Capello now ready to invite WAGs to nurture team spirit

Published>Tue, Apr 27 10 01:08 PM

Taking a softer line with 'WAG culture' in order to nurture a team spirit, England coach Fabio Capello has reversed his decision by saying that he is prepared to invite wives and girlfriends to World Cup in order to create great bonding within the squad

The England coach's reluctance to tolerate the WAG sideshow that surrounded England in Baden-Baden four years ago has led to him being characterised as a coach who rules with a rod of iron.

Capello arrived at the decision after discussing what it takes to win the tournament with his compatriot and old rival Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to the cup four years ago.

"The spirit of the group is really important. With Lippi we talked about Italy when they won last time, when the players had free days the players and their families stayed together," The Independent quoted Capello, as saying.

"After each game they had a barbeque. It created a great spirit of the group. These are the little differences that can sometimes make the difference when it comes to winning. The managers need to understand what is best," he said.

England players had already taken the coach's lack of enthusiasm for the WAGs to heart, with Steven Gerrard declaring that "my wife won't be there, not unless we get to the semis or the final."

But Capello told a private forum, organised by the Leaders in Performance organisation, that he considers the team spirit reinforced outside of the playing arena to be one of the most important ingredients for success, The Independent reports.

In an observation, which perhaps casts some light on his decision to remove John Terry from the captaincy so rapidly, he also reflected on the importance of breaking down factionalism.

Lippi is not the only coach Capello has turned to in recent weeks for a sense of how a World Cup tournament actually feels. He has spoken to Luis Aragones, who delivered Spain their first trophy in 44 years at the 2008 European Championship and to Luiz Felipe Scolari, victorious with Brazil in 2002.

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