“Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, has hinted at an uncertain future, while Roy Keane, the football pundit, has suggested that the Football Association should consider Guardiola for the position of England’s coach. Despite having won six premiership titles and a Champions League with Manchester City since 2016, Guardiola’s contract is set to end after the current season. The 53-year-old Spaniard has expressed a profound affection for his current club and hasn’t ruled out a contract extension, though no definitive decision has been reached for his potential succession to replace Gareth Southgate as the England manager. When probed on his future plans on the Italian TV show Che tempo Che Fa, Guardiola failed to confirm or deny the rumours, stating “anything can happen”.
Roy Keane, a former player and captain of Manchester United, suggested that the FA should consider Guardiola as a viable option for the role after his contract ends in the summer, advocating for the recruitment of the “best guy”. Meanwhile, Lee Carsley, England’s interim manager, confirmed his intention to focus on navigating the team through the international breaks after admitting he did not formally apply for the permanent position before August 2nd, despite leading a 3-1 victory over Finland in the Nations League. The 50-year-old Carsley hinted that the position required a “world-class coach that has won trophies.”
After a successful game in Helsinki, Carsley offered more clarity on how he views his role, as he explained to ITV: “The expectations from my superiors have been explicitly expressed. They desire a globe-trotting coach with a record of success – and I am well on my way to being that person. To be honest, I didn’t ponder on it a lot. I keep repeating that I was only set to handle six games and I’m quite pleased with that.”
Despite being content to turn things around following the backlash he faced due to an unconventional team list against Greece which didn’t work out well, Carsley admitted that the last two days had not been enjoyable. He commented, “We anticipated a response (against Finland). I assume they’ve demonstrated superb resilience, in the perfect way. We achieved three decent strikes, a tad disappointed about the one we conceded at the end, but overall, we were better tonight. Our game was more controlled this time. According to the stats, we held majority possession, made several passes and created numerous opportunities – but I believe there’s always room for improvement.”
Meanwhile, English winger Jack Grealish is in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s debt for £500 after the Liverpool defender fired an excellent free-kick. After leading 1-0 due to Grealish’s first-half goal, Alexander-Arnold swished home a set-piece in the 74th minute, giving Carsley’s team a crucial breather. Grealish joked with ITV, “I claimed that I’d pay you £500 if you score this – and he just shoved it into the top bin. I need to pay up.”
Declan Rice tallied a third goal with just six minutes remaining before Arttu Hoskonen managed to score a consolation goal for the home team.