Home truths for Capello
The first is that England’s second string are not equipped to help the country win the World Cup in South Africa next year; the second is that Brazil are the country to fear next summer.
Throughout his largely impressive reign, Capello has continually stressed his admiration for Spain, having seen the Euro 2008 winners put England to the sword in Seville earlier this year, when the passing of Andres Iniesta, Xavi and Xabi Alonso left them bemused and bewildered.
But Capello also fancied his side’s chances of revenge if the pair were to meet again in South Africa next summer because he believes, just like Liverpool, they are over-reliant on Fernando Torres for their attacking thrust.
Now a different threat has emerged. And while those yellow shirts may be familiar, this Brazil team has added menace. Yes, they have all the silky skills and fluid touch of their illustrious predecessors. However, there is a tenacity and work ethic that comes not from Copacabana beach, but the harsh playing fields of Europe, where Dunga’s team all ply their trade.
It worked perfectly at the Confederations Cup, where Brazil finished triumphant, and it was brilliant in Argentina a couple of months ago when they destroyed their old rivals.
Now Capello has first-hand experience after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat in Doha and he accepts a solution to the problem they pose will not be found easily.
“It was the first time we played against a team that was so physically strong, fast and technically good,” reflected Capello.
“Their style is very different to Spain. Spain are really good technically. They pass the ball a lot. But they are not as strong and they don’t defend as well.
“When we played Spain they were very good but we still created four chances to score. Last night I counted two. When you look at that, I don’t think Brazil will be easy to beat.”
In arranging a series of tough friendlies, Capello is not so much concerned about the result as the performance, both of his team as a whole and individual players.
The depressing thing for the Italian was that the result turned out to be the most positive aspect of the evening.
After all, this was an England second team facing a largely full strength Brazil side. The only trouble was, Brazil’s strongest side treated last night like an exhibition match, which the hungry young bucks in white should have been able to exploit.
Instead, they were bypassed totally and only managed to keep the score down because Luis Fabiano missed a penalty and Lucio smashed a fierce shot against a post. Instead, Nilmar’s looping header over Ben Foster just after half-time proved enough.
“We were missing a lot of players,” said Capello. “This team has not played so many games but I am happy with the performance of some players. I understand a lot.”
Capello will surely understand that far from forcing their way into his plans for South Africa, some of his players were searching for another door entirely.
As two men at the outer edge of the fringes, Jermaine Jenas and Darren Bent must have known this was their big chance. They failed. Wes Brown and Wayne Bridge were average at best and the same could be said for Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Indeed, apart from James Milner and Foster – who admitted after this game that he found his inability to break through at Manchester United “very disheartening” – the biggest winners were Joe Cole and Owen Hargreaves, who know they do not have much to beat if they are to make it into Capello’s 23-man party.
Nilmar (Brazil)
Abdullah Abdou (Qatar)
**
Wayne Rooney: Captain’s performance up front.
James Milner: Bright going forward and in defence.
Wayne Bridge: Disastrous display. Positional awareness non-existent.
Jermaine Jenas: Poor in possession and no attacking threat.
Joleon Lescott: Still looks uncertain at this exalted level.
Darren Bent: Wasted the chance to impress up front.
Shaun Wright-Phillips: Few moments of inspiration.
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