Football Update: Fabio Capello under tremendous pressure as England start their qualifying campaign
England would start their qualifying campaign for Euro 2012, with a match against Bulgaria. As the day approaches, Capello is coming under immense pressure to deliver the results for English team.
Capello came to the English side after their abysmal performance during Euro 2008 qualification campaign. They failed to go through, while they were humiliated by a strong Croatian side, during their home fixture. It was a big blow to English side, who have failed to quality despite the odds favouring them. Drastic actions needed to be taken, which resulted in Capello coming to England, to coach the English side.
His tenure in England started well, as he started his campaign for 2010 world cup. English came on top of their group, while Croatia failed to qualify from the same group. This was a great achievement, as English were enjoying a successful period of football after a very long time. There were players in English side that had ego issues, but Capello seemed to have gained control over his team.
Despite this success, England failed again in their World Cup campaign. First, they came in second from their group, below USA. Then, they were crushed by a strong German side that treated the English like some college team. This was a turning point in Capello’s tenure, as he came under immense criticism, for some decisions that he made. Although, there were not any selection problems, but he came under criticism, because of his tactical tinkering.
It was widely feared, or rather hoped, that Capello would loose his job. However, he managed to get a second chance in order to amend for his mistakes. This time he would not be taking any chances, while he would try to go by the book. Therefore, Capello went in to see a lot club action during past four weeks, in order to select the most suitable players for the first match with Bulgaria. This is another move by Capello, in order to avoid possible criticism from the press.
Peter Crouch would definitely be added for the first tie, as he played very well during his side’s Champions League qualifier, at White Hart Lane. Crouch scored a hat trick, which would surely earn him his place in English squad. In addition, Theo Walcott scored a hat trick, while he scored another goal against Blackburn, which means that he would also get a call for National team. This might get dirty for Capello, who dropped Walcott from English World Cup’s squad, which would give the press another topic to discuss.
David Stockdale, the young goal keeper of Fulham, will get his debut for England as well. He impressed Capello during his team’s 2-2 draw against Manchester United. There were also reports that the Spanish midfielder, Mikel Arteta, would be approached by Capello, in order to convince him to play for England. However, no such approach has been made, which means that Arteta would stay out for a while.
Amidst all these preparations, the press is still blabbering about Capello’s credentials as a national team coach. Recently, he was openly criticised by Jose Mourinho, who has taken the job at Real Madrid, which was held by Capello at one point. Recently, Capello showed his anger towards the media, for turning against him and abusing him with slander. There are also suggestions that Capello might even refuse to go to a press conference before the match against Bulgaria, in order to avoid a possible tussle.
There is no doubt that Capello would have to deliver. If he fails again, the press would not let him retain the job. On the other hand, if he succeeds, the press would take a cautious approach this time. He had been successful in the past as well, but he failed to deliver on the biggest stage. However, a victorious start is necessary in order to quieten the press for a little while.
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