Capello bans Croatia talk
Alex Shaw
Friday, 04 September, 2009
Three Lions Manager insists he is only thinking of Slovenia.
Fabio Capello has banished any talk of Croatia ahead of next week's World Cup qualifying showdown.
England will qualify for the World Cup if they beat Croatia at Wembley next Wednesday and The Three Lions will prepare for the clash with a game against Slovenia on Saturday.
But while the country is dreaming of South Africa, tough taskmaster Capello insists he is only looking towards the weekend.
"I am not thinking about Croatia," he said. "We have not spoken about them. Yesterday we had a meeting and spoke about the Holland friendly and the mistakes we made.
"This evening will we talk about Slovenia. Croatia is another game - I am only thinking about Slovenia."
The clash on Saturday will give Capello the chance to find his best eleven for the crucial World Cup qualifier four days later and the England Manager admits the team that starts against Slovenia could be the one to tackle the Croatians.
"I have to choose the players and on Saturday I will use six subs just like I did against Holland in the friendly," he said.
"I have to decide on the best players to use. I must decide the first eleven and put out the best players for Croatia."
With four goals in two matches from the bench for his country, Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe is the main man at the moment.
His starring role in the 2-2 draw against Holland showed his attacking prowess and Capello says he has a big decision on his hands about his role in the team.
"Will I start Defoe? That is a good question. It is one of the many decisions I have to make," he added.
Tickets for the Slovenia game are still available, and can be bought online by clicking here.