Beckham backs Capello and doesn’t want his job

Speaking to Sky Sports News, David Beckham has defended Fabio Capello and also gone on to say that he has no interest in being a manager himself when his playing days are finished.

Beckham believes that he can go on to play in the 2012 Olympics and at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. By then Beckham, who missed the recent World Cup with serious Achilles injury, will be thirty-nine years old.

Blame

In defending Capello, Beckham laid the blame for England’s abysmal showing in South Africa squarely at the door of the players. With just one win in four games, a scrappy 1-0 over Algeria, and a humiliating exit to Germany, many people have been critical of Capello. Even some of the players have hinted that they feel Capello was largely to blame.

Beckham is clear about where he sees the blame lying,

“Capello did everything that he could have done. He prepared us right. He worked the players to the right amount and he set everything up for the players, but obviously the players know it was disappointing. We didn’t perform and as players you know that – you know when you don’t perform, you know when you don’t play well. The manager can do so much and then it’s down to the players. The players go on to the pitch and they know if they don’t perform they don’t win games. The players are honest about that but it’s not about individuals, it’s not about how individuals play – it’s about how we played as a team. It’s a cliché but you win as a team and you lose as a team.”

Beckham hasn’t always seen eye to eye with Capello but since he managed to work his way back into Capello’s Real Madrid team after Capello had written him off the two men have shared a mutual admiration. It is no surprise that Beckham has defended him and the comments are a scarcely hidden dig at the likes of John Terry who have spoken out and some people think had a serious effect on team spirit.

Manager

After joining the England backroom staff in South Africa and with his experience of captaining the national side, it had started to look as though Beckham might be positioning himself as a possible future manager. Maybe not a manager of a club, but he could do a Klinsmann or Van Basten and go straight into the national team role.

Beckham was quick to put an end to that rumour.

“I’ve got no interest in being a manager, I must admit. It’s not something I’ve ever been interested in. It’s not a passion of mine to be a manager of a football team. I’m passionate about the game. I was there in South Africa, I was wearing the suit. I think people automatically thought I’d be doing that. I’m an experienced player who’s been in three World Cups. I spoke to James Milner, Aaron Lennon and Shaun Wright-Phillips, all the right-sided players. To be honest I spoke to all the players. If anything needs saying from the manager that was kind of my role. I enjoyed that. Coaching wise, I love coaching kids. I love seeing their faces when they are kicking a ball around. That’s one of the things I love doing, but coaching a team and being a manager I don’t want to do that.”

One of the criticisms of David Beckham has been the amount of interests he has outside of football. The brand Beckham became more important than the footballer Beckham. Despite that, I think it is difficult for anyone to claim that he is anything other than a really hard working and determined player who would be good to have around the England set up for as long as possible.

Options

He has been a great role model and the way he has lived his life means that he has got half a chance of playing at the top level until he is thirty-nine and that when he does retire from playing he will have many different options and opportunities, including, probably, going into management.

I hope he does stay in the game because he is passionate and he cares deeply about the game and about England. You could never question his desire. I’m not sure you can say the same about those who took to the field at the World Cup.