Capello in the firing line
2008-05-27 15:56
London - England's Fabio Capello needs a good performance to convince a sceptical public he can deliver a title. Before that, he just wants to beat the United States at Wembley on Wednesday.
"Oh, I prefer always the victory (over a performance)," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Afterwards you can find a good performance. Psychologically (a victory) is very important and tomorrow (Wednesday) I will be very happy that there will be a lot of fans who are very happy."
This will be England's third game under the Italian, who replaced Steve McClaren after the team failed to qualify for next month's European Championship. England beat Switzerland 2-1 and lost 1-0 to France in his first two matches.
After the US game, England play at Trinidad & Tobago on Sunday. After that, Grant will be ready to give his verdict on how well his team is doing.
Hope to see a bit more progress
"I think it's very important to wait until the last game and then we can speak about the progress," said Capello, who spoke in English publicly for the first time since he took the job on Jan 7. "I was happy until half-time in Paris because I saw something that I asked the players to do. In the last two games we hope to see a bit more progress."
Capello named Chelsea centre back John Terry as captain for Wednesday's game, the third different captain in as many games. He didn't rule out a fourth for Sunday.
"I decided that the first captain was (Steven) Gerrard, the second Rio Ferdinand and now John Terry," Capello said. "I think John Terry I saw always saw as a leader on the pitch. I think perhaps (there will be) another one but you will have to wait."
The US game comes a week after Terry slipped and missed what would have been a winning penalty kick in a shootout against Manchester United in the Champions League final in Moscow. Chelsea eventually lost the shootout 6-5, and Terry ended the match in tears.
The England lineup on Wednesday could also include another former captain, David Beckham. The Los Angeles Galaxy star could play against some of his opponents and teammates from Major League Soccer.
While Wednesday's meeting at the home of English soccer is a friendly, both England and the US will take much out of the game.
Even though his players are tired after a long season, Capello needs a victory after England's tame performance against France in March.
The Italian has talked boldly about reaching tournament finals. First he has to get the team to the next World Cup in South Africa in 2010.
September will mark Capello's first competitive games since he took charge. After being forced to sit out the Euros, England's players start their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign with group matches at Andorra and Croatia.
The Americans' last visit to Europe produced an impressive 3-0 victory over Euro 2008 qualifier Poland in Krakow, a performance built on a solid defence and goals from set pieces.
- AP