Speaking in his post-match press conference after England suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Greece in the UEFA Nations League, Lee Carsley brushed off the idea that a loss has damaged his chances of being appointed as England’s Head Coach on a permanent basis.
What did Lee Carsley say?
“I was quite surprised after last camp in terms of the job being mine to lose. My remit has been clear from the start: I’m doing three camps. There’s three games left and hopefully I’ll be going back to the U21s,” he told reporters after being questioned about his future.
Carsley’s word choice piqued the attention of reporters in the press conference room at Wembley Stadium, with the 50-year-old then having to field a further three questions as journalists sought clarification over his future aspirations.
“I think it’s a fantastic job and I’m lucky I’ve a good job as it is with the U21s. After the first camp when we won two games and had two really good performances, my ambitions didn’t change. It’s important I give it everything I’ve got for the next three games,” he explained.
“I wouldn’t rule myself in or out, that’s still the case. I’m more than comfortable in my position. The remit was clear, I’m comfortable and confident with that,” Carsley continued, acknowledging that “this job is one of the best jobs in the world in terms of you’ve actually got a chance of winning a major competition.”
Embed from Getty ImagesDiscussion over his future came about after fans were left disillusioned with a bizarre tactical setup that saw the Three Lions play for 60 minutes without a recognised striker, allowing Greece to seize control of the match – but Carsley rebutted the idea that his starting lineup was an ‘experiment.’
“I think it was a case of looking at something different with the players we’ve got. That’s the challenge – to find a way to get our most attacking players on the pitch but you can’t forget the other end… We’ve tried something and it’s not quite come off.”
He continued: “I think with the players we’ve got, we’ve got to be courageous at times with our systems and be creative. I thought it was important to try something different at this stage coming off the past two games. I’m happy to take the blame for that – it was totally my idea.”
“My position and my understanding of coaching is I want to attack. You’ve seen the teams play. It’s really important to me – with that, you lose some games. It’s not ideal, of course it’s not, but with that mentality I find we win more games than not.”
“It’s very disappointing tonight but nothing changes in terms of how I see the game,” he concluded.
