Filed under: Everton, Liverpool, Football, Match Previews
EUROPEAN UNDER-21 CHAMPIONSHIPS, GROUP B: HERNING STADIUM, WEDNESDAY JUNE 15, 2011. KICK-OFF:1945 BSTWith two minutes remaining in their opening European Championship game, the future looked bleak for coach Stuart Pearce and his England under-21's team.
A fortuitous Danny Welbeck goal later - he was offside when he earned a point against Spain - and the tournament has a completely different complexion for Pearce's side. Now victory against Ukraine would give them confidence about reaching the semi-finals.
Pearce will tell his youngsters to show the defensive resolve they displayed against the Spanish but also try to impose their own game more effectively. It will surely be easier against Ukraine as no team pass the ball like Luis Milla's side.
Ukraine are considered the outsiders of the four Group B teams but Pearce will be wary of a squad containing six full internationals that defeated Netherlands in a play-off to reach the finals.
After losing to Czech Republic in their first game of the finals, Ukraine need to get something from the game. The fact that the Czechs and Spain play earlier in the day means it could be a tense evening with both teams knowing what they need from the game.
Pearce's team face the highly-fancied Czechs in their last game of the group stage and will be desperate to head into that match with a win under their belt.
Key Match-up: Mykola Morozyuk v Jordan Henderson: The emphasis will be on Morozyuk, a full international, to show his experience in midfield as captain Taras Stepanenko has been ruled out through injury. Henderson completed a £20 million move from Sunderland to Liverpool on the eve of the tournament. He struggled to impose himself against Spain and will be need to be at his box-to-box best to drive England forward from midfield.
Form Guide: Ukraine suffered defeat in their opening game of the tournament but can be encouraged by their play-off win to reach the finals. England need to bounce back from their performance against Spain. Their late goal gives them confidence, despite the overall performance.
Odds: Ukraine 7/2, England 4/5, Draw 5/2 ENGLAND:
Midfielder Henderson admitted it was a struggle against Spain but is confident about sealing a first win in this year's tournament.
"You've got to keep a cool head in that situation and just keep going and the lads managed to do that and we showed great character to get a result," he said.
"It was a little bit frustrating that we didn't play as well as we possibly could have. We need to express ourselves a little bit more and be a little more confident with a bit more belief going forward. If we do that we can definitely get a good result on Wednesday."
Henderson is also determined to live up to the fee Liverpool paid for his services. "It's a lot of money but I don't make the figures up," he said.
"It just shows that Liverpool have a lot of faith in me and I'll keep learning and working hard to repay them. I think that if I train well and work hard I'll get my chance and I'll take it."
Fellow midfielder Jack Rodwell is also looking to make a positive impact after a frustrating season with Everton.
He said:"I'll only look back on last season with a sense of frustration. The couple of seasons before that, I had felt as if I had done really well. I'd played in a lot of games and I had tended to play in age groups ahead of the ones I was in. It's been a fast progression.
"But last season, I just stopped still because of one thing and another. When I have been out of the team, I haven't been able to get back in. I just hope it's finally behind me now and I am looking forward to next season already."
Strategy: England will not pass it like Spain but they will see more of the ball this time and need to use it wisely. They will attack down the flanks with full backs overlapping and Daniel Sturridge will lead their attack.
Injury Update: Kieran Gibbs pulled out before the tournament started but Pearce has not suffered any fresh injury worries. The full squad trained the day before the match.
UKRAINE:
Ukraine were hit with devastating injury news when Stepanenko was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a groin injury.
"The initial scan showed a muscle tear, so unfortunately the European Championship is over for me," the 21-year-old said on UEFA.com.
"At one point I tried to shield the ball and their player ran into me at full speed. I then felt the area where I received the knock and realised I wouldn't be able to take any further part in the tournament."
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Source: http://www.fanhouse.co.uk/2011/06/14/england-under-21s-v-ukraine-under-21s-preview-huge-test-for-j/
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