There was a predictable press overreaction following England’s draw with USA last weekend, coupled with a familiar grim acceptance from beleaguered Three Lions fans.

But following the match, which saw Rob Green’s howler gift the US an equaliser just before half time and England toil after the break, there has also been the suggestion that the England players are struggling to handle the pressure of playing on the biggest stage. Anyone who has placed a World Cup bet on England should probably start to worry.

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Robert Koren’s late strike for Slovenia will have gone down like a vuvuzela at a funeral with Algerian fans, but it should worry England fans as well.

It’s doubtful the strike is the greatest goal the former West Brom man will ever score – his 20-yard shot went through keeper Faouzi Chaouchi with embarrassing ease.

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Among the minnows at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the least is known about North Korea, a team that has been mixing with the public in training, a team that has few players known outside their homeland and a team that are well down there with the FIFA World Cup odds.

North Korea have only been to one tournament before, the 1996 World Cup in England, when they made it all the way to the quarter-finals thanks to a win over Italy and had Portugal in trouble before the legendary Eusebio scored four goals in a 5-3 victory.

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Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has revealed that he would have considered ending his international retirement to play at the 2010 World Cup had he been asked to join the England squad sooner.

Scholes quit England duty some six seasons ago, after Euro 2004, but coach Fabio Capello offered him the chance of a place in his provisional 30-man squad for the forthcoming tournament just days before it was announced.

The veteran schemer had an excellent season for his club, and his experience was deemed to have been necessary in a squad which lacks it when it comes to the reserve roles, which in the end went to Scott Parker and Tom Huddlestone, neither of whom made the cut for the final 23.

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A nightmare season for Liverpool was capped off by the eventual departure of manager Rafa Benitez last week.

Opinion remains divided on the success of the Spaniard’s tenure at Anfield. With many critics pointing to his mistakes in the transfer market and strange tactical decisions as key reasons for Liverpool’s demise this season.

While it is true Rafa made some errors, particularly in the past 12 months, they were far outweighed by his earlier achievements – most notably his Champions League win in 2005 – as well as the failures at board-room level where owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have dealt in broken promises, burdening the club with debt and crushing the morale of a large and loyal fan base.
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