Time for England to think differently against Finland after Greece humiliation

After an experiment gone wrong against Greece, Lee Carsley and England must return to what they know in Helsinki.

England need a reaction against Finland following Thursday’s shock 2-1 home to defeat at Wembley and it feels like winning is more important than a pleasing performance.

Failing to get back to the top tier of the Nations League at the first attempt would be humiliating, not to mention a setback for the next full-time manager.

But that is now a very real prospect for England. Only the winner of Group B2 heads up to League A automatically and Greece lead England by three points, as well as on a head-to-head record and goal difference, with three matches left to play.

It is true that a play-off system does exist for second-place teams, but that was never in England’s thinking before the campaign and should not be now.

Carsley’s interim period is these six matches, home and away to Greece, Finland and Ireland. Only winning the group will suffice.

Carsley says he will make changes in Helsinki and has no plans to retry his striker-free formation. It is the right call.

Instead, England are expected to revert to type, likely adopting the 4-2-3-1 system they used at Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate and which earned wins against Finland and Ireland last month.

Particular personnel may need greater deliberation, though, with Bukayo Saka having withdrawn due to the injury he sustained against Greece.

Harry Kane, Jack Grealish, Angel Gomes, Marc Guehi and Kyle Walker are all set to come into the team as Carsley seeks a more balanced side.

For all the creative excitement of Thursday’s team selection, which included Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Saka and Cole Palmer, there was an alarming lack of incision in the final third - and that must be put right.

Reports suggest Carsley does not want the full-time England job, with Thomas Tuchel favourite to land the role.

But it will be intriguing to see how Carsley deals with his first bit of pressure since he took the interim role.

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