Lee Carsley says he is looking forward to returning to England’s Under-21s after a miserable 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley Stadium on Thursday.
The interim boss had enjoyed a fruitful start to life as Gareth Southgate’s successor, recording wins over Finland and the Republic of Ireland in September before returning to the camp for a long night against Greece.
Vangelis Pavlidis opened the scoring in the 49th minute after having an earlier effort ruled out and the Benfica forward later struck a second in the final moments of the game to secure his side’s victory after a late Jude Bellingham equaliser handed England a lifeline.
Speaking after the defeat, Carsley remained convinced his efforts on the senior stage would not impact his position at youth level, admitting he was ‘hopeful’ on a return to his previous role.
“My remit has been clear from the start,” he told reporters. “I am doing three camps, there are three games left and then, hopefully, I will be going back to the Under-21s.
“It [the loss] has no impact [on my future]. I said at the start I would not rule myself in or out and that is still the case. I am more than comfortable in my position where I am. The remit was clear. I am comfortable and confident with that.
“After the first camp I definitely didn’t get too excited or believe too much. I know this job is one of the best jobs in the world because you actually have a chance of winning in terms of a major competition and that is still the case.”
Carsley was asked to explain his decision behind changing England’s tactics, opting to play Bellingham and Phil Foden together as false nines.
“We tried something different with the formation and the areas of the pitch we tried to get into,” he continued. “We never really gave ourselves a chance to see if it was the right decision or wrong [one]. Looking at the result and the way the game panned out, it was a challenging night for us.
“With the players that we’ve got, we’ve got to be courageous at times with our systems and be creative. I could have quite easily gone with a recognised number nine, we had two on the bench, but I thought it was important to try something different.
“I’ve never thought at any point I’ve got it cracked. It was a case of let’s try something different. I’m happy to take blame for it. It was totally my idea.”
England will return to action on Sunday when they face Finland to end their October international fixtures.
