England started with a false nine experiment, ended it with the most classic of English formations – and lost – on a damaging night for Lee Carsley’s job prospects.
Some England fans had called for previous boss Gareth Southgate to pick more attacking players – and even drop striker Harry Kane – at Euro 2024.
Even further back, England rued their inability to effectively combine the likes of Steven Gerrard, Paul Scholes and Frank Lampard in the same side.
Those supporters who wanted sweeping changes in this new post-Southgate era got their wishes at Wembley on Thursday against Greece, with Kane ruled out by a slight knock.
Carsley did not name a recognised striker from the start – for what is thought to be a first for the Three Lions – with Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden false nines, Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon on the wings – and Cole Palmer starting in midfield.
“It goes one of two ways, doesn’t it?” said former England keeper Paul Robinson on BBC Radio 5 Live beforehand.
“We’re either calling him a genius or we’re calling for [strikers] Ollie Watkins or Dominic Solanke to come on. He’s doing it his way.”
Nobody is calling Carsley a genius after that defeat.
Greece, at 48th, became the lowest-ranked side to beat England in a competitive away game since the Fifa world rankings were developed in 1992.
Watkins did come on after 60 minutes – and Solanke followed 12 minutes later – as England ended up playing 4-4-2.
But they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat with Vangelis Pavlidis netting a double. Bellingham looked like he had rescued a point with three minutes to go before Greece’s injury-time winner.
“We tried something different and tried to overload the midfield,” said Carsley. “We tried it for 20 minutes yesterday, we experimented, and disappointed it didn’t come off.
“It’s unrealistic to expect too much and we will have to try again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing.”
Ex-England defender Lee Dixon, on ITV, said: “We were looking forward to a new dawn here but it has come back to bite them.
“Trying something in this game was definitely the right thing, but trying something because everyone is saying you should do it is not the right thing.”
