When you consider playing time and impact, the 18-year-old would gain more from the European Under-21 Championship in Italy than the Nations League finals in PortugalThe Nations League groups came to a close this week and it was fantastic to see England continue where they left off against Spain. Now, with the finals taking place next summer shortly before the European Under-21 Championship, Gareth Southgate faces an interesting dilemma about how to use some of his emerging stars such as Jadon Sancho and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Related: ‘Jadon Sancho, a street player with the potential to be England’s Neymar’ Related: Women’s football at a Sikh temple? Meet the pioneer who made it happen Related: Iran opens door to women at football...
Training for shootouts can deliver escape from the penalty lottery, but England must stop living in the pastAt least this time, an England team made it to a penalty shootout. In recent tournaments, the senior team finished bottom of their 2014 World Cup group, and lost against Iceland in their first Euro 2016 knockout match. So when England Under-21s reached the Euro 2017 semi-final and took a far more experienced Germany team to penalties, that in itself represented progress – until the penalty curse struck again.This was an opportunity for England to exorcise some serious penalty ghosts. The Germany coach was Stefan Kuntz, who had scored Germany’s fifth penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final at Wembley. I spoke to Kuntz in researching my...
Several of the semi-final team can expect regular club matches but the issue facing others is summed up by Chelsea’s Nathaniel Chalobah, who in the past four seasons has played almost as many times for England as for his clubsThe morning after the night before, it was left to Nathaniel Chalobah to sum up just how it feels to lose against Germany in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals of a major international tournament.Chalobah wrote on Twitter: “7 years playing together through the England ranks with @NathanRedmond22. True winner in my eyes. Couldn’t have got where we did if it weren’t for you bro so keep your head up.” The Chelsea midfielder added: “We win as a team & lose...
Boothroyd has proved his critics wrong and crafted an effective England Under-21 team preparing for a European Championship semi-final with GermanyThere is a good Aidy Boothroyd story in Living On The Volcano, Michael Calvin’s book about the febrile world of Football League management. With half-time approaching Boothroyd takes his Colchester United assistant Joe Dunne to one side. Dunne, Boothroyd explains, should make sure he is not standing near the tactics board during the break. Boothroyd has been thinking about it; he is planning to kick the tactics board across the room as he walks through the door in an explosion of spontaneous rage. He has already put the board in a specific position just for that purpose. “Sure enough, he did,” Dunne...
All eyes will be on Poland for a fortnight from 16 June when many of the continent’s most talented young players will contest the 12-team competitionDeemed not good enough for West Bromwich Albion by Tony Pulis less than two years ago, Gnabry’s move to Bayern Munich last week after he activated a clause in his contract with Werder Bremen showed that Arsenal may have been hasty in their decision to let him to leave. The 21-year-old scored 11 times in the Bundesliga last season and will be a major threat in attack for a German side missing the injured defender Jonathan Tah. Borussia Dortmund’s new signing Mo Dahoud will provide thrust from midfield, while the Mainz winger Levin Öztunali is...