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After all the focus was on the soundtrack, Lee CarsleyThe first game of the England The Manager was certainly full of narrative. The inevitable line is that you couldn’t script it, but, it’s actually the first thing you would script.
Declan Rice And Jack Grealish Goals scored England beat Ireland 2-0The national team they both left, The continuous hooting was also controlled. If anything, such a reaction seemed counterproductive and motivated them to carry on, the way that often happens. At least for a while. This win really did turn into the kind of victory over a small country that England have long hoped for under Gareth Southgate, albeit with a significant twist. The attack under Carsley was different throughout and, for a short time, quite exciting. There was a sense of growth.
The competitive spirit in this short-lived match evaporated with Rice’s brilliant opening goal. After that, apart from trying to understand the nice patterns and differences from Southgate, it became one of those occasions where people would mostly talk about the colours surrounding it. And the colour was certainly there.
After about a week of preparation for Rice and Grealish, and lots of identity discussions Given that Carsley’s first match was against the country he represented as a player, an otherwise forgettable incident brought it all to a head. Carsley very reasonably said he doesn’t sing the national anthem as he finds himself too focused on football. Unimaginable media storm He ensured most of the attention was on him before the game, but the new manager made a point of going to home ground.
This little joke also included the fact that Ireland was intent on securing Carsley for the role. Then the naughty one had to be pulled away from the line-up of the England team, which added to the pantomime feel of it all. It certainly increased when god protect the king The Irish crowd was louder than Carsley, who was standing there. the way he said he would look,
No doubt they ignored the Irish banner that read “The snakes are back”, with pictures of Rice and Grealish, if they even saw it. Ireland really got off to a great start under their new manager in Iceland’s Heimir Hallgrimsson. No doubt it was fuelled by the emotion of the enthusiastic crowd, but as is often the case in such situations, emotion can’t really compete with quality for long. Even Grealish quickly got over the initial abrasive challenge and all the booing and suddenly broke through the Irish defensive structure on a few occasions.
It was an immediate foretaste of how the game would turn out. Hallgrimsson’s preparations for the game had focused on making it difficult to play against Ireland and keeping a clean sheet, but the five-man backline soon left acres of the pitch open to English movement, while providing plenty of space inside.
Rice was very keen to get going in this one. Anthony Gordon was sent off for England’s first big chance of the game, a fine Caoimhin Kelleher save brought back to Harry Kane. He couldn’t make the connection properly but Rice did. The midfielder volleyed the ball into the roof of the net, as if absorbing some years of criticism for accepting three caps for Ireland and moving to England. Rice gestured with his hands to tone down the celebrations, but the away fans didn’t care, and it didn’t have much effect on the home fans. The midfielder then showed what’s what, simply by careering through the Irish midfield.
This was a much better level of play from Hallgrimsson’s side. That was demonstrated with an even better team move for the second, which of course culminated in Rice playing Grealish in for a superb finish into the corner. Kelleher and Ireland had no chance, as the moment was very much narrative.
If it’s harsh to say that England didn’t really score goals like that under Southgate, it’s true that it was different. The most obvious difference was the positional mobility of the players, and they seemed less restricted than under Southgate.
That was really the most relevant thing about the game. As thrilling as the colour was, what really matters is what it means for England moving forward. And they really did move forward with more dynamism in this match.
Perhaps the most relevant thing about this was what happened for the first goal. Trent Alexander-Arnold Got possession of the ball and played an intelligent ball to Gordon.
This was perhaps the biggest sign of change, which is perhaps logical as the Liverpool wing-back became one of the biggest mysteries to all the debates about Southgate’s approach. If it was often rigid, there’s no doubt that Carsley’s predecessor had a more fixed idea about what a right-back should do and where he should be. It didn’t really fit with Alexander-Arnold’s game. It was. Alexander-Arnold was often allowed to drop into midfield and play, just as we have seen with right-backs in Pep Guardiola’s teams.
This, of course, What the Football Association needs mostThey certainly don’t want to discuss politically charged topics like singing the national anthem or issues surrounding player identity.
However, after all that, Carsley finally got what he wanted. It’s an early win, and a sign of progress. Lots of storylines, not much drama in the end.