Upbeat Fabio Capello promises to keep fighting
Despite the crowd’s negative reaction to England’s disappointing 0-0 draw against Montenegro at Wembley last night, Fabio Capello refused to be too downcast.
The England manager cut a frustrated figure on the touchline after watching his side struggle to find a way past Montenegro’s resolute defence, even though the hosts had the lion’s share of possession.
However, after the final whistle Capello remained upbeat. "I am a fighter," the Italian said. "It is one game. We have to fight again. I think we are a good team. The goalkeeper was the best player for Montenegro. This is football."
In fact, the final result could have been a lot worse for Capello’s men. In the closing stages of the match Milan Jovanovic rattled the crossbar with a stunning effort from 20 yards. But in the end, neither side were able to break the deadlock, leaving England three points behind Montenegro in Group G, albeit with a game in hand.
"We were lucky because they had one shot at goal and it hit the bar," Capello admitted. "In other games they have had two shots and always scored.
"You have to respect little countries. They have good players. At this moment they are psychologically at a high moment having won three games.
"They were compact. The quality was good. Against Algeria (at the World Cup) we didn't create a lot of chances. Tonight we did create chances."
Meanwhile, Montenegro head coach Zlatko Kranjcar was naturally delighted to see his point seal their 10th point from just four matches at the home of English football.
"We put on a great display," a beaming Kranjcar commented. "It wasn't easy but we had a plan.
"We knew England's strengths and we executed the plan perfectly.
"It is not a miracle. It is a result which exceeds all our expectations. It shows this team has the strength to achieve its goal of making the finals of the European Championships.
"We are closer to that goal but there are a lot of games to play. If the other teams do not fulfil their expectations we might even finish top of the group."
On the evidence of last night’s resilient performance, you certainly wouldn’t bet against them.
Capello and England now set their sights on the forthcoming Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales in March, with the pressure now on to win all three points to keep the pace with the surprise group leaders, who continue to go from strength to strength.
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