England took their first cautious steps towards rehabilitation under Fabio Capello last night, but if a 2-1 victory over Switzerland restored a little optimism among the followers of the national team, the feel-good factor did not extend to Michael Owen, who was left on the bench throughout by the new manager.

Goals from Jermaine Jenas and Shaun Wright-Phillips ensured that Capello, like his six most recent predecessors, got off to a winning start, but the evening was also notable for the Italian’s decision to overlook Owen and Micah Richards for the duration of the game and, more depressingly, for the failure of some of the Wembley crowd to observe a minute’s silence to mark the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Felix Brych, the German referee, felt compelled to cut the tribute short after 27 seconds.

England supporters also voiced their objection to Capello’s omission of David Beckham, chanting the former captain’s name while their team struggled for a period in the first half. Capello was eager to emphasise afterwards that no one, including Beckham — who had hoped to win his 100th cap last night — or Owen, is out of his plans, but he also made clear that he will not be swayed by public opinion or by a desire to make himself popular.

“It [the chanting for Beckham] does not influence me at all,” Capello said through an interpreter. “I’m happy for the fans to chant David Beckham’s name. He’s a very good player and I know him very well. But the things I do are nothing to do with my personal feelings about a player. I reason about things and do what I think is best for the team.”

Last night that meant keeping Owen on the bench while Peter Crouch and Ashley Young were sent on as substitutes, but Capello insisted that that was no reflection on the Newcastle United forward. “I think about the substitutions according to what happens on the pitch,” he said. “According to what I see on the pitch, I decide who to bring on and take off. But all the players are level for me. All are equal.”

Capello was happy with the team’s performance, particularly in the second half, but he admitted to having identified an anxiety among the squad about playing at Wembley. This was only their fourth victory in seven matches at the new stadium, where they lost 3-2 to Croatia in such demoralising circumstances in November in the final game of Steve McClaren’s reign.

“I must say we were quite nervous at the start, worried, obviously,” Capello said. “We probably still have at the back of our minds the failure to qualify for the European Championship. Wembley always generates pressure on the players and they couldn’t play as they’d have wished at first. But then we created a lot of chances. That’s one aspect I was pleased with.”

Far less pleasing was the aborted minute’s silence. The Football Association had thought long and hard about whether to hold such a tribute in memory of the eight Manchester United players and 15 other victims of the tragedy and, in the event, it was cut short after shouts from a very small but audible minority of spectators. It had been described over the public-address system as a “period of silence”, but the match programme clearly stated that it was intended to last the full minute. That it could not be observed was a depressing note on which to begin the evening.

Capello, who wore a black armband on his overcoat, might reflect that it is not only on the pitch that English football has much to learn.

Explore Football

• Premier League

• Football League

• Scotland

• European Football

• International Football

• TheGame

• Live Match Tracker

• The Fink Tank

• Fantasy Football