Where are they now?

What happened to the stars of Euro 2009?

Two years ago at the UEFA U-21 Championship in Sweden, I made a list of the players to watch out for in the future - those young guns who looked set to make the next step to the big time.

After all, 'Stars of today, superstars of tomorrow' was the slogan for UEFA's summer tournament in Denmark.

These were my hot tips for the future:

Mesut Ozil, Mario Balotelli, Marcus Berg, Andrew Driver and Zoran Tosic

Ozil has obviously scaled the heights since 2009, starring at the World Cup finals and signing for Real Madrid, while Balotelli is asserting himself for Manchester City and Italy, although his volatility is still an issue and his future for Italy remains in the balance.

The other three haven't exactly taken off since. Berg, the tournament's golden shoe winner, joined Hamburg but four strikes in 30 games does not scream goal machine.

English right-winger Andrew Driver wowed me on his debut against Germany but amazingly never won another cap and has switched allegiance to Scotland, where he has lived for years.

Zoran Tosic gave a dribbler's masterclass in Sweden but could not fill Cristiano Ronaldo's shoes at Old Trafford and now works at CSKA Moscow. He played half an hour for Serbia at the World Cup finals in South Africa.

As for the others who caught my eye, Serb Gojko Kacar also graduated to the 2010 World Cup, but teammate Nikola Petkovic has fallen away, and at the age of 25 now rests in the elephants' graveyard of Saudi Arabia having failed to make the grade with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Finland's Teemu Pukki fell out of favour with Sevilla and is now back home with HJK Helsinki; Belarussian enforcer Sergei Kryvets is a journeyman player with Lech Poznan as is Swede Gustav Svensson, who plays for Bursaspor in Turkey. Fellow Viking Rasmus Elm has gone on to win 15 caps for Sweden and is a success in the Dutch Eredivisie, with 51 appearances for AZ Alkmaar.

Sweden's deep-lying attacker Ola Toivonen has also been a hit in Holland, with 34 goals in 75 games for PSV since Euro 2009. Italian midfielder Sebastiano Giovinco finally made his debut for the Azzurri this year and now has four caps and a permanent contract with Parma, while Javi Martinez is perhaps the most successful of the starlets of 2009.

Still only 22, the commanding midfielder has clocked up 170 appearances for Athletic Bilbao and played 20 minutes in South Africa for the eventual World Cup winners.

Jack Rodwell has cemented a place in Everton's midfield but has yet to step up to being an England squad regular.

A mixed bag therefore, which makes me wary of tipping anyone from 2011, except Barcelona & Spain's Thiago Alcantara.

The rocky road traveled by the starlets of 2009 reminds us that footballers peak at different ages. Some excel aged 14 (Freddy Adu), while others are not discovered until they are almost 22 (Ian Wright) or even 25 (Jay DeMerit).

Some 'golden generations' pass through the age rankings, while others disintegrate and uncapped players are brought in instead. Whilst a robust youth soccer system is vital for every country, its value in predicting future national team players remains shaky.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Spain are the U21 kings of Europe

UEFA U21 Championship Final, Aarhus, Denmark

Spain 2:0 Switzerland
Herrera 41', Thiago 81'
Att: 16,110

Spanish football wrote another chapter in its golden age as its Under-21s bagged the European Championship in Denmark this evening with a convincing 2:0 win over Switzerland.

Athletic Bilbao's Ander Herrera scored the opening goal four minutes before the interval, meeting a curling cross from Didac Vila on the run to power a header past Yann Sommer, the first goal the Swiss had conceded in the tournament.

With nine minutes left on the clock, Barcelona's junior wizard Thiago Alcantara grabbed the clincher, lobbing Sommer spectacularly from around 35 yards.

The favourites played much of the second half in cruise control, comfortably sweeping the ball around while Switzerland huffed and puffed in an effort to get level.

Juan Mata took with the tournament's golden boot with five goals.

In the day's earlier third-place play-off, Belarus booked their ticket to the 2012 Olympics with a 1-0 win over the Czech Republic.

Spain (4-1-4-1): David De Gea, Alvaro Dominguez, Javi Martinez, Adrian Lopez (Jeffren Suarez 80'), Juan Mata, Martin Montoya, Didac Vila, Ander Herera (Diego Capel 90'), Thiago Alcantara, Alberto Botia, Iker Muniain (Daniel Parejo 85')

Switzerland (4-1-4-1): Yann Sommer, Philippe Koch, Jonathan Rossini, Fabian Lustenberger, Innocent Emeghara (Mario Gavranovic 53'), Fabian Frei (Amir Abrashi 54'), Xherdan Shaqiri, Admir Mehmedi, Granit Xhaka (Pajtim Kasami 67'), Timm Klose, Gaetano Berardi.


Ball Possession: Spain 54%, Switzerland 46%
Shots on Target: Spain 3, Switzerland 2
Cautions: Spain 2, Switzerland 2

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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FIFA should move to Denmark

Shakespeare was wrong:
There is nothing rotten in the state of Denmark.

At least that is my impression from traveling around the country at the UEFA U21 Championship these past two weeks.

Half-way between Germany and Sweden both geographically and culturally, close enough to London and the continent, yet far enough away to dance to its own Viking beat, this seems as close as it gets to a model country.

Add to that the high quality of life and standard of living and a most liveable capital in 'wonderful, wonderful' Copenhagen - it is just the sort of place FIFA should relocate to. After such an annus horribilis in Zurich, surely it is time to start afresh in pastures new.

Like Switzerland, Denmark is small and manageable - only five million inhabitants, and it makes some sense for FIFA not be working in the glare of a major football nation. A location near the heart of Europe is useful from a travel perspective, so the obvious candidates for a FIFA house-move would be Belgium (already home to the EU & NATO), Denmark or Luxembourg.

Here really would be ideal: Denmark is civilised and peaceful; it might not have the Alpine majesty of Switzerland - much of Denmark is flat or gently rolling farmland, although unlike that country, it does have a large and beguiling coastline, tranquil islands and plenty of Nordic gods and goddesses gliding by on bicycles. But more importantly it has cultivated a reputation for honesty and transparency which the sport's governing body desperately needs in 2011.

This is no Hans Christian Andersen fairy story: Any visit proves how socialism and capitalism can blend successfully. It might be known for a robust welfare state with a top tax rate of 72%, but Denmark was also classed as the best country in the world for entrepreneurs in 2011 by London-based think-tank Legatum. There certainly seems no obvious poverty.

Last October, the Berlin-based Transparency International produced a list of the least corrupt nations on earth, and ranked Denmark the world's No.1.

Denmark always ranks high on international rankings for its perspicacious business practices, respect for human rights and robust family and social provision. If it has a flaw it is with immigration, or more specifically handling multiculturalism, which turned sour after the Danish cartoon row of 2005. But this is common to all European nations now, including Switzerland.

An initially reluctant member of the European Union, Denmark has successfully married its role amid Europe's free-trade zone with a commitment to uphold its Scandinavian state model. Any Dane will tell you their post-war welfare model is crumbling by the day, but cast an eye around Copenhagen and life still seems to be better than elsewhere.

A pleasant ambience enfolds the largest city, whose terrasse culture has more in common with the Mediterranean than Northern Europe, and its housing models more collective and social than the English home-as-castle mentality. Nowhere else on earth do you see so many children being ferried around in boxes attached to bicycles, and the ubiquitous two-wheeled transportation seems to make people healthier and happier than sitting in traffic jams or standing on a sweaty tube train. Pedalling bikes beats pedalling drugs.

The proof is in the pudding, and Danes consistently top surveys of personal happiness. Most recently as late 2010, Rotterdam University ranked Denmark as the world's happiest nation. When Gallup asked people around the world how blissful they were in 2011, guess which nation came first again...

And what is the most famous untranslatable Danish word - 'hygge' - an untranslatable concept, roughly explained as ‘spending a calm, comfortable time with good friends or loved ones, often while enjoying good food, snacks and something to drink’.
Surely FIFA employees would enjoy the life here too. So why not consider moving?

Greed for a start. Switzerland is a tax haven, not an accountable member of the EU. And the Swiss famously turn a blind eye to bank details. In the vaults of a courthouse in Zug, Switzerland, lies the verdict on the collapse of FIFA's marketing company ISL, whose contents would spell the end of Sepp Blatter as President and his expense-account cronies.

In a transparent EU member state, this verdict would have been revealed and justice would have been served. FIFA accounts in Denmark would be inspected, not concealed by auditors, and it would have to pay tax like any other multi-billion dollar organisation. A move to the EU would probably call time on FIFA's tax-free demands on any World Cup host too.

A move to Scandinavia would transform football's governing body from a shady and suspicious cabal ensconced in an impregnable bunker upon a Swiss hillside, redolent of the the lair of a Bond villain, into a universally trusted and respected steward of the game.

I do not expect Sepp & his gang to up sticks any time soon, but if the Swiss M.P Roland Buechel pursues his campaign to clean FIFA up to its logical conclusion, they will have to start scanning the 'for sale' ads before long.

FIFA moving to Denmark - now what could be wrong with that?

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile


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Spanish and Swiss advance to U21 final

UEFA U21 Championship 2011 Semi-Finals

Belarus 1:3 Spain
Czech Republic 0:1 Switzerland

Spain will play Switzerland in the European Under-21 final on Saturday after both semi-finals went to extra-time in Denmark.

Belarus almost pulled off a shock by leading Spain in Viborg until the 89th minute through Andrei Voronkov's bicycle kick, until Adrian Lopez equalised then added a second at the end of the first period of extra-time. Substitute Jeffren Suarez made it 3-1 in the 113th minute to secure Spain's passage to the final in Aarhus.

Switzerland made heavy weather of beating the Czech Republic in Herning before Ahmed Mehmedi's long-range effort broke the deadlock six minutes before penalty kicks.

The losing semi-finalists have the consolation of knowing one of them will qualify for the 2012 Olympics if they win Saturday's third-place play-off, meaning there will be one East European team at the London games.

Sat 25th June

3rd Place Play-Off : Belarus v Czech Republic 15:00 Aalborg
Final : Spain v Switzerland 20:45 Aarhus

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UEFA U21: Spain and the Czechs go through; England crash out with Ukraine

England 1:2 Czech Republic
Welbeck 76', Pekhart 89', Chramosta 94'.

England produced their best performance of the tournament but crashed out of the European Under-21 Championship after conceding two late-late goals in Viborg.

Stuart Pearce's men appeared to have earned their passage after a Danny Welbeck header with a quarter of an hour to go repaid their superiority in the second half, but their defence, of all things, slipped up with 89 minutes on the clock to allow a killer equaliser for the Czech Republic.

As the white shirts pushed up in desperate hope during stoppage time, the Czechs added a breakaway second to confirm a night of misery for England and a remarkable turnaround.

Both teams had made three changes to their previous starting lineups.

For England, the much-criticised Michael Mancienne made way at defensive midfield for the more muscular Fabrice Muamba, while Jack Rodwell and Danny Rose, who both disappointed against Ukraine, were on the bench, replaced by Tom Cleverley and Scott Sinclair in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Welbeck and Dean Sturridge the alternating points of attack.

The Czechs also make three switches in a 4-1-4-1 shape with Jan Moravek and Lukas Marecek in midfield tandem in place of Lukas Vacha and Adam Hlousek, while Libor Kozak replaced Tomas Pekhart at centre-forward.

Both sides had four men on yellow-cards in danger of missing the semi-final, yet both started brightly, knowing only a win would suffice. Tomas Vaclik's gloves were the first to be dirtied, comfortably palming away a Welbeck effort from a tight angle in the tenth minute.

But the Czechs carved out the first clear chance, when Marecek pulled the trigger from ten yards in the 17th minute, only to see Frankie Fielding's quick reflexes tip it away from a certain goal. Was luck on England's side?

Scott Sinclair was forging buccaneering runs up the left flank, careering past Czech defenders, but it was the central Europeans' darting through the middle which looked more likely to produce a goal.

Finally some interplay from England with a multi-pass move in the 27th minute ending with Tom Cleverley volleying into the side-netting from a Ryan Bertrand cross. Maybe Pearce had read Kierkegaard after all.

Chris Smalling's exquisite dummy on the half hour mark sent two Czechs chasing shadows, as England appeared to be on the threshold of either a surprising win or yet another disappointing draw or loss.

Four minutes before the break, another of Sinclair's high-speed runs almost yielded a goal as the Swansea attacker cut in from the left and rifled a foot over the bar. England looked, dare we say it, almost comfortable, while the Czechs seemed to have taken their foot off the accelerator after half an hour's power play.

0-0 at the half but both coaches Pearce and Jakub Dovalil went in painfully aware that Denmark had dominated for 45 minutes on Saturday before ending up defeated and eliminated.

The Viborg stadium was enshrouded in a cloud of drizzle at the interval but the expected downpour did not follow and the pitch was not as slippery as might have been feared.

It took England a quarter of an hour to resume their green shoots of the first half but a nice spell of possession (yes from England!) emerged just short of the hour mark, with Sturridge finding space on the right and Cleverley swivelling and shooting over the bar.

Pearce swapped Jordan Henderson for Henri Lansbury in the 63rd, with less than half an hour to snatch that vital, and increasingly deserved, goal.

If there were inspiration waiting, it looked like coming from Sturridge, whose footballing brain stood out. In the 71st minute he almost chipped the goalkeeper from the touchline 30 yards away, his set-piece landing on the roof of the net.

Pearce consulted his pack again and played a new card for the first time in Denmark: Marc Albrighton, but before the Aston Villa winger could enter the fray, England struck gold.

Sturridge swung in a cross from the right and Welbeck, racing into the area, met it perfectly with a glancing header past the despairing Vaclik. A breakthrough at last. Lansbury's drive three minutes later whistled inches past the post as English confidence was in the ascendancy.

Eight minutes remaining and Sturridge again the instigator, driving into the box from the right and causing momentary panic as Vaclik failed to hold onto his shot.

With the anxiety on Czech minds, a double substitution: Jan Chramosta replaced Moravek and the qualifiers' top-gunner Tomas Pekhart came on for the ponderous Kozak. Milan Cerny glanced a header wide in the 83rd to remind England not to celebrate yet, but the night looked increasingly to belong to the Northern Europeans.

With English minds turning to Switzerland and the semi-finals, disaster struck in the 90th minute. Marcel Gecov's cross from the right deflected off Welbeck and fell invitingly for Chramosta to stick out a boot just ahead of Smalling and lift the ball over Fielding. Kyle Walker hugged the net disconsolate.

Now it was the Czechs' turn to keep ball. When Sturridge went down under a tackle it looked for a moment that England had won a penalty but the linesman's flag was up for offside instead.

The hourglass was almost overturned; suddenly time had run out for England. As the white shirts made one last raid upfield and Fielding advanced, the Czechs won possession and charged back the other way. Chramosta the goalscorer turned provider to centre for Pekhart to tap into an empty net and knock England out.

In the other game in Herning, Spain beat Ukraine 3-0 through a Juan Mata brace and a a strike from Adrian. England and Ukraine are on the next flight home while the semi-final lineup pits the Swiss against the Czechs and Spain against Belarus.

England's elimination also means there will be a play-off to determine the third qualifier for the London 2012 Olympic Games from the losing semi-finalists. England U21, with Pearce at the helm, is expected to represent Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

England (4-2-3-1): Frank Fielding, Ryan Bertrand, Fabrice Muamba, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jordan Henderson (Henri Lansbury 63'), Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Scott Sinclair (Danny Rose 87'), Kyle Walker, Tom Cleverley (Marc Albrighton 76').

Czech Republic (4-1-4-1): Tomas Vaclik, Jan Lecjaks, Ondrej Mazuch, Ondrej Celustka, Borek Dockal, Libor Kozak (Tomas Pekhart), Jan Moravek (Jan Chramosta), Jan Kovarik (Milan Cerny 67'), Marcel Gecov, Marek Suchy, Lukas Marecek

Att: 5, 262

Group B Final positions

Q- Spain 7pts
Q- Czech Republic 6pts
England 2pts
Ukraine 1pt

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile, Viborg, Denmark.

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How Kierkegaard could help Psycho tonight

UEFA U21 Championship Group B:
ENGLAND v CZECH REPUBLIC
2045 Viborg

"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards'"

- Soren Kierkegaard, 1813-1855

No one wore his heart on his sleeve quite like he did as a player.

Some said he embodied 'England' more than anyone since Bobby Moore.

Before a UEFA cup tie with Nottingham Forest, in the 'going over the top' military speak which English manhood has always drawn on, Stuart Pearce told his troops, who included the Dutch maestro Bryan Roy and the elegant Norwegian playmaker Lars Bohinen,

"Your hearts are bigger than theirs - that's why you were born English!"

Blond locks and a bulldog spirit, rippling muscles and at the base of a tree-trunk leg a cannon of a left foot which billowed many a net and sent several right-wingers to casualty.

Pearce of England, or should that be Ing-ger-lund.

When the beleaguered Graham Taylor needed a boost, he recalled the out-of-form left-back and made him England captain, demoting his former star pupil David Platt in confident hope that the Wealdstone-born defender's warrior cult would inspire his struggling team; Pearce would not have been out of place in Beowulf.

He skippered his country but fell short of honours, reaching nothing beyond the European Championship and World Cup semi-finals. But physical retirement only meant a transfer of ambition to the other side of the touchline.

There the similarity with his success as a player began to wane, as it has with so many great footballers. A brief spell with a disintegrating Forest led to an assistant managership spell at Manchester City alongside another English lionheart Kevin Keegan.

Pearce assumed Keegan's role eventually but City performed without flair or success and he was fired in 2007. Luckily a few months before then he had entered the England set-up despite a relative lack of coaching experience. Pearce quietly slipped into being the No.2 to Fabio Capello in 2008, as well remaining in charge of the Under 21s.

He is unlikely to take over from the Italian in 2012, but surely has his eyes on the prize as any Englishman so close to the top job would. At the very least he wants Under 21 glory in Europe and to coach the UK's Olympic Team next autumn.
But after a humiliating drubbing by Germany's youngsters in Euro 2009 in Sweden, and two disappointing draws in Euro 2011, now 'Psycho' maybe only has 90 minutes to save his bacon tonight in Viborg.

His England U21s are clearly pining for the enlightened feet of Jack Wilshere and the marauding forward play of Andy Carroll, but still have no excuses for the moribund fare they have served up in Denmark so far.

A sterling defence is about the only laurel wreath on Pearce's head right now. Frank Fielding is a talented goalkeeper and in the raiding full-back Kyle Walker and the old head on young shoulders that is Phil Jones, England have some of the best players in the competition.

But a clueless midfield and insipid attack, apart from the mis-employed Dean Sturridge, mean England are failing to impose themselves on opponents. They were lucky to snatch a draw from a more talented Spain, and while the Swiss are looking a class apart in Group A, it is hard to feel confident that Pearce's young lions will get the result they crave against the able Czechs. A draw is not enough and sooner or later England's lack of firepower will be found out.

Perhaps he is too much like Keegan - all Henry V and no Hamlet. So what can he do?

He could look to his current locality to find inspiration. Now it is unlikely Pearce has been sitting up reading Soren Kierkegaard but given two lacklustre showings by his team he really could do worse than plunder Denmark's great philosopher for ideas.

'Psycho' might baulk and some of the thinker's bestselling titles - 'Fear & Trembling', 'The Concept of Anxiety' and 'The Sickness unto Death' as too close to the knuckle of his England undertaking, but would surely relate to some of the maxims Kierkegaard devised while trudging the gentle sands of the Zealand coast.

Like Pearce, Kierkegaard believed that "It is impossible to exist without passion" and that passion should translate into an undying and invisible belief in what you are doing. So far so similar.

"Faith is the highest passion in a human being," he wrote, adding crucially, "but only after reflection."

At times it seems Pearce still believes, as he did as a player, that passion alone can carry you to victory, an Anglo-Saxon masculine tenet that sustained its football for years but seems wholly obsolete amid the age of tiki-taka.

"Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts...Face the facts of being what you are, for that is what changes what you are."

Pearce was a limited player and it appears a limited manager, but honest introspection should show him the way forward as the U21 coach. England's midfield and attack do not play in tandem and revert to hopeful balls instead of possession and getting rid of it instead of passing it out of danger, in a throwback to the past. Pearce needs to admit they are failing, even if he does not tell it to the press, and alter their teamwork.

"It seems essential, in relationships and all tasks, that we concentrate only on what is most significant and important."

So win at all costs? Perhaps that is the whole point of a football match. And maybe Pearce believes his boys are so limited it is too late to re-educate them tactically and technically, and that a backs-to-the-wall English approach is all he can muster.

"Life has its own hidden forces which you can only discover by living. Patience is necessary, and one cannot reap immediately where one has sown."

True enough, but Pearce has been in charge of England U21 since early 2007 and if anything the team has regressed since Euro 2009. Yet something, whether tonight, in the knock-out stages in Denmark or at next summer's Olympic Games, has to change in order for England to achieve. And Pearce should be prepared to re-evaluate his core beliefs and be bold enough to change them:

"To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself."

After had his tears at fluffing the crucial penalty at Italia '90 were replayed around the world, followed by his equally public self-exorcism at Euro '96 when he successfully converted penalties against Germany and Spain, the former Forest favourite does not fear public failure. He is still a hard man, inside and outside, though perhaps that is part of the problem.

"Trouble is the common denominator of living. It is the great equalizer."

If reading Kierkegaard, Pearce would get depressed and disillusioned that he had taken the thinker's best-known maxim too literally - "The most noble thing in life is to die for an idea" - then he should at least console himself at the height of battle that no one questions his pride in wearing the three lions.

That much respect for his devotion will remain even if England are eliminated tonight. With the wolves of Fleet Street snapping at your heels and the expectations of a nation on top of you, managing England is no walk in the park. Or as Kierkegaard said,

"Only the noble of heart are called to difficulty."

And if at the end of the day, Kierkegaard is too much for Pearce, then there is always Hans Christian Andersen.

Group B

Spain pts 4 GD +2
Czech Rep pts 3 GD -1
England pts 2 GD -
Ukraine pts 1 GD -1

Tonight (both 20:45) - England v Czech Republic (Viborg), Spain v Ukraine (Herning).


(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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Danish dream frozen out by Iceland

UEFA U21 Championship - Denmark 1:3 Iceland

"No jocund health that Denmark drinks today" - Hamlet I.ii

'The History of Danish Dreams' was the 1988 novel which launched Copenhagen's Peter Høeg onto the world's literary stage, but tonight in Aalborg dreams of making history became nightmares as Denmark's U21 team was eliminated as host nation after a demoralising 3-1 defeat to Iceland.

Saturday night fever struck the home side, who needed only a point to qualify for the semi-finals as Switzerland trounced Belarus in Aarhus. As it transpired, both the Swiss and Belarussians made it to the last four after three teams finished on three points, leaving the Scandinavian nations on the quayside and Belarus advancing on head-to-head goal difference.

The Viking gods were not smiling on the Danes who missed a hatful of chances on a rainy night in the Jutland peninsula. They took the game to their visitors and dominated the first half, yet while nullifying the Icelandic threat, worryingly failed to find a way of unlocking their defence at the other end.

All the goals came after the break, as Iceland finally showed the form which took them to the finals ahead of Germany and made them much fancied before the tournament began.

Kolbeinn Sigthorsson opened the scoring on 58 minutes and Birkir Bjarnason added a second on the hour to leave Denmark staring down the abyss. The Danes had already had no luck in front of goal and with no choice but to throw caution to the wind, left more exploitable space in midfield.

A glimmer of hope arrived with Bashkim Kadrii's 81st minute header, but more missed Danish chances followed and Hjörtur Valgardsson killed the game with an injury-time curler from just outside the area.

3-1 to Iceland but both teams eliminated. Denmark, like its famous prince Hamlet, had suffered the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' and at the final whistle, exited stage left.

Group A - final positions

Q- Switzerland 9pts
Q- Belarus 3pts
Iceland 3pts
Denmark 3pts

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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UEFA U21 - Great Danes spread a little happiness

The 2-1 comeback win for Denmark against Belarus in Aarhus underlined the importance of the host nation progressing in a tournament.

While it might be too big a leap of faith to credit Danish Football Association chief Allan Hansen's claim that the UEFA U21 tournament "has caught the imagination of the Danish public," - too many of them were enjoying the Pentecost weekend holiday to watch their Under-21s lose to Switzerland - the Denmark v Belarus clash was an 18,000 sell-out, double the crowd of any other game so far.

Outsiders might look on the U21s as a provincial tournament, and the sleepy setting of Herning appears to confirm that impresssion, yet fully one fifth of Denmark's population watched the Belarus game on TV, the equivalent of a 12 million viewership in the UK.

The England v Spain crowd was about a thousand short of capacity in Herning (9,000), which made official claims of being able to sell the stadium out again worth investigating.

Either way, the decision not to use Copenhagen as a host city still seems odd. FC Kobenhavn's Parken stadium holds 38,000. And travelling fans and journalists are spending as much time as possible in the capital, whose myriad attractions heavily outweigh the monotone fields and bucolic hamlets of Jutland, where the tournament is taking place.

Denmark has always been a minor football nation in Europe, which makes this somewhat of a highlight in its football history. Its best club side, F.C. Kobenhavn, have only once made it to the knock-out staes of the UEFA Champions League (in 2010-11 when they lost to Chelsea), whilst its national team fell victim to Japan at the 2010 World Cup in the most symbolic testament yet to the Asian football ascendancy.

After years of mediocrity, 1984 saw the birth of 'Danish Dynamite' as the national team beat England to reach the European Championship in France, going as far as the semi-final where they lost on penalties to Spain.

The Danish team which made it to Mexico '86 briefly dazzled the world in a 6-1 thrashing of Uruguay, before, to everyone's surprise, being duly turned over 5-1 by the Spanish in the second round. Success on the World stage has eluded them since, although they did reach the 1998 quarter-final where they lost 3-2 to Brazil.

The Danes' crowning glory of course came in 1992 when they came from literally nowhere to win the European Championship. Denmark had failed to qualify and were bussed in as a last-minute replacement for war-torn Yugosalvia. From relaxing on the beach when they received the unexpected phone calls, the players ended up beating France, the Netherlands and World Champions Germany to hoist the trophy aloft in Gothenburg.

Hope lies in youth, as it does with many nations, and the Danes seem to have unearthed a gem in Ajax midfielder Christian Eriksen, a name on many scouts' radar at the U21s. Another talent they are proud of is Villareal striker Nicki Bille Nielsen, who netted 13 in 20 for the Danish U21s before the tournament.

Five of the 23-man Danish squad play overseas - Eriksen and Nicolai Boilesen at Ajax, Mikkel Andersen at Reading, Nicolai Jorgensen at Bayer Leverkusen and Bille Nielsen at Villareal.

It is too early to say if a new Preben Elkjaer is upon us, or stars as bright as Brian or Michael Laudrup or Peter Schmeichel were, but unearthing the "superstars of tomorrow" are what UEFA reminds us this competition is all about.

For the people of Denmark at least, a country too small to host a European Championship or World Cup alone, this is a big footballing occasion, and they are not willing for it to end as soon as on Saturday evening in Aalborg.

Group A points after two games:
Switzerland 6, Denmark 3, Iceland 3, Belarus 0.

Sat 18th June 20:45

Denmark v Iceland (Aalborg)
Switzerland v Belarus (Aarhus)

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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England & Ukraine finish even

UEFA U21 Championship Group B
England 0:0 Ukraine
Att: 3,495

England and Ukraine survive after a goalless but entertaining clash here in Herning, but both now face do-or-die showdowns with the Czechs and Spanish respectively after they failed to find the net in Jutland this evening.

With Spain on four points and the Czechs on three, England on two and the Ukraine with a point know that nothing less than victory will do on Sunday.

With both teams hungry for a win, a fast-paced opening duly arrived and it was the yellow jerseys of the Ukraine, backed by a noisy support from the ranks of Jutland's expat agricultural workers, who bared their teeth first.

Denys Garmash, the attacking midfielder from Dynamo Kyiv who has gained some admiring glances already, won a corner deflected off Phil Jones with a snapshot on the edge of the area in the seventh minute. Soon afterwards the Ukrainians confirmed their attacking desire when Yevhen Konoplyanka let rip with a 20 yard missile which Frank Fielding dove quickly to parry away. The Dnipro midfielder was the chief protagonist, dribbling at speed, switching positions and shooting from distance.

England needed to stand firm as the yellow shirts attacked with alacrity, and some of their stratospheric clearances betrayed their nerves at being on the back foot. Familiar failings were to the fore again for Stuart Pearce's men, who looked unlikely to threaten the Ukrainian goal in the first half hour, ruining a number of moves with yet more hopeful but dispiriting pumps upfield.

But suddenly a spark of hope came in the 33rd minute. Michael Mancienne threaded a pass through the middle to Daniel Sturridge and the Chelsea striker let fly on the half-volley from fully 30 yards out and whacked the crossbar with the goalkeeper flailing.

England finished the half the stronger, with left-flanker Danny Rose obeying Pearce's vocal exhortations to take on Ukraine's pedestrian right-back Bohdan Butko.

Ukraine resumed their dominance after the break, though Daniel Welbeck, under pressure eight minutes into the half, almost snatched the lead from a route one chase chipped wide of goal. Instead of passing through the Ukrainians, England seemed to be seeking the spectacular. Mancienne, still exploring his unfamiliar midfield anchoring role, tried his luck from 30 yards out rather than prolong a promising move on the deck. England were out of ideas in the middle again, and unlike against Spain, failing to make headway on the wings.

Pearce had seen enough, hauling off Rose and the disappointing Jack Rodwell three minutes before the hour mark.

The yellows sought a second wind, and coach Pavlo Yakovenko took the reins and pulled his ball wizard Konoplyanka off in the 65th, his high-octane motor having run out of petrol at last.

Four minutes later Garmash drew a diving save from 20 yards out and striker Roman Zozulya came on for the ineffective Artem Kravets and glanced a header a couple of yards wide soon afterwards.

A nil-nil looked likelier as the clock counted down, until Ukraine got a stroke of luck eight minutes from time. Garmash ran at the England centre-backs and his through-ball caromed off Jones into the path of Zozulya, whose snapshot was blocked by an alert Fielding. Along with the old head on young shoulders that was Phil Jones, the Derby custodian was England's best performer.

England sub Henri Lansbury rifled an effort a yard wide three minutes later at the other end, confirming it was not yet game over. Sturridge aped him in the 86th, before Welbeck's header from a Lansbury corner brought a goalline save.

No more chances emerged and the two nations tripped off knowing they will have no more excuses over 90 minutes on Sunday.

For England, a stout defence provides hope of avoiding defeat once more, but a fragmented outfield with midfield and attack rarely in unison and a confused attacking policy which relies too much on ineffective hit-and-hope balls do not hint at progression.

The Ukrainians by contrast will have to find a plan B after their energetic attacking, however fine it is to behold, ran out of steam in the second half and failed to spring a watertight backline.

England (4-1-2-3) - Frank Fielding, Michael Mancienne (Fabrice Muamba 89'), Ryan Bertrand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Kyle Walker, Jack Rodwell (Henri Lansbury 58'), Danny Rose (Scott Sinclair 58')

Ukraine (4-2-3-1) - Anton Kanibolotskiy, Bohdan Butko, Yevhen Selin, Yaroslav Rakiskiy, Yevhen Konoplyanka (Andriy Yarmolenko 65'), Oleg Golodyuk, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Maxym Biliy, Volodymyr Chesnakov, Denys Garmash, Artem Kravets (Roman Zozulya 70')

Total shots - Ukraine 10, England 15
Ball possession - Ukraine 52%, England 48%
Cautions - Ukraine 4, England 2

Sunday 2045: England v Czech Republic (Viborg), Spain v Ukraine (Herning)

Group B standings

Spain pld 2 pts 4
Czech Rep pld 2 pts 3
England pld 2 pts 2
Ukraine pld 2 pts 1

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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UEFA U21 Championship 2011: Spain 2:0 Czech Republic

Spain grabbed control of Group B with a comprehensive 2:0 victory over the Czech Republic in Viborg.

Deportivo La Coruna marksman Adrian grabbed a goal in either half to condemn the Czechs to their first defeat in two years and place Spain a point ahead with a game to play. Valencia midifelder Juan Mata supplied the bullets with two killer assists for Adrian.

2-0 Adrian 27', 47'.

Spain - David de Gea, Alvaro Dominguez, Javi Martinez, Adrian (Daniel Parejo 74'), Juan Mata (Emilio Nsue 89'), Martin Montoya, Didac Vila Rosello, Ander Herrera, Thiago Alcantara, Alberto Botia, Iker Muniain (Diego Capel 83')

Czech Rep. - Tomas Vaclik, Jan Lecjaks, Ondrej Mazuch, Ondrej Celustka, Lukas Vacha, Borek Dockal, Jan Moravek (Vaclav Kadek 63'), Tomas Pekhart (Libor Kosek 46') Marcel Gecov, Marek Suchy, Adam Hlousek (Milak Cerny 77')

Sunday 19th June - Spain v Ukraine (2045 Herning), England v Czech Rep (2045 Viborg)

Group B

Spain pld 2 pts 4
Czech Rep pld 2 pts 3
England pld 2 pts 2
Ukraine pld 2 pts 1

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UEFA U21 Championship 2011: England v Ukraine

Group B - England v Ukraine 20:45 MCH Arena, Herning, Denmark

Both teams enter tonight's clash in Herning in need of points.

Ukraine lost their opening clash 2-1 to the Czech Republic, while England scraped a 1-1 draw with Spain with Danny Welbeck's late leveller.

England coach Stuart Pearce insisted his side had been more skilful in training than they were against Spain, but must have been worried by the lack of guile in midfield. Starting with Jack Rodwell might alleviate some of those worries, but work needs to be done on the movement and first-touches of the strike Daniels Sturridge and Welbeck.

The Three Lions were penetrative on the flanks, particularly from their man of the match Kyle Walker, but a dearth of accurate crosses may push Pearce into fielding Aston Villa winger Marc Albrighton, who impressed in the Premier League this season.

Ukraine, rated by Pearce as one of the top three teams in the tournament, will be desperate to avoid defeat and tournament elimination tonight. They pulled a goal back against the unbeaten Czechs in their opener late on after a spirited fightback but the two-goal deficit proved too much in the end.

Ukranian football is still feeling confident after Shakhtar Donetsk made it to the last eight in the Champions League this year, and with Euro 2012 imminent in their homeland. Ukraine won the U19 version two years ago and two of those winners now play in the Under-21s, who topped a qualifying group including Belgium, France and Slovenia before edging out the Netherlands on away goals for a place in Denmark.

Their entire squad is domestically based and little known outside Ukraine, but expect to see more of some of these starlets at next season's European Championship finals.

After their first outing ended in defeat they suffered a double blow with the injury to skipper Taras Stepanenko, who will probably be replaced by Shaktar defender Yaroslav Rakitskiy.

Other match (18:00 Viborg - Czech Republic v Spain)

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Danish save their bacon

UEFA U21 Championship
Denmark 2:1 Belarus
Switzerland 2:0 Iceland

Nicolai Jørgensen kept the host nation in the competition tonight with a 71st minute winner after Christian Eriksen's penalty had equalised Dmiti Baga's opener for Belarus.

A sell-out crowd in Aarhus revelled in the Bayer Leverkusen winger's moment of magic which leaves the Danes in joint second in Group A with one game to play.

Switzerland look increasingly the team to beat having despatched much-fancied Iceland 2-0 in Aalborg. The Swiss lead their group by three points and need only one more to ensure passage to the semi-finals, while Iceland, many people's pre-tournament tips, are all but eliminated after a second successive defeat.

Group A
Switzerland 6pts, Denmark & Belarus 3pts, Iceland 0pts
Sat 18th - Iceland v Denmark, Switzerland v Belarus (both 20:45)

Group B
Czech Rep 3pts, Spain & England 1pt, Ukraine 0pts
Wed 15th - Spain v Czech Rep (18:00), England v Ukraine (20:45)
Sun 20th - Spain v Ukraine, England v Czech Rep (both 20:45)

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Tackling a cultural deficit

UEFA European U21 Championship -
English shortcomings come to the fore again

The England v Spain U21 clash had been billed as the match of the tournament.

The two largest football nations on show had also just met in club form in the Champions League final. And while Spanish football is on a crest of a wave and England's groping for a crumb of comfort, the 1-1 tie belied a gulf in quality.

Spain should have won and paid the price for not turning the screw in the second half. England's late equaliser was well-worked but profited from a centre-back misunderstanding, forcing an error at a critical moment.

But the overall picture was of Spanish class and English pluckiness. I spied Stuart Pearce before kick-off watching the Czech Republic v Ukraine match like a hawk, and no-one can accuse 'Psycho' of not taking his soccer completely seriously, but the lasting impression from watching 90 minutes of his proteges was that England U21s have regressed in ability from two years ago and reverted to traditional Anglo-Saxon football values of grit, power and determination.

Those same attributes had given Pearce, a technically limited player with only one foot, so much success as a rugged tackler and marauding left-back for Nottingham Forest and England. Pearce managed Forest and Manchester City before joining the England set-up, and never have his sides played with any real verve or elan. Should he coach the UK Olympic Team or England's national team, there is little evidence so far that they would challenge for honours. In his defence, Pearce had a balanced and tight formation and clearly inspires as a motivational leader, but those assets are not enough for victory.

Old England should be in the history books, not playing in this year's European Championshp. The world outside the British Isles learnt long ago that muscle only works at youth and non-league level, where technical skills have not been honed. The benchmark the Spanish have set since 2008 - two Champions League trophies, a European Championship and a World Cup, is surely the one to emulate. So where were the ball-playing technicians in England's ranks on Monday? One of them, Jack Wilshere, was at home, after Arsene Wenger's bullied the FA into dropping him.

I cannot think the dozens of scouts watching the game would have scribbled down any English names, with the exception of Tottenham's raiding right-back Kyle Walker, whose penetrative power did pay dividends down Spain's left.

The over-reliance on pace and muscle which Laurent Blance lamented recently among French youngsters, in contrast to the Spanish approach, was ubiquitous. Danny Rose, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge and Daniel Welbeck won full marks for effort but had embarrassingly poor first touches. England managed to muscle their way into Spain's half on many occasions only for an overhit pass to be miscontrolled and the move break down.

A Fabrice Bertrand cross which cleared the players and sailed high into the stands in the 55th minute typified their dilemna - an ability to get into dangerous positions ruined by a lack of technique when it came to the final ball. Another cross seven minutes later from Rose almost came down with snow on it.

Spain's U21s were not as golden as their senior colleagues and rarely got their tiki-taka going, but their willingness to play quick balls to feet and weave through the middle was in noticeable contrast to their opponents' antique approach of using power down the wings or pumping long balls to a big centre-forward. Indeed it was easy to forget Spain even had a No.9 playing until Adrian was substituted in the 72nd minute.

The Under-21 level on this evidence is too late a developmental stage to correct the deep-set errors in the English game. As long as we obsess about the Premier League we will continue to ignore the youth set-up and complain again when the national team is outclassed by more skilful opponents.

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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England scrape a draw against Spain

UEFA U21 Championship 2011:
England 1:1 Spain Herrera 14', Welbeck 87'
Herning, Denmark, Att: 8,046

Manchester United's Daniel Welbeck rescued English blushes with a barely-deserved equaliser three minutes from time against Spain in Herning.

The top two teams in the tournament, from the largest football nations, now head into their second games trailing the Czech Republic by two points.

A poacher's goal in the 18th minute by Real Zaragoza's Ander Herrera was all that separated the teams on paper before Welbeck unexpectedly slotted home, but the scoreline belied the gulf between English and Spanish football recently illuminated by the UEFA Champions League Final.

Less than a month ago, the respective top club teams had crossed swords, with Barcelona showing Man Utd a clean pair of heels, sparking the most serious debate yet about the English playing style.

Within the opening minutes it was clear that old habits die hard. England chased and tackled hard on the back foot, while Jordan Henderson launched missiles forward towards the muscular duo of the two Daniels - Sturridge and Welbeck. Brawn but little brain.

Spain, anchored by 2010 World Cup veteran Javi Martinez and untroubled by the English air-raid, pressed en masse and tried to weave their way upfield via their nimble No.19 Thiago Alcantara - more clash of the styles than clash of the titans.

In the 14th minute their influential duo combined to nab the lead from a speedy set-piece. Thiago's whipped corner was nodded on by Martinez and Real Zaragoza midfielder Ander Herrera raced in to head home at the far post.

Buoyed by their breakthrough, the Spanish then marinated possession, leaving England to rely on right-sided thrusts from Tottenham's Kyle Walker for inspiration.

England almost got even five minutes from the interval Sturridge failed to connect with a thumped-in cross from Danny Rose but while the Chelsea forward looked more dangerous as the half was ending, his teammates still relied on hopeful launches from afar.

With their stentorian coach Luis Milla yelling them on from the touchline, Spain entered the dressing-rooms at half-time confident of victory, while England expected a dressing-down from Pearce and talk of a Plan B.

After a spell of English huffing and puffing following the restart, it was Spain almost doubled their lead in the 58th when Herrera the goalscorer found space on the edge of the box and got a shot off, deflected by Phil Jones but clawed away by the agile Frank Fielding between the sticks.

Pearce had seen enough and made two changes in the 67th, pulling off Rose and skipper Michael Mancienne and replacing them with Arsenal's Henri Lansbury and the Premier League experience of Everton's Jack Rodwell, a veteran of 2009.

Meanwhile, Spain were still in control of the battle, laying comfortably at anchor in the knowledge the English cannons were off-kilter. Right-back Martin Montoya fired into the side-netting twenty minutes from time to finish off a lovely move, but otherwise the Iberians were content to contain.

Ten minutes to go and the biggest cheer of the night erupted as Barcelona's Bojan Krkic took the field, while Pearce played his last card by throwing on Scott Sinclair in place of Tom Cleverley.

Finally the gods smiled on England as the Spanish defence were caught napping by Walker's incursion three minutes from time. The Spurs man found Welbeck with space in the box and a neat turn allowed him time to pick his spot past De Gea and slot home.

England's players cheered their travelling support at the final whistle relieved at their good fortune, while Spain trudged off annoyed they had failed to make their superiority count - their centre-back pairing of Botia and Alvaro Dominguez arguing over who was to blame for the equaliser.

Honours shared, the two go into their second games on Wednesday against the Czech Republic and Ukraine seeking more.

ENGLAND (4-2-3-1) - Frank Fielding, Michael Mancienne (sub Henri Lansbury 67'), Ryan Bertrand, Chris Smalling, Phil Jones, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Welbeck, Daniel Sturridge, Kyle Walker, Thomas Cleverley (sub Scott Sinclair 81'), Danny Rose (sub Jack Rodwell 67')
Coach: Stuart Pearce

SPAIN (4-1-2-2-1) - David de Gea, Alvaro Dominguez, Javi Martinez, Jeffren (sub Bojan Krkic 80'), Adrian (Daniel Parejo 72'), Juan Mata, Martin Montoya, Didac Vila Rosello, Ander Herrera (Diego Capel 86'), Thiago Alcantara, Alberto Botia
Coach: Luis Milla

EURO U21 2011 so far

Belarus 2:0 Iceland

Denmark 0:1 Switzerland

Czech Republic 2:1 Ukraine

England 1:1 Spain

Tue 14/06/11 - All times CET

Switzerland v Iceland (Aalborg 18:00)

Denmark v Belarus (Aarhus 20:45)

Wed 15/06/11 -

Czech Republic v Spain (Viborg 18:00)

England v Ukraine (Herning 20:45)

(c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile

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