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Terry made a very big mistake - Capello

Fabio Capello is unimpressed with John Terry © Getty Images

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Under-pressure Fabio Capello has accused John Terry of making ''a very big mistake'' with his staggering attack on the England World Cup set-up.

Former skipper John Terry went public with a list of grievances in his remarkable account of life with England in South Africa and confirmed that he had to plead with Capello's trusted right-hand man Franco Baldini to be allowed a beer in the aftermath of England's dismal draw with Algeria in Cape Town on Friday.

The defender is unhappy at the way Capello has been guiding England through the tournament, feeling preparation, tactics and personnel have been wrong, whilst there has been little to alleviate the sheer boredom of spending so much time away, but Capello proved he did not share the concerns and confirmed that those who do not like it will have to lump it.

''This is the big mistake, this is the very big mistake,'' Capello told ITV1 of Terry's press conference.

Earlier, Capello had hinted that some players were not happy, but would not name Terry.

''Probably one or two are not happy but the majority are,'' Capello told the BBC. ''One player is not so important compared to all the others. The group is more important. For this reason it is no problem. We are here to play at the World Cup, not for a holiday.''

Terry's thinly-veiled attempt to press the claims of Joe Cole for a starting berth in Wednesday's do-or-die clash with Slovenia in Port Elizabeth were also dismissed, with Capello claiming Terry was not treating the other members of his squad with respect by singling out his Chelsea team-mate for such lavish praise.

''If somebody wants to speak with me, he can speak. I always tell the players they can speak but yesterday nobody did,'' Capello added. ''Joe Cole is one of 23 players who are here but, when we speak about one single player, you have to respect the other players that played before. That's the most important thing, the respect of the other players.''

Another of Terry's major bones of contention was Capello's post-match assertion that England were struggling so badly because they were fearful of the pressure they were under on such a grand stage. However, 48 hours before a match he admits is one of the most important of his career, Capello is sticking to his guns.

''It is a mental thing. When you are under pressure, big pressure, sometimes the legs do not work normally,'' he said. ''It happened to me as a player but I think on Wednesday the team will be fit.''

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