´Nothing has changed´ for captain Terry

John Terry believes he is in a ‘great state of mind’ to lead out England in Tuesday’s friendly against Sweden.

Coach Fabio Capello has confirmed that the Chelsea defender will captain the Three Lions in the match at Wembley, despite the Metropolitan Police currently investigating Terry’s alleged racist remarks aimed towards QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

Terry, who was left on the bench for Saturday’s 1-0 win over Spain, insisted he is focused on playing and has no fears about the crowd’s reaction towards him against Sweden.

“I’m in a great state of mind, completely focused on playing well, and on training,” Terry said at a press conference on Monday.

“So from my side of things, nothing has changed at all. I’m participating in training and delighted to be captaining the side again, leading the team out.”

“When we warmed up (prior to kick-off against Spain) down the side I got a got a good reaction, and I clapped them, and I got a good reception back. So obviously I’m delighted with that, being captain of the side, and was very pleased walking away from that.”

England emerged victorious without the Chelsea captain in Saturday’s friendly against the world and European champions, and Terry praised his team-mates for the result.

“I think the players showed that once again, together, we are united no matter what, and put in a really good performance,” Terry said.

“I thought it was a great performance, taking a step back and sitting there watching. How well the players played, defended and attacked as well was incredible. I’m delighted with the mixture of younger players coming in and doing so well also.”

“It’s a positive thing that we beat Spain, the world champions, but I think the manager stressed also that we need to continue that, making sure we get the right result again, and keep this momentum until the (2012) Euros now.”

Terry also believes the likes of Danny Welbeck and Jack Rodwell, who both made an impact after coming off the bench against Spain, can play a big part for England in the future. Terry also stated Chelsea team-mate Daniel Sturridge was ‘ready’ for a role in the national team.

“We’ve always spoken about that as important, the mixture of players as well, so it’s really encouraging that younger players are coming in and establishing themselves, and making a real impact on the squad – obviously with young Jack (Rodwell) coming on and making his debut, and Kyle (Walker),” Terry said.

“I thought Danny Welbeck was excellent when he came on and held it up as well, so there were some real positives to take away from the game.”

“And the manager is delighted. Certainly from a squad point of view and from a players’ point of view, we won’t be resting on that. We want to keep improving, and we’ve got a chance to do this against Sweden.”