Tabasco for English team training

Health experts say the spicy additions to the team's daily diet will work as natural anti-inflammatory aids to keep bruises and swellings down. Also, carbohydrates and high sugar food like dried apricot are essential to provide fuel for players for 90 minutes.

This why, here is in the news now that Capello requested players to dine with extra hot chilli sauces and sharp English mustard, and the team is sending piles of Tabasco bottles, Nando's Peri Peri and tubes of eye-watering Wasabi paste.

Capello cancelled team request for Jaffa cakes and replaced them with apricots, seaweed and pine nuts, organice chocolate and herbal tea in addition to the custard and strawberry jam.

As for the Italian team, they are packing piles of risotto rice, their own pasta from Rome, Tesco's virgin olive oil, Giacobazzi, balsamic vinegar and Cardini Caesar dressing. Also high sugar foods such as jams and dried apricots are on the list.

This reminds me also of a story I read about 1990 WC, when German team had a lot of grilled meat (BBQ) two days before their semi-final vs. England. Beckenbauer was so angry and requested the cheif big pasta meal the next day to restore the energy in the muscles.

In Comparison, in 1993 UAE lost to Japan 0-2 in WCQ in Tokyo. Valeri Lobanovsky their Ukrainian coach at that time said that one of the main reasons to lose was a heavy 'biryani' meal (Indian meat and rice) that the team ate the lunch before the game. It made them heavy and slow during the game.

The local and regional press, made it laugh story of the week. As it would be the last 'escape goat' a coach should think of when losing. We remember days when players were real men and eating piles of meat and rice, not a burger generation ..........etc.

I still think that UAE would not have beaten Japan that game, even if they ate good pasta and tabasco, but I put my vote to Lobanovsky, that more attention should be given to local teams nutritions.