Lee Carsley has a 100 per cent record as England’s interim manager – but that doesn’t mean he had fun.
The former Everton midfielder masterminded a comfortable 2-0 win for the Three Lions over the Republic of Ireland in their UEFA Nations League opener.
After plenty of noise before, and during the match, it was Declan Rice and Jack Grealish who got the all-important goals.
The midfielders impressed in an opening half where England showcased there is life after Gareth Southgate – and it might just involve some attacking football.
Three Lions fans in Dublin were delighted, but Carsley himself wasn’t quite so excited, despite the victory in his first audition for the full-time role.
“I definitely didn’t enjoy it,” he surprisingly said, speaking to talkSPORT’s Faye Carruthers.
“I think you tend not to enjoy these games. You just want the players to do well. You want to see on the pitch some of the things that we’ve seen in training, which we were lucky to do that.
“We said before the game, when I spoke yesterday, that we’ve had four sessions with the players. I thought they’ve done really well today.
“Coming off the back of a real downtime in the summer and losing to Spain, the way that they’ve responded now, they should be proud of themselves.”
Rice and Grealish were, of course, the highlights, as well as the electric Anthony Gordon.
And Carsley happily handed them their flowers on a tough afternoon with plenty of hostility thrown their way by the home support.
He added: “I think the most pleasing thing about that was the way that they took their goals, really accomplished finishes, Jack and Dec.
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“It’s something that they can still do a lot more in their game. I think if they can add goals to their game as well, it pushes them on to another level.
“I thought they both performed really well today. I thought they were outstanding.”
In the absence of the injured Jude Bellingham, Grealish started as England’s No.10, a rare role for the Three Lions, and one he doesn’t see so much of at Man City either.
But Carsley, nonetheless, didn’t see it as a big deal.
He continued: “He’s an outstanding player. He’s a proven player at a high level. I thought that this game would be perfect for him.
“I think it’s a position that he can play. I think the way that we played as well, he was playing as a 10 but he had that freedom to come into them wide areas and try and create an overload in them areas. He’s done that really well. He’s a very intelligent player. It’s just great that he’s got a goal as well.”
Carsley also came under-fire in some quarters for not singing the national anthem pre-game.
However, he insisted his decision is not one off the cuff but something he’s always done to retain his focus.
“I was thinking about it earlier. I made my Republic of Ireland debut in 1997. Every international match I’ve played in or been to I’ve never sung either national anthem based on me focusing on performance,” Carsley said.
“Today would be one of the proudest days of my career. I’m so proud to stand there and lead the team. Whether I’m singing or not, the passion is there. I want to win.
“I want the players to do so well. Everyone’s got their right to an opinion and I fully respect that.”
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