Should Our 'Best' U21s Go To The U21 Finals?

[davieG]

Gary Lineker wants best young England talent to go to U21 finals

Gary Lineker has urged Premier League managers to allow England players to gain tournament experience with the Under-21s.

Lineker wants the best young English talent to feature in next June's European Under-21 Championship.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez warned England not to select Ross Barkley.

"Won't happen, but I wish PL managers would support their young players' international careers, not hinder them," BBC presenter Lineker tweeted. 

"All our star Under-21 players should go to the finals next summer if fit. Wonderful tournament experience. Other countries insist on it.

"I get managers' me, me, me attitude, but wouldn't it be refreshing if, for once, they thought about the good of the national game?"

Gareth Southgate's England Under-21s secured their place in the Czech Republic with a 2-1 win over Croatia on Tuesday to seal a 4-2 aggregate win.

Martinez and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger have voiced concerns about the potential for fatigue if regular first-teamers are selected for the finals.

Everton midfielder Barkley, 20, suffered a knee ligament injury on the eve of this season but could return against Aston Villa on Saturday.

"If the tournament was now it would be a good opportunity for him to get some playing time, but if it is at the end of a season where he has played consistently for 10 months then he needs to have a break," Martinez said.

Barkley is among a host of young players with senior international experience - along with Liverpool's Raheem Sterling and Arsenal trio Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Calum Chambers - who Southgate is reportedly keen to call up next summer.

However, Martinez wants to protect one of his prize assets, who resumed full training with the Toffees' first team on Monday.

"We keep talking about players who need to make tournaments but I think we need to start creating a way of playing, and that way of playing will demand one player or another," the Spaniard added.

"It is not because bringing so many good names together will give you a chance of being successful.

"What would be the Under-21s' objective - is it to get players into the senior side because if players are already in the senior side what would be the motivation for a player to go into the Under-21s?

"Sometimes we speak too much about individual names. You need to look into it on an individual case; players who have played too much football, the needs of the team more importantly."

Wenger is also against the idea of selecting players for the Under-21s who have featured for the senior national side.

"Once a guy has moved up to the full national team and you put him down [again to the Under-21s] he is never good," he said.

"Apart from on the selfish front for us when a guy has played 50 games, it is better a guy has a good rest during the summer. But most of the time, when they move down, they are not completely at their highest quality."

I'm think we should play the players who got us there.

[yorkie1999]

What chance has Raheem Sterling got if they're worried about fatigue.

[Filbert_Ross]

If it's not a problem for other countries why is it for ours?

[zak_lcfc]

I understand him in one sense but then they get into the team without playing any qualifiers possibly taking someone's place who deserves to play in the tournament, Players like Sterling, Barkley, Oxlade etc. would no doubt make the u21's better but seems a bit of an unfair idea!

Looking at the current u21, u20 and u18 teams it seems like we have a fairly decent crop of young players in there, easier said than done but maybe the focus should be on bringing them through and developing them somehow rather than putting senior players into an u21 tournament

[lgfualol]

It's about the only chance England have of getting a trophy so yea

[AKCJ]

Without a doubt.

 

Didn't hurt Germany or Spain did it?

[ScouseFox]

nah 

[Guest ttfn]

Surely this is a non-question?

 

Obviously they should go. We've got absolutely no competitive full internationals for almost 2 years now, so this is the closest thing these guys are going to get to proper international football.

 

Leave them out of all of the full England squads until about November next year to allow them some rest, from which time organise friendlies against elite European teams so they can test themselves against the best.

 

A team of

 

Butland

 

Chambers

Stones

Jones

Shaw

 

Hughes

Wilshere

Sterling

Barkley

Oxlade-Chamberlain

 

Berahino

 

...has the potential to be a decent side at that level. With Moore, Ward-Prowse, Redmond etc. to come in that looks like a decent side at U21 level. There's an argument that the 3 lads behind the front man should already be first choices for the full international side in that position, not that I'd agree.

 

The opportunity to play in a tournament against the best of their peers, not to mention the experience of being away as a group for a few weeks at once can only benefit these players.

[Guest ttfn]

I understand him in one sense but then they get into the team without playing any qualifiers possibly taking someone's place who deserves to play in the tournament, Players like Sterling, Barkley, Oxlade etc. would no doubt make the u21's better but seems a bit of an unfair idea!

Looking at the current u21, u20 and u18 teams it seems like we have a fairly decent crop of young players in there, easier said than done but maybe the focus should be on bringing them through and developing them somehow rather than putting senior players into an u21 tournament

Who is it unfair on? The rules are clear - if you're 21 or under on the date that the registration closes you can play.

[LeicesterBran]

Definitely we could do well if Barkley, Wilshere,the OX,Sterling,Shaw,Stones and Chambers went to Euro U21 tournament,and it would only benefit them as footballers. Plus they'd be capable of making England champion contenders.

[Bert]

100% yes.

These footballers don't know how lucky they have it. Representing your country should be an honour regardless of what level it's at.

[Dan]

Without a doubt.

 

No doubt most pull out though.

[TheReaper87]

Personally think we should pick the best of the U21s straight into the full England squad and build, just like the Germans did, and Spain, we will prob lose a few but then that's nothing new, build for the future

[zak_lcfc]

Who is it unfair on? The rules are clear - if you're 21 or under on the date that the registration closes you can play.

Yeah I know that but none of the players lineker is talking about have played any qualifiers, they would displace someone who has played every qualifier and got England to the Euros only to be told actually you can't play in the tournament because your place is being taken by someone who plays for the senior team but needs experience in tournaments

[RowlattsFox]

I'd take Barkley, Stones and Chambers definitely. Not sure all of the senior eligible under 21s should go though. They will have to be picked for under 21 games from now until the end of the season. You can't just drop them in at the finals.

Question is would these see dropping back to under 21s as a bad thing and give it the im too good for this shit attitude. Knowing the English mentality then probably yes.

[Captain...]

Yes, of course.

 

This attitude of fairness, and worried about players feelings and upsetting clubs is one of the reasons we are so pathetic on the international stage.

[kingcarr21]

For me the U21's that qualified for the tournament should be the players that play there. It could be detrimental to the squad if you bring in the senior players and drop players who rightfully earnt there place at the tournament. If the system was right in the first place some of the senior players would still be in the U21's having never played for the senior squad. They would be getting proper tournament experience getting plenty of minutes on the pitch with no major expectation way before even going into the senior squad.  

 

Luke Shaw ia a prime example. Cole should of gone to the world cup. Luke Shaw would of gained more experience staying with the U21's and building a good relationship with the other U21's rather than going to the World cup and sitting on the bench. He played in one game which he only played cause we were already knocked out. If we stopped promoting players early to the seniors then we may have already had an U21 squad that had won something and be better prepared to go to a world cup with a winning mentality and actually have a chance.

 

But that simple logic of player progression through the ranks one after the other will never happen and we will never build a team of winners anytime soon.

[eye666]

Yes - get the youngsters playing together and start trying to build a team for the future. The more game time these players have together and getting to learn how they play, the better they will play together in the future. It's all well and good saying the U21's who are in the England first squad shouldn't take part in the U21 team because they are in the senior squad, but realistically, how many games have they played together?

 

This also should be considered a part of a wider issue that needs to be looked at by the FA - trying to develop a playing style (tactics) that runs through all levels of the English game, so that when U21 players come in to the senior squad, they have an understanding of how the team plays. This is something that Spain and Germany have done exceptionally well over the past 10 years, but the best teams (in my opinion anyway) come with groups of players playing a significant number of games together over a period of years.

[breadandcheese]

If a young player has played at the last world cup, then no.  They need a break.   If Sterling plays in the U21 tournament this Summer and Euro 2016, he will have no Summer break until 2017. Whilst this may not illicit much sympathy, we've seen plenty of players have their career stunted by repeated injuries which have a link to too much football too soon.  The body needs rest.  

[Grandad.]

I don't think they should personally. 

[ScouseFox]

why would we take full internationals to a youth tournament, give them no break, probably still not win, not that that's an issue because the tournament isn't really that important, the full internationals will definitely not see it as important so won't be playing 100% and then we'll all complain when we're shit in 2016 because our 19/20/21/22 year old players haven't had a break of any kind since 2013. 

 

the players who have got us to the tournament will give their all, learn stuff they'll not have learnt before having the time of their lives playing for their country. let them go. what is raheem sterling going to learn playing an u21 competition? he's played and been a genuine main hope of our actual world cup squad, he's come very close to being a big part of a title winning side, he's played in the champions league. he's already knackered. he's 19. he will be, like it or not, our best player in euro 2016 if we let him. he won't be if we force him to play in a pointless u21 tournament he doesn't want to play in, his manager doesn't want him to play in and his body definitely doesn't want him to play in. 

 

just my thoughts though. 

[Grandad.]

Three main people who want the 'best possible side' are Southgate, Pearce and Shearer coincidentally three failed England footballers. 

 

Clueless. 

 

Good post btw Scouse. 

[Corky]

We could take a couple but they shouldn't be guaranteed to start, the current group haven't lost a game and obviously are a cohesive team. Taking Stones and Chambers wouldn't be bad, Chambers doesn't look quite ready for top level interational football yet.

[ScouseFox]

We could take a couple but they shouldn't be guaranteed to start, the current group haven't lost a game and obviously are a cohesive team. Taking Stones and Chambers wouldn't be bad, Chambers doesn't look quite ready for top level interational football yet.

 

yeah those who aren't in the england full squad could have a case for going, like you say, stones, chambers, luke shaw, depending how much they feature for their clubs this season. but talk of taking wilshere, the ox, sterling etc is just daft. 

[Steve_Guppy_Left_Foot]

About time the FA and Roy Hodgson stopped taking crap from club managers and did what was best for the national team at all levels.