Guardian
World Cup 2010: Fabio Capello hits back at Franz Beckenbauer's disdain• Coach says critic of England's 'kick and rush' lacks respect
• Wayne Rooney: 'It would be nice to beat Germany' (8)Tweet this (21)Dominic Fifield in Rustenburg guardian.co.uk,
Fabio Capello has accused Franz Beckenbauer of a lack of respect for claiming England had regressed into a "kick and rush" style, with the German's comments intensifying the bitter football rivalry between the two countries.
Beckenbauer, a World Cup winner with West Germany as captain in 1974 and coach in 1990, suggested this week that England had "gone backwards into the bad old times", a criticism that has prompted Wayne Rooney to hope for the chance to defeat Joachim Löw's side in South Africa. Capello was just as unimpressed with the 64-year-old's assessment of England's play during the opening Group C game against the USA.
"I was surprised to hear [the comments]," the Italian said. "Always, when you speak about someone, you have to respect their team. I respect his team and he needs to speak about them. But it's easy to speak about teams when you stay in the stands. You have to see the match [in the flesh]. My players could not play the style they like [against the USA] because the pressure was really strong.
"We had to play long balls to go forward to win. But in the second half we played very well. We didn't play long ball but a lot of passes and had a lot of possession. We created three clear chances to score. So I don't understand what Beckenbauer is saying. It was easier for Germany to play Australia, who played offside with the line of their back four, and it was too easy for them to get to goal. There was probably a penalty for Australia which would have made it 2-1 and they had a player sent off. So it could have been different."
Rooney's reaction to the comments was just as prickly. Asked whether he was keen to face Löw's side in the knockout phase of the competition – and potentially in the last 16 – the England striker nodded. When asked why, the striker replied without a hint of humour: "Because it would be nice to beat them.
"Beckenbauer can say what he wants and think what he wants – we're not listening. But we certainly don't play kick and run. And, with any tournament, it is how you finish, not how you start, that counts. If you look at the Italians, four years ago they won the tournament and, in the group stage, they had been on the brink of going out."
England, and Rooney, will take heart from that after their opening 1-1 draw in Rustenburg as they attempt to generate more momentum against Algeria in Cape Town on Friday. Rooney was prolific throughout the qualification campaign but has mustered only one international goal in the past year. Perhaps more pertinently, he has not scored at all since injuring his ankle in Manchester United's Champions League quarter-final first-leg defeat at Bayern Munich at the end of March.
That ligament damage interrupted his rhythm after his most prolific season in senior football. Though he arrived at the World Cup relatively fresh, there has been a rustiness to his recent displays. "I had a season with United, wasn't fit [after the initial ankle injury] and played when I probably shouldn't have," he admitted. "When you get injured, you lose your match sharpness. It was difficult to play as well as I wanted to but I'm feeling good now. I feel I have reached maximum fitness.
"I'm focused on England now. This is a great opportunity for this team, and for me to prove myself at world level. If I didn't do that, I'd be disappointed. There were moments when I did some good things against the USA, and moments when I would have liked to get on the ball more but I never. There were glimpses. But personally I know I can play better and I hope to put that right."
England travel to Cape Town on Thursday intent upon sparking their challenge and imposing their qualities in Group C. "The team want to take the tournament by the scruff of the neck," added Rooney. "We've got a chance now to put things right and beat Algeria and I'm pretty confident we'll do that. I believe we will win on Friday and qualify from this group. We will be fine. If I am being honest, I think we will win our last two games and end up being top of the group. I don't think there will be any problems about that."
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jun/16/world-cup-2010-fabio-capello-franz-beckenbauer