DFB.de: What is your goal for the match in Wiesbaden?
Pearce: I think when England play Germany the result always counts but you want to see performances, both from the collective and from individuals. We’ve grown and grown as a group and we need to take another step and with this game being the last in the calendar year it’d be nice to finish this game and this season undefeated.
DFB.de: You made it to the final at the Under 21s EC in Sweden. How far can your team go next year in Denmark?
Pearce: It’s very difficult, no doubt about that. The Czechs are the number one seeds, Spain are strong all of the time at all age groups and then there is ourselves and Ukraine. Only four teams qualified as runners-up from their groups for the play-offs– including us – and they’ve all made it to the Finals, which shows how difficult it is to get there. I think the Czechs are favourites for the whole tournament because of the way they’ve qualified very comfortably, even in the play-offs. It’s a fantastic tournament and we’re really looking forward to it. As long as we go to Denmark and give a good account of ourselves then we’ll be a difficult team to beat.
DFB.de: In Germany your name is often linked with big soccer matches like the ones of 1990 and 1996. What do you think of German soccer in general?
Pearce: Personally, I have a keen eye on the German’s young players and with Steve McLaren managing there is fantastic for him and for English football in general. I’m sure there’s a lot to look forward to from the German point of view.
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It's a real classic, even at junior level: On Tuesday (6.00 pm) the German Under 21 will meet England in Wiesbaden. The clash in the BRITA-Arena will be the first encounter after the European Championship final 2009 in Sweden, when Germany won the title after a 4-0 victory.
Exclusively on DFB.de Stuart Pearce, coach of the English Under 21 then and now, talks over the match in Wiesbaden, his team and his own history with German football.
DFB.de: What is the character of your team?
Stuart Pearce: We feel as though we’re improving as a nation. We have another eight months of development now for our players and I think at the end of that it’ll be a very interesting tournament. This squad has improved after the first eight months of qualification, where we didn’t play very well. Since August we’ve played very well in our matches and found a good blend, a good mix in our players. One or two younger players have come in to the side and done extremely well, so the side is maturing nicely. I think the players will improve that little bit more in the time left before the tournament.
DFB.de: Who are the key-players of your squad?
Pearce: There are two new faces in the squad in Scott Sinclair, who has done extremely well for Swansea, and Josh McEachran, who has done well in the younger age groups and is forcing his way into the Chelsea squad at the moment.
DFB.de: What do you expect from the German Under 21 side?
Pearce: England versus Germany is a blue chip match. It’s tougher for us, going away from home, but they’ll probably blood a lot of their next clutch of players and they’ll have a lot to prove, as we found out against France over a year ago, when we played a young French side and got soundly beaten. Germany are very much unknown to us at this stage. By not qualifying this time around their focus will be sharpened for the next campaign, and they have a new group of players coming through which means their building process starts for 2013 now. It’ll be a tough game from both nations point of view and both nations are looking forward to the game.
DFB.de: What is your goal for the match in Wiesbaden?
Pearce: I think when England play Germany the result always counts but you want to see performances, both from the collective and from individuals. We’ve grown and grown as a group and we need to take another step and with this game being the last in the calendar year it’d be nice to finish this game and this season undefeated.
DFB.de: You made it to the final at the Under 21s EC in Sweden. How far can your team go next year in Denmark?
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Pearce: It’s very difficult, no doubt about that. The Czechs are the number one seeds, Spain are strong all of the time at all age groups and then there is ourselves and Ukraine. Only four teams qualified as runners-up from their groups for the play-offs– including us – and they’ve all made it to the Finals, which shows how difficult it is to get there. I think the Czechs are favourites for the whole tournament because of the way they’ve qualified very comfortably, even in the play-offs. It’s a fantastic tournament and we’re really looking forward to it. As long as we go to Denmark and give a good account of ourselves then we’ll be a difficult team to beat.
DFB.de: In Germany your name is often linked with big soccer matches like the ones of 1990 and 1996. What do you think of German soccer in general?
Pearce: Personally, I have a keen eye on the German’s young players and with Steve McLaren managing there is fantastic for him and for English football in general. I’m sure there’s a lot to look forward to from the German point of view.
