Helter-Skelter: Tasks at Hand For Fabio Capello

So much for taking their time to find the right man.

After being dealt their greatest setback since the 1994 World Cup, the English FA were quick to act in finding a successor to former manager Steve McClaren.

Some might even say a little too quick.

In the wake of England's failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championships, FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick claimed that his staff would take their time in choosing a new head man.

Italian manager Fabio Capello wasn't exactly the unanimous choice for the job, despite being the first to voice his interest in it.

But with Jose Mourinho declaring himself out of the running, Barwick and his staff shifted their attention towards the former Italian international.

After a few quick meetings, Capello accepted the invitation to become the new England manager. But some are convinced that the FA have made yet another wrong turn.

Pessimists are quick to point out Capello's inability to understand and speak the English language. With the first national team get-together in less than a month, Capello will have to get up to speed sooner rather than later.

Another factor in the public's disapproval is the notion that an English manager should be in charge of the England national football team. In a country that's proud of its national culture, fans believe that Capello doesn't fit the bill.

But one has to ask—does it really matter whether Capello is English...especially if he can produce results?

There's no denying that Capello holds a fantastic C.V. His many championship sides with A.C. Milan, AS Roma, Juventus, and Real Madrid prove that he's more than capable of managing a star-studded group of players.

That seemed to be a quality that both Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson lacked when they were at the helm for the Three Lions.

Unlike his predecessors, Capello has shown that he isn't afraid of upsetting egos and making controversial decisions for the sake of the team.

England midfielder David Beckham was just one of the "stars" who ended up being ousted temporarily at Madrid. Whether or not Beckham will part of the national team plans remains to be seen.

One of Capello's biggest decisions will be deciding on the Frank Lampard-Steven Gerrard combination in the center of the park. The duo have proven time and time again that they're incapable of gelling as a dynamic unit.

If Capello's past teams are anything to go by, two hard-tackling midfielders could be deployed. This could mean the axe for either Lampard or Gerrard—and it could open the door to lesser known players.

In any event, Capello needs to emphasize team play above all else. The right players may not be the best ones—but rather the ones who play best together.

Of course, that's easier said than done.

Fellow Italian Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup-winning manager, believes that axing one of his big-name players will be one of the toughest tasks for the new England helmsman.

"Capello's most difficult task will be to make a team become a team, something which in recent years it hasn't felt like," Lippi said. "The national team is not the selection of the best players of the country, but in order to make a team you may also need to have to drop an important player that perhaps is not on the same wavelength as the others."

Players such as Leon Osman (Everton), Scott Parker (West Ham), and Nigel Reo-Coker (Aston Villa) could finally get a chance to wear the England shirt if one of the "big-name" players were to be dropped.

All three players possess strong technical abilities and high work rates—two essential qualities for any Capello side. Don't be surprised if at least one of them is given the opportunity in the future.

Capello was quoted as saying he wanted a challenge at this stage in his career. It seems to me that he couldn't have picked a better one.