Terry backs Mac approach
12 Sep 2007 - 07:58:08
England captain John Terry believes that national team head coach Steve McClaren has similar qualities to his Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho.
Terry is impressed by McClaren's hands-on style and thinks that it is more effective than the stand-off approach favoured by Sven-Goran Eriksson during his time in charge of England.
"There are little similarities between Steve and Jose Mourinho," Terry told reporters. "They like to get involved in training and do it all themselves.
"That is a big part, because I don't think it works too well when the manager stands on the side and gets someone else to do it.
"When the manager is hands-on himself like Steve, then the manager holds his hands up if anything goes wrong.
"They say it is them who made the mistake because they have been making their decisions all week.
"When they are out there all week you get the camaraderie, you get a nice buzz and togetherness.
"Steve's team meetings are very enthusiastic. His training sessions are very good, very sharp and very well organised. We don't just come away and do the same stuff over and over again. He varies it very well."
Of the tactics needed against Russia at Wembley on Wednesday evening, Terry added: "Jose would say stop them playing and get in their faces a little bit in the first ten or 15 minutes.
"We have to fight for it and work hard for it. We did that against Israel, put them right under pressure, didn't let them play at all, didn't give them any time on the ball.
"Russia are technically very good and very good on the ball, but if we can do that against them, then we can stop Russia from playing."