'We'll now go forward'
Thursday, 24 June, 2010
Capello pleased with his team's improvement ahead of German clash.
England Manager Fabio Capello is not phased by his team's Second Round clash with Germany on Sunday, after leading the Three Lions through the group stages.
Victory against Slovenia on Wednesday saw England finish second in the Group C table which sets up a Second Round tie with Joachim Loew's Germany in Bloemfontein at the weekend.
Jermain Defoe's first half goal won the game yesterday, but Capello was pleased with the all-round display of his team rather than just the scoreline, after admitting his disappointment at the opening two draws with USA and Algeria previously.
"We had to win and we won," he said. "I'm really happy with the performance of the team.
"This is what I wanted to see - the spirit and to see them fight together.
"We'll now go forward. Their minds are free and they can play without fear."
Whilst the scoreline made the game appear tight, England could quite easily have added more goals to their tally with Wayne Rooney hitting the post, Defoe having a goal chalked off for offside and with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard also coming close.
Now they will face Germany, who topped Group D with a narrow win against Ghana on Wednesday night and Capello believes his squad will go into that game with more spirit and belief after a revitalising win.
"I'm sure we'll play with more confidence now that we've rediscovered the spirit," he added. "The quality of the players is really good again.
"We improved a lot physically. We ran a lot, pressed a lot and we won back the ball well.
"Germany are a good team. But we have to go forward and beat all the teams."