Before leaving his position in the England team to return to the U21 team, Lee Carsley said his goal was to help the "Three Lions" get promoted to the Nations League. Another more important task that Carlsey has also promised to complete is to expand the source of young players being promoted to the team so that successor Thomas Tuchel has more options.
Under Carsley, a series of young stars have been introduced such as Tino Livramento or Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who would never have had a chance if Gareth Southgate were still in charge. In theory, this is very positive for Tuchel, but it is uncertain whether the German coach will use all the personnel left by Carsley.
Tuchel's mission is very clear from the FA, which is to win the 2026 World Cup. The 51-year-old's contract with the FA is also valid until the end of the tournament. Therefore, Tuchel does not have enough time to train young players. What he needs is an experienced squad that can always be ready to fight in the most severe confrontations.
Unlike the club environment, the national team has much less time to focus on playing. After taking office, Tuchel only had a few friendly matches in March 2025. If England are in a group of 4 teams in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe, they will not gather from March 2025 until next fall.
Looking at this competition schedule, it can be seen that after the concentrated period in the fall of 2025, Tuchel only has about 9 months to really prepare for the 2026 World Cup. Therefore, he does not have time to experiment with young stars. Not to mention holding a national team for the first time, the national team football environment is too unfamiliar to Tuchel. Having time to experiment and adapt is a luxury.
A few days ago, captain Harry Kane criticized many teammates for proactively withdrawing from the national team during the FIFA Days in November. Kane used to work with Tuchel at Bayern Munich, so the two teachers and students understand each other very well. The "Gray Tigers" striker is considered Tuchel's spokesperson on the training ground and the field. Therefore, when the German strategist takes up the task, the pillars will find it difficult to avoid being called up to the national team like the last 2 gatherings.
This means that the young squad that Lee Carsley has built over the past 3 months will most likely disappear completely when Tuchel takes over the team from January 2025. Tuchel really appreciates what Carsley is doing to help the "Three Lions" compete in the Nations League. However, there will be no transfer of philosophy, tactics or personnel between these two. Tuchel will renew everything and fans are eagerly waiting to see what the former Chelsea captain will do.
