Interim head coach Carsley pushing England to play ‘risky’ football
London: England interim head coach Lee Carsley will take charge of his second game as Three Lions’ manager against Finland on Tuesday. Ahead of the second UEFA Nations League fixture, he has stated that he is encouraging the side to be ‘more risky in certain areas’ of the pitch.
“We have to be mindful that we’ve had six sessions now, in total. There’s one or two things we have adjusted and tried to implement but I think we spoke about this a while back. There were a lot of good things already happening. We have just tried to make a few adjustments as opposed to wholesale changes. The players are open to trying something different or maybe being a bit more risky in certain areas,” said Carsley in the pre-match conference.
Carsley’s comments stem from the reputation that the English side has built over the past few years. The team was heavily criticised for their style of play despite reaching the final of the European Championship twice and a trip to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Southgate used a more defensive-minded approach which did not sit well with the Three Lions’ supporters.
Tuesday will be a huge night for captain Harry Kane as he gets ready for his 100th appearance for the national team. Carsley remained adamant that the striker is ‘motivated’ to win trophies for his country.
“I’ve only worked with him for around seven days, but straightaway you can see how motivated he is, how committed he is, how good an example he is for the other players, every session he is first out. You could tell straightaway how motivated he is to win a major tournament, which is brilliant for whoever comes in,” he added.