England cruised to a 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Saturday evening to reward interim manager Lee Carsley for his team selection bravery.
Two players who will be all-too-familiar with Ireland were on the scoresheet for the Three Lions, with Declan Rice opening the scoring at the Aviva Stadium with a thumping finish in the 11th minute. Jack Grealish then rubbed salt into Irish wounds, having represented the nation up until Under-21 level, by bagging England’s second in the 26th minute.
Carsley will be very pleased with how the performance highlighted what he could bring to the table as Three Lions’ boss on a permanent basis. Express Sport takes a look at five things we learned from the clash…
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Grealish thrives in familiar territory
Having gradually been moulded into a winger at Manchester City, Grealish was tasked with playing as a No. 10 on Saturday evening as part of a midfield three, and he shone. The 28-year-old returned to his former position in sensational style as well, being given the licence to roam and influence play in all areas of the pitch. The playmaker linked up play well and created several opportunities, which will have left many pondering why he was not taken to Germany for Euro 2024.
Gareth Southgate's mistake highlighted
Anthony Gordon highlighted why ex-England boss Southgate made a major blunder in not playing him regularly at the Euros rather than shoehorning the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden into his starting XI. The Newcastle star brought out the best in Harry Kane with his direct runs in behind and sheer pace, and he led by example out of possession by pressing high and aggressively.
Second Euro 2024 blunder emerges
Southgate travelled to Euro 2024 with just one left-back, injury-prone Luke Shaw, currently sidelined with a calf problem. And Levi Colwill highlighted why that was a mistake with a strong showing in fullback. The Chelsea star’s desire to drift into more natural central areas gave Trent Alexander-Arnold the licence to bomb forward and make his presence felt in the final third, and thus restored balance in the England backline.
Double debut
Nottingham Forest playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White and Lille midfielder Angel Gomes were both given their senior debuts at the Aviva Stadium, with the pair replacing Grealish and Kobbie Mainoo in the 77th minute. The duo featured heavily for England’s Under-21s whilst Carsley was in charge, and the interim boss has leaned on his familiar faces in the international break so far.
Belief restored by Carsley
The two-goal winning margin somewhat undersells England’s dominance on Saturday evening, and the performance indicated that there is a major change ongoing within the team. The Three Lions appear to have been tasked with playing a far more attacking brand of football under Carsley, and the new system looks set to bring the very best out of the flair players in the camp already by playing positively and on the front foot.
