Capello's dilemma - overrated English players

Fabio Capello says trying to find out why England players do not replicate their club form at international level is his toughest managerial assignment.

The Italian said: "This is the problem my predecessors had. I'm hoping I'll be able to understand why and rectify it.

"Looking at the English teams' success in the Champions League, the Premier League is the best in the world."


Capello said managing England would be his "final challenge

But Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi says Capello does not have good enough players to pick from.

Lippi, who led Italy to World Cup glory in Germany in 2006, said: "The problems for a coach happens when he doesn't have many good players at his disposal.

"(Italy coach) Roberto Donadoni has a problem of abundance, while for Fabio Capello it's completely the opposite.

"Capello, for example, has more problems fielding a strong English national team because only 38% of Premier League players are British."

Three English clubs - Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea - are in the Champions League semi-finals, but England will not be participating at this summer's Euro 2008 after finishing behind Croatia and Russia in their qualifying group.

Speaking at an event organised by England team sponsors Nationwide Building Society, Capello added: "I can't perform miracles, these are the players we have and I can only call up the players we have.

"Creating new players is a long process, it takes a lot of time and you need talent to begin with. It's not going to be fast.

"Of course the more English players there are playing for English clubs the better it is for me.

"But at the same time it's good to see that the good English players tend to play for the good English teams irrespective of the number of foreign players here. The quality comes out."

The Italian revealed that a permanent national captain would be unveiled before the friendly with the Czech Republic at Wembley in August.

But Capello, who has rotated the captaincy since he became national coach in December, warned that the players' behaviour off the field, as well as on the pitch, would determine who would take on the role on a long-term basis.

"I think I need to see what their attitude is about wearing the armband, on the pitch and off it - that's why I've not chosen yet," said the England boss.

"I will choose a captain based on their attitude on the pitch and their behaviour off the field as well."

Rio Ferdinand captained England during last month's friendly against France but on Saturday the Manchester United defender had to apologise to a steward after accidentally kicking her following Chelsea's late winner at Stamford Bridge.

Wayne Rooney is another United player to have been linked with the captain's armband, but the striker has a mixed disciplinary record with both club and country.

Capello added: "A captain must be a leader. He must lead by example and set an example and drag the team forward. At the same time he needs to be a model outside the pitch and outside football.

"I will not decide until the new season, so the next two England captains are not necessarily going to be who the final captain will be.

"For the game we have in August, I plan to have my permanent England captain in place."