England will not win the World Cup because of the style of football they play. It's an opinion I've held for some time and now the legend that is Franz Beckenbauer has also criticised the Three Lions.
He pointed to the match against the USA on Saturday night and claimed that what went on over the course of 90 minutes "had very little to do with football".
Although some England fans may find it hard to accept the views of a former Germany player as the truth, anyone who watched the match would be hard pressed to argue the Three Lions looked anything like potential World Cup winners.
The side struggled to keep possession and, despite the side making excuses about the new ball, this is something they've had problems with in all recent major tournaments. England's World Cup betting odds may make them among the favourites this competition, but that is merely a reflection of patriotic fervour.
Speaking to the South African Times, Beckenbauer said: It looked to me as if the English have gone backwards into the bad old days of kick and rush."
The former German captain also warned that the problem is a fundamental issue at the heart of the English game and suggested that Capello would struggle to address the issue during his time in charge of the side.
He pointed to the number of foreign players in the Premier League as a symptom of this problem as the top sides have avoided English stars to ensure they can compete at the highest level.
To be honest, it's hard to argue with anything Beckenbauer had to say. I still think England will get out of Group C and they have every chance of finishing top.
However, even if they manage to dispatch both Algeria and Slovakia in a comprehensive manner I find it impossible to see them getting past the quarter final stage.
Even teams like France, who are seen as inferior to the Three Lions, are in possession of the technical skills needed to prosper in the knockout stages. England do not.
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