UEFA Nations League

IT says much about the Cole Palmer phenomenon that he has been named as England’s Player of the Year without having ever started in a competitive international.In Thursday’s Nations League clash with Greece, Lee Carsley will finally give the Chelsea talisman his chance to shine in a meaningful match for his country after a sensational start to the new season.Cole Palmer was named England’s Player of the Year on WednesdayLee Carsley has heaped praise on Chelsea superstar PalmerPalmer’s first-half quadruple against Brighton earlier this month has raised his figures to an extraordinary 28 goals and 16 assists in 41 Premier League games for Chelsea.Underused by both Pep Guardiola and Gareth Southgate, Palmer now has two true believers to manage him at club and international level. Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Carsley — under whom Palmer won the European Under-21 Championship last year — both seem ready to build their teams around the sublime gifts of the 22-year-old Mancunian.On and off the field, Palmer appears supremely unruffled. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWSAs Carsley says: “Whatever you throw at Cole, he deals with it.”That includes the England Player of the Year award after just nine caps, seven as a substitute.Though he did deliver a goal in the Euros final defeat by Spain and assist for Ollie Watkins’ dramatic late winner in the semi-final win over Holland.If that gong, voted for by fans, feels like a cuff around the ear for Southgate, then it is also a rare slight on Guardiola, who allowed Palmer to join Chelsea last year because he could not guarantee him regular starts at Manchester City.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSInterim boss Carsley is careful not to openly criticise Southgate but, asked about the player’s lack of starting chances, he replied: “I can’t really talk, from a seniors point of view, about what’s gone on with Cole.“But I’ve seen the impact he has had when he’s been given the opportunity.New dad Jack Grealish reveals why he would never ask Bukayo Saka to babysit and which England pal he’ll go to for tips“He had a similar role for us in the Under-21 Euros where he built into the tournament and then started in the final.“Cole is in a brilliant position. He has really found his feet at Chelsea, he is highly-rated, he’s getting minutes, he’s showing that he can handle the intensity of playing game after game. “So that’s been a real plus for him and we’re getting the benefit of that.“Because 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.“Ultimately, he’s still a young player, he’s still got a lot of improving to do.“Even though he’s at an incredible limit at the moment, I still think he can get better.”Carsley admits it will be tough to include all of Jude Bellingham, Palmer and FodenCarsley spoke last week about the difficulties of trying to fit Palmer, Real Madrid Galactico Jude Bellingham and Footballer of the Year Phil Foden into the same eleven, as all of them covet the No 10 role.That trio all missed last month’s Nations League 2-0 wins over Ireland and Finland.And Carsley now faces a fascinating selection dilemma against the Greeks, who top the group ahead of England on goal difference. While Foden has often started wide for club and country, Carsley — who worked with the player as a City youth coach — is adamant that his best position is in a more central role.Carsley said: “It’s been a few years but I spent a lot of time with him at Manchester City with the Under-18s and also England Under-21s.“Phil’s an unbelievable player, we’re very lucky to have someone with his talent and mentality.“And we now need to make sure we put him in positions where he can really affect the opposition.“Playing him in the wider positions, he can do it, but we’d have to change the way we play to get the best out of him.“In central areas, Phil’s at his most effective.”Carsley worked closely with Phil Foden at Manchester City Under-18s and England Under-21sWhether Foden, Palmer and Bellingham can start together, we are unlikely to find out either at Wembley or against Finland in Helsinki on Sunday, given that all three are having their workloads managed after injuries.But asked about this selection conundrum, Carsley said: “I’ve definitely got a plan in place.“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 and relationships.“Those three are brilliant players but we have a squad of really exciting, talented players.“So you have to have that feeling you’ve earned your place — rather than try and shoe-horn players into positions.“You get diluted as a head coach if you’re picking players who are out of form, based on what they’ve done in the past.”READ MORE SUN STORIESThat sounded like a veiled criticism of Southgate at the Euros — and it’s an opinion shared by the voting public.Just imagine how good England’s Player of the Year might be once he’s actually starting matches.England ratings vs Finland: Kane bags double on his big day… but he’s not the Three Lions’ star manTRENT ALEXANDER-ARNOLD showed his brilliance as Harry Kane’s brace saw England beat Finland.Interim boss Lee Carsley maintained his 100 per cent win record in charge of England.SunSports Tom Barclay has given their ratings of the England players…Jordan Pickford – 6Had nothing to do.Trent Alexander-Arnold – STAR MAN 9England’s best player as he supplied some beautiful balls from deep that on another day would have led to a glut of assists.He did get one in the end, although that was more thanks to Harry Kane’s lethal finishing.Ezri Konsa – 6Showed his ability on the ball with a super ball through for Bukayo Saka on the half hour.Twisted his ankle early in the second half, surprisingly played on before being replaced on the hour.John Stones – 6Played at left-sided centre-back before shifting when Levi Colwill came on.Solid though not much to deal with. Now 19 short of 100 caps.Rico Lewis – 7In the right place to snuff out early danger from ex-Norwich man Teemu Pukki.Came close to a goal on his second England cap when prodding wide after the break.Declan Rice – 5Lost possession to give Finland their one and only big chance which Topi Kesinen should have squared to Pukki, but instead fired wildly over.Angel Gomes – 7Wanted the ball from the off, just like Lee Carsley thought he would. Deliciously drilled cross-field ball to Alexander-Arnold early doors showed his range.Bukayo Saka – 7Almost scored and almost assisted in a lively display.Unlucky that Kane was millimetres offside after the centurion had headed home the Arsenal man’s wicked delivery.Jack Grealish – 7Enjoyed being in the heart of the action at No10 again, as he did on Saturday against the Republic of Ireland.Carsley clearly likes him – it will be fascinating to see what happens when Mssrs Bellingham, Foden and Palmer all return.Anthony Gordon – 7Caused problems down the left with his rapid pace – how we needed some of that in the Euros.But did not have on his shooting boots as he fluffed a decent chance early in the second half.Harry Kane – 8Two blistering finishes took the centurion to an astonishing 68 goals in 100 caps.Was denied the chance of a hat-trick in front of his family when subbed off to a standing ovation for the final ten.Kane said he fancies his chances of reaching a ton of international goals – and it does not seem fanciful.SUBSLevi Colwill (on for Konsa, 61) – 6Next to no threat from Finland by the time he came on.Eberechi Eze (on for Gordon, 66) – 6Raced on to yet another special Trent pass but could not loop it over the keeper.Noni Madueke (on for Saka, 66) – 7Looked to make an impact every time he got the ball on debut. Excellent one-two with Trent saw the Chelsea man tee up Kane’s second.Marc Guehi (on for Stones, 80) – 6As with Colwill, little to do.Jarrod Bowen (on for Kane, 81) – 6Played up top after Kane went off for the final minutes, as he has done for West Ham. More

ENGLAND stars have been spotted using a new training tool as Lee Carsley eyes the full England job.Interim Three Lions boss Carsley is looking to maintain his 100 per cent winning record with Nations League wins over Greece and Finland.England stars have been seen using a new £2,000 piece of kitCredit: GettyPush sled’s are designed to help develop an athletes powerCredit: GettyIt comes as Lee Carsley looks to maintain his 100 per cent record with EnglandCredit: RexThe first of these games comes around on Thursday at Wembley.However, Carsley, 50, has got his players trying out something new with a piece of kit worth more than £2,000.Stars including Jude Bellingham and Marc Guehi were spotted pushing a “power sled” in training.The equipment is used to help develop power in athletes.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThey are said to be an excellent exercise for overall conditioning that focuses on strength development, speed and acceleration and torching calories.It is said to have a similar impact as a bench press by emphasising the arms and upper torso.Carsley suffered a triple injury blow to his squad as Kobbie Mainoo, Morgan Gibbs-White and Ezri Konsa had to withdraw through injury. Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento have been called up in their place.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSThe former England Under-21 boss also has a headache over the left-back slot.But he revealed bold plans which could see the likes of Cole Palmer played there due to his preference to have a left-footed option on that side of the defence.Lee Carsley welcomes back Cole Palmer to the England team More

AN Isthmian League match due to take place this weekend has been postponed as a result of two international call-ups.Lancing FC requested to delay the clash after first team players Knory Scott and Luke Robinson were called up to the Bermudian national team.The scheduled match between Lancing and Three Bridges at the Bauvill Stadium has been postponedCredit: Chatham Town FCThe duo have been named in Bermuda’s squad to face Dominica in the Concacaf Nations League on Saturday and on Tuesday.Eighth tier outfit Lancing will therefore be left without them until next week.Due to the absence of Scott and Robinson, the Isthmian League made the decision to postpone the club’s upcoming trip to Three Bridges.A statement from Lancing read: “The Isthmian League have agreed to postpone our match away at Three Bridges, originally scheduled for October 13th, due to the International call-ups of Knory Scott and Luke Robinson.Read More in Football”Scott and Robinson have both been squad members of the Bermudian national team for some time and were called up to the latest squad last week to face Dominica on October 12th and again on October 15th in the Concacaf Nations League.”Both players would have returned to England in time for the initial date of Sunday October 13th but Three Bridges were unable to play at their temporary home of The Bauvill Stadium, Chatham, after the scheduling of a women’s FA Cup tie on that date.”A request was received from our hosts to move the date forward to Saturday October 12th but that would have meant Lancing fielding a weakened side for this important League clash.”The club would like to thank the Isthmian League for their understanding and club secretary John Rea for his work at short notice on this matter.”Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSA new date for the match will be set within the next six weeks.Lancing currently sit 20th in the Isthmian League South East Division, with Three Bridges in 16th.’Leeds fans better than Sunderland’ plus bust ups and bug pranks | Jack Grimmer – What the EFL?!Bermuda have several national team stars who play non-league football.Captain and goalkeeper Dale Eve recently played for Walsall Wood in the Northern Premier League Division One Midlands.Midfielder Roger Lee plays in the same league for Rugby Town.And forward Kane Crichlow stars for National League South side Chelmsford City. More

IT has been 18 years since England last faced Greece in a football match.When the two sides last met, ‘Hips Don’t Lie’ by Shakira was top of the UK music charts, ‘Snakes on a Plane’ was just about to be released in cinemas and the iPhone hadn’t even been invented yet.England last faced Greece in 2006Credit: ReutersIt was Steve McClaren’s first match in chargeCredit: PA:Press AssociationThe England squad, unsurprisingly, also looked completely different.’Golden Generation’ stars Gary Neville, John Terry, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand were among the players named in the starting line-up on August 16, 2006.It was Steve McClaren’s first match in charge of the Three Lions and he got off to a flying start with a dominant 4-0 win.Terry, Lampard and Peter Crouch all got on the scoresheet for England on the night.Read More in FootballIt was a huge relief for McClaren, who raised eyebrows with his decision to drop national icon David Beckham just days prior.Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson started between the sticks for England before being replaced by Chris Kirkland at half-time.The back four was made up of Neville, captain Terry, Ferdinand and Ashley Cole.Lampard, Stuart Downing, Owen Hargreaves and Steven Gerrard lined up in midfield.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHow England lined up against Greece in August 2006John Terry had just been handed the captain’s armbandCredit: PA:Press AssociationPeter Crouch got on the scoresheet at the match at Old TraffordCredit: AFPSteven Gerrard lined up in midfieldCredit: GettyAnd former Liverpool striker Crouch partnered Jermain Defoe in attack.Kieran Richardson, Aaron Lennon, Jamie Carragher, Darren Bent and Wayne Bridge were among the used substitutes in the friendly, while the likes of Ben Foster, Phil Neville, Michael Dawson and Jermaine Jenas remained on the bench.Gus Poyet reveals England weaknesses Greece can expose to cause massive upset Flash forward back to now, England interim boss Lee Carsley has a strong squad to pick from.Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Harry Kane and Declan Rice are all expected to feature against Greece this week.England will be looking to go top of Group B2 in the Nations League by the end of the international break. More

ENGLAND have called up Curtis Jones and Tino Livramento for games against Greece and Finland.The pair are both uncapped at senior level but played under Lee Carsley for England Under-21s.Jones and Livramento have represented England at Under-21 levelCredit: GettyLee Carsley has managed the pair in the pastCredit: AlamyJones, 23, was first called up earlier this year and he returns to the squad despite making just one Prem start this season.A muscle injury kept him sidelined for the start of the campaign, but he returned at the weekend for Liverpool as they visited Crystal Palace.And England boss Lee Carsley is already well aware of what he offers, having managed the youngster with England U21s.Jones scored the winner for England in the final of the 2023 U21 Euros and he could be set to win his first cap at Wembley against Greece.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLLivramento, 21, will be hoping for the same after missing out on a cap when he was called up to the squad for the first time last month.The full-back has been a regular for Newcastle this season and his ability to play on the right or left flank means he could be a spot in Carsley’s team.England do not have a recognised left-back in their 23-man squad, though Levi Colwill or Rico Lewis could fill in if Livramento is overlooked.Ezri Konsa could have been an option but he has pulled out of the squad due to injury.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSHe is joined on the treatment table by Kobbie Mainoo and Morgan Gibbs-White.While Jack Grealish has a knock and Harry Kane is undergoing an individualised training programme – but both could featured over the weekend.‘I’d hate to be Liverpool right now’, say fans after seeing what Bellingham did for Alexander-Arnold on England duty More

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