Lee Carsley will look to return to more familiar form against Finland in the Nations League on Sunday as he looks for a reaction to England's out-of-form display. Greece beat Wembley 2-1 on Thursday.
The interim manager switched to a 4-2-4 formation with Jude Bellingham, Bill Foden and Cole Palmer in the central areas, seeing the team struggle for cohesion and defensive defence, particularly against Greece's counters.
Carsley suggested that had Harry Kane been fit, he would not have gone with the system without the approved No.9 – the skipper missed out with a minor groin problem. He hopes to return to Helsinki.
With Kane injured for Bayern Munich on Sunday, the tactical plan was developed at short notice and only had time to train briefly on Wednesday. Nevertheless, Carsley made it clear he would not rule out the approach as an option in the future, given his commitment to attacking football.
“I won't try it again on Sunday,” Carsley said. “I'm trained enough to know that we have to do something different. Had Harry been fit I might have gone the other way. Need a reaction against Finland? Definitely. I've had enough setbacks in football to know you're never too far away [from one]. I must lead by example, and I will. My belief in this team has not changed.
“We tried something and it didn't come. It could have gone the other way, and we're talking about: 'We found a different way to play.' I'm very wary of judging anything too quickly, after we've been doing it for an hour [in training]. If any fingers are pointed, they will be pointed at me.
“The way I want my teams to play, I want us to attack, and when we have the players we have, I wanted to try something different. It won't stop me from trying something else in the future because I'm okay with being this way. I spent 17, 18, 19 years as a player defensively, sitting there and playing counter-attack. Of course I don't want to be a coach. If it clicks, as we saw in the training footage, there are certainly some possibilities.
The performance against Greece has changed the narrative regarding Garsley's England job on a permanent basis. But the Football Association won't let one game, one wrong roll of the dice decide everything.
It has been a secretive process and is ongoing, with no decision expected before the end of Carsley's interim term. After Finland, he has the final two ties of the Nations League campaign in November – against Greece in Athens and the Republic of Ireland at Wembley.
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Carsley, who retains good support within the FA hierarchy, continues to deflect all talk of a permanent job. He always said his focus was on the three sets of Nations League matches, the first of which brought victories against Ireland in Dublin and at home in Finland in September.
“I know it's a boring answer, but nothing has changed in my respect,” Carsley said. “Had to do three camps and nothing changed. I know it went really well last camp… we had a disappointing night, but I wasn't too high or too low.
Carsley was asked if losing had become his job. “I certainly don't feel that way,” he replied. “I tried to be as clear as I could about what I had to do. I have played this middle-aged role [in] Three places [previously] I tried to stay ahead as much as I could. I am truly blessed and truly confident that I am in this position.
Carsley is set to make changes to his starting XI against Finland, with defenders Kyle Walker and Mark Guihy in contention for a return. Kane trained on Friday and some players expect him to feature in Helsinki.
