Capello: John Terry to lead England
Sunday, 20 March, 2011
Capello says Terry will lead England again.
Fabio Capello has confirmed that John Terry will captain England permanently.
The England Manager has made the decision as he prepares for another crucial Euro 2012 qualifier, in Cardiff against Wales next Saturday.
Capello revealed that seeing the armband passed around in Copenhagen played a part in his decision.
"I was really focused on the Wales game, I think a lot about this game and the captain," Capello explained. "I decided that John Terry will be the captain for this game, because after the game that we played in Copenhagen, the armband was passed around and I was upset for him.
"After what happened I decided that John Terry after one year of punishment, will be the permanent captain."
Capello was clear that he has been impressed by Terry's attitude since losing the armband a year ago.
Capello admitted: "He is the same. He is a player in himself leader, is a leader always on the pitch, outside of the pitch all the time."
While he outlined his thinking on a pressing issue, he also revealed his more long term plans and some of the younger players that have caught his eye - Chris Smalling and Jack Wilshere in particular.
"(Smalling) is a good player, a really interesting player," Capello said. "We are monitoring him, he is improving all the time. I spoke with Sir Alex and he told me he is improving but he needs more games, more experience. But I think when you play Champions League, this is really, really important. It is the same as I said about Wilshere, after the game against Barcelona - he has arrived."
Capello explained that Wilshere is one of the best young players in Europe, and potentially a future captain of England.
The England Manager revealed: "He is first choice, because he is a good player, and he played without fear, with confidence.
"And also, he is so young but he is a leader. It is incredible, I never saw a player so young who was a leader on the pitch. He spoke with the referee, he spoke with the other players, the opponents, it is incredible."
Capello is relishing the prospect of his first 'international derby' against England's neighbours Wales, but Capello says that form goes out of the window in such games.
He said: "It's different, the derby is not a normal game. I played as a player in Milan, Torino, Roma, and it is different.
"Not always the best team wins. These games are fantastic, for the spirit, the players play sometimes more than 100%. As a manager you need to prepare this game really well. Some players can over train their mind, they burn a lot of energy before the game because of the mentality, is dangerous, you need to arrive focused but a good balance. In body and mind."