View attachment 148991
Daniel Sturridge was man of the match as England took apart an unlucky Denmark side 4-0 in their U21 international match.
Setup and early exchanges
The Danish set up in a 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1 cross, with the powerful Bille Nielsen acting as a focal point for a tricky, pacey side. A depleted but pace-laden England set up in an interesting 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 formation, structured at the back and fluid at the front. The Danes had the majority of the possession early on, but England, disrupted by the early injury of their captain Micah Richards, began to grow into the game, and the early honours were more or less even. The use of two strikers comfortable wide as well as two wide men capable of coming inside resulted in a very fluid top half of the side, with Sturridge and Sinclair combining well on the left side, complemented by the forward charges of Ryan Bertrand. Contrary to the insistence of the commentators, England’s pressing from the front was very good: Sturridge and Welbeck were full of energy, pressuring the Danish centre-backs into making hurried clearances. That said, due to a lack of pressing in midfield the Danes were looking dangerous, often cutting through the centre of the England defence from wide positions, and on one occasion Bille Nielsen came close with a shot that really should have been squared for a tap-in. The lively Christiansen, in particular, threatened with direct running at the England defence as Denmark pressured a shaky England defence.
First goal
The Danes’ centre-backs heading had been iffy all game, and it finally told on 23 minutes, as the left-back Michael Lumb’s poor header back across his own goal allowed Welbeck to steal in, take a touch and fire a dipping rocket of a left foot shot past Jonas Lossl. A good goal, but one that did not change the style of the match too much, as Denmark continued pressing and England tried to soak up pressure and break using the pace of their attack.
As the half wore on, England’s defence began to drop deeper and deeper to protect against the pace of Christiansen and Lyng. The Danish side played adventurous, enterprising football, with the front band linking well with the holdup play of Bille Nielsen. That said, the side lacked a cutting edge, as an improved England defence dealt impeccably with crosses and set-pieces, making sure that the tall Bille Nielsen got no change out of them aerially. When the Danish wingers came into the centre they looked dangerous and threatened with slick passing exchanges, but the England defence narrowed to cope and kept their shape. Even though, the individually skilled Danes looked good, with the superb Christiansen tricking his way past Smalling, playing a one-two with Lyng, dribbling around the keeper and having his shot cleared off the line by Kyle Naughton. However, this and many other efforts came to nothing, and the half drew to a close with the Danish trying long shots, Lyng in particular testing McCarthy.
Second half
After half time, the Danish came out of the traps quickly once more. Jorgensen had the ball in the net at 47 minutes, but it was questionably ruled out for offside. As the Danish pressed, it began to leave gaps at the back: their fullbacks had stayed at home for much of the first half, allowing the English defence to narrow without the threat of a fullback moving into the space left, but they were becoming more adventurous. This left space on the flanks, and both Welbeck and particularly the impressive Sturridge moving wide before cutting inside. Sturridge also tended to move deep out of position throughout the match, and this movement (albeit whilst in possession) created a second for England. Sturridge dropped deep, received the pass, beat his man and tested Lossl with a curling left footer. Lossl could only parry, and the ball dropped perfectly for Scott Sinclair to tap into the net.
After the goal, despite the now regular snipes by the commentators on just about everything to do with the young lions side apart from the aforementioned Sturridge the game began to develop into something quite interesting. Fabrice Muamba played extremely well in a destroyer role, cleaning up in front of the back four, before the game was effectively ended by a great piece of skill from Sturridge. Moving into line with the Danish defence, Sturridge pulled the ball back, bamboozling the defence before slotting right footed past Lossl. It was a shame, as a dangerous Danish side looked like they could still make something happen.
Danes tire
Denmark, despite being the better side for much of the game, were 3-0 down and the subs predictably began to roll in. All the while, Scott Sinclair was impressing down the left, exploiting the space left by Sturridge’s moves deep by running from deep and at Sviatchenko and Randrup, with the former fighting a running battle with him all game. The fourth goal was cruel, and scarily reminiscient of a certain Germany vs England game at the recent world cup. A huge long ball by Naughton was taken down well by Henderson, who turned his defender and finished low through the keepers legs.
At 4-0 up, England were cruising and out came the tricks. The highly-rated Josh McEachran looked good, showing nice touch and well-weighted passing along with a decent bag of tricks, with fellow substitute Danny Rose adding energy in place of Sinclair. England seemed to change to a 4-3-3, with McEachran playing at the tip of a triangle now including Jack Cork and Delfouneso and Rose playing on the flanks. As Rose stretched the play on the left, Delfouneso played a semi striker, semi winger role on the right that caused the Danish defence no end of troubles as he linked with Sturridge, often becoming the furthest forward player as Sturridge dropped deep. Although Denmark continued to look good technically, all of the threat carried by their early attacks was gone, and the England defence looked steady.
As Albrighton came on, England began to cut Denmark to pieces. A well weighted pass to Albrighton by Delfouneso, now playing as a prima punta, was crossed back to him, which the young Burnley loanee contrived to miss at point-blank range. England looked settled, passed the ball well around a tired and demoralised Denmark, with the game won in the second half. 4-0, and the young lions record a comprehensive victory.
Final Ratings:
Alex McCarthy - 6 - Dealt with everything in a reasonably good manner, though towards the end of the game was tested less and less.
Kyle Naughton - 7 - Got forward decently, and provided a great ball over the top for Henderson's goal.
Chris Smalling - 6 - Occasionally beaten by Christiansen, he was indomitable in the air against the bulky Bille Nielsen.
Micah Richards - 6 - Was stretchered off early in the game, unlucky for the City defender.
Ryan Bertrand - 8 - Provided a constant outlet down the left, combining with Sturridge and Sinclair well. His energy meant that Randrup was often chasing two people at once.
Fabrice Muamba - 7 - Mobile and aggressive, good water carrying from the Bolton man.
Jordan Henderson - 7 - Did well in an all-round sense, did his share of the defensive work and got forward well. Well taken goal.
Tom Cleverley - 7 - Decent, intelligent runs combined with good passing.
Scott Sinclair - 8 - Pace, energy and awareness meant he found space again and again, and he used it well.
Daniel Sturridge - 9 MOTM - Scintillating performance from the young Chelsea striker. Ran the attacking show. Dropped deep, wide, pulled defenders around, scored one and made another.
Danny Welbeck - 8 - A world class strike from the pacey striker was supported by some brilliant off the ball play.
Subs:
James Tomkins - 7 - Sterling defensive work in place of his injured skipper.
Josh McEachran - 7 - Some true class shown by the midfielder. Tricks, good passing, the lot.
Danny Rose - 6 - A little anonymous, but put in the defensive work.
Jack Cork - 6 - Passed well, and was generally neat.
Nathan Delfouneso - 7 - Brought a spark to the team, able to beat his man and set up others.
Marc Albrighton and Connor Wickham - 6 - Came on too late to give a proper rating. Wickham held the ball up well. Albrighton set up Delfouneso for a chance which was missed.
The Commentators - 3 - Worst performance on on the pitch on a night in which there were more players than just Daniel Sturridge on the pitch. Not that you'd know it if you were listening with your eyes closed...
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I might add a little more later, but it's just a brief report. Enjoy.
Daniel Sturridge was man of the match as England took apart an unlucky Denmark side 4-0 in their U21 international match.
Setup and early exchanges
The Danish set up in a 4-2-3-1/4-4-1-1 cross, with the powerful Bille Nielsen acting as a focal point for a tricky, pacey side. A depleted but pace-laden England set up in an interesting 4-4-2/4-2-3-1 formation, structured at the back and fluid at the front. The Danes had the majority of the possession early on, but England, disrupted by the early injury of their captain Micah Richards, began to grow into the game, and the early honours were more or less even. The use of two strikers comfortable wide as well as two wide men capable of coming inside resulted in a very fluid top half of the side, with Sturridge and Sinclair combining well on the left side, complemented by the forward charges of Ryan Bertrand. Contrary to the insistence of the commentators, England’s pressing from the front was very good: Sturridge and Welbeck were full of energy, pressuring the Danish centre-backs into making hurried clearances. That said, due to a lack of pressing in midfield the Danes were looking dangerous, often cutting through the centre of the England defence from wide positions, and on one occasion Bille Nielsen came close with a shot that really should have been squared for a tap-in. The lively Christiansen, in particular, threatened with direct running at the England defence as Denmark pressured a shaky England defence.
First goal
The Danes’ centre-backs heading had been iffy all game, and it finally told on 23 minutes, as the left-back Michael Lumb’s poor header back across his own goal allowed Welbeck to steal in, take a touch and fire a dipping rocket of a left foot shot past Jonas Lossl. A good goal, but one that did not change the style of the match too much, as Denmark continued pressing and England tried to soak up pressure and break using the pace of their attack.
As the half wore on, England’s defence began to drop deeper and deeper to protect against the pace of Christiansen and Lyng. The Danish side played adventurous, enterprising football, with the front band linking well with the holdup play of Bille Nielsen. That said, the side lacked a cutting edge, as an improved England defence dealt impeccably with crosses and set-pieces, making sure that the tall Bille Nielsen got no change out of them aerially. When the Danish wingers came into the centre they looked dangerous and threatened with slick passing exchanges, but the England defence narrowed to cope and kept their shape. Even though, the individually skilled Danes looked good, with the superb Christiansen tricking his way past Smalling, playing a one-two with Lyng, dribbling around the keeper and having his shot cleared off the line by Kyle Naughton. However, this and many other efforts came to nothing, and the half drew to a close with the Danish trying long shots, Lyng in particular testing McCarthy.
Second half
After half time, the Danish came out of the traps quickly once more. Jorgensen had the ball in the net at 47 minutes, but it was questionably ruled out for offside. As the Danish pressed, it began to leave gaps at the back: their fullbacks had stayed at home for much of the first half, allowing the English defence to narrow without the threat of a fullback moving into the space left, but they were becoming more adventurous. This left space on the flanks, and both Welbeck and particularly the impressive Sturridge moving wide before cutting inside. Sturridge also tended to move deep out of position throughout the match, and this movement (albeit whilst in possession) created a second for England. Sturridge dropped deep, received the pass, beat his man and tested Lossl with a curling left footer. Lossl could only parry, and the ball dropped perfectly for Scott Sinclair to tap into the net.
After the goal, despite the now regular snipes by the commentators on just about everything to do with the young lions side apart from the aforementioned Sturridge the game began to develop into something quite interesting. Fabrice Muamba played extremely well in a destroyer role, cleaning up in front of the back four, before the game was effectively ended by a great piece of skill from Sturridge. Moving into line with the Danish defence, Sturridge pulled the ball back, bamboozling the defence before slotting right footed past Lossl. It was a shame, as a dangerous Danish side looked like they could still make something happen.
Danes tire
Denmark, despite being the better side for much of the game, were 3-0 down and the subs predictably began to roll in. All the while, Scott Sinclair was impressing down the left, exploiting the space left by Sturridge’s moves deep by running from deep and at Sviatchenko and Randrup, with the former fighting a running battle with him all game. The fourth goal was cruel, and scarily reminiscient of a certain Germany vs England game at the recent world cup. A huge long ball by Naughton was taken down well by Henderson, who turned his defender and finished low through the keepers legs.
At 4-0 up, England were cruising and out came the tricks. The highly-rated Josh McEachran looked good, showing nice touch and well-weighted passing along with a decent bag of tricks, with fellow substitute Danny Rose adding energy in place of Sinclair. England seemed to change to a 4-3-3, with McEachran playing at the tip of a triangle now including Jack Cork and Delfouneso and Rose playing on the flanks. As Rose stretched the play on the left, Delfouneso played a semi striker, semi winger role on the right that caused the Danish defence no end of troubles as he linked with Sturridge, often becoming the furthest forward player as Sturridge dropped deep. Although Denmark continued to look good technically, all of the threat carried by their early attacks was gone, and the England defence looked steady.
As Albrighton came on, England began to cut Denmark to pieces. A well weighted pass to Albrighton by Delfouneso, now playing as a prima punta, was crossed back to him, which the young Burnley loanee contrived to miss at point-blank range. England looked settled, passed the ball well around a tired and demoralised Denmark, with the game won in the second half. 4-0, and the young lions record a comprehensive victory.
Final Ratings:
Alex McCarthy - 6 - Dealt with everything in a reasonably good manner, though towards the end of the game was tested less and less.
Kyle Naughton - 7 - Got forward decently, and provided a great ball over the top for Henderson's goal.
Chris Smalling - 6 - Occasionally beaten by Christiansen, he was indomitable in the air against the bulky Bille Nielsen.
Micah Richards - 6 - Was stretchered off early in the game, unlucky for the City defender.
Ryan Bertrand - 8 - Provided a constant outlet down the left, combining with Sturridge and Sinclair well. His energy meant that Randrup was often chasing two people at once.
Fabrice Muamba - 7 - Mobile and aggressive, good water carrying from the Bolton man.
Jordan Henderson - 7 - Did well in an all-round sense, did his share of the defensive work and got forward well. Well taken goal.
Tom Cleverley - 7 - Decent, intelligent runs combined with good passing.
Scott Sinclair - 8 - Pace, energy and awareness meant he found space again and again, and he used it well.
Daniel Sturridge - 9 MOTM - Scintillating performance from the young Chelsea striker. Ran the attacking show. Dropped deep, wide, pulled defenders around, scored one and made another.
Danny Welbeck - 8 - A world class strike from the pacey striker was supported by some brilliant off the ball play.
Subs:
James Tomkins - 7 - Sterling defensive work in place of his injured skipper.
Josh McEachran - 7 - Some true class shown by the midfielder. Tricks, good passing, the lot.
Danny Rose - 6 - A little anonymous, but put in the defensive work.
Jack Cork - 6 - Passed well, and was generally neat.
Nathan Delfouneso - 7 - Brought a spark to the team, able to beat his man and set up others.
Marc Albrighton and Connor Wickham - 6 - Came on too late to give a proper rating. Wickham held the ball up well. Albrighton set up Delfouneso for a chance which was missed.
The Commentators - 3 - Worst performance on on the pitch on a night in which there were more players than just Daniel Sturridge on the pitch. Not that you'd know it if you were listening with your eyes closed...
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I might add a little more later, but it's just a brief report. Enjoy.
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