Lee Carsley has revealed that England are set to revert to a "more conventional" system against Finland on Sunday after their defeat against Greece in the Nations League last Thursday.
England's loss in the Euro 2024 final in July against Spain marked the end of Gareth Southgate's time in charge of the Three Lions, with Carsley subsequently appointed on an interim basis.
The manager started his tenure positively, beating the Republic of Ireland and Finland convincingly during the September international break, boosting hopes of England securing promotion back to the Nations League A.
The interim boss made several changes to his XI against Greece, including using Jude Bellingham as a false nine, but those changes backfired as England deservedly lost 2-1 at Wembley.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Finland match, Carsley insisted that he does not regret deciding to experiment against Greece, but suggested that a more familiar-looking England team will take to the field for Sunday's showdown.
What did Lee Carsley say ahead of Finland match?
"I think it's always tough, the scrutiny that we're under. It's nothing that I'm not used to having been a professional footballer for such a long time," Carsley told reporters when questioned on the Greece defeat.
"I think the reaction is fair enough. You have to respect people's opinions. We didn't perform as well as we can on the night, and I would expect a reaction tomorrow night. I think it's something that I'll look back on in maybe two or three months and, you know, be better for it.
"I wanted to give this job my best shot for the three camps that we spoke about. I didn't want to have any regrets. It was important that we do try something different at times and I think I'll be a better coach for that, but I think we'll probably be a little bit more conventional tomorrow night."
Carsley's decision to play with a false nine and no recognised striker was influenced by the absence of captain Harry Kane, but the Bayern Munich man is set to be available for the match against Finland, having won his 100th cap and scored both goals when the two sides met at Wembley last month.
"We trained yesterday as well, so Harry and Jack [Grealish] both got through the session," Carsley added.
"We're in a good position. I think it's important that we freshen the team up a little bit, but, yeah, we feel confident we're in a good place."
Greece disaster
Carsley chose to field a front six of Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham against Greece, with Rice as the only defensive presence in midfield.
Considering the level of attacking talent that England possess, the manager's desire to include as many forwards as possible is understandable, but Greece found it far too easy to play through the Three Lions.
Jordan Pickford conceded five times on the night but his teammates were spared further embarrassment thanks to the intervention of VAR on three separate occasions.
Carsley could have started Curtis Jones, Angel Gomes or Conor Gallagher, all of whom are natural midfielders with experience of playing in deeper positions and could have helped Rice look less isolated against Greece.
The decision to use Bellingham as a false nine was also questioned, as while Harry Kane may have needed to rest, Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins was on the bench and could have provided the team with a genuine focal point up front.
Changes for the Finland game
Unfortunately for the England boss, Jones has left the squad for personal reasons, but he still has Gomes and Gallagher available for selection.
Carsley could even position Bellingham deeper alongside Rice, as while the Real Madrid midfielder excels in the final third, his immense physicality may be useful for stopping counter-attacks.
In attack, Saka was forced off with an injury and has left the squad, so Palmer may start on the right of attack, with either Anthony Gordon or Phil Foden operating on the left.
Kane is likely to be given the nod up front if he is deemed fit enough, and despite some criticism of the captain's performances this season for Bayern Munich, he is still an outstanding player capable of immense displays.
It is imperative that Carsley finds ways of balancing the XI against Finland, especially as defeat would give first-placed Greece the opportunity to move six points clear of England, and further cement their grip on the group's only automatic promotion spot. body check tags ::
