 Capello began his tenure as England manager in winning style |
New England manager Fabio Capello said he was impressed with his players after they got his reign off to a winning start by beating Switzerland 2-1. "I think we did some very good things and created many chances - the players did very well," Capello told BBC Sport.
"They were nervous at the start because there is pressure playing at Wembley and we need to take that off them.
"But it was important to see the team get back together and see them play well and there were lots of positives."
England produced an impressive second-half display and substitute Shaun-Wright Phillips notched the winner after Eren Derdiyok had equalised Jermaine Jenas' first-half strike.
 | His English was very good - that surprised a lot of the players Peter Crouch on Fabio Capello |
Capello said Switzerland's seven substitutions had not helped his team, but said England kept their concentration well.
The Italian added: "There are obviously things we need to improve on, but they scored with their first real chance so we did not do too much wrong.
"I didn't see a lack of concentration from the players at the end - they subbed seven so they were fresher, but they still struggled to create chances.
"It was good to be at Wembley, you always feel emotions here.
"I saw the players play with their clubs and wanted to see if they could do the same things under the pressure of Wembley and they did very well."
Second-half substitute Peter Crouch said he was impressed with Capello's authority - as well as his command of English.
| We need to be difficult to beat and exciting to go forward and it will all take time England captain Steven Gerrard |
"He's a manager who certainly knows what he wants," the Liverpool striker told BBC Radio 5 Live. "He will get his point across right from the start.
"His English was very good. That surprised a lot of the players, the fact he was getting his message across in English.
"If he had a point to make, he certainly put it across strongly. We all know where we stand.
"He's got an aura about him. When he walks into a room everyone sits up and takes notice."
Crouch's thoughts were echoed by Wayne Rooney, whose flick put Steven Gerrard through to cross for Wright-Phillips's 62nd-minute winner.
"He is a very passionate man and loves winning. He will be good for us," said the Manchester United striker.
"He lets you know when you are doing well and lets you know when you are making mistakes. He will be really good for us."
But despite the glowing tributes for Capello, England captain Steven Gerrard admitted there is still work to be done to turn around the team's fortunes after they failed to qualify for Euro 2008.
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"We're happy with the win after spending only two or three days with the new manager, but we know we can play better," said Gerrard.
"He wants a new mentality, he wants us winning, but there is a long way to go before we get to where we need to be.
"We need to be difficult to beat and exciting to go forward and it will all take time.
"But there is a long time before the World Cup qualifiers and we can and will improve before then."
Jenas said the day would forever stay in his memory after scoring his first goal for England, a tap-in from a Joe Cole cross.
"It's definitely a day to remember, my first goal at Wembley and first one for England too," said the Tottenham midfielder.
"I only found out the team an hour before we got the coach to the ground and I was surprised to be playing, my club form has been good and it's fantastic to get the chance.
"It has been a bit rushed the last few days, but it's been enjoyable as well as intense and this was a good start for us.
"We must get into that winning mentality and keep moving forward as a team and we will be fine."
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Report: England 2-1 Switzerland
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