Attacking attitude good news for the neutrals

So far, so good. The tournament has started well, with a lot positive football being played over the first three days.

If games like Argentina v Ivory Coast are anything to go by, then we could be in for a terrific World Cup. Even Mexico's 3-1 win over Iran yesterday, admittedly at a different level, was about reaping the rewards for having a go, especially in the second half.

I know that I have suggested that this new, light "Teamgeist" ball will play its part, but the reason for optimism after the opening days is based on far more than the ball.

I think a number of coaches have come here with positive intentions, and after watching the way the opening games have been handled, they will be even more encouraged to go out there and have a go.

Put it this way, where once a referee would instinctively give the benefit of doubt to the defence, in these finals it seems to have come full circle with the officials ruling in favour of the attackers. If the refereeing remains that way, so much the better.

Obviously, one of the first big talking points of the finals was England's performance in their 1-0 win over Paraguay on Saturday. I was not impressed. For me, one of the worst aspects of the English performance was the side's inability to hold onto possession in the second half.

This is all the more vital if, like England, you are feeling the heat in the second half. When you look at the England squad, with players like Beckham, Owen, Lampard, Gerrard, etc, players who are comfortable on the ball, then it is all the harder to understand why England resorted to 40- to 50-yard long balls up the field and straight back to Paraguay.

It seems to be a feature of England under Eriksson that they take an early lead and then struggle to run the game. They drop deeper and deeper in the second half, give the ball away and practically invite the opposing full backs to run at them.

In the end, I felt that, had Paraguay had anyone other than a less than fully fit Santa Cruz alongside Valdez, then they might not only have got a draw but could even have sneaked a win.

I think you would have to ask questions about Sven-Goran Eriksson's coaching, and not just in relation to the failure to hold on to possession.

For example, what do we make of his squad choices? How wise was it to leave out Jermain Defoe of Spurs? Eriksson has come to these finals with one injured striker in Wayne Rooney, one on the way back from injury in Michael Owen and a youngster who has never played in the Premiership in Theo Walcott.

Add to that the fact Peter Crouch, aerial ability aside, is very limited and England have problems up front.

We saw that when Eriksson had to substitute Owen who, understandably, is not yet 100 per cent fit. He opted for a stop-gap solution, playing Joe Cole off Crouch, and the results were hardly exhilarating.

My feeling is that, for the time being at least, England are getting there despite the manager rather than because of him.

I would also add that teams due to face England will have had a look at them on Saturday and concluded that if you let England run around for the first half, then you will be able to get back at them in the second half.

Curiously, the Netherlands reminded me a bit of England with the way they played in their 1-0 win against Serbia and Montenegro yesterday.

Frankly, I felt that they could have done better, after the good start. With Robben, Van Persie and Van Nistelrooy up front, they are always going to look good going forward, but against a side playing 4-4-2, they could get outnumbered and find themselves in difficulty against tougher opposition.

I tipped Argentina to win these finals before they began and I have not changed my mind after watching their 2-1 win over Ivory Coast.

The Africans did well, but Argentina always look to have so many options with players like Riquelme and Saviola (not to mention Tevez and Messi still to come) who can all change a game for you.

Riquelme might not always get the space that Ivory Coast gave him, but he is still a player likely to have an impact on a game.

Ivory Coast are a good team, but they now face a huge psychological test, trying to get themselves back up for their next game against Sweden who, after that draw with Trinidad and Tobago, will be desperate for a win.

As for Trinidad and Tobago, their draw was a one-off, a World Cup fairytale unlikely to repeat itself against England next Thursday.

As for the host country Germany, we will get back to them later.

Suffice to say here that their central defence leaves something to be desired, and I would not be surprised to see Chelsea's Robert Huth called up for their next game.