International news: England players need to improve their technique and transfer their club form to the national team, Fabio Capello's aide Franco Baldini has spelled out.

Baldini, who is the England team's general manager, said there were some positives from the 2-1 win over Switzerland but that there were shortcomings in technical skills.

He picked out the tendency of players to hit long passes as one problem - and that even Premier League players needed intensive practice to improve.

Baldini said: "We are trying to play more with the ball because the English culture is after two, three passes to hit a long ball.

"We have to try and play more. We have to play with more confidence because it's easier to play when the ball is at your feet.

"So we have to try and incorporate this confidence in our game, in our self, to give us more chances. We need more technical skill. We have to practise, practise, practise.

"Unfortunately we have the players just for a few days every two months and so, on this occasion, we had four training sessions. Maybe some managers here will not approve of this but we have to try at all times so that we can do that."

Baldini insists he and Capello are not trying to turn England into a team that plays in the Italian way, but to reproduce their club form on the international stage.

He added: "England have to play like England. But maybe a little bit better. Some things were good in this game, some things not. But it was good enough.

"Many times, we think about why some players are so important for their club - not just domestically but in European competition too - but they are less effective for England.

"What we have to work out is why that is. Maybe with their clubs, they play with less pressure than they play with for England.

"Pressure can be a good thing but it can also have a negative effect, so we have to manage this.

"It's not a question of their desire. We know they want to play and perform but it's a problem we want to address.

"This week has been very important for us so we can see things at first hand."

Much has been made of the strict rules imposed by Capello on the squad, including banning golf at the training camp, dressing smartly, sitting down to meals together, and restricting mobile phones and flip-flops to players' rooms.

Baldini though is surprised the rules have drawn so much attention - they are the norm in Italian clubs. He said: "You talk about a new regime but it's normal. If you are at the table with the rest of the players it's best to switch off your phone and not use it.

"There are no special rules, it's just normal. I don't see anything special. It's normal just to help the players stay together."