Let me get this straight: despite what the bookies say, I believe England have very little chance of winning the World Cup.
First of all, history is completely against them. No European team has ever won a WC when it was hosted outside Europe (though I reckon Spain could have a good shot at breaking that record this year). England themselves haven't been past the quarter finals in my life time and, when you look at the quality squads boasted by countries such as Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, it's difficult to see this changing.
Still, England is England. And they believe they've got what it takes to win. So I'll dump my scepticism for a moment and take a good look at England's chances, in their group and in the tournament as a whole.
In terms of their squad, it's an impressive one. They've got an experienced and match-fit defence, most of whom have had pretty good seasons. Marshalled by newly elected captain Rio Ferdinand, they'll be a force to be reckoned with.
They're equally as impressive in the midfield. And upfront. In fact, I'm prepared to take a leap of faith and tip Wayne Rooney to continue his impressive club season and be a real standout for England.
Honestly, there's not much wrong with England on paper. But their recent performances would suggest otherwise. A dismal first half performance against Japan a couple of nights ago saw the Japanese take an early 1-0 lead.
It was only after a series of half time substitutions (mainly experienced players on for young guns), that England really started to dominate. In their friendly against Mexico last week, they were flattered by the 3-1 scoreline. Mexico, inspired by Guillermo Franco, caused them a few problems and on a different night, the game could've gone the opposite way.
Despite these concerns, I have absolutely no doubt England will progress. It's the round of 16 that will, I think, trip them up. They'll come up against any one of Germany, Australia, Serbia or Ghana, all of whom are likely to cause them problems.
So, England's chances of a World Cup title? Not looking good.
My prediction: Round of 16 - Maybe a quarter finals appearance (though not at the expense of the Socceroos of course!)
