LEE CARSLEY'S ENGLAND U21s - THE NEXT GENERATION IS STACKED

The England national team are undoubtedly one of the strongest in the world at the moment and will be one of the favourites at the 2026 World Cup, and there’s every chance that continues for many years to come. The crop of youngsters coming through the ranks is special, and even when some of the stars outgrow that level and develop into senior players, another crop of talent steps up to the plate.

England have now won the last two Euro U21 championships, with a host of players changing over the two years between the two tournaments. England now have a constant conveyor belt of talent year on year, and although the current squad might not be as strong (on paper) as previously, it’s still absolutely stacked with talent.

On Friday night, England U21s faced Moldova, with Lee Carsley’s side emerging victorious with a comfortable 4-0 victory. I’ve taken a look at some of the individual performances of certain players, and how the current crop perform together, showing hugely positive signs for the future.

Intelligence

One thing that stands out when watching England is the game intelligence of the players. Especially against so-called lesser sides, one of the huge differences is their ability to know where to be, what runs to make, when to press, when to break lines. The technical ability of every player in the squad is next level, especially in the modern era, but the intelligence in and out of possession is what separates them from many other countries.

Tyler Dibling and Ethan Nwaneri lined up as  the right-sided attacker and number 10 respectively, but the fluidity of the duo helps cause major problems. Nwaneri can drift into wide areas, creating space centrally, while the double pivot of Jobe Bellingham and Archie Gray was also an issue for Moldova due to the intelligent movement. As seen above, Gray drifts out wide to create a zone in the middle for Dibling to run into.

Divin Mubama, as seen above, is a striker who likes to drop off the defensive line and get involved in the play, checking his shoulder before dropping in and looking to receive between the lines. His clever movement means he can create separation from the defender to receive, already checking his shoulder knowing Dibling is going to come inside.

Mubama can they receive the ball, holding off the defender who has been forced to step out of the defensive line, before picking out Rico Lewis who has already made the forward movement to receive in the half space. 

Bellingham’s intelligence is something that makes him standout as a player. To make himself available for a pass, he makes short and sharp movements to separate from his marker to receive the ball.

As soon as he creates even just a yard or two of separation, he’s in a position to receive the ball and find another player, which is also drags a midfielder out of his defensive shape.

Bellingham also uses his body superbly, squatting down and creating a low centre of gravity, allowing him to protect the ball from a defender after he receives a pass.

Bellingham always knows what’s going on behind him, using his body to feel the pressure of the defender before offloading the ball. These actions allow him to receive the ball in tight areas, and he’s always looking to progress play and receive off the defenders.

The Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s off-ball movement, again, allows him to create separation. With the opposition defender tracking back, he knows he can make a movement into a deeper area to receive a pass, with Brooke Norton-Cuffy struggling with options to find.

One small movement allows him to find space to receive, and as you can see, he’s already scanning to see the next pass he can make.

His ability to find space is admirable, and he’s not alone in doing so. The most impressive thing is always his next action, receiving in space before trying to play progressively, which is massively helped by the intelligent movement of his team-mates.

When Bellingham looks to play forward into the feet of Mubama, the England striker has already come short to offer as an option, with Nwaneri and Dibling making movements into central areas to play off him.

Movement

We can talk about the technical ability of the England players until the cows come home, but it’s no secret. Again, what makes them a special generation is things they do when they don’t have the ball. The spaces they create, the runs they make, and their movement to benefit themselves and others.

Nwaneri is always looking to get into areas between the lines, making himself an option in dangerous positions for the midfielders. In the image above, Bellingham looks to find Lewis, who is already making a bursting run forward, but the quick reactions of Jamie Gittens helps take the move to the next level.

When Lewis receives the ball, Gittens quickly makes a darting run out wide, which gives his marker something to think about. Naturally, the defender wants to deal with the immediate danger, but is also being pulled away by Gittens, and that means Lewis has a central space to run into, or can find Nwaneri in the pockets.

Lewis opts to drive forward with the ball, and with Gittens still pulling wide, England can easily create a 4v4 situation in attack. The unselfish, subtle, and intelligent movement of the players helps them create dangerous opportunities with ease.

A key part of the modern game is having players who are capable of making an impact in multiple areas of the pitch, whether that be Lewis coming in to central areas, like above, despite being a full-back, wingers drifting into no.10 positions, strikers playing out wide. Fluidity in attacking players is often crucial and something many modern-day coaches like to see, and the likes of Nwaneri and Dibling are prime examples of this, and it’s a key reason why the standout as high-level players at this age group.

It's crucial to have this profile of player when playing against sides that like to sit deep and absorb pressure. As you can see, Moldova are sitting in a 5-4 block, and the rotations of Dibling and Nwaneri allows England to break this down easily. Despite being a winger on paper, Dibling likes to come into central areas and get between the lines to receive the ball. Against oppositions setups that don’t go man-to-man and cover zones, this means Dibling can find space, and he becomes difficult to mark due to vacating his usual position.

Dibling can easily be found by Nwaneri, with the Arsenal youngster quickly moving after making the pass to be able to receive once again. Alongside the clever attacking movement, England move in to a strong base behind the forwards, with Lewis, Bellingham, Gray, and Acheampong making a 1-3 setup with their rest defence. Although playing against weaker opposition, where they could get complacent and commit too many bodies forward, they are disciplined and clever enough to ensure they are able to protect themselves against any potential transitions.

In summary, as previously mentioned, it’s a pointless task hammering home the exceptional technical level of these England youth players, as it’s incredibly obvious, and it’s perhaps the mental side of their game that deserves more recognition. Many speak on the ability on the ball of the likes of Bellingham, Nwaneri, Dibling, and the rest of the squad, but what they do without the ball sometimes goes unnoticed. Movement, intelligence, rotations, and simply, common sense, can often take highly-technical players to the next level. A large portion of the England generation coming through the ranks have this in abundance, and that’s why we’re seeing the likes of Cole Palmer, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Nico O’Reilly, Elliot Anderson, Morgan Rogers, and more, slot seamlessly into the senior squad.

It's an exciting group of players, and the constant conveyor belt of talent is seemingly never-ending.

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