Glen on Gerrard and Balotelli
Glen Johnson believes Steven Gerrard's fine form at Euro 2012 is a result of manager Roy Hodgson handing the Liverpool skipper the armband.
Liverpool's No.8 captained his country during their disappointing World Cup campaign in South Africa in the absence of Rio Ferdinand, but Johnson thinks handing the captaincy to Gerrard on a permanent basis has prompted the 32-year-old to up his game.
Gerrard has been England's standout player at the tournament so far, assisting three of the Three Lions' five goals, and Johnson believes his teammate at club and international level thrives under the added responsibility of being captain.
"Steven has been a fantastic player for many, many years," said Johnson. "But with the armband I think he feels he needs to step up just that tiny bit more, and I think he's done it more than anyone so far."
Ahead of Sunday's clash against the 2006 World Champions, Johnson is feeling confident about England's chances and believes any team left in the tournament could be winners.
"We'll just try and set out to be hard to beat," he said. "We've got some fantastic players in the side that can hurt any defence.
"Any team that's in the tournament has got a chance of winning it. The first objective was to get out of the group and we've done that very well by winning the group.
"Now it's a one-off game, and in a one-off game you can beat anyone."
Johnson added that he believes a new bond could be developing between the England players and the fans: "I've just been told about the record rating of viewers for the game, the fans are there to support and it feels like we're a big, tight unit."
One player who will be familiar to Johnson ahead of Sunday's quarter-final meeting is Manchester City frontman Mario Balotelli.
Johnson knows Balotelli can have a major impact on games but is adamant England are not worrying over how the volatile Italian will be involved, stressing that there is more to Cesare Prandelli's squad than the City forward.
"That will be a question for their manager, whether he's going to play or not," said Johnson. "I don't mind either way, personally.
"Mario can switch and he can play a major factor in games, whether good or bad.
"He is a fantastic player but they've got a squad of 23 good players. We're not going to worry about one individual."
Liverpool faced Manchester City four times last season, with Balotelli being sent off in the league clash at Anfield, but despite the Italian's unpredictable nature, Johnson insists England will not go into the game with the intention of trying to push the young striker's buttons.
"I personally don't go into games thinking like that," he added. "It's another game and you concentrate on yourself and try to do your own job well."