How will England look under Lee Carsley? A way back for Sterling and Rashford? | ESPN FC

so let's talk about England quickly ahead of Lee Carley's first game um interim manager but is he going to put his own stamp on this squad do you think yeah I think he will um I'm told that he's not necessarily a continuity candidate in the sense that of the squad that he'll pick he the biggest strength that Lee carsley has to recommend him for this job is the relationship that he's got with the under 21s and he won the Under 21's Euro title last summer it was the first time England had won it since 19 84 um and there are key members of that group who some of them have gone on Cole Palmer being probably the most obvious one but um Levi Co wheel's been called up for the senior side jarro branway has also been involved um but I think there were one or two others who are probably going to benefit from Lee carza being around whether it's not this time but next time he's he's he's got four fixtures the fa have sort of stressed he is he is going to be in interim charge not just for these two games uh coming up so you're talking about people like Morgan Gibbs white who was a key part of that under 21 side um he scored the winner at sampton obviously at the weekend uh he scored the opening goal in the semifinal win against Israel um at the under 21 championships he's a player that that Cary likes a lot I could see him if he's not in now being in maybe next month in October non madake is another one obviously scored a hatrick at um at wolves last weekend really puts him in the shop window know for that um he's he's another who's impressed who's been sort of in and around the the under 21 setup for quite a long period of time but not made that step up when G Southgate was there and another one i' I'd probably suggest is James Trafford the goalkeeper you know England not only won that tournament that he didn't concede a goal um in in all six matches and he he was such an important um member of that Squad he's currently at Burnley although by the time this comes out or certainly by the time the window closes he might end up at Newcastle they're certainly pushing to sign him he was part um of the provisional the bigger 33 man squad that Southgate called um up before Euro 2024 but didn't make the cup for the final 26 so I think he's somebody who could be involved I mean someone like Curtis Jones is an interesting one um he man of the match in the final named in the team of the tournament but he's not played for Liverpool this season because of a groin problem but Arna slot's sort of making positive noises about being back for the weekend so he could potentially be available so I mean I've been told that Raheem Sterling is desperate to get back in the England squad which is part of the reason why he wants out of Chelsea but clearly he's not playing at Chelsea so it'd be very unlikely for him to get in the squad Marcus rashford wasn't in the squad last season DC rot back for either of those two and Gish well I I think that what he'll do is he'll he'll look to the younger options that he's got I don't think we're going to see a radical overhaul but I don't think that you know he's going to reinvent the wheel here in terms of suddenly saying well St you know has Raheem Sterling or Marcus rashford done anything in what is a very formative stage the Seas to suggest that they should be back in the setup you'd argue no so I can't really see it greish I think was more of a personal choice from Southgate so he's possible but again he's before the community Shield not really played barely played so you can't really see those three being in are there any players following the Euros could the end of the road well Kyle Walker's probably the interesting one um I think he's 34 now he's he made very positive noises during the tournament about carrying on although Gare southgate's had to him into continuing for that tournament and even in Qatar so um you know while while kley will will want to put his own mark on it and probably bring in one or two of the youngsters he is going to need some older heads there I mean he he hasn't worked with with the likes of Dean rice or Harry Kane or you don't really want to lose all of these kind of experienced players and just fill it with kids so you know there are there are certainly some decisions to be made there as well of them before we talk about Lee Carley and his prospects of of getting the role fulltime obviously Lee was he was a a strong Contender to get the Republic of isand job early last last year when I think Steven Kenny stepped down because Lee was at a republic of Island International he's got ancestry from I think it was his grandparents so he played I think over 40 games for the Irish now I don't think there's going to be any issue with Lee car going back to Dublin I think you know we know that he he's born in Birmingham has a long connection with the England team Dean rice and Jack Gish however uh we do know that Delan rice played I think three games full International for Ireland Jack G's played under 21 level that I I've Got Friends in in Ireland that used to to work with and they tell me there's a lot of resentment and hostility towards certainly Dean rice so how do you expect the fa to handle the fact that Dean rice could be going back to play in Dublin against a team that he used to play for and no longer does well there's not a lot they can do to some extent I mean it will just it's just if he's called up and you assume he will be if he's fit I mean I do think in in Rice's situation it's it's quite interesting to me that you know where Arsenal have recalled Delan rice SPO sacka they got them in right at the start of the season first game straight after the Euros City sort of said to Walker and stones and I know foden played the second half against Chelsea but they sort of set him you know come back whenever you can rodri's obviously injured but you know they're thinking about April not about August whereas arsal sort of thought right no we need these guys hit the ground running do not give City any kind of Head Start in the season and I thought I think both of them rice and sacker have shown um a bit of fatigue as a result of that understandably he never takes sacker off artetta and he has taken sacker off in those two games and rice I think was I remember just caught Rice's um just caught caught His Image at full time because I was at Villa par last weekend and he sort of hands on knees blowing out you know C sort of celebrating but very much feeling the pace of it it could be a game that you know tactically he could miss out you know does he need the hassle it's a Nations League match does it is it really that it will be hassle I mean I think we have to accept that he will be a target of a lot of hostility from the fans and and is it something that he needs is it something England need you know it's a game that it's it's Nation League game but it is a big issue in Ireland that that Ireland produced these players and they are taken away by England they're both obviously Dean rice and Jack G qualified to play for England it's fine no no issue with that but there's a sense that I think we see in the game generally now that a lot of players that can play for one country play for the bigger country in the sense that the the more powerful country and I think that's that's the resentment with with rice and greish but I think it's it's it's quite a long way in the rearview Mo now because it's happened quite a while ago yeah there was I know there was maybe intensive attempt to Evan Ferguson's qualifications for but obviously he's committed to Ireland now but it would be interesting but in terms of in terms of Lee Carley I think we both know that the fa would ideally like to have a a coach that's come through the system at St George's Park and is emblematic of their their coaching qualifications their coaching system so that's why carsley ahead of maybe gr Potter and I mean I hear that Eddie how is still a strong Contender but I think maybe seeing what's happening at Newcastle and the four games that cars is in charge will buy them time to assess the situation at Newcastle because although Ed have started the season at Newcastle they've got a change of regime behind the scenes Amanda stable is left as she was quite close to EDD in terms of the day today running Dan asth left as well technical director so I think Eddie how's got a bit of questions to answer in his head as to whether he is newcastle's number one choice as he was under the previous regime if he becomes available before before the end of the year that would change things with the fa surely I don't think if you ped the England fans who were booing Southgate of the euros and criticizing him on social media if you said to them at the time well Lee Carley will be the replacement I don't think they they would have had the same reaction towards Gareth as he did in that tournament he's got I think a lot of people to win over externally maybe not so much internally I mean we obviously talk a lot about how Southgate managed the under 21s and and and you know it's the same kind of pathway obviously stepped up with the seniors but he's not the first to do that he's a strong character L car it will surprise people yeah media wise and playerwise that he can himself I don't think he's a he's not an fa yes man no but I mean you know Howard Wilkinson that followed that path Stuart Pierce has followed that path um it is it is well trodden and the fa will argue that if you look at um scalon Argentina and Dent Spain last two tournament winners they've effectively followed a similar part no real senior major coaching experience and yet they've been able to deliver on the biggest stages it it was interesting in the in the summer away with United on on tour in America that we got to speak to Tom heon was obviously part of guard South Gates I don't know was he part of the staff he was a non-playing player essentially the euros and we were speaking to him and he said that he thinks that there's a good chance that those England fans who were boo in Southgate May Live to regret that all that that the part that they played in in Gareth stepping down because you talk about you know Lee Carley's obviously qualified in terms of the under 20s and 21s you've got other under candidates um poatina or or pep and and things um G Sou gate created this this team that just habitually qualified for tournaments and performed well in tournaments and and it's Tom heon was of the the mind that it's entirely possible that in a year's time or or 18 months that those those same fans who really desperately wanted Gareth out will look back at that era and think was that really the right choice I mean I know you covered this in in your piece at the end of the Euros I was speaking somebody post euros and they they were quite close to people in the England set up and they were in terms of the the squad of just managing the squad it was the worst tournament that they had under southg in the sense that it was just the mood was different there a and my sense with Lee Carle is I don't think we have to worry about what the fans think because they don't they don't pick the team they don't deal with a guy I think he's got to be an fa thing and but he's also got win over the players and that England squad has got a lot of big time players that have won Premier Leagues Champions Leagues play for the biggest clubs in the world will they accept Lee Carley now that shouldn't even a question but that is the reality of the game isn't it that big players with Big E go want to control situations and I think just just one one Chuck in there Frank Lampard despite his checkered managerial career would have a better chance of managing some of the bigger Eagles because of his playing TP record than Lee Cary potentially I mean the expectation is very different as well we we're talking about you know there's there's a I think I think the fa would like history to repeat itself here they they look back at 2016 and think we Southgate had four games England started to play well the players seemed to like him they they gave him the gig it's pretty clear from the statement when Gareth stepped down that they said we have an interim option if we need it they clearly had this in mind pretty much from the GetGo and I think there isn't a clear candidate you can you can look at you know you can look at the the options you mentioned Lampard but anybody anybody who looked at his Club manager level record will think I'm not sure he only gets it because of his because of his playing record that might impressed the players in the dress room that's that's the only way you give it to front L part yeah it's you know Eddie how you would say he's the the leading English candidate based on what he's done in the Premier League but he's going to be very hard to get out of Newcastle gram Potter's had that had the reputation until he got to Chelsea and that has really knocked him back then you start looking at the overseas options and portino obviously now looks like he's going to the US MNT but having an Argentine managering England was always going to be tricky Pep Guardiola could the fa really get him Jurgen klopp kind of distan himself from it and again is the whole IDE of would it would would it be acceptable for a German to manage the England national team that I think because there's not a clear candidate they see they can and as you rightly say about the pathway at C George's park I think they look at someone like Carley who's been involved in the setup I think he joined in 2015 so he's been part of it for nine years if he can hit the ground running with these with with these four matches and I think significantly if england are playing good football because that was the only criticism left of Southgate wasn't it was that the football wasn't great you know the performance weren't particularly good and that's predated the Euros I mean they weren't they didn't play well for quite a long time under South Gate um but anybody who watched a lot of the under 21s particularly in in their Euros in in last year in 2023 the football was really good you know it was really attacking it was really Dynamic he managed to squeeze a lot of attacking players in into a setup in the same way that you know the the challenge was asked of GTH can you do that and and many people felt he didn't do enough even though they got to the final it's also a big thing to win a tournament isn't it orbe it an under 21 because if you speak to players and people around players it's becoming more and more apparent that International Football is not what is not Club football it's it's completely different in the way that you handle players in the way that you organize training in the in the way that you handle camps so I think if if you if your Club hire a manager you can look back at that manager's passing and have a fair idea of how well that manager is going to go at that club I don't think that applies at all International football anymore I think it's a very very specific job and the fact that you've got Lee Carley who who has gone and all be with under 21s has gone and one a tourament but a shown you can handle that and manage that and get through it I think probably the fa would would put more emphasis on something like that than perhaps a club manager who's done more they will and and it comes back again to Mark's point about buying from the players because that's kind of what that's what you need you need to understand tournament football and the tournament cycle and you need the Buy in and if you don't have the Buy in you're dead and and my concern was always when Southgate left that the baby could go out with the bath waterer here that we' the sort of intangible buying and yes it was a difficult camp in the summer but still they got to the final he just about held it together is that if you with those personalities firstly and secondly with the expectation that there is around that England team because whoever manages that team going into 2026 is it going to be expected to win the World Cup there's no two ways about it with the individual talent that England have got that will be the Benchmark that they're aiming for you you you will not win that tournament if you don't have the buying from the players you might not be a tactical genius you might not have to be but if the players are invested in it and you've got that tournament understanding then maybe you've got half a chob I think the problem with with these next four games is it's it's it's Republic of Ireland Greece and Finland can you give somebody the job on the base of what they do in those games losing it you're winning your you're losing but it's also like I'm going criticized for this but it's the level of performance it's almost like judging the on a preseason friendly because these aren't the elite of the game that England will be expected to win these games quite comfortably they're not playing Italy Germany Spain France they're playing teams that they tend to always be so how can you measure Lee Carley's Readiness or suitability for the job against that sort of level of opponent and and it comes at a bad time of the year really when you think about the domestic calendar you know when you think about the expanded Champions League the extra demands there the fact that a lot of the players have not really had a proper break uh the Premier League is more intense than it's ever been if the the demands on these players to then say Oh there's a Nations League game there also two more breaks between now and Christmas so essentially you could say I'm gonna I'm going to miss this one but I might back in for October or or November so it's not like I'm going to be out of this camp and I'm not going to see International football for six months because we don't play against till March and that comes back I think to where we started which is why I think he will go for not sort of you know manifestly dominant but I think he will go for a lot of youngsters because they they know he knows they know him he knows them I remember Harvey ell I think was describing him as sort of an unbelievable manager Anthony Gordon I think he said he's one of the best man managers he ever had you know they they they they really love him you know there's a real kind of connection that he's got with them there and I think he's going to need a nucleus of those players in this new Squad to sort of say to them maybe even to the more senior guys well look this is the kind of connection we can generate but you've got to you've got to come with me on the journey and not be half in or half out because you know that's the the road to failure well the World Cup qualifiers not start until I think next March so the fa got plenty of time but I think my hunted up about yours is that Lee cars is going to be going to the United States as England manager that he's the he's the bookie favorite for a reason it's his to lose isn't it let's be honest um it's his to lose if England play well in these four games and as I say I really think the style of football is key because that's the only thing that the fans could complain about under South Kate the record was ridiculous it was unprecedented in England's history their consistency in in in tournament football no manager whoever succeeds him obviously is going to get to test that for another two years so the only thing you can really judge him on is is it fun and are the players enjoying it and are they buying into it and if they do then it's his it's his job well that's part of the problem with International Football isn't it you're talking about creating a defined style of play that fans can look at and go that's your your style of play in a camp that's going to last a couple of days and and two games I it's incredibly managing International Teams I think is incredibly difficult I think it's people underestimate how tough a gig that is and I think maybe as I said before that Heaton said in the summer that people are going to maybe regret the way that that Southgate in a sense was was hounded out a little bit because I don't think the way that he managed it and the results that he had the way that that he managed those those big players was normal [Music]