As the world's best thing gets started, I'm going to come out and say it: England can win the World Cup. At the very least, we will do better than the last couple of times. Here's why:
1) We have the right personnel at the right time.
Accusations that England's squad is too old fail to remember than when we talk about player's hitting their 'peak', we mean when they are in their mid-to-late 20s. Nearly every member of the England squad is just so. Some have had better seasons than others, some arguably shouldn't be there based on current form but the point is this: all of them have been part of a team that has done almost nothing but win for the past two years, and they have that to fall back on when things get hairy.
2) We are in damn good physical shape.
Looking at the 23, it's one of the most physical sides at the tournament. Even the flair players like Lennon and Joe Cole are pretty built. If we can harness this to translate to power at set pieces, we stand a good chance of getting past the likes of France, Spain and Argentina, nimble sides who may tire quickly and can, quite frankly, get fouled into submission.
3) We have a stable team.
Debates around 4-4-2 versus 4-2-3-1 are all very well, but as previously mentioned, we have been constantly performing, and winning, by lining up with two strikers and a four man midfield. Under Sven, we fannied around with team selection every single game and experimented with formations during qualifiers. As Spain proved in Euro 2008, consistency and familiarity can win you tournaments. Even if you do have Capdevilla at left back.
With largely the same players included in every squad, we have established an understanding of a system that, ultimately, gives a great deal of freedom to our most creative players, Gerrard and Rooney. They scored 12 of our 32 goals in qualifying. Our collection of centre-forwards, by contrast, managed 8.
4) The Africans quite like us.
A lot of South Africans came from the UK. Of their own free will. Most count England as their second team. This must count for something.
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