Equipped with the kind of record that speaks for itself and nearly two decades of managerial experience, Fabio Capello is the sixth manager to attempt to lead England to World Cup glory. The Italian as a reputation as one of the best tacticians around and has won domestic titles with every club he’s ever managed. And he will certainly have to rely on these years of experience as he plots the Three Lions’ route to the later stages of World Cup in South Africa.
After graduating from Coverciano, Capello enjoyed pretty much instant success as a manager with AC Milan, leading the Italian giants to the Scudetto four times in five seasons. Since then he has enjoyed success with Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus, collecting an incredible nine league titles in 15 years.
Having taken over from Steve McLaren, Fabio Capello’s arrival was immediately reflected in England’s performances on the pitch. He stamped his authority by introducing more intensive training and a number of new rules aimed at improving team spirit and making the squad more focused on winning. This new mentality was evident in England’s World Cup qualifying campaign. The Three Lions announced themselves serious tournament contenders by winning all but one of their World Cup qualifying games, scoring 34 goals in the process.
A strict disciplinarian and astute tactician, who is highly respected by his players, there are obvious parallels between Fabio Capello and England’s most successful manager, Alf Ramsey. Both managers believed firmly that individual interests should be relinquished for the benefit of the team. On one occasion, when some of England’s biggest names failed to return before a 10.30 curfew, he did not hesitate to take action, the players returning to their hotel rooms to find their passports waiting for them on their beds.
Like Alf Ramsey, Bobby Robson, arguably the England manager remembered with the most affection, managed at Ipswich. Yet Bobby Robson was a different sort of manager to Ramsey and Capello. He enjoyed success at some of Europe’s top clubs, including Barcelona and Porto, motivating his players with his infectious enthusiasm for the game he loved. As an international manager, he led the Three Lions at two World Cups, including Italia ’90 when England enjoyed their most successful season since 1966.
With the experience of Steven Gerrard on the pitch and Capello off it, the England side look well-placed to emulate the success of Robson and Ramseu in South Africa.
