Finland vs England: Nations League – live | League of Nations

Some reading material before the match

Finland manager Markku Kanerva speaks to ITV

We want to give our fans a spectacular match. We know how hard it will be, but we are ready to perform a miracle. We have to defend well for 90 minutes, be very solid and compact and take care of the ball when we have it.

“Interesting quote from Carsley about wanting to try something different,” says Joe Pearson. “Is that a coded way of saying it was an object lesson for anyone who thought Southgate was too boring and conservative?”

I’m not sure if that’s how it works. I suspect it was more in the spirit of the England cricket team pushing the boundaries of what is possible. That’s quite admirable, because he’s smart enough to know what would happen if things went wrong.

English Nations League campaign ends in November with matches against Greece (A) and Ireland (H), then the speculation about Gareth Southgate’s successor really begins. That will be fun.

Remember when

Lee Carsley speaks to ITV

It is fair to say that we have fallen below the level we expected. We can now use it as a real positive, with a good response tonight.

(On Dean Henderson’s selection) It was always the case that we would watch Dean in one of the games.

(On Trent Alexander-Arnold at left back) His role will be a little different to that of a conventional left back. He is very versatile and we have a lot of confidence in him.

(On the reaction to Thursday’s defeat) I’m doing absolutely fine. It was something I expected – I wanted to try something different and I take full responsibility. If I had the time again, I would do the exact same thing.

Jonathan Liew about England

For years the focus of English cultural development has been on how to keep these boys happy, in an era when the rewards and prestige are increasingly weighted towards club football. This was one of Gareth Southgate’s greatest achievements, and by the end even he seemed a little lost in the cosmos as he desperately tried to keep the circus on the road, a cast of stars all convinced they were over had a unique main character energy.

When it works, your stars emerge at crucial moments to drag you into a grand finale you had nothing to do with. But the problem with this model is that efforts become dependent on circumstances. Euro semi-final: fine. UEFA Nations League group B2 in October: good luck with that. That is why a certain arrogance, a certain capriciousness, seems to have crept into the design.

The poor guy probably can’t wait to get back to the under-21s.

Team news: Carsley makes six changes

Preamble