Wednesday, June 29, 2011

England Players Gripped By Fear - Carragher

Former England defender Jamie Carragher admits players suffer from a fear factor when they are playing for the national team.

Carragher came out of international retirement when he was selected by England manager Fabio Capello for last year's World Cup campaign in South Africa. However, England experienced a woeful tournament and crashed out 4-1 to Germany in the last 16, leading to a torrent of criticism for both players and management.

The Liverpool defender though claimed players are on tenterhooks when they play for England and feel less pressure when appearing for their clubs.

''One mistake and you could be absolutely slaughtered,'' Carragher told BBC Radio 5 live. ''At your club, you know you will not be criticized as much and perhaps three days later there will be another game.

''With England, it could be months before you have another fixture. There is a fear at times when playing for England.''

He added: ''The intensity of the press does get to the players. Sometimes I think players would prefer the press guy to think they had played well, rather than the manager.''

Carragher also claimed the players were bored in South Africa where they spent most of their day in a hotel, saying: ''You stay in a hotel all day but you are at a World Cup for a long time and should be able to experience different things.

''I wouldn't want players holed up. Take away the boredom, embrace the country we are in more. You never see anything.''

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp echoed Carragher's sentiments.

''I spoke to a few players who said they were sat in their rooms waiting for the day to pass. Some said they were bored out of their brains.''

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