Upson likens Zola to Capello

Matthew Upson has compared his West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola with England boss Fabio Capello. The defender has been called up to Capello's squad for the friendly against Slovakia at the weekend and the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine at Wembley on Wednesday.The 29-year-old is a keen admirer of both Italians and believes that they share the same tactical nous that stands them apart from their managerial counterparts.The former Arsenal centre-back highlights that the two have similar characters and both emphasise the importance of keeping possession of the ball."There are a lot of similarities in their character and the way they view football," he told the FA's official website."They definitely have a real tactical knowledge. Italian football is more tactical than the hustle and bustle of English football."Both managers have brought tactical awareness to their teams and that will make us better structured teams.Pass and move"At the top level that is the only way you can play football. Zola was a flair player and loved passing and moving the ball. Playing with Fabio Capello it is the same thing. "If we don't have the ball we have a good shape and are hard to break down."Robert Green and Carlton Cole are the other two Hammers players in Capello's squad and Upson highlights that it carries on a famous West Ham tradition of having players associated with the England set-up."It's massive and something West Ham are very proud of," he added."When the country last won the World Cup there was a big West Ham influence so the club has always carried that and it is very positive to have three players in the current squad."England last hosted the World Cup in 1966 and with the country bidding to host the 2018 tournament Upson has firmly backed the initiative."It's something overdue for this country to host again," he said. "The structure is here to host the World Cup so I can't think of a better venue."ImprovementWith England welcoming Slovakia to Wembley on Saturday the Hammers defender is all too aware of the need to put on a show for the fans.The national side have not always performed at their best in front of their own supporters and at times have been booed off by the crowd. "A lot of people have said that perhaps we haven't performed as well as we should at the new Wembley and they've probably got a right to say it," he agreed."I think it's up to us to understand why we haven't performed and put that right and get some really good team performances and good results there."We really need to work to bring that level of performance from our away games back to Wembley."

Source: SKY_Sports