The current generation certainly isn’t the greatest to ever grace the England national team. In fact, it’s the direct predecessor of the supposed ‘Golden Generation’ who, despite their immense experience, ability and successes at club level, could never quite manoeuvre their way through to the latter stages of major tournaments.

At this point in time, central midfield is probably England’s weakest department, lacking a playmaker of true flair and vision and forcing Gareth Southgate to turn to more industrious types. And yet, while he may not be a world-beater, while he may personify those shortcomings in the engine room, Eric Dier is fast-establishing himself as England’s Mr. Reliable.

After all, it was the Tottenham man who made it 3-2 in that chaotic friendly with Germany in the build-up to Euro 2016, it was Dier who netted England’s first strike at the tournament with an unexpected thunderbolt of a free kick against Russia and it was him again who found a vital goal for the Three Lions last night, bagging a crucial equaliser just before the interval.

In a World Cup qualifier that unexpectedly saw Slovakia go ahead after just three minutes, Dier’s equaliser at the end of a very disappointing first half completely changed the complexion of the match, not to mention Southgate’s half-time team-talk. From that moment on England grew, increasing their dominance to eventually complete the comeback through Marcus Rashford.

That was by no means Dier’s only significant contribution either; he made the most tackles of any player on the pitch, completed 92% of his passes and had the third-most touches of the ball of any England star. Tellingly of his cuteness in the holding role, five fouls resulted in just one yellow card – a small price to pay for the number of counter-attacks stopped.

If England are to upset the odds in Russia next summer, they’ll need a deep-lying playmaker to emerge from the woodwork over the course of the 2017/18 season. But for all Dier’s shortcomings in that regard, the Tottenham ace has consistently shown in an England shirt the winning mindset, resilience and game-management the Three Lions are often accused of lacking.

Everton posted a short interview with young defender Jonjoe Kenny on the club’s official Twitter account on Thursday after he made his first start for the club in the 3-0 win against Sunderland in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, and Toffees fans are tipping him for big things.

With Seamus Coleman still on the sidelines as he recovers from the double leg break he suffered while on international duty with the Republic of Ireland in March, Kenny may have expected to be involved in the early stages of this season having appeared as a substitute against Swansea in the Premier League in May.

However, the addition of Cuco Martina and Mason Holgate’s ability to play in the position kept the 20-year-old on the periphery of the squad – until the success against the Mackems where he also kept a clean sheet.

Everton supporters were quick to have their say on the young full-back via social media, and while some have tipped him as a “future captain” of the Merseyside outfit, others say he ‘must start every game until Coleman is back’.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

West Ham United were beaten 3-2 by arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the London Stadium on Saturday, and Irons fans were far from impressed with the performance from Aaron Cresswell.

Despite a fine outing and brilliant goal for Arthur Masuaku in the EFL Cup win against Bolton Wanderers in midweek, Cresswell was once again preferred in the left wing-back role in the Premier League for the visit of Spurs.

It turned out to be a tough day at the office for the 27-year-old and his teammates though, with Andy Carroll’s poor pass to the former Ipswich Town man leading to a goal.

Slaven Bilic’s men found themselves 3-0 behind after an hour, before a Serge Aurier red card and goals from Javier Hernandez and Cheikhou Kouyate gave them hope in an entertaining London derby.

West Ham supporters were quick to have their say on Cresswell’s showing via social media, and while some say he has ‘cost them too many goals’ over the course of the past few seasons, others simply believe he “should be dropped”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Southampton fell to their second successive Premier League defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, and it was just the latest disappointing result in what has been a below-par start to the season.

The south coast outfit have taken just eight points from their opening seven top flight fixtures, and considering six of those were against Swansea City, West Ham United, Watford, Huddersfield Town, Crystal Palace and Stoke, that will be seen as a pretty poor return.

Manager Mauricio Pellegrino should certainly be contemplating how he can change things during the international break, with the club’s struggles in front of goal meaning they have failed to score in 10 of their last 15 Premier League matches.

While the Argentine boss has stuck with the 4-2-3-1 system that the team has become so used to in recent years, there are others that could help the side find their form ahead of a visit from newly-promoted Newcastle United on October 15.

Here are three reasons Pellegrino must adopt the 3-4-1-2 formation before it’s too late…

It would boost their chances of scoring

The pundits can see it, the fans can see it and now Pellegrino must see it too. The 4-2-3-1 formation and style of football that Southampton are currently playing isn’t going to see them score enough goals this season.

At the current time, Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic are starting out wide every week despite being out of form while Steven Davis certainly isn’t a number 10 – even if he did score the winner against Crystal Palace – and Shane Long has never been a prolific goalscorer.

The south coast outfit relied on Maya Yoshida to get their goal against Stoke and switching the system now would almost certainly boost their attacking threat.

If they had two strikers – one combination involving Long, Manolo Gabbiadini and Charlie Austin – it would certainly help, while someone like Tadic or even Sofiane Boufal could play the creative role behind them, or perhaps the more defensively-minded Davis who would drop deeper if they are playing one of the top sides.

Shane Long can’t play on his own up top

Long was brought into the team against Crystal Palace with Manolo Gabbiadini struggling to in the lone striker role, but while he has done well in some ways he simply cannot be relied upon to play up front on his own for the rest of the season.

The Republic of Ireland is great at harrying defenders, holding the ball up and winning fouls, but the 30-year-old has scored just 46 Premier League goals in his career and he hasn’t found the net for Southampton since February.

It is clear that while Long can be a useful striker, he needs a proven goalscorer like Gabbiadini or Charlie Austin alongside him to give Saints more of a goal threat.

They have the players for the system

Before the summer transfer window Southampton probably didn’t have the players to use the 3-4-1-2 formation successfully, but now there are no excuses.

Pellegrino has four good centre-backs to choose from in Virgil van Dijk, Wesley Hoedt, Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens, while Ryan Bertrand and Cedric Soares are made for the wing-back roles.

Meanwhile, the Argentine also has Oriol Romeu and Mario Lemina to sit in front of the back three and cover the wing-backs if needed – with the latter especially good at breaking forward with the ball – and it just seems mad to not utilise the formation right now when they have the personnel to do so and they are still struggling in the final third.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.

Newcastle United fans received some huge news prior to this weekend’s Premier League action.

Mikel Merino has turned his loan move from Borussia Dortmund into a permanent one by signing a five-year contract.

When the Magpies struck an agreement with Dortmund in the summer, an option to trigger a full-time stay was included in the deal.

Rather than wait until the end of the season, Rafael Benitez and the club have decided to secure Merino’s services now, presumably to stop other clubs from sniffing around in January.

The 21-year-old has been a welcome addition to the North-East outfit, playing in all seven league matches, six of which had the midfielder in the first XI.

As expected, Newcastle fans were delighted to see that Merino has committed himself to the club.

Benitez’s men head into Sunday’s match against Southampton at St Mary’s ninth in the table.

The team have picked up three wins, one draw and three defeats.

According to reports in The Mirror, Everton have made former Borussia Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel their number one target to replace Ronald Koeman after he was sacked on Monday.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Mirror says that the departure of Koeman on Monday means that chairman Bill Kenwright and majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri have begun their search for the Dutchman’s replacement, with Tuchel top of their list of potential candidates.

The German would be available straight away as he is currently without a job, and The Mirror says that the Merseyside outfit have already made contact with the 44-year-old’s representatives.

However, the report adds that the former Borussia Dortmund man is in no rush to make a decision, with the Bayern Munich job potentially being available in the summer following the sacking of Carlo Ancelotti earlier last month.

Why do Everton want Tuchel?

Despite the fact that the German was sacked by Borussia Dortmund at the end of last season following a disagreement with chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke, he is still held in high regard cross European football.

After replacing Jurgen Klopp at the Bundesliga giants, the 44-year-old led the club to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, as well as lifting the German Cup last term – the club’s first trophy in three years.

With an attacking and pressing style of football, the Everton board obviously feel that he would galvanise a team that is low on confidence and flair right now.

Would he be a good appointment?

His arrival would certainly be one that showed the club mean business, yes.

As we mentioned before Tuchel is held in high regard throughout European football and if Everton could bring him to Goodison Park it would be seen as a huge coup.

On the other hand, the Merseyside outfit may be slightly concerned with former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp’s record in the Premier League with Liverpool, where he has failed to push them on following his arrival just over two years ago.

Would Tuchel want the job?

It’s difficult to say.

If he is given a large transfer budget and the club tell him that they want to push for the Champions League then it could be a possibility, but the 44-year-old may well be aiming higher than the Toffees – especially if he thinks he has a good chance of getting the Bayern Munich job at the end of the campaign.

As reported by The Chronicle, Newcastle United are yet to decide what lies in the future of striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, despite the player getting very little game time so far this season.

What’s the story?

The upcoming transfer window is an important one for Newcastle. After a decent start on their return to the English Premier League, Rafa Benitez needs to refresh his squad in January after a less than convincing summer of business.

With resources at a premium, as important as bringing players in is shipping under performing players out and Aleksandar Mitrovic would likely be at the top of that list for most fans.

The Chronicle report though that Benitez has yet to sanction his departure in January, knowing that he isn’t exactly blessed for options in attacking areas with just Joselu and Dwight Gayle ready to lead the line.

The paper say clubs from the Championship and the continent are interested but that Benitez would prefer to sell, perhaps complicating matters with clubs hoping to secure a loan for the £9m-rated striker.

Time to say goodbye?

It’s clear by this point that Mitrovic doesn’t have much of a future at St James’ Park. While he saw plenty of action under Benitez in the Championship last season, this term he has played just 135 minutes of football for the Magpies, with his only start coming in the EFL Cup.

Shipping him out would allow Benitez to focus resources on bringing in a first-choice attacker, although his summer pick Joselu has hardly set the world ablaze, demonstrating there’s no guarantee when it comes to the transfer market.

If Newcastle are going to progress and find stability in the top-flight, their next few transfer windows are going to be vital and moving on players not good enough is a vital part of it.

Still just 23 years of age, Mitrovic still has potential to improve but it’s probably for the best to say goodbye.

According to reports in The Mirror, Leicester City are considering selling three of their players during the January transfer window, including former club-record signing Ahmed Musa.

The Nigeria international cost the Foxes £16m when he joined them from CSKA Moscow in 2016, but the forward has struggled to become a regular fixture in the starting XI since.

In fact, the 25-year-old has failed to make the matchday squad for any of the east Midlands outfit’s 12 Premier League matches so far this term, with his only appearance coming in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield United in August – a match that he scored in.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United suffered their third successive top flight defeat when they were beaten 4-1 by Manchester United on Saturday, which has left them 11th in the table and five points above the relegation zone ahead of the busy festive period.

Magpies manager Rafa Benitez may well be looking to add to his attacking options in the New Year considering his team has only netted 11 times in a dozen matches, and bringing Musa to the club could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Newcastle should sign the Foxes forward in January…

Goal threat

While things may not have gone for him at Leicester – mainly because many of his appearances have come from the substitutes’ bench – Musa’s record at CSKA Moscow previously suggests he has a lot to give his next club if he does leave the King Power Stadium in January.

The Nigeria international scored 54 times in 168 appearances in total for the Russia outfit from a range of attacking positions, and he could certainly increase Newcastle’s goal threat in the second-half of the campaign.

Pace

When Newcastle have the likes of Joselu, Ayoze Perez and Matt Ritchie in their front four, they perhaps lack the pace that can make them a danger on the break – especially away from home – and we have seen evidence of that this season.

The Magpies have drawn blanks on the road against Brighton and Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town and Burnley already this term, and you can’t help but feel that if they had someone with Musa’s speed and acceleration they could have caused more problems to those organised and resolute defences.

Availability

The January transfer window can be a difficult month to bring in new players because of the reluctance of other clubs to sell them, or those particular individuals not wanting to move halfway through the season.

Of course, it can also produce inflated transfer fees. But the fact that Leicester are seemingly willing to offload Musa in the New Years suggests that he is a realistic and attainable target for Newcastle in what could prove to be a critical period before an important second-half of their Premier League campaign.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s objectives for the season would have been to challenge for the Premier League title.

Last season, Mauricio Pochettino’s side finished second – one position higher than their previous campaign in the top flight.

Going that one step further was always going to be a difficult task for the North London outfit considering the level of opposition.

Now, according to Pochettino, the English crown is already out of their grasp due to the dominance of Manchester City, who have gone 13 points clear of fourth-placed Spurs after beating Huddersfield Town 2-1 this afternoon.

Tottenham had an opportunity to keep pressure on the leaders when they took on West Bromwich Albion at Wembley on Saturday.

However, they were dealt an early blow when Salomon Rondon netted inside the first five minutes, putting the North London outfit immediately on the back foot.

Harry Kane managed to find an equaliser, but the winner never came and Tottenham had to settle for a point.

According to The Telegraph when asked if the gap between themselves and City is too much to make up, Pochettino said:

“Yes, it’s true now that the gap is 10 points and it’s massive in the Premier League. But now we need to be focused and try to improve ourselves and be more consistent at Wembley, and try to win more games here like last season at White Hart Lane.”

Amid a run of six defeats in seven games, Newcastle need a stroke of ingenuity if they’re to reverse their recent form against Everton tonight. Fortunately though, an important weapon is at Rafa Benitez’s disposal once again following an injury layoff – Christian Atsu.

The Magpies have picked up just four points in the Ghana international’s absence so far this season and summer signing Jacob Murphy, who Transfermarkt value at £6.3million, has struggled to fill his void – failing to score or assist in the top flight.

With that in mind, we recently asked Newcastle supporters which winger should start this evening when Everton come to St. James’ Park and according to our poll, 68% think it’s time for Atsu to take Murphy’s place in the starting XI.

So, Newcastle United fans, how should Benitez line up his side tonight, with the 5 foot 8 African included, to ensure the Magpies get back to winning ways? Let us know by commenting below…