Defoe deserves to start against Croatia, insists England captain Terry

06 September 2009 16:55
John Terry believes Jermaine Defoe should start in England's crucial World Cup qualifier against Croatia at Wembley. Defoe came off the bench to score in the 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia on Saturday, his fifth goal in three games. England boss Fabio Capello must now decide whether to stick with Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey or opt with the in-form Tottenham striker on Wednesday. But Terry has backed Defoe and insists his goalscoring record this season warrants a starting place against the Croatians. The Chelsea defender said: 'Defoe has looked very sharp early this season for Spurs and England. 'He is probably pushing to be our number one or number two striker at the moment. 'There is always the chance for anyone to force their way in. We have seen that in previous seasons but also now. Jermain wasn't involved a few months back. Now look at him. 'There will always be a surprise package if we do qualify for this World Cup.' Terry also told England they must win the physical battle with Croatia if they are to triumph on Wednesday. The Croatians have adopted an aggressive approach towards England in recentprevious meetings, including their 3-2 win at Wembley two years ago and evenwhen beaten 4-1 at home last September. Terry is expecting a similar style on Wednesday from opponents who need to winto have any chance of overhauling England - who will qualify for the 2010 finalsif they obtain a positive result. The Chelsea star said: 'The last game in Zagreb was very physical. They set the tone of the game early on. That is what we need to do. 'We need to be aggressive and match them. When the ball does get down and we start playing we've seen we can match a lot of the teams in the world. 'But physically, as we do at Chelsea, you go out to win your battles early on.'

Source: Daily_Mail