A new era is on the horizon. After tonight, interim boss Lee Carsley will jump ship following his four-month voyage with England and hand the keys over to Thomas Tuchel. After a superb 3-0 win over Greece, it appears Tuchel will inherit a team in cruise control rather than one stuck in choppy waters.
After a thumping victory in Athens, England’s Nations League fate is in their hands. On Sunday night, Carsley only needs to secure a victory over Ireland, the country with whom he made 40 international appearances, to be sure of the top spot.
Topping their League B group would give Tuchel peace of mind on arrival. It would promote England back to the top-tier Nations League groups and also give them a huge chance of landing a World Cup qualifying spot. Barring an absolute disaster against Ireland, that looks all but guaranteed, which will be great news for the incoming Tuchel — who wants as few setbacks as possible as he bids to lift England’s first World Cup since 1966.
The German will also be impressed with how England’s fringe players stepped up in place of nine players who withdrew from the latest squad ahead of the must-win game against Greece — leaving captain Harry Kane far from impressed. He spoke of how Gareth Southgate’s blueprint of putting country before club helped unite England again.
One of Tuchel’s first tasks when he arrives is ensuring that the feeling of a tight-knit unit remains. We saw how a previous foreign manager like Fabio Capello fared when he left the squad feeling divided. For now, the atmosphere in the dressing room reflects a hopeful one and the team should be in a bullish mood on Sunday evening against a team they brushed aside 2-0 in September.
The goalscorers on that day — Declan Rice and Jack Grealish — are both absent for this one, joined by Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill, Jarrad Branthwaite and Aaron Ramsdale. It should mean even more opportunities for players like Ollie Watkins and Curtis Jones, who both scored against Greece.
Ireland have only won two games in this Nations League campaign — both against Finland — but their threat shouldn’t be dismissed. Ipswich’s Sammie Szmodics proved with his bicycle kick against Tottenham last week that he’s always got something special in his locker, while ex-Spurs man Troy Parrott is in superb form with AZ Alkmaar, netting eight from 16 games. Strike partner Evan Ferguson can also be a handful for defenders and scored in Thursday’s 1-0 win against Finland.
For England, there are concerns over Ezri Konsa, who came off against Greece with a hip injury, so that could allow Jarell Quansah to come in for his debut. Kane was dropped from the starting XI against the Greeks, so Carsley may opt to play his star striker from the off tonight.
England vs Ireland odds
Odds from Betfair and updated as of 7 p.m. GMT Friday.
- England win: 2/13 (-650)
- Draw: 5/1 (+500)
- Ireland win: 12/1 (+1200)
Venue: Wembley Stadium — London
Time: 5 p.m. GMT (noon ET), Sunday
Streaming: Fubo (US only, try for free)
Form guide
Nations League only
England: 4-0-1, 12 points (1st in Group B2), W-W-L-W-W
Ireland: 2-0-3, 6 points (3rd in Group B2), W-L-W-L-L
Match prediction
England 3-1 Ireland
I’m expecting England to get the job done at Wembley. Even with a shuffled pack, the Three Lions have an embarrassment of riches in depth, and the opportunity to step up and shine will be a huge incentive for those in the squad who want to impress Tuchel in the New Year, just as they did against Greece. Given that all but one of England’s wins under Carsley have been by a two-goal margin, I’m going for the same here.
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