Lee Carsley insists he is “ready” to take on the role of England manager and that the role is no longer an “impossible job” as far as he is concerned.
Following the resignation of Gareth Southgate, Carsley was put in interim charge for three rounds of autumn internationals, but he never publicly acknowledged that he wanted to stay in the role long-term.
He faced heavy criticism before his first match in Dublin, with some newspapers calling for him to be sacked for refusing to sing the British national anthem. Carsley pointed out that he had played 40 times for the Republic of Ireland and had never sung the anthem.
The storm created by the media did not faze him, and he says he grew more confident in front of the press as the international break progressed. Initially, he described himself as “a safe pair”, but now Carsley seems more optimistic about the job.
“I’m up for it. I think I’m ready for it,” he said. “I think I’m very grounded. The most important thing about this job for me is football, making sure we create a good environment for the players to perform.
“It’s been a good week. I think like all these things, when you prepare so much for something, you have it in your mind how it’s going to go.
“The way the players responded to the concepts we tried to implement and the way the new players mingled with the old players, it certainly couldn’t have been better. It was an all-round positive camp.”
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Carsley hopes Harry Kane, who scored two against Finland, will reach 100 goals
Asked if the experience was an eye-opener for him, he said: “No, not really. I think I’ve been lucky enough to have seen it up close over the last few years working as an Under 21. I’ve seen some of the challenges that come with it. I think in a way the experience has been quite different. [news] From a conference standpoint, it showed that I can do this, or we as a staff can do this.”
Two 2-0 wins were a solid start in terms of results, but what was most striking was the change in style Carsley and his staff have brought about in the men’s senior team.
His philosophy will be more aggressive than Southgate’s, with players encouraged to take risks with the ball. And while that might mean Carsley’s England team will concede more chances and more goals than his predecessor, he expects his team to create and score more chances of their own.
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Former England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he is in no rush to find a new role and is open to opportunities both on and off the field.
“I think that’s the way I encourage teams to play. We’ve been really lucky with the players that have led us down this path. We have some very exciting players, and I think it’s important that we give them the platform to do what they’re good at.”
The term “the impossible task” was coined in the 1980s and ’90s, when the tabloid press hounded the likes of Terry Venables, Graham Taylor and Bobby Robson in the role of England manager.
“I haven’t heard that,” Carsley said. “I think it’s a really good job. It’s a job where you look at different opportunities and ask, ‘Can you be in a position to win?’ This job certainly ticks that box. We have players who are not only competitive but can win a major trophy.”
