Now is the time for the Football Association to act proactively. Technical director John McDermott can't give way to complacency and ignore the evidence England's worst defeat to Greece. It was more than once a night. Few performances have been so disastrous and, after watching Lee Carsley so brilliantly attempt to pass himself off as a tactical innovator, the FA should be prepared to admit some cold, hard truths in England's quest. The next permanent head coach.
Forget the smooth transition of power. Lofty intentions such as promoting from within and drilling the St George Park pipeline are unsustainable. This is not an isolated blip. It was an inexperienced manager – when Carsley first named the starting XI, it was almost a mockery of the Internet team, and then he struggled in an awkward press conference, saying “hopefully”. McDermott will have to respond accordingly – when the under-21s close next month.
The harsh reality is that Carsley's power, with his “creative” finishing, will see many attackers penetrate and spoil his side's balance. Is the job too big for him? Listening to him Thursday night, it wasn't clear if he really wanted to. The comment about returns to the under-21 system felt revealing. Maybe it's a slip of the tongue. He may be uncomfortable with people saying he could lose the job after England beat Ireland and Finland last month. Or it could be that Carsley is inadvertently providing insight into his state of mind.
Whatever the truth, it was a night when Declan Rice patrolled midfield, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer vied for space in central areas and Greece repeatedly broke the counter-attack. It was not encouraging. Demonstrating confidence in the public is part of governance in England. Gareth Southgate occasionally lost control when the cameras were rolling. Carsley walks into the traps. He admitted that England only trained for 20 minutes against Greece, ignoring several requests to clarify the line on the under-21s.
Yet a coach with no track record in senior management. This explains the naïveté against Greece. Stepping in for Dominique Solange or Ollie Watkins for Kane would have been far less problematic. Instead Carsley bowed to popularity, playing Bellingham as a false 9, compressing Foden into a vague playmaking role and wasting Palmer in central midfield. Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saga were on the sidelines because, why not?
It's worth spending a moment on England's disdain for the concept of the individual and midfield coming at the expense of the team. A reminder: If no one can hold onto the ball, any semblance of organization quickly disappears. There is a value to deep conductors like Angel Gomes, a strange omission after his impressive debut against Finland. They give the teams structure and England have nothing against Greece.
It was very pleasant. There is a case for experimentation, but the plan must make sense. Although the stakes were low, it was still a competitive series, and it's hard to see how Carsley gets credit back. He has been handed six games against middling to low opposition in Nations League Group B2, making wins tricky to judge and setbacks difficult to accept. It is important to maintain perspective. It should not be overlooked that England were in possession against Finland and Ireland, playing brilliantly defensively and conceding both games.
Something goes down when the ball is bowled to the opposition. Perhaps Carsley's development is a result of his progression from football. He has put a lot of emphasis on possession and technique, but what about defending properly? What about intensity and pressure? Inverting full-backs is great but what happens if your opponents are nowhere to be seen when they break?
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These are questions for the FA's recruitment committee to consider. For Carsley, the dilemma is that defeat against Greece will be difficult to erase in his last three games. England are expected to win big in Finland on Sunday and Ireland next month. The real test comes when they play Athens on November 14.
By then, McDermott should have made progress in identifying replacement candidates. England's first game after November is in March, either a World Cup qualifier or a Nations League playoff. Time is of the essence. Talk to Graham Potter and see if he fits. Find out if Eddie Howe really wants to leave Newcastle and find out if the compensation costs are justified. Accept that Pep Guardiola isn't going to be on the market until at least the end of the season, and that the budget is going to be stretched to breaking point anyway. Another foreign manager, Thomas Tuchel, will also be very expensive.
None of this is straightforward. The system does not produce enough English managers. Produced by Lee Carsley. Lee Carsley has produced a team that can beat Greece 5-1. Awkward as it may be, the FA has already made a decision.
