UEFA U21 European Championships (Israel, June 5th - June 18th)

Group A
England
Israel
Italy
Norway

June 5th, 18:00 - Israel vs Norway - Netanya Municipal Stadium
June 5th, 20:30 - England vs Italy - Itztadion Bloomfield

June 8th, 18:00 - England vs Norway - HaMoshava
June 8th, 20:30 - Italy vs Israel - Itztadion Bloomfield

June 11th, 18:00 - Israel vs England - Teddy Stadium
June 11th, 18:00 - Norway vs Italy - Itztadion Bloomfield

Group B
Germany
Netherlands
Russia
Spain

June 6th, 18:00 - Spain vs Russia - Teddy Stadium
June 6th, 20:30 - Netherlands vs Germany - HaMoshava

June 9th, 18:00 - Netherlands vs Russia - Teddy Stadium
June 9th, 20:30 - Germany vs Spain - Netanya Municipal Stadium

June 12th, 18:00 - Spain vs Netherlands - HaMoshava
June 12th, 18:00 - Russia vs Germany - Netanya Municipal Stadium

Squads

England

Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Declan Rudd (Norwich), Jason Steele (Middlesbrough)

Defenders: Steven Caulker (Tottenham Hotspur), Tom Lees (Leeds United), Craig Dawson (West Brom), Andre Wisdom (Liverpool), Nathaniel Clyne (Southampton), Adam Smith (Tottenham Hotspur), Danny Rose (Tottenham Hotspur), Jack Robinson (Liverpool)

Midfielders: Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea), Jason Lowe (Blackburn Rovers), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Josh McEachran (Chelsea), Jonjo Shelvey (Liverpool), Henri Lansbury (Nottingham Forest), Tom Ince (Blackpool), Nathan Redmond (Birmingham)

Forwards: Wilfried Zaha (Manchester United), Connor Wickham (Sunderland), Marvin Sordell (Bolton Wanderers)

Germany

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Freiburg), Bernd Leno (Bayer Leverkusen), Timo Horn (FC Köln)

Defenders: Tony Jantschke (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Sebastian Jung (Eintracht Frankfurt), Jan Kirchhoff (1. FSV Mainz 05), Sead Kolasinac (FC Schalke 04), Matthias Ginter (SC Freiburg), Oliver Sorg (SC Freiburg), Stefan Thesker (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Lasse Sobiech (SpVgg Greuther Fürth), Shkodran Mustafi (UC Sampdoria)

Midfielders: Tolgay Arslan (Hamburger SV), Christian Clemens (1. FC Köln), Patrick Funk (FC St Pauli), Patrick Herrmann (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Lewis Holtby (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Christoph Moritz (FC Schalke 04), Sebastian Rode (Eintracht Frankfurt), Sebastian Rudy (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim), Emre Can (FC Bayern München)

Forwards: Pierre-Michel Lasogga (Hertha BSC Berlin), Peniel Mlapa (VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach), Sebastian Polter (1. FC Nürnberg), Kevin Volland (TSG 1899 Hoffenheim)

Italy

Goalkeepers: Francesco Bardi (Novara), Simone Colombi (Modena), Nicola Leali (Virtus Lanciano);

Defenders: Matteo Bianchetti (Hellas Verona), Cristiano Biraghi (Cittadella), Luca Caldirola (Brescia), Marco Capuano (Pescara), Marco Crimi (Grosseto), Giulio Donati (Grosseto), Paolo Frascatore (Sassuolo), Vasco Regini (Empoli), Simone Romagnoli (Spezia);

Midfielders: Andrea Bertolacci (Genoa), Francesco Fedato (Bari), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Luca Marrone (Juventus), Fausto Rossi (Brescia), Jacopo Sala (Hamburg), Nicola Sansone (Parma), Riccardo Saponara (Empoli), Marco Verratti (Paris St. Germain);

Forwards: Fabio Borini (Liverpool), Mattia Destro (Roma), Manolo Gabbiadini (Bologna), Ciro Immobile (Genoa), Alberto Paloschi (Chievo).

------------------------

I'll get the other squads up in due time.

There will be some tasty matches around! I'm especially looking forward to NED - GER and GER - ESP first

That is a really talented England team for once

There's a fair bit of annoyance from some England fans since there are some players in the senior squad playing a couple of friendlies instead of this competition - Chamberlain and Welbeck in particular.

Some are annoyed that a few of the talented U20's in this U21 squad won't be going to the U20 World Cup this summer, too, since that's the bigger competition. Guys like Shaw and Chalobah.

We're never happy.

It's a shame we don't have any decent U21 forwards playing regular club football around right now. Rest of the squad is actually really good, but I can't see us going too far with Sordell or Wickham leading the line. We'll be relying big-time on our midfield to get the goals.

Saying that, this England squad has won all its games since the 14th November 2011, so it's obviously coping without a decent striker.

Haven't followed the England team since the disaster at the last Euros.

What will the starting XI be like?

Butland
Clyne
Caulker
Dawson
Shaw
Henderson
Shelvey
Chabolah
McManaman
Ince/Towsend
Zaha (false 9)

Probably this:


But I would go with Chalobah instead of McEachran and McManaman for one of Ince or Zaha.

Quite a good team that England has there. We'll at least there's potential, whether they'll make it work is another thing.

Group B

I like Adam smith better than Clyne. But Wisdom is the starter atm. Clyne has also been used as a right winger. The right side has a fierce competition.

my preferred 11 would be this


-----------------------------------Butland-----------------------------------

Smith------------Dawson-------------------Caulker----------------Shaw

----------------------Henderson-------------Chabolah------------------

Ince--------------------------------Shelvey------------------------Zaha

------------------------------------Sordell-----------------------------------

Sordell is crap but he holds the ball well. I'd use Zaha upfront with McManaman at RW and ince LW as an alternative.

Italy Squad

Goalkeepers: Francesco Bardi (Novara), Simone Colombi (Modena), Nicola Leali (Virtus Lanciano);

Defenders: Matteo Bianchetti (Hellas Verona), Cristiano Biraghi (Cittadella), Luca Caldirola (Brescia), Marco Capuano (Pescara), Marco Crimi (Grosseto), Giulio Donati (Grosseto), Paolo Frascatore (Sassuolo), Vasco Regini (Empoli), Simone Romagnoli (Spezia);

Midfielders: Andrea Bertolacci (Genoa), Francesco Fedato (Bari), Alessandro Florenzi (Roma), Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli), Luca Marrone (Juventus), Fausto Rossi (Brescia), Jacopo Sala (Hamburg), Nicola Sansone (Parma), Riccardo Saponara (Empoli), Marco Verratti (Paris St. Germain);

Forwards: Fabio Borini (Liverpool), Mattia Destro (Roma), Manolo Gabbiadini (Bologna), Ciro Immobile (Genoa), Alberto Paloschi (Chievo).

Isn't Paloschi like 25 lol

McLewis wrote:Italy Squad

Goalkeepers: Francesco Bardi (Novara), Simone Colombi (Modena), Nicola Leali (Virtus Lanciano);

Why no Mattia Perin? Or is he already fix for the senior squad?

Fabio Borini to shine in this tournament. Heard it here first.

RealGunner wrote:Isn't Paloschi like 25 lol

Ronaldo was still playing for Milan when he scored his first goal on his debug with his first touch or something like that.

Used to buy him on fifa all the time after that goal.

No way he's U-22

Group B is stacked! Anyone know which networks will be airing this competition, at least for the U.S?

And Holland with De Jong & O. John upfront!!!!

barca 2011 wrote:Anyone know which networks will be airing this competition, at least for the U.S?

In Germany, it will be live on FreeTV (Sat1/Kabel1) and simultaneously streamed at ran.de. I guess with a German proxy it should be possible to get that stream.

rwo power wrote:

McLewis wrote:Italy Squad

Goalkeepers: Francesco Bardi (Novara), Simone Colombi (Modena), Nicola Leali (Virtus Lanciano);

Why no Mattia Perin? Or is he already fix for the senior squad?

Nah he's not in the senior squad either. His season with Pescara did not do his chances any favors so he will miss out.

By the way, this German site has a nice write-up (unfortunately in German, but there is always some online translator, I guess) about the U21 with a couple of nice video clips:
http://www.ligainsider.de/blog/die-u21-em-2013-in-israel/

So, we're not bringing all our best youngsters then. Meh. Would have loved to see Gündogan, Götze, Draxler, etc. Even Toni Kroos would still be eligible. He's injured anyways though. The other countries are bringing pretty much their best eligible u21 players. Why shouldn't we do the same? I guess it's good for the less established players.

Marc Andre Ter Stegen

Sebastian Jung
Jan Kirchhoff
Lasse Sobiech
Tony Jantschke

Toni Kroos / Sebastian Rode
Ilkay Gündogan

Julian Draxler
Mario Götze / Toni Kroos
Andre Schürrle / Mario Götze

Pierre Michel Lasogga / Kevin Volland

DFB is a bunch of spoil sports.

The U21 is about development, not winning. If a player is considered good enough for the senior NT then he gains very little by competing against his lessers.

BarrileteCosmico wrote:The U21 is about development, not winning. If a player is considered good enough for the senior NT then he gains very little by competing against his lessers.

Yeah, I know. It makes sense from a development perspective. It would just make things more interesting if it was our strongest eligible squad vs theirs. Can't let the youngsters from the other teams get any confidence for the future. I guess we got lucky to have a great bunch coming through who are already making deep Champions League runs as established first team players and play for the senior NT.

Arsenal people, question on Henri Lansbury. He was rated highly by you lot. Is he out on loan or was he sold? If on loan, any chance for the first team next year?

Fuchsteufelswild wrote:Marc Andre Ter Stegen

Sebastian Jung
Jan Kirchhoff
Lasse Sobiech
Tony Jantschke

Toni Kroos / Sebastian Rode
Ilkay Gündogan

Julian Draxler
Mario Götze / Toni Kroos
Andre Schürrle / Mario Götze

Pierre Michel Lasogga / Kevin Volland

DFB is a bunch of spoil sports.

Well, Ilkay Gündogan and Mario Götze are in the CL final. I guess Jogi Löw wants the youngsters to have time to recover and not overstress them too much. And Toni Kroos is injured as you said yourself. I'm just puzzled why Moritz Leitner had to be demoted to the U20.

Spain haven't announced their squad but if they give guys like Thiago, Koke, Inigo, Tello and Deulofeu a call-up they should have no trouble. And if Deu lights it up like he has the Liga Adelante he should no doubt make the first team next season.