Who else? On a night that saw the stunning aurora borealis grace the skies across much of the UK, England’s own shining star, Jude Bellingham, appeared to have salvaged a point against Greece after rifling the ball past Newcastle United’s Odysseas Vlachodimos in the 87th minute. The role of saviour had been bestowed upon young Jude once more.
Alas, Greek forward Vangelis Pavlidis had other ideas. As the English defence crumbled, a mix-up between Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill presented a golden opportunity for the 25-year-old, who cooly slotted the ball past Jordan Pickford.
The deciding goal was a crushing blow for the Three Lions, but it was far from a piece of opportunistic fortune. The Greeks had put the ball in the back of the net a total of FIVE times during the match. It was certainly a night to forget for Jordan Pickford, whose blushes were spared on multiple occasions.
A tremendous clearance from Levi Colwill in the 10th minute of the game prevented what would have been the opening goal after Pickford had gone walkabout and haphazardly given the ball away to Greece’s no.11 Anastasios Bakasetas. A corner soon after resulted in the first offside goal of the match when Pickford attempted to punch the ball away but was closer to a K.O. on Jude Bellingham. Having already conceded 15 goals in 7 games this season with Everton, he’ll be hoping to retain his spot as England’s no.1 following this nervous display.
Elsewhere on the pitch, it’s fair to say that England was pretty shambolic defensively. Gareth Southgate’s trusty favourites Kyle Walker, Harry Maguire and Marc Guehi were dropped for the more attacking-minded Trent Alexander-Arnold, Levi Colwill and Rico Lewis.
Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka delivered sub-par performances. The latter picked up what Arsenal fans will be hoping was a minor injury, limping off the pitch in the 51st minute.
Lee Carsley also opted to play without a recognised number nine, leaving Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins sitting on the bench until the 60th minute despite the absence of Harry Kane due to a minor injury.
The starting lineup did include talented youngsters Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, who inverted their positions with Jude Bellingham throughout the game. However, despite the abundance of attacking creativity, the team failed to deliver a scintillating performance. Is such a thing as having too much talent in one position on the pitch?
Comparisons are being made to England’s so-called ‘golden generation’, which saw the likes of Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, and Paul Scholes end their international careers without silverware. Fans will pray that history doesn’t repeat itself and that the years of waiting for the Three Lions to lift a trophy will soon end.
Should Carsley be praised for trying something new regarding his formation and lineup, or is his ‘bravery’ actually foolishness? It’s fair to say that fans remain divided. If the premier league has taught us anything, surely it’s that managers need time to implement their system and philosophy into the team they take charge of.
However, with last night’s lacklustre performance being labelled as dreadful and disastrous, it is not surprising that rumours continue to circulate regarding who Lee Carsley’s successor will be. The Chelsea trio of Frank Lampard, Graham Potter, and Thomas Tuchel all seem to have their names in the hat, but who will be appointed as England’s next manager (if Carsley goes, that is) is anyone’s guess. There will be much scrutiny over England’s next match against Finland on Sunday, 13th October, which could be pivotal to Carsley’s future.
With such high expectations on the shoulders of any England manager, it could well be the hardest job in Football. I don’t wish it on anyone.
A Word on Greece
Contrastingly, the performance from the Greek team was very much spirited after the tragic passing of former Sheffield United and Greek international defender George Baldock, who played for the national side a total of 12 times. The request to postpone the game had actually been rejected by UEFA, who stated that there were no available dates for the match to be rescheduled.
Whilst the news of George’s death would have understandably weighed very heavily on the minds of all the Greek players involved, they delivered an incredible performance to defeat England.
After scoring his first goal, Pavlidis immediately pointed towards the black armband that players and staff from both sides were wearing, dedicating his goal to the defender. His teammates joined him in heralding Baldock’s jersey aloft, a gesture emphasising the loss’s impact on the side and how greatly George will be missed.
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