Ferdinand praises 'business-like' Capello regime

(GETTY IMAGES)

Stand-in skipper Rio Ferdinand has described Fabio Capello's England as a "business-like" regime comparable to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Ferdinand, who takes the armband instead of John Terry for the World Cup qualifier in Belarus, feels Capello is forging a club mentality that has served English teams so well in the Champions League recently.

At Dinamo Stadium in Minsk, Ferdinand will lead a side out putting emphasis on the result rather than the performance - the same mindset the 29-year-old has at Old Trafford.

Three points will mean four wins from four and England's best start to a World Cup qualifying campaign.

"It's only the beginning of the new manager's regime but he is very business-like and I think that is coming through to the players in the team," said Ferdinand.

"A lot of us play our league football with that frame of mind - it is business-like and three points is three points. The performance is second, you'd like to play well but if you win you are very happy.

"That is the way we are, we want to come out of here with three points and go home happy, the mindset is the same in training and around the hotel.

"Hopefully it will translate into the game and turn into the right result."

Capello has made brave decisions already in his tenure and faces more dilemmas against Belarus, starting with who to replace injured Chelsea duo Terry and Ashley Cole, and how to get the best out of Steven Gerrard.

The Italian's authority and ruthlessness reminds Ferdinand of Ferguson.

"He is the manager, there is no discussion that he is the boss," Ferdinand said.

"His decision is final and as a player you like that, you want to be under a manager that is very strong and demands a lot from all the players. You want to go out and impress that man.

"Alex Ferguson is the same - he is the leader of the ship - and it's the same at international level."

Ferdinand wants his team-mates to make history with a win against Bernd Stange's men.

Confidence is high following last month's win in Croatia, but Ferdinand is also wary of Belarus following impressive results against footballing heavyweights.

"The manager's made it clear that this will be a very tough game, they've played against the likes of Argentina and Holland and France," Ferdinand said.

"The English public may not see them as a real threat but their results don't lie and we have to make sure we apply ourselves in the right way, in the right frame of mind and with a professional attitude.

"A draw would be a decent result but we want to win, we want to have a great start and be the best this country has had in 30-odd years to start a tournament.

"That is something there for us to achieve and we want to do that.

"After the game we will now whether it is a point gained or two dropped, if we draw. But we feel we are capable of winning the game."

Wayne Bridge is in contention to replace Cole at left-back, while Matthew Upson stood in for Terry against Kazakhstan on Saturday, when England appeared nervy in defence at times.

"As an England player, you can't go out of any game without some people being disgruntled with certain aspects," Ferdinand said.

"That is part and parcel of being an international footballer and you have to take the rough with the smooth. Even when you win you have to look at the negative stuff.

"We look deep within ourselves, at the negative things in the game, like Saturday when we won but there were things we could improve on. We can't harp on about how good we are, we have to think about what we are not good at."