[Eurosport] - Fri, 27 Mar 15:14:00 2009
England captain John Terry insists he is thinking of nothing but football ahead of Saturday's friendly clash with Slovakia at Wembley.
The Chelsea defender's family were at the centre of shoplifting allegations in a national newspaper report on Friday morning, but he has refused to be sidetracked from a match in which he could win his 50th cap.
"I've got experience of seeing many headlines and as a player you get on with it and fully concentrate on football, like I did in training this morning - it doesn't affect players," he said.
Much of the focus in the build-up to the match has been on striker Wayne Rooney's temper, following his sending-off for Manchester United at Fulham last Saturday.
Former England captain David Beckham claimed Rooney would struggle to perform at the highest level without such fire, and Terry agrees with that assessment.
"Some players are born with that passion and Wayne's certainly got it," he said.
"If you try to take it away he won't be the player he is. Let him get on with football and let it do the talking.
"He's got great people around him and if they feel he's stepped out of line they'll put an arm round him."
Of the need for senior players to protect Rooney, Terry added: "If we see something on the pitch one of us will say something.
"Wayne knows his limits and we've seen him mature over the years. The main thing is he's playing well for England and Manchester United."
The failure to reach the 2008 European championships in Germany continues to be a motivating factor for an England team Terry believes has once again become feared around the world.
"After the disappointment, no-one was hit harder than me," he said.
"But we are more determined than ever to do well. We have had a great start and are just looking to keep winning and winning.
"Other teams are fearing us again, and we are hoping we can use that to our advantage."
February's friendly defeat against Spain has not adversely affected that confidence - and Terry believes it could turn out to be a necessary part of England's ongoing learning curve.
"Spain are one of the best teams in the world at the moment. They played some great football, and at times it was difficult to get close and press them," he explained.
"But you will learn, and we have learned from that.
"Maybe in that Spain game, in previous years we might have reacted differently and tried to kick lumps out of them.
"Watching the video again has opened up our eyes again - and discipline is very key.
"Collectively, we speak and help each other through games - if you see someone 'boiling up'.
"We are trying to play our best and keep cool heads."
Terry is confident the current squad is especially well equipped to qualify for and then perform with distinction at next year's World Cup finals.
"It (Wednesday's match against Ukraine) is a massive, massive game for us," he said.
"But we believe our team is very well organised at the moment - and looking at this squad, with our (club) teams doing well in the Champions League, there are some great young players coming through too.
"We are seeing younger players pushing for starting places."
England captain John Terry insists he is thinking of nothing but football ahead of Saturday's friendly clash with Slovakia at Wembley.
The Chelsea defender's family were at the centre of shoplifting allegations in a national newspaper report on Friday morning, but he has refused to be sidetracked from a match in which he could win his 50th cap.
"I've got experience of seeing many headlines and as a player you get on with it and fully concentrate on football, like I did in training this morning - it doesn't affect players," he said.
Much of the focus in the build-up to the match has been on striker Wayne Rooney's temper, following his sending-off for Manchester United at Fulham last Saturday.
Former England captain David Beckham claimed Rooney would struggle to perform at the highest level without such fire, and Terry agrees with that assessment.
"Some players are born with that passion and Wayne's certainly got it," he said.
"If you try to take it away he won't be the player he is. Let him get on with football and let it do the talking.
"He's got great people around him and if they feel he's stepped out of line they'll put an arm round him."
Of the need for senior players to protect Rooney, Terry added: "If we see something on the pitch one of us will say something.
"Wayne knows his limits and we've seen him mature over the years. The main thing is he's playing well for England and Manchester United."
The failure to reach the 2008 European championships in Germany continues to be a motivating factor for an England team Terry believes has once again become feared around the world.
"After the disappointment, no-one was hit harder than me," he said.
"But we are more determined than ever to do well. We have had a great start and are just looking to keep winning and winning.
"Other teams are fearing us again, and we are hoping we can use that to our advantage."
February's friendly defeat against Spain has not adversely affected that confidence - and Terry believes it could turn out to be a necessary part of England's ongoing learning curve.
"Spain are one of the best teams in the world at the moment. They played some great football, and at times it was difficult to get close and press them," he explained.
"But you will learn, and we have learned from that.
"Maybe in that Spain game, in previous years we might have reacted differently and tried to kick lumps out of them.
"Watching the video again has opened up our eyes again - and discipline is very key.
"Collectively, we speak and help each other through games - if you see someone 'boiling up'.
"We are trying to play our best and keep cool heads."
Terry is confident the current squad is especially well equipped to qualify for and then perform with distinction at next year's World Cup finals.
"It (Wednesday's match against Ukraine) is a massive, massive game for us," he said.
"But we believe our team is very well organised at the moment - and looking at this squad, with our (club) teams doing well in the Champions League, there are some great young players coming through too.
"We are seeing younger players pushing for starting places."
Who shagged his ma then?
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