In nine years the world will descend on Qatar for the first ever World Cup to be held in the Middle East. Some of the players who will feature in that competition will get their first taste of an international tournament being held in that part of the world this week, with eight sides in Israel for the European Under-21 Championship.
The tournament will kick off on the Mediterranean coast in Netanya, as the hosts face Norway at the newly built stadium on the outskirts of the idyllic city. The sweltering temperatures of an Israeli summer, which rarely dip below 30 degrees centigrade, will not be mitigated by the air conditioning the Qataris are promising. And it is the first time that an international tournament will have been played in Israel, who start as outsiders to lift a trophy that Spain will be defending following their success in 2011.
Italy, the most successful team historically at the tournament, will hope to lift their sixth crown and will benefit from being in the easier of the two groups, whilst the group of death features an experienced Dutch side, the ever dangerous Germany and of course the Spanish, who will be the leading contenders to retain their title. England and Russia cannot be discounted either, whilst Norway and Israel will be determined not to just make up the numbers.
Inside Futbol preview both groups of this year’s tournament, which concludes at the Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, just a few hundred metres from the West Bank, on 18th June.
Group A – England, Israel, Italy, Norway
England’s hopes are hampered by the fact that their key names, such as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Danny Welbeck, are with their senior squad rather than the Under-21s, whereas Italy have prioritised Marco Verratti’s involvement in this tournament; the same goes for Spain with Isco and others. Lacking the star quality of previous competitions, when coach Stuart Pearce could call on the likes of Joe Hart, Kyle Walker and Tom Cleverley, England have nonetheless won nine in a row without conceding a goal. Pearce has hailed the maturity of his current group, and though they are not the most star studded of England sides, the likes of Josh McEachran, Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Henderson and Steven Caulker are not short on talent.
Hosts Israel have beaten Slovakia and Belgium in recent friendlies. Coach Guy Luzon caught the eye with their 4-1 win over the Belgians, and after the tournament will join Standard Liege. Taleb Tawatha, Nir Biton and Eyal Golasa, all senior internationals, will be the men to look out for in a squad with no previous tournament experience; Fulham’s Omri Altman will also feature. The hosts have only appeared in the finals once before, and may not be contenders for the title, but Israeli sides typically boast technique and intelligence that makes up for a lack of physique and pace, and they can make their mark by hurting one of the tournament’s big names.
Italy can turn to PSG midfielder Marco Verratti to spearhead their hopes. Hailed as the next Andrea Pirlo, for all the big name signings the Parisians have made in recent times Verratti has been as important as any bar Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Italy have enjoyed a good 2013, beating fellow finalists Germany and Russia, as well as Ukraine, without conceding a goal. Juventus midfielder Luca Marrone could form a formidable partnership with Verratti, while up front Liverpool’s Fabio Borini and Mattia Destro of Roma will be dangerous. Coach Devis Mangia may regret not being able to call upon AC Milan duo Stephan El Shaarawy or Mattia De Sciglio, both of whom are on Confederations Cup duty.
Norway qualified for Israel by beating an ill-disciplined France in the playoffs last autumn. Typically for a Scandinavian team, they are short on stars but high on work ethic and teamwork, epitomised by the fact that four players scored twice in qualifying but no one scored more. Jo Inge Berget and Harmeet Singh, two of that quartet, are perhaps the most talented of this squad. Four of a very experienced group are actually with the senior side and will miss the opener with Israel before joining the Under-21s. Having been beaten heavily by Spain and the Netherlands in recent friendlies, Norway will be buoyed by a victory against Russia to give them hope of a last four berth.
Group B – Germany, Netherlands, Russia, Spain
Germany qualified for this tournament in style and comfort, leading coach Rainer Adrion to compare his team to the vintage that won the 2009 edition. But they have been hit by injuries to key names including vice-captain Jan Kirchhoff, Tolgay Arslan and Sebastian Jung. Tottenham’s Lewis Holtby is the stand out name in this squad, who scored more than any other side in qualifying (43). Germany didn’t qualify to defend their title in 2011 and will be looking to make up for that anomaly this summer.
The Netherlands boast a hugely talented squad who have enjoyed plenty of playing time in the Eredivisie this season, with Feyenoord providing five of Cor Pot’s group. Jordy Clasie and Bruno Martins Indi are possibly the most talented of that quintet, but the most notable name in this side will be Kevin Strootman of PSV Eindhoven. The midfielder can boss games and dictate play, and is joined by club team-mate Georginio Wijnaldum, who has been prolific domestically this season. Daley Blind of Ajax is a promising defender, whilst forwards Ola John and Luuk de Jong are recognisable talents already making a name for themselves abroad with Benfica and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively. The Netherlands have beaten finalists Israel and Norway, as well as Croatia during their warm-ups, as coach Pot looks to add a third Under-21 title after their successes in 2006 and 2007.
Russia will face an intimidating task in their battle to get out of the group stage. This is their first appearance at the Under-21 tournament since the fall of the Soviet Union and the first major opportunity for their squad to gain this type of experience ahead of the World Cup they will host in 2018. Qualification was far from straightforward for Nikolai Pisarev’s side, with the prolific forward Fedor Smolov of Anzhi Makhachkala and Real Madrid’s creative midfielder Denis Cheryshev their key men. The star man of this line-up though will be Alan Dzagoev, who made an impression in Russia’s brief appearance at last year’s senior European Championship. Fresh from winning a domestic double with CSKA Moscow, Dzagoev’s creativity and running from midfield will be dangerous and he can hurt the best defences in Israel. Defeats to fellow finalists Norway, Italy and Spain mean they have much to do to make an impression this summer though.
Holders Spain will be many people’s favourites, featuring as they do players who are making an impact internationally already, such as Isco, Thiago Alcantara and David de Gea. They can also call upon Athletic Bilbao’s Iker Muniain, who starred in his club’s run to the Europa League final last season. His close control and dribbling will be a key feature of this side. Spain also boast Real Sociedad pair Inigo Martinez, scorer of a sumptuous long range strike during the 2011 tournament, and Asier Illaramendi, a talented young midfielder who has been pivotal in his side qualifying for the Champions League next season. Real Madrid’s promising young forward Alvaro Morata is another one to watch. And that is without even referencing La Masia graduates Marc Bartra, Martin Montoya and Cristian Tello, or Valencia’s Sergio Canales. Spain won nine of ten qualifiers to get to Israel and drew the other, so there is plenty of optimism that they can continue the country’s international dominance.
Glimpse of the Future?
As ever, youth tournaments offer a fascinating glance into the future for football fans. But many of the players who will star in Israel this summer may well be in Brazil next year. Players such as Isco, Strootman and Dzagoev are all expected to feature for their countries should they, as expected, qualify for the World Cup. Youth tournaments are also invaluable experience for such players and it may be that Israel is witness to the next generation set to dominate the world stage as Spain have done. The Spaniards will take some knocking from their perch over the next fortnight, but Italy and in particular the Netherlands look extremely strong going into this competition. Germany should not be discounted and England’s organisation and spirit means they are never a walkover either. This promises to be an extremely closely fought competition between eight of the continent’s brightest young sides.
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