Lee Carsley expected to be named Interim England Manager - what do we know and what challenges will he face?
England are expected to name Lee Carsley as Interim Manager in time for the upcoming September internationals. Daniel Wales looks at who Carsley is and what he will face.
Transcript
00:00It was a summer of mixed emotions for England fans, despite the three lines reaching the
00:06final of the European Championship in Germany, below par performances and scrutiny over tactical
00:13choices made it a tournament fraught with frustration amongst the highs.
00:18From draws against Denmark and Slovenia, and the verge of elimination against Slovakia,
00:23to an injury time winner against the Dutch, it was quite the ride during June and July
00:29from an English perspective in Germany.
00:37Ultimately following defeat in the final to Spain in Berlin, Gareth Southgate resigned
00:43as England manager after what was his fourth major tournament in the role.
00:53Southgate had brought much needed unity to the England team when he was appointed as
00:57interim manager in 2016, following the fallout of the national team's defeat at the 2016
01:04Euros against Iceland.
01:07Back to the present, and following his departure in July, we report that Carsley was in contention
01:12to be appointed.
01:13The current England Under-21 boss, Lee Carsley, has also been touted.
01:18With games fast approaching, could he be an interim replacement if the FA choose to wait
01:22for a foreign option such as Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola?
01:29If Carsley is to be given the role, and join the long list of England men's team managers,
01:35even on an interim basis, he must first deal with a trip to Dublin to face the Republic
01:40of Ireland in the Nations League, the country he represented as a player, before returning
01:45to Wembley with England to welcome Finland in the same competition following England's
01:51relegation under Gareth Southgate in the previous edition of the tournament.
01:56But, what do we know about Carsley?
01:59As a player, he had spells with clubs including Blackburn Rovers, as well as playing for Everton
02:04at Goodison Park, before joining Birmingham City, amongst others, in a 17-year career
02:11playing in English football.
02:17As England manager though, he faces a much bigger challenge.
02:21England have reached two finals at the last four major tournaments, and reached a semi-final
02:26and quarter-final in the other two.
02:28The next step is to get over the line.
02:31Whether that is with Carsley remains to be seen, but even if he is only a temporary manager,
02:36it will be him who lays the foundations for what many will hope is a golden era of English
02:41football in major tournaments.
02:43Carsley himself knows how to win having guided the U21s to European Championship success
02:48in 2023, which certainly bodes well for the future of English football.
02:55It is now about getting key decisions right going forward.