A closer look at interim manager Lee Carsley’s week in the England hotseat

Gareth Southgate’s temporary successor Lee Carsley has enjoyed a promising start to life at the England helm.

The interim manager oversaw a 2-0 win away to the Republic of Ireland in Saturday’s Nations League opener before beating Finland by the same scoreline three days later.

Now the September fixtures are over, the PA news agency has taken a look at Carsley’s week in the hotseat.

How has the first camp in charge gone?

Encouragingly on and off the field. Carsley has acknowledged that, unlike most caretaker managers, he has taken over a group in a strong position, given they have reached back-to-back European Championship finals and Southgate has changed the culture around the team. That has allowed the 50-year-old to focus on trying to tweak things on the field, although he has been wary of a potential hangover just two months on from the loss to Spain. He brought in four uncapped players that he had worked closely with at under-21 level to help inject enthusiasm and energy into a group whose attitude and approach he praised highly.

What have the players made of him?

Publicly positive across the board. You would expect those that have played for him before to sing his praises, with Morgan Gibbs-White – part of his Euros-winning squad last summer – last week calling him the “perfect man for the job”. The Nottingham Forest star hailed his man management and tactical nous, which fellow new boys Tino Livramento, Noni Madueke and Angel Gomes echoed. But England’s senior members have also lauded him, including Declan Rice hailing his adaptation to senior management. “We’ve been so impressed with him this week,” the midfielder said. “He’s been so refreshing. His meetings have been top, really to the point and the way we play and train is really different so I think all the lads are really happy with him.”

What has he changed?

Carsley says he is a coach rather than a manager, more comfortable in a tracksuit than wearing a suit or facing the media. That football first mentality even saw him put out the cones for the warm-up at the Aviva Stadium as he looks to squeeze every drop out of the limited time he has with the players. Rarely without his trusty, info-packed iPad, his attention to detail sees him focus on informal one-to-ones rather than full team meetings. As part of the approach, the coaches’ working area is central to the whole team space to allow players to drop in for a chat as and when. Carsley’s coaching set-up includes England great Ashley Cole, as well as Joleon Lescott, Tim Dittmer and James Ryder.

What about the changes on the field?

Beating the sides 58th and 63rd in the world, respectively, is not the most accurate way to measure progress for a side focused on World Cup glory in 2026. But Carsley’s fingerprints were visible in both matches and the “control” he repeatedly called for was clear with match possession statistics of 71 and 74 per cent. The interim boss spoke of the need for his players attack and excite, saying his job is to create opportunities for players “to be really effective in effective areas”. That approach saw Jack Grealish being deployed as number 10 and Trent Alexander-Arnold returning to right-back – having been preferred in midfield by Southgate – with new call-up Gomes given a chance to dictate the play in the middle. Carsley liked what he saw across the week, with the first-half display in Dublin the undoubted highlight.

What comes next?

The Football Association has lined up Carsley to take charge of all six Nations League matches, with a home game against Group B2 leaders Greece and a trip to Finland following next month. The 50-year-old has already indicated he would be “freshening it up” as he seeks to move the team forward with World Cup qualification on the horizon. Carsley looked more at home in the role as the week wore on, but he says he has been out his comfort zone. He moved to explain he still had that feeling leading the under-21s due to the responsibility he feels to the players, but also he admits the staff have had seen their self-confidence boosted by the way this week has gone. Carsley, a calm and measured character like Southgate, has continually brushed aside talk about the prospect of being permanent manager, but he has certainly not damaged his chances this month.