Sean O’Driscoll says there is no reason why his England U19s team cannot win all three of their final round of Euro qualifiers and subsequently book a place at this summer’s finals.
The Young Lions head coach has taken his 18-man squad to France where they will play a round-robin group of matches starting on Thursday against Denmark, before playing Azerbaijan and the host nation, with the top-placed team advancing to the last eight in Greece in July.
O’Driscoll’s charges eased through their first qualification stage in October, brushing past Belarus and Luxembourg before battling to a 4-2 win over Belgium.
Euro schedule
26 March: v Denmark
28 March: v Azerbaijan
31 March: v France
And the former Bristol City chief believes he has enough talent in his ranks to make it to the finals in style.
He said: “The players are well aware that they need to perform this week.
“But I’d like to think that they would look at these next three games and think they are all winnable – and they will want to win them in style.
“If they play with as much freedom, as much intelligence and as much commitment as they played in their previous games then I’ll be delighted.
“No England U19s team has ever won this championship. We told the players that at the start of the season and we reminded them of it again. I’m not saying we will win it, but that is the challenge.”
O’Driscoll continued: “Our approach won’t be any different to any previous game. We play a way that suits the boys in the squad, a way they enjoy, and that’s probably why they’ve done so well so far.
“This will be a bit of a test as it’s only the top team in the group that qualifies but we won’t ask anything different of them.”
Ruben Loftus-Cheek scores against Italy in November 2014
The U19s squad is a blend of youngsters from the Premier League and the Championship and O’Driscoll has congratulated the clubs for the way they have helped the players develop.
Chelsea lead the way with six players, including youth team captain Charlie Colkett and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Izzy Brown, both of whom have been on the bench for the Blues’ recent Champions League outings.
Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton and Newcastle United are also represented, but there is a healthy crop of players who are getting first-team minutes in the Championship, including Leeds United’s Lewis Cook and Charlton Athletic’s Joe Gomez.
O’Driscoll said: “If you look at each of the boys in the squad they are all developing nicely and that is a credit to the clubs.
“They are all talented players but they know that talent alone will get you nowhere. And they have all applied themselves correctly. They have all got their feet on the ground, which is credit to the clubs as well. Our job is to give them that international experience and try and put them in a position where they feel they can do well.
“We want them to enjoy international football as well as try and win something.
“We’ve got players here in the first team at their clubs, in FA Youth Cup Semi-Finals and Finals, some have been in Champions League squads, some of their clubs are at the top of their respective league, so they are picking up some good experience.
“We’ve been trying to get everyone on an even keel and we’ve asked them to think about where playing for England fits into it all. We want to add value to their career.”
After Denmark, England face Azerbaijan on Saturday followed by one final match, against France next Tuesday.
