We all fear Fabio Capello axe, says John Terry

Tom Collomosse
13 Oct 2009

John Terry has revealed that the constant fear of being axed by coach Fabio Capello is
driving the England squad towards World Cup glory.

Capello's men will aim to end an excellent qualifying campaign on a high at Wembley tomorrow when they take on Belarus, after securing their place in South Africa next summer with two games to spare.

Saturday's 1-0 defeat in Ukraine was the only blemish on an otherwise perfect sequence of results for England, who will travel south with considerable optimism in eight months' time after dominating Group Six.

Yet despite these powerful performances, captain Terry revealed that every England player continues to live in fear of losing his place; a sharp contrast from the regimes of Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson, who were accused of indulging the most high-profile members of their squad.

“We all feel under threat,” said Terry, who is expected to win his 58th cap for his country tomorrow. “If we're not performing at club level, the manager is strong enough to drop us, and that goes for anyone.

“That is encouraging for the fringe players. Everyone out there not in the side at the moment should have a real hunger and desire to put themselves on the plane to South Africa.”

With England missing as many as three key men tomorrow due to injury, the match represents an ideal opportunity for some of Capello's squad players to put themselves firmly in the frame for the World Cup.

There is no Steven Gerrard and David James could be ruled out in the morning after a fitness test.

Wayne Rooney has already been ruled out with a calf problem he sustained in Ukraine, so forwards Gabriel Agbonlahor, Peter Crouch and Carlton Cole will all be desperate for a chance to enhance their claims.

Capello today insisted that England can still win “with or without” the Manchester United striker and Terry added: “When someone like Wayne is missing, we will always notice it, because of the drive and desire he brings to the squad. He has been the heartbeat of our team during this qualifying campaign.

“But it is a chance for other players to come in and cement their places. If you look at our friendly in Germany last November, we had several players missing, but we still won 2-1.

“That gives the manager food for thought, and it is a good problem for him to have.”

Yet the most important aspect of this game, which Capello believes is less significant than his team's friendlies immediately before the World Cup, is that there are no more injuries to senior players.

Rooney, Gerrard, Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard are likely to play between 60 and 70 matches this season before travelling to South Africa, and Terry admitted that maintaining peak fitness for the tournament will be a difficult task.

“There are still so many games left in the domestic competitions, so it will be important for us to try to stay fit,” said 28-year-old Terry, whose Chelsea side are competing for honours on four fronts.

“But it is hard to say what will happen, and with tackles flying in, people will pick up injuries. We have to work hard and look after our bodies to make sure we are all on the plane.

“It's certainly something I've noticed as I've got older. When I picked up injuries three or four years ago, I was just able to run them off, but as I've got older, I've realised I can't do that.

“As I've been working in the gym and with the physios, I've grown to understand my body a lot better, and I've become more mature. Youngsters, on the other hand, can look after themselves naturally.”

Capello has already made it clear that he would not take players carrying injuries to the World Cup, and he warned: “First of all, they have to be fit.

“They have to play some part in the final stages of the Premier League season, but they also need time to recover before the World Cup.”

Capello also said that Terry's struggling central-defensive partner Rio Ferdinand would start against Belarus, with the United player desperate to regain his best form after a difficult start to the season.

Ferdinand's error in Ukraine on Saturday led to a red card for goalkeeper Robert Green, and meant England had to play with 10 men.

The former Leeds and West Ham defender also made mistakes in England's friendly in Holland and in the Manchester derby last month, but both Capello and Terry are confident that Ferdinand will soon rediscover his best form.

“I spoke to Rio this morning,” revealed Capello. “This evening, we will see a DVD of the Ukraine game to understand what really happened, and I will explain the mistakes afterwards.

“But I am not concerned about Rio; I have huge confidence in him. He needs to play, and I am sure he will get better with every game.” Until Ferdinand's recent slump, his partnership with Terry had been one of England's strongest areas, but Terry insisted: “We are all 100 per cent behind him. We all make mistakes but he is a massive player in the squad.

“I love playing alongside him, he is one of the best defenders in the world, and he will continue to be.

“It is important for the fans to get behind the players. We all go through difficult times, and when that happens, you need people to get behind you.”