Stuart Pearce has taken a swipe at players who use tiredness as an excuse for playing badly.

The day after Fabio Capello blamed England’s poor performance against Switzerland on fatigue, the England Under 21 manager said: ‘I come from the school of Brian Clough — “We’re fresher than they are” — and that was the mantra we always worked to.’

Pearce, who also works alongside Capello with the senior team, added: ‘If you’re mentally fresh, you’ll convince your body to do anything.’ And in a comment that could be construed as a criticism of Capello, he added: ‘That [tiredness] will never be an excuse I’ll ever use as manager.’

Exhausted: Jack Wilshere (seated) showed the effects of a long domestic season at Wembley

« Previous12Next »