Lee Carsley - Southgate's Successor?

International breaks. We’ve become accustomed to them interrupting the flow of the season. And for what, routine England wins before we yearn for the restart of the Premier League campaign? Well, yes. England won both games. 2-0 the scoreline in both. Normal service resumed. Except this time, it was different. The first time we hadn’t seen Gareth Southgate’s England. This time it was Lee Carsley’s England. Yes, that doesn’t sound right does it? Well, with two wins to his name, a glowing England U21s record and ultimately a lack of available alternatives, we might just have to get used to it. So, with that in mind, how did we arrive here and what does “Carsball” have to offer?

After Spain’s convincing final win against England, Southgate called time on his England reign. His tenure had reached a natural conclusion. An overall success, given the position he has left us in, and yet a nagging feeling it could have been better. And of course, no trophy to show for his efforts. The attention turned to who next. Names such as Howe, Potter, and Pochettino were linked, however the FA opted to appoint the under 21s manager on an interim basis. And that man was Lee Carsley. Ah, continuity then. It was, of course Southgate’s route to the England job too, under 21s before earning promotion to the men’s senior team. The similarities are there. Except, that’s where they end. Let’s look at Carsley’s first two games, and what they taught us.

 

Change in personnel

When any new manager is appointed, the easiest “win” they can chalk up is to correct their predecessor’s mistakes. What did England lack this summer more than anything? Natural width on the left flank. What did Carsley do for the first two games? He brought in Anthony Gordon. Pacey, bright and a natural left sided player, Gordon impressed in the two games and gave England much needed natural width on that side of the pitch. A circle peg in a circle hole. It makes a change.

The biggest personnel changes Carsley made, however were at fullback. Long-term stalwart Kyle Walker was not called up for the games, having had a disappointing Euros, and in stepped Trent Alexander Arnold at right back. Two games later, and Alexander Arnold picked up both man of the match awards and staked his claim to be England’s permanent right back. Against Finland (yes, I know it’s Finland), Alexander Arnold created 5 chances, which was the most that night, and since 2019, it’s the third time he’s created 5+ chances in a game for England, with no other playing doing so on more than one occasion in that time. A unique, and given England’s lack of creativity, an imperative quality that should mean that position is his.

On the other flank, in Luke Shaw’s continuing absence, Carsley opted for another rogue call, playing Rico Lewis. To describe Rico Lewis as a full-back is doing him a disservice given how adept he looks on either flank or in midfield. The sort of footballer who just plug’s in to wherever he is positioned. Carsley’s choice of full-backs did more than just hint towards an adventurous and exciting England team. Whereas Southgate possibly saw fullbacks as the literal 4^th defender in the four man defence, Carsley sees them as part of a wider idea. The process. Alexander Arnold creating chances from right back, Rico Lewis drifting in-field picking up spaces in midfield to allow for ball progression and rotation, it’s all very modern.

The final notable call up was Angel Gomes, who was picked after impressive displays at Lille, who play in Ligue Un. Having worked with Gomes as part of the U21s set up, Carsley was well aware of what the former Man Utd academy product could offer, despite him playing his football outside of the Premier League. Gomes, a diminutive figure at 5ft 6, isn’t the classical English midfielder yet he, too, shone against Finland and made 116 passes out of 124, becoming the only England player on record (since 2009) to complete 100+ passes on his debut. Maybe just maybe we’ve found that Xavi, Modric type footballer that we’ve been craving for decades. A sign, perhaps, of the football that Carsley’s England might strive for going forwards.

 

Change in style?

This leads us on nicely to talk about the style shift in Carsley’s England. I know it’s early days, and I know it’s Ireland and Finland. It’s not the best metric to form any strong opinion on, but it’s all we have. What we saw in these two games, gave me enough to form a view of what “Carsball” can offer going forwards.

Well, going forwards is exactly what England did, from the get-go against Ireland. The first goal came from Anthony Gordon running in behind Kane, Alexander Arnold picking him out with a pinpoint ball, before Gordon had his effort saved and subsequently Rice scored seconds later. Gordon, having lamented a lack of “dynamism” from England in the summer, showcasing just that. England then peppered the Irish goal until Grealish scored another and England were 2-0 up within 26 minutes. Front-foot, dynamic football from the three lions which was sorely lacking in the summer where England plodded along relying on individual moments. England recorded 16 shots with 9 of those being on target against Ireland. England against Slovenia in the Euros, a team only ranked 11 places higher, than Ireland, recorded 12 shots, with only 3 shots on target.

The Finland game saw more of the same from England, who attacked the Finnish goal relentlessly. This time, it took until the 57^th minute for a breakthrough with Harry Kane scoring both goals for England. Some things, they say, never change. Except they had. Kane looked rejuvenated with willing runners either side of him and a more dynamic gameplan. England, in this game had 68 attacks, 22 shots and 7 of those on target.

England also pressed more intensely and coherently, and certainly a lot better than they did during the Euros where Southgate lamented his players’ inability to carry out an effective press citing tired legs. I’m not sure that reason ever washed. Whilst it’s too early to definitively say what “philosophy” Carsley has, he’s shown a willingness to adapt and think outside the box. When leading England’s U21s to European Championship success last year, Carsley deployed midfielder Curtis Jones, of all people, as a false 9 in a fluid and coherent 4-3-3.

Let’s get it straight, Southgate’s England would have won both of those games, history tells us that. However, given the opposition it’s the way you win those games that matter. The quality of football and the performances were promising, and the patterns of play were a vast improvement on the performances served up at the Euros. Whether that transpires into improved results too, particularly in the big, knock-out games, is another matter.

 

Change in demeanour.

In a world where it’s impossible to be invisible, Carsley has somehow managed it. Did we even know he was under 21s manager before a month ago? Did we know he was caretaker manager at Brentford, managing 10 games and caretaker manager at Birmingham too? We don’t know if he’s a perfectionist like Pep Guardiola, as intense as Eddie Howe or has great man management skills like Carlo Ancelotti. With nothing to go off, we can’t make any presumptions.

And so, Carsley has a blank canvas. A luxury which not many managers have these days. What we do now though, is look for snippets and listen to the words he says. Asked about laying out the cones on the Aviva Stadium turf pre-match (a job that the manager wouldn’t usually concern himself with), Carsley responded: “I have my qualifications” and “one of my biggest strengths is my coaching”. And “coaching” is exactly what Carsley wants to do. He said as much in his press conference, confirming he wouldn’t class himself as a manager and instead he sees himself as a head-coach. Semantics maybe, but these snippets give a small insight into the type of “head-coach” Carsley wants to be. Boots-on-the-grass coaching. His attire for both games? No waistcoats, suits or quarter zip tops and trousers. A tracksuit.

Carsley’s coaching experience is vast and centres around working with younger players. Coaching Birmingham and Brentford’s development squads, and the England U20s and U21s is testament to that. Carsley focuses on the development and coaching of his players and isn’t too concerned about the other, management formalities side of the game. This begs the question, with the unique nature of international football, how much “coaching” can Carsley do? Can the England manager be a boots-on-the-grass coach given the all-encompassing role that it is?

What he can do, and I believe will endeavour to do, is implement an England style. Whatever “style” this is, or should be, is up for debate. It seems Carsley wants his team to stand for something and his ambition to coach will help mould that. Recent debutant, Morgan Gibbs-White described Carsley as “hands on”, and that’s exactly what you feel Carsley is all about and how he would coach this England team.  

As for whether he gets the gig on a full-time basis, the FA haven’t given much away. Appointing Carsley may be their way of attempting to replicate Spain and their success in the summer. Their head-coach Luis De La Fuente was, and is still, not a household name. He, however, has worked with the Spanish youth teams (the U19s, 21s and 23s) before graduating to the senior men’s team. His integration of young players, whilst committing to a coherent philosophy paid dividends as Spain’s class of 2024 won the Euros and won in style. 

For Carsley, the similarities are there. A coach, devoted to improving younger players, being given the top gig. It’s for this reason, I believe Carsley will be given the job and has the tools to succeed.