Kane-less England justify Carsley’s ‘huge call’ with Tuchel given headache by Nations League advert

Lee Carsley’s tinkering against Greece worked much better the second time as his “huge call” was justified and Thomas Tuchel was given a headache…

One hallmark of Lee Carsley‘s interim stint as England manager is he’s fearlessly made bold changes and formation decisions.

This was to his detriment during last month’s international break as his use of a fluid attacking five-man frontline backfired in England’s dour 2-1 home loss against a pumped-up Greece, who should have won more comfortably.

Safe in the knowledge he’s set to return to his cushy gig with the U21s, Carsley experimented again in England‘s must-win match against table-toppers Greece on Thursday night.

This time around, his hand was largely forced as he named an inexperienced starting XI after there was a wave of withdrawals – which Thomas Tuchel was NOT to blame for – with a host of his key players ‘injured’.

Most rightly assumed England’s new-look XI against Greece would include Harry Kane, but Carsley – his friends call him Mr Tinkerer – named the Bayern Munich forward on the bench and started Ollie Watkins in a “huge call” needlessly deemed “extraordinary” by Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett.

The timing of this switch was bemusing, especially following Kane’s – as Roy Keane called it – “strange” decision to call out his teammates who withdrew from Carsley’s final squad.

This was a change demanded during Euro 2024 as England carried an ineffective Kane, who appeared to be carrying a knock of some kind.