England U21s reality check following European Championship exit

England were eliminated from the European Under-21 Championship following a 3-1 defeat to Italy that saw Gareth Southgate’s side finish bottom of Group B. Adam Bate was in Olomouc for Sky Sports to witness England’s latest tournament disappointment… Perhaps we should have taken the hint in the build-up to England’s crunch clash with Italy when Gareth Southgate began listing the experience his players had of big occasions and referenced a Championship play-off semi-final. For when the moment came for England to produce a flawless performance under pressure, his young players just didn’t have it within them to cope. Instead, familiar failings were exposed, defensive errors punished and efforts undermined. “There’s nothing between the eight teams in my opinion,” maintained Southgate after seeing his side concede twice in quick succession before the break en route to a 3-1 defeat and tournament elimination. “It then comes down to detail and concentration. “The two minute spell in the first half where we conceded two was the turning point of the game. It’s cruel but that’s the nature of football and because of the way we performed in both penalty boxes we are out.” Gareth Southgate blamed a costly two minutes for defeat to Italy Gareth Southgate blamed a costly two minutes for defeat to Italy And so, the recriminations begin and the game of England tournament bingo gets underway. Expect money, foreigners and the grassroots of the game to get early mentions. It’s a full-blown autopsy now and there are plenty of bones to choose from. But Southgate was understandably keen to focus on this group of players in the immediate aftermath. “We can’t put these young players in with everything else that has happened in England’s football history,” he said. “These are young players. “They were punished ruthlessly. Football is take your chances and make sure you keep your concentration at the other end. There is some improvement that needs to happen in terms of their general defending but that’s the stage they are at.” Marco Benassi doubled Italy's lead while Nathan Redmond could only watch on Marco Benassi doubled Italy's lead while Nathan Redmond could only watch on It’s the discovery of the exact stage they are at that has been so disappointing, not least for the players themselves. The optimism had been understandable given that England were second-highest scorers in qualifying with the best defensive record. The 2014/15 campaign had also brought friendly wins over tournament favourites Germany, hosts Czech Republic and group rivals Portugal. Hope seemed justified even with the contentious absence of stars such as Raheem Sterling and Ross Barkley. But the goals of Harry Kane and Saido Berahino that had fired England through qualifying masked a softer underbelly that was exposed once the latter was injured, leaving the former to shoulder the burden. Others did not share that pedigree. Also See: Euro U21s: England 1-3 Italy Southgate intends to stay Promoted stories Cuadrado says Falcao already a Chelsea &quotteam mate" Cuadrado says Falcao already a Chelsea "team mate" (Channel NewsAsia) Shaping the Toronto skyline – Iconic Skyscrapers in the Financial District Shaping the Toronto skyline – Iconic Skyscrapers in… (Toronto Financial District) A Bedroom with a View A Bedroom with a View (TheFinancialist by Credit Suisse) Maybe next year? The rising stars who almost made the FFT Asia 50 Maybe next year? The rising stars who almost made the… (FourFourTwo (Haymarket)) Singapore's thirst for water spawns new startups Singapore's thirst for water spawns new startups (CNBC) 4 Essential Investment Insights For 2015 4 Essential Investment Insights For 2015 (Neptune Investment Management) Why Get Your MBA at the Technion? Why Get Your MBA at the Technion? (Israel News) Modernizing Government IT - Podcast Modernizing Government IT - Podcast (GovTransformer) Place Your BI Bets on Big Data Place Your BI Bets on Big Data (Pyramid Analytics) Nestlé has made 38 commitments to society. Explore them all here Nestlé has made 38 commitments to society. Explore… (Nestlé SA)
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