England’s press welcomes new national football coach Lee Carsley

A renowned national coach is no guarantee of success in football: hardly any other nation has had this experience as England, which employed two of the most successful coaches of their time at the beginning of the century: the recently deceased Swede Sven-Göran Eriksson and the Italian Fabio Capello.

The tabloid media were much more pleased with the unproductive tenures of the only non-British coaches than the English Football Association (FA). One lesson was that the FA subsequently tried to train coaches in its own junior teams for the highest level. In autumn 2016, Gareth Southgate was temporarily promoted to head coach of the men’s team after three years of building up the U21 team, before becoming the permanent solution after good results.

The relegation to the B group allows for a quiet build-up

The FA continued this course when it looked for a successor to Southgate, who resigned after the European Championships. Instead of choosing an international star, it appointed Lee Carsley as interim coach. The 50-year-old has also been with the association for four years; he coached the U20s for one season and then the U21s, which he even led to their first European Championship title in 39 years in 2023.

At the same time, Carsley was part of Southgate’s extended staff, which meant that he was able to carry out all the processes in the senior national team. Due to his rather unassuming profile, the Telegraph reporters groaned that Carsley was not the most tempting name. But perhaps that is precisely why England’s chances of winning their first major title since their home World Cup victory in 1966 are all the greater.

Carsley made his debut in the Nations League with two obligatory victories, 2-0 against Ireland and Finland. With England relegated to Group B two years ago, the games seem ideal for observing the team’s development under Carsley. When he was introduced, the FA promised him that he would be able to continue his duties beyond the September games until the end of the year. This now seems to be the case.

The Guardian says England treated the ball like an old friend

First impressions of Carsley suggest that, unlike his predecessor Southgate, he sees himself primarily as a coach and less as a representative of the motherland of football. He appeared in a tracksuit, as he did with the U21s, led the warm-up program and mostly watched the performances from a crouch on the sidelines. He was bold in his selection of personnel: he nominated four debutants who were already part of his U21 squad and set different accents in the style of play than Southgate, who had shied away from daring.

For the first time in four years, the attacking Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool FC started a competitive match for England. With his passes, the right-back, who keeps moving into midfield, helps to build up play and create scoring opportunities. He was actually involved in all four goals in this international block, for example he set up the first of Harry Kane’s two goals against Finland (in his 100th international match). Carsley’s decision to replace the missing regulars Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden with the fun-loving Jack Grealish in the playmaker position also proved successful.

The English performances appear to be lively and imaginative, as exemplified by the second goal against the Irish, which came when four players combined in a spectacular fashion on the right side. The Guardian concluded that Carsley’s England had “treated the ball like an old friend” – something that could not be said about the uninspired performances at the European Championships.

Carsley surprised everyone with his coaching skills. As a professional coach, he has only stepped in briefly three times. As a player, he made 282 appearances in the Premier League – and played 39 games for Ireland’s national team.

The patriotic tabloid «Mail» suspected betrayal – Carsley must be fired

Although Carsley managed to make promising progress in his playing career, as the public had demanded after Southgate’s resignation, he came under fire at home – because he did not sing the national anthem “God Save the King”. The coach had announced this in advance. Although he respects anthems and knows their meaning, he is concerned that his thoughts do not stray from the game immediately before kick-off.

The patriotic tabloid newspaper “Mail” found that the position of national coach was not a job for an Englishman who refused to pay “even lip service to our nation”. The verdict: treason! Carsley had to be fired.

However, as during the Southgate era, the FA did not listen to what the gossip press had to say and stuck with the manager. Perhaps the FA even took the criticism in their stride to see how Carsley handled the challenging domestic media. Southgate avoided any clumsiness during his time in charge. However, his correct demeanor has been interpreted by some commentators as an example of his team’s unattractive performances.

By taking a non-binding approach so far, the FA is deliberately keeping its options open. The association can either extend Carsley’s contract permanently at any time or simply remove him if he does not meet expectations. In the latter case, it is likely that the FA will once again consider a person with a foreign background.