Fabio Capello has carried the aura of a particularly fearsome headmaster from the day he first laid down the law to the England players at their initial meeting 20 months ago, but this old-fashioned autocrat is not afraid to embrace modern methods.
Rather than with the dreaded red ink, the Italian instils fear in his players through the use of a red laser pen while subjecting them to trial by television.
Even in his elevated position as “head boy”, John Terry is not immune from the manager’s piercing beam. The captain gave a fascinating insight into Capello’s debriefing sessions yesterday, in which the squad is forced to watch videos of the previous match and individual mistakes are highlighted by laser. Given the number of errors he has made in his most recent appearances, Rio Ferdinand must feel as if he is trapped in a never-ending game of Laser Quest.
“When the manager first came in, we watched videos of the first few games and he wanted the players to work a lot harder,” Terry said. “If a defender goes forward, he wanted a sprint not a jog back to get into position. That’s very Italian-minded.
“When the manager stops the video and there you are jogging back at three-quarter pace you’re in trouble. It really does make a difference if you can sprint back and help your team-mates. As you’re watching, you know the minute you’ve made your mistake, or a misplaced pass, and you’re thinking, ‘Please don’t stop it now.’ Then he stops it and gets his red beam and flashes it at you.
“The players are really working hard for each other now. It’s definitely in your mind, but you get used to it and now it’s cemented in 阅读全文>>