UEFA European Under-21 Championships 2011: Previews, Spain Favorites, Group B Loaded

England (4-2-3-1): Frank Fielding; Ryan Bertrand, Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Kyle Walker; Fabrice Muamba, Jack Rodwell; Marc Albrighton, Jordan Henderson, Danny Welbeck; Danny Sturridge.

But they’ll have to do without. How far can this weakened England team get? They’re probably second-best to Spain, but they should be able to emerge from the group (although it’ll be tight). Once they emerge, there’s no reason they couldn’t make it to the final and lose to Spain again there. But who knows? They might get lucky and win the whole thing.

Most years, the UEFA European Under-21 Championships represent a chance to see some of the world’s best budding young talent on the international stage. In 2011, this tournament probably represents an opportunity to watch some pretty solid young players who will likely be decent professional footballers get their asses handed to them by Spain.

Okay, that was a bit over the top, but Spain definitely enter this competition as clear favorites. They have some decent competition, but interestingly enough, most of it is in their group. How these teams were seeded and drawn into their groups in this manner, no one will ever know, but the selection method has resulted in arguably the best four teams ending up in the same group. Even with Denmark hosting, anything but an all Group B final would be pretty stunning.