Peacock shows his colours

By Paul Saffer

When the eight contenders gather in Italy in the first week of May for the UEFA European Under-17 Championship, only one nation will be completing a perfect set of four final tournaments since the first edition in 2001/02.

Elite round success
England were semi-finalists in Denmark, Portugal and again in France 12 months ago, and the latter two runs were masterminded by the coach who has again led them past the Elite round - John Peacock. This time they faced a tough pool, but comfortably defeated Serbia and Montenegro, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to win Group 2, drawing an aggregate crowd of well over 15,000 along the way. Peacock admits the victories were hugely satisfying.

'Very pleased'
"The games went better than expected," Peacock told uefa.com. "We knew it was a very tough group. Serbia and Montenegro were very technically efficient, and you know when you play the Irish you are in for a very difficult game. All in all I am very pleased."

Tuscan tests
In Tuscany, England have been drawn in Group A with Belarus, Turkey and the hosts. Peacock's team beat Italy 2-1 in September, but the coach, who also heads England's U20 squad, concedes that the other opponents are an unknown quantity.

'Tough opposition'
"I haven't had the chance to see Turkey or Belarus, they're new to me really," he said. "The draw was always going to be difficult, the eight teams are all here on merit. We expect to play against tough opposition."

Extra difficulty
Meeting the hosts in Cascina on 8 May has its own pressures. "It is our last game, so it adds even more to it," Peacock said. "It was always going to be a very crucial match, but playing the home nation makes it even more difficult."

Added incentive
If Peacock's side can progress past the group and go at least one better than his previous two campaigns, when they finished fourth, England will qualify for their first FIFA U-17 World Championship in Peru later this year. He said: "We've never qualified for the World Championship so it is one of our targets. Without doubt it's good to test ourselves against nations we haven't played before, that can only benefit the players."

Rotation system
Having played in three tournaments this season even before the Elite round, England are well prepared, not least for the specific rigours of competition action. Peacock said: "I've used about 28 or 29 players this year - when it comes to the qualifying tournaments rotation plays its part. And if you get to the final, you are playing five games so coaches have to look at using different players."

Tournament practice
He added: "We work on the adage that the best education a player can get is to try and play in the best tournaments. Tournament football is a bit of a speciality in its own right - playing three games in five or six days is very difficult for young players, or even senior players. It is important to try and qualify for the finals because you are going to get the best teams there and that can only help the long-term development of the players."

Youth investment
That ambition is aided, former Derby County FC academy chief Peacock believes, by investment in youth football by English clubs. "Since the academy system was set up in 1998 there has been a great deal of work and investment in youth development - and you see the results from our achievements in Europe at U17 and U19 levels."