New twist in FA manager search

GM football fans. Route One here, and we’re covering the search for England’s permanent manager, a bugged dressing room, and much more. Enjoy Route One? Share us with a friend on WhatsApp with this link.

TONIGHT’S NATIONS LEAGUE STATS

Germany vs Netherlands (19:45 UK). Despite Germany never reaching the finals of the Nations League before, they have only suffered one defeat on home soil in the competition. But Germany have only won two of their previous eight meetings with the Netherlands. Belgium vs France (19:45 UK). Didier Deschamps’ side has always had the upper hand over Belgium, winning their last four matches since the 2018 World Cup semi-final. Georgia vs Albania (17:00 UK). Albania have not actually overcome Georgia since June 2005, but two of the last three meetings between these two sides have finished all square. Full Nations League fixtures here.

Plus…

• Nations League results so far (More)

• England win 3 – 1 over Finland, moving level with group leader Greece (Highlights)

• Women’s Super League round-up (More)

• Kylian Mbappé defended by France team amid nightclub reports (More)

• Cristiano Ronaldo launches watch collection with Jacob & Co. (More) / w photos

• Joel Matip announces retirement age 33 (More); Lukas Podolski announces retirement age 39 (More)

ENGLAND MANAGER SEARCH

Lee Carsley doesn’t want to be England manager and hasn’t applied to be permanent, FA continues search

England bounced back from their loss to Greece with a 3 – 1 over Finland in yesterday’s Nations League match. After the game, Lee Carsley said he’s “keeping an open mind” on taking the permanent position after stating that the role required a “world-class coach who has won trophies, been there and done it”.

Over the weekend, reports also suggested that Carsley doesn’t want to be the next long-term England manager. He also admitted to not formally applying for the role and that he’s ‘hopeful’ to return to the U21s after three senior team camps. Carsley has backed-tracked after initially suggesting he’s the man for the full-time job. His comments after yesterday’s game add further to the confusion.

The FA is now searching for a permanent manager. Applications for the England job technically closed more than two months ago. Despite this, no one has been formally interviewed for the role. According to Bild in Germany, Thomas Tuchel is in advanced talks to take over as England's next manager. Others suggest that the FA would be prepared to hold out for Pep Guardiola if he gave it any encouragement.

POLL

HEAD START

🇺🇸 Poch’s first win with the USMNT. United States men’s national team manager Mauricio Pochettino gets his first win in charge after his side defeated Panama 2 – 0. The victory ended the USA’s four-game winless run. Midfielder Yunus Musah celebrated his first international goal, while Ricardo Pepi capped off the win with a stoppage-time strike. The match in front of a near-capacity crowd of 20,239 at Q2 Stadium was the first of two friendlies for the US in four days. USMNT face Mexico on Tuesday.

🫡 Manchester City confirm Hugo Viana as new director of football. Former Newcastle and Portugal midfielder Hugo Viana will replace Txiki Begiristain as the club’s director of football at the end of the season. Viana’s reputation in player recruitment put him on the radar of a number of top clubs. He was involved in selling players at Sporting for a profit – this includes Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Porro and Matheus Nunes.

❌ Son’s father convicted of child abuse at football academy. The father and brother of Spurs player Heung-min Son were fined for hitting and insulting players at a football academy in South Korea. They were fined 3mn Won (€2,000). Son’s father, Woong-jung Son, apologised in court and insisted that his coaching staff "never spoke or acted in a way that was not based on love for children".

DRESSING ROOM BUGGED

Man United’s dressing room bugged before their match at Aston Villa

Manchester United’s dressing room was bugged before their match at Aston Villa last Sunday by a ‘prankster’. The device was hidden in an out-of-sight place and the microphone was activated when it was called. The audio recording won’t be published.

Premier League executives are already on high alert after a rise of pranks targeting stadiums and teams. Not long ago, another prankster managed to board Man Utd’s bus before being escorted off. The League has contacted the clubs to be vigilant of similar stunts.

In the same week, Man Utd’s executives held a seven-hour meeting last week. Erik ten Hag’s future was understood to be one of many topics up for discussion, but there has been no clarification about the manager’s position. Former England manager Gareth Southgate had ruled himself out of the job after admitting to wanting to take a year out of management. New reports suggest that former Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic is being considered for the role.

AROUND THE FOOTBALL WORLD

🇺🇾 Uruguay national team: Uruguay boss Marcelo Bielsa says his "authority was affected" when Luis Suarez criticised his coaching style; they lost 1 — 0 to Peru on Saturday (More)

🇵🇹 Portugal national team: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 133rd Portugal goal in their 3 – 1 win over Poland (More)

🇪🇸 Spain national team: Spain coach Luis de la Fuente says that Lamine Yamal must toughen up as teams begin to target the 17-year-old (More)

🇮🇹 Serie A: Mario Balotelli is close to signing for Genoa (More)

ROUTER’S VOICE

Yesterday, we asked you: Where does Andreas Iniesta rank amongst the best of all time?

🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🟩 🔝 He's up there with the best ever... (62.7%)

🟨 🟨 🟨 ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 💪 Definitely world-class, but not one of the best...  (31.4%)

⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ ⬜️ 😬 Slightly overrated... (5.8%)

Your punditry takes:

• 🔝 R.G: “With what he's won, the teams he's played how can he not be one of the greats?? One of the greatest midfield players ever.”

• 🔝 A.H: “Key in the most winning Barça team ever. Messi without Iniesta would not be the same.”

• 💪 V.N: “There’s no doubt he’s world-class. But I can’t help but compare him to players who have achieved similar in many different leagues.”

EXTRA TIME

Arne Slot’s record-breaking start.

Kelechi Iheanacho was seen selling T-shirts to his teammates.

The Premier League CB partners with the least goals conceded per game.

How can England use Bellingham, Foden and Palmer?

Half-time analysis of the 2005 Champions League final.

Eintracht Frankfurt U9 goalkeeper plays like Messi. / via X

The strongest leagues in the world ranked.

15 best photos from the Premier League Matchweeks 4-7.

GAME FACE ON

Question: Who won the first-ever Nations League trophy?

Clue: 2019. 

Scroll below for the answer.

ON TODAY

Nations League

• Azerbaijan vs Slovakia (17:00)

• Georgia vs Albania (17:00)

• Estonia vs Sweden (19:45)

• Ukraine vs Czech Republic (19:45)

• Belgium vs France (19:45)

• Italy vs Israel (19:45)

• Bosnia vs Hungary (19:45)

• Germany vs Netherlands (19:45)

*All times in UK. EST -5. PST -8. CET +1. CST +8. JST +9.

Answer

Portugal. They beat the Netherlands 1 – 0 in the final.