Troy Deeney talking utter bollocks on Talksport ( No surprise ) saying this U21 tournament is a waste of time for players like Livramento and would rather see them play in a friendly against Senegal for the seniors instead.
Deeney using his vast experience of international football to determine what's best for players who are clearly better than he ever was. He should stick to talking about things he knows - like beating up students.
Norton-Cuffy on Lee Carsley - “He’s very, very good at making everyone feel involved,” Norton-Cuffy said. “In tournament football, you bring a lot of people and everyone can’t play, but you know you’re still a massive part of it. “We’re seeing that now, a lot of subs are coming on, and making a big impact and changing the game. He emphasises that a lot and for us just to stick together, keep our heads. “His man-management is very good. I wasn’t involved in a few of the earlier campaigns. He’ll take the time to give me a ring and tell me to just keep going and say ‘you’re doing well’ and ‘you’ve been a big part’ and that I’ll get my chance.” https://onefootball.com/editorial/41281956?language=en
An old-school centre half who enjoys country music, the ex-Arsenal star thriving in Serie A and the wonderkid who loves chess... meet the England Under 21s going for glory in Slovakia https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...Arsenal-star-Serie-wonderkid-England-21s.html I knew Alex Scott knew Maya Le Tissier (England Women’s CB) but didn’t realise she was his stepsister.
Under-21 semi-finals: England vs Netherlands facts England renew their rivalry with Netherlands in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-finals at the National Football Stadium in Bratislava having never lost a competitive match against their opponents. Holders England were second behind Germany in Group B but then prevailed 3-1 against Spain in the quarter-finals, a repeat of the 2023 decider. Netherlands survived playing more than an hour with ten men after Ruben van Bommel's first-half dismissal to edge out Portugal 1-0 in the last eight, Ernest Poku scoring a late winner. They were also runners-up in their section on four points, three behind Group D winners Denmark. Previous European U21 Championship meetings Matches 7 England wins 2 Netherlands wins 0 Draws 5 England goals 9 Netherlands goals 5 A late Thom van Bergen goal earned Netherlands a 1-1 friendly draw at home to England on 18 November last year, Dane Scarlett having given the visitors a fifth-minute lead. Netherlands were 2-1 home winners against England on 19 November 2019, Javairô Dilrosun scoring the decisive goal two minutes into added time. That is the Jong Oranje's only victory in their last seven games against England, and the only one not to end in a draw. The last three competitive matches between the sides have ended all square, most recently in the 2019 qualifying competition. England's Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring in Doetinchem, Bart Ramselaar earning a 1-1 draw for the home side; the return fixture in Norwich ended scoreless. It took an epic shoot-out to settle the 2007 semi-final between the teams, hosts Netherlands eventually prevailing 13-12 on penalties after each side had taken 16 kicks. Maceo Rigters' 89th-minute equaliser had cancelled out Leory Lita's 39th-minute opener for Netherlands, who went on to claim their second successive title. England had qualified for the 2002 tournament at Netherlands' expense, winning their play-off 3-2 on aggregate. Goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Dirk Kuyt had put the home side 2-0 up in the first leg in Utrecht, only for Sean Davis and David Dunn to earn a draw for David Platt's England, who went through thanks to Michael Carrick's second-leg strike. Mike Sheron scored twice and Darren Anderton once as England beat Netherlands 3-0 in Portsmouth in 1994 qualifying; the first game in Utrecht had finished 1-1. Poku got Netherlands' second goal in a 3-2 Under-18 friendly win against England in November 2021. Form guide England This is England's 11th semi-final – level with Italy and Spain as the most in the competition's history. Their record is W4 L6: 1978 Yugoslavia L 2-3 aggregate (1-2 h, 1-1 a) 1980 East Germany L 1-3 aggregate (1-2 a, 0-1 h) 1982 Scotland W 2-1 aggregate (1-0 a, 1-1 h) 1984 Italy W 3-2 aggregate (3-1 h, 0-1 a) 1986 Italy L 1-3 aggregate (0-2 h, 1-1 a) 1988 France L 4-6 aggregate (2-4 a, 2-2 h) 2007 Netherlands L 1-1 aet, 12-13 pens 2009 Sweden W 3-3 aet, 5-4 pens 2017 Germany L 2-2 aet, 3-4 pens 2023 Israel W 3-0 Before beating Israel two years ago, England's previous three semi-finals had been settled by penalty shoot-outs. England are in the knockout stages for the fifth time since an eight-team final tournament was introduced in 1998. Before 2023 they had won only one of their four previous knockout ties in those finals but have now been victorious in the last four. A team coached by Lee Carsley claimed England's first U21 title in 39 years in 2023, finishing first in Group C on a maximum nine points before beating Portugal (1-0), Israel (3-0) and Spain (1-0). This is England's tenth successive final tournament campaign – the longest ongoing sequence in the competition – and a 12th overall; they last missed out in 2006. Carsley's side qualified for these finals as Group F winners (W8 D1 L1), their 41 goals more than any other side. A 3-2 loss against runners-up Ukraine was their first away qualifying defeat in 12 years. Harvey Elliott – a member of the victorious 2023 squad – was England's top scorer in qualifying on seven goals. The 0-0 Matchday 2 draw against Slovenia ended England's run of eight successive final tournament victories. A 1-2 defeat against Germany on Matchday 3 is England's only loss in 11 finals matches (W9 D1). Champions in 1982 and 1984, England also reached four further semi-finals in the first six editions of the European U21 Championship. Netherlands The Dutch are in the semi-finals for the seventh time – their record is W2 L4: 1988 Greece L 2-5 aggregate (0-5 a, 2-0 h) 1998 Greece L 0-3 2006 France W 3-2 (aet) 2007 England W 1-1 (aet, 13-12 pens) 2013 Italy L 0-1 2021 Germany L 1-2 Netherlands have gone on to take the trophy on each occasion they have won their semi-final. The Jong Oranje have reached the final tournament for the eighth time, although only the fourth since claiming back-to-back titles in 2006 and, as hosts, 2007. In 2023 a team coached by Erwin van de Looi drew all three games to finish third in Group A behind co-hosts Georgia and Portugal. That was only the second final tournament in which Netherlands had failed to progress from the group stage and the first since 2000. Now coached by Michael Reiziger, Netherlands were the first side to qualify for the 2025 finals and finished with the only 100% record, their 30 points leaving them 11 points above Group C runners-up Georgia. Reiziger's side conceded only three goals, less than any other side. Noah Ohio was the Jong Oranje's top scorer in qualifying with seven goals. The 1-2 Matchday 2 loss to Denmark ended Netherlands' 24-match unbeaten run in U21 EURO qualifying and final tournament matches (W18 D6), since losing 1-2 against Germany in the 2021 semi-finals. Links and trivia Have played in England: Ian Maatsen (Chelsea 2018–24, Charlton 2020/21 loan, Coventry 2021/22 loan, Burnley 2022/23 loan, Aston Villa 2024–) Million Manhoef (Stoke 2024–) Rav van den Berg (Middlesbrough 2023–) Dani van den Heuvel (Leeds 2020–24) Noah Ohio (Manchester United youth 2015/16, Manchester City youth 2016–19, Hull 2024 loan) Has played in Netherlands: CJ Egan-Riley (PSV Eindhoven 2024 loan) Have played together: Hayden Hackney & Rav van den Berg (Middlesbrough 2023–) Archie Gray & Dani van den Heuvel (Leeds 2020–24) Charlie Cresswell & Dani van den Heuvel (Leeds 2020–22) James Beadle & Ian Maatsen (Charlton 2020/21) Tino Livramento & Ian Maatsen (Chelsea 2018–21) James McAtee, CJ Egan-Riley & Noah Ohio (Manchester City youth 2016–19) Samuel Iling-Junior and Ian Maatsen are both Aston Villa players. Tommy Simkin and Million Manhoef are both on the books at Stoke, although the England goalkeeper spent 2024/25 on loan at Walsall. Ohio won six caps for England's Under-16 side, scoring once. https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/029a-1e1208ba7e5c-3c23a5df965f-1000--under-21-semi-finals-england-vs-netherlands-facts/
View from the camps Lee Carsley, England manager: "We've been watching the Netherlands for maybe six months. One of the things we do between camps is watch the top teams and I'd definitely put them in that bracket. They are an exciting team, a team that we will be fully prepared for and we will look forward to the game." Harvey Elliott, England midfielder: "We saw their [quarter-final] result and fair play to them. It was an incredible performance. We'll turn our heads to them, prepare and be ready for another tough test. They showed their quality and why they should be in the semi-finals. It's going to be another tough outing but we'll go in strong again." Michael Reiziger, Netherlands coach: "I'm very proud of the work my players did [in the quarter-finals]. They fought for every metre on the field. It was a victory that we had to go very deep for." Ian Maatsen, Netherlands defender: "We were down to ten men very early [in the quarter-finals] and we needed to fight to the last minute. We had to dig in as a team. But we worked very hard; we kept believing. We showed we are a good team. We can compete, even with a man less. I'm really proud of the team." https://www.uefa.com/under21/news/0...therlands-u21-euro-semi-final-preview-where-/
Makes a change reading something pretty decent from the Mail when regarding an England team as opposed to the usual derailing articles they usually put out.
They are usually good for the U21 tournaments. Only ones that seem to always send someone out for it.
I’ve seen it mentioned before but they never said they were related in a podcast interview they did together. Do they have the goalkeepers the wrong way round. Simkin is N.13 so presumably second choice?
I don’t think the numbers mean anything. Sharman-Lowe is the only one with a cap. Wouldn’t be a shock if he’s number two.
something of a gut check but Hackey and Anderson have both switch from Scotland, essentially tying them to England from here on out, correct? or is there one more swap they're eligible for after U21 level? trying to read the 2009 statute change and want to be sure i'm interpreting it correctly.
Pretty sure they are tied to us now unless FIFA move the goal posts yet again when it comes to this topic.
Hackney hasn’t played a competitive game for Scotland. So, he never officially switched to them when he played for them.
“The skill of a coach is making sure you get the best out of the players that you’ve got in front of you, not trying to make them something that they’re not,” Carsley said. “I think we’ve done quite well in that. “We’ve tried to put them in positions where they can be really effective, whether that be with or without the ball. “Ideally, and I’ve spoken to the players about it, you want to coach a team where you’re watching the team play and you’re enjoying watching them. And that Spain game and the second half of the Germany game, you’re on the side, enjoying watching the players play and expressing themselves. “You want foreign journalists to speak about our players the way that we sometimes speak about their players in terms of their technical ability or the way that they can take the ball. I think we’re definitely changing that perception of English players.” Carsley also insisted the fear of missing penalties is a thing of the past due to former Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate. “It’s definitely something Gareth really pushed,” Carsley said. “We speak a lot about routine, almost like a golf swing where you would address the ball, take your time, think about your shot, the breathing; there’s a lot more that goes into it. But taking a penalty in a shootout is a totally different mentality.” https://onefootball.com/editorial/41287175?language=en
England U21 star Scott hails team-mate Anderson ahead of Euros semi-final England U21 midfielder Alex Scott hailed teammate Elliot Anderson for his significant impact in helping the Young Lions progress to the semi-finals of the U21 European Championship. The pair have impressed as defensive midfielders in Lee Carsley’s 4-2-2-2 system throughout this summer’s tournament. Anderson had a standout season for Nottingham Forest, providing eight goal contributions as the Reds secured European football for the first time since 1996. The Bournemouth midfielder was full of praise for his midfield partner, with the duo expected to start against the Netherlands in the semi-final on Wednesday night. “[It’s been] really enjoyable,” he said. “He’s obviously had an amazing season at Forest. He’s shown what he can do in the Premier League. “Then, to come here, he’s a massive player for us and he brings us so much experience, energy and his technical ability is very good as well. I’ve loved every minute of playing next to him in midfield. “We have a great relationship off the pitch and that comes on the pitch as well. He’s a top, top player and we get along all the time.” Scott will be hoping to draw on experience gained from competing in the U19 European Championship back in 2022, where he scored with his first touch of the game in the semi-final against Italy. “It’s on a different scale,” he said. “You’re playing for the U21s now, and we’ve seen how good they were two years ago and what it took for them to win it. So I think that’s almost the baseline for us. “Like (Lee) Carsley said, we’re a different group of players. We know what it takes to win, some of us, in the U19s. But we’re just looking forward to it. We’ve been working so hard throughout the qualifying campaign, and we deserve to be here. “Obviously, we’re an England team. We go into every game with the mindset that we have the ability to win the game. So there’s no reason why we’re not going to do that tomorrow.” https://hayters.com/england-u21-star-scott-hails-team-mate-anderson-ahead-of-euros-semi-final/amp/