Fabio Capello is only the sixth manager to mastermind an England World Cup campaign. Known for his no-nonsense approach and tactical knowledge, the Italian has won domestic titles with every club he has managed. As he attempts to chart a steady course through the tournament in South Africa, Capello will be forced to draw on every one of his years of experience.
He began his managerial career at AC Milan in the early nineties where he led a squad crammed with talent to the Scudetto four times in five seasons. After Milan, Capello went on to taste success with other continental giants such as Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid.
When he took over from Steve McLaren as England manager, Capello brought his years of experience to bear. 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 winning mentality made itself manifest with impressive results in England’s highly successful World Cup qualifying campaign. England won all their matches except one, notching up 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. However, Bobby Robson was probably better known for his man management skills than Capello and Ramsey. 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 his extraordinary CV and wealth of experience, it is hard to think of anyone better placed to try to emulate the achievements of Ramsey and Robson than Fabio Capello, together with the England captain Steven Gerrard.
