Ahead of the (highly unnecessary) first international break of the season, we see two England games under new interim manager Lee Carsley, which are pretty meaningless on the face of it but could aid the chances of three current Manchester City players in looking to claim a place in Pep Guardiola’s strongest XI.
With Kyle Walker omitted from the squad and Phil Foden withdrawing due to illness, John Stones, Rico Lewis and Jack Grealish are the only City players in the squad, with the latter two recalled after missing out on the European Championships this previous summer.
Stones was one of the Three Lions’ most important players at the Euros, but has started this season primarily on the substitutes bench for City, with just the one cameo off the bench against Ipswich Town. The 30 year old failed to impress playing in defensive midfield against the Tractor Boys, as he looked slightly off the pace and unfamiliar with his role and positioning. He is however yet to play in his best position of centre back this season, with Pep Guardiola preferring a partnership of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji that hasn’t yet let him down.
This international break could therefore be the perfect opportunity for Stones to remind the world what he has to offer as a centre back and subsequently break back into the City side. Having always performed under previous England manager Gareth Southgate, he is an option that Carsley must seriously consider building the team around, especially considering his preference for attacking possession based football running parallel to Stones’s comfort and experience playing in such a system.
Can Stones Impress Carsley?
Grealish will also look to benefit from the system as another player who is both an experienced winner and a brilliant technical footballer who is used to playing possession based football. With Foden, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham all out of this squad due to illness and injury, it gives a chance for the likes of Grealish to impress and claim a starting spot on the left wing.
At club level, the 28 year old is often used as a calm head who helps City control the game high up the pitch by drawing players towards him and making safe passes to counteract the direct threat provided by Foden and Kevin de Bruyne. For England, with Foden, Palmer, Bellingham and Bukayo Saka at their disposal, City’s number ten would be a useful figure to start on the left hand side to allow two or more of the above listed to play in the same lineup with the handbrake off.
He has been behind the more direct threat of Jeremy Doku in the pecking order so far this season, but Grealish played well against West Ham United last week and will hope a good international break will set him up to keep his place in the City side.
Grealish Aims to Shine on the Left Wing
Lewis, meanwhile, has excelled in every game he’s featured in so far this season. As the only player to play every minute of pre-season, he was trusted from the off with Walker, Stones and Nathan Ake coming back late from the European Championships. And the 19 year old has not put a foot wrong, as he’s been one of City’s best players in all three of their matches so far this season.
Lewis impressed under Carsley in the England Under 21’s, and is a useful player to have in any squad due to his versatility of playing at either full back on both sides or anywhere in midfield, from sitting in front of the back four to operating just behind the striker. His best attribute is his technical ability in tight spaces, so perhaps he’d be most suited to playing as a number eight alongside Bellingham and Declan Rice in central midfield, a position he has played in before for City alongside Foden and Rodri. However, it’d appear that he’s taken the place in the squad belonging to City teammate Kyle Walker, who is yet to properly feature this season having played just five minutes against West Ham when the game was already sealed, suggesting he will predominantly play at right back. With Trent Alexander-Arnold also in the squad and rumoured to be starting against the Republic of Ireland as a right back, it suggests that Carsley will be operating with technicians at full back, which will suit Lewis to aplomb.
Lewis: A Versatile Threat for England
He’s proven already this season that he’s good enough to play regularly on the big stage, and after receiving man of the match in his one previous England cap, he’ll be looking to carry on his momentum in the England set up and further solidify his current starting position for City. Whilst it has been a brilliant start to the season for Lewis compared to a fairly slow start for both Stones and Grealish, all three players still have something to prove, which they’ll be hoping to achieve on a country wide basis with good performances against Ireland and Finland.
A Crucial International Break for City's Trio
With Lee Carsley managing England on an interim basis for the time being, the likes of Phil Foden, Kyle Walker, John Stones and Jack Grealish will be eager to impress him. While only time will tell whether Carsley will manage the Three Lions permanently, in case he does land the job on a full-time basis, it will be important for the Manchester City quartet to be in his good books. Lee Carsley praised Grealish after England beat the Republic of Ireland 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday — as he seems to have already impressed the 50-year-old. Kyle Walker honestly admitted that Lee Carsley’s decision to leave him out of the Three Lions squad for their games against Ireland and Finland was justified — considering he is yet to play a single minute for City this season. It seems like Walker will have to earn Carsley’s trust ahead of the next international break in October.
Pep Guardiola claimed Phil Foden will return to the side soon after the international break comes to an end. However, Foden will also have to impress the former England Under-21 manager to cement his place in the side as his nation’s go-to attacking midfielder. The Englishman has plenty of competition for a starting berth — with Grealish, Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Morgan Gibbs-White all capable of playing in the number 10 role at a high standard.
John Stones will also be hoping to remain a starter under Lee Carsley. But the £47 million man will be aware that unlike under Gareth Southgate, he will not virtually be guaranteed a starting spot under Carsley. Especially if the former Brentford boss is handed the England job on a full-time basis, every player he picks will be provided a fresh slate to prove themselves to him.
However, Andros Townsend predicted while commentating on England’s clash against the Republic of Ireland that Stones will play a crucial role under Lee Carsley. Townsend said on ITV1 (07/09/2024, 6:40 pm): “I am sure John Stones will be important for Lee Carsley in the five or so games the way he wants to play.”
Stones’ calibre as a player has not been his biggest pitfall in the past few years and instead, it has been his fitness. As a result, if the Manchester City centre-back intends to start regularly for England under Lee Carsley, he will have to be consistently available. If Carsley is appointed by the FA on a permanent basis, he will have two years to assess his ideal starting line-up to feature at the 2026 World Cup. However, if Stones is plagued by injuries time and time again, Lee Carsley will have no choice but to play other centre-halves over him and then potentially leave the seasoned campaigner out of his side. The 30-year-old will have to ensure his performances for both club and country are at a standard which makes it impossible for the England interim manager to even consider dropping him. Stones will likely work on his fitness starting this season to ensure he can play international football at the highest level for a few more years at least.
