Fabio Capello told Steven Gerrard last night that he must have the discipline to play where instructed as England prepare for this afternoon’s World Cup qualifying match against Kazakhstan at Wembley Stadium. In a classic case of carrot-and-stick management, Capello gave warning that he will not tolerate players pining for their preferred positions, although he also indicated that Gerrard will be pleased with his deployment when the team is announced two hours before kick-off.

Whether the Liverpool midfield player agrees with his manager remains to be seen. Gerrard caused controversy last month by complaining that he had played in his preferred position on only five of his 68 England appearances, an ill-timed outburst as it came three days before his team-mate and rival, Frank Lampard, put in a superb performance in an unfamiliar holding role in the 4-1 win away to Croatia.

Despite Gerrard’s intemperate remarks, the England manager is ready to hand him the central role he craves against Kazakhstan, most likely on the right of a narrow midfield three also including Gareth Barry and Lampard, but Capello sounded a warning that he will not be dictated to. “He will play where I think it’s better for him, always,” the Italian said.

“I try throughout my career to put the players in the best position for them to play better and at 100 per cent in the team. For me, he can play in two or three positions, but it depends on the game which one he plays in.

“I think I know the best position for Gerrard and you will see. Tomorrow you will see the position Gerrard plays because it’ll be a very important position on the field. He’s only played four times with me. I hope that four of these five games were with me.” For the record, Gerrard’s experiences under Capello have comprised two games in central midfield and two in a more advanced role behind a central striker, although in his most recent appearance, against the Czech Republic, he spent much of the match marooned out on the left. Gerrard could yet end up there again if Capello opts to stick with the 4-4-2 formation that brought success in Zagreb, but whatever happens, he will get another opportunity to prove he can work effectively with Lampard.

“I’m sure that fantastic players have to play together, in my opinion,” Capello said. “I don’t know why they haven’t worked before. I think, with me, they’ve played only three or two games together. The past is not my problem.

“Gerrard has to play like when he plays with Liverpool. He’s one of the 11 players on the pitch. We win and we lose together. He’s an important player, but he’s only one of the 11.

“It’s not a problem for me to have lots of talented players. I had it a lot of times before at Milan, Juventus and sometimes in [Real] Madrid. I prefer to have players of this quality.”

Other than the balance of the midfield, Capello’s only dilemma is who should replace the injured John Terry, with Matthew Upson likely to be preferred to Joleon Lescott. Of greater concern is that little is known of England’s opponents, with Bernd Storck, the new coach, retaining only a handful of players from the 3-0 defeat by Croatia last month.

“We respect Kazakhstan, but I know only four players,” Capello said. “They have moved players from the under-21s and I have one video about these players. It’s difficult, it’s better when you know everything about your opponents. I started by watching three games for nothing because only four of the players are still involved.”

Capello said that he and the players wanted to launch a new competitive era at Wembley on a positive note, but added: “I hope the fans don’t boo after 20 minutes if England don’t score. This is very important. Don’t boo. You have to help us. Help us. It’s very, very important for the players to play. We have to ask the fans to help us.”