Lee Carsley says he always had confidence that he could guide England U21s to a second successive European Championship final.
After beating the Netherlands 2-1 in the semi-finals, England U21s head to their second consecutive Euros final to face Germany, who they lost 2-1 to in their final group stage game.
Despite that defeat, Carsley’s side progressed to the knockouts, where they have gone on to beat first Spain then the Dutch to set up a rematch with the Germans.
Young Lions boss Carsley was always confident that his team would make it back to the final, having won the tournament back in 2023, even after the defeat to Germany earlier in the competition.
“After that game, I was more than confident that this team had clicked and we were in a good position,” Carsley said.
“I thought that we’d be there (the final). I wasn’t sure if they would be there. I was confident that we were going to do well in this tournament. I’ve got a lot of belief in this team.
“I knew the second half against Germany, we clicked. In the first half, it would be fair to say, especially the first 20 minutes, we did not play well.”
Carsley was very complimentary to the competition’s top goalscorer Nick Woltemade, who has nine goal contributions in four games and is on the verge of a move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
“We come up against all kinds of players with different attributes,” he said. “I think the Premier League is so unique as well that you are up against players like that, who are fast, strong, quick, and tall.
“Our defenders are used to it from an English point of view, that contact, that physical side of the game.
“I think he’s a player that we’re well aware of, along with two or three of the other players for Germany. They’ve got some good players, a really good team, unbeaten so far as well.
“I’m sure they’ve got a lot of confidence and a team that we’re looking forward to playing against.”
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