England's hopes of glory at Euro 2004 would appear to rest squarely on the slim shoulders of striker Michael Owen and captain David Beckham.

Though coach Sven-Goran Eriksson prefers to look at team performances, Owen's goals and Beckham's passing and dead-ball skills are his key attacking weapons.

Such is their dependence on Owen that England, who begin their Group B campaign against France on Sunday, have not won a match without the Liverpool striker on the pitch since Alan Shearer retired after Euro 2000.

Owen has knocked in 25 goals in 56 internationals, rising to prominence at the age of just 18 with a stunning strike in a 1998 World Cup match against Argentina.

Blessed with electrifying pace and a predatory sense of goal, the former European Footballer of the Year is certain to be England's most marked man in Portugal.

Eriksson's biggest problem with Owen is that he has no adequate replacement.

The top-scoring Englishman in the premier league last season was Shearer by far, Robbie Fowler is a shadow of the player he was, James Beattie is unproven at the highest level and Alan Smith has yet to fulfil his potential.

Smith's move to Manchester United may help him do so in the future, while the European Championship has also come too soon for Tottenham Hotspur's Jermain Defoe.

NOTORIOUSLY TROUBLESOME

All were left behind in the hope that Owen's notoriously troublesome hamstrings would bear up and that 18-year-old Wayne Rooney would continue to cope with a steep learning curve.

Should either get injured, Eriksson has only Emile Heskey and Darius Vassell in reserve and though both are fast and hardworking they are nowhere near as prolific as Owen.

Heskey's record of five goals in 42 internationals will not have the French defenders quaking in their boots, and Vassell is likely to be used only as a substitute, a role in which he did score twice in last weekend's 6-1 drubbing of Iceland.

Mercifully for England, Owen looks to have shrugged off both the injuries and loss of form that plagued him last season with his club Liverpool.

He finished strongly with seven goals in his last 11 games, opened the scoring in last week's friendly against Japan and had a strike against Iceland harshly disallowed.

Beckham, who needs to shake off a nagging ankle injury to be at his best in Portugal, is coming off a mixed debut season with Real Madrid.

At times under fire from a sceptical Spanish press, Beckham has clearly added to his repertoire by moving into the centre of Real's midfield from the right flank slot he occupied for Manchester United and still does for his country.

A talismanic figure for England, the 29-year-old provides unflagging drive and commitment, while his contribution as a goal-getter should not be underestimated.

He scored five goals in the Euro 2004 qualifying campaign and will always be remembered for the magnificent trademark free kick in the dying seconds of a match against Greece that secured England's place at the 2002 World Cup.

England have other important players in defensive stalwart Sol Campbell and dynamic midfielder Steven Gerrard but the real key to success appears to lies somewhere on an invisible axis between Beckham and Owen.