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Lee Carsley says every England player will have to “earn their place in the team” as he indicated no one would be a certain starter. The interim manager also says Cole Palmer can get even “better” due to how much scope he has to improve.
England’s abundance of talent has seen clamours rise behind a number of players to be central to the team, from Phil Foden through to Jude Bellingham and now Palmer. He is considering Bellingham at false nine for the match against Greece.
While Carsley again stated that he has a “a plan in place” that can include all three talents, he evaded the question when asked whether Bellingham would always play if fit.
“I think everyone’s got to earn their place in the team,” the stand-in England manager said before the Nations League match at home to Greece. “It definitely helps when you’re stood in front of players when they realise they all have a shot, that they’re all at the starting line with the same opportunity. Form definitely helps. Having been lucky enough to play international football I realised at times when I was out of the team that it generally coincided with me not playing very well at Everton or wherever I was at the time.
“You sort of get diluted as a head coach or manager if you’re picking players who are out of form or aren’t playing well based on what they’ve done in the past. When you go into a tournament that’s maybe a little bit different because you have to get a blend of players that can cohabit with each other for potentially five to six weeks. You know, understanding what your role is in that squad – that you may not be a starter but you’re going to be important. It’s always that balance. The ideal world is you pick players that are on form but sometimes players out of form, maybe their role in that squad changes.”
It is of course Palmer that has been the focus of most excitement given his form for Chelsea, that has seen him score or assist 44 goals since the start of 2023-24 – more than anyone else in the Premier League. The figures have jumped in the last few weeks, especially with that four-goal haul against Brighton. Carsley said he had no concern with any of this going to the forward’s head or distracting him.
“He’s a player that whatever you throw at Cole he deals with. But that shouldn’t give us the right to keep putting pressure on him and hyping him up. Ultimately, he’s still a young player, he’s still got a lot of improving to do, even though he’s at an incredible limit at the moment, I still think he can get better. With all of the young players we have to make sure we look after them, make sure we’re mindful of what they are going through. Not only on the pitch but the challenges they have off the pitch as well. A lot of these situations they’re in are life changing, not only for themselves but for their families. Supporting them is a big thing. But I’ve definitely got no worries about Cole.”
This week saw Palmer named as England’s men’s player of the year, something that was quite an irony given that he didn’t start a competitive game. He did of course score in the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, illustrating his impact.
“I can’t really talk about from a seniors point of view what’s really gone on with Cole but I’ve seen the impact he has had when he’s been given the opportunity,” Carsley said. “He had a similar role for us in the Euros a couple of years ago where he built into the tournament and then obviously started in the final. I think Cole’s in a brilliant position at the minute in terms of he has really found his feet at Chelsea, he’s highly-rated, he’s getting minutes, he’s showing that he can handle the intensity of playing game after game.
“So that’s been a real plus for him and we’re getting the benefit of that because when you talk about players who are in form the fact that he’s getting so much exposure and his numbers in terms of goals and assists is brilliant for us. So hopefully we’ll get the benefit of that.”