Capello can polish faded golden generation
Chris Murphy
Roll the tape forward two-and-a-half years.
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Soccer City: Set to be the venue where Capello delivers England the
World Cup.
A defensive England side are labouring towards a one-nil victory
over Brazil in a supremely dull World Cup final in
Johannesberg.
John Terry puts the shackles on Robinho; Owen Hargreaves marks Kaka
out of the game and Micah Richards doesn't even allow Ronaldinho
enough space to floss his impressively large teeth.
The seconds tick away.
Wayne Rooney dribbles towards the corner flag and shows no signs of
moving.
The three minutes of injury time are up, the referee blows for
full-time and it is confirmed: England are World Champions.
Fair enough, they had a scare getting out of the group stages after
a fortunate draw against Ghana and yes, the penalty that handed
them victory in the quarter final against France was for a foul a
few inches outside the box.
But the two words tripping off the lips of football fans up and
down the land are these; who cares?!
Who cares that the manager is Italian? Who cares if his philosophy
is built on a sturdy back-line? Who cares if England only managed
to score more than one goal twice in the competition?
A fanciful notion it all may be but if Fabio Capello can instil
order, discipline and structure into an England side that
unquestionably has talent who knows how far they can go?
If those who have played under him are to be believed, the
61-year-old Italian will be arriving in England with an iron fist,
short shrift for prima donnas and an insatiable desire to
succeed.
Sounds alright to this observer.
Capello also touches down with a pedigree as a coach that cannot be
questioned.
He's won seven Scudetto, two La Liga titles, a Champions League
trophy and a European Super Cup.
It was as boss of AC Milan that he bagged European football's most
glittering prize, and he did it with a jaunty swagger, thrashing
Barcelona 4-0.
The man already being pegged as a negative tactician has handled
and inspired the likes of Franco Baresi, Paolo Maldini, David
Beckham, Ronaldo, Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Fabio Cannavaro,
Alessandro del Piero and Pavel Nedved.
Even if he does build his teams on defensive stability is that
really such a problem?
After all, this is an England team who conceded five goals in their
last two competitive games.
Who knows, he may even be able to come up with a formation that
coaxes the best out of perennial underachievers Frank Lampard and
Steven Gerrard.
This is a man familiar with many styles of play, who will drill his
players repeatedly on the training ground to ensure they get it
right and also to ensure they are at a supreme level of physical
fitness.
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Fabio Capello: Defensive-minded but able to adopt different
tactical plans.
All of which is a far cry from Steve McClaren's hopeful double
gamble for the crucial Croatia game last month; employing a new and
untried system while taking another long-shot on an inexperienced
goalkeeper.
The former Boro boss also did himself few favours through blurring
the lines of authority by becoming far too familiar and 'matey'
with his star players.
Expect nothing similar from the Italian, who has never been shy of
exerting his authority.
When boss at Real Madrid last season he told the club's hierarchy
he wanted rid of Ronaldo, who he mocked openly for being
overweight, then he reacted to news of David Beckham's pre-contract
agreement with LA Galaxy by declaring the midfielder wouldn't play
for the Spanish club again.
But in that period he also demonstrated humility and a willingness
to admit he was wrong as he grew fond of Beckham's tireless work
ethic and re-instated the winger, seeing his decision rewarded by a
string of excellent performances that played a huge part in Real's
eventual title success.
The message is clear; hard work and a good attitude will amount to
respect and fairness from the boss.
And with a country crying out for unrelenting passion, spades of
commitment and an insatiable will to win the sound of a manager
working our pampered Premier League stars to the bone will be music
to their ears.
Finally we might actually get to see what the infamous 'golden
generation' are made of.
Changes should well be noticeable off the pitch too and,
thankfully, a lot less lively, Capello being a dedicated family man
who has been married to his wife Laura for 40 years.
That too is a long way from the reams of print racked up in a
series of seedy red-top tales devoted to the off-field antics of
Sven Goran Eriksson.
How Capello copes with the intense pressure exerted by the national
media will be interesting though.
Yes he has been used to rumour, conjecture, criticism and abuse
during his high-profile reigns at AC Milan and Real Madrid, but
nothing like the English press can serve up.
However, we can expect no petulant toy-throwing like McClaren and
no staccato platitudes like the ever-dull Eriksson. Capello will
either tell it exactly like it is, or refuse to answer any question
he doesn't fancy.
The fact that he speaks little English may even prove an advantage
in the early stages, although little pressure will fall on his
shoulders until competitive action begins in September 2008.
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Capello took Milan to four titles in five years and the 1994
Champions League.
In the meantime expect Capello to get round the grounds and learn
the Premier League's culture first-hand, fine tune his master plan
and install the backroom staff he requires to deliver success to a
hungry country.
Eriksson was met with scepticism, being the first foreign coach of
England's national team, and he persistently failed to convince the
football-loving public that he could produce the goods on the
field, especially as he was having such a whale of a time off
it.
McClaren's appointment was simply met with disappointment, not to
mention derision.
Now, hopefully, Capello will be embraced by English fans and media
alike and allowed to get on with job the way he sees fit.
He certainly deserves that chance being a respected, and trusted,
winner.
With plenty of time to build his empire and an encouraging crop of
young players emerging, maybe that dream of a turgid one-nil win in
South Africa two-and-a-half years from now is closer than you might
think.
Soccernet: Special Insider
