Ahead of their games with Denmark and Czech Republic on home soil this week, we caught up with England MU17s head coach Kevin Betsy who explained the thinking behind how to manage a group of young and developing players across the course of a campaign.
Whether that’s ensuring each player gets the right amount of game time to also maintaining their development off it, there’s much more to this age group than results on the pitch all while aiming for a spot at the UEFA U17 EURO Finals.
Squad selection
"It’s an opportunity for us to look at some more players, assess the depth in our squad in a variety of positions and see how they perform and can quickly adapt to playing for England in international games.
"We look at the depth across the country and across Europe to make sure that the players who come in would fit in easily to all aspects of our work, understand the way we play and our environment so when they are called upon, they're as ready as they can be.
"It’s not necessarily about consistently picking the best group at a particular time, at this stage it’s about mapping out a final EURO squad for this year and giving players an opportunity for later on in the pathway.
"We’ve got some players with us from October, some from September and some from the previous U15 and U16 year, but we’re still looking at new players along with improving our togetherness as a group, the intricacies in our style of play and be flexible with our formations."
The season so far…
“Our first event, the Syrenka Cup, was a great tournament for us. We played some outstanding football over the three games and all opposition gave us different challenges.
“We took some really good learnings from that in different aspects of our way of playing and the tactical solutions we had to come up with, as well as the experiences we had off the pitch and the togetherness that the group is developing is very strong.
“Last month in Pinatar we had three excellent games against Germany and Spain. They were played to a really high level and we dominated possession in all three games, which is a massive benchmark for us in how we are doing and the progress we are making.
“We’ve also seen quite a lot of players over the two international windows so we’re able to keep shaping the squad and make sure individuals get experiences so they’ll be ready when called on.”
Talent ID versus Tournament success
“In a tournament year, and of course representing England, the mentality is to win and to play well in our style.
“Of course, it’s great if we do that. We want our players to experience playing in the best competitions against the best players so qualifying for the tournaments is important.
“But all the players are developing at different stages and if there’s a player who plays for us at U17 level this year who doesn’t get in the EURO squad but then goes on to play for the U19s, U21s and seniors, then this is also success and that’s what the programme and the pathway is about.
“It’s not just about picking the best players for the here and now and for one tournament.
“These are opportunities to play, not just shape a team or age group to win the EURO, we have a lot of objectives to try and achieve and we try our best to achieve them.”
“We’re very happy with the season so far, it’s been very much as we’d planned.
Dealing with the pressure
“Playing for England brings a different type of pressure, so that’s a challenge in itself.
“That said, a lot of the players have been with us quite a while so they are used to it and they’ve adapted superbly and feel comfortable and confident in expressing themselves in possession and playing with freedom, and out of possession showing a desire to win the ball back quickly and win 1v1 duels .
“After these two games, the players will have added the experience into their international bank and be better for it going forward as the challenges increase up the age groups.
“We have a large variety of experience in our squad. Some players have and are already playing first-team football, playing in front of 20,000 or 40,000 consistently this season.
“But we have players who are in the U16s at their clubs and players who are playing U18 and U23 football in front of smaller crowds.
“The journey is different for everyone and we’re conscious that every boy is unique and needs challenges and support at different times.
“International football brings a different challenge on so many levels, but they are valuable experiences that not only to help them as people but also young players and this helps them when they go back to play for their clubs.
“It will also be the first time this U17 age group will have played in front of home supporters, which will be a great experience for them. We’re looking forward to playing at two great clubs in Alfreton Town and Solihull Moors.
The physical development
“We’re very mindful of the changes that can happen to a player psychologically and physically at this age group, particularly when we are selecting.
“The growth and maturation of players is carefully considered and putting them onto the pathway and making sure they are ready at the right moment so they have a positive experience.
“Even if they aren’t physically ready at that moment, we’ll still give them the opportunity to play as we see the long term potential and we know in six months or one year’s worth of physical growth and they’ll be fine.
“It doesn’t matter if they don’t play that well in a particular game, what’s important is that they are getting comfortable with playing for England at an early age.
“This experience, and once their body has developed, they will be double the player later on.
“We’re very analytical in understanding where the players are in their physical development but they also have to be able to show to a really high level the technical and tactical capabilities that we look for.
The educational side
“A number of the players are in their GCSE year at school and some are also doing A Levels, so this also plays a part in our selection choices.
“We work closely with the clubs, parents, education officers and the schools to ensure the necessary provisions are in place so when the players come away with us they are doing the work within the right environment and that we will help keep them on track.”
