Grealish, Rice, and Coach Carsley set to ignite Ireland-England rivalry in Nations League

This Saturday’s Nations League clash in Dublin is expected to be charged with a hostile atmosphere as England faces off against their historical rivals.

England will kick off their Nations League campaign in Ireland after their unexpected relegation from League A two years ago. While the English are favorites, Dublin promises a tough reception, with the traditionally passionate Irish fans ready to greet them. Despite a commanding 3-0 win in their last encounter in 2020, England has gone over three decades without a victory against Ireland in a competitive match.

The rivalry adds to the drama, but what truly spices up this meeting is the presence of two key England players who could have played for Ireland. Jack Grealish and Declan Rice, both of whom began their international careers in the Ireland youth system, eventually chose to represent England instead.

Grealish, currently with Manchester City, played for Ireland's Under-21s as recently as 2014 before making his senior debut for England in 2020. Rice, now at Arsenal, played for Ireland's Under-21s until 2018 and even made three senior appearances for Ireland in friendlies before FIFA authorized his switch to England in 2019.

Further adding to the intrigue is Lee Carsley, who stepped in as England’s interim manager following Gareth Southgate’s departure. Carsley was a former Irish international, earning 40 caps from the late 1990s to the 2000s, and his name was even floated as a candidate to replace Stephen Kenny as Ireland manager earlier this year. However, Carsley turned down the offer, and Heimir Hallgrímsson took over instead.

Shay Given, a former Ireland international, warned that the English side can expect a hostile reception, telling The Sun: "Lee (Carsley) knows England will get a tough reception as they are our biggest opponents. There will be a fiery atmosphere, that's for sure."

Given also pointed out that Grealish and Rice should expect a special welcome from the home crowd: "They are two brilliant players who wore the Ireland shirt at some point, I'm sure they will get a special welcome. I already sent Grealish a few messages about it, and he responded with a laugh because he knew what could come his way."

Interestingly, this isn’t one-sided. Seven of Hallgrímsson’s squad were born in England, including Max O'Leary, Mark Travers, Callum O'Dowda, Kasey McAteer, William Smallbone, Samuel Szmodics, and Callum Robinson. Some, like Robinson, followed the opposite path of Grealish and Rice, opting to represent Ireland after beginning their careers in England’s youth system.

Aside from the emotion and history attached to this match, England should have little difficulty restoring their League A status, with Finland and Greece rounding out their group in the Nations League. Lee Carsley hopes to make the most of his interim position and draw inspiration from Lionel Scaloni, who began as an interim coach before leading Argentina to glory.