Is Capello the right man for the England job?

Yes

10 of 15

by The Schmooze

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Make no mistake about it: Fabio Capello is the man to lead England though these trying timers and on to greater things. Any doubting Thomases out there need only look at his imperious record to realize that in Capello, England have potentially their safest bet to win any major honours in the near future (starting with the 2010 World Cup.)

Capello has reached dizzying heights that many a manager would only dream of: two La Liga titles with Real Madrid, four Scudettos, a UEFA Champions League crown & a European Super Cup triumph with Milan and a Scudetto with Roma in 2001. Now there's a successful manager for you!

One of the reasons I'm of the firm belief that Capello will succeed where others before him have failed is the fact that Capello is a strict disciplinarian who does things his own way and is in no manner influenced by big name status. He stated that clearly when he was unveiled as England boss. During the eras of Eriksson & McClaren, the England starting eleven was predetermined. It didn't matter how bad their club form was, Lampard, Terry, Crouch, Owen, Gerrard and other big names just had to feature. In the long run, it turned out to be one of the reasons England failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

Capello is a different kettle of fish altogether. Casing point the first squad he picked. All the talk in the media surrounded Beckham winning his 100th cap for England. But then came the shock - Beckham wasn't even named in the preliminary squad. Capello had proved to the media tat he wasn't going to be influenced by them.

The one thing that may work against Capello is his defensive tactics. But when those tactics have won you as many trophies as Capello has, it would take a brave man to criticize Fabio for employing them. Who doesn't know that a great team is built on the backbone of a solid defense? And let's face it at the end of the day, it is results that count, not the flair accompanying your play. The history books are the reserve of winners, there is no accompanying column that indicates the attractiveness of the winners' football. Then again, these are the English we are talking about, a very demanding lot!

Whether Capello can find the right balance between results and style of play to please the English fans will be interesting to watch. All I can do is to wish such a great manager the best of luck in his new capacity. Given the support and time (I can't stress this enough), the highs of '66 will be reached again!

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