Cubs roar to help Three Lions soar

England’s interim manager Lee Carsley hails young bench strength as understudies sink Greece 3-0 while big stars stay away from national duty

Lee Carsley claimed England’s 3-0 win over Greece showed the strength in depth that awaits Thomas Tuchel when he takes over as coach. 

England were hit by a rash of withdrawals before Thursday’s Nations League clash here, but Carsley’s team made light of the star absences to keep alive their hopes of promotion to the event’s top tier. 

Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden were among nine players to pull out of England’s last two games of 2024 amid speculation they were encouraged by their club. England captain Harry Kane launched a scathing attack on the stay-aways, insisting international duty should come before anything else. Kane was surprisingly dropped to the bench by interim boss Carsley after his outburst, but England were unfazed. 

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Lee Carsley (right) with goal-scorer Curtis James

Kane’s replacement Ollie Watkins gave them an early lead before Greece goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos deflected Jude Bellingham’s shot into his own net. Curtis Jones’ audacious back-flicked effort wrapped up a win that put England top of Group B2. 

They are guaranteed to win promotion to League A with a win over Ireland at Wembley on Sunday. Carsley spoke of the vast array of quality that former Bayern Munich boss Tuchel will inherit when he finally takes the reins on January 1. “It’s just important the players play to their strengths. We have got a lot of outstanding talent. The players who were not here, we concentrated on the ones that were. We spoke yesterday about players getting an opportunity, and we have seen that tonight. People were speaking about the inexperience within the squad, but these players play week in and week out in the Premier League at a really high level,” Carsley said.

After losing to Greece for the first time ever at Wembley in October, this was a sweet moment for Carsley, who was then criticised for his tactics. Chelsea winger Noni Madueke caught the eye with an assist for Watkins’ opener, while Jones and Anthony Gordon also impressed. 

Assessing England’s long-term prospects, Carsley said:  “It represents we are moving in the right direction. You’re now seeing quality in terms of the younger ones, that they’re more than capable. Think about the two wide players, Anthony [Gordon] and Noni [Madueke], so attacking, so direct. Curtis was outstanding tonight,” said Carsley. 

Italy, France book quarter-final spots 

LONDON: Italy ensured a quarter-final spot in the Nations League, beating Belgium on Thursday that also guaranteed France a place in the last-eight despite a goalless draw with Israel. Italy were economical as they beat Belgium 1-0 in Group A2. The visitors dominated the early stages and scored after 11 minutes. Slick play by full-back Giovanni Di Lorenzo set up Sandro Tonali for a tap in. 

At the Stade de France, tentative France struggled to create chances as they drew 0-0 with Israel before a sparse and grumbling crowd. The game took place under heavy security after fans from the Maccabi Tel Aviv club were attacked in Amsterdam last week following a Europa League match against Ajax.

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