Joshua Onomah says the whole England U17 squad is ‘buzzing’ ahead of the midday showdown with Germany to decide the Algarve Cup.
With both sides tied on four points each, the match has become winner-takes-all, and Onomah is looking to end the week in Portugal with victory.
“I’m looking forward to it,” the Tottenham Hotspur midfielder told TheFA.com. “I played Germany around this time last year with the under-16s and we lost 4-3, so it would be great to get one over them.
“It is important for us to put in a good performance and play well first and foremost and end the week on a high.”
Germany v England
U17 International
The Algarve Tournament
12 noon, Sunday 2 March 2014
Municipal Stadium, Lagos
Onomah started England’s first match and grabbed the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Portugal on Wednesday. And despite being an unused substitute on Friday for the 2-2 draw with Portugal, Onomah says the week has been all about experience.
He said: “I was delighted to get a goal, but I was more pleased with the way the team performed as whole against Holland.
“I didn’t play against Portugal, but we were all disappointed and felt really unlucky after the match. That late goal was cruel but we can make up for it by beating Germany and winning the tournament.
“It has been a great learning experience. Even when I was on the bench against Portugal, I learnt a lot about game management.”
Onomah is one of the more experienced members of the group in the Algarve and he believes the introduction of newcomers such as Taylor Moore, Callum Connolly and Josh Sims has been a big positive.
“I think I’m one of the most experienced boys out of this squad, and it has been good to meet and see some of the new lads come in this week. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the new people and we have gelled really quickly and performed well as a team.
“Me and the rest of the lads are just buzzing to play now and will be giving everything to try and win this top class tournament against three top class teams.”
“I was delighted to get a goal, but I was more pleased with the way the team performed.”
Joshua Onomah
Despite a burning desire to lift the trophy out here in the Algarve, Onomah knows that the serious business starts later this month as the squad head to Czech Republic for the European Championship Elite Round qualifiers.
“It has been ideal preparation for the Elites. I have never played against Czech Republic or Albania, and we know it is going to be hard. I’ve never been to an international tournament so I am desperate for us to get through and reach the Euros.”
England U17s face Germany in the Municipal Stadium in Lagos at midday. Follow @FA on Twitter for live updates.
