LET'S take a reality check. England's brilliant performances against Argentina and Denmark have sent this country into a frenzy and the host nations' success have created scenes of jubilation that soccer has never before sparked in Asia.

The mums, dads and wives who only get interested in football once every four years reckon the World Cup and England are fantastic. But it cannot have been lost on the real soccer fans that something is missing. In a word it's class.

France had it four years ago and two years later in the European Championships. Argentina had it in 1978 and 1986 and Brazil had it in 1982 and 1994. Italy seem to have it every year. This year there is not one team who can claim to be anywhere near the quality of those sides.

Even the African nations, Senegal apart, appear to be going backwards with Cameroon and Nigeria a shadow of the sides who have put the frighteners on the opposition in the past.

The other side of the coin is that the so-called underdogs are improving at such a rate of knots that there is not a lot of difference between the top 30 or 40 sides in the world these days.

The recent African Nations Cup showed there are a host of teams on a par with Cameroon and Nigeria now while the USA and Senegal's progress into the last eight of the World Cup and South Korea and Japan's emergence as serious threats to anybody proves how the gap is closing between the leading and the lesser lights.

It means the World Cup is wide open for almost anybody to win and if England can maintain their current momentum it will take a good performance to beat them.

David Beckham looked to be building up to a big performance against Denmark after a gentle two or three displays and Michael Owen looks like he has got big game goals in him.