England interim head coach Lee Carsley admits he feels relieved and has a boost of confidence after his debut with a 2-0 win over Ireland.
Carsley was appoint as caretaker manager of the England national team after Gareth Southgate decided to leave the position after Euro 2024 and in his first game in charge, the manager, who stepped up from the Under-21 team, led the team to a 2-0 win away to Ireland in their first game of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League B season.
“Deep down, you always think, you know, it’s not that hard to manage England, is it?” said Carsley, who had limit managerial experience at Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham between 2012 and 2017.
“When you’re acting as an interim officer, there are times when I’m not sure if I can do it.”
“But (the win in Dublin) has given me a lot of confidence, and the whole team too. We can do it and we will get better. I think it’s normal to have doubts.”
Carsley admits that part of the credit must go to John McDermott. The Football Association’s technical director, for his trust and support in the work.
“We have a really good relationship. I’ve had a lot UFABET of support from John. He trusted me to take on the job temporarily, which gave me a lot of confidence.”
Carsley’s second game will be at Wembley against Finland on Tuesday. Which will also include a memorial service for former manager Sven-Göran Eriksson.