Micciche is in Denmark as Head Coach of the Young Lions for the Nordic U17 Tournament. They kick-off the competition on Monday against Iceland, before facing their next match less than 24 hours later against Finland. A one day rest from match action then falls before England’s final group match with Sweden on Thursday.
With the intense schedule, and the style of the opposition they will face, Micciche believes that the tournament will prove to be key for the development of his players.
England v Iceland
5pm, Monday 28 July 2014
Nordic U17 Tournament
Nr Aaby Stadium, Denmark
“What we are looking to do with the long-term plan is give all of our age groups games against varied opposition for their own experiences,” the former MK Dons head of academy told TheFA.com. “This gives us the chance to play Scandinivian opposition, as well as USA, and they will all be very competitive and it’ll be a great test for the boys.
“We have some new lads in, and some from the year below, so it will be a challenge for them coming away from home for the first time.
“Even the boys that have been in before, a lot of their games have been against the likes of Spain, Brazil and France – this will provide them with a different sort of challenge.
“Iceland and Finland, who on paper might not seem as strong, will bring a completely new test.”
Micciche wants to create an environment for the players to express themselves
Having met up at St. George’s Park on Thursday, the squad arrived on Friday evening at their team hotel in Kolding, and they completed their first two training sessions in Denmark on Saturday.
With the first match only a day away, Micciche has been pleased with the preparation ahead of the Iceland clash.
“We’ve had two days at St. George’s Park, which was a bit of an ice-breaker with some of the kids who are with us for the first time.
“Those sessions were more about them, setting an environment where they feel they can express themselves over the next ten days and feel relaxed with freedom.
“Now we are in phase two in our build-up to Monday, which is more about scenario and state of game, getting them prepared and a tournament mentality within the group.
“We have had a double session today, and we will have another on Sunday, so we do not want to over protect them. We want to get them out of the hotel and onto the pitch rather than have them stuck indoors.”
And on facing the unique scenario of two games in 24 hours, Micciche believes the outcomes will depend on how his side manage the first game.
“It will be based on how the first game goes. We have six outfield subs that we can use if we want to, but I won’t be as anxious as perhaps we were in the past to bring them all on as we have another game within 24 hours.
“Those six that don’t start the first one are almost certain to start on Tuesday, so we need to handle it properly.
“We need to manage the game well, conserve our energy at the right times.
“If we can control the game and the opposition then I think that will be a good way to manage the whole week in general.”
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