Lee Carsley has plenty to smile about following England’s victory in his first game in charge (Picture: Getty Images)
England used to have trouble getting out of first gear and hitting top speed under Gareth Southgate’s pedestrian style of play.
But they were soon cruising along in top gear with Lee Carsley behind the wheel in his first match as Three Lions manager against the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
They were motoring along with the windows down, singing along to their favourite tunes and taking supporters on an enjoyable ride as their creative and fluid play ripped apart the hosts.
It couldn’t have gone any better as Declan Rice and Jack Grealish put England in the driving seat with a couple of well-taken early goals.
But just as it looked like Southgate’s conservative approach was being left in the rear-view mirror, England hit a bump in the road and there was a bit of trouble under the bonnet.
They allowed Ireland back into the match after the break and Carsley could have make changes sooner than he did as his side were invigorated with Jarrod Bowen, in particular, threatening to extend the lead after leaving the bench.
Hopefully, that’s a lesson taken on board by Carsley, who gets a solid A- for his side’s first-half effort but just a C+ for the second 45 minutes of his interim spell in charge.
Declan Rice and Jack Grealish gave England a flying start against the Republic of Ireland (Picture: Getty Images)
If he can build on this first runout when Finland visit Wembley on Tuesday for another Nations League match then Carsley has a real crack at winning the job on a permanent basis but Eddie Howe’s public dig at the Newcastle board for not backing him fully in the transfer market opens the door to him being available for consideration.
The former Bournemouth manager wanted to sign top-quality centre-half Marc Guehi to strengthen his defence but the Magpies refused to meet Crystal Palace’s valuation, leaving Howe extremely frustrated.
The job is still Carsley’s to lose and Betfred have eased the former Everton and Derby midfielder in from a best price of 2/1 before Saturday’s success to 7/4 while Howe is 5/1 with Ladbrokes and Coral.
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Finland failed to qualify for Euro 2024 and were beaten 3-0 by Greece in Athens on Saturday so England should overcome them by a similar margin.
They are 13/20 with the latter betting outlets to lead HT/FT while 33/20 with BetUK to triumph by more than two goals appeals with Carsley unlikely to pump the brakes.
• Aryna Sabalenka, our ante-post selection, won an epic US Open final against Jessica Pegula to become the Queen of Queens and she can continue her reign at the Australian Open in January by keeping hold of her crown for a third straight year at 5/2 with Betway, BoyleSports, Betfred and bet365.
• San Francisco could have a Super Bowl hangover when they begin their new NFL campaign against the New York Jets in their Monday Night Football match in the Bay Area.
The 49ers have their fourth defensive coordinator in five years at the helm, star player Christian McCaffery may not be fully fit and the Super Bowl loser has only triumphed six times against the points in week one outings over the last 20 games.
Take the Jets and quarterback Aaron Rodgers +5.5 points with Ladbrokes and Coral. New York running back Breece Hall is 8/1 with Sky Bet to score the first touchdown and 6/5 with the same firm to celebrate in the end zone at any time.
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