Fabio Capello may well win La Liga
with Real Madrid, but it won't mean that his job is
secure.
When he wants to, Fabio Capello puts on a masterful
expression of disdain. His haughtiness is a weapon almost as
powerful as his statistics. If you don't like him, or don't admire
his ways, or question his decisions, he produces the look, with
jutting square jaw and intimidating eyes. He has a record of
success in club football that is virtually beyond reproach - and he
is on the verge of adding to that, as Real Madrid are in pole
position to claim the La Liga title today so long as they beat Real
Mallorca, who have nothing to play for, at home. And yet, going
into this weekend's showdown, Capello's future at the Bernabeu was
as sketchy as it has been for most of this exciting and edgy
Spanish season.
By tonight he could be in the unique position of having twice spent
an individual season at Real Madrid, each time winning the
championship, and then making a quick exit. Capello met Real's
president Ramon Calderon last week and discussions lasted for
little more than a minute. Will he stay or go? Calderon fudged the
issue - as he has for many of the important calls at the club this
season, David Beckham's contract and the sale of Ronaldo being
other notable botches.
There is a very real prospect that Capello will celebrate the La
Liga trophy, collect what remains of his £4million per year
contract, and head for another challenge as Real's head honchos
have made no secret of their desire for a manager who will pick a
team more attuned to the club's artistic traditions. Considering
that this league title would be their first major honour after a
four-year drought, their longest spell without silverware for half
a century, it is strange Madridistas are not on their knees
thanking Capello for inspiring a miracle.
Midway through the campaign the 60-year-old, one of the most
decorated coaches around, was overseeing such a calamity that the
white hankies and poison pens were out in force. In February,
reports of Capello's resignation just before the Champions League
knockout game against Bayern Munich summed up the extent of the
damage inside the camp. It would get worse - Real were knocked
out.
In the next game they faced Barcelona in Camp Nou and were on the
verge of a complete implosion. But Capello's never-say-die
mentality kicked in and Real Madrid went into the lair of their
greatest rivals and produced their best display of the season in an
electrifying 3-3 draw. The tide had turned. That early exit from
the Champions League turned out to be a blessing of sorts as Real
were freer to settle into the luxury routine of play on Sunday, two
days' rest, four days' preparation.
Since then, they have lost only one of 16 games, a controversial
defeat at Racing Santander. The number of comebacks, and late
goals, they mustered revealed an ability to compete that nobody had
thought possible in the first half of the season. The manager urged
the team to 'come out fighting' and they responded.
How did Capello engineer this transformation? As much by luck as
judgment, considering how his decisions all seemed to backfire at
first. New signings such as Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson from Serie
A looked horribly out of sorts. The two remaining galacticos were
headaches that were not cured smoothly as Beckham was made an
outcast and Ronaldo sold on the cheap to Milan, much to the
displeasure of his friends among the playing staff. Capello
tinkered with the best of them, but nothing much came off.
But, as he explains: 'Clever people are capable of rectifying their
mistakes, and recognising when they've said or done something
wrong.' Beckham was reinstated and reborn. Ruud van Nistelrooy grew
in confidence without the shadow of Ronaldo beside him. Cannavaro
and Emerson improved to an acceptable level of competence. Even two
of Madrid's nagging underperformers, Raul and Robinho, were
revived. 'We had to recover the spirit Madrid has had throughout
its history,' the manager observed.
Capello the motivator has struck the right notes with the players.
This is symbolised by the habitual squad aperitivo the manager
introduced two days before each game. The idea is that everyone
sits together at a big table and shares a glass and a friendly
chat. At the start of the season no more than three or four players
stuck around. Now, all 24 seats are booked up and it is
standing-room only for the rest.
Calderon still might not be convinced, but Capello is rightly proud
of recent results and the opportunity that lies ahead over 90
minutes today. If he leaves Madrid again after one season with a
big medal in his pocket, who looks like the clever one? 'Whether
the coach stays or not doesn't just depend on winning the league,
and no one in the club sees it that way,' said Calderon last week.
'The coach should stay on if we think he is capable, whether the
league is won or lost.'
You cannot help suspecting the last drink might be on Fabio
Capello.