Fabio Capello Looks Ahead to Qualifiers
On the back of a failed run in the FIFA World Cup, the English Football Association has decided to extend manager Fabio Capello’s contract beyond the next UEFA European Championships. Questions now loom over what the future will hold for the English team.
Capello, who has eight Italian and Spanish league titles and one European title to his name, will be eager to inspire his team to make better performances during the qualifying campaign that begins in September.
When England crashed out of the tournament after suffering a 4-1 defeat to Germany in the Round of 16, some called for the appointment of a new manager of the national team.
But the English Football Association, perhaps wary of having to pay up in a costly severance deal, as it did with former manager Sven Goran Eriksson, decided to extend Capello’s contract beyond the 2012 European Championships, which will be hosted by Poland and the Ukraine.
Changes in Mind
However, the contract extension was not made without expecting significant changes to be made in the English team.
One requirement, put forth by the FA board during a meeting to review England’s World Cup performance, according to BBC Sport, is that Capello must appoint a young English coach to form part of his backroom staff.
The decision does not mean that any of Capello’s Italian staff will depart, but it is thought to signify a long-term strategy of appointing an English coach to succeed Capello.
Capello, who employed a 4-2-3-1 formation throughout England’s qualifying matches, was criticized for reverting to a traditional 4-4-2 during the World Cup.
Wayne Rooney, currently England’s only world class striker, may benefit as the lone striker if Capello yields to public demand and returns to the 4-2-3-1 formation that has seen many clubs and national teams prosper in recent seasons.
Include Youngsters
Another potential solution to the team’s problems, for which calls have been made throughout the English press, is the inclusion of younger players in the England squad.
With an average age of 28.7 years, England registered as the oldest squad of the World Cup.
Capello, who has confirmed his desire to bring younger players into the English squad, has several young talents to choose from.
Arsenal’s speedy winger Theo Walcott, who was excluded from the trip to South Africa at the last minute, is bound to be given another chance with Capello’s team. The 21 year-old's blistering speed is well-suited to the right or left attacking position in the three-man midfield of the 4-2-3-1 system.
Walcott scored a hat-trick in England’s difficult away match against Croatia in the qualifiers for the World Cup.
18 year-old Jack Wilshere, also at Arsenal, is another young player with potential that Capello will be monitoring closely. Wilshere, an attacking midfielder who joined Arsenal at the age of 9, is Arsenal’s youngest-ever league debutant.
An inclusion in the senior England squad when his age renders him an under-21 player would not be the first time Wilshere skipped a stage in development. At only 15, he represented the English under-17 team.
Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell and Manchester City winger Adam Johnson, at 19 and 22 years of age respectively, are other options for Capello as he seeks to prepare his side for future tournaments.
Immediately ahead are the European Championship qualifiers, which begin on September 3rd. England is set to face Bulgaria.
In what should be a straight forward test for the on-paper superior English team, England also faces Wales, Switzerland and Montenegro in the qualifiers.
So, what's to come for England and Capello? Perhaps the group will see that Capello’s younger squad members can perform well enough to be included in the next major tournament, having missed out this year.
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