BBC pundit and freesat.co.uk/worldcup blogger Lee Dixon gives his verdict on England's chances of finally tasting World Cup glory again this summer.
David Beckham had planned on making history in South Africa, but a torn Achilles tendon shattered his World Cup dream. Beckham would have gone as a squad member, but it looks like he may still travel as an ambassador. Such is the fortune of Beckham â he can get injured and still go to the World Cup! If he isnâÂÂt there heâÂÂll be missed more off the pitch than on it.
The loss of Beckham wonâÂÂt make a huge difference to EnglandâÂÂs chances of winning the World Cup, but England canâÂÂt afford to lose the recently injured Wayne Rooney.
There is no one else within a mile of Rooney who can score the goals we need to win the World Cup. With other players you might be concerned that they are peaking too soon, but heâÂÂs not a normal player â he has been special since a very early age.
You have to keep playing him, because when heâÂÂs not playing he loses that burning desire in his eyes. If he does start to feel tired, the coaching staff will give him the rest he needs â that doesnâÂÂt mean not playing him, it means dropping him out of a few training sessions, because if you rest him from games you donâÂÂt get the same Wayne Rooney.
A fit Rooney will be a fearsome prospect for the teams in EnglandâÂÂs group, because we couldnâÂÂt have asked for a better draw. EnglandâÂÂs first opponents, the USA, will also be happy to be in Group C alongside Slovenia and Algeria, who I expect will finish in third and fourth place.
I was impressed with the US in the Confederations Cup last summer, where they were surprise finalists against Brazil. TheyâÂÂve got a lot of Premier League players and they have a good chance of going through with England.
Whatever the results in South Africa, youâÂÂre in for a treat with this being the first World Cup shown in HD. Until you compare HD to standard definition you may not realise the difference it makes when youâÂÂre watching football.
At the last World Cup we set up an experiment with two TVs in the BBC production office, where we watched games for our highlights programme â one was normal telly and the other was HD.
We had to turn the other one off in the end, because no one was watching it â we could see so much more on the HD TV, which is important for me when my job as a pundit is to pick out bits of action. Sadly, the only thing the HD didnâÂÂt improve was the quality of EnglandoâÂÂs penalty-taking!
You will find an in-depth match planner on the freesat site (www.freesat.co.uk/worldcup), featuring all the info you need to know about all the games. Plus, thereâÂÂs a host of brilliant World Cup facts to keep you and your mates entertained â even John Motson would be impressed.
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