The merits of a 16-team tournament were always going to be judged on the strength of the knockout stage and this is an admirably strong line-up, with Friday’s matches proving particularly enticing.
With automatic qualification for the 2015 FIFA Under-17 World Cup in Chile assured with a win the quarter-finalists are close to achieving their primary objective before they aim for the the grand prize. The losers will not automatically fail to qualify for the World Cup though, as they go into two untelevised play-off matches, the winners of which will also qualify.
Friday 15th May 2015
Croatia v Belgium
Lazur Stadium, Burgas
On paper this is the most balanced quarter-final tie and promises to be a superb technical and tactical contest. Both teams have stars aplenty, a few of whom may be facing each other again at higher levels in years to come.
Unsurprisingly, given their wholesale use of Dinamo Zagreb’s corresponding age group youth team, Croatia have appeared one of the most well-rounded sides at the Championships with their unity rivalled only by the Germans. Averaging a goal a game in the group stage, their wins have been built on the bedrock of one of the tournament’s best defences which is yet to concede. In keeping with the dominant theme of modern youth football their offensive quality is supplied by their three attacking midfield players, and the triumvirate of Brekalo, Moro and Lovren pose a problem Belgium may struggle to cope with.
Unlike Croatia, the Belgians have been a weaker collective with obvious deficiencies, despite their varied attacking strengths. At the back the talented Wout Faes has made tactical errors in his decision-making and positioning. Up front, target man Denis Van Vaerenbergh has scored twice and generally contributed well but there are still doubts whether he is of the class required to take them to the final. The most glaring fallibility came when they went behind against Germany and wilted in the second half after dominating the first.
Following that painful loss this match provides an opportunity for them to prove their mental resolve against well-matched opposition. Whilst weaknesses are apparent, in spells they have played some of the best football at the Championships with midfielders Ismail Azzaoui, Alper Ademoglu and Orel Mangala all among the tournament’s star performers. Now that the pressure is increasing, scouts of interested English clubs will be watching to see if their performances do likewise.
The match kicks off at 2.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 2
Germany v Spain
Beroe Stadium, Stara Zagora
Having won Group B with a perfect record, the Germans come into this game as the overwhelming favourites against a technically smooth Spanish side whose lack of incisiveness in the final third has seen them struggle to convert possession into goalscoring chances.
Germany seem to have a bit of everything including the broadest squad to choose from, with changes in personnel in the group stages causing no drop-off in performance. Physically and tactically well-prepared, they are all good athletes who have a strong technical base to build from. They attack well with the Werder Bremen duo of number 10 Niklas Schmidt and striker Johannes Eggestein showing their good understanding. They defend well as team too and build play up nicely from the back. They do most things competently and well but their one weakness is that nothing is truly outstanding as individuals other than the team they come to form.
An excess of knowledge and preparation allied to athleticism is what defines this side and is best exemplified by the energy of all-action captain Felix Passlack. Apart from the recurring shakiness down the left side of their defence, their greatest weakness is that many of the players are too alike with Passlack being the best example of the mould of player they posses.
That evenness does make them a very good team at this level but it has been noticeable that, apart from the injured Dorsch, they have no stand-out technicians comparable to the likes of Marcus Edwards, or Orel Mangala. They were technically outclassed by the Belgians in the first half but were pulled through by their strength as a team and two moments of brilliance that they won’t be able to consistently rely upon in the later stages. All that said, their overall package as a unit makes them one of the favourites for the trophy and they should have too much for the Spanish to contend with.
Spain have exerted great effort to get to this stage; for three games in a row they have worked the ball around deep, massaging the shape of their opponents until they are so relaxed they don’t realise how exposed they are. The issue being that most of the time their opponents are safe whatever tactical gashes this use of the ball creates, for Spain have struggled in attack with Kuki underwhelming and Carles Perez and Fran Villalba sparking only momentarily before puttering out.
Their bright spots have been the Barcelona pair of captain Carlos Alena who has led his team well and conducted much of their possession play that his attackers are unable to capitalise on, and left-back Cucurella. The later, scuttling up and down the left flank, plays with a fevered passion that should make for a fine contest if Passlack starts at right wing-back.
The match kicks off at 5.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 1
Saturday 16th May 2015
England v Russia
Lazur Stadium, Burgas
The relative weakness of Group C always meant that whoever tied its second place qualifier was always likely to receive the blessing of the quarter-finals’ least challenging opponent and so it has proved with Group D winners England facing a Russian side who would have done well to qualify from any other group.
England have mixed impressive periods of attacking play with those of poor possession work so far, but after deservedly qualifying top of the the hardest group they will be confident they can continue in the tournament while gaining momentum and experience. The latter is of precious importance for the the six schoolboys involved in the squad, a number of whom have excelled despite mixing matches and training with revision and exams. Marcus Edwards was always picked out as the most talented member of this team and, in tandem with the direct running of Chris Willock, they have been two of the most impressive players at the tournament with much of the team’s offensive hopes invested in their abilities.
Great credit must also go to the Liverpool schoolboys Trent Arnold and Herbie Kane, who were unused in the qualifiers and have done superbly well to come into midfield and give a combination of technique, energy and tactical awareness to the team that was badly needed alongside Tom Davies. With Arnold and Davies missing the Ireland game through injury, hopes of English long-term progression rest on the return of at least one of them, although it may not be absolutely necessary to get past Russia.
Russia squeezed into the quarter-finals via a last-minute French goal that deprived the Greeks of the point that would have seen them finish above Russia, who they had played out a 2-2 draw with in their opening game.
The Russians will take heart from their performance against the French, whom they managed to restrict to only a single goal, but they are aware of the size of the task ahead of them and know their most realistic aim of qualifying for the 2015 Under-17 World Cup is through the playoffs – although that won’t stop them looking to cause an upset against an England side that does have weaknesses they believe they can target.
The match kicks off 2.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 2
France v Italy
Italy managed to sneak out of Group D at the expense of the Netherlands but their performance against England, and in particular their inability to retain the ball under pressure, doesn’t bode well for their contest against a much-fancied French side. After a comprehensive 5-0 win over Scotland, France made harder work than they might have of Russia and Greece, managing only a goal in each of those game against stubborn defences, something they are sure to come up against once more when they face the Azurri.
With Group C proving unappealing to broadcasters, the lack of TV coverage means that France have a reputation built out of fear from those who have seen their score-lines but are unaware of the context in which they happened. As the 7-0 defeat England suffered against the Netherlands in the Algarve tournament proves – given those nations’ differing performances at the Championships – results on their own mean nothing in youth football, where the accepted norms of senior football do not apply.
The Italy game should be a favourable match-up for them as they are likely to control possession and it should give them a good chance to show their offensive capabilities to a wider audience, while also acting as the first televised chance to get a look at the likes of Ikone, Boutobba, Cognat and Georgen playing finals football.
Four points was enough to get the Italians out of Group D and they will rely heavily upon the quality in midfield of Manuel Locatelli, who has stood out as he is one of the few midfielders who is able to progress them up the pitch without frequently giving the ball away. Likewise the highly-touted Andres Llamas has shown a lot of quality both on the ball and in his defensive positioning and, while he hasn’t attracted a lot of attention, he’s been a quiet star of the tournament in what is a rather poor team that has a few excellent individuals. Simone Lo Faso has been positive whenever he’s been on the pitch and they will hope to get more out of their powerful strike force although they are up against a very good French defence and they may struggle to get anything out of the likes of Upamecano and Mouassa, who are yet to concede a goal.
The match kicks off at 5.00 PM BST and is live on Eurosport 1
This blog post is provided by the excellent Samuel King, who you can follow on Twitter at @KingSRV.
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