Capello’s ‘New Look’ England
Posted on May 31, 2008
Filed Under Fabio Capello
The recent 2-0 win by England over the USA has firmly established a new era in English national football led by Fabio Capello. Fabio has had a very successful career in club management, managing Real Madrid twice, Roma, Milan and Juventus, having won league titles with all, and one European cup.
So far Capello has managed two wins and one defeat as England Manager. With no involvement in Euro 2008 he has time on his hands to rearrange the England side and play the tactics he has been preaching for his whole career. The past would show that Capello’s tactics are more defensive in nature, and rely more on the technical ability of the players in the team. After adopting the unusual 4-5-1 formation for England in the two matches against Switzerland and France, England played a 4-4-2 formation against USA. Many critics have stated that this is the only way England knows how to play, however only time will tell for this.
Fabio Capello himself had a successful playing career. He made his debut in 1964 and moved to Roma three years later. He then went on to play for Juventus and AC Milan, and rounded of a successful playing career by being capped 32 times for the Italian national team, and scoring the only goal against England at Wembley. As a manager he adopts a very authoritarian approach in order to get the best out of his players. At Real Madrid he was known for banning woman associated with the club from wearing low cut tops in order to not distract the players. Perhaps for England the most notable change in philosophy is that the players have to call him by his surname, and vice-versa. This was a significant change compared to that of former England boss Steve Mclaren, who tried to be the player’s best friend gain respect that way.
The task ahead for Capello now is to qualify for the World Cup in 2010. The first qualifier is in September against Andorra, to be played in Barcelona. So far, many players from the senior squad have been impressed by how Fabio has been coping as manager. Peter Crouch recently stated that his tactics and intentions are starting to get through to the players and show in Englands performances. John Terry has stated that off the pitch Capello is a leader and constantly looks to get the most out of his players.
Perhaps one of the biggest issues from Capello’s short spell in management so far has been whether David Beckham is good enough to cement a place in the starting line-up. At Real Madrid Beckham was famously dropped from Capello’s team after he announced a move to LA Galaxy in the summer. Beckham then won over Capello and was recalled to the squad. Against France, Beckham won his 100th England cap for England. Whether he will still be around to lead out England in 2010 is still a matter of uncertainty.
The future for England is definitely an interesting topic of discussion. The main question that remains is whether they can adopt a completely new style and approach to football that Capello has started to implement, and whether it will work.
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