England starting XI vs Finland as Lee Carsley DROPS Jordan Pickford after Greece blunders
England's interim head coach Lee Carsley has made changes to his team following their 2-1 loss to Greece in midweek with captain Harry Kane among the players to come back in
Lee Carsley has rung the changes for England's Nations League encounter with Finland following their chastening loss to Greece in midweek.
The Three Lions interim boss suffered the first major setback of his reign with the 2-1 loss and it now remains to be seen if he will land the job on a permanent basis.
His approach for said match, which involved fielding five of England's most dangerous attacking players, was broadly criticised and he's reacted by making a number of changes - some of which are bolder than others.
The most eye-catching decision is the call to play Dean Henderson ahead of Jordan Pickford, who had a poor game in midweek, while Trent Alexander-Arnold is being played at left-back - even though he has impressed in his regular position under Carsley.
READ MORE: Sky Sports fans can save £216 on their bill, here's three other reasons you'll want to pick itREAD MORE: Trent Alexander-Arnold to play completely new position for England after midfield experimentCaptain Harry Kane returns to the XI after missing the Greece match following an injury scare. Jack Grealish has also been restored to the team for the trip to Helsinki, as has central defender Marc Guehi, who was one of England's most impressive performers at Euro 2024.
Angel Gomes is also back in midfield after winning his maiden England caps under Carsley last month. Kyle Walker, John Stones, Jude Bellingham and Cole Palmer complete the XI.
England are now second in League B Group 2 behind Greece, who have won all three of their opening group games. Finland are bottom of the table without any points.
Speaking pre-match to ITV Sport, Carsley insisted that he 'always planned' to give Henderson and other players a run-out during this round of fixtures. The Crystal Palace goalkeeper, 27, is making his first start for the Three Lions in Helsinki.
Carsley explained: "We are looking for a reaction, we fell below the levels we expect. There was a case of getting a look at a few other players and we were always going to look at Dean Henderson in one of these games.
"Trent Alexander-Arnold is multi versatile and his role will be slightly different to a conventional left back. We haven't won anything since 1966 and so we have to try something different."
England team in full: Henderson; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Guehi, Walker; Rice, Angel; Grealish, Bellingham, Palmer; Kane.
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