Hot on the heels of their victory at Walsall against a rather unimpressive Sweden side, England’s Under-21s have had a further home friendly added to their 2013 schedule. Expected to be their last home game before they head to Israel for UEFA Euro 2013, England’s newly arranged fixture against Austria takes them to The AMEX, the home of Brighton & Hove Albion.
Finally we can get back down to business. Christmas is disappearing out of view in the mirror and that dastardly transfer window is now closed until the summer. Oh February, how welcome are thee! The football is back in the spotlight and England stops for no man – not even Mario Balotelli. Here’s this week’s roundup of non-transferry England links.
It’s been a chaotic week for England, with the Under-21s defeating Serbia twice to reach UEFA Euro 2013 and the senior side picking up four points from two FIFA World Cup 2014 qualifiers. Both endured trying circumstances. In Serbia, Stuart Pearce’s team found itself at the centre of a racism storm, while Roy Hodgson’s first team had their match in Poland delayed by 20 hours. Here’s some of the other news of the week.
If you’re so inclined, you can now declare the 2012/13 football season officially open. For with the European Championships now long since having escaped the rear-view mirror and the Olympic Games all but polished off, your weekly round-up of England links is back. Fridays will never be the same again (until the next time two big work projects collide).
At the age of 22, Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge has achieved much and still has many successes ahead of him. Already a Premier League and FA Cup winner, Sturridge also commanded a tribunal fee now reportedly amounting to £6.5m when he moved to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City three years ago. At City he developed a reputation as an exciting young prospect, and few were surprised when Chelsea took on his contract in 2009. There were high expectations of Sturridge – there still are – but doubts also remain.
Supporting the England national football team from a fresh perspective.
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