The fourth round of the UEFA Nations League B Group B continued in the early hours of October 14 Beijing time, England played a strikeless team at home to Greece in the last round, and the result was hit hard, even if Kane is absent, a center forward like Watkins is also considered top in the B division, and not letting him start is purely self-inflicted. After the failure of Greece's famous coach policy, he turned his attention to the country, and Jovanovic, who only took office in August this year, immediately developed a set of anti-counter tactics that were very suitable for Greece, and promotion to the A class is no fool's dream.
Jovanovic is also considered an elderly man
Finland vs England - No striker really can't do it
Finland have not fared well since the start of this UEFA Nations League, with two away games in the first two rounds, and it is barely reasonable to suffer two consecutive defeats, but returning to home to face a similarly strong Ireland in the last round, Finland still failed to pick up points to displease fans.
Their start to the game against Ireland went very well, with the opposition's captain centre-back Collins passing back to the goalkeeper in the 16th minute and Finland centre-forward Borojanparo breaking the ball into the box and taking the lead for Finland, three rounds later, Finland finally scored their first goal of the tournament, and only Kazakhstan is currently in the B division without reaching the scoring list.
After the deadlock was broken, Finland began to give most of the initiative to its opponents, but also within acceptable limits, and the absolute number of opportunities created by both sides was almost the same. As Ireland's tension eased after the start, all home fans felt they were getting closer to an equaliser, and finally in the second half, Ireland took the lead with two crosses.
Finland scored a goal thanks to a sneak attack
In the absence of Kane in the last round, England's interim head coach Carsley simply experimented with a no-striker formation, putting Bellingham and Foden up front, 4-4-2 in the situation, and 4-6-0 in reality, with any player in midfield likely to suddenly cut in and look for a shot on goal. England has never taken the UEFA Nations League seriously, otherwise it would not have fallen into the field of playing in the B division. The experiment proved to be unsuccessful, with a noticeable increase in possession, but almost the same chances created as Greece, which were eventually killed by Greece with their strong bodies.
The strikerless formation gave England a bad taste
Kane could play around 10 minutes if his fitness allows, and Carsley has made it clear to the media that he wants Kane to play. Even if the main center forward cannot start, Carsley should not be in this game, and the main center Watkins should start, he is still more than enough against the Finland defender, and the Three Lions are expected to beat their opponents 3-1.
Greece VS Ireland - Jovan is the right guy
After three rounds, Greece are the only team in Division B to maintain a complete victory. Coach Jovanovic, who only took over in August this year, has already won the hearts of his fans. Although a Serbian, he has been in Greece since the 90s to develop his football career, spending most of his playing career with Iraq, a second-tier side in Greece. After retiring as a player, he began his coaching career in Greece and then went to Cyprus and West Asia.
Greece's upgrade is in sight
His most successful coaching experience so far has been with Cypriot side Atletico Greece to four domestic league titles, and his best result in Greece was the 2021-2022 Greece Cup with Panathinaikos. After the defeat in the last European Championship, Uruguay manager Poyet left in disgrace, and in the absence of a better successor, the Greece Football Federation threw an olive branch to Jovan, who mainly played defensive counter-attacks, and so far, this decision is very correct.
Ireland scored their first goal of the tournament against Finland in the last round and claimed their first victory. They were a little nervous after the opening kick-off, with a low-level mistake at the back to give Finland the lead. Ireland then began to fight back, first trying to threaten their opponents with penetration in the middle, but to no avail, and then switching to a wide cross, the threat increased significantly, and finally completed the reversal.
The English team also has to rely on crosses
Greece won three consecutive victories over Ireland in the last European Championship qualifier and this UEFA Nations League, and this round of home games should not give their opponents any chance, and they are expected to score two goals again, while Ireland may not be able to play well.