John Terry: England's old boys won’t get another chance of World Cup glory after 2010

17 October 2009 22:20
Captain marvel: John Terry in action for England[LNB]England captain John Terry knows he will never have a better chance to win football's ultimate prize - and he does not mean the Champions League. [LNB]For Terry, triumph in South Africa remains the ambition and he is relying on the return to the hectic club calendar to stop World Cup fever boiling over prematurely. [LNB]After yesterday's Premier League match at Aston Villa, Terry's Chelsea are back in Champions League action on Wednesday night against Atletico Madrid, seven days on from England completing a successful qualification campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Belarus.[LNB] Asked if he dreamed of being a World Cup-winning captain, Terry said: 'Of course you do inside. I think we've got carried away before, we've heard it before. We mustn't get carried away but that's burning inside. [LNB]'I realise this probably will be my last World Cup. I think a few of us in the squad realise the same thing. Hopefully, when the time comes at the World Cup, that determination will take us that extra step further. [LNB]'Playing for your country is the be all and end all, it's as simple as that. We play for our clubs and we're paid by them and obviously we love winning trophies for them. [LNB]'But as a boy you want to play for your country, wear the England shirt, the Three Lions and everything that goes with it. The hairs on your neck stand up in every game. It's something every kid dreams of.' [LNB]Terry is never allowed to forget the Barking heritage he shares with 1966 captain Bobby Moore and believes setting short-term targets is the key to seeing through a long season before unleashing the pent-up excitement in South Africa. [LNB] Mission: Terry (centre) has a final chance to lift the World Cup with David Beckham (below), and possibly others such as Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand[LNB]He said: 'Of course that's a massive thing for us, not only because of where I'm from - same estate, same district team and things like that. If we can put ourselves in the final it would be brilliant, if we can get our hands on the trophy, even better. [LNB]'The games are coming thick and fast. You can go from one job to the next and no job is really finished. The England one, yes we're qualified; the Premier League still has a long way to go; Champions League - not out of the group stages yet. So you set yourself targets like getting through the group as we've done now with England and to be in a good position at Chelsea for Christmas time.' [LNB]Terry's national manager, Fabio Capello, believes England are already in a good position. He feels able to compare what he is hoping to have available in South Africa with the best of Italy, Spain, Argentina and any other country's stars who have won titles under him at clubs like Milan, Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid. [LNB]And, at the end of nearly two years in charge and a near perfect 10-match qualifying group, he said: 'We can win against all teams. I have big confidence in my team and my players. I don't think any team would look forward to being drawn against us.' [LNB]If there is a cloud over his confidence, it is in the consequences of what will be an energy-draining final two-thirds of the season for the players. [LNB]Asked what he learned from participating in the World Cup as a player, Capello said: 'You have to arrive fit. That is the most important thing - fit, fit; good condition. After that, you have to create the style of the play and the spirit of the group, but the most important thing is to be fit.[LNB] 'Our chances will depend on the form we have when we arrive at the World Cup. Physically, we are top at this moment, but the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League are always very important. You use a lot of energy in those competitions and some players will arrive who are not in a good moment of fitness.'[LNB] Level headed: Terry insists England must not get carried away with their success[LNB] There is no doubt England have revelled under Capello's style of management and coaching. He has been able to rebuild dressing-room confidence that was shattered by the failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championship finals. [LNB]That air of despondency lingered into the opening group match against Andorra in Barcelona when the team made hard work of winning 2-0. But no more. In fact, Capello regards the players' reaction to that performance as the most encouraging moment of his tenure. [LNB]'A lot of the media criticised the team after that game, but I spoke with the players and said I had a big confidence in them,' he said. 'We improved every game after that.'[LNB] Capello intends to field the strongest possible line-up for the November friendly against Brazil in Qatar. 'It's important for me to understand when you play against South American countries they play a different style,' he said. [LNB]'They play man against man, dribbling. Here teams play really well but there is no dribbling. They have good possession but dribbling? Never. The game will be really important for me, the players, to understand the difference.' [LNB]But Capello admits to having no control over what could be a vital Cup-winning ingredient. 'I see a lot of games here in England,' he said. [LNB]'My experience is good. It's important to know what style we have to play and to have the best players fit. But the last and the most important is to be lucky. Because if you are not lucky it is impossible to win.'[LNB] Lost in translation: Ancelotti plays down reference to 'pet' John TerryPressure on Capello to recall Kirkland and end England's keeper crisisMichael Owen on injuries, Manchester United and the odds of him playing in the 2010 World CupCHELSEA FC

Source: Daily_Mail