Eight debuts, five wins and one regret: Lee Carsley’s stellar interim job gives him future shot with England

The interim boss returns to the U21s with the confidence he has what it takes to excel for the senior side

The message to Lee Carsley consisted of two words. The message from him was longer. The big screens at either end of Wembley after beating Ireland displayed the thoughts of the FA, which seemed echoed by the England team: “Thank you.” And yet, Carsley suggested, goodbye may not be forever.

He will retreat into the shadows, where an unassuming man often seems most comfortable, to return to the lower-profile task of managing the Under-21s.

But Thomas Tuchel only has an 18-month contract. Carsley can seem the anti-Tuchel, without the charisma or the powers of communication, the medal collection or the spells in charge of superpower clubs. He hands over to the German, offering to give him a comprehensive debrief, but with a renewed belief he could be his successor.

“I think it has given the staff and myself the confidence that we can do the job,” he said. “That is the big thing. You always doubt yourself, whether you can do it or not.” That hint of frailty may not come from Tuchel. Carsley has an everyman quality, a normality and a fundamental decency. Elite managers often do not doubt themselves. Not publicly, anyway.

Carsley is different. “It is tough and I suppose you get used to that awkwardness and that bit of nerves,” he said. “I’m sat in the house and I’m constantly thinking of the next camp and the next squad and who’s playing well. Constantly watching Greece and Ireland, unhealthily watching the opposition.”

An interim reign that culminated in a 5-0 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland has been a voyage into the unknown for a European champion, with the Under-21s, but whose only previous senior managerial experience came in caretaker charge of Coventry and Birmingham.

“I definitely feel I’ve been out of my comfort zone but not beyond my capabilities. I have never felt at any point that I was drowning or struggling,” he added. If there were times when he appeared to be flailing, they were in front of the microphone, rather than in the technical area. The nonsense about national anthems was a crash course in the circus of England. There were a couple of misjudged comments in the October break, but the FA may have hung Carsley out to dry while recruiting Tuchel.

Carsley made some big calls including benching Harry Kane against Greece (Reuters)

On the pitch, Carsley’s troubles were confined to one match. A feature of his tenure is that virtually every decision has paid off; except in the defeat to Wembley, when virtually all, from the selection to the striker-less system, backfired. “I mean, I’m still gutted about the Greece game at home,” Carsley said. “Even though we’ve won five of the six, I straight away go to the game that I think we should have won at Wembley. It’s definitely a lonely place in that dugout when you’re not winning at Wembley.”

And yet that loneliness did not make Carsley do the conventional. Omitting Harry Kane in Greece showed a boldness that many a caretaker lacks. The captain’s verdict on his six games in charge was nevertheless “top drawer”. There are reasons to support that. Two players scored with their first touch of a game: Ollie Watkins in Athens, Jarrod Bowen as a substitute in the 5-0 demolition of Ireland.

Jack Grealish doubled his tally of international goals in Carsley’s reign. He was not alone in excelling. Anthony Gordon may have been underused in Euro 2024. He began five of six matches for Carsley, scoring his first England goal against Ireland. Trent Alexander-Arnold was named man of the match in three of his four appearances. Rico Lewis took a step forward. Each was a way in which the interim seemed to offer a future at full-back beyond the retired Kieran Trippier and the ageing Kyle Walker.

Carsley handed out eight debuts as England manager including to Taylor Harwood-Bellis who scored on his first appearance (The FA via Getty Images)

And Carsley gave eight debuts, borrowing heavily from his Under-21 team with some immediate success. Two scored on debut, and if Taylor Harwood-Bellis’ header against Ireland was a footnote, Curtis Jones’ glorious goal in Greece garnished an auspicious display. The Liverpudlian’s assurance at the base of midfield afforded new options in a problem position. So did Angel Gomes, even if his bit-part role in November was a surprise.

Two of the other newcomers had an assist, in Morgan Gibbs-White’s case, or two, for Noni Madueke, whose directness showed England can benefit from attackers who will run behind the defence. Morgan Rogers contributed to the second goal in Greece while Tino Livramento had a part in Gordon’s volley against Ireland and he and Lewis Hall are other ways in which Carsley could leave a legacy. “The bonus would be we’ve increased the pool of players,” he said.

He is more attack-minded than Gareth Southgate. He was more than just a continuity candidate. “We’ve tried to change things,” he explained. “We’ve tried to change, or adapt or move on the style, the way we play, the control, the amount of possession we have and the chances we create.”

All of which could give Tuchel plenty to consider. November could have been a wasted camp, waiting for the next manager. Carsley turned it into something, to add to the evidence he will present. “I’m trying to put together a debrief on all three camps,” he said. “I will put together a document, then hopefully meet him and present what we think and what we’ve found.”

Perhaps England have found a player or two. And amid the praise from FA CEO Mark Bullingham for Carsley, there is the possibility they have found their next manager but one.