Filed under: Football, Match Previews, England Football
INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY: ST MARY'S STADIUM, SOUTHAMPTON, SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2011. KICK-OFF: 1500 BSTThe row over Jack Wilshere's workload has overshadowed England's preparations for the European under-21 Championships but with the matter having now been settled - the Arsenal midfielder will not be involved - the countdown has begun to this month's tournament.
Stuart Pearce's side face Norway in a final run-out before heading out to Denmark where they will begin the competition with an opening group game against Spain on June 12.
Pearce fought a losing battle to convince Wilshere and his club manager Arsene Wenger that the 19-year-old could withstand the rigours of an international tournament after a breakthrough season that has seen the player establish himself for Arsenal and the senior England team.
Wilshere was eventually convinced to pull out after being shown statistical evidence of his growing fatigue while Liverpool's Andy Carroll ruled himself out of contention because of recent injury problems.
Things took a further turn for the worse when Manchester City's Micah Richards withdrew with a hamstring injury, depriving Pearce of a third experienced member of his squad.
The coach will now attempt to put those frustrations behind him and balance the desire to secure a morale-boosting victory over Norway with the need to nurse his players through a warm-up game without incurring further injuries.
Key Match-up: Chris Smalling v Joshua King: There should be no surprises for the England centre back when he comes up against his Manchester United teammate. Smalling is more established in the first team squad but King made his first team debut two years ago and has impressed in the reserves at Old Trafford.
Form Guide: England qualified for the finals by beating Rumania in a play-off but have since lost three of their last four games, losing at home to Iceland last time out. Norway never came close to reaching the finals, finishing fourth in their five-nation qualifying group.
Odds: England 2/5, Norway 13/2, draw 11/4
ENGLAND:
It's hard not to feel sorry for Pearce as he attempts to drum up support for England's campaign this summer at a time.
The coach obviously wants his best players available to him but the majority view appears to be that established players will benefit more from a summer of rest, especially with Euro 2012 looming next summer.
It must seem like an impossible task at times, but Pearce knows as well as anybody that critics of the tournament will be queuing up to heap praise on himself and the players should England get a sniff of glory in Denmark, especially if they beat Spain, the nation that has set the benchmark for youth development in recent years.
"Most nations revere this competition and young players realise it's a fantastic tournament," the manager told the Daily Star. "It showcases them on a European stage and a lot of teams will also take players who have senior international experience."
"A number of our final 23-man squad, as well as most of the backroom staff, experienced the agony of defeat in the semi-finals four years ago and then to Germany in the 2009 final.
"We will work hard over the next three weeks to go one step further.
Strategy: With Spain, Ukraine and the Czech Republic likely to present formidable opposition in Denmark, England can ill afford to serve up an unconvincing performance on the eve of the tournament. With the Wilshere row having dominated the build-up, this is a great opportunity for the players in the squad to show they can compete without the help of their star colleague.
Injury Update: Richards has been replaced by West Ham's James Tomkins but otherwise Pearce's squad can claim a clean bill of health
NORWAY:
Norway's qualifying campaign could hardly have gone any worse with just two wins from eight games. This clash gives them a chance to restore pride as well and deliver a blow to England's preparations.
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