Almost two years ago, the England U21 side crashed out of the U21 European Championships.
Such an early exit prompted furor regarding the failing team that was causing the demise of English football.
Of course, English media outlets enjoy the exaggeration of opinions, but truly an exit as bottom of the group with three losses in three and just one goal scored.
On a now dormant website, Footy For All, my brother wrote an article titled ‘The U-21 delusion’. For hours the notepad on his desk took a pounding as notes were scribbled, numbers were pounded in a calculator and the u21 situation was well and truly analysed.
Discovered in those few hours were that just three of the U21 starting XI in their 3-1 loss to Norway, condemning them to an exit, had played the previous season in the Premier League. In stark contrast, the eventual winners – Spain – had every single member of their starting XI against Russia, in the first Group B game of the tournament, playing in the top division for their respective sides.
More extraordinary compared to our weak effort at a football team was that all bar two of their starting XI had played in a top four side that season as the England side contained no players in a top five side.
Carrying on this trend, the Spanish side had eight of their eleven against Russia playing in Europe with seven of those in the Champions League. Not a single one of the English players had a go in the Champions League and just two featured in the Europa League.
Consider the possible names that could have been on the teamsheet that day for England. Jack Butland, Danny Rose, Steven Caulkar, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Jonjo Shelvey, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Wilfried Zaha and Danny Welbeck could have formed the team.
Now consider where those players are now. Every single one of them played in the Premier League last season and Jordan Henderson actually captained Liverpool for a large chunk of 2015.
The team against Norway was: Jack Butland; Adam Smith, Steven Caulker, Craig Dawson, Jordan Henderson, Jason Low, Danny Rose, Nathaniel Chalobah, Wilfried Zaha, Tom Ince, Nathan Redmond.
How many of those have gone on to play for England? Jordan Henderson has, Danny Rose has, Steven Caulker has, Wilfried Zaha has and Jack Butland has. Who is a regular player for England? Henderson and if you’re being kind, Rose.
Meanwhile, Smith, Dawson and Low were selected when quite clearly they were not going to feature for England in future bar a miracle. The endeavour of that side was poor but also pointless because most of the players were not going to, haven’t done and will not play for England as a regular.
Here is the squad for provisional squad for this year’s U21 World Cup:
Goalkeepers
Marcus Bettinelli (Fulham), Jonathan Bond (Watford), Jack Butland (Stoke City)
Defenders
Calum Chambers (Arsenal), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Luke Garbutt (Everton), Ben Gibson (Middlesbrough), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal, on loan at West Ham United), Michael Keane (Burnley), Liam Moore (Leicester City), John Stones (Everton), Matt Targett (Southampton)
Midfielders
Tom Carroll (Tottenham Hotspur, on loan at Swansea City), Nathaniel Chalobah (Chelsea), Will Hughes (Derby County), Jake Forster-Caskey (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jesse Lingard (Manchester United), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea), Alex Pritchard (Tottenham Hotspur), Nathan Redmond (Norwich City), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Forwards
Benik Afobe (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Patrick Bamford (Chelsea, on loan at Middlesbrough), Saido Berahino (West Bromwich Albion), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Danny Ings (Burnley), Cauley Woodrow (Fulham)
What is telling in the new side is that there are now high-profile names in it. Not just high-profile names like Henderson was in 2013 but Premier League golden boot contender names. Harry Kane is the big addition to the squad but Saido Berahino, Ward-Prowse, Targett, Ings, Chambers, Dier and Stones are all regulars for the Premier League clubs.
The strongest starting XI out of this squad would look something like: Bettinelli; Chambers, Dier, Stones, Targett; Ward-Prowse, Hughes, Loftus-Cheek; Bamford, Kane, Berahino.
The substitutes bench could also be a promising selection of young English players: Butland, Jenkinson, Redmond, Lingard, Afobe, Bamford, Ings.
Butland has been playing in goal for Stoke at the end of the season and is likely to be the number one choice goalkeeper at the Britannia next season. Carl Jenkinson has played for West Ham 31 times this season, Nathan Redmond has been vital in Norwich’s campaign in the Championship which sees them in the play-off final. Jesse Lingard made his Manchester United debut at the start of the season, Benik Afobe has been one of the best strikers in the Championship alongside Patrick Bamford with Danny Ings returning from injury to score 10 times in the Premier League this season.
In redoing the statistics, taking the strongest starting from the squad, two players have featured in the Champions League. This isn’t matching the heights of the Spanish side in 2013 but is progress. Chambers and Loftus-Cheek featured in Europe’s top competition while Eric Dier, Harry Kane and John Stones played in the Europa League. However, this doesn’t show the two Southampton players who may be in the Europa League as well next season.
In comparison to that starting XI against Norway as England were eliminated in 2013, where three players played their trade in the Premier League the season before, this possible side mentioned contains 8 top division players with three Championship players, one in the play-off final.
The average league position of the U21 side against Norway was 25th in English football. This season the club finishing in the 25th position in English football was Brentford. Imagine Brentford playing against the Spanish U21 side in 2013, who finished in an average league position of 4th. Brentford would play Valencia if we had the two average league position clubs playing each other this season.
Fast forward two years and you’re in 2015 and have just heard the news of the U21 squad. I have redone the calculations and now, the average league position (as of 20th May 2015) of the strongest starting XI from this squad is 12th. That is an astounding improvement of 13 places. That means that instead of Brentford playing Valencia, it would be Crystal Palace.
Of course, the inference from this statistic could just be that the squad two years ago was the poorest in the tournament. You might not be far off but in seeing these statistics, in seeing a jump of 13 places, there are signs that the national set up should ooze optimism ahead of this summer’s tournament.
The inclusion of two Champions League players, a contender for the golden boot and some of the best players in their respective sides is a sign that England’s U21 set up is improving under Gareth Southgate and may not be deluded anymore.
The original stats for this piece came from Will Robinson’s article on Footy For All. You can follow Will on Twitter here.
Harry Robinson
Manchester United Editor at FansCorner and VAVEL UK.
U7's coach at AFC Southgate.
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Minor quibble but that’s a very odd looking potential starting XI for the U21s. Bettinelli, Chambers, Loftus-Cheek, Targett and Bamford would all likely make way for Butland, Jenkinson, Carroll, Garbutt and Redmond in Southgate’s team.