England’s interim boss Lee Carsley takes confidence from win over Ireland

LONDON – Lee Carsley said there were times when he wondered if he was out of his depth as England’s interim manager but their 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin on Sept 7 in his first game in charge has quietened that self-doubt.

Carsley, who represented Ireland 40 times having qualified to play for the country through his grandmother, has been installed as caretaker while England search for a full-time successor to Gareth Southgate.

The win over Ireland not only gave England the ideal start to their Nations League Group B2 campaign but may also have boosted Carsley's chances of filling the role permanently.

He will be at the helm on Sept 10 against Finland at Wembley.

“You always think it’s easy to be the England manager when you’re sat in the house but there have been times where I’ve thought I’m not sure I could do it,” Carsley told British media.

“But it (the Dublin win) has done my confidence good and the rest of the staff, as well – that, actually, we’re OK, we’ll be all right.

“I spoke about it at the first press conference, (being) a safe pair of hands. I feel like we’re in a good position with the players,” added Carsley, who had been managing England’s Under-21s since 2021 and led them to the European title in 2023.

Declan Rice hailed Carsley’s “refreshing” debut, praising his commitment to attack against Ireland.

Southgate quit after England’s Euro 2024 final loss to Spain in July, concluding a campaign that featured scathing criticism of his conservative tactics and failure to get the best out of a world-class squad.

“We’ve been so impressed with him this week. He’s been so refreshing,” Rice said of Carsley’s credentials to get the job on a permanent basis.

“His meetings have been top, really to the point, and the way we play and train is really different, so I think all the lads are really happy with him.

“Obviously, we had such an amazing time with Gareth. Some of the best memories that we probably could ever imagine. The only thing that was missing there was, obviously, we didn’t win a trophy.

“But with Lee now, I think he’s adapted so well to the job. He’s given a lot of lads a lot of confidence to go and play.”

Looking ahead to their journey towards the 2026 World Cup, Carsley said England had to show more control.

“The end goal is doing that against the top teams in the world in the biggest moments,” he added. “They have got two years to get to that point. We have gone a good way to doing that.”

His captain Harry Kane will earn his 100th cap for his country against Finland at Wembley, becoming the 10th player to reach the mark, the Football Association said on Sept 9.

The 31-year-old Bayern Munich striker, who has scored 66 goals in 99 appearances for England since his debut in 2015, is the first player to become an England men’s centurion since striker Wayne Rooney in November 2014.

The standout Nations League tie on Sept 10 will be the Group A3 clash between neighbours Netherlands and Germany.

Both sides scored five times in their openers, with Germany hammering Hungary 5-0, while the Dutch saw off Bosnia and Herzegovina 5-2.

The Dutch will be without flying fullback Jeremie Frimpong, who has left the camp owing to personal reasons. Despite Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee scoring his first international goal against Bosnia, coach Ronald Koeman said Ajax Amsterdam’s Brian Brobbey will start up front.

But the bigger problem for the Dutch could be in defence, as they try to combat Germany’s talented midfielders Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.

“When both are up for it and they step on the gas, it’s going to be tough (for opponents),” Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann warned last week.

“When they’re on the pitch and they connect with each other, it’s nice to watch.” REUTERS, AFP