Interim England manager, Lee Carsley believes that promotion to UEFA Nations League A is “important” to the team’s future.
Carsley’s temporary reign in charge will come to an end after England’s home clash against Republic of Ireland, where victory will see the Three Lions automatically promoted to League A.
Thomas Tuchel will take over on 1 January 2025 as the new permanent manager and Carsley feels that promotion will set the German up well for his reign to focus on 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying campaign.
“It’s important for the longer term and the best thing for us is to get promotion. That sets us up for what’s next.
“It will be beneficial for the players if they can do well tomorrow. Their application and how they’ve committed has been very good.”
During his time in charge, Carsley has given young players like Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Lewis Hall and Morgan Gibbs-White first-team chances, of which he believes that they must now use as motivation to stay in contention.
“The challenge is to stay there now. It’s a tough squad to get into and they’ve put themselves in the picture.”
Carsley also spoke of the importance that Tuchel has inherited a stronger pool of talent to choose from, as he praised the younger players for their effort in grasping their senior opportunities.
“I’ve seen them up close. I know what they’re capable of and they’ve got the mentality to compete. There are so many quality players, the competition is extreme, and they’ve got to stay in the race.”
Reflective of his brief time in charge of the previously considered “impossible job” by many managers, Carsley was proud of his tenure which included their clinical away win over Greece in Athens.
“It’s a great role, it’s been a brilliant experience. At times it’s been tough but that has been outweighed by nights like the other night.
“You always question whether you can do it and we’ve been out of our comfort zone. Our focus is on tomorrow now and that’s my priority, making sure we get the job done.”
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