Sven-Goran Eriksson is like a prime minister on the election trail for the third time. He is compelled to repeat the old promises even as the increasingly sceptical voters heckle. The England manager, who has gone out in the quarter-finals at the previous two tournaments, still sounds sincere in his claim that the side can win the World Cup in Germany next summer.

Ahead of tonight's draw in Leipzig, he ran an admiring but not uncritical eye over the chief rivals. Brazil, the holders who eliminated England in Japan, are everyone's obsession, but Eriksson, with the lightest of touches, presented them as flawed when it was put to him that they are bound to retain the World Cup.

"If they were as good at defending as attacking, then I would agree," he said.

Eriksson happily concurred that it would be fun to see Wayne Rooney running at Roque Junior, who was briefly so hapless at Leeds United.

"Absolutely," he replied. "But Rooney today can take on any defender."

In general he followed each piece of acclaim for the 20-year-old with comparable commendation of others, such as Michael Owen. Rooney broke a metatarsal at Euro 2004 and England dare not be as dependent on him again in Germany, where the principal challengers have deep resources.

Eriksson spoke respectfully of Italy and Holland, before a nod to the capacity of the hosts, Germany, to peak at major tournaments, even if there are always "people screaming about bad football, bad tactics".

Nonetheless, it is the South Americans and, specifically, Brazil who dominate his thoughts.

The England manager denies that staging the competition in Europe can be a hindrance when so many of their squad earn a living there. He judges, as well, that Brazil have got better since 2002. "They have more options up front than they had in Japan," Eriksson said. "I don't know how they are going to choose: Ronaldinho, Adriano, Ronaldo, Kaka, Robinho.

"The best South American teams will always be technically the best in the world, even 10 years ahead," he argued. "It's in the blood or the genes. They have young boys playing football a lot, on the beach or whatever. We don't do that in England or Sweden or Europe any more. When I was at school we took the ball and went out, but today everything must be organised by a coach and that means they play only three or four times a week. We did it every day."

Eriksson, accordingly, was heartened to have defeated Argentina in the friendly in Geneva last month. "We are technically better than in the previous two tournaments, much better and much more experienced," he insisted. "Argentina wanted to beat us and we handled it very well. It came late, but it came. We had more chances to score than they did."

The rate of activity is quickening. Eriksson is about to meet his backroom staff to plot the build-up to the World Cup. Even if he frets about Wayne Bridge's lack of involvement at Chelsea, his anxieties are minor. All of his comments about the players' progress, the knowledge he has gained in international competitions, the precious summer preparation over almost a month and the capacity of Rooney and David Beckham to contain their emotions at key moments are familiar. Now, though, others concur that the quality of England's footballers is on the rise.

Eriksson expects the Argentinian teenager Lionel Messi to make an impact in Germany, and he envisages Ronaldinho as the player of the tournament; but he was encouraged by the number of Englishmen in the top 50 for the European Footballer of the Year award which the Brazilian has just won.

Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard were Ronaldinho's closest challengers and John Terry and Jamie Carragher were highly ranked. England themselves are second seeds at the 2006 World Cup, but fulfilment will come only if they can take the final step that has been beyond them since 1966.

But Experience makes Eriksson steel himself for bad news tonight. "I remember in Japan," he said. "It was awful. The last one in the group was Nigeria, and we already had Argentina and Sweden. At that time (the former FA chief executive) Adam Crozier was sitting next to me and I bet that Nigeria would come out - and they did."

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