Manager of England Under-21s eliminated from European Championships says after 4-2 defeat to Romania, ‘You always think: What could I have done better?’

England were among the favourites to win a first European Under‑21 Championship since 1984 but are out with a game to spare after error-strewn losses to France and Romania. Aidy Boothroyd vowed not to quit following the team’s elimination on Friday, insisting he needed to reflect on a campaign that has seen England – unbeaten in 10 qualifiers – concede six goals, give away three penalties and receive a damaging red card, with Monday’s dead game against Croatia to come. On Saturday the head coach faced up to England’s latest disappointment on the international stage. Here, in his own words, Boothroyd defends his strategy, his record – and his players.

What was going through your mind last night?

I didn’t sleep. You always think to yourself: “What could I have done differently? What could I have done better?” Any half-decent coach asks themselves those questions when they are picking the bones out of something like that.

And what conclusions did you draw?

Well the questions straight after the game were about Phil [Foden]. “Why did you leave your best player out?” I still think, sitting here, that it was the right thing to do. When he came off the pitch against the French, he was absolutely spent. Physically he was dead on his feet. It was the same with Ryan Sessegnon. The plan was to introduce them gradually because we were planning on being here for five games, not three. We introduced him at a point where he could weave his magic – which he did. So we got that right. Unfortunately in Ryan’s case, he pulls his hamstring and we didn’t get that with him. It’s a balancing act.

But it was a must-win game. Surely you start your best player?

Well, you do, but if your best player has a really strong chance of getting injured because of the work that he has done then no, you don’t. I think the fact that Sess pulled his hamstring is a testament to the fine line you walk.

‘They will have to carry me out’: Boothroyd defiant after U-21 exit Read more

Were you over-confident? Even after the Romania defeat you had players claiming England were still the best team in the tournament. Do they need to learn a bit of humility?

They are young, fit guys and I think that was just a reaction. I don’t think we took anybody lightly. Maybe you guys did. Ultimately we made mistakes. We planned for months in advance, we knew what we were doing and we were really happy with everything around it. We have not been clinical. We have made individual errors towards the end of games. We were just not as good as we should have been.

England’s under-17s, -19s, -20s and now -21s have all performed badly this season, whether in European Championships or World Cup qualifying. Was 2017 [when England won the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups] an anomaly rather than the foundation for future success?

I’m not sure it was an anomaly. I look at it like a club – the senior team is the most important. The reserve-team coach – me – his job is to get players into that team and to try to win football matches. Because the under-20s, under-19s and under-18s have done well their players have been hoiked up to me. Gareth has obviously taken the best players that he wants and needs. A lot of thought goes into it. We have to push people and stretch them and think about the longer‑term pressure. What I think has happened, to answer your question, is Gareth has taken players into the senior team, which is brilliant. I have taken players into the under-21s, and because of that everyone is a little bit weaker but the system is stronger.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Aidy Boothroyd: ‘I honestly don’t think we’ve got delusions of grandeur’. Photograph: Nick Potts/PA

Do we need to be more realistic about these tournaments? It seems that you might have been hemmed in by the playing style and Romania’s superior ring-craft.

Ring-craft is a great phrase and I’m going to steal it because it’s right. We get into positions where we think: “We’ve played some really good stuff.” But we’re scratching our heads on the way home after getting beaten. It’s a key thing for us – managing momentum, match management, ring-craft. These are areas that we should be aware of, because we’ve got a younger group, and be better at it.

This line about “the best team here” is a recurring theme among your players. Is there a problem that, because of having great contracts with famous football clubs, many of them are suffering delusions of grandeur?

That might be a bit of bravado. The boys are not daft. They will hurt and they do hurt. They will reflect and that will start today. We think we’re the best team but we’re going home, why? The important thing is we don’t brush anything under the carpet. We front it up. I honestly don’t think we have got delusions of grandeur. We know what we are. Yes, we’ve got a talented pool but looking at the longer term this talented pool, to be the best they can be, need to have these experiences and straight talking. It’s not a question of pointing fingers and digging people out. It’s a question of: “Right, you play for England now.” These are the key things we need to improve if we are going to get to the final stages of senior tournaments.

Luka Jovic to Moise Kean: 10 to watch at the Euro Under-21 Championship Read more

You likened yourself to a reserve‑team coach but a reserve‑team coach doesn’t face the pressure or scrutiny you are now under for going out of a tournament. Would you have wanted more established players here like Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joe Gomez or is winning at this level not the priority for the FA?

I could do no wrong if everyone thought that. It is a fair point. This is pressure but a privilege. As disappointing as it is, we want players from here into the senior team. Hopefully in five or six years some of them will be excelling in the seniors and doing well at tournaments.

How long do you think it will be before Foden is ready for the seniors?

I think his next six months will be an indicator of where he gets to and what he is ready for internationally. But, thinking about September time, I’d imagine he will be with me.