Germany U19

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Germany U19

Players

Goalkeepers
Ralf Fahrmann
Christopher Gäng
Jens Grahl
Martin Mannel
Sven Ulreich

Defenders
Jerome Boateng
Alexander Eberlein
Kim Falkenberg
Arne Feick
Tobias Feisthammel
Benedikt Höwedes
Sascha Kotysch
Manuel Schmiedebach
Tom Schütz
Daniel Schwaab

Midfielders
Anis Ben-Hatira
Daniel Brosinski
Sergeo Evljuskin
Manuel Konrad
Max Kruse
Marko Marin
Mesut Özil
Christian Sauter

Forwards
Manuel Fischer
Nils Petersen
Sidney Sam
Kevin Schindler
Dennis Schmidt
Sebastian Tyrala

Last updated: 06/07/2007 18:38 CET

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Hosts Austria will have the difficult task of opening their UEFA European Under-19 Championship campaign against holders Spain after the UEFA European Under-19 Championship group stage draw was made in Linz.

Draw ceremony
While Austria and Spain are in Group A with Greece and Portugal, Germany, Russia, former winners France and Serbia will form Group B. The draw was conducted by Jim Boyce, chairman of the UEFA Youth and Amateur Football Committee, tournament ambassador and former Austrian international Andreas Herzog and Timea Feher, Miss Oberösterreich 2006, during an hour-long ceremony at the headquarters of tournament sponsor Raiffeisen Landesbank.

Venues
Austria coach Hermann Stadler said: "It is a difficult group. We got Spain, who are the holders and favourites for this year as well. Portugal are another favourite to me. Greece managed to beat Italy in qualification and should not be underestimated. I think we have a 50 per cent chance of going through to the semi-finals." Group stage matches in Linz, Pasching, Ried and Styer will be played on 16, 18 and 21 July, with the schedule including nine matches live on Eurosport to be confirmed in the next few days. The semi-finals are on Tuesday 24 July in Pasching and Styer with the decider three days later at the Linzer Stadium.

2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals group stage draw

Group A
Austria
Spain
Greece
Portugal

Group B
Germany
Russia
France
Serbia

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UEFA has confirmed the match schedule for the finals of the 2006/07 UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Austria.

Hosts play holders
The tournament opens on 16 July with a meeting of the hosts and Spain, the holders, being the second game in a Group A double-header in Linz that kicks off with Greece against Portugal. France, aiming to win back the trophy they lifted in 2005, take on Serbia in Ried while the other Group B game pits Germany with Russia in Steyr.

Televised matches
Group games continue on 18 and 21 July, with the semi-finals in Steyr and Pasching three days later. Linz will stage the final on 24 July, one of nine U19 matches broadcast live on Eurosport, UEFA's television partner for youth competitions.

2007 UEFA European Under-19 Championship final tournament schedule

Date Group Match Location Time

Mon 16 July A GRE v POR Linz 17.15
Mon 16 July B FRA v SRB Ried 18.00
Mon 16 July B GER v RUS Steyr 18.00
Mon 16 July A AUT v ESP Linz 20.00

Wed 18 July B RUS v SRB Pasching 17.15
Wed 18 July A ESP v POR Steyr 18.00
Wed 18 July B GER v FRA Ried 20.00
Wed 18 July A AUT v GRE Pasching 20.00

Sat 21 July A ESP v GRE Linz 18.00
Sat 21 July A POR v AUT Ried 18.00
Sat 21 July B GER v SRB Pasching 20.00
Sat 21 July B RUS v FRA Steyr 20.00

Tue 24 July semi-final tbc Steyr 17.30
Tue 24 July semi-final tbc Pasching 20.30

Fri 27 July final SF1 v SF2 Linz 20.00

* All kick-off times CET
Matches in red shown on Eurosport

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I hope those guys don't dissapoint like the U21.

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Germany coach Frank Engel has named a familiar squad for the finals in Austria with the majority of his 18-man party boasting considerable professional experience.

'Best squad possible'
Midfielder Mesut Özil made 19 Bundesliga appearances in 2006/07 as FC Schalke 04 finished second in the standings, while striker Kevin Schindler played three times in Werder Bremen's run to the UEFA Cup semi-finals. Änis Ben-Hatira, Sidney Sam, Arne Feick and Jerome Boateng also featured in the German top flight last term while Alexander Eberlein and Daniel Schwaab were regulars in the 2. Bundesliga. "I'm delighted to be able to call up the best squad possible and that all the clubs have released their players," said Engel, whose side open their Group B campaign against Russia before playing France and Serbia. "We have a united squad with a strong team spirit that will help us achieve our goal - winning the tournament."

Germany squad

Goalkeepers: Christopher Gäng (SV Waldhof Mannheim), Martin Männel (FC Energie Cottbus).

Defenders: Jerome Boateng (Hertha BSC Berlin), Alexander Eberlein (TSV 1860 München), Kim Falkenberg (Bayer 04 Leverkusen), Arne Feick (FC Energie Cottbus), Benedikt Höwedes (FC Schalke 04).

Midfielders: Änis Ben-Hatira (Hamburger SV), Sergej Evljuskin (VfL Wolfsburg), Manuel Konrad (SC Freiburg), Max Kruse (Werder Bremen), Mesut Özil (FC Schalke 04), Christian Sauter (VfB Stuttgart), Daniel Schwaab (SC Freiburg).

Forwards: Nils Petersen (FC Carl Zeiss Jena), Sidney Sam (Hamburger SV), Kevin Schindler (Werder Bremen), Sebastian Tyrala (BV Borussia Dortmund).

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Germany coach Frank Engel has called striker Dennis Schmidt into his 18-man squad for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship in Austria in place of the injured Kevin Schindler.

Schindler's loss
Werder Bremen forward Schindler, who has already appeared in the Bundesliga and the UEFA Cup for his club, is suffering from muscular problems and has been sent home after consultation with team doctors and Engel. "It was a difficult decision, but the risk would have been too big," said Engel. "We have to show some responsibility towards the player." With fellow forward Sebastian Tyrala suspended for Germany's first Group B game against Russia on Monday, Engel has turned to Bayer 04 Leverkusen's Schmidt, who recently won the German U19 league title with his club and scored four goals in qualifying for the finals.

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Despite reaching the first UEFA European Under-19 Championship final in 2002, Germany have never lifted the trophy and will be keen to make amends in Austria this summer.

Scoring spree
Germany missed out on the finals a year ago and began their 2006/07 campaign at breakneck speed, scoring 12 goals in their first two fixtures in qualifying round Group 9. Estonia were overcome 7-2 in Alloa with Sebastian Tyrala and substitute Max Kruse both scoring twice and Manuel Fischer, Sergeo Evljuskin and Dennis Schmidt also finding the net. Frank Engel's players carried that form into their next fixture, against Bosnia-Herzegovina, who were beaten 5-0 thanks to second-half goals from Schmidt (2), Daniel Halfar, Mesut Özli and Kruse again. Although hosts Scotland then defeated Germany 1-0 to win the section, progress was already assured.

Nine men hold on
Drawn in Group 1 in the Elite round, in contrast to the opening stage Germany made a slow start to the section with a goalless draw against Hungary at the Carlisle Stadium, Dublin. Engel's side got back to winning ways in their second fixture, however, Anis Ben-Hatira opening the scoring against mini-tournament hosts the Republic of Ireland in the 17th minute and Germany held firm despite ending the match with nine men, Alexander Eberlein and the goalscorer both collecting red cards in the second half.

Bulgaria defeated
That meant three points in their final fixture, against Bulgaria at Belfield Park in Dublin, would guarantee first place in the section and qualification for the finals, and Germany duly obliged with a solid 2-0 win. Bayer 04 Leverkusen forward Schmidt opened the scoring in the 21st minute before Hamburger SV striker Sidney Sam added a second six minutes later. Germany will hope for more of the same at the final tournament in Austria.

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Only Germany will be appearing in a fourth UEFA European Under-19 Championship finals in Austria to match the feat of their nemesis Spain.

Final blow
In the first U19 event in 2001/02, Germany won through to a final against Spain, only to lose to a Fernando Torres goal. Germany cruised into the Elite round the next season but defeat by the Czech Republic proved costly despite an extraordinary 8-4 success against Slovakia. Germany did reach the finals again in 2003/04 but failed to progress beyond the group stage, although they were the only one of the eight finalists to reach the 2005 event, qualifying unbeaten. In the group stage they lost their opener to Serbia and Montenegro before wins against Greece and hosts Northern Ireland took Germany into the semi-finals, although eventual champions France won that match 3-2.

Through again
Last season Germany missed out as, despite scoring 20 goals in their six qualifiers, their last Elite round match was lost 3-1 to eventual winners Spain. They made it in 2006/07, however, overcoming Estonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina before losing to Scotland in the qualifying round and then in Elite round Group 1, earned a goalless draw with Hungary before defeats of the Republic of Ireland and Bulgaria booked a finals place. Coach Frank Engel, who has worked with this team for 18 months, led the German Democratic Republic to third place in the 1986 European U16 Championship, beating West Germany for bronze.

Key players
Hertha BSC Berlin's powerful yet elegant defender Jerome Boateng made nine Bundesliga appearances in 2006/07 as well as playing in a further 15 games in the third division for the club's reserve side. Werder Bremen forward Kevin Schindler has only one top-flight game to his name but caught the eye with three UEFA Cup appearances, setting up Hugo Almeida's goal in a victory at CA Osasuna. Germany's strength mainly lies in attack, particularly Bayer 04 Leverkusen's Dennis Schmidt - scorer of four goals in five U19 appearances - and Daniel Halfar of 1.FC Kaiserslautern, who became the club's youngest scorer in 2005/06 when he struck twice against MSV Duisburg aged 18 years and 28 days.

UEFA European Under-19 Championship best:
Runners-up: 2002

Honours in UEFA youth competitions:

UEFA European Under-18 Championship
Winners: 1981 (West Germany), 1985 (East Germany)
Runners-up: 1994, 1998

UEFA European Under-16 Championship
Winners: 1984 (West Germany)
Runners-up: 1982 (West Germany), 1989 (East Germany)

International Youth Tournament (U18 )
Winners: 1965, 1970 (both East Germany)
Runners-up: 1954 (West Germany), 1969, 1973 (both East Germany)

Other honours:

FIFA U-20 World Cup
Runners-up: 1987 (West Germany)

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Frank Engel has been with the German Football Association (DFB) since January 2006 but has long experience coaching at this level. Although a promising player with former East German side FC Chemie Leipzig, Engel's career was cut short by chronic back pain. At the age of 25 he was employed as a coach by the East German Football Association and the likes of Matthias Sammer, Ulf Kirsten and Thomas Doll came under his wing. Notably he led his nation to third place at the 1986 UEFA European Under-16 Championship in Spain, beating Holger Osieck's West Germany for bronze.

After the Berlin wall came down, Engel's coaching career took him to Busan Daewoo Royals in Korea Republic and third division teams in eastern Germany before he stepped up a division to FC Carl Zeiss Jena for a six-month spell in 1997. In 1999 he worked as assistant to Jörg Berger at Eintracht Frankfurt before taking over at FC Rot-Weiss Erfurt the following year. In 2002 he worked under Berger at TSV Alemannia Aachen but after the second division team reached the German Cup final he left the club, though later had a spell at FC Hansa Rostock until August 2005.

The following January Engel joined the DFB on a contract until December 2008 and was put in charge of the U18 team, moving up with them to qualify for the 2007 UEFA European U19 Championship finals. On his appointment DFB president Theo Zwanziger explained: "We were looking for a coach who was educated in the former GDR because we want to add their experiences to our youth development. I am convinced Engel is an ideal addition to our coaching staff."

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National team competition record

Competition: U-19
Matches played: 198
Won: 113
Drawn: 37
Lost: 48
Goals for: 462
Goals against: 234

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Fixtures & Results »

Final tournament - Group phase
16.07.2007, v Russia, 18:00h
18.07.2007, v France, 20:00h
21.07.2007, v Serbia, 20:00h

Standings »
Group B Pld W D L GF GA Pts
France 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Germany 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Serbia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Russia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Podolski]

Who are the most promising players of the team?

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Originally Posted by Podolski

Who are the most promising players of the team?

The most valuable player is Mesut Özil.

Other good players are:
Jerome Boateng, Anis Ben-Hatira, Marko Marin, Kevin Schindler, Dennis Schmidt, Sebastian Tyrala..

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UEFA European Under-19 Championship Group B will go down to the wire - that is the prediction of Germany coach Frank Engel, whose team face Russia, France and Serbia in that pool.

Fine form
Engel's team did not concede a goal in the Elite round to show their strength and return to the U19s finals after missing out for the first time in three years last season. They will make the short trip in good heart, having begun the season with a 1-0 win in Austria and gone on to gain ten victories and two draws in 13 2006/07 fixtures. But Engel knows the final tournament is a step up.

High hopes
"I think both groups are difficult groups," Engel told uefa.com. "Anyone can beat anyone in this tournament. We have played Russia and France, there was not much in it. We have a good team, players who have played in the first and second division. And we have had many good performances this season and I hope we can win the tournament."

East German success
This is not Engel’s first final tournament as a coach, even though he only joined the German Football Association last year to take over this generation of players. Engel, who has coached in the Korea Republic and was most recently working at FC Hansa Rostock. At the age of 25, having retired from playing due to injury, he was employed as a coach by the East German Football Association and led his nation to third place at the 1986 UEFA European Under-16 Championship in Spain, beating Holger Osieck's West Germany for bronze.

Improvement
However, Engel says youth tournaments have moved on considerably in the intervening decades. "Modern football has improved, it is faster," he said. "And you can see that from how the tournaments are now organised, from the draw ceremony. Youth football has reached a more senior level. This tournament always contained the future, it shows players the way to become professional."

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[Oliver_Kahn]

Austrian Football Association president Friedrich Stickler is eagerly awaiting a "top-class event" as the 6th UEFA European Under-19 Championship kicks off this afternoon.

'More than a test'
With UEFA EURO 2008™ now less than a year away, the finals give the hosts the perfect opportunity to measure their preparations for next summer's event – which they will stage together with neighbours Switzerland – and Stickler is confident the next two weeks will provide evidence the plans are on course. "The province of Upper Austria is really excited about organising this tournament. I wouldn't call it a warm-up, it's a top-class event on its own," he told uefa.com. "Hopefully it will produce a good atmosphere and will make people aware for the first time how such tournaments work and what's coming next year. It's more than a test, it's a dry run for 2008."

'Thrilling' experience
Having being awarded two UEFA final tournaments in successive years, Stickler recognises considerable faith has been invested in Austria and the four U19 host cities – Linz, Pasching, Ried and Steyr – and he is confident his country can rise to the challenges that lie ahead. "Let's hope other people think [Austria have a good reputation for organising these events]," he said. "In the past we've done a good job of doing such things and I expect people will come here relying on our professionalism. The cities have never seen such a big tournament and of course for them it's thrilling. Right now there's a good atmosphere in all those cities and people are working very hard."

Strong support
Stickler was in attendance at last year's finals in Poland and is a keen supporter of the competition, adding: "There is some excellent football being played at U19 level. Sometimes it looks like the senior game." Uppermost in Stickler's mind, however, is the importance of ensuring everything runs smoothly and he is delighted with how things have gone so far. "The organisers have done a lot. In a political and economic sense everyone is behind this tournament. There's a lot of political backing for this tournament and plenty of sponsors have come on board so we've been getting all the support we needed – in fact, even more so."

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