FA under pressure to get schedule right

[Pucko]

FA officials were steeling themselves for a first defeat under Fabio Capello, the new manager, at a 2010 World Cup qualifying fixtures meeting in Zagreb today.

Early soundings of England’s World Cup group six opponents suggest that there could be a stalemate at the end of today’s talks, at which point a fixture list would be imposed by Uefa, with the danger of nasty surprises on the road for a group of players that failed to travel well under Steve McClaren, the previous head coach. The FA has been working hard on trying to secure its wish list schedule over the past week, but has not been greatly encouraged. The sticking point is a longstanding antipathy between Ukraine and Croatia.

The first priority for Capello will be to avoid double-header matches against the toughest opponents in the group � a trip to Croatia followed by a journey to Ukraine, for instance, would be resisted at all costs. Bad experiences under McClaren would also dictate the order in which back-to-back games are approached � in the qualifying campaign for the 2008 European Championship, England were often left with lengthy preparations for a relatively easy game on Saturday and then a short spell to recover for a tougher match on Wednesday.

This disadvantageous schedule occurred when England played Andorra at home and then the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia away, Macedonia at home and then Croatia away, Israel at home and then Russia at home and Estonia at home followed by Russia away. Only in the order of the matches in Israel and then Andorra did the programme work to England’s advantage.

Capello is also bound to have noticed the way Croatia’s fixture list turned out in their favour, with the visit to play England at Wembley � predicted to be their hardest match � left until last. By the time Croatia arrived, the campaign had progressed so well that they were already certain to qualify. Even though it would be a risk, Capello may gamble on trying to set up the visit to Zagreb as England’s final fixture in the hope that the work will be done by then, or that his team could get away with needing a draw.

The other key issue is the timing of the match against Kazakhstan. The farthest outpost of European football is known for extremes of temperature in winter and summer. Capello will be anxious to avoid visiting Kazakhstan any later in the winter months than the start of October, or in June. The Kazakh snows start early and temperatures can drop to -15C (5F) and the summer heat can soar into the nineties. A match in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, in September would be ideal � perhaps even as the first competitive game for Capello.

This would mirror the successful World Cup qualifying campaign under Glenn Hoddle in 1996, which began with a 3-0 win in Moldova and ended with a trip to play Italy in Rome, with a point needed to qualify. Capello will recall that England secured a 0-0 draw and Italy were left to face a play-off with Russia � a pressure situation that will also be the fate of the second-placed team in England’s World Cup group for the 2010 tournament.

Capello has a strategy � and a plan B according to the FA � but is likely to profess himself delighted with whatever is offered as he will not wish to give group opponents any psychological advantage, but the biggest frustration would be an impasse and the lottery of a Uefa-imposed fixture list. In the past, this has led to isolated matches with Slovakia stranded in mid-June, a trip to Bulgaria in searing heat and a volatile visit to Istanbul as the final group fixture.

The England manager arrived in Zagreb last night with an FA party that included Sir Trevor Brooking, the director of football development, to be greeted by a welcome wagon of four mini-skirted majorettes. His hosts had clearly mistaken him for a gentleman who used to do his job. Your usual, Mr Eriksson?

[Mislav]

Croatian U21 international Domagoj Vida has turned down the opportunity of a move to Liverpool.

The midfielder currently plays his club football for Osijek and has revealed that he would rather play first-team football in Croatia than become a squad player at Anfield.

Vida made his professional debut at just 17-years old and is regarded as a hot prospect for the future in his homeland.

It is believed that Rafa Benitez was ready to pay £400,000 to bring the player to England but Vida's agent Ivan Cvejetkovic has confirmed that a deal is unlikely to be reached any time soon.

Proud

"I was proud of Domagoj Vida," he said.

"He appreciates the offer but thinks it would be better if he proves his quality in Croatia instead of being on the Liverpool bench."