England interim Lee Carsley wants to carry on his ‘other’ job coaching students at a local academy in the Midlands to help him try out new tactics for Harry Kane and Cole Palmer.
Carsley is in temporary charge of The Three Lions for the first time against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, having led the under-21s to Euro glory last year.
Despite the added responsibilities, Carsley doesn’t want to give up on the once-a-week sessions he delivers every Friday morning to aspiring players aged between 16 and 21 at the Strachan academy in Warwick.
Given six matches in charge before The FA choose a successor to Southgate, Carsley thinks his work on the grass between international matches helps him communicate ideas to his Premier League when they turn up for camp.
‘I still find a way to coach which gives me the chance to practice what I’m going to do with any teams I’m working with,’ he explained.
England interim Lee Carsley wants to carry on his ‘other’ job coaching students
He will use the coaching as a chance to help him try out new tactics for the likes of Harry Kane
‘I could potentially be practising for two months on what I’m going to try, rather than a day when you’ve got two games in an international window.
‘It gives me a chance to experiment and then hopefully deliver it when the (England) players are live.
‘I was there in Warwick last Friday (Aug 23). I’ve been doing that for maybe three years. It’s like an education and coaching centre.
‘The biggest thing you notice when you first come and work internationally is that you stop coaching and I was adamant that wasn’t going to happen to me.
‘My biggest strength is coaching so that is one of the things I didn’t want to stop.’
‘I have other priorities within the job as well I have to be creative and make sure I have got a couple of hours every week on a Friday morning that I’m able to get out there and try things and get it wrong!’
The academy is part of the Strachan Football Foundation founded by former Manchester United and Leeds great Gordon Strachan in 2011 to bring together education and football for aspiring students and footballers.
Its website lists Carsley among several coaches including former Aston Villa boss Brian Little and current Coventry manager Mark Robins who have delivered sessions.
He said: ‘My biggest strength is coaching so that is one of the things I didn’t want to stop’
The academy is part of the Strachan Football Foundation founded by former Manchester United and Leeds great Gordon Strachan
As a player, Carsley enjoyed some of his best times at Everton and credits his former manager David Moyes for pushing him to go on coaching courses.
The 50-year-old will now hope to follow the trend of under-21s managers being promoted to the senior job as Spain did with Luis de la Fuente whose side beat Southgate’s England in the Euro 2024 final.
He has named five of the under-21s trophy-winning side in his first squad including Chelsea’s Noni Madueke who scored a hat-trick at Wolves last weekend despite being barracked by home fans because of a rude social media post he made about the city of Wolverhampton.
‘He definitely wasn’t picked on that one game!’ smiles Carsley. ‘Noni is really explosive and attacking.
‘I think he brings energy and enthusiasm which is what the squad potentially needs after the summer, and he is in form right now.
‘It’s not Noni, but all that generation don’t seem to feel it (pressure). I remember before the semi-final of the Euros, I was expecting them to be nervous.
‘You go into the dining room, the music is on, two or three of them are dancing, there is table tennis going on. I’m thinking ‘Hang on, you’re not nervous?!’
‘But a lot of those players have had that expectancy all their lives. And one thing I would say about them all is their attitude and work-rate is always what we look for first.’
He has named five of the under-21s trophy-winning side in his first squad including Chelsea’s Noni Madueke
Birmingham-born Carsley won 40 international caps for the Republic of Ireland through his grandmother and went to Cork in the summer for a big family reunion.
He was also met Irish football chiefs in 2023 when they looked for a new manager. ‘It was quite an informal conversation. It wasn’t that I was offered the job or wanted the job or turned the job down or anything like that. It was far from that,’ he said.
‘It was after the Under 21 Euros. At the start of my career I had advice that if someone wants to meet you, go and pay them that respect. I was really aware going into the conversation that I had a really good job (with the FA) and supported where I am.’
