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.

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West Ham United defender Vladimir Coufal has admitted frustration at his current lack of playing time. 

The Czech Republic international has been with the Hammers since joining from Slavia Prague in 2020.

Coufal quickly established himself as the first-choice right-back and to date, has made 162 appearances for the Hammers across all competitions, helping them win the 2023 Uefa Conference League.

This season, however, he’s clocked up just two starts, five appearances and 223 minutes in the Premier League, with his only other two starts coming in the EFL Cup.

New manager Julen Lopetegui has favoured summer signing Aaron Wan-Bissaka in Coufal’s position, with the former Man Utd defender playing 10 times in the league so far.

Vladimir Coufal discusses West Ham frustrations

At 32 years old, Coufal will want to keep playing regular minutes as much as possible while he still can.

The experienced defender is now on international duty and has spoken to the Czech media about his recent frustrations — although he insists there is no bad blood between him and Lopetegui.

“When I talked to the coach (Julen Lopetegui), he told me that he was extremely happy with me. That he is convinced that I will get more minutes, more chances and start playing, that I am a great professional,” said Coufal (via Sport Witness).

“I can’t say a bad word against the coach, or he has against me, it’s just that we don’t have a good time on the pitch yet. If it should continue like this, we have to sit down and see what to do next. I definitely don’t want to sit on the bench, I still feel like I can play in the Premier League.”

Right now, Coufal’s focus will remain on his duties with the Czech Republic, who take on Albania and Georgia in the Uefa Nations League during the latest international break.

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Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has emerged as a serious contender for the West Ham job.

Julen Lopetegui is under pressure after a poor start to the season despite being significantly backed in the transfer market, with the club spending over £100m in the summer.

The Hammers are currently 14th in the table, having won only 3 games out of 11, drawing another 3 and losing 5.

They are also out of the League Cup, with Liverpool knocking them out of the competition with a 5-1 win in the 3rd round of the competition.

Ruud van Nistelrooy emerges as serious contender for the West Ham job

As pressure mounts on the former Real Madrid manager, speculations regarding his uncertain future and his replacement have started, with several names being linked with the job, including former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho. However, the club have been advised against appointing him.

And now, another former Manchester United coach is linked with the job. Ruud van Nistelrooy who was the caretaker manager of the club for the last few games has impressed suitors with the immediate impact he made after Erik ten Hag’s departure. He remained unbeaten in the 4 games he managed, winning 3 and drawing 1.

Despite leading a remarkable turnaround in form, he was let go once the club signed Ruben Amorim as the long-term replacement. With him now available, he has been linked with the West Ham job.

According to i News, the Dutchman is now a serious consideration for the job to replace Julen Lopetegui, whose future at West Ham is now under threat.

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A long list of managers linked with the West Ham job

Apart from Mourinho and van Nistelrooy, there are several other managers linked with the job. Former Denmark manager, Kasper Hjulmand, ex-Benfica manager Roger Schmidt and Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness have all been considered as potential replacements. 

Marco Silva, is another name mentioned recently, with suggestions that he would be tempted to take the job.

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It’s been a terrible start to the 2024/25 Premier League season for Julen Lopetegui at West Ham, but one man that apparently won’t be replacing him at the London Stadium is Graham Potter.

The former Chelsea manager has been out of work since being sacked by the Blues, and even if the Spaniard does get the bullet from the Hammers because of their poor form, Give Me Sport sources indicate that Potter won’t be the man to replace him.

Lopetegui appeared more than happy to be going home to Spain during the international break, and it’s clear that he still feels the head coach’s job is his because he’s continuing to demand signings for the East Londoners.

West Ham won’t take Graham Potter as Lopetegui’s replacement

The issue for David Sullivan is whether to stick or twist.

If he decides to give Lopetegui more time to turn things around, he runs the risk of the Hammers slipping further away from where they want to be.

Equally, if Sullivan doesn’t believe that there’s a standout candidate available to take over from the Spaniard, there’s no point in him making a change for the sake of it.

Unfortunately for the chairman, not bagging either Hansi Flick or Ruben Amorim when he apparently had the chance to do so is looking more and more short-sighted.

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The former has Barca playing back to somewhere near their best, whilst the latter is about to embark on his own Premier League journey at Man United.

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It’s as if Sullivan is damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t, though supporters will surely just want to see a return to the ‘West Ham way’ of playing football.

They didn’t get it with David Moyes, and thoughts that Lopetegui would be the man to bring that continental style back to East London have quickly been revised.

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Talks are reportedly ongoing over a new contract for Leandro Trossard at Arsenal, though his situation is also being monitored by West Ham United.

The Belgium international has been a key player for the Gunners since joining from Brighton midway through the 2022/23 season, though it’s fair to say his form has dipped a little bit in more recent times.

Still, it seems Arsenal want to keep Trossard and are in discussions over a new deal for the player, according to Football Insider, though they add that West Ham are one of the teams keeping tabs on his situation.

MORE big problems for Arteta as Arsenal star pushes to leave!

It has been suggested in the piece, however, that Trossard would not be interested in joining the Hammers, while the most concrete interest came from Saudi Pro League club Al Ittihad during the summer.

Leandro Trossard – should Arsenal keep him or replace him?

Trossard clearly has a role in this Arsenal squad, but he is perhaps a better option off the bench than as a regular starter for Mikel Arteta’s side.

The 29-year-old scored 17 times in all competitions last season, but often looked better when coming on as a super-sub.

While Trossard is a clinical finisher who can operate in a variety of attacking roles, he’s perhaps a bit limited to be influencing games as a starter, so AFC might do well to think about replacing him.

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A recent report from Todo Fichajes claimed that Arsenal were looking at West Ham’s Mohammed Kudus as a potential replacement for Trossard, so it may be that there are already some plans in place to move on from the former Brighton man.

Kudus has a bit more spark to his game, so could be a fine addition, and it might therefore be worth saving the money that they’d have to invest in giving Trossard a new contract.

The post “Talks are ongoing” – Arsenal working to keep star who’s wanted by London rivals appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Fenerbahce manager, Jose Mourinho, has been told he can leave Turkish football by a rival captain after he became fed up with the Special One’s insults.

It hasn’t taken long for the Portuguese to ruffle more than a few feathers, though one shouldn’t necessarily be surprised by the same.

Suggestions that he’s already eyeing a move back to the Premier League won’t surprise anyone either, with West Ham just one club he’s been linked with.

Jose Mourinho told to leave Turkish football

The Turkish giants are already five points behind league leaders, and arch rivals, Galatasaray, and that appears to have prompted Mourinho to launch the occasional tirade against the league and its officials.

That’s something that certainly hasn’t gone down well with Gala’s captain, Fernando Muslera.

“The insults towards Turkish football and the fact that he is attacking some referees are things that bother me,” he told Turkiye Today.

“This is the first time in 14 years that I feel obliged to make such a speech. I won 17 trophies in 14 years. If we consider my contribution, my constant aim is to advance Turkish football.

“If Mourinho, who came here four months ago, criticises Turkish football and doesn’t like it, he can leave. Although nobody says anything, I think now someone can say something to him. We need to pay a little more attention to those who move Turkish football forward.”

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It’s not the first time that controversy has followed Mourinho around, and the notion that he’s making these controversial statements in the hope Fenerbahce extricate him from his contract probably isn’t without foundation.

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That said, a five-point gap is one that can be easily bridged, so the Special One would surely be better served in motivating his players for the long haul, rather than continuing with his self-serving publicity stunts.

The post “He can leave” – Captain fed up with “insults” from ex-EPL manager linked with West Ham and wants him gone appeared first on CaughtOffside.

The Julen Lopetegui era at West Ham promised so much but it’s been an absolute disaster, and it’s therefore no surprise to learn that the Spaniard, just like the club’s fans, isn’t happy with his lot at the London Stadium.

Results continue to go from bad to worse, and another insipid performance, this time against Everton, left West Ham’s players questioning one particular Lopetegui decision.

It’s already been suggested that the Spaniard could be sacked, and with the international break now upon us, it would be the perfect time for the Hammers to cut ties.

By so doing it would give any new incumbent the time to assess what he has in situ over the next 6-8 weeks, before making a splash in the transfer market as needed.

Julen Lopetegui might decide to leave West Ham of his own accord

That would require David Sullivan to dip into his coffers again, as well as paying off Lopetegui, and Sullivan’s form with regards to getting things done as cheaply as possible is likely to ensure that the Spaniard escapes the hangman’s noose a little longer.

Unless the manager takes it upon himself to leave the club.

“Through it all (pre-match press conference for the Everton game), Lopetegui looked drained, like a man under strain, even if the exhausted demeanour is one he has worn throughout his career, through the good times too,,” journalist Tom Allnutt wrote in The Times (subscription required).

“These are not good times. Performances have been flat, the sense of freshness or direction lacking…

“It should be no surprise, then, that Lopetegui beamed only when asked about his plans to return home during the international break next week.

“He will spend two or three days in Asteasu, a sleepy town 15 miles south of San Sebastian, and will stay with his father, Jose Antonio, who turns 95 next month and who was once a Basque champion at stone lifting.”

West Ham are lucky that, at the moment at least, there are certainly three worse clubs in the Premier League, and it would take an astonishing series of results to see them drop into relegation trouble.

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Notwithstanding that, the Irons should still be looking towards the other end of the table and a permanent residency there.

That, presumably was the entire point as to why Lopetegui was hired in the first place.

His reputation is in tatters at present, and there’s a cogent argument as to why he himself might decide to jump ship in order to ensure he’s still able to be employed elsewhere.

Flogging a dead horse seems to be the order of the day at the London Stadium and, frankly, that’s not doing anyone any favours.

The post Journo claims West Ham man “beamed” at opportunity to get out of the club appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Fulham manager Marco Silva could be tempted to take the West Ham United job, according to talkSPORT presenter Jason Cundy.

Silva has done impressive work during his time at Craven Cottage and has often been linked with bigger jobs throughout his career.

West Ham could now perhaps do with making a change after Julen Lopetegui’s poor start as manager, and Cundy has tipped Silva to be keen on a potential opening at the London Stadium.

“West Ham fans, listening to this now, if they want Marco Silva and they are prepared to pay him, he will leave Fulham to go to West Ham,” Cundy said.

Marco Silva is surely needed at West Ham

It remains to be seen how much more time West Ham will give to Lopetegui, who replaced David Moyes in the summer, but results and performances have been poor and this is a club that will expect much better.

Silva has shown at Fulham and at other clubs throughout his career that he can get teams playing an attractive brand of attacking football that gets points on the board.

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The Portuguese tactician will surely be snapped up by someone else if WHUFC don’t move soon, so this seems like a no-brainer if he’s really interested in the position.

Could Jose Mourinho to West Ham also be one to watch?

The post Insider claims 47-year-old ‘class’ Premier League boss wants West Ham job appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has made it clear he’d love to see former Chelsea and Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho coming back to the Premier League with West Ham.

Mourinho is currently in Turkey with Fenerbahce, but it could be that we’ll see him back in English football at some point soon as he’s already had a few spells here.

The Portuguese tactician has had two spells in charge of Chelsea, while he’s also managed Man Utd and Spurs, so could he also be tempted to return to London with West Ham?

Discussing the Mourinho to West Ham links on talkSPORT, O’Hara admitted it would be a fun appointment for the Hammers, describing it as “good banter”, while it’s also a compliment to have such a big name manager coming to your team.

Julen Lopetegui has struggled since taking over at West Ham this summer, and one imagines there will already be plenty of Hammers supporters who’d like to see the club make a change.

“You don’t want him at your club West Ham fans let me tell you now – the club will implode”

Jamie O’Hara responds to Jose Mourinho West Ham links

O’Hara would clearly be happy to see Mourinho taking over at the London Stadium, as he told talkSPORT: “It’d be good fun though. They’ve had some moments, West Ham – they’ve won a trophy, and then, if you bring in Jose Mourinho, that basically says that you’re a big club.

“Mourinho isn’t going to Wolves, Mourinho’s not going to Brentford – but if he went to West Ham that’s basically him saying; ‘you’re a big club, I’m coming in’.

“I’d love him there, that’d be good banter wouldn’t it? Jose, I love him, I miss him.”

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Mourinho is always good entertainment at whatever club he’s at, but it remains to be seen if he’d leave Fenerbahce so soon after joining.

The 61-year-old has only taken charge of 19 matches with the Turkish giants, winning 11 of those.

The post “Good banter” – Pundit admits he’d love to see West Ham hire this replacement for Julen Lopetegui appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Julen Lopetegui’s job appears to be hanging by a thread at West Ham, but that hasn’t stopped the Spaniard from demanding even more signings in January.

West Ham players remain unhappy with the Spaniard, the 0-0 draw against Everton at the weekend keeping the Hammers down in 14th position in the Premier League.

Their poor form since Lopetegui took over has even seen one elite manager tipped to take over at the London Stadium should the West Ham board decide that enough is enough.

Lopetegui chasing Brighton and Hove Albion ace

If David Sullivan goes against the grain and decides to give his manager a while longer to implement his strategies, one player that Lopetegui wants is 24-year-old Brighton and Hove Albion ace, Tariq Lamptey.

CaughtOffside sources have indicated that Lamptey could consider leaving Brighton at the end of the season but, given that his contract ends in June 2025 (transfermarkt), a decision may be made by the Seagulls themselves as early as January.

Lamptey has shown no sign of extending his current deal, and sources understand that this is because the right-back is unhappy with how things have panned out under Fabian Hurzeler.

The Ghanaian international is certainly looking to move, though CaughtOffside sources note that the East Londoners could face competition for his services.

Premier League clubs Everton, Nottingham Forest and Brentford have already expressed interest in signing him, without taking things further at this stage.

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The former Chelsea academy player has been with Brighton since 2021, and whilst it’s understood his preference is to stay in the Premier League, foreign clubs such as Juventus are also showing interest.

Clearly, a decision needs to be made soon, and ultimately Hurzeler will be the one to decide whether Lamptey can be considered as surplus to requirements as early as the first month of 2025.

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