In case you didn’t click on it at the top of the page… Barney Ronay has reflected on Lee Carsley as only he can.

Heimir Hallgrímsson is moving up the world rankings. He was first coach of Iceland (currently No. 71 in the FIFA men’s rankings), then of Jamaica (59) and finally of Ireland (58). England is number 4, by the way.

Just in case you don’t know much about Hallgrímsson, here’s Barry to mark your map.

England (possible 4-2-3-1) Jordan Pickford; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill; Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.

Substitutes: Nick Pope, Dean Henderson, Tino Livramento, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Conor Gallagher, Angel Gomes, Eberechi Eze, Morgan Gibbs-White, Jarrod Bowen.

Ireland (possible 4-4-1-1) Caoimhin Kelleher; Seamus Coleman, Dara O’Shea, Nathan Collins, Matt Doherty; Chiedozie Ogbene, Will Smallbone, Jayson Molumby, Robbie Brady; Sammie Szmodics; Adam Idah.

Substitutes: Mark Travers, Max O’Leary, Callum O’Dowda, Andrew Omobamidele, Alan Browne, Jake O’Brien, Jason Knight, Liam Scales, Kasey McAteer, Callum Robinson, Troy Parrott, Evan Ferguson.

Lee Carsley said he sees this not as a fresh start but as a chance to build on England’s progress under Gareth Southgate – and the first eleven he has selected fits that bill.

He left all the brand new faces on the bench and brought Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish back into the team. He trusted the backbone of Southgate’s team – Pickford, Guehi, Rice, Mainoo, Kane – and might have used even more of them had they been available (in the case of Jude Bellingham) or match fit (John Stones).

But he also brought Trent Alexander-Arnold back from the bench and promoted Anthony Gordon and Levi Colwill, both of whom he knows well from the U21s. So it’s a balanced line-up.

England (possible 4-2-3-1) Jordan Pickford; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Harry Maguire, Marc Guehi, Levi Colwill; Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice; Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Anthony Gordon; Harry Kane.

Substitutes: Nick Pope, Dean Henderson, Tino Livramento, Rico Lewis, John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Conor Gallagher, Angel Gomes, Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Jarrod Bowen, Morgan Gibbs-White.

Heimir Hallgrímsson names his starting eleven and comes to the conclusion that the experience of Seamus Coleman and Matt Doherty would do him good.

Good day everyone and welcome to the post-Southgate era. This week marks eight years since the last time the England men’s team went into a match without a sensitive speech from Gareth ringing softly in their ears. On that occasion – Slovakia 0-1 England (Lallana 90+5) – Sam Allardyce was the manager in charge for the first and last time. Tonight in Dublin it is the turn of Lee Carsley, a far lesser-known figure and a far more enlightened manager.

Like Southgate, Carsley was appointed as an interim manager, although he was also a candidate for the job. Like Southgate, he worked his way up to coach England’s Under-21 team. Like Southgate, even more so, he has delivered success in major tournaments. Unlike Southgate, whose strengths were changing the culture and convincing players to enjoy playing for England, Carsley is known for building teams that are innovative, creative and attacking. And yet he managed to win the Under-21 European Championship without conceding a single goal.

It will be interesting to see if he can coax a different tone out of a highly talented squad. He will be without Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer – three of the club’s superstars who sometimes step on each other’s toes in international matches – but can still call on Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Trent Alexander-Arnold, John Stones and Marc Guehi. He has brought in promising young talent from his Under-21 days such as Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White, Noni Madueke, Tino Livramento and Levi Colwill. And Anthony Gordon could well play a central role, with Kane the only recognised centre-forward in the squad.

Carsley’s first game with the senior team is against Ireland, the country he played for 40 times as a defensive midfielder after qualifying through his grandmother. He never sang the Irish national anthem then, nor the British one when he coached the Under-21s, and today he is all over the papers saying he will not change that policy. Like Allardyce, albeit for very different reasons, he is now in the crosshairs of the Daily Telegraph.

Ireland also have a new boss, Heimir Hallgrímsson. He’s an Icelandic dentist, delicious, but also an experienced coach who has coached two national teams – Iceland and Jamaica. He was Iceland’s co-coach in 2016 when they achieved their famous victory over England, which led to the departure of Roy Hodgson, which led to the arrival of Allardyce, which led to the appointment of Southgate. It’s almost as if there’s a play to be written about all this.