Officially the Gareth Southgate era is over. A new chapter for England began on August 29 2024, when interim manager Lee Carsley named his first squad for two UEFA Nations League games against Republic of Ireland in Dublin and Finland at Wembley in September.
Yes, Carsley is an FA man, working within the set-up as coach of the under-21s prior to his appointment, just as Southgate was before he got the job. Yes, he is also only – for now – an interim appointment, while the FA continue their wider search for their next manager.
But Carsley has also spoke of putting “his own stamp” on the squad and will also be well aware that a strong performance as the stand-in manager could see him win the gig on a permanent basis. With that in mind and his first squad announced, what can we expect from Lee Carsley’s England?
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The England players that Lee Carsley will pick
A core group of players have dominated the England team for the last three major tournaments. But that is likely to change under Carsley, who has already shown a willingness to put trust in youth.
Six members of Carsley's first squad - Angel Gomes, Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill - won the Under-21 European Championship for England under his leadership in 2023. Gomes, Madueke and Gibbs-White are first-time call-ups, as is Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento who could be a natural replacement for club teammate Kieran Trippier, following his retirement from England duty.
Some of the older guard may struggle to return, meanwhile. Marcus Rashford has been left out of the squad as has Kyle Walker, although he is yet to play for Manchester City this season.
Rather than just follow Southgate’s preferences Carsley will bring change wherever he sees fit. An obvious example of this is the return of players who had fallen out of favour under Southgate, such as Manchester City forward Jack Grealish and Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope – who both missed out on Euro 2024 but were selected in Carsley’s first squad.
The inclusions of Gomes and Gibbs-White would suggest Carsley will be loyal to players who have done well for him in the past. Bar the obvious – such as Harry Kane and Declan Rice – there appear to be very few players near-guaranteed of a squad place in this new era.
The formation
Based on his time with the under-21s Carsley tends to favour a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation. Considering Southgate rarely used the latter set-up after the 2022 World Cup finals, it will be intriguing to see what system Carsley goes with in his first game against Ireland.
The ex-Everton midfielder likes his side to rotate and interchange position in an attempt to penetrate the space left by the opposition defence. The likes of Madueke and Gordon were key to this at the European Championships last summer, as quick, agile, ball-carriers who were equally comfortable of playing wide on the right or left.
A double pivot is often utilised when the team build-up with the ball, so we could be likely to see Arsenal’s Rice and Manchester United’s Kobbie Mainoo selected as the defensive midfield pairing.
Often Carsley will ask his team to drop into a 4-4-2 mid-block when out of possession, screening passes from the opposition’s defence and not allowing them to control the game easily. With the U21s this worked well because of the counter-attacking threat and general energy of Gordon and Gibbs-White.
Will Kane, still England’s first choice number nine, be able to fulfil this role? Yes, but he’ll need some raw pace alongside him. Cole Palmer, a key part of the under-21 team, may have a good chance of playing as an advanced midfielder in Carsley’s preferred 4-3-3 system.
The style of play
So what is ‘Carsball’? In short, expect an England team to be far more aggressive in possession than they were under Southgate.
Whether this is the best approach for senior tournament football remains to be seen and Carsley may not get the chance if a different permanent manager is appointed in 2025. But England should place a greater emphasis on moving the ball quickly, with the full-backs encouraged to consistently get beyond the winger in front of them.
Like most of the top international teams, an emphasis will still be placed on retaining possession, but not at any cost, or more specifically a low tempo. Carsley’s use of Gomes was particularly key to this.
The former Manchester United attacking midfielder, now at Lille, was used in a much deeper midfield role than the one he often performed in at club level. As a holding midfielder Gomes would regularly drop close to the defenders and receive the ball under pressure from the opposition, with the aim of breaking through the press quickly and breaking lines with his passing.
He wasn’t the only player used in a slightly unfamiliar position - Gordon, Gibbs-White and Jacob Ramsey also adapted in new roles for the team that differed to where they usually played for their clubs. Carsley wants flexibility throughout his team, although this is not at the expense of defensive solidity – his England team didn’t concede a goal in their six games when they won Euro 2023.
So, what can we expect? Perhaps a more fluid, less risk-averse England team. Hopefully one that can strike a balance between being defensively solid out-of-possession, while still committing plenty of players forward with the ball.
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