Euro 2012: who is in the investment dream team? 2 Right back The Trojan Income fund, managed by Francis Brooke, has maintained an unbroken record of rising income payments since its launch more than seven years ago. This fund has the ability to attack opportunities should they arise but will quite happily defend should protection be the order of the day. It has a wide remit, owning UK and overseas shares and bonds. Mr Brooke has returned 43pc to investors in the past three years. 3 Left back A healthy portfolio needs a cash component - and an instant-access account helps with liquidity. Make sure you use your cash Isa limit, which is £5,640 this year. The best instant-access Isa is from the Cheshire Building Society, headed by Matthew Wyles, which pays 3.35pc. 4 Central midfield Your centre midfield is your core portfolio holding. Patrick Connolly of AWD Chase de Vere tipped John Wood, who runs the J O Hambro UK Opportunities fund. "John Wood excels at protecting investors' money when markets are falling," said Mr Connolly. Despite running a fairly concentrated portfolio, the volatility of the fund, with his focus on good-quality companies with strong pricing power, is about the lowest in the sector. 5 Centre back You need reliability in defence, and Mr Lowcock reckoned there was no safer pair of hands than Ian Spreadbury, manager of Fidelity's Moneybuilder Income fund, from whom he said investors should not expect "any heroics or flashy play." His fund has returned 34pc over the past three years - and, impressively given the conditions, has risen by 6.5pc over the past 12 months. 6 Sweeper Law Debenture investment trust is a solid defensive fund run by James Henderson and is a useful last line of defence. Tipped by Brewin Dolphin, the fund invests in global equities - mostly UK - and has gained 72pc in the past three years. 7 Right midfield Graham French of M & G has had a tough year, but wealth manager Alan Steel reckons this is a temporary dip in form from a manager who has been around for a long time. Barcelona are still regarded as the best team in the world even though they did go off the boil this year. It happens to the best," he said. Mr French's Global Basics fund has lost 16pc in the past year, but has risen by 32pc on a three-year view. 8 Central midfield It would take a brave investor to leave Invesco Perpetual's Neil Woodford out of their team. Advisers rate his High Income fund as a core portfolio holding, with Chelsea Financial Services describing him as having "one of the best, if not the best long-term track record." Those looking for growth rather than income should just opt to accumulate the dividend from the fund. 9 Striker Wayne Rooney is as famed for his volatile personality as he is for his goalscoring but advisers say that a well-diversified portfolio can also afford to take a punt on a fund that might blow the opposition away. Juliet Schooling at Chelsea tips Jeremy Gleeson, who runs the Axa Framlington Global Technology fund. She said: "This fund will be volatile - but good returns can be made." 10 Striker A second striker who is dependable yet has the ability to generate high returns could be vital - step in Jonathan Asante of First State. Emerging markets may not be immune from market volatility, but global growth is being led from the East, and the First State Global Emerging Markets fund has returned 51pc in the past three years. 11 Left midfield Pick a fund with stamina to last the distance. Bruce Stout of Murray International has constructed a genuinely global portfolio of companies that have delivered the best long-term record of any open or closed-ended global equity fund. Stout often has a defensive mindset - the perfect foil for tricky times.