McClaren: We have great potential

Manager Steve McClaren sent his England players away with the message ringing in their ears that they are good but they can be great.

Four goals against Greece on Wednesday did no harm and the Euro 2008 opener against minnows Andorra should be another morale-boosting goal bonanza before trickier qualifiers ahead.

McClaren said: "I told them we've got very good players in this squad but teams win football matches. That's what we've tried to stress over the last three days. Our players have the potential to be great. They know that."

He added: "We are a team and we have to play as a team - in and out of possession.

"That's what pleased me against Greece. Out of possession, we looked organised. We had good shape. Everybody knew their job and did their job.

"But when we won it, we knew what to do with the ball. We knew when to counter-attack and we knew when to keep it.

"We controlled the game. Sometimes you don't control the game and you can be under pressure but we controlled every aspect, especially in that first half of the game."

McClaren identified his midfield quartet as the key to the 4-0 win against the Greeks and went to great lengths to praise the contribution of Owen Hargreaves.

He claimed Hargreaves had given the impetus for Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard to push forward at Old Trafford.

Gerrard is not convinced he should be playing on the right but Rafael Benitez has found that it is a very effective starting position for him.