Lee Carsley goes into the Nations League tie against Finland in Helsinki on Sunday with serious doubts emerging as to whether he wants the England manager’s job on a permanent basis.
The 50-year-old has stepped up from his role in charge of the under-21s on an interim basis until November to take in all six of the seniors’ Nations League group games, winning against Republic of Ireland in Dublin and Finland at Wembley in September before a chaotic home loss to Greece on Thursday.
He has sought to focus purely on the six matches, despite an insistent line of questioning over his desires and intentions about succeeding Gareth Southgate on a full-time basis and leading the nation into the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
The Football Association have maintained that they are overseeing a confidential process to appoint the next permanent manager. They have given no indications as to the progress of it.
Carsley has tied himself in a few knots along the way, not least after the Greece defeat when he said he would “hopefully be going back to the under-21s” after his interim tenure ended. Carsley was asked to clarify the comment at the pre-match press conference in Helsinki on Saturday night.
“Hopefully is a word and a phrase I use quite a bit,” he said. “There’s obviously no guarantees in life, including tomorrow [against Finland]. It’s a job, the under-21s, that I’m really proud of and massively invested in. But I know there’s no guarantees. The plan is to give this job, for three camps, the best I can do along with the rest of the staff and hopefully we can be in a good position.”
Carsley had been asked after the home win over Finland whether he was up for the permanent job. “Am I up for it … I think I am up for it,” he replied after a pause and not sounding entirely convinced.
The criticism after the shapeless display against Greece when he started without a recognised No 9, accommodated a host of attacking midfielders and watched the team lack cohesion and defensive stability, was severe. And the mood music around Carsley has shifted, with a briefing that he gave to the British press in Helsinki contributing to that.
It had been thought that the permanent job was Carsley’s to lose after the wins in September. But when he spoke to the journalists, he sounded like the development coach he has pretty much always been; wanting to push the players, look for fresh angles with them. He sounded as though he was indeed ready to return to the under-21s.
“The last thing that is important to me in this whole process is me,” Carsley said. “The reason I believe I have done so well in coaching is because people know that it’s not about me. It’s about the players, the environment, the culture. If I do try something different, they can see I’m trying it to get the best out of the team or the individual.
“I don’t see this as an audition or the biggest chance I have ever had. I see it as a privilege, an unbelievable responsibility. I have got three games left. I want to make sure that the squad is in a really good position, that we have seen different players play in different positions.
“There’s probably a reason in the past why I’ve resisted going into senior football, going and managing at club level. It’s because I really enjoy this side of the game in terms of the player development and the journey that they go on. So I’ve tried to remove myself from the emotion of: ‘It’s my job to lose or to get.’”
Carsley also told TalkSport that he had not made a formal application for the permanent England role. “No, I didn’t formally apply for it,” he said, before talking it up as one of the best jobs in world football. “I believe the coach that comes in has got a really good chance of winning and we deserve the best one that’s out there.”
Carsley spoke extensively about the need for him to try different things during his time in charge as everything since 1966 – when England won the World Cup, their only major men’s trophy – had not been enough for what everybody craves.
His immediate priority, though, is to get a reaction from the Greece debacle against Finland. The good news is that the captain, Harry Kane, is back to fitness; he missed out against Greece with a groin problem. Jack Grealish is also available after a minor issue. Bukayo Saka has not travelled after coming off against Greece with a hamstring complaint.
“When we’ve got something really good in front of us, we’re always looking for the next big thing,” Carsley said. “We should appreciate what we’ve got in front of us with Harry. Is he still irreplaceable? He has proved that in the past with the impact he has had.”
