Source: Eurosport
Ferdinand will make up for Ukraine blunder says Terry
LONDON (AFP) - John Terry insists Rio Ferdinand is determined to make up for his Ukraine blunder in England's final World Cup qualifier against Belarus.
England coach Fabio Capello has told Ferdinand he will start at Wembley on Wednesday despite the Manchester United centre-back's latest mistake of an error-prone campaign.
Ferdinand's misjudgement against Ukraine on Saturday led to goalkeeper Robert Green conceding a penalty and being sent off.
Capello's team never recovered and slumped to a 1-0 defeat - ending their run of eight successive victories in the Group Six qualifying campaign.
Ferdinand had also given away a goal against Holland in a friendly in August and allowed Craig Bellamy to punish his wayward pass in the recent Manchester derby.
But England captain Terry is adamant the team still have complete faith in Ferdinand, who is desperate to put the record straight with a commanding display against Belarus.
"I don't want to get into the issue with Rio. We are all 100 percent behind him. We all make mistakes but he is a massive player in the squad," Terry said on Tuesday.
"He can't wait for this game. He is looking forward to the next game and putting his performance in to put things right.
"He has had a couple of injuries but fit and ready he is one of best defenders in world and will continue to be.
"I love playing alongside him. It's important to get behind players. We all make mistakes. He knows how to deal with situations.
"Sometimes players go through difficult times. You need people to get behind you."
Although England were below their best against Ukraine, Terry feels the defeat could prove to be a valuable experience. The Chelsea defender knows Capello will point out exactly where they went wrong to ensure the same mistakes don't happen again.
"It's something we've looked at when we have made mistakes. In the defensive area but in other areas as well. The manager won't leave anything unturned and we will go over it," he said.
"Even players who have been playing regularly still feel under threat because if we are not playing well the manager is strong enough to drop us."
England will be without injured stars Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard against Belarus but Capello has invited all members of every squad he has picked throughout the campaign to attend the match as a gesture of thanks and Terry believes it is essential they finish on a winning note.
"We wanted to make it 10 wins out of 10 but that's not going to be case," he said. "It would be nice to finish on high with a good show and performance."
Rooney's absence is likely to give Aston Villa forward Gabriel Agbonlahor a chance to shine up front.
"We have obviously missed him in big tournaments when he picked up injuries and suspensions. It's a chance for us to play without him and give the manager a chance to play other players up front but he will definitely be missed," Terry said.
Terry acknowledges Rooney will be leave a big gap after his herculean efforts against Ukraine - a performance the England captain described as typical of Rooney now he has matured.
"We've seen him mature as a man and as a player in the last few years. He's grown up and taken a lot of responsbility," Terry said. "I think before we've seen him lose his head on a couple of occasions and he's learned from that.
"We're not seeing that side of him now. We are seeing the real Wayne Rooney. He is one of the best with the problems he causes and he is in great scoring form for Manchester United and England.
"He will be missed but it is a chance for the other players to give the manager a problem."
