The Nations League action continues tonight as England head to Greece for a must win game if the Three Lions have any realistic ambition of finishing top of the Group and earning an automatic return to League A and the top tier of the competition.
It has been a turbulent time for England since Gareth Southgate’s departure, with Lee Carsley overseeing the recent Nations League games, including the 2-1 defeat to tonight’s opponents Greece, who tactically outwitted an England team that had been setup in all out attack mode after Carsley had succumbed to the outside pressure of trying to play all his supposed superstars in the same team; an approach that backfired and resulted in the Greeks earning their first ever win away from home versus the English.
The build-up to tonight’s game for England has been hit by a number of high-profile withdrawals, and it has certainly irked England captain Harry Kane who quoted the following in his press conference yesterday:
“England comes before anything. It comes before club. It is the most important thing you play for as a professional footballer. It’s a shame this week. It’s a tough period of the season and maybe it’s been taken advantage of a little bit. I don’t really like it, if I’m totally honest. I think England comes before any club situation”
With new England manager Thomas Tuchel due to take over in the New Year, one of the first items on his to-do list will be to re-create the positive and trusting environment that Gareth Southgate built for the players. It will also be interesting to see how Lee Carsley handles the apparent criticism of his teammates by Harry Kane and if he starts in Athens?
In a preview of tonight’s game, it will be a tough assignment for England who will face the most in-form national team in Europe this season with the Greeks winning all four of their Nations League games in addition to a 2-0 friendly victory against Malta. Anastasios Bakasetas has contributed 6 goals and 7 assists in his last 14 Nations League appearances for Greece, he will have to be well marshalled by an English defence that will be missing one of the key mainstays of the team in the past few years in Man City’s John Stones.
However, England will still pose a threat with their attacking talents, with the onus on the likes of Jude Bellingham and Ollie Watkins to create and finish the chances that we expect England to generate. It will be tough though against a Greece side who have not conceded a goal at home in nearly 300 minutes of action.
The Sports Alert News prediction is that despite the withdrawals and comments from Harry Kane, England will secure a close fought 2-1 victory.
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