Despite losing to the eventual finalists in the quarter-final, England’s performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup highlighted early signs of a golden generation.
With Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, Man City’s Phil Foden, and Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham leading the line, the Three Lions have quality for years to come.
Just behind them, the Young Lions in the U21 side look to add even more quality in the coming years, and this year’s Euro U21 is the perfect platform to showcase this talent.
The Young Lions have only won the competition twice — back-to-back in 1982 and 1984.
In the last 39 years, semi-finals were the furthest England would reach.
On the other hand, rivals like Spain and Germany have dominated the competition.
However, it could be time for the English to finally reconquer Europe.
With the Premier League’s recent dominance, clubs and academies throughout England have only increased in stature.
As such, the environment through which English talent is developed has significantly improved.
Lee Carsley took charge of the Young Lions after the side’s embarrassing performance at the Euro U21.
In a group with Portugal, Croatia, and Switzerland, the English finished last.
Some players remain from that team, such as Oliver Skipp, Curtis Jones, and Max Aarons.
At any rate, there’s been a significant change in the last two years.
This tactical analysis will provide a comprehensive analysis of England U21’s tactics under Lee Carsley.
While exploring the ins and outs of Carsley’s squad, this analysis will provide a detailed preview of their tactical system.
England U21 Starting XI
The Young Lions have depth and talent in their squad.
Carsley regularly uses a 4-2-3-1, and while it may significantly change in possession, it can provide a platform for us to identify a probable starting XI.
The three goalkeepers seem rather certain, and the number one slot is between James Trafford and Josh Griffiths, with the former being the more probable.
As far as fullbacks go, Leicester City’s Luke Thomas seems certain on the left while the right is between Djed Spence and Max Aarons.
However, the latter has much more experience and should be the initial choice.
Additionally, both Spence and Aarons can play on the left if needed.
Rico Lewis is the youngest in the squad, and the Man City right-back could be featured as well.
To finish the backline, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Levi Colwill are the most probable options, with both playing very well for their respective clubs.
West Ham’s Ben Johnson is one of the older players on the list, while Nathan Wood, Charlie Cresswell, and Luke Mbete are some younger options.
The depth at the back is undeniable.
Quality continues into the midfield.
Conor Gallagher is an unlikely option, as the Chelsea star has already featured for the senior side.
To start, Oliver Skipp and Angel Gomes will likely sit behind Morgan Gibbs-White.
However, Jacob Ramsey could easily feature in the starting XI as well.
Tommy Doyle, Tyler Morton, James McAtee, and James Garner are also at the disposal of England’s manager.
Finally, the attackers pose an interesting challenge.
Aside from Cameron Archer, who is likely to start, the Young Lions lack options at the number nine position.
On the other hand, the other options are very versatile players without any specific position.
Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are likely to flank Archer, but Emile Smith Rowe, Noni Madueke, and Cole Palmer are also available.
Anthony Gordon could also be in the squad, but at the time of writing, it is unclear whether he will be in the squad or not.
Lee Carsley’s squad is excellent.
The quality, depth, and versatility are unquestionable, and given his style of play, these will prove extremely beneficial.
Additionally, age is an area of strength for the Young Lions.
There is a great balance, with some young stars, some more experienced ones, and a great majority in the 22-year-old range.
Attacking Phase
Obviously, there has been change throughout the past two years.
Regardless, Carsley has implemented a consistent style of play where players are able to come in and out of the team without a problem.
The data above provides a statistical overview of this style of play, and with it, we can begin to put a face to this team.
Domination is clear.
Ranking in the 98th percentile for possession, 90th for passes per match, and 92nd for accurate passes, England enjoy longer spells of possession, often looking to take control of the game.
However, context is necessary.
In the Euro U21 qualifiers, the level of the opposition was rather poor, and when they faced the likes of Germany, France, or Italy, this possession figure significantly drops to a more balanced area.
In those tougher challenges, the Young Lions still came out on top.
In the 86th percentile for goals per match and 88th for passes in the final third, their ability to progress and create chances is unquestionable.
While lower, their shots per match and xG per match still rank above average.
For Lee Carsley’s side, possession is merely a tool used to implement their Positional Play approach.
They looked to retain possession and circulate it in deeper areas of the pitch as a way to self-organise and expand the pitch before then looking to progress.
With the quality of the backline and double-pivot, they are able to retain it well and consistently.
Their structure is textbook Positional Play.
Respecting the spatial guidelines, the players organise themselves throughout the pitch.
This can be seen below, with their 4-2-3-1 highlighted.
The fullbacks initially maintain the width and provide support at a deeper position, while the double-pivot has plenty of space to occupy the central lanes.
As the fullbacks occupy the wide channels, the wingers move into the half-spaces.
This rotation, with initially only one player in the wide area, is respected and executed extremely well.
It doesn’t matter who is wide, as long as there is only one player.
For instance, especially with Rico Lewis, the fullbacks can easily invert and occupy the central lanes while the winger stays wide.
Their structure is their progression.
However, when identifying their structure, it is not about formations or linear organisations.
It is all about respecting spaces.
With the spatial guidelines of Positional Play, the players fluidly and collectively look for means of progressing.
One of the central midfielders can drop into the backline and that launches a series of rotations.
The winger can come as a temporary central midfielder, and rotations continue to take place.
There are various ways of finding solutions, as long as the spatial guidelines are respected.
These spatial guidelines function with the aim of stretching the opposition’s defensive organisation, thus making passing lanes easier to find.
Additionally, the rational occupation of spaces allows for the natural creation of tactically superior structures, such as triangles in the wide areas and diagonal passes in and out of the half-spaces.
In the instance below, we can observe this as it develops.
The left-back, Max Aarons, is positioned with the ball in a slightly deeper position.
Consequently, the left-winger, Smith Rowe, provides support in the wide channel, hugging the touchline.
Angel Gomes, who is the ball-near midfielder, provides support from the half-space.
Additionally, further up the pitch, Harvey Elliott looks to create a more vertical option.
Harvey began his run from his initial right-wing position, now occupying the left side of the pitch.
To balance this, Gibbs-White shifts to the right.
The structure’s fluidity is undeniable, and the players’ ability to continuously perceive and respect the spatial guidelines is exceptional.
Through this structure, they are able to find methods of progression.
While Carsley’s men can easily be vertical should the spaces be there, they are not afraid of passively circulating possession to find options.
Obviously, against inferior opponents, the pressure is less intense, and the spaces are much smaller.
As a consequence, they tend to control possession for longer periods of time.
However, against the likes of France and Italy, the opposite will happen, and the game develops in a much different way.
Nonetheless, the style of play is clear and adaptable to whatever opponent.
As they progress into the final third, England continue with the same platform.
With their structure, they are able to stretch the defensive organisation and find lanes to progress.
Additionally, they are constantly looking to manipulate the opponent and create advantageous scenarios, be it numerically, tactically, technically, or even socio-affective.
In a simple example below, we can exemplify this.
As they look to break down Croatia’s low block, they attack the right side of the pitch.
Initially, Tommy Doyle has the ball in the wide channel with Garner and Palmer providing options on either side.
He plays it inside to the Everton midfielder and makes a selfless run at the backline.
This run, while it can still be a passing option, looks to drag Croatia’s fullback inside with him and isolate Cole Palmer out wide.
These sorts of manipulations are constantly creating chances for England.
Carsley’s men effectively implement a Positional Play system in possession and methodically progress through the thirds.
The players’ execution of this system is especially admirable.
England U21 Defensive Phase
Defensively, there are no surprises.
As expected, the Young Lions rank extremely low in most categories, emphasising how little they defend as they tend to dominate possession instead.
The PPDA is quite low, as they have a very aggressive press.
However, even better than their PPDA, their pressing efficiency ranks in the 98th percentile, and they also rank 81st in recoveries in the final third.
Their xG against per match is also notable, only in the fifth percentile.
Finally, their xG per shot against per match is even lower, in the third percentile.
England look to press high and aggressively, but more notable than their aggression is how efficient they are at recovering the ball.
This efficiency in a high block is confirmed by their low xG against figures.
Out of possession, they organise themselves in a 4-2-3-1 shape.
However, assigning linear structures is missing the point.
The English structure quickly becomes asymmetrical as one of the wingers will join the centre-forward in pressing the two centre-backs, a very aggressive structure.
The development of the structure will very much depend on the opposition’s organisation.
To cover for the advanced winger, either the respective fullback or central midfielder (should he be free) can cover.
Centrally, the attacking midfielder looks to mark the deepest midfielder while one of the central midfielders marks the other.
The far winger tucks inside to maintain a compact structure, but he is still capable of jumping wide if needed.
Against more dangerous opponents, such as France, they can also drop into a mid-high block, where the structure is far more compact.
This structure can be observed below, and again the 4-2-3-1 develops into something else.
The line of engagement is the opposition’s midfielders, where the attacking midfielder can mark the deepest midfielder and the centre-forward sits alongside him.
The wingers tuck in alongside the two to limit the spaces and compact the structure.
Behind these four players, the double-pivot steps up to limit the spaces between the lines.
While this organisation is very zonal, the man-orientations are still noticeable.
In lower blocks, the 4-2-3-1 turns into a 4-4-1-1.
Carsley asks the wingers to drop in alongside the central midfielders, forming the initial 4-4 structure.
They look to maintain a plus-one superiority in the backline, as illustrated below.
In the midfield line, they go man for man, with the attacking midfielder also picking up a man just ahead of them.
England U21 Transitions
The principles behind England’s transitions are consistent with the rest of Lee Carsley’s tactics.
In defensive transitions, the aim is to recover the ball as soon as possible, immediately counter-pressing after losing the ball.
This counter-press is enhanced by the rest defence structure, which stems from their Positional Play system.
With it, they are able to continue their aim to dominate the game.
Similarly, the consistency in ideas, principles, and structures between phases makes for much easier transitions between the four phases.
Their counter-press can be illustrated in the instance below, against Croatia.
After the Young Lions lose the ball, the first line of the rest defence is able to run forward towards the ball and eliminate any immediate passing options.
The other players already near the ball will apply immediate pressure.
The objective is to overwhelm the opposition with pressure while eliminating any possible options to get out, especially ones through the middle.
In attacking transitions, there are two routes they can take.
Counterattacking is the obvious one, when possible.
If the ball is recovered in areas where there is space to attack and the opposition is vulnerably organised (or disorganised), England look to launch dangerous counter-attacks where individual quality and coordinated movements take over.
However, they can also recover the ball in scenarios where the opposition is already organised, and the space isn’t there to attack.
In those instances, rather than being vertical, the Young Lions look to retain possession and regain control of the game, self-organising and launching their Positional Play.
England U21 Defenders
Finally, let’s break down the squad section by section.
The options at the back for Lee Carsley are fantastic.
For fullbacks, Max Aarons, Djed Spence and Luke Thomas provide more experience along with great versatility and unquestionable quality.
Rico Lewis is the youngest in the squad, and the Man City star could certainly be the difference in some instances.
In the centre-back slot, Carsley has great depth and quality.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis is a regular in Burnley’s title-winning squad, and Levi Colwill has impressed in Roberto De Zerbi’s fascinating Brighton.
The other options are rising elsewhere in England with great quality.
England U21 Midfielders
In the midfield, Oliver Skipp, Angel Gomes, Gibbs-White, James Garner, and Jacob Ramsey all provide experienced options, regularly featuring for their respective senior sides in the Premier League and Ligue 1.
Tyler Morton, Tommy Doyle, and James McAtee are some of the brightest talents in the EFL.
The versatility is yet again on display.
Some players are capable of providing deeper options, with both creativity and defensive abilities.
Others are capable of finding spaces within the defensive structure and progressing with quality before creating in the final third.
England U21 Attackers
While the rest of the squad is extremely balanced, the attack is a more versatile section.
The number nine is the clear question.
Cameron Archer is likely to be the regular starter for the Young Lions.
However, in their fluid structure, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, and others are capable of roaming in and out of the position.
Additionally, the wingers are capable of operating in the wings as well as the central channels, with great quality all around.
Luckily, their Positional Play system allows for a lot of creativity in this section.
England U21 Key Player
The best player is up for grabs, with no real standout in the side.
Perhaps we could put a bit of a spotlight on Harvey Elliot, though, for the winger’s characteristics and decisive nature.
The young star has been regularly performing for Liverpool this season, and there is no doubt of his quality.
However, his Liverpool teammate, Curtis Jones, could also steal the show.
England U21 Tournament prediction
England enter the competition as one of the clear favourites.
Despite not having won the competition since the 1980s, the Young Lions have some of the best players in the competition.
Additionally, having beaten France, Germany, and Italy all within the last calendar year, they should be expected to continue their form into the tournament.
