Finland 1-3 England: Clock ticking for Lee Carsley & FA after week of confusion

Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel fits the bill by Carsley’s measure but international management is a different matter from leading a club. Newcastle’s Eddie Howe is still mentioned, while any idea of luring Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola to St George’s Park is surely a dream, a fanciful one at that.

The questions and second-guessing will continue until this is cleared up once and for all. It has created an inertia which will only be solved by someone, perhaps the FA, showing their hand.

The received wisdom is the FA would like Carsley to be their man, continuing on the pathway – from St George’s Park to under-21 coach and then national coach – forged by Southgate.

At this stage, however, it appears they are no closer to putting a firm recruitment strategy in place.

On whether he would like to carry on, Carsley repeated the lines consistently trotted out as he added: “I’ve not really thought much about it. I keep saying the same thing. My remit was six games and I’m happy with that.

“This is a privileged position. I’m really enjoying it but I didn’t enjoy the last two days. I’m not used to losing in an England team. I don’t take losing well.

“People are always going to try and put their chips on one side. I’m in the middle. My bosses have made it clear what they need from me.”

Carsley’s credentials to take England to the 2026 World Cup have taken a heavy hit since the victories against the Republic of Ireland and Finland in his opening two games. Just about everything about the 2-1 loss to Greece needs to be placed in the negative half of his ledger.

He got his team selection horribly wrong, his front-loaded side stripped of a recognised striker were a tactical mess, and Carsley’s suggestion he would “hopefully” return to the under-21 job crowned a truly dismal, head-scratching night for all involved.

England won 3-1 in Finland. They had to win. Anything else was unthinkable against a gallant but limited side ranked 64th in the world and without a point in this Uefa Nations League Group B2.

And yet, for long periods, England were slow, sterile and ponderous, even with the lift of Jack Grealish’s early goal. The nerves would have been rattling had Finland striker Fredrik Jensen not spurned two big chances at 1-0, the second after the break a shocking miss when he somehow fired over the top with the goal at his mercy.

England made Finland pay with further goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold, used at left-back in another Carsley break from convention, and Declan Rice, but this was not enough to blow away the cobwebs left from the loss to Greece.

Grealish continued his rejuvenation with a goal but it was not a good night for Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, marginalised on the right to little effect, with returning captain Harry Kane looking short of fitness.

It was better than Greece. It could not be worse.

England at least had a shape but they were making very hard work of seeing off Finland until Alexander-Arnold produced a very rare moment of quality with a brilliant free-kick from 25 yards.

They were flat for long periods, lacking tempo and fluency. It was not an impressive dispatch of such inferior opposition.

A win is a win, though, and that is at least a small mercy at the end of a highly unsatisfactory week on and off the pitch.