The international break always produces intriguing discourse in football circles, and this time was no exception. While those not too interested in qualifiers spent their time reminiscing about the good old days of the Barclays Premier League, some others produced some frankly astonishing takes on interim England head coach Lee Carsley.
By Neel Shelat
From a purely sensible and football-focused perspective, though, he has shown why he could be the best candidate for a more permanent role.
It was only the UEFA Nations League, but Lee Carsley’s tenure as England’s interim head coach could hardly have gotten off to a better start. Two 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland have set the Three Lions well on course for a return to League A, but the performances and manner of those victories were the biggest positives.
In the process, the 50-year-old tactician has to have placed himself firmly in contention for a more permanent role. He might not be the most glamorous appointment, but he checks all the required boxes to lead England forward.
Knows the Club Country
Whenever a manager joins a side they have previous experience with, the ‘knows the club’ cliche is whipped out without fail. It can often be a shallow piece of analysis but in Carsley’s case, it actually is quite relevant.
The former Ireland international has spent the entirety of his career in England both as a player and coach, including almost a decade in the national team’s youth setup. He started off as a specialist coach across various age groups besides working at the academies of clubs such as Coventry City, Brentford, Sheffield United and Manchester City.
In 2020, Carsley took over as the England Under-20 head coach and within a year, he was promoted to the Under-21 side. It was with them that he won the only tournament of his career so far — the 2023 Under-21 Euros.
The side that Carsley led to European glory included the likes of Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Levi Colwill, Curtis Jones, Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke, who have all now been capped by the senior team. Some of them could go on to become key figures in the long term, so they would benefit from being supported by a coach who already has an established relationship with them.
A Fresh Approach
While Carsley’s experience in the England youth setups should give him the upper hand over other candidates in one aspect, the Three Lions could also benefit from it by giving him a role in the coaching staff. What makes him a strong candidate for the head coach role, then, is his style of play.
Gareth Southgate – who incidentally was also an unglamorous appointment at the time, having been promoted from the under-21 job – undoubtedly left England in a better place than he found them after Sam Allardyce’s resignation. Towards the end of his tenure, though, his side certainly did not make themselves easy on the eye. His rather conservative team selections and tactics resulted in some very stodgy performances at the Euros, as they just about ground out results and even had to survive some scares against weaker opposition before ultimately falling just short against Spain in the final.
Southgate’s stubbornness in terms of his approach and player picks led to some frustrating situations such as a very one-dimensional attack as the lack of a left-footed left back and traditional left winger effectively blocked that flank automatically. Some also criticised him for not appropriately incorporating players with unique profiles like Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Carsley’s work with the under-21s and his first two matches in charge of the senior side suggest he will not face such issues. He has always encouraged his players to adopt a fluid style of play in possession with a good deal of freedom afforded to the attackers and well-designed systems to get the most out of every player. So, in his very first match in charge, he instantly fixed England’s left wing blockage with two graduates of his under-21 side, in Colwill and Gordon.
The Birmingham-born tactician also managed to get Alexander-Arnold going by giving him a similar role to the one he plays for Liverpool, reaping instant rewards as the 25-year-old full-back can be found at the top of the Expected Assists (xA) and chances created charts in League B.
Additionally Carsley showed his willingness to experiment and blood in promising youngsters, handing out three debuts in two matches and trying out Rico Lewis at left back. None of this came at the cost of the performances of some the team’s best players like Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, so almost all of England’s players enjoyed a positive international break.
While they only faced Ireland and Finland, the Three Lions’ performances should be considered quite impressive when contrasted with their showings against the likes of Slovenia and Slovakia at the Euros, who are quite similarly-ranked, as far as FIFA are concerned.
After such a brilliant start, Carsley simply needs to keep the momentum going to make himself an irrefutable favourite for the permanent job.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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