England interim manager, Lee Carsley, is considering a bold move ahead of Thursday’s Nations League clash against Greece by trialling Jude Bellingham as a false nine, a role he has performed for Real Madrid.
The Telegraph football news correspondent, Matt Law, on Monday, reports that with captain Harry Kane likely sidelined due to an ankle injury, Carsley is exploring different options, including Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke.
However, the interim boss is giving serious thought to starting Bellingham as a false nine alongside attacking talents like Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka, and Anthony Gordon.
While Bellingham is yet to find the back of the net for Real Madrid this season, he finished the last campaign with 27 goals for club and country, which included stints playing as a false nine.
This tactical shift, if implemented, would allow Palmer and Foden to operate from deeper midfield roles alongside Declan Rice, with Saka and Gordon providing width on either side.
Carsley’s willingness to consider Bellingham as a false nine instead of opting for the more traditional forward options of Watkins and Solanke might raise eyebrows among fans.
Watkins, who scored England’s winning goal as a substitute in their European Championship semi-final victory over the Netherlands, has already netted four goals for Aston Villa this season. Solanke has also been in fine form, scoring three times for Tottenham.
Yet, Carsley emphasised that the depth in the No. 9 position offers flexibility, saying, “We’ve got plenty of options in that position but obviously Harry’s been the outstanding player for so long for us now. But I feel like we’ve definitely got a Plan B.”
For Carsley, this game against Greece represents a crucial moment in his bid to secure the permanent England manager role. A successful trial of Bellingham in this role could help to integrate star talents like Foden, Palmer, and Bellingham into a cohesive attacking setup—a challenge that could define his time in charge.
Reflecting on his tactical considerations, Carsley said, “The beauty of this job is you get a lot of time to think. In between driving from game to game you are constantly thinking about combinations, relationships.”
This balancing act of fitting England’s top talents into the lineup echoes a past conundrum faced by former England manager Gareth Southgate, who struggled to effectively integrate Bellingham, Foden, and Palmer during the European Championship.
Southgate’s efforts were compared to the famous “Paul Scholes moment” of Sven-Göran Eriksson, who couldn’t find a way to harmonise Scholes, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard into one team. Carsley is determined to avoid a similar fate, looking for innovative ways to maximise the impact of his young stars.
Palmer, who finished ahead of Bellingham and Saka as England’s men’s player of the year, could see a larger role in the team following his impressive performances for Chelsea.
Carsley has praised Palmer’s current form, saying, “He’s highly rated, he’s getting minutes, he’s showing that he can handle the intensity of playing game after game…when you talk about players who are in form, the fact that he’s getting so much exposure and his numbers in terms of goals and assists is brilliant for us.”
With England facing Finland in Helsinki just three days after the Greece encounter, Carsley is expected to rotate his lineup heavily, using these matches to further explore the best tactical configurations. Yet, he remains mindful of finding a system that maximises his key players’ abilities.
Discussing Foden’s role, he added, “Phil’s an unbelievable player, we’re very lucky to have someone with his talent and mentality, and we need to make sure we put him in positions where he can really affect the opposition.”
