England boss Fabio Capello is determined to get his players to perform without feeling the pressure that comes with wearing the Three Lions.
Capello wants to add a touch of fantasy football to the team spirit he believes will take England to the World Cup finals in two years' time - and he believes coping with expectation is part of the process.
England players have been impressing in the Champions League but the national team are not at Euro 2008, where Capello has been this week to scout Croatia for next season's World Cup qualifiers.
"The pressure is much more big with your country," Capello said. "It's a big difference.
"This is the reason a lot of good players play very well with their clubs, but are not the same as the national team.
"One example is (Cesc) Fabregas, who is one of the best players in England, but does not play often for Spain. It's possible the pressure is very big and he suffers a little bit.
"You have to choose the player that can play very well for both his club and the national team, with the same confidence, the same fantasy and same strong mentality."
Capello has been told by Luiz Felipe Scolari and Marcello Lippi how a tight-knit squad pulling together is vital to winning the World Cup like they did with Brazil and Italy, respectively - but the Italian also wants flair.
Unlocking the "fantasy" among his players is now the key for Capello, as he feels a unity has been established after his first four games in charge.
"I remember in the first game when we played Switzerland, I was very worried because I didn't see the spirit and the English characteristics," he said.
"But after four games I am very happy because step by step we have moved on and have found the spirit of the group.
"These are the characteristics of the England players, but also I was surprised by the fact a lot of players are very good technically - very, very good.
"There are also players with fantasy and that is very important at this moment. Now, modern football is a 9-1 formation and without fantasy or one player dribbling, with good passes it is impossible to score goals.
"We have some players with good fantasy, very interesting players."
When the final touches are put in place, Capello insists England will be ready to reach South Africa in 2010.
"I am very confident we will qualify for the World Cup," he said.
"I know the players better and they know me now, and I'm sure we have a very good squad with very good players. I have a lot of confidence for the future."
More news from SportingLife.com
Comment 1 - 3 of 3
and everybody said capello was the saviour.the only fantasy he will have is when he looks at the wags and wish he could give em one.wake up man,you are in england now
I just hope that England will seat tight and plan very well for the upcoming qualification for World Cup 2010.I have absolute confidence in the prsent Coach Capello if given the enabling environment to work He will surely lead England to the promise land come 2010.
From OLATUNDE LUWOYE, LAGOS NIGERIA
i really hope cappello can get the over paid big heads of the national team playing well, it sickening that there's a major tournament going on without us but its probably the best thing for them. I just hope he's got the guts to pick a team on merit and not just high profile names like nob head mCclaren did.
Please login to post a comment
Not already a Yahoo! user ? Sign up to get a free Yahoo! Account