Andy Williams looks ahead to Poland trip
Tuesday 12 April 2011By ESFA Office
Last Updated:
10/02/2021 11:49:12
Andy Williams
The England Under 18 Schools’ Squad jet off to Poland this morning so esfa.co.uk took the opportunity yesterday afternoon to catch up with team manager, Andy Williams, to gain his thoughts ahead of the trip:
“International week is always exciting, but we are looking forward to this one even more than normal if that is possible. This will be the first ever time the England Schoolboys have played an international against Poland, so we are entering unchartered territory.
I am extremely proud to have the honour to be the first manager to lead a team to compete against the Poles, and even more privileged to be leading this particular squad for this important occasion.
The players have arrived very upbeat following our excellent display against Wales in the Centenary Shield, so it shouldn't be very hard to motivate them for this particular game. I have watched a DVD of that game, and although the Welsh feel they were unlucky not to get something from the game, I still believe we were full value for our win.
The schedule looks as though we are together for four days, but in fact our programme is only two and a half days. That means we have to be very efficient in the way we set things up. The players met at lunch today (Monday) enabling a slightly longer practice session than normal this afternoon (two hours) during which we worked on patterns of play. We fly early tomorrow and will then rest before a lightevening training session on the stadium pitch. The kick-off is 5pm local time Wednesday, so that will give us no opportunity to train in the morning either.
I have already selected the starting line-up and all ofthe players know that they will appear at some stage. As for the opposition, well we know virtually nothing about them so that will be very interesting. Their players all represent professional clubs in the national league, so they will be fit, strong, technically adept, and will have the upper hand experience wise. Traditionally the Poles like to play a 4-3-3 system with wide players, making precise, quick passing movements in the opponents half. Defensively we expect to be tested so we will need to be organised and alert throughout.
We are all really looking forward to the experience. It will be a big challenge and a true test of our ability. I have a sneaky feeling there may be goals in this game!"
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