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Capello Set To Send England For Altitude Training Ahead Of WC
The Three Lions are set for some mountain training to prepare them for the rigors of the High Veld next year.
Jul 5, 2009 5:37:47 PM
England will endure some intensive training in the altitude of Austria should they, as is likely, qualify for next year's World Cup in South Africa, where many of the venues are several thousand feet above sea level.
Although hot weather, the traditional enemy of English teams at previous World Cups, will not be a problem, with the competition set to be held in a southern hemisphere winter for the first time since Argentina in 1978, the thin air in cities such as Johannesburg and Pretoria could leave the players gasping for breath.
Three Lions coach Fabio Capello will live up to his reputation for thoroughness in readiness for such a test though, telling FIFA.com, "We’re looking at the prospect of going to Austria ahead of the next World Cup before coming to South Africa a week before the tournament begins.
"We won’t have any problems with jet lag and in terms of getting used to the climate, a week will be enough."
The Italian also confirmed that the Three Lions' base in the host country would also be at altitude, adding, "We’re looking for a place[at] altitude, plus the standard of the pitches and the hotel in mind. They’re the three things that are the most important to us."
With England topping their group with maximum points, Capello went on to reveal that he may well use their final qualifying games - against Ukraine and Belarus - as testing grounds for fringe players, including some of those who reached the final of the European Under-21 Championships in Sweden this summer with Stuart Pearce's Young Lions.
"It’s possible that we will experiment with the line-up, because that’s really important," he explained.
"There are some players who played in Sweden who have already played with us — Theo Walcott, Joe [Hart], [James] Milner. In the future, I think that we will have new players with us."
Zack Wilson, Goal.com
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section
Although hot weather, the traditional enemy of English teams at previous World Cups, will not be a problem, with the competition set to be held in a southern hemisphere winter for the first time since Argentina in 1978, the thin air in cities such as Johannesburg and Pretoria could leave the players gasping for breath.
Three Lions coach Fabio Capello will live up to his reputation for thoroughness in readiness for such a test though, telling FIFA.com, "We’re looking at the prospect of going to Austria ahead of the next World Cup before coming to South Africa a week before the tournament begins.
"We won’t have any problems with jet lag and in terms of getting used to the climate, a week will be enough."
The Italian also confirmed that the Three Lions' base in the host country would also be at altitude, adding, "We’re looking for a place[at] altitude, plus the standard of the pitches and the hotel in mind. They’re the three things that are the most important to us."
With England topping their group with maximum points, Capello went on to reveal that he may well use their final qualifying games - against Ukraine and Belarus - as testing grounds for fringe players, including some of those who reached the final of the European Under-21 Championships in Sweden this summer with Stuart Pearce's Young Lions.
"It’s possible that we will experiment with the line-up, because that’s really important," he explained.
"There are some players who played in Sweden who have already played with us — Theo Walcott, Joe [Hart], [James] Milner. In the future, I think that we will have new players with us."
Zack Wilson, Goal.com
For more news on England, visit Goal.com's England section
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