Carsley set to ditch false nine experiment after woeful Greece showing

Interim coach Lee Carsley says England will revert to a system that’s “a little bit more conventional” against Finland tomorrow night.

With Harry Kane absent through injury against Greece on Thursday, Carsley experimented with Jude Bellingham as a false nine ahead of a quartet of attacking midfielders.

It was the team many fans had demanded of predecessor Gareth Southgate, but it left the Three Lions looking rudderless. They lacked an attacking threat and were also undermanned in midfield as Greece cut through them at will and would have won by a greater margin than 2-1 had it not been for poor decision-making in the final third.

Carsley insisted it was a tactic worth exploring but said he would not repeat it in Helsinki.

Fully prepared for tomorrow 💪 pic.twitter.com/5HuwHpFe9w

— England (@England) October 12, 2024

Speaking at his pre-match press conference, he said: “It’s something that I’ll look back on in maybe two or three months and be better for it.

“I wanted to give this job my best shot for three camps. I didn’t want to have any regrets. It’s important that we did try something different. I think I’ll be a better coach for that. But I think we’ll probably be a little bit more conventional tomorrow night.”

Captain Kane set to return

Kane has returned to training and is likely to come back into the side, possibly alongside Jack Grealish who starred in the last international window in a more central role.

Carsley added: “I think it’s important that we freshen the team up a little bit.

“We didn’t keep the ball well enough in higher areas, we got into some really good positions. 

“I’ve watched the game back a couple of times now. There’s always an emotional reaction after the game, at points in the game it wasn’t good enough.

“But there’s a lot of positives from the game. But we know that we can do a lot better than what we’ve shown. And the big thing tomorrow is showing that reaction. It’s a game that the players are looking forward to.”