England U21s have perennially underachieved in the Under-21 Euros in the last six tournaments, progressing from the group stages on just one occasion despite the abundance of talent each squad has possessed.
The youth side have a chance to put things right this time around, with Lee Carsley in charge and managing the side as they look to defeat group opponents Czech Republic, Germany and Israel.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Emile Smith Rowe, Noni Madueke, Anthony Gordon, Curtis Jones and Levi Colwill are all among the strong squad, ensuring England head into the tournament in Romania and Georgia naturally as one of the favourites.
Carsley is also expectant, with Czech Republic the first side they'll face on Thursday night.
"Ultimately, we want to try to win it," Carsley tells FourFourTwo. "But, more importantly, we want to go there and perform, which we haven’t done in the past.
"We’ve gone into tournaments with a lot of expectation and not been able to live up to it. Our past doesn’t point to success – we’ve not won this tournament since 1984 – but it’s about making our own history by removing the result and focusing on the performance."
Carsley has been in charge of the England U21 team since July 2021, stepping up from the U20 side. He's clearly enthusiastic about seeing young players develop, as he reflects on his time in charge while also highlighting the importance of the players experiencing the unique pressures of tournament football.
"I see that as a big part of their development. You’re away from home for two or three weeks, playing games you need to win, and you have to perform. You need the mentality to deal with disappointments and recover.
"I’ve really enjoyed the last two years. I’m happy with where the squad is. It’s always evolving, because players are going up to the seniors and we’re taking players up from the Under-20s.
"I don’t think we’ve picked the same team for two matches on the trot, which is the nature of development football. Players have adapted well to what we’ve been asking them to do, and we’ve tried to play to their strengths and create an enjoyable environment."
Carsley's predecessor, Aidy Boothroyd, once said while in the role, “I know the senior men’s job has been called ‘the impossible job’ but the Under-21s is the utterly impossible job”. The former Irish international disagrees, though, when FFT presents that assertion to him.
"I don’t share that view," Carsley says. "It is a job with a lot of responsibility. We have to tick a lot of boxes: producing players for the senior team; giving lads good international experience with the teams they face, the travel we do, and the countries we go to; ensuring we give a good account of ourselves on and off the pitch; representing England and the FA in the right way... and we also need to win, which is a big thing when it comes to tournament football."
However, the shortage of young English players featuring regularly in the Premier League is certainly something he considers could arguably have a greater impact on his squad.
"It’s definitely a concern because you haven’t got the number of players to choose from that other countries do.
"It’s noticeable when you look at the Czech Republic, Germany and Israel squads [England’s group opponents]: they have players getting plenty of minutes in their own leagues. From the outside, the frustrating thing is that these players have the quality – they just sometimes don’t get the opportunity. It’s about having that trust."
Regardless, there's still plenty of quality in the team excelling in the Premier League, ensuring they secured convincing qualifying wins against Czech Republic and Albania, for example, as well as 4-0 friendly win against France in March.
Despite those victories, Carsley points to a slightly surprising game as the result which gave him the most satisfaction while in charge of the team.
"Andorra away, which might sound strange," he answers. "We flew into Barcelona, then had a two-hour bus journey through countryside. We were playing on a plastic pitch and it was really hot; we told the players that, mentally, it would be a difficult game.
"We just couldn’t break them down. Then we had a man sent off. Getting a breakaway goal right towards the end of the game was important – Curtis Jones ran through and made the final pass with real care to Emile Smith Rowe, who timed his run perfectly and finished in such a ruthless manner. That moment stood out."
