On October 10, England suffered a shocking 1-2 loss to an emotional Greece in the Nations League due to Lee Carsley’s miscalculated tactical move.
Greece Emotional Triumph
At Wembley, Greece took the lead thanks to a goal from Vangelis Pavlidis in the second half, just 24 hours after teammate George Baldock passed away tragically.
With a late equaliser, Jude Bellingham appeared to have saved Carsley’s blushes. Still, in stoppage time, Pavlidis scored once again to hand the England temporary manager his first loss as manager.
Carsley’s Gamble Fails
Carsley’s honeymoon period ended when England faced booing at the final whistle after defeating Finland and Ireland in his first games in command in September.
In both games, Carsley’s forward strategy won him praise, which was a sharp contrast to his more cautious predecessor, Gareth Southgate.
However, he overreached himself by starting five attacking midfielders in an odd lineup against Greece that lacked a recognisable striker.
Carsley disregarded Ollie Watkins’ and Dominic Solanke’s assertions, given that England captain Harry Kane was out due to an injury sustained while playing for Bayern Munich the previous weekend.
The nominal forwards were Bellingham and Phil Foden, who both play deeper for England; Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon played on the sides, and Cole Palmer moved into central midfield rather than the number 10 position, where he excels for Chelsea.
England’s Tactical Struggles
Palmer played in midfield in Carsley’s formation, which was not uncommon as he guided England’s Under-21 team to victory in the European Championship the previous year without the use of a striker.
However, with Declan Rice serving as their only defensive midfielder, England was unable to adjust to the strategy and was frequently driven insane by Greece’s counterattacks.
Throughout the first 75 minutes, England managed just one shot on goal as Foden and Bellingham frequently obstructed each other in attack.
England Nations League Standing
With 3 points behind Greece in the Nations League B2 group, England is currently in second place. Carsley, who has been accused of tactical naivety, needs to win in Finland on Sunday to rekindle his prospects of becoming the permanent manager of the Three Lions.
A Tribute to George Baldock
Just before kickoff, there was a minute of silence in memory of England-born Greece international Baldock, who drowned in his swimming pool in Athens.
And Baldock, who moved from Sheffield United to Panathinaikos in Greece earlier this year, received a well-deserved tribute from his team’s thrilling victory.
Bellingham Return and Impact
After missing the first few games of Carsley’s reign, Bellingham returned and was frequently used as a false nine for Real Madrid in the previous campaign.
When his curler from the edge of the area forced an incredible tip over from Odysseas Vlachodimos, he came dangerously close to opening the score.
However, anticipating future troubles, Jordan Pickford was fortunate to escape undamaged after the England keeper foolishly lost possession to Anastasios Bakasetas, whose shot required Levi Colwill to make a fantastic reaching clearance off the line.
Pavlidis Leads Greece to Victory
England’s poor finishing came back to bother them in the 49th minute, when Pavlidis received Giorgos Masouras’ pass, wriggled past four players in the area, and sent a superb effort 12 yards away, into the far corner.
Pavlidis ran to the Greece fans, holding up his black armband as a heartfelt tribute to their former teammate, while several of his teammates exhibited shirts with Baldock’s name and number.
Late Drama and England’s Collapse
Carsley’s no-striker experiment ended after 60 minutes when he substituted Watkins for Gordon and moved Bellingham to midfield, while Foden was replaced by Solanke.
Bellingham appeared to have saved England in the 87th minute, firing home after Solanke’s cutback found him on the edge of the box.
But an alarming evening for Carsley came to a fitting end in stoppage time, as Pavlidis drilled low past Pickford after Colwill and Rico Lewis failed to clear the danger.
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