Fabio Capello has the restlessness of all great managers. Though the final match of his first year in charge of England brought a 2-1 win over Germany in Berlin, he was more inclined to dwell on progress yet to be made. Results, however gratifying, evaporate in an instant for people like him.
A quarter of an hour after the 4-1 triumph over Croatia in Zagreb the Italian had seemed to be discussing the match purely out of politeness. Capello is not so much a lugubrious character as a manager who needs far more than potent results in preliminary skirmishes or friendlies. He will be judged by the 2010 finals in South Africa, where England's participation looks certain. The standards in the World Cup must be higher and the punishments for falling short more severe. "We have reached one level," he said after victory in Berlin. "The last percent is not easy."
All the same, on the flight home Capello went down the aisle to shake hands with every player and each member of his staff. It takes a lot to earn such an expression of gratitude from him. Much has been done and he wanted to recognise the level of commitment from all those who are part of the project. There is no giddiness in his nature and, in any case, he has chastening memories. "It's a dream," he said when asked if the current line-up could be genuine challengers for the World Cup.
"I remember when I played here in Germany [at the 1974 finals] and we came as one of the best three teams in the world. After the first [group] phase we were out." Capello himself was in midfield and scored when Poland won 2-1 to eliminate Italy.
"It depends on the form of the players, the style, whether they are fresh," the manager remarked of the prospects should they reach South Africa. The whole topic can only strike Capello as intolerably premature. After all, an appreciation of the task before him lingers in his mind.
"After we played against Switzerland I understood that the work would be very, very hard," he said. "It would be a big job."
The friendly at Wembley yielded a 2-1 victory but his new charges were disjointed. Though Jermaine Jenas scored the first goal of Capello's tenure then, he was not in the party for Berlin. When replacement midfielders had to be summoned, Jimmy Bullard and Scott Parker were preferred.
David Bentley, who started against Switzerland, is another currently excluded and Peter Crouch is marginalised even when other strikers are missing. Every manager speaks of competition for places but seldom can the level of complacency have been as low as it is now for England. Germany were outclassed by what was virtually a shadow line-up.
There was no feeling that a random assortment had been put on to the pitch and few spared a thought for all the absentees. That reflects on the accomplishment of someone like Michael Carrick, who complemented Gareth Barry so well, but also on Capello's schooling of all his players.
When the Italian took over from Steve McClaren he made the usual diagnosis: "Technically the English players are good but only in training or the Premier League, not with the national team." Capello differs from most of his predecessors in that he addressed the problem effectively.
There was cohesion even when understudies were in the majority on Wednesday. Emphasis is put on positioning and concentration. "This is very important," said Capello, "because the English players are very [good] and we needed this movement with the ball and without the ball, when you have to defend and when you have to attack. This is very important work that the coaches have done."
Specific attributes have been grafted on to the team. Speed is critical and, with the teenager Theo Walcott injured, Capello employed the unsettling pace of Gabriel Agbonlahor. The 22-year-old caused constant unease in a lumbering Germany defence.
The manager may be no idealist but it is practical to let England attack. While prizing possession, Capello also appreciates that the natural aggression of the Premier League has to be tapped. In his 10 England matches the side have scored 25 goals. A dozen players have notched up 24 of them, with the other an own-goal.
The occasion on which England could not find the net was the 1-0 defeat in Paris, Capello's single defeat. Eight of those other nine fixtures have been won. Of course there is still plenty to concern him. David James is the one person to start each of the matches and it would be reassuring if a real rival revealed himself.
Capello, too, could ponder the fact that the England goals in Germany, from Matthew Upson and John Terry, arose from set pieces. The side ought also to have capitalised on their domination in open play. There will still have to be reflection on the most appropriate system to ensure that happens.
In the truly taxing games England could adopt the 4-2-3-1 structure. Walcott, Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard might comprise the secondary strikers. While Emile Heskey has shown how well he can serve as a target man, the side may also wish at times for a swift predator.
Agbonlahor could develop into just such a figure but it would also be intriguing to discover how Capello might react if Michael Owen were to maintain fitness and form. "The door is open for all the players," said the manager. "I select the players who at this moment are in the best physical condition. They play very well for this reason - when you play international you have to stay 100 %; it is impossible to play international games 60%."
A gruelling test awaits anyone enlisting in Capello's cause but the first year of his campaign suggests there could one day be glory to grasp.
