8:40am Friday 3rd September 2010
By Marc Iles
MARTIN Petrov has warned England he is a man refreshed after two months at the Reebok.
The Wanderers winger, brought in on a free transfer over the summer from Manchester City, is aiming to inflict an early blow on Fabio Capello’s European Championship qualification hopes at Wembley tonight.
Petrov will be one of Bulgaria’s most potent attacking threats in the self-inflicted absence of Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov, and believes his team can take advantage of current problems in the England set-up.
“There’s pressure for us, too, because we want to qualify [for Euro 2012] but there is more for England,” said the 31-year-old, who will earn his 79th international cap. “Everyone knows that England have big names and very good players but I don’t think they have a team. I don’t know why.
“If you take out each player and analyse them individually, they are very good players. They have a big manager, too, but they just don’t do it.
“It is a difficult time for England now and maybe that will be good for us.”
Collective spirit, says Petrov, is not something he worries about at club level, where his exit at Eastlands in July led him to become Owen Coyle first signing of the summer window.
The experienced Bulgarian may have needed some reassurance that Wanderers was the right place to go, with no shortage of offers at home or abroad to choose from.
But having made the switch, he is happy to be playing in an environment in which he feels more appreciated.
“I can remember how Bolton used to play,” said Petrov, miming a ball travelling over his head. “But when they spoke to me they made it clear they wanted to try to play more football; that helped me to make up my mind.
“Everybody knows we don’t have big names from the Champions League but it’s a close-knit club and Owen Coyle is like a father to the players, always talking to everyone, checking everything is OK.”
Feeling fit after starting in all three of Wanderers’ league games to date, Petrov now has his sights on inspiring Bulgaria to their first-ever victory over England.
His only previous appearance – his international debut in 1999 – ended on a sour note after he was sent off just minutes after replacing striking legend Hristo Stoichkov.
And the winger admits the memory of that game still plays on his mind 11 years later.
“I keep thinking back to this match and it’s still painful, even after so many years,” he said. “But I know there’s no better way to get over this than playing against England at Wembley.”
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