It seemed to be a familiar conundrum when England fielded its starting XI against Greece in a UEFA Nations League match at Wembley Stadium last week Thursday. As Jude Bellingham started as the false nine, with Phil Foden as the No. 10 and Cole Palmer as a holding midfielder alongside Declan Rice, one’s mind went back to the 2000s. This was when the English team management faced problems in accommodating three central midfielders – Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes – in their starting XI.
England’s Performance Underwhelming
Greece beat England 2-1 in the match to register its first-ever win over the Three Lions. Bellingham managed to equalize for the English after Greece had taken the lead only to see his team concede again in the dying minutes of the match.
The Greeks managed to put the ball in England’s net on three more occasions, but goals were not awarded to them on account of offside. The Greeks often played through passes past the English defence, but their forwards played themselves offside repeatedly by being a bit too eager.
Lack of decisiveness in their tackles inside the box on the part of John Stones and Trent Alexander-Arnold also led to England’s loss on the day. However, it is their lack of flexibility upfront that was more concerning.
England Had to Make Changes in Second Half
England put Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke in in the second half in pursuit of an equalizer. They started with a 4-2-1-3 , but had to switch to a 4-4-2 later on. Foden played on the left flank with disappointing results in the European Championships last summer and failed to impress much as a No. 10 as well against Greece.
Bellingham did justice to his reputation by scoring the equalizer and Palmer almost scored with a free-kick. Still, Greece probably deserved the win for being the more dominant team overall.
Moreover, England does not have the fluid style of football to make the concept of a false nine successful. Foden is a class player, but his recent performances for the national side does not make him a certainty in the starting XI.
Hence, it will make more sense to play a proper holding midfielder like Kobbie Mainoo alongside Rice and then play Palmer as the No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation, thus dropping Foden to bench. Bellingham will then have to play on the left, with Watkins starting as the lone striker.
After bouncing back against Finland in their following match, England will face Ireland at home and Greece next month to close their Nations League campaign. With success at Major Championships continuing to elude them, it will be up to Carsley’s men to do justice to the considerable talent at their disposal.
However, the onus will be on Carsley, too, to utilize his personnel effectively. It remains to be seen whether he takes the bold decision of dropping Foden from the starting XI. On current form, Palmer is probably England’s best player and hence, Carsley should be showing his faith on him by playing him in a pivotal position.