Withdrawals force Carsley to blood youth in Greece tie

It is an England football team, if not the England team that will take the field in Athens on Thursday night. Aaron Ramsdale, Trent Alexander-Arnold, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish is a line-up that would require a false nine.

- RICHARD JOLLY

There may be an irony there, given that Lee Carsley’s striker-less formation was a major factor in defeat to Greece last month.

But instead of each playing, they are all absent, either injured or recuperating. Six of them started the Euro 2024 final and a seventh, Palmer, scored in it, so it seems no exaggeration to call it a stronger side than the team Carsley will actually pick.

England have been hit by mass withdrawals, with eight on Monday alone. It leaves a squad where only Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane possess more than 20 caps and where seven of Carsley’s rejigged group have none.

The question lingering in the background is whether some of England’s injured contingent would have pronounced themselves fit if this had been Thomas Tuchel’s first game in charge, rather than the beginning of the end of the Carsley interregnum.

“It is a shame,” said Kane. “It does feel like some people have taken advantage of the situation. I don’t like it, to be honest.”

Carsley was more diplomatic. If the caretaker risks looking a lame duck, promoting several of his European Under-21 Championship-winning side, but with the possibility Tuchel will recall senior figures when they are available again, Carsley instead focused on the facts and figures.