France v England
Toulon Tournament, Semi-Final
Stade Mayol, Toulon
08 June 2004, 6.30pm (live on Eurosport)

Peter Taylor says he is looking forward to the Toulon Tournament semi-final against France after his England U20s side beat South Korea on Monday. 

England required a win against the Koreans to qualify from Group B in second place behind Portugal and they got that result thanks to goals from Liam Rosenior, Greg Halford and Nigel Reo-Coker.

After a post-match recovery session, Taylor caught up with TheFA.com to talk about the Korea match and look ahead to playing the tournament hosts at the Stade Mayol on Wednesday.

"I think the main positive to take out of the South Korea game was how professional the team played," Taylor said. "I thought we passed the ball around very well, kept the ball in difficult conditions and we created some good chances.

"The Koreans are quite awkward to play against but I thought we were comfortable and in charge of the match from the start."

That match was England's third in five days and, in temperatures pushing 30 degrees, Taylor has found it important to rotate his squad to avoid losing players in what is a punishing match schedule.

"It is extremely hot out here but that's all part of the learning curve for these players," Taylor continued.

"That is why this competition is such a fantastic experience. Eventually they want to be with the England Senior squad and playing in World Cups and European Championships and it is a great experience and education for them.

"Dealing with the rigours of tournament football, including little things like the best time to have water breaks, is really important to the development of their game.

"We have a great backroom staff who travel with all the England youth teams and a lot of work goes on behind the scenes between matches to make sure that the players are at their best for each match."

England's squad is a mixture of players with a lot of international experience, such as Newcastle United pair James Milner and Steven Taylor, and players who are new to the international scene.

In the South Korea match, Colchester United's Greg Halford made his first start for the Three Lions whilst Hull City's Scott Wiseman and Scott Flinders of Barnsley both made their debuts.

"To have three players who played in League One last season to come in to the squad and do exceptionally well is great," Taylor enthused.

"Halford had a fantastic first start. He played well for 80 minutes and scored a fabulous goal.

"I know Scott Wiseman well from Hull. He's a quick defender and I thought he handled everything superbly.

"Scott Flinders also had a brilliant debut. It is not easy for a 'keeper to come in like that but he pulled off a tremendous save when it was still 1-0 and looked solid throughout."

England have enjoyed their week in Toulon and having secured their place in the semi-finals, will now look to make it through to the final for the first time since 1994.

"I cannot praise this squad enough," the coach said. "They have been a very together squad and everyone has been getting on with each other. It has been a pleasure working with them."

England's next challenge will see them take on the French, who were very impressive in their group, winning all three matches in style.

Taylor faces a selection dilemma ahead of the match but whoever he selects, confidence is high in the England camp.

"I've got some very hard decisions to make with regards to the team. There were a lot of players who did well against South Korea and deserve to play again but then there are others who played well but were rested on Monday.

"Every player in the squad has played at least once so far, so they are all fit and ready for the game against France. It will be hard leaving some players out.

"We all watched their opening game against South Africa and they are a typical French side.

"They are very athletic, quick and strong. They are a good side but we are also looking a very strong team. It's going to be a very interesting game."