Under 21's Euro2013

[LCFC FOX]

Not seen a thread about the tournament but just thinking of people's thoughts on our upcoming national team?

first game for England ended in a 1-0 defeat to Italy

[Finnegan]

Italy U21s essentially my Leicester side from this year's FM.

 

Insigne is class, though. To be fair, it's a reasonable result for England when you consider most of that squad were about Championship level at best. Italy had lads in there who've been playing Serie A football half the year, even if largely as fringe players. Insigne Napoli, Gabbiadini at Bologna (loan from Juve), Destro's done alright breaking in at Roma, as has Florenzi, Borini plays for Liverpool, Veratti at PSG.

 

Really good squad, one of the strongest in it to be fair.

 

Germany's is a bit disappointing as Lowe has over-ruled the inclusion of a bunch of seniors, apparently, and a few others (Kirschoff, etc) are injured. 

[Dan]

Sigh. Another weak display which displayed the same deficiencies that we have at first team level. We lack ability but more than anything we lack belief - as soon as we go behind and realise we have nothing to lose by attacking, we seem to seriously improve. It's like we wait to concede.

 

Refreshing hearing what Hoddle had to say. Refreshing hearing someone actually identifying our problems rather than sugar coating them.

[RowlattsFox]

Shame the best under 21a are not there. Wilshere, welbeck, sturridge, jones, smalling, chamberlain etc all could be there. I don't really follow youth football in other countries so I don't know whether they have the best players available.

Only 2 players in that team tonight play regularly in the premier league, Henderson and Clyne. Every one else is either been on loan or play in the championship. Average championship sides as well.

[Guest MattP]

I'm even sure anyone should bother with U21 football anymore. The tournaments are generally full of 21/22/23 years olds and in this day and age you should be in the full International squad by that time if you are genuinely good enough.

 

Not delibrately moaning for the sake of it but I see it as a bit pointless. Under 16's, 17's and 18's is about the limit now.

 

Just noticed it's in Israel Bet they can't keep Roy away.

 

Having a gander at our squad now and it really doesn't look anything great, all benchwarmers for the clubs sides at the top level at best instead of Henderson and he's shit.

[Super_horns]

Shame the best under 21a are not there. Wilshere, welbeck, sturridge, jones, smalling, chamberlain etc all could be there. I don't really follow youth football in other countries so I don't know whether they have the best players available.

 

I only listened on 5live but they said the Italians had a back 4 made up of Intern Milan players and the goal scorer was from Napoli so it would be no surprised that there was a gulf in class.

[purpleronnie]

It was pretty depressing stuff.

[Pride_Of_The_Midlands]

Why do we play not to lose rather than to win?

[kingfox]

Let's all lump it up to one of the most overrated strikers in the Prem, in Conor Wickham.

 

Negative line up from Pearce, I gave up when I saw he was starting Jason Lowe in midfield, and Sordell and Wickham up front.

 

Italy passed it nicely, and have far better players than us.

[Bert]

I only listened on 5live but they said the Italians had a back 4 made up of Intern Milan players and the goal scorer was from Napoli so it would be no surprised that there was a gulf in class.

As well as the keeper.

Italy have perhaps the strongest squad out there. Made us look pathetic.

[WhenYourSmilingLCFC]

Let's all lump it up to one of the most overrated strikers in the Prem, in Conor Wickham.

Negative line up from Pearce, I gave up when I saw he was starting Jason Lowe in midfield, and Sordell and Wickham up front.

Italy passed it nicely, and have far better players than us.

cant believe Lowe gets into the squad. Chalobah should of started. Wickham, well what a donkey he is. Sordell needs confidence, he was poor. Redmond had a good first game. Very direct. Just what we'd need tbh

[Dan]

Aye I was impressed with Redmond, one of the best players on the pitch.

 

Italy just ooze class. There's something about the way the Italian's play the game that I love, and I can't quite put my finger on it. Just strikes me as very classy football at all levels.

[kingfox]

He should of played 4-3-3, with Chalobah instead of Lowe, and Zaha instead of Sordell, they needed Tom Ince was he injured?

 

And like Finnegan said, Italy had players from Serie A, England's squad consists mostly of Championship players and a few Premiership players.

 

But Verratti and Insigne are quality, the rest are youngsters from Juve, Inter, AC etc...

 

Germany, Holland and Spain's squads would hammer us as well.

[RowlattsFox]

Zaha was injured, ince suspended. To be fair to Pearce he didn't have much choice.

Would like to give someone else a go with the under 21s after this competition. A young up and coming coach with up to date and refreshing ideas, Gary or phil Neville perhaps.

[Simmo86]

Tom Ince and Danny Rose were both suspended

[indierich06]

We haven't got the best U21's, anyone who is remotely good is fast-tracked to the first team in England, but still Stuart Pearce does not make the best of what he's got and he's doing nothing to help develop our young players bu setting them up to play such rubbish, negative toss.

 

Gary Lineker was right when he said that England are stuck in the dark ages - and with Pearce in charge of moulding the style of our young players, we'll be stuck there for years at this rate. England needs coaches and a manager that will instill a philosphy and style of play from the top, right down to youth level - I'm talking way before u21 level too. This needs to change at club level too, but that's a whole different debate.

 

The way we play at the minute is absolutely pathetic.

[ealingfox]

Doesn't help at all that Pearce is their manager.

[FrankieWorthoYaggedMyWife]

When Spain won the last tournament they had Mata and Martinez that had been part of the world cup squad. Ordinarily I would agree that playing age group football instead of seniors is counter productive but surely getting players used to tournament environments is more advantageous than playing in two meaningless friendlies? Two years ago they "rested" Carroll and he was pictured on the piss in various locations all summer! Jones and Welbeck at least should have gone!

 

And I'm not being funny but why the bizarre squad numbers?

[Aleksz]

I don't think you can claim that our squad is full of championship players because let's be fair a lot of those players would be or would have been playing in the premier league had our young players not demand such ridiculous prices. Ince would be there if Blackpool not demand such a ridiculous price for him, same with Zaha Butland etc

Some players that really don't deserve to be in there though.. Jason Lowe!? Tom Lees!? Michael Keane had a better season than him.

Going nowhere under a predictable Stuart Pearce too.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Was James Milner captain?

[Finnegan]

Behave, Ince, Redmond etc are well at their level in the champ. If they got bought by prem clubs they'd only be loaned straight back.

[Soar Fox]

And I'm not being funny but why the bizarre squad numbers?

I thought that aswell. A left back wearing number 9, a centre half on the bench wearing number 7.

Doesn't bother me one bit, but just seems strange.

[Dan]

We haven't got the best U21's, anyone who is remotely good is fast-tracked to the first team in England, but still Stuart Pearce does not make the best of what he's got and he's doing nothing to help develop our young players bu setting them up to play such rubbish, negative toss.

 

Gary Lineker was right when he said that England are stuck in the dark ages - and with Pearce in charge of moulding the style of our young players, we'll be stuck there for years at this rate. England needs coaches and a manager that will instill a philosphy and style of play from the top, right down to youth level - I'm talking way before u21 level too. This needs to change at club level too, but that's a whole different debate.

 

The way we play at the minute is absolutely pathetic.

 

Agree with every word. The England national team is an absolute mess at all levels and the problem is the vast majority think I'm just some nit-picking miserable sod when it comes to England - it's realism. England at Brazil and against Ireland had a great chance to experiment with some new players and formations but we set up with the same negative dinosaur tactics that we do in qualifiers and we scraped draws in both. A draw at Brazil on paper looks an excellent result but the reality was we were absolutely outplayed for the majority of the game and whilst our goals were quality, we got stupidly lucky. Ireland was an embarrassing display and anyone who even tries to identify positives in it is a loser.

 

Last night was another show that we're going nowhere. It might be a nothing game in the grand scheme of things but what good does setting up to draw do? Cannot stand it. Utter losers mentality. If anything it's worse doing it in games like that because it's risk free.

 

England's main problems are stubbornness, lack of belief, lack of ability and worst of all, the fact the majority try and paper over the cracks, the manager included.

 

When Spain won the last tournament they had Mata and Martinez that had been part of the world cup squad. Ordinarily I would agree that playing age group football instead of seniors is counter productive but surely getting players used to tournament environments is more advantageous than playing in two meaningless friendlies? Two years ago they "rested" Carroll and he was pictured on the piss in various locations all summer! Jones and Welbeck at least should have gone!

 

And I'm not being funny but why the bizarre squad numbers?

 

I'd ban anyone who's had a full cap from participating in it personally. I also think it's an absolute farce that players aged 23 can play. I'd scrap U21's and make it U19's.

[Finnegan]

There are already U17 and U19 tournaments and most nations don't use their senior internationals, there's no real prestige so they're only cheating themselves from a chance to bleed good youth if they play established players.

You ban senior caps and then you can't let players who've had a small bite at full internationals play and why do that?

Insigne, for example, may have a senior cap but he's clearly still a fringe player who will benefit from this tournament. I don't see the problem, other than bitterness because your own side is ****ing dreadful and always has been.

We nearly knocked you out of qualifying a couple of years ago when Ramsey was U21. Christ.

[RowlattsFox]

I think the under 21 should be given more prestige, it should be the best players from that age group, whether they are full internationals or not. I do agree about 23 years old being involved though, anyone who is over 21 should be ineligible, regardless of how old they were when the qualification started.

 

Would also bring back England B internationals, instead of having the many pointless friendlies, and say only players who have less than 10 caps can play. Would provide next step for under 21s whilst also giving opportunities to players who never get picked for Senior squad. This will probably make no difference to overall quality of senior side but will at least make the friendlies more interesting.