EURO u-21 in Netherlands

Surprised there isn't a thread up here about this. Anyway to start things off here's the schedule for the matches in Holland in June, along with the provisional squad of 30 which is to be cut to 23 for the official tournament.

Serbia vs Italy 11/06/07

England vs Italy 14/06/07

Italy vs Czech Republic 17/06/07

Provisional Squad:

Goalkeepers: Gianluca Curci (AS Roma), Emiliano Viviano (Brescia Calcio), Andrea Consigli (S.S. Sambenedettese Calcio).

Defenders: Marco Andreolli (FC Internazionale Milano), Michele Canini (Cagliari Calcio), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Andrea Coda (Udinese Calcio), Domenico Criscito (Genoa 1893), Andrea Mantovani (AC Chievo Verona), Lino Marzoratti (Empoli FC), Marco Motta (Udinese Calcio), Alessandro Potenza (ACF Fiorentina), Andrea Raggi (Empoli FC).

Midfielders: Alberto Aquilani (AS Roma), Luca Cigarini (Parma FC), Raffaele De Martino (Udinese Calcio), Daniele Dessena (Parma FC), Andrea Lazzari (Piacenza Calcio), Claudio Marchisio (Juventus), Riccardo Montolivo (ACF Fiorentina), Antonio Nocerino (Piacenza Calcio), Simone Padoin (Vicenza Calcio), Alessandro Rosina (Torino FC).

Forwards: Arturo Lupoli (Derby County FC), Raffaele Palladino (Juventus), Gabriele Paonessa (Vicenza Calcio), Giampaolo Pazzini (ACF Fiorentina), Graziano Pellè (AC Cesena), Nicola Pozzi (Empoli FC), Giuseppe Rossi (Parma FC).

I'll try to drop in any other information I can before the beginning of the final stage of the tournament.

No Milan players, cause for concern? Just wondering, I don't really follow U-21 games.

Lino Marzoratti + Nicola Pozzi are both Milan owned players. Since (if Galliani is to believed) we have just recently started investing more into our youth squad, the benefits of this investment would only be seen in maybe the next Under 21 or even the one after that.

Also Gourcuff is a major player for France under 21.

Here is the final squad of 23 for the tournament in Holland. Both Milan owned players were cut.

Goalkeepers: Consigli (Sambenedettese), Curci (Roma), Viviano (Brescia)

Defenders: Andreolli (Inter), Canini (Cagliari), Chiellini (Juventus), Coda (Udinese), Criscito (Genoa), Mantovani (Chievo), Potenza (Fiorentina), Raggi (Empoli)

Midfielders: Aquilani (Roma), Cigarini (Parma), Dessena (Parma), Lazzari (Piacenza), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Nocerino (Piacenza), Padoin (Vicenza), Rosina (Torino)

Forwards: Palladino (Juventus), Pazzini (Fiorentina), Pellè (Cesena), Giuseppe Rossi (Parma)

Apart from that squad, there's another squad for the Under 21 2009 championship qualifier on Friday against Albania. You'd think they'd save qualifying till AFTER the competition but I guess that's too much to ask. Anyway here's the 2009 qualifying squad for this Friday. Players must be born after January 1st 1986.

Goalkeepers: Consigli (Sambenedettese), Sirigu (Palermo)

Defenders: Belmonte (Bari), Bocchetti (Frosinone), Criscito (Genoa), Marzoratti (Empoli), Motta (Udinese), Rickler (Chievo), M. Rossi (Modena)

Midfielders: Cigarini (Parma), Candreva (Ternana), De Ceglie (Juventus), De Martino (Udinese), Dessena (Parma), Marchisio (Juventus), Paonessa (Vicenza), Russotto (Treviso)

Forwards: Acquafresca (Treviso), Giovinco (Juventus), Lupoli (Derby County), G. Rossi (Parma)

There's the much hyped Giovinco from Juventus. I have an exam Friday but I hope someone can watch the match to give his/her opinion on him.

This is a championship i wouldn't miss for anything in the world.

Previous winners :

1978 - Yugoslavia
1980 - USSR
1982 - England
1984 - England
1986 - Spain
1988 - France
1990 - USSR
1992 - Italy
1994 - Italy
1996 - Italy
1998 - Spain
2000 - Italy
2002 - Czech Republic
2004 - Italy
2006 - Netherlands

Many ex and current stars shined on this championship.
Huntelaar, Mavuba and Milevskiy were the stars in 2006, Gilardino, De Rossi, Hleb, Schweinsteiger and Elmander in 2004, Pirlo, Defoe, Crouch, Charisteas, Bonera, Iaquinta, Pennant, Grygera, Petr Chech, Mexes, Boumsong ( ), Maccarone in 2002 , Van Bommel, Pirlo, Baros, Jankulovski, Angulo and Lampard in 2000 etc.

There's no doubt some of these youngsters who'll take part in u-21 in Netherlands ( from June 10 - June 23) will become one of the best in Europe and the world.

8 teams made it to the u-21 :
GROUP A
The Netherlands
Israel
Portugal
Belgium

GROUP B
Italy
Serbia
England
Czech Republic

The draw wanted the biggest favourites to find themselves in group B.

In my next post i'll write few words about every team, although it would be for the best if some of the natives here on MM give their view on their teams.

The Netherlands
The hosts went directly to the finals. They won it last year, led by Klaas Jan Huntelaar, but KJH isn't with the team anymore , and some new youngsters will have to do the job now.

The most famous name from this squad is the name of Ryan Babel . With 14 caps (5 goals) for the senior team and with World Cup experience, the Ajax youngster will be the main threat for the goalkeepers.
Daniël de Ridder from Celta, Captain Ron Vlaar from Feyenoord and another senior team player, Hedwiges Maduro from Ajax are the other stars of the team.

Israel
This team is an unknown to me. The Israelis made it to Holland after eliminating Wales and favourites Turkey in the group stages and then they made the greatest suprise in u-21 football in last 10 years by eliminating France. All Israeli players, apart from Ben Sahar from Chelsea, play in their local championship.
The 17 years old extra talent Sahar played 3 times from Chelsea in EPL this year and eventhough he's only 17, this 1.81m tall forward already has 3 caps and 2 goals for the senior team.

Belgium
Our members from Belgium will make much better preview on their team i believe. They eliminated Rep. of Ireland and Greece and then they were better than Bozinov's Bulgaria u-21 team.
I know Martens from AZ Alkmaar and i was really impressed from this youngster whenever i had a chance to watch him. Vanden Borre from Anderlecht, De Mul and Vermaelen from Ajax should be the stars of this team.
Belgium did make a solid u-21 team, and they have a good chance to pass the group stages and find themselves in the semis. Too bad Vincent Kompany, Dembélé and Anderlecht attacker Jonathan Legear are unfit. If all of them played then i'd concider Belgium as one of the main contenders for a medal.


Portugal
From what i hear, this Portugal team is far from their past u-21 teams.
Nani from Sporting ( now Manchester United) Hugo Almeida from Werder and defender Manuel De Costa from PSV are the main stars.
They almost didn't make it to Netherlands after they lost 4:1 from Russia in the play-offs, but a 3:0 win in Portugal was enough to take them here on away goals rule.
Not so good team as they used to have, but we shoul always count on them.


Group B
Italy
We all know the Italians so i'll only write the team :
Goalkeepers: Curci ( Roma) , Consigli (Atalanta) , Viviano (Brescia)
Defenders: Chiellini-cap. ( Juventus), Andreolli (Inter), Canini ( Cagliari), Coda (Udinese), Criscito( Juventus/Genoa), Raggi(Empoli), Potenza (Fiorentina), Mantovani(Chievo)
Midfielders: Rosina(Torino), Montolivo (Fiorentina), Nocerino (Juventus/Piacenza), Aquilani (Roma), Dessena(Parma), Cigarini (Parma), Lazzari (Atalanta), Padoin (Vicenza)
Attackers: Rossi ( Man Utd/Parma) , Palladino (Juventus), Pelle (Cesena), Pazzini (Fiorentina)

Italians eliminated Spain in the play-offs. Again, they are among the main favourites.

Serbia
Always strong in u-21, like always in the past, semifinalists from 2006 and finalists from 2005, have a consistancy problem. On their day they can destroy everyone, on a bad day they can lose from Andorra.
They've shown it in the play-offs also. They lost 0:3 at home from Sweden in the play-offs and then , in the second leg, they won 5:0 away in Sweden.
Jankovic from Mallorca, Krasic from CSKA Moscow, Ivanovic from Lokomotiv Moscow and Basta from Red Star are the stars. All of them have experience from some past u-21 championships and i expect them to be strong again.

England
After many years, the English are agains among the favs to win the tournament.
2 wins against Germany in the play-offs gave them confidence while the team with Pool's keeper Carson, West Ham's Ferdinand, New Castle's Milner and ManU's Richardson gives a guarantee of a good tournament for the Englishmen.

Czech Republic
Another unknown team for me. All i know is that most of them play in Czech championship and that they are always solid in u-21 championships.
They were lucky to eliminate Bosnia in the play-offs and although i watched the return leg of Bosnia-Czech Rep. i don't remember much and i don't remember some Czech player making an impact on me.

http://www.milanmania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22656

Thanks for covering the other teams though Maybe a mod could merge the two or something ? Preferably using this thread as the main one.

merged Euro-U21 threads.

Was a bit confused at not seeing Gourcuff in Toulon, but just realised he's probably going to be involved in this one

He's supposed to play in an Under 21 Euro 2009 qualifier tomorrow as well. The guy's a fixture in both Under 21 squads. We really have a gem in our squad.

EDIT: Both meaning the squad for Holland and the squad for 2009.

What squad for Holland ?
France didn't qualify for Euro u-21

They didn't!!!? I automatically assumed they did. My apologies then. He WOULD have been though.

Originally Posted by Mystik

They didn't!!!? I automatically assumed they did. My apologies then. He WOULD have been though.

I made the same mistake I guess

Originally Posted by ACMILAN1983

I made the same mistake I guess

Dev, would you like to give your view on English u-21 team ? I do know some of the players but most of them are unfamiliar to me.

This is English team :

Goalkeepers :Carson (Liverpool) , Alnwick (Totenham) , Hart (Man City)

Defenders : Baines( Wigan) , Cahill (Aston Villa), Hoyte (Arsenal) , A. Ferdinand (West Ham), Onuoha (Man City) , Taylor (New Castle), Rosenior (Fulham), Whittingham (Cardiff City)

Midfielders : Bentley (Blackburn) , Milner (New Castle), Huddlestone (Totenham), Reo-Coker (West Ham), Noble (West Ham), Richardson (Manchester United), Routledge (Totenham)

Attack: Lita (Reading), Derbyshire (Blackburn), Nugent (Preston), Vaughan (Everton), Young (Aston Villa)


And maybe you can give your prediction on their chances on this euro

Thanx

Originally Posted by Mystik

There's the much hyped Giovinco from Juventus. I have an exam Friday but I hope someone can watch the match to give his/her opinion on him.

MVP of the match, the best one by far.
I think Italy got the successor of Del Piero and Totti ( support forward). Rossi and Lupoli will score a lot in the future if they have Giovinco behind them. Today he created a lot of chances and he was involved directly when the goals were scored.

http://www.channel4.com/sport/footba...lia/jun1p.html

Well you ARE a Juve fan so I can't really trust your opinion J/K Seems even Channel4 agreed he was one of the best players on the pitch. I hope I can get to download the match sometime. Seems Italy's future is in good hands after all