European U-21 Championship 2015: England Team Guide
The European U-21 Championship kicks off on June 17 in Prague, giving us football fans a welcome reprieve from tedious summer transfer links and a lack of competitive domestic football.
This exciting tournament is where some of tomorrow's stars announce themselves, and the squads selected for ooze class and quality. In 2013, Thiago Alcantara, Isco, Asier Illarramendi and more all shone as Spain decimated all before them, but who will catch the eye this year?
B/R is previewing each of the eight nations competing, with England the final call. How will Gareth Southgate's men get on in the Czech Republic this summer?
Links to the series:
All statistics, fixture details and results via UEFA.com unless otherwise noted.
Road to the Finals
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England reached the 2015 European Under-21 Championship by putting together an almost flawless qualification campaign, going unbeaten through 10 games in Group 1, winning it, then beating Croatia in the play-offs.
The only match they failed to win was against Finland in Tampere, where a second-half Saido Berahino strike cancelled out an early Moshtagh Yaghoubi goal.
Results
Match 1: England 1-0 Moldova
Match 2: Finland 1-1 England
Match 3: San Marino 0-4 England
Match 4: England 5-0 Lithuania
Match 5: England 3-0 Finland
Match 6: England 9-0 San Marino
Match 7: England 1-0 Wales
Match 8: Wales 1-3 England
Match 9: Lithuania 0-1 England
Match 10: Moldova 0-3 England
England were a seeded nation for the play-offs and drew Croatia, beating them 4-2 on aggregate (2-1 in both legs) to progress to the tournament proper in the Czech Republic. Marko Livaja, a star of the U-20 World Cup in 2013, netted in both ties, but the Three Lions eventually found their groove and finished the job.
Gareth Southgate's men conceded just two goals in the 10 regular qualification games, and they scored 31. Saido Berahino (10 goals, nine in the regular campaign) finished as top scorer not just for England but the entire qualification process.
Squad
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England's official Twitter account broke the news of Gareth Southgate's provisional 27-man squad on May 20. The selection was then cut by four in time for the start of the tournament.
Here is the squad:
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Stoke City), Jonathan Bond (Watford) and Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham).
Defenders: Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Luke Garbutt (Everton), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal), Michael Keane (Burnley), Liam Moore (Leicester City), John Stones (Everton) and Matt Targett (Southampton).
Midfielders: Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea), Will Hughes (Derby), Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton and Hove Albion), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathan Redmond (Norwich City) and James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
Forwards: Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur) and Danny Ings (Burnley).
Manager Profile: Gareth Southgate
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After Stuart Pearce's six-year stint as England U21 manager came to an end in 2013, Roy Hodgson and the FA chose Gareth Southgate as the man to take the reins.
He'd been working in the background while Pearce was in charge, and his brief upon stepping forward was to take full control of the qualification campaign for the 2015 European Under-21 Championship.
There is a certain stigma surrounding Southgate's name in England, partly because of the iffy job he did at Middlesbrough, resulting in their relegation from the Premier League in 2009, but also because of his infamous penalty miss in the Euro 96 semi-finals against Germany. Yes, people still remember—and blame.
He's committed to changing his image, and that's shone through in England's football, playing with a certain poise in possession but also a much-needed bite. He hasn't presided over a basic 4-4-2-esque lump-it-and-run format; he's encouraged good football, and the results in qualifying suggest he's achieving his goals.
This summer tournament in the Czech Republic will be a chance for a certain measure of redemption for Southgate.
Star Man: Nathan Redmond
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Despite the obvious star power in attack and the calm, somewhat underrated pool of talent England have in defence, Nathan Redmond is the U21 side's star man.
Watch the goals back from the Three Lions' qualifying campaign, and Redmond is at the heart of most of them. Over the last six months or so, it's really clicked for him football-wise—not only has he taken on a mammoth role in the national setup, but he's already returned to the Premier League following a sparkling renaissance for Norwich City in 2015.
He's a very dangerous dribbler, is constantly on the move and understands how to find space. He'll pop up on the left, right or in a central position, drifting around in order to probe for weak spots. He is lightning fast with or without the ball, and he's the spark for many England's attacks.
One to Watch: Harry Kane
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It's got to be Harry Kane, hasn't it?
Saido Berahino scored 10 goals in qualifying—the most of any player during the entire process—but Kane's emergence this season has forced Gareth Southgate's hand somewhat. Kane simply has to be on the pitch whenever possible.
He scored an extremely respectable five during qualifying, and he's already made a bigger impact on the senior side than Berahino, netting on his debut just minutes after coming on as a substitute and starting a game against Italy.
Kane is already used to carrying the weight of expectation, but it will be interesting to see how he continues to mesh with an U21 setup that Southgate has knit closely together. He could be the ace in the pack on the way to victory.
European Under-21 Championship Record
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England have won the U-21 European Championships twice in their history, managing back-to-back triumphs in 1982 and 1984. There haven't been any more triumphs since, although there have been five semi-final showings in total. They reached the final in 2009, only to be battered 4-0 by Germany.
Since that loss, England have not managed to clamber out of the groups, dropping out of the process in disappointing fashion in 2013, winning zero games and scoring just one goal.
But it's a clean slate under Gareth Southgate, and this team is free from the monotonous, negative overtones of Stuart Pearce's reign.
Team Record at the European Under-21 Championship
Wins: 2
Runners-up: 1
Semi-finals: 5
Group-stage finishes: 4
Failed to qualify: 6
Group Fixtures
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Match 1: England vs. Portugal
Venue: Mestsky Fotbalovy Stadion, Uherske Hradiste
Date: Thursday June 18, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
Match 2: Sweden vs. England
Venue: Andruv Stadion, Olomouc
Date: Sunday, June 21, 2015
Time: 5 p.m. BST
Match 3: England vs. Italy
Venue: Andruv Stadion, Olomouc
Date: Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Time: 7:45 p.m. BST
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