Lee Carsley has vowed to put “his own stamp” on his first England squad in his first interview since being appointed caretaker manager.
Carsley will announce his players in the next two weeks for the UEFA Nations League matches against the Republic of Ireland and Finland next month.
Having succeeded Gareth Southgate, his goal is to help England take the next step and win a major tournament after reaching the last two European Championship finals.
He has revealed that analysis of players has already begun in pre-season and that he will have players who missed the Euros due to injury or form desperate to get back into the England national team’s plans.
“First of all, it’s about putting the team together, choosing the right team and finding a balance: on the one hand, making sure the team is fresh and competitive, but on the other hand, understanding that these are games in which we have to do well and win,” Carsley said.
“Everything is in balance and that’s what I want to achieve. I think it’s important that we put our own stamp on the team and make subtle adjustments, but I also think it’s important to recognize that the players have performed really well in the past and we need to recognize that.”
Players like Jack Grealish and James Maddison did not make the German squad, Harry Maguire was injured and Ben White declared himself no longer eligible for the English national team last season.
Carsley also comes from the U21 national team, where he worked with England’s best young players.
“I have a relationship with the players and have known them for a number of years. There are many players I don’t know but I am very aware of them,” he said. “We have some outstanding players in the senior team and in the youth team. The level of the players has really come through in recent years and you can see that in our performance in major tournaments. The next step is to win and that has to be the goal.”
Carsley, who was in interim charge, was also asked about the World Cup in two years and said preparations were starting now.
“There are still two years until the World Cup, so it’s important that we approach it in stages,” he said. “First we need to think about how we want to approach the Nations League and make sure we do well there, and then take ourselves into World Cup qualification.”
“Ideally, I want them to enjoy the training camps and enjoy playing for England, as has been the case in the past with Gareth and Steve. Hopefully we can continue that. Monitoring has already started, we have watched a lot of friendlies and have a department that monitors all the players. I’m looking forward to the season starting.”
