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Sports丨Carsley: England deserves 'world-class' coach

CHINADAILY · 公众号 · 时评 · 2024-10-15 10:29

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Lee Carsley admitted England deserves a "world-class coach" with a winning habit after Sunday's 3-1 victory against Finland left the interim manager's future unresolved.

Coming just days after England's shock 2-1 defeat against Greece at Wembley, Carsley could not afford another setback in the Nations League trip to Helsinki.

Carsley had been heavily criticized for playing five attacking midfielders and no recognized striker against Greece and he selected a more conventional line-up this time.

▲ England's Declan Rice in action during the UEFA Nations League Group F match against Finland at Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland, on Sunday. England won 3-1. ACTION IMAGES/REUTERS

England was still far from impressive for long periods, but it mustered enough quality to grind out a third win in four games since Carsley replaced Gareth Southgate.

Jack Grealish opened the scoring in the first half and Trent Alexander-Arnold's superb freekick doubled the lead after the interval before Declan Rice's tap-in wrapped up the points.

It was another day of mixed messages both on and off the pitch for England as the Football Association (FA) takes its time hiring a permanent successor to Southgate, who quit after the Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.

Carsley had woken to reports on Sunday that the FA is in talks with former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel.

And the former Everton midfielder, who had been working as England under-21 coach before stepping up, appeared to distance himself from the job during a post-match television interview.

"My remit was six games and I'm happy with that. This is a privileged position," Carsley said.

"People are always going to try and put their chips on one side. I'm in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me.

"This job deserves a world-class coach who has won trophies and I am still on the path to that."

It was the second time in a week that Carsley had been curiously coy about declaring his interest in the job.

But he backtracked a little in a separate media briefing when pressed on whether he was ruling himself out of the permanent position.

"Definitely not. I tried to make it as clear as I could. My remit was three camps for the Nations League," he said.

"The point I was trying to make is that it's one of the top jobs in the world.

"Obviously I'm not part of the process. But it deserves a top coach, the players we've got available, we've got a real chance of winning. That was the point I was making."

'I love playing for him'

Unsurprisingly for a coach whose only senior management experience came in a brief spell at Brentford and caretaker stints with Coventry and Birmingham, Carsley has appeared uncomfortable in the harsh glare of the England spotlight at times.

He insisted he has enjoyed the experience, but coping with the criticism is not easy.

"I'm really enjoying it but I didn't enjoy the last two days. I'm not used to losing in an England team, I don't take losing well," he said.

"We were looking for a reaction and this is only four games into it so I've still not quite worked out how the team responds to setbacks. But they've responded in the best way tonight."

One of Carsley's more successful decisions has been to recall Grealish after Southgate left the Manchester City winger out of the Euro 2024 squad.

And Grealish, back in the team after missing the Greece game due to injury, offered a glowing review of Carsley's England credentials.

"Whatever happens with the England manager some people will always say negative stuff," he said.

"I think before people were crying out for more so-called attacking players and we do it and it didn't work for one game and there are a few people moaning.

"In my honest opinion I don't get it. It can happen in games. He's a top manager, brilliant guy and I love playing for him."

Grealish helped lift his mood when opening the scoring from close range in the 18th minute at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium after being set up by a clever flick from Angel Gomes.

Alexander-Arnold doubled England's lead in the 74th with a trademark freekick and Rice converted at the near post 10 minutes later from substitute Ollie Watkins' cross.

Arttu Hoskonen scored a consolation for Finland in the 87th.

Carsley said his remit was to take charge of the six Nations League games before the end of the year, with two remaining against Greece and Ireland next month.

"My bosses have made it totally clear what they need from me," he said.

Greece still leads Group B2 after extending its perfect start in the Nations League with a 2-0 win against Ireland.

Anastasios Bakasetas and Petros Mantalos scored the goals that kept Greece three points ahead of England.

Before the game, Greece's players held up the jersey of defender George Baldock, who was found dead at his home in Athens on Wednesday.

Haaland kept quiet

Marko Arnautovic netted a brace as Austria thrashed Norway 5-1 in Linz.

The Inter Milan attacker scored early in both halves, either side of a first-half Alexander Sorloth equalizer, before Philipp Lienhart, Stefan Posch and Michael Gregoritsch completed a dominant win for Austria.

Arnautovic put the host in front on eight minutes with a hammered strike from 20 yards that flew in off the crossbar.

Sorloth nipped in to head a leveler for Norway six minutes prior to the interval.

But the Austrian skipper put his side back in front in the 49th minute when he dispatched a penalty kick after Christoph Baumgartner was fouled in the box.

Defenders Lienhart and Posch extended the lead with two towering headers two minutes either side of the hour mark.

Gregoritsch then scored a third header of the half for the Austrians as they made the game safe and moved second in Group B3.

Manchester City star Erling Haaland had a night to forget with the Austrian defense comfortably subduing the Norwegian captain whose only real chance was a shot which came back off the post in the fifth minute.

Slovenia sits third in the group, although level on seven points with both Norway and Austria, after winning 1-0 in Kazakhstan courtesy of a second-half goal from forward Jan Mlakar.