OLYMPIC STADIUM – History, you suspect, will judge Lee Carsley kindly, reserving him a place in England folklore that is more than just a placeholder manager while we waited for Thomas Tuchel.
That has been the accusation here in Athens. Keeping Carsley in charge is treading water, shots fired in Tuchel’s direction for his decision to delay his start until after the Nations League campaign.
But beneath the measured exterior and calm Brummie burr Carsley has tackled his temporary brief with admirable boldness. From ignoring the furore around the national anthem to dropping Harry Kane, he has provided a blueprint for England’s new manager to follow if he so chooses.
While others have sometimes stepped back from the big calls for fear of offending or disrupting, Carsley has embraced the controversy. An impressive win in Athens was his dividend for decisiveness.
Will it make a difference in the long term? Time will tell. Tuchel’s remit – as we keep being reminded – is short-term and his sole focus is on the 2026 World Cup. Given his history he is likely to revert to those who have proved themselves for England before and reports he has checked in on Marcus Rashford suggest some of those who impressed in Greece might be reuniting with Carsley for the under-21s when he selects his first squad in March.
But if Tuchel is as clever as we hope he is, he will at least want to delve deeper into why Kane’s position in the team has become a talking point. It was not that Euro 2024 was a desperate tournament for Kane, more that his stodgy, fatigued displays meant that England were unable to press as energetically as they did from the off in the Olympic Stadium.
Gareth Southgate clearly knew that but couldn’t bring himself to drop Kane, even with Cole Palmer’s club form making such a compelling case for his inclusion. That Carsley has done it after just five games in charge says a lot, whatever words of comfort that he had for Kane afterwards.
Further learnings for the new boss in Athens: an unchained England can work if you rein in the blue sky thinking, Jordan Pickford remains clear as the nation’s number one and constructing a team to make Jude Bellingham tick feels like a pretty smart move.
England’s number 10 has been a man of moments recently, spectacular bicycle kicks and injury time howitzers hiding how patchily he has performed for most of the calendar year. But stationed off a willing Ollie Watkins and with two genuinely defensive minded midfielders behind him he looked liberated to deliver his most complete display in white for a long while.
Granted this was only Greece but it’s still the same Greece that pulled an over complacent England all over the place at Wembley last month, throwing a blue blanket over Bellingham in the process. His response here was encouraging, a nice reminder that he is more than a walking highlight reel.
It was a good night for the understudies too, with Chelsea’s Noni Madueke delivering a display of direct running that gave him the look of a contender when the serious stuff starts in the New Year. Lewis Hall didn’t look out of place when he entered the fray in England’s problem position of left-back and Rico Lewis was equally smart when he was shifted to the right.
And what of Curtis Jones’ debut? The Liverpool man looked accomplished on his England bow, transferring his Anfield form seamlessly into the national team. His back-heeled goal to settle this contest and put England in the driving seat in the group was a thing of beauty.
One of Southgate’s lesser celebrated achievements as England manager was making nights like this so routine. His side sailed through qualification for major tournaments, rarely dropping points and reserving their pratfalls for friendlies and Nations League engagements.
If Carsley’s legacy is to return that sense of serenity to a listing England – while also encouraging Tuchel to embrace the big calls – his interregnum will have been worth it after all.
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