LEE CARSLEY has all but confirmed he DOESN’T want the England job on a permanent basis.
The 50-year-old has been in temporary charge of the Three Lions since Gareth Southgate quit the role in July following a second successive Euros final defeat.
The FA are currently searching for a permanent successor for Southgate, which Carsley is potentially in line to be.
But he’s seemingly ruled himself OUT OF THE RUNNING just hours after The Three Lions’ shock 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley on Thursday by revealing he wants to return to his Under-21s gig.
He said: “I was surprised after the last camp [to hear], ‘The job’s mine, it’s mine to lose.’
“My remit is I am doing three camps and then hopefully going back to the Under-21s.”
READ MORE ON ENGLAND
After being pressed as to why he’s hopeful of returning to his normal job, Carsley added: “I said at the start that I wouldn’t rule myself in or out.
“And that’s still the case. I’m more than comfortable in my position where I am.
“The remit was clear. I’m comfortable and confident with that.
“After the first camp, I definitely didn’t get too excited or believe too much.
Most read in Football
BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS
Lee Carsley followed same path as De La Fuente and learned from Pep – why can’t he be England boss?
By Tom Barclay
BE honest. How many of you had heard of Luis de la Fuente before his glorious Euros?
Don’t feel bad. Even Declan Rice admitted ahead of Sunday’s heartbreaking final that he was unaware of the smooth-headed 63-year-old a month or so ago.
We all certainly know who De La Fuente is now after he masterminded La Roja’s perfect Euros campaign which ended with a deserved victory over England.
That showpiece triumph in Berlin made it seven wins out of seven in the competition for his scintillating side.
It rendered De La Fuente the first boss ever to win the Under-19 Euros, Under-21 Euros, the Nations League and the European Championship.
And in so doing, it strengthened the case for another bold, bald tactician to take over as England boss now Gareth Southgate has stepped down.
Lee Carsley has trodden a similar path as De La Fuente, successfully coaching his way up his national team’s youth ranks, culminating in last summer’s Under-21 Euro success.
No doubt there would be questions about his suitability given his experience of coaching senior players is limited to brief caretaker spells at Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham.
For sure, he would not bring the same star quality as a Frank Lampard. Most fans will just about remember Carsley as that ratter of a midfielder who played alongside Thomas Gravesen for Everton in the noughties.
While there is also the thorny issue, at least for some, of the Brummie’s 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland, who ironically would be his first opponents if appointed.
But park all that for a second, focus on his qualities and the argument to give him the big job can be a convincing one.
First off, his team does not play like he used to.
‘Carsball’ is far sexier and heavily influenced by its creator watching Pep Guardiola’s free-flowing Barcelona train a decade ago, alongside 60 members of the public.
That study trip to Catalonia changed his philosophy to be far more front-footed and it paved the way to some fabulous fare during last summer’s triumph in Georgia.
Four of the five tournament goals boasting the most passes in the build-up belonged to his Young Lions.
Fans bemoaning Southgate’s pragmatic style would be salivating if they watched back the build-up to Emile Smith Rowe’s strike against Israel in the group stage, or Cole Palmer’s in the semi against the same opposition.
Carsley is a tactical innovator too.
He was robbed of a centre-forward pretty much on the eve of the tournament last summer, thanks to Rhian Brewster’s injury and Flo Balogun switching to the USA.
His response was to play Gordon through the middle. The Newcastle starlet won player of the tournament.
Manchester United supporters likely remember Angel Gomes as a lightweight winger but Carsley played him as a shield in front of the back four to great effect.
Gordon used the Under-21 Euros experience as his launchpad to make the senior squad this summer.
But talking about Carsley 12 months ago, the Toon forward said: “He is the best man-manager I’ve had so far.
“I feel like I can speak to him about anything on and off the pitch.
“On the pitch, the way we’re playing football is a credit to him because we play the way he tells us to.
“This might be the best footballing team I’ve played in, in terms of how we play and the combination play we play around the box, it’s really at an elite level. That’s down to Lee.”
Those powers of motivation could be crucial to unleashing Jude Bellingham, who, like Solihull-born Carsley, is from the outskirts of Birmingham, specifically Stourbridge.
Like Southgate, Carsley believes in the merits of giving them a comfortable environment to work in, particularly during tournaments.
The 50-year-old is relatively quiet on the touchline, often seen on his haunches making notes in his dugout with his assistant Ashley Cole the more vocal.
England’s greatest left-back Cole has learned a lot from Carsley despite having the far superior playing career.
In the aftermath of the Under-21s success, which was won without conceding a goal, Cole reflected on the different attitudes players have to international duty now and in his day.
The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea defender, 43, said: “We didn’t always want to go and the club manager would pull you out.
“But I feel they truly, truly love coming here now. I think that is testament to what Lee has done here. He is kind, loving, someone that thinks about the players more than himself.”
Other names will be in the frame but the FA will have seen how De La Fuente has taken Spain to new heights, despite his relative obscurity to the wider footballing world.
The promotion of Carsley, who spent these Euros scouting England’s opponents, would take guts and faith in the much-feted ‘pathway’.
He would have to brace himself for unprecedented levels of scrutiny – but he is ambitious.
With his 50th birthday fast approaching, Carsley said in June last year: “Energy-wise, and I’m not saying the clock’s ticking, but if I don’t have a go at it then the boat is going to pass.”
Few Spaniards were bowled over when De La Fuente was appointed in 2022 but he put them on course to sensational success.
Who is to say putting Carsley at the helm could not have a similar effect?
“I’m very aware that this job is one of the best in the world in terms of you’ve actually got a chance of winning.
“Obviously, I’m talking about that after a loss but in terms of a major competition – and that’s still the case.”
Carsley, who has overseen wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland, claimed it was “an honour” to be given the reigns on a temporary basis following his appointment.
But when flat out asked if he wants the job permanently, he said: “Nothing’s changed in what I said in the first press conference.
“I think it’s a fantastic job. I’m lucky that I’ve got a good job as it is in terms of the 21s.
“But, like I say, after the first camp when we won two games and had two really good performances, my ambitions didn’t change.
“I think it’s important that I give it everything I’ve got for the next three games.
“I’m really happy and comfortable in terms of the communication I have with my bosses, so nothing’s changed in that respect.”
A brace from Vangelis Pavlidis condemned the Three Lions to a shock defeat in their third Nations League Group F match.
Carsley said of the loss: “It was a challenging night for us and we were second best.
“It’s disappointing. We experimented and it didn’t come off.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“You have to have the courage to try things, but I’m happy to take the blame for this because it was my idea.”
Carsley and his troops will look to get back to winning ways on Sunday afternoon when they travel to Helsinki to play Finland.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
