Terry: We're good enough to win the World Cup
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RIGHT, the England captain has said it so it is now set in stone.
On the eve of England's first game of the season, tonight's friendly in Holland, John Terry laid it on the line: "If we play like we are we can't rule ourselves out of winning the World Cup."
There you have it. None of that stuff about taking each game as it comes and seeing where we are next summer. Under Fabio Capello, Terry and his Three Lions team-mates firmly believe they can lift football's biggest prize in South Africa next July.
The failure to reach the Euro 2008 finals has been consigned to history and seven World Cup qualifying wins out of seven has told Terry that England have nothing to fear.
All they have to do now is finish the job!
Terry said: "The World Cup will be in the back of everyone's mind. "We still need to win one game from the last three qualifiers to get there, but it will be an important year for everyone.
"When the tournament comes around, we want to be in top shape and top form, to progress where we want to be. "Every big team there will have a good chance and we'll be no different.
"Players would be lying if they told you that in the past there wasn't any fear coming into big games with England. "But it's been wiped away. We've overcome that mental barrier. "I understood that some people doubted me as an England captain with us not qualifying for the European Championships. I take responsibility for that. "But I have learned a few things from before about how not to do things and now everyone's playing freely and is confident under the new manager.
Even February's 2-0 friendly defeat in Spain did not dissuade Terry that England can be the world champions. In fact, he saw it as a blessing. Chelsea's centre-back, 28, insisted: "We learnt more from losing to Spain than we would have done going there and beating them.
"There's no mental issue. There's no worry against the top sides. We've played some good sides and beaten them."
While Terry talks up England's chances, Capello is still working on the team which can deliver the prize.
Aston Villa's Ashley Young gets his chance to impress in Amsterdam tonight in the absence of Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard, who pulled out of the squad yesterday with a groin injury.
David Beckham is expected to come in on the right for Theo Walcott while West Ham striker Carlton Cole will partner Wayne Rooney up front if Emile Heskey is ruled out by his Achilles problem.
Capello said: "I can't clone Stevie. Every player has a different style. "Ashley is young and is one of the English players who can dribble and take people on one-to-one. "He played twice with me. The first time he was so-so but the second time, he played very, very well. Against one of the best national teams in the world, it will be really important for him to have the confidence to perform.
"There's a lot for the players to play for. I said the door is open for every player who plays well during the season. "I hope we can start well. I don't know the real condition of the players though and I think it will be the same for the Dutch. "We want to recover the spirit of the group, to start some movement with the ball that we did during the performances last year.
"It is really important for the experiment to understand where we are - the level of the players, the confidence of the players, what we have to do to arrive at this level."
Midfield ace Frank Lampard reckons this can be a defining year in the careers of himself and his pals - and Capello agreed. The Italian said: "These are very important words from one of the leaders of the team and the other players feel the same. It's really important for them and for me.
"First we have to get there. Then we will focus on the World Cup."
The players and fans are there already, whether Fabio likes it or not.
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They should just say their aim is to make it to the quarterfinals.
Why put so much pressure on themselves only to falter later on?
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They've always been good enough to win the world cup, its just that they don't. And thats what pisses they're fans