“I definitely don’t feel comfortable in the role” - England interim boss Lee Carsley makes huge admission after taking over from Gareth Southgate

England v Finland - UEFA Nations League 2024/25 League B Group B2 - Source: Getty
England interim boss Lee Carsley makes huge admission after taking over from Gareth Southgate

Interim England head coach Lee Carsley has made a huge admission about his position after taking over the reins from Gareth Southgate. The former boss decided to bring his association with the Three Lions to an end after taking them to the final of Euro 2024 but failing to win the trophy.

It was notably their second consecutive final at the Euros, with Southgate unable to win a trophy with England. His decision to leave saw Lee Carsley take over as interim boss, who has had a fairly brilliant start to life at the helm of affairs.

Carsley led the Three Lions to two wins out of two, beating Ireland and Finland 2-0 each in the Nations League.

However, after the Finland game on September 10, the interim head coach admitted that he did not feel comfortable with his new job, In an interview with ITV, Carsley opened up (via Eurosport):

“I definitely don’t feel comfortable [in the role]. I’ve definitely been out of my comfort zone this international window. It’s been enjoyable but I’ve had to make sure that every single day I’m producing really high standards along with the rest of the staff. We try and do as good a job as we can and we’ve been fortunate to get two good results, and it’s about building on that now."

Lee Carsley has breathed new life into the England squad, which has long been accused of being uninspiring under Gareth Southgate. He gave players like Noni Madueke a debut, and the Chelsea forward provided an assist for Harry Kane's second goal against Finland.

Kane's first goal was assisted by Liverpool's vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has returned to the right-back slot under Lee Carsley's leadership. Alexander-Arnold was notably used, to poor effect, as a midfielder in the later matches of Southgate's tenure.


Harry Kane comments on reaching 100 caps for England

Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane made his 100th appearance for England in their 2-0 win against Finland. He scored both goals on the night and spoke about his delight in reaching the milestone afterward.

In the post-match interview, Kane said (via Eurosport):

“It was a big night for me. Obviously, proud to reach the 100 caps; there was a lot of talk about it. You know what I’m like; I want to score and help the team. It was great to be able to do that today... I always back myself to score goals, especially in a team like this creating the chances that we do. I’m excited for the future.”

The forward will now return to Bayern Munich, with his side facing Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on September 14 before their UEFA Champions League outing against Dinamo Zagreb on September 17.

The England national team, on the other hand, will return to the pitch on October 10 when they face Greece in their third match of the Nations League.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar