VIDEO: 'Next goal wins!'
Jamie Bradbury
Monday, 15 November, 2010
England were in action in training as they prepare for Germany.
Watch the match live and for free on
FATV
Click here to watch action from training in Wiesbaden
Check out pictures from training on the team's official Facebook page
It was perfect weather for ducks on Monday afternoon in Wiesbaden as the Under-21s arrived for training at the venue for Tuesday night’s friendly with Germany.
In fact, the two ducks waddling around the soaking wet pitch looked to be having the time of their lives until Stuart Pearce and his squad took over, so off they flew.
Pearce has seen a number of players withdrawn through injury, but the 18 who remain, including five new call ups, enjoyed getting to grips with the conditions. However, to preserve the match surface, the team instead trained on the pitch inside the athletic ground next door.
There were first-ever sessions at Under-21 level for Ipswich Town’s Connor Wickham, Manchester City’s Ben Mee, Swansea City’s Scott Sinclair, Bristol City’s Steven Caulker and Chelsea’s Josh McEachran, and all were looking to impress Pearce before he selects his line-up for the encounter with the old rivals, which will be streamed live and for free on FATV.
You can watch action from the small-sided game at the end of the session by clicking here.
And Pearce, who last faced the Germans at the Final of Euro 2009 when Mesut Ozil inspired his team to a 4-0 win, is expecting another interesting fixture against a nation he met in two major semi-finals as a player.
“No matter when England play Germany, at whatever age-level, it’s always an intriguing fixture,” he told TheFA.com.
“I would expect there to be a decent crowd on the evening, too.
“Germany, having not qualified for the summer, will be going with 1990-91 birthdays. We’ll be the same as we have a number of boys who have travelled who can go again for the next campaign. It’ll be a stern test for us.
And the youngsters soon had a taste of the team spirit that has been building in a side that came through four tough matches this season to clinch a place in next summer’s European Championship in Denmark.
The meeting with the German’s is the first preparation game on the road to the Finals, and will be played at the 12,500-capacity Brita-Arena, home to SV Wehen Wiesbaden who currently play in the Bundesliga’s Third Division.
Wiesbaden, one of Europe’s oldest spa towns, is 25 miles west of Frankfurt on the northern bank of the Rhine, and is the birth place of US tennis legend John McEnroe, whose family were stationed at the nearby military base.
“It’s going to be quite a young side, but it’s going to be a good fixture,” added Pearce. “We’re building for the summer and beyond, but England v Germany is one of those fixtures that always excites you.”
You can follow England Under-21s during the build-up and throughout next summer's Finals right here on TheFA.com and also at www.facebook.com/EnglandU21s.