England U18s head coach Neil Dewsnip is looking for his side to maintain their high standards as they prepare for a double-header against Poland.
The Young Lions squad that travelled to Gdansk on Thursday includes several of the U17 European Championship winners from last season – but a number of newcomers give the side somewhat of a fresh feel.
Charlton Athletic striker Karlan Arhearne-Grant, who has broken into his side’s first-team this season, and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, in his first England squad since 2012, are just two of the names looking to establish themselves on the international stage.
Poland v England
U18 international
4pm, Saturday 15 November 2014
Gdynia City Stadium, Gdansk
And despite the success during the last campaign at U17 level, Dewsnip is determined to have a look at as much talent at his disposal to maintain the high standards set from the age group.
“We have an awful lot of very good players in this year’s U18 cohort and the intention over the season is to give as many of those a chance to show what they can do,” Dewsnip explained.
“It’s a non-competitive year, so it allows us that little room to manoeuvre to be able to do that and we’ll intend to continue that throughout the season.”
He continued: “We are very keen that the performance of the team remains as high as it possibly can be.
“What we know from last year, as the European champions, that they have the highest standards."
Dewsnip's side began the season with a bang, with a resounding victory over one of Europe's top producers of young talent.
And he said it was the attitude of the players, more than the result, that most pleased him on the day.
“If I was unaware of that before, then it came to the fore immediately against Holland in our first game of the season where we beat them 4-1," he added.
“They were sat in the dressing room afterwards with faces on them, and they were disappointed with the way that they had played.
“That is lovely as a coach as you know that your players are desperately trying to please you.
“And on top of that, they are trying to do as best as they can for themselves, their team and their country.”
As a coach who always relishes a challenge, Dewsnip is determined to keep providing his side with tests to continue their development.
After kicking off their season with two victories over Holland, his youngsters suffered a 2-0 defeat in front of a passionate crowd in Italy at the end of September.
And Dewsnip believes his men will need to learn how to play in hostile atmospheres, something their next two fixtures will help them do.
“Poland is a very passionate and emotional country for a million different reasons," he added.
"When we come here, and are told that there will be a few thousand at each of the games, it will be a good environment and the players will have to deal with it.”
