Punkish Carsley gets ballsy calls right – is it too late to ring Thomas for a chat? | Barney Ronay

Young England team swagger past Greece under interim manager to make you feel it’s a shame he isn’t getting the job full-time

The moment of the night in Athens came on 82 minutes, with England’s young team romping about the place like cosseted schoolboys, all jinky little twirls and prim one-touch keep-ball. On the right wing Morgan Gibbs-White, once of Lee Carsley’s under-21s, flicked the ball inside towards the white shirts in the centre. The closest of them was Curtis Jones, also once of Lee Carsley’s under-21s, who did something entirely in keeping with his almost laughably unhurried performance all night, letting the ball run past him, then producing a perfectly pinged instep drag-flick into the far corner.

It made the score 3-0, the final significant act of England’s penultimate outing under an interim manager who has, it turns out, something of the avenger about him, the quiet revolutionary, a Martin Luther in overly tight lycra tracksuit bottoms.

Topics

Latest in World

A Croatian corruption investigation snares a top official and several others
World - ABC News - 8 minutes ago
Iran Told U.S. It Wasn't Trying to Kill Trump
World - The Wall Street Journal - 15 minutes ago
Euphoria: what can we expect from more of TV’s most talked-about show?
World - The Guardian - 20 minutes ago
Sri Lanka's new Marxist-leaning president wins over a two-thirds majority in parliamentary election
World - ABC News - 24 minutes ago
Kidnappers took his staff, then his son. But this Haiti doctor is refusing to flee
World - The Guardian - 25 minutes ago

Punkish Carsley gets ballsy calls right – is it too late to ring Thomas for a chat? | Barney Ronay

Topics

Related

Ennui is The Thing: welcome to the death-football of late-stage capitalism | Barney Ronay

Disguised in Mail’s froth about Thomas Tuchel is an issue worth worrying about | Barney Ronay

Martin Ødegaard’s return brings clarity in the chaos but cause for regret too | Barney Ronay

Amorim is the right choice at last: now Manchester United must make it work | Barney Ronay

Why Thomas Tuchel Was the Right Choice for England. And the Wrong One, Too.

Wretched, haunted but human: David Coote was made by modern football | Barney Ronay

Ten Hag saga is a major black eye for Ineos at a time when United’s brand is dying | Barney Ronay

Arsenal have lost their fluency and Ødegaard’s return won’t solve it all | Barney Ronay

A$AP Rocky’s Tranmere link raises eyebrows but football and rap fit perfectly | Barney Ronay

More from The Guardian

RFK Jr condemned as ‘clear and present danger’ after Trump nomination

Israeli strikes intensify on three fronts as Lebanon talks reach critical stage

Pakistan military has no intention of cutting deal with jailed former prime minister Imran Khan – sources

Cop summits ‘no longer fit for purpose’, say leading climate policy experts

Gladiator knife handle found in Tyne ‘reflects spread of Roman celebrity culture’

Latest in World

A Croatian corruption investigation snares a top official and several others

Iran Told U.S. It Wasn't Trying to Kill Trump

Euphoria: what can we expect from more of TV’s most talked-about show?

Sri Lanka's new Marxist-leaning president wins over a two-thirds majority in parliamentary election

Kidnappers took his staff, then his son. But this Haiti doctor is refusing to flee