Croatia U21 vs England U21. European Under-21 Championship Group C.
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England U21 vs Croatia U21, live on Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm on Monday; Kick-off at 8pm
Monday 24 June 2019 18:50, UK
England U21s boss Aidy Boothroyd vowed to take criticism on the chin ahead of his side's final Euro 2019 match.
England face Croatia in San Marino on Monday having already been eliminated from Group C, live on Sky Sports Football.
Friday's 4-2 defeat to Romania in Cesena condemned them to an early exit, with Boothroyd - who signed a two-year extension in May - insisting he would not quit.
He has come in for criticism following his substitutions and selections having dropped Phil Foden on Friday, but Boothroyd is prepared for the flak.
He said: "I'm experienced enough to know when it's good it's great and when it's not so good, it's not so good. It comes with the territory. When things are going well I'll answer all the questions and the same goes for now.
"We had what seemed like a couple of hours having a chat about things (with the media) on Saturday and I hope you get to see the real me.
"When things are going great it doesn't get any better but if you want to get better you have to have a bit of adversity and you have to respond properly to it. Anyone who thinks it's all plain sailing has clearly not been in football very long."
Boothroyd says he will still select his strongest side as they aim to go out on a high, though Ryan Sessegnon is out with a hamstring injury.
By not starting his best attackers - Foden and Tammy Abraham - in Friday's crucial loss to Romania, Boothroyd put England in a position which led to their pivotal mistakes, according to Sky Sports pundit Liam Rosenior.
"The first goal in every game is so important - and to get the first goal you need your best players on the pitch," Rosenior said. "For me, England's best attacking players weren't on.
"You see the difference Phil Foden makes when he comes on. The difference Tammy Abraham makes, and the chances he gets.
"It's no accident Abraham gets the chances, he gets the goal, he hits the bar, he makes the keeper make a save because he's the best striker in terms of clever movement and getting in between defenders to get those chances.
"I thought we were the better team in terms of possession but we didn't have the quality in the final third to get the first goal - and then we get punished with individual errors at the other end."
So, with Boothroyd promising to play his first-choice lineup against Croatia, it will be interesting to see if he recalls the attacking duo.
Meanwhile, Boothroyd insists he will not be leaving his role despite his side's exit from the European Championships after their 4-2 loss to Romania on Friday.
The dramatic defeat, in which all six goals came in just 18 minutes at the end of the game, paired with France's 1-0 win over Croatia, means England's slim hopes of finishing as best runner-up were dashed.
However, Boothroyd, who only signed a new two-year deal before the tournament, says his plans have not changed.
"It is important that we pick the bones out if it and clearly if we are going to win a tournament like this, there are things we have to improve upon," he said after the match.
"There are things that have gone really, really well and things that we have to improve upon. I am not going anywhere - they will have to carry me out."
I am not going anywhere - they will have to carry me out
England's U21 squad is packed with highly-rated talent - but after two matches and two defeats they are already out of the European Championships. What's gone wrong for Boothroyd's team?
After success in 2017 at U17, U19 and U20 level, this generation seemingly had the potential to be crowned the top U21 side in Europe, but instead find themselves eliminated with one group game still to play after losses against France and Romania.
Here, we pick out the decisive factors which have held the side back in Italy - and ask what it means for these players in terms of their development…
England face Croatia on Monday at 8pm in their final Group C clash, and every game during the UEFA European U21 Championships will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Sky Sports subscribers will also be able to stream the games via the Sky Sports app or the Sky Go app.
Non-subscribers can watch all the action through NOW TV. A Sky Sportsday pass is available for £8.99, a week pass for £14.99 or a month pass for £33.99. NOW TV can be streamed through a computer or apps.
