Italy kick off their campaign tomorrow and I'm aware there is some debate in Malta about whether they are good enough to retain their trophy.
Italy will be hard to beat. I don't think they will win it but they've got great experience. You can never write off Italy because they go into tournament after tournament and perform. I don't think it will be their year but then I wouldn't be surprised if they prove me wrong.
The further they go in the tournament, the harder they will be to beat. They have the mental strength to win games and go all the way to the final. They have done it previously and they have World Cup winners in their squad. It's great to have that experience.
England expects
The English public is always very confident going into a World Cup, particularly when the games start. If the team starts doing well it reaches fever pitch.
I remember in 2002 when I got injured I was amazed at how excited the fans got and the atmosphere they created in England. And in Malta for that matter.
It doesn't affect the players because they're almost removed from it when they're away. They are cocooned in a camp and they're not reading the press or seeing the pubs and streets back home with all the St George's crosses.
The players experience a different sort of nervousness and anxiousness because of the huge scale of the tournament. Like the Olympics, it only comes round every four years and it's important for a player's career that he takes the opportunity when it comes.
England have a decent draw and will probably be playing in favourable conditions, but I wouldn't say it's a case of now or never for England to win it. People talk about the 'golden generation' of England players, but there are always good young English players coming through.
The 'golden generation' label has been used to death over the past 10 years. There are a lot of new players in the squad now added to the remnants of the so-called 'golden generation' players.
To be honest, the 'golden generation' wasn't very golden from where I was sat in the England squad. We didn't win any tournaments or do ourselves justice. You get called a golden generation when you win things.
Penalty shoot-outs are definitely an issue England will have to deal with. In four of the five tournaments I was part of we were knocked out on penalties, so it tells you we have a problem. Now there is a different manager who has a great mentality and I hope the players will keep their nerve if a game goes to penalties. Sometimes it just comes down to having good, confident penalty takers.
A happy success
What fans saw in the first two games on Friday is that teams are desperate not to lose their first game in a World Cup.
Teams prepare for a month before their first game, which does not normally happen at international level. That is why you see teams over-prepared; they know the whole world is watching and they don't want to let themselves down.
At the time of writing I don't know yesterday's scores but I wasn't surprised to see two draws on Friday because both teams would have been desperate not to lose.
France will be disappointed with their performance against Uruguay; they didn't do enough. Diego Forlan had a great chance and Uruguay could have sneaked a win, despite having a man sent off.
South Africa were unlucky not to get off to a dream start against Mexico and could have won at the end, but they'll take confidence from their performance and it will be great for the tournament if they progress.
I played in South Africa two summers ago with Manchester United and it's an excellent place to play. There's a great atmosphere in the stadiums, everyone is happy and that will rub off on the tournament. The organisers wanted to make it a happy tournament of the people, and I think it will be a success.
When we played there, fans were blowing their vuvuzela horns all during the game and they will be one of the things people will remember about the tournament. But I disagree with suggestions that the noise will distract the players. Noise from the crowd should never affect the players because they should be so focused on the game that they remove themselves from those issues.
Over to you
Is it easy to put aside club differences and play together for England or can tensions surface? Dennis Vella
For tournaments like this, England players have always put aside their differences and been professional. The most difficult thing is getting players who don't normally play together every week and turning them into a team. This is one of the big challenges of international football. But the spirit has always been good in the England camp.
Which players are you most looking forward to watching, and do you ever watch big tournaments and see players that you would like at United? Dylan Borg
Obviously everyone wants to see what Lionel Messi can do in this tournament. And I'm also looking forward to watching Manchester United players such as Ji Sung Park for South Korea, Patrice Evra for France and Nemanja Vidic for Serbia.
Of course, I watch players and think I'd like them at United. The best players in the world are playing in this tournament so there will be plenty to admire. But we can't have every single one at United.
Send your World Cup questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com.