Perhaps it’s the lack of jeopardy, a sense of working without being judged that is easing Lee Carsley towards a permanent parking space at St George’s Park. The temporary England head coach hosted his squad announcement with an air of a man increasingly at ease.
The personal greetings and handshakes with reporters from his first gathering were repeated ahead of the games against Greece and Finland next week. The question of his long-term prospects is batted neatly away with a rehearsed commentary that focuses only on the brief he has been given.
Yet behind all of the performative stuff is a quiet assurance and capability. And the appointment of Ashley Cole as his permanent assistant, a request the FA were happy to approve, augmented the feeling of a man in control.
His second England squad featured two changes that reflected strategy. The deselection of Eberechi Eze and Jarrod Bowen was less a reflection on their performance against Finland and the Republic of Ireland but a policy move reinforcing the Carsley message; namely the primacy of form.
This applies to the core of his squad, which picks itself, as it did under Gareth Southgate, and the deeply gifted but less embedded fighting for inclusion. With such a profound spread of attacking talent, those delivering at a consistently high level for their clubs will be rewarded with selection. There are no guarantees.
Carsley’s risk-free position also affords the freedom to experiment. The return of Jude Bellingham for the first time under Carsley and the inclusion of idol of the hour Cole Palmer as well as Phil Foden presents the coach with a problem he avoided in his first selection, the assimilation of three players all capable leading the orchestra.
With Jack Grealish retained, Carsley acknowledged the difficulty. Starting them all is unlikely, he said. Moreover their selection would depend not on reputation but connection on the pitch. This was not the reasoning of a short-term thinker, but a man planning for bigger nights ahead.
The day after the north London derby a fortnight ago, Carsley attended a Uefa coaching symposium with fellow international bosses in which he felt the admiration and envy of his rivals for this England group. The problem under Gareth Southgate was communicating the power of the England brand to his players.
Carsley seems geared to cracking the psychological deficit that saw England fail in successive European finals against Italy and Spain. In short he wants England to have a go, recognising the only way to subordinate the best is believe you are at least their equals if not superiors. The best teams win before they kick a ball.
“We’ve come so close that there’s not a lot wrong, but that biggest step is the last one,” he said.
“I think getting so close so many times now has got to give us confidence that we can get there. The last bit is the most important, the hardest, the belief that you can get over the line.
“We’ve definitely got the players to be in positions where we can win. That’s the key. I couldn’t quite put my finger on what’s missing but the belief bit is a big thing.”
Carsley is thus effectively working back from a date in December when the World Cup qualifying draw is announced. He says he wants to leave England in the best place possible to attack qualifying with a group capable of winning the competition. Should he achieve the first bit there is already a feeling that he will be the one leading the campaign.
His knowledge of the players at under-21 level provided a soft landing in September. He is not building relationships with the likes of Bellingham, Palmer and Foden but continuing them. His familiarity with players that have since acquired world class status has helped him negotiate the heightened environment with little difficulty. He already had authority in their eyes and has quickly found his voice at senior level.
Carsley was asked specifically how he might deal with Bellingham’s influence, which was seen to overwhelming effect at the Euros. In effect, does he have the authority to manage the galactico in the group, to sit him if required?
“I have always found with footballers and people that if you are honest with them, respectful, if you treat them how you want to be treated then that’s what you get back,” he said.
“I don’t see Jude or any other player being different to that. Any interactions I have had with him, he was always respectful, always polite.”
Greece is arguably the stiffest test, which places a premium on next Thursday’s fixture at Wembley ahead of the return in November. Though winning is self-evidently desirable, more significant is the uplift that comes with the quality of performance. Outcomes are ultimately predicated on that.
The subtext, of course, is the future of Carsley himself. The fans would take Ted Lasso or Mike Bassett if they could trust the experience would get them out of their seats.
The Southgate era taught us the limits of caution. He worried too much about what the opposition might do instead of investing in his own team. Carsley at least brings a lightness of being.
“I really enjoyed standing on the touchline at Wembley,” he added.
“I wasn’t standing there thinking it was a bit much. It was something I was confident in doing, as were the rest of the staff. It was really inspiring that at 0-0 at half-time against Finland the players were getting cheered off.
“The fans would have expected goals in that first half but I think the way the players were playing, how aggressive they were in trying to attack really helped.”
