THREE LIONS
England's U21s head to the Czech Republic next month to take on the continent's best youg talent at the European Championships. LIAM NEWMAN analyses whether the Three Lions can roar to glory this summer
U21s bid to roar in Euros
IN THE summer of 2009, a rampant Germany brushed Stuart Pearce’s Young Lions aside at the final of the European U21s Championships with a resounding 4-0 victory. Five years later, six of those starting finalists helped Joachim Low’s senior side conquer the world by winning sport’s ultimate prize in Brazil.
Germany had pinpointed a group of potential world-beaters and given them the perfect platform to grow in stature and confidence before gradually embedding them into an extremely successful set-up. Euro 2009 had formed an integral part of building a team of future World Cup winners, which in itself formed a major part of an entire reset of the national system following huge disappointments around the turn of the century.
The English FA have seemingly taken heed of the German restructure in recent years, launching initiatives like St George’s Park in a bid to redevelop the entire system from grassroots up. That change of outlook has also infiltrated the views of the media and fans alike, with a much greater significance being placed on this summer’s U21 tournament.
England have enjoyed recent success at younger youth levels, notably with the U17s being crowned kings of Europe at their level just 12 months ago. If Gareth Southgate can lead his men to U21 glory in June, then it could be a fantastic platform for future success – especially if he is allowed to include the nation’s best talented youngsters.
There has been much debate regarding which players Southgate should be allowed to take to the Czech Republic. England boasts some of the continent’s most exciting prospects right now, with the likes of Ross Barkley, Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane already launching senior international careers. As far as the inclusion of those players
is concerned, there are two definitive camps: one suggests playing at U21 level would be a step backwards, whilst the other believes that the summer tournament provides a fantastic stage to nurture budding talent. Judging from the successes of previous winners, it’s hard to argue with advocates of the latter thesis.
Germany aren’t the only beneficiaries of a positive U21 tournament. Italy have an illustrious history with the youth tournament, winning it three times in the decade leading up to their senior World Cup triumph in 2006. Like Germany, several Azzurri stars had unearthed their potential future quality whilst playing at the U21 championships, with the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo all honing their skills at the event.
Additionally, the Dutch U21s won back-toback titles in 2006 and 2007, before falling at the final hurdle to Spain in South Africa just three years later. The evidence is compelling and England must learn from those lessons to re-establish themselves as a genuine international powerhouse, especially when considering the disastrous campaign at Brazil 2014.
In fairness to head coach Roy Hodgson, he is attempting to build a team focused on longterm success and his decision to take the likes of Barkley and Sterling last summer is a credit to his aspirations. Those sentiments were echoed once more when the England boss announced he would rather see Kane playing in the Czech Republic this summer, rather than the senior team’s qualifying match against Slovenia.
Hodgson is deeply passionate about the future of English football and his transparent affection towards spearheading a system geared towards permanent gains is a massive plus point for Three Lions supporters, as well as Southgate himself.
Southgate’s side were immense in qualifying, registering 11 wins and a draw en route to the finals, whilst March’s 3-2 win over Germany highlights that the Young Lions possess the quality to cause problems for Europe’s elite.
Stars like Danny Ings and James WardProwse will see this as a perfect opportunity to put themselves in the shop window for future senior call-ups, whilst a squad containing the talents of Nathan Redmond, Carl Jenkinson, Calum Chambers, Will Hughes, and Wilfried Zaha should at least challenge for the trophy. With the help of stars like Barkley and Kane, there is no reason the Young Lions can’t go all the way.
You only have to look back at the Euro 2009 squad to see both the merits of playing in it, as well as England’s recent attitude problems towards the tournament. Joe Hart and, in particular, James Milner benefited hugely from the experience and have gone on to enjoy successful careers for the Three Lions.
However, the rest of that squad consisted primarily of players who never really held genuine hopes of breaking into the senior set up; there lies within a major structural problem.
Football’s elite outfits are big families with teams interlinked with a set code of philosophies, morals and systems. Teams like Spain, Barcelona and Germany have all built themselves around a strong foundation of working from the bottom up; as far as the international game is concerned, U21 level is a fundamental aspect and as such England need to take this tournament seriously.
That doesn’t mean they necessarily have to win the trophy but they should be working towards preparing players for future success in the senior side, which is something that hasn’t occurred anywhere near frequently enough over the past 20 years.
There’s an aura of positivity around the England set-up right now and the senior team will be desperate to end 50 years of hurt at Euro 2016 in 12 months’ time. A successful tournament for the U21s would certainly reinforce the optimism around the future of English football.
It’s unlikely that we’ll see all of the available senior stars grace Southgate’s side, but the Young Lions would definitely profit from possessing the likes of Kane, Barkley and other young guns amongst their ranks and one can only hope that these players will show the same level of pride as they have during their senior cameos.
If they do, we could be celebrating a rare national success this summer.
Come on England!