Capello has made his bed with John Terry - now he must lie in it all the way to the World Cup

By Oliver Holt

Published 23:02 02/03/10

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By the side of a motorway notorious for its gridlock, England desperately tried to move on yesterday.

There was one early misstep. Three questions into the press conference at Arsenal’s training ground near the M25, Fabio Capello seemed on the verge of losing his temper.

The inquiries until then had centred on the issue of player discipline and whether England’s stars would be punished if they made mistakes in their personal lives.

“But why do we have to speak about this for such a long time?” Capello asked. “You are interested in the game or the life of the players?”

It was pointed out to Capello, as gently as possible, that he had made the personal lives of the players a topic of legitimate interest the moment he sacked John Terry for an indiscretion that was nothing to do with his performance on the pitch.

The England boss accepted that and answered the next question. He said he had not yet decided whether a player who had, say, an extra-marital affair would be banned from the World Cup squad.

So much for taking each game as it comes. Capello’s going to take each affair as it comes.

But the message was still clear: mistakes in players’ personal lives are now as likely to get them banished from the squad as a bad run of form.

Capello was open about that. He made no apologies for imposing a moral code. He said England players had to make sacrifices in their lives if they wanted to play in the World Cup.

So at least the ground rules are absolutely clear now. The next time a player ends up on the front pages for the wrong reasons, he can’t say he wasn’t warned.

The players appear to have signed up to the new deal. The World Cup is so close now they realise how much they have to lose.

Steven Gerrard, Capello’s third captain in the last three weeks, emphasised the new mood of austerity when he said his wife, Alex, would not be travelling to South Africa.

“If we get to the semis, then I’d like her to come out,” Gerrard said. “Is she allowed to come to the semis or the final? Is that okay with you?”

His teasing of his questioner was significant, too. Many of the players feel Capello’s decision to sack Terry has only increased the power of the media.

Between now and June, they are aware that if they appear on the front pages, that might be enough to cost them their World Cup place.

Which brings us back to England’s attempts to move on. Capello and Gerrard made a decent fist of that yesterday.

Gerrard is always upbeat and honest and Capello, understanding the need to try to draw a line under the scandals that have hit the side, was the same.

The first hurdle is tonight’s match against Egypt and the reaction of a notoriously fickle Wembley crowd to Terry.

Then there is the performance, which has taken on more significance than usual for a friendly.

England’s back four has been decimated in recent months to the point where tonight it will feature Terry and three stand-ins.

In the case of the left-back, of course, it will be a stand-in for a stand-in.

But tonight’s the night where the reserve defenders have to step up and show that they can fill the gap. If they don’t, full scale panic is going to set in.

The match is the simple bit, though. The hard part is what happens in the next few months.

What happens if another player finds himself on the front pages? What happens if it’s one of England’s stars? What does Capello do then?

The answer is that he will have to act and he will have to act ruthlessly. Or else he will risk losing his authority.

He has staked his credibility on England’s players heeding his call and sacrificing everything for the World Cup.

If they respond, Capello can claim the credit for an ambitious piece of social engineering.

If they don’t, there is trouble ahead.

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