Be brave, Fabio, and show we can play with style and substance

Whole new ball game: Fabio Capello may be unwilling to alter the 4-4-2 formation but he needs to show changes can be made in other ways to rebuild England’s foundations
11 April 2012

One of the reasons given by the Football Association for Fabio Capello keeping his job was that he was still capable of dragging England out of the dark days of underachievement that were characterised by their failure at the World Cup.

Tonight the Italian must be bold enough to ensure that hope can now grow out of the ashes of disaster.

Given the troubled circumstances, last month's victory over Hungary offered promise for the future as a combination of formation experimentation and a sprinkling of young talent encouraged optimism that progress is possible.

Capello must be bold enough to build on those foundations. Some have argued he has already taken a step towards the comfort that familiarity breeds by demoting Jack Wilshere to the Under-21's and the omission of Tottenham's Tom Huddlestone but the former has not yet done enough at club level to be trusted against Bulgaria tonight and the latter must for now cede to better options in midfield.

However, familiarity also breeds contempt and the all too recognisable failure suffered in South Africa has left England fans with their faith shaken and a stagnant feel to the repetitive nature of such disappointment.

But out of such frustration comes the opportunity for redemption. The commencement of Euro 2012 qualification necessitates victory but tonight we need to see the future.

Capello should be praised for embarking on a transition in promoting Adam Johnson, Ashley Young and Joe Hart — some would argue he has not gone far enough but such modification is a gradual process — however, he has to see it through.

Experimentation against Hungary — and the promise it brought — will mean nothing if the Italian plays it safe, opts for 4-4-2 and the majority of players who faltered so spectacularly in South Africa. It appears he will send England out in their customary 4-4-2 system after confirming Jermain Defoe will start in attack with Wayne Rooney.

That will dash any hopes of a change in system, with Capello yesterday unwilling to talk about numbers. "The modern style is for teams to play 9-1," he said. "Where is the different style? Is there a difference between 4-4-2, 4-5-1 or 9-1? Usually, teams play 9-1. All the defenders have to go forward, all the forwards have to defend."

Reading between the lines, Capello is arguing that truly fluid teams do not play with a specific system — Steve Coppell, then Reading manager, once claimed Arsenal's system was impossible to determine because of the intricacy of their movement — but England are an awfully long way from displaying that flexibility.

So if the system is not to change, the personnel surely must. Those waiting in the wings who, all being well, will be asked to go and perform in Poland and Ukraine in two years, must be allowed to bed in now.

The golden generation was an era of individuals but now Capello must mould a team. Perhaps, the absence of John Terry and Frank Lampard at Wembley tonight will allow him to do that, or at least provide the chance to explore the arguments for and against their inclusion.

It would be churlish to square England's underachievement against the Chelsea duo but those critics who believe that Terry is sometimes a corrosive influence will now see whether the loss of his leadership and fearlessness in defence is replaced for the greater good.

Similarly, a decade is more than long enough to debate whether two players can perform together; Lampard and Steven Gerrard in a 4-4-2 does not work — had they been able to over any sustained period, the discussion would have long since ended.

With the mandate provided by an appalling World Cup, Capello has greater licence to mould his own team, although his margin for error will be eroded if England don't secure six points against Bulgaria and Switzerland next Tuesday as opinion turns against the Italian.

"The pressure is normal for the manager — I remember at Roma, Milan, Madrid and now here — it is the same," added Capello. "It is too easy to be the best when you win but when you lose, you lose everything. You have to fight and I am a fighter. People look at me in a different way now — the media creates the God and also creates the monster, no?"

Contrary to opinion elsewhere, Capello has not become a bad manager overnight — he admirably addressed the problems in qualification and has consequently earned a crack at tackling the issues that arose in tournament play — however, the priority remains to get the best out of his one bona fide match winner.

Rooney is stereotyped as a player who scores goals in clusters and an analysis of his previous 50 games in all competitions supports that assumption.

He began last season in fine form, scoring eight times in 11 games only then to embark on a drought which yielded just one from 10 matches.

That early dip was halted emphatically with a succession of performances that secured him the Premier League's Player-of-the-Year award with 26 goals in 25 matches, before such accolades were exposed as the fickle mistresses they are as he went on a 14-game goal drought that ended with a successful penalty in Manchester United's 3-0 win over West Ham last weekend.

Whatever the explanation for his woeful showing in South Africa — fitness doubts and failure to handle expectation sit most prominently — the removal of Emile Heskey due to international retirement has forced Capello into a change but whether he can forge an effective partnership with Defoe still remains to be seen.

Football management is, of course, ultimately about results but Capello is on the back foot to the extent that both victory and performance are required to silence his many
doubters.

Should either not be forthcoming, the clamour for his removal may become so deafening he has precious few supporters left.

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