England Interim Manager Carsley Regains Confidence With Victory Over Ireland

Lee Carsley said there were times he wondered if he was out of his depth as England’s interim manager but their 2-0 win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday in his first game in charge has quietened that self-doubt.

Carsley, who earned 40 caps for Ireland after qualifying through a grandmother, has been appointed as caretaker while England looks for a permanent replacement for Gareth Southgate.

The win over Ireland gave England the ideal start to their Nations League campaign and may also have boosted Carsley’s chances of filling the role permanently and he will be at the helm on Tuesday against Finland at Wembley.

“You always think it’s easy to be the England manager when you’re sat in the house but there have been times where I’ve thought I’m not sure I could do it,” Carsley told British media.

“But it (the Dublin win) has done my confidence good and the rest of the staff, as well that we’re OK, we’ll be all right.

“I spoke about it at the first press conference, (being) a safe pair of hands. I feel like we’re in a good position with the players,” added Carsley, who had been managing England’s Under 21s since 2021 and led them to the European title last year.

Looking ahead to their journey towards the 2026 World Cup, Carsley said England had to show more control.

“The end goal is doing that against the top teams in the world in the ­biggest moments,” he added. “They have got two years to get to that point. We have gone a good way to do that.”