Roy Hodgson
Fabio Capello has warned his successor Roy Hodgson that he will struggle to create a “winning mentality” in the short window before he leads England into Euro 2012.
West Bromwich Albion manager Hodgson was confirmed as the successor to Capello on Tuesday, with England’s opening game of the European Championships against France on June 11 just under six weeks away.
Although Hodgson has experience of international management having already taken Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup, Capello believes that the 64-year-old will find his new assignment with England difficult.
“As a club manager, you are a manager. As a national team manager, you are a selector,” Capello told The Times newspaper.
“You cannot work with and get the best out of the players all of the time because some are injured, some are not in a top moment, some are unhappy with their club’s position, some have a problem with their manager.
“It’s not a normal job. It’s difficult to create something. You can’t do something in a short space of time.
“The idea is to create the team spirit and winning mentality in a really short time. This is very difficult. It will be hard.
“And the other thing is that you don’t play a lot of games. In nearly every game, you are either in or out.”
Capello meanwhile believes a good England showing in Poland and Ukraine will vindicate his regime.
“I’m happy with the job I did for England. I hope that England will be one of the best teams at the Euros and they can show my job was really good. If things go well as I hope, people will recognise that I did a good job,” he said.
Capello also revealed he would be keen to manage a club in England before winding down his career.
“At the end of my career, it would be interesting to find a team with big motivation to arrive at the top,” he added.
“England would be very interesting for me because I know very well the teams and the players, and everything would be less difficult. It would be easier for me in England.”
©2011 AFP