Win or lose, Fabio Capello has to go
Posted on 27/06/2010Every so often, a journalist produces what could be labelled a 'marmite article'. One that will split opinion in no uncertain terms. Andy Dunn, of the News of the World, has produced one such article. Claiming England will rely on nothing but spirit in the World Cup knockout stages, Dunn argues that there is no need to pay Fabio Capello £6 million to urge the players to 'give their all'...
WHATEVER the outcome of today's momentous occasion in Bloemfontein, whatever the outcome of England's fraught World Cup campaign, Fabio Capello has to go.Whether it is in a blaze of glory with an honorary knighthood or in a blizzard of recriminations and pay-off cheques, he has to go. Whether it is in the aftermath or afterglow of this tournament or two years down the line when the dust has settled on Euro 2012, he has to go.
If this South African sojourn has told us anything, it is that the days of the foreign galactico in charge of the English national team must surely be numbered. It's not tub-thumping xenophobia, it's not the little Englander mentality. Sure, there is something incongruous about watching a knot of Italians parading in retro England tracksuit tops, something odd about the manager standing grimly silent while a stadium echoes to the national anthem.
But it's not that. And it's not personal. Capello is clearly an accomplished coach, an impressive individual and a proven winner. It's just that there can no longer be any justification for paying someone £6 million a year to reproduce what we have seen for decades.
England line up against Germany this afternoon and Capello acknowledges that their most potent weapon is their spirit. The spirit that saw Steven Gerrard run himself into the Port Elizabeth ground, the spirit that saw John Terry throw himself full-length to try and block a low shot... with his head.
They don't get that from Capello or from his accomplished assistants. It comes from within. What Capello - and Sven Goran Eriksson before him (leaving aside the Steve McClaren blip) - was supposed to add was tactical and technical sophistication. That horse has long since bolted.
If England negotiate this German hurdle - and let's hope they do - it will be because they have played with Premier League pace and Premier League passion.Yes, Capello will have had a major influence. His decision to recall James Milner and bring in Jermain Defoe against Slovenia paid dividends. But his selection against the United States - Milner, Robert Green and the early introduction of Shaun Wright- Phillips - was flawed.
Tactically, England can be predictable and inflexible. When Capello did try to change the system late in the Slovenia game, his players looked flummoxed. Spells of decent football have landed England in Bloemfontein this afternoon but so has willpower.
Capello can talk down suggestions of rebellions all he likes but it is the senior players that appear to have imposed their will on this tournament.
Hence why Terry called together a huddle in the immediate wake of the victory last Wednesday. It might not have been the most politically astute thing to do but neither was it sinister. There might still be an element of Terry feeling bitter about being stripped of the captaincy. In fact, I am sure there is. But he is an instinctive skipper, addicted to leadership.
Just as Gerrard is proving to be the leader we all thought he was, just as Wayne Rooney is a leader by example. Four years on from Germany 2006, England - despite its Italian brains trust - rely on exactly the same qualities.