Two days to go, and concerns over football’s fickle nature currently outweigh other thoughts among fans and players alike. Germany say a prayer for their captain Michael Ballack, who missed training on Tuesday; England — and most fans — will be hoping for positive news of Wayne Rooney, who is being examined in Manchester today to assess whether he will play any part in this tournament.

Other teams face problems with lesser stars, though not necessarily less important players. Italy’s Gennaro Gattuso, he with the tenacity of a bulldog and the bite of a terrier, has a 15-day lay-off after straining a thigh muscle. His response was typical: “I’m going to the World Cup, even if I have to tie myself with a rope to the team bus.”

That about sums up the desperation. The last tournament saw too many stars either absent or unfit — or just plain tired — and the quality of football suffered.

This time around, with a better climate — the sun was out today, the air is crisp and clear and Friday’s forecast is a high of 19— the tournament will be back on its feet.

There is a sense of keen anticipation here, though Munich lacks the buzz of, say, Seoul or Tokyo in 2002. One explanation is that neither of the two teams playing on Friday is here. The hosts are in Berlin, Costa Rica in the southern town of Walldorf; the fans, too, are either spread out at this moment or, as in the case of the Central Americans, too few in number.

... contd.