New Delhi: When Lee Carsley was handed the reigns of the England team, he had to bring a positive atmosphere into the team’s dressing room after consecutive Euros final losses. His tenure with the top tier of the English side saw him win five of the six games, and his final assignment saw him triumph over the Republic of Ireland with a scoreline of 5-0.
Before returning to his job of coaching England’s U-21 team, he will be handing over incoming manager Thomas Tuchel a team that has been promoted to the League A of UEFA Nations League. Despite turning England’s fortunes and playing style around, the 50-year-old manager’s tenure was marred with his reluctance to comment on his permanent appointment as the team manager as well his “no striker selection”.
Our CEO Mark Bullingham has paid tribute to Lee Carsley, whose spell as interim head coach of the senior @England men’s team ended with today’s 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland. 👏
— The FA (@FA) November 17, 2024
The latter resulted in a home loss to Greece, which many have viewed as Tuchel’s appointment. Still, he can leave a proud man, giving Tuchel a team full of youngsters who can carry the Three Lions forward. It is now up to the German manager to interpret his inheritance in the best way possible when he officially starts leading the team next year.
No matter how Carsley’s brief tenure is viewed, he has been able to give England a reservoir of young talents. It was something that England had been desiring for years. It became Carsley’s sole target towards the end of his tenure, though it would have been easier for the Irish manager to choose senior players for the six games.
Making England a youth-centric team
Carsley saw eight debuts, including Morgan Gibbs-White, Noni Madueke, Angel Gomes, Morgan Rogers, Curtis Jones, Lewis Hall, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Tino Livramnento. In their 5-0 win over Ireland last night, four goalscorers had scored their first international goal.
Choosing to risk his reputation means that Tuchl will have more players who have already played in the international arena. England are looking much different side with a number of players younger than Jude Bellingham breaking into the side. The influx of so many young players even led Harry Kane to comment on the need to preserve English team’s culture.
Will Tuchel go for experience over youth?
When Tuchel takes charge in January, the questions is how he will tactically arrange players who have a long association with Carsley and Ashley Cole. They enjoy the expansive, possession-based football style. Tuchel’s 18-month contract has a primary focus on the World Cup. More than transforming the team, his focus his to coach one team who can win the big trophy.
Which means, for his purpose, Tuchel could be calling back veterans like Jack Grealish and Harry Maguire, coming back to the side under Carsley after missing from the squad during the last Euros. If Marcus Rashford and Mason Mount can find their old form back, they, too, might be back to the side. When Tuchel was first announced as the next manager, he noted that he wanted to play more “attacking football” with an emphasis on the “physical side of the game”.
Finding ways to play without the big names in the squad
A big thank you to Lee and his coaching team for the last three camps 👏 pic.twitter.com/P0uYvaIwYu
— England (@England) November 17, 2024
A controversial decision from Carsley was to put Harry Kane on the bench against Greece. It was a decision that Gareth Southgate could never dare to take. It is something Tuchel can take note of, and choose someone to replace a less fit or not performing Kane. Against Greece this weekend, Carsley had instead given Ollie Watkins a chance.
Kane in the first half against Ireland wasn’t impressive with an alarming drop in his pace and looked tired. However, the second half Kane produced a masterclass, first by breaking the deadlock in the 53rd minute and then with his range of passing from the left-side touchline. Carsley has shown that despite facing eight withdrawals, team can win even with Harry Kane on the sidelines. The players that Carsley chose were dangerous to every inch of the word.
There is little doubt about what Kane brings to the side. His vision and creativity have helped England over the past decade. Having spent time with Kane last season in Bayern Munich, he will be keen on choosing the 31-year-old regularly. However, Carsley has opened the spot for more players to replace him.
One of the only solutions perhaps Carsley didn’t find was finding a way to play the no. 10s. Like his predecessor, playing Foden, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden together turned out to be big task for anyone. Carsley though feels that his only regret is the loss against Greece at Wembley.
In a recent media interaction, he said he was proud to hand over a “pool of players” to Tuchel. What is definitely a matter of pride is not handing Tuchel a team that needed to navigate a Nations League play-off.
Lee Carsley will hand over Thomas Tuchel a side with young talents that can easily survive in the post Harry Kane era. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
