England News

• Nickname:Three Lions
• Founded: 1872
• Manager:Roy Hodgson

• Ground:Wembley Stadium
• Capacity:90,000

Rio retains Capello support

12 Oct 2009 - 09:20:12

Click To Enlarge

England coach Fabio Capello has dismissed concerns over the form of Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand.

Ferdinand's error when he was caught out by a long ball led to Ukraine's winner in Saturday's 1-0 World Cup qualifying defeat in Dnipro.

The defender's club form has also been patchy during an injury-plagued past six months, but Capello has reassured Ferdinand that he still retains his confidence.

Asked whether he was concerned about Ferdinand, Capello replied: "No.

"He made one mistake during the game. It was a long ball that bounced and he didn't judge the direction well.

"But after that he played a good game.

"At this moment he is making some mistakes but you cannot question Rio's value."

Meanwhile, Capello claimed there were plenty of positives to take despite seeing England lose a first competitive match in his near two-year reign.

He added: "The game wasn't important for qualification but we still produced the spirit that I like.

"You have to play every game to win. Win, win, win. It is very important and that is what I saw."