England's realistic limitations

On the eve of the World Cup, Raymond Domenech became the latest big name in football to extol Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney's qualities. Speaking ahead of his side's clash with Uruguay on Friday, the France coach purred: "Rooney is my idol, a player who makes me feel just like a fan whenever I watch him". Kind words indeed coming from one of England's immediate rivals. Perhaps the unpopular French manager missed England's two warm-up matches against Mexico and Japan in which Rooney was largely ineffective.

Don't get me wrong, Rooney is a special player. He is not the instinctive, direct striker we saw at Euro 2004,  but his game has matured in other areas and 34 goals in all competitions for his club this season appears to indicate steady progress towards the realisation of his massive potential. When it comes to the World Cup, though, are England fans not expecting just a little too much of the Croxteth lad - and the team as a whole for that matter?

Domenech is not the first man to highlight the threat Rooney and England pose. Top pundits, players and managers all over the world have earmarked Fabio Capello's team as a major force to be reckoned with and there is a general consensus that, after Spain, England are the most likely European nation to conquer South Africa.

Frankly, I don't share their optimism. I wish I did, but I don't. And the reason is, I have followed every England game very closely since Capello took over in 2008 and not once have I seen a side who are likely to boss around any of the top twenty nations in the world, let alone the top three or four. Rooney, for one, gives the ball away far too often, a weakness which seems to be endemic with this team.

England have played three giants of the game since February 2009: Spain, Holland and Brazil, losing twice and drawing once against the Dutch.

In a pointless friendly in Doha last November a second string England team only narrowly lost out to Dunga's Samba boys. But Capello's side's inferiority at the top level was brutally exposed by Spain in a 2-0 defeat at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan in Seville at the beginning of 2009. Of course, Spain can sweep aside any opponent on a good day, which is why it would be foolish to try and beat them at their own game; a Jose Mourinho/Inter Milan vs Barcelona style shut-down would be a better tactic to employ if England have the fortune (or misfortune) of meeting Vicente Del Bosque's team in the latter stages.

However, being outplayed by the best team in the world is not England's major concern at this stage. Far more worrying was the run around Mexico gave the Three Lions at Wembley last month. Set-pieces and Peter Crouch conspired to earn Capello a win in that case against a diminutive Mexican side, but Javier Aguirre's players were quicker, passed with more assurance and generally looked more comfortable on the ball than their illustrious opponents. Certainly, a big improvement is needed if Rooney and co are to be competitive over the next month.

Having said all that, the current plight of the French team gives England the best chance they have had in a long time of progressing to the semi-finals. Providing they can get through a sticky second round match - possibly against a talented Serbia outfit - a quarter-final against France could be favourable. Given the way Raymond Domenech's side are playing at the moment, he has every reason to fear Wayne Rooney and England. Advancing beyond the last four will require good fortune and a cunning tactical contribution from Fabio Capello. Anything less than the last four will rightly be deemed a failure.