Wembley dugout can be lonely, says Carsley as England spell ends

Lee Carsley won five of his six games in charge of England

Lee Carsley said the Wembley dugout can be "a lonely place when you're not winning" as he spoke of his relief at guiding England back to the Nations League's top tier.

Carsley's six-match stint as interim head coach ended with a 5-0 win over the Republic of Ireland that secured promotion to League A.

He will now make way for Thomas Tuchel, who starts work as the new England head coach on 1 January.

Carsley led the Three Lions to five wins from his six games in charge, with his sole defeat coming against Greece in October, when he picked an unconventional side loaded with attacking talent.

"I definitely felt like I have been out of my comfort zone but not beyond my capabilities," Carsley said. "I never felt at any point I was drowning or I was struggling.

"I've taken the confidence that myself and the rest of the staff will be OK. I think we have got stronger as the [international] windows have gone on.

"You are always learning a lot about yourself when you're in a position you are not used to. I think the most pleasing thing is the younger players coming through."

Carsley, who stepped up from his position as England Under-21s head coach to lead the senior side after Gareth Southgate resigned in July, handed debuts to eight players during his tenure, but was also pleased with how the more experienced players reacted to him and his coaching staff.

"We have tried change things," he added. "We have tried to adapt and move on the style, the way that we play, the control, the amount of possession we have, the amount of chances we create.

"There has been no resistance to that. If anything, they have taken that on. I think it helps that they have seen the 21s and the way that the 21s have tried to control and score goals."

'I've found it personally challenging'

Carsley said he was "still gutted about the Greece game at home", in which England were beaten 2-1.

"Even though we won five of the six, I straight away go back to that game we should have won at Wembley," he added.

"It's definitely a lonely place in that dugout when you're not winning at Wembley. We’ll keep improving and keeping pushing the players and ourselves."

There have been many positives to Carsley's time in charge.

The automatic promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League means Tuchel will not have to start with a Nations League play-off - and that he can go straight to focusing on the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

As well as handing out eight debuts over three camps, Carsley fielded seven of the starting line-up who lifted the European Under-21 Championship trophy under him in July 2023.

"It'd be fair to say there's a bit of relief," he said, about achieving promotion.

"I've found it personally challenging and I know the staff have. It's good that we've finished the campaign with such a strong performance.

"I spoke to the players at half-time at 0-0 and I was really happy with the way the crowd responded to the players as they went off the pitch.

"You could tell they could feel the energy from the team, the intent we had played with and the aggression, especially when we lost the ball.

"I said, 'We're going to score. I've got total belief that you are going to score, so just keep going'. It was pleasing to get five goals."