NEW England interim boss Lee Carsley is preparing for his first games in charge this month.
The Three Lions are ready for a fresh start after losing the Euro 2024 final under Gareth Southgate.
And fans will be hoping Carsley can implement the same attacking style that made his U21s side European champions.
They are already excited following his first squad announcement.
But are there going to be some new faces in England’s starting XI? And will some familiar names get a chance to shine in their natural positions?
Here, SunSport’s TOM BARCLAY gives the rundown on what changes fans could see as Carsley prepares for the Nations League clashes with the Republic of Ireland and Finland...
NEW PLAYERS
STAND-IN Carsley quickly turned to the youngsters who helped bring him success at last summer’s Under-21 Euros when naming his first squad.
Angel Gomes was the standout name, given many fans over here had probably forgotten about the 24-year-old after he left Manchester United on a free for Lille four years ago.
But Gomes was instrumental in Georgia, lining up alongside the excellent Curtis Jones, who surely would have been in Carsley’s contingent were he fit.
Noni Madueke started that Under-21 Euros tournament ahead of close pal Cole Palmer and has been given his first call-up, too.
Morgan Gibbs-White was a stalwart for Carsley throughout his Under-21s tenure.
And, without Jude Bellingham, do not be surprised to see the Nottingham Forest man get minutes.
Carsley trusts him implicitly and values the track record of winning major tournaments that Gibbs-White has — having also won the Under-17 World Cup, alongside best mate Phil Foden, to whose kids he is godfather.
While Tino Livramento had a handful of games for the Under-21s under Carsley, who appreciates his attacking abilities from full-back.
NEW PHILOSOPHY
IF last summer’s Under-21 Euros triumph is anything to go by, Carsley is expected to stick with a 4-2-3-1 formation.
But that is where the similarities to Gareth Southgate’s tactical approach will likely end.
The inclusion of Gomes, even if he does not start, sums up how Carsley favours ball-manipulators who are comfortable in possession.
Far more emphasis will be placed on dominating the ball and taking the game to the opposition.
That will be music to the ears of fans who had grown tired of Southgate’s more cautious instincts — even if they did get us to back-to-back Euros finals.
It will hopefully help unlock England’s wealth of attacking options, though Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden are not available to play.
Carsley showed he could think outside the box with the Under-21s, too.
He used Anthony Gordon as a makeshift striker to great effect — the Toon star won Player of the Tournament — plus right-back Max Aarons on the left and Palmer at times in deeper central midfield.
But just because the focus will be on our attacking threats rather than stopping the opponents’, that does not mean the floodgates are likely to open at the back.
England won the Under-21 Euros without conceding a single goal.
And for those who may dismiss that success as a case of England having the best players, they need only look at the fact that in five of the six previous tournaments, our Young Lions had gone home at the group stage with their tails between their legs.
NEW TRENT
CAN Carsley be the man to solve the Trent Alexander-Arnold conundrum?
Well, first off, he is down as a defender in the interim manager’s first England squad, which is a positive sign.
Southgate rated the attacking abilities of Alexander-Arnold but not his defensive ones, so saw him as a midfielder.
As we witnessed at the start of the Euros, that experiment did not work.
With Kyle Walker and Reece James out of the squad because of a lack of games and Kieran Trippier retired from international football, now is the perfect chance for TAA to shine in his natural position.
And in Carsley’s new-look possession-hungry side, it could turn out as a match made in heaven.