- Jun 13, 2008
- 21,900
- 32,611
I know you have to bear in mind that these are young kids still learning the game, but the bits and pieces I saw of the U21's campaign was pretty abysmal. Another age group team that lacks any patience or composure or attempt to tactically control a game. There is no midfield control, no patience to construct an attack and play our way up the pitch - its usually a token effort at playing out from the back and then the ball slammed down the channels. If we have made it to the final third then almost always individuals try to force play with a Hollywood ball or go on their own rather than play what is in front of them. Pass and move just doesn't happen.
Basically if it cant be done at 100mph, in a few seconds, in no more than a few phases then the players struggle to play.
In all truth this was much the same as the U20's side, they didn't do anything remarkable or show they were much of a team and cohesive unit, they did a lot of what the U21's exhibited, often going back to front and relying on individuals up top with a bit of pace and trickery to have enough moments to turn a result - but for the U20's enough luck and 'moments' got them all the way to winning the thing.
I hope though that the FA aren't complacent, but when the U20's have won the World Cup and U21's have narrowly lost in a semi final they almost certainly will be and think their 'masterplan' is working. I look at what they state their aims are for the national teams, things like dominating possession and pressing the opposition, and see very little evidence of this happening in the matches I see. It all too often ends up in an open free-for-all of a game, where any apparent plan that was in place gets abandoned.
Basically if it cant be done at 100mph, in a few seconds, in no more than a few phases then the players struggle to play.
In all truth this was much the same as the U20's side, they didn't do anything remarkable or show they were much of a team and cohesive unit, they did a lot of what the U21's exhibited, often going back to front and relying on individuals up top with a bit of pace and trickery to have enough moments to turn a result - but for the U20's enough luck and 'moments' got them all the way to winning the thing.
I hope though that the FA aren't complacent, but when the U20's have won the World Cup and U21's have narrowly lost in a semi final they almost certainly will be and think their 'masterplan' is working. I look at what they state their aims are for the national teams, things like dominating possession and pressing the opposition, and see very little evidence of this happening in the matches I see. It all too often ends up in an open free-for-all of a game, where any apparent plan that was in place gets abandoned.