THE CAR’S THE STAR

Highly-rated Lee’s not short of backers as FAI bid to get the Ireland team motoring again

LEE CARSLEY is widely regarded as one of the sharpest coaching minds in professional football.

You don’t land jobs as England U21 manager and Manchester City U18 boss without having something very specific in your arsenal.

But it’s not just an acute understanding of high-level tactics and football’s ever evolving patterns of play that

Carsley will bring to the table, if appointed by the FAI.

He’s much more than just a clipboard coach who excels out on the grass – one look at the calibre of player that has gone through his hands will tell you that.

Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Anthony Gordon, Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Emile Smith-rowe and Levi Colwill have all been under Carsley who led England to European U21 Championship glory last summer.

He has done a fine job managing all of those big personalities, a point that Colwill addressed after England beat Spain in the Euros final.

The Chelsea defender (inset top) paid tribute to him for putting the team ahead of individuals, creating an environment for players to thrive on the international stage.

After beating Spain in the final, Colwill said: “I love playing under him. I’m so thankful to him.

“We’ve felt like a family during this whole time we’ve been together. We were so close and it shows. I feel like this team we had was more than just individuals.

“What I said about the family, it came from him. It started from the top.”

Carsley’s assistant coach at England is Ashley Cole (inset bottom), the former Chelsea, Arsenal and England defender.

And he echoed Colwill’s comments about the environment that Carsley looks to create within his teams.

Also speaking after those finals last summer, Cole said: “I feel the England U21s truly, truly love coming here now. I think that is testament to what Lee has done here.”

Cole, capped 107 times for England, continued: “He showed me that it’s not only about the tactics but also the environment. This is international football. We get to see them maybe three times a year and you have got to make that time count.

“We have created a real family buzz and family environment and that is quite hard to do in international football but we knew that to win that is what we’d need.”

When it comes to coaching players, Carsley seems to be open minded and, according to Cole, will hand responsibility to his staff.

In an interview with the Athletic last July, Cole added: “Cars really gave me the licence to come up with certain game plans and style of play. He has trusted me to do whatever I feel works for the team. I owe him a lot.”

But when the going gets tough, Carsley can also dig in and grind out the results that are needed.

That much was clear to Ireland international Alan Judge when Carsley was Brentford’s interim first-team manager in 2015 before stepping away.

Carsley won five of his 10 games in charge and even collected a manager of the month award for his efforts.

Judge said: “You could have a laugh and a joke with Lee but, when you had to cut that out, he could be serious. He works well on both sides.”