England’s U-21’s Face Crunch Game at European Championship
England’s U-21 team appear to be following in the footsteps of the senior team by failing to hold onto a lead in a competitive game. Against tournament favourites Italy, England raced to a two goal lead after an impressive and up tempo start, with striker Leroy Lita, wearing Nike Mercurial Vapor III football boots squandering three simple goal-scoring opportunities. He eventually atoned for his misses after David Nugent had put England ahead, by scoring the second and celebrated by running to the camera beating his chest like he’d won the World Cup! The class and skill of the Italians was then sparked into life as they pulled two goals back against the slumbering English Lions – completely dominating the second half. England still retain a chance of moving to the next stage as they meet already qualified Serbia needing a win to progress, whilst Italy meet Czech Republic, with both teams on a single point.
Verdict: On paper and recent performances, this England U-21 team were touted as favourites, with a particularly potent strike force. From the two games, fans are yet to see the best of the youngsters, who it seems have become distracted by talks of scouts, million pound transfers and new contracts rather than focusing on the game and their performances. Do these young players get too much too soon? Is £50,000 a week too much for a 20 year old? How motivated can a 20 year old be earning £50,000 a week? Let us know what you think…
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