Now that the draw for the 2006 World Cup finals has been made – and please don’t ask me by what revere alchemy England were rated number two – I still can see nobody to beat Brazil. In their Group F, only Croatia looks likely to make much of a challenge, and this isn’t a Croatia to compare with the excellent 1998 team under the wily Blazevic, which humiliated Germany and gave France such a fright.

Even in the slightly suspect full back positions, where Cafu is now in his middle thirties and Roberto Carlos, he of the dynamic swinging left footed free kicks, is running out of steam, bright young men are coming thorough. One of them, Cicinho, is shortly due to join Roberto Carlos at Real Madrid, though he is a right back, so no challenge. Brazil have a cornucopia of attacking talent and it seems plain enough that the manager Carlos Alberto Parreira will go with the prevailing wind. Long ago when first installed in office he was all for what he strangely considered to be European football, seemingly based on power and physique. But he had changed his philosophy by the time it came to the 1994World Cup, when, in fact, he was lucky to qualify at all, installing the brilliant little striker Romario at the last anxious moment after falling out with him. Romario, then getting both goals to beat Uruguay in Rio and qualify Brazil for the USA.

In the last World Cup, you may remember, Big Phil Scolari, a coach notorious in his time with Germio for encouraging his players to commit fouls in midfield, was ultimately obliged to let such virtuosi as Rolando, Rivelino and Ronaldinho have their attacking fling.

Now Rivaldo, never a favorite of Brazilian fans, is out of the squad but it has been reinforced by the dazzling attacking play of Kaka from behind the front line, the elegant skills of young striker Robinho, and the power with left foot and head of Adriano, who recently, in the space of few days, headed Inter’s goal in 1-1 European Cup draw at Rangers, then got the winner against Milan in the Milanese derby.

The only real rivals I can see at the moment are the Italians, where Marcelo Lippi has at last produced a team that is the sum of its talented parts. The Czechs my well give the Italians a run for their money, especially now that Pavel Nedved has changed his mind and come out of international retirement, but I cannot see Ghana and the USA halting the progress of the Azzurri. The ever-controversial Alex Del Piero seems at last to have hit this true form out on the left. In the 1998 tournament, the then manager, Cesare Maldini, perversely preferred him to the far more effective Roberto Baggio. In the ensuing European Championships, he became a pilloried figure through missing two fine chances against France in the Rotterdam final. But he is sparkling with Juventus, and there is now a formidable new striking artnership up front.

The huge Luca Toni like so many ultimately successful Italian players has taken years to rise from the anonymity of obscure clubs but now he is scoring freely for Fiorentina with foot and head and getting goals for the national team too. Well abetted by Alberto Gilardino who after scoring so freely with Parma has moved up market to Milan.

Ghana might spring a surprise, but I hope Michael Essien, the hard man of midfield, doesn’t commit the appalling kind of fouls he has inflicted at Stamford Bridge on Bolton’s Ben Haim and Liverpool’s German international Dietmar Hamann, lucky not to have his career ended.

Out of Africa, always something new, wrote the illustrious Roman, Pliny and this time we have the fascinating prospect of no fewer than four new African entrants, the others being Ivory Coast, in Group C with difficult opponents in Holland and Argentina, Togo, astounding eliminators of gifted Senegal and Angola, equally remarkable eliminators of the star ncrusted Nigeria. It is never wise to underestimate first time contestants from sub-Sahara. Remember how in 1990, in the opening game, Cameroon turned over the holders, Argentina? How Senegal in the last World Cup similarly and deservedly beat the holders, France in the curtain raiser? The veteran Angola striker Akwa has been getting goals for them for years and will have to be carefully watched as will the big powerful Monaco striker, Adebayor of Togo. They could cause problems in Group G where France’s unbeaten record in their qualifying group was somewhat misleading, five of their matches being drawn. And Zinedine Zidne he too emerging from a brief international retirement looks a jaded figure.

Argentina have the splendid Juan Roman Riquelme to inspire their attack, but I am not convinced by an oddly vulnerable defense. England are managed by Mr. Quarter Finals, Sven Groan Eriksson, who as a Swede must encounter Sweden. Who haven’t lost to England for years and have the tall menace of Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front. I’ve no faith in Eriksson as a tactician and wish he’d give young, lively Shaun Wright Phillips place on the right wing. Rather than his beloved Beckham. But if Michael Owen can only come fully fit to his third World Cup he wasn’t last time and Steven Gerrard who missed the 2002 tournament, I on song progress could be made but beyond the quarterfinal? I wish I could be more optimistic, but under Eriksson in 2002 and two years later. In Portugal it hasn’t happened yet.

Holland have possibilities if Arjen Robben runs into form on the wing. Portugal romped through their group and have brilliant marksman in Pedro Pauleta and a match winner on his day in the very capricious Cristiano Ronaldo. Well organized Mexico could trouble them in Group D.
-- Glanville via  Sportstar

Countdown Begins for FIFA World Cup Germany 2006. Everyone is wondering who will win 18th edition of FIFA World Cup 2006, the most prestigious and most loved tournament in the world. No one can predict which team will lift the cup but still big shots are, like always, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, England, France, and Italy. All the teams can go one and one but still I am of the opinion that England is the most capable to win this time around. England has players with a bit of magic who can win a game. They have a cracking back four, a great keeper and teams will have to do really well to score against them. The midfield is well balanced and up front you would think Wayne Rooney or Michael Owen could nick a goal or two….. They are the two rabbits that England have to pull out of the hat and stun the opponent.

Owen has started to gain full sharpness after his switch from Real Madrid to Newcastle and is right on track for a super show for the upcoming World Cup. The most important factor is his partnership with Wayne Rooney. Playing alongside Rooney, Owen’s confidence is soaring. Rooney is a player who can pull a rabbit out of the hat to overcome any class of opposition and it looks like he will be the man to lead England to World Cup glory. He is that kind of player, even if he has a quiet first 15 minutes, you know he is going to create opportunities to score somewhere along the line. It’s almost impossible for any team to mark him all the 90 minutes. Owen’s game is totally different to Rooney’s. His strength isn't coming off people and linking up play. His strength is seeing opportunities, knowing where the ball is going to go, sniffing out a chance, and when he gets a chance, scoring. Owen and Rooney firing in the World Cup could be the key to England’s success. Rooney was on fire in Euro 2004 and they both were on fire against Argentina in the recent World Cup Warm-up and when they are on form, they become unstoppable.

Besides them Captain David Beckham is coming back to his best form and Frank Lampard is looks divine on the midfield. Steven Gerrard, Ledley King, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Paul Robinson and rest of the team all are fully ready for the kick-off. But the cream on the cake is the blossoming partnership of Owen and Rooney. They play very well together and they are both top-class players. They are both young. Owen is 26 and been in the game for eight-nine years and Rooney just 20 has put on the England jersey 28 times. . No other player has been able to do the wonders he did at the last world cup. Rooney is to England, what Pele was to Brazil in 1970.

Owen is a player of such caliber, whom if you present three chances will score at least twice. Rooney could emerge as one of the stars of World Cup 2006. Today, he is considered one of the best players in the world. England have had possibly the hard part of qualifying for a World Cup and they have got probably their best chance of succeeding since 1966. They have got a fantastic group of players and they have a great opportunity of being very, very successful. And thus ending the world cup drought they have been facing for decades.