Carsley-ball, Alexander-Arnold's role & Grealish's rebirth: Things we learned from England's win at Ireland

England kicked off the post-Gareth Southgate era with a 2-0 win at the Republic of Ireland on Saturday evening.

The Three Lions emerged as victors in the opening game of their UEFA Nations League campaign, with interim boss Lee Carsley getting off to the perfect start in the dugout.

After heartbreak at Euro 2024, England fans had been hoping to see the evolution of a young team who played to their entertaining strengths.

So how did this first step into a brave new world look? Here are five takeaways from this weekend's encounter in Dublin.

1. Lee Carsley's style shines through

Carsley has followed Southgate's route to the England touchline so far, making an impression at Under-21 level before being handed the reins to the senior team on an interim basis.

The former midfielder likely understands he will need to stand out from his predecessor if he is to get the job full time, and made sure to make that differential known.

England completely dominated the ball and were enthralling in the first half - their 2-0 half-time lead perhaps flattered Ireland.

There was also a tactical savviness to Carsley's side, but we'll get to that later.

2. Jack Grealish typifies freeform Three Lions

After a few years being shunted to the wing at club level, with his main job to simply keep possession - which, we stress, should not be considered the priority skill for top-level wide-man - Jack Grealish was allowed to play in is natural No. 10 position.

Even beyond his silencing goal, Grealish had a field day and represented what this new-look England team can be. He rediscovered his swagger and mojo, while taking joy out of Ireland's nonplussed defenders kicking lumps out of him. Grealish was having fun and winning all the while.

3. The risk/reward game of Trent Alexander-Arnold

It's a mystery how Kyle Walker was voted into the UEFA Team of the Tournament for Euro 2024 given how damaging some of his performances were - he didn't provide the defensive solidity or recovery pace he was in the England side for.

Southgate tried Alexander-Arnold in midfield and was confident his 'experiment' would work, only to chuck it on the scrap heap after only two games.

Carsley got the balance of England's back four spot on at Ireland. Alexander-Arnold started at right-back and tucked into midfield, while left-back Levi Colwill came inside as another centre-back.

This allowed the Liverpool star to find space to utilise his insane range of passing, and though this meant his side required an extra bit of defensive cover, he was named England's Player of the Match.

If you're going to play on the front foot, you should play those who excel on the front foot.

4. Complacency concerns creep in

As mentioned, England should have been out of sight by half-time. During the second 45, Ireland inched their way up the pitch. They didn't land a meaningful blow, but it was quite notable how the Three Lions allowed themselves room to breathe.

Former Ireland international Roy Keane was particularly scathing during his appearance on ITV, calling England's second-half display 'awful'.

5. Much, much tougher tests await

For as good as England were at times, it will not be games against the likes of Ireland that will define their next chapter.

Sure, this proved a promising warmup for the challenges down the road, but we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves and declare the Three Lions as world champions-elect or anything of the sort.

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