Lee Carsley sidestepped inquiries about his desire for the England job on a permanent basis after a tumultuous 2-1 loss to Greece, indicating he would be content to return to managing the under-21s once his interim stint concludes. Amidst the chaos both on and off the pitch at Wembley, Carsley's revelation that he hopes to soon resume control of the U21 team further complicated the situation. The interim manager had already taken responsibility for the tactics that led to England's historic first defeat by Greece, currently second in Nations League Group B2. Carsley's attempt to integrate Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer, and Phil Foden into the lineup failed, leaving him questioning whether he had already missed his chance, despite winning his first two games last month.

"I was quite surprised after the last camp regarding the job being mine and mine to lose," the 50-year-old said. "My mandate has been clear. I'm overseeing three camps, with three games remaining, and then hopefully I'll return to the 21s. It hasn't affected me much." Carsley, who took over the senior role following Gareth Southgate's exit, was pressed to clarify his stance multiple times. "I stated initially that I wouldn't rule myself in or out," he continued. "That remains true. I'm quite comfortable in my current position. The mandate was clear, and I'm confident in that. After the first camp, I didn't get overly excited or believe too much. I'm fully aware that this job is among the best in the world.

"Nothing has altered. My mandate was to handle the three camps and then pass it on. Nothing has changed from what I said in the initial press conference. It's an outstanding job. I'm fortunate to have a good job with the 21s. But after the first camp where we won two games and delivered two strong performances, nothing changed. It's crucial that I give my all for the next three games. I'm genuinely content and at ease with the communication I maintain with my superiors. Nothing has changed in that regard."

Carsley attempted to innovate in the absence of the injured Harry Kane, deploying Bellingham as a false nine, Foden as a No 10, and Palmer in a deeper midfield role. However, the system was flawed, and Greece repeatedly exploited gaps in England's midfield. The visitors had three goals disallowed for offside and responded well to Bellingham's late, undeserved equalizer, whose advanced role left Ollie Watkins and Dominic Solanke on the bench. Greece, now three points clear at the top of the group, secured a historic win thanks to Vangelis Pavlidis's decisive double.

"I didn't think we began the game well," Carsley said. "We were second best. We experimented with a different formation. We never got a chance to determine if it was the right or wrong decision.

"With the players we have, we need to be courageous with our systems and creative. I could have easily opted for a nine – we had two on the bench. I'm willing to take the blame. It was entirely my idea. It didn't work out tonight. It was a case of trying to be a bit creative.

"We attempted something different, aiming to overload the midfield, play a bit differently. It's something we tried for 20 minutes yesterday, an experiment that unfortunately didn't pay off. But I think it was probably unrealistic to expect too much, and it's a case of trying again."

Bukayo Saka will be evaluated after limping off with a muscle injury shortly after Greece's first goal. The winger is a significant doubt for England's upcoming trip to Finland on Sunday.