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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 abroadWhen 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...

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Paul Pogba has to accept he’s not the star of this France team | Marcel Desailly

The Manchester United midfielder will be important for Didier Deschamps but the attacking trio of Mbappé, Dembélé and Griezmann are the real keyFrance v Australia, the opening match for my country at the World Cup. Time to stop the talking, time for action. I’ve been there and have had to cope with the pressure – pressure from the fans, the expectations of a nation and the pressure you put on yourself. Wanting to deliver.Everybody knows the first game is really tricky and really important, psychologically. You will all look at this fixture and think it shouldn’t be too complicated for Les Bleus. But this is a key moment for the French team. And we will find out a lot from...

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