FOOTBALL : Captain John Terry is backing England to compete with the best teams in the world and believes they do not have to be over fearful of Brazil following the 1-0 friendly defeat to them on Saturday.
Captain John Terry is backing England to compete with the best teams in the world and believes they do not have to be over fearful of Brazil following the 1-0 friendly defeat to them on Saturday.
And he is touting Wayne Rooney, who replaced him as stand-in captain in Doha, as a possible long-term successor to himself in the role and also feels his Blues team-mate Joe Cole is capable of causing problems in the same manner to opposing defences.
Terry said: “I think they’ve got individual quality, in one-versus-ones situations, that can frighten any team. That is why they are ranked the best side in the world at the moment. We’ve done well in recent years and the likes of Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney can change a game just like they can.”
He added: “We are giving them a lot of credit for the win over us but the game had a friendly written all over it from the start.
“Even in training on Thursday and Friday the manager was stressing he wanted us to press more and the players were saying at half-time ‘we’d love to but it is difficult’ and the conditions were a little bit tiring.
“The players were saying afterwards it was difficult to keep that intense pressure on and I think in different conditions it might be different.
“But I don’t think Brazil are anything to really worry about. They are a very good side, I am not saying they are not.
“We have to look at our own strengths and qualities and I think we can mix it with the best sides in the world. Listen, they’ve got their weaknesses, like we have.”
