EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP/England v Turkey: Simon Burnton on the Turkish defender's troubles at Aston Villa

Turkey's team hotel is not an easy place to feel at home. There are too many distractions: a racecourse next door, a steady stream of wedding parties, a group of fans determined to present coach Senol Gunes with a large packet of shrink-wrapped sausages, Hilda in the lobby trying with little success to teach passing Turks how to say "howay the lads".

But for Alpay Ozalan such moments number among the highlights of his season, bringing respite from the internecine war with Graham Taylor and Aston Villa which started with a transfer request last summer and now threatens to destroy his club career.

Marginalised in the Midlands, he has a relaxed demeanour and easy smile that suggest he is at home with the national side.

"Every time I come back to Villa from the Turkish national team I come back fitter and better and stronger," he says, "because I just put the problems out of my mind while I'm with my friends. I think the friendship between the players is stronger than in any other team in Europe."

Turkey's arrival as a footballing force has been one of the great changes to the landscape of the European game since this side started taking shape almost 10 years ago. When FIFA first compiled its international rankings in the summer of 1993 the Turks were sandwiched between El Salvador and Gabon in 63rd place. After reaching the semi-finals of last year's World Cup they are seventh.

Victory is something no Turkish team has previously believed possible against England, against whom they have never scored. Privately, many players admit that they would be pleased with a draw from tonight's game, although whether they will play with that in mind remains to be seen.

"Maybe we will be lucky to get a draw. Maybe we will be sorry not to win," says Alpay.

His performances for Turkey at Euro 2000, where they reached the quarter-finals before losing to Portugal, brought Alpay to the attention of the then Villa manager John Gregory. And it is despite his continuing good form for Turkey that he has fallen out of favour under Taylor. He has played only once for the club since October, and then out of position at right-back.

"I've got 80 caps for my country and I can honestly tell you that I performed very well in every one of those games. The reason I couldn't find a place in the squad at Villa is not because of my performances, it's because of a cold war between me and my coach," he adds. "In England the coaches rate the players according to their attitudes rather than their performances on the pitch."

In the circumstances, tomorrow's game could be seen as an opportunity for Alpay to prove his ability to those at his club who doubt him.

"I don't think I need to prove certain things in my career," he counters. "I want to prove myself to England, not to Graham Taylor."

Just under two months from his 30th birthday, he is watching the best days of his club career waste away for little reason. There are 11 players in the Turkish squad born in 1973 or earlier and there is a collective determination not to let the same thing happen internationally.

"For most of the players, this is the last chance to win anything," he says. "That's why this is more important than anything I've ever done. We are eager and hungry."

Villa fans have seen little of that eagerness this season, but tomorrow they have an opportunity to see that it does at least exist.

Guardian Service