Fabio Capello felt compelled to state yesterday that he should not be regarded as English football’s Messiah as he prepares to launch his reign against Switzerland at Wembley this evening. But the new manager has already created a sense of fear, rather than hope, for Michael Owen and Micah Richards, who have been given cause to worry that they could be the next victims of a regime in which reputations count for nothing.

Capello has kept his squad guessing as he intends to announce his first selection shortly before leaving their hotel for Wembley late this afternoon, but his final training session yesterday gave them plenty of food for thought and a team meeting held last night left them with little doubt as to who would be involved tonight.

They finished the session with Owen, the squad’s leading goalscorer, looking on as Joe Cole was tried out behind Wayne Rooney in attack, while Wes Brown and Matthew Upson were preferred to Richards in the back four. With David Bentley and Ashley Young likely to start an international match for the first time, it would be a highly experimental lineup but, even if Owen and Richards are selected, there is a growing recognition among the players, after the omission of David Beckham, that none of them will be untouchable under the Italian.

That has been one of the overriding messages from Capello to his players over the past couple of days, with an emphasis on the importance of discipline around the camp. As well as strict rules regarding punctuality and attending meals together, the manager has banned friends and family from the hotel and told the players that they can no longer use the golf course next to their Hertfordshire base.

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BACKGROUND

• Reputations count for nothing, says Brooking

• Capello’s men can’t be one of the lads

• Milner sinks Irish as qualification in sight

• The Insider - February 6

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There is a widespread perception of Capello as a disciplinarian intent on dragging an underachieving squad out of its comfort zone, but he was eager to emphasise yesterday that he is not a miracle-worker and that he will not succeed overnight. “To begin with, I’m not a Messiah,” the 61-year-old said. “I’m just someone who tries to achieve results through hard work. I need to enter in completely this frame of mind. We can’t perform miracles in three days. Give us time in order to show results.”

This evening’s friendly against Switzerland is the first match since the calamitous home defeat by Croatia in November, which ended Steve McClaren’s reign as well as England’s hopes of reaching this year’s European Championship finals. “I believe we need to forget what happened in the past, whether it’s a defeat or a win,” Capello said. “We need a positive mindset and to look ahead.”

The former AC Milan, Juventus and Real Madrid coach talked of instilling a “strong mentality” and a “bravery” among his players, characteristics that were once the least that were expected of English footballers. Central to that will be discipline, off the pitch as well as on it. “I believe we have some obligations towards the fans, so I think we need rules to work by and we need to work in an orderly fashion,” he said. “Because we are not together many days, compared to working at the clubs, we need strict rules.

“I believe that three days is not a long time to stay in the hotel and create a group mentality. It’s important to spend time together. I believe it’s better if they stay in their own rooms for the moment. On Thursday they can play all the golf they like. If we follow those rules, we’ll create a group and a specific winning mentality, which is what I want.”

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