The experienced forward says that his side’s performance in the 2010 World Cup was a catalyst for improvement and they are now confident they can take on the best in Brazil

Diego Forlan believes that Uruguay are ready to face the top teams in this summer’s World Cup as they prepare to begin their campaign against Costa Rica.

The 35-year-old won the Golden Ball as the tournament’s best player in South Africa in 2010 as his side went on to finish fourth, before he enjoyed success at the Copa America just a year later.

Despite a formidable group including Italy and England in 2014, Forlan believes la Celeste have regained a sense of pride in their play not seen since their title-winning campaigns more than 60 years ago and is confident they can challenge the best in Brazil.

“We have an aura,” the former Inter, Atletico Madrid and Manchester United forward told Goal.

“Uruguay historically has won many titles [winning the World Cup in 1930 and 1950] but in recent decades was lost that aura. After how the World Cup in South Africa turned out, we gained belief in the team and reaffirmed the following year with the Copa America title.

“In South Africa we had a tough group. We were with the hosts, as well as France and Mexico, two very strong teams. This group is also strong, but we are in a World Cup and we have to play against the best.

“Playing a World Cup is spectacular. You remember when you were little. When you sing the anthem, when you see people in the stands or your friends at home getting ready to watch the game, it’s something unique.”Forlan, who now plays for Japanese side Cerezo Osaka, has scored 36 times in 107 games for his country, revealed that Luis Suarez – who is set to be rested for the Costa Rica clash – is progressing well, though refused to be drawn on rumours the player may leave Liverpool.

“Luis Suarez is much better,” he said alluding to the attacker’s recent knee injury.

“He is taking steps to recover well and hopefully he recovers well and will be ready to play.

“Suarez is very happy at Liverpool. All you hear are rumours for now. If at any time he signs for Real Madrid, I will talk about it then.”

He also commented on his experiences in Japan, having arrived in the J-League in January, where he has already scored seven times in 15 games.

“The Japanese league is very good,” he summised.

“Technically they play very well and are very fast.”

COMMENT: Ten years after Wayne announced himself at Euro 2004, the Liverpool forward can have the same impact in Brazil – and Roy Hodgson must pick him for Italy opener in Manaus

By Greg Stobart in Brazil

One of the iconic sights in the city of Manaus is the meeting of the waters, the point where the sandy-coloured Amazon and the dark Rio Negro meet but refuse to converge, creating an image like an oil slick in an ocean.

Roy Hodgson’s most pressing task when his England side face Italy in the Amazonian city on Saturday will be to effectively blend together the exciting, youthful players in his squad with the more experienced members of the ranks.

Hodgson has to find a way to make it work and needs to show some bravery when he picks his side to face Italy, two years after England were knocked out of Euro 2012 by the Azzurri on penalties following a miserable performance in Kiev.

Hodgson has bravely picked a squad brimming with young talent, but a fear has remained among supporters that he will lean towards his usual conservatism rather than take the game to Italy.

But with a new-found optimism surrounding the England team and fans on board for the first time since the so-called ‘golden generation’, Hodgson cannot miss the opportunity to build around the attacking young players who could one day win an international tournament.

His approach will be defined by how he opts to use Raheem Sterling.

Really, there should not even be a debate. Sterling is the most talented young Englishman to emerge in a decade.

Ten years after Wayne Rooney announced himself to the world at Euro 2004 with sensational performances and four goals as a fresh-faced teenager, Sterling can have the same impact in Brazil this summer.When England training was opened to the media at their stunning base at the foot of Sugerloaf mountain last Monday, it was Sterling who caught the eye of the hundreds of onlookers as the outstanding player on the pitch.

He starts the World Cup as England’s in-form player after a stunning few months for Liverpool in which the 19-year-old was key to the Reds title challenge, scoring nine Premier League goals – and important ones at that.

His movement, speed, trickery and tactical intelligence would cause problems for any defence in the tournament.

“Italy should be thinking about how to control our team,” said Wayne Rooney in a press conference this week. “They have good players but so do we. They should worry about us.”

They should worry most about Sterling, the fearless midfielder who demands the ball from team-mates and even alongside Rooney, Steven Gerrard and Co. plays with the cockiness of the best kid on the playground.

His red card for a stupid challenge against Ecaudor has cost Sterling minutes in England’s warm-up games, but he must surely start against Italy, particularly with his ability to play in any position across the pitch behind the main striker.

Sterling is the leading light in a group of young, fast attacking players in a squad that also includes Ross Barkley, Jack Wilshere, Daniel Sturridge, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Luke Shaw.

Italy can expect to face a very different England side to Euro 2012, a team with far more energy, vibrancy and attacking thrust on the counter-attack. For all the concerns about the heat and humidity in Manaus, Hodgson’s men are fitter, faster and better set to handle the conditions.

Hodgson is sailing down the river and is faced with two choices. He must make the the right decision.

Three Lions skipper Steven Gerrard espoused Roy Hodgson’s gameplan on the eve of their World Cup opener in Manaus as the confidence within the squad continues to grow

By Sam Lee at the Arena da Amazonia

“Of course I think we can win it, I would be very very surprised if you had any coach here on the eve of his first match at the World Cup and he would say, ‘No, no chance’. We’re here to try to win it, to play our best and give a good account of ourselves. We want to go home and feel proud, for the people to feel proud.”

Gone are the days when Roy Hodgson was regarded as an arch pragmatist. The England boss has reinvented himself, and the team to an extent, over the past few months and the Three Lions squad head into the World Cup in attack mode, even if their confidence is not reflected back home.

Poor performances and bitter defeats in years gone by have tempered English expectations to the point where an early exit from a group containing Italy, Uruguay and Costa Rica would come as no surprise.

A tough looking assignment which includes a trip to the Amazon jungle does little to lift the mood, nor does the concern of a fully-fit Luis Suarez.
 
But Hodgson and his captain, Steven Gerrard, were in supremely confident mood on the eve of their first match, against the Azzurri in Manaus, and have left themselves nowhere to hide by promising an attacking outlook.

“All the distances and the miles we have covered, the heat preparation, we have done all that. There are no excuses now. It is time to walk the walk,” Gerrard said.

Hodgson too was keen to play down any obstacles: “We’re not concerned about the heat. We’ll take the conditions that come our way. We’ve prepared for them and aren’t making contingency plans. We’ll play the game we want to play. We’ll keep a close eye on the players. If any of them are flagging late on, we’ll change them.

“We have players who can come on and change the game. We are physically fit, mentally fit and tactically prepared. That’s the most we can ever hope for.”

The message was very much that England are ready. Gerrard espoused Hodgson’s “gameplan” – though the boss resents the phrase – and insists it will be the Three Lions’ intention to take the game to their illustrious opponents.

He said: “Of course we have got respect for Italy, they are a fantastic team with wonderful players. We’re confident and really focused on our gameplan. We can’t wait for kick-off.

“Our plan is not to sit back and camp out on the edge of our box and see what happens. We have a gameplan to go and attack with confidence and belief, but one of Roy Hodgson’s main strengths is having a team that is set up and well-organised and that will never change.

“But it is the players’ responsibility to get the transition right on when to be bold and brave and attack and go for the jugular and when to stick together when times are tough.”

Too often this has appeared a team incapable of combining a solid defensive performance with enterprising attacking play.

Stodgy performances against Peru and Honduras bookmarked a wild affair against Ecuador in the warm-up friendlies, while qualification for the tournament provided plenty of prosaic displays, with two end-to-end ding-dongs sealing a trip to Brazil.

But Hodgson, who brought in psychologist Dr Steve Peters for this World Cup is only interested in looking forward: “History is history and the present in the present, and we all live in the present.

“We all believe we have a great chance of winning the game for two reasons. One because we have a very good team who have a very good understanding of what we have to do. Two because we are well prepared, we are looking very fit. The only matters tomorrow night are the quality of the Italy team and we will try to match them and better them.”

Even if they do not quite match Brazil’s bristling bravado, there are few teams in more confident mood than England. It’s almost time to see how far that will take them.