FA set their aims, and Capello is confident

5:03am Wednesday 7th May 2008

Fabio Capello is ''confident'' he will be able to help fulfil the ambitious targets set down by the Football Association's Major Milestones report.

The document sets out a number of FA policy initiatives for both the men's and women's national teams and grassroots football.

One of the targets is England making the last four of the next World Cup or European Championships which is one of the biggest challenges facing Capello, especially given their failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

But England head coach Capello insisted he is optimistic he will be able to deliver the targets laid down by the FA.

''I am not under any pressure - I came here to become England manager with the view and the intent of doing things and I think we can achieve good things because we have got a good team,'' Capello said.

''You need to work all the time knowing that the road is long and you need to improve from one day to the next with the view of achieving the important targets that we have set.

''First and foremost we must realise the past is past. I am confident, I have a good team and I can work on it in order to achieve the targets I have been set.

''I need to see what players can give me, so in the France game we wanted to experiment and to test various players.

''So I have been experimenting and I will be experimenting in the next couple games and the important thing is to get ready for the qualifying campaign.''

The FA will appoint an international performance director who will oversee all national teams below the England men's senior side.

And the Italian coach admitted he was party to the discussion of the position, who will not be his boss, with FA chairman Lord Triesman and chief executive Brian Barwick.

''This person will be in charge of researching, gathering information. Looking at the outside world - the football world in particular,'' Capello said.

''But also the sports world in order to gather the best possible information and everything we might need to help us achieve our targets. This was something that was thought out in a meeting with the chairman and chief executive and it is aimed at giving us the best possible means to obtain what we want.''

Capello feels English football is in good shape but is keen to reap the benefits of the planned National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton which the FA hope aim to have up and running in two years' time.

''Yes I think it is important to have a centre, to have a home,'' Capello added. ''A place where we can go back and be together, spend time together, feel the spirit of the shirt we are wearing, regroup and achieve the targets that we want to achieve.

''As we all know there is only 38 per cent of players who are English in the Premier League.

''But having said that there are lot of young players in the under-21 level and younger that are very good so there is plenty of talent.

''As for English football in general it is obviously at the top level at the moment and it is proved by the fact there are two English teams competing in the Champions League final. This is particularly good for English football because there are a lot of English players involved for both teams.''

Editor's Choice