Capello wants long balls out

Fabio Capello said farewell to his players for another year with a clear warning that their work is not yet over.In defeating Sweden 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a Daniel Majstorovic own goal, England ended a 43-year hoodoo against the Scandinavians. They also completed a first unbeaten calendar year since 1994.Both achievements are worth noting, but Capello shrugged off "statistics".He said, "What we do in the Euros will be important, not what weve done this year."Of more concern to Capello was the continuing reliance on the long ball from the goalkeeper.During Saturdays 1-0 victory over Spain, it was notable how little Iker Casillas and Jose Reina were put in a position where they had no option other than to boot the ball downfield.Centre-halves Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos were totally at ease with their status within a passing team and, wherever possible, linked play with the players in front of them rather than push the ball back and wait for it to whistle past."We played without fear," said Capello before delivering the stinging complaint."But one thing I didnt like during the game was that there were too many passes to our goalkeeper."When our opponents pressed our defenders, the defenders need to try something different. Not always to the goalkeeper, which always produces a long ball."
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