Ireland’s hopes of qualifying for the UEFA U21 European Championship were dashed after a 1-1 draw against Italy in Trieste.
Ireland previously drew 1-1 with Norway on October 11, with Sean Roughan scoring for Ireland, only to see their lead vanish with a last-minute equaliser by Andreas Schjelderup. This result added more pressure as the Irish needed a strong finish against Italy.
Ireland’s Andrew Moran scored the crucial equaliser in the 66th minute, after Italy had taken an early lead through Cesare Casadei. Despite the draw, Italy booked their place in the 2025 European Championship that will take place in Slovakia.
Italy’s missed penalty in the first half by Gnonto, along with other squandered opportunities, gave Ireland hope, but they were unable to find that crucial second goal.
Ireland’s U21 team may have missed out on qualification for the 2025 UEFA European Championship, but their journey was filled with standout performances.
The boys in green opened the qualifiers with a 3-0 victory over San Marino in September 2023, with Sean Roughan and Sinclair Armstrong contributing key goals and a 3-2 win over Turkey in June.
Scoreboard: RTE
The Republic of Ireland U21 team concluded their UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign in third place, level with Norway on 19 points, but missing out on the playoffs due to goal difference.
They recorded 5 wins, 4 draws, and 1 loss across 10 matches, scoring 24 goals and conceding 12, for a goal difference of +12.
Bristol City player and Republic of Ireland international, Sinclair Armstrong said: “The unity and mentality within the group was incredibly strong, largely due to the belief that Jim Crawford instilled in us which is that we could win every game.”
“We went toe-to-toe with big nations, and we didn’t shy away from any challenge, from any fight and we gave it 100 percent. For the experience to end so early is very disappointing but it has been unbelievable, we got to travel to so many different countries and experience different cultures in the process and it’s something I will never forget,” he continued.
Armstrong received his first call-up to the senior Republic of Ireland squad on September 8, 2023, for their UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier against the Netherlands and made his senior debut on September 10, 2023.
While the Republic of Ireland team fell short of qualification for the UEFA U21 European Championship, their solid third-place finish and impressive performances throughout the qualifiers sets a promising foundation for the future.
There was a frenzy of social media activity as Gareth Southgate announced England’s World Cup squad for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Southgate largely stayed loyal to the squad that reached the Euro 2020 final, with only 7 new members included in this squad compared to the Euro’s squad.
While there was a small element of happiness with the inclusion of players such as James Maddison and Callum Wilson, the overall emotion was anger towards Southgate over his selection of the squad.
Supporters from both Ireland and England took to Twitter with Southgate springing a few surprises.
Congratulations to every player that has made the squad. Given the depth of excellence available, this in itself is a great achievement. Good luck to each and every one of you. https://t.co/g9ab6Dl3uD
Ex English international Gary Lineker congratulated the players that were picked to represent England in Qatar.
Some of the surprise omissions included Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who has been prolific in the Premier League for the past two seasons, Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse and winner of the Italian league (Serie A) last season Fikayo Tomori.
Still can't believe that England squad. If I was Tammy Abraham, Ward-Prowse or Tomori I'd be asking for a joke book for Christmas. Because being a laugh in the changing room seems to be a way to go to a World Cup these days
Here’s a polite reminder that Ivan Toney, who’s scored the most goals in England for 2022 has been left out of the England World Cup Squad. Southgate is a MASSIVE CLOWN 😳🤡
— Manchester United Die Hard Fans (@DieHardUtdFans) November 12, 2022
Toney – who had scored two goals against Manchester City the previous weekend – was a huge omission from Southgate, with a large number of people backing him to get into the 26-man squad.
Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips received a lot of criticism online. Previously, Southgate had stated that he would only be picking players based on their club form.
It’s actually baffling that Challobah didn’t make the England World Cup squad. He’s been England’s best defender this season and deserved it ahead of Maguire and Dier. pic.twitter.com/Kf2yccebak
Kalvin Phillips has played one game all season for Manchester City, while Maguire has been dropped by new Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag and has only started two games all season.
Ireland supporters won’t have been surprised that previous underage players Jack Grealish and Declan Rice had been chosen to go on the plane, a regular occurrence in Southgate’s squads.
Even if Ireland fans haven’t forgotten Grealish and Rice’s betrayal, it is thought that both will have a significant influence on whether or not England will win the World Cup.
'It's great news for him and his country!' 🏴
Brendan Rodgers "delighted" to see James Maddison included in England's World Cup squad. 🔢 pic.twitter.com/U6JPB6mTC8
However, one player that the majority of England were delighted to see in the England squad was Leicester midfielder James Maddison.
Maddison – who hasn’t been picked in an England squad since 2019 – has had the second most goal involvements of any England player in the Premier League since the start of last season.
England captain Harry Kane will likely break the all-time record for England goals during the tournament, needing two goals to surpass Wayne Rooney.
Kane is also currently 10 goals shy of being the World Cup’s all-time leading goal scorer. Former Germany striker Mirsolav Klose remains top of the table with 16 goals.
A closer look at the squad
The average age of England’s squad is extremely young with the new generation branded as the ‘golden generation’. Jude Bellingham (19), Bukayo Saka (21), Phil Foden (22) and Mason Mount (23) are all likely to be starting in Southgate’s team, reflecting the inexperience within the squad.
England boast the ninth youngest squad in the 32-team tournament, with an average age of 26.4 years old.
Player
Position
Club
▲ Age
Jude Bellingham
Midfielder
Borussia Dortmund
19
Bukayo Saka
Forward
Arsenal
21
Conor Gallagher
Midfielder
Chelsea
22
Phil Foden
Forward
Man City
22
Declan Rice
Midfielder
West Ham
23
Mason Mount
Midfielder
Chelsea
23
Aaron Ramsdale
Goalkeeper
Arsenal
24
T. Alexander-Arnold
Defender
Liverpool
24
Ben White
Defender
Arsenal
25
James Maddison
Forward
Leicester
25
There has been a general trend towards having younger squads in recent years. This squad is one of the youngest squads ever picked by an England manager. Even though the age of the squad is young, it is in fact the second most capped (820) English squad in World Cup history.
Club Composition
Club composition is always a fascinating angle of the England squad. Historically, Manchester United have produced the most English players of all time (43). The squad that Southgate has chosen has a varied number of players from a lot of different clubs as shown on the graph below:
Aaron Ramsdale
Goalkeeper
Arsenal
Ben White
Defender
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka
Forward
Arsenal
Jude Bellingham
Midfielder
Borussia Dortmund
Conor Gallagher
Midfielder
Chelsea
Mason Mount
Midfielder
Chelsea
Raheem Sterling
Forward
Chelsea
Jordan Pickford
Goalkeeper
Everton
Conor Coady
Defender
Everton
James Maddison
Forward
Leicester
T. Alexander-Arnold
Defender
Liverpool
Jordan Henderson
Midfielder
Liverpool
John Stones
Defender
Man City
Kyle Walker
Defender
Man City
Kalvin Phillips
Midfielder
Man City
Phil Foden
Forward
Man City
Jack Grealish
Forward
Man City
Harry Maguire
Defender
Man Utd
Luke Shaw
Defender
Man Utd
Marcus Rashford
Forward
Man Utd
Nick Pope
Goalkeeper
Newcastle
Kieran Trippier
Defender
Newcastle
Callum Wilson
Forward
Newcastle
Eric Dier
Defender
Tottenham
Harry Kane
Forward
Tottenham
Declan Rice
Midfielder
West Ham
Manchester City are the most dominant club, with five players representing Pep Guardiola’s team. Surprisingly Liverpool only have two players that have been picked with both Joe Gomez and Harvey Elliot missing out. Other English heavyweights such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Newcastle and Manchester United all have three players in the squad
Southgate’s position as England manager
Gareth Southgate’s position as England manager has become increasingly unstable, particularly after the Nations League defeats to Hungary and Italy. Various shouts of getting rid of the manager before the World Cup were rejected, but failure to progress deep into the latter stages of this tournament could spark the end of his reign in charge.
The negativity coming into this tournament for Southgate is quite unusual, in the previous two major tournaments he led England to the World Cup Semi-final in 2018 and in 2021 he reached the European Championship final, losing to Italy on penalties.
When asked about his future surrounding recent negativity in the build up to the Qatar World Cup, Southgate responded with a sense of realism.
‘’I’m not foolish. I am realistic about that (the negativity). I’ll be judged on what’s delivered in Qatar and I am perfectly happy in that way,” Southgate said.
The big Dutch man was brilliant for Fulham and was even better for United. Van Der Sar holds the record for clean sheets at United, a monumental achievement considering Peter Schmeichel was there for nine seasons. VDS won five Premier Leagues, two League Cups, a Champion’s League and the Club World Cup whilst at Old Trafford, he also lost two Champions League finals to Barcelona in that period.
Gary Neville
The best right-back in the history of the European game. A real tiger at the back, you didn’t go by Neville too easy. Eight Premier Leagues, three FA Cups, two Champions Leagues and two Club World Cups says enough really. Neville played 85 times for England and also captained his boyhood club.
Gary Neville. Credit: Gary Curran
Nemanja Vidic
The rock that Manchester United’s recent success was built on, the Serb was a colossus for Sir Alex Ferguson’s sides in the mid naughty’s. Vidic won five Premier Leagues, three League Cups and the Champion’s League with the red devils. Nearly 200 appearances for United, Vida is a machine.
John Terry
Passion, ability, courage and class all sum up JT. The Chelsea skipper was one of three players that formed the nucleus of Jose Mourinho’s champions. Terry has played 396 times for the Londoners and has won every single honour in England and Europe with the exception of a Super cup.
Dennis Irwin
‘’Irwin was my best ever singing’’, and when Sir Alex says that you have to appreciate the magnitude of the statement, especially considering the calibre of player who played for Fergie. With 368 appearances, Irwin was a pivotal in United’s catapult to the summit of English football.
Gerrard in 2005. credit wiki.org
Steven Gerrard
Wow. What a player. As a United fan it pains me to say it but wow. Gerrard is the greatest player of all time never to win the title, and not just in England, in the world. The 2005 Champions league final and the 2006 FA cup final were his two finest hours. A real legend of the game.
Paul ‘the best midfielder of his generation’ Scholes
Words cannot describe Paul Scholes. Pele, Zidane, Figo and Charlton have all talked of his genius. The best player to have ever played with United, he has won every single honour in the club game on at least two occasions. ‘’Paul Scholes is the best player that I have ever seen’’, says Ronaldo.
Scholes. Credit Hennah.org
Frank Lampard
The second of Mourinho’s nucleus, a fantastic player with great box to box ability. Chelsea’s all time goal scorer and the only midfielder in the top 10 all-time Premier league scorer’s. Capped over 100 times for England, has won the league on three occasions and led Chelsea to their finest hour in Munich, in 2012.
Frank Lampard. credid wiki.org
Ryan Giggs
Giggs holds United’s record number of appearances and was a devastating winger. Today, although, the legs have gone he picks the passes from the middle of the park. Every single honour both individually and collectively are to his name. Over 650 appearances for United Giggs is a wonderful ambassador for any kid.
Alan Shearer
260 goals in the premier league is a stat on its own. Shearer was a one of the game’s real gems. A title winner with Blackburn in 1995, Shearer played 612 times for club and country. The Geordie icon doesn’t have the accolades that he deserved but he was still a legend.
Didier Drogba
The third of Mourinho’s nucleus, Drogba was a revolution to the premier league. 226 apperances and 100 goals for Chelsea make him one of the league’s best ever players. Scored the equaliser and the winner as Chelsea won the champions league in 2012. Three premier leagues, four FA cups, two league cups and 97 caps with the Ivory Coast. Enough said.
Finished, end of their dominance, another Liverpool and an over achieving squad. These were some of the comments we were led to believe were the future for Manchester United.
The Red Devils are into the last eight of the League Cup, three points away from the last 16 of the Champions league and should they beat Arsenal tomorrow are only five points off the top with two-thirds of the league remaining.
So why was the doomsday opinions offered? Why did people write of England’s most successful club?
Sir Alex handpicked David Moyes, the man who has guided Everton to three fifth place finishes, one fourth place finish and saved the club from relegation in 2003/04.
Moyes – the chosen one. credit wiki.org
Considering the money available to Everton and its limited fan base, that’s pretty impressive by anyone’s standards.
United were 8/1 to retain the title that they romped to in May. 11 points was the difference between first and second last term, how can so much change over 10 weeks?
Should United beat the high flying Gunners on Sunday, nothing will have changed. Traditionally United don’t assert themselves till early March. A win at home this weekend and the Champions are back in touch and have played all the big sides.
Moyes is getting to terms with his new staff and squad; he is adjusting from the 15th biggest job in English football to the Biggest. The man needs time and will flourish once give it.
Champions – Moyes has a great squad. credit wiki.org
Adan Januzaj, Wilfried Zaha and Alex Buttner are only some of the youth players at his disposal. Rooney, van Persie, Carrick, De Gea and Vidic all brilliant players who are well established.
It takes a brave man to write off a Scot, especially a Bhoy from Glasgow.
Sopain are still the team to beat. credit telegraph.co.uk
As the dust settles on another world cup qualifying campaign, nine of Europe’s 13 teams are getting their bags ready for Brazil 2014.
Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Russia, Switzerland and the Netherlands will all be jetting off next may for the biggest world cup ever.
Despite drawing at home to Wales, in their final game, the Belgians won their group quite easily and with Kompany at the back Hazard, Lakaku and Benteke they look like a real force for the Brazilian world cup.
The Germans beat Ireland 9-1 over the two games and have so many options all over the park. Neuer in goal is as good as there is, Boetang and Dante are solid at the back, Lahm, Muller, Gotze, Kroos, Ozil and Gomez can all make 90 minutes seem like an eternity.
The Italians will be hoping to collect their fifth Jules Rimet trophy. The Azzuri are always a threat and having reached the final of Euro 2012 are not to be discarded. Buffon, De rossi, Pirlo, Marchisio and Ballotelli will all take looking after.
The Jules Rimet trophy. credit the liberty.ie
The defending European and world champions took a spanking from Brazil at the confederations cup in June and with Puyol, Xavi and Iniesta all aging Spain might not be favourite to retain the prize they collected in Johannesburg in 2010.
England under Hodgson looks more like a team than individuals. Hart, Baines, Carrick, Gerrard and Wilshire all lay a great foundation for the attacking threats of Townend, Rooney, Sturidge and Wellbeck. Don’t forget Walcott and the Ox either.
Bosnia, Russia and Switzerland will all come to the table as first seeds but can’t really expect much more than a last 16 appearance.
And finally the Dutch, My personal tip for International footballs greatest honour. If they click at even 15% of what their capable of they could cruise to victory but if their pre-tournament antics continue they might not even score a goal.
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