Fabulous Fabio Capello deserves all the praise he gets

Fabio Capello may not have turned the England chumps he inherited into champs just yet.

But as the Italian reflected on the giant strides his side have taken in his first year at the helm, he knew the most significant of all had been demonstrated by the "meaningless" friendly that became anything but.

On Wednesday night, as the flight carrying England back from Berlin was still over German soil, Capello made a point of walking the length of the jet to congratulate all his players and backroom staff individually for their efforts.

It was a symbolic but pointed gesture, a recognition of the way the understudies stepped up to the plate to leave a "Wish you were here?" message to the established stars watching from home.

For the best part of two decades, if not longer, successive England managers have taken decent teams to tournaments, but rarely a squad full of players who were legitimate options.

Too many were never going to get a game.

Yet the likes of Michael Carrick, Glen Johnson, Stewart Downing and Gabriel Agbonlahor hungrily grasped their opportunity in the Olympic Stadium. They put on display everything that Capello has worked on since realising how far England had fallen under Steve McClaren.

Despite their long list of absentees, England kept the ball with a calmness and maturity that was chillingly effective. It was the final proof of the Capello method, the constant training ground interchanges that are designed to ensure everybody truly sings from the same hymn-sheet.

"I was happy to see we played on the pitch like a team," said Capello. "Tactically the movement was OK and this is very important. The English players are very good but we needed this movement with the ball and without the ball, when you have to defend and when you have to attack.

"The work the coaches have done is very important. It is why we mix things up in training.

"We want everyone to realise the one system. All the players must know what they have to do during the game and that's why I always change the position of the players.

"Another thing that is very important is that the young players who were with us this time know the spirit of the group. It is about one message, from the oldest to the young."

That message has been injected into the DNA of the squad and the evidence in Berlin was far removed from the disjointed struggle to overcome a poor Swiss side at Wembley in Capello's first match back in February.

The Italian recalled: "After Switzerland I understood that the work would be very very hard, that it would be a big job.

"I knew it was a challenge.

That's the reason I was here.

"But I am very happy because every game we have taken one step forward and now I know the players better. Even the ones who have only played two games for me, I know them better and that is a fantastic situation."

One that not even the most patriotic of England fans could have envisaged.

Now, as Capello agreed, comes the hardest step of all, moving from the advanced base camp established over the past 10 months to the summit of the mountain.

His own bitter experiences of the 1974 World Cup, when he was a member of the much-vaunted Italian side that went home from Germany after the group stage, mean Capello will take nothing for granted.

As he cautioned: "We always we have to improve.

We have done a lot of work, a lot of things and have reached one level, a good level. But the last few per cent is not easy.

"What we have done is the past. My job is what comes next, the future.

"We have to work and to train and we have to improve the spirit, improve everything that we have at this moment."

Capello has 18 months to finalise his plans, to see if Agbonlahor can supplant Emile Heskey as Wayne Rooney's strike partner, to decide whether Joe Hart or Ben Foster can take David James' goalkeeping crown.

Perhaps, too, to convince Steven Gerrard that, for all the claims of Johnson, Wes Brown and Micah Richards, he is England's best attacking rightback and could be as pivotal in that role as the surging midfield one he craves.

That, though, is for the future.

But do we like what we have seen so far?

Absolutely, Fabio.

FABIO'S TIMELINE: FROM THE WALLY WITH THE BROLLY TO THE MAN WITH THE PLAN:

NOVEMBER 21, 2007 - Hapless Steve McClaren becomes the 'Wally With The Brolly' as England's Euro 2008 dreams are shattered as Croatia win 3-2 at Wembley. The manager is sacked the following morning.

DECEMBER 17, 2007 - Fabio Capello is formally unveiled as new England boss after agreeing initial two-and-a-half-year contract with option to extend to 2012.

JANUARY 31, 2008 - Capello names his first squad with no place for David Beckham, Sol Campbell or Paul Robinson.

FEBRUARY 6, 2008 - Michael Owen is left on the bench as unconvincing England - captained by Steven Gerrard - scramble a 2-1 Wembley win over Switzerland, Jermaine Jenas opening the scoring and Shaun Wright-Phillips netting the winner.

MARCH 26, 2008 - Beckham earns his 100th cap as Rio Ferdinand leads England to a disappointing 1-0 defeat by France in Paris.

Owen plays just 45 minutes.

MAY 28, 2008 - John Terry is handed the captain's armband a week after his Champions League heartbreak and heads the opener as England beat the USA 2-0 at Wembley.

Gerrard made sure with the second.

JUNE 1, 2008 - Capello gives his seniors, except for Ferdinand, a rest and names Beckham as skipper, blooding Dean Ashton, Joe Hart, Phil Jagielka and Stephen Warnock in the 3-0 win over Trinidad and Tobago.

AUGUST 20, 2008 - Terry is named as permanent skipper but only Joe Cole's injury-time strike rescues a lucky draw against the Czech Republic at Wembley, as

Brian Barwick, the man who appointed Capello, is forced out of the FA in a power struggle with chairman Lord Triesman.

Doubts and worries.

SEPTEMBER 6 AND 10, 2008 - No Gerrard - to Capello's annoyance - and Beckham dropped for Theo Walcott, although it needs Joe Cole to sparkle off the bench and help England beat Andorra in Barcelona. Four days later, Walcott's dazzling hat-trick in Zagreb changes everything as Croatia are dismantled.

OCTOBER 11 AND 15, 2008 - Wayne Rooney comes to the party, scoring twice against Kazakhstan at Wembley and repeating the dose in Belarus four days later as England - with Ferdinand deputising for Terry - make it four wins out of four and a great start to the qualifying campaign on the road to South Africa.

NOVEMBER 19 2008 - England's shadow side take Germany's breath away in Berlin, Matthew Upson and Terry ensuring a thoroughly-deserved victory to complete the remarkable transformation in the fortunes of the Three Lions. Next stop, a visit to Spain in February....

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