I love having great foreign managers over here.
I don’t mean tossers like Sven.
I mean top guys like Guus Hiddink and Fabio Capello.
The Italian maestro’s Xmas interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, translated by The Independent yesterday, was typically forthright.
He tells it like it is and I love that. Always have, always will.
In today’s world of waffle and spin, straight talkers like Fabio Capello should be cherished.
It helps that his command of our language isn’t perfect. He talks in simple English and that suits me. I know where he stands.
“I feel happy in England,” he said. “The Premier League is the most interesting and fascinating league in the world. There is a particular ambience: full stadiums, safety, beauty. Take Newcastle: they were relegated and applauded. Now they are in the Championship and around 50,000 people go see them.
“The atmosphere in our game – the Italian game – is different. It is resentful, nasty. We always make the same mistakes. We don’t improve, we don’t move forward, we don’t solve problems. This depresses me.”
His comment on the decline of the champions was that, “Manchester United were a war machine and have slowed down.”
As for the title race, Capello said: “Chelsea are fine but the others have got better – Arsenal, Aston Villa and then those further behind. The Manchester City of Mancini and the Liverpool of Aquilani will pick up speed. There will be an English team in the Champions League final.”
On David Beckham re-joining Milan, he said: “Of course, if he plays well and is fit I will include him in my squad. I don’t look at age, I pay attention to quality and David has a lot of that. He’s serious, he’s a great professional and he’s crazy about the World Cup. He will do well again for Milan because he has a good head on his shoulders.”
On our importing of Ancelotti and Mancini, Capello said: “It’s a case of ‘made in Italy’. I am happy for them, it’s a good reason to be proud of our football. We bring ideas and a desire for new things, experiences.”