Fabio Capello could get away with speaking in Urdu if he wins football matches
with England, but for now his utterances are reminiscent of those old
American show trials at which the defendant pleaded the fifth amendment.
At his latest press conference, during which he announced his squad for
Wednesday’s friendly international against France in Paris, the manager
again spoke only in his native Italian, and his utterances varied from the
blandly familiar to the inscrutable. Would he share his thoughts on the
captaincy? “No.” He had acknowledged that England possessed “world-class
players”. Would he name them? “No.” Obviously there were individuals who
were key to his plans, he said. Who were they? A smile and a shake of the
head. Thanks very much, Fabio.
Giancarlo Gallavotti, an experienced correspondent from Gazetta dello Sport,
assured us it was not personal. Back in Italy, the media had long since
learned that Capello’s golden rule was “tell ’em nothing”. It is also worth
remembering that nearly all the day-to-day stories and quotes you read come
not from the manager but from Adrian Bevington, the Football Association’s
head of communications. Bevington was in attendance, as ever, when Capello
announced his preliminary squad last Thursday, and had to help him answer
some of the questions raised. The interpreter got in an embarrassing tangle
over the phrase “competitive matches”, and had Capello saying David Beckham
had been playing these for Los Angeles Galaxy lately, when in reality he has
played only friendlies.
The sooner Capello starts speaking English the better, in the interests of the
first-hand information the public are entitled to expect from somebody
earning up to £6m a year. What was gleaned from the latest
linguistic joust? That Beckham is back in the fold, but there are no
guarantees that his international career is about to be resurrected with any
permanency at the age of 32. Capello says he is fully aware of the English
obsession with “Goldenballs”, but adds flatly: “I don’t share it.” The
erstwhile England captain was injured in training in LA yesterday, but the
problem is minor, and the likelihood is that he will win his 100th cap in
the Stade de France.
Long term, however – which in this context means the bid to qualify for the
2010 World Cup – the odds are stacked against him. Capello laughed at the
suggestion that Beckham was back to stimulate public interest in the
friendly at home to the United States on May 28, or for an emotional
celebration of his century, but it will be a surprise if he is still playing
international football next season, based as he is in the comfort zone that
is American “soccer”. Capello said: “I didn’t call him up for the previous
match [against Switzerland last month] because I thought he wasn’t fit. Now
he has played some games and he is fit. Let’s get one thing straight, it is
not my style to pick someone to do him a favour. I only do it on the basis
of what he can do for the team. When David Beckham is fit he can always make
an important contribution because of his vision on the pitch.”
Asked if he understood the national obsession with Beckham, and was pandering
to it, Capello replied: “Yes, I understand it, but I am not obsessed with
David Beckham. I have called him up because I believe he is going to be
useful to the team. Good players are good players, whether they play in
England, Spain or the United States. On top of that, I believe David Beckham
is fresher than the other players, having just started the season in
America.”
There had been no pressure from commercial interests? “I’ve always made my own
decisions and never been put under pressure. Those who choose me know I
wouldn’t allow that. I’m not saying Beckham is going to play on Wednesday. I
will watch him in training before deciding. The important thing is that he
is fit and available for England.”
Capello was also pleased with the fitness and form of Michael Owen, who was
left on the bench against Switzerland. “I saw him play on Monday [against
Bir-mingham], and he was fitter and more alive,” said the manager.
Owen, who scored again for Newcastle yesterday, was one player whose form had
perked up, and Joe Cole was another. “I saw him play a fantastic game for
Chelsea at Tottenham last Wednesday,” Capello said. At the opposite end of
the spectrum, Ledley King, Nicky Shorey, Michael Carrick and Emile Heskey
have all fallen from favour, and Aaron Lennon, Beckham’s heir apparent after
the 2006 World Cup, is now off the radar entirely.
Steven Gerrard was England’s captain against the Swiss in the absence of the
injured John Terry. The Chelsea man is fit again and Beckham is back, but
Capello wouldn’t say who would wear the armband this time. “I have two or
three possibilities. A permanent captain will be appointed before the World
Cup qualifiers.” It is traditional that a player winning his 100th cap had
the honour, but the manager was unaware of any hard and fast rule, and said
with a grin: “I’ll look it up.”
Like his predecessors, Capello was concerned by the physical demands made on
his players at club level. “It is a problem,” he said, “especially for the
teams that don’t have a big squad. In England players play many games at
very high intensity, so at the end of the season [when international
tournaments are played], they cannot be fresh.
Club managers are there to win, so they need to keep the intensity high, but
when I get the players in the condition that results, I have to work with
them accordingly, and I cannot have a single system in place for everyone.
We have to realise when we can run and when we can’t.”
Was it not the same in Spain or Italy? “No, because the type of football you
play here is more physical.” Capello was also unhappy that the top four
clubs play this afternoon, instead of yesterday. “It means some players
involved won’t be able to train on Monday, which makes things more
difficult.” The FA have now gained assurance from the Premier League that
major club fixtures would never again be scheduled for the Sunday before a
competitive [as distinct from friendly] England match.
There was familiarity, too, about his reply when he was asked why English
clubs and English players were doing so well in the Champions League when
the national team had failed in European competition. Capello said: “I am
working towards understanding what needs to be done. We come back to the
fact that only 38% of the players playing in the Premier League are English.
We have some important players in the English teams, but they are supported
by good foreign nationals. Fortunately, the under21s have got quite a few
players with good potential.”
David Wheater, the Middles-brough centre-half, is one. He was promoted to the
squad of 30, only to be left out when it was trimmed last night to 23. Scott
Carson and Matthew Upson pulled out with injuries, while Jermaine Jenas,
Shaun Wright-Phillips, Ashley Young, Jermain Defoe and Gabriel Agbonlahor
missed the cut. Carson has been replaced by Paul Robinson of Tottenham.
Robinson wins late recall
Paul Robinson, the Tottenham goalkeeper, was last night recalled to Fabio
Capello’s squad because of an injury to Scott Carson. West Ham’s Matthew
Upson also dropped out injured and Capello then cut a further six players
from his initial 30 – Tottenham’s Jermaine Jenas, Portsmouth’s Jermain
Defoe, Aston Villa duo Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, Chelsea’s Shaun
Wright-Phillips and Middlesbrough’s David Wheater
GOALKEEPERS David James (Portsmouth) age 37, 36 caps; Paul Robinson
(Tottenham) 28, 41 Chris Kirkland (Wigan) 26, 1
DEFENDERS Wayne Bridge (Chelsea) 27, 28; Ashley Cole (Chelsea) 27, 62;
Glen Johnson (Portsmouth) 23, 5; John Terry (Chelsea) 27, 42; Wes Brown (Man
Utd) 28, 15; Joleon Lescott (Everton) 25, 4; Rio Ferdinand (Man Utd) 29, 65;
Jonathan Woodgate (Tottenham) 28, 6
MIDFIELDERS Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) 26, 17; David Bentley
(Blackburn) 23, 3; Joe Cole (Chelsea) 26, 48; Frank Lampard (Chelsea) 29,
60; David Beckham (LA Galaxy) 32,99; Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 27, 64; Owen
Hargreaves (Man Utd) 27, 40; Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough) 23, 16
FORWARDS Theo Walcott (Arsenal) 19, 1; Peter Crouch (Liverpool) 27, 25;
Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 22, 41; Michael Owen (Newcastle) 28, 88
