England Under-21s must draw inspiration from Sweden and make up for lacking star quality

Chasing glory: Boothroyd's stars face Sweden in Friday's opener
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Seb Stafford-Bloor16 June 2017

England begin their European Under-21 Championship journey tonight, facing defending champions Sweden here in Kielce.

For head coach Aidy Boothroyd and his players, it will provide the chance to face a team from whose past success they can draw inspiration.

Two years ago, the Swedes were not the most talented side in the competition but hustled and barged their way through the draw before defeating a technically superior Portugal on penalties in the final.

Fun it wasn’t but inspiring it might be.

England are not under-talented but their star power is scarce. Boothroyd will rely on the dynamism of Demarai Gray and Nathan Redmond in the wide forward positions, with either Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham or Fulham’s Cauley Woodrow at the tip of a 4-3-2-1 formation.

The team’s strength lies in the flexibility and tactical dexterity of their midfield. At this level, Nathaniel Chalobah is a dominant holding player, while Lewis Baker and James Ward-Prowse are both capable of cutting through the Swedish 4-4-2.

Ward-Prowse, courtesy of his set-pieces in particular, is a known commodity but Baker (above) is a diverse midfielder. Stable and confident in possession but also a goal threat, he was top scorer at the 2016 Toulon Tournament and, while contracted to Chelsea, has been on loan with Dutch side Vitesse Arnham for two years.

Everton’s new £30m signing Jordan Pickford will start in goal, with Dominic Iorfa and Ben Chilwell the first-choice full-backs.

Boothroyd has a glut of talented centre-halves to choose from, with Calum Chambers and Rob Holding likely to start this evening.

England might not be favourites but they should not be discounted. They topped their qualifying group, winning six of their eight games, drawing the other two and conceding just three goals. The FA’s intention has long been to create familiarity within their age-group squads and to furnish them with a club-like atmosphere; this side are the most senior example of an approach which, hopefully, will spill over into the senior squad.

England’s tactics, preparation and analysis have been built from Under-16 level upwards. But whether that will be enough to navigate through a tournament in which all roads would seem to lead to a gifted Spanish team is another matter. But, after the Under-20s’ success in South Korea and the Under-17s’ final appearance in Croatia, they should at least provide further evidence of good health.

Sweden will be resilient tonight. Coach Hakan Ericson preaches pragmatism over flair but that discipline has served him well. Forward pairing Carlos Strandberg and Gustav Engvall will offer a physical threat to England, while full-back Linus Wahlqvist is an exciting prospect who will chase up and down the right side.

Fulham supporters will recognise midfielder Muamer Tankovic, while Kristoffer Olsson, set to captain the side, spent time at Arsenal as a teenager.

While England have the resources to emerge from their group, they must find their stride quickly if they are to progress.

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