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http://www.uefa.com/competitions/under19/index.htmlCzech Republic ready to put on a show
The positive, attacking football witnessed at UEFA EURO 2008™ is a hard act to follow, but the players and coaches at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship will attempt to do just that. The tournament, the first men's finals since last month's drama unfolded, begins for hosts Czech Republic on Monday with coach Jakub Dovalil promising to "put on a show".
Confident Czechs
On the eve of the Czechs' opening Group B game against England in Jablonec, Dovalil told a news conference: "Young players are a bit up and down, a bit inconsistent, but we will try to deliver positive football and put on a show." Dovalil, who last summer saw his country take second place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, believes a similar showing is possible. "We would like to reach the semi-finals. We are a much smaller country than England, for example, but we are confident. I trust in the team and think we'll get a good start." Dovalil's faith comes from "the advantage that our players play regular top-flight football and have about 30 league games under their belts."
Vital experience
Dovalil also claims the rain in Bohemia, "typical English weather", could benefit the opposition. England coach Brian Eastick, however, sees plenty to favour the hosts. He said: "The Czechs have very good players and they are playing at home, which is an advantage." Yet it is the overall scale of the competition which most impresses Eastick and which, he insists, will improve his players. "You have eight very good teams and it is terrific for young players to come and experience this," he went on. "If you speak to [England senior coach] Fabio Capello and his predecessors, they would all say that tournament experience is something our players have lacked and this is something we need to improve on. To come to this tournament is a success in itself – we are here for the pressure, because if the boys are going to achieve at senior level, they need this experience."
Progression
Group B also contains last year's runners-up Greece and the 2003 winners Italy, who meet in Mlada Boleslav later on Monday. Greece coach Alexis Alexiou echoes his English counterpart, saying: "It is a big honour to be here and we want to enjoy it and play good football." The fact Greece have only two players remaining from last summer's silver streak in Austria changes expectations somewhat: "We have a brand-new team and, step-by-step, we will try to help these players progress and maybe achieve what their predecessors did." The main contenders this time around, Alexiou added, are "the traditional teams" – which doubtless includes Group A challengers Spain and Germany – although "the sides that get through our group should be in good shape too".
Key to development
Giancarlo Antognoni, deputising at the news conference for Italy coach Francesco Rocca, defines the minimum requirement for the Azzurri as: "A show of maturity and of development – both tactically and physically. It is important to show these two elements at this level of competition." The team manager continued: "You have to try and win, but that is not easy because everyone has the same goal." Victory, it seems, is merely the cherry on the cake at a tournament where the pleasure of competing should be leavened by positive play. "It is a fundamental experience to be at a tournament like this," Antognoni concluded. "To be tackling the best players in your generation, playing abroad, is completely different from anything the boys will have known in Italy."
Group A
Germany
Spain
Bulgaria
Hungary
Group B
Czech Republic
England
Greece
Italy
Final tournament - Group stage - Match kick-offs are listed in CET
Date Group Home Away
14/07 Grp A Bulgaria 17:30 Hungary
14/07 Grp B Czech Republic 17:30 England
14/07 Grp B Greece 19:30 Italy
14/07 Grp A Germany 19:30 Spain
17/07 Grp A Spain 18:00 Hungary
17/07 Grp B Czech Republic 18:00 Greece
17/07 Grp B England 20:00 Italy
17/07 Grp A Germany 20:30 Bulgaria
20/07 Grp B Italy 18:00 Czech Republic
20/07 Grp B England 18:00 Greece
20/07 Grp A Hungary 20:00 Germany
20/07 Grp A Spain 20:00 Bulgaria
Live on Eurosport, today 16:30 UK Time
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