Time to step up – Lee Carsley issues challenge to England Under-21s

La Rojita will look to avenge that loss in Saturday's quarter-final in Slovakia as England seek to keep their title defence alive by bouncing bounce back from Wednesday's 2-1 defeat to Germany.
England beat Spain in the 2023 Under-21 European Championship final (PA)
'I think it's important that when people watch England Under-21s play back at home, they're excited by the way they're playing,' boss Carsley said.
'We want to see real attacking football, aggressive football, because what we've done in the past has got us to this position.
'If we're going to win major tournaments, these are the moments where we have to step up.
'To get out of the group we must give them the positives for that. It's always balanced with the losing the game, which is disappointing, especially in the manner that we did.
Our #YoungLions training under the Slovakian sun ☀️
Tomorrow: Spain v England in the #U21EURO quarter-finals! pic.twitter.com/4883jogksi
— England (@England) June 20, 2025
'Probably the first 20 minutes wasn't great, but a lot of positives from that moment onwards in terms of still creating a lot of chances, a lot better in the second half.
'All of that has to go down to the players and the way they approached the second half and hopefully the plan is that they carry that now into the start of the game against Spain.'
Carsley's England may boast some exciting talents and head into the quarter-final as holders, but Spain are considered the bookmakers' favourites to win the Trnava encounter.
'I don't feel like an underdog,' head coach Carsley said. 'I think there's still a massive expectation that against Spain we can perform, and that's all we need to do.
'If we can perform, we can play to our ability, we've got a great chance of winning the game.
'I believe that Spain are a top team. Anyone that was with us in the last Euros, you have to beat all of the top teams and Spain are another team we've got a lot of respect for.
'The final that we had a couple of years ago was so close, could have gone either way. We scored a fortunate goal and played OK in the game.
'But there's definitely a lot more to come from us if we're going to progress.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Mirror

2 hours ago

• Daily Mirror

England women's star cleared of drugs charge ahead of Euro 2025 - 'I'm relieved'

England and Manchester City goalkeeper Khiara Keating has seen charges of drug possession dropped by Greater Manchester Police. Charges of drug possession against England goalkeeper Khiara Keating have been dropped by Greater Manchester Police. The Manchester City keeper, 20, was charged last June along with her mother, Nicola Keating, 48, with possession of cannisters of the Class C drug nitrous oxide. Both pleaded not guilty at Manchester Magistrates' Court and were granted unconditional bail. The Crown Prosecution Service duly discontinued the case, Greater Manchester Police confirmed. ‌ Both women had been charged with possession of a Class C drug on 18 June last year following a police investigation. The pair appeared at Manchester and Salford Magistrates Court in July, where they denied the offence and were granted unconditional bail. ‌ At a second hearing in September, they reaffirmed their pleas, and a trial was scheduled for November 2025 but the case has now been dismissed. Keating, who is part of England's European Championship squad, said in a statement to the BBC: 'I'm relieved the charges have been dropped — as I've always said, I did nothing wrong. 'It's been a difficult time, but I've always known the truth. Now I'm just looking forward to focusing fully on the Euros and spending time with my family.' Nitrous oxide was made a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act in November 2023. Possession with the intention of wrongfully inhaling it for a psychoactive effect became an offence. The gas can still be used for legitimate reasons, such as in catering or pain relief during labour. Keating will travel to the Euros as a back-up to England's new first-choice keeper Hannah Hampton. Keating has yet to make her senior England debut but was included in Sarina Wiegman's 23-player squad despite her lack of experience. She played just 12 times for City in last season's Women's Super League, conceding 18 goals and keeping four clean sheets. The previous year she became the youngest player to win the Women's Super League Golden Glove award, keeping nine clean sheets in 22 league appearances. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

North Wales Chronicle

2 hours ago

• North Wales Chronicle

Gareth Bale consortium in bid to buy Cardiff

The 35-year-old former Real Madrid and Wales forward was understood to be part of a consortium that had conversations regarding a takeover of Plymouth earlier this week, along with several other clubs, but it appears they have now turned their attention to south Wales. The Athletic reports that the consortium sent current Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan a letter of intent last month, which included financial figures, but it was rejected. Bale is seeking to be the latest big sporting name to be associated with an EFL club. His former Real team-mate Luka Modric became an investor in and co-owner of Championship side Swansea in April, while ex-NFL quarterback Tom Brady has a minority stake in Birmingham. Cardiff declined to comment on Friday night. Bale retired from football in January 2023 at the age of 33. He won five Champions League titles with Real and is the men's all-time record goalscorer for Wales with 41 in 111 caps. He was linked with an emotional move to Cardiff, his hometown club, after leaving Madrid in 2022 but instead joined MLS side LAFC. Bale featured for Wales at the 2022 World Cup – their first appearance at the global finals since 1958 – and at the Euros in 2016 and 2020. Cardiff were relegated to League One last season and appointed Brian Barry-Murphy as their new manager this week.

South Wales Guardian

3 hours ago

• South Wales Guardian

Gareth Bale consortium in bid to buy Cardiff

The 35-year-old former Real Madrid and Wales forward was understood to be part of a consortium that had conversations regarding a takeover of Plymouth earlier this week, along with several other clubs, but it appears they have now turned their attention to south Wales. The Athletic reports that the consortium sent current Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan a letter of intent last month, which included financial figures, but it was rejected. Bale is seeking to be the latest big sporting name to be associated with an EFL club. His former Real team-mate Luka Modric became an investor in and co-owner of Championship side Swansea in April, while ex-NFL quarterback Tom Brady has a minority stake in Birmingham. Cardiff declined to comment on Friday night. Bale retired from football in January 2023 at the age of 33. He won five Champions League titles with Real and is the men's all-time record goalscorer for Wales with 41 in 111 caps. He was linked with an emotional move to Cardiff, his hometown club, after leaving Madrid in 2022 but instead joined MLS side LAFC. Bale featured for Wales at the 2022 World Cup – their first appearance at the global finals since 1958 – and at the Euros in 2016 and 2020. Cardiff were relegated to League One last season and appointed Brian Barry-Murphy as their new manager this week.