On the evening of his 100th cap, Kane rightfully grabbed center stage, scoring twice in a merciless show of finishing to give England the Uefa Nations League victory over a resolute Finland and make it two wins from two for Carsley.
As Kane continued his flawless start to the season in charge, the low-key Carsley—clad in his signature England tracksuit and acknowledging that he still feels uneasy with his newfound prominence—saw his contribution as valuable as the striker’s shoes.
Even though six points from six is the return Carsley would have loved to have had when he took over for Southgate in the early going of the post-Southgate period, context must be used in this instance as Carsley has never overreached in his career.
He has faced opposition that has ranged from dreadfully bad—against the Republic of Ireland—to very limited—in the form of Finland. It took England 57 minutes to convert a massive possession advantage into Kane’s thunderous opening goal, which he added to 14 minutes later.
Carsley’s cause—we have to presume that he wants to manage England going forward, even though he officially denies even hinting at this desire—would have been done.
