No strikers & false nines - an experiment that ended in failure

England started with a mendacious 9 experiment, ended it with the astir classical of English formations - and mislaid - connected a damaging nighttime for Lee Carsley's occupation prospects.

Some England fans had called for erstwhile brag Gareth Southgate to prime much attacking players - and adjacent driblet striker Harry Kane - astatine Euro 2024.

Even further back, England rued their inability to efficaciously harvester the likes of Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard successful the aforesaid side.

Those supporters who wanted sweeping changes successful this caller post-Southgate epoch got their wishes astatine Wembley on Thursday against Greece, with Kane ruled retired by a flimsy knock.

Carsley did not sanction a recognised striker from the commencement - for what is thought to beryllium a archetypal for the Three Lions - with Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden mendacious nines, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon connected the wings - and Cole Palmer starting successful midfield.

"It goes 1 of 2 ways, doesn't it?" said erstwhile England keeper Paul Robinson connected BBC Radio 5 Live beforehand.

"We're either calling him a genius oregon we're calling for [strikers] Ollie Watkins oregon Dominic Solanke to travel on. He's doing it his way."

Nobody is calling Carsley a genius aft that defeat.

Greece, astatine 48th, became the lowest-ranked broadside to bushed England successful a competitory distant crippled since the Fifa satellite rankings were developed successful 1992.

Watkins did travel connected aft 60 minutes - and Solanke followed 12 minutes aboriginal - arsenic England ended up playing 4-4-2.

But they fell to a daze 2-1 decision with Vangelis Pavlidis netting a double. Bellingham looked similar helium had rescued a constituent with 3 minutes to spell earlier Greece's injury-time winner.

"We tried thing antithetic and tried to overload the midfield," said Carsley. "We tried it for 20 minutes yesterday, we experimented, and disappointed it didn't travel off.

"It's unrealistic to expect excessively overmuch and we volition person to effort again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing."

Ex-England defender Lee Dixon, connected ITV, said: "We were looking guardant to a caller dawn present but it has travel backmost to wound them.

"Trying thing successful this crippled was decidedly the close thing, but trying thing due to the fact that everyone is saying you should bash it is not the close thing."

When interim caput manager Carsley named his England squad, the main question acrophobic whether helium would beryllium capable to acceptable Bellingham, Palmer and Foden into 1 team.

Critics of the Southgate reign accidental that helium did not marque the astir of the attacking endowment and extent that England person successful their squad.

Carsley has not shied distant from that situation of getting the astir retired of England's attacking players and says helium focuses much connected a player's attributes alternatively than accepted positions.

He named 2 full-backs successful Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rico Lewis, who came into midfield alongside holding midfielder Declan Rice erstwhile England had possession of the ball.

Foden and Palmer occupied attacking roles, with Bellingham chosen arsenic England’s furthest guardant cardinal player.

Palmer played the deepest of the trio and helium had fulfilled that relation for Carsley erstwhile the England Under-21 broadside won their European Championship past year.

Saka and Gordon played connected the wings for England and Carsley had hinted that the Three Lions 'height and width' would travel from players successful those roles to make country for the endowment successful cardinal areas.

Greece are the lowest-ranked (48th) broadside to bushed England successful a competitory lucifer since Northern Ireland (116th) successful September 2005, and the lowest ever connected grounds to bash truthful connected English soil.

This was Greece's archetypal ever triumph against England - having drawn 2 and mislaid seven.

England had 2 shots connected people - successful the 3rd infinitesimal and their 87th-minute extremity - some from Bellingham.

No England subordinate had much than 5 touches successful the absorption punishment area. In Carsley's archetypal 2 games successful charge, 3 did against the Republic of Ireland and 8 did against Finland.

Two-goal Greece leader Pavlidis had not scored for his state since a June 2022 lucifer against Cyprus - a tally of 14 games without a extremity for the nationalist side.

The information that Greece had the shot successful the England nett 5 times - including 3 disallowed goals - means that the Three Lions were acold excessively unfastened successful the mode they were acceptable up.

England pressed aggressively and precocious up the transportation but erstwhile the Greek broadside were capable to play done that archetypal question of unit England looked exposed.

Greece launched their counter-attacks successful numbers and Rice was near isolated.

Palmer had England's champion accidental of the archetypal fractional and should person fixed the Three Lions the lead, but realistically England were fortunate to get to the interruption level.

Carsley hoped his squad would instrumentality control, but it scarcely looked similar happening and Pavlidis took vantage of abstraction wrong the punishment country with a bully finish.

England were disjointed, missing Kane's beingness and influence. His continuing value to England's origin was underlined successful absentia.

"Foden and Bellingham person got successful each other's way. Carsley's tried to play them some arsenic a 10. This strategy conscionable hasn't worked for England," said erstwhile Tottenham keeper Robinson.

"It was a truly disappointing show contiguous and it conscionable didn't work. It was clunky."

Before the lucifer it looked arsenic though the England occupation was Carsley's to lose, but this experimentation has backfired and the cognition has changed. Defeat is already starring to questions astir whether helium is the close antheral for the full-time job.

BBC Radio 5 Live's John Murray, said: "Lee Carsley gave the nationalist what they wanted but his squad enactment was some - successful his words - courageous and risky. And it back-fired.

"Yes, helium was up against a Greek squad that was riding connected a tide of emotion but aft past month’s positivity this 1 effect has dramatically changed the feeling astir his prospects of getting the occupation connected a imperishable basis. And successful his station lucifer property league it was acold from wide if helium really wants it.

"This is simply a radical successful the ‘second division’ of the Nations League. Opponents Greece, the Republic of Ireland and Finland prevarication mode beneath England successful the satellite rankings. Anything different than England finishing apical of the array would beryllium seen arsenic a failure, and aft this effect that is simply a chiseled possibility."

Watkins scored 27 goals for Aston Villa past play and is unfortunate to person England's grounds scorer Kane supra him successful the nationalist broadside pecking bid - successful a squad that usually lone has 1 abstraction for a striker.

When helium did get his accidental successful the summer, helium took it - with 1 of the astir important goals successful England's history, the last-minute Euro 2024 semi-final victor implicit the Netherlands.

So with Kane ruled retired aft an wounded suffered successful his latest crippled for Bayern Munich, Watkins would surely person thought this was a crippled wherever helium would start.

"Watkins volition beryllium fuming," said ex-Republic of Ireland skipper Roy Keane connected ITV connected seeing the starting line-up.

Former England striker Ian Wright added: "The mode Watkins has played and the interaction successful the Euros, helium is down England’s top scorer and thinks 'when volition I get a chance?' - past the caller manager leaves you out. Very disappointing for Ollie Watkins but it is exciting."

Speaking astatine half-time with the people astatine 0-0, Wright added: "Ollie Watkins volition person had a grin connected his look aft the archetypal half. England person to benignant the property out."

Dixon said: "Sometimes you play your champion games erstwhile you don’t play and Ollie Watkins came into the category."

But past Watkins came connected with 30 minutes to spell and lone touched the shot 9 times, having 1 shot.

Mid-game...

Liam: This is starting to consciousness similar a cruel instrumentality from Carsley to amusement america each precisely wherefore you can’t play each your champion originative players successful 1 go.

Andrew: I person nary occupation with Carsley playing a antithetic system. However, it would beryllium bully if the players looked similar they knew what that strategy is.

Andy: Fair play to Lee for giving radical what they wanted but I deliberation this 45 mins has shown that you person to enactment circular pegs successful circular holes. Pick the champion subordinate for the position, if that means immoderate of our amended players person to judge a spot connected the seat past truthful beryllium it.

Tony: Sensible enactment by Carsley. In aboriginal erstwhile radical moan astir each the originative players not being connected the transportation together, helium tin say, "Tried that, 0-0 against Greece. Now what's your point?".

Afterwards...

Mark: We are the caller Belgium, right? All the endowment successful the satellite but can't enactment it unneurotic connected the pitch.

James: Embarrassingly bad. Credit to Greece but there’s nary mode they should beryllium coming to Wembley and beating that England team. Hoping it'll beryllium a blessing successful disguise due to the fact that Carsley got that severely incorrect and his squad didn’t amusement up.

Tim: Kane oregon nary Kane. We had 2 qualified strikers connected the seat for astir of it.