‘We told you!’ Gary Lineker lauds Lee Carsley for addressing THREE problems England fans had with Gareth Southgate at Euro 2024 in his first game as Three Lions interim manager – issues the pundit was criticised for raising in the summer
Gary Lineker has celebrated Lee Carsley’s maiden England starting XI, which he believes addressed fans’ concerns with Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 roster.
Carsley began his tenure as interim boss with a dominant 2-0 Nations League win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin on Saturday, thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
Though much of the pre-match chatter was consumed by the former Everton midfielder’s decision not to sing the national anthem, Lineker chose to focus on the 50-year-old’s team selection in his assessment of the fixture.
Carsley, who led England’s Young Lions to success in the 2023 Under-21 European Championship, opted for a much-changed line-up in his first game and brought the likes of Anthony Gordon, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jack Grealish into the side.
The trio were the subject of passionate discussion during this summer’s tournament, with many fans unhappy with how Southgate deployed the two Merseyside natives in Germany, while Grealish was omitted from the final squad altogether.
Jack Grealish, who was left out of Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros, scored England’s second goal against Ireland
Anthony Gordon (left) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (right) were promptly thrust into the starting XI in Dublin
Gary Lineker celebrated Carsley’s decision to bring the trio into his first England line-up
‘It’s interesting as well, isn’t it, that perhaps some of the things fans were most disappointed about in the Euros, well, probably three things maybe more.’ Lineker said on the Rest is Football podcast.
‘But everyone wanted Anthony Gordon to play on the left because we all saw a weakness and an unbalance on that side. And also that he can run behind players because Kane likes to come short and you’ve got to have a threat behind so he did that.
‘The other thing was he [Southgate] left Jack Grealish out of the squad which a lot of people were bemused by and he’s come in and performed really well.
‘And obviously, he never really trusted Trent Alexander-Arnold. In the first game Carsley has come up with all these things and a lot of us are going ‘you see? We told you”.’
Carsley will be looking to extend his winning run at the helm when the Three Lions return to Wembley to face Finland on Tuesday.
The former Ireland international is in the driving seat to replace Southgate on a permanent basis, though he was forced to respond after his national anthem call drew criticism from some quarters.
As reported by Mail Sport, Carsley’s stance will not damage his chances of landing the England job on a full time basis.
‘I am really lucky with the people that are in charge and are my bosses,’ He explained. ‘[The FA] know what my strengths are and aren’t gonna ask me to be anything I am not.
Carsley is looking to maintain his perfect record when the Three Lions take on Finland at Wembley on Tuesday
‘My strength is coaching, being on the pitch. This (talking) isn’t my strength, what I am doing now.
‘It’s something that I understand that comes with the job, as I saw yesterday (with the anthem controversy). I have my own way of doing it.’
