Tuchel made the dash from the Club World Cup in the US to support the Young Lions against his home nation as they repeated the success of Dave Sexton’s side in 1982 and 1984.
Victory two years ago was an outlier but now it is slowly becoming the norm.
They had previously failed to get out of the group in five of the previous six tournaments.
Outside of winning, though, manager Lee Carsley’s role – along with his coaches and predecessors – has been to develop players and results over the past decade have proved and justified the Football Association’s methods since the opening of St George’s Park in 2012.
The U17s won the Euros in 2014 and U19s followed in 2017 and 2022. There have also been World Cup wins for the U17s and U20s, both in 2017.
“We spoke two years ago – we were putting under-21s champions together with under-19s and working out the dynamics of that group,” said Carsley.
“You can see why the under-19s did so well because they’re so determined, and that doesn’t half help when you’re a coach because they want to win; they’re used to winning.
“The more England players we’ve got who are used to putting on an England shirt and winning can only help the senior team because there’s an expectation.
“You’ll see that with the generation now who hopefully have gone through to the seniors, there’s an expectancy when they play for England and a performance and a win comes with that.”
Of the 2023 winners, the most notable current star is Palmer – and another six were in Tuchel’s most recent England selection.
Palmer, Colwill, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Gibbs-White, Emile Smith Rowe, Anthony Gordon, Jarrad Branthwaite, Jones, Angel Gomes and Madueke have won senior caps.
From 2021 – when England went out at the group stage – Aaron Ramsdale, Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Eberechi Eze add their names to the list, although Hudson-Odoi made hs senior debut in 2019 before playing for the U21s.
Yet record scorer Eddie Nketiah, who has 16 goals in 17 U21 games, is yet to become an England regular, his one cap coming against Australia two years ago.
About half of those victorious in the 1982 and 1984 squads never won a senior cap for England – and none of them went on to be Three Lions legends.
Mark Hateley, who was in both squads, won the most caps – 32 – with five more players reaching 10 caps or more, including Terry Fenwick with 20.
Gary Owen, who scored twice in the 3-1 second-leg win over Germany, only managed seven England B caps and never made his senior bow.
In total, 29 players have won the Under-21 European Championship and then a major senior tournament, including Laurent Blanc, Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti and Manuel Neuer.
It is a list Carsley’s victorious squad of 23 would love to join.
“We’ve had a good couple of days training. We’re looking forward to the game now.”
England u21s clash with Germany SUSPENDED as stadium plunged into semi-darkness and players taken off pitch
After Carsley’s side slapped Spain 3-1 in the quarter-finals on Saturday, he is now hoping they produce another masterclass to sink the Dutch.
He said: “Ideally and I’ve spoken to the players about it, you want to coach a team where you watching them play and you’re enjoying watching them. That Spain game and the second half of the Germany game, you are on the side, enjoying watching the players play and expressing themselves.
“You want foreign journalists to speak about our players the way we sometimes speak about their players, in terms of their technical ability or the way they can take the ball.
“We’re definitely changing that perception of English players.”
His side beat Portugal 1-0 last time out despite Ruben van Bommel’s 21st- minute red card.
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Michael Reiziger has been impressed by England’s style of playCredit: Getty
Reiziger said: “They’re not playing in a typical English style.
“They are playing really well with a lot of good quality and they are growing into the tournament.
“It will be a tough game but that is logical.
“We’ve watched every match of England.
“Two strong teams that love to play football, two teams that have quality.
“It is going to be an interesting game. We have some comparison with England.
“We started not that well but are getting better every time, resulting in the fact we won a game with ten men.”
After over two decades of misery in penalty shootouts, Sir Gareth Southgate helped instil a no fear factor into England players, with the seniors winning three of their last four.
And Carsley insists his lads are ready for penalties if it comes down to it tonight. He said: “There’s more of an awareness of penalties and the technique and structure that goes behind a shoot-out.
“We are fortunate to have a lot of players who take penalties for their clubs.
“It is very difficult to replicate the walk from the halfway line to the penalty spot, especially if you are not used to it.
“It’s something Gareth pushed which filtered down the pathway.
“It is so important because of the amount of resources thrown at the senior team to be the best at shootouts.
“That awareness of how important they are has definitely trickled down and we have benefited from that.”
England’s Under-21 Euros squad in FULL
ENGLAND are looking to retain their status as Under-21 European champions this summer in Slovakia.
Here is Lee Carsley’s full squad for the blockbuster tournament:
Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Brighton and Hove Albion), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke City)
Defenders: Charlie Cresswell (FC Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)
Forwards: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City)
TINO LIVRAMENTO will have a “beautiful future” for club and country, says England’s greatest left-back Ashley Cole.
The Newcastle star is aiming to cap off a campaign that saw him lift the Carabao Cup and qualify for the Champions League by becoming a European champion.
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Tino Livramento produced a man of the match display in England U21s’ win over Czech RepublicCredit: Getty
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Ashley Cole believes the star has a ‘beautiful future’ ahead of him with the Three LionsCredit: Getty
And he thinks England, who face Slovenia on Sunday in their second Group B clash, have struck gold with Livramento.
Cole, 44, said: “I had the fortune to be around him when he was at Chelsea. He was in the 21s in the reserve group. You always see the passion and level he could get to. But of course, there’s only a certain level of information we can give him.
“It’s down to the players to take on that information, absorb it, and want to learn and listen and develop and get better. He’s certainly one of them players.
“Him getting the opportunity at Newcastle and continuing to play first in football gave him the belief, the confidence in his own ability. And, of course, a manager that’s trusted him to play at such a young age. He’s developing into a top player.”
Three-time Premier League and 2012 Champions League winner Cole continued: “My job is to try and give all my experiences to every single player.
“You do favour certain players and certain attitudes. He’s got a great attitude. He’s a great person, always willing to listen.
“I try not to compare myself to these guys. The information and detail I give is, we’re a different stature. We have a different style of play. And it’s just trying to give him the basics of how to defend all areas of the pitch, and see how he develops.”
Ashley Cole picks his all-time team-mates XI… but does it boast more Arsenal or Chelsea stars?
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Ashley Cole and Tino Livramento in action at England trainingCredit: Getty
Cole, who admits some of the magic is not there anymore, takes a hands-on approach to coaching.
And after sharing a pitch with Livramento and working with him up close, he insists that the sky is the limit for the Toon ace.
He said: “I can’t move anymore. My ankle is gone. I was probably the worst player last week when I joined in.
“I try to give that little bit of knowledge as I’m playing. I can’t run anymore, so it’s more of a gob – which I’ve calmed down a bit! – but it’s still there. I try to give as much as I can.
“As coach, you stand on the sideline and see how much information he takes on and takes on board. And I keep saying it, but the willingness to want to learn and be the best, is always a great trait to have.
I try not to compare myself to these guys. We have a different style of play. And it’s just trying to give him the basics of how to defend all areas of the pitch, and see how he develops.
Ashley Cole on Tino Livramento
“Whatever level he wants to get to, he can get to because he’s got that personality and desire.
“He’s got a beautiful future, a bright future. Long may it continue that he keeps playing for Newcastle, keeps gaining experience and keeps his levels up.”
Eyebrows were raised when Thomas Tuchel left Livramento, who won his first senior cap in November, out of his latest squad in order for him to come to the Euros.
But the ex-Southampton ace revealed a conversation he had with the German about being a leader for the U21s in Slovakia and he says he is loving soaking up all the knowledge from his hero Cole.
Livramento said: “Thomas spoke to me about the senior squad and said that he wanted to speak to Lee as well about giving me that role.
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“I’ve never played a tournament for England and any age group. I’ve always missed it through injuries. That’s a big thing for me, coming here and getting this experience and playing with loads of boys that I’ve come through the age groups with.
“Ashley gets involved in the sessions. Even just watching him, he’s still at the highest level of the way he communicates with all the boys. As a coach he’s a bit more laid back.
“He sees things, he lets you train and he might pull you to the side after and do a little bit of one-to-one work.
“Obviously as a Chelsea fan when I was younger seeing him and stuff like that is a big thing for me to learn.”
England’s Under-21 Euros squad in FULL
ENGLAND are looking to retain their status as Under-21 European champions this summer in Slovakia.
Here is Lee Carsley’s full squad for the blockbuster tournament:
Goalkeepers: James Beadle (Brighton and Hove Albion), Teddy Sharman-Lowe (Chelsea), Tommy Simkin (Stoke City)
Defenders: Charlie Cresswell (FC Toulouse), Ronnie Edwards (Southampton), CJ Egan-Riley (Burnley), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Brooke Norton Cuffy (Genoa), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Archie Gray (Tottenham Hotspur), Hayden Hackney (Middlesbrough), Jack Hinshelwood (Brighton and Hove Albion), Tyler Morton (Liverpool), Alex Scott (AFC Bournemouth)
Forwards: Harvey Elliott (Liverpool), Omari Hutchinson (Ipswich Town), Sam Iling Jnr (Aston Villa), James McAtee (Manchester City), Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal), Jonathan Rowe (Marseille), Jay Stansfield (Birmingham City)
