The Express & Star has teamed up with the one and only Ron Atkinson who tells us his tips for what’s hot and what’s not in the World Cup.

The Greatest Show on Earth is back – and this time I am looking for a smarter, wiser England to keep the nation glued to the action at the World Cup finals.

We can do well in South Africa. I have no doubts about that. But to do so, we must look at ourselves, accept our limitations and plot a way forward concentrating on the strengths that we possess.

I’m not looking for fireworks against the United States in the opening game. I’ll be quite happy with a draw in fact. But I am looking for signs from the team that they have learned from the heartaches of the past.

Up front, we all know it’s going to be Wayne Rooney. But to play with him?

We don’t have enough to go gung-ho. We have got to look at being ultra solid because we do not have the attacking strength in depth of some other nations.

If we had the sort of strike-force that, say, Argentina can turn to, then fair enough.

You can take teams on in an attacking game knowing you have got some of the best talent at the tournament. But we have Rooney and then, as I see it, a group of impact players and they are all a bit of a much of a muchness behind Rooney.

So for me, this is a World Cup which we can win by making sure we give nothing away and building from there.

I would have Steven Gerrard almost in the old inside forward position. Old Wolves fans will know what I mean when I say how Peter Broadbent used to play.

He is capable of doing the things that Broadbent used to bring to that great old team, he gives you energy when you lose possession to get back and win it again.

Gerrard on one side of a holding midfield player – and when he’s fit that is clearly going to be Gareth Barry – with Frank Lampard on the left of him. Out wide I would play James Milner on the right and Joe Cole on the left.

I think there’s a balance to that and they have all got good energy. All of them are not frightened of the ball and have a goal or two in them.

I think the beauty of Cole and Milner out wide is that it complements the full-backs.

There is support for Ashley Cole and Glen Johnson in those areas, especially on the right. If we play Cole and Milner out there, it enables our full-backs to play to their strengths.

We all know that the strongest part of their game is raiding forward and that the weakest part, in Johnson’s case particularly, is defending. With Milner on hand to help him, I would not have a worry about that. When we lose the ball, there’s no one more adept at getting back quickly than Milner.

I think the back four speaks for itself really. And I have made my case for Joe Hart starting in goal.

The two full-backs I’ve named and you would probably plump for John Terry and Ledley King as a centre-back pairing. I’m not convinced by that I have to say – strangely enough.

I think the outstanding English central defender in the Premier League last season was Michael Dawson, who you might view as the least likely to play. Terry and King, though, would be the choice we would all expect Capello to make.

But most of all, we’ve got to look at this challenge differently. The natural way for the English to play is to go forward, forward, forward.

That’s what our fans demand. If we had a couple of Bryan Robsons or Shearer and Lineker together, combinations of that quality, we could think differently.

I love a winger more than anyone and worked with some of the best in my time – Willie Johnston, Laurie Cunningham, little Stevie Coppell was wonderful, so was Gordon Strachan. Great wide players.

But we don’t yet have that, I like Aaron Lennon and I actually think Capello will start with him against the USA but I’m not sure he is at that level yet.

We have got to play to the strengths of the quality players that we do have on the pitch. Let’s make ourselves very, very hard to beat because we know in Rooney, Lampard and Gerrard, we have players to conjure the match-winning moments.

I do not want to see us go all-out attack, because there are teams who will be able to do it better than us.

I would be much happier playing the United States at the end of the group rather than start.

We know what they are going to do – they will play the patriotic card and come out with tons of energy, fired up by the stars and stripes and ready to hunt down our boys all over the pitch.

But if we were meeting them two games later, I think they might have run themselves to a standstill.  I can see a 1-1 and I would be quite content with that.

The World Cup graveyard is littered with the bones of teams who have set off on a tide of attacking football and had everyone raving about them, talking them up as future winners. They usually go out in the quarter-finals.

No, a draw with the Yanks doesn’t concern me. Opening games are cautious, no-one wants to lose. And I think we have all we need in our locker to beat Algeria and Slovenia to go through.

It’s time for us to wise up, look at what the Italians did four years ago and learn.

If we do, I’m not going to say we will win it – but we will have a very good tournament.

Big Ron’s Winners

The best team in the tournament is Spain – no danger.

But if Capello were in charge of Argentina, I would back them to win it.

What a group of players Diego Maradona has. They are the most talented, attack-minded group in the tournament but you would have to say on what we have seen so far that if they do well it may be in spite of their coach and not because of him.

I have got a fancy for Holland this time even although they have disappointed in the past. But whereas I was confident about Italy winning the World Cup four years ago and Spain winning the Euros in 2008, I genuinely believe this a really open tournament. Brazil’s challenge is topsy-turvy to how we imagine them.

They have the three outstanding goalkeepers in the tournament – when have we said that before? – in Cesar, Gomes and Doni and real strength and class in the defensive positions where Maicon, Alves, Lucio and Silva really shine. That’s an incredible line-up.

But for once I find myself questioning their offensive capabilities.

Kaka has not had the best season at Real Madrid and I don’t rate Robinho highly – he’s one of those players who starts playing when you’re 3-0 up in my book.

Still, they they have an excellent coach in Dunga, intelligent and pragmatic.

They will be tough but undone, I think, by a lack of craft at the top of the pitch. Strange for Brazil.

If you’re asking me to stick my neck out, I would have a punt on Argentina.

Maradona has his eyes on joining that exclusive club of two – Franz Beckenbauer and Brazil’s Mario Zagallo – as the only men to have won the World Cup as players and coaches and he does seem to be one of those figures in the game who are touched by destiny.

You just wonder.

Big Ron’s Stars: -

So who will we be raving about a month from now?

We can all name the obvious candidates such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Rooney but I’m expecting one or two others to show.

For a start, if he steers clear of injuries, I have a little fancy for Robin van Persie to have a great tournament in a Dutch side being dangerously overlooked in the ratings.

But there’s a lad playing for Italy we should all keep our eyes on, Giampaolo Pazzini. He already has his name inscribed in our football folklore as the first player to score a hat-trick at the new Wembley playing for the Italian under-21′s.

He was a Fiorentina player then but has since moved on to Sampdoria and I have watched his progress with keen interest.

In fact, I am surprised an English club hasn’t smuggled him out of Serie A before now. It may be too late after this World Cup. He will possibly have to wait his chance to make an impact because the Italians could play with one up top again – but he’s top quality.

Flop of the tournament? The Germans and probably the African challenge. It just doesn’t convince me I’m afraid. Pele said 20 years ago that he could see a day fast-approaching when an African team would win the World Cup but I just don’t see it this time.

I know everyone is tipping the Ivory Coast to do well but, even before they had this problem with Didier Drogba, I had my doubts.

They have got a hell of a difficult group to get out of with Brazil, Portugal and the North Koreans and I’m not convinced they will.

As for the Germans, they just don’t frighten me. I would be least concerned about facing them then any of the European heavyweights – it’s a long time since they came into the World Cup finals at such long odds.

Dark horses? Serbia. Dangerous. Good defenders in Nemanja Vidic and Branislav Ivanovic and I will be fascinated to see how Blues’ new striker Nikola Zigic fares up front.

And they put in a great qualifying performance.