Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard says the defensive responsibilities handed to him by Sven Goran Eriksson have restricted his impact in the England national side.
The Reds star lines up alongside Frank Lampard for The Three Lions but the goalscoring aptitude of the Chelsea man means Gerrard can be asked to rein in his attacking instincts.
The two world-class stars are yet to fully convince as a partnership and Eriksson has indicated he may use a specialist holding midfielder against the stronger sides at the World Cup finals in Germany.
Gerrard is one of The Premiership's most spectacular performers on his day, but the 25-year-old says his role for England has prevented him from recapturing such form on the international stage.
However Gerrard was keen to underline that Lampard fully deserved being handed the bulk of the attacking responsibilities due to his superb form for The Blues and England.
"I feel I have to alter my game when I join up with England because I'm not playing in the position I do for Liverpool," Gerrard told The Daily Mail.
"I feel that's maybe why I haven't set the world alight playing for England.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to sit here and say I should play before Frank Lampard.
"He's been absolutely tremendous over the past few years and credit to him, he deserve to play in that position.
"But I'm confident enough in my own ability to know that if I got two or three games in that role I could find the consistency I show for my club."
Gerrard also added his voice to the growing chorus of condemnation of cheating in the English game, as diving, feigning injury and asking for players to be booked have all come under attack in recent weeks.
The FA are lobbying Fifa to affect a change in the rules so divers can be punished retrospectively, and Gerrard admits that cheating is an issue that arouses his passions.
Indeed, the Liverpool captain insists it is the responsibility of managers and senior players to stamp out the malign practices on the training ground.
"It annoys me, yeah," Gerrard added.
"I watch a lot of football and I don't think there is anything worse than seeing not just a foreign player but any player who has received a knock lying down on the floor to get an opponent booked.
"Or diving when no-one's been anywhere near him.
"In those cases I'm one of those people who'll be off the couch.
"I can understand why it's becoming a big issue again because it does ruin the game.
"Okay, if it happens in other leagues that's up to them, but we want our league to be high tempo, with people clattering into each other, without the other stuff.
"If I saw a team-mate doing it I would definitely have a word.
"It's happened here at Liverpool a couple of times, where players have gone down a bit too easily, and the manager has said 'Get up, get on with it, don't be doing that, it's wrong'.
"I think managers and captains, leaders and experienced players have a responsibility to grab people after a training session or a game and say 'None of that, that doesn't happen here'."
The Reds star lines up alongside Frank Lampard for The Three Lions but the goalscoring aptitude of the Chelsea man means Gerrard can be asked to rein in his attacking instincts.
The two world-class stars are yet to fully convince as a partnership and Eriksson has indicated he may use a specialist holding midfielder against the stronger sides at the World Cup finals in Germany.
Gerrard is one of The Premiership's most spectacular performers on his day, but the 25-year-old says his role for England has prevented him from recapturing such form on the international stage.
However Gerrard was keen to underline that Lampard fully deserved being handed the bulk of the attacking responsibilities due to his superb form for The Blues and England.
"I feel I have to alter my game when I join up with England because I'm not playing in the position I do for Liverpool," Gerrard told The Daily Mail.
"I feel that's maybe why I haven't set the world alight playing for England.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to sit here and say I should play before Frank Lampard.
"He's been absolutely tremendous over the past few years and credit to him, he deserve to play in that position.
"But I'm confident enough in my own ability to know that if I got two or three games in that role I could find the consistency I show for my club."
Gerrard also added his voice to the growing chorus of condemnation of cheating in the English game, as diving, feigning injury and asking for players to be booked have all come under attack in recent weeks.
The FA are lobbying Fifa to affect a change in the rules so divers can be punished retrospectively, and Gerrard admits that cheating is an issue that arouses his passions.
Indeed, the Liverpool captain insists it is the responsibility of managers and senior players to stamp out the malign practices on the training ground.
"It annoys me, yeah," Gerrard added.
"I watch a lot of football and I don't think there is anything worse than seeing not just a foreign player but any player who has received a knock lying down on the floor to get an opponent booked.
"Or diving when no-one's been anywhere near him.
"In those cases I'm one of those people who'll be off the couch.
"I can understand why it's becoming a big issue again because it does ruin the game.
"Okay, if it happens in other leagues that's up to them, but we want our league to be high tempo, with people clattering into each other, without the other stuff.
"If I saw a team-mate doing it I would definitely have a word.
"It's happened here at Liverpool a couple of times, where players have gone down a bit too easily, and the manager has said 'Get up, get on with it, don't be doing that, it's wrong'.
"I think managers and captains, leaders and experienced players have a responsibility to grab people after a training session or a game and say 'None of that, that doesn't happen here'."
