Trent Alexander-Arnold’s new role, no more handbrake: How England are moving on from Gareth Southgate

Lee Carsley’s England era has got off to a winning start with a 100 per cent record from the international break and Uefa Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

While Gareth Southgate was lauded for his record with England in reaching two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final, he was often criticised for a conservative approach.

The new era may be only two games old and the opposition may have been kind, but there are positive trends in how Carsley’s approach differs from his predecessor’s.

Handbrake off

It has now been labelled ‘Cazball’ - a fresh attacking brand of football with the emphasis on players expressing themselves. Southgate was accused by some of being conservative and failing to get the best from England’s attacking players, while Carsley has brought different attacking patterns.

“We also scored hundreds of goals under Gareth like that,” said Declan Rice, after scoring the first goal of Carsley’s reign and assisting the second for Jack Grealish. “I think it gets overlooked that we scored amazing goals under Gareth.”

But there have been new coaching methods, ideas and set-pieces from the new manager too.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s new role

Carsley was asked in his first squad announcement where he saw Alexander-Arnold’s role. He had listed him among his defenders and that was his intention: to play at right-back. It was a major shift from the Euros when the Liverpool player was given the No8 shirt and started the tournament in central midfield.

He can still shift inside from full-back and have a huge impact on the game, as he did against Ireland and Finland with his assists, showing a passing range around all angles of the pitch with both feet. He went home from Wembley on Tuesday evening clutching the man-of-the- match trophy.

Kane firing again

The manager for the next World Cup will have the task of getting the best out of Harry Kane, who will have played for almost two years non-stop, with Bayern Munich entered in the Club World Cup next summer. The new format means the tournament lasts a month and runs into the usual pre-season schedule. It was a good start for Kane under Carsley with his two goals against Finland in his 100th game for England.

“From a personal point of view, I always try to adapt and learn from different occasions and tournaments and am always learning from my body to get myself in the best shape possible. But ultimately it’s something that players have to get used to [the extra workload] and I have had to get used to that over the years playing in the major tournaments, so I always try to get myself in the best possible shape for the summers,” said Kane.

New era, big decisions

Carsley insisted he would put his own stamp on the squad and he did just that. There was an emphasis on youth and an important change in personnel. Adam Wharton did not get a minute on the pitch at the Euros and he was replaced by Angel Gomes, who played in both Nations League games and started against Finland. Gomes was good on the ball, keeping possession and allowing England to control the midfield. Carsley believes teams need players like Gomes to win a major tournament.

Rico Lewis had an excellent game against Finland, moving into central positions as much as Alexander-Arnold as an “inverted” full-back. Alexander-Arnold got the headlines with his assist but this was hugely promising from Lewis.

Grealish in from the cold

The Manchester City winger endured a couple of months to forget at the end of last season. An unused sub in the FA Cup final when City needed a goal, then axed from the England squad for the Euros. But he looked like he was enjoying his football again when he started against Ireland, then backed it up with a solid performance against Finland.

Grealish is a big character around the squad, which was missing from the Euro contingent under Southgate in the summer. On the pitch, he draws fouls and is often unselfish despite dribbling being his game. Carsley should have Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden back for the next international break, which will add to the options at No10.