'Handbrake came off' - could 'Carsball' be future for England?

It started successful unconvincing manner - and ended with positives and plaudits.

When Lee Carsley walked retired of the passageway conscionable earlier kick-off astatine the Aviva Stadium successful Dublin connected Saturday, helium made the mistake of turning the incorrect mode and walking towards the Republic of Ireland dugout.

But his time got amended arsenic England turned connected the benignant to expanse their opponents speech 2-0 successful his archetypal crippled arsenic interim boss.

England fans person been craving breathtaking and entertaining football, which was successful constricted proviso nether erstwhile caput manager Gareth Southgate, contempt their tally to this summer's European Championship final.

"The expression, the state to explicit yourself was missing from Euro 2024," said winger Anthony Gordon, who was constricted to conscionable 1 precocious substitute quality astatine the tournament.

"We controlled games but we werent dynamic. We weren’t relentless. We lacked dynamism and excitement."

In Dublin, England played with a zip and a swagger to springiness their fans crushed to beryllium judge that 'Carsball' could beryllium a bully enactment for the future.

They created six large chances, much than successful immoderate of their matches astatine Euro 2024, and had a importantly higher expected extremity count. They besides had much shots than successful immoderate of their Euro matches, barroom one.

England carved retired 16 attempts - with 9 connected people - arsenic they played with a freshness and a vigour that was sadly lacking successful immoderate of their games astatine Euro 2024.

Harry Kane came nether dense disapproval successful the summertime and determination were adjacent calls for the England skipper to beryllium dropped.

In Dublin, helium had 4 attempts arsenic helium showed flashes that helium was backmost to his threatening champion successful his 99th England match, with Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka delivering the ammunition precocious up the pitch.

Both perpetually pushed up of lone striker Kane to connection existent support, dissimilar during the Euros erstwhile helium appeared isolated excessively often, arsenic shown successful the graphic below.

Gordon looked similar a subordinate with a constituent to beryllium - having played six minutes successful the summertime - with 2 cardinal passes, portion helium tested goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher 3 times.

"Anthony Gordon has been consenting to tally successful behind, which is thing England haven't had for a while, and past they flood the box," said erstwhile England striker Ian Wright connected ITV.

Asked aft the crippled if England's slick passing and question - peculiarly for Jack Gerealish's extremity that enactment England 2-0 up - was 'Carsball', Carsley said: "It's decidedly not that.

"It's the players that are susceptible of receiving the shot successful choky areas and playing through. They should instrumentality the credit."

Former Three Lions keeper Paul Robinson, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, said England had been transformed compared with the broadside that was connected amusement 2 months ago.

"What we saw successful the archetypal fractional was a wholly antithetic England, and for privation of a amended phrase, the handbrake has travel off, and you privation to spot much of the same."

Declan Rice, who turned retired 3 times for the Republic of Ireland arsenic a teenager, was taunted by the location fans successful the sell-out assemblage for switching allegiance.

He silenced them with the extremity that enactment the visitors up earlier supplying the assistance for Grealish, himself a erstwhile Republic of Ireland younker player, to marque it 2-0.

Rice got further guardant than helium ever did astatine the European Championship, portion Kobbie Mainoo besides looked to beryllium positive.

There looked to beryllium caller state to England's play, having each excessively often stuck rigidly to 2 holding midfielders successful the summer.

Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold - making his archetypal commencement arsenic England right-back for astir 4 years - provided 2 fantastic chances for Kane and Gordon.

"There was a fluidity successful positions, Trent Alexander-Arnold drifting into midfield, Kobbie Mainoo getting forward, and besides Declan Rice, which is wherever the archetypal extremity came from," added Robinson.

"We saw a batch much guardant thinking. The archetypal thought was to spell forward.

"England's show is astir apt precisely what Lee Carsley would person been dreaming astir past night. He would person wanted his squad to beryllium successful control, play with a precocious tempo, property high, support a cleanable sheet, people a mates of goals and beryllium tidy successful possession.

"It could not person gone immoderate better."

There appeared a existent power astir England's play, demonstrated perfectly by Jordan Pickford's willingness to play retired from the back.

At Euro 2024, the England goalkeeper each excessively often kicked agelong aimless balls, with 49% of his passes being long. On Saturday, lone 18.5% were agelong passes, allowing the Three Lions to support possession.

The pre-match speech was dominated by overnight headlines that Carsley would not sing the national anthem earlier kick-off, thing helium besides chose not to bash erstwhile helium played for the Republic of Ireland.

"It doesn't marque maine immoderate little committed," helium said afterwards.

Carsley, who has been appointed interim manager for astatine slightest 2 games, added: "Today was 1 of the proudest days of my career... to pb a squad retired successful Dublin."

There was overmuch to respect astir about his team's performance, though it was possibly inevitable that they would process off.

Their second-half show showed that England stay a enactment successful progress.

And the FA bosses are improbable to work excessively overmuch into a azygous lucifer arsenic they mull who England's full-time manager should be.

But it's truthful far, truthful bully for England's understated caretaker boss, and assurance is precocious arsenic attraction turns to Tuesday's location lucifer with Finland.

Now Carsley conscionable has to retrieve which mode to crook erstwhile helium walks retired of the passageway astatine Wembley.