England beat Greece convincingly in Athens to wrestle back top spot in their Nations League group – and did so with captain and record scorer Harry Kane on the bench
Harry Kane will start England’s final Nations League clash at Wembley.
England interim boss Lee Carsley has also insisted he “definitely did not drop” Kane against Greece but just wanted to give Ollie Watkins his big chance. It was a huge call because Kane is England’s record scorer, captain and has been in red-hot form for Bayern Munich this season after scoring 17 goals already for club and country.
But Carsley says it is vital for England’s future that other players get a chance to experience the pressure and atmosphere of big games. And there is no suggestion that Watkins starting ahead of Kane represented a changing of the guard even though the Aston Villa striker impressed with his pace and justified his selection with a goal.
Kane, 31, who is England’s top scorer with 68 goals from 102 caps, will lead the team out against Republic of Ireland on Sunday as England look to secure promotion to get themselves back against the big guns in the Nations League. Carsley said: “He’s playing on Sunday, yeah he’ll start. He’s captain, he’s so important to the team.
“It was just a case tonight of having a look at something different, giving someone else the experience who has not had a lot of chances to do so yet. Nothing more than that.
“I definitely didn’t drop Harry Kane. He’s done well for me every game he’s played and been involved with. It wasn’t a case of being dropped, far from it, it was just a case of giving someone an opportunity.
“Ollie is playing in the Champions League with Villa, he’s doing really well, the same with Morgan Rogers. It’s great that he got a goal, it looks like a great decision then doesn’t it? Ultimately he should take a lot of credit and confidence.”
Carsley also sent a clear message to incoming boss Thomas Tuchel as the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich head coach was told: England’s next generation can win you the World Cup.
Carsley has no doubt that England can follow the likes of Germany and Spain by turning their young talent into world beaters. They have won tournaments through the age groups and then go on to lift the major trophies with World Cups and Euros in the past few years.
Carsley says the new generation of the likes of Curtis Jones, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke can graduate into senior stars alongside the likes of Jude Bellingham and Kane. Cole Palmer, Morgan Gibbs-White, Levi Colwill, Angel Gomes and Taylor Harwood-Bellis were also part of Carsley’s squad which won last year’s European under-21 Championships.
England manager-in-waiting Tuchel, who takes charge from January 1, will now get a group of players who have won at junior level and are desperate to do the same with the seniors. Carsley said: “They’ve won at under-18s as well and I think it definitely helps. We’ve seen that with Germany in the past and with Spain so why can’t that be England?”
Carsley has overseen a rollercoaster ride as interim which finishes with Sunday’s final Nations League game against Republic of Ireland on Sunday. His finest moment was the win in Greece on Thursday night to overhaul them at the top of Group B2. England will make changes despite needing to win to guarantee promotion to get back among the big boys but Carsley says he is determined to make sure they are exciting to watch.
Carsley added: “We’ve seen a lot of these young players in the past but to get an opportunity to play and to be as exciting and attacking as they were is good to watch. We want to see a side that’s attacking, playing with energy, enthusiasm, creating chances and we had that against Greece.
“When we’ve got some explosive players in the team and we had legs. A lot of pace definitely helps. It was really pleasing. They’ve put themselves in a really good position. We spoke on Wednesday about the amount of players who weren’t here and our focus has been on the ones who are here.
“It’s given six or seven some opportunity to be in a venue like in Athens, and to experience that kind of atmosphere. They’ve done themselves a lot of good.”
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