Young Lions start their Euro 2023 Qualifying camapign as they take on Kosovo under-21’s at Stadium MK

Lee Carsley, alongside former England international Ashley Cole, will take charge of the England under-21 side for the first time as they look to rebuild following another disappointing outing at the previous European Championships. 

There is no questioning the array of young talent that is at the disposal of England coaches at all levels, but it’s needless to say that the results have been abysmal at under-21 level. The Young Lions have failed to make it out of the group in the last two tournaments, with a last gasp Croatia goal sending England out on goal difference this spring. 

Unsurprisingly, these disappointing outings resulted in some disgruntled fans, and ultimately the FA had no choice but to end the tenure of Aidy Boothroyd.

The former Watford manager was credited for a successful first campaign, reaching the semi-finals and finishing third at the 2017 European under-21 Championship in Poland.

However, there has been a regression of results and a serious level of underachievement since, leading to his dismissal. That being said, Boothroyd’s job was made all the more difficult by the fact that many of the eligible under-21 players are involved in the senior setup.

Players like Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Reece James are all still eligible for the side but are instead regularly involved in the senior team. Of course, in the grand scheme of things, having young players shining at senior level is a positive thing, however, that doesn’t mean to say it makes the age group coaches jobs more difficult. 

Following Boothroyd’s dismissal, the FA announced that Lee Carsley would take charge with Ashley Cole as his assistant. The appointment made sense in the respect that the 47-year-old head coach had been in charge of the under-20’s previously. However, he only took charge of two games including a hybrid friendly against Aston Villa’s under-20 squad.

Whilst Carsley has been involved in the England youth setup for over a year, his managerial experience is limited and his first match as under-21 manager comes as his first competitive game in charge of an England side at any level. 

The appointment of Ashley Cole as Lee Carsley’s assistant is an intriguing one. The former England, Arsenal and Chelsea left-back earned 107 caps for his country at senior level and is widely regarded as one the best English left-backs in history.

Following his retirement as a player in 2019, Cole joined the coaching staff at Derby County with his former England and Chelsea teammate, Frank Lampard. When the former Chelsea midfielder was named as the Blues’ manager, Cole followed suit and became an academy coach at his former club.

There is no doubting that the 40-year-old had the credentials as a player, but does he have what it takes to make it in a managerial sense? Cole will remain at Cobham alongside his assistant coach role with England but this will be a huge learning curve for him as he pursues a career in coaching. 

Qualification for the Euros is a must for this England team, and their fate will be determined against familiar opponents as Kosovo, along with Albania and Andorra are all a part of England’s qualification group for the second campaign running. The Young Lions will also face sterner tests against the Czech Republic and Slovenia. 

England are the only team in Group G yet to kick start their Euro under-21 qualification campaign, with the Czech Republic currently leading the way with successive victories at home to Slovenia and Albania. England’s opponents have played once, earning a 2-0 home victory over Andorra back in June. 

Taking a look at Lee Carsley’s Young Lions

Lee Carsley named his first England under-21 lineup and here’s who he called up:

Goalkeepers: Joe Bursik (Stoke City), Etienne Green (St. Etienne), Josh Griffiths (Lincoln City, loan from West Brom) 

Defenders: Max Aarons (Norwich City), Levi Samuels-Colwill (Huddersfield Town, loan from Chelsea), Charlie Cresswell (Leeds United), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (Anderlecht, loan from Manchester City), Valentino Livramento (Southampton), Luke Thomas (Leicester City) 

Midfielders: Tommy Doyle (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, loan from Chelsea), Jimmy Garner (Nottingham Forest, loan from Manchester United), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Manchester City), Jacob Ramsey (Aston Villa), Oliver Skipp (Tottenham Hotspur), Aaron Ramsey (Aston Villa) 

Forwards: Folarin Balogun (Arsenal), Rhian Brewster (Sheffield United), Tyreece John-Jules (Blackpool, loan from Arsenal), Noni Madueke (PSV Eindhoven), Emile Smith-Rowe (Arsenal) 

Some standout names include new PSV Eindhoven starlet Noni Madueke, Arsenal’s Emile Smith-Rowe and Folarin Balogun, Tottenham’s new midfield star Oliver Skipp and Norwich City’s Max Aarons.

Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott was forced to drop out of the squad due to injury alongside Tottenham’s Ryan Sessegnon who has withdrawn after suffering a minor injury in training. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones is suspended, while Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey has been called up after initially joining up with the under-19 squad.

In addition to this, there were some intriguing inclusions to the squad, with Southampton’s new star signing Valentino Livramento earning his first under-21 call-up, as well as Chelsea’s on-loan centre-back Levi Colwill, who has shone at Championship club Huddersfield Town so far this season. 

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