Lee Carsley decisions backfire in blow to permanent job hopes as dysfunctional England humiliated by Greece

Just erstwhile it seemed that Jude Bellingham had bailed retired different England manager with a precocious rescue act, Vangelis Pavlidis capitalised connected immoderate shambolic defending to people his 2nd of the nighttime and condemn Lee Carsley’s broadside to a humiliating 2-1 decision astatine Wembley.

Pavlidis’ close-range decorativeness successful the 94th-minute ensured justness was done for Greece, who were arsenic awesome arsenic England were chaotic successful a celebrated win, which volition beryllium dedicated to the representation of their precocious international, George Baldock, who died this week.

A 1-1 gully was acold much than England deserved and adjacent a 1-0 decision would person flattered them.

Greece tore done Carsley’s ultra-attacking squad with easiness connected the counter-attack and, earlier Pavlidis wriggled escaped successful the country to decorativeness debased again, the visitors had already seen 3 goals disallowed for offside and been denied by a spectacular goal-line clearance by Levi Colwill.

Carsley’s midfield – efficaciously made up of Cole Palmer and Declan Rice – was repeatedly bypassed by Greece's speedy exchanges, portion astatine the different end, England’s myriad attacking endowment failed to click.

Palmer went closest with a 20-yard free-kick and blazed implicit a glorious accidental from 9 yards successful their champion openings earlier Bellingham appeared to person rescued a constituent with a crisp onslaught 3 minutes from time.

Carsley volition look from a bruising nighttime with his hopes of landing the England occupation connected a imperishable ground severely dented, but conscionable astir alive.

He volition apt person 3 much games this autumn to marque amends, starting with Sunday’s crippled against Finland successful Helsinki, but the interim caput coach’s decisions severely backfired successful his 3rd crippled successful charge.

Carsley was nether unit to accommodate England’s 3 talented No10s, Bellingham, Phil Foden and Palmer, nary of whom was disposable to him past month.

His predecessor Gareth Southgate struggled to get the champion retired of Foden and Bellingham successful tandem astatine the European Championship, portion Palmer did not commencement astatine each successful Germany.

Carsley, though, not lone recovered country for the trio, but kept Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon connected the wings, with Bellingham a mendacious No9.

The gung-ho XI felt similar a cleanable interruption from the Southgate epoch and bore similarities to Carsley’s Under-21 Euros-winning squad, erstwhile Gordon and Morgan Gibbs-White played arsenic mendacious No9s.

To usage specified a bold strategy astatine this level, though, besides felt similar a declaration that Carsley would beryllium an England manager little preoccupied by concepts specified arsenic equilibrium and positions and much focussed connected uncovering country for his astir talented players.

In the circumstances you could spot the logic: Palmer, Foden and Bellingham are each excessively bully to permission retired astatine the infinitesimal and England were without Harry Kane and Kobbie Mainoo to injury. So wherefore not?

The Nations League is, aft all, the cleanable juncture to experiment, and for astir of Southgate’s tenure supporters were frustrated astatine his unwillingness to beryllium brave successful this benignant of fixture.

The danger, of course, is that England would simply person excessively galore cooks, a surplus of method forwards astatine the disbursal of ball-winners and a coherent structure. And truthful it proved successful a dismal evening astatine the nationalist stadium erstwhile Carsley’s England looked each spot arsenic dysfunctional arsenic Southgate’s stodgy squad astatine the Euros.

Even agelong aft it had go wide that England were acold excessively casual to play through, Carsley did not respond by changing the strategy from the bench.

Saka limped disconnected instantly aft the Greece extremity – a interest for Arsenal – but connected came Noni Madueke successful a consecutive swap. Centre-forwards Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke, who would person been much like-for-like replacements for Kane, were besides introduced earlier the extremity for Gordon and Foden.

England, though, continued to look clunky successful the last 3rd and wide unfastened astatine the back, and the information of playing Palmer successful midfield was underline by Pavlidis' archetypal extremity astatine the commencement of the second, erstwhile the Chelsea guardant was reluctant to enactment successful a tackle.

Southgate was panned for his inclination to crook to Conor Gallagher astir the hr people astatine the Euros but the Atletico Madrid midfield was surely precisely what England needed.

The generous speechmaking is that Carsley was making a governmental constituent to disgruntled supporters: ‘Have your phantasy team, let’s spot however it works.’

But determination is simply a lawsuit that helium simply bowed to the clamour to cram each of England’s champion attackers into the aforesaid team, which volition rise questions astir the interim manager’s judgement.

Southgate, of course, had his ain dire nights successful this contention and England were relegated to the 2nd tier successful the erstwhile campaign, successful spite of the manager’s caution.

And yet, much often than not, Southgate’s England comfortably navigated this benignant of juncture and it is hard to retrieve a broadside of Greece’s prime enjoying this benignant of nighttime astatine Wembley nether the erstwhile coach.

Carsley is near connected the back-foot, his imagination line-up dismantled and the Under-21 brag possibly needing to heed immoderate lessons astir the realities astatine this level from the antheral helium replaced.