England heading into the unknown
When the England men’s squad gathered to prepare for their forthcoming fixtures, they did so without Gareth Southgate there to greet them – for the first time in eight years. Amidst all the question marks, everyone will have their eyes set on the 2026 World Cup.
Where to even start with the questions? The English FA are yet to name a permanent successor to Southgate, with Lee Carsley at the helm as an interim manager; unless this is a de facto job interview for the 50-year-old, it makes little sense. His comments certainly indicated that the FA will continue searching, but looking for a manager now is a thankless task. The situation reeks of uncertainty.
Israel, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Scotland (!) will compete in Nations League A while the English were relegated and are now paired with Ireland, Finland, and Greece in Nations League B. A trip to Helsinki in the middle of October is hardly ideal considering their ambitions, but the next six games could be beneficial to the new coach to try different options. Well…
At least Carsley shook up things a bit. Kieran Trippier retired, but Kyle Walker was left out as well; of the EURO 2024 squad, Lewis Dunk, Joe Gomez, Ivan Toney, and Adam Wharton also missed the list. Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Aaron Ramsdale, Luke Shaw, and Ollie Watkins withdrew with injury issues. It certainly gives the squad a fresh look.
Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish return after missing the EUROs while Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), and Noni Madueke (Chelsea) earn their first call-up. Carsley has stressed the importance of controlling the game via possession, and fans of The Three Lions are eagerly waiting to see them in action.
It will be a special night for Carsley too. Born and raised in England, he chose to represent the Ireland national team in his playing days and went to the 2002 World Cup with them. Will his plane to the 2026 World Cup take off from Dublin as well and which other games to enjoy over the international break?
All times listed below are in Eastern European Summer Time (GMT+3).
Ireland – England
Saturday 19:00
For the first time since Giovanni Trapattoni left in 2013, and just the second time ever, the Irish have named a head coach from outside the British Isles. But picking Heimir Hallgrimsson, the former dentist who led Iceland to great success between 2013 and 2018? After resigning from the job at his home nation six years ago, he coached Al-Arabi in Qatar and the Jamaican national team without much success. The Irish are really rolling the dice here.
England might have played in the final of a major tournament just two months ago, but Ireland can put up a fight on their day. Of the 17 head-to-head meetings, nine have ended in a draw, with England winning six and Ireland two. The English won the last encounter in November 2020 (3-0), but were without one in the previous seven (D5 L2), a stretch of more than 40 years.
Norway – Austria
Monday 21:45
France will host Belgium in the same time slot, but we are more intrigued by Norway. They will start their Nations League campaign vs Kazakhstan (in League B – the same as England!) but will be properly tested vs Austria, one of the best teams of EURO 2024. Norway last qualified for a major tournament in 2000, but a team with Martin Odegaard and Erling Haaland surely has to click at some point in the (very near) future.
Austria will continue under Ralf Rangnick, but the coach faces a dilemma – his high-intensity style needs players to be top fit, but roughly half of the national team squad has not played enough minutes for their respective clubs. When the two teams last met in 2020, Austria left Oslo with a 2-1 win in early September. Could history repeat?
Netherlands – Germany
Tuesday 21:45
A rivalry dating back (at least) half a century, this is a meeting that neither takes easily. Against the odds, the Netherlands reached the EURO 2024 semi-finals and were close to taking England to extra-time, but building towards the future will continue for Ronald Koeman; Daley Blind, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Marten de Roon will likely not feature again for the national team while free agent Memphis Depay also missed out on a call.
Germany were quite possibly the second-best team in their own backyard this summer but will have a different look now with stalwarts Manuel Neuer, Toni Kroos, Ilkay Gündogan, and Thomas Müller all retiring from the international game. Julian Nagelsmann will look to build on the foundations laid during his first year in charge, as the German fans had reasons to be positive about their national team for maybe the first time since EURO 2016.
