Interim England boss Lee Carsley has said that the country’s coaches “need opportunity” to manage teams at the highest level, as he prepares to hand over the reigns to Thomas Tuchel following his last two matches in charge.
Tuchel’s appointment sparked a conversation over why England fails to produce quality coaches, despite the riches of the Premier League and the country’s leading academies.
The German coach will become the second foreign manager to take charge of England when he starts on Jan. 1, 2025, after Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson during his five-year tenure from 2001 to 2006.
Since its inception in 1992, no English manager has ever won the Premier League, while Sir Bobby Robson was the last English manager to win a European trophy. He led Barcelona to the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1997.
Speaking in a news conference on Thursday after naming his squad for England’s Nations League fixtures against Greece and Republic of Ireland, Carsley stressed how beneficial coaching in Europe’s leading competitions can be for budding managers.
“I think I speak a lot about players in our system getting the opportunity. I think we’ve definitely got players in our pathway that are capable of playing in the senior teams and I think the same with the coaches,” Carsley said.
“But we have to earn that position and that, right, and I think with the coaching courses and the experiences that St. George’s [Park] provides, I think we’re going in the right direction, but ultimately coaches need that opportunity.”
Carsley said that he had sent his congratulations to Tuchel by text after the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager was named as England’s next permanent head coach and described him as a “really good appointment.”
“My focus has always been on the games. I’ve been respected in terms of being left to get on with the job,” Carsley said.
“I think people realise how tough the job is without worrying about too much outside influence. But no, I’m really comfortable in the position… I think it’s a really good appointment. We spoke about having a coach that’s got a proven track record. Thomas has definitely got that, [he is] a coach that I’m really looking forward to watching work and hopefully … Handing over a strong group of players with real potential to go and win a major tournament.”
Carsley is set to return to take charge of England’s under-21s following the end of his interim spell in charge of the senior team.
England face Group B2 leaders Greece in Athens on Nov. 14 before rounding off their Nations League campaign by hosting Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Nov. 17.
Credit : www.espn.co.uk