Stuart Pearce will field a good side in the Herning Stadium, offering the pace of Daniel Sturridge, the midfield prompting of Jordan Henderson and the strong central-defensive axis of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. To their mild annoyance, England have spent the build-up being lectured on their limitations and Spanish potency. Frequent mention has been made of Barcelona being European champions and Spain conquering the world.
Pearce had heard enough. He came in from a vigorous final training session in Fredericia, calves bursting from his socks, a message leaping from his lips. "The Spanish are decent, but they didn’t win their qualifying group," Pearce pointed out. "Last time we came up against them [at Euro 2009] we beat them 2-0. Our Under-17s turned them over, our Under-19s drew with them."
He acknowledged their qualities. "Spain are an exciting nation at the moment," reflected Pearce. "They have talented players. Barcelona are a great team. It excites me to watch them, learning from them. I don’t fear that." Fitting Pearce’s own demeanour, Henderson, Sturridge and Danny Welbeck will run at Spain, playing with respect but no fear.
Pearce has instilled a strong camaraderie in this squad, a trait reflected in a cameo yesterday when Jones and Welbeck walked to the bus, bantering heavily, brothers in arms, although they could also have been swapping views on Manchester United. Welbeck is regarded enough by Sir Alex Ferguson to be included in his plans for next season while Jones will join once negotiations with Blackburn’s owners are completed. England has talent.
"Technically, we’re underestimated," argued the West Ham centre half, James Tomkins, slightly riled by a blast of criticism from Thiago. "They just see us as these big people who can’t play football. We can play good football. Barcelona are a one-off at the minute. They are a 'freakish' team if you think about what they’ve achieved and how they dominate every game.
"Don’t get me wrong, their individual players are unbelievable, but in terms of technical ability, we’re just as good.
"People may think the Spanish are going to dominate possession but that’s not always the case. We’ve got great players that can keep the ball. We might surprise a few people. There are different qualities about English football they haven’t got. We’re obviously physically a lot more developed than the Spanish. The English league is a lot more physically demanding. It’s more high-tempo stuff than the Spanish."
The Premier League has become home to more sophisticated football, acquiring elements of chess and losing elements of rollerball, but there is an enduring emphasis on breathless attack, storming forward to sate fans’ desire for ceaseless action. Inevitably, that leads to possession being risked.
"If you look at La Liga it is quite slow so you’ve got time to show different things," said Ryan Bertrand, the Chelsea left back. "In England the game is really fast. I personally feel that people are anticipating Sunday’s game so that they can say if we lose, 'oh, the Spanish are much better technically'. So it would be great to get one over them. The talent in this squad is phenomenal.
"Even in training, if you see some of the goals in tight spaces, it’s crazy. "I think 'wow, am I in this team?'"
A shrewd Spanish perspective comes from their centre half, Mikel San Jose, who spent 2007 to 2009 at Anfield under Rafael BenÃtez before returning to Athletic Bilbao.
"I miss Liverpool - the atmosphere there is fantastic and can’t be recreated," said San Jose, who credits Jamie Carragher for helping him develop. "It was difficult to understand Carragher’s accent for over a year but there are other ways of communicating. But he taught me everything.
"He used to say: 'We are defenders so we have to be aggressive but always make sure we use the ball well when we have it.' He taught me how to use my size and my body effectively and how to deal with different types of strikers. The aggression was something I had to learn and he made sure I learned well.
"The Premier League is more physical but in the Spanish league we play with more quality. I expect England to play the same way as they do in the Premier League, with strength and speed and we have to be thinking fast to cope.
"Sturridge is the biggest danger. He is an incredible striker, very fast and technically gifted. I played against him in the reserves when he was at Manchester City and he stood out. Now he has got even better. He can be a great player, even in that Chelsea team with Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. I am still confident we will beat England.
"I don’t know why England have struggled so much to win things. They have everything you need to be successful. Some people say it is because there are too many foreigners but I don’t think that is the real problem. How does that affect the great players like Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere and Rio Ferdinand? The problem must be mental. Maybe the pressure of not winning for so long from supporters or themselves is holding them back. We had the same problem before we won Euro 2008.
"Players who can’t get enough games should maybe try another league. If Sturridge cannot play enough games for Chelsea, he could maybe go on loan to Spain or Italy. Players like him are good enough. But the mentality of British players is normally not to travel."
Some are having to. Michael Mancienne is heading to join Frank Arnesen at Hamburg.
"I would loved to have played at Chelsea," said Mancienne. "I was there since I was eight but it is a difficult club to break through."
Bertrand finds his path blocked by Ashley Cole. "It’s a massive positive having him at Chelsea - and a massive hindrance too I suppose!" said Bertrand. "Ashley's a fantastic role model, despite all the stuff that gets put in [the papers] about him. He’s a brilliant man and a brilliant player to have around to help me with my game."
Scott Sinclair left Chelsea. "You’ve seen the benefit for Scott," said Bertrand. "He’s gone up this year with Swansea and it’s been fantastic for him. Everyone gets a fantastic education at Chelsea."
But they need more field work, more exposure. The last word has to go to the nation of the moment.
"Spain have so many good footballers because we are so good at producing different kinds," said Thiago. "At teams like Barcelona you have technically brilliant players while at teams like Athletic Bilbao you will see more physical players. We are able to mix all these different kinds to make the perfect team."
Pearce had heard enough. He came in from a vigorous final training session in Fredericia, calves bursting from his socks, a message leaping from his lips. "The Spanish are decent, but they didn’t win their qualifying group," Pearce pointed out. "Last time we came up against them [at Euro 2009] we beat them 2-0. Our Under-17s turned them over, our Under-19s drew with them."
He acknowledged their qualities. "Spain are an exciting nation at the moment," reflected Pearce. "They have talented players. Barcelona are a great team. It excites me to watch them, learning from them. I don’t fear that." Fitting Pearce’s own demeanour, Henderson, Sturridge and Danny Welbeck will run at Spain, playing with respect but no fear.
Pearce has instilled a strong camaraderie in this squad, a trait reflected in a cameo yesterday when Jones and Welbeck walked to the bus, bantering heavily, brothers in arms, although they could also have been swapping views on Manchester United. Welbeck is regarded enough by Sir Alex Ferguson to be included in his plans for next season while Jones will join once negotiations with Blackburn’s owners are completed. England has talent.
"Technically, we’re underestimated," argued the West Ham centre half, James Tomkins, slightly riled by a blast of criticism from Thiago. "They just see us as these big people who can’t play football. We can play good football. Barcelona are a one-off at the minute. They are a 'freakish' team if you think about what they’ve achieved and how they dominate every game.
"Don’t get me wrong, their individual players are unbelievable, but in terms of technical ability, we’re just as good.
"People may think the Spanish are going to dominate possession but that’s not always the case. We’ve got great players that can keep the ball. We might surprise a few people. There are different qualities about English football they haven’t got. We’re obviously physically a lot more developed than the Spanish. The English league is a lot more physically demanding. It’s more high-tempo stuff than the Spanish."
The Premier League has become home to more sophisticated football, acquiring elements of chess and losing elements of rollerball, but there is an enduring emphasis on breathless attack, storming forward to sate fans’ desire for ceaseless action. Inevitably, that leads to possession being risked.
"If you look at La Liga it is quite slow so you’ve got time to show different things," said Ryan Bertrand, the Chelsea left back. "In England the game is really fast. I personally feel that people are anticipating Sunday’s game so that they can say if we lose, 'oh, the Spanish are much better technically'. So it would be great to get one over them. The talent in this squad is phenomenal.
"Even in training, if you see some of the goals in tight spaces, it’s crazy. "I think 'wow, am I in this team?'"
"I miss Liverpool - the atmosphere there is fantastic and can’t be recreated," said San Jose, who credits Jamie Carragher for helping him develop. "It was difficult to understand Carragher’s accent for over a year but there are other ways of communicating. But he taught me everything.
"He used to say: 'We are defenders so we have to be aggressive but always make sure we use the ball well when we have it.' He taught me how to use my size and my body effectively and how to deal with different types of strikers. The aggression was something I had to learn and he made sure I learned well.
"The Premier League is more physical but in the Spanish league we play with more quality. I expect England to play the same way as they do in the Premier League, with strength and speed and we have to be thinking fast to cope.
"Sturridge is the biggest danger. He is an incredible striker, very fast and technically gifted. I played against him in the reserves when he was at Manchester City and he stood out. Now he has got even better. He can be a great player, even in that Chelsea team with Fernando Torres, Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba. I am still confident we will beat England.
"I don’t know why England have struggled so much to win things. They have everything you need to be successful. Some people say it is because there are too many foreigners but I don’t think that is the real problem. How does that affect the great players like Frank Lampard, Wayne Rooney, Jack Wilshere and Rio Ferdinand? The problem must be mental. Maybe the pressure of not winning for so long from supporters or themselves is holding them back. We had the same problem before we won Euro 2008.
"Players who can’t get enough games should maybe try another league. If Sturridge cannot play enough games for Chelsea, he could maybe go on loan to Spain or Italy. Players like him are good enough. But the mentality of British players is normally not to travel."
Some are having to. Michael Mancienne is heading to join Frank Arnesen at Hamburg.
"I would loved to have played at Chelsea," said Mancienne. "I was there since I was eight but it is a difficult club to break through."
Bertrand finds his path blocked by Ashley Cole. "It’s a massive positive having him at Chelsea - and a massive hindrance too I suppose!" said Bertrand. "Ashley's a fantastic role model, despite all the stuff that gets put in [the papers] about him. He’s a brilliant man and a brilliant player to have around to help me with my game."
Scott Sinclair left Chelsea. "You’ve seen the benefit for Scott," said Bertrand. "He’s gone up this year with Swansea and it’s been fantastic for him. Everyone gets a fantastic education at Chelsea."
But they need more field work, more exposure. The last word has to go to the nation of the moment.
"Spain have so many good footballers because we are so good at producing different kinds," said Thiago. "At teams like Barcelona you have technically brilliant players while at teams like Athletic Bilbao you will see more physical players. We are able to mix all these different kinds to make the perfect team."
