After surviving the hand-wringing that accompanied his side's dismal World Cup exit to Germany, Capello launches the Three Lions into a new era at Wembley tomorrow night when they take on Hungary in a friendly.

Yet again after a major tournament, expectation has hit rock-bottom, with few taking the Italian seriously when he claimed yesterday that his charges could win Euro 2012.

History indicates it will only take a successful start to the qualifying campaign for spirits to soar again, with Capello acknowledging the job he took on in December 2007 could not be much tougher.

"Managing England is not easy. Probably it is a little bit harder than in other countries," said Capello, refuting the accusation that he is only continuing in the job because of his £6million-a-year contract.

"The money is not very important. The confidence of the FA was important for me.

"If they had said 'thanks very much' then fine. I don't want to stay just because I signed a contract.

"I want to try again and go forward. I want to try to win something."

After watching the way Spain and Germany performed in South Africa, comparing that with the efforts of an ageing England team for whom Fulham's Bobby Zamora appears to represent the future, it is not immediately obvious how anyone could view England as contenders to win Euro 2012.

Yet that is exactly what Capello feels.

"I am here to win the Euros. I think we are a good team. We are a good team.

"I have confidence in this team. I don't like to work for anyone without expectations.

"I want to win something. It is always in my mind.

"If I am here, it is because I have got the confidence of the FA and because I think I can do it."

For all the suspicion that remains in England, Capello is still highly thought of and revealed he has had three job offers since the World Cup alone.

He is still committed to the Three Lions though, even if he has no real idea just yet how he will get over the seemingly intractable problem of improving the shape his players are in when heading to a major tournament, should they reach the Finals in Poland and the Ukraine.

He said: "I remember when Denmark won the European Championships (in 1992) they arrived at the last moment.

"I don't know what we have to do to improve the minds of the players.

"At this moment I really don't know but we will have to change something."