Sky Sports | Football

First defeat for Capello

Fabio Capello has tasted defeat in only his second match as England manager after a 1-0 reverse in France.

Comments

David Ryder (Liverpool fan) says...

People who say that was a pointless friendly are talking rubbish. That woeful game of football that was played last night just proved how bad we are and the fact we were a better football team under Sven Goran Eriksson than we are now under Capello. The game last night should have been used as an experiment for the likes of Phil Jagielka, Michael Dawson, Aaron Lennon and David Bentley who are the future. Not the past losers such as Beckham, James and Owen who wont be playing any part in World Cup 2010.

Posted 17:17 27th March 2008

Paul Wright says...

I really can't see a problem! Ok we lost but we have to be looking to the Future and that is 2010 How I see it is that we need to be looking to bring the youth through so they are ready for that tournament not for a friendly with France last night and that I think is how Mr Capello saw it hence why we started off with a 4,5,1 system and then swapped to the trusted 4,4,2 in this day and age you can only play 4,5,1 if you have player like Chelsea and Man U do where you can say to Gerrard and Lampard don't worry about coming back to defend stay up there and support the Striker I only want to see you back passed the half way line for corners. It's got nothing to do with the state of current football or any of the other rubbish I have read in the papers today WE lost big deal! if we were this great world beating side then we would be in the euro championship this summer! so I put it to all those fan's what will you be doing this summer?? England are and will always be a nearly team if we haven't done it again by now then I really can't see us doing it ever again the rest of the world is catching and has surpassed us in that way! Good luck to all those out there that still believe i hope i'm proven wrong very soon!

Posted 16:35 27th March 2008

Ian Taylor says...

We lost 1-0 away to one of the best teams in the world and it's not like we were dominated. Also we were treating it very much as a friendly, while for France it was their most important warm-up game for Euro 2008. It's really not the end of the world.

Posted 16:09 27th March 2008

Clint paul Paul says...

The problem england have is they are all a bunch of individuals. Stick them in their respective clubs and they're great. Put them together and rubbish. Why???? Well it comes down to the fact that most of the players play week in week out surrounded by 10 or 11 foreign players playing international style football. Put them together and you get 11 john barnes's. Great for club, Crap for country. This situation will not improve soon because of the style of play the lads are used to. Take for instance crouch. Lively and a threat but doesnt play for club because of kuyt and torres. Owen cant score for toffee at the moment. Neither can rooney. I think international stars in the game is great but when clubs are fielding 9 or 10 then it can only be detrimental to the english national side. Rant Over!!!

Posted 16:00 27th March 2008

Rashid Carim says...

Our problem is that our group of players are simply not good enough. We tend to make then world class before they even achieve anything of significance. Steven Gerard was a mere shadow. The only player that played with the english bull dog spirit was Hargreaves. We simply dont have anyone in this group that we can call world class. I think we should all go back to basic and start again. If those players livelihood depended on their performance for their country, a lot of them will be signing on now.

Posted 15:51 27th March 2008

Richard Bed (Manchester United fan) says...

It must be obvious, having taken the "poor coach" excuse out of the equation, that England lack the players to compete. England has not had a playmaker since Paul Scholes, and have no attacking midfield players let alone wingers worthy of the name. Top sides have a Messi, Ronaldo, even a Riberry in attack, a Kaka, Pirlo, or Xavi style player in midfield. Premier league teams don't have a playmaker role in most cases and when they do its a Ballack or Alonso not an Englishman. Until the Premier league accepts foreign quotas its only going to get worse so get used to it. This "golden generation" has looked so good alongside some of the best foreign talent assembled in Premier league teams, yes if Rooney is not surrounded by Ronaldos and Tevezs and Gerrard has no Torres and Mascherano to watch his back they just are not that great, the only English player who would get in any other team is actually Hargreaves, good enough for Bayern for years but underrated in this country by the "knowledgeable" fans

Posted 15:50 27th March 2008

Gerard Pereira says...

I am on holiday in Brazil at the moment and have been watching a lot of their culb football. The passing movement and skill is breathtakeing, even from the lower league club sides. Kids constantly practicing their skills, heading the ball, foot volley ball, two a side matches, four a side matches, beach football, poor kids looking at football as a way out of poverty.I am convinced that any of the top culb sides here could easily beat England. Capello and all, with something to spare. The premeriship is a circus that is distroying English football.The history of the world cup since 1966 a has been dominated by just six teams,Brazil three times winners, once runnerup, Germany twice winners, three times runnerup, Italy twice winners, twice runners up, Argentina, twice winners once runnersup, France one win and once runners up and Holland with two world cup final appearances. England will always be in the second divesion of world football.

Posted 15:38 27th March 2008

Sedge Rubrik (Arsenal fan) says...

Once again we seem to have the split between the 'where is all the passion, boys?' brigade and the 'modern football is about tactics and technique' brigade. At the risk of being inflammatory: is this a good ol' British class thing? Traditionally, British football was working class and the passion and pride of being British carried it somewhat in world and European football (though not that far as we only won one world cup). Now, of course, it is changing and, understandably a lot of people don't like it and feel it is not the same game as it was. They long for former times. However, I am firmly with the 'technique and tactics' camp. Did the French or Germans or Italians or Brazilians show unique passion and blood and guts heroism when they won major titles? Of course they didn't. They had technique, tactical nous and footballing class. Until we as a nation stop all this 'up and at 'em, boys' rubbish that you see from Dads on the touchline every weekend to the postings here to the generally useless, unschooled English managers who populate our divisions we are never going to change the footballing culture or win a thing. It is brains, skill and ideas that win football matches (and wars). True, as witnessed again last night, we do not have the players or the managers of the right calibre in this country and there seem to be very few coming through. But to have any chance of changing this we need to change the whole mentality and culture surrounding football. Oh, and by the way, being 'intelligent' in a footballing sense is actually nothing to do with 'class'. It's just to do with being, in world terms, a good footballer or football manager. Ask Wenger, Mourinho or Capello.

Posted 15:22 27th March 2008

Chris Small says...

I dont think it was a brilliant performance but i think it was a hell of a lot better than under McClaren. After not qualifying for Euro 2008 the squad have a low confidence about them, Fab needs more than 2 games to make his mark. It was a friendly against one of the best teams in the world, for Gallas to say England are back, then something must be right, All this about not having strength in depth, its rubbish.... england have a squad capable of winning the Euros at least. After the McClaren era when the players were told duff tatics and duff training sessions its going to take a little time for Fab to kick them into shape. He needs to learn about his players hence the friendlies. and he needs them to believe they can win. Lets get behind them instead of giving them grief all the time

Posted 15:10 27th March 2008

Cardina Ncube says...

Now,now, lets not be over dramatic, fine England lost but hey, truth be told, it actually was a good game. The boys seemed so much in control and if we played like that more often, it will be a '66 repeat by 2010. I am sure Mr Cappello is a very capable man, and by the time we get to the world cup, the boys will be fit and ready.

Posted 14:31 27th March 2008

Jon Peitersein says...

I completely agree with Capello's ideas, he will start to get us to play the type of football that, may not be pretty to the unintelligent fan, but will make us competitive against the best in the world... However, I know we have some players out, but when will he realise that Brown, Ashley Cole, Gareth Barry and Owen are simply not either good enough or playing well enough to warrent playing international football!

Posted 14:02 27th March 2008

Amardeep Sangha (Chelsea fan) says...

Making Rio Ferdinand captain was a big mistake.... I think he should stick to John Terry or Steven Gerrard, even though he suggested he'll be trying several players before the qualifiers, this is wrong, he should stick to one. David Beckham also shouldn't have started, only becauseof the 100th cap he was started, it should hae been David Bentley who is on form and has been playing brilliantly. In my opinion Capello should try 4-1-2-1-2 (4-4-2 diamond). Foster (Gk), A.Cole (Lb), S.Wright Phillips (Rb), Captain: Terry (Cb), Ferdinand (Cb), Gerrard (Dm), Lampard (Am), J.Cole (Lm), Bentley(Rm), Ashton (St), Rooney (St). I believe S.W.Phillips can to a brilliant job at right back, i think he has the pace and stamina to play this role, I've witnessed him to some good slide tackles in the past. Ashton is also a good striker, he is capable of playing alongside Rooney, Owen days are over, Crouch and Defoe aren't good enough and Bent lives by his name.

Posted 10:41 27th March 2008

Anthony Puckrin says...

Was anyone as surprised as me when Downing made that run in behind the French defence and nearly brought it down?! (Platt chose this opportunity to slag him off) We hadn't got behind them all night and was surprised when it was Stewy in that position, hasnt found himself there for England much, good run from the lad, shame the commentators couldn't say so. Also, he came inside and tried a 1-2 with Crouch but Crouch made a hash of it with Stewy in a good position. (Platt at this point chose to slate Downing for coming inside and making it congested, when in actual fact he'd created a bit of space but for Crouch's poor touch, not that Joe Cole ever comes inside eh?) There were the 2 instances when he fed Ashley Cole in with some clever passes, also his cut back to Crouch on the edge of the area in space when most would have aimlessly crossed it to only Owen in the centre. Speaking of Owen, why was he playing deeper than Crouch?! Whenever Crouch won a few flick ons and Owen was more towards the centre circle! (probably giving it away to Cisse or kicking it out for a throw in). I thought Stewy could have done a lot better with some of his crosses, but what did David Bentley or Beckham etc do again? Oh that's right, their deliveries were poor too, shame Platt couldn't mention that eh?

Posted 10:38 27th March 2008

Andrew Riordan (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Last night was a pretty pointless affair, not great but not awful.However,having read many comments about "passion" and "commitment" and "inspiring the players" it appears to me that there's a fundamental lack of understanding about international football.Our misguided notion of how England should play, based on images of a blood splattered Terry Butcher or a raging Stuart Pearce indicate that we haven't realised that international football has moved on light-years and left us behind. It's about tactics,technique and patience something that even our top players are woeful to understand.Capello is trying to make them understand this, and if he can't make this team of good but not world class players tick, then no-one can.As for the idea that we should have an English coach,who is there? Southgate? Ince? None of our coaches could get to grips with the subtleties of international football in 10 years, let alone now.Good luck Mr.Capello, you'll need it.

Posted 10:25 27th March 2008

Geoff Shaw (Manchester United fan) says...

Most of the stats from the game suggest that England were the better side but where's the end product? We need someone who can unlock a tight defence with a killer pass e.g. a Scholes or a Gascoigne. Nobody seems comfortable on the ball and they can't wait to get rid of it. STOP playing Rooney on his own up front....it didn't work 4 years ago under Mr Burns and it doesn't work now!! We rave about the performances of these players every weekend (and rightly so) but is it because the quality of the foriegn players around them at club level makes them look better than they actually are???

Posted 10:22 27th March 2008

Rob Wood (Stoke City fan) says...

Well that didnt take long did it. Two games into the reign of one of the world's finest coaches and well he's not good enough or not tactically astute enough. Has anyone considered that the English players might not be good enough. Tactics and clever substitutions only work when the players themselves perform and too many have not performed for England for a long, long time under the stewardship of several coaches. Beckham, Rooney, Owen, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, these are supposed to be our world-class players who could get into any team. Then people say well why play them if their not performing. Lennon, Ashton, Heskey, Parker, Bowyer, Upson, thats why. It just doesnt bare thinking about. Fabio Cappello has two jobs, getting the current 'world-class' players playing together and teaching them to play in different formations where they can interchange positions mid-match to dominate opponents. Like all the top international teams do. We as a footballing nation are very limited in the know how of breaking down teams. The top four clubs have a very limited amount of English players, we can argue that its because they are overpriced and looking at players like Darren Bent that may be true. But it's more likely to be that we do not have the footballing brains for top flight football. All over the world top class coaches teach the kids about passing and movement, the finer points of our game. Over here the young players are dumped in reserve teams to play with squad men who cant break into the clubs first team. Until we improve grass roots football this rot will continue and the english fans delusions that we are a top footballing nation will also continue. So lets stop hounding Cappello the only mistake he may have made is underestimating the work that needs to be done.

Posted 09:40 27th March 2008

Al Canberra (Arsenal fan) says...

I think Capello needs time... He is developing a squad fro 2010, not right now... The same way the winners of the Rugby World Cup, SA, were developed over the years I think Capello is doing the same here. England have a very long way to go as they have been allowed to spiral down for ages. One must note that the only goal France managed to score was a penalty - could the game have been different were it not for that penalty? Could it have been a draw? Surely one would think France would have been boosted in confidence after the goal - they are not a team to sit back and enjoy only one goal. Why did they not score twice? I am not saying that England were stronger and France got lucky, I think it is hard to judge a result from penalty kicks alone. Overall however, we are not able to draw conclusion on England yet; Capello needs time with the players and to learn about them - got a few years still to go...

Posted 09:39 27th March 2008

Ron Gardner (Morecambe fan) says...

Would rather watch my ten year olds Sunday league than this bad game of Italian chess. Should have been a British manager playing our type of football probably will not win tournaments but will entertain and make other sides worry about our way of football come back Sir Bobby Robson surely this is not going to work.

Posted 09:25 27th March 2008

James Gott (Queens Park Rangers fan) says...

Clearly the pundits (BBC and Sky) watched a different game to rest of us last night! Sven all over again! We have too many overseas players in the Prem, but thats not the issue at the moment because Capello's tactics are so Woeful!

Posted 09:24 27th March 2008

Mark Tierney (Arsenal fan) says...

Watching England is like getting drunk. The next day you swear to yourself you won't do that again and for some reason you go back. Why do we bother watching England friendlies!? There were some fairly decent performances but most were awful, namely James, Brown, Terry and Beckham. I think the one and only problem with most of the England player is attitude and heart. Look how far you can go with commitment. Mr Capello you need to drop the poor performers!!!!!!!

Posted 09:23 27th March 2008

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