The Editor: Capello’s Dilemma

To say it’s been a busy month or so for England manager Fabio Capello would probably be a bit of an understatement. John Terry has, of course, been grabbing all of the headlines and I’m sure you all have your own opinions on Capello’s decision to strip him of the England captaincy.

If it hasn’t been done to death already; my own view is that the manager has made many more right decisions than wrong since taking over in December 2007 and for that reason he has my trust. Any final judgments should undoubtedly be left for the summer’s end.

Despite all of the drama that has surrounded the England team just recently – most of it, rather typically in the build-up to a major competition, has centred around events off the pitch – I would also wish to place on record that I think England have a genuine chance of winning it. Just like half-a-dozen or so other teams!

I read yesterday a news item on the BBC Sport website – click here to read it yourself – with the headline “England not good enough to win World Cup – Geoff Hurst.” Well, that’s absolute rubbish as far as I’m concerned.

The article reads:

“We’re a tiny bit short up front,” said Hurst. “If we had a Fernando Torres up front with Wayne Rooney, then you’re looking at a different proposition.”

So says the man who only made his England debut five months before scoring a hat-trick in the final of the 1966 World Cup – earning only his eighth cap in the process. He probably wouldn’t have even started but for an injury to Jimmy Greaves.

The point is that a cup competition is rarely about the squad with the most talented individuals or the most star players. If it was it wouldn’t have taken Spain such a long time to conquer once more.

You need to have quality in your side, of course, but you also need a winning mentality, a steely resilience and at some point a big slice of luck. England aren’t the favourites. They’re probably not even the best team in the competition. But make no mistake about it, they have a real chance under Capello’s guidance. And just maybe an unlikely hero will be born.

As Sir Geoff does rightly point out, there will be some concern, as there always is, over the form and fitness of some of England’s key players in the build up. But I’m sure we’re not alone in wincing every time our star man goes full-tilt into a 50/50 challenge.

Almost every country could make a good case for and against why they could win the 2010 World Cup, including England. And so the team that does go on to lift that trophy on July 11th in Johannesburg might not necessarily be the team you expect.

Brendon Mitchell