Lee Carsley says the England dugout can be a “lonely place” but never felt like he was “drowning” during his caretaker stint doing a job he has not ruled himself out of taking again in the future.
Having reached back-to-back European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate, experienced Thomas Tuchel was last month confirmed as the man charged with leading the team to World Cup glory in 2026.
Carsley believes the former Chelsea boss is the ideal candidate for a job he has taken for the final three camps of the year, leading the side to promotion back to the Nations League top tier with five wins from six, while handing out eight debuts.
A big thank you to Lee and his coaching team for the last three camps 👏 pic.twitter.com/P0uYvaIwYu
— England (@England) November 17, 2024
The former Republic of Ireland international returns to his post as England Under-21s boss when Tuchel starts in the new year buoyed by a 5-0 victory against the country he represented as a player.
That send-off and Thursday’s key 3-0 win in Athens made amends for last month’s shock 2-1 home loss to Greece at Wembley, which still hurts Carsley but has not ruined the experience.
“I spoke about it in the first camp and being in a comfort zone,” the interim boss said after his final match in temporary charge.
“I definitely feel I’ve been out of my comfort zone but not beyond my capabilities. I have never felt at any point that I was drowning or struggling.
“I’ve taken the confidence with my staff that ‘we’re OK, we’ll be fine’.
“We’ve probably got stronger as the windows have gone, with September, October and finishing in November, which is probably our strongest and most competitive one.
“You always learn a lot about yourself when you are in a position you are not used to, and the most pleasing thing is the younger players coming through which now many have seen themselves in an England shirt.
“But one of the most pleasing things is the way that the senior players have reacted to a new coach, even though it was from a short-term point of view, the respect that myself and the rest of the staff have been shown.
“We’ve tried to change things. We’ve tried to change or adapt or move on the style, the way that we play, the control, the amount of possession we have, the amount of chances that we create.
“We’ve tried to do all these kind of things, and there’s been no resistance to that.
“If anything, they’ve taken on board what we’re trying to do but I think it helps that they’ve obviously watched and seen the Under-21s and the way that the 21s try and control and score goals.
“I think it’s important then that myself and the staff now spend a good couple of days thinking about the three camps and what we could have done better.
The perfect way to finish 2024. 👏 pic.twitter.com/5LuMB9SfJh
— England (@England) November 17, 2024
“I mean, I’m still gutted about the Greece game at home. Even though we’ve won five of the six, I straight away go to the game that I think we should have won at Wembley.
“It’s definitely a lonely place in that dugout when you’re not winning at Wembley.
“But yeah, we’ll keep improving and keep pushing the players and ourselves.”
Carsley is a perfectionist, so his presentation to Tuchel is sure to be highly detailed as he seeks to aid the England team in their quest to win the World Cup in North America.
The German coach’s contract expires after that tournament and the Under-21s boss could well be linked with the post again having overseen a largely successful period and impressed the players.
Masterminding a second successive Under-21 Euros crown next summer will only boost the credentials of a manager who did not rule out one day having another shot at the senior role.
“I think the positive thing is that we’ve showed as a staff that we can do it,” Carsley said of the senior post. “It’s always a positive thing when you have coaches in the building that are capable.
“I’ve enjoyed it. I think we spoke a little bit about it yesterday (Saturday).
“It is tough and I suppose you get used to that awkwardness and that bit of nerves, in terms of I’m sat in the house and I’m constantly thinking of the next camp and the next squad and who’s playing well.
“Constantly watching Greece and Ireland, you know unhealthily watching the opposition. But that’s the way I am and that’s where the rest of the staff are.
“The relief of getting promotion is a big thing, so maybe in a couple of days I’ll look back at it and think it’s been quite enjoyable.”
