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Lee Carsley announced as England's interim manager

England made a winning start under interim boss Lee Carsley as Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scored against the Republic of Ireland in their Nations League opener in Dublin.

In England’s first match since the Euro 2024 final, marking the start of the new era after Gareth Southgate’s resignation, the Three Lions made a confident start in a fiery atmosphere and took a deserved lead through goals from players who made unpopular returns to the Aviva. Rice and Grealish, having represented Ireland at youth level, were booed by the home crowd but struck against them within the opening 26 minutes.

Grealish’s second goal, set up by Rice, came from a flowing England move that summed up their impressive first-half display under Carsley. However, England lost their rhythm after the break as Ireland grew into the contest, in what could have been a tribute act to some of Southgate’s former side’s performances at the recent European Championships.

The visitors, though, were largely untroubled by a limited Ireland side and there were opportunities for Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes to make their England debuts late on. Follow all the rection and analysis from England’s win over Republic of Ireland in the Nations League

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Amid the chaos of Dublin, Lee Carsley has quietly revealed England’s new direction

After all the focus on the soundtrack, Lee Carsley’s first game as Englandmanager was certainly loaded with narrative. The inevitable line is that you couldn’t script this but, well, it’s really the first thing you’d script.

Declan Rice and Jack Grealish scored the goals in a 2-0 England win over Ireland, the national team they both left, to also overcome a constant chorus of boos. If anything, such a response seemed to counter-productively drive them on, in the way that often happens. At least for a time. This win really just evolved into the sort of win over a smaller country that England have long learned to expect under Gareth Southgate, albeit with one important twist. The attacking under Carsley was different throughout and, for a brief period, quite exciting. There was a sense of evolution.

Any sense of competitiveness in this briefly feisty match dissipated with Rice’s superbly taken opening goal. After that, other than trying to discern the nice patterns and the differences to Southgate, it turned into one of those occasions where people will mostly be talking about all of the colour around it. And colour there certainly was.

Chris Wilson7 September 2024 20:05

Inside Lee Carsley’s plan to land the England manager’s job permanently and how he will change the team

It wouldn’t have taken too many different turns for Lee Carsley to be on the opposite bench in Dublin this Saturday, for what is now his first match as interim England manager.

The Irish federation maybe just needed to go a bit stronger. The Football Association of Ireland had made Carsley its top target for the manager role, on account of his fine coaching reputation, as well as his background of having 40 caps for Ireland. The 50-year-old has a grandfather from Cork, which gave him a similar decision to make to the time when Jack Charlton’s coaching staff approached him about joining the Irish Under-21s back in 1995. Carsley decided to go for it then. This time, though, he wasn’t so sure.

Those who know the former midfielder say the sort of offer the FAI was talking about didn’t reflect his status as a top target, or even his true worth. This week, the Irish federation and England may start to really see the latter.

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Chris Wilson7 September 2024 21:00

With the national anthem, Lee Carsley discovers there is more to being England manager than just football

In Lee Carsley’s first act as interim England manager, which was an introductory press conference, he said “I understand how an international window works”. He certainly does now.

If there is one reason there should be caution about Carsley getting the job other than results and performances, it certainly isn’t the singing of the national anthem. That should be irrelevant, except it does at least echo this bigger factor.

It is the need to realise that, whether a coach likes it or not, the England manager job is about so much more than football. It is a vessel for all of the country’s political influences to pour their own interests into, given it is still the most visible position in the national game. The role is supposed to stand for something greater, a representation of England, even if the people concerned with this are never going to actually agree what that England is supposed to be.

Lee Carsley discovers there is more to being England manager than just football

Carsley said he will not sing the national anthem when he takes charge of England’s Nations League match against Ireland

Chris Wilson7 September 2024 20:45

Why didn’t England manager Lee Carsley sing the national anthem?

New interim England manager Lee Carsley has received plenty of media attention ahead of his first match in charge of the Three Lions, with plenty expected of him after his success at U21 level.

And despite catching the eye with his squad announcement at the end of August – having included four uncapped players – there were plenty of eyes on an altogether more trivial decision in the moments before kick-off in Dublin.

Carsley did not take part in the customary singing of the national anthem ahead of his first match in charge, having explained his reasoning in a previous press conference, although all members of the starting XI were singing to a chorus of boos from the crowd in Dublin.

The 50-year-old – who represented Ireland as a player between 1997 and 2008, making 40 appearances – told the media that singing the anthems is “something that I have never done”, either as a player or during his time in charge of England’s youth sides.

Why didn’t England manager Lee Carsley sing the national anthem?

Former Republic of Ireland player Carsley had previously explained that he has never sung the anthems either as a player or a coach

Chris Wilson7 September 2024 20:30

Carsley speaks to ITV

Lee Carsley is the last in front of the cameras, and he seems happy with the overall performance.

“I thought it was good in parts. You’ve seen some of the things we’ve tried to do,” he said.

“The lads have to take a lot of credit, all of the credit. I think we’ve showed we’ve got some real talent and we can be really pleased with the clean sheet as well,” he added.

“I thought they [Rice and Grealish] took their goals really well. Really well-worked moves and brilliant finishes. I think, moving forward, they can both add a lot more goals to their game.

“Jack definitely doesn’t have anything to prove to us, we can see his quality, but today will have done him the world of good, getting another goal for England and hopefully he can continue that form.

“On a really dry sticky pitch, it’s not ideal for dribblers but I thought Anthony [Gordon] was a real threat. He’s carried on his form from last season and he looks a really dangerous player.

“I think you’ve got to give Ireland credit as well, they are very resilient, they closed the gaps and our space maybe became a bit wider [in the second half].

“We found it a little bit more difficult to get through them but at 2-0 we were quite comfortable.”

Chris Wilson7 September 2024 20:00