A Liverpool defender is hopeful that the U21 match at Kenilworth Road would receive a less hostile reaction.
When he plays for the England U21s against the Austria U21s at Kenilworth Road this evening, Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah is hoping for a less hostile response.
The 21-year-old is anticipated to start for the Young Lions this evening, their first home U21 international since a 6-0 triumph over San Marino in 1993, carrying over from Saturday’s goalless draw with Northern Ireland U21s in Ballymena. Quansah had visited the location previously, when the Reds hosted Luton in the Premier League during the previous season. Tahith Chong gave Luton the lead late in the game, but Luis Diaz equalized in stoppage time, nearly completing one of their most remarkable triumphs.
On that particular day, 11,049 people were there, but the cacophony of sounds produced when Chong executed a brilliant counterattack gave the impression that there were thousands more. Quansah, who had not been used as a replacement that night, stated, “It will be different,” in reference to the mood. I’m hoping it won’t be quite as harsh as it was when I visited. The stadium is close together and you nearly feel like the fans are on top of you, but I’ve played in League One previously, so I was immediately at ease there.
A few English players will have seen Kenilworth Road at its finest: forward Morgan Rogers was a member of the Aston Villa team that won 3-2 the previous season, and goalkeeper James Trafford plays there for Burnley this term. Quansah is one of those guys. Quansah, who played for Bristol Rovers in League One during the 2022–2023 season, believes it’s a nice ground for the young players in the top division to get a chance to play on.
“I think so,” he went on, “especially considering that some of the Liverpool players have never played in a stadium like that.” It’s always exciting to witness the build-up and the drive as thousands of supporters pour into the stadium; you don’t usually see that at a venue this size. Although it’s all part of the process, I believe that the changing rooms need to be larger right now because they’re so little.
Having played there twice in his career, at Oldham Athletic and Bury, interim manager Ben Futcher shared the same sentiments as his youthful center back. He expressed his optimism for a strong attendance to witness some of the most gifted young players in England, saying: “I was just telling some of the lads who haven’t played there that it’s a fantastic stadium when you get a good crowd in.”
Many of the younger guys haven’t played at the old school stadiums where everything is right on top of them and lit up. It’s going to be an amazing night with a great pitch, and the spectators are near to you. We want a fantastic environment and a very pleasant feel for the players, therefore we want to draw in a sizable crowd. Our goal is for them to have the greatest experiences possible.
It’s odd since Tom Huddlestone, a member of the coaching staff, hasn’t played here either. I believe that one or two players have played here, but I don’t know of any. Years ago, I did. It may have altered slightly because, I believe, they now have a new stand for the Premier League! Everyone is excited about it, and I believe the mood will be fantastic. It will be terrific.
Futcher concluded by saying, “It’s a difficult place to go against really motivated opposition,” after England’s goalless draw with Northern Ireland on Friday cost them two crucial U21 Euro Championship qualification points. Although the outcome was disappointing, there wasn’t much wrong with the performance when you analyze it closely. We may not have had the last action, or the finish, to match the 80 percent possession and 20 shots that we had.
“I believe that had we scored the first goal, the statistics would have shown that we would have scored more goals, but we failed to score the first. They played solid defense, and as the game dragged on, the players were a little impatient, but overall, they gave good performances. All we were lacking was that one discovery that may have resulted in more.
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