ATHENS, Greece -- Lee Carsley last week laughed at the suggestion he could leave any sort of legacy as England's interim boss but he is now one game away from getting Thomas Tuchel out of a real mess.
Thursday's impressive 3-0 win over Greece began with the focus firmly on those who didn't feel willing or able to make the journey here to Athens, starting with Tuchel -- England's new permanent head coach -- who begins work as Gareth Southgate's permanent successor on Jan. 1.
Perhaps informed partly by Tuchel's absence, only those concerned will ever know the real truth, no fewer than nine players pulled out of the squad for these two UEFA Nations League games despite the immediate task of defeating Greece by a minimum two-goal margin to put promotion to the competition's top tier back in their own hands.