France captain Didier Deschamps is determined to perform well at Euro 2000 after a frustrating season at Chelsea when he says he played at 50 per cent of his ability.
"I'm even keener on the France team and this European Championship because I'm frustrated by the game played by Chelsea, by the English game in general," Deschamps said in an interview in L'Equipe yesterday.
"I'm frustrated. You can't compare Chelsea with Juventus because the national championships bear no comparison, nor does the game played. This year, in England, I had the impression of playing at 50 per cent of my qualities," the midfielder said after his first season in the English Premiership.
German legend Lothar Matthaus has warned he is ready to silence his critics against England just days after offering to quit the team.
Matthaus, who turned in a calamitous performance against Romania on Monday when he was substituted in the second half, was talked out of quitting by coach Erich Ribbeck. Some players in the German side have hinted that the team would be better off with Matthaus on the bench, but now the 39-year-old New York/New Jersey Metrostar is set to start against England tomorrow.
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