Tuesday February 20, 2007

Hands up who’s having fun watching Real Madrid’s problems at the moment? Aside from the traditional antipathy calcio fans feel for Real, a club who make Juventus look like a model of humility, there’s the added delight of Fabio Capello’s spectacular self-combustion on the Merengues’ bench.

I’ve nothing personal against Fabio. He’s an Italian institution and he’s offered us many a rewarding interview over the years, particularly during his time at Roma where he seemed a degree more relaxed than elsewhere. However, his habit of bolting from clubs the moment the going looks like getting tough is getting harder and harder to ignore.

First Capello left the Giallorossi in the lurch for archrivals Juventus, a team he’d sworn he would never join. Then came last summer’s timely leap to La Liga, taking as many key players with him as possible. At a time when the Italian game looked at an all time low, it was a move that smacked of betrayal for some fans. His supporters would counter that Capello was a free agent and both understandably keen on putting some distance between himself and Calciopoli, and understandably tempted by Madrid. Still, he did betray one of his own oft-publicised beliefs – that re-heated soup is a tricky dish to stomach.

The last time Capello tried to retrace his steps was in ‘97, when having come, seen and conquered at Real in classic Don Fabio fashion he returned to Milan with disappointing results. He obviously thought it would be different this time in Madrid, but from the off his touch has been disastrous. If his U-turn over David Beckham wasn’t bad enough his showdown with Ronaldo has cost Real the services of one of the world’s most reliable goalscorers – to the extent that the Spanish Press now joke that Fabio is actually working undercover for Milan.

All managers have their off moments – remember Marcello Lippi at Inter? – and Capello will bounce back. In the meantime Fabio can take comfort from the fact that, even when managing in Serie A, he’s probably never brought so much joy to Italian fans.