England – and interim manager Lee Carsley – left Finland with a win to warm them against freezing temperatures but this has been an international camp riddled with chaos and confusion on and off the pitch.
Carsley’s side simply had to fly out of Helsinki victorious after the tactical debacle that brought defeat against Greece at Wembley on Thursday – and it was duly achieved, although in a far from convincing fashion.
England’s interim manager now has two more games, the tough trip to face Greece in Athens and a Wembley meeting with the Republic of Ireland in November, before the dizzying dance around whether he wants the job – or the Football Association actually want him to do it – must end.
Carsley’s public evasion of indicating any desire to commit beyond two more games has created uncertainty, all this with the clock ticking and the FA still not holding formal negotiations with any other potential targets to succeed Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis.
England’s two performances against Greece and Finland have not bolstered Carsley’s claims, should he even want the post, so eventually someone – either the interim manager or more pertinently the FA – must bring clarity to this cloudy situation.
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The presumption must be that the FA knows Carsley’s intentions. It would almost be a dereliction of duty if it were otherwise, but time is now running out to crystallise thoughts on what is arguably the biggest single decision the organisation has to take.
His words in Helsinki were at first telling as he said: “This job deserves a world-class coach that has won trophies and I am still on the path to that.”
Was this Carsley, an outstanding England Under-21 coach, admitting he does not possess the qualifications for the top job? It could be interpreted this way, but this has become an unsatisfactory word salad.
He then insisted after the game that it is “definitely” wrong to say he has ruled himself out of the job, saying he is keeping an “open mind”.
Carsley’s mixed messaging with the media has exacerbated the situation, with his thoughts and intentions on whether he wants the full-time job badly blurred.
The interim manager appears highly reluctant to deliver a straight answer to the many very straight questions he is asked.
Does he want the England job or not?
It does not appear that difficult. He must surely know by now – but this needless dallying around the edge of the subject is now becoming faintly farcical.
Confused? You will be.
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel fits the bill by Carsley’s measure but international management is a different matter from leading a club. Newcastle’s Eddie Howe is still mentioned, while any idea of luring Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to St George’s Park is surely a dream, a fanciful one at that.
The questions and second-guessing will continue until this is cleared up once and for all. It has created an inertia which will only be solved by someone, perhaps the FA, showing their hand.
The received wisdom is the FA would like Carsley to be their man, continuing on the pathway – from St George’s Park to under-21 coach and then national coach – forged by Southgate.
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At this stage, however, it appears they are no closer to putting a firm recruitment strategy in place.
On whether he would like to carry on, Carsley repeated the lines consistently trotted out as he added: “I’ve not really thought much about it. I keep saying the same thing. My remit was six games and I’m happy with that.
“This is a privileged position. 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.
“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.”
Carsley’s credentials to take England to the 2026 World Cup have taken a heavy hit since the victories against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in his opening two games. Just about everything about the 2-1 loss to Greece needs to be placed in the negative half of his ledger.
He got his team selection horribly wrong, his front-loaded side stripped of a recognised striker were a tactical mess, and Carsley’s suggestion he would “hopefully” return to the under-21 job crowned a truly dismal, head-scratching night for all involved.
England won 3-1 in Finland. They had to win. Anything else was unthinkable against a gallant but limited side ranked 64th in the world and without a point in this Uefa Nations League Group B2.
And yet, for long periods, England were slow, sterile and ponderous, even with the lift of Jack Grealish’s early goal. The nerves would have been rattling had Finland striker Fredrik Jensen not spurned two big chances at 1-0, the second after the break a shocking miss when he somehow fired over the top with the goal at his mercy.
England made Finland pay with further goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, used at left-back in another Carsley break from convention, and Declan Rice, but this was not enough to blow away the cobwebs left from the loss to Greece.
Grealish continued his rejuvenation with a goal but it was not a good night for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, marginalised on the right to little effect, with returning captain Harry Kane looking short of fitness.
It was better than Greece. It could not be worse.
England at least had a shape but they were making very hard work of seeing off Finland until Alexander-Arnold produced a very rare moment of quality with a brilliant free-kick from 25 yards.
They were flat for long periods, lacking tempo and fluency. It was not an impressive dispatch of such inferior opposition.
A win is a win, though, and that is at least a small mercy at the end of a highly unsatisfactory week on and off the pitch.
