Ronaldo denies blaming Queiroz

Cristiano Ronaldo says he feels like a "broken man" following Portugal's World Cup exit and has denied attributing the blame for the country's failure to coach Carlos Queiroz.

Portugal were eliminated in the second round by Spain on Tuesday night as a David Villa goal secured a 1-0 victory for their Iberian neighbours. It meant Portugal departed the competition having failed to score in three of their four games in South Africa.

Former FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldo was a marginal figure for much of the match and his conduct was also brought in question following the final whistle as he appeared to spit in the direction of a TV cameraman on the pitch.

The national team captain then told reporters to "talk to Carlos Queiroz" when asked to explain Portugal's defeat to Spain, but has since issued a statement through his agent to establish he was not seeking to apportion blame to the coach.

"I feel a broken man, completely disconsolate, frustrated and an unimaginable sadness," Ronaldo said. "When I said 'put the question to the coach', it is just because Carlos Queiroz was holding a press conference.

"I was not in a position to explain what was what. I am a human being, and like any human being I suffer and I have the right to suffer alone. I know that I am the captain, and I have always assumed and will assume my responsibilities."

In response to Ronaldo's remarks, Queiroz hinted he expected better performances from the country's captain who scored only one goal in South Africa.

"We are not unaware of those remarks, but we are not here to be friends with the players," Queiroz said. "One must never allow anyone placing himself above the best interests of the national side.

"Portugal needs Ronaldo, and Ronaldo needs the national side. But if this shirt unnerves some players, they have no grounds to be there."

Ask Norman: Squad lists and stoppers

Norman Hubbard is Soccernet's resident anorak. If you have any questions on football facts, statistics or trivia, please send them to asknorman@hotmail.com and he'll try to answer as many as possible. This is the last column devoted solely to the World Cup, so feel free to send in any footballing questions for the next one.

I have a question about England keepers. David James was part of Portsmouth's relegated squad last season. Has that happened before when the national's team's first-choice keeper is from a relegated team from their country's top league? asked Ryan from Singapore.

It has never happened for England before, but it may interest you that they have once gone into a World Cup with a second-division goalkeeper as their first choice: Birmingham's Gil Merrick, who died earlier this year, in 1954, and only one England keeper - David Seaman - has gone into a World Cup as a title winner.

The full list is: 1950 - Bert Williams (Wolves, 2nd that season) 1954 - Gil Merrick (Birmingham, 7th, Division 2) 1958 - Colin McDonald (Burnley, 6th) 1962 - Ron Springett (Sheffield Wednesday, 6th) 1966 - Gordon Banks (Leicester, 7th) 1970 - Gordon Banks (Stoke, 9th) 1982 - Peter Shilton (Southampton, 7th) 1986 - Peter Shilton (Southampton, 14th) 1990 - Peter Shilton (Derby, 16th) 1998 - David Seaman (Arsenal, 1st) 2002 - David Seaman (Arsenal, 1st) 2006 - Paul Robinson (Tottenham, 5th)

But in terms of relegated first-choice goalkeepers, there is a World Cup winner, albeit on a technicality. Gianluigi Buffon was part of a Juventus team that celebrated winning 91 points and Serie A before being demoted in the calciopoli scandal. The Italy captain, Fabio Cannavaro, was another Juve player, along with Gianluca Zambrotta, Mauro Camoranesi and Alessandro del Piero, who all appeared in the final.

I'm struggling to find any other first-choice goalkeepers relegated from their national league in World Cup year, so if any readers know of any, please let me know and I'll include it in the next column.

However, Lee Woon-Jae, who was expected to be South Korea's No.1 but spent the tournament on the bench, plays for Suwon Bluewings who, at the time of writing, are bottom of the K-League. In addition, the Paraguay goalkeeper Justo Villar was relegated in a different league this season, in Spain with Valladolid.

I understand that prior to naming the final 23-man World Cup squad, each team is supposed to have a provisional 30-man squad list. Why is FIFA so adamant about that? I read that Brazil's coach already had his final 23 in mind, so essentially the time of seven men were unnecessarily wasted. What is FIFA's official stance on this? asked Kelvin from Singapore.

This is more interesting than I expected it to be. According to the ever-exciting Article 26 of the regulations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup: "Each association that qualifies for the final competition shall send FIFA a list of 35 players (showing the full last name(s), all first names, popular name, place and date of birth, passport number, club and country of the club, height, weight, number of caps won, number of goals scored) whom it has called up in accordance with the relevant provisions of Annex 1 of the FIFA Regulations for the Status and Transfer of Players. The provisional list of 35 players must be sent to FIFA at least 30 days prior to the kick-off of the opening match." As you may have noticed, FIFA initially ordered a 35-man provisional squad before changing its mind and asking for 30 by May 11 (30 days before the competition began).

However, FIFA added: "This final list is not limited to the players on the provisional list." In other words, someone outside the initial 30/35 could be called up. One explanation could be that for reasons of form and fitness, not all managers would be happy to name their squads as early as Dunga chose his. But because of injuries, other men outside the chosen 23, such as England's Michael Dawson, have been called in, so they may argue their time was not wasted.

I notice that for this World Cup, and the last as well, the South Koreans have their given names rather than their surnames on the back of their shirts, as is apparently the norm for everyone else. For example Park-Ji Sung had J. S. Park on the back of his shirt in 2002, but for the last two finals the back of his shirt has read Jisung. Same for the rest of the South Korean players: Youngpyo, Junghwan, Sungryong etc. Does FIFA have any ruling about the name to be displayed on the back of a jersey? If I'm not wrong, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink once tried to wear Jimmy on his shirt when he was at Leeds United, but the league would not allow it, Simon from Singapore

An answer of sorts is contained in Article 26, quoted just above, where it refers to "full last name(s), all first names and popular name". The last is perhaps the most significant. For instance, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite's popular name is Kaka and Robson de Souza's is Robinho. In the case of the South Koreans, then, it appears to be the case that they have decided Jisung counts as the popular name instead of J.S.Park. It is also worth noting that Kevin-Prince Boateng, who has always had the latter on his shirt in English domestic football, has appeared for Ghana with Prince on his back.

In terms of the Premier League, their rules state: "When playing in league matches each player shall wear a shirt on the back of which shall be prominently displayed his shirt number and above that his surname or such other name as may be approved in writing by the board." Hence Hasselbaink could not be Jimmy without board approval. South Americans tend to cause confusion, however: Robinho did not run out with da Souza on his back; Newcastle's Argentinian winger managed to have Jonas rather than Gutierrez on his shirt and Birmingham's Christian Benitez seemed permitted to use his nickname, Chucho, instead of his surname. To further complicate matters, the rules seem rather more lax in Spain. Steve McManaman noted when he moved to La Liga that his Real Madrid team-mate Jose María Gutierrez Hernandez could deem himself Guti, whereas the Premier League would not allow McManaman to be simply Macca.

Which countries are the most consistently unsuccessful in the World Cup? asked Peter from Los Angeles

, who have taken part in eight World Cups without getting beyond the group stage, an unwanted record.

But the Scots have won games at the World Cup finals - most memorably against Holland in 1978 - unlike the nine countries who have a 100% record, losing each of their matches. They are: Iraq, Togo, Canada, Dutch East Indies, United Arab Emirates, China, Haiti, Zaire and El Salvador. El Salvador, with six defeats, have lost more games than any other side who are yet to get a point. The Dutch East Indies - as Indonesia was known then - merit a particular mention. They travelled all the way to France for the 1938 World Cup, played one match - a 6-0 defeat to Hungary - and returned home. It remains their only match at a World Cup finals. Three others, New Zealand, Slovenia and Greece, began the current tournament having lost all their previous World Cup matches, but all picked up their first points in South Africa.

The solid and the spectacular

Japan became the last Asian side to be knocked out of the World Cup in the second round, losing a heart-breaking penalty shootout in a dour, somewhat lacklustre but certainly tense match against Paraguay on Tuesday. As the tears dried in South Africa and the team packed their suitcases to travel back to Tokyo, the over-riding emotion was that of disappointment that the football god had not been on Japan's side in the lottery of the penalty shootout.

Indeed, the welcome back in Japan will be the opposite of that received by the likes of Italy, France or England, with a certain pride reigning in the country. Honda is certainly a new national hero, following in the footsteps of Nakamura. And the national media have been far from scathing in their analysis of the Paraguay match, choosing instead to focus on the bad luck of the missed penalty kick.

As The Daily Yumiuri wrote in their commentary on the match: "Komano, Japan's fourth shooter, hit the bar before Oscar Cardozo converted the winning penalty as the South African journey for Takeshi Okada's side came to an unfortunate end at Loftus Versfeld Stadium."

All quite neutral stuff, and certainly when one considers what was at stake for the Japanese: a historic first ever quarter-final berth in a World Cup and a match-up with European champions Spain. But there are surely grounds to be critical of the tactical approach chosen by coach Takeshi Okada in the game against Paraguay.

Keeping with the same formation that had beaten Denmark so convincingly 3-1, Japan nevertheless chose to give the entire playing field over to the South Americans, and never threatened Villar's goal with enough persistence. A few chances did materialise - including Matsui's cracking effort from 25 metres which hit the crossbar, and Honda's effort just before the break - but they were not enough to truly create the momentum needed to avoid the lottery of the penalty shootout.

Indeed, Honda's position in the team is a vital talking point. For most of the tournament, the Japanese winger was left as a lone striker up front, mirroring the cautious approach of his coach. Honda is certainly no centre-forward. Against Paraguay he covered an astonishing 13 kilometres during the game, an indication of just how much he was expected to do for Japan's attacking intentions. He did monumentally well in South Africa, picking up three man-of-the-match awards, but there is no doubt that he would have been much more effective playing alongside another striker from the start. Okada had promised a Japanese version of 'Total Football', but the numerous Japanese fans at the game were left contemplating total boredom instead.

This is not to say that Japan did not play a good tournament. Quite the contrary - they played such a good tournament that it is a shame their coach did not opt for a courageous display and allow his charges to really attack Paraguay in numbers instead of defending in depth. As the coach admitted after the game: "It's my responsibility - we did not insist enough. I cannot elaborate any further. When I look back at what I could have done for the players and what I did as a head coach I should have been more insistent on winning."

That has been precisely the predicament of many coaches at this World Cup. Too much caution has caused too many sides to pack their suitcases - just think of Ivory Coast, England, Portugal, Italy ... the list goes on and on. In stark contrast have been the more courageous coaches, including the highly attack-minded German coach Joachim Low, who has surprised with refreshingly offensive football. The intricate, fast-moving style of Japan's attacks when they did move forward suggests that Japan would have been much better served with a similar style of play. In the end, though, a fine run in South Africa was ended by a single penalty miss. It could have been so much more.

So Asia's participation in the tournament has well and truly ended, but what has been the over-riding emotion for the most populous continent in the world?

If Asia's 2010 World Cup performance had to be summarised in one particular word, it would probably be this: solid. The Asian sides certainly did not disappoint. All of the continent's teams seemed to take well to the South African climate, with Australia being the first team to arrive for the tournament.

Out of four starters, two made it to the last sixteen, while Australia garnered four points and only missed out on goal difference. South Korea were unlucky not to make the quarter-finals against a shaky Uruguay, who needed some Suarez magic when they looked as though they were going to be over-run by the industrious Asians. What South Korea missed was a killer instinct in attack, but they certainly looked a promising team. North Korea were the only team from the continent to go without a win, but that much was probably to be expected in the toughest group in the draw.

From the previous effort in Germany 2006, where no Asian team made the second round, a clear improvement was evident. The continent's football teams are certainly growing in stature and players are becoming more than just marketable commodities in Europe's top sides. Just listen to Sir Alex Ferguson talking about South Korea captain Park Ji-Sung. Or watch Honda become a transfer target after his convincing displays. And expect some more Asian players to make their way to Europe's top addresses in the transfer window this summer after their performances in the 2010 World Cup.

Right now, Asian football is clearly in a transition phase. Far from being helpless outsiders, the Asian teams are now knocking at the doors to the very top levels of world football, backed by huge populations that idolise the beautiful game. Populous giants like China and India are in the process of rebuilding their teams. The latter are counting on their qualification for the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar to work wonders for their football team.

And while the World Cup may be over for Asian sides, the next opportunity to shine is indeed just around the corner. Matches in Doha begin in January 2011, so it is just under six months before the continent meets to decide its best national team. Judging by the quality on display in South Africa, it promises to be a spectacle at last.

Not so Fab after all

Add to the list of nations packed off home battered, bruised and humiliated the name of England, who were dismantled by a ruthlessly efficient (who'd have thought it?) German side, marshalled by the purveyor of all things matching cardigan, Joachim Low.

It was brutal to watch, and that includes Frank Lampard's phantom goal (more on that later). The 'goal' did mean England's humiliation was partially tempered, as their players desperately pointed to the fact the game would have reversed on its axis had his obvious strike been allowed. It may well have done, but that is overlooking the fact that Matthew Upson and John Terry were still on the pitch and defending like five-year-olds.

You've got to hand it to the Football Association. It seems they've somehow managed to unearth the one Italian who doesn't know how to defend (I'm leaving Marcello Lippi out for the purposes of the gag you understand). Not only that but Fab reckoned England played "well", and that his knackered players need a mid-season break. But when you work it out, Germany's leading lights actually played more games in a shorter period of time than England's tired stars. If they were that tired, why were they banging on about being bored in their luxury five-star hotel and not snoozing those lazy afternoons away?

And now the FA delivers the final indignity, the one that shows they are as Mickey Mouse as our football side. Apparently, they need two weeks to decide whether to sack Capello or not. Shown up he may have been by an old fashioned system and his inflexible nature, but hung out to dry while some cheap suits discuss his pay-off is no way to treat the man. The whole thing stinks more than week-old scrambled egg on a two-week old dead bison.

Blatter's chatter honks

Just before kick-off in Bloemfontein, Sepp Blatter was seen lording it up in the VIP section, no doubt with a string of minions bringing him whatever his under-strain heart desired. I'm sure his luxury leather massage chair was fitted with a video screen, too, so he could enjoy the lewd and luxurious slow-mo replays the telly boffins seem intent on ramming down our gobs.

If so, I hope he nearly choked on his foie gras when he realised just how far over the line Frank Lampard's goal was. He will have had a similar view to the rest of us, 8,000 miles away, who could instantly see the ball was in. Factor in the blatant offside in Argentina's defeat of Mexico and it rounded off a horrible day for FIFA, and one that was thoroughly deserved.

Their ridiculous arguments against technology are utterly, well, ridiculous. 1) It is too expensive. Aren't FIFA making close to £2 billion off this tournament? And haven't FIFA given £37 million to shareholders as a "gift" this year? 2) The delay to the game would be too long. It took seconds to prove Carlos Tevez's goal was offside and play it on the big screen. 3) It would undermine the referee. Right, so instead we have a ridiculous spectacle whereby ref and linesman have a chat, knowing the goal was wrongly awarded, but are powerless to do anything about it? Pathetic.

And if I hear that other argument once more, about how human errors are great for football so we, the plebs who fund the game, can chat about them in the pub, I may well explode. As I've said before, the only chatter in pubs up and down England are about the set of clowns in charge of our beloved game. He may have apologised, but it's a little late to save Fabio's skin now, isn't it?

Before the Brazil game, Carlos Queiroz guaranteed us the sexiest of all sexy football games but failed to explain that he would instruct his team to try to stay in their own half the entire time. As the rest of the world registered for a lobotomy just to end the suffering involved in watching the World Cup's most over-hyped game, Queiroz somehow claimed afterwards that it was a "feast of football". Proof, if any were needed, the man is from a different planet.

Despite being burned alive by his bold statement, Carlos was at it again before the Iberian clash with Spain, saying he expected a "great show of football". He got it horribly wrong. His game plan went out of the window on the hour when his Portugeezers went behind for the first time in the tournament, and he demonstrated with startling clarity that his plan B was to flail around like a jellyfish with a broken face.

Much as I enjoyed his dismal performance, surely Queiroz has had long enough to figure out that Cristiano Ronaldo should be the heartbeat of his team, and as such, should be properly supported. Even after Portugal went behind, Carlos baffled his own team with a raft of confusing instructions, when all he needed to do was repeat "Pile forward!" at the top of his voice for ten minutes. They are going home, and they won't be missed.

Hoodoo Chile? Brazil, that's who

Poor old Chile. I'm having a hard time coming to terms with this equation: they are one of the best teams to watch in the competition but also one of the dirtiest. They repeated against Brazil what they did against Spain, namely to control the game for 20 minutes before conceding soft goals, getting angry and kicking people. I've come to the conclusion they are basically a poor man's Manchester United.

They attracted the most yellow cards in the group stages, losing three defenders for the second round clash after they resorted to kicking lumps of out of Xabi Alonso and co. They were also on a ten-year losing run to Brazil. Add to that the fact that this Brazil have looked meaner than Sauron after dropping the Ring down the back of his sofa, and it was surely going to be their eighth defeat in a row. Sure enough, they were beaten well. Even their own goalkeeper, Claudio Bravo, described those in front of him as "fragile".

Despite comfortably guiding his team into the last eight, apparently Dunga is getting ripped back at home for his conservative style of football, which has so far produced eight goals in four games and some of the best silk seen at the competition. Unbelievably harsh from what I can see - they look like a potent version of Arsenal. They face the Dutch next, who looked so sloppy against Slovakia you had to wonder if they'd all been staying up late to watch dodgy videos piped into the team hotel direct from Amsterdam. My money's on the Selecao.

USA draws 2-1 with Ghana

"This sport is stupid anyway" was the New York Post's headline after USA fell to the last African team in the competition. They should know after all, seeing as they've got the monopoly on them (sorry, American friends, but surely one good dig deserves another?).

Given that they also gave us the delightful "USA wins 1-1" after the draw with England, I think we can all agree it's a shame their sub editors won't get to murder another few soccerball headlines before July 11 comes round, but at least their last-gasp win over Algeria ignited love for the beautiful game in a few more hearts and minds. This time in four years, half the country will be AFC Wimbledon fans, you mark my words.

One good thing did come out of their defeat of course - that the World Cup retains an African presence. If that wasn't enough to love Ghana for, there is also fact that their players aren't demanding, nor being offered, any ridiculous bonuses as incentives to reach the last four. The wonderfully titled Fred Pappoe, chairman of their management committee, has reported that the prospect of a World Cup semi-final is motivation enough. Amen to that.

Goals and gaffes in the knockouts

Best Team Performance: Brazil. The criticisms surrounding Dunga and his team were rife before the tournament. Accused of ignoring the traditional Joga Bonito style for a more functional and defensive approach that grinds out results, the doubters have been laid to rest after their progress to the quarter-finals. With the perfect balance across the team that sees flying full backs, tough central midfielders and creative flair and pace up front, along with an excellent goalkeeper, Brazil are getting more and more attention as the tournament continues. A 3-0 win over an impressive Chile side was the highlight of their campaign thus far.

Best Player: Luis Suarez, Uruguay. A striker that has netted 55 goals in his last 61 starts, Suarez's performance against South Korea was nothing less than sensational. While he drifted a little out of the game when Uruguay set up to defend after their opener, his curling winner ensured the South Americans would progress and he gained all the plaudits. Five out of his six shots were on target and he looks like he'll be attracting a lot of attention in the summer.

Best Game: Germany 4-1 England. For the sheer excitement of the first half, the game in Bloemfontein cannot be beaten. After all the hype of the build-up, two quick goals from Germany exploited some dodgy England defending and, then, just when you thought they were down and out, Matthew Upson gets one back. A couple of minutes later Lampard scores, but despite the ball being over the line, the officials don't give it. Lampard hits the bar again soon after, then Germany take control to kill off the game and seal their progress.

Gaffe: Ricardo Osorio v Argentina. Resisting the temptation to give the award to the assistant referee in the England v Germany game for the most talked about mistake at the World Cup, the gaffe of the round has to be from Mexican defender Ricardo Osorio. Having gone 1-0 down a little composure is required at the back, but the 30-year-old dwelled on the ball, attempting to pass across the defence (we think?!) and found the advancing Gonzalo Higuain happy to take it off him and stick it in the net for Argentina's second goal.

Best Goal: Carlos Tevez, Argentina v Mexico. His first (although yards offside) may have more of an impact in changing the course of the game, but there has surely not been a better goal at this World Cup than Tevez's second and Argentina's third. Cushioning a bouncing ball in the middle of the park, he turned past the two defenders blocking his way to goal and gave himself room to unleash a shot. And what a shot. Arrowing the ball into the top corner from 25 yards, Tevez stuck the knife into Mexico and proved to his manager that he was worthy of a starting place after all.

Highlight: The rise of South America. Diego Maradona may have said this week that South America has a long way to go before they can claim to be near Europe, but the performance of their sides in the second round has been nothing less than sensational. Traditional powers of Brazil and Argentina have fired at the right time, while Uruguay and Paraguay have surprised many with their progress. A South American side in every quarter-final and who would bet against a Brazil v Argentina final?

Lowlight: Long shots The constant long-range shooting was taken to extremes by Slovakia's Juraj Kucka, who had a pop from just inside his opponents' half against Netherlands. The issues surrounding the ball have been well documented, but every player now seems to think that this gives them licence to shoot from 50 yards. A well crafted shot like Tevez's is most welcome, but continually having to refer to the old 'It's hit Row Z' cliché every time a left back thinks they are Roberto Carlos, is not.

Talking Point: Goal-line technology. When FIFA announced that it would be giving up tests on goal-line technology, the world took a deep breath and rolled its eyes. 'How can football's lawmakers be so behind the times? Why won't they try it out when it works in so many other sports? Is Sepp Blatter mad?' came the cries, and many hoped that, on the world's biggest stage, FIFA would be shown up. The dissenters got their wish, although the England fans amongst them may have wished that it hadn't happened in quite such an important game, and Blatter has now backtracked to say that FIFA will look at the issue again. Of course, the debate rages on.

Ref Watch: The second round has not been kind to the officials, or rather they have not been kind to it. Missing the England goal was an aberration, but the finger of blame can be pointed to the assistant rather than the man in the middle. Carlos Tevez's offside opener for Argentina against Mexico is another that goes down as a black mark on the officials' report cards, although they nearly broke FIFA rules by reversing their decision having seen it on the stadium's big screen. As if they hadn't enough to worry about with the meaningless flurry of cards, now there are a few more issues to add to the list.

Stat Attack: Brazil are undefeated in 33 games under Dunga when Kaka and Robinho have played together, winning 29 and drawing four.

Nigerian president bans Super Eagles

Nigeria president Goodluck Jonathan has suspended the country's national team from international competition for two years in response to a disappointing World Cup campaign

Nigeria failed to make it out of the group stage and failed to win a game, though a late goal in a 2-2 draw with South Korea would have been enough to see them progress from Group B with three points.

President Jonathan has now withdrawn the Super Eagles from international competitions until 2012 in an effort to "enable Nigeria to reorganise its football" according to advisor Ima Niboro.

"This directive became necessary following Nigeria's poor performance in the ongoing World Cup," Niboro added.

FIFA said in a statement: "We have no official information on this matter. However, in general, FIFA's position regarding political interference in football is well known."

FIFA is vehemently opposed to governmental interference in football matters and Sepp Blatter has already warned French president Nicolas Sarkozy after he said he would investigate the team's disappointing campaign in South Africa.

FIFA banned Greece and the country's clubs from international competition in July 2006 in protest at government interference, though the suspension was lifted eight days later after the laws in question were amended.

Capello admits England must change

Fabio Capello has given an insight into how he sees the future England as he picks over the ashes of his team's FIFA World Cup™ exit. The England manager, who says he wants to stay in the post, has been told he must wait two weeks before his employers, the Football Association (FA), decide whether he will complete the two remaining years of his current contract, which takes him up to the end of the UEFA EURO 2012 finals.

But the Italian is already discussing ways of refreshing his team for the EURO 2012 qualifiers after seeing the way his experienced side, many of whom have played in two or even three previous major tournaments, failed to deliver.

With typical self confidence the former AC Milan, Juventus, Roma and Real Madrid manager feels he did everything right to prepare his team but was let down by his players, particularly in a 4-1 last-16 exit against Germany which was England's biggest FIFA World Cup finals defeat.

Now, his own future aside, the biggest debate in England is which players should be dropped and who should be brought in to rescue English football from yet another low point. Capello was, as expected, tight-lipped on the former of those two questions but happy to discuss the players who could potentially be drafted in for a new era next season.

"We talked about this with my staff," he said. "I think we will find two or three new players, probably, for the EURO. Adam Johnson, the Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs. Also Michael Dawson, although he is not young. Also Gabriel Agbonlahor and Bobby Zamora, who was injured this time. And another player we will hope will be fit is Owen Hargreaves.

Every game we played in this period, seven games in all including friendlies and at the World Cup, I never saw the players that I can see in the autumn or two months after Christmas.

Fabio Capello, England coach

"The best young players are in the under 21s and are not ready to play here at the World Cup. But I hope in the next year or six months people will come through. I hope Theo Walcott will be back and his shoulder is ok. And Jack Wilshere is another interesting player. I hope some good players will be ready in six months, it's possible."

Capello, who also hinted at a big future for goalkeeper Joe Hart, knows his brave new world with England will be subject to the same restrictions and problems that affected the current squad, however. With only 38 per cent of players in the Premier League eligible to play for England the talent pool remains shallow and the intense, physical nature of the league means injuries and tiredness are par for the course.

"I know a lot of things about the players and what happened," insisted Capello as he made a case for two more years in charge. "I know more now than before because I realised what happened when we arrived at the World Cup. I understand more things. And I understand one thing really important, I understand why England didn't win before. The England players arrive at the end of the season tired.

"Every game we played in this period, seven games in all including friendlies and at the World Cup, I never saw the players that I can see in the autumn or two months after Christmas. They were training well, were focused, but they are not the same players, not as fast or quick, as I know. I want to change something but it's impossible, there are too many games in the season. They play, Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday, Wednesday."

That, if Capello does remain in charge, could prove to be his biggest challenge, but he is adamant he wants a chance to prove he can change England's fortunes. "I prefer to stay," he insisted. "We need time to recover and be fresh."