One of Southgate’s other big qualities was an ability to foster a fierce sense of unity in England’s squad, not something that will be helped by suggestions from the captain that some may be more interested in club than country.

A sub-plot is also clear. Would some of those players not here in Athens have been more minded to report had this been Tuchel’s first game in charge as opposed to the dying embers of the Carsley interim regime?

It also adds to the sense that the games in Greece on Thursday and against the Republic Of Ireland on Sunday do not carry meaning. Tuchel’s willingness to simply take a watching brief from elsewhere only adds fuel to that fire.

There is some significance to the results, though.

If England beat Greece and then finish top of their Uefa Nations League group, Tuchel’s opening matches in March will be either World Cup qualifiers or friendlies, depending on the size of their qualifying group. If they finish second, England will instead face a two-leg play-off and a potential return to the top tier of the Uefa Nations League.

When Tuchel takes charge, three months will have passed since he signed his deal with the FA. No concrete reason has been offered as to why he starts on 1 January. It is a tidy date to start, but it looks like time wasted.

Is this a feeling also shared by some England players? Kane’s interview will do nothing to make that suspicion go away.

The environment around England’s last camp – when they lost to Greece at Wembley before beating Finland in Helsinki – was chaotic and unsatisfactory, with mixed messaging from Carsley when he appeared to question his own credentials for the job, then insisted he was not ruling himself out of the running only for the FA to reveal at Tuchel’s Wembley unveiling that he had signed on the dotted line two days before the debacle against the side they face in Athens on Wednesday.

The FA and Tuchel may simply believe a start on 1 January, the first day of 2025, represents the new era, a fresh start.

Kane’s pointed words, and recent England camps, heighten the feeling that one is very badly needed.

The Chicago Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after nine games in the wake of the team’s three-game losing streak, during which the Bears’ offense and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has struggled mightily. 

Why didn’t it work out in Chicago for Waldron? Wide receiver Keenan Allen has a theory.

“I would say just probably he was too nice of a guy,” Allen said about why Waldron didn’t last with the Bears on Wednesday, according to the Chicago Tribune. “I think during OTAs, training camp, he kind of fell into a trap of letting things go, not holding people accountable. Obviously, those things lead to a slippery slope.”

Following a 19-3 loss at home to the New England Patriots last week, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said that he was “looking at everything.” On Tuesday, Waldron was fired, with Eberflus naming passing game coordinator Thomas Brown as interim offensive coordinator.

Waldron was previously the offensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks from 2021-23. He was hired by the Bears last offseason to replace offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, who Chicago fired after two seasons and was then dismissed as offensive coordinator by the Las Vegas Raiders earlier this month.

“I take full accountability for that,” Eberflus said Wednesday, a day after the Bears announced Waldron’s departure. “I take full responsibility for that, and it’s got to get better. It’s gotta get better. The details of creativity have to improve and it’s got to improve this week.”

How should the Bears navigate Caleb’s struggles as a rookie quarterback?

Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler who’s in his first season with the Bears, has totaled 26 receptions for 241 yards and two touchdowns in seven games; he missed two games due to a heel injury. Allen has logged no more than five receptions and no more than 44 receiving yards in a single game this season.

Chicago’s offense is averaging just 169.6 passing yards (30th in the NFL), 108.1 rushing yards (24th), 277.7 total yards (30th) and 19.4 points (24th) per game. Last season, Seattle averaged 230.0 passing yards (14th), 92.9 rushing yards (28th), 322.9 total yards (21st) and 21.4 points (17th) per game under Waldron.

The development of Bears quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams has come under fire, as the signal-caller has thrown for just 1,785 yards and nine touchdowns, boasts an 81.0 passer rating and has completed just 60.5% of his passes; he has rushed for 236 yards. 

Furthermore, a recent report detailed that a handful of Bears players wanted Williams to be benched for second-year quarterback Tyson Bagent.

“I took a few sacks that I shouldn’t have,” Williams said after being sacked nine times by the Patriots on Sunday. ‘I think that getting back to getting the ball out of my hands, being decisive is really important. That needs to start now.”

Bears veterans reportedly wanted Caleb Williams benched before Shane Waldron’s firing

The Bears were on the verge of improving to 5-2 before the Washington Commanders executed a 52-yard, walk-off Hail Mary to rip their hearts out. Chicago has since lost to the Arizona Cardinals and Patriots, falling to 4-5 and last place in the NFC North.

Allen and the Bears host the NFC North rival Green Bay Packers (6-3) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Manchester United and Arsenal in battle to sign Bayern Munich’s Leroy Sane, Liverpool some way off with Mohamed Salah contract, La Liga giants interested in Nottingham Forest defender Murillo.

Manchester United and Arsenal are battling to sign former Manchester City winger Leroy Sane from Bayern Munich, with the 28-year-old Germany international out of contract next summer. (Bild – in German, subscription required), external

Liverpool remain in talks with 32-year-old Egypt forward Mohamed Salah over a potential new contract but the parties are currently far apart on any deal. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Arsenal are monitoring Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi’s situation, in the belief they can prove the most viable destination for the 25-year-old. (Independent), external

Barcelona and Real Madrid are keeping an eye on Nottingham Forest’s Brazilian centre-back Murillo, 22. (Sport in Spanish), external

Manchester United are keen on Bournemouth’s 21-year-old Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez. (Football Transfers), external

Liverpool are considering a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi, with the 21-year-old United States international also on the radar of Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid. (Caughtoffside), external

Manchester United are considering a January transfer move for Dinamo Zagreb and Croatia midfielder Martin Baturina, 21, who has also been watched by Barcelona and Atletico. (Teamtalk), external

West Ham are looking at Botafogo and Brazil forward Igor Jesus, 23, as an option to strengthen their attacking options. (Football Insider), external

Newcastle United chiefs remain relaxed over Sweden striker Alexander Isak’s contract status, despite fresh claims the 25-year-old is unsettled at the club. (Newcastle Chronicle), external

Henry McKenna

NFL Reporter

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At the start of the season, Patrick Mahomes was practically unrecognizable.

The swagger, the backyard ball, the Kermit-The-Frog voice — they were all there. But the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was offering up too many turnovers to opposing defenses, and he wasn’t offering many touchdown opportunities to his teammates. The turnover-to-touchdown ratio was just enough to keep the team undefeated. But the defense and special teams have driven — and continue to drive — this undefeated run. 

Mahomes has been in the backseat, going along for the ride. 

Over the past few weeks, he hasn’t been getting in the way as much. But there’s clear evidence that he’s still struggling.

On Sunday, his issues cropped up dramatically in the red zone. Now, that should come with the important context that the Denver Broncos are tied for the fourth-best red-zone defense in the league (when measured in touchdowns allowed). But I think the issues are emblematic of Mahomes’ acute flaws, regardless of the matchup.

The game came down to a blocked field-goal kick, but — if you rewind just a bit further — you’d see the Chiefs charging into the red area, only to settle for a field goal. Had K.C. scored, Denver would have needed a touchdown to win. But the Chiefs couldn’t get a TD. That’s because Mahomes missed a wide-open Travis Kelce in the back of the end zone. On third-and-2, Mahomes had a clean pocket. He had his favorite pass-catcher. And they just whiffed based only on failed execution by the guy we think of as the best QB in the game, particularly in clutch moments.

“It’s a little bit of missed throws, little bit of me not seeing the coverage exactly the way I should,” Mahomes said postgame. “I thought on the one to Trav … I threw it a little higher than I wanted to even though he didn’t get depth. If I can just fire it in there and get him a touchdown there.”

Rewind a little further into the third quarter and you’ll see Mahomes missing another touchdown to Xavier Worthy. In the low red zone, Mahomes scrambled to his right and eluded defenders closing in on him. And it created a tiny window for Mahomes to deliver a high-difficulty throw to Worthy. It’s the type of throw that we really only expect three QBs to make: Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. But Mahomes threw an uncatchable ball and the Chiefs settled for a field goal on the 10-yard line. Mahomes and Worthy simply lack rapport.

“I just left it high when I kind of was off balance — saw him open and threw it,” Mahomes said. “I’ve made those throws before. It’s just about going back, executing and making them next week.” 

And finally, there was a play where Mahomes wholly missed his most open receiver of the day. On third down in the second quarter, DeAndre Hopkins went unguarded in the red zone, but the Chiefs QB didn’t even see him. Mahomes felt pressure off his blind side that wasn’t there. The left side of the line, which has been problematic all year, held up. But Mahomes clearly didn’t trust that happening, because he scrambled right. And by the time he looked back at D-Hop, the secondary realized its mistake. Mahomes targeted the receiver too late, resulting in a PBU.

I see it like this: 

1. To start the season, Mahomes wanted the Chiefs to get vertical and the team adjusted its personnel this offseason to help him do that.
2. That personnel either hasn’t panned out or has dealt with injuries.
3. The Chiefs aren’t (currently) good at going vertical.
4. The Chiefs are good at running the football.

The Chiefs offense set out to do one thing — and now, for these reasons, it has to do something else.

Over the past couple weeks, Mahomes has been better at protecting the football and abandoning his highlight-reel approach, like last year. Running back Kareem Hunt is the centerpiece on offense. And the Chiefs are even getting him more involved in the passing game. But most of all, they’re asking Mahomes to chill out, to go back into game-manager mode — for now.

“The last several weeks, we’ve been running the ball a lot,” offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said on Nov. 7. “I feel like there’s a little bit of an identity that’s being created here as we get to the middle of the season. Sometimes that identity happens instantly. Sometimes it takes a little bit longer. I feel like that’s the case not just for the offense but for the team in general and how we feel like we can win this year. … I feel like we’re really getting that identity.”

It’s not all bad for Mahomes, of course. There’s evidence that he is starting to settle into that identity. This week, he finished 28-of-42 for 266 yards with a touchdown. Last week, he was 34-of-44 for 291 yards with three touchdowns. Those are sizable improvements from Weeks 1 through 8, when he had an interception in each game. But those red-zone gaffes are examples of where Mahomes is still failing to get the most out of his offense.

It seems like Mahomes is so concerned about making a mistake that he’s rarely aggressive. He doesn’t trust the left side of his offensive line, and he doesn’t trust the rookie Worthy.

Hopkins seems to be the only guy Mahomes currently trusts for a big play. Mahomes went three games (Weeks 5-8) without attempting a big-time throw, per PFF. But when Hopkins joined the team in a midseason trade, Mahomes got back to it, with three in the past two weeks. 

Even Kelce isn’t getting downfield targets — he’s currently averaging 8.3 yards per reception, down from his career average of 12.2. Kelce has turned into Mahomes’ check-down option, not unlike a rookie QB and his security-blanket TE. With Isiah Pacheco out, the Chiefs are almost using Kelce as an extension of their run game in the quick passing game with timing-based 5-yard pickups.

But let’s talk first about Worthy. He has 405 offensive snaps, tied for most among WRs with Justin Watson. So far, Worthy has 20 catches for 246 yards and five total touchdowns. Kansas City clearly likes having him on the field because of the threat his speed poses. The defense has to cover him carefully. It’s just that the Chiefs have really only been able to get him involved in plays they design for him. Anytime he’s asked to get open within the structure of a play, he has issues. And when he does get open, he and Mahomes aren’t on the same page. Against the Broncos, Mahomes targeted a wide-open Worthy on the right sideline. It was a vertical shot — right there for the taking. Mahomes threw out of bounds.

This is roughly when we thought we’d start to see Mahomes clicking back into shape.

And — that’s more or less what he’s doing. If you squint, you can see it. 

He’s finding rapport with Hopkins. He’s not giving up on Worthy. And Hunt and Kelce seem to be helping the Chiefs move the sticks. It’s unclear if the offense will ever be fearsome this season. But for now, that’s not what Kansas City needs. 

As the Chiefs are currently constructed, Mahomes needs to abandon what makes him special physically and rely upon what makes him special mentally. Maybe Hopkins and Worthy can reliably reopen different areas in the passing game. But for now, Mahomes needs to be a boring quarterback. He seems to be settling back into that game-manager role that suited last year’s team. 

And we know how that season ended. 

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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Equatorial Guinea have qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations without kicking a ball after Togo were beaten in their penultimate Group E qualifier on Wednesday.

The Sparrowhawks needed to take all three points from their trip to already-eliminated Liberia to keep alive their hopes of reaching the finals in Morocco.

However, the Lone Stars triumphed 1-0 in Monrovia as Mohammed Sangare netted the winner from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute.

Togo will be absent from a fourth successive Nations Cup, having last appeared at the 2017 tournament in Gabon.

Equatorial Guinea are assured of a top-two finish in Group E regardless of the outcome of their final two matches, at home against already-qualified Algeria on Thursday (13:00 GMT) and away in Togo on Sunday.

The National Thunder reached the last 16 at the 2023 Nations Cup in Ivory Coast earlier this year.

The Central Africans become the ninth team to book their place in Morocco after Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, DR Congo, Egypt and Senegal all secured their spots in the fourth round of qualifying.