The Three Lions are landing back on their home turf today and before they even deplane, the English media will be on them like hounds. Their defeated faces will be splashed across the tabloids with horribly corny puns similar to the one shown in Nike’s ‘Write the Future Ad’.

And the whole country is going to be grilling Capello, the players, FIFA, the location, and even the way the EPL is run. Right now, as I type this, England’s (least) favourite Italian is being questioned with more intensity than the Spanish Inquisition.  No surprise. England is going to look for a single scapegoat to bear their string of poor performances and German slaughter. We saw hints of this when Capello swiftly shut down John Terry’s all-team meeting and the English media immediately pounced on Terry in attempts of making him a backup scapegoat—just in case the English lost.

England, I ask you, why can there only be one reason why you failed to revive 1966? Because, really, aren’t a combination of all of the above named factors a reason why you lost?

Capello’s not perfect, that’s a fact. But no one is. Not even Maradona. Sure, he spent too much time trying to find the right starting XI, made some tactical errors, refused to pull out underperforming superstars like Rooney and barely acknowledged the team’s request for Joe Cole to play. But that’s his style. Capello does things his way and while critics may say that he should’ve adopted the less-harsh English method, it probably would have lead to a quicker downfall and probably not a qualifier.

The players are always the hardest and the easiest to blame. The so-called Golden Generation of footballers were supposed to pave the way to a victory that only dreams could concoct. But everybody underperformed. Nobody seemed to have the heart to play. Nobody seemed to want it after Robert Green’s howler. The whole team scored a total of 3 goals. Lampard had arguably the best game of any of the players, but even then, his semi-lackluster performance didn’t debut until the threat of elimination was made very real. Speaking of…

USA fans will forever lament the two discounted goals, but they won’t moan about it nearly as much as England will Lampard’s. The call to FIFA for the inclusion of instant replay and better refereeing will be louder from the British Isles than anywhere else. (Except maybe a jilted Mexico). And with FIFA staying mum on their ref’s performances, it’s not going to make matters any better. To be fair, this is probably England’s best argument for their loss, as an equaliser would have drastically altered the momentum of the second half and prevented such a blitzkrieg.

The environment is always one of the first to be blamed for poor performances: altitude change, a wintertime World Cup, poor pitch conditions, vuvuzelas, etc. I’m surprised the team hasn’t lashed out at the Jabulani ball yet…oh, wait.

The most outrageous argument that has come up thus far has been against the number of foreign players that are allowed to play in the EPL. English players are apparently not getting enough playing time and feel suffocated by the number of foreigners in the clubs. Okay.

When it comes down to it, England have only themselves to blame. Maybe Capello’s no WAGs rule had something to do with it…

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England have limped to two draws in World Cup Group C action, having failed to score in 176 consecutive minutes following Steven Gerrard's spectacular 4th minute strike versus the United States. Once again England are underwhelming in an international tournament, or are they?

The reality of the situation is that England is severally limited squad with a manager who is a novice to major international competitions. Despite a remarkable club record, Fabio Capello has generally managed front runners, the likes of Real Madrid or Milan. England in terms of international football is the equivalent of  Aston Villa or Athletico Madrid, and Capello's methods seem to fall short. Capello is known for strong discipline and knee jerk tactical flexibility: he has never had a true system rather being adaptable and fluid in his methods (perhaps too fluid when it comes to a mediocre side like England). For a Three Lions team on the decline with players that cannot consistently play with a sense of style or purpose (as proven regularly in the past) he was probably a bad fit. Then again, almost any manager would be a bad fit for this group of England players.

Many England fans once again have entered a major international competition lacking perspective and respect for the level of opposition the "mighty" Three Lions face. Without any decent frame of reference, we were once again subjected to cries of England having the best set of players in the world, the best manager, and the easiest group. English fans and writers once again engaged in drunken punch of self delusion and fantasies of grandeur without ever considering the quality of the opposition or England's own limitations both player and manager wise.

England's midfield lacks a true ball winner, like Owen Hargreaves. The midfield also lacks the type of central midfielder that can hold the ball and dictate the flow of a game. The lack of tactical variety and defensive technical adeptness in England's Premier League where the entire squad plays, limits the skill level required to in a midfield role in the league. On a weekly basis, much more technically gifted and efficient passing midfielders are on display in Germany's Bundesliga and Spain's La Liga than in England. Exceptions such as Arsenal's Cesc Fabergas, Everton's Tim Cahill and Manchester United's Paul Scholes are obvious, but none of the three players just mentioned is currently available for England selection.

England's attack is reliant on the best player on the planet (arguably) finding space, creating his own scoring opportunities and finishing chances. This is a herculean task even Pele may not have coped well with. A dysfunctional midfield has forced Wayne Rooney to drop deeper and deeper in midfield to get adequate service and to act as a proxy midfielder because of the ineffectiveness of Capello's 4-4-2 formation. Emile Heskey is good foil for Rooney, but he too is limited by what lies behind him, a midfield full of players who do not move the ball quickly and struggle with one touch football.

Today, we are subjected to taunts about Fabio Capello's fitness for the job. As I stated on the World Cup Buzz Group C Preview podcast, I would choose Bob Bradley, the (highly experienced) US coach over Capello at the international level. My statement, widely ridiculed at the time has now become somewhat prophetic. Capello's major flaws are that he has never managed in a three match round robin group and have made squad selections in the type of manner a club manager would. Secondly, he had never worked with a group this limited in terms of technical ability and tactical awareness. Given this later statement, it is difficult to see many managers doing well with this England team.

Yet the delusional nature of England fans continues to persist. I've read numerous account of fans now believing the team is being hurt solely by Capello and another manager could have led England to winning the World Cup. Firstly, England is still technically alive to win the World Cup 2010 and the traditional top national teams have underwhelmed themselves, so the gap between England (and the USA, Slovenia and Algeria for that matter) and the top nations is actually smaller than I had believed it to be before the tournament. Secondly, with very few vocal England fans actually watching and appreciating foreign leagues and national teams outside Europe, the case can be easily made that Capello's England is not underachieving but simply hitting its natural level with a group of overage and overworked players. (Fixture congestion in England is perhaps the worst in the world.)

England's footballing limitations were obvious for anyone who looked carefully enough pre-tournament. Yet, fans have abused and mocked players, creating a level of expectation which is impossible to meet without incredible luck or match fixing. It is the fans along with their enablers on Fleet Street who have created this atmosphere of backbiting and defeatism that have brought whatever chance and quality England does posses screeching to a halt. The fans themselves owe the Three Lions squad an apology. To imply the team is not trying because despite their best efforts they are not meeting a completely unrealistic and unattainable goal is simply criminal. To verbally attack Wayne Rooney, who wears his heart on his sleeve and David Beckham is unforgivable and bring English fans into disrepute for the world to see.

The squad led by skipper Steve Gerrard are owed an apology from the fans whose delusions of grandeur doomed England's dressing room psychology before the tournament even began. A goodwill gesture would be for the fans and tabloids to formally apologize to captain Gerrard and wish the side well in its do or die clash with Slovenia on Wednesday.

OTHER GROUP C THOUGHTS

• For the first time in its history, the USA have achieved results against two European sides in a single World Cup. In some ways this is a high water mark for the program, but the side still has yet to win a World Cup game against  non CONCACAF opposition since the first group game of the 2002 World Cup. That's eight consecutive draws or losses against the rest of the world.
• I loved the way Algeria moved the ball in the midfield yesterday. The Desert Foxes could have won Group C if midfield maestro Mourad Meghni was available for the competition. That's how even Group C has been. As it stands, Algeria is likely to finish last in the Group.
• Slovenia has not meet my personal expectation for their play either tactically or technically yet in this World Cup. Despite this, they lead the weak group with four points and simply need a draw versus England to advance.
• The American media has been in a frenzy about the disallowed Mo Edu goal that would have given the USA all three points yesterday versus Slovenia. Yet, little or no time has been spent on the obvious blown call where Clint Dempsey should have been sent off in the first minute for viciously leading with his elbow. Either the official was incompetent, or simply did not want to affect the game reducing one team to ten men with eighty nine minutes of football left to play. We saw Daniele De Rossi sent off and suspended three additional games for a similar elbow against the US in 2006.

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Lippi makes his choices

Some English pundits have dubbed it the group of EASY. England, Algeria, Slovenia, and Yanks (USA), but like every World Cup group that does not feature a true accidental qualifier (like North Korea or New Zealand) each team in Group C has enough quality to cause problems.

England, no doubt has the highest profile players in the group, but a legitimate question exists as to whether they are actually the best collective unit in the Group. The last twelve months have seen both the United States and Algeria surprisingly advance deep in major international tournaments, and Slovenia shock Russia to qualify for the World Cup. Russia, of course was highly touted after piping England for a Euro 2008 spot and advancing to the semifinals of that tournament.

Also complicating matters is evaluating England’s preparation for this World Cup. High profile friendlies are always helpful, but the Three Lions have not played a competitive match against a side that qualified for South Africa 2010 since losing to Portugal in the 2006 World Cup.  By comparison, England’s first Group C opponent, the USA has played 14 competitive matches since 2007 against World Cup 2010 qualifiers, including two against favored Brazil.

Algeria’s 3-2 quarterfinal CAN victory over Cote D’ Ivoire sent shockwaves through African football. Twice the Algerians rallied from a deficit, and finally sealed the game in extra time. Slovenia’s two leg victory over Russia in the UEFA qualifying playoff was even more surprising. The small Balkan nation, previously qualified for World Cup 2002 and Euro 2000 but were not fancied to come out of a group with 2006 qualifiers Czech Republic and Poland as well as Northern Ireland and Slovakia, both squads with multiple high profile players.

If anything, England had the softest road to the World Cup of any of the Group C participants. That’s not to say they aren’t the strongest side, but that reinforces the reality that Fabio Capello, a master pragmatist of tactics and preparation must redouble his efforts to instill a team spirit in the Three Lions at the same time as ensuring the team is prepared for three very tough opponents.

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A number of players can stake a claim for being part of the best team in the world at this early period of the European domestic leagues. However, very few players standout the way those listed below have in terms of their contribution to their team, their role as leaders, and certainly their crucial involvement in their respective clubs.

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon- the Juventus and Azzurri custodian is back to his best and his outstanding saves have ensured the Bianconeri remain on course to qualify from their group in the Champions League as well as continue to challenge Internazionale for the Serie A title. Buffon has conceded only one dubious goal in Europe against Bordeaux. He saved the Old Lady on numerous occasions both in the domestic league and Europe. A poll in a previous segment of the website revealed that 65% of our readers voted for Buffon as the goalkeeper expected to be the best in South Africa (Please refer to The Best Goalkeepers in South Africa article written on November 5, 2009). Buffon has also been instrumental in Italy's qualification to South Africa 2010.

Defense: John Terry, Carles Puyol, Maicon Douglas and Giorgio Chiellini- (Please refer to The Best Defenders Headed To South Africa piece written on November 11, 2009)

- Terry is quite influential and anchors the Chelsea defense which has conceded a mere eight goals in 12 Premiership matches. He is one of the players Fabio Capello will be relying on to help England safely navigate through the group stage. Terry is one of the most respected and acclaimed defenders in the world. His name and that of Chelsea have been linked together since the Premier League titles began to arrive at Stamford Bridge during the Jose Mourinho era.

- Puyol is the captain of a Barcelona side which won the treble last season and has conceded only seven goals in 10 la Liga matches up to this point.

- Maicon is the flying right-back who not only retrieves the ball for Internazionale but often starts attacking moves from his flank. He is one of the Nerazzurri's most prized assets. The Brazilian has more votes than Terry, Puyol and Manchester United's Vidic put together in our poll in the article mentioned above.

- Chiellini is the player who adds steel to both Italy's and Juve's defensive line. He can score the occasional goal but is renowned for his solid tackling and tough approach to the game. He is expected to lead the line once Fabio Cannavaro retires. Almost half of our readers who voted in a poll chose Chiellini as the best defender heading to South Africa.

Midfield: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Marek Hamsik and Xabi Alonso

- Lionel Messi is one of the main catalysts behind Barcelona's treble last season and has continued his devastating form for his club having notched seven goals in la Liga this season. His performances with Argentina are not as impressive but then perhaps that is down to Diego Maradona's ill management of the players at his disposal as well as his debatable choice of players and tactics. When firing on all cylinders, Lio is a nightmare for defenders.

- Cristiano Ronaldo could perhaps be the only player from the current best 11 to miss out on South Africa 2010. Despite injury, Ronaldo has already found the back of the net on five occasions in la Liga not to mention his four goals in the Champions League. He will be hoping that his country will overcome his absence to beat Bosnia to qualify to the World Cup. The Portuguese hold a 1-0 edge after the weekend home win against the Bosnians.

- Marek Hamsik is perhaps a surprise inclusion to many but he has been one of the rising stars in Serie A the past couple of years and has helped Slovakia qualify to next summer's World Cup. Hamsik is a wanted man and elite clubs in Italy and Europe have shown interest in his capture. It will only be time before he is snapped up by a bigger club than Napoli. He has already scored seven goals in Serie A this season including his brace in the stunning come-from-behind victory against Juventus in Turin.

- Xabi Alonso has been severely missed by Liverpool which lost much of its midfield structure when it sold the player to Real Madrid. The negative results suffered by Liverpool cannot be attributed to the loss of Alonso alone but it is still a testament to his importance and value to any team he plays for. Alonso recently stamped his authority in the friendly match against Argentina and led his country to a win by scoring both of Spain's goals.

Attack: Didier Drogba and David Villa

-Didier Drogba has already scored nine goals in 12 Premiership matches not to mention the assists for a Chelsea team on top of the Premier League. Drogba has the speed and physical strength to out-muscle most defenders in England and Europe. He is a scoring threat in any match and can pop up to score a goal at any moment. He also led his country Ivory Coast to next summer's World Cup.

- David Villa has been in demand for the past couple of years yet he remained with Valencia and his goals have helped his club to fourth place in la Liga's standings. Villa has already scored eight times in nine games played in the Spanish league. He is one of the most dangerous attackers in Europe and the world. He will partner Fernando Torres in a lethal attack as they attempt to add World Cup 2010 to Spain's trophy cabinet after securing Euro 2008 for their country.

There are clearly other qualified players who can make the list yet all those mentioned above have played a key role for their club and/or country. All the players, except for Cristiano Ronaldo at this stage, will be participating in South Africa 2010.

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David Beckham's journey continues as recent confirmed reports in Italy suggest that he is on his way back to AC Milan for another loan deal. We have witnessed in the past big players moving from their clubs like Brazilian legend Ronaldo moved from Inter Milan to Real Madrid, Luis Figo from Barcelona to Read Madrid, Andriy Shevchenko from AC Milan to Chelsea, Thierry Henry from Arsenal to Barcelona, recently Kaka from AC Milan to Real Madrid and other big players had to move from one club to another at some stage of their careers. Those players had purpose for the transfers, few wanted to win more trophies, few wanted to face a new challenge, some of the players contract with their clubs expired, some had problem with the management or club fans.

David Beckham's loan spells at AC Milan are quite different of what we have experienced in the past. David Beckham moved from Real Madrid in 2007 to LA Galaxy of what at that time many believed was not a right decision because Becks was supposed to be in a better shape to play at the highest level and in the Europe as well. David Beckham had a huge impact in United States as many people turn in numbers to watch his signing at the club, those who knew him were delighted and those who didn’t were keen to see the class of the EX-English captain. The ticket sales of Beckham’s shirts were on high, people around the world turn their sight on MLS to some extent, their stadium tickets sales increased dramatically and LA Galaxy experienced something that they didn’t before.

Beckham's spell at LA Galaxy was a little mixed, he was central to the LA Galaxy plans, it was mix with injuries and poor form as well but what important is that he made a huge difference to the team in terms of its publicity and with their standard of play. Imagine a young player of the team training with becks must have learned a lot with his football skills and about the temperament to have in different situations of the game. LA Galaxy fans have a right to point finger at Beckham because he was unable to deliver what was expected or promised to the club and the league but we should also know clearly that what really was expected? & do players always deliver what is expected from them? If we take example of European player of the year Andriy Shevchenko’s big money arrival at Chelsea, did he deliver what was expected? Did galacticos deliver what was expected from them? And there are many more examples like this if we take a look around. So what I feel appropriate is that Beckham was able to deliver what was expected of him to some extent and it could have been even more if there was not a selection problem at England squad. We all are aware of Fabio Capello man management skills and about his discipline, his judgment of the players & who knows him better than Beckham having worked under him for about a year at Real Madrid when Spanish giants historically came back in the La Liga in the last season in Spain to actually win it.

Selection nightmares left Becks with no choice but to opt for a better club in terms of reputation, a club which will catch the eye of the England chief & there wasn’t any option available to Beckham but to move away from LA Galaxy in order to represent his nation for as long as possible. I think no will one can argue that a person should first of all think about his club than country, if Fulham playmaker Dempsey faces this situation he will certainly leave the club in order to make sure that he represents United States, his country first, and I hold that in highest regards. Beckham loan spell is different from other transfers that we have witnessed in the past because he don’t want to win trophies, he don’t want any new challenge, he don’t have any big issues with the management of the club at LA Galaxy all he wants is the position in the country and contribute in it, I believe that United Kingdom is very fortunate to be blessed with players like David Beckham as he has taken a lot of LA Galaxy fans and critics against him in order to represent his country but I also believe that majority of the LA Galaxy fans also understands and respects his decision so we should all be united to wish him a good spell at AC Milan and hope he can make it to the world cup finals in South Africa 2010.

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We got another edition of World Cup Buzz Top 5. This time we're going to breakdown the 5 best national team coaches right now. These 5 men have led their charges to surprise heights in qualifying for the 2010 World Cup or in some cases right on the door step of reserving their place in South Africa. So let's get down to the WCB Top 5.

5: REINALDO RUEDA - HONDURAS COACH

The native of Cali, Colombia is the leader of possibly Honduras' golden age of international football. Los Catrachos qualified for their 1st World Cup since Spain 1982. Rueda has had great success with Colombia's youth teams, leading Los Cafeteros to a 3rd place finish in the '03 FIFA World Youth Championship and 4th place in the '03 U-17 World Cup. Its time to give Rueda his due a skillful tactician and excellent personnel manager.

4: MARCELO BIELSA - CHILE COACH

The Argentine coach eats, breathes, and sleeps football. A quirky coach known to take his own pitch measurements before putting out his starting formation. He has turned Chile into the 2nd biggest surprise in South American qualifying and has Chile in South Africa 2010. Considering what has happened to Argentina since Bielsa left, his coaching acumen cannot be underestimated.

3: FABIO CAPELLO - ENGLAND COACH

Fabio Capello has won trophies at some of the biggest club teams in the world: Real Madrid, AC Milan, Juventus. His first foray as a national team coach has started off well. He hasn't won any trophies with England but he's turned England into a serious contender. Before his arrival, England was struggling, looked sloppy, and were in disarray. Capello has organized the team and brought confidence to The Three Lions while leading them to a place in South Africa with a near perfect qualifying record.

2: DUNGA - BRAZIL COACH

His birth name is Carlos Caetano Bledorn Verri but he's better known as Dunga. The Brazil coach was much criticized early in his Seleção tenure for the team's style of play but he's turned that sentiment around with a Copa America & Confederations Cup trophy. He's managed to check massive egos of star players for the cause of Brazil team glory and the result: Top spot in the toughest qualifying region in the world. Its one thing to have talent, its another to manage it and put it a position to win and Dunga has done that in arguably the most pressure packed national team job in the world.

1: GUUS HIDDINK - RUSSIA COACH

The Dutchman's accomplishments are impressive at the club level but his magic as a national team coach is irresistible. The last 3 World Cups he's taken his team into at least the 2nd round with 4th place finishes twice with Netherlands in 1998 and South Korea in 2002. Russia will qualify for 2010 and Hiddink has them looking primed for a deep run in South Africa. If a nation needs a man to lead the national team to the World Cup and make a deep & historic run than Guus Hiddink is that man.

There you have it, the best national team managers/coaches in the world. What do you think, did we leave anyone off? These men will be front & center in less than a year when The Great Tournament will capture the world's attention. One of these men could be national heroes if their sides lift The World Cup.

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It is quite difficult to compare the career path of Fabio Capello and Marcello Lippi. Both have been successful coaches and both hail from the Italian peninsula. They both coached Juventus of Turin during their glittering managerial career, yet the similarities end there.

While Capello's playing career far surpasses that of Lippi's, the gap in accolades between the two greatly diminishes once we begin to analyze their coaching resumes. Don Fabio played for Roma, Juventus, and Milan (and SPAL prior to those three teams) while his counterpart Lippi’s playing days were confined to Sampdoria and Pistoiese. Capello wore the Italian national team's shirt for over 30 games, but Lippi only made it as far as the U-23 team on a couple of occasions. Certainly Capello's record as a player is much more impressive and includes Serie A titles as well as Coppa Italia trophies in contrast with Lippi's empty cabinet as a player.

Moving on to coaching, Lippi's World Cup title must certainly give him an edge over Capello in the coaching department since the World Cup is the crowning achievement of any coach and/or player. A player's (and for that matter a manager's) greatness is often associated with World Cup titles won. Leo Messi might currently be the best player in the world yet for him to be considered amongst the best ever he certainly needs to win the World Cup. Players like Maradona, Pele and Zidane have all done it and that is precisely why they are often mentioned in midst of the debate over the world's best ever player. Perhaps a very comprehensive comparison between Zidane and Platini might emphasize even further the significance of winning the World Cup. Both Platini and Zidane won the European Championship with France as well as the Champions Cup (with Juventus and Real Madrid respectively), yet Zidane stands out for carrying France to the World Cup Final twice and winning it back in 1998. Consequently, it would be fair to say that at the moment Lippi ought to be considered as the more successful of the two coaches having won the World Cup in 2006.

Actually the circumstances and conditions during 2006 make Lippi's coaching achievement all the more remarkable. Lippi's own connections with Juventus as well as his son's involvement in the football scandal in Serie A must have all loomed large in his thought process. To make things worse, most of the Italian national team's players came from Juventus and Milan, two teams that were penalized as a result of the scandal. The Paul Newman lookalike did an admirable job both sheltering his players and channeling their focus in a positive way towards one objective which is winning the games on hand. In fact, players like G. Buffon, F. Cannavaro, G. Zambrotta and A. Pirlo all seemed to be enjoying their football and playing at their very best during the tournament in Germany. Lippi must also be credited with trusting Fabio Grosso who should be considered amongst the tournament's best finds. The current Juve left-back scored the Azzurri’s first goal in the semi-final match against Germany and followed that up with the crucial penalty in the Final versus France in Berlin.

On the other hand, none of Capello's achievements as a coach ought to be underestimated. Capello is a born winner and has shown that both as a player and as a manager. Capello has won everywhere he has coached from Milan to Roma and Juventus as well as Real Madrid. Currently Capello manages England's national team and if he succeeds in carrying them all the way to the Winners' podium in South Africa then very few can argue that he is not even better than the great Lippi. Marcello's time with Inter was a failure while his CV prior to Juventus includes managing clubs such as Siena, Cesena and Atlanta. It could be argued that Capello has been fortunate to always coach clubs with financial muscle, but history shows that there are numerous cases of coaches failing at big clubs.

For the moment, Lippi's 2006 victory gives him the edge over Capello yet no one should ignore Capello's legitimate claims for ascendency in the coaching department. However, without a World Cup Winner's Medal, Capello will not be able to surpass Marcello's greatness. It could be argued that Lippi is also more 'liked' amongst Italian fans since Capello left both Roma and Juventus under clouds of controversy while his second stint with Milan was not a pleasant one.

Maybe the upcoming World Cup will serve as the crucial decider between Lippi and Capello. It would certainly be fascinating if the Final in South Africa pitted Capello's England versus Lippi's Italy with each coach calling the shots from their respective dugout!

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With the 2010 World Cup now just over a year away, the pundits are already speculating as to who will take over from Italy as the World Champions. After some impressive recent performances and a much more solid look about them under Fabio Capello, excitement is (inevitably) starting to grow that 2010 South Africa could be England's year. Today, we run down some of the current favourites for the tournament.

Spain

The Euro 2008 winners continue to look strong, strolling through their group. Their squad oozes quality with stars like Torres, Villa, Silva, Fabregas, Alonso, Ramos, Puyol, Iniesta and the Euro 2008 player of the tournament Xavi Hernandez. After years of underachieving, the Spanish squad now looks the part and they would be my tip to win the tournament. The football betting odds agree, pricing Spain as the current favourites to be crowned 2010 champions.

Italy

The defending champions will certainly be considered genuine contenders to win the World Cup, having overcome the odds in 2006 to win the tournament for the fourth time. However, the Azzurri are not the force they once were – despite retaining the bulk of their 2006 winning squad, the majority of their star names such as Del Piero, Pirlo, Gattuso, Zambrotta are the wrong side of 30 and no longer at their peak. Young stars such as Sebastian Giovinco have shown potential, but nobody has yet filled the boots of the influential Francesco Totti, who retired from international football after the triumph in Germany.

England

Whisper it, but England are genuine contenders for the 2010 World Cup. Under Fabio Capello, England look organized and dangerous. The players seem to know their roles within the team, Wayne Rooney is enjoying his best international form since Euro 2004 and in Theo Walcott, they possess one of the most exciting talents in world football. It will be tough, but if they can somehow avoid the dreaded penalty shootout then they will certainly be among the contenders.

Brazil

In qualifying, they have looked distinctly average and it’s fair to say the stars of previous World Cup triumphs such as Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos haven’t been replaced by the new breed. However, Brazil still possess Kaka and the exciting prospect of Alexandre Pato so no matter what their pre-tournament form is, they still carry the fear factor and other nations will be hoping to avoid them.

Argentina

Like Brazil, they have been unconvincing in the qualifying campaign but a quick look through their squad which possesses ability like Kun Aguero, Carlos Tevez and of course the worlds best player Lionel Messi tells you that Argentina do have the capability to win the World Cup. Their defensive frailties remain though and there will be doubts over the tactics of rookie coach Diego Maradona, as well as his temperament with playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme already refusing to play for the national team while the legendary midfielder is in charge.

Germany

Never, ever write off the Germans. Pundits may tell you that German football is in decline but a quick look back at recent years which includes a semi-final appearance in 2006 and a final appearance in 2002, as well as reaching the final of Euro 2008 tells you otherwise. Germany have breezed through the qualifying campaign and led by Chelsea star Michael Ballack will be a major threat in South Africa.

Written by Danny Watson, a professional sports writer who blogs about football news.

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So, Capello has finally decided who his strikers will be for England's crucial world game qualifying match tomorrow versus Ukraine. Emile Heskey, Carlton Cole and Peter Crouch were all injured in England's friendly over the weekend, however Crouch has recovered in time to be the target man for the Ukraine match, supported by Rooney and Gerrard.

England's fifth choice striker was also injured in training this week, and the question on the lips of many who have an interest in English football is 'what has happened to the world-renowned English striking force of old?'; for a country who have had the likes of Alan Shearer, Sir Geoff Hurst and Gary Linekar leading the line in past years it is a disturbing thought to think that Peter Crouch is starting.

Where has Michael Owen gone? In the late 1990s Owen was meant to be the saviour of English football, but now he is not even making the England squad; his story is the indicative of English international football in general: there is the potential to go forward and be great, but without hard work, and a bit of luck you are not going to fulfill that potential.

One of the main problems for England is that strikers are not being picked on their merits - last weekend Emile Heskey scored his first international goal for six years! And he one of the first choice pairing. If you look at the statistics, since Fabio Capello was made England manager Michael Owen has scored, on average, more goals per game than any other English striker (source: The Daily Telegraph), and yet has not been picked.

Where is the new talent coming through? Wayne Rooney could be fantastic, but he won't because he does not have the right temperament for international football; Dean Ashton could have been like the Michael Owen of old, but after so much time out injured there is no chance of that happening now.

If you look around English football there is maybe one world-class striker, in Wayne Rooney, and perhaps Gabriel Agbonlahor could one day reach the heights of a fully fledged international footballer, but apart from those two England are in a dire situation on the striking front.

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Over the past few weeks, numerous nations have bid for the rights to host the 2018 & 2002 FIFA World Cup. Since the 2018 World Cup is closer most of the news about host nation bids concerns the 2018 tournament. With 2010 in South Africa and 2014 in Brazil,  nations from UEFA, CONCACAF, Asia can bid for the 2018 tournament so the decision on the host nation for 2022 tournament will be impacted by the winning bidder for the 2018 tournament.

Officially, there have been 6 confirmed bids with a bid from CONCACAF nations coming soon. Those nations interested in hosting the '18 & '22 tournaments have until February 2nd to submit an official bid. In Part I, we will look at 4 of the official bids and give an outlook on their chances of winning the right to host The Great Tournament.

AUSTRALIA

The Land Down Under has successfully hosted 2 Olympic Games, 1956 Melbourne & 2000 Sydney as well as 2 FIFA U-20s World Cups in 1993 & 1981 and 2003 Rugby World Cup. Aussies are not strangers to hosting big events and with the Australian A-League in full effect, the stadiums should be up to FIFA standards with infrastructure being a non issue.

Outlook: FIFA President, Sepp Blatter recently suggested that Australia concentrate on 2022 because the 2010 & 2014 World Cups would be in the Southern Hemisphere so Australia might be the front runner in 2022.

BELGIUM & NETHERLANDS
 &
The bid of Belgium & Netherlands is one of the two joint bids submitted to FIFA. The two main entities of the Benelux countries may be too small to host the World Cup. Right now, between Belgium & The Netherlands there aren't 12 stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000 and 1 stadium of a capacity of 80,000 as per FIFA standards for hosting a World Cup, although Belgian officials have plans to upgrade stadiums to meet the requirements.

Outlook: A miracle if they get '18 or '22. Especially with a European joint bid like Spain & Portugal out there.

ENGLAND

The hosts & winners of the 1966 World Cup have the passion to pull off a great World Cup.  Stadiums won't be a problem especially since the Stanley Park project for Liverpool will probably be complete by then.  If there is a problem in securing England's bid it may internal politics between the hierarchy of the FA & the hierarchy of the Premier League. They will have to grill whatever beef they have and come together to win over the 24 member FIFA Executive Committee.

Outlook: Easily a serious candidate, Spain/Portugal bid is their biggest competition.

PORTUGAL & SPAIN
 &
The Iberian peninsula threw their marbles in the circle with a joint bid for the 2018 World Cup.  The Japan/Korea World Cup of 2002 proved that dual hosts can work.  Spain & Portugal have 8 of UEFA's 5-star stadiums (3 in Portgual, 5 in Spain). Spain hosted the 1982 World Cup and Portugal hosted the Euro 2004.  Talk is that Latin American members of FIFA's Executive Committee would vote for Spain/Portugal because of the cultural & language similarities.

Outlook: Shocked if they don't get 2018 Tournament. Everything is set up well for a smooth tournament.

Part II is coming to analyze the last two known official bids and a couple of expected bids from CONCACAF that will make FIFA's decision much tougher. 

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