After years of Steven Gerrard being shunted around to solve the perennial issue of getting the most out of England's two most influential midfielders, Fabio Capello has decided the correct solution is to move both.

With more emphasis being placed around Wayne Rooney, Gerrard has been occupying a wider role on the left, while Lampard has been a deployed as a glorified holding midfielder alongside Gareth Barry.

The role is not totally restrictive, as shown by the three goals Lampard has snaffled in his last four outings for the Three Lions, but he does accept he must rein in his natural instinct to go forward.

However, as England look to maintain their healthy progression by overcoming Holland in a friendly in Amsterdam on Wednesday, Lampard claimed altering his own game is not a problem as long as his team-mates feel the benefit.

"I would not call it a sacrifice," he said.

"It is a different role and not one completely compatible to where my instincts are.

"There are times when I could go forward, which is what I would do naturally, but I hold.

"However, one of the things the manager has stressed to us over the last 18 months is that we are a group and a team.

"The feeling of being an individual has been taken away, which needed to happen.

"It is not about Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard, or whoever may be playing up front. Everybody is performing together. That has been our strength over the qualifying campaign."

Although a friendly at this time of year can throw up some strange results, including a 4-1 battering by Denmark four years ago, Capello should get a decent guide as to the progress his team still have to make as they tackle the only European side to have already booked their place in South Africa.

In February, England were comprehensively outplayed by Spain in Seville, providing Capello and his players with a reality check Lampard felt was necessary, even if he is convinced the Euro 2008 winners could be beaten should they have to be faced again.

"The improvement is there and I am confident about what lies ahead," he said.

"People have to remember when we played Spain that night we had a few players out.

"If we played them in a tournament I am sure we would produce a better performance than we did that night and could give them a good run for their money.

"It is hard to gauge exactly where we are. The main thing is to improve as a group every time we get together and try to be in the best possible condition for next summer."

With only David James and Peter Crouch missing from the regular members of Capello's recent squads, the Italian seems to have settled on the group of players that will carry England's hopes on their shoulders next summer.

Not that Lampard feels the door is completely closed on anyone, which is good news for Michael Owen in particular.

"It is nice to have a consistent squad. It makes it very comfortable to come here and see the same faces and work with the same people.

"But the manager has obviously shown he will pick players on form and the fitness, regardless of the name and I am sure if he sees fit to bring other people in or change it around he will."

Lampard sat out today's training session after taking a minor bang on the knee as he made a goalscoring contribution to Chelsea's Community Shield win over Manchester United yesterday.

Providing he recovers, the 30-year-old will take his place in a team attempting to reach peak form in time for next month's qualifier against Croatia at Wembley, when victory will secure a World Cup berth with two matches to spare.

"That would be ideal and I am very confident we can do it," he said.

"We know there are three games to go and but we intend to play Croatia as though it was our last and we needed a win to go through.

"To qualify early would give us all a real confidence boost.

"We would know where we were going and give us the incentive to keep on improving."