SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 4 hrs 10 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

England Under-21s

European Under-21s Championship | Group Stage
Jun 16, 2017 at 5pm UK
 
EN

0-0

 
FT

Aidy Boothroyd: 'England must improve after goalless opener'

:Headline: Aidy Boothroyd: 'England must improve after goalless opener': ID:300608: from db_amp
Aidy Boothroyd acknowledges that there is work to be done if England are to progress into the U21 Euro 2017 semi-finals, but is content with his side's opening result.

England Under-21s boss Aidy Boothroyd has insisted that he is content with his side's U21 Euro 2017 stalemate with Sweden, but is hoping to see more from his players in their next outing.

The Young Lions played out a goalless draw with the current holders in their opening fixture on Friday afternoon, leaving them with work to do to progress into the semi-finals.

Despite playing the better football for large parts, England had to rely on the heroics of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to keep out Linus Wahlqvist's penalty in the final 10 minutes at the Kielce City Stadion.

With only one team in Group A guaranteed a spot in the knockout rounds, Boothroyd wants to see his players fully up to speed by the time they face Slovakia and tournament hosts Poland in their next two matches.

"I think in an ideal world you play really well, win the game and you're off and running," he told Sky Sports News. "What you don't want to do is lose. I thought it was typical of the opening game of a tournament, I thought both teams will say they could have played better.

"We certainly can. Overall it was a fair result for us. It's a shame, I thought we could have moved the ball quicker, into more pockets and perhaps attacked crosses better. A lot of players haven't played for 90 minutes for a while, so they're feeling it a bit. We're reasonably happy, not over-excited.

"We've made a solid start, and we look forward to the next one now. But we know we can play better, and we expect to play better next time. But today the main thing is we got used to the atmosphere, got used to the tournament, and we got ourselves a point."

As well as the three group winners, the best-performing second-placed side will also seal a place in the final four in Poland.

amp_article__300608 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2017-06-17 07:35:01:
html db last update - 2021-03-10 14:44:57 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Aidy Boothroyd

Click here for more stories about England Under-21s

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .