England legend Gary Lineker has defended Lee Carsley’s refusal to sing the national anthem, labelling the backlash ‘bonkers’ and ‘a bit weird’.
Carsley did not join England’s players and coaching staff in singing God Save the King for his opening match in charge of the Three Lions against the Republic of Ireland.
In the build-up to England’s 2-0 victory in Dublin, Carsley – who was capped 40 times by Ireland – told the media that he had always opted out of the pre-match tradition during his playing days.
Carsley’s decision has divided opinion among fans and pundits, with Harry Redknapp telling the 50-year-old interim manager that it should be a deemed ‘a must’ if he is to take over the position on a permanent basis.
However, former England striker Lineker has played down the significance of Carsley’s behaviour in dugout, encouraging his critics to instead focus their attentions on footballing matters.
‘Crikey, they do like to stir things up, don’t they?!’ Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
‘I find it bonkers. If someone chooses not to sing it doesn’t [matter]…
‘I remember some players not singing because they were too shy. I used to sing a bit but not too loud because my voice is terrible.
‘I always felt a little self-conscious singing on a football pitch, I didn’t feel comfortable with it. I don’t know, I just think it’s a bit weird.’
Alan Shearer appeared to agree with Lineker, arguing: ‘You’re going to be judged on bloody football results, not whether you sing the national anthem or not.’
Looking at England’s more peripheral players, Lineker felt Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold was the player to give himself the best possible chance of selection against Finland on Tuesday night.
He explained: ‘I’d actually go with Trent Alexander-Arnold. His passing range…
‘He will benefit from a side that plays on the front foot and if you play in their half. Yes, England will be vulnerable to the counter-attacks occasionally but don’t worry about that. Be brave, be bold in football.
‘Pep [Guardiola] has shown us that, [Jurgen] Klopp has shown us that with Liverpool, [Mikel] Arteta has shown it at Arsenal. You go and play in the opposition’s third and it gives you a greater chance.’
Lineker was ‘encouraged’ by England’s opening performance under Carsley and hopes fans begin focussing on Alexander-Arnold’s positives rather than his defensive frailties.
‘You can’t read too much into the first game but I thought it was really encouraging,’ he continued.
‘It’s great to see Trent in the side, some of his passes were superb, particularly the one he hit for Anthony Gordon that led to the first goal. What a pass that was!
‘It just strikes me, I just think, “How can this guy not be in the team somewhere?”, he’s just so good.
‘All we’ve ever focussed on is Trent’s weaknesses when it comes to England and defensively, he might make a mistake. He might make one mistake but he might give you two or three opportunities to score because he’s so brilliant with the ball at his feet.
‘It was encouraging, a really encouraging start, but he’s only been working with the players for a few days.’
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