Lee Carsley has told England fans it’s ‘unrealistic to expect too much’ following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Greece on Thursday night.
The Three Lions went with a strong side for the showdown, with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer all unleashed at Wembley.
But England were poor throughout the clash, with Greece picking up all three Nations League points courtesy of a brace from Benfica’s Vangelis Pavlidis.
Though Bellingham scored, it wasn’t enough.
England news: Lee Carsley has told fans ‘it’s unrealistic to expect too much’ following his side’s defeat to Greece
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Carsley, speaking to ITV, has now criticised England’s performance – saying they were ‘second best’.
But the 50-year-old also sent a message to fans, insisting it’s ‘unrealistic to expect too much’ despite the quality they have at their disposal.
“We were second best for a lot of tonight, it is disappointing,” he said.
“You are going to get setbacks and it’s important we respond.
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“We tried something different and tried to overload the midfield.
“We tried it for 20 minutes yesterday, we experimented, and disappointed it didn’t come off.
“It’s unrealistic to expect too much and we will have to try again. All the goals were from mistakes, which is disappointing.
“It is definitely an option going forward. When you have someone of [Harry] Kane’s quality though it rules it out when he is available.
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“But in the future you have to have the courage and ability to try things.
“We tried something different. It doesn’t change anything. My remit is to do the three camps.”
With Harry Kane injured, John Stones skippered the side.
It was a night to forget for the Manchester City star, however, with the ex-Everton defender appearing to lack match sharpness.
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Stones, like Carsley, has fronted up following the disappointing result.
And the England star admitted he was ‘absolutely gutted’ after his big night was soured by the defeat.
“On a personal note, absolutely gutted. To have a result like that with the armband for the first time,” he said.
“We prepared like we normally do and it didn’t come off. From the start they put us right under pressure. They were very compact.
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“We know the system as players and when we are out there as players we we have to deliver. The onus is on us to deliver – and we didn’t.
“A difficult night, a lot was riding on it for me personally and we saw it as a great opportunity to top the group. We have to move forward.”