Carsley Slams England U21 Start Against Germany

In a European Under-21 Championship group finale marked by frustration and recovery, England were two goals behind after just 33 minutes in a 2-1 loss to Germany. Head coach Lee Carsley called his players “shell-shocked” and demanded a sharper response from the start in future matches.

Defending their title, England conceded early before Alex Scott pulled one back in the second half. Despite the defeat, they advanced to the quarter-finals, thanks to Slovenia’s 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Czech Republic.

“I thought there was definitely a bit of shell-shock, going 2-0 down so soon,” said Carsley. “We didn’t start well either in the last game [0-0 against Slovenia]. That’s something we need to address.”

Carsley altered his initial lineup in the build-up and reacted strongly at the break, introducing Brooke Norton-Cuffy, captain James McAtee, and Jay Stansfield in a triple substitution.

“The first half was nowhere near good enough. The way we started the game, the goals that we conceded were really disappointing,” he said. “It was important they knew that. The changes we made at half-time, [we] could have made any number of changes. I asked for a reaction in the second half and we definitely saw a reaction.”

Despite improved energy after the interval, Carsley remained critical. “The performance was not at the level we need. When you think of the reaction in the second half that was more like it. It took us to go 2-0 down to get to that point which is disappointing.”

Preparation time for this tournament was disrupted after Carsley’s brief stint leading the senior national side. Returning to his role in March, he’s also had to adjust following the absence of attackers Liam Delap and Jobe Bellingham, who became ineligible after joining Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, respectively, and being called up for the FIFA Club World Cup.

“You know, with the attention that the team get, living up to some expectations, the responsibility of when you put the shirt on, no-one’s going to roll over for us,” Carsley said.

He expects a significant improvement with Spain looming in the knockout stage. “We’ve spoken about that. But the response was very good and I expect us to start like that in the next game, because if we give Spain a two-goal start, it’s game over.”