What England Can Expect From Interim Head Coach Lee Carsley

On July 8, in Batumi, Georgia, Lee Carsley, the manager of England, was seen celebrating with his players after the UEFA Under-21 EURO 2023 Final match against Spain at the Batumi Arena. The photo was captured by Sam Barnes - Sportsfile/UEFA via Getty Images.

The most crucial resource for a national team coach is their time.

During the short international breaks when coaches have limited time to work with players, there is not enough time to fully understand their motivations, playing styles, and potential partnerships on the field.

There are several explanations for why some England supporters are not enthusiastic about the idea of Lee Carsley potentially becoming England's next full-time head coach.

He isn't a well-known figure with numerous awards and background. He hasn't led a team in a major competition or at a renowned club.

However, his unique strength, unlike any other candidate, is that he has already invested time in building relationships with the England players.

As either the main coach or the helper coach, Carsley has trained half of the team that traveled to Germany.

This group of players includes Phil Foden, who Carsley worked with at Manchester City's under 18s team, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka, who he assisted for England's Under 21s team under Aidy Boothroyd, and Cole Palmer and Antony Gordon, who played for Carsley's team that won the UEFA European Under-21 Championship in 2023. Gordon even described Carsley as the best manager he's ever had.

Surely, it is of greater significance that he has provided coaching for nearly every young player who did not qualify for Euro 2024.

Many players who are close to being selected for the England team have previously been coached by Carsley, including defenders Jarrad Branthwaite, Levi Colwill, and Rico Lewis, as well as attacking talents like Jadon Sancho and Dominic Solanke.

These players are the ones who are expected to take the place of the older players on the team in the future. Carsley has a greater insight than others into the strengths these players can offer to the team.

Carsley's winning team in the Euro Under-21 tournament played dynamic attacking football, with players changing positions frequently. Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate stuck to using two defensive midfielders during Euro 2024, initially trying out Conor Gallagher and Trent Alexander-Arnold before ultimately choosing Kobbie Mainoo. In contrast, Carsley opted to use Cole Palmer as one of the defensive midfielders in a game against Germany's under-21 team. This indicates that he may be open to the idea of utilizing players like Jude Bellingham in a deeper midfield position for the senior team.

Moving from under-21 soccer to full international soccer is a significant leap for both players and coaches. Despite England's youth teams achieving success in recent tournaments with impressive play, this success has not yet carried over to the full national team.

In some other nations like Argentina and Spain, they have achieved great results by elevating a coach from the youth level to the senior team. Lionel Scaloni, who had minimal experience, guided Argentina to victory in the 2022 World Cup and two Copa America titles. Similarly, Luis de la Fuente, who coached several players from the Euro 2024 champions at the youth level, also had success at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Before becoming England's successful head coach, Gareth Southgate also coached the under-21s team. He has achieved the best tournament results for England since 1966.

However, in addition to being familiar with the players, participation in significant competitions can be a valuable advantage for a head coach. Gareth Southgate's previous encounters with penalty kicks, for instance, have allowed England to mentally better prepare for the nerve-wracking penalty shootout.

Ex-England midfielder Paul Merson believes that Carsley is not suitable for the job, and proposes that someone with experience in high-pressure situations like Frank Lampard would be more effective in preparing players for major tournaments.

It is important to note that Carsley has prior experience competing in a big event, just not with the English team.

He was a member of the Ireland squad in the 2002 World Cup, however, he only participated for a short amount of time during that event in the final minutes of a 3-0 victory against Saudi Arabia.

Carsley's debut match as head coach will be against the nation where he previously played as a footballer.

The challenge of facing Ireland in an away game will be a great opportunity to see if he can transfer the dynamic attacking style of play from England's under-21 team to the senior squad.

He may currently be serving as the temporary head coach, but for many, the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches against Ireland and Finland will serve as a test to determine if he should be appointed as the permanent coach.