Fabio Capello.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON -- Emboldened by a strong start to European Championship qualifying, England coach Fabio Capello feels able to swat away his critics with more confidence.

Since England's second-round exit from the World Cup, Capello's tactics and methods have come under intense scrutiny as his aura of authority has eroded.

Now, rather than trying to defend his style of management and big-game decisions, the 64-year-old Italian is adopting a spiky approach to reporters' questions -- even in the aftermath of the 4-0 victory over Bulgaria on Friday.

"For me, in the morning, when you shave you look at yourself in the mirror and say 'OK or not OK?' ... is what you wrote about this man correct or not correct?" Capello said referring to himself. "I'm sure what I brought (to the team) was good. I try to do my job really well, I sometimes make mistakes, sometimes I do well like (against Bulgaria)."

One tabloid portrayed Capello as a donkey after being unhappy with his squad choices for the opening Euro 2012 qualifiers, which includes an away match against Switzerland on Tuesday.

"I read some things -- you decide what you write, I can't change it," said Capello, who has led Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus and Roma to titles. "I always feel the same -- there is no change in me."

Since his early playing days at Italian side SPAL, Capello has seen his prospects prematurely written off.

"I started my career with a lot of big injuries and when I was 20-years-old the newspapers said, 'The career is finished for Fabio,"' Capello recalled. "I worked always really hard and I stayed strong and this time is the same."

Early this week, Capello complained that he was being portrayed as a "monster" by the English media, having been treated as a "god" during World Cup qualifying.

Asked in the wake of the Bulgaria match whether he should be shown more respect, Capello replied: "Respect is not the right word because 'respect' in Italy means something different. The word 'respect' has a lighter meaning in English."

Against Bulgaria there was more attacking ruthlessness than was evident in South Africa -- or even in the warmup matches building up to the tournament -- as Jermain Defoe scored a hat trick, while new first-choice goalkeeper Joe Hart pulled off a string of fine saves.

Yet the emphatic win at Wembley Stadium came with seven of the team that lost 4-1 to Germany in Bloemfontein.

Clearly exasperated about the World Cup post-mortem continuing during Euro 2012 qualifying, Capello repeated his frustration that the players were too tired to perform in June after a gruelling season.

"I told you before, the moment is different, but you didn't want to listen," Capello said. "The players were fresh and were ... sharp. That is so important in modern football."

Capello's next major test is a match against the only team to beat eventual World Cup winner Spain in the tournament: Switzerland.