Man United have been in the doldrums for a few years now, but the hire of Ruben Amorim offers them hope of a brighter future, and Stan Collymore believes it’s something that will be “very simple” for the Portuguese to achieve.

Captain, Bruno Fernandes, has already backed his new manager to come in and do the business at the club, whilst Amorim’s tactics are expected to benefit one player in particular.

Stan Collymore says Ruben Amorim must be clear in his communication

The dark days under Erik ten Hag have gone and it’s like the fog has lifted over Old Trafford. All before Amorim has even taken charge of a single game for the Red Devils.

If the 39-year-old can get United playing in the same way as his Sporting team, whom he left whilst they were top of the Portuguese league table having won all of their matches so far this season, then there’ll be no complaints from the long-suffering support either.

“In terms of Amorim coming in, I think that every good manager that I’ve played under, and every good manager that I’ve seen on day one says everybody’s got a clean slate,” Stan Collymore said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“[…] Man United need all of their players to buy into what Amorim wants to do, and that will be fresh, lively and intense training sessions, which will be taken through into games. It will be hanging on his every word. It might be picking out three or four trusted senior players in the dressing room to cover all his bases but everybody has to play their part.

“It’s very simple. If a player’s level isn’t right, they have to understand that they’re going to be on the bench or not even in a match day squad under Amorim.

“I think that kind of clear communication has obviously been lacking across the board at Manchester United but now is the perfect time for that to change.”

By the end of the season, United’s fans and board will have a much better idea as to whether hiring Amorim was the best decision or not.

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For all of his brilliance in Portugal, he’s never managed outside of his home country, and only had one short playing stint in Qatar on his CV.

The Premier League is an entirely different ball game, however, as he showed when his Sporting team dismantled Man City in the Champions League, there is something special about him.

The post “Obviously been lacking” – Man United need to change and “very simple” way for Amorim to do so appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Mo Salah has to be considered one of the all-time greats in Premier League history.

The numbers alone, increasingly astonishing by the day, would at the very least indicate that – even without the sufficient evidence provided by the eye test.

With that in mind, you could forgive the raising of a few brows at the idea of a player actively hoping to fill the Egyptian’s boots at Liverpool – should he depart at the end of his contract next summer.

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Omar Marmoush wants to replace Mo Salah

Omar Marmoush, who has previously been the subject of several links to the Merseyside giants, is understood to be dreaming of a switch to Anfield.

“Bayern Munich have Omar Marmoush on their shortlist – this is true. But, you see, he’s not a perfect fit for their system. Bayern has a list that includes many strikers,” Christian Falk informed CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column with the Daily Briefing.

“It should be remembered that there’s a big link between Marmoush and Liverpool. It would be a big dream for the player to move to Anfield, especially because of the presence of Mohamed Salah.

“He would love to be Salah’s successor should his compatriot leave the club – it would mean a lot in his home country. Initial talks have already taken place with the Reds over a 2025 move. Other English clubs are also in the running but Marmoush wants to stay at Frankfurt until the summer – after that, a transfer is possible.”

That may be very good news for the Reds’ recruitment department given the very real possibility of Salah’s departure from Liverpool in 2025.

The club has yet to secure any kind of breakthrough in contract talks with the 32-year-old. A significant concern in light of the fact only 47 days remain until January 1 – when overseas outfits will be able to begin talks over signing a pre-contract agreement.

Marmoush’s stock may be riding at an all-time high, but it can’t be denied that interest will be even greater in his Premier League-based international compatriot.

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Marmoush isn’t a direct Salah replacement

One little snag in Liverpool’s potential plan? Marmoush isn’t considered an out-and-out winger; in fact, he’s primarily operated as a central striker for Frankfurt.

In fact, throughout the 25-year-old’s entire career, he’s only played 38 times in a wing role (left and right). 127 appearances have come at centre-forward*.

If Arne Slot’s men opt to bring the Egyptian to the red half of Merseyside in the summer – it won’t be to replace Mo Salah. The far likelier reasoning behind such a transfer would be to replace one of Darwin Nunez or Diogo Jota.

In which case, Omar Marmoush might be capable of replicating his fellow Egyptian’s goalscoring form, but Liverpool will still have a huge hole in their starting-XI to fill.

* Numbers courtesy of Transfermarkt

The post ‘Big dream’: Mo Salah successor desperate for Liverpool transfer; he’s outscoring Slot’s key man appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Former professional player, Stan Collymore, isn’t backward in coming forward with a forthright opinion, and this time he’s taken aim at Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta.

The Spaniard will have hoped that the 2024/25 season would finally be the one where the Gunners would land a longed-for Premier League title.

Arteta’s record of improving players torn to shreds

However, after just 11 games, the North London outfit already find themselves nine points behind leaders Liverpool after injuries and suspensions saw them drop points in a number of fixtures.

Notwithstanding that, Collymore just doesn’t think Arteta is very good at his job.

“I immediately thought Mikel Arteta was full of waffle and modern coaching tricks when he was handed the manager’s job at Arsenal,” he said to CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.

“[…] How many players has Arteta actually brought in that were seen to be title-winning level players, and how many of them has he made significantly better? Ben White? Kai Havertz? Thomas Partey? Declan Rice?

“What about Martin Odegaard? He was the guy at age 15 at Real Madrid that was meant to go on and be a world beater anyway, so surely he would have got to this point of maturity whereby he has an impact on somebody’s first team.

“The classic question is how many players in the Arsenal squad has Mikel Arteta turned from average to good, good to very good, very good to great? And if you compare that with Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Unai Emery and others, he doesn’t come across very well at all.

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“Forget results, because results come as a consequence of you making those players better.

“It’s not about whether he’s a nice guy, it’s not whether he’s fresh and young or he’s from the Pep Guardiola Barcelona school of coaching… How many players has Arteta actually made significantly better and, Arsenal fans, I want you to answer that honestly.”

Collymore’s broadside isn’t the only thing Arteta should be concerned about either.

One player wants to leave the club in 2025, and a key starter has injury concerns, adding to the manager’s woe.

The post Exclusive: Ex-pro slams Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and says Spaniard is “full of waffle” appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Bayern Munich are currently flying, with new boss Vincent Kompany having re-established the old order in the Bundesliga.

The Bavarian giants have yet to lose a game in the German top-flight – the only side to maintain this record – and lead the table by five points. Notably, they sit nine points clear of Xabi Alonso’s 2023/24 champions Bayer Leverkusen in fourth.

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Eric Dier, however, might be the one clear loser in this process despite having moved on a free transfer to Sabener Straße the prior summer.

Eric Dier’s days at FC Bayern are numbered

Christian Falk now reports that the change in management (following Thomas Tuchel’s exit) simply hasn’t benefitted the former Tottenham ace.

A change in tactics – which now sees the defence play a high line to maximise pressure in the opponent’s half – appears ill-suited to the 30-year-old’s qualities.

“When Thomas Tuchel left his position at Bayern and Kompany came in, it wasn’t necessarily the best set of circumstances for Eric Dier,” the BILD reporter informed CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column with the Daily Briefing.

“This is because the new system has Bayern’s defenders playing incredibly high up the pitch, which means the centre-backs need to be very fast with all this room behind them. This doesn’t particularly suit Dier’s game, so it doesn’t make much sense for Bayern Munich to keep him.

“His contract is running out and he’s 30 years of age. Bayern are looking for new and young defenders who can grow into the role (like Ousmane Diomande of Sporting Lisbon).”

Ousmane Diomande transfer could force Dier out

It’s never pleasant for an ageing star to be forced to actively contemplate their future following the arrival of the next shiny toy in the transfer window.

Given Dier is currently struggling for minutes – 141 minutes in six games – under Vincent Kompany, however, it’s difficult to avoid the subject. Particularly given ongoing links to reported Arsenal target Ousmane Diomande.

“I heard the scouts at Bayern Munich have been watching Diomande closely. Many clubs are behind him. He won’t be very cheap, but it’s an investment for the future,” Falk said.

“If Bayern can get a player of this age, I think Eric Dier has to leave. That said, if Bayern don’t sign a new player until the summer, Dier could be an option. He’s doing the job competently when he’s called upon and he’s not complaining loudly when he’s on the bench.

“He’s a good friend of Harry Kane, so it’s not like it’s certain he’ll leave, but he has a full perspective of his situation at the club.”

Harry Kane may prefer Dier to stay

It raises an interesting question of how Harry Kane might react to his former Tottenham colleague being forced to seek pastures new.

Not to suggest the Bayern hierarchy is incapable of communicating the necessity of bringing in more suitable defensive options to meet the demands of Kompany’s football!

However, one might reasonably suspect it’s crossed the minds of decision-makers that the England skipper may not take the news entirely well to begin with.

The post ‘I heard…’ – Ex-Tottenham star could now leave Bayern after fresh transfer revelation appeared first on CaughtOffside.

In his exclusive column for CaughtOffside, former Aston Villa attacker Stan Collymore discusses some of football’s biggest talking points, including what Ruben Amorim can expect at Man United, is Pep Guardiola ready to lead Man City for a few more years, why Thomas Tuchel has food for thought for England and why Mikel Arteta just isn’t very good. 

—

Is Guardiola ready and able to lead City for another few years?

I think that Manchester City are just going through what is a cyclical process of all teams that are routine winners.

If you look at the bar that they set over the Pep Guardiola years so far, it’s been so high that it’s virtually impossible. We are talking about eight years of continued success whether it be Champions League, Premier Leagues, FA Cups, League Cups… they’ve won the lot.

To be able to do that, firstly, you need to completely overhaul the club every few years, which they’ve done successfully. From Aguero to Haaland as an example.

You look at the players that Pep inherited and the players that he has now, and there’s been a huge difference. He’s also massively improved players and they’re all playing at eight or nine out of 10. Not only that, Pep has also raised their awareness of the sport that they play, which I think will be good for coaching down the line with a number of players.

I do think though this is potentially the end of a cycle, and I think that the decision that needs to be made by the board is for them to go for another coach who will implement a new 6/7/8 year cycle.

Look, Pep could stay there for 20 years if he wants to, but he’s got to answer the questions himself. If it becomes about money, how much money does he need, because the club would pay him £20m a year no problem. They’ve got the best man in the in the world.

The other thing of course is that time waits for no man, and as you’ve got younger, fresher coaches coming through it will be very interesting to see how the likes of Amorim, for example, compare to him tactically and technically.

Is Pep a bit sick and tired of asking the same questions of his players week in and week out? Does that feeling transmit to players? Is he as fresh on the training ground as he once was? Is he as manic as he was?

Players that have won everything look around and go ‘do I want to push myself through that barrier again?’

I think it’s just the natural ending of a cycle and the only two main questions I’ve got is whether Pep has the hunger to be able to handle another 6/7/8 year cycle or could it be somebody else? And secondly, if the latter scenario is the case, at the end of this season could we see one of the more revolutionary Manchester City transfer windows, with the cull of up to eight first-team players?

Fergie’s United, the great Milan teams, the great Real Madrid teams, the great Barcelona teams… the cycle always ends. The question is whether Man City’s is about to or if Pep is committed, brave and resourceful enough to push himself through another few years.

Kane was right to moan about England players; now Tuchel has food for thought

I can understand Harry Kane’s view on players that are starting to dip out of England games, even if the context of this is that it’s the third or fourth international break in a year in a competition that is meh at best and whereby a lot of club managers and coaches will tell their players ‘be very careful, don’t put yourself on the line, we’ve got big games to come.’

Ryan Giggs used to do something similar for almost every Wales friendly, and it’s effectively managers saying that at this stage in the Nations League, it’s not important enough to be putting our players on the line – and I agree with them.

However, it’s very corrosive if you start having so many players missing. Once they start to dip out of Nations League games without any punishment but then walk back into the squad for a World Cup qualifier, for example, then it becomes about players getting special treatment.

I think that Harry Kane will actually have been briefed to let it be known how important it is to turn up for England on a regular basis, because I don’t think he’s a particularly contentious individual.

And surprise, surprise, when you don’t have the best players available, when players have just got to put the kit on, go out and do a job without all the big build up, lo and behold; Madueke, excellent. Ollie Watkins, a goal. Curtis Jones, excellent finish. Players like Morgan Gibbs White coming on.

Utilising a full squad of 23 poses questions such as is Harry Kane gonna start? Is Ollie Watkins going to start? Where’s Declan Rice? Where’s Bukayo Saka?

When you strip all that back, the manager can pick players who can look them in the eye and say that yes, EVERY Three Lions game is important to me.

Make no bones about it, just because Greece are low down in the rankings and we’re fourth, they turned us over at Wembley and we owed them one.

Without all the bells and whistles and the superstars that were going to turn up and give them a hiding I think a lot of England fans would have thought that we might just about nick a win and it might be boring.

The result on Thursday is proof that Thomas Tuchel must come in and almost be blind about the names. Get his scouts out there, pick on form, pick players for his system. If that means no Harry Kane, if that means no Jude Bellingham, if that means no Bukayo Saka, so be it.

The balance and blend was there in Greece in a way that it hasn’t been in the preceding games so it’s very much food for thought for Tuchel.

It’s very clear what Ruben Amorim should expect at Man United

So… Ruben Amarim has finally arrived in Manchester and quickly sent Ruud van Nistelrooy packing. That shouldn’t surprise anyone and I don’t think that the Dutchman needed to be pushed by the new man in order to get him out.

He will have expected it, and with his coaching staff going too, van Nistelrooy may find opportunities open up for him elsewhere. There are rumours of him going to West Ham so that’s one to watch.

In terms of Amorim coming in, I think that every good manager that I’ve played under, and every good manager that I’ve seen on day one says everybody’s got a clean slate.

Players that have been injured, players that were out in the wilderness, players that have been forced to train with the U21s, U23s or the kids get an arm around them. He’ll also want absolute honesty so that he can say to players like Luke Shaw, for example, ‘can you get to a level where you play 30 plus games a season?’

If the honest answer is no, then I think he’s got to get rid of those players because I think that if you look at winning teams, they have a lot of players that play a lot of games.

I know that in the last couple of seasons Kevin De Bruyne has had his injury problems, but that was after the bulk of being involved in all of Man City’s major triumphs.

Man United need all of their players to buy into what Amorim wants to do, and that will be fresh, lively and intense training sessions, which will be taken through into games. It will be hanging on his every word. It might be picking out three or four trusted senior players in the dressing room to cover all his bases but everybody has to play their part.

It’s very simple. If a player’s level isn’t right, they have to understand that they’re going to be on the bench or not even in a match day squad under Amorim. I think that kind of clear communication has obviously been lacking across the board at Manchester United but now is the perfect time for that to change.

Arteta just isn’t very good and is full of waffle

I immediately thought Mikel Arteta was full of bs, waffle and modern coaching tricks when he was handed the manager’s job at Arsenal.

The reality of the Arsenal fanbase too is, perhaps more than any other club, that they’ve a divine right to win the lot every season. To illustrate the point, I retweeted and commented on an Arsenal Fan TV tweet when one of the guys said “I think we could go invincible this season.”

It’s only a few games in and there’s nothing that’s changed in years. Pitches are beautiful. Sun is shining. Arsenal are incredible. Three nil, four nil, five nil, brilliant but all the ‘this is the year’ talk is more than a little grating.

Don’t forget that in each of those years they’ve significantly invested. This is Mikel Arteta’s team now, and these are Mikel Arteta’s players. He has broken the bank for the likes of Declan Dice who, dare I say, has been below par so far this season.

Players that came in that were supposed to be winners from a winning club Manchester City – Zinchenko and Jesus – are nothing more than bit part players.

How many players has Arteta actually brought in that were seen to be title-winning level players, and how many of them has he made significantly better? Ben White? Kai Havertz? Thomas Partey? Declan Rice?

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What about Martin Odegaard? He was the guy at age 15 at Real Madrid that was meant to go on and be a world beater anyway, so surely he would have got to this point of maturity whereby he has an impact on somebody’s first team.

The classic question is how many players in the Arsenal squad has Mikel Arteta turned from average to good, good to very good, very good to great? And if you compare that with Jurgen Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Unai Emery and others, he doesn’t come across very well at all.

Forget results, because results come as a consequence of you making those players better.

It’s not about whether he’s a nice guy, it’s not whether he’s fresh and young or he’s from the Pep Guardiola Barcelona school of coaching… How many players has Arteta actually made significantly better and, Arsenal fans, I want you to answer that honestly.

The post Collymore’s Column: Is Pep still the man for City, Tuchel’s food for thought, Arteta just isn’t very good and more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

It seems almost inevitable that Viktor Gyokeres’ remarkable goalscoring form will see him land a move to an elite European outfit.

The Sweden international – currently on 27 goal contributions in 18 games in 2024/25 – signalled his talents to the world once more during Sporting CP’s 4-1 demolition of Manchester City.

With the likes of Bayern Munich and Manchester United understood to hold some interest in the forward, a summer transfer window move could very well be on the cards.

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It just remains to be seen who will stump up the required funds to meet the 26-year-old’s reported release clause of £83m. Albeit, it’s allegedly possible that Sporting will allow their top striker to depart for as little as £61m in the summer.

Man Utd could compete with FC Bayern

With the Red Devils struggling in the goalscoring department – particularly in the English top-flight – it’s far from surprising to hear of their maintained interest in Gyokeres.

“Manchester United are big competition for Viktor Gyokeres. It’s easier, of course, for United with Ruben Amorim having swapped Sporting CP for Old Trafford,” Christian Falk informed CaughtOffside in his exclusive Fact Files column.

“Also, Bayern already have Harry Kane in the squad, so Gyokeres won’t get so much playing time in Munich, which isn’t a great argument for Vincent Komapany’s side.

“The Red Devils are also interested in another Bayern Munich target in Benjamin Sesko (so you see the club is always competing with the Premier League).”

Bayern Munich have Gyokeres on their shortlist

The Bavarian giants would most certainly provide more than stiff competition for the Primeira Liga star’s services normally.

However, it’s fair to assume that a range of circumstances, not discounting the arrival of former Sporting boss Ruben Amorim at Old Trafford, will run in Manchester United’s favour. Former Red Devils star Dimitar Berbatov certainly seems to feel that this is a distinct likelihood. He told Sky Sports that he suspects the Primeira Liga attacker, currently ‘scoring goals for fun’ in Portugal, may very well join his former boss in Manchester.

Bayern Munich, for their part, are unlikely to stand in their way, should that eventuality come to pass.

“Bayern Munich have a number of strikers on their shortlist: Omar Marmoush, Viktor Gyokeres, Benjamin Sesko and Lois Openda,” Falk said.

“They’re not planning an immediate signing in the near future; it’s a list to keep in mind for the future. They are thinking about signing a striker, perhaps, in 2026. So any club that is moving now for these players has a big advantage whilst Bayern make the most of Harry Kane.”

On current form, too, Bayern Munich may very well have to accept that this top European talent is considerably likely to be snapped up by a top Premier League club in the summer.

The German reporter went on to add: “Gyokeres isn’t their top target at the moment, though they are very interested in him. Bayern would prefer to see the Swede stay in Lisbon longer so that they could join the market later for him (when his contract is closer to running out and the price isn’t so high).

“The problem is that he’s playing in the same position as Harry Kane and he’s unlikely to want to stay on the bench behind the England international.

“Still, you see how highly rated he is that Bayern see him as a potential successor to Kane. It’s perhaps too early for Bayern to move in for him, but the interest is concrete.

“I would say that, perhaps, after the match against Manchester City in the Champions League, a move to the Premier League could come more quickly.”

The post How Harry Kane could help Man Utd sign 66-goal demon who’s ‘scoring for fun’ appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Although Chelsea are seven places ahead of London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League table just three points separate them, and both clubs will rival the other for the signature of a talented Premier League centre-back.

CaughtOffside sources have indicated that despite Bournemouth having only recently tied down Ilya Zabarnyi to a deal which keeps him with the Cherries until 2029, they will listen to clubs willing to offer around £50m for the Ukrainian.

Tottenham and Chelsea want Zabarnyi

Sources indicate that the North Londoners have been tracking the player for a while and are eager to add him to their squad.

Ange Postecoglou certainly has the Lilywhites playing some of their best football in many a year, however, the same could be said of Enzo Maresca’s impact at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian is also thought to be a huge fan of the defender’s playing capabilities and would make room for him in an ever-expanding Chelsea squad.

Of course, Bournemouth’s financial demands are factors that could complicate the transfer process, notwithstanding that sources further advance that both Tottenham and Chelsea are apparently willing to meet those requirements.

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Chelsea are already looking at beating Arsenal to one of their prime targets, whilst Tottenham could agree a pre-contract with a former Man United ace.

Zabarnyi has played in all 11 of Bournemouth’s Premier League games this season (transfermarkt), and his excellence in defence has see the South Coast side beat reigning champions Man City amongst others.

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Andoni Iraola and his board clearly see the player as someone that should be staying at the club for the longer term, but are not in a position to keep him if any of their opponents come up with an offer that they can’t refuse.

From the player’s point of view, sources understand that he would be willing to make the move to the capital but is equally content at the Vitality Stadium, should any of the rumours come to nothing.

The post Exclusive: Tottenham and Chelsea to battle it out for £50m-rated Premier League centre-back appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Another Brazilian talent could soon be heading to English shores, but Crystal Palace face fierce Premier League competition to land Botofogo baller, Luiz Henrique.

CaughtOffside sources have indicated the the €30m-rated ace has drawn interest from a number of top clubs across Europe but his preference is to hone his talents in the English top-flight.

Crystal Palace keen on Luiz Henrique

Fulham and Everton are also reported to be keeping tabs on the 23-year-old baller, and all three Premier League sides have had scouts at the recent Botafogo matches against Cuiaba-MT and Vasco da Gama.

Sources say that all three have been impressed with the level of the right wingers performances and could be set to test the water with an offer.

It’s understood that the Brazilian club are not prioritising his sale at present as they know that Henrique’s potential and skillset make him a valuable asset in the transfer market.

Therefore, maximising his value will be uppermost in their thinking.

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More and more young Brazilian stars are making their way to Europe to further their careers.

Endrick has lit up the Santiago Bernabeu already with brief cameos at Real Madrid, and players like Luis Guilherme (West Ham United) and Estevao Willian (Chelsea in 2025) will surely do the same in due course.

Those more experienced, such as Raphinha – now finding his feet at Barcelona – and Vini Jr/Rodrygo at Real Madrid, are a blueprint for what’s possible if youngsters continue to work hard.

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It isn’t clear at this stage if Oliver Glasner will still be in place as Palace manager by the time Botafogo are ready to do business, however, there remains a link between the two clubs in John Textor.

Textor currently owns 46 percent of the Eagles and is also majority shareholder at Botafogo. Though Goal report he’s willing to sell his Palace shares, he’s likely to still have a say in any Luiz Henrique transfer.

If the South Londoners can also land one outgoing Chelsea ace and a defender with an £83m release clause as well as Luiz Henrique, it could yet be a successful 2024/25 campaign for them.

The post Exclusive: Crystal Palace face Premier League competition for €30m-rated baller appeared first on CaughtOffside.

England took a huge step toward Uefa Nations League promotion with a resounding 3-0 win away in Greece on Thursday.

Avenging their shock defeat at Wembley, the Three Lions put their hosts to the sword with goals from Ollie Watkins and debutant Curtis Jones, either side of an Odisseas Vlachodimos own goal forced by a Jude Bellingham shot that hit the post.

The result takes England top of the group, level on points with Greece but now boasting a better goal difference and head-to-head record.

Any sort of win against the Republic of Ireland at Wembley on Sunday will return England to League A at the first time of asking.

For now, read on for full England player ratings from a huge win in Athens.

England player ratings vs Greece: Curtis Jones ‘outstanding’ on debut

Jordan Pickford – 9/10 – Made some vital saves to preserve the win and clean sheet, while reminding everyone how important he is for England.

Kyle Walker – 6/10 – A little negative with his play, going backwards when he’d taken up some great positions. Slotted in well enough at centre-back in the second half.

Ezri Konsa – 7/10 – A solid performance, completing 100% of his passes and winning both of his contested ground duels. Brought off at half-time, presumably with an injury.

Marc Guehi – 8/10 – Tidy with the ball and made a couple of important interceptions and tackles to keep the Greeks at bay.

Rico Lewis – 8/10 – Used the ball brilliantly and popped up in some dangerous positions. Perhaps should have got himself on the scoresheet in the second half but was denied by a good save.

Conor Gallagher – 8/10 – Got through plenty of defensive work and did his best to drive England forward once he turned the ball over.

Curtis Jones – 9/10 – Absolute class on the ball and alert to any Greek counter-attacks. Misplaced just three of 68 attempted passes. Capped off an outstanding England debut with a beautifully taken goal. ‘Outstanding’ according to former England and Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie.

Noni Madueke – 8/10 – Set up Watkins’ goal with a great run and cut-back and was a menace all game, creating a match-high three chances and having five touches in the opposition box.

Jude Bellingham – 9/10 – The Greeks couldn’t handle Bellingham once he got into full flow, powering through midfield with immense force. Hit the post twice, first with a header, then with a shot from the edge of the box which hit Vlachodimos and went in. Unlucky not to be credited with a goal but did the damage.

Anthony Gordon – 6/10 – A few dangerous flashes but was more subdued than Madueke.

Ollie Watkins – 8/10 – Took his goal well and provided England with a good focal point, even if he was a little isolated at times.

Substitutes:

Lewis Hall (46′, for Konsa) – 7/10 – A solid England debut from a youngster with the potential to be his nation’s left-back for years to come.

Harry Kane (67′, for Watkins) – 7/10 – Did a lot of work off the ball, including his run to create the space for Bellingham’s shot on the second goal.

Morgan Rogers (67′, for Gordon) – 7/10 – Won’t be credited with an assist on the second goal but it was his smart pass inside to Bellingham that set England away.

Jarrod Bown (67′, for Madueke) – 7/10 – Did well in the build-up for the third goal.

Morgan Gibbs-White (79′, for Gallagher) – 7/10 – Set up Jones as England finished the job.

The post Greece 0-3 England: Player ratings as ‘outstanding’ Liverpool star enjoys perfect debut appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have both finally broken their silence on the David Coote controversy after a video emerged of him slamming Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp.

Neville and Carragher are perhaps the most high-profile pundits in English football at the moment, and they’d been surprisingly quiet on the Coote saga in the last couple of days.

However, they have now discussed what should happen next with the former Premier League referee on today’s episode of The Overlap.

MORE bad news for David Coote as NEW video emerges!

See below for the full video, with Neville suggesting he thinks it would be a bit harsh for Coote not to be able to ever referee a Premier League game again, though Carragher feels it’s very difficult to imagine him being able to come back from this…

Although Neville agrees that Coote taking charge of Liverpool games would not be appropriate, Carragher also feels there are too many other games involving Liverpool’s rivals that would also not be suitable for Coote.

Will we see David Coote in the Premier League again?

Roy Keane seemed to side with Neville on this one, so perhaps the overwhelming view is that there is a case for a more lenient response to this incident, even if it’s clearly pretty serious.

The pundits also seemed to agree that surely all referees will have expressed views about teams, managers and players that they dislike, but that most of these things don’t happen to end up being filmed like this one.

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Carragher seemed adamant that this would severely limit Coote’s ability to referee in the Premier League, but Keane again described that view as “extreme”.

It will be interesting to see what kind of decision is made once the PGMOL have finished their investigation into Coote.

The post Gary Neville & Jamie Carragher disagree on David Coote’s future after Liverpool controversy appeared first on CaughtOffside.