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Capello - No excuses
England boss warns players ahead of WC double-header
Fabio Capello has warned his England players there will be 'no excuses' of fatigue ahead of their World Cup qualifying double-header.
Capello's squad, the majority of which have endured a draining Premier League campaign, face Kazakhstan in Almaty on Saturday and then Andorra at Wembley next Wednesday.
The Italian appreciates a number of his charges are likely to be tired, but has demanded 100 per cent effort as they look to maintain their blemish-free record on the path to South Africa.
He said: "At the end of the season, the players are not fresh like when we started. But we have to play two very important games against Kazakhstan and Andorra.
"The problems of players, if they are tired or not, is no excuse. We have to play, we have to win and everyone who plays has to be very strong.
"There will be no excuses that we are tired or wanting a holiday. None of that."
Strong
Of his side's progress under his stewardship, Capello said: "First we have to get through to South Africa but I think we will be a very good team if we achieve that.
"We are very strong and we can play against all the best teams of the best countries in the world.
"I am very happy with these players, with this group and I have big confidence in the future."
Capello also stated that he understands Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger's concerns over Theo Walcott suffering from burnout, as he will join up with the Under 21s for the European Championships in Sweden after the two World Cup games.
Walcott
He said: "Theo is one of the players that played less games last season. He was injured for four months and now he has just started to be very fit.
"I followed him in the last games he played. Stuart Pearce (Under-21 coach) spoke with him and he was happy to play for the Under-21s and so after the seniors Theo will go with the Under 21s.
"I understand also all the managers at the start of the season like to have all the team together because pre-season is very important. For this reason, I understand Arsene (Wenger).
"But there are also the Confederation Cup, South American World Cup games and others going on during the summer."
England boss warns players ahead of WC double-header
Fabio Capello has warned his England players there will be 'no excuses' of fatigue ahead of their World Cup qualifying double-header.
Capello's squad, the majority of which have endured a draining Premier League campaign, face Kazakhstan in Almaty on Saturday and then Andorra at Wembley next Wednesday.
The Italian appreciates a number of his charges are likely to be tired, but has demanded 100 per cent effort as they look to maintain their blemish-free record on the path to South Africa.
He said: "At the end of the season, the players are not fresh like when we started. But we have to play two very important games against Kazakhstan and Andorra.
"The problems of players, if they are tired or not, is no excuse. We have to play, we have to win and everyone who plays has to be very strong.
"There will be no excuses that we are tired or wanting a holiday. None of that."
Strong
Of his side's progress under his stewardship, Capello said: "First we have to get through to South Africa but I think we will be a very good team if we achieve that.
"We are very strong and we can play against all the best teams of the best countries in the world.
"I am very happy with these players, with this group and I have big confidence in the future."
Capello also stated that he understands Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger's concerns over Theo Walcott suffering from burnout, as he will join up with the Under 21s for the European Championships in Sweden after the two World Cup games.
Walcott
He said: "Theo is one of the players that played less games last season. He was injured for four months and now he has just started to be very fit.
"I followed him in the last games he played. Stuart Pearce (Under-21 coach) spoke with him and he was happy to play for the Under-21s and so after the seniors Theo will go with the Under 21s.
"I understand also all the managers at the start of the season like to have all the team together because pre-season is very important. For this reason, I understand Arsene (Wenger).
"But there are also the Confederation Cup, South American World Cup games and others going on during the summer."