He is following the example of Jacquet who often consulted the likes of Didier Deschamps and Laurent Blanc before making major decisions – for instance, Deschamps reportedly had a role in the decision to sideline Eric Cantona and David Ginola.

Santini did not say what power his senior players had – he calls them his “group of leaders” – but he was quite open with the influence they wield.

“The basic group, the group of leaders are very important,” he said. “As coach I have my secret garden – that is my relationship with the players, we say little things to each other.

“As coach I am convinced of its importance so that we all show solidarity and are united.”

Santini said that the players had the right to approach him on any subject they felt warranted attention.

“It does not matter if it is what colour laces we wear or if it is a major tactical issue,” he explained.

“We have experienced leaders on the pitch and they are irreplaceable.”

Santini is well aware that getting through to the knockout stages is no formality as his predecessor Roger Lemerre found out in 2002 when the defending world champions were eliminated without winning a game or scoring a goal.

Santini, who has an unblemished record in competitive games after claiming the 2003 Confederations Cup and winning all eight qualifying matches, said: “There is no guarantee that we will get past the first round but if you get into the later stages then everything is possible.”

Santini did give a big hint as to the sort of team that will play against England when he said that the men that played against Ukraine last week in Paris would be a good indicator of who would face Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men.

However, he did give himself some leeway for changes when he said he reserved the right to make “zero to three” changes to the side that beat Ukraine 1-0.

With David Trezeguet recovering well from an ankle injury, he could come in for Louis Saha alongside Thierry Henry in attack.

However, Santini’s refusal to name a captain for the match indicates that he has not entirely given up on picking Marcel Desailly even though Lilian Thuram and Mikael Silvestre were the first-choice centre backs against Ukraine with William Gallas and Bixente Lizarazu filling the full-back roles.

Santini does not believe that his imminent move to Tottenham will distract his players from the job of defending their European title in Euro 2004.

Santini’s agreement with Tottenham has caused consternation in France and there have even been reports that some in the French Football Federation wanted to sack him for revealing his intentions just before Les Bleus begin their title defence.

Santini said: “It is best to take a decision quickly and I did so on the weekend of Pentecost.

“I hope I will be celebrating with the players on July 4 in Lisbon.

“I have no reflections, neither on my behaviour nor on my previous conduct."