Lee Carsley claims England’s defeat by Greece will make him a better coach but admits he plans to ditch his experimental formation by starting with a striker against Finland

Lee Carsley says England will play with a striker against Finland on Sunday – and believes the defeat by Greece has made him a better coach.

The interim boss has been criticised for his team selection and tactics at Wembley on Thursday night, when his use of Jude Bellingham as a false nine in a 4-2-1-3 system with Cole Palmer in a deep midfield role backfired during a 2-1 loss.

Captain Harry Kane missed that match because of injury but he trained on Saturday and could now return to the side, with Carsley admitting he will change his approach.

‘It is something I will look back on in two or three months and be better for it,’ he said of the defeat by Greece after arriving here in Helsinki.

‘I wanted to give this job my best shot for the three camps. I didn’t want to have any regrets. It was important that we do try something different at times.

Carsley suffered his first defeat as England interim boss on Thursday – a 2-1 loss to Greece

England did not start with a striker against Greece, but Ollie Watkins (No 18) came on as a sub

‘I think I’ll be a better coach for that. But I think we’ll be a little bit more conventional tomorrow night. It’s important that we freshen the team up a little bit. I expect we’ll see both [a change in tactics and selection].’

Carsley was asked to clear up his comments after the Greece game when he said that ‘hopefully’ he would be returning to the Under-21s job following his interim stint with the senior side.

‘Hopefully is a word and a phrase that I use quite a bit,’ he began. ‘There’s obviously no guarantees in life, including tomorrow. It’s a job that I’m really proud of, the Under-21s. It’s a job I’m massively invested in.

‘But I know there’s no guarantees. The plan is the same – give this job, for the three camps, the best that I can do along with the rest of the staff and hopefully we can be in a good position.’

Harry Kane (right) missed the Greece game with an injury but he could return against Finland

Carsley pictured speaking to Kane at a training session on Saturday, while Watkins looked on

Speaking on Saturday, Carsley said that England’s loss to Greece will make him a better coach

He added: ‘It’s important that I’ve got trust and support from the team. I think that then pays forward. The praise that me and the players got from the first few games was very good. We fell below those standards the other night.

‘The most important thing is a reaction. You want the public to trust and love the team, because the impact that the national team has on the public is very inspiring.’