EURO 2012 DRAW: FABIO ON EASY STREET

FABIO Capello ended a chaotic week with a stroke of luck in ­Poland.

The ice-cool England boss proved he is on a hot streak by landing an easy Euro 2012 qualifying group.

And all this on the back of what seems like an easy start to the World Cup in South Africa with games against the USA, Algeria and Slovenia.

The Three Lions – now ­skippered by Rio Ferdinand – will be in a five-team group which Capello was delighted with.

The only tricky games could be against John Toshack’s Wales, with bragging rights at stake.

But the rest of Group G should be a breeze as England face ­Bulgaria, Switzerland and ­Montenegro.

The nine group winners will join hosts Poland and Ukraine at the tournament, along with the best ­second-placed side.

The other eight group runners-up will go into play-offs for the four remaining spots.

Capello seemed delighted to be getting back to football ­matters after a week dealing with the ­Terrygate scandal.

And with a World Cup to come, the qualifying campaign for Euro 2012 seems a long way off.

Capello, of course, will be ­hoping England go into it as World Cup winners.

They might still be a long shot, but speaking at Warsaw’s Palace of Culture, Capello said: “Every game will be really tough.

“It will be interesting. It will be impossible for us to play even one game relaxed.

“I was speaking to John Toshack on the plane and he was telling me how Wales are a young team. Their average age is 22.

“It’s nice to focus on football ­always. I want to speak about the draw. Switzerland will be really tough. My first game was against Switzerland and we have moved along since then.

“I remember I was really happy after seeing them play in ­training, but it was not the same in the match.

“The players were not the same players out on the pitch that I saw in training.

“I think, when we play ­Switzerland again, we will show that we have progressed since my first game in charge.

“I know a lot of Welsh players – they are good, young players. It will be interesting.

“Derbies are never normal games. It will be one of the most important games for me.” ­England will be confident given their record against these ­opponents.

They beat Wales twice in their qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup under Sven Goran Eriksson, while Bulgaria have never defeated England in eight attempts.

Capello secured a 2-1 win over the Swiss in his first game in charge in February 2008, with England having beaten them 3-0 at Euro 2004.

Eriksson’s England beat ­Serbia and Montenegro – as they were then – 2-1 in 2003.

Wales have a talented young team including Aaron Ramsey, Gareth Bale, Joe Ledley and Jack Collison. Toshack is relishing the chance to take on Capello, ­saying: “It is a difficult group but with Switzerland, Bulgaria and ­Montenegro we will give it a go.

“Then, of course, there is the ­rivalry with England.

“It is a long time since the home international championships .

Cracking

“I did play against England in a World Cup qualifying group a long time ago (for the 1974 ­tournament) when there were just three countries, us two and ­Poland .

“We are a young side and ­recently had a couple of cracking Under-21 games against them.

“Most of those lads who played in those games will be in the squad when these games come around next year so they will be excited. We lost in Cardiff to England when I took over.

“But things have changed a lot for us since then and they have for England as well.

“Obviously it will be a difficult one for us and England will be the favourites for the group but our lads will relish the ­challenge .”

England are clear favourites in the group, though. As long as Capello does not do a Steve McClaren, they should sail through.

As the Bulgaria coach Stanimir Stoilov said: “England are strong favourites and because of that we are all playing for second place.”

Let’s hope so.

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