England U21s squad pay Armistice Day respect in Bosnia

England Under-21s boss Gareth Southgate takes his side into action again on Thursday afternoon, when they face Bosnia-Herzegovina in their latest Euro Qualifier.

The Three Lions squad travelled to Sarajevo on Tuesday in order to prepare for the game, which is an early kick-off in the city’s Olympic Stadium.

And not only did that allow them to train on the pitch at the venue, but the squad also had chance to pay their respects to the armed forces on Armistice Day in a city that was under siege for four years in the Bosnian War in the not too distant past.

"We’ve got to prepare for the game but you want them to be aware of what’s around them as well," revealed Southgate.

"We touched on it, and I think it’s important for them to have an understanding of why we wear poppies and we had a two minute silence this morning. 

"They are the future, but they’ve got to remember the reason why we have the freedom in our country so it’s part of their education and experience of playing for England.

"We have to remember that we’ve come away to a foreign country where there had been a war going on and it’s a life experience.

"We spoke about the age of the soldiers who lost their lives in the wars and the situation that was here, which some of them were aware of and others weren’t because they were born at the start of it.

The U21s squad pay their respects on Armistice Day, from their hotel base in Bosnia-Herzegovina

"But it’s important that we remember the people that have allowed us to live in a country like we do."

With a number of changes to the squad which beat Kazakhstan in Coventry last month due to injury and with the likes of Eric Dier and Dele Alli being with Roy Hodgson’s seniors in Spain, Southgate is forced into making changes.

And with only a few days to work on things ahead of the first match, the head coach admits it’s always a challenge to get his team ready for what he expects will be a big test.

"Because it’s an age group team, there’s always new players coming in for who it’s exciting to be in the camp and we’ll have three full debuts tomorrow," he revealed. 

"So there’s always high motivation for them and there’s a good spirit amongst them anyway, which is starting to grow and there’s another three or four who have come in that you have to get to know.

"But that does add energy to things and once we get together, we focus on how we can get as strong a team as possible on the pitch and adjust and adapt.

"The difficult part is not having many matches, we’ll have eight this year and a few more in Toulon, so you want everything when the match comes around to be perfect and of course, that’s never the case.

"But that’s football management anyway, you have to adjust and you rarely have everything that you want on a Saturday.

"That’s part of the challenge, but the enthusiasm and energy of the boys gives you a lift."

Following Thursday’s game, the squad return to England for their second game, which comes against Switzerland at Brighton’s Amex Stadium on Monday 16 November.

Tickets for that match cost just £10 and £5 and are on sale now via 0844 327 1901, or by clicking here.