European U21 - Poland 2017

You're not gonna be in the final, England's got this. It is destiny. Also, Italy would probably beat Spain. I do not rate Italy's defense like Rincon does but I am sure they are more organised than Spain.

Doc wrote:You're not gonna be in the final, England's got this. It is destiny. Also, Italy would probably beat Spain. I do not rate Italy's defense like Rincon does but I am sure they are more organised than Spain.

Sadly I'm not sure of the organization. The team only looked as unit against Germany. The rest of the time its been individual play that dominates, and I don't think that enough against Spain.

The fantastic defense that I posted will sadly not play because Conti is suspended. So they played 2 games (Denmark and Germany) and got 2 clean sheets

Now the Slovakian Prime Minister makes a match fixing accusation! This is getting absurd, especially for a U21 tournament. The Prime Minister gets involved?

"Slovakian Prime Minister accuses Italy and Germany of match-fixing in U-21 European Championships clash"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/slovakian-prime-minister-accuses-italy-10691535

goddamn hillbillies

The funny thing is, Italy and Germany are probably the least likely pair of countries to agree to lose to one another. Probably less likely than Argentina and Brazil.

England team to play Germany:

Pickford; Holgate, Chambers, Mawson, Chilwell; Chalobah, Ward-Prowse, Hughes, Baker; Gray, Abraham

Germany line-up: Pollersbeck - Toljan, Stark, Kempf, Gerhardt - Arnold (C), Haberer - Philipp, Meyer, Gnabry - Selke.

Neither team can defend or score, such a poor match.

ffs we should have been leading with the chances we had from corners.

This is what happens when you leave your best defender on the bench.

Can't believe Germany are leading

England looked dominant but let Germany get into the game way too easily.

It's our left hand side. Hughes is having a 'mare trying to shuffle over and help Chilwell.

And now it's 1-1 Good things Germany can't defend set-pieces today.

Imagine what Spain would do to either of these teams ffs

Wow the commentator went nuts, didn't realize this tournament is so important

Odd game. England started very well and should have score but didn't. Then Germany dominate and score but get scored on.

England couldn't defend at all. Germany cannot defend England's set pieces.

Which commentators?

Sky have rolled out Martin Tyler and Alan Smith for this tournament. It's impossible for them not to big up any game.

How is it in England? In Italy the U21 euro is the most important youth tournament. Much more than U20 world cup.

It's a bit weird over here. In terms of importance it's the biggest youth tournament and the one with the most coverage but we don't send our best payers. Someone like Rashford played one qualifer instead of coming here because he needed to be "rested". Stuff like that happens all the time.

The U20 World Cup was treated like dirt. Shit coverage, shit squads with the best players not being allowed to go. That changed this summer and somehow we did a lot better.

So naturally the U20 group is the next generation of stars while this U21 group isn't regarded very highly.

In fairness to our FA, all the youth tournaments are being taken seriously now. The public only really care about the senior team though. Not surprising since a lot of our better young players jump to the senior team (Alli, Stones, Rashford, etc.) because they're needed instead of going through the age groups. And once they're though they don't drop down.

Who else besides Rashford would have been here?

In terms of who could have been here: John Stones, Luke Shaw, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford all qualified. Dier's important to the senior team, but we would have survived without Alli and Rashford, and Shaw wasn't even considered for the senior team.

In terms of who should have gone but didn't: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Izzy Brown, Patrick Roberts. Loftus-Cheek was injured I think, but Brown and Roberts were "rested" after seasons on loan at Huddersfield and Celtic.

Funny how rest doesn't prevent the likes of Asensio, Bernardeschi, Berardi, Gnarby, etc from coming.

These England generation (from the U20's I saw, the U21 right now, and the ones you mention) seems infinitely better than the last one.

2-2 now. Our turn to concede from a corner. Poor marking from Holgate at the front post.

Tbh losing here wouldn't be bad. I just want some of these guys (and the U20 guys) to be playing more for their clubs next season.

Germany has done a lot more to win this game so far.

Jay29 wrote:In terms of who could have been here: John Stones, Luke Shaw, Eric Dier, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford all qualified. Dier's important to the senior team, but we would have survived without Alli and Rashford, and Shaw wasn't even considered for the senior team.

In terms of who should have gone but didn't: Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Izzy Brown, Patrick Roberts. Loftus-Cheek was injured I think, but Brown and Roberts were "rested" after seasons on loan at Huddersfield and Celtic.

Funny how rest doesn't prevent the likes of Asensio, Bernardeschi, Berardi, Gnarby, etc from coming.

Well Sané for example was rested also, along with the first guard of the senior team who took along players instead that would consitute a very good u21 squad.

Out of the players at the Confed Cup, Süle, Ginter, Henrichs, Can, Kimmich, Goretzka, Brandt, Werner would have been eligible for this U21 tournament.

Tah, Weigl, Klostermann are injured.


would be a vastly differrent 11 than the one we're seeing today

At least you have a Confederations Cup to give your better talents first team tournament experience. If you weren't in it those guys would be playing in Poland, for sure.

Anyway, a shame seeing an England team decent on the ball just sitting deep and hoofing. Need to be much braver than that.

I was about to ask

whatever happened to Ruben Loftus-Cheek

seems to have gotten even less time under Conte than under Mourinho