Hosts primed for tough tests

By Paul Saffer in Terrenia

The four coaches in UEFA European Under-17 Championship Group A are under no illusions as to the size of their task as hosts Italy take on Turkey, England and Belarus.

'Tougher group'
Italy coach Francesco Rocca reflected the views of his counterparts - Abdullah Avci of Turkey, England's John Peacock and Belarus chief Piotr Mikheyeu - when he said: "I consider this group the tougher of the two." His team face a baptism of fire on Tuesday night against Turkey, who eliminated holders France in the Elite round, and Rocca was in cautious mood at the pre-tournament press conference.

Similar goals
"As the host nation, I want to welcome my colleagues. I believe our goals are all very similar, and I consider this group the tougher of the two. We lost against Turkey and England in friendlies earlier this season, but have done our best to catch them up," Rocca said.

'Step by step'
Indeed, Italy's friendly results have been mixed, yet the coach has been preparing carefully for these finals. "We have been taking it step by step - our first goal is simply to get out of the group," he said. "Selecting the squad was one of the most difficult decisions of my professional career and indeed of my life. Many players deserve to be in this team. The players who did not make it this time could still make the cut next time."

'Good teams'
Avci, meanwhile, continued to strike the confident note in which he has been pitching his pre-finals comments. "All eight finalists are good teams, but we won all our qualifiers and knocked out France," he said. "Group A is tougher than Group B, all the teams are very tough."

Final ambition
He added: "We don't know if playing Italy first is an advantage, we will see after the game. If we have the chance, we will reach the final."

Hines absence
Another side, like Turkey, who won all their qualifiers are England. Although Peacock lost defender Seb Hines to an arm injury - meaning a call-up for James Tomkins - and also has midfielder Mark Davies suspended, the coach is upbeat and looking to a top-three tournament finish and a place in the FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru later this year.

World goal
Peacock said: "We are delighted to be in Italy. We are pleased to be here because for our development as a nation, we think playing in the best tournament and against the best players is an important step. Our aim is to make the final stages next week and qualify for the world championships - I think all the coaches will have that aim."

U17 newcomers
Their afternoon opponents in Santa Croce sull'Arno, Belarus, are new to the U17 finals, and although a harsh winter has disrupted Mikheyeu's plans, he was in playful mood.

Difficult conditions
"Belarus did well to qualify, we had difficult games against the likes of Portugal and Russia among others," Mikheyeu said. "The Italians are very good and many people are tipping them, not least as they have home advantage. The climate back home has been difficult due to the snow, we have found it very difficult to find time to train. I just ask my opposite numbers to tell their players not to score too many goals against us!"