Spain Vs. England, UEFA European Under-21 Championships 2011: Preview

In this year’s UEFA European Under-21 Championships, there’s no build-up to the big group stage game or the inevitable first knockout round game between giants. What will almost certainly be the biggest game of the tournament until the semifinals, if not the final comes today, as competition favorites Spain take on a very talented England team.

The Spain squad is absolutely loaded with already established professionals and players who have received well into the teens worth of U-21 caps. Three of their players - Javi Martinez, Diego Capel and Juan Manuel Mata - have made multiple appearances for the senior team. Bojan Krkic has donned the senior shirt as well, and the general consensus is that David De Gea will have that honor whenever Iker Casillas decides to hang up his boots. Without a doubt, Spain is the most talented team in this tournament.

England are no slouches, though, as most of their players are also well-established professionals in one of the best leagues in the world. Two of their defenders, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, have cost Manchester United a combined £27m. Jordan Henderson just cost Liverpool £20m by himself, and who knows how much it would take to pry Jack Rodwell away from David Moyes. At central defense and in the center of midfield, England are strong enough to play with Spain and anyone else. However, there are questions elsewhere.

Predicting that Nathan Delfouneso and Daniel Sturridge will be able to find goals against a Spain defense filled with established La Liga starters would be a minor stretch. Danny Rose and Mark Albrighton provide some quality on the wings, but they will be matched by Spain’s fullbacks. England have the talent to create goals against Spain, but those matchups are a push at best.

Going forward and down the spine, England might have Spain matched, but there is one area where they are overmatched. Ryan Bertrand and Kyle Walker are talented players who will likely be Premier League starting fullbacks for the next 10 years, but they are likely no match for Juan Manuel Mata and Diego Capel, and they would have some problems against Jeffren Suarez and Iker Muniain as well.

England have enough quality to pull off an upset if it simply isn’t Spain’s day, but La Furia Roja’s quality out wide will likely be too much for the Three Lions to handle. If there is a winner in this match, that team will likely have a stranglehold on the group and be heavily favored to reach the final.