Lee Carsley has already shown he is anything but a Gareth Southgate clone as England manager audition continues
GOALThe interim boss made quite the impression in the build-up to his first game in charge against Ireland
Lee Carsley dialled up the humility following his first game in interim charge of England on Saturday. Any notion that the Three Lions' swaggering victory over Ireland represented the dawning of a bold new era of 'Cars-ball' was emphatically rebuffed by the man himself. Instead, the 50-year-old swiftly awarded the players all of the responsibility for the team's perfect start to their Nations League campaign.
“Definitely not,” Carsley said. “It’s definitely not my style. It’s the players that are capable of receiving the ball in tight areas and playing through. I’m just lucky I’m coaching them. I don’t see this as my style. They should take all the credit for the way they’ve been.”
It was good management. All the best modern coaches use press conferences to make their players feel twice as tall. However, Carsley deserves a sizeable helping of the praise afforded to England following the victory in Dublin.
At the Aviva Stadium, the Three Lions did things they simply hadn't towards the tail end of Gareth Southgate's reign. The team created seven 'big chances', more than any game in the Euros, and every player was fielded in their strongest role.
Trent Alexander-Arnold's playmaking abilities from right-back breathed new life into midfield; Declan Rice made the most of his license to burst forward by scoring and assisting; while Anthony Gordon's addition to the front line decongested that much-maligned left-hand side. The entire occasion was a strong response to anyone predicting that Carsley's ascension to the top job would be business as usual for England.
