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Fabio Capello has put a smile back on the face of English football in less than 11 months, but the process of gradual improvement has been no laughing matter for the players. David James, the goalkeeper, provided an insight into Capello’s methods yesterday by revealing that the manager stopped training three minutes into a session at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin on Tuesday to administer his own version of Sir Alex Ferguson’s hairdryer treatment — a pep talk that paid dividends the next evening.

“We started a small-sided game and after about three minutes he called it to a halt and told us it was all wrong,” James said. “He sees it, he says it and he tells you what’s wrong, no matter who you are. He’s not a shouter or a quiet one. It’s a steely glare and you take it as read that you need to change it. His English isn’t the best, but he says what he means and the beauty of it is that there’s no ambiguity.

“That’s what we’ve needed. As much as there’s a few new players in this squad, fundamentally we are the same squad from the last two or three years; the underachieving squad that we were called before Mr Capello came in. But he’s taken us and got us playing. It’s a weird one. You could have expected us to get turned over in Germany, but we’re not surprised that we did well.”

Such tough talking has become a common feature of Capello’s regime, with the players responding to the Italian’s demands for more rigorous and professional standards after they were indulged by Steve McClaren, his predecessor. Capello, despite being a man of few words, can make his point forcibly when the occasion demands, but he also uses John Terry, his captain, to get his message across.

“He’s given the team a few bollockings and more so in training,” Terry said. “We definitely got a kick up the backside on Tuesday. We weren’t playing too well, the ball kept running out of play and we were looking at each other. He looked at me a couple of times as if to say, ‘Sort it out.’ He keeps everyone on their toes and at the top of their game.

“The manager is straightforward. When he has something to say, he says it and doesn’t beat around the bush. In training and after the game he says his piece. He gets it across really clearly. Early on he took his time and yet he’s worked hard on his English and tactically he’s spot on. He’s very good on the training pitch.”

For all Capello’s tactical tinkering, Terry believes that the manager’s main contribution has been to get the players working harder for each other, which has led to increased confidence and improved results.

There is a danger of getting carried away by limited success just 12 months on from the debacle of failing to qualify for the European Championship finals, but there seems little chance of complacency being allowed to set in under Capello’s regime.

“We’ve evolved brilliantly under the manager from day one,” Terry said. “In our first and second games we got caught on the counter-attack and he showed us a video, slowed the video down and told us we weren’t working hard enough for each other. People were running past us and it was disappointing to watch.

“After we saw that, we knew we had to work a lot harder for each other. The quality has always been there, but if you have the workrate to match, we’ll have a good future. You’re looking at a different side now from 12 months ago. It’s been a good year, but myself and the more experienced lads will make sure we all keep our feet on the ground.”

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