Fabio Capello found himself on the back foot again tonight as he fended off more questions about his handling of the England captaincy.
If Capello thought the issue of who wears the armband would have come to an end with John Terry's press conference on Tuesday, he was sadly mistaken.
Few have any issue with Terry getting the job back, 13 months after Capello stripped him of the honour.
How Rio Ferdinand lost it is another matter.
Capello has still not spoken to the Manchester United star, claiming he preferred to deal with such issues face-to-face rather than on the telephone.
That has not happened because Ferdinand opted not to meet Capello in the United directors' box, immediately before the Champions League victory over Marseille.
"I could have done something different but it is history," said Capello.
"I respect the players. I respect all the people. Sometimes I regret what really happened and it is possible to do something better.
"But all the people make mistakes.
"I tried to meet him when Manchester United played against Marseille. I prefer to speak with the person not on the telephone.
"I can understand everything but I need to make decisions."
So bewildered has been the reaction to Capello's lack of communication, it has been suggested there is an ulterior motive at work.
Gary Lineker is not alone in thinking Capello has simply lost interest in his £6million-a-year post.
The Italian denies this is the case.
"Gary Lineker sometimes speaks a lot and writes a lot," he said.
"I did the same job. It is easy to speak. He doesn't know me very well.
"I am here. I like my job. I want to stay here. I hope to stay here for a long time."
Capello made it perfectly clear to his inquisitors that he did not care for their persistent line of questioning, taking the unusual step of revealing at least one major piece of team news ahead of a crucial Euro 2012 qualifier.
When England last played in the competition, Jack Wilshere's international experience extended to seven minutes of a friendly against Hungary in August which Capello admitted was not particularly impressive.
Since then, the 19-year-old has become a key figure for Arsenal.
And even though he was only involved for the first 45 minutes of last month's friendly win over Denmark in Copenhagen, his subsequent performances in the Gunners' two-legged Champions League tussle with Barcelona have convinced Capello Wilshere can be trusted.
"Jack Wilshere will start tomorrow," said Capello.
"He is one of the young players who has improved a lot.
"He has got a lot better since he played the first game with us at Wembley.
"He plays like someone who has played a lot of games. Like someone who is 28 or 29.
"He was fantastic against Barcelona. He was a leader on the pitch. It is not easy to find players like him, who play without fear in a stadium like the Nou Camp.
"I spoke with Arsene Wenger and he told me the same thing. He said he had been surprised about how Jack Wilshere was doing in such a short space of time."
Capello would presumably have been expressing similar sentiments about Andy Carroll had the new Liverpool striker not have arrived on Merseyside carrying an injury.
And, while Carroll has made his comeback, he is clearly not fit enough for England to consider him as a potential partner for Wayne Rooney at the Millennium Stadium tomorrow.
"I monitored Andy Carroll in the games that he played for Liverpool and went to see him personally," said Capello.
"He needs more games to play at the level he was at before he was injured.
"He is a good player, a dangerous player. He is not fit to play 90 minutes."
It is Wales who have the fitness problems though, with star man Gareth Bale ruled out by a hamstring complaint.
In theory it should make England's task far easier. Capello is not so sure.
"I have played in derby games in two different countries and I coached in them in four countries," he said.
"The best team does not always win.
"It is a really dangerous game that we will play tomorrow. The value of the players is good but the spirit of these players is fantastic."