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Under Gareth Southgate, England reached the finals of the last two European Championships and established themselves as a team that most place among the favourites for the trophy in every major tournament. But with Southgate now gone and the team in the hands of interim coach Lee Carsley, the Three Lions were hit by a hard reality check as Greece walked away from Wembley with a huge Nations League win on Thursday.
First of all, it should be noted that Greece have been doing extremely well since the appointment of Ivan Jovanovic as their head coach in July. Still, this piece of information was hardly a secret before they faced England, and Carsley and his staff certainly knew it when they planned their approach to the game.
There was no Harry Kane in the squad, but England still had Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke as the strikers at Carsley’s disposal. Nonetheless, he chose to form his starting XI without either, settling for Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham as the pair playing closest to the opposition goal.
There is also a big question mark over the back line, consisting of John Stones and Levi Colwill as the centre-back pair, Trent Alexander-Arnold on the right, and Rico Lewis on the left.
Stones is now a very experienced player, but his role at Manchester City sees him make frequent forays into enemy territory, with the ever-reliable Ruben Dias to cover his back. Here, there was no-one but the 21-year-old Colwill, a talented but hardly fully-formed defender, to do that unglorified but extremely important job. It was similar with Alexander-Arnold, whose habit of marauding up the right flank and incredible passing ability have made him a top creator in the game, but such an approach also leaves space behind his back, and much like Stones lacked Dias’s protection, the Liverpool man was without Ibrahima Konate to mop things up if need be. Lewis started this season as a highly influential players for the Premier League champions, but he doesn’t really play left-back under Pep Guardiola anymore, and he seemed strangely unfamiliar with the role against Greece.
On paper, Carsley’s selection for the midfield seemed good, nicely balanced, with an understandable emphasis on the attacking side of the game, considering England were playing at home against opposition they were expected to beat. Declan Rice was there to provide cover for Bukayo Saka on the right, Cole Palmer through the middle, and Anthony Gordon on the left.
Speaking to the press after the Euros this year, where he spent a solitary minute on the pitch, Gordon expressed disappointment with Southgate not giving him a chance. He would’ve been ready, he believed, to come in off the bench and make a difference, being aware of the severity of the competition for starting places. The feeling was shared by many observers too, who clearly perceived a lack of attacking threat down the left from Southgate’s team. But Gordon got his chance against Greece, and Lazaros Rota, the visitors’ right-back, made shockingly light work of stopping him.
Alexander-Arnold spoke to the press ahead of this particular game, and asked if his best position was on the right defensive flank or in midfield, he said he didn’t play a position – he played the game. Against Greece on Thursday, England needed him to play a specific position and do a specific task – to defend the right flank, and to put it simply, he didn’t exactly take that job very seriously.
Alexander-Arnold and Gordon are certainly not the only ones in the England squad talking big and not doing what they’re supposed to do. It’s an ailment that appears to have taken hold in the camp, and the media in England aren’t exactly doing them a favour by constantly talking about the vast talent representing their country in extremely proud tones.
As has been proven many times, believing that talent by itself breeds success, without much tactical discipline or sticking to a clearly defined and communicated plan, usually leads to failure when it matters most.