Capello lauds England spirit

Manager hails character of players

Last updated: 22nd November 2008

Capello lauds England spirit

Capello: Proud of players

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Fabio Capello believes England's spirit is now stronger than when he first took charge almost a year ago.

The Italian replaced Steve McClaren after England failed to qualify for Euro 2008 and the team's fortunes have improved dramatically in recent months.

England are top of their World Cup qualifying group with four wins out of four and they also beat Germany 2-1 in Berlin in midweek despite having several key players missing due to injury.

Capello feels the transformation has been mental and is proud to have fostered a new sense of belief within the squad.

"The spirit now is as good as any group I have managed," he said.

"We had it at AC Milan but it was already there when I arrived.

"The nearest comparison is the last season at Real Madrid. I worked very hard to create the spirit within the group."

Pride

Capello accepts that players can be motivated in different ways but does not feel there is anything better than the pride of representing a nation.

He explained: "The spirit comes from the shirt. It is the most important thing for players in a national team.

"Look and see what happens during the national anthem. I see this spirit now."

Capello concedes that it was difficult for him initially to lift the players but is happy with the way things have progressed.

He said: "When you change the manager he has to understand a lot of things. I needed time. Now I have seen that pride.

"The thing is if you want to win there has to be a positive spirit within the team. You must win and lose together.

"Without this, it is impossible because the only way you can achieve big things is by being together.

"Once you have it, then you need good players. When you play important games against the best teams in the world, it is impossible to win without good players."