STEVEN GERRARD has appealed to England manager Fabio Capello not to give up on him – as he claimed a midfield partnership with Frank Lampard can still work.

The Liverpool skipper admits he has struggled to transfer his impressive club form to the international arena and revealed he has been “trying too hard” to be a success for his country.

Gerrard was below par during the World Cup qualifier against Kazakhstan on Saturday despite Capello employing an unusual 4-1-2-3 formation specifically to accommodate the attacking talents of both the 28-year-old and Lampard.

However, Gerrard ended the game in a holding midfield role after the half-time tactical switch to a more conventional 4-4-2 that sparked England into life and helped secure a 5-1 win.

The Liverpool man is likely to be on the left wing of a four-man midfield when England aim to continue their 100% start to qualifying in Belarus tomorrow night.

And Gerrard is convinced Capello is the man to coax the best out of him for the national team.

“He has spoken to me before each game and told me what he wants me to do,” said Gerrard. “He’s said he wants me to emulate my form for Liverpool for England and he is prepared to help me.

“That’s what I want. I don’t want a manager to give up on me for club or country. I want them to keep trying to make me better. I’ve got every confidence in this manager and the set-up he’s got behind him to improve my form.

“I’ll be honest, I haven’t always hit my Liverpool form for England, but it’s not through a lack of trying.

“I’m desperate to play well for England. I believe we are getting to where we want to be.”

The inability of Gerrard and Lampard to harness their undoubted talents together in the England midfield was a conundrum that Capello’s predecessors Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren failed to solve.

Gerrard, though, believes Lampard was “harsh” when he admitted recently that their failure in midfield was the reason England did not qualify for European 2008.

But he added: “We’ve (he and Lampard) just got to keep working hard and trying to make it happen. It’s pointless giving up on it and saying it can’t work. We’ve got a good manager there to help us. Just keep working hard and keep plugging away at it.

“It’s not easy having to prepare for a different role but I’ll give it everything I’ve got.