The English Football Association (FA) is taking its time to pursue a new head coach for the national team as Lee Carsley oversees things. Former Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate stepped down from the position in July after failing to triumph at Euro 2024. With Southgate at the helm, England, just as they did in 2021, finished runners-up in the most recent tournament.
Following Southgate’s decision to walk away, the governing body appointed Lee Carsley as the team’s head coach on an interim basis. Carsley was the natural pick because he was most recently in charge of England’s U21s. Because of his former job, the coach had a familiarity with many senior England players.
The former Republic of Ireland midfielder has since taken charge of two Nations League matchups, which were both 2-0 victories. He is also set to be in charge of the team for two more games during the upcoming international break. England will face Greece and Finland in the UEFA Nations League B, Group 2.
Because Carsley is only the interim coach, many assumed that the FA would quickly target a top manager. Jurgen Klopp, Eddie Howe, Mauricio Pochettino, Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel were all under consideration for the role. Pochettino, however, has since signed on with the USMNT.
Sky Sports is now reporting that the FA has not even contacted Klopp, Howe, Potter or Tuchel. Three of these highly rated coaches are unemployed. As a result, they would be significantly easier to reach out to and discuss the possible England position. Howe is the only manager on the list to currently have a coaching job. The former defender has been in charge at Newcastle since 2021.
The FA previously released a statement immediately after Southgate stepped down that they wanted to name an official manager “as soon as possible.” This, however, also came as the governing body gave Carsley the reins for the fall Nations League fixtures. FA chief executive Mark Bullingham and technical director John McDermott are currently leading the search.
The FA’s delay would seemingly suggest that they are giving Carsley every chance to impress. So far, the coach is making the most of the opportunity. England fans were used to a fairly boring and defensive setup under Southgate. The team, however, was regularly on the front foot in each of Carsley’s first two matches at the helm.
While England looked significantly more in sync under Carsley, they were heavy favorites in both of their recent fixtures. England’s victories came against the Republic of Ireland and Finland. The two teams are currently ranked 62nd and 64th by FIFA. The FA could very well want to see how the Three Lions play with Carsley in more matchups.
Despite the successes in a small sample size, some England fans already have an issue with Carsley. Select supporters do not appreciate the fact that the coach does not sing the national anthem before games.
Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but played internationally with the Republic of Ireland, previously claimed that he does sing either nation’s national anthem. The manager reasoned that he wanted to focus on the game ahead instead.
Regardless of the backlash, a vast majority of England fans just care about results. If Carsley can keep winning while implementing an offensive style, he will likely be overwhelmingly supported. This approval would then force the FA to truly consider the coach as the next official England manager.
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