- Greece handed Carsley his first loss as interim England boss in his third match
- Lineker thinks Carsley would be judged differently if he was permanent manager
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Gary Lineker believes Lee Carsley is being judged too harshly after England’s shock defeat at the hands of Greece on Thursday night.
The interim Three Lions boss opted to start Jude Bellingham as a false nine, rather than start a striker, while also selecting Anthony Gordon, Bukayo Saka Phil Foden, and Cole Palmer in a mouth-watering attacking line-up.
However, the risk did not pay off as Vangelis Pavlidis netted a brace, including a stoppage-time winner, as Greece secured a historic victory at Wembley.
Carsley has come into criticism due to his tactics, but Lineker, who was capped 80- times by England, has come to the 50-year-old’s defence.
‘I don’t mind him doing [things] a little bit [different],’ said Lineker on The Rest Is Football podcast. ‘I feel for him. If he was in the role permanently and he tried that, you’d go: “That’s alright”.
Gary Lineker has come to the defence of Lee Carsley saying that he admires how ‘brave’ he is
Carsley opted to play without a striker against Greece but included three attacking midfielders
Jude Bellingham (right) played as a false nine while Cole Palmer (left) slotted behind him
However the tactics failed to work and Vangelis Pavlidis (left) netted a brace in a Greece win
‘Let’s be realistic, it’s a glorified friendly, it’s not a World Cup qualifier. If he got the permanent role I would say that’s fine.
‘I actually admire him to have the b*lls, the cojones, to try something like that when you are actually trying to get the job because that is brave, and that is bold. I admire that.’
Carsley made changes after Pavlidis opened the scoring for Greece in the 49th minute, switching up the system by bringing on both Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke.
However, Micah Richards is hopeful that the interim boss is not put off by the defeat and continues to show bravery in his team selections.
Agreeing with Lineker, Richards said: ‘At least they were brave. I’m with Gary on that, I don’t mind managers who are brave, especially in a game like today.
‘I just hope against Finland he goes for it again and then gets a few goals, get their confidence.’
Carsley’s attacking approach allowed Greece to break with regularity throughout the match. The visitors found the back of the net five times, but on three occasions they saw goals ruled out.
Despite England struggling defensively, Lineker found the style an enjoyable watch and likened it to that of his former side Tottenham Hotspur.
England’s defence were open to the counter-attack and were punished on several occasions
Lineker enjoyed Carsley’s ‘entertaining’ style and likened it to that of his former team Spurs
‘I felt for them at the back, they were open to the counter-attack, but I actually don’t mind that,’ added Lineker. ‘I like watching Tottenham. I enjoy watching Tottenham because that’s the kind of football I like.
‘I want to watch entertaining football, I don’t want to watch football with the ball being passed around in the final third. I want to see attacking football.
‘I thought it was bold, I thought it was imaginative, but it backfired on him tonight. I hope in the future it doesn’t.’
The style of play that Carsley deploys differs from that of former England manager Gareth Southgate, who preferred a more pragmatic approach.
While Southgate led the Three Lions to their first two major finals since the 1966 World Cup win, Lineker has admitted he prefers Carsley’s methods.
‘I’d sooner see that than sitting deep like we did in the summer against teams equal, or not as good as Greece. I just thought a lot of players were slightly off their game tonight.
‘Overall the individual performances individual performances weren’t great. That might come from the fact that they are in a formation that is so relaxed and open.’
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk