Three things learned as England beat Greece to take control of Nations League group | OneFootball

England are in control of the Uefa Nations League Group B2 thanks to their 3-0 win over Greece on Thursday.

The Three Lions were rocked by Greece in their previous encounter at Wembley, which made this a must-win. But Greece remained perfect after four games, only conceding one goal.

It took England just seven minutes to go ahead in Athens, with Ollie Watkins tapping in following neat work from Noni Madueke.

Greece grew in the game but an own goal from Odysseas Vlachodimos and a cute flick from Curtis Jones made the result comfortable. It means England now have the superior head-to-head goal difference record against Greece going into the final round of fixtures.

With head-to-head the first tiebreaker, England just need to match Greece’s result in the final round to seal automatic promotion back to League A.

But before we get there, here are three things we learned from England’s 3-0 win over Greece.

Madueke is ready for the big stage

Noni Madueke was trusted with his first start for England on Thursday night, and he made it count.

The Chelsea man has a tough task for England, with Bukayo Saka the obvious first choice ahead of him on the right wing. Madueke was given his England senior debut by Carsley, coming off the bench against Finland in September. Before Thursday, all three of his England appearances had been as a substitute.

It was something Madueke’s performances at club level had warranted. The Englishman has become one of Enzo Maresca’s starters at Stamford Bridge, playing on the right wing with Cole Palmer moving central. He’s scored four goals in 10 Premier League games for Chelsea, including a hat-trick against Wolves.

On his England debut, Madueke provided an assist, setting up Harry Kane’s second in the 2-0 win over Finland. But how would he fare from the start, when everyone has fresh legs? Pretty well is the answer.

Madueke was a constant threat with his direct running, teasing the Greek defence. It was hard to tell what Madueke was going to do, cut inside or take the ball to the byline. In the early stages, Madueke took the ball to the byline, after running at the Greek defence. He cut the ball across the box and there was Watkins to tap home.

It was one of three chances Madueke created against Greece, more than any other player for either side. He had two shots and hit the target twice, also completing one take-on. Madueke’s passing was also impressive, misplacing just two of his 32 attempted passes for a completion rate of 94%.

He probably won’t get ahead of Saka long-term, but he’s doing his best to make the decision a difficult one.

England can manage without Kane

In the build up to the game, Harry Kane risked potentially angering some of his compatriots. The England captain spoke out against the eight players who withdrew from the squad, claiming country should come before club.

“It’s a shame this week, obviously. It’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit,” he told reporters.

“I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. England comes before anything and any club situation.”

One of those who stayed, Kane did not start in Athens on Thursday night. The Bayern Munich striker hasn’t had the best run for England, with some believing he has been more of a hindrance than a help.

Kane scored three goals at Euro 2024, one coming from the penalty spot. But he spent far too much of the time playing deep, leaving England toothless in attack.

When England played Greece last month, Kane was out injured, and the Three Lions struggled. But that was because Lee Carsley did not start a recognised striker.

In Athens on Thursday, Carsley started Ollie Watkins. And it took just seven minutes for the Aston Villa man to make his mark. A lot of the work for the goal was done by Madueke, but Watkins was in the right place at the right time to tap home.

With Kane on the pitch, there’s an argument that England wouldn’t have had the man in the box, as he would have had a deeper starting position. Watkins has now been directly involved in a goal in four of his past five matches for England.

He has scored twice and assisted twice, with the other goal coming against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.

Watkins did only have one shot, which he scored from, but he was a constant presence in the Greece box, which England have missed.

Defensive work for Thomas Tuchel to do

Thomas Tuchel doesn’t take charge of England until the new year. But this was a game for him to watch, learn and plan on what needs remedying when he does take charge.

The biggest problem is England’s defence. Which may sound strange when talking about a game in which England kept a clean sheet. But they were slightly fortunate that it wasn’t 1-1 before it became 2-0.

Greece weren’t much of a threat in the first half with just three shots. But after England shifted their defence around, Greece grew in the second half. They had seven shots in total in the second half, with three hitting the target and two blocked.

Vangelis Pavlidis had been taken off earlier, but if he had been on the pitch, Greece probably would have scored at least one of their opportunities. Fotis Ioannidis just didn’t have the prowess in front of goal that Greece needed.

Part of the reason for Greece’s chances was a look of nervousness in the England defence. They still aren’t a cohesive unit, and a mistake looks likely at any time.

Their best opportunity came from a free-kick into the box, which Jordan Pickford misjudged. Had Christos Tzolis been an inch taller, he’d have got a toe on the ball had likely scored.

Fortunately for England his outstretched leg couldn’t connect, and Pickford was able to readjust before getting fouled. But it was a warning sign both on the night and for Tuchel.