Life under Lee Carsley is pretty fun, eh?
A new dawn in English football started with an untroubled 2-0 victory in Dublin against the noisy Irish, with former Ireland internationals Jack Grealish and Declan Rice getting their names on the scoresheet.
Carsley’s side are expected to coast through their UEFA Nations League campaign this time around having endured a relegation to League B.
The interim boss oversaw a dynamic showing at the weekend with a couple of younger faces making their senior bows off the bench. Carsley has unsurprisingly retained the core Gareth Southgate trusted towards the end of his tenure, but injuries and squad withdrawals has forced the former Under-21s manager to tinker somewhat.
Here is how England could line up at Wembley on Tuesday.
England predicted lineup vs Finland (4-2-3-1)
GK: Jordan Pickford – The man who rarely puts a foot wrong for his country remains England’s number one. He should enjoy another quiet night having kept a clean sheet on Saturday.
RB: Trent Alexander-Arnold – Carsley has made it clear that he views Alexander-Arnold as a right-back, and the Liverpool superstar should make a rare consecutive start for the Three Lions with the likes of Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, and Reece James absent from the squad.
CB: John Stones – The Manchester City defender has enjoyed a fairly slow start to the season following his Euro 2024 exploits, and he was unused at the weekend. However, he could come into Carsley’s team at Wembley.
CB: Harry Maguire – It’s great to have this man back involved with the Three Lions after he missed England’s summer adventure. Maguire started against Ireland and should re-emerge as a key figure for the national team. Marc Guehi may also retain his place.
LB: Levi Colwill – Alexander-Arnold’s position on the right means centre-back-by-trade Colwill is a handy option at left-back. The Chelsea defender made his full England debut on Saturday with Carsley without the likes of Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell.
DM: Kobbie Mainoo – There are holes in Mainoo’s game, but the talent, especially in possession, is undeniable. He aided England’s control in Dublin on Saturday and has quickly settled on the international stage having impressed during the knockout stages of Euro 2024.
DM: Declan Rice – No celebration against the country you formerly represented? Utter woke nonsense or one of football’s top ten respect moments? Either way, there’s no denying that Rice’s strike in Dublin was a bit funny. He’ll be able to properly enjoy a rare international goal if he finds the back of the net again on Tuesday.
RW: Bukayo Saka – The two-time England Player of the Year has started the new season in fine fettle for Arsenal, and no one is likely to usurp him down the right on Tuesday. Noni Madueke will hope to make his England debut off the bench.
AM: Eberechi Eze – A litany of withdrawals and potential rotation could open up the door for Eze to start as England’s creative talisman on Tuesday. Eze has flashed his magic for the Three Lions, but he’ll want to assert himself on the international stage after a quiet Euros.
LW: Anthony Gordon – Jack Grealish was excellent at the weekend and another humorous goalscorer, but Carsley understands attacking dynamics and the necessity for balance. Gordon stretches the pitch and is the in-behind runner England’s talisman requires.
ST: Harry Kane – Speaking of whom, Kane, given his penchant to drop deep and distribute, is always going to perform better with runners ahead of him. There was promise in Dublin after a tough Euros. Kane remains a critical figure for the Three Lions and he’ll fancy scoring a few on Tuesday,
