Sunday’s 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland ended Lee Carlsey’s interim spell in charge of England, with Thomas Tuchel due to patrol the dugout the next time the Three Lions take to the field in March.
Having guided them back into the top band of the Nations League, Carlsey leaves with an impressive record, having won five of his six games in charge. In that time, his side scored 16 times and conceded just three, including the goals at Wembley that brought about his only defeat, a 2-1 loss to Greece last month.
But beyond the results, the England U21 boss turned interim coach has paved the way for the arrival of Gareth Southgate’s successor.
A new generation of England
Partly by choice and partly by design, Carlsey’s time in charge saw eight players handed debuts across six games. In his most recent squad, nine of the initial squad pulling out forced his hand, with five new faces introduced over the November internationals including full-back pair Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento, and enterprising Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones.
But even before that, there were signs that Carsley, who coached the majority of the new faces during his time with the U21s, was more than willing to give youth a chance.
Midfield duo Angel Gomes and Morgan Gibbs White, both key men for the U21 side, were handed opportunities in the September internationals, while Anthony Gordon has started all six of Carsley’s games in charge, having been a key man in the 2023 Under 21 European Championship success.
In fact, of the 11 players that started in the 1-0 win over Spain’s U21 side 16 months ago, eight have found their way into the senior set-up since, with Carsley responsible for half of those.
With expectations for Tuchel’s England arrival already sky-high, the German is only set to benefit from a wider pool of players to pick from, without the need to blood them on the international circuit himself.
Now, Tuchel has perhaps as many as 35 players to seriously consider when naming his squads, a luxury that few managers have been able to boast during their time in charge of the Three Lions.
Fixing problem positions
In a moment that struck sheer awe and disbelief into England fans over the most recent international European Championship, ex-coach Southgate explained a poor result by lamenting that he lacked a “natural replacement for Kalvin Phillips,” a player he had opted not to call up due to form rather than fitness.
Midfield has long been a problem area for England, with it almost certain to be a trio of Declan Rice, Jude Bellingham and one other for the next two tournaments at least.
Who that one other should be has been a cause for concern, but Carsley has shown just how plentiful the options are for the incoming Three Lions boss. Curtis Jones sparkled on his debut, while Angel Gomes has proved reliable after making the step-up to senior international football, while Conor Gallagher remains in the frame.
📸 ADRIAN DENNIS – AFP or licensors
Beyond that trio, summer goldenboys Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have combined for just a single appearance under Carsley, but will certainly feature in the thinking of Tuchel next year and beyond.
Further forward, Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers have both been introduced, while Emile Smith-Rowe’s performances at club level have him knocking on the door to join a queue of attacking talent that includes Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and even Jack Grealish. Perhaps Tuchel’s biggest problem will be that he has too many options.
At left-back, Lewis Hall has shown early promise in his limited opportunities, and could well solve the reliance on Luke Shaw’s fitness, which has proved problematic on several occasions.
And on the right hand side of attack, Chelsea’s Noni Madueke has proved himself a valuable asset. Like first-choice Bukayo Saka, he is a left-footed winger on the right flank and could provide the new England boss with a headache should his form continue.
Balance over big names
One of the biggest criticisms levelled at Gareth Southgate’s tenure was that he often opted for big names in favour of balance, while those who weren’t among his favoured players often had to go above and beyond to get a look in.
That came to a head this summer, when the former England boss picked Trent Alexander-Arnold in an unfamiliar midfield role before poor performances forced him to think again. Meanwhile Anthony Gordon, England’s only natural left-sided attacker, saw just a single minute of action in the entire tournament as Phil Foden was shoe-horned into the set up in front of an unnatural left-back in the shape of Kieran Trippier.
With the pressure now off, and the job only his temporarily, Carsley has shown no such preferences, with players largely picked for the sake of balance. In fact, the only time that proved not to be the case was in the 2-1 home defeat to Greece, where Palmer, Bellingham, Foden, Gordon and Saka were all handed starts and no recognised striker deployed. The performance and result that night appeared to vindicate those suggesting it should be a choice between Bellingham, Foden and Palmer for the no.10 spot.
Questions still to be answered
Despite Carsley’s success, there remain questions that Tuchel will be tasked with finding the answers to. Questions such as: how long can Harry Kane remain the default striker choice for England?
Will the ex-Chelsea boss be strong enough to continue to omit big names in favour of a naturally more balanced side?
And how do England move on from Kyle Walker, whose form has undeniably taken a step back this season?
For the first time in over a decade, an England boss will take up his role with the expectation of success rather than merely the hope of a major trophy, with anything less than a trophy considered a failure by massive parts of the fanbase.
Carsley could not have set Tuchel up for success any better if he had tried, but it will be up to the German tactician to use that progress to his advantage.