Capello: I want to manage in ‘absolutely fascinating’ Premier League

Feb 23, 2013 2:35:00 PM

The Italian is currently in charge of the Russian national team but has admitted to struggling with the language and missing the atmosphere in the English game

Russia manager Fabio Capello has admitted he misses the English game and would welcome the chance to manage in the Premier League.

The Italian also revealed how is struggling to cope with the Russian game, whilst saying he misses the atmosphere at English stadiums and even the British press.

He told reporters: "The Premier League is absolutely fascinating. I am available and would be flattered to be linked with jobs in this league.


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"Both my wife and I enjoyed our time in the UK and what I miss about football in England is that the stadiums are packed, whereas those in the Russian league are often half-empty.

"I am used to the media attention from Italy and Spain, and I am confident that I can handle the press in England. It is just part of the job. In Russia, it is great because nobody can read the newspapers!"

Despite leading Russia to four straight wins in qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Capello said he has grown frustrated with the small talent pool in the country, and the difficulties he has in communicating with his players.

"Before a match, I show the players videos and show them bullet points to get my point across but the translator even has to write these because the Russian language has a different alphabet," the 66-year-old said.

"Sometimes, the translator relates the concepts but not with the feeling that I want to convey.

"I used to complain that there are only playing 38 per cent of Premier League players that are English but the situation is even worse in Russia on this issue. To attract players to Russia, a lot of money is needed.

"Moreover, many of the best teams with these huge private benefactors are located at the borders of Russia so it is a lot of travelling for me."

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Champions League final - LIVE!

German giants Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund will battle it out at Wembley for European glory. Get involved by sending us your thoughts via Twitter or Facebook! Hosted by Mark Doyle.

7:25 PM BST

The phrase 'mixed emotions' seems made for Matthias Sammer, the legendary sweeper who inspired Dortmund to Champions League glory in 1997 but who is now employed by Bayern Munich. However, he's doing a pretty decent job of putting his old allegiances to one side ahead of tonight's final.

"It is hard to talk about feelings ahead of a match," the Bayern sporting director told Sky Sport Germany. "We want to show what made us strong all these weeks.

"We may not forget that Dortmund lost twice and drew twice in our last four matches. But they will present themselves differently tonight, that is for sure."

7:19 PM BST

And one final question for Carlo ...

@OmarAb96: What is the most important battle on the pitch tonight?

CG: This is going to sound like a cliche, and probably not the answer you are looking for but whichever team is more clinical will win the game. That is the real battle, more so than any individual contest because these are two sides who value the collective. I expect Bayern to have more possession, but Dortmund are still incredibly dangerous on the break. Bayern may create more chances, but Dortmund will have their opportunities too. It really depends who is more efficient.

And like I said earlier, the first goal will be crucial. If Bayern score first, it will be very difficult for Dortmund to come back.

7:13 PM BST

Carlo's now had his attention turned to the intiguing arrival of a certain Spaniard at the Allianz Arena this summer ...

@A_Mostefa17: Do you think Bayern will be even better with Guardiola next year or will it all go wrong for them?

CG: Everything suggests that Guardiola's Bayern will be a great team. The setups at Bayern and Barcelona are comparable, both on and off the pitch. Only Barcelona have monopolised more possession than Bayern over the past two seasons, while the Germans have enough top quality young players for Guardiola to build a great team around.

Everything is there for Guardiola to do well, the problem is that if Bayern win tonight and clinch the treble - as expected - how on earth do you better that? The simple answer is you can't. So Guardiola will almost be in a no-win situation from the outset, and that is never an easy starting point.

7:09 PM BST

And the rest of that response (trust me - it gets even better!) to the question on whether Germany deserves four Champions League places:

CG: Germany took a place off Italy purely because Uefa's coefficient system - which rewards the same number of points to Europa League competitors as it does for those in the Champions League - was so ludicrously flawed.

There is no doubt that the Bundesliga is on the up and Serie A has since struggled in Europe - and this season Germany has proven its worth in the Champions League - but the league should hever have been granted a fourth place until they earned it in the Champions League ... not in a Mickey Mouse Cup that no one outside Germany and the minor nations takes seriously.

7:07 PM BST

A cracking question here from Adam Scime, who has provoked an even better response out of Carlo, which I'll have to split in two!

@Scime_Live: Does Germany deserve four CL places?

CG: Germany were granted four Champions League places at the end of the 2010-11 season, which led to Italy losing one spot. This came into effect at the start of the 2012-13 campaign.

When Italy lost their place, their Champions League record was so far superior to Germany whether you looked at the last two,three,five,10,20 or 30 years. Serie A boasted two of the previous four winners of the competition, whereas the Bundesliga hadn't won a European trophy of any sort since 2001 ...

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