Ollie Watkins 'raging' at Lee Carsley as Gary Lineker jumps to England manager's defence
After England were humbled at Wembley Stadium by Greece, Alan Shearer thinks one England star will be particularly unhappy with Lee Carsley's decisions
by Patrick Austen-Hardy · The MirrorAlan Shearer believes Ollie Watkins would have been furious with Lee Carsley after he was left out of the starting line-up for England's 2-1 loss to Greece in the Nations League.
With Harry Kane nursing an injury, it was widely assumed the Aston Villa forward would start for the Three Lions. Yet the 28-year-old found himself off the bench, as Carlsey boldly started Jude Bellingham at centre forward, with Anthony Gordon, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in support, while Cole Palmer was deployed in a deeper position alongside Declan Rice.
The experiment did not work, as England were repeatedly caught on the counter attack by the Greeks, who won the game with two goals from Vangelis Pavlidis either side of a goal from Bellingham. As Shearer, Lineker and Micah Richards presided over the match, the Newcastle United legend said Watkins would have been particularly displeased with Carsley.
Speaking on the Rest is Football podcast, Shearer said: “You would be absolutely raging if you were Ollie Watkins, wouldn’t you? Your main centre-forward is injured and you’ve been crying out for an opportunity.
“When you’ve come on, you’ve actually done alright, in terms of Watkins and he’s doing well at club level. Yet, when Kane is out, the manager comes to you and says, ‘Well, I’m not going to play you tonight at home against Greece, I’m going to try something different'.
“He’s got every right to be [raging], he should be knocking on his door, tonight or tomorrow, saying: ‘I have to play the next game if Kane is not fit’.”
Watkins was eventually brought on in place of Gordon in the 60th minute. He came close to scoring with his second touch of the match when played through by Palmer, but he fired his effort just over the bar.
Carsley also introduced Dominic Solanke for his first international cap since 2017, and the Tottenham Hotspur forward paid back his manager by providing the assist for Bellingham's equaliser. However, that wasn't enough to get England a point, as Greece went up the other end and found a winner in the 94 minute.
Despite the fact Carsley's bold plan did not come to fruition, Lineker was happy to see something new. The Match of the Day host said: “If he was in the role permanently, you would go ‘Well, that’s alright’ because, let’s be realistic, it’s a friendly, it’s a glorified friendly, it’s not a World Cup qualifier.
"I actually admire him to have the balls, the cojones, to actually try something like that when you are trying to get the job. That was brave and bold and I admire that.
"I’d sooner see that than see us sitting deep like we did in the summer against teams of equal, actually not as good as Greece probably, some of them, and just sitting there and trying to get a counterattack.”
England face Finland in their next Nations League clash on Sunday, October 13.
Join our new WhatsApp community _ _and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our _ Privacy Notice.
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Sky Sports deal
Sky Sports launches 'lowest price' Premier League package
£43 (was £52)
Sky has slashed the price of its Sky Sports, Sky Stream, Sky TV and Netflix bundle in an unbeatable new deal that saves £216 and includes 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
With Ultra HD included at no extra cost, football fans can enjoy the 2024/25 season with crystal clear picture quality.