DUBLIN — There was no national anthem but Lee Carsley already has his England players singing from the same hymn sheet.
“Enjoyment,” was Declan Rice’s verdict after scoring for England in their 2-0 Nations League win over the Republic of Ireland.
His fellow goalscorer Jack Grealish couldn’t stop smiling as he spoke of his sweet relief at being back in an England shirt after the hardest summer of his life.
But perhaps the final word should go to Anthony Gordon, who said it felt like the national team had been liberated under their interim coach.
“We had that freedom to pick the ball up in spaces and attack,” he told ITV, the criticism of Gareth Southgate and his tried and trusted structures barely concealed.
Here’s the winners and losers from Carsley’s encouraging debut.
Winners
Anthony Gordon
What a message the Newcastle United forward has sent this week.
A midweek TV interview in which he spoke about being a “nightmare” for defenders necessitated a performance to match it. Pitched higher up the field in Dublin than Southgate would ever have contemplated, he certainly delivered it.
Of all Southgate’s decisions at Euro 2024, barely utilising Gordon or Cole Palmer must rank as the most mystifying. Both were in-form, both travelled to Germany with confidence, but neither were given a single start. Gordon only got a few minutes in a stodgy draw with Slovakia.
That is almost certain to change under Carsley, who saw as England Under-21s manager what Newcastle supporters see on a weekly basis. Gordon is that rare combination of pace, purpose and poise – his direct running at defenders exactly the sort of disruption England lacked during their Euros journey.
By utilising him rather than shoehorning someone else into an unfamiliar position on the left, England automatically have more balance. There will be harder opponents than an ageing and visibly declining Seamus Coleman on the international stage but Gordon laid down a marker.
He faded in the second half but then he is also not fully fit yet – the result of this summer’s strange lack of game time. He is feeling his way back into things at St James’ Park but will return to Tyneside later this week looking every inch like a guaranteed starter under Carsley.
Jack Grealish
Lightly trusted by the former England manager, Grealish brought a vibrancy to their play in Dublin as a No 10.
There are different tactical expectations of him at Manchester City, where he is used as an outlet ball in Pep Guardiola’s relentless, rhythmic passing game, but it is the role he prospered in at Aston Villa. It was a lot of fun watching him play it again.
He was booed mercilessly by supporters who haven’t forgiven him his supposed treachery at abandoning the country where he was named U21 player of the year but Grealish revelled in it. Not for him the respectful, slightly ridiculous gesture from Rice: he enjoyed scoring his goal and celebrated it with gusto.
It feels like a big season is in store for Grealish.
Jordan Pickford
The number of long balls played by England’s goalkeeper visibly decreased in Dublin. Forty-nine per cent of the passes he played during the Euros were deemed “long balls” – a result of England’s anxiety, fatigue and lack of composure perhaps – while there were just 19 per cent here. The paucity of the opposition probably helped that but it did feel like a concerted effort not to bypass midfield with a raking passes.
Pickford’s distribution is good but as an offensive weapon, he should only be a last resort.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold increasingly feels like the future for England at right-back. With Kyle Walker being eased back into City action, he excelled in the position he plays for Liverpool.
There will be stiffer tests defensively but his movement and passing range offer England the sort of ability to break the lines that was missing at the Euros. It would be foolish to write off Walker but it increasingly feels like Alexander-Arnold’s shirt to lose.
Losers
Harry Kane
It got lost in the noise around the anthem but Kane spoke on Friday of wanting to replicate Cristiano Ronaldo’s remarkable longevity in the national team.
The prospect of a third World Cup – and a home Euros in four years – is clear motivation for a striker who will win his 100th cap on Tuesday if Carsley retains him as the attacking focal point.
But this was not a performance to silence the critics of his performances over the summer. He appeared leggy at times, a little bit out of step with the fluency and positivity around him in attacking areas.
He also missed a couple of presentable chances, which is unlike him. Carsley will hope he can regain his form with Bayern Munich, otherwise he might have a big decision to make when the more difficult assignments begin.
Anthem absolutists
Carsley must be the first England manager to face calls for him to be sacked before a ball has been kicked. For those who always seem to be spoiling for fight, the national anthem was a nice little weekend battle to get stuck into.
True to form Carsley didn’t sing it before the game and you know what? The world didn’t end. Instead his team played well and Rice, in the mixed zone afterwards, was faintly incredulous when asked about it, asking for it to be explained to him slowly before dismissing the idea players cared about it.
The sooner we realise the England manager’s job is just that – a football job – and stop trying to project our own ideas of national consciousness the better. And if Carsley improves this team without belting out the anthem, it will be one in the eye for those who get hung up on this nonsense.
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