Soccer: England need 'FA Cup final spirit'

England must be ready to repeat Liverpool's FA Cup soccer final heroics if they want to make progress at the World Cup, says defender Jamie Carragher.

In one of the Cup's greatest finals, Liverpool twice came from behind to snatch a 3-3 draw with West Ham United before their exhausted players won a penalty shootout last weekend.

Carragher drew a parallel between the stakes in a Cup final and a World Cup game, when players could be making their last appearance in either competition.

"The FA Cup is every year and the World Cup is every four years - but who knows when you're going to be in an F A Cup final again," he told reporters at the team's training camp in Portugal.

"In a World Cup game, if there's 20 minutes to go and the score's not going right, you know it could be another four years (to wait) -- and some players may never get the chance again.

"So it does become a life and death thing, where you've just got to give it everything."

Liverpool certainly gave it everything in Cardiff and the pressure paid off when Carragher's club and England team mate Steven Gerrard scored his second goal -- a vital stoppage-time equaliser.

"Credit to us at the weekend, with how many players went down with cramp and we kept going," said Carragher. "And that's probably what you need in a World Cup.

"There are times when it's going to be tough and you are going to be up against it, but if England are going to win this World Cup it's not going to be easy.

"I do think you need that, going through that pain barrier in order to get the rewards."

England may well have to through that barrier in Germany if they are missing injured striker Wayne Rooney.

An inspirational goalmaker and goalscorer, Rooney's broken foot has been seen as a devastating blow to England's chances.

The pessimism is not shared by Carragher.

"Of course, we'd lose a good player, but Wayne Rooney wasn't going to win the World Cup on his own," he said. "There's not many players apart from Maradona who can do that.

"Hopefully he still will be part of the World Cup. But look at Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Michael Owen, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry -- these are all great, world-class players.

"Obviously, Wayne's one of our best players, I'm not going to hide that fact. But there's still enough players there without a doubt to compete with the other nations."

Carragher has particular faith in Gerrard, who captained Liverpool to 2005 Champions League glory against AC Milan after trailing 3-0.

"We always get to these finals by keeping it tight and nicking games -- and then in the final all hell breaks loose," Carragher said.

"Fortunately, the player who has helped us in both is English -- Steven Gerrard. I'd put him in the top five or six players in the world."

- REUTERS