NO CARROT ..JUST STICK
Forget beating the Germans, Boothroyd insists his Lion cubs ‘have to win this tournament to even get a well done from me!’
AIDY BOOTHROYD has told his young England side they will get a pat on the back from him – but only if they win the Euro Under-21 tournament.
England have always said these competitions are crucial for the development of young players but hard-to-please Boothroyd said the best way to develop is to become a winner.
“We are not tourists, we are here to win it,” said Boothroyd. “It’s not about enjoying the experience, it’s about winning.
“If we lose against Germany and someone says ‘well done for getting to the semi-final,’ I won’t like that.
“I’m not going to say well done because it’s not well done. In order for us to be better we’ve got to go and win these games. We’ve got to make this opportunity count.
“We don’t see being in a semifinal now as a bonus. We haven’t achieved what we set out to do. We set out to get our players used to winning tournaments.
“Development isn’t just about getting out of the group, achieving par by playing in a semi-final. It’s about winning.”
England and Germany, who meet tonight in Tychy, have history in this competition.
Germany beat the young Lions 4-0 in the final in 2009 and six of their squad kicked on to knock England out of the World Cup the next year.
By 2014 the likes of Manuel Neuer, Mats Hummels, Sammy Khedira and Mesut Ozil were winning the World Cup.
England’s team in that final included Scott Loach, now at Hartlepool, Huddersfield defender Martin Cranie, and the disgraced Adam Johnson.
Fabrice Muamba and Nedum Onuoha also played, though James Milner and Theo Walcott
flew highest from England’s class of 09.
Boothroyd says there is a correlation between young-age triumphs and senior championship wins.
He added: “The Germans, the Spanish, any team that has been successful, if you look at their track record, if you delve into their history, they have won these tournaments. The teams winning these tournaments go on to win the senior tournaments, that’s a fact.
“The problem we have is that we get players to a certain ceiling and then they can’t get into Premier League teams because other players are bought. That’s a problem but we can’t do too much about that.”
Boothroyd has a “different career path” from Germany boss Stefan Kuntz, who he watched score against England in Euro 96 from his local social club.
His stock is rising after the tactical switches he has made at the Euros, and he is finally shedding his long-ball reputation. He said: “I have proved to myself and to everybody else that I can work in a way that’s perhaps more attractive than has been portrayed in the past.”
Germany regard their current crop of U-21s as their best ever. However they have 11 missing from their squad – seven at the Confederations Cup and four injured.
Despite that, 19 of their U-21 squad here in Poland are Bundesliga regulars.
Kuntz said: “It is a special game. England are doing a great job with their youth players.
“The best four countries are Spain, Italy, Germany and England. These are right now the best countries in Europe. We are looking forward to seeing who is the best.
“We want to play the biggest teams. After that you either know you are better, or you get the experience and the knowhow to get better for the next time. It is a 50-50 game.”