England v Algeria - Rooney ready to prove power

Posted Friday, June 18, 2010 by PA

Wayne Rooney has vowed to prove himself on football's biggest stage and the England striker is feeling "sharp and hungry" ahead of Friday's clash with Algeria in Cape Town.

Rooney admits there is room for improvement in his own performance following England's 1-1 draw with the United States in their opening World Cup game.

He is keen to live up to his reputation as one of the most lethal forwards in world football after a disappointing 2006 tournament in Germany when he lacked sharpness following a broken foot.

The Manchester United star also had an injury-hit end to the club season following an ankle injury suffered against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

But he is adamant he is now firing on all cylinders and said: "This is a great opportunity for England and for me to prove myself at the world level. If I don't do that, I'd be disappointed.

"I haven't proved myself on the world stage yet. The last World Cup was a disappointment for me. I'm looking to do well in this one and try to prove myself on the world stage. I've sort of forgotten about the last World Cup now and I've moved on. What drives me on is trying to win for England and trying to do well at world level. That's a great driving force for any player."

Algeria have issued a collective call to arms insisting the result is not as certain as Wayne Rooney seems to think.

Having lost their first match to Slovenia last Sunday, Algeria are also in dire need of a result.

But they view Rooney's bullish stance as a sign that England are not quite so sure of themselves. And they insist the Three Lions can be beaten at the Green Point stadium.

"England are the team under pressure," said striker Ryad Boudebouz.

"They are the ones who claimed that they came to win the World Cup."

It was a sentiment echoed by coach Rabah Saadane, who sees signs of a team under pressure.

"England have their backs to the wall," said Saadane. "We have nothing to lose and everything to win."

And Portsmouth's Nadir Belhadj feels he knows exactly how Algeria will do it.

Fabio Capello is expected to stick with Jamie Carragher as John Terry's defensive partner, even though the Liverpool veteran struggled to cope with the United States' pacy front-men during Saturday's 1-1 draw.

With Rio Ferdinand and Ledley King both ruled out through injury, England's rearguard does seem to be lacking in speed.

And Belhadj believes Algeria can exploit the obvious Achilles heel.

"The defence is one of England's weak points, it's easy to create chances against them," the Portsmouth defender told Algerian sports weekly Le Buteur.