Jacob Ramsey says the current crop of England Under-21s are better equipped to win the European Championship than some of the previous stars.
Lee Carsley’s side are in Georgia for Euro 2023 and kick off their campaign against Czech Republic next Thursday.
A host of players who went on to become established England internationals have come through the youth system over the years, but did not perform on the biggest stage, with five of the last six European Championships ending in a group-stage exit.
Ramsey, who had a fine Premier League campaign for Aston Villa, says Carsley’s group have a different mentality.
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“One thing that I will say about this group – when we’ve looked at previous groups before, and previous camps, there’s probably a different mentality,” he said.
“I think, before, people have put us down as big favourites and that we’ve gone there to win it. But in this group we’ve got a bit of a humble side. I think everyone knows how well we can play together, and we probably are one of the favourites.
“But we will go into this tournament respecting every team. For my personal opinion in this group, I feel like we’ve got the right balance and, hopefully, when we go out there we will show that.”
It helps that Carsley has been able to select a side that is packed with Premier League experience, with the likes of Ramsey, Morgan Gibbs-White, Emile Smith Rowe, Anthony Gordon, Oliver Skipp and Harvey Elliott all regulars in the top flight.
“Obviously, going into a major tournament for the 21s, it is a big thing,” Ramsey added.
“But I think if you look at the clubs that the lads are playing for – Liverpool, Man City, even the lower end of the table with Forest and stuff, they are playing for a bigger prize than this tournament.
“But, I think that nearly everyone in this squad has Premier League experience, there’s no pressure like playing in the Premier League in front of 60,000 at Old Trafford, at the Emirates, at the Etihad, so hopefully we can bring that experience and help the boys who haven’t played as much or bring it into this tournament and gel together.”
The 22-year-old ended the season in fine form for Villa under Unai Emery as they qualified for the Europa Conference League.
He scored six goals and produced seven assists as Emery moved him further up the field following Steven Gerrard’s exit and has loved life under the Spaniard.
“I feel like I’ve probably had my best season so far, to date,” he said. “I feel like I’ve left Villa, and the season, strongly. I feel like I’ve put up some good numbers and good performances.
“I’m enjoying it. I enjoy working with him and his coaching staff. The players are loving it, the style of play, the details and intensity of the training.
“It’s really good. I don’t think one player at Villa at the moment could not say they are enjoying it. Whether you’re playing or not playing I think there’s a good vibe around the camp, so I’m enjoying it.
“I think if you compare my role under the previous manager, and my role now, I’m playing a little higher up, so I’m one of the players who he’s demanding to get assists, get goals and creating chances.
“Whereas before I was playing in the middle, playing as a number eight, so I was more box-to-box, whereas now he’s putting a lot of pressure on me to create chances for Ollie Watkins, Leon Bailey – players like that.
“When he’s come in he’s put a lot of pressure on me, which is always good to have him demanding me to go and get in the box, scoring goals, get assistance and creating chances.”
Gilbert eyes strong JPL run after goalless stalemate with Real Hope confirms Caribbean Cup exit
Arnett Gardens Head Coach Xavier Gilbert was left with a mixed bag of emotions following his team’s goalless draw against Haitian club Real Hope in their Group A Concacaf Caribbean Cup encounter.
While pleased with their usual attacking intent and defensive resilience, which earned them their first point of the tournament, Gilbert admitted that he would have liked to secure all three points in the heated affair at the National Stadium on Wednesday to keep their semi-final hopes alive.
The “Junglists” were more threatening in open play and felt they should have won the contest as they had a goal ruled out for offside, while a penalty call, which should have gone their way, was not given.
As such, the result left them rooted at the bottom of the group on a point, as Cavalier (six points), Real Hope (five points), Police FC (four points), and Mount Pleasant FA (three points) remain in contention for the top two spots to the semis.
With one game to come against Mount Pleasant on October 3, Gilbert is hoping they can secure a win to cap off what he described as a valuable experience for the team in the regional competition.
“Honestly, it’s a bit of a bittersweet feeling; I think it was a tough encounter, but I can fault the guys for trying. I’m happy that the team showed great effort and fight, but decision-making in the final third could have been better,” Gilbert told Sportsmax.TV.
“On the other hand, I thought we were just unlucky to not get the full points last night, especially in the way some calls went against us, but that's the way it is, sometimes we get them and sometimes we don't. We came into this game hoping to get the victory, but we were just a bit short in the final third,” he added.
Despite the shortfall, Gilbert highlighted the positives of the Caribbean Cup campaign and believes the team has gained crucial exposure and experience testing themselves against regional opponents. This, he said, will serve them well for the remainder of the Jamaica Premier League (JPL) season.
“We fight on nonetheless; we are happy for the exposure that we got at this level, and hopefully we can use this as a catalyst to do well in the local league and make it back here next season because these are the types of tournaments we need to be involved in more often,” he explained.
“Playing teams from across the Caribbean pushes us to raise our level and exposes the areas we need to improve. The intensity and quality are slightly different from what we face locally, and the players have to adapt quickly. It’s an experience we’ll definitely build on going forward,” he noted.
With the JPL season already in full swing and Arnett Gardens, Gilbert has already shifting his focus to ensuring that his team come out stronger for their next encounter against promoted Racing United on Sunday.
The CFU Club Shield winning coach believes the lessons learned in the Caribbean Cup can propel the team to a successful domestic season, which would, in turn, put them back in contention for another crack at the regional tournament next year.
Arnett Gardens currently sit second on the JPL standings on three points from their opening 3-0 win over Dunbeholden FC.
“We have to take what we’ve learned here (in the Caribbean Cup) and channel it into our JPL campaign. The goal now is to be consistent, play good football, and secure one of those top spots to qualify for the Caribbean Cup again. This tournament has given us a taste of what’s possible, and I’m confident we’ll be better equipped next time around.” Gilbert stated confidently.
The tactician is counting on his team’s mix of experienced campaigners and emerging talents to continue growing and improving as they look to reclaim domestic glory. He also expressed gratitude to the club’s fans for their unwavering support throughout the tournament and promised that they would see a revitalized Arnett Gardens as the JPL season progresses.
“We’re going back to the drawing board with a renewed focus and determination,” he said.
“The fans deserve nothing but our best effort, and we’re committed to making sure we’re back in the Caribbean Cup next year and, more importantly, compete for titles,” Gilbert ended.
'Bunny' Shaw at the double as City blank Paris FC 3-0 to secure Champions League group stage play
After missing out on the first leg due to visa issues, Jamaican international Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw once again showed her class in second leg action, as she scored a brace that propelled Manchester City to a 3-0 win over Paris FC and into the Women’s Champions League group stages.
Gareth Taylor said Manchester City are back “where they belong” after they finally ended their disappointing streak in Europe’s top club competition and reaching the, by completing a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate victory over Paris FC.
Shaw found the target in the 31st and 65th minutes, after Chloe Kelly (2nd) opened the scoring in a lopsided contest at the Joie Stadium, as City wrapped up a comprehensive 8-0 aggregate scoreline.
Taylor’s confident-looking side were not involved in Europe at all last season and had been eliminated by Real Madrid in the qualifying rounds of the two campaigns before that. They will now contest the last-16 stage of the competition for the first time since 2020-21, when the knockout format was still in use, and will harbour realistic ambitions of going deep into the competition on the evidence of their strong showing over the two legs of this second-round tie.
“It’s a big honour for us. This is where we want to be. The qualification process is really tough. I’m not the only coach, I’m sure, who has sat, over the past couple of years, with a squad that felt capable of not just being in the Champions League, but actually doing something within it,” Taylor said in a post-game interview.
“Man City is a big club. We feel like we belong there, because we are a big team and we have huge ambitions, but of course the club recognises how difficult it is to be there because of the qualification process. I never felt safe, even at 5-0. A lot of things can go wrong in football. Nothing is a formality,” he added.
Kelly put City in front when she pounced on a loose ball and slotted home inside five minutes.
She then turned provider for Shaw with a weighted cross that the towering Jamaican lashed home for her first goal of the season.
Shaw then registered her second from the penalty spot after she was taken out inside the 18-yard box.
Manchester City, who were semi-finalists in 2017 and 2018, can now look forward to the group-stage draw on Friday and Taylor is cautiously optimistic about their chances there.
“I think getting out of the group stages is going to be our next objective, and once we get out of the group stages, anything can happen. We just want a crack at it, that’s what we want,” he said.
Postecoglou impressed by Tottenham resilience after early red card
Ange Postecoglou was impressed by his side's resilience after they responded to an early red card by beating Qarabag 3-0 in their Europa League opener.
Spurs were dealt a blow as kick-off was delayed by 35 minutes due to travel disruptions in North London, and once the game started, Radu Dragusin was given his marching orders just seven minutes in for a last-ditch tackle, receiving Spurs' earliest-ever European red card.
However, goals from Brennan Johnson, Pape Sarr and Dominic Solanke turned the tide, even as Qarabag missed a penalty and had a late goal disallowed.
Postecoglou was underwhelmed by Spurs' slow start to the game but could not fault their performance after going down to 10 men.
"[The red card was] not ideal," Postecoglou told TNT Sports. "I wasn't happy as I felt we started really sloppy. We talked about starting with a high tempo, and it was almost like the delay got to us.
"We were passive in our passing and when that happens, someone switches off.
"The reaction after that was good, but I'm not happy with the start.
"Brennan's [goal] was great. With 10 men, we still pressed, which is what we wanted to do.
"[Johnson] has some confidence in him, which is great - we need him! We knew if we win [the ball], Brennan and Sonny [Son] would have the space."
Solanke scored for the second consecutive game for Spurs and was one of the key players as he had two shots, both of which were on target, accumulated 0.99 expected goals and had four touches in the opposition box, more than anyone else on the team.
Postecoglou was particularly pleased with how he led the line, especially as he continues to recover from an early-season injury.
"He has been great for us, Dom. He went through that long drought of two games without a goal!" Postecoglou added.
"He has been fantastic for us, not just goals, but his link-up plays. He is a typical striker.
"He is still working his way back to full fitness."
Solanke himself, though, was just pleased to kick off their European campaign and secure a third-straight win in all competitions.
"Very happy to get the win, the boys fought hard," he told TNT Sports.
"Going down to 10 men it could have been a difficult game, but we all stuck to the game plan, and it shows the spirit of the team."
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