Celebrated since medieval times for the curative properties of its mineral springs, Spa woke today to find Kevin Keegan and the boys seeking peace and solitude before the real business of Euro 2000 starts against Portugal on Monday.

Once royalty from all over Europe travelled to Spa to bathe in the healing waters and I cannot believe that there will not be at least one attempt by an enterprising photographer to persuade one of Keegan's groin-strain victims to take a dip for the benefit of the tabloids.

But the England coach wants none of that. This is serious business and, after that performance in Malta, even he would acknowledge that some sort of rest cure, or tonic, might be appropriate at this stage in his preparations. The truth is, of course, that it's really too late for any dramatic rethinks. He has to go with what he's got and live with the consequences.

Although recent evidence suggests otherwise, I hope that he has clear in his mind his formation and personnel for the opening game in Eindhoven.

The first match is critical because the result sets the tone for the rest of the opening stage - as England have found in the past.

The record books show England to be slow starters in European Championship finals and only Terry Venables, after a 1-1 draw with Switzerland, was able to progress significantly after his opening day disappointment in 1996.

Even the greatest achievement in England's soccer history began with a woeful goalless draw against Uruguay. No one at that point in 1966 would have predicted with any confidence that, five games later, Sir Alf Ramsey's men would be crowned world champions.

Keegan, who played under Ramsey towards the end of his reign, would do well to spend a couple of his evenings in Spa recalling some of the qualities that formed the greatest of all England managers.

I know that he's asked Sir Geoff Hurst, Ramsey's hat-trick hero against West Germany, to visit the squad in Spa this weekend.

After all, no figure is better equipped to tell Keegan's men just what it means to win a major tournament for England.

It's happened only once and Keegan may like to draw some comfort from the fact that, even on that occasion, the blueprint wasn't finalised until deep into the tournament.

Ramsey wanted a settled team and formation in 1966 but, much like Keegan today, the successful lineup was in the end a matter of circumstance as much as design.

Hurst's England debut, for example, came in February 1966 and his West Ham team-mate Martin Peters wasn't introduced to international football until just two months before the final tournament.

These two were to play key roles, but not initially.

Hurst got into the World Cup side only after Jimmy Greaves was injured in the third match against France and Peters, too, had to wait patiently while Ramsey tried and discarded wingers like John Connelly, Terry Paine and Ian Callaghan.

Peters, right-footed, finally found his place on the left side of England's midfield, the position that now causes Keegan so much gnashing of teeth.

Having discarded wingers, Ramsey, like most national team managers, settled on a tactical system and chose his players accordingly. He, of course, had enough to pick and choose from.

Keegan doesn't have that luxury. To some degree his tactics are determined by the players available and, of course, the opposition's strategy. But his plans have been complicated by Alan Shearer having to have a scan on his knee injury.

Monday's opening game with Portugal presents Keegan with the sort of dilemma that separates the tactical genius from the bibs and balls coach. Tactically, Keegan's most crucial decision is whether to retain the solid, functional 4-4-2 system, used against Brazil and Malta, or switch to 3-5-2 which looked good, in parts at least, in the 2-0 win over Ukraine at Wembley.

My guess is that he will employ the conventional 4-4-2 against Portugal, footballing soul mates of the Brazilians, and so ensure that England are, at the very least, hard to beat.

He must also consider the figure of Barcelona's Luis Figo, who enters the equation like a whirlwind on the left side of England's defence.

As a right-winger of prodigious energy, Figo will expose any frailties on England's left and this threat will inevitably help determine Keegan's line-up.

Although lacking an orthodox centre-forward, Portugal play with a three-man attack, prompted from the centre of midfield by Fiorentina's Rui Costa.

Such a line-up will almost certainly persuade Keegan to start the tournament with a flat back four and, if that's successful, he could retain it against Germany and Romania.

The gamble for Keegan, though, remains the left side of midfield where the energetic Chelsea captain Dennis Wise may be preferred to either Steve McManaman or Nicky Barmby, neither of whom are defensively strong.

But the claims of McManaman and Barmby would be more credible in a 3-5-2 formation and it could be that Keegan will decide, whatever the Portugal result, that this system is better suited to the demands presented by Germany and Romania.

Whatever his eventual line-up, it will all be irrelevant if England's passing game fails to improve as the tournament unfolds.

David Beckham apart, the quality of England's passing has been lamentable and, if you constantly lose the ball at this level, punishment is fast and decisive. It's no coincidence that the majority of England's goals these days are scored not from open play but from set pieces, usually delivered with unerring accuracy by Beckham.

The Manchester United idol, at the peak of his game, is a bonus for Keegan. So, I think, is his Old Trafford team-mate Paul Scholes.

In his first tournament as a coach, Keegan can also rely on the depth of England's team spirit and the defensive inspiration that a fit Tony Adams gives to those around him. What else? Very little. England only just scraped into the finals via the play-offs and therefore - a plus this - expectation levels should not be too high for a change.

England will be hard to beat but progress may depend on how well we take penalties and how productively captain Alan Shearer, making his farewell on the international stage, gels with Michael Owen.

Shearer hasn't scored for England in his past six games but no one can question his commitment or his patriotism and he says: 'I don't see why we can't win it.'

Such conviction will fuel England's bid for glory and my belief is that they are good enough to get to the quarter-finals.

Anything beyond that will be a bonus.

Anything less and Keegan and his men will require Spa's curative waters to put them back on track for next season's World Cup qualifying ties.