Lee Carsley branded 'unhinged' after naming remarkable England line-up vs Greece
Lee Carsley is taking charge of just his third game as England's interim boss on Thursday night as the Three Lions host Greece in the Nations League at Wembley Stadium
by Jacob Leeks · The MirrorEngland interim boss Lee Carsley has been branded 'unhinged' after confirming his line-up for the Nations League clash with Greece.
The Three Lions host Greece at Wembley on Thursday night, with Carsley picking a bold team featuring no natural strikers. Jordan Pickford started in goal, with Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rico Lewis at fullback.
John Stones captained the side at centre-back, where he was joined by Levi Colwill. Things got more interesting in the midfield, with Declan Rice the sole holding man.
Ahead of Rice, the exact line-up was more clouded, with Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon all starting. The bold outlook of the team delighted fans, who were thrilled to see Carsley experimenting in his third game in charge.
One fan said: "A billion wingers and number 10s. Very unhinged lineup but I kinda like it? I'll give Carsley the benefit of the doubt because it looks attacking as f***." Another added: "At least Carsley is infinitely more fun than Southgate." A third said: "Wow. Lee Carsley you fulfil my dreams."
A fourth said: "Jesus Christ Carsley is the messiah." While a fifth wrote: "This might be a perfect England team! Well done Carsley!" Another said: "ngl this line up is mental? I’m very intrigued… now is deffo the time to experiment so not shading carsley."
A seventh added: "Saka Jude Foden Gordon and Palmer in the same lineup who let lee carsley cook?" While a final fan concluded: "I’m a massive fan of this, Lee Carsley has ambition."
When he announced his squad, Carsley made it clear he would be experimenting with the team. While currently only interim boss, the former Republic of Ireland manager is the favourite to get the job on a permanent basis.
"There were a lot of players who were close to this squad. With the talent we have available, it would have been possible to pick a 40-man squad and justify having them all in. The challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and a squad that can win the two games," he said.
"It was a chance to look at other players. It's definitely nothing to do with form, it's just a case in this period of using the next two camps to experiment a little bit, look at other players, and the players who have been left out have all got a case to be in the squad.
"I thought it was a case of the last squad being fresh and feeling fresh, a lot of energy, and it was important that it wasn't a copy and paste. I want them to feel like they’ve earned their place in the squad. I've spoken to all of the players who aren’t involved and had good conversations with them.
"Ultimately people want to know where they stand long-term and I've made it clear that this is a short-term decision. I've seen every touch that players have had since our last game and we feel really well informed with the squad we've selected."
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