Worked with Pep & Won a Trophy with England. Who Replaced Southgate?

After Gareth Southgate stepped down as head coach, Lee Carsley, who had been coaching England’s youth team, became the interim manager of the national team. This temporary appointment could become permanent (Southgate himself once stepped up from the U-21s as a temporary coach), so it’s an excellent time to get to know Gareth’s possible successor.

First, it’s worth noting that Lee is not English, meaning this is the first foreign appointment to the head coach position since Fabio Capello was dismissed in 2012. Carsley is Irish and even played 39 matches for the Irish national team. Ironically, England’s first match under his leadership will be against Ireland on September 7.

Before joining the national team, Carsley worked as an assistant at several clubs, including Manchester City’s youth team, where he gained some coaching insights from Pep Guardiola. With England’s youth squad, Lee succeeded, boasting a fantastic 79.1% win rate. Last year, his team won the U-21 European Championship for the first time since 1984 without conceding a single goal throughout the tournament!

It's no surprise that many stars (Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, Levi Colwill, Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White) were called up for the senior squad's September matches, along with other talented young players like Rico Lewis and Tino Livramento. This starkly contrasts the conservative Southgate, whose endless faith in veterans like Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips became a meme.

Additionally, Lee is involved in charity work, combining the enjoyable with the practical. Between camps, he trains amateur teenagers once a week, using them to test concepts and ideas for his main job. This way, regular kids get involved in sports while the coach gains practical experience and an unlimited field for experimentation.

Published by Patrick Jane
07.09.2024