Five issues Thomas Tuchel discovered as 5 star England beat Ireland in Lee Carsley’s closing recreation
England ended the Lee Carsley tenure on a high with a 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.
While the game was 0-0 at half-time, a second half red card for Liam Scales saw Ireland fall apart and England run rampant. Captain Harry Kane opened the scoring on 53 minutes, with Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis also all finding the back of the net.
It was an impressive second half performance by the Three Lions, who finished top of the Nations League B Group 2 ahead of Greece on goal difference, earning promotion in the process.
And here are four things Tuchel will have learned from the clash against the Republic of Ireland and one the FA may have learnt…
The future is bright
Right now, England are blessed at almost every level with young talent. Lewis Hall, Curtis Jones, Tino Livramento, Morgan Rogers and Taylor Harwood-Bellis all made their full senior debuts for the Three Lions during the November internationals.
Of course, that was in part due to players pulling out from the squad and injuries, but it is still an indicator of the talent England currently have amongst their ranks. All five of the players above are playing regular minutes in the Premier League – something which around a decade ago would have been unthinkable.
While the defeat to Greece, where England deployed a system they worked on for a short amount of time in training back in October led to many questioning just what Carsley was doing, the interim boss has given minutes to plenty of the players he used whilst as manager of the U21’s, something which will benefit Tuchel.
Harry Kane is England’s best striker – and their best playmaker
Harry Kane is still England’s best striker by some distance – and he’s also their best playmaker too. The England captain loves to drop deep, but needs runners around him to fully take advantage of just how good his passing is.
And against Ireland, England did just that. On 53 minutes, a Kane ball into the box from out wide saw Jude Bellingham brought down by Liam Scales, who was handed a second yellow card and sent off as a result. The resulting spot kick was easily dispatched by Kane.
Much has been made of Kane looking sluggish and off the pace, especially during the European Championships this past summer. However, the reality is, if England are to be successful under Tuchel, they will need to get the most out of Kane – something they can do by deploying out and out wingers in the likes of Anthony Gordon, Madueke and Bukayo Saka.
It might mean that Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Jack Grealish will have to battle it out for a number 10 role behind Kane which currently belongs to the former – but if it leads to the England captain and the Three Lions playing well, then it is a choice Tuchel will have to make.
Better opposition will need a better performance
England may have won the game comfortably the game against the Republic of Ireland – but the reality is they created very little in the first half. After Scales’ red card, England ran rampant, putting five goals past Caoimhin Kelleher.
But had Scales’ not been sent off, would England have looked as convincing? The question for this England side until they prove they can do it will always be can they dominate the bigger teams in major tournaments. That will be what the Tuchel era will be judged on.
Toon Army
It was an excellent November international break for Newcastle United’s contingent of England stars. Full-backs Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento both made their senior debuts, while Anthony Gordon scored his first goal for England too.
While Livramento will be battling it out for a starting berth in the future with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Hall could become England’s first choice left-back for years to come. The Newcastle defender has been excellent this term for Eddie Howe’s side, and has kicked on tremendously after a season last year where he found himself at times as the Magpies third choice left-back.
Tuchel knows both defenders from their time at Chelsea – could Hall and Livramento be beneficiaries of that link when it comes to England?
England have a coach ready to take over from Tuchel
Look, the game against Greece at Wembley was poor and one Carsley will want to forget. And yes, England should have won all six games of the Carsley tenure given their respective quality.
But if the Tuchel era does not pan out like the FA hope, they should have no qualms about giving Carsley another look as the full-time senior boss. The ex-Everton midfielder will be moving back to the U21’s role, which will see him continue to develop the Three Lions best young players.
It is not out of the realms of possibility we see Carsley leading the England senior side again.
