next summer.

“Even though this game against Belarus won't change anything in terms of the group, we want to carry our competitive attitude right through this section. If you drop your standards and relax at any stage, it is very hard for you to come back.
As a team, we have to keep moving forward, which is what we have always tried to do, and the manager deserves credit for that.

“It is important that we don't end the qualifiers with a whimper by getting a poor result in front of our fans.”

Lampard has also given his support to striker Emile Heskey, who believes he may have to leave Villa in January to enhance his England chances.
Heskey has featured regularly for England, despite seeing his opportunities limited at club level.

Lampard said: “Emile has come out and said that, and fair play to him for saying that. Every player will have that same mentality, because competition for places (with England) is fierce.
“The manager wants players who are playing well and who are in form. We are all fighting week in and week out to impress the manager.”

Gareth Barry, the favourite to start in the first game in South Africa even though he was left out of the starting XI for the defeat in Ukraine, admitted Heskey may have to leave Villa.

Barry said: “It's not just Emile, it's that time of year when you want to be playing regularly. The World Cup is in the back of everyone's mind so I can understand where Emile is coming from. He has his place in the England team at the moment and won't want anything to change that.
Playing regularly for your club can help you
cement a place. It's not just Emile but I can understand his feelings.

“It's World Cup year and people are talking about the squad already. It's a few months away but in the back of the players' minds you want to be there so there is a lot of hard work ahead.”