England Are a Match for Any Team, Says Confident Fabio Capello
Fabio Capello says he is confident that England can perform well at the World Cup next year
England play the first of two games in five days against Group Six's whipping boys here with Fabio Capello confident his developing side will be capable of defeating all-comers should they reach next summer's World Cup finals.
Victories over Kazakhstan and Andorra could leave England within three points of qualification, with three fixtures still to play in the autumn, and confirm the side's smooth progress to the tournament in South Africa. Yet Capello admitted that his team's style remains a work in progress and warned against being drawn into attempting to emulate that of Spain, the reigning European champions and international football's team of the moment.
"I want to get these two games out of the way because, for me, these are the biggest steps to get to South Africa," said Capello. "These are really, really important. People think they are easy games, but I don't think the match against Kazakhstan will be easy. First, we need to get to South Africa. After we've achieved that, we'll be a very good, strong team. We can do well against all the best teams of the best countries in the world. This is my feeling. I'm very happy with these players, with this group, and I have big confidence in them."
There is a sense that Spanish football is setting the benchmark, with Barcelona having scintillated en route to winning the European Cup and with the national team's success at Euro 2008. Indeed, Uefa's technical study group invited Sir Trevor Brooking, the Football Association's director of youth development, and various FA coaches to Spain last month to view the Spanish Football Federation's coaching techniques for youngsters that so helped propel the national team to success in Austria.
Yet, as Brooking confirmed yesterday, Capello is pursuing his own methods to try to eke a slicker style from his England players. "Look at tennis," added the Italian. "If you want to play like Rafael Nadal, you can't. If you want to play like Roger Federer, you can't. It all depends on what is available to you. [The former Spain coach Luis] Aragonés told me he'd decided to use the system Spain now play because his players were small. Little. He chose a style that suited them, and it worked. You have to play to the style that your players have, and Spain have more 'fantasy' about them than us."
Regardless, England boast more goals to games played than any other side in Europe's qualification groups to date, and should swell their tally against Kazakhstan and Andorra, sides ranked 132 and 196 in the world, over the next five days.
Victories over Kazakhstan and Andorra could leave England within three points of qualification, with three fixtures still to play in the autumn, and confirm the side's smooth progress to the tournament in South Africa. Yet Capello admitted that his team's style remains a work in progress and warned against being drawn into attempting to emulate that of Spain, the reigning European champions and international football's team of the moment.
"I want to get these two games out of the way because, for me, these are the biggest steps to get to South Africa," said Capello. "These are really, really important. People think they are easy games, but I don't think the match against Kazakhstan will be easy. First, we need to get to South Africa. After we've achieved that, we'll be a very good, strong team. We can do well against all the best teams of the best countries in the world. This is my feeling. I'm very happy with these players, with this group, and I have big confidence in them."
There is a sense that Spanish football is setting the benchmark, with Barcelona having scintillated en route to winning the European Cup and with the national team's success at Euro 2008. Indeed, Uefa's technical study group invited Sir Trevor Brooking, the Football Association's director of youth development, and various FA coaches to Spain last month to view the Spanish Football Federation's coaching techniques for youngsters that so helped propel the national team to success in Austria.
Yet, as Brooking confirmed yesterday, Capello is pursuing his own methods to try to eke a slicker style from his England players. "Look at tennis," added the Italian. "If you want to play like Rafael Nadal, you can't. If you want to play like Roger Federer, you can't. It all depends on what is available to you. [The former Spain coach Luis] Aragonés told me he'd decided to use the system Spain now play because his players were small. Little. He chose a style that suited them, and it worked. You have to play to the style that your players have, and Spain have more 'fantasy' about them than us."
Regardless, England boast more goals to games played than any other side in Europe's qualification groups to date, and should swell their tally against Kazakhstan and Andorra, sides ranked 132 and 196 in the world, over the next five days.
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