According to John Stones, another point of similarity between Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City, and interim manager Lee Carsley of England is their approach to the game.
This summer, Carsley had taken over temporally for Gareth Southgate and had begun effectively with victories against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in the Nations League; both of these games observed an attacking playing style, which Stones found to be parallel to that of Guardiola.
“Every manager has their own way, but they have similar traits in what they want,” Stones had said before the match against the Greece squad carrying the lead in Group B2 at Wembley, where he prepared to captain his country for the first time.
He went ahead to stress how similar the approaches of both Carsley and Guardiola were when it came to their visions about the game. “Lee and Pep are very similar in terms of their views of football and the way that they want us to play. We saw that really come out with our performances last month when we achieved two wins,” Stones said.
“Stones appreciated how Carsley constructed a game plan that suits the players. “It has been fantastic for me, due to the fact that the way we play is very similar. They do loads and loads of research on us as players in terms of how we play for our clubs, which makes it easier for us to gel as a unit and move forward as a team.”
Carsley on importance of players playing where they play for their clubs
“It’s crucial when selecting a team that we have players performing in roles similar to those they play at their clubs, especially in terms of their positions and areas on the pitch. That consistency is really important,” Carsley explained.
He also emphasized the value of existing player connections. “The combinations matter too—players who already have a strong relationship on the field, like Cole and Noni. But this week, we’ve also seen that good players can adapt quickly to each other, which gives us plenty of options moving forward.”
Carsley on Leif Davis, Tyrick Mitchell England potential
We’re always keeping tabs on all players, no matter their position,” said Carsley. “I’ve watched these two closely, and Lewis Hall at Newcastle, too. It’s been our left-back challenges for both the senior team and the U21s. The more left-backs we have available, the better it will be in the longer run.
