Euro U21 2025: Can England defend their title in Slovakia?
by Thobelani Moyo | by Cydias Aujard
Lee Carsley: The Brains Behind The Young Lions' Success
Following the departure of former head coach Aidy Boothroyd in April 2021 after five years of being in charge of the England U21 squad, the English Football Association wasted no time in finding a replacement. Three months after Boothroyd's departure, Lee Carsley was appointed as the new head coach in the same year.
It has been four years since Carsley's appointment as head coach, and during this period, he has reached significant milestones in his managerial career.
The 51-year-old was recently in charge of the England senior national team as an interim manager in the previous year. He didn't fail to impress during his short tenure, as he guided the senior team to promotion in the UEFA Nations League. Out of the six games he was in charge of, he secured five wins and suffered a solitary defeat.
How can we forget about his success with England U21 in the 2023 European U21 Championship, where he guided the team to their third overall title? This year, he is tasked with guiding the Young Lions to their fourth title in this competition. This will put them one trophy behind Italy and Spain, who have collected five titles each.
Carsley also put pen to paper on a two-year contract with the English Football Association that will see him in charge of the England U21 squad until 2027. This gives him enough time to add to his impressive profile more silverware.
England U21: Looking Back at Their 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship Success
Two years ago, the Young Lions conquered the Euro U21 Championship stage, and in the process of doing so, they made history. They became the first team in the competition to not concede a single goal in the entire tournament.
In the group stages, they finished at the summit of Group C with a five-point cushion. The group included the likes of Israel U21, Czechia U21, and Germany U21.
This was enough to see them secure their ticket in the knockout stages, where they had no trouble sweeping aside Portugal (1-0) in the quarter-final and Israel (3-0) in the semi-final before defeating Spain 1-0 in the final.
The Young Lions were crowned champions after that success over Spain, and this was their third overall title in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, as mentioned earlier. It was also their first after 39 years of failed attempts.
Below is how the table in Group C of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship looked:
| Position | Club | Matches Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Goals fired | Goals against | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | England U21 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | +6 | 9 |
| 2 | Israel U21 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 3 | Czechia U21 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
| 4 | Germany U21 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | -3 | 1 |
Young Lions: Current Champions and Promising Contenders
The Young Lions are out to defend their title in the 2025 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, and their chances of doing so are promising.
They have yet to play a game, with their next fixture against Czechia U21 taking place tomorrow night at DAC Stadion. For betting insights on this match, head on over to our Czechia U21 vs. England U21 preview.
The defending champions, England U21, have a solid chance of making it out of this year's competition group stages and going a long way in the knockout stages. They are in Group B, and only Germany U21 can give them a hard time considering their past meetings. However, they have won two straight matches against this opponent. Other than that, teams in this group include Czechia U21 and Slovenia U21.
Check out past meetings between England U21 and their opponents in Group B below:
| Opponent | Matches Played | Wins | Draws | Losses | Win Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Czechia U21 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 71.4% |
| Germany U21 | 19 | 8 | 4 | 7 | 42.1% |
| Slovenia U21 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 40.0% |
Squad Analysis: Which players are included?
Head coach Lee Carsley will travel to Slovakia for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship with 22 players. Liam Delap (Chelsea) and Jobe Bellingham (Dortmund) are not included in the squad as both players will be participating in the Club World Cup.
Let's see who made it into the England U21 squad for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in Slovakia:
Goalkeepers:
- Tommy Simkin
- James Beadle
- Teddy Sharman-Lowe
Defenders:
- CJ Egan-Riley
- Charlie Cresswell
- Brooke Norton Cuffy
- Tino Livramento
- Jarell Quansah
- Ronnie Edwards
Midfielders:
- Elliot Anderson
- Archie Gray
- Tyler Morton
- Hayden Hackney
- Alex Scott
- Jack Hinshelwood
Forwards:
- Omari Hutchinson
- Ethan Nwaneri
- Jay Stansfield
- Sam Iling Jnr
- Harvey Elliott
- Jonathan Rowe
- James McAtee
