England under Lee Carsley: Fresh energy, new blood in midfield and a few familiar faces (2024)

It felt like the start of a new era at St George’s Park on Thursday afternoon as Lee Carsley sat in Gareth Southgate’s old chair to announce his first-ever England senior squad.

Carsley is only in interim charge, of course. But, even if he is not the long-term appointment, this is still a significant moment after such a long period of stability. He naturally had to deal with plenty of questions about his future — and never denied that he wanted to be the permanent successor — but he also gave plenty of indications about what his England team will look like. Even if it is only for a few months.

The Athletic analyses the key takeaways from his first public appearance in the role.

Fresh energy

One of Carsley’s most revealing comments came when he was explaining why he had brought Noni Madueke into the senior squad for the first time. Carsley admitted that, after the heartbreak of Berlin, still only six weeks ago, the England group might need a lift.

Madueke is joined by Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes and Tino Livramento as the uncapped players in this 26-man squad.

New faces in midfield

The promotion of Carsley from under-21s to senior men’s team — like Southgate eight years ago — shows the importance of continuity within the England system. So it should be no surprise that he has promoted some players he knows from the under-21 system.

Another factor is that, in July 2023, England won the European Under-21 Championship with Carsley at the helm, beating Spain 1-0 in the final. And now Gibbs-White, Gomes and Madueke, who all shone in that tournament in Georgia, are part of the seniors.

Gibbs-White and Gomes, along with Phil Foden, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher, were part of the England team that won the 2017 Under-17 World Cup, too. And Carsley wants players who are “used to winning” at international level to be part of his plans.

Gibbs-White, who has shone at Nottingham Forest for the last two years since leaving Wolves, was hailed as “full of energy, very creative, very exciting, brilliant attitude, excellent work rate and very difficult to play against”. Gomes, who left Manchester United for Lille in 2020, was billed as someone who “controls the game with his skill and his technique” and someone who “people will be excited to see”.

With Jude Bellingham out injured, there is a chance for another new midfielder to make his case.

Alexander-Arnold back at right-back

The Trent Alexander-Arnold debate hung over so much of Southgate’s tenure in charge.

Southgate rarely picked him as a full-back (or right wing-back), generally preferring Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier or Reece James there. But at the Euros this summer, Alexander-Arnold started England’s first two group games in central midfield. It did not really work, and he was soon replaced by Conor Gallagher and then Kobbie Mainoo.

Carsley said today that Alexander-Arnold would be returning to his club role at full-back next month.

Carsley acknowledged that Alexander-Arnold, like many modern full-backs, have attributes that “almost turn them into midfielders”; his comfort receiving the ball and in possession, his great range of passing. He mentioned Rico Lewis and Kyle Walker-Peters as being of a similar profile.

But Trippier has now retired from England and Manchester City’s Walker was judged by Carsley to not be ready for this group, having been slowly phased in at his club this season. So it sounds as if Alexander-Arnold will be starting at right-back in Dublin next week. The challenge will be for Walker to regain his place for the October games.

Some old faces brought back in

Carsley has not completely closed the door on the experienced players Southgate did not take to Germany.

There were recalls for Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish, both of whom were on the long list before the Euros but not in the final 26-man group. Carsley mentioned that Maguire only missed out on Germany “through injury”, and said that he saw him as a “really good leader” and a “good example” for the younger centre-backs in the squad, Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill and Ezri Konsa. So he may even get his place in the first team back alongside John Stones next week.

Grealish is also back in the squad after having his heart broken when he was dropped in June. “He’s probably coming in as well as one of those players who’s maybe got a point to prove,” Carsley said. “I’m looking forward to seeing a fit and motivated Jack Grealish.” Which sounded like an acknowledgement of where things maybe went wrong last season.

There were no such recalls, however, for James Maddison — cut from the Euros long list — or Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling, who did not even make it onto that. Carsley said there were other players ahead of Maddison and Rashford for now. It will be interesting to see if that position can hold if Maddison continues his good start to the season with Tottenham.

A new style of play?

Some fans will be hoping that Carsley is the man to unleash England’s attacking talent, to finally take off the shackles of Gazball and play the football that the public wants to see.

Carsley was asked whether the attacking football his England Under-21s team played meant that he had an attacking style of his own. But he suggested that the way that side played had more to do with getting his best players into the right positions. “Understanding you’ve got to dominate your opponent, in and out of possession, that’s a really big thing,” Carsley said.

“It’s great that you want to be seen as an attacking team. But, from the summer’s point of view (in 2023), we went through the whole tournament and didn’t concede a goal, which is testament to the defenders as well and the way that they defended their own box.”

So who knows what ‘Carsball’ will eventually look like?

(Top photo: Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)

Jack Pitt-Brooke is a football journalist for The Athletic based in London. He joined in 2019 after nine years at The Independent.