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Lee Carsley liked what he saw from England and creative livewire Jack Grealish as the interim manager enjoyed a winning start to his temporary reign.
The Euro 2024 finalists are starting anew after Gareth Southgate called time on his eight-year reign days after July’s heartbreaking defeat to Spain in the Berlin showpiece.
The Football Association has temporarily turned to England Under-21s boss Carsley, but a promising Nations League campaign could well see that promotion become permanent.
Things got off to a promising start as England hushed a rocking Aviva Stadium on Saturday, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish returning to haunt the nation they represented before switching allegiance.
Asked if he liked what he saw in the Nations League opener, interim boss – and former Republic midfielder – Carsley said: “I really did, yeah.
“At times I thought we were very good. I think you always want it to be better, but I’m wary of the fact that we’ve had four sessions.
“But we’ve seen glimpses and we’ve seen more than enough of what we can potentially do in the future as well. All in all, it’s been a good day for us.”
England bossed possession and really caught the eye during the first half in Dublin, but the performance dropped off after the break.
“When you’re 2-0 up away from home and you’ve got the ball and the opposition can’t get the ball, we have spoken about that control bit,” Carsley told BBC Radio 5 Live
“Sometimes you need the opposition to come towards you, to create gaps and create spaces.
“I think we can be more confident at doing that and that’s something that we can definitely work on in the future.”
Carsley downplayed his impact on this England side, laughing off talk of ‘Carsball’ and saying it is about wanting to “put the players first and play into their strengths” rather than his style.
Grealish was a prime example of the benefits of that approach, impressing in a role he would normally face competition for from Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.
Asked if the Manchester City playmaker would have been playing as number 10 if they had been available, Carsley said: “I’m not sure. Maybe. I’d try and find a way getting Jack in the team.
“I’m not sure where he’d play, but I think a player of Jack’s talent we have to try and find him a place. We have to be creative at times.
One of the points that we try and make with all the players is getting the best out of them, putting them in familiar positions that they play at their clubs— Lee Carsley
“Obviously with me being head coach of Under-21s, I’m not sure how much the team’s been rotated in terms of the seniors.
“But looking at the subs that we made today, the players that you’re replacing, they’re just as good as the ones that have gone off, which is very unusual because generally when you make substitutions, you weaken the team.
“Whereas today, we’ve gone on the same level with them.”
Another player to benefit from Carsley’s approach was Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Repurposed as a midfielder under Southgate, he returned to the right-back role he plays for Liverpool and produced an impressive display.
“One of the points that we try and make with all the players is getting the best out of them, putting them in familiar positions that they play at their clubs,” Carsley said as attention now turns to Tuesday’s visit of Finland.
“So, if you’ve seen Trent play this season, it was very similar to the way we asked him to play. In terms of when we built, he often went central with Kobbie (Mainoo) and Declan going a little bit higher or wider.
“I think what we’ve noticed, especially within the pathway of players that we’ve got, that full-backs now are almost like midfield players.
“They’ve got all the attributes of midfielders and Trent definitely falls into the into that bracket.
“I thought he was very good today. I thought he got a little bit tired at the end, but I thought it was a positive performance.”
