Meticulous Capello gives England sense of direction (Feature)

By Jonathan Wilson Jun 11, 2010, 11:24 GMT

Rustenburg, South Africa - At their pre-World Cup training camp in Austria, Fabio Capello had his England team perform a drill that used to be a favourite at AC Milan.

The goalkeeper and back four set up, and eight other squad members try to score; if the defence wins the ball back, it is returned to a player standing in the centre-circle.

Arrigo Sacchi, Capello's predecessor at Milan, used to delight in the fact that his back four - the fabled rearguard of Mauro Tassotti, Paolo Maldini, Franco Baresi and Alessandro Costacurta - could go 30 minutes without conceding.

England's defenders, it is fair to say, were some way short of that. But what was fascinating was to see Capello's response.

Whereas Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren, his predecessors at the national side, had a tendency to wander around the training pitch, observing and saying little, Capello stopped the session after every attack, first to bawl at the defenders and then, as frustration set in, to shove them into position.

'He's very hands-on,' said striker Peter Crouch. 'Every training session, he'll be involved in it and if he sees something he won't be afraid to tell you and lets you know where he wants you.'

According to Crouch, Capello is not only good at organizing players better, he also commands 'a hell of a lot of respect from the lads because of his previous exploits in winning championships and Champions Leagues. He's got the respect from all the players.'

'We've always done tactical work but this manager is probably the most tactical I have worked for.

'Organisation is a key thing for him and having worked for a lot of managers before I've always felt that in matches you can always tell the ones who work on the tactical stuff. You're more organised,' Crouch said.

That is only part of what Capello has added to England. As the sense of expectation among fans has diminished, so England have become more business-like.

The WAGs - the wives and girlfriends of players who turned England's base in Baden-Baden into a circus four years ago - have been banished, while Capello has introduced a raft of small rules such as outlawing flip-flops.

Under the Italian, who led Milan to the Champions League title in 1994 and has also won silverware with Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid, players have notably stopped withdrawing from friendlies. And Steven Gerrard, having spent most of his career protesting against being used on the left, now seems happy enough to operate there - although the injury to Gareth Barry means he's likely to play through the middle.

'He's a winner,' said Gerrard. 'I don't think you get Fabio Capello's CV if you're not a top manager. He inspires the team with his winning mentality.

'It's infectious, and it's a good disease to have. We realise how much he wants to win and that inspires you as a player. You want to deliver for him,' Gerrard said.

'It's a fantastic opportunity we have here. It's going to be difficult. We know we're good team and on our day we are capable of beating anyone,' the England captain said.

England are known for playing up their chances before major tournaments. But this time, Capello does genuinely seem to have given them a sense of rigour.

'Sven was a lot more laid-back,' said Crouch. 'Everyone was saying that. This time the atmosphere seems a lot more serious, a lot more focused.'

For one thing, nobody would dream of referring to Capello by his first name alone.

This England may not have the talent of previous squads, but at the moment the sense is that Capello has given them direction.