Immediately after Israel ended its first training session yesterday, ahead of Saturday's crucial Euro 2008 Group E qualifier against England, coach Dror Kashtan was scheduled to attend a press conference at the media tent outside the National Stadium in Ramat Gan. Kashtan broke with habit, and instead of attending in his trademark track suit, he stopped to take a shower and put on a freshly pressed white shirt.

When he entered the media tent he was flabbergasted. While he was tense during training - admininstering more than his usual dose of bellicosity to his players - the sight of 60 journalists waiting for him sent his blood pressure over the limit.

Within a few minutes, though, he regained his senses and reminded everyone that this was the "new Kashtan."

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"I don't completely ignore everything the press writes," Kashtan said in a rare moment of candor. That wasn't all: Without even being prompted, he spoke about a player conspicuous in his absence from the team. Instead of his usual hackneyed, "I won't talk about a player who isn't here," Kashtan volunteered an explanation for his decision to drop Beitar Jerusalem's Michael Zandberg.

"He's without a doubt an excellent lad," Kashtan said of the player many feel to be the leading light in the Israeli Premier League this season. "He's a good player, but he isn't at his best at the moment. The speculations about my decision to drop him are completely unfounded. The decision was purely professional. I hold Zandberg in high esteem, but what I have to look at is the overall good of the team. Does anybody have any doubt in their mind that I want to succeed?"

After his opeming monologue, Kashtan revealed that a telephone apology from Nir Davidovich had paved the way for the Haifa goalkeeper's return to the fold. Kashtan then moved on to the gratuitous Yossi Benayoun mantra: "He isn't fully fit; we're waiting for the team doctor's decision; he might not start" - and on an and so forth.

Kashtan even spoke about Israel's opponents - after all, Steve McClaren's team is in need of a bit of positive feedback.

As for Israel's chances on Saturday, Kashtan pronounced that, "We'll give the English a fight. We have a lot of self-respect. We want to reach the European championship finals. I believe in the boys and we can win."

If Kashtan seemed tense yesterday, English journalists said that McClaren's camp was far more uptight.

"Much more so," said Damond Johnson, the head of the BBC's sports desk. "Steve McClaren is shaking. He is under a lot of pressure; he knows that if he doesn't win here, he is under a lot of pressure."

That, however, isn't Kashtan's concern. He has his own worries. Unlike in previous matches, when eight or nine players were certain of a first-team place, at the moment, only Dudu Awat, Tal Ben Haim, Yossi Benayoun - if he is fit - Walid Badir and Gal Alberman can count on a place in Kashtan's opening lineup on Saturday.

But with the Israeli league looking the way it does, Kashtan can't be blamed for that.