Will Spain serve up a helping of pain for England's misfiring youngsters?

Venganza is on the cards in Trnava on Saturday night when England take on Spain at the European Under-21 Championship quarter-finals. There are constant reminders on the Channel 4 coverage in the UK that 'we' are the holders, despite the fact there are only a couple of remaining members from the squad that defeated La Rojita in the final in Batumi two years ago. It's a night that Oliver Skipp will never forget. There is another stark difference between then and now: England were properly decent at that point. This current crop have stumbled their way into the last eight like a weary boozer, six pints deep, picking his way through an All Bar One terrace on a hot day.
Galavanting is not part of this England team's repertoire; instead meekness is the summary of what they have offered. After a promising defeat of the Czech Republic, they stumbled to a goalless draw against the might of Slovenia before losing to Germany B in their final group game. Spain, on the other hand, have breezed to this stage, sweeping past Slovakia (3-2) and Romania (2-1). The more worrying news for England is that the Spanish are favourites and an inquisition should be expected. They've still got memories of Curtis Jones's winner in Georgia two years ago, although the more galling moment remains James Trafford making an injury-time penalty save from Abel Ruiz to secure the silverware for England. Revenge, it seems, is best served in a partially full stadium in Slovakia's seventh biggest city.
If we're looking for positives out of the Germany game for England, then young Bournemouth midfield scurrier Alex Scott, who scored in the second half, was decent. He reckons it's only a matter of time before the floodgates open for Carsley's pups. 'The lads score goals every single day but it's not quite clicked yet in the games. The quality we have in this team, it's a matter of time before the goals start flying in,' he whooped. They'll need to win possession off the ball-hogging Spaniards before they can pepper the goal with shots. How will they do that, then? 'Replicate what the lads did two years ago,' he mused. 'It is going to be a tough team. Every Spain team is very good on the ball, very calm and composed.'
In preparing to soften any blow, England need not worry, even if a hammering is handed out. Why? Because they have one of their own in Spain's squad. Leeds United striker Mateo 'Matty' Joseph Fernández-Regatillo is leading the line despite possessing 10 England Under-20 caps. Born in Santander to an English father and Spanish mother, Joseph spent the first 19 years of his life in his homeland before being attracted by the bright lights of Yorkshire to learn about real football, none of that tiki-taka nonsense. Giving Joseph a proper football education might now backfire on England, but it does guarantee that at least one proud bulldog will make it to the semi-finals, whatever happens.
Join Taha Hashim for red-hot Copa Gianni updates from Flamengo 0-0 Chelsea at 7pm (BST).
The American dream. We guess the cowboy won …' – Botafogo remind PSG chief suit, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, of the insult he hurled at their owner John Textor, also chief suit at Lyon, after the Brazilian side's shock 1-0 Copa Gianni victory over the Bigger Cup champions.
Re: the thinly veiled contempt from the Juventus players standing behind Donald Trump (yesterday's Football Daily), brought to mind this scene from The Simpsons …' – Adam Clark.
The photo in yesterday's Football Daily makes Mr Infantino look very much like Mickey Mouse in his magnum opus, Fantasia. On reflection, Mickey Mouse is a perfect description for Mr Infantino, and his mate Donald shares many comparisons with [Snip – Football Daily lawyer]' – Joe Carr.
Given the PFA has a young player of the year award, isn't it only fair they also have an old player of the year award (over 78s perhaps? – Football Daily Ed)? I had a really good game with my dog in the garden recently so surely I qualify and I'm even older than James Milner' –Martyn Shapter.
Please send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today's winner of our letter o' the day competition is … Joe Carr, who gets some Football Weekly merch. We'll be in touch. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here.
In the past few days, thirsty shoppers in supermarkets around Britain may have spotted a big promotional display from an energy drink offering them a chance to meet England's Lionesses. So far, so ordinary, right? Not if you were doing your big shop in Cardiff, where Tesco upset regulars who would have preferred to get the chance to meet their own national team's players instead. The Welsh FA's chief suit, Noel Mooney, took to his social media disgrace of choice to roar: 'We are Cymru!' And one shopper told the BBC it was 'deeply offensive', adding that Tesco should have 'read the room' with Wales taking on England in Euro 2025 next month. Tesco apologised for the own goal, saying the display was 'incorrectly' put up and promised that 'many of our colleagues and customers will be supporting their home nations' in the Euros. Lucozade sport, gets others irked, fast.
It's all going on at Liverpool, with Florian Wirtz coughing for the Anfield doctor and Milos Kerkez packing his bags at Bournemouth and heading up the A338, A31, M27, M3, A34, M40, M6, M62 and round Queen's Drive in a £40m deal.
Harry Kane can't wait to face Boca and their bouncy fans at Copa Gianni. 'They're loud and they're passionate,' roared Kane. 'So, yeah, I'm looking forward to the atmosphere. You know, sometimes it brings out the best in you as a player.'
Lionel Messi has delivered on his end of the Faustian bargain, pinging in a free-kick to give Inter Miami a 2-1 win over Porto at Copa Gianni.
Hannah Hampton has vowed to try to replicate Mary Earps's main character energy after being confirmed as England's first-choice goalkeeper for the Euros, though she'll probably have to effing swear more to do that. 'We're gonna miss her as a person here,' she sniffed. 'She's a big personality in this team. Now l have got to just go and live up to her legacy. I'll give it my best shot.'
Daniëlle van de Donk has done one from OL Lyonnes to London City Lionesses, both of whom are owned by Michele Kang.
New Rangers boss Russell Martin will watch his team take a high-wire approach to playing out from the back for the first time in a Scottish Premiership match, when they face Motherwell away in their season-opener. Full fixtures here.
And Bruno Fernandes has joined Mohamed Salah on the six-man shortlist for the PFA Premier League player of the year gong, with Arsenal's Mariona Caldentey the favourite for the WSL's award.
From heat to unrest: Alexander Abnos on how five major storylines are shaping up at Copa Gianni.
Is Cole Palmer playing down the fuss before Chelsea's clash with Flamengo? Of course he is! Jacob Steinberg on the 'normal' kid who does exceptional things.
Why is Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike hot property in the summer transfer window? Ben McAleer explains.
'Family. They're the only ones you can depend on,' said Tony Soprano. New Italy boss Gennaro Gattuso is reaching for that same ethos, explains Nicky Bandini, as the Azzurri try to avoid the unthinkable prospect of failing to qualify for a third straight World Cup.
And the Rumour Mill picks over the latest gossip, including speculation over comings and goings at Liverpool.
We rewind to 1966 and a new bridge under construction outside Old Trafford, home of Manchester United, in time for the World Cup games to be held there that summer. The ground hosted three matches in Group Three: Portugal 3-1 Hungary, Portugal 3-0 Bulgaria, and Hungary 3-1 Bulgaria.

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Liverpool have completed the signing of Florian Wirtz for what could be a British record fee of £116 million. The German international has joined from Bayer Leverkusen for an initial £100 million, with a further £16 million in add-ons dependent on how the 22-year-old performs at Anfield. Florian Wirtz is a Red. — Liverpool FC (@LFC) June 20, 2025 That would eclipse the potential £115 million Chelsea paid Brighton and Hove Albion for Moisés Caicedo, with the move a real statement of intent by Arne Slot's title-winning side. Wirtz told 'I feel very happy and very proud. Finally it's done and I was waiting for a long time – finally it's done and I am really happy. 'I'm really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League. 'I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it's perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I'm really looking forward to playing my first game.' 'He combines talent with work rate' The most persuasive scout report Liverpool received for their record signing came from the man who sold him, Bayer Leverkusen managing director Simon Rolfes. 'Such a good player,' Rolfes remarked about Wirtz in an interview in 2024, setting the agenda early with a price tag in excess of £100 million. 'He shows a great will to win and to work. It's not normally the attributes of a No 10, but he combines talent with the work rate of a six or a defensive player along with producing special magic moments.' With that, the prototype dream elite footballer was described, the effusive praise giving the impression Wirtz's qualities are a perfect fit whether the manager is Xabi Alonso, Pep Guardiola, Luis Enrique or – as Liverpool are fortunate enough to now experience – Arne Slot. It remains to be seen if the predictions of greatness prove accurate, but herein lies the answer to the question of where Wirtz will fit at Anfield. He has been earmarked to operate in that creative zone between a midfielder and No 9, adding productivity with the ball while guaranteeing the necessary application and discipline to retrieve it. Older football watchers have been encouraged to imagine a modern-day Peter Beardsley, a Liverpool club record signing in 1987 who was at his best when at his most selfless, taking pleasure from the combinations which often sent John Barnes and John Aldridge to goal for his club (and later Andy Cole when back at Newcastle), or Gary Lineker for his country. Wirtz the Wizard 🧙‍♂️ — Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04_en) October 11, 2024 It is hoped others will see reason to compare Wirtz to Roberto Firmino, who took the concept of the false nine to an optimum level, the Brazilian never a prolific goalscorer but pivotal in ensuring opposition defenders felt smothered as the wide strikers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mané assumed most of the glory. Whether Wirtz regularly assumes the Firmino role under Slot will depend on further Anfield transfer activity. In his triumphant debut season, Slot's preference was for a more orthodox No 9, but this changed because Diogo Jota was too often unavailable and Darwin Núñez too unpredictable. Liverpool's best performances of last season saw Luis Díaz operating as a central striker. With Wirtz, Liverpool's forward line has the potential to become a moveable feast, not just from game to game but half-to-half or even minute-to-minute as and when tactical tweaks are necessary. If Liverpool can sign another high-class attacker who can play as a No 9, that will become a banquet, Wirtz playing just behind a recognised goalscorer while supporting the midfield. That would give Slot more opportunity to rotate his first choice midfielders of Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai, the latter preferring to play from deeper. Pre-season may also see Wirtz occasionally used from the left or in a 'double 10' – a formation Liverpool used successfully against Manchester City last February when Slot did not select a recognised central striker. 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His team scored plenty last season, but they never blew teams away and could have paid a price at the end of matches when opponents were more inclined to take risks in pursuit of a draw. With Wirtz on board, he will anticipate more ruthlessness. 'Xabi Alonso: Florian is world-class' Slot's praise of Paris St-Germain long before they showed their form that would knock out Liverpool and go on to win the Champions League also signposted where he wants his side to grow – more pace and penetration a prerequisite if the English and French champions meet again next season. The Dutchman's ability to change a game from the bench will be enhanced thanks to the multi-tasking Wirtz, too. Liverpool signed him after reports about his professionalism and willingness to listen, learn and adapt to coaching instructions. 'Flo is world-class. He has a very mature mind,' said his former manager, Alonso, when discussing why he had so many suitors. Why didn't Real Madrid sign him, then? Because they already have players of the same profile and there is a school of thought that if Wirtz excels in England, there is plenty of time for his next stop to be Spain. Should Liverpool add more Premier League titles or the Champions League by then, Wirtz's valuation will exceed £116 million. Regardless of the size of the fee, Liverpool believe they will reap the profits of their investment on and off the pitch for at least the next five years. Against opponents who sit deep, this may be the more familiar set-up, with Wirtz behind the front three without compromising the energy and pressing capacities required from midfield. The personnel may differ ahead of Wirtz – especially if Liverpool sign a new number 9 and if Szoboszlai takes up a new deeper role – but the principle of Wirtz as supplier and workaholic ball-gatherer remains. This is the tried and trusted formation which won Liverpool the Premier League. In this case, Wirtz is more like a 'false nine' reminiscent of Firmino, triggering the high press out of possession, while adding creativity and goal threat when Liverpool dominate the ball. It seems unlikely this is Slot's ultimate vision as Wirtz is seen as a prolific creator more than goalscorer and his talent will be better served providing assists to someone playing in front of him. Here, Wirtz switches with Díaz (or a new No 9 if Liverpool sign one) playing from the left, but regularly drifting inside to more often than not occupy the number 10 zone rather than play as a wide man per se. It's a slight tweak which would demand more of whoever is playing left-back (with the signing of Bournemouth's Milos Kerkez having just been agreed). More overlaps will be required to provide width on the left. Not the 4-4-2 of English tradition, and as much a 4-2-4 in possession, but this is a variation of the formula Slot used when comfortably beating City at the Etihad on the way to the title. In that case, Curtis Jones and Szoboszlai operated as a 'double 10' meaning the City centre-backs had no central striker to pick-up, and Liverpool's midfield runners controlled the game while helping to pack defence. It's not likely to be the preferred choice of Slot – Liverpool had less than 34 per cent possession against City playing this way – but again Wirtz's multi-functionality makes it an option.