15/05/2023【Feature】Aidy Boothroyd – U20 World Championship tournament preview
Aidy Boothroyd – U20 World Championship tournament preview
Aidy Boothroyd is a former manager of England U19, U20 &U21 from 2014 to 2021. He led the Young Lions to win the Toulon Tournament in 2018.
Boothroyd: England U20 are the favourites to win the title
The U20 World Championship has always provided a unique platform to showcase the stars of tomorrow and I expect this year’s edition to be no different.
With some top nations missing key players due to club commitments, a lot of youngsters who perhaps would’ve seen their game time limited now have an opportunity to put their name in lights, and I think we could be set for one of the most open tournaments in recent years.
After winning the competition in 2019, England will be expected to go far, and with many of the squad going into the tournament with their first full season of professional football under their belts, I think the Young Lions are well equipped to challenge for a second title.
Buoyed from the success of the senior team in Qatar last year, hosts Argentina will also hope to be among the frontrunners, despite failing to qualify for the tournament first time around. The loss of Manchester Utd’s Garnacho will hurt, but as late replacements for original hosts Indonesia, home advantage could provide an edge to an exciting squad and coach Javier Mascherano will be hoping to write his own ‘Denmark ‘92’ story.
Then there’s Brazil, whose history of success at the FIFA World Cup across all levels of both the Men’s and Women’s game is unrivalled. Chelsea’s newest star Andrey Santos will have a huge say if they are to go on and win it, having been the standout performer at the South American Championships earlier this year.
With both the U19s and U21s UEFA European Championships coming later in the summer, some nations will have the difficult task of providing a balance that will see them compete for honours across multiple competitions. Nevertheless, Italy will feel they are up for the challenge with a squad that boasts plenty of Serie A minutes, having reached the Semi-Finals last time out.
But having not qualified for the U19s UEFA European Championships, and with arguably Europe’s leading youth talent pool, France could well be the European nation to watch out for, with a squad that will no doubt be hungry to replicate their Paul Pogba-inspired success of 2013.
All things considered, I think all of the above nations stand a great chance of success this summer, but I have to stick with my country England as the tournament winners!
Information is provided by the third-party provider and it is intended to be used for reference only. The content and information have not been verified or confirmed by The Hong Kong Jockey Club and/or its affiliates (together, the “HKJC”), and will not be used for dividend payout purposes. HKJC also do not make any representation or warranty about the timeliness, reliability or accuracy of any such information.
