Gareth Southgate is arguably England’s best manager of all time; or to some people, he’s merely a boring, staid, boss who failed to take advantage of a golden generation of attacking talent. As is often the case, the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Making consecutive European Championship finals, as well as being very good at the interim World Cup but narrowly losing to the eventual finalists in the quarters, is a solid performance by any standards.
However, for a team with England’s historical record, it was comparatively superb. And of course, the Three Lions were not the only side packed full of talented stars. So all in all we think Southgate deserves a lot of credit and endless respect. However, the king is dead, so long live the king.
Or not quite, as the man to replace Southgate is Lee Carsley, and the former Under 21 boss has only, for now at any rate, been appointed on an interim basis. Many suspect that if Carsley impresses he will get to keep the job, whilst if he doesn’t, it buys the FA time in terms of making a permanent appointment and possibly allows some bigger names to become available.
Lee Carsley has been appointed interim head coach of the #ThreeLions ahead of the start of our #NationsLeague campaign.
— England (@England) August 9, 2024
Come what may, last Thursday, for the first time since 2016, an England squad was announced and Southgate was not the man responsible. Carsley had suggested that he would look to make his own mark on the squad, without making wholesale changes just for the sake of it. Many predicted that there would be some new names and that the former Everton midfielder would introduce some of his trusted lieutenants from his successful stint as the Under 21 manager.
These thoughts proved to be accurate, with Carsley including four players yet to have been named in a senior England squad. Announcing the group for Nations League games against Ireland and Finland, Carsley said:
“I think it is fair to say the job that Gareth and Steve (Holland) did and the position I am picking the squad up is totally different to when they picked it up.” He added, “I understand I am in a really privileged position and I am excited to meet up with the players.”
In this article, we take a look at the four new names in the squad, as well as the other key decisions made by England’s new, interim, manager.
Who are the New Boys?
Carsley, who played for Ireland, has selected six players from the team he named for the final of the European Under-21 Championship in 2023. Three of the four newcomers are drawn from that group, with Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon members of the team that beat Spain but who have previously been called up by the senior team.
Tino Livramento, Newcastle United
Livramento is the sole newcomer who did not feature in Carsley’s winning team in Romania and Georgia last year. He has played at just about every England age-group level though, and the Croydon-born full-back is also eligible to play for both Portugal and Scotland. Livramento is an attacking defender who can play on either side and has impressed at Newcastle since joining them from Southampton for around £40m.
Angel Gomes, Lille
Gomes has largely been used as an attacking player by his clubs but one of Carsley’s biggest innovations was deploying him more defensively for the Under 21s. He is small but technically excellent, and could be the sort of midfielder England have so often seemed to lack in the big games. He can dictate the tempo of play and give England the control they have often lacked centrally. Having just turned 24, now is the time for him to show he belongs on the biggest stage.
Noni Madueke, Chelsea
It is easy for a player to fall through the cracks at Chelsea, amidst the 479 new players they signed yesterday (probably). Madueke made sure there was no chance of that happening with him by scoring a hat-trick for the Blues against Wolves at the start of the 2024/25 PL season. Madueke has seven goals from 20 appearances at Under 21 level and gives England another brilliant option in the final third.
Morgan Gibbs-White, Nottingham Forest
Gibbs-White is a familiar name to many who watch the Premier League and made his debut in the competition for Wolves back in 2018/19. He has made 122 appearances in the competition, having joined Forest in 2022/23 for a fee of £25m (plus up to £17m in add-ons!). Yet another attacking midfield option for England to consider, he is another who is supremely comfortable on the ball.
Grealish and Maguire Return
Harry Maguire returns to the fold having missed the Euros but that was largely down to a lack of fitness. Moreover, with the Three Lions relatively short of options at the back, especially experienced ones, it is no surprise.
More interesting is the recall of Grealish, who Southgate omitted from his squad for Euro 2024. The former Villa man has struggled for minutes at Man City recently and with England boasting so many options in attack, Carsley could easily have left him out. We suspect he will have to impress the interim boss in this camp if he hopes to stay in the frame.
But Some Interesting Players Miss Out
Many expected Ben White to return but the Arsenal man has continued to make himself unavailable for selection. Whether that will change remains to be seen and it may be that White, known to not be a lover of the sport, is simply happy to do his job for the Gunners.
Other full-backs not in the squad include Kieran Trippier, who has now retired from international football, and Kyle Walker, who is 34 and not seen as a real proposition for the next World Cup. Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling also miss out, and must prove they still have the hunger and performance levels.
Lewis Dunk is perhaps dropped in favour of younger options at the back, whilst Adam Wharton, another named in Southgate’s Euros squad, is arguably the most surprising omission. That may be down to the fact that Carsley wants to give Gomes a real chance. All in all, it seems Carsley has struck a good balance between change and continuity … although let’s see how we all feel after the two games have been played.