Who is Lee Carsley? Former England U21 manager takes interim charge of Three Lions

Following Gareth Southgate’s resignation from the England job, U21 boss Lee Carsley has taken interim charge of the Three Lions.

Household names such as Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and Mauricio Pochettino had been talked up by the media, as were two of the modern game’s icons, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola.

However, it's a former Premier League midfielder who some people may be unfamiliar with in Lee Carsley who gets the nod.

Carsley will take charge of the initial Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, likely staying in post until the search for a permanent head coach continues.

But who is the ex-Ireland international who will take temporary charge?

Lee Carsley Playing Career

Carsley played over 500 games across the Premier League and Championship, in a career that spanned 17 years between 1994 and 2011.

He represented Everton, for whom he featured in the UEFA Cup, Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City and Birmingham City.

A reliable holding midfielder, the Birmingham-born man was primarily used to shield the defence in a 4-1-4-1 formation; a role he had such an expertise in.

He also turned out 40 times for his nation, and was a member of Mick McCarthy’s squad at the 2002 World Cup, albeit only featuring once in a 3-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

Lee Carsley Coaching Career

Despite a stellar playing career, Carsley has really started turning heads in the coaching world.

He achieved his badges while playing for Everton, and upon finishing his career with Coventry, he was appointed as the coach of their U18’s side, a role in which he flourished in to such an extent that he was promoted to assist with the first-team within a year.

Carsley followed this role with stints as a coach within the youth setups of Sheffield United and Manchester City, providing significant insight into the off the ball work.

Periods at Brentford, Coventry and Birmingham also saw him appointed as interim manager at all three clubs, with his most notable achievement being the Championship manager of the month in October 2015, having won four of his five games in charge of the Londoners ahead of Dean Smith’s appointment.

The most significant step in his blossoming coaching career came with the England development setup, for whom he undertook numerous roles during his five-year spell there.

He was the full time “out of possession” coach for every team from U15-U21, the U21 specialist national coach, and, finally, the professional development phase lead for the U18’s, U19’s and U20’s.

The latest news about the England National Team.

Lee Carsley Managerial Career

Outside of the aforementioned interim jobs in club football, Carsley’s full managerial career has come within the England setup, following the impressive nature of his work with the development setup.

He managed the U20 side for two games during the 2020/21 season, one of which was a convincing 2-0 win over Wales U20’s.

Such was his effect on that team, he was promoted to U21 manager following the departure of Aidy Boothroyd - a role in which he further excelled in.

Just before entering a second year with the side, he guided them to a European U21 Championship victory, with a 2-0 victory over Spain in the final.

Not only was this such a huge achievement, given that specific age group hadn't tasted success in 39 years, but they also didn’t concede a single goal on their way to lifting the trophy, or require a single penalty shootout!

England Credentials & Style of Play

Carsley’s lack of management outside of the England setup is not something that would work against him in the running for the senior job.

Gareth Southgate came into the role with very little experience beyond the development teams, and will go down as one of England’s greatest ever managers.

There are plenty of parallels between the two too; with the obvious one being that Carsley, like Southgate, has already worked with the very talented crop of players coming through the ranks - with almost all of the team that won the U21 Euros now playing at the very highest level.

Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon both went to Germany, with Palmer offering a large amount off the bench during the Three Lions’ run to the final.

While talents such as Jarrad Branthwaite, Harvey Elliott and Morgan Gibbs-White - players who like Palmer and Gordon had featured under Carsley - all may have felt like they staked a strong claim to be included at points throughout last season.

In terms of Carsley’s style of play, he offers an attacking perspective, something that the fans are crying out for following Southgate’s more reserved approach.

At the U21 Euros, he adopted a flexible midfield of two forward thinking players in Curtis Jones and Angel Gomes, utilising their passing and driving ability to break the lines.

This allowed Gomes to control the tempo of games while Jones took up positions that meant he was always an option when England were on the ball.

In short, the Three Lions essentially played a 2-3-5 formation when attacking, with such short, sharp triangles making it difficult for the defensive side to stop.

This came with no defensive sacrifice however, as the team was full of willing runners who instantly dropped back into a compact 4-4-2 if they lost possession, Gibbs-White and Gordon dropping deep and using their pace upon recovery to quickly transition England onto the attacking front.