Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has hailed the culture introduced to the England setup by coach Fabio Capello.

"A lot of people made a thing of the WAGS, and a lack of a 'caring' England team," said Lampard. "There was an element of truth in what was said.

"We want to win. We just needed someone to put us in line a little bit and make us concentrate on what we were doing.

"Those things can be a slight culture shock. But then you start winning games and you get a really good feeling about things.

"Looking back, Capello was exactly what we needed."

The Italian is clearly not afraid to make bold decisions either. But David Beckham was overlooked at Real Madrid for the right reasons - just as an unfit Michael Owen is for England now - rather than as part of some elaborate PR stunt.

"We needed a very strong leader who had his own mind," said Lampard. "You can see that with Capello. I used to see it at Madrid.

"He would make strong decisions on players. They weren't always what people might have considered the favourable, glamorous decision, but it was for the benefit of the team.

"Everyone has an opinion on England but we need a strong man who will not listen to anyone else and go his own route."