Oliver Kay expressed cautious optimism at England's chances of winning the World Cup in South Africa during a live webchat followed by thousands of Times readers today.

The Times Football Correspondent fielded dozens of questions in the wake of England's emphatic qualification at Wembley and, despite the mood of optimism sweeping the country after the 5-1 victory over Croatia, Kay said it was important to remain level-headed. He went on to discuss the continuing selection issues facing Fabio Capello, focusing on the “problem” goalkeeping position and Emile Heskey's struggles in front of goal.

"I'm normally fairly pessimistic about England, but a performance and a result like that do leave you wondering whether this team might actually be capable of doing something," Kay said. "The problem with England is that it's always glass empty or glass full. There's never much perspective or balanced opinion. That's why I'm trying to keep level-headed.

"Let's see what kind of state England are in when the tournament starts," he added. "There's an awful lot of football to be played between then and now. But let's enjoy last night and look forward with optimism. Cautious optimism.

“If I was asked 'Can England win the World Cup?' I would say, yes; but if it's 'Will England win the World Cup?' I would probably put my money elsewhere."

Robert Green continues to battle it out with David James and Ben Foster for the goalkeeping position, but Kay said that James remains in pole position for South Africa despite concerns over his form and fitness.

"I’ve always been a fan of James," Kay said. "I have said until recently that he would be my choice. There is just the slight concern that, as he gets older, he is starting to pick up a few injuries – although still nowhere near as many as Ben Foster or Chris Kirkland."

Heskey's habitual loss of form also attracted much debate, with Kay keen to see England explore other options before next summer. However, he said Michael Owen's hopes of making the squad appear less likely than ever.

"There has to be an alternative to Heskey - and not just because of the risk of injury,” Kay said. “If he's on form, I would have him in the XI without question, but my concern about him is that he can drift into lulls of form for months at a time. He made a decent contribution last night, but he's not at his menacing, rampaging best and I wonder if he might be drifting into one of those lulls again. For that reason, there has to be a plan B. Or a plan C, if we're counting Defoe as plan B.

"Owen is more distant than ever now that Jermain Defoe is scoring goals. I'm certain that Capello will only pick one out of Owen and Defoe and, although I think Owen might come good at United, Capello's faith in Defoe hardly looks misplaced at the moment."