England Winners and Losers Under Carsley: Jones and Gomes take chance as Foden falters
England rounded off their UEFA Nations League campaign with a resounding 5-0 win over 10-man Ireland on Sunday evening to secure an immediate return to League A having topped Group 2 in League B, pipping Greece to first due to a superior head-to-head record.
Lee Carsley oversaw five wins from six, with the blip on the record the home loss to Greece last month. Carsley saw his stock rise during his stint as interim boss, while a number of previously uncapped players were handed the chance to prove their worth on the international stage during the six-game reign.
Here, we take a look at the winners and losers of Carsley’s short spell as England boss.
Winners
One of the star players under Lee Carsley in England’s U21 Euros last summer, Noni Madueke was one handed a first senior call up back in September and he used the UEFA Nations League as a chance to all but nail down a spot in future squads. While Madueke won’t displace Bukayo Saka on the right, the Chelsea man was one of only two players – along with Jude Bellingham – to register multiple assists for the Three Lions in the Nations League and it sets the 22-year-old up well for his involvement in future selections under Thomas Tuchel.
Like Madueke, Angel Gomes was another who shone under Carsley for the U21s, playing a starring role in their success last summer. While he started only two of the six games, coming off the bench in another two, the 24-year-old didn’t look out of place on the international stage. In a packed central midfield playing field, the Lille man did his chances of a squad spot no harm having returned the second best pass success rate (96.2%) of all England players in the UEFA Nations League.
While he took his time to work his way into the England squad, with injuries not aiding the Liverpool man, Curtis Jones grabbed his chance to impress with both hands. Indeed, Jones scored on his international debut in the win over Greece, and kept his spot in the middle of the park for Sunday’s success over Ireland. Of all players Carsley used, the 23-year-old earned the third best WhoScored rating (7.47).
Having missed out on a squad spot at Euro 2024, Carsley immediately reinstated Jack Grealish for the first international break of the year, and the Manchester City man didn’t disappoint, netting in wins over Ireland and Finland; only Harry Kane (3) scored more goals than the former Aston Villa man (2). While injury cost Grealish a place in the final international squad of the year, the 29-year-old gave a timely reminder of his attacking quality on the international stage.
Anthony Gordon won the U21 Euros Player of the Tournament award last summer, yet was restricted to a sole cameo appearance at Euro 2024, coming off the bench late on in the dire 0-0 draw with Slovenia. Like Madueke and Gomes, Gordon was a favourite of Carsley’s and the Newcastle man deserved his chance to consolidate a spot for the senior side. The 23-year-old started five of six UEFA Nations League matches and with England crying out for a direct left wing threat, the former Everton man will hope to prove the answer to this issue. Thomas Tuchel wanted Gordon at Chelsea, too, so this bodes well for the Magpies winger.
Here is the best-rated XI of England's #NationsLeague campaign. 🏴
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) November 18, 2024
Which players impressed you the most under Lee Carsley? 💭 pic.twitter.com/OVaSVwJlMS
Even at 19 years of age, Rico Lewis is a key player for Manchester City. Indeed, he’s started nine league games this season, more than he managed in 2023/24, and he hasn’t looked out of place in a number of roles. Lewis, though, was used prominently at left-back under Carsley for the UEFA Nations League and with an abundance of right-backs and central midfielders in the national team pool, it’s in the former role where the teenager should find long-term success for England.
Losers
Harry Maguire missed out on a spot at Euro 2024 due to injury, though the appointment of Lee Carsley on an interim basis gave the Manchester United man a chance to reclaim his spot in the side. Maguire didn’t disappoint in the opening 2-0 win over Ireland, yet injuries again reared their ugly head with the 31-year-old not seen in a squad since. Behind John Stones, Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill and now Ezri Konsa in the pecking order, the United man will struggle to prove his point to Thomas Tuchel in the New Year.
Like Maguire, injury hasn’t helped Luke Shaw. The left-back hasn’t featured for Manchester United since February, while his only start in the period since was the Euro 2024 final. Shaw was Gareth Southgate’s not-so-secret weapon in Germany yet he’ll struggle for game time when he does return to fitness. The aforementioned emergence of Rico Lewis certainly won’t help the 29-year-old’s cause.
Having struggled at Euro 2024 out on the left flank, Phil Foden hardly covered himself in glory in the UEFA Nations League, making only two appearances, one of which was from the outset in the 2-1 home defeat to Greece, and returning the lowest WhoScored rating (6.01) of all players used by Carsley. Foden has now failed to have a direct hand in a goal for England in almost two years, last doing so against Senegal in the 2022 World Cup. With a raft of attacking options at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal, the Manchester City man will need to work hard to work his way into the German’s plans.
The answer to England’s central midfield issues over the summer didn’t even get a minute of gametime at Euro 2024. Adam Wharton impressed in the pre-tournament friendlies but was overlooked by Gareth Southgate on the Three Lions' way to the Euro 2024 final. The appointment of Lee Carsley offered the Crystal Palace man a fresh start, yet he missed out on the September squad and hasn’t been seen on the international stage since. Wharton hasn’t been as consistent for Palace this season, and it’s now feasible to suggest that both Gomes and Jones are ahead of the 20-year-old for the national team. In addition, Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo is expected to return to the international setup before the Eagles midfielder.
