Phil Jagielka is a pretty good defender, you know, and he thinks his record speaks for itself.
England has been fairly stingy on the back end even without internationally-retired center back John Terry.
And calls for the Chelsea man to unretire are being met with plenty of derision by the current crop of English backs.
From the BBC:“I was asked the other day, that while our attack looks good, would our defence be OK. I felt like laughing,” he said.
“Our defensive record in the qualifiers was pretty decent, but I can’t stop what people are going to ask. I stop, smile and get on with it.”
Uruguay, Costa Rica and Italy as group mates have fans and media on edge when it comes to England’s foray into Brazil, but “What about John?” is putting Jagielka in a similar predicament:
“It’s difficult. I can’t say I particularly like to hear it,” he said.
“I understand why I do [hear it]. Obviously Gaz and JT play together at Chelsea, they play in the Champions League and were contenders to win the Premier League.”
Sometimes you wonder whether English media has any idea the questions it asks. “Hey, you play John Terry’s position. Wouldn’t it be better if he was here instead of you?”