Nations League and internationals: 10 talking points from this week's games

Virgil van Dijk is leader of the flying Dutchmen, Kosovo are on the verge of something special and a fed up Britt abroad

When Gareth Southgate needed to turn the tide against Croatia at the World Cup, his options were limited by a lack of forward players on England’s bench. It was difficult for Southgate to alter the flow of the game and it was unsurprising to see his side run out of steam. Yet England have continued to progress since then and offered an indication of their greater strength in depth when they reached the Nations League finals at Croatia’s expense. What a difference it made for Southgate to introduce Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard and Jadon Sancho after Andrej Kramaric had given the visitors the lead. Lingard, a player with the knack of popping up in the right place at the right time, grabbed the equaliser and England were rewarded for throwing caution to the wind when Harry Kane prodded in the winner. Extra competition for places in the forward areas is already having a positive effect. Jacob Steinberg

Continue reading...