Source: Eurosport
Terry focused on Slovakia clash
England captain John Terry insists he is thinking of nothing but football ahead of Saturday afternoon's friendly 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 on Thursday 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."[LNB]
