Final Observations of England U-21 Friendly Against Slovenia (2-1)

• I was disappointed to see how many empty seats there were at Hull City’s KC Stadium. I know this was only a friendly, but come on. These players are the future of England’s national team, and the already small stadium wasn't even half-full to watch them.

• I liked the 4-3-3 employed by Pearce. He showed some tactical flexibility by adapting the formation to suit his players rather than fit players into a predetermined formation, which too many international head coaches are guilty of. He then moved to a 4-4-2 when he introduced Fraizer Campbell on the hour, again demonstrating his willingness to change things around.

• I’m not entirely sure why Aston Villa’s Gabriel Agbonlahor wasn’t in the starting lineup. He’s coming off a perfect hat trick in seven minutes against Manchester City, and it isn’t just that – he played well in Villa’s European games before the league season kicked off. Matt Derbyshire, who can barely get a game at Blackburn, got the start ahead of Agbonlahor. The match commentator made the point that Agbonlahor was getting some “extensive treatment” for his groin on the field during warm-ups, so I would have to assume that that was the reasoning behind the decision to sit the pacey young striker.

• Nedum Onouha played center back even though he’s a better fit on the right with his blistering speed, and his Manchester City teammate Micah Richards played right back even though he plays in the center for the club. Again, it’s an assumption, but England U-21 manager Stuart Pearce probably knows he can’t count on having Richards for much longer, so the greater benefit to his team would be playing Onouha where he normally plays for the Young Lions instead of shifting him over to accommodate Richards, who is fully capable at right back. Richards’ future with the senior national team is probably at right back anyway.

• Michael Mancienne looked OK at center back. He’s on loan from Chelsea, where he’ll probably never feature, at QPR, where he’s one of the team’s best players. He seemed very calm and composed, especially under pressure, but he did back off and give Slovenia’s attackers too much room to operate at times. He was burnt badly by a through ball on Slovenia’s only goal as well.

• Derbyshire violated a cardinal rule of the game – play until the whistle blows – when he stopped on a dime, threw his hands up, and turned around at the referee when he did not award a PK in the 15th minute for a questionable tackle in the area. Derbyshire went down, popped back up, and didn’t pursue the ball. If he would have, Slovenia may not have been able to clear it. Yes, it should’ve been a penalty, but once it’s not called, it’s not going to be called. Don’t complain about it while the play is still going on.

• West Ham’s Mark Noble and City’s Michael Johnson (in the hour he played) really bossed the midfield. Both are regulars for their respective clubs, so I’d expect nothing less against the inferior Slovenian side.

• England did a good job winning their set pieces in the air, particularly Richards, who hit the post with a header off a corner kick early in the game and picked up his own rebound (which also came off a header) and scored a tap-in in the 25th minute. Richards was superb in the air all game long, looking like a man against boys. Onouha also looked lively.

• Tom Huddlestone was shaky in open play, especially in the first 30 minutes. To be fair to him, he hasn’t really gotten and isn’t going to get an extended run in Tottenham’s first team, and the rust was clearly evident. He had trouble passing the ball early and was constantly giving it away, both on the dribble and with his passes. He did play a nice through ball to Noble at the beginning of the second half, though Noble didn’t do anything with it. His play steadily improved as the game went on, which is a good sign. He also delivered some dangerous set pieces.

• James Milner’s terrific finish bailed out his bumbling and stumbling on the pass that led to his goal, the game-winner. The U-21 captain battled the same problem yesterday as he has for most of his career: inconsistency.

• The substitutes used by Pearce – Campbell, Michael Kightly, Fabrice Muamba, Martin Cranie, David Wheater, and Adam Johnson – were a mixed bag. Johnson was impressive and showed best out of those six. Kightly picked it up after he moved to the right wing. Campbell took a few minutes to get into the game and provided a bit of a sprak. I hardly noticed Muamba, Cranie, and Wheater. Tom Heaton replaced starting goalkeeper Joe Lewis at halftime but had very little to do.

• All-in-all, England put in a decent performance. Slovenia exploited a couple weaknesses in the first 15-20 minutes, over which they played well, but England dictated the game after that. For how strong of a Young Lions side this was, though, I don’t think they’re going to be too happy with the final scoreline. There was too much short passing in the back and then kick-and-chase, rather than individual skill, movement, and the use of incisive through balls. England was a man up for the last 25 minutes but didn’t do anything to capitalize on their advantage.

Man of the Match: Richards, with Noble a close second.

England's senior team plays later this afternoon against the Czech Republic. I'll be doing the same thing for that game as I did here, but my commentary will be posted immediately following the match rather than the day after.

Top 20 Under-20

With England's present not looking particularly bright, possibly missing Euro 2008 and the inevitable quarterfinal exit in World Cup 2010, I've made another one of my "Best Of" lists. The following are my Top 20 English players currently 20 years old or younger. These players are the stars of the future and England's hopes for success down the road, especially in Euro 2012 (Poland/Ukraine) and World Cup 2014 (most likely Brazil). I've taken into account both their present abilities and their future potential; players don't have to currently be playing in the Premiership to be eligible, and the club listed is the club they're playing for at this moment, whether it be on loan or permanently.

1. Micah Richards (Manchester City; 19)
2. Aaron Lennon (Tottenham; 20)
3. Theo Walcott (Arsenal; 18)
4. Joe Hart (Manchester City; 20)
5. Tom Huddlestone (Tottenham; 20)
6. Mark Noble (West Ham; 20)
7. Michael Johnson (Manchester City; 19)
8. Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham City; 19)
9. Nedum Onouha (Manchester City; 20)
10. Daniel Sturridge (Manchester City; 18)
11. Scott Sinclair (Chelsea; 18)
12. Nathan Porritt (Middlesbrough; 17)
13. Adam Hammill (Southampton; 19)
14. Paul Anderson (Swansea City; 19)
15. Ben Alnwick (Luton Town; 20)
16. Adam Johnson (Watford; 20)
17. Danny Haynes (Ipswich Town; 19)
18. Tristan Plummer (Bristol City; 17)
19. Nathan Delfouneso (Aston Villa; 16)
20. Stephen Darby (Liverpool; 19)

Editor's Note: I completely forgot about Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough; 19) and James Vaughan (Everton; 19) to be honest, but they definitely would've been on that list. Cattermole is going to be a solid Premiership midfielder in the future (though probably not for Middlesbrough) and while I'm still not completely sold on Vaughan, he would've made the list as well. Consider this an official editing of sorts; Cattermole slides in at 11th behind Sturridge and Vaughan 12th right behind him and ahead of Scott Sinclair. Unfortunately for Nathan Delfouneso, the youngest player on my original list, and Stephen Darby, they're bumped off my Top 20. As if they really care though, right?

Stuart Pearce Becomes Full-Time England U-21 Manager

Former England left-back and Manchester City boss Stuart Pearce has been named as the permanent England U-21 manager today. Pearce was handed the temporary reins in January and led England's youngsters to the semifinals of the European Under-21 Championships in June. The squad's results in Holland obviously influenced the FA's decision to hire Pearce on a full-time basis; but let's be honest, with the talent level on that team, the semifinals should've been a given (especially with only 8 teams participating in the tournament), and surely expectations in England were higher than that.

Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's Director of Football Development, says he was impressed by Pearce's achievements this summer:

"Stuart did an excellent job with the Under-21s last season and they came incredibly close to reaching the final in Holland. His record and achievements as a player set a great example for any young player. As a coach he already has a wealth of experience at the top level including taking all of his coaching badges with the FA right through to the Pro Licence. He will be a superb addition to our coaching team working with the young players who we hope will become the England internationals of the future."

Personally, I have mixed opinions about Pearce as a manager. His outstanding career as a player both for club and country is well-documented, but I think he's given more leeway as a manager simply because he was a great player, and that's not right.

Some very talented young players came through the ranks at Manchester City while Pearce was in charge there, the likes of Stephen Ireland, Micah Richards, Nedum Onouha, Ishmael Miller, and Daniel Sturridge among them, but how much of their skill can be attributed to Pearce's guidance? For me, naming Pearce as the manager of the U-21 national team, where the future of England's senior national team can be found, is a questionable move.

England U-21's Eliminated in Epic Penalty Shootout Loss

In a game that was as memorable as any in recent recollection, the host Dutch U-21's advanced to the European Championship Final after a 1-1 (13-12 PK's) victory over the England U-21 squad.

Leroy Lita, who, aside from missing a penalty kick in the group stage of the competition, was probably England's best player in the tournament, scored 39 minutes into the game to give his side the lead heading into halftime.

Holland was fortunate just to extend the game into extra time after an 89th-minute bicycle kick goal from Maceo Rigters. The England players immediately appealed for high-kick but there was simply no way the referee was going to disallow the goal; no danger or potential harm was brought upon Nedum Onouha and the goal was never going to be called back. As the match commentator said, it was ironic that an English defender (Steven Taylor) was down injured at the time Holland drew level as it reminded viewers of the scene against Serbia when Slobodan Rajkovic was down and England played on and scored the insurance goal.

When the 30 minutes of extra time had been completed, England had just nine players fit enough to continue as Nedum Onouha was forced off the field and Steven Taylor was barely able to walk.

The penalty shootout was a story of missed opportunities as both teams had chances to end it before Holland's Gianni Zuiverloon coolly slotted home the deciding spot kick. Justin Hoyte's failed attempt during Round 4, which would've effectively sealed the deal for England, gave Holland hope and they took full advantage, scoring right after to level the score at 3-3. Nigel-Reo Coker's shot was saved in Round 9 and he was only avenged when the potential game-winner from Arnold Kruiswijk was put high over the net. Matt Derbyshire put one right into the Dutch keeper's (Boy Waterman) midsection in the 15th round and again England escaped from defeat, this time with a great diving save by Scott Carson to deny Daniel de Ridder. England's luck finally ran out when Anton Ferdinand, who had scored earlier in Round 6, put his attempt off the crossbar and Zuiverloon beat Carson to his right to win the game for the hosts.

It was a classic game between two nations who have some extremely promising youngsters waiting for a chance at the senior level. Holland move on to the final against Serbia, a 1-0 winner against Belgium, and you have to like the host's chances in that game although Serbia have a stout defense. It should be a great match and I'm looking forward to watching.

Lita's goal: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bu0m_england-1-0-holland-lita
Rigters' late equalizer: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2buu1_england-1-1-holland-rigters
Last two rounds (four shots) of the penalty shootout: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2bwbv_penalty-shootout-las-4-penalties

England U-21 Advances to Semi-Finals

Goals from Leroy Lita and Matt Derbyshire propelled the England U-21's past Serbia's U-21's 2-0 in a game that was marked more by off-the-field activities than what occurred on the pitch itself. Chants from the Serbian fans directed at England defenders Nedum Onuoha and Justin Hoyte, both of whom are black, forced UEFA to make an impromptu anti-racism announcement.

"We will not tolerate your racist chants," the stadium announcer said just before the half-hour mark. "Please stop or leave the stadium."

Lita put England up 1-0 after just 5 minutes after finishing a missed header by Steven Taylor and his replacement Derbyshire scored a controversial second half goal to seal the deal for England. Talented young Serbian defender Slobodan Rajkovic was down injured at the time and Derbyshire received a pass from Kieran Richardson, dribbled right by the injured Rajkovic and slotted a finish home to make it 2-0 instead of playing the ball out to allow treatment for Rajkovic. Angry Serbian players then confronted Derbyshire on the sideline sparking a host of English players to come over as well. Pushing and shoving ensued but that was just the beginning.

Tom Huddlestone was sent off in the final minute of the match for foul and abusive language and chaos erupted in the tunnel after the game with Serbian and English players involved. UEFA will decide on taking action when they receive the official report handed in by the match delegate, but by that time England will be preparing for their semi-final game against the host nation Holland.

Huddlestone has been given a two-match ban for his actions, meaning the Tottenham midfielder will miss the final if England beat Holland on Wednesday.

Lita's goal: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2as0r_england-1-0-serbia-lita
Derbyshire's goal: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2atlm_england-2-0-serbia-derbyshire

Stuart Pearce Interested in Full-Time U-21 Position

The former Manchester City manager has admitted he would seriously consider taking over the English U-21 team on a permanent basis if the job is offered to him after the European Championships. England can qualify for the semifinals with a win over Serbia today but may need only a draw depending on the result of the Italy-Czech Republic game, which is also today.

Pearce made 78 appearances for England during his international career and highly values working for the FA:

"I find it a great honour to work for England, always have done and probably always will do. It gives me great pride to work within the FA. It's how you feel inside with your personal pride. For me it means a great deal."

Pearce has had ambitions of managing a club again after his dismissal at Manchester City but the U-21 job would keep him just as busy. Sir Trevor Brooking, who is the the FA's director of football development, is pushing for the job to become full-time, a sentiment echoed by both Stuart Pearce and senior England manager Steve McLaren.

He has a successful background in bringing along young players through the ranks---from the academy to the first team. Shaun Wright-Phillips, Joey Barton, and Micah Richards all came through Manchester City's youth academy and Pearce believes he could have similar success in developing England's youngsters to the point where they could be fixtures on the senior team as they get older.