France coach Jacques Santini has a core group of 14 to 16 players in mind for Euro 2004 and plans to stick with the strategy that has won 13 matches in a row.
Santini told reporters on Tuesday the 4-4-2 system offered sufficient "spontaneity" to the reigning champions.
"We haven't used all the possibilities of this system yet," he said.
At present a group of 14 to 16 offered France enough different elements to confront most situations his side will face in Portugal where they meet England, Croatia and Switzerland in the first round, he said.
A series of defeats might necessitate a change and he repeated his concern about the psychological and physical strain imposed by the long European season, which ends only days before Euro 2004 starts.
"The England game is a long way away -- rather than fearing an opponent I fear not having the best players available and at the peak of their fitness," he said.
"I will look at any new players who appear but we don't have much time," said Santini.
In 2002 France, then world champions, were knocked out in the first round of the World Cup partly because key players were exhausted and Zinedine Zidane was injured early on.
Santini said one advantage of a recent run of injuries to players like captain Marcel Desailly and Patrick Vieira was that striker Thierry Henry had pushed himself forward.
"He has done very well, both in terms of passing and scoring goals, and wants to become one of the team's leaders."
Henry, Zidane and Ronaldo have been nominated for the World Footballer of the Year award in 2003.
Santini would not be drawn on what he would consider a successful 2004 campaign. "We'll do all we can and I will push the team as far as possible," he said.
Santini said France would be based at Santo-Tirso near Porto and planned to play two or three additional matches before leaving for Portugal.
They already have three friendlies -- against Belgium, the Netherlands and Brazil -- over the next few months.
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