Emmanuel Petit: Why England are the team to fear

Emmanuel Petit is one of the privileged few who have scored a goal in a World Cup final as he helped France to glory in 1998.

Petit also played an integral part in Arsenal’s Invincibles side before starring with Barcelona and Chelsea in a career which saw him regarded as one of the best midfield players in the world.

The World Cup winner spoke to Midnite to discuss events in Qatar, two star England midfielder players and the prospect of a clash between the Three Lions and France in the quarter-finals.

France had obviously already qualified, and made nine changes, but how concerning was the display against Tunisia?

France were so poor against Tunisia. Some players weren't playing in their best position on the pitch and they were missing experience and confidence on the pitch. France didn’t really have any fighting spirit, togetherness and even when they had the ball, they didn't know what to do with it.

The game against Tunisia was a game to forget. France have problems, no one knows who will play at right or left back. They have 25 players in the squad but there are so many that aren't showing the quality or mental strength to play in the World Cup right now.

The squad has obviously been hit by injuries, does this show that beyond the first 12-13, the depth is not there and that if any more problems strike then France could be in trouble?

If you look at the France starting XI, they have a very competitive team, but outside of that they don't have the level to play at the World Cup. When Kylian Mbappe came on against Tunisia the dynamic of the team completely changed. France need to understand that if they want to win the World Cup, some players need to take responsibility, be mentally strong and show their quality on the pitch. I'm scared about losing one or two more players in important positions.

Does the prospect of facing Robert Lewandowski scare you?

The prospect of France facing Robert Lewandowski scares me. We all know what kind of player he can be. France have to be very careful when dealing with set pieces because that's Poland's main strength.

Poland aren't the best at keeping possession. They don't have the quality to put their opponents under pressure. I can't see France getting space in behind the defence as they'll play deep.

I'm confident for this game. I think France have the quality, they're a much better team than Poland. They have to be very intelligent, they can't be arrogant because on paper they are the better team, but we've already seen so many surprises in this World Cup.

Given his recent World Cup form, is Mbappe showing that he’s as good as or even better than Messi and Ronaldo?

Kylian Mbappe is on the same road as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. Kylian is probably the best forward in the world right now alongside Erling Haaland - he's the main man. This guy is breaking records every single season, it's amazing.

He's the next Messi or Ronaldo and I wish him the best of luck to have an even better career than them which will be very difficult to reach. Neymar is also on the same level as Mbappe and Haaland. I hope he'll be back on the pitch as soon as possible.

You’ve seen some quality midfielders in your time, so what do you make of Jude Bellingham at the age of just 19?

I love Jude Bellingham. He's the mix between Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. He's very mature, and his body language on the pitch is tremendous. He can do so many things on the pitch so for me, he's one of the best players [in his position] in the world right now.

For his development, is he better snubbing a Premier League move in the summer and staying in Germany at least for another year?

He's already been in Germany for three years, and I think it may be time for him to take the next step and take more responsibility. He's improving a lot and if he wants to reach the next level, I think he needs a new challenge.

I have no idea what the right price tag for Bellingham would be. Kylian Mbappe went to PSG for £190million and the numbers are crazy now so I think he will be very expensive.

And what of England’s midfield pairing of Bellingham and Declan Rice - when you look at the other countries, where do they rank?

Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham are among the best in the world for sure. I also really like Casemiro and Lucas Pacqueta.

They are very important to the way that England play. You could also talk about Rice's future too. I'm sorry West Ham fans, but Declan Rice needs to leave. If he wants to improve he needs to be playing in the Champions League. I know he loves West Ham and he's dedicated to them but he has to ask himself the question because West Ham are struggling and he needs to be playing with the top players every single weekend.

Assuming things go to plan in the last 16, England and France meet in the quarter-finals. From a French point of view, has anything the Three Lions done struck fear within you and the country?

I fear England the most. There are four teams that are different for me, there's England, Brazil, Spain and France. They're the teams that have shown something different.

France don't want to play against England but if they have to then they'll do everything they can to win. England are very similar to France in terms of quality and if you ask the French players, they won't want to play against England.

Gareth Southgate has received so much criticism recently but I have confidence in him. England have improved and it's very difficult to win big tournaments. I'm not sure if Southgate will still be England's manager after the World Cup but it's time for England to make a point and he is doing the right things.

The battle of pace between Mbappe against Kyle Walker - is this where the game can be won?

Both teams are very powerful on the wings. If you play against England, you have to block the wingers because they have players that can properly play football. It's exactly the same with Kylian Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele - they're rockets and it's very difficult to stop them. If you can stop the wing-backs then France will have a good chance of beating England [if they play each other].

Whoever comes through, are we looking at the most likely to win the World Cup?

For me, Brazil are still the favourites to win the World Cup, but only if Neymar is back on the pitch. If England beat France in the quarter-final then they will think they've won the World Cup already because France are the current holders. If England beat France, they'll think they have the power to beat any team.

Louis Saha said Rashford can be as good as Mbappe. When you hear that, how do you react?

It's too soon for Marcus Rashford to be compared to Kylian Mbappe. Rashford's having a great season so far but for me, he needs to be more consistent if he wants to compete on Mbappe's level.

Rashford needs to focus on getting his confidence and happiness back on the pitch. When he smiles on the pitch, things go right for him on the pitch.