TFT Issue 132!

UEFA European U21 Championship Preview

As promised, guys and girls, here is the list of squads that each U21 side will be taking to Denmark for the UEFA European U21 Championships with a brief preview beneath each squad. At the bottom, you can see which groups they’re in and an overall summary from myself. Much like the Toulon Tournament in France, I aim to review each game the following day and post my thoughts on each game on the day of the game whether I tip them or not.

England U21

Goalkeepers – Fielding, Steele, McCarthy
Defenders – Bertrand, Jones, Mancienne, Tomkins, Smalling, Walker
Midfielders – Albrighton, Cork, Cleverley, Henderson, Lansbury, Muamba, Rodwell, Rose, Sinclair
Strikers – Delfouneso, Sturridge, Welbeck, Wickham

Pre-tournament, I really fancied England to win this one. England have a terrific squad and almost always play well at tournaments. England have a lot of players that play in arguably the strongest league in the world and a lot of them play for big clubs so it’s no surprise that England have some of the quickest and most skilful players in the tournament. However, England are having the same problem this yea that they have in the past – some of their bigger names are withdrawing and it’s causing some massive dents in the team. Wilshere has been withdrawn, Carroll has been withdrawn, and now even Richards has been withdrawn. The defence looked shaky enough as it is with Richards but without him, I’m really very concerned. Mancinene – I’ve never, never rated this guy and I’ve no idea how he’s stayed in the team so long as he makes so many mistakes. Smalling and Jones could prove to be a really strong pairing if played together as both have been terrific this season but as pacey as England look in the full-back areas, they also look vulnerable, especially now that Gibbs has withdrawn too. There are decent goalkeepers but none I’d rave about. England have good strikers with plenty of variety but none of them bring a proper “target man” approach to the game that Carroll would have brought. Wilshere was a creative and energetic spark in midfield but with Rodwell, Sinclair, and Cleverley there, I’m not too concerned. Besides – as much as I like Wilshere as a player, he’s really starting to piss me off with his attitude – he needs to grow up rapidly or he’ll end up as nothing, in my view. Either way, England have a squad to each at least the semi-finals here and could win it but I’m not as confident now as I was before those players withdrew.

Spain U21

Goalkeepers – De Gea, Mino, Marino
Defenders – Dominguez, San Jose, Botia, Montoya, Valdes, Azpilicueta, Rosello, Ruiz
Midfielders – Martinez, Herrera, Capel, Parejo, Nsue, Perez, Alcantara, Mata, Jeffren, Muniain
Strikers – Bojan, Adrian

A lot of people think Spain can win this and maybe I’ll be proven to be hideously incorrect but I’d be very, very surprised to see it. I see people on forums raving about one of the three players in the squad that they’ve actually heard of and it’s just a joke, really.

Ok, let’s look at this squad properly, shall we? Goalkeepers – with De Gea there, they easily have the best goalkeeper in the tournament – no problems there, and his deputies are decent. Defence – San Jose has been very good in Bilbao this season – I look forward to seeing how he does here. Azpilicueta was poor at Marseille this season – not sure if he’ll be fielded but quality-wise, he should be. Ruiz was plucked from nowhere in the past few months for a big move but I’ve yet to be convinced by him. If Spain can build around San Jose at the back then they’ll be decent. If they can’t, they’ll struggle. Midfield – this is where Spain always excel and this year is no exception. Martinez has had a great campaign and the playmaker is too good for this tournament. Similarly, Capel, Parejo, Herrera, Jeffren, and Muniain have all played regular Primera Liga football this season and are very, very good players. Bilbao-bound Herrera needs to control his temper better but is a gifted playmaker. Muniain is one of the best youngsters in the world right now for my money with his pace and dribbling. Capel’s pace is a constant threat and Mata is a world-class player already so yeah – midfield suits them. The problems start when we look at their strikers because…they’re not very good. You know, a lot of sites have listed Mata, Muniain, and Jeffren as strikers to try and balance out Spain’s squad but that’s simply not the case – none of them are. So really, it’s just Bojan and Adrian. I like Adrian but he’s not been great this season and Bojan has never convinced me because he’s too lightweight. “Lightweight” – that word adequately sums up Spain’s strikers in this tournament. I expect them to dominate the ball in most games but I don’t expect them to score many goals. That’s been the story of their qualifying campaign and pre-tournament friendlies, really – not scoring enough goals. If their defence is as dubious as it could be then don’t be surprised if Spain make an early exit from this tournament, just as they did in Sweden with exactly the same problem. Their midfield can steer them to at least the semi-finals but I just don’t see them winning it – there’s a lot of talented teams this year.

Denmark U21

Goalkeepers – Lossl, Hojlund, Andersen
Defenders – Randrup, Fenger, Nielsen, Jorgensen, Bjelland, Juelsgaard, Bollesen, Wass
Midfielders – Povlsen, Albaek, Jensen, Delaney, Eriksen, Nielsen
Strikers – Bille Nielsen, Agger, Jorgensen, Kadrii, Frederiksen, Dalsgaard

No Simon Kjaer is a huge blow for the Danish defence. They’ve still got some good kids there with Bollesen from Ajax, pacey full-backs Juelsgard ad Wass, and Jorgensen but it’s definitely not as strong a defence as it could be. Worryingly, defence is Denmark’s strongest area so they should be very concerned right now. Midfield – some decent players in there like Jensen and Nielsen but the heartbeat of the team is Eriksen, who has carried Ajax this season with some scintillating displays. Without Eriksen, this side lacks creativity and skill to a massive degree and I think Denmark will suffer for being so one-dimensional in the tournament. Up front, Bille Nielsen is a good striker – he was immense at the last Toulon Tournament for Denmark – and the Villarreal striker is sure to be their main man up front. Agger is bit young for this level, in my view, and Frederiksen is again a bit tempremental although the potential is there. Jorgensen is listed as a striker too but since he moved to Germany, he’s been used more as a winger than a striker due to his pace. Denmark’s attack is decent but again – it’s nothing without Eriksen. If Eriksen performs, this side can get out of the group. However, despite Denmark being hosts, odds of 1/5 on them to simply make it out of this group are a couple joke and I think there’s value in laying that if you can because I really don’t rate Denmark as being better than any side in this group!

Switzerland U21

Goalkeepers – Slegrist, Fickentscher, Sommer
Defenders – Affolter, Berardi, Daprela, Klose, Rossini, Koch, Pavlovic
Midfielders – Abrashi, Costanzo, Feltscher, Frei, Hoschstrasser, Kasami, Lustenberger, Shaqiri, Xhaka
Strikers – Ben Khalifa, Emeghara, Gavranovic, Mehmedi

And the award for naming the most players in your U21 squad when their surname clearly indicates that they come from somewhere else goes to…Switzerland!

No, but seriously – this Helvetia crop is very, very good. Shaqiri is a player you may have seen playing for the senior team a few times – he’s very skilful, good off-the-ball movement, and a terrific shot on him. He’ll be essential for the Swiss in this tournament. The Swiss goalkeepers are decent but nothing to write home about. Their defence is very strong, however – it’s the foundation of all their success in the qualifiers, really. Some good players in midfield beside Shaqiri in Hoschstrasser , Abrashi, Costanzo, and Xhaka – lots of creativity there. Plenty of pace up front too, especially with Emeghara. Gavranovic is a good striker too. Plenty of variety and talent in this team – it’ll be interesting to see how they do. I think they can make it out of this group – after that, it depends on how many times they’ve taken their chances in the tournament as to how far they can go. I expect that they’ll come unstuck in the semi-finals though, should they may it. 

Iceland U21

Goalkeepers – Bjornsson, D.Petursson, O.Petursson
Defenders – Eyjolfsson, Jonsson, Valgardsson, Fridgeirsson, Fjoluson, Helgason, Valdimarsson
Midfielders – Vidarsson, Bjarnason, Johannesson, Gudmundsson, Sigurdsson, Kristjansson, Gunnarsson, Ormarsson
Strikers – Gislason, Sigthorsson, Finnbogason, Smarason, Sigurdarson

Boss Sverisson said he “could have namd two twenty-three man squads” for this tournament and although I think he’s exaggerating, I’d absolutely agree with the sentiment of this being a very strong team. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that I genuinely believe Iceland can win this tournament and at 12/1, they’re a bloody good shot, in my view.

For me, no U21 side played as well as Iceland did in the qualifiers. So much so that a lot of them were drafted into the first-team a few months ago during a friendly against Cyprus in which Iceland played very well. Defensively, Iceland can be exposed but the beauty of their game is that they score so many goals that it doesn’t matter. I’ve watched these guys rip Germany apart twice and batter a good Scotland side along the way here so please don’t treat them as minnows! Jonsson is a good defender but the rest are just decent at the back, as are their goalkeepers. Midfield and up front is where they excel! Attacking midfielder Sigurdsson has had a great year with Hoffenheim despite the troubles of the German club and this guy’s ability to score goals from midfield (be it free-kicks or open play) is phenomenal – I don’t think there’s a midfielder in the tournament who will score more than him if Iceland show up. Bjarnason is a very skilful winger, although not the quickest, and Gudmundsson is a very dangerous attacker too. Vidarsson has good experience too! Finnbogason is the heartbeat of their attack and I really like his ability to put the ball in the net, given the appropriate service. Gislason is lightning and has a lot of experience so he’ll be essential here too, no doubt. All in all, Iceland have an awful lot of variety in attack – height, pace, finesse – and it’s unsurprising that they left the qualifiers as one of the leading goalscoring teams with that in mind. I genuinely think Iceland can at least make the final here because they simply score a lot of goals and I don’t see another side in the tournament that will score more than they do wih the proviso that Iceland demonstrate what they have done for the past couple of years.

Belarus U21

Goalkeepers – Gutor, Guschenko, Gomelko
Defenders – Veretilo, Polyakov, Filipenko, Politevich, Matveychik, Savostyanov, Ostroukh, Ryzhko, Gayduchik
Midfielders – Dragun, Baga, Sivakov, Bukatkin, Nekhaychik, Rekish, Gordeychuk
Strikers – Skavysh, Yurchenka, Voronkov, Khvoschynski

Ah, Belarus – the side everyone loves to underestimate. These guys will be hard to beat but are generally quite ineffectual in front of goal. I think the move to a big Vysshaya Liga club and now the U21 finals has come too soon for Yurchanka, although we’ll see. Skavysh and Voronkov are their best hopes but both are a bit hit-and-miss. Khvoschynski has returned to the squad since he returned to the Vysshaya Liga and his pace is an asset but Belarus’ problem will be putting the ball in the net in this tournament. They’ve got a good midfield with Dragun, Sivakov, and especially Rekish – they’re a talented bunch and they will keep the ball well, just like their senior team. Defensively, they’re pretty sound too – sides should find it hard to score against them with Veretilo in the middle of the back four. Everything about this Belarus side says “solid and reliable” to me – I doubt anyone will batter them. However, I don’t think they’ve got the right opponents in this group in order for them to make it out – I don’t think they’ll score enough goals so they should exit the tournament in the group stages.

Ukraine U21

Goalkeepers – Boyko, Nepogodov, Kanibolotskiy
Defenders – Matvyeyev, Rakitskiy, Partsvaniya, Selin, Butko, Kryvtsov, Kurilov, Putivtsev
Midfielders – Morozyuk, Vitsenets, Garmash, Stepanenko, Konoplyanka, Chesnakov, Fedorchuk, Golodyuk, Biliy
Strikers – Yarmolenko, Kravets, Zozulya

This Ukraine team has the potential to do really well in this tournament given how many full internationals they’ve named, not just U21 players! This squad is littered with Dynamo Kiev and Shakhtar Donetsk players, which tells you they’re a good bunch. Stepanenko, Rakitskiy, and Vitsenets have all played in midfield for Shakhtar Donetsk this season, although Rakitskiy has also been used in defence. They’re all very solid players and add a lot of experience to this team. Kravets and Yarmolenko have played a lot of first-team football for Dynamo Kiev this season and have plenty of pace and skill. Even Boyko in goal has featured for Dynamo Kiev so there is experience here, not to mention potential with the likes of Konoplyanka and Garmash (also from Dynamo Kiev) sneaking through. There’s a lot of talent in this side and plenty of organisation. My problem with them would be scoring enough goals though. There’s plenty of pace and creativity in this side and they’re good at the back but can they score enough? I think they could get out of the group but not beyond the semi-finals if so. I look at them as a slighly superior version of the Belarus U21 side. 

Czech Republic U21

Goalkeepers – Hanus, Stech, Vaclik
Defenders – Celustka, Hosek, Lecjaks, Mazuch, Reznik, Suchy, Vacha
Midfielders – Cerny, Dockal, Gecov, Hlousek, Horava, Kovarik, Marecek, Moravek
Strikers – Pekhart, Kozak, Kadlec, Chramosta, Rabusic

Just like Iceland U21, these guys scored a lot of goals in the qualifiers and with those strikers, it’s not hard to see why. Pekhart is maturing into a proper all-round striker now and has recently been signed by Nurnberg in the Bundesliga following an impressive campaign with Jablonec and Sparta Prague respectively. He’s themain dangerman for them although Lazio stiker Kozak has had a good campaign and Kadlec is a very exciting player coming through the Sparta Prague ranks – he’s got goals in him too, as he’s shown with Sparta’s first-team this season. There’s creativity in midfield with Hlousek, Gecov, and Cerny. I’d be concerned at them not having particularly strong widemen long-term but there’s still plenty of goals in this team. Their defence is strong with Anderlecht’s defensive lynchpin Mazuch holding things together – I like him a lot. Suchy and Reznik are good defenders and the Czechs have some good goalkeepers at the moment, especially Stech from West Ham United. I do like the attcking nature of this Czech Republic U21 side and I think they’ll score goals against all their opponents in their group. However, will their midfield be strong enough when facing England and Spain? That’s the big question. I just don’t know – this group is very tight. Just like Ukraine U21 – the Czechs could get out of the group but it just depends how badly Spain are in front of goal, really.

Group A – Belarus U21, Iceland U21, Switzerland U21, Denmark U21
Group B – England U21, Spain U21, Ukraine U21, Czech Republic U21

So, there you have it! All the information you could possibly want about the U21 Championship. Group B is very tight and hard to call whereas Group A should be fairly straightforward as I expect Iceland to win it with the Swiss coming second. Group B has a lot of contrasting styles and players in it – it should be fascinating. I’m pretty confident that England will win the group but second-place is very open to me. I quite fancy the Czechs to sneak it ahead of the Spanish but we’ll see. Either way, I do fancy Iceland U21 to win the tournament – they’ve impressed me an awful lot in the past couple of years.

UEFA European U21 Championship Today

Belarus vs Iceland – Iceland to win at 8/5.

With the above previews in mind, Iceland winning this one is a complete bargain to me. They’re a tremendously potent side and as much as I respect Belarus for their organisation and tenacity, I just don’t envision a scenario whereby they can get something out of this game. Maybe the Belarusians will score a set piece or an intricate move but if Iceland show us today what they did in the qualifiers then there’s only one winner in this game and it’s the Scandinavians. For me, Iceland are terrific value today.

Denmark vs Switzerland

I just can’t find a bet I like on this game. People are blindly backing Denmark as hosts but I don’t understand why; they’re simply not a very good side. Maybe they’ll be inspired to victory today – I mean, after all, it’s the opening day of the tournament and they are hosts. However, from a quality perspective, I rate the Swiss far more than I do the hosts and that makes this game very hard to bet on. Under 2.5 goals appeals to me but without seeing how nerves affects both sides, it’s hard to know how to approach this one. I’d take Switzerland draw no bet if pushed but this is a big “no bet” for me.