Don Fabio - Ein Italiener in London

"I will win the World Cup. If I didn't think that, I would not have taken the job. I would have continued playing golf."
Fabio Capello in an interview after being confirmed as England manager

And here's a brief synopsis from Fabio Capello's first press conference as the new England coach on Monday (from TimesOnline - Ahead of the Game):
* Is the new England coach speaking English? Don Fabio is still at the point where he rhymes honoured with red and says quaint things such as "at this moment my English is not so well, but I prefer to answer in Italian". Still, it's a start - he understood a number of questions put to him in English and he reckons he'll be able to learn the lingo in a month. If he can teach Joe Cole the language, that'll be real progress.
* Half-time will have to be expanded from 15 minutes to 45 if he is going to use the same interpreter. Capello actually achieved a first by saying less than Steve McClaren in twice the time. He managed not to answer a variety of questions in Italian, such as who he would support if it was England against Italy, whether David Beckham would get his 100th cap and why the FA had appointed a foreigner.
* He did, however, manage something his predecessor couldn't do in more than two years -provide a laugh that wasn't laced with bitterness. Capello was asked if it was true that he had punched Paolo Di Canio. He said he didn't ... but after a brief pause ... added in an ominous tone that he was there when it happened.
* He has always wanted to be the England manager, ever since he was growing up in San Canzian d'Isonzo, Italy, and even when he was playing for his country. He didn't say whether he regretted scoring that goal at Wembley in 1973.
* He wants to have an Englishman - or at least someone who knows the league - involved in his set-up. He didn't say who.
* It's only a part-time job, so Capello says he may have to be less of an authoritarian. He's even promised to sit the wee lambs down and find out why they don't feel loved. "Wearing the England shirt should be a matter of pride," he said, showing that clichés are the same in any language.
* There was no umbrella in sight.
* He dismissed suggestions that he had never signed any English players. "When I was a scout I brought Ray Wilkins and Mark Hateley to AC Milan and as you know I worked with David Beckham," he said. No one pointed out that Hateley and Wilkins played in Italy more than 20 years ago.
* He says the style England adopt will depend on the players available. He added that it's important to be flexible, in case anyone was wondering what sort of tactical acumen they got for their £4.8 million a year.

PS: Bei TimesOnline kann man mit-voten, wen Fabio Capello aufstellen soll, wenn er im nächsten Jahr seinen Job als England-Manager antritt (mit einem Spiel gegen die Schweiz am 6. Februar in Wembley) : http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2007/12/forget-capello.html
Übrigens, Robert Green von West Ham ist derzeit noch nicht die Nummer 1 im Tor, der Goalkeeper mit den meisten Stimmen ist bis jetzt "Calamity James" (Portsmouth).