Lee Carsley, UEFA Euro Under-21 Championship specialist. The mastermind of England’s 2023 triumph returned, via a brief diversion as interim boss of the senior side, to do it again two years later.
And it’s an achievement that merits plenty of context. These are England’s third and fourth Euro U21 titles, but their previous successes came in the early 80s when this was a home-and-away event rather than the standard tournament we have now.
Before these successes under Carsley’s care, England had managed one final in 15 attempts during the ‘major tournament’ era of this event going back to 1994. Their one previous run to the final ended in a 4-0 spanking from… Germany.
This time England just about outlasted Germany in a performance and final that really did have just about everything.
For 45 minutes, England were absurd. While Germany had the majority of possession, it was England who dominated. Every slick counter-attack bristled with menace. The only surprise was that only two of the seemingly endless patterns being carved out by Harvey Elliott and Elliott Anderson and James McAtee and Omari Hutchinson ended in goals.
Elliott’s fifth goal of the tournament put England ahead in the opening minutes, and while only 20 minutes passed between that and Hutchinson doubling the lead it was still a second goal that felt overdue such was the frequency and apparent ease with which England were pulling Germany’s defence around.
Watching Elliott and McAtee in particular here was to rue the fact we don’t see more of them week to week.
Yes, you always have to be careful when judging players on age-group football where so much can be different. And if they and their very well-resourced and enormously successful clubs are perfectly happy with their current situations then really there is little we can do but shrug our shoulders.
But for purely selfish reasons, these are players you’d just love to see more of. There are reasons for it, but the fact neither of these 22-year-olds managed even 1000 minutes of competitive football last season feels like a daftness when both just look so ready to do so much more.
It is Elliott for whom this tournament will be remembered given his goalscoring heroics throughout, and that’s absolutely fair enough.
At the very end of a first half that could scarcely have gone better for England came the sucker punch, and a lifeline for Germany via Nelson Weiper’s towering header. Neither side deserved it.
It, inevitably, changed the course of the game.
England’s picture-perfect pressing and quick-fire counters were largely consigned to the bin in favour of a more desperate, dare we say it more English approach to the remainder of the game in which lion-hearted and lion-shirted heroes were required. England dug in. And dug, and dug.
And they only just escaped with extra-time to show for it after Paul Nebel’s vicious curling shot was given perhaps unnecessary extra spite by a wicked deflection.
Germany rattled the crossbar in injury-time as England clung on.
Changes were needed and arrived. Elliott and McAtee had run themselves to a cramped standstill and both made way. Jonathan Rowe’s first touch was to get extra-time under way; his second was to head England into a lead they would defend as if their lives depended on it.
Before the 100th minute the entire England front five that had started the game had been replaced. Those behind them throwing themselves in the way of all Germany could throw at them were now needed to ensure Elliott and co. got the ending they deserved.
And they did it. Just. There were worrying moments. Injury-time once again saw the English goal rattling from its crossbar getting an almighty whack. With a full seven earth minutes left to play England decided to try and keep the ball by the flag from a corner, which we’re sorry to report must be considered utter woke nonsense. Carsley must condemn.
But they did it. Germany, undoubtedly the standout team of the tournament were repelled.
Comparisons are tricky and, frankly, trite in these situations, but we’d wager that Carsley will have taken more pleasure from this success even than that of two years ago. That was a team with a far greater crop of established or soon-to-explode stars than would on first glance appear to be the case here.
For all Elliott’s obvious standout excellence and contribution, this has felt like a success built more on crafting a team with a clear plan than relying on sheer wealth of talent.
And that’s without even considering Carsley’s own journey between the 2023 success and this one.
He has proven again that he knows how to steer a path through a major tournament, while also the ability to overcome adversity and setbacks.
Even if we strive to avoid even more trite comparisons right now between the style of Carsley’s youngsters and Thomas Tuchel’s as-yet unconvincing senior side, this is a result that may yet see Carsley get another chance with the full side down the line.
And if he can avoid getting overly giddy against Greece again then who knows where that may lead.
