Key events
More from Nick Ames on the England Under-21 conundrum:
Team news
Czech Republic U21 (3-4-1-2): Hornicek; Spacil, Prebsl, Chaloupek; Hadas, Vydra, Stransky, Suchomel; Danek; Sejk, Fila.
Subs: Borek, Koutny, Kozeluh, Kricfalusi, Labik, Paluska, Halinsky, Karabec,
Visinsky, Sojka, Langhamer, Vecheta.
England U21 (4-3-3): Beadle; Livramento, Cresswell, Quansah, Gray; Anderson, Scott, Elliott; McAtee, Hutchinson, Rowe.
Subs: Sharman-Lowe, Simkin, Edwards, Egan-Riley, Norton-Cuffy, Hackney, Morton, Fellows, Hinshelwood, Nwaneri, Stansfield, Iling-Junior.
Preamble
Lee Carsley is back in the day job, aiming to defend the trophy his England side won in Georgia two summers ago. Stability is often in short supply for coaches at youth level, but even by those standards, a lot has changed since the 1-0 win over Spain in the 2023 final.
For one thing, Carsley had his shot at the big job – and while he insisted he was only keeping the seat warm, that may have changed if his interim stint had gone better. His last game in charge of England’s senior team was only seven months ago, even if it feels a lot longer.
During his brief tenure, Carsley promoted the likes of Curtis Jones and Morgan Gibbs-White, and while they would not be eligible for this tournament, seven members of Thomas Tuchel’s latest senior squad would have been – including Jude Bellingham, Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer. Instead, the coach is bringing in a new generation.
Speaking of Bellingham, his younger brother Jobe has dropped out in order to play for Dortmund at the Club World Cup, a decision also taken by new Chelsea recruit Liam Delap. It’s a very different landscape for Carsley this time around, although just as in 2023, they kick off their campaign against the Czech Republic.
