England U-20 Discussions Thread (2004 born)

I think it’s Nmecha that’s dropped out, not sure about anyone else though.

 

Anyone heard anything about the team for today’s game?

 

not yet, kicks off in 20 minutes.

 

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Simpson out.

 

Maybe a 4-3-3? The teamsheet is showing Lewis and Embleton as forwards and Nelson as a midfielder. If they've got Embleton and Nelson the wrong way round, a midfield of Willock/Field/Embleton and a front line of Lewis/Hirst/Nelson would make a bit of sense.

 

I hope you're right. If it's 5-3-2, i'm done.

 

I mean, it still wouldn't make a ton of sense. Kelly and Dasilva in the same defence requires one of them to play at centre-back. Can't figure this one out.

 

Kelly has played CB a few times for Bristol City this season

 

Won 2-0, Hirst and Embleton.

 

That’s quite depressing that Embleton is now on loan at Grimsby in League 2! I would have thought he can’t be too happy about that since Sunderland are in League one themselves. Don’t really get why he couldn’t play for Sunderland first team this season.

 

Yeah, it's surprising, but I guess it's still better that he will play regularly, rather than getting 10 or 20 minutes at Sunderland. Grimsby has a young and not conventional manager in Michael Jolley, this can also help him.

 

Nelson is with Hoffenheim, so he'll not be playing for the U20s this afternoon.

 

The Dutch seem to have turned this game around and are now leading 2-1

Simpson out

Now 3-1

 

Dammit. Was quite a strong lineup we fielded for once as well. Willock and edwards starting is a rarity these days

 

they should definitely be trying to get Eze in the U20 squad for the Elite League games in October.

 

Bristol City fans raving about Lloyd Kelly at left-back. Some talking their best academy product and he just a replaced a decent one.

On the disappointing side it means Jay Da Silva has continued to be on the bench.


Reece James looks to be thriving out on loan. Taken massive strides and Toulon really gave him a springboard for England.


Nmecha & Brereton still trying to make a play this season for their loan clubs in Champ.

 

Interesting to see Herbie Kane doing really well at Doncaster. I'm as guilty of this as anyone, but I think it's easy to sometimes write players off if they're not elite prospects in an age group, especially if they're from a big club and we get overly familiar with him. Impressing in a decent L1 side at 19 is solid progress, not sure he's gonna ever be someone that excites us but he could rise pretty quickly.

When the 96 + 97's age out of the U21s next summer, there's gonna be a weird crop of players left to fill out the U21 squad. The best 2000s will probably be straight in, but then promoted to the Seniors not long after. It'll be a bit early for some of the other 00s and the 98s + 99s are a real mix. Tom Davies will be the only real senior carry over in the squad.

The last transition was really smooth because of the U20 WC side, but I wouldn't want to predict the starting XI next September.

 

I’m struggling to think of players that might make up the crux of the side. As you said, the best 00s and Mount will probably play a handful of games at most before transitioning up. The other fringe players such as Barnes, Roberts will be 21 already.

Wonder if we’ll see a few ‘bolters’ from lower league clubs that were off our radar. Players in the mould of Harry Maguire or James Maddison.

 

I think Kane is more important than some other youngsters because he is the kind of intelligent midfielder England have few of, so it's very good to see he is doing so well in League One.

 

It is quite hard to predict but it's not impossible that, say, TAA will drop back down if Trippier and Walker are holding down their senior squad places, or that Mount will return to Chelsea rather than taking a PL loan and won't play enough to make the seniors, or that Foden will stay at Man City and do likewise. There are also a few players who made the Toulon squad who might well be important players at least at the start of the next cycle, such as Jay Dasilva, Ronaldo Vieira, Eddie Nketiah and so on. Trevoh Chalobah and Reiss Nelson strike me as predictable inclusions, and I think the depth in the 2000s will mean that plenty of very good players aren't in contention for the senior side for some time. Someone like Hudson-Odoi could probably add something to the under-21s already, and Sessegnon might take a while to graduate to the seniors too.

Interesting to see how it pans out though, as you say.

 

I think there is quite a bit of talent that will step up from all sorts of places. Marcus Edwards, Chris Willock are two that spring to mind. And of course, we are only talking next season so it's likely that most of the stars from 00 (and Mount) will still be on the outside as for as the seniors go. Not hard to imagine Sancho being the only one who moves up in the Autumn of 2019. That leaves plenty of talent, especially going forward - Mount, Foden, CHO, Edwards, Willock, Rowe-Smith, Nelson. Mouth watering really. Not as strong at the back or at No 9, of course...

 

Brewster should be unbroken by then.