Jay Stansfield has led the line for England’s Under-21s at this summer’s European Championships
Birmingham City reporter for BirminghamLive and the Birmingham Mail
England under-21s head coach Lee Carsley gives instructions to Jay Stansfield
“He’s more than a goalscorer.” Jermain Defoe hit the nail on the head when analysing Birmingham City striker Jay Stansfield’s contribution for England under-21s at this summer’s European Championships.
Stansfield is expected to lead the line for England in this evening’s final against Germany having been drafted into the starting XI by Lee Carsley for the knockout stages.
A substitute in England’s three group games, Stansfield has become an irreplaceable starter with hugely impressive showings against Spain and the Netherlands.
England played without a striker in their first three matches and have reaped the rewards of having one like Stansfield, who isn’t obsessed by individual goals but collective ones.
Stansfield, 22, has been a pressing machine for England out in Slovakia. It was his press that facilitated Harvey Elliott’s crucial second goal against Spain in the quarter-finals and what has earned him the nickname, ‘The Pitbull’, in the England camp.
Nowadays it is all too easy to look at a forward’s numbers – and Stansfield has just enjoyed a 23-goal season with Blues – but what they do off the ball is equally important in the modern game.
Stansfield is built to press. Having a weapon like that spearhead your team is invaluable and why Blues manager Chris Davies favoured Stansfield through the middle last season. No one else presses quite like he does.
Breaking it down for Channel 4, Defoe – a winner of 57 England senior caps and scorer of 20 goals – said: “A lot of the clips we see, he sets off the press. A big part of the England DNA is protecting the middle and showing people outside and he does that with intensity. You want players who press but he presses with a purpose.”
Joe Cole has been similarly impressed by Stansfield. He said: “When you set a press, you are only as good as your forward players. They have to do it and he does it with aplomb.
“As a midfield player behind him, when you see your centre-forward doing that, you’re like, ‘Right, we’re on this today.’
“When you play for England you leave that pitch with sweat dripping and this kid did.”
A season which has seen Stansfield play 51 times for club and country and win the first trophy of his career could yet see him crowned a European champion.
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