- Lee Carsley can get back to basics in Bukayo Saka’s absence against Finland
- Carsley has the opportunity to use Phil Foden or Cole Palmer as wide players
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If you love football, you can’t help but love Bukayo Saka, no matter which team you support.
Saka, at 5ft 8in, isn’t the biggest figure, but he has wonderful strength on the ball under pressure and the ability to roll defenders and win free kicks.
One of his greatest weapons is his ability to go both ways: he likes to go both outside and cut inside. Left-handed players who are comfortable on the right, like Saka, are a collector’s item and give their opponent something else to think about.
His discipline also impresses me a lot. Saka is not tempted to go for the ball if he goes through a quiet period of the game where he is short of serve.
He ignores the need to drop into midfield or assume the number 10 role to get the ball and sticks to his position. He knows that he is more dangerous on the wings and his incredible numbers in front of goal justify that mentality. Saka is very reliable with his final product and his numbers in terms of goals and assists are always on par with the best.
England winger Bukayo Saka is an excellent player, but will be absent against Finland due to injury.
Watching him limp off the Wembley pitch while holding the back of his leg on Thursday night was a shame, but I’d be more worried if it were Mikel Arteta and Arsenal than Lee Carsley and England.
It is well documented how Carsley has been blessed with excellent forward line options. It’s a little trickier for Arsenal to fill that void, although I think Gabriel Jesus could be an ideal replacement given some of his best performances in a Manchester City shirt came on the right.
In the case of England, Phil Foden or Cole Palmer would be more than capable of replacing Saka on the right wing against Finland. Both have played with distinction in that position for their clubs.
Sunday is all about getting back to basics for England. What Carsley did on Thursday, playing with players in positions he didn’t know, was a huge risk and ultimately backfired.
Many people had been clamoring for him and Gareth Southgate to have Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Saka in the same team, but it just didn’t work out. Instead, Carsley needs to return to the model he used in his first two games in charge.
Lee Carsley’s experiment against Greece didn’t work but he has a chance to put things right
With Saka out, Carsley could start Phil Foden or Cole Palmer on the right wing
The game against Finland is a great opportunity for Carsley and England to recover
Fitting Jude Bellingham, Saka, Foden and Palmer into the same team caused difficulties
Against Ireland, a left-footer played as a left-back, two midfielders played in midfield, a number 10 played as a ten and a striker played as a striker. As ridiculous as it may seem, that gives you balance and that’s why I hope Carsley does what he knows again against the Finns. If that means picking on one or two superstars because you can’t fit them all on the team, so be it; that’s how it has to be.
We shouldn’t criticize Carsley too much for being bold against Greece. He’s in the infancy of his management career and sometimes you only know if something is going to work when you try it. But what he can be criticized for is not changing things at half-time, when it was clear that England were in trouble.
I don’t think Carsley helped himself after the game either, ending in a dead end with comments about coaching the Under-21 team again. It can be difficult to face the media after a defeat, but English fans expect to be convinced and such comments create doubts in people’s minds as to whether he is the right man for the job.
Sunday is a great opportunity for England and Carsley to bounce back quickly. That’s a luxury you don’t always have in international football, where you can sometimes go months between games. A high-energy performance with England’s creative stars taking the ball, running the show and scoring goals would be a good way to end Greece’s nightmare.
