Lee Carsley is confident he can win a significant trophy for England and says he’s ready for the challenge. Carsley has made it clear that he is keen on taking up the role permanently after successfully navigating the first two games of his six-match trial.
The Three Lions defeated the Republic of Ireland and Finland both 2-0 over the last few days as Carsley bids to prove he’s the right man to replace Gareth Southgate.
He said: “Am I up for it? It is more about football, definitely. Am I up for it? I think I am up for it. I’ve not heard that one about the impossible job, no. Not heard that.
“I think it’s a really good job, it’s a job where, when you look at different opportunities, the first thing you think is: ‘can you win?’
“Can you be in a position where you can win? This job definitely ticks that box. We’ve got the players to be really, not only be competitive, but to win a major trophy.”
The upcoming Nations League match against Greece at Wembley on October 10 is crucial for Carsley’s future. Both England and Greece have won their opening two matches.
And if Carsley’s team avoids any mishaps, they will be strong favourites to win their Nations League Group – potentially securing the former Ireland international’s position as permanent manager.
The World Cup qualifying draw is due in December, and it’s clear that the Football Association is rooting for Carsley to excel and take the reins. His unique selling point is his entertaining style of play, which he believes will delight fans.
The 50-year-old stated: “I think that’s just the way I try and have the teams play. I think it’s important that when, we’re really lucky with the players that we’ve got on the pathway, we’ve got some really exciting players.
“It’s important that we give them the stage to do what they’re good at. That’s what we’ve tried to do over the last couple of games. We’ve had that paid back with the performances the players have put in. It’s not surprising because of the quality we’ve got.”
With consecutive victories over Ireland and Finland, Carsley has positioned himself as a strong contender. England’s relegation from their last Nations League Group has inadvertently benefitted him, providing him with less challenging matches for what is effectively his job interview.
As time progresses, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that the Football Association is backing Carsley and view him as the ideal candidate, especially given his experience with the St George’s Park pathway.
Carsley concedes that things couldn’t have gone better so far, fuelling his desire for more success and reinforcing his belief that he’s up to the task.
He said: “Yeah, it’s been a good week. I think like all these things when you have such a build-up to it, you play it out in your mind and how it’s going to go.
“It definitely couldn’t have gone any better in terms of the way the players responded to some of the concepts that we tried to put in place. The way the new players have gelled with the old ones. It’s been an all round positive camp.
“From a confidence point of view, I think I’ve shown I can do it or we’ve shown that we can do it as a staff. I said at the first press conference we had that I feel like a self pair of hands and I think we’ve shown that.
“It’s built up nicely for the next camp. The squad selection almost starts immediately with games on Saturday and Sunday. You move quite quickly onto that now so there’s no rest.”
Content Source: www.express.co.uk