It may be only the second time Lee Carsley has picked a senior England squad but, while he admits his greatest challenge is finding the right balance from the array of available attacking talent, he already looks comfortable making those calls.
Carsley, fresh from last month’s victories over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, suggested the remit laid down by the Football Association when he was appointed interim manager was “to take these three camps in the Nations League” before Christmas. Convincing wins and performances against Greece next Thursday and then in Finland the following Sunday would see his stock rise further as the FA seek to appoint a successor to Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis.
Regardless, Carsley is already looking long-term. Here, The Athletic breaks down some of the main talking points from his squad selection for the next round of Nations League fixtures, and what they tell us about the national team’s direction of travel.
Carsley is making his mark
There were no new caps in the latest 25-man squad. That might suggest Carsley is settling early on the group he can shape over the coming 21 months to challenge at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
In truth, he is using these Nations League fixtures to look at players unfamiliar at this level. A seasoned international like Harry Maguire, he explained, still has “a very important role to play” but had been omitted because there are other centre-backs the management want to assess first-hand.
“It was definitely not to do with their form,” said the interim of those omitted from the group. “It’s just a case of using this period of the next two camps to experiment and look at other players. The players left out have all got a case for being included, but I thought it was important that we saw the benefits of the last squad being fresh with a lot of energy.
“I am not saying those players didn’t bring that, but I thought that it was important that it’s not just a copy and a paste. I want them to feel like they earned their place in the squad.”
The clearest indication that Carsley and the FA see this arrangement as long-term is the full-time appointment of Ashley Cole, previously Carsley’s No 2 with the under-21s, as his senior assistant. The FA made that appointment at Carsley’s request, with Cole duly quitting his role at Birmingham City to join.
“With this being an interim period, I thought it was best for all of us if the assistant was full-time because of the amount of players that we need to get around and the importance of the role,” Carsley explained.
“It was always the case that we could have a full-time assistant. I felt that I needed a full-time assistant just to take on some of the strains that go with the job.”
The Bellingham-Foden-Palmer conundrum
If Carsley does secure the job on a full-time basis, his greatest challenge — and what will determine his legacy — will be how he squeezes the best out of a ridiculously talented group of attacking players, most notably Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and the man of the moment, Cole Palmer.
With the likes of Bukayo Saka on the right and Anthony Gordon on the left, both impressive in recent appearances, Carsley has to work out how he fits all the talent into his team.
Will it be Palmer, in ridiculously good form at Chelsea, or Saka to play off the right? Will it be Foden, Jack Grealish or Gordon off the left? Then there is the No 10 role that suits Bellingham, Palmer and Foden — his three best players.
That trio were all missing last month and Grealish did well in their absence, while Gordon’s ability to run in behind and stretch defences brought a balance to the attack.
All this feels rather familiar. England managers of the recent past have often had to confront how to include their best players without it being to the detriment of the balance of the team. Indeed, does picking all your best players make the best team?
“We’ve got so many talented players, but we are always looking to find the right balance, who complements whom in terms of the way that we play,” he said. “We try not to get too caught up talking about positions. Or being too positional. It’s more their attributes and the way we can potentially attack the opposition.
“All three are excellent players, as are the rest.”
Solanke back after nearly seven years
Leading the line will be captain Harry Kane, but Dominic Solanke’s recall nearly seven years after his last cap is notable.
His only previous appearance at this level was in a friendly against Brazil at Wembley in late 2017, a few months after he had joined Liverpool from Chelsea. If he plays, Solanke will have the longest gap between England appearances since goalkeeper Ian Walker (between February 1997 and June 2004), and the longest gap by an outfield player since Frank Lampard Sr (between October 1972 and May 1980).
He must have wondered what he had to do to be included last season when he performed impressively for Bournemouth, scoring 21 goals, but his £65million ($85.2m) move to Tottenham Hotspur seems to have done the trick.
Carsley revealed he would have been included in last month’s squad had he not suffered an ankle injury on the opening weekend of the season at Leicester City. “Dom’s a player that I’m fully aware of and have worked with in the past,” Carsley said. “He’s done so well at Bournemouth and now he’s taken that form into Spurs.
“He’s got a lot of really good attributes that I really like as well as being a really nice person. He’s extremely talented and it’s good that we have got him.”
A ruthless interim manager
Carsley has shown he can be ruthless as well in terms of his omissions, leaving out Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze and West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen.
The pair were in Southgate’s group for the European Championship finals, but slow starts to the season for both players and their clubs have shown Carsley will not be swayed by loyalty.
His decision on Maguire is also an indication that reputation and previous services will not be overriding factors.
“We have got some really good centre-backs and I’m keen to see them play,” Carsley said of Maguire’s omission. “I’m worried about bringing players away who have big experiences but who are potentially not going to play much. He’s still got a really important part to play in this squad.
“Over the last three or four weeks since the last game I have seen every single touch of the players in terms of those picked and those left out, so we feel really well informed with the squad we have selected.”
Rogers has to wait
One player tipped to step up under Carsley after an excellent start to the season with Aston Villa is Morgan Rogers but, again, Carsley has left him to continue his development in the under-21s.
Villa boss Unai Emery was perplexed at Rogers’ inclusion in the juniors last month, questioning what he will gain from playing age-group football. But with so many attacking options at Carsley’s disposal for the senior side, the youngster will have to bide his time.
“There are a lot of players who were close to being in this squad,” Carsley added. “With the talent we’ve got available, it would have been quite easy to name a 40-man squad and almost justify having them all in.
“But the challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and a squad where you know we can win these two games.”
(Top photo: Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)
