After Thursday’s tactical disaster that resulted in a loss to Greece at Wembley, Carsley’s team just needed to leave Helsinki with a victory, which they did, albeit not very convincingly.
Before the bewildering dance over whether he wants the job or whether the Football Association truly wants him to do it must finish, England’s interim manager has two more games left: a difficult trip to Athens to play Greece and a match against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley in November.
With time running out and the FA still not having formal talks with any other possible candidates to replace Gareth Southgate permanently, Carsley’s outspoken refusal to express any intention to commit for more than two games has caused doubt.
Eventually, someone—either the interim manager or, more importantly, the FA—must provide clarity to this murky scenario because England’s two performances against Greece and Finland have not supported Carsley’s claims, should he even want the position.
It must be assumed that the FA is aware of Carsley’s motivations. If this were not the case, it would almost be a dereliction of duty, but there is not much time left to organize ideas on what is maybe the most important decision the organization must make.
