While his predecessor, Steve McClaren, could be seen lugging his bags through Vienna's Sudbahnhof yesterday, awaiting a train across Austria for his next assignment as a match summariser for BBC Radio, Fabio Capello was a few streets away enjoying a mid-morning coffee as he reflected on the first few days of a tournament that he, too, has spent on the outside looking in.

There was much to ponder for Capello, vastly experienced but new to international management, as he surveys the talent on show at the European Championship finals. With England having failed to qualify under McClaren, it is the Italian's job to ensure that they do not make the same mistakes when the World Cup qualifying campaign begins in September with matches away to Andorra and, more significantly, the old adversaries from Croatia, whom he watched struggle to a 1-0 win over Austria in Vienna on Sunday evening.

Q What did you make of Croatia's performance against Austria? Did that look like a team England can beat in September?

A We have to beat Croatia. They are a good team with good organisation and they are a strong group. They are a very dangerous team, but against Austria you also saw the sacrifices that the players made. In the last half-hour their spirit was very important. Always you ask me about Croatia, but we also have in our group Ukraine, Belarus, the first game against Andorra - all these games are very important.

Q From what you have seen in the past six months, do you believe that England will be ready for those matches?

A I remember in the first game, when we played against Switzerland, I was very worried because I didn't see the spirit and the English characteristics. I saw some problems. There was no confidence and players weren't playing like they do for their clubs. That was my first impression, but now, after four games, I'm very happy because we have moved on. We play better in every game.

Q Why have England failed so often in the past? Why are they not here, playing in this tournament?

A I know the reason why. It's a big problem and it's very interesting to understand why. I think it's [a lack of] confidence.

Q Are English players good enough technically?

A Yes. They have surprised me because always when I played against an English team they ran a lot and were very strong but not good technically. But I know a lot of players who are very good technically. I understand why, when they play with the national team, they don't always play like they do for their clubs. The England shirt is a very important thing.

Q Is international football really so pressured? Arsène Wenger has often said that the standard in the Champions League is much higher than in international football.

A It's different. The level of the games is possibly higher in the Champions League, but the pressure of international football is completely different, when you play for your country, with the English or Italian shirt. This is the reason a lot of good players play very well with their clubs but are not the same for their national team. One example is Cesc Fàbregas, who is one of the best players in England but does not play often for Spain. Perhaps the pressure is very big and he suffers a little bit.

Q What is the key to success in tournament football?

A I spoke with [Luiz Felipe] Scolari [the Portugal coach, who led Brazil to the 2002 World Cup] and with [Marcello] Lippi [who led Italy to the title in the 2006 World Cup] and both told me that they had a very, very strong group, a very strong unit, which was very focused.

Q Can you create that kind of unit? Are you prepared to leave out big-name players for the good of the team?

A I never choose a player because of the name. If I choose a player, it's because I think they are the best players at that moment. There will be no problems leaving them out.

Q On the basis of what you have seen during the first few days of the tournament, who do you consider the favourites to win Euro 2008?

A My favourites are France, Germany, Italy, Portugal and Spain. I saw Portugal play very well against Turkey. They have very good players - very strong in defence, good fantasy in attack. Fantasy is very important in modern football. Without fantasy, without one player dribbling or making good passes, it can be impossible to score goals.