The injured striker has reservations about the system, if not the team-mates he left behind


I DON’T JUST think we have better players than Portugal — I know it. In fact, I would put England up against any side left in this competition and, if you made a composite team with the best of each, expect to have at least half made up of Englishmen.

We have the individual talent to win this World Cup. The crucial thing is playing well as a team and everyone knows that has to improve this afternoon, particularly with the 4-5-1 system.

I can understand why the manager is going with that, although, from a striker’s point of view, it can be difficult. If you have two flying machines out on the flanks, you can turn it into 4-3-3 very quickly, but without them it is not always the prettiest system to watch. The danger is that the lone striker can be isolated and we will need to get support up to Wayne Rooney very quickly.

The more the ball is around Wazza, the more chance he’s got of producing his magic and we have to get the best out of him. Wazza is a really honest lad and will be prepared to do whatever is asked of him, but I do really wish I was out there running on to his passes in Gelsenkirchen.

I would certainly expect to be playing if I was not at home nursing my injured knee. We have generally been at our best playing with two strikers — it is how we lined up against Argentina, our best victory in the past 12 months — and I am confident that things were going to come good for me in Germany.

There was a little time at the start of Euro 2004 when I was thinking about my place and what I should be doing on the pitch, but I believed that the team were going to start playing better in these World Cup finals and that I would benefit. As I have said before, no one relies on his team-mates more than me. I have worked very hard on my all-round game, on creating and linking, but if you don’t get me chances to score, you could put my brother up front. Although we are different players, you could probably say the same of Ronaldo, who has turned things around after a slow start for him and Brazil.

People were talking about his lack of movement, which amazed me. Have they not seen him play for Real Madrid in the past couple of years? I was there for a season and there were times when you would think: “Come on Ronnie, get around a bit more.” But he would simply be waiting for the right pass and then he would show that unbelievable burst of pace and strength. He can be unplayable and he will score one-on-ones all day, but he needs the service.

We could well meet Ronaldo and Brazil in the semi-finals. We have to be favourites this afternoon, even if Portugal did knock us out of Euro 2004. They are a team you would expect to meet at this stage of the competition — decent but just outside the top few in the world.

A draw was probably a fair result in Lisbon at the end of 120 minutes. Like so often, we started well and scored the first goal. Like so often, we then sat back and invited them on to us.

It is a mentality we have picked up and it is hard to shake off. Partly it is down to wanting victory so much and trying to protect it, but it is also part of our football culture. This is a technically skilled team, but it is not really our way to keep the ball and pass it around the back, running down the clock.

This afternoon we need to play better than we have done, but I am expecting that from the boys. I will be honest and say that, after suffering a serious injury, it does make you fall a little bit out of love with the game in the short term, a bit like falling off a horse.

But I will be gripped to the television this afternoon, cheering us on to victory and the semi-finals.