Sunday's briefing: England U21s continue Euros defence as PSG begin CWC campaign
England Under-21s boss Carsley insisted his side still had plenty to improve on, despite a winning start at the European Championship.
Goals from Harvey Elliott, Jonathan Rowe and Charlie Cresswell saw Croatia defeated 3-1, with Sunday's game against Slovenia providing a chance to cement their place in the knockout rounds.
'It might seem a bit clunky at times, unstructured, but I thought the players took on board what we tried to do, lots of positives, the Czechs had good chances as well so lots to improve,' said Carsley.
'The longer I feel we can stay in the competition, the more clean our play will become.'
Dembele has Ballon d'Or dreams
Champions League winner Ousmane Dembele has eyes on the Ballon d'Or (JOn Buckle/PA)
Champions League winner Ousmane Dembele is chasing the 'holy grail' of the Ballon d'Or.
The forward's performances were integral to Paris St Germain's inaugural triumph in Europe's premier club competition but having conquered that challenge, the 28-year-old is looking to emulate his idol and former Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi.
'Winning a Ballon d'Or when you're a footballer is obviously the holy grail on an individual level. It's something you dream of as a child,' Dembele told France Football.
'I've had difficult years with injuries, weak performances as well. This season I think I've been consistent, so we'll see what happens.
'It would be exceptional to have my name on the list and to be one of the favourites is already a great victory, although I hope to win it one day.
Bright future ahead for FC United
FC United of Manchester chairman Nick Boom believes the future remains bright for the club (Nick Potts/PA)
FC United want to continue being an 'antidote' to modern football as the breakaway club celebrate their 20th anniversary.
The Glazer family's controversial takeover at Manchester United was the catalyst for the club's foundation on June 14, 2005, offering an affordable, inclusive and fan-owned alternative for disenfranchised supporters.
FCUM reached the National League North and built a 4,900-capacity stadium within a decade and now the goal is for the Northern Premier League Premier Division side to kick on again.
'I think the future's bright. I think we're about to enter into our next grand phase,' chair Nick Boom told the PA news agency.
'We've spent a lot of time trying to kind of get the club into a position where it's financially stable and it feels like we now have got to a position where we can kind of invest.'
What's on today?
Newly-crowned Champions League winners Paris St Germain begin their Club World Cup campaign (Mike Egerton/PA)
Champions League winners Paris St Germain take on Atletico Madrid in an early glamour tie in the Club World Cup. Bayern Munich against Auckland City offers less allure. England Under-21s could secure progress to the European Championship knockout stage with victory over Slovenia.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
9 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Rangers in late Champions League squad change as midfielder axed for transfer recruit
The crucial clash with Club Brugge is just hours away and Russell Martin has made a move by dropping a familiar face Rangers boss Russell Martin has made a last-minute change to the squad for the Champions League qualifier against Club Brugge. The Ibrox side are looking to see off the Belgian side to book a spot in the league phase and secure a bumper £40million jackpot. Going into the crucial double clash with the Belgian side, Jayden Meghoma has been added to the squad following his loan signing for Brentford. It leaves the 19-year-old as the likely starter at left-back for the blockbuster first leg at Ibrox - with Jefte been left out of the squad as he inches closer to a move to Palmeiras and Ridvan Yilmaz out of the picture. It means Nedim Bajrami has dropped out despite his Premier Sports Cup goal against Alloa last weekend. It follows two changes from the squad that saw off Viktoria Plzen. Tottenham loanee Mikey Moore has already been drafted in and replaced Oscar Cortes, while Thelo Aasgaard has also come in. Rangers' Champions League squad for Club Brugge Goalkeepers Jack Butland Liam Kelly Kieran Wright Defenders Max Aarons Nasser Djiga Emmanuel Fernandez Leon King John Souttar James Tavernier Jayden Meghoma Midfielders Connor Barron Lyall Cameron Mikey Moore Mohamed Diomande Kieran Dowell Robbie Fraser Djiedi Gassama Nico Raskin Joe Rothwell Oliver Antman Thelo Aasgaard Forwards Cyriel Dessers Hamza Igamane Danilo
Scottish Sun
10 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Rangers make last-minute change to Champions League squad just hours before Brugge game as top team star drops OUT
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) RANGERS have made an 11th-hour change to their Champions League squad. The Light Blues host Club Brugge at Ibrox tonight in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie. Qualification for the league phase of the competition is at stake over the two legs, with the consolation prize a place in the Europa League. Following the signing of Brentford left-back Jayden Meghoma on loan, Gers have REMOVED Nedim Bajrami from their squad list and replaced him with the new arrival. Bajrami, 26, joined last summer from Sassuolo and played 44 times for Gers across all competitions, scoring five goals. He was a regular starter for the Light Blues in the Europa League but tended to be used more as a substitute in domestic action. Rangers paid a fee of around £3.4million for the Albanian international but he hasn't quite hit the heights on a regular basis in for the club. Meghoma arrives in Glasgow having worked under boss Russell Martin at Southampton before he was lured to the Brentford Community Stadium. The 19-year-old spent the back half of last season on loan at Preston North End in the Championship and played 14 times in total for the Lilywhites. Meghoma came through the youth ranks at Tottenham Hotspur before signing for Southampton at 16. Gers will soon confirm the departure of Jefte and with Ridvan Yilmaz also on the road out a new left-back was a major need, hence the approach for Meghoma. Rangers are also reportedly interested in a move for a former target, Roma left-back Anass Salah-Edine. Nobel Mendy timeline and what he brings revealed, and Dessers' injury impact Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
STV News
10 minutes ago
- STV News
Nicky Hayen: Russell Martin bond ‘doesn't count' when Club Brugge face Rangers
Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen says his 'really good connection' with Rangers counterpart Russell Martin will count for nothing when the pair go head to head in the battle for a place in the Champions League. The two managers have been in contact for the past three and a half years since they both worked in Wales in early 2022, with 45-year-old Belgian Hayen in charge of Haverfordwest while Martin was in the Swansea hotseat. They eventually met each other for the first time when Rangers hosted Brugge in a pre-season friendly last month, and now find themselves pitted together in a Champions League play-off tie worth in the region of £40million for the winners. 'I like Russell very much,' said Hayen, speaking at Ibrox on the eve of the first leg. 'I was in Haverfordwest County when he was in Swansea and we met each other because of Gary Richards (the Haverfordwest assistant, who had previously worked at Swansea). 'I wanted to visit Swansea for two days. Russell allowed me to do it, but we never found the right date. 'The season after, we arranged a friendly game between the two teams. The game was scheduled (for July 2022) but I left the club before that to come to Brugge. 'We spoke a lot, we texted a lot, we stayed always in touch, but we never met each other until he came here to Rangers. This (the friendly last month) was the first time that we met. We have a really good connection, but of course, tomorrow this doesn't count.' The friendly on July 6 – Martin's first game in charge – ended 2-2 but Hayen is expecting to face a much tougher opponent this time. 'It will be different,' he said. 'They bought new players since the previous game. The way they play will stay the same but they have more quality now than in pre-season.' Hayen's Brugge side have been to Glasgow on Champions League duty before when they drew 1-1 with Celtic in the main phase of the competition last November. 'It's difficult to compare the two teams,' said Hayen of the two Glasgow sides. What they have in common is that they play with a lot of intensity. They want to play offensive. 'They are supported by really wonderful fans and this gives them a boost. But we showed also that we are ready for every kind of atmosphere. And we just have to play our game like usual.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
