Under-21 EURO final preview: England MU21s v Spain

England MU21s v Spain
UEFA Under-21 Championship Final
5pm BST, Saturday 8 July 2023
Batumi Arena, Georgia
Watch live on Channel 4 in the UK or UEFA.TV

What was said

Lee Carsley believes his England MU21 side can still improve further despite reaching the UEFA Under-21 Championship final without conceding a goal.

The Young Lions secured their place in a first Under-21 EURO final in 14 years on the back of averaging two goals a game so far in the tournament.

The three 2-0 group stage wins against Czechia, Israel and Germany have been followed by a 1-0 quarter-final victory over Portugal and an impressive 3-0 showing during Wednesday night’s semi-final with Israel.

One more shut-out during Saturday’s final with Spain would see England MU21s and goalkeeper James Trafford set a new record for the most clean sheets in a single edition of the tournament.

And England’s record of 5.2 sees them top of the tournament’s highest passes-per-sequence average, with Spain second on 5.1.

But despite all of England’s impressive scoring, defending and possession, head coach Carsley insists there is more to come from his side.

He said: “All the credit goes to the squad; they're a very determined bunch and they have a lot of pride not only in possession – which we have received a lot of praise for in this competition – but the out-of-possession stuff we are trying to do and the blocks and the clearances - they are just as important for us.

“But we can still improve as well and there are still a lot of things we can sharpen up ahead of the next game."

England have not reached the Under-21 EURO final since 2009 and they have not lifted the trophy for 39 years, having claimed the 1982 and 1984 editions – the latter against Spain – when the likes of Gary Stevens, Mark Hatley and Dave Watson graced the Young Lions’ shirt and they were managed by Dave Sexton.

Carsley revealed the staff had previously spoken to the players about making history out in Georgia and Romania, and now they are 90 minutes away from potentially becoming just the third England MU21 team to lift the trophy.

Carsley said: “It’s a great achievement for the players. We spoke about creating our own history within this tournament and I think we’ve done really well up until now and the next thing now is the biggest thing; having the mentality to go again.

“It is going to be in three days so the players’ recovery is going to be a big thing for us and hopefully we will get another good performance.”

You can hear from two of England’s star performers during the tournament, Morgan Gibbs-White and Curtis Jones, here.

James Garner on this being two years in the making

“Ultimately, it’s been two years in the making to get to this point and it’s gone fast, but we’ve been with each other for two years. We’ve been in so many camps together, been to so many different countries, we’ve played so many games with each other all with the end goal of getting to the final.

“We’re here now, and I think those two years being together has definitely put us in good stead to get to where we are now.”

When asked if England’s long wait to lift the trophy provided added motivation, Garner replied: “Yeah, I think so, but I think it’s motivational in itself. 

“It’s the UEFA Under-21 EURO final, you’re not going to get a chance to do it again and it’s a massive achievement to win the thing, so I think the boys know that and we’re all ready and hungry.”

One day to go until the #U21EURO final! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/2DDX9p6Yc7

— England (@England) July 7, 2023

James Trafford on the important roles played by Lee Carsley and his staff

“As an individual, he (Carsley) asks for me to be brave, whether it’s in possession of the ball or out of possession with my start positions, defending the space and defending balls into the box. 

“He just asks us to have fun and stick together. They’re the main things but he wants us to play short passes and just keep the ball, really. 

“There are a lot of stats that he has researched, and they’ve gone into how we play. But he’s really good. The whole environment all the staff have made for us has been really, really good.

“The coaches, Ash [Ashley Cole], Joleon [Lescott] and Tim [Dittmer], have been really good for us all. 

“On the pitch, it’s quite business-like, it’s really serious. But then off the pitch, everyone gets along really well. So, that’s been the main thing, how good an environment it’s been.”

Key stats ahead of UEFA Under-21 Championship final

- This will be the fifth time England and Spain have faced each other at the UEFA Under-21 EURO, and the first since 2011 in the group stage. England are unbeaten across the previous four meetings (W3 D1), including winning both legs of the 1984 final (1-0 away and 2-1 at home).

- Across all competitions, Spain have only lost one of their five meetings with England at Under-21 level this century (W2 D2). Prior to the turn of the millennium, they had lost all four of their games against them, between 1984 and 1992.

- England have won 13 of their 15 competitive matches under Lee Carsley (D1 L1), with their only defeat coming against Slovenia in a EURO qualifier in June 2022. Across the 15 games, England have scored 36 goals and only conceded seven in return.

- England haven’t conceded a goal at the 2023 UEFA Under-21 EURO, with goalkeeper James Trafford yet to be beaten in five games – should they record another here, they would set a new record for the most clean sheets in a single edition of the tournament (6). 

- England (5.2) and Spain (5.1) are the two teams with the highest passes-per-sequence average at the UEFA Under-21 EURO, while they also rank first and second for the most 10+ pass sequences in open play (Spain 114 and England 110).

- Five different England players have been directly involved in 3+ goals at this year’s UEFA Under-21 EURO (Morgan Gibbs-White, Cameron Archer, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Emile Smith Rowe) – the joint-most from a single team on record (since 2007), along with Spain from 2019.

- Spain pair Abel Ruiz and Sergio Gómez (5) are the two players with the most direct goal involvements at this year’s UEFA Under-21 EURO (three goals and two assists) – the last player to surpass five in an edition of the tournament was Germany’s Luca Waldschmidt in 2017 (8).

- Noni Madueke has completed 16 dribbles for England at this year’s UEFA Under-21 EURO, with only Israel’s Oscar Gloukh (17) completing more. Indeed, Madueke’s total of 16 is the most by an England player in a single edition of the tournament on record (since 2007).

"Now it's about finishing it off in the best possible way that we can." 👏@maxaarons2 on what it means to represent our #YoungLions at the #U21EURO... pic.twitter.com/2maH2ESmep

— England (@England) July 6, 2023

Where can you watch England MU21s versus Spain in the UEFA Under-21 EURO final?

The match will be shown live on Channel 4 in the UK and streamed live on UEFA.tv and you can also follow the action live via England’s official social media channels, before finding a match report and reaction at EnglandFootball.com following the final whistle.

Who is in the England MU21 squad?

You can learn more about each of the England men’s under-21 squad here, after defender Charlie Cresswell discussed each member of the team ahead of the tournament.

Who has scored for England MU21s during the UEFA Under-21 Championship?

Cameron Archer (2), Anthony Gordon (2), Emile Smith Rowe (2), Harvey Elliott (1), Morgan Gibbs-White (1), Cole Palmer (1), Jacob Ramsey (1).