England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley expressed his disappointment following his team’s 2-1 loss to Germany in their final group stage match of the European Under-21 Championship.
Carsley attributed the defeat to a sluggish start, stating that his side were “shell-shocked” after conceding two early goals. The 2-1 defeat highlighted a concerning trend, as England also had a slow start in their previous match against Slovenia.
Despite falling behind 2-0 within the first 33 minutes, England showed improvement in the second half, with Alex Scott pulling one back. Their quarter-final fate remains unchanged, however, as they will face Spain after Slovenia’s loss to the Czech Republic.
Carsley acknowledged the subpar first-half performance, emphasizing the need to address their slow starts. He made a triple substitution at halftime, introducing Brooke Norton-Cuffy, James McAtee, and Jay Stansfield to inject urgency into the team’s play.
“The first half was nowhere near good enough,” Carsley stated. “The goals we conceded were very disappointing. The second-half reaction was better, but it shouldn’t take going two goals down to elicit that response.”
Carsley’s limited preparation time due to his recent interim role with the senior team, coupled with the losses of Liam Delap and Jobe Bellingham to club commitments, presented additional challenges.
He stressed the importance of a strong start against Spain, warning that a similar slow beginning could prove decisive against their upcoming opponents. “If we give Spain a two-goal head start,” he concluded, “it’s game over.”
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