Lee Carsley admitted he was relieved to end his reign as England interim boss with the stylish 5-0 rout of Ireland that sealed Nations League promotion ahead of Thomas Tuchel’s arrival.
Shrugging off a lacklustre first half performance, England ran riot after the break at Wembley on Sunday to secure the victory they needed to return to League A.
Three goals in the space of five minutes and 36 seconds did the damage in Carsley’s last game before Tuchel takes over on an 18-month contract from January 1.
Harry Kane opened the floodgates with a penalty conceded by Ireland defender Liam Scales, who was sent off for a second booking.
Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Jarrod Bowen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis all netted for the first time in an England shirt to ensure first place in Group B2 after five wins from six matches under Carsley.
“It’d be fair to say there’s a bit of relief,” Carsley said. “If we’d have spoken at the start of the campaign we’d probably have said you’re expected to get promotion but it’s difficult.
“No team has rolled over for us and let us just carry on. 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.
“We spoke about not only gaining promotion from the Nations League but to potentially increase the pool of players Thomas has got to choose from.
“The challenge now for the players that have been involved for the last three camps is to be in and around the next squad.”
A giant ‘thank you’ to Carsley was displayed on the Wembley screens at full-time, when Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham praised his work since replacing Gareth Southgate following the Euro 2024 final loss to Spain.
“He has selected some exciting new players and will be providing Thomas Tuchel and Anthony Barry with a very detailed handover,” Bullingham said.
“The players have really enjoyed working with Lee and his team. They have made a real impact in their interim roles.”
– ‘Exciting times’ –
Carsley plans to meet former Bayern Munich and Chelsea boss Tuchel to present him with information about the squad ahead of next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
“I’m trying to put together, with the rest of the staff, a debrief on all three camps,” he said.
“I will put together a document, then hopefully meet him and present what we think and what we’ve found. I’m looking forward to meeting him now in the next few weeks.”
Carsley hands over the reins with England in good shape after he gave debuts to eight emerging youngsters to showcase the strength in depth available to Tuchel.
“It’s a job that deserves an elite coach with a track record of winning and Thomas has got that. Exciting times ahead,” he said.
After the disappointment of losing a second successive European Championship final under Southgate, England will begin the Tuchel era focused on winning the World Cup for the first time since 1966.
Tuchel has enjoyed success throughout a managerial career that includes Champions League glory with Chelsea and Harry Kane, who played under the German at Bayern, is looking forward to renewing their relationship.
“Thomas has a lot of players to choose from. A lot of young players that have come in and done well and some more experienced players that are injured and will be looking to come back so there’s a good balance,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson was furious with his team’s capitulation.
“It was six minutes of madness. I just felt we lost our heads at that moment. After that, there was no way back,” said Hallgrimsson, whose side face a Nations League relegation play-off.
“We kind of just gave up. Easy to stand outside and criticise the players but it was a crazy moment that killed everything. I’m kind of lost for words.”
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