England coach Fabio Capello has said that he can't fathom the crazy mindset of star striker Wayne Rooney.
England coach Fabio Capello has said that he can't fathom the crazy mindset of star striker Wayne Rooney.
Reacting to Rooney being sent off in the 73rd minute of the match against Montenegro, which ended in a two all draw but helped England secure the point needed to qualify for the Euro 2012 final, Capello felt that the striker simply lost the plot and earned a Euro 2012 ban.
"I can't enter into the head of Wayne Rooney when he plays. I can speak before, I can substitute him, I can find different solutions. But the reaction of the players, you cannot understand during the game, why things happen. Not just Rooney," The Sun quoted Capello, as saying.
"The incident happened right in front of me and I saw Rooney kick their player so I think the red card was OK. I hope he will learn a lesson from this. He was frustrated to lose the ball but his red card was just because of what happened on the pitch ufffd it had nothing to do with any personal matters," he added.
Former England star Jamie Redknapp last night slammed Rooney for his moment of madness, which means he is likely to be banned for the Three Lions'' first two group games next summer.
Redknapp blasted: "What was Rooney thinking of? We should be celebrating England qualifying for Euro 2012 but instead it's all been overshadowed by his red card.
"We were 2-1 up at the time and there was just no need for it. Why on earth would you get involved in something like that?
"Everybody keeps saying Wayne has learnt his lesson ufffd but he clearly hasn''t. It''s a devastating blow for us and the whole tournament."
"He's at his best when he's in control of his emotions, not when he is going around kicking people. I'm just so angry and frustrated."
Former England boss Glenn Hoddle said: "I must admit I was completely wrong about Rooney. Before the game I said I thought he was in a good place at the moment and really cool. How wrong was I?
"You have to take the rough with the smooth when it comes to players like Wayne. He must find a way of counting to 10 in those situations," he added.
Capello said: "I think it's been a good experience for us and, most of all, the players to understand they need to be focused for 90 minutes, not just for 35. I hope we have learned a good lesson for the future."
