So it wasn’t Southgate’s fault after all then.
Yes it was (but not just him) ...
Carsley is simply following on with the fundamental problem that has characterised England for decades ... that problem is that we resist picking the 'best team' in favour of trying to shoehorn in the best players from the biggest clubs ...
Tonight was classic - we have a proven goalscoring centre forward on the bench ... but instead we start with Palmer, Foden, Bellingham, Saka and Gordon ... because they are 'the names' at their respective clubs ... and yes, playing well ... but ignoring the fact that they all play with excellent (even Chelsea with Jackson this season) centre forwards at those clubs ...
So what we end up with is an unbalanced team with some players getting in each other's way ...
Southgate's last tournament was one of the worst in that respect ... we may have got to the final, but only because the draw was hugely in our favour ... we were not the second best team in that tournament by any stretch of the imagination...
We need a good tactician ... one not overly influenced by 'stardom'...

