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Academy Starlets on the brink of ruling Europe

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Liverpool Academy players Andre Wisdom and Conor Coady helped England to the final of the European U17s Championships today. England dominated play for most of the first half in the semi-final against France and their play was duly rewarded with a goal through Connor Wickham on 23 minutes. Coady was involved in the action not long afterwards as his ball from midfield found its way to Wickham who slotted away his second goal of the game to put England in touching distance of going to the final at half-time. England had not been pegged back from a leading position in all previous nine games of qualifying and tournament football but their nerves started to jangle after Paul Pogba pulled one back for France 15 minutes into the second half. England were put under pressure for the rest of the game but with the help of both captain Coady and assured defending from Wisdom, they made it through to the final whistle.

Both Coady and Wisdom have been the heart of a quite superb Under 17s team which has not lost in qualifying and had won all three group games prior to the win against France. With Coady as their leader they have overcome every obstacle during the tournament in Liechtenstein, and although Coady was suspended for the first game of the tournament, he came to lead the team as captain in the subsequent two group games and the semi-final against France today. Seen as a natural leader, Coady has played the majority of the season under Rodolfo Borrell in the Academy side but with John McMahon’s reserve team short on numbers, Coady has been included in some reserve fixtures as the season drew to a close. He can play either at centre-back or midfield and there is no doubt he has great capabilities as a player, as he has been both trusted at club level by the Liverpool coaches, shown by his promotion to reserve team action, and at international level where England U17 manager John Peacock have entrusted him with the armband.

Andre Wisdom is another exciting prospect and can also play at centre-half and central midfielder. He can also play at full back because of his abilities on the ball but it his height at 6ft which makes him a colossal presence at this level. Wisdom was bought from Bradford City at the age of just 14 and he very quickly became part of the Liverpool Academy side at 15 when his compatriots were the best part of two years older. Physically he had already developed to cope with the rigours of playing at that level and his attributes are those of a consummate centre-half. Comfortable on the ball, with good communication and leadership skills, Wisdom also has great strength, aerial dominance, heading ability and pace. At the moment the only concern is whether the physicality which is vital to his play will be diminished as he moves up the levels to reserve team action. But considering he played with others two years his senior not long ago, it looks as if he is also capable of playing against players with equal physical prowess. Due to his array of abilities, he is also very adaptable and during the 2008/09 season FA Youth Cup final run, he played three positions: right back, centre back and central midfield during the semi-final tie against Birmingham City.

During the tournament in Liechtenstein, Wisdom and Coady have ensured that England are tight at the back and solid in midfield. In the absence of captain Coady in the first group game against Czech Republic, England did not get off to a good start and after only seven minutes they conceded the first goal of the match after Jakub Plsek found himself unmarked inside the box. England quickly recovered though and came out victors 3-1 after goals from Ross Barkley, Josh McEachran and Benik Afobe. The second match with Coady returning saw a clean sheet as Ross Barkley scored the only goal of the game with a header to send England through to the semi-finals. Manager John Peacock decided to rest the majority of the first team players for the third group match against Turkey but with Coady and Wisdom essential parts of the team, Peacock decided to keep both in the starting eleven. They did however go behind early once again through Okan Derici but an excellent equaliser from Saido Berahino five minutes later and a Rob Hall penalty in the second half sealed a third straight win in the tournament.

Both solid, adaptable and willing players, Coady and Wisdom will no doubt have a big part to play in winning the European U17 Championship final against either Spain or Turkey.

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1 comment

  • Greg says:

    Great if they can go all the way and win the thing. They’re certainly among the best young English players the club has produced for a long time. Anyone know if there are any L’pool players in the Spanish team they might meet in the final?

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