Lee Carsley’s reward for mission accomplished, if that is what awaits at Wembley on Sunday, is to be shoved back into a job where he has already won everything he can.
A return to the England Under-21 side beckons. To the European Championship in Slovakia in June where he will look to defend the title claimed 18 months ago with a squad containing seven players he took to Athens on Thursday night, when his penultimate match as interim head coach of the seniors brought a cathartic 3-0 victory against Greece. It would have been at least nine had it not been for some of those pesky withdrawals.
For England, the way forward is now clear. Overcome Ireland and they will be promoted back to the top tier of the Nations League, ensuring that the incoming head coach Thomas Tuchel need not worry about play-offs in the competition complicating the countdown to the 2026 World Cup.
Similarly, Curtis Jones — scorer of an impudent, back-heeled goal against Greece — and the jet-heeled Noni Madueke know adding impetus to their embryonic international careers will firstly be served by eye-catching displays with Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
Yet how Carsley progresses from here in his coaching career within the structure of the FA is far less clear. If, for example, England’s juniors do not repeat their success of 2023, when a 1-0 win over Spain came courtesy of a Cole Palmer shot which deflected in off Jones, the knee-jerk reaction will be to view it as a backward step.
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That would be a harsh barometer, although over the past three months the 50-year-old Carsley has grown accustomed to being judged severely.
It has been clear which bits of the England job he has enjoyed (coaching players, trying to eke out improvement, the responsibility for results) and which he has not (media conferences). From the faux outrage of him not singing the national anthem to the confusion over whether he ever wanted to succeed Gareth Southgate permanently, most of his difficulties have come off the pitch.
On it, the 2-1 defeat at home to Greece notwithstanding, there is a body of work which actually reflects well on his coaching acumen.
Trent Alexander-Arnold finally started maximising his potential as an England player on Carsley’s watch. Jack Grealish scored as many goals, two, in three matches as in his previous 36. The call up for Angel Gomes offered a different perspective to the age-old conundrum about midfield control. Overlooking Jordan Pickford against Finland may have contributed to his outstanding performance against the Greeks. Leaving Harry Kane kicking his heels on the sidelines to begin with at the Olympic Stadium in Athens in favour of Ollie Watkins was a consequence of a clear strategy and reaped its rewards. Debuts for Jones and Madueke, among others, reveal more depth.
As for Greece at Wembley? That ramshackle defeat was a squalid mess. The overly attacking line-up was ill-conceived and the blueprint should have been ripped up far sooner than it was. Carsley’s credibility took a hit that night when a muddled press conference, in which he really should have stuck to a single line about his future, added to the impression of someone feeling the pressure. Front-of-house perception with England matters more than it should, but it matters all the same.
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Since then, however, Carsley has displayed an ability to learn from his mistakes — especially on the pitch. “The staff set up a game plan that was perfect for this game,” said Jude Bellingham, who revelled in the space Watkins created by stretching the game against Greece.
Ordinarily, it would make sense for England’s seniors to retain that influence and he supposedly has an ally in the FA technical director John McDermott.
The make-up of Tuchel’s staff has still to be confirmed. Yet from the moment the German coach made clear his desire to work with the highly-regarded Anthony Barry, who was part of his backroom team at Chelsea and Bayern Munich, that presumably precluded Carsley’s involvement and does not point to him being considered as Tuchel’s eventual successor.
Perhaps, then, the answer as to how Carsley truly progresses lies outside the FA where his coaching will be more important because the standard of player he would work with is likely to be lower.
There has been interest in him previously from club sides. Stoke City considered Carsley 11 months ago but opted for Steven Schumacher instead. Last week, he was asked about the vacancy at former club Coventry City but deflected any such discussion on the matter, and the likelihood is that his sights would be set higher.
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The dream appointment is thought to be Everton, where he spent almost six years as a player. Sean Dyche’s contract as manager expires at the end of the season and there has been no clarity on the future while US consortium The Friedkin Group goes through the process of completing its takeover from owner Farhad Moshiri.
In the meantime, an underwhelming start to the season has eroded Dyche’s standing among supporters and some would want Carsley to be considered should there be a shake-up and a fresh start at the club’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock.
That would amount to a gamble for the new owners, while Everton — who have only 12 players under contract for the start of next season as it stands — have served as a stern test of the capabilities of many coaches in recent years.
There would be more regular media duties at a Premier League club, but less scrutiny. Carsley would, at least, be one of 20 managers, as opposed to the one who has to have an answer for everything.
