England seek to punch above their weight

Lisbon - If it were boxing England and France would be barred from getting into the same ring.

For footballing heavyweights of the calibre of Zinedine Zidane, Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira, wiping the floor with England's collection of up-and-coming middleweights does not look an overly testing task.

A team that has not been beaten in 18 matches or conceded a goal in its last 11 should not have any problem disposing of one that has won just one of its last six.

That's the theory. As ever in football, the reality of the 36th meeting of the two countries here in their opening Euro 2004 match on Sunday (Monday morning in Brunei) is a little more complex.

France's recent record and status as defending champions is mitigated by the memory of their catastrophic appearance at the last World Cup, as well as by a sense that, defensively, Jacques Santini's side has started to fray around the edges.

Likewise, England's tendency to fluff their lines in friendlies is offset by an increasingly reliable capacity for meeting their cues when it matters most.

In the three and a half years since Sven-Goran Eriksson inherited the shambles left to him by his predecessor Kevin Keegan, England have suffered just one competitive defeat, to Brazil in a World Cup quarterfinal two years ago.

Along the way there have been some memorable results: the 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich in 2001, the World Cup defeat of Argentina in Sapporo and the goalless draw with Turkey in Istanbul which earned Eriksson's men the right to Sunday evening's rendezvous in the Stadium of Light.

It is the sense of purpose displayed on those occasions which allows England's captain, David Beckham, to suggest that England's collective strength can be greater than the sum of France's outstanding individual talents.

"The plan is to get right at France in the first 10 minutes and not to be fazed by any of their players because I think we've got a great team," Beckham revealed ahead of his own reunion with Real Madrid team-mate Zidane.

"Personally I think we've got a better team than France. Only in the game will that be proven and we've got to perform well on the day.

"If every player performs well then we have got a great chance of coming out on top and getting the win we want from the first game.

"We've got to forget how good other teams are. The French team is one of the best in the world and have got the best players in the world.

"But if our team all comes together at the right time, then we are definitely capable of beating anyone."

Eriksson expresses a similar sentiment, albeit with a proviso that a draw would still represent a very good result.

"The confidence in the squad is very, very big. I don't need to tell them that we can beat France if we have a good day. I think they know that."

Such confidence is in part born of the familiarity of the France players, with more than half of their likely starting line-up earning their living in England.

There is not a single member of the England team who would dispute that Henry is currently the world's best striker, Vieira the most imperious midfield anchor and Zidane a playmaker without equal on the planet.

But even the most impressive of individuals must lose some of their lustre when you see them every day on the training field.

Sol Campbell might not be able to stop Henry, but it won't be for lack of practice on the Arsenal training ground. Beckham's admiration for Zidane has grown during his season in Madrid but the Englishman has also pirated some of his team-mate's tricks.

Eriksson is not one for allowing players too big a say in how matches are approached, but on this occasion he admits: "I could maybe ask my own players how to stop them."

Vieira picks up the theme by insisting that training ground camaraderie will not inhibit France. "You can't have friends on a football pitch -- it's not something I even think about even if I know I am going to be playing against some players I have a lot of time for.

"The desire in the squad is very high. We suffered after what happened in 2002 and this time we are ready, physically and mentally. If we want to beat England, we know we'll have to work for it."

 -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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