Capello has been crap in cup competitions for the last 15yrs!!!! In 16 years shared between Roma, Juventus, and two spells at both Milan and Real Madrid, Capello had won nine league titles. The Three Lions romped through qualification for South Africa, with eight straight victories and 27 points out of 30 – World Cup success was the next logical step, right?
But the typical quadrennial proclamations by the mainstream media that “this is England’s year” displayed complete ignorance to Capello’s major weaknesses as a coach: cup competitions and knockout football.
Completely overlooked was the fact that, despite all his league triumphs, Capello had won just one ‘cup’ in 15 years – the Supercoppa Italiana, the Calcio equivalent of the worthless Charity Shield.
The Italian international championed a brand of football suited to winning leagues and not cups. Capello generally distrusted skilful, expressive and individual fantasistas like Savicevic, Roberto Baggio and even Ronaldo – stars who make the difference in one-off matches – preferring workers, physical machines and a pragmatic, efficient system of bullying the opposition.
This works during a long, arduous 38-game domestic season where ‘survival of the fittest’ and the gruelling ability to grind out wins and draws, and struggle come rain or shine, is decisive. But in knockouts you need something extra, something special, and less workmanlike, and this is something Capello has never quite grasped.
Since 1995, Capello’s record in the Champions League has been very poor. He has never once progressed further than the quarter finals, and almost all of his teams have been panned by the critics for the way they limped out of the competition. Juventus were like a damp squib when they lost in the last eight to Liverpool and Arsenal in 2005 and 2006 respectively, Real Madrid failed in the last 16 a season later, while Roma never even managed to make it to the CL knockouts during his five years at the Stadio Olimpico.
..."Wewe ni mtu mdogo sana....na mwenye amekuandika pia ni mtu mdogo sana!".