By Phil McNulty BBC Sport chief football writer at Anfield

ENGLAND v URUGUAY Date: 1 March 2006 Kick-off: 2005 GMT Venue: Anfield, Liverpool Live on Match of the Day, Radio Five Live and this website

David Beckham delivered an unwitting moment of humour and irony to break up the serious business of England's World Cup preparations at Anfield.

Asked about his future as England captain, a stone-faced Beckham responded with all seriousness: "I was manager before Sven arrived."

So Beckham has indeed been over-exerting his influence in the way he has been accused by his band of critics - in fact he has been managing the team rather than Sven-Goran Eriksson.

Some will say they suspected it all along.

But as Beckham corrected himself and the laughter died down, there was a sense that whoever was managing the side, England sensed their time was coming in Germany in 100 days.

England's World Cup clock has been ticking since the fateful moment in Shizuoka in 2002 when Brazil's Ronaldinho turned a moment of speculation into the fatal blow to Eriksson's ambitions.

Eriksson's side would come to full maturity, so we were told, in Germany in 2006 - a message repeated when Wayne Rooney was injured and the Swede suffered tactical paralysis against Portugal in Euro 2004.

I can feel the atmosphere - the World Cup is close Sven-Goran Eriksson

First four years. Then two years. Now Germany is almost here.

This time no excuses will be accepted. No talk of waiting another two years - definitely not for Eriksson and possibly not for Beckham.

As Beckham, Eriksson and Steven Gerrard addressed the media surrounded by silverware in Anfield's trophy room ahead of the match with Uruguay, there was a definite air that the countdown had begun.

And for a trio of England's most influential figures, there is the chance to make the sort of mark on the international stage that has eluded them in the past.

Only the faintest of fine-tuning will now be made by Eriksson, and South American opposition has been chose to grace Anfield as a dry run for the World Cup meeting with Paraguay.

Bent poised to make England debut

Eriksson's meter is also running, and while the Swede was hardly de-mob happy, he exuded an air of calm and even indulged in the odd bout of banter with the media.

The next squad he meets after Uruguay will be the one he will take to Germany, and while Eriksson will never bubble over into wild excitement, he reflected a buoyant mood in the England camp that their moment of destiny is close.

He said: "I can feel the atmosphere. The World Cup is close and this is the last game before I pick the squad.

"There is a great feeling of respect between me, my coaching staff and the players. It is a fantastic group of players. They support me and I feel I support them as well.

Eriksson senses players' urgency Beckham wants to stay as captain

"The team is in good shape, as we were before Japan and Portugal, but I think we have a better chance now."

Eriksson's optimism was reflected by Beckham and Gerrard - two men who have known their own World Cup disappointments.

Beckham's broken metatarsal meant he was a shadow of his real self in Japan, short on fitness and lacking in influence, while Gerrard was recuperating from surgery on Merseyside.

It was a similar story in Portugal two years later - Beckham below-par and Gerrard seemingly consumed and confused by the bout of speculation linking him with Chelsea.

Now body and minds are clear for Eriksson, Beckham and Gerrard.