England Vs. Paraguay

England is so not going to win the World Cup after this display. Despite all the hype about the technically most gifted midfield in the tournament, this match is easily an forgettable outing for David Beckham and friends. Sad to say, I am a big fan of David Beckham and his dead ball abilities. His telling crosses and pinpoint passes has accuracy tagged on his forehead. Yes, he never should have been captain but he did not shurg off responsibility and that is specimen of an honest team player. Without Rooney, England are too dependent on Beckham's delivery and to be honest, Beckham needs to play with good players around him to perform.

Ironically, Manchester United lacks an excellent crosser of David Beckham's mould and England lacks strikers that can consistently get to the end of his crosses and convert them. Andy Cole, Dwight Yorke and Ruud Van Nistelrooy need to be in the England team right now. Unlike the other tournaments, I don't see Michael Owen rising up to the occasion for this one. A serious of injuries and a dent to the self-belief in his brief stint at Madrid may have caused a permanent dip in his ability. Peter Crouch is never going to be world class and Eriksson is too conservative to try the precocious talents of Theo Walcott.

The match was awful to watch as every single player played way way below their abilities. Paraguay's nervy start was one of the worst performances in the World Cup so far and England failed to add more to their early lead. Negative tactics prevailed in the end and don't you feel so sick in the stomach when Owen Hargreaves was introduced? Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, both match winners in their respective clubs look uninspiringly ordinary, as if their powers neutralized each other whenever they play together in the same team. David Beckham was largely anonymous after that freekick which led to the goal. Peter Crouch was having his own personal battle with the referee's decisions.

Wayne Rooney alone cannot win the World Cup and if the team continues with their brand of lukewarm football, Trinidad and Tobago may sniff a point in their next game.