DON'T BLOW IT NOW; Capello's 'new' England must show they will not slip back into their bad old ways.

Byline: MARTIN LIPTON 

FABIO CAPELLO has made his players believe in themselves again.

Now he has to make them match the expectations of the supporters who are beginning to trust them too.

A full house at Wembley this evening will arrive anticipating a comfortable England victory, even if the fans share the manager's doubts over Peter Crouch.

But while Capello has transformed the mindset and approach of his squad towards the business of getting results on the pitch, he has not yet tested their ability to cope with the familiar failings of the past.

Too often in recent years, England sides under a succession of managers have tripped over obstacles they should have cleared without a fuss.

Bulgaria, Sweden, Macedonia - twice - Israel and of course Northern Ireland have all picked England's pockets to steal points that should never have been frittered away.

Capello's stern reign is all about ensuring those mistakes do not reappear and the Italian has reminded his players they must not allow Ukraine to take the shine off the good work done with those four successive qualifying wins. For Capello, and England, three points tonight will be more than just a significant victory on the road to the World Cup. It will also be a further sign that the past has been conquered.

Capello said: "Against Slovakia, we won a friendly game. That was all. Now we have to be focused on the Ukraine game. We cannot be relaxed.

"This is very important.

We've trained twice after the last victory and I don't see signs of complacency.

"The Slovakia game was very important for our confidence. I see the players are now playing without fear and always making the right movements on the pitch. This is important.

"I have seen them starting to play with the same confidence they have with their clubs.

"Before, when they played for England they did not show the same level. I don't know if it's down to me.

But it's my job." A job that Capello is performing with the minimum of fuss but the maximum return, although tonight's enforced change up front will put the onus on the coach to show he has a side capable of adapting.

Capello did not attempt to hide his lack of faith in Crouch, implicitly conceding the Portsmouth striker's selection is only for want of fit alternatives.

But with Darren Bent ruled out by his knee tendon injury, the role of Aaron Lennon on the right will be pivotal, with the Spurs flier asked to stretch the pitch and prevent Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard being stuck in the same congested area as Ukraine linchpin Anatoliy Tymoschuk.

Capello agreed: "The most important thing is the movement of Gerrard, Lennon and Rooney, the movement near Crouch, so that they can find space away from Tymoschuk.

"Crouch can't do the same movement as Heskey, can't press like Heskey so what we need is the movement of the others around him. It will be a very dangerous game because Ukraine play very well on the counter-attack.

"We have to play like a team, like a group.

"This is the most important thing. Not individuals." Nothing sums up Capello's mantra more aptly than that final statement, although the Italian will expect the recall of Rio Ferdinand to help tighten up a back line that was worryingly sloppy against the Slovaks on Saturday.

While Capello's players are talking in glowing terms of the manager's "aura", the Italian knows how swiftly such monuments can be dismantled.

"People are saying many good things about me - so they are waiting for the mistakes," he added.

"When you win, you are the best manager; when you lose, you are nothing." Victory tonight would be evidence that Capello really has changed England for the better.

A return to the complacent past might suggest that change is only skin-deep. This one matters.

PREVIOUS MEETINGS...

ENGLAND 2 UKRAINE 0 (MAY 31 2000, WEMBLEY)

THE potent partnership of Andriy Shevchenko and Sergiy Rebrov misfired woefully in a friendly in London as Kevin Keegan's England eased to victory.

A rare international goal for Robbie Fowler (left) gave England the lead before Tony Adams scored his first goal for his country in over 11 years to seal the win.

ENGLAND 3 UKRAINE 0 (AUG 18 2004, ST JAMES' PARK)

ANOTHER friendly and another convincing win, this time under Sven Goran Eriksson.

In Newcastle, England scored a first-half opener through David Beckham (left).

Michael Owen and sub Shaun Wright-Phillips both netted.

THREE UKRAINE DANGER

DMYTRO CHYGRYNSKIY The strapping Shaktyar Donetsk centre-back (left), already linked with Liverpool, will concede four inches to Peter Crouch.

But he will be hoping to make a massive impression to earn a move to the Premier League.

He has admitted: "A move to a big club in England would be a dream."

ANATOLIY TYMOSCHUK Bayern Munich-bound Tymoschuk is the cornerstone of the Ukraine side, a seasoned veteran at 30 who will look to prevent Gerrard or Rooney influencing the game.

The Zenit St Petersburg star has proved adept at screening the defence behind him and can pass with quality too.

ANDRIY SHEVCHENKO A flop at Chelsea and struggling for fitness yet how often have Premier League failures come back to haunt England in the past? This could prove Sheva's last big game on the world stage and he would love to make a mark. A physical battle could count against him - he has only played twice for AC Milan this season.

CAPTION(S):

LET'S GO TO WORK Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney and Terry lead the way as England players prepare to take on Ukraine