ENGLAND coach Fabio Capello has called on his players to be more comfortable on the ball.

The Italian made the plea after watching his side slump to a 2-0 defeat to Spain on Wednesday.

Capello thinks England now need to learn how to adapt against different opposition.

He said: "We had as many chances to score but Spain played better because possession is very important to them.

"All their players are technically very good. It is very difficult to win back the ball."

He added: "Normally my team imposes its own style on the opposition. This time we didn't. It was the worst part of the game.

"Our style is fine against a lot of teams. But when we play against South American teams we have to understand what to do."

Capello is viewing the match as a valuable lesson and is not using the absence of Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard as a reason for the defeat in Seville.

However, he did comment that his team had insufficient time to prepare for the clash.

The Italian is now analysing the Spain defeat in a bid to get his team in better shape for the tests that lie ahead.

"It is not a step backwards, it is one step forward," said Capello.

"You learn more in defeat and yes, this could be our most important lesson of the year.

"When you play against Spain everyone understands you can lose sometimes. In the future I hope we will win."