Leighton Baines: England camp has a real club feel

The Everton defender joined up with the rest of the squad nearly four weeks ago as they began to build for the World Cup.

And now, following their arrival in Manaus – venue for their first game against Italy in Saturday, Baines says the excitement is reaching fever pitch.  

"It was about a three and a half hour flight down to Manaus [from the base in Rio] and after arriving here at the hotel we had a bit of work on the bikes to get the journey out of our legs and then watched the [Brazil v Croatia] game," said Baines when he spoke to TheFA.com on Thursday night.

"There was a good reception, young kids I’m sure were excited to see some of their idols, people like Stevie and Wayne.

"It’s great to get down here to Manaus and it puts us closer to being in match mode. It’s exciting."

During the build-up, Roy Hodgson’s squad have spent time training and preparing for Brazil at camps in Portugal, St. George’s Park and Miami, playing three friendlies along the way.

A Wembley win over Peru, follow by draws with fellow World Cup hopefuls Ecuador and Honduras in Florida have got the team acclimatised to the types of conditions and opponents they may face in South America.

"I don’t think it could have gone much better to be honest," said the former Wigan Athletic left-back. "It’s been really enjoyable, we’ve got some really good work in and spent some good time together. 

"The preparation in terms of the heat and the opponents has been really good.

"For the time I’ve been involved with England, this is as good a group as there’s been. 

"There’s a real good spirit throughout the camp and part of that is probably down to the preparation we’ve been doing. 

"We’ve been working hard but have obviously been spending a few weeks together that has enabled us to get that kind of club feel to the international set-up." 

Having played 24 times for his country, Baines is no stranger to the international scene, but it’s been made more like a home from home with fellow Blues Phil Jagielka and Ross Barkley in the ranks.

And while Jagielka looks set to play a key role in England’s defence this summer, 20-year-old Barkley is a midfielder who could take the tournament by storm, according to Baines.

"We know plenty about Jags because he’s been around longer than Ross has," he added. 

Baines in action against Honduras in Miami last week

"He’s unbelievable for us as a club, he’s our captain and has been amazing over the years, he just gets on with his job. 

"He’s the type of player we always trust if we’re on attack and it breaks down, and you see someone coming up against him, you would always back him in any situation like that. He’s a terrific defender. 

"Ross we’re starting to see him develop and it’s exciting to watch him grow. He’s one of the exciting players we’ve got in the squad, he comes on in games, or if he starts a game, he can produce something out of nothing and get people of their seats."

Whether Barkley plays a part in Saturday’s first Group D encounter with the Azzurri at Arena da Amazonia remains to be seen. 

However, Baines believes the youngster is just one of a number of talented players in the England squad, which is why the Three Lions will be focused more on their own capabilities than what Italy are doing.

And with so much pre-tournament talk about the climate in Manaus, he’s reckons – after the weeks of preparation - it won’t have a major effect on the game.

"We’re looking at [Italy] and being prepared for what they may have, but we’re focusing more on what we can do," admitted Baines. 

"I think they’ll be doing similar things. There will be a lot of players in our squad that they’ll be doing their homework on and trying to make sure they’ve got ideas on how to stop them.

"You know what to expect from a side like Italy, they are one of the top sides in the world, full of good footballers and they’ve tended to play in a certain style for a number of years, so we are preparing for that.

"We’re looking forward to the game. We were talking before about the weather and things like that, but I don’t think there’s anyone who is really going to get an advantage from the weather. It’s going to be more or less the same for both sides."