Republic of Ireland 0-2 England: What BBC Radio 5 Live saw in Lee Carsley’s first game

Ian Dennis

Even before we had gone live on air for 5 Live, it was noticeable how involved Lee Carsley was with the warm-up.

The interim head coach even placed the red and white cones out in the England half of the field.

He was waiting on the pitch as a solitary figure before the players came out to warm up.

Carsley was actively involved along with his assistants Ashley Cole and Joleon Lescott. It’s a significant change in approach to that of Gareth Southgate or previous managers.

I even remember Fabio Capello, when he was England head coach, watching intently from the sidelines along with his assistant Franco Baldini – but they would study and monitor the opposition.

Carsley was purely focused on his England players and looked comfortable as a tracksuit manager.

John Murray

If you were looking for a different approach from Lee Carsley, it was there right from the start. There was an initial mis-step when he turned right to the home dugout when he first walked down the tunnel, but it was a tracksuited Carsley who laid out the balls and the cones and oversaw the whole of the warm-up.

It served to underline how he wishes to be seen very much as the head coach. And if England replicate the first-half performance, he will not be interim for too much longer.