WHEN David Beckham was not ducking flying football boots in the Old Trafford changing-room, he was being struck by vital lessons about the art of team-building. “Sir Alex Ferguson used to say to us that if you could look around the dressing-room and be sure that everybody was going to go out and give 110 per cent, then you were on to a winner,” the midfield player, who is adamant that England straddle a similar peak, said.

Sven-Göran Eriksson will never be as combustible as Ferguson — the genteel Swede is more likely to throw a tea party than a teacup — but Beckham believes that both are responsible for assembling squads with the heart and desire of champions. Comparable sentiments have been uttered before, but the England team are entering a World Cup season with ambition, ability and self-belief.

“We’ve got a lot of experience, we’ve got young players and we’ve got talent coming through which is exceptional,” the captain said. “It’s exciting for our country. We’re very strong at the moment and we just believe in the ability we’ve got in our team. We have to look at the World Cup and believe that, when we get there, we can do something really good.

“I’m not going to say that we haven’t got a chance because that isn’t true. Players from France and Brazil are commenting about the stars we’ve got in our team, so we must have something special there. We know we’ve got something special on our hands, whether it’s Wayne Rooney or other individuals, but it’s about doing it on the pitch and putting the marker down there. I think we can do it.”

With the exception of Michael Owen, who is suspended for next month’s qualifying fixture against Wales and will be a substitute in the Parken Stadium here this evening, Eriksson will start with his strongest team against Denmark. Friendlies under this head coach are not a reliable guide to form or future prospects, but Beckham insisted that the same XI are capable of progressing beyond the quarter-finals of leading tournaments.

“When you get knocked out, you learn a lot,” the 30-year-old said, “because you don’t want it to happen again. We’ve probably gone home from the last two competitions earlier than we should have done. You’ve got to look at it as a new challenge to set your mind on. There are a number of reasons why we haven’t done it and you can always use excuses, but if you’re not good enough, you don’t reach finals and you don’t win trophies.”

As much as for the players, there has been criticism of Eriksson for a perceived lack of animation — “When was the last time I shouted? I don’t know, maybe at home,” he said to laughter at his press conference — and those concerns were echoed in the weekend serialisation of Robbie Fowler’s autobiography. There is also a lack of clarity in the handling of Alan Smith’s absence from the squad.

“Robbie has got the right to express his opinion, but I personally don’t agree with him because I think we’ve got a good chance of doing well when we get to the finals,” Beckham said. “It will need hard work and a bit of luck, but we believe we’ve got the right manager. You’ve got to have faith in him and the country has to have faith in him. We certainly do. We’ve got the best manager for the job.”

Domestic issues are also occupying Beckham, whose two seasons at Real Madrid have brought much upheaval and some personal plaudits but not the silverware he was seeking when he left United. He is hopeful, if not confident, that Owen will decide not to leave Real. “I think it’s important that Michael plays football,” Beckham said. “It’s a hard decision. The Real team is difficult to get into and he just wants to play, but I hope he stays.”

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