London, Sept 8: Fabio Capello believes England players are still struggling with a problem in their heads that is proving “impossible” to solve.
The 65-year-old coach was frustrated by England's dismal display in European Championship qualifying Tuesday when the fourth-ranked team labored to a 1-0 victory over Wales, ranked 117th.
Capello conceded he could tell even before kickoff that his players would struggle based on how apprehensive they looked in the pre-match warmup at Wembley Stadium.
The admission came in a testy exchange with a small group of reporters in the wake of the Wales match.
Asked to explain the unconvincing display and lack of cutting edge, the Italian coach said in broken English: “Sometimes in my career during the warmup I understood at lot of what really happens on the pitch (during the match).”
What he understood had to be teased out of Capello, who is paid a reported six million pounds ($10 million) a year to produce England's first trophy since the 1966 World Cup. Shortly after he took the England job in 2008, Capello said one of his main tasks would be to make the players mentally stronger.
Apparently, that hasn't changed.
Asked why he could not find a solution back in the dressing room before the match, Capello replied: “I tried to do, I spoke with the players but it is impossible the team that I saw to change. It is impossible.”
Pressed on the problem, Capello said the main issue is still a lack of confidence.
“It was not to change the shirt,” Capello said, and then pointed to his head. “Here is the problem.”
What perplexes Capello is that England was so incisive in Bulgaria on Friday night in a 3-0 win and had initially started as brightly against Wales.
“It is incredible to understand why (they lack confidence),” Capello said. “As a manager, as a player, I never understood what really happened at some moments. Twenty minutes we played well, why can't you (the team) play the same (for the whole match), this I don't understand.
“I told them the result was very good, it was the most important thing, but we had to speak about why (they struggled).”
Before the match England had not won at home in a year, although the team is top of its European Championship qualifying group and on course for the finals after missing out in 2008.
After building a six-point lead in Group G, England only has to draw in its last qualifier next month at Montenegro, which is second and has played a game less.
“Montenegro need to beat us and Switzerland away,” Capello said. “That will not be easy, so I think we can be more relaxed when we go to play them.”
Capello is due to leave the England job after Euro 2012, having seen the team exit in the last-16 phase at the 2010 World Cup. AP
