Lee Carsley's England bravery has given Thomas Tuchel plenty of food for thought
ENGLAND 5-0 REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Incoming England manager Thomas Tuchel owes a debt of gratitude to Lee Carsley after the interim manager's brief spell in charge
by John Cross · The MirrorIn the space of the second half, England went from woeful to world beaters.
That is the reality of international football and it certainly will not come as a shock to incoming manager Thomas Tuchel.
England have got so much potential at their disposal and Tuchel owes a huge debt of gratitude to interim boss Lee Carsley for unlocking it in some of the younger players. But they also have huge expectations weighing down on their shoulders because this generation does have the talent to win major tournaments.
The second half just became a goal rush after Harry Kane had opened the scoring with a penalty and Republic of Ireland had gone down to ten men. Wembley bought into it and the first half groans were replaced with cheers of delight while the Irish end of the stadium emptied out as the goals flew in.
They were as good in the second half as they were frustrating and sluggish in the first. Jude Bellingham provided two assists in another midfield masterclass.
Lewis Hall looked as if he could solve England’s left back issue. Jarrod Bowen scored with his first touch. Taylor Harwood-Bellis scored on his debut. Conor Gallagher and Anthony Gordon both scored their first goals for England.
There were so many good stories from this game which also ensures England win their Nations League Group B2 and get themselves promoted back among the big boys. And it does matter because it means England will not be involved in a Nations League play-off in March, their World Cup qualifying fixtures might become clearer and Tuchel can start planning now for when he takes over on January 1.
Who impressed you the most in England's win? Have your say in the comments section
Carsley’s reign as interim has been a bit of a rollercoaster - largely because of the chaotic defeat to Greece at Wembley and mixed messages over whether he was in the frame for the job - but he has given his successor some solid foundations. There was a return to the bad old days with too many withdrawals from this camp and a debate over whether Kane was still a must-pick for England both as centre forward and captain.
To be fair, no player summed up the contrast between the two halves more than Kane. He was sluggish, looked like he was running through treacle in the first 45 and then started it all with the pass of the match.
Maybe the debate should not be whether Kane should start or whether England should play to their record scorer’s strengths. He is not as quick as he was but is still so prolific as 69 goals in 103 caps proves.
Ireland sat so deep in the first half. Madueke looked lively but England were frustrated - as were the home fans in the 79,969 crowd. The green Irish army were loving it. But that changed eight minutes into the second half. Kane’s sensational cross field pass found Bellingham. He stepped inside Liam Scales who duly tripped him, conceded a penalty and got sent off for a second yellow card.
Kane smashed home to break the deadlock and there was no way back for the ten men. Ireland collapsed as the goals went in and their keeper Caoimhin Kelleher did well to keep the score down.
Tino Livramento’s 56th minute cross caused havoc in the Ireland box and Gordon hooked home. Noni Madueke has really blossomed under Carsley and his corner was flicked on Marc Guehi and then forced home by Gallagher.
That was three goals in five minutes. The mood had completely changed. Then the substitutes started coming on. Bellingham swapped passes with Curtis Jones and the Real Madrid star’s pass set up Bowen to sweep home within a minute of coming on.
It got even better. Bellingham’s cross was headed in by Harwood-Bellis on his senior debut. For players like that, the Carsley reign has been such a positive and has given Tuchel food for thought.
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