By Phil McNulty
Chief football writer at Wembley
Fabio Capello regards victory as football's only worthwhile currency - so England's win against Switzerland made it a satisfactory first week with his new charges.
England were promising and patchy in equal measure under the Italian's stern gaze, at least providing the minimum requirement of a win to open the Capello era.
Capello will have learned much about the talent he has at his disposal, but the more intriguing sub-plot could lie in what they have learned about him.
This was no glorious opening to a new golden age. There was still a hangover from the Steve McClaren era that shattered England's confidence and credibility.
There were pluses in the performances of Wayne Rooney, Joe Cole and David Bentley - and minuses in the displays of Ashley Cole and Wes Brown.
Cole is so far removed from the defender that excelled at Arsenal that he will soon face a fight to save his international career, while Brown is hardly international class in his favoured central defensive position, so his emergence at right-back in Capello's first side ahead of Micah Richards was a mystery.
Switzerland were game without carrying a killer punch. Capello declared himself happy with England's defence, perhaps a case of uncharacteristic generosity. A side of greater quality would have inflicted punishment.
England looked vulnerable defensively, with only Rio Ferdinand a likely long-term presence from this line-up, and defending set pieces will figure prominently on Capello's "to do" list before the friendly in France next month.
"Capello inspires awe, respect and even a little fear in a squad that had life too easy"
The attacking system also needs fine-tuning. Rooney is better playing behind a striker rather than up front on his own - how Capello addresses this problem, and who with, will be fascinating.
Capello has not had time to put any serious imprint on England's football, so even defeat at Wembley would not have been cause for national despair.
Indeed, if an England side managed by McClaren had produced this performance, it would have been greeted with a wave of supreme indifference. A new coach, however, is cut a little slack and everyone left Wembley relatively happy with what they had seen.
But if there is a major factor to take away from Capello's first working week with England, it is his footballing philosophy that will have left a clear impression on his players.
The days of England's star system are over. The era of a high-profile group of players being assured of selection simply by joining up with the squad has passed.
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The sight of Michael Owen, sitting dejected and dropped behind Capello on the Wembley bench, provided the living proof.
Rooney plays better with another striker, and when Capello chose to employ one, he plumped for Peter Crouch rather than England's golden boy of previous years.
And Capello's reaction to interrogation on the subject of Owen and David Beckham merely rubber-stamped the ruthless pragmatism he has brought to England's set-up after the all-too-cosy Sven-Goran Eriksson and McClaren regimes.
Asked about Owen's exclusion and his failure to introduce him at any stage, Capello said: "I think about substitutions according to what I see on the pitch. If people perform the way I want I keep them on the pitch."
Capello also showed a glorious disregard for grandstanding in response to chants for Beckham from Wembley's impatient crowd late in the first half.
He laughed, well almost, and said: "It doesn't influence me at all. I'm happy for fans to chant David Beckham's name because he is a good player, but the things I do have nothing to do with my personal feelings for a player."
In other words, this is a polite Italian message telling the fans they are wasting their time attempting to press-gang Capello into populist decisions.
Owen faces a fight to regain his place, while Beckham's future is clearly under a cloud. The new order has started to emerge.
Capello has cut an impressive and imposing figure this week, whether he is outlining the discipline he demands from his players or whether he is making a slow march from the dug-out to make a point in his technical area.
And there is little doubt, despite his protestations, that he inspires awe, respect and even a little fear in a squad that had life too easy under the previous umbrella-wielding incumbent.
They do not know what to make of Capello, which probably suits him down to the ground.
England's win saw them take the first tentative steps on the road to rehabilitation under Capello as they try to heal the wounds inflicted by the failure to reach Euro 2008.
It was functional rather than flowing, and everything must be placed in proper perspective, but as Capello might say, Rome wasn't built in a day and he is putting the first bricks in place.
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