体坛英语新闻：England coach Capello confident ahead of World Cup

Capello also showed his admiration for Arsenal youngster Theo Walcott, who started England's World Cup qualification with a hat- trick in the 4-1 win over Croatia.

"Last year Walcott was the player who most surprised me, he was very important for us in our qualification matches. This year the most improved player is James Milner. He has played three or four games and he is part of the team," said the coach.

However, the player Capello is most impressed is Wayne Rooney, who has scored an impressive 31 goals for Manchester United this season.

"He has scored a lot of goals and he has been incredible this year. I hope he can maintain his form until South Africa. There are three players who can make a difference at the moment. One is Cristiano Ronaldo, the other is Leo Messi and Rooney is the other. There are then two other players who come in just behind. One is Kun Aguero (Atletico Madrid) and the other is Pato (AC Milan). They are young and the future will be theirs," he explained.

Capello also said why he had taken the England captaincy away from John Terry following a sex scandal. "I want the player who wears the armband to be an example to youngsters, but Terry is still an important player, because he is a leader on the pitch and a coach needs players like that," he commented.

England will prepare for the World Cup in Austria and Capello sounded a battle-cry for the English supporters.

"They should be confident, because I am confident. I am here because I believe in this team. I believe in this opportunity to go to South Africa with a good team," he concluded.