Much of the talk ahead of Friday night's game has surrounded England and Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, and whether he has a "footballing brain".
The Gunners forward has been accused of being able to do the spontaneous things well, but often makes the wrong decision when he has time to think on the ball.
Four months ago this would have been a pretty good assessment. Now it's a cheap and easy shot which has little to do with reality.
I made similar comments about Walcott when I saw him play in England's World Cup friendly against Japan in Austria in May. He just couldn't stick his game together that day and his performance in that match may ultimately have cost him a place in Fabio Capello’s 23-man England squad.
But if the evidence of his first four games for Arsenal is anything to go by, he looks a different player this season.
He looks like he's learned from his mistakes and has been bright and sharp. Another performance like that at Wembley and he should be an England regular for a long time.
Walcott was an obvious pick for Capello, but the England manager has had it from all angles over the make-up of his squad.
It's been suggested in some quarters that he's on borrowed time and should be sacked at the first opportunity.
Of course this puts pressure on Capello but it’s something he can’t concern himself with. He needs to concentrate on sending out a team which is going to win games.
The first job of any football manager is to win and that is the least that is expected of England on Friday. But if it could be done with a polished performance it would certainly alleviate the stress which currently surrounds the England team.
I'll definitely be looking for a team with a spark and a sharpness about it.
There were signs against Hungary that some of the players are moving on from the World Cup failure but England fans still need more convincing.
That said, four points from the first two games, which includes a tricky away tie in Switzerland, would be a good start to the campaign.
With so many senior players out of the squad, there will be added pressure on Wayne Rooney to perform well against Bulgaria.
Although adored at Old Trafford he has bridges to build with England fans and a few goals over the next few days would definitely help.
Even for a player at his level, breaking his goalscoring drought for Manchester United last Saturday will certainly have helped his confidence.
He proved in the last qualification campaign that he can score at international level and it wouldn't surprise me to see him on the scoresheet again over the next two matches.
Watch England v Bulgaria live on ITV1 & ITV.com from 7.30pm on Friday night
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