England’s U21 side qualified for the 2015 European Championships in style on Tuesday, with a 2-1 win in Croatia, sealing a 4-2 aggregate victory, thanks to goals from Liam Moore and Will Hughes. However, having bowed out at the Group Stage in the past two editions of the tournament, something needs to change ahead of next year’s challenge; as things stand, it seems unlikely that the side will have much chance of reaching the final.
There has been a lot of talk in the media recently about Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley, with their club managers Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez both suggesting that they must avoid being over-played in order not to be ‘burnt out’, with the pair having suffered fatigue after travelling to last summer’s World Cup with England. However, due to the eligibility rules for the tournament, more experienced players such as Phil Jones, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will all be permitted to play in the Czech Republic next summer.
UEFA’s rules state that any player born after January 1st 1992 is eligible to play, which would allow England to field an outrageously strong attacking side. With Saido Berahino as an attacking figurehead, the five midfielders in Gareth Southgate’s favoured 4-2-3-1 could be as follows; Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere in the holding role, with Ross Barkley of Everton just ahead of him, Liverpool wonder kid Raheem Sterling in the number ten position, with Nathan Redmond of Norwich City and Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on either wing.
“I want to show that England teams can play in a different way and, for everything that we’re trying to do throughout the age groups, it was important that we qualified.” – Gareth Southgate
This side would leave Will Hughes, who was Man of the Match in the win in Zagreb on Tuesday, as well as Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse to be substitutes, potentially along with other defensive prospects such as Carl Jenkinson and Eric Dier. The back four in England’s strongest side would read, from right to left, Calum Chambers, John Stones, Phil Jones and Luke Shaw. With Jack Butland behind them, that is an extremely strong defence which would be able to shut out even the best European U21 teams. There is also plenty of attacking flair in the two full-backs, with Shaw especially impressive going forward.
Objection
The other argument against playing these stars is that it may be a problem for their morale if they are taken out of the senior side and put into the U21s. Arsenal boss, Arsène Wenger, said this week that, “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; most of the time, when they move down, they are not completely at their highest quality,”. However, it seems as though the core of talent which is used to spending time together with the full squad would be perfectly ready to gain the experience of winning an international tournament, which would undoubtedly stand them in good stead ahead of Euro 2016.
This view was championed by former World Cup Golden Boot winner, Gary Lineker, who tweeted: “won’t happen, but I wish PL managers would support their young players’ international careers, not hinder them; 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?”
It seems unlikely that it will happen, but for the sake of England’s international future, the experience gained at the U21 Euros next summer must be obtained by all of the nation’s rising stars. Having conceded just 2 goals in the Group Stages of qualifying, over ten games, it seems as though the ordinary side may also have potential success, but it is hard to resist the idea of Sterling, Wilshere and Chamberlain bamboozling top European defences.
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