Lee Carsley simply doesn’t sound like an England manager

AFTER three months of uncertainty, it is now absolutely as clear as mud.

Does Lee Carsley want to be England’s permanent manager or not?

And why is he so reluctant to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to such a simple question?

Following a team selection which brought a welcome return to common sense — and an England victory which restored a certain amount of pride — came another chaotic round of post-match interviews in which Carsley contradicted himself several times.

And given that communication is such an important part of the England job, it does not help his cause when you feel as if you are disappearing down a rabbit hole every time you speak to Carsley.

He is a likeable man and a gifted coach — but he simply doesn’t sound like an England manager.

There simply isn’t enough authority or clarity about him.

At the age of 50, Carsley has never been the full-time manager of any senior football team and it shows.

That is irrespective of the tactical car crash of Thursday’s 2-1 home defeat by Greece.

After goals from Jack Grealish, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Declan Rice had comfortably defeated a limited Finland side, came another round of riddles and muddle.

First, the Three Lions’ interim boss told ITV the England job “deserves a world-class manager who has won trophies” and admitted that he was “still on the path to that”.

This sounded like confirmation of stories Carsley does not want the job.

Given that there are literally no English world-class trophy-winning managers, did this mean Carsley was preparing us for the imminent arrival of Thomas Tuchel?

Apparently that isn’t the case either.

When asked if this comment meant he was ruling himself out of the running, he said that was not the case.

Asked why he won’t give a straight answer, Carsley said he had talked himself out of jobs when he had been a caretaker boss at clubs and didn’t want to make the same mistake again.

So if he does want the job, why not say that?

Curiouser and curiouser.

The FA’s decision to appoint Carsley for all six Nations League fixtures —  over three separate international breaks — always felt like an unnecessary stretch.

This is a long period of uncertainty to go through before the really serious business of World Cup qualification begins next year.

Surely the FA would be better off making their long-term decision before next month’s matches against Greece in Athens and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley?

Still, there have been some genuine positives from Carsley’s reign — all three of yesterday’s goalscorers in Helsinki having benefited from his management.

The hugely-popular Grealish, who became a father for the first time last week, was a shock omission from Southgate’s Euros squad but has netted twice in three starts under Carsley.

Alexander-Arnold has started all four matches under the current regime — this one as a makeshift left-back — and he conjured a gorgeous curling free-kick for the killer second goal here.

Rice, meanwhile, has enjoyed playing in his preferred No 8 role rather than the holding job he usually performed under Southgate.

Except, of course, for Thursday’s debacle against the Greeks, when the Arsenal man was horribly exposed by a gung-ho team selection.

This was England’s first journey to Helsinki’s historic Olympic Stadium since 2000 — and that also came on the back of a Wembley shambles.

Kevin Keegan had just quit in the toilets of the old national stadium with Howard Wilkinson taking charge of a goalless World Cup qualifying draw here in the Finnish capital.

After Thursday’s fiasco, Carsley selected a much more conventional team with Harry Kane fit enough to start up front after an ankle injury.

The interim manager’s decision to drop Jordan Pickford — something Southgate barely did — made sense too after an extremely jittery display against Greece, with Dean Henderson handed a first England start.

Angel Gomes, one of Carsley’s Under-21 European champions, was polished again on his second full international start. And after turning two defenders, the little Lille anchor man provided a gorgeous outside-of-the-boot assist for Grealish to slot home the early opener.

It was only the Manchester City man’s fourth goal from 39 caps but his second under Carsley.

England were sloppy before and after half-time, Finland centre-forward Fredrik Jensen firing over from close range either side of the interval.

Alexander-Arnold and Rice both forced saves from Lukas Hradecky but England were hardly tearing it up. Midway through the second half, Carsley freshened it up by sending on Ollie Watkins for Kane and Noni Madueke for the largely anonymous Cole Palmer.

After England won a free-kick on the left, just over 26 yards out, Alexander-Arnold sized it up and curled his effort deftly into the postage stamp, Hradecky doing well even to get a hand to the ball.

Soon, Ollie Watkins darted down the left and centred low to the near post where Rice tapped in. Arttu Hoskinen then headed home a consolation from a corner, denying Henderson his clean sheet.

That mattered little, though.

Carsley’s team had played with common sense and clarity.

As for the interim manager’s post-match comments, that is an entirely different story.