Terry gets the silent treatment
Wednesday, 12 August, 2009
John Terry has revealed how Fabio Capello demands silence in the dressing room.
England captain John Terry has revealed how Fabio Capello demands a few minutes of silent reflection when they enter the dressing room.
With England beginning a new season against Holland this evening, Terry has explained one aspect of the impact that Capello has made in his 18 months in charge.
"You come in at half-time and he hates it if the lads are talking or shouting to each other. Arguing," the defender said.
"He wants everyone to sit there for two or three minutes, take it in and absorb it, then approach things in a calmer way.
"You can come in hot-headed wanting better from your team-mates, but he comes in, wants us to be calm and he can then go mad himself.
"He's there to give us a kick up the backside if we need it. Or he can put his arm around you. We've got so many big players here, it's important we stay relaxed.
"In the past, we've been a bit too quiet with each other and not expressed our feelings. Maybe there was too much respect between the players. But now we talk to each other and listen to what each other is saying."
As England look to clinch qualification for the World Cup finals, Terry believes there is still much room for development - starting with a meeting against the third best team in the world tonight.
Terry said: "We've got another 10 or 15 per cent to go to. When we do, we'll be at the top of our game.
"We can improve here. Going back to the Spain game, before that match we probably thought we were one of the best teams in the world. Actually, that showed us where we want to be."
Following Wednesday's friendly England face Slovenia at Wembley on Saturday 5 September before their next World Cup qualifier with Croatia four days later. Buy tickets for both games here.
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