Some of the more hysterical opinion offered during Fabio Capello’s reign as England manager suggested that he wasn’t actually a good manager. England’s failure to impress at the South African World Cup lead the media to question what Capello had really achieved during his career that made him the right man to be England manager.
But Capello is a manager who has won Serie A seven times with three different teams (although two won with Juventus were revoked after the match fixing scandal that saw Juve relegated to Serie B), La Liga twice with Real Madrid, and the Champions League with AC Milan. There are no English managers with CVs as impressive as Capello’s, but he failed to live up to the impossibly high expectations of the English media.
It was no surprise when he resigned in February, and it had been suggested that he would retire from football management. But last week he revealed that he still wants to manage, and would like a crack at the Premier League. He’d prefer it to be a team that wants to win trophies and plays in the Champions League, but with the exception of Chelsea (maybe) there are no vacancies at that end of the table. So which Premier League teams should go for the Italian? Here are 4 suggestions, from the most likely to the least.
Chelsea
The Andre Villas-Boas experiment didn’t work for Chelsea. He tried to make big changes, bringing in younger players and occasionally sidelining established stars like Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard, but the results weren’t there, and he was sacked after Chelsea lost to Napoli in the Champions League. He was replaced by Roberto Di Matteo, who was expected to manage the club until the end of the season. But under Di Matteo, Chelsea’s results have been outstanding, and they’ve won the FA Cup and reached the Champions League final. But Di Matteo lacks experience, and was sacked by West Brom last season. Capello has won league titles with every club he’s managed, and more importantly has won the Champions League, the trophy Roman Abramovich most covets.
Liverpool
Roy Hodgson wasn’t a popular appointment at Anfield. After Rafa Benitez left the club, fans favoured bringing Liverpool legend Kenny Dalglish back as manager, and when Liverpool’s form under Hodgson failed to inspire, they got their wish. Liverpool improved under Dalglish, and their league form ultimately lead them to a 6th place finish. Dalglish spent big money over the summer, but most of his biggest signings have failed to impress. Liverpool did win the Carling Cup earlier this year (their first trophy in 6 years), but their league form has been a big problem and they face a third season without Champions League football. While the fans still support Dalglish, Liverpool’s owners may be less forgiving, and Capello could get the call to replace him.
Everton
Questioning whether or not this season will be David Moyes last at Everton has become a running theme in recent years. After 10 years at Everton, the question will always be, what more can he do? The one thing Moyes hasn’t done as manager of Everton is win a trophy, but Everton don’t have the finances of other Premier League clubs, making cup wins more achievable. Long touted as a successor to Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, there doesn’t seem to be an obvious place for Moyes to go this summer. Chelsea seems unlikely, with only West Brom currently having a vacancy. If he does leave, Capello would be an excellent replacement, and he could fancy taking on the challenge of getting Everton to the next level.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa fans were far from impressed when Randy Lerner replaced Gerard Houllier with Alex McLeish, and Villa’s season seems to have proven them right. Villa have been awful under McLeish, and have found themselves dangerously close the relegation zone. It’s hard to envision McLeish returning for a second season, and Villa fans will want a big name to replace him. Although Villa are nowhere near the Champions League right now, Randy Lerner has in the past spent big money on players, and a substantial wage and hefty transfer budget could tempt Capello to Villa Park. But getting Aston Villa anywhere near the Premier League’s top four would be a long-term project, and at 65, Capello may be unwilling to commit himself to such a job that requires such extensive work.
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