Bayern Munich's Owen Hargreaves said: "We've barely conceded a goal apart from two set-pieces against Sweden. When we played Ecuador it was the biggest game of their (Ecuador player's) lives and they put in their very best effort and we still came out 1-0 winners. OK, we could have done better, scored more goals and possibly played more attractive football."
Steven Howard in The Sun: ‘This is the day when England have to escape from the strait jacket which has restricted their movement and tempo and made them one of the most disappointing teams in the competition. This is the day when England have to give something back to the tournament, the 100,000 gathered here in the heart of the industrial Ruhr and the millions back home whose blind loyalty to the Cross of St George has been severely tested. This is the day when the under-performing millionaires of the cash-soaked Premiership have to step up to the plate. And this is the day Eriksson has his last chance to show why a former Soho Square administration thought he was worth £5million a year.'
Frank Lampard, guilty of being generally poor in the tournament said: "We've got through the first couple of rounds but we've been to quarter-finals before and then got knocked out and that's not good enough. We've said so many times before, with the players we have we can't just settle for being among the top eight teams in the world. We haven't taken the World Cup by the scruff of the neck. We're all quite relieved to have reached the quarter-finals considering the way we've played so far. But there has not been the need for that great performance just yet. We've just needed to win games, which is what we have done."
"I've got into the right positions but I've not scored in four games which is a long time for me to go without a goal. I could have wrapped the Ecuador game up with the one I sent over the bar. That is frustrating although the most important thing is that England has won its games and we've made it through to the quarter-finals."
"Even though it was a knockout match Ecuador we sat so deep and did not come out from midfield in any numbers. We didn't play with enough urgency or move the ball quickly enough, particularly in the first half. It was only after the break when we played the ball in behind their defenders and had players running in behind them that we caused them problems. But overall I thought the system worked quite well and Wayne Rooney grew into that sole striker role. It wasn't easy for him after two months out injured."
"David (Beckham) has taken some harsh criticism and there was no need for that. When that happened it was important that everyone came out and showed their support for the captain. His goal showed just why everyone is so much behind Becks."
Sven Goran Eriksson, who will part company with England this summer said: "Frank Lampard has had more shots than anyone at this World Cup. But this team has already become victors. To get among the eight best teams in the world was spectacular. I have read some of his (Winston Churchill's) memoirs a long time ago. I never meant it (his recent claim that as long as England got the right result it didn't matter how badly they played) to mean I'm happy for us to play badly."
Steven Gerrard, who admitted he preferred having Carrick in the side, said: "I think people have said Frank is not at his best because he hasn't scored a couple of goals. If a couple of Frank's chances had already gone in, everyone would have said how well he's done. We have taken on board criticism from people and have tried to improve our performance. Most of our matches have been at four o'clock in the afternoon. It's difficult to play at a high tempo then and we couldn't pass the ball because the pitches were so dry."
Such excuses won't pass muster if England fail to perform again today. Had the fans been entertained more in the easier stages of the competition up to now, then at least they would have that to fall back on should they find themselves up against opposition in possession of more class when it matters.