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Capello claims Caribbean trip was useful

02/06/2008

Head coach Fabio Capello has said he "learned a lot" about the England players at his disposal from the end-of-season trip to the Caribbean.

The Italian travelled to Trinidad and Tobago with a slightly reduced 23-man squad to play a friendly, although many critics have rounded on the trip which was seen as little more use than a competitive training session.

As it turned out England won at a canter, with an early Gareth Barry strike and a Jermain Defoe double securing a comfortable 3-0 win.

But Capello has claimed the extended period of time with most of his top players had been useful for his long-term planning, despite the absence of almost all the Manchester United and Chelsea players who took part in the Champions League final.

"I've learned a lot over the last ten days," the England manager told the BBC.

"I have learnt some players are good in training but not so good when it comes to the game."

But he also stated he was "happy" because "all the players did everything that [he] asked of them" at a difficult time in the season when most other senior footballers would have been embarking on their summer holidays.

The match itself saw David Beckham regain the England captaincy as Capello continued his policy of rotating the skipper before deciding on a permanent appointment for the World Cup qualifiers.

And the coach admitted he has "some idea of who it will be".

"The captain for the Czech Republic friendly in August will be the captain for the qualifiers," he added.