Tag Archives: Capello

Capello stays in England role

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Fabio Capello is to keep his job as England coach, despite the team’s disappointing showing at the World Cup (England 8/1 to win Euro 2012).

The Football Association announced its decision on Friday, more than a week earlier than they had planned.

The FA said their board had unanimously agreed to keep Capello in his job, despite the 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany in the second round last weekend.

“I am more determined than ever to succeed with the England team,” Capello said. “(Board chairman) Dave Richards has called me to tell me everyone at the FA wants me to continue.

“I explained it is very important we use the disappointment as a motivation in the future.

“I can assure the fans I am now fully focused on our European qualifying fixtures, starting with the friendly against Hungary in August.

“We will look to introduce new players to give the team new energy and I will use all my experience to take England forward.

“I am extremely proud to be the England manager, it means so much to me and I am determined to succeed.”

Richards said the four-man Club England board gained the approval of the FA Board to keep Capello on.

“We are all still extremely disappointed at our performance in South Africa, and we believed it was important that we took some time to reflect on everything in a calm and considered manner back in England,” Richards said.

“After fully discussing our performance we remain convinced that Fabio is the best man for the job.”

Capello started work in January 2008, and has a contract through Euro 2012.

Meanwhile, Huh Jung-moo has confirmed he is to leave his post as coach of South Korea.

The 55-year-old does not want to renew his 30-month contract, which expired at the end of the World Cup.

Huh, whose side were eliminated at the last 16 stage of the competition by Uruguay on Saturday, had stated his intention to leave his role after the tournament but side-stepped talk of his future following their exit.

He said: “I have decided not to seek a second term. This is not a resignation as my contract finishes at the end of June. I want time to recharge myself and spend some time with my family.”

He added: “I have made my decision and told this to the KFA. I want to rest for a while.

“There are many good coaches in our football community. I think they should be given a chance.”

Korea Football Association chairman Cho Chung-yun said earlier this week they hope to have a new coach appointed “no later than July 10″.

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Capello to remain England boss

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The Football Association has confirmed that Fabio Capello will remain as England manager, despite the national side’s poor run in the World Cup.

England were knocked out of the tournament at the last-16 stage by Germany in their worst ever World Cup finals defeat.

However, they failed to convince throughout the tournament, finishing second in their group behind the USA on goals scored. Their lacklustre showing against Algeria drew particular criticism.

The lethargic and uninspired performances led many in the media to question Capello’s suitability, with some blasting his team selections and tactics in South Africa.

On Monday, he was told that he would learn his fate within two weeks but since then, he has received public backing from various members of the FA board.

David Sheepshanks, the former Ipswich Town chairman, stated on Thursday that Capello was “one of the world’s best managers” and that “knee-jerk reactions never work.”

Meanwhile, Bolton chairman Phil Gartside, who is also on the FA board, also expressed his support for the Italian.

The unanimous decision to stick with Capello was made by the four-man Club England board on Friday.

The recommendation was ratified by the full Football Association board soon after and means that Capello will stay in the role until after the European Championships in 2012 (England 8/1 to win Euro 2012).

Speaking after the decision to keep Capello, Sir Dave Richards, Club England chairman, said: “After fully discussing our performance we remain convinced that Fabio is the best man for the job.

“He went into the World Cup with a reputation as one of World football’s finest managers and we are confident Fabio will benefit from his first international tournament experience and this will undoubtedly make us all stronger for the Euro 2012 campaign.”

Immediately after England’s 4-1 demolition by Germany, the feeling was that Capello had to go but within 24 hours, he had expressed his interest to remain at the England helm.

As the week progressed, the media turned their ire towards the players rather than the manager and this may have given him a little breathing space.

However, a key reason behind Capello staying may have been the FA’s baffling decision to remove the break clause in his contract.

With the Italian expressing his interest to stay in his post, sacking him would have led to a costly compensation exercise which could have cost the FA dearly.

Roy Hodgson’s decision to join Liverpool rather than hold out for a potential offer from the FA to coach England may also have been a contributory factor in persuading the FA to stand by their man.

Speaking after the decision, Fabio Capello said: “Sir Dave Richards has called me to tell me everyone at The FA wants me to continue.

“I explained it is very important we use the disappointment as a motivation in the future.

“I can assure the fans I am now fully focused on our European qualifying fixtures, starting with the friendly against Hungary in August.

“I am more determined than ever to succeed with the England team.”

Capello’s reputation was enhanced by England’s impressive qualifying record for the World Cup and the Italian will need to repeat this form in order to replace the gloss which has been removed by England’s dismal World Cup.

England are 2/7 favourites to win their qualifying group

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Capello must stay – Lampard

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Frank Lampard and Fabio CapelloFabio Capello must stay on as England coach, even if the team fails against Slovenia, midfielder Frank Lampard has insisted (England 11/10 to win Group C).

Lampard was also quick to quieten the storm created by Chelsea colleague John Terry’s comments regarding Capello’s tactics.

The midfielder tried to play down the impact of Terry’s outburst as the thoughts of a player who has the passion to play for his country and who does not want to make an early exit from the tournament.

Lampard said: “I saw some of his comments and John is very passionate, as are all 23 members of this squad. He has been here a long time and is an experienced player.

“He was talking about being 100% behind the manager, that the team wanted to turn it around.

“One of us gets put up every day to speak and John was trying to convey the message that we are going to fight and try and turn things around.”

Lampard added: “I don’t like talking about meetings because the reason we have meetings together is so they can stay in-house.

“But it certainly wasn’t a crisis meeting. The manager spoke, we watched some of the Algerian game, which wasn’t the best.

“We had a look at things that we need to put right – and that was it.

“On the other hand, if the players do want to speak to the manager or (general manager) Franco Baldini, the door is always open for them to speak to them.

“I think people have jumped on things, saying it was a huge crisis meeting with people having it out. But at the meeting yesterday, we just dealt with the Algerian game.

“In terms of team selections and tactics, I’ve always grown up in football where the manager dictates those sort of things.

“If you want to speak to him, that’s fair enough, but it is the manager’s responsibility to get the best out of his players and pick the team.”

Lampard stressed the need to focus on Wednesday’s game.

“We are footballers and when the politics and the off-the-pitch stuff start taking over everything then there is something a little bit wrong.

“We have to be concentrated now on the game and what we do on the pitch.

“I try not to pay too much attention to what is written or said.

“I don’t know how everyone deals with it but as a group we have to stay strong and try not to let outside influences affect how you perform.”

Lampard has immense respect for Capello and would like him to remain in charge whatever England achieve in South Africa.

He said: “The manager did not have to reaffirm his authority at the meeting.

“He got authority from the moment he walked into this job two years ago and continues to have that.

“Everyone can see that in his manner, in his record, and the players have complete respect for him.

“I’ve really enjoyed working with him, I’ve respected everything about him and yes, I would like him to stay.

“It’s a question for him and the FA but I’ve been lucky enough to work with some fantastic managers and Fabio Capello is right up there.”

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Terry’s not all gold for Capello

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John Terry and Fabio CapelloEngland manager Fabio Capello believes John Terry made a “big mistake” when hinting to the media that all was not well in the England camp ahead of the Slovenia match (England 4/9 to beat Slovenia).

The Three Lions need to beat the Slovenians in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday to make sure of their passage into the knock-out phase of the tournament after two lacklustre draws with the USA and Algeria.

Terry hinted that some of the players were not happy with the manager’s selections and tactics and the fact that a player of Joe Cole’s talent has been sitting on the bench.

The Chelsea skipper also implied that the players planned to hold clear-the-air-talks with Capello about various issues, but a lack of player support meant that this did not materialise.

The Italian tactician is known as a disciplinarian and he has made it clear that he will not tolerate players such as Terry airing their grievances in public.

“When you speak you have to speak privately,” he told ITV. “This is the big mistake – a very big mistake. It’s not revolution. It’s the mistake of another player – no more.

“I spoke with some players and I think it’s only John Terry said this. No-one speak with me about the problems. My door is open always. If they want to speak with me they can speak with me.

“Every time we have a meeting I ask the captain, ‘Problems? You want to say something?’ Never. I read that John Terry said this. I don’t understand why he don’t speak with me every time.”

Many of the teams in South Africa have improved in their second matches but England went backwards with an appalling display against the north Africans last Friday and they are in real danger of not reaching the last 16 of the prestigious tournament (England 10/1 to win World Cup).

Capello has said that he will make changes for Wednesday’s encounter and has already stated that Matthew Upson will replace the suspended Jamie Carragher in central defence.

Emile Heskey’s place is under threat and there have been growing calls for Frank Lampard to be left out, after two innocuous displays to date.

But Capello is known to be stubborn when it comes to selection and he may try to get past Slovenia with more or less the same side and hope they can play to the level that saw them qualify for the finals with comparative ease.

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Capello ponders Slovenia options

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England coach Fabio Capello was unable to fully experiment with his midfield options on Monday after Michael Carrick joined centre-half Ledley King on the sidelines (England 10/1 – World Cup Outright).

King is struggling with a groin problem and has already been ruled out of the crunch World Cup Group C clash with Slovenia in Port Elizabeth where only a win will guarantee the Three Lions passage into the last 16 in South Africa (Slovenia 13/2, draw 16/5, England 4/9 – match betting).

Capello’s tactics have come under fire from all quarters, with his reluctance to use Joe Cole baffling to players and fans alike, and it seems certain he will change his midfield for the final group game following back-to-back draws with USA and Algeria.

And although Carrick can only be classed as an outside bet to come into England’s engine room, the fact an ankle knock picked up in training on Sunday kept him out of today?s session will be another irritant to perfectionist Capello.

The England coach is puzzled by his side’s Jekyll and Hyde character after claiming their performances in matches bear little resemblance to the work put in on the training ground (England 4/9 – To Qualify From Group C).

The Italian said: “It almost feels like all the work of the last two years has been for nothing. I am not happy because we have worked hard for 20 days.

“You see all the things during the training. Then on the pitch it is completely different. As a manager, when that happens it is no good.

“I don’t understand why during a game we don’t change the rhythm or the speed. We are really slow.

“At this World Cup if you don’t run or press or fight it is difficult to go forward.”

Capello’s more likely decision on Wednesday will be to recall Joe Cole which was alluded to by former captain John Terry when he faced the media on Sunday.

Terry is baffled at how far the former West Ham youngster and current free agent has fallen down the pecking order for both club and country.

The Chelsea skipper said: “Joe is one of the best players in our country. He and Wayne Rooney are the only two who can open up things up.

“It still amazes me how Chelsea have come to the conclusion of letting Joe go. But he can surely do things for England whether he starts or comes on.”

Nevertheless, Terry also took the chance to dismiss rumour of a split in the England squad over Capello’s strict regime.

He insisted: “I have seen a few reports myself. There is no unrest in the camp at all.

“I’m here on behalf of all the players to say we are all fully behind the manager. Everyone is positive.”

England will be forced into one change against Slovenia after Jamie Carragher picked up his second yellow card of the tournament against Algeria. Either Matthew Upson or the uncapped Michael Dawson will stand-in for the Liverpool man.

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Capello clear in his mind

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Fabio Capello has admitted England’s two warm-up matches against Mexico and Japan have had no bearing on selection for his 23-man World Cup squad (England 6/1 to win World Cup).

England followed up their 3-1 victory over Mexico with an unconvincing 2-1 win over Japan in Graz, Austria on Sunday, courtesy of two own goals from the Japanese.

Capello currently has a 30-man squad, with plenty of grey areas in terms of who the press feel may get the chop when the final squad is announced on Tuesday.

But the Italian tactician has confessed that his mind was made up before the two friendlies, with only doubts about the fitness of Gareth Barry giving him any cause to change his final squad.

“I know the 22 players who are in mind. They are the same 22 that I decided last week. Nothing has changed,” he said.

“We have to wait for Gareth Barry. We will decide on him after we have had the final check to see how long it will be before he can train with us.

“We have to know everything about this situation but I am not disappointed my mind is still the same.”

England kick-off their World Cup Group C campaign with a potentially tricky match against the USA on Saturday June 12 in Rustenburg (England 1/14 to qualify) before taking on Algeria in Cape Town on Friday June 18 and Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday June 23.

Capello will want to keep his squad as fresh and fit as possible throughout the group games and may well include players who are versatile enough to fill in when injuries occur.

He is known to be a fan of Chelsea’s Joe Cole and his comments that Cole “played very well in the second half” against Japan may have been more than a hint that the former West Ham star might get the nod for South Africa.

Only Spain (4/1 Outright) and Brazil (9/2) are ahead of England in the market, with Diego Maradona’s Argentina 7/1 to win the prestigious for the first time since 1986.

England have only been to the semi-finals once since their win in 1966 but now have one of the most respected managers in the game in charge going into the pressure cooker atmosphere of the World Cup.

Managing the likes of Wayne Rooney (6/4 to be England’s top goalscorer) will be vital as England can ill afford to lose a player of his quality to a red card.

Four years ago in Germany the Manchester United striker was sent off for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.

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Will Fabio Capello Play His First Eleven Against Japan?

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England Walcott Rooney Ferdinand Will Fabio Capello Play His First Eleven Against Japan?England play their final warm-up game before the World Cup against Japan in Graz on Sunday. After the mixed performance in Monday’s game with Mexico, the speculation is that the Italian will send out his preferred eleven.

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At least one will be missing though because Gareth Barry has not recovered from his ankle injury- and may not make it to South Africa at all. The absence of the Manchester City man- and the long-term problems of Owen Hargreaves- has left a midfield conundrum.

Very few teams have success at the highest level without a defensively-minded central midfielder. As a former defender, Barry converted to the role with England when Hargreaves fell out of contention. Without either man, Capello has a big problem.

Michael Carrick is out of form and Tom Huddlestone and Scott Parker are both very inexperienced at international level. James Milner looked uncomfortable there against a slick Mexico and the Steven Gerrard- Frank Lampard pairing has never really gelled.

There are cases of players suddenly propelled into a major tournament from nowhere and Parker might just get a chance to play himself in on Sunday alongside Lampard, with Gerrard retaining his roving role.

Outside central midfield, fans will be eager to see if Theo Walcott or Aaron Lennon starts on the right. Ashley Cole and John Terry should return to the defence and the other questions are who supports Wayne Rooney up front and who gets the nod in goal.

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Robert Green did himself no harm against Mexico but David James and the youthful Joe Hart both have greater presence in the nets.

Japan are unlikely to be as testing as Mexico, although they are always well-organised and play at a formidably high tempo. They have made it to the World Cup Finals again and soccer continues to improve in Asia. Japan have twice played in England in friendlies and managed a 1-1 result in 2004.
England will go into the match as hot favourites but much depends on the side that the manager selects. It is still possible that experimentation will be the order of the day, offering an opportunity to Japan.

Their last two outings have been none too impressive though, losing to Serbia by three goals and going down 2-0 to South Korea. England should be able to post a victory but it will be the manner of the performance that really matters.

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Capello committed to England

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Fabio Capello has reiterated his commitment to England (13/5 Top European Team in the World Cup) and has said he has no intention of leaving his post to takeover at Inter Milan.

The Italian is being heavily linked with a return to his homeland to manage the Nerazzuri after Jose Mourinho’s decision to leave after guiding them to an unprecedented treble this season.

The ‘Special One’ is now on the verge of taking over at Real Madrid meaning the hotseat at the Giuseppe Mezza is up for grabs.

Capello is just one name being linked with the post, having enjoyed a great deal of success during his time as a manager in Italy.

The 63-year-old has won the Serie A title with every team he has been a manager at, including three successive titles while with Inter’s arch rivals, AC Milan.

Despite his strong connection with AC, having been a player as well as a coach with the Rossoneri, he is still believed to be on the current European Champions’ wish-list.

However, Capello has dismissed the notion that he will be leaving his post as England (20/1 to play Italy in the final) coach, stating he is happy in his current job.

“I have a contract with the Football Association and the only way it will finish is if they decide to sack me,” said Capello.

“I see my name linked with a lot of jobs in Italy and in Spain, but I’m happy here with the FA.”

Capello has faced a number of questions about his commitment to England this week having been previously quizzed on how he would feel should the Three Lions meet Italy in the final of the World Cup.

On that occasion the former Real Madrid boss said he would be happy to see England beat Italy as he aims to continue his impressive record of winning trophies as a manager.

Capello has said he is currently focused on England as they continue their preparations for the World Cup, with the Italian just three days away from announcing who will make up his final 23-man squad.

The Three Lions face Japan (8/1 to beat England) on Sunday afternoon with Capello revealing who has made the cut in the evening.

England will then head to South Africa ahead of their first game against USA before subsequent matches against Slovenia and Algeria.

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Capello seeks more aggression

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Fabio Capello wants more aggression and better ball retention from England (13/5 with totesport to be Europe’s top team at the World Cup), after seeing his team stutter to a 3-1 victory over Mexico at Wembley.

A much-changed England line-up, with the three Chelsea players given the night off, struggled for much of the first half but did take a 2-1 lead into the half-time break.

Ledley King gave the home side the lead and Peter Crouch doubled the advantage, before West Ham’s Guillermo Franco deservedly pulled a goal back for Mexico before half-time.

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson fired home a stunning long-range strike early in the second half, which proved enough to earn England the victory.

Capello insisted there were plenty of positives to take from the game, but also expected that they are several things still to work on between now and the start of the World Cup.

The Italian said: “I learned a lot about some situations on the pitch. Not only me but also the players – we have to press more to win back the ball quickly.”

Steven Gerrard (8/1 to be England’s leading scorer at the tournament) admitted that the coach had called for more combativeness at half time, after being forced to chase Mexico for long periods in the first half.

The midfielder stated: “They had too much possession in the first half, we stood off them and let them play. In the second half we got in their faces and stopped them playing. We need to be more aggressive.

Gerrard admits England need to be “able to adapt to different formations” in South Africa but insists there is still time to ’sharpen up’ before the tournament begins.

More importantly, England reported no fresh injury worries at the end of the game despite some concerns over Wayne Rooney late in the game.

The Manchester United striker, who played the full 90 minutes, hurt his neck towards the end of the friendly win but had to continue as England had made their six changes.

Capello described the knock as a “small problem” but insists he is not concerned and says Rooney “will be okay”.

Meanwhile, Ledley King insists his long-standing knee injury is not a problem after also completing the match in the heart of the England defence.

The squad will now return to Austria on Wednesday to resume their high-altitude training, and will take on Japan on Sunday in their final warm-up match.

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Capello feeling the pressure

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England coach Fabio Capello has spoken of the pressure he feels in the job, saying he feels it more than he did at Real Madrid or AC Milan.

Capello had an outstanding qualifying campaign for the World Cup, and England go into the tournament rated as third favourites at 6/1 to win the trophy, behind Spain at 4/1 and five-time winners Brazil at 5/1.

But he said that one of the biggest frustrations he has encountered is not being able to work with his players more often.

“Obviously, it’s a very different job being a national manager rather than a club manager,” he said.

“The pressure is bigger as England manager because behind the national manager and the team you have the country. The country expects a lot and the fans believe a lot in the team.”

He added: “As a club manager you can work with your players every day, you can train to improve and study what happened and why in between each game and you can usually rectify things quickly.

“As England manager, I can do a lot of in-depth preparation and then there’s an injury and everything I have prepared is for nothing.”

The 63-year-old Italian said: “For me, the World Cup is a really big challenge. I think England are one of the best teams in the world and we can win against anyone.

“My approach to the World Cup is relaxed now. I have to study the other countries we will be playing against and hope that everything we are preparing will be ready for the tournament.”

One of his major concerns is the “quality of the pitches” in South Africa, Capello said, which is why he has been so obsessive about England’s training facilities in Rustenburg, before adding: “But my most important hope is that all of my best players will be injury-free and available to play in the World Cup.”

That hope is currently being tested, not least with first-choice midfielder Gareth Barry struggling to recover in time from an ankle injury.

Capello, in an interview with The Manager magazine, reiterated his belief that Wayne Rooney (10/1 to finish as the tournament’s top goalscorer) is “one of the best players in the world” and, once again, compared him to the Spanish striker Raúl, who he coached during his two spells in charge of Real, in terms of his influence.

“Wayne Rooney is one of the best talents I have ever coached,” the Italian added.

“He’s like Raúl, in that he’s a very important player and a big talent. Every time Rooney trains he wants to learn and he always wants to stay on that training pitch for as long as possible.

“It’s really important that the other players see that Rooney, one of the best players in the world, wants to stay on the pitch and wants to continue to learn.”

It’s a process that Capello, also, continues to undertake and he offered an insight into his own managerial philosophy.

“Instinct does play a part but you also have to be able to understand your players,” he said. “When your players are all in good form it is easy but you have to realise this is not always going to be the case.

“You have to be able to react when they lose form and make changes during a game and even during training sessions.”

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