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UEFA Nations League Preview:England vs Greece

  • FlashFootball 2024/10/06 08:37
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Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Trent Alexander-Arnold stand next to a ball before a free-kick

Lee Carsley has yet to see his England side concede a goal after two wins in the Uefa Nations League in September. The Three Lions beat the Republic of Ireland and Finland 2-0 as they began life without Gareth Southgate in confident fashion.


Most impressively, Carsley has been able to implement his own ideas about how the team should play. In both victories, he brought in players untested or unloved by Southgate and emphasised a fast-paced, attacking style of football that had waned during the former manager's reign.


The next challenge in the Carsley era comes in the form of Greece. Ivan Jovanovic's side also took six points from Finland and Ireland in the first round, beating them 3-0 and 2-0 respectively.


Jovanovic was only appointed in June and will be encouraged by his team's ability to buy into his ideas ahead of the Wembley test.


Carsley has had plenty to think about in the month since he last saw his players, with a number of key decisions to be made about individuals who continue to impress for their clubs.


There were murmurs that Cole Palmer wouldn't live up to the hype after his magnificent campaign with Chelsea last season. Then he scored four goals against Brighton, including a stunning free-kick.


Southgate struggled to find a place for the Blues superstar, limiting him to just 146 minutes in five substitute appearances at Euro 2024. He still managed to provide a vital assist in the semi-final and the equaliser in the final.


Palmer was not available for Carsley's first squad. However, the manager's selection of Jack Grealish may hint at where he will fit in. Grealish, whose selection came as a surprise after failing to hold down a regular place in the Manchester City team, stepped into the number 10 role with great effectiveness.


He was more creative than we've seen him since he left Aston Villa. Playing with a freedom that created chances and dictated the pace of the game, Grealish repaid Carsley's faith with a goal in Dublin. Palmer does much the same for Chelsea and could push Grealish to the bench.


Jude Bellingham is also a strong contender for that spot, although he is still working his way back to full fitness after missing the start of the season with Real Madrid through injury. Phil Foden is currently a bit-part player for City, and with so much talent to choose from, these reasons could be enough for Palmer to make the move.


Anthony Gordon may be another candidate for the exit door, but Carsley knows the player well from his time with the Under-21s and will be wary of losing his ability to stretch the pitch with explosive speed and directness on the wing. On current form, though, Palmer should be one of the first names on the team sheet, so Carsley will need to cement him as a guaranteed starter.


Obviously, with two games during this break, there'll be chances for those competing to make a good impression. With Harry Maguire out, Ezri Konsa, John Stones and Marc Guehi will be competing for the two centre-back slots, while Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill could be rotated at left-back.


Carsley surprised a lot of people by including Angel Gomes in the Finland match. The Lille midfielder impressed with his scrappiness and athletic ability, providing healthy competition to Kobbie Mainoo, who himself only broke into the side during the Euros.


Here's our predicted England XI: Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Guehi, Stones, Lewis, Rice, Mainoo, Saka, Palmer, Gordon,Kane.

Here's our predicted Greece XI: Vlachodimos, Rota, Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Tsimikas, Siopis, Bouchalakis, Chatzigiovanis, Bakasetas, Tzolis,Ioannidis.

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