MX23RW : Saturday, December 14 20:25:42| >> :600:5222336:5222336:

Aidy Boothroyd: 'England will not go down without a fight'

Aidy Boothroyd: 'England will not go down without a fight'
© Reuters
England face Portugal in Group D in Slovenia on Sunday.

Aidy Boothroyd admits England Under-21s' must-win showdown with Portugal is his biggest match in charge.

The Young Lions face the Portuguese in Ljubljana on Sunday needing victory to keep their Euro 2021 hopes alive.

Thursday's 1-0 opening defeat to Switzerland put them under instant pressure in Group D.

England also play Croatia on Wednesday and Boothroyd, who is out of contract in the summer, conceded Sunday's showdown is his most vital assignment.

"Without a doubt, the next game is always the most important one but when you are in a tournament it ramps it right up," he said.

"This situation is part of the development and growth of our players. The opportunity is there, the players know, the staff know, I know the importance of it.

"I feel very fortunate to represent my country and work with the best players in Europe and in the world. They are young boys and still learning.

"Is it an important game for me? It's an important game for England Under-21s, we are still in there fighting and we won't go down without a fight."

Boothroyd has no injury worries but is likely to make changes and PSV Eindhoven attacker Noni Madueke will make his debut.

The manager was unhappy with the Young Lions' lack of attacking punch in Koper and wants that to change on Sunday.

"We are a team who like to pride ourselves on creative football and goals we're expected to score," he said.

"We were a blunt instrument which was not like us. We've talked about that, there was quite a bit of reflection. We have had a blip in the road but if it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing.

"The players have been reminded about the importance of how we play the game. We were a bit irritated with what we got against Switzerland.

"We came here to win two games out of three, ideally three, but we're still on track. We have to pull ourselves together and get cracking for the next game."

"There's no time for being moody."

ID:440880: cacheID:440880:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:3334:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
England manager Gareth Southgate pictured on March 25, 2021
Read Next:
Gareth Southgate delighted with England's midfield options
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea1594235181731
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City158342721627
6Aston Villa167452425-125
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton156632522324
8Bournemouth157352320324
9Fulham166642422224
10Brentford157263128323
11Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs1562731191220
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd155461918119
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham155372028-818
15Everton153661421-715
16Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
17Crystal Palace152761420-613
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1512121131-205


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!