Despite having a strong squad, Carsley expects his team to face some challenges. "It's a case of being able to adapt," he said. "I expect at times against a really strong Czech team that it may look a little bit unorganised, it may look a little bit clunky." Carsley has made it clear to his players that they shouldn't expect too much too soon and that the longer they can stay in the tournament, the more they can play together.

Manchester City midfielder James McAtee will captain England when they open against Czech Republic in Dunajska Streda on Thursday. The team has a lot of talented players, including Elliott, Ethan Nwaneri, Jonathan Rowe, and Omari Hutchinson, who could all be options for Carsley. However, the flexibility in the side may be a challenge for the manager.

"The main thing is that I adapt and put the tactics around the players' attributes, not how I see it, but what they can do and what they're good at," Carsley added. "It's a challenge because we've got a lot of really good players. If you could choose 16 starters, that would be a lot easier! We've already spoken to the players about it and going from past experience, I'm not sure anyone, if we were to get to the final, would play 690 minutes."

Carsley emphasized the importance of getting the squad balance right and having players who are capable of playing, recovering, and going again. He believes that picking the right squad is crucial to their success.

England's team will enter the competition with a winning mindset, aiming to retain their title. "We've not come to Slovakia for potentially three weeks for a break," Carsley said. "I want the players to be in a position where England have qualified for a major tournament, we're expected to win and why not? Why can't we? Why shouldn't we? Why shouldn't we prepare to win? And that's what we're trying to do."