Just when you thought it would be a quiet summer, someone goes and plants a Women’s World Cup, a Cricket World Cup and a flood of Youth Tournaments your way.

The best Youth Tournament is purely subjective, so it’s best to consume as much as you can, with the Toulon, U20s WC and U21 Euro Tournaments all having the potential to provide a flowing feast of action not to be missed.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup is in full swing and as a complete novice taking most of the female game in for the first time; I’ve been utterly bowled over with what I’ve seen. Not only are the standards on the pitch high, the standards off it are equally elite. The punditry, especially from the brilliant Hope Solo, has been insightful, eloquent and thorough, and more than a match for the classy tactical battles we’ve witnessed on field.

There has been a heavy mismatch in the game between USA & Thailand, mainly due to the sport still being in its infancy. The early adopters are on occasion going to see their supremacy played out in brutal fashion so let’s hope that doesn’t over simplify the narrative and detract from what is a largely a competitive running.

The winner should come from the French, USA, or English sides but I’m keen to keep a close eye on the Nigerian and Norwegian outfits. And just on outfits, the Nigerian kit needs its own section as it is truly a thing of beauty. Touché Nike.

The U21 Euros are still yet to start at time of writing; however, the two tournaments featuring the age groups below have conjured up some classic ties plus some difficult periods for the England U20s side.

Josh Dasilva, in midfield, has managed to get solid minutes in two of the four fixtures England have played in the Toulon tournament.

Playing centrally, the Brentford man has had the role of screen enforcer, ball progressor and chance creator, all in a side that doesn't feel anywhere near playing close to its maximum potential. The number of players operating in multiple positions from game to game has led to a feeling of volatility and lends itself to a coach not knowing his primary team and best way to attack or defend. Having too many options and a group of flexible, gifted players may be one of the reasons behind some of the bizarre Paul Simpson decisions. There’s been little sense in playing a different right back in each game, swapping Chalobah between central midfield and defence, playing Reece James in three different roles plus the random nature of Eze appearances on top of a lack of Bogle, so why we’ve seen it, only Simpson will know.

Big Josh was OK in his first outing against Japan. A little heavy with his touches in the early stages, Japan pressures, intricate play and their ball rotation skills combined to throw England off. Dasilva grew into a tough opening game, drawing on some of the deeper and out of possession work we’ve seen drilled into him by Thomas Frank. With some quick feet on the edge of the box, a strong attacking moment saw him twice effortlessly switching direction, playing a one two off Hurst and then shifting the ball into space wide left. Dasilva may have fallen foul to odd selection decisions so any good output feels in spite of the coach rather than Simpson amplifying what these youngsters are capable of.

Dasilva played 76 minutes in England’s routine win which saw Guatemala 4 nil down by half-time in the 9th place playoff match. The match was unfortunately moved from the originally scheduled time and location so access to individual player and game video may prove difficult.

Balcombe has featured in three out of the four Toulon games, conceding four goals and all of his matches ending in defeat.

Quite audaciously, he was nearly lobbed from the halfway line against Portugal, this soon after being subbed in for Schofield with England already 3-1 down.

A late penalty save in time added on to prevent further England embarrassment has been a highlight, limiting the side to a 2-3 defeat after Willock pulled back a second.

From 1 nil up in the 85th minute, Balcombe and England transpired to conceded two late goals against Chile and lose the game. The first was a ruthless finish with the Bees keeper coming out as quickly as he could but unable to smother the chance which was created by a ball into the inside right channel, perfectly matching the run inside from the right. The second, late in added on time was brutal, with a cross taking a wicked deflection and flying past him helplessly. .

Both Chile goals came from England’s left hand side, which has been a recurrence of the tournament, with Leeds’ Tom Pearce, who spent the season on loan at Scunthorpe, also caught out for goals on the left against Japan.

Coverage has been extensive on the Freesports TV Channel but the lack of ability to broadcast online in 2019 seems bizarre. If you’re not sat in front of a TV, you’re stuck with their twitter feed spewing out clips of key game moments. Replays of games are available but it’s more difficult than it should be.

Breaking The Lines and more specifically Zach Lowy @ZachLowy, have been reviewing Toulon games from a tactical standpoint. I’ve been enjoying these so be sure to read them as they pick out and feature players who will be looking for solid steps into the senior game over the next couple of years.

http://breakingthelines.com/scout-reports/toulon-tournament-match-10-brazil-qatar/

Ezri Konsa has made the Aidy Boothroyd Euro 2019 squad for the tournament in Italy.

He’s progressed through the age groups and is felt as an important part of the setup even though he’s never been thought of as a certain starter.

England’s batch of U21 defenders is exceptional. It’s a seriously classy group of players and it won’t be long until some of the senior pretenders are looking over their shoulders. England have rid themselves of baggage like Smalling and Jones and it’s now a far more fluid batch coming through. No longer is the club you play for a dead certain filtering system and we could soon see a number of these talented youngster quickly usurp Tarkovski, Keane and Stones and Walker in the pecking order.

A quick review of the U21 backline.

No.2 - RB - Aaran Wan-Bissaka - Comes off the back of a great season at Selhurst Park, more than earning his rumoured potential next move. In a slight return to how they used to recruit, he’s subject to serious interest from Man Utd. It’s fairly simple to anyone with eyes: Manchester United now have a collection of players that stand no chance of getting into top 4 English sides.

Abusing their history and financial muscle, the giants used to freely go about snapping up the best talent around the English league. Cantona, Ferdinand, Carrick, Berbarov, Van Persie all were purchased weakening rivals. While systems and patterns of play have made it more difficult to throw individual talent at a problem, Wan Bissaka is a hell of a start back in the right direction.

No.3 - LB - Jay Dasilva - Chelsea owned and has had an outstanding 18/19 on loan at Bristol City. The most exciting left-back in The Championship; this is a player that will contest Champions League titles. Already miles ahead of Luke Shaw, Ben Chillwell also looks half the player Jay Dasilva can be. With Tottenham's highly effective Danny Rose becoming seriously affected by the continuous barrage of disgusting abuse, Jay Dasilva may see his pathway to full international open up sooner rather than later.

No. 4 - CB - Jake Clarke-Salter – With Jake we have another player tied to Chelsea. Having spent the season at their human farm, Vitesse, in Holland, Clarke-Slater has drastically recovered from a period in and out of a horrible Sunderland side. He now looks ready for a Playoff contesting Championship club, if they have room for him.

No. 5 - CB - Fikayo Tomori - There’s a bit of a recurring theme here. Chelsea’s Tomori has spent the season on loan with Frank Lampard at Derby County. Making it all the way to the Play-Off final, it’s fair to say Tomori has got better and better as the season has progressed. Learning from Richard Keogh has done him no harm and he’s added one or two extra pounds to his price tag. Aidy, not that he needs them, has got some difficult decisions to make in picking his centre back pairing. I just wonder, with an abundance of backline talent to choose from, he removes part of the conundrum and picks three.

No.12 - RB - Jonjoe Kenny – An indifferent season for Everton. Part of the supporting cast in propping up Coleman. He has impressed in parts and there’s clearly a talented player in there. The ruthless nature of the Premier-League may be adverse for his development so a good loan at a lower level looks his best bet. And a loan is what he has with a period booked in with German side Schalke. Expect him to return tactically superior and able to add assists and chance creation to his game.

No.14 - CB / LB Lloyd Kelly - Bournemouth and Eddie Howe continue to do wonders in terms of recruitment. Not satisfied with raiding Brentford for potential Wales captain Chris Mepham, Howe and Co have returned to the EFL and this time Bristol City for the exciting Kelly. It was only a matter of time before the Premier League came calling. Kelly is beautifully balanced, huge and comfortable at left back or centre back. He’s quick, strong in the air and hard to beat. He may however not be at Bournemouth for long, but if he is, expect them to finally start putting to bed some of their defensive issues. Mepham, Kelly and Ake are a batch of players to be jealous of.

No.15 - CB Ezri Konsa - We finish with Ezri, who himself finished his Championship season with a goal against Preston. His debut year in the second tier has had a couple of low points but largely can be viewed as successful. He has the likes of Kelly, Tomori and Clarke-Salter to dislodge if he’s going to get minutes in this tournament and from previous viewings, it feels like he’s going to need a couple of injuries or a tactical switch to force his way into the U21 starting line-up. Konsa has been great for Brentford and since the switch to a back 3, he’s pushed on further. From a positional sense, the right of a back 3 is far too easy for him, giving him space to drive forward but also the defensive insurance of a RWB in front or beside him. Konsa needs to be tested to show what he’s truly capable of, so let’s hope he first finds his way onto the pitch and the Young Lions find their way deep into the competition.