England's failed experiment gives Lee Carsley one answer – but asks another about him

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A failed experiment that will undoubtedly lead to initial questions about whether this should be said of Lee Carsley. The interim England coach himself said he wouldn't describe his tactical approach to this first senior defeat in that way, only saying it was worth a try. Afterwards he actually refused to confirm that he wanted the job, but talked about it so much that he started to despair himself. There was even an unfortunate slip-up where he said he would “hopefully” return to the U21 level, but that was certainly only on the condition that he didn’t take the senior job. The scrutiny that came with it was getting on his nerves, perhaps for the first time. There were moments when his explanations seemed as confusing as his lineup. Greece, on the other hand, had such a clear focus. Their 2-1 away win was made all the worse by the brilliant Vangelis Pavlidis scoring both goals and Carsley showing the value of a striker on a night when he took the historic step of forgoing a striker.

A line stretching from Dixie Dean to Harry Kane has been broken for a false nine that will instead raise talk of a false dawn.

Another small twist on the night was that Jude Bellingham scored England's only goal, but that was after he was moved from the forward position to the back following a clearly failed formation. Carsley certainly did his own thing – how else could you describe this approach? – but he still looked like he was appealing to the general mood by getting all of his stars on the same page. Bellingham led a strange team that also included Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka.

“It was like, 'Let's try something different,'” Carsley explained afterwards. “I’m happy to take the blame for this. It was entirely my idea. I thought long and hard about what it might look like and what it might feel like. It probably didn’t work out tonight…definitely not, but I don’t think we’ll pass up the opportunity to try something different.”

However, there was still a known issue. There may be a little more concern here than just the formation, especially as Carsley later clarified that they had actually only been working on it for 20 minutes. The manager who tried this approach once was fair enough, and what better place to test this than in a mere Nations League game that you've already won twice. England could perhaps have used a more lenient opponent than Greece. The guests were ready and visibly emotionally encouraged by the tragic death of former international George Baldock. Before we delve into the tactical and technical discussion, it is worth noting how touching it was to see the Greek players in tears as they celebrated Pavlidis' goals.

However, these attacks didn't just come from formation. They come from a trait that is a bit of a concern for Carsley's team and perhaps one that should be given more focus. This is a permeability at the center. Both Ireland and Finland created chances in their first wins, and Greece did much more here. “We expect to be a big team that will comfortably beat Greece at Wembley,” Carsey said. “You have to remember that the opposition is highly motivated and will try to stop you.”

Instead, they got through England so easily that there was sheer panic in the defense and experienced defenders desperately tried to kick the ball while they were on the ground. “I thought all the goals were bad,” Carsley said of his own players’ mistakes. It says a lot that both of Pavlidis' goals looked so similar in the end, even if both were crowned by classic striker finishes.

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It was remarkable, especially for a team and a manager who are supposed to be about tactical control. However, the tone was set by Jordan Pickford, who gave the ball away almost immediately before fluttering at a corner. The goalkeeper was spared by Levi Colwill's first free throw and then by the offside flag. However, Greece continued to progress. They sensed something was up.

That was because England's stars were so wrong. Although this wasn't just about the formation, it's impossible not to focus on it.

It became so extreme that England lacked so much control and balance that there was little thought as to whether it was one of those Jose Mourinho line-ups that was partly political. Will anyone ever ask Carsley if he wants to play all the star attackers again?

Well, probably. It will probably only take a boring half-time for the riot to start, and even that performance should be dismissed by the fact that it was only one game and these players were only in a single game, and that was after 20 minutes of work. Carsley actually stressed that trying again in the future was an option. He also explained: “I thought it would be a creative way to play… to get some of our attacking players on the pitch to see what that would look like.”

Things weren't looking great, with some problems that had been apparent for a long time. Foden and Bellingham got in each other's way again, in situations that looked like they were in the summer. This was despite Bellingham playing in this other role as a false nine. It was perhaps no surprise that he achieved his goal when he was transferred back.

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Meanwhile, Palmer may be one of England's most tactically versatile players due to his technique and game intelligence, but that doesn't mean putting him in that midfield role isn't a waste. It led to the most striking element of England's performance. This was a huge gap in the middle of the pitch and often between the attackers.

After years of criticizing Southgate's teams for their lack of creativity, Carsley went too far in the other direction here. His team screamed for more orders from Southgate.

Carsley eventually introduced it, and it was ironic – and perhaps somewhat logical – that one of England's most expansive formations ever ended up looking more like a traditional 4-4-2.

However, this defensive permeability remained. Greece had a goal-line clearance, the first Pavlidis goal and three disallowed goals. It all came down to something, and it wasn't Carsley stepping in to make the job his own.

Instead, Greece would make the evening its own. The same issues played out in the 93rd minute as the same striker scored a goal. It was no less than Greece deserved. It will raise the first big question about whether Carsley should get a job that looked like he was going to take it.