Fabio Capello Learns Little From England's Stroll in Almaty

England's 100% qualifying record is all very well but friendly defeats by France and Spain should warn against complacency from dominating a weak group


If the weakest teams take a small revenge even as they are being overwhelmed, it is to render opponents disdainful of the victory they are about to complete. England should disregard both a scratchy first half and a second in which they were at ease. There are points to be collected from games like this but few clues as to long-term prospects.

Wednesday's inevitable defeat of Andorra at Wembley cannot be informative either. To Fabio Capello's way of thinking the outcome in Almaty was exactly as anticipated. The side's discomfort before Gareth Barry's opener in the 40th minute did not lead to caustic words at the interval. The manager had known what lay ahead at the Central Stadium.

"It was normal," said Capello. "I watched the games Kazakhstan had played here and always the first 20 minutes was the same. They played and scored [the opener] against Belarus and had the chance to score the second goal. And after, they lost 5-1."

People in Almaty complain that their players are automatically treated like stars and have no reason to put themselves to the inconvenience of getting fit. The Kazakhstan coach, Bernd Storck, is no closer to converting his men to a spartan regime. England had merely to be patient, even if the odd reputation was being damaged.

Glen Johnson floundered against Zhambyl Kukeyev and, from an attack on the left, Kazakhstan might have had an opener inside 30 seconds. Capello has called Old Trafford to confirm that Rio Ferdinand, who has a calf injury, will not be fit to face Andorra but he would have been wise to stay on the line and inquire solicitously after Wes Brown. The right-back, who has played one match since the end of January because of a foot problem, may be important to England.

Still, the degree of risk in Almaty can be exaggerated and life got inexorably easier. Steven Gerrard crossed deep from Frank Lampard's short corner in the 40th minute and Barry scored at the far post with a well-placed header. On the verge of the interval Gerrard again applied pressure and his ball into the penalty area took a deflection. The goalkeeper Alexandr Mokin was unable to claw it to safety and Emile Heskey, from close range, collected his first competitive goal for England since scoring against Denmark at the 2002 World Cup.

Fixtures against sides such as Kazakhstan have their uses in that sort of respect, but there was no larger benefit. Capello, who is usually austere, wanted to achieve an uplifting tone and declared that the campaign had gone much better than expected. He claimed that it wouldhave been "impossible" for him to thinkof the side collecting the full 18 points from their half-dozen group matches. Twenty goals have been harvested in the process.

"Goals from everywhere," said the manager, who suddenly sounded like a fairground barker. Barring the startling rout in Zagreb, England have simply been encouraged to attack and then demonstrated proficiency at routine tasks. In an inversion of normal practice it is the friendlies that are telling. No one could ignore the authority with which France and, particularly, Spain beat Capello's side while keeping a clean sheet. He will dwell more on those fixtures than on anything that took place in Almaty.

Still, there were engaging moments. Rooney, after seeing his first effort saved after a Johnson cross, leapt to despatch the loose ball with a bicycle kick. A finish of that quality was wasted on a game like this but the continuity mattered since he now has eight goals from his last six England appearances. The national team depends on him being a regular scorer.

England's results are vastly more consistent under Capello but it is hard to know if this is mostly a matter of tactics and all-round management. No one is spellbound yet and a sixth-place standing in the world rankings suggests that the Fifa system is a better guide than had been supposed. Saturday's fourth goal, from a Frank Lampard penalty after Renat Abdulin had fouled Heskey, gave the outcome a sheen that was not fully merited.

There had been a lot of dullness and toil, reflected in the caution for an initially uncomfortable Barry that spares him the Andorra match.

Capello blamed the pitch for some frustrations. It bore no relation to the fast, shaved surfaces of the Premier League. "We missed with a lot of our long passes," said the manager. "The idea was good but they went too high."

Capello was satisfied all the same. He views a minor loss of focus as natural at the end of a debilitating season but also detects underlying confidence. England are in need of much improvement but the side has almost done enough now to ensure that it will have its chance to shine at the World Cup finals.

© Guardian News & Media 2008
Published: 6/7/2009
 
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