5 talking points as England look to respond to Greece defeat against Finland

England will look to return to winning ways as interim boss Lee Carsley leads the side to Finland on Sunday.

Here, the PA news agency looks at five of the main talking points ahead of the Nations League clash in Helsinki.

Carsley’s position becomes clearer

After sidestepping questions about the prospects of becoming Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor, Carsley’s position became clearer on the eve of the match after he admitted he had not formally applied for the job.

He also reiterated his love of his role as under-21s manager and said that England deserve the best coach out there.

So, it looks as if Carsley’s remit will not extend beyond next month’s Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, even if he left the door open by refusing he would turn the job down.

England reeling from Greek defeat

After opening his interim reign with 2-0 victories against the Republic of Ireland and Finland, things went awry as England lost to Greece for the first time ever.

Carsley’s side looked poor in and out of possession in a deserved 2-1 loss that leaves them three points behind Thursday’s visitors to Wembley in the Group B2 standings.

England can ill afford to let the gap grow against pointless Finland – the lowest ranked team in the pool – before November’s crunch trip to Athens.

‘Carsball’ in question

Carsley’s decision to deploy five attackers without an out-and-out striker backfired against Greece, leaving England rudderless without the ball and toothless with it in an alarming all-round display.

The interim manager pledged to stick with his attack-minded approach, but a more familiar system will be in place in Helsinki.

“Probably won’t try that again on Sunday,” Carsley said. “I have coached enough to know we need to do something different. Had Harry been fit I might have gone down another route.”

Kane is able ?‍✈️ pic.twitter.com/DL94FTTUIT — England (@England) October 12, 2024

It was Harry Kane’s absence against Greece that forced Carsley into his bold attacking selection but the skipper is expected to be back in Helsinki.

Kane trained on Friday and Saturday after overcoming a knock picked up playing for Bayern Munich.

The striker’s anticipated return will change the dynamic of the England side and he will be on the hunt for more goals.

Finnish them off

Finland are the lowest ranked team in the group and have been the whipping boys, having lost their opening three games.

England have never lost to them, though they were held to a goalless draw in Helsinki 24 years ago when Howard Wilkinson was caretaker manager before Sven-Goran Eriksson’s appointment.

Defeat for the Finns would put them on the brink of relegation to League C, but they are dreaming big.

Coach Markku Kanerva said: “We know it’s going to be a huge challenge for us to try to get a win or get a point. But surprises can happen, and we believe in that.”