How England were beaten by Greece after Pavlidis' stoppage-time winner in the Nations League

 

Lee Carsley's side were outplayed at Wembley and two goals from Vangelis Pavlidis led Greece to a 2-1 victory

England 1-2 Greece — The Briefing

• What did Carsley learn?
• Did the initial formation (or the rejig) work?
• Was Pickford having one of those nights?
• What happened to Saka?
• How was the passing of Baldock marked?

 

The Briefing.
What next for England?

Sunday, October 13: Finland (A), Nations League, 5pm BST, 12pm ET

England travel to Helsinki having beaten Markku Kanerva's side 2-0 at Wembley last month.

Harry Kane marked his 100th cap that night with a brace, taking his goal tally for his country to 68.

The Briefing: How did the teams remember George Baldock?

There was a sombre moment just before kick-off as both teams — and the whole stadium — paid tribute to Baldock, who died this week at the age of 31.

The away team emerged with a white Greece home shirt with 'BALDOCK 2' on the back. Baldock was born in England but qualified for Greece through his grandmother; he was capped 12 times.

Then, the big screens at the stadium showing a photo of Baldock, England players clapped on the edge of the centre circle while the Greece team stood arm-in-arm. After announcements in English and Greek, the whole stadium then held still in silence - a minute's respect that was perfectly observed.

There was even a Greece flag sporting a Sheffield United badge held up among the England fans - one of many tributes paid to the former Milton Keynes Dons, Sheffield United and Panathinaikos defender.

Those continued during the game itself, with Pavlidis holding up a black armband as he celebrated opening the scoring. His team-mates gathered to lift the same 'BALDOCK 2' shirt to the heavens, ensuring the full-back would not be forgotten.

The Briefing: What happened to Bukayo Saka?

The Arsenal fans will once again be bemoaning international breaks. Mikel Arteta lost Martin Odegaard to injury when the midfielder was playing for Norway last month and, here, Saka worryingly limped off early in the second half.

First-half moment: Saka tracking back, his ankle appeared to get caught. Then early in the second, having limped away following an England attack breaking down, after Greece's goal he sat on the turf, unable to continue.

He limped off gingerly to be replaced by Madueke and there will now be an anxious wait to learn the extent of the problem. Arsenal go to Bournemouth next weekend but, more significantly, have a game with title-chasing rivals Liverpool looming at the end of October.

Saka's injury may also reopen the debate about player welfare at the top level for a player who has already made 236 club appearances and earned 43 England caps by the age of 23.

The Briefing: Did Pickford have one of those nights?

Greece were aggressive, Greece were troublesome, but a superior team would have punished England for some abysmal early defending, not least from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who had two mad first-half minutes.

A fairly innocuous ball over the top that Stones probably had under control was met instead by rampaging Pickford, who then completely froze 25 yards from his own goal and clanged the ball straight to Bakasetas. Pickford has seldom let England down, but this was him at his erratic worst.

England's defending was generally fairly ropey - one of the ugliest England have produced at Wembley in recent years. England saved the worst for last.

Greece's 94th-minute winner was buffoonery personified, failing to clear by a number of players. Lewis failed to clear and ended up on the floor with Colwill as Pavlidis struck. It was almost comical and the VAR couldn't save them this time.

The Briefing: And what about the rejig?

Watkins' arrival saw England shift to a 4-3-3, with Bellingham and Foden operating behind the trio and Palmer shifting to the right. Watkins almost had an immediate say on proceedings after being found by Palmer, but his shot flew just over the bar.

That was followed by a spell of shape-shifting from England and then Greek dominance, with chances flowing for the visitors and the hosts creating nothing of note apart from a few deflected crosses and cleared corners.

A second roll of the dice from Carsley, Dominic Solanke on for Foden, saw England effectively move to a 4-4-2, having started with their most creative formation in years.

Taken as a whole, the changes flattered to deceive initially but Watkins drew defenders towards him while Solanke grabbed an assist. The changed structure also offered minimal midfield protection, however, and England's defence didn't cover itself in glory either.

The Briefing: Did the initial formation work?

In short, no. Carsley's selection was bold and probably pleased fans who have been demanding for years that England play all of their most inventive players. But it came at the expense of balance, with too many people popping up in the same bit of pitch.

Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden were involved very little, while Bellingham popped up in different positions without really impacting the play - barring a great swivel-and-pass for Palmer, who skied the chance over the bar. The Chelsea forward had no real goal threat.

Gordon was arguably the most impactful of the forwards. Carsley's response was to bring on Watkins for Gordon around the hour mark…

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