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• Former Soca Warriors stalwart Shaka Hislop points to lack of talent, depth in T&T squad as Dwight Yorke's biggest test

  Though Dwight Yorke is committed to throwing his best efforts into his new role as senior Soca Warriors Head coach, former teammate Shaka Hislop believes it is the talent within Trinidad and Tobago’s setup that will ultimately determine the success of his tenure.

  Yorke, the former Manchester United and Soca Warriors striker, was given a mandate by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) to qualify the Twin Island Republic to the 2026 Fifa World Cup or face the boot and the 53-year-old has declared his readiness to give of his best.

  “Rest assured, I will give 100. I feel very calm, very excited at the same time, but fully aware of the challenge that is lying ahead. There’s lots of hard work to be done,” Yorke told TTFA media interview shortly after arriving in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.

  “Not just me, the backroom stuff, the players to get where we want to get... obviously, trying to qualify for the World Cup. And yes, along the way, I’m sure they’re going to be some testing times for us. But that’s the challenges that lies ahead. So once we embrace it, once we are fully aware of it, and once we get the support, I fully believe, I’m fully confident that we can get the job done,” he added.

  However, Hislop, while welcoming Yorke’s appointment, knows all too well that coaches coach but the results will ultimately come from how the players perform on match days.

  In fact, Hislop, who along with Yorke represented the Soca Warriors at the 2006 global showpiece, was not shy to admit that the current squad lacks depth and sufficient talent, which he believes represent the toughest aspect of the puzzle at this point. This, as aside from AEK Athens striker Levi Garcia, Yorke’s current crop is made up of mostly lower leagues or home-based players.

  “We’ve kind of stumbled from coach to coach over the last four or five years, probably dating back to Stephen Hart when he was in charge. But I think the TTFA got it right this time. That’s with the greatest respect to our teammate Dennis Lawrence and Angus Eve, who have both been in charge of the team, but results really didn’t go their way,” Hislop shared during a podcast.

  “I think the big challenge for Dwight coming in with this squad is it’s not a very talented squad, if I may say so... certainly, on paper, and results would bear that out. How he’s able to find the right pieces for this puzzle is going to be Dwight’s biggest test,” the ESPN analyst added.

  That said, Hislop also pointed to the significance of match fitness and, as such, urged the TTFA to ensure Yorke and his players consistently engage warm-up games during the November 2024 and March 2025 international windows.

  Trinidad and Tobago currently sit second in Group B on four points, two behind Costa Rica, with St. Kitts and Nevis (three points), Grenada (one point), and the Bahamas (zero point) completing the group. Qualifying action will resume in June 2025.

  “We’ve got some games during the international window as well. We’ve got the November window, which will be Dwight’s first time on the sidelines. So we have opportunity to see the squad, to make adjustments, to try to bring in players before things get very serious in terms of qualifiers,” Hislop noted.

• Musiala focused on 'taking steps forward' ahead of 2026 World Cup

  Jamal Musiala said he remains focused on improving as a player after starring for Bayern Munich and Germany this season, with one eye on the 2026 World Cup. 

  Musiala was on target in Bayern's 1-0 win over St. Pauli in the Bundesliga on Saturday, netting his fifth goal of the campaign in just eight league appearances.

  The 21-year-old has notched 13 goal contributions (nine goals, four assists) in all competitions for Vincent Kompany's side, with his impact on the side continuing to grow. 

  Only Michael Olise (seven) and Harry Kane (16) have more goal involvements than Musiala (six) for Bayern in the Bundesliga this term. 

  Musiala has also converted 89% of his big chances this season for Bayern in all competitions (8/9) - the best figure of all players from Europe's five major leagues with at least five big chances in 2024-25.

  He has impressed on the international stage too. The midfielder notched four goal involvements (one goal, three assists) in Germany's 5-0 win over Hungary in September, becoming the youngest player to do so in a single game in the competition. 

  After missing Germany's last Nations League fixtures through injury, Musiala is keen to continue his progression for his country. 

  "The focus is to get better and keep putting in the work and not look around too much. For me it is important to take steps forward," Musiala said. 

  "Last season I did that and maybe the goals and assists were missing a bit. I work on power, to be fit game after game.

  "I want to have as few injuries as possible to make as many matches as possible."

  "Over the years I have been looking less and less at all that," he said when asked about recent praise in the media. 

  "I also do not do it when things are not going well. It is important in good times and bad times to have the same routine."

  Germany take on Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday before travelling to Budapest three days later to square off against Hungary. 

  Julian Nagelsmann's side have already qualified for the quarter-finals of the Nations League, sitting five points clear at the top of Group A3 with two games remaining. 

  But Germany have struggled at major tournaments in recent years, falling in the quarter-finals at Euro 2024 to eventual champions Spain. 

  They have also failed to get out of the group stages in the last two editions of the World Cup, though Musiala was confident about his side's chances at the 2026 tournament, which takes place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

  "The Euro was not perfect as we all had wanted, but we still see the possibilities that are there," Musiala said.

  "We have a year and a half until the World Cup, and we can take steps forward.

  "Learn the lessons from the past two tournaments and hopefully play a good World Cup," he added. 

• Al-Riyadh 0-1 Al-Nassr: Mane hands visitors bragging rights

  Sadio Mane's first-half strike ensured Al-Nassr maintained their unbeaten start to the Saudi Pro League season with a 1-0 win over rivals Al-Riyadh.

  He smartly finished from close range in the 41st minute, with his goal enough to seal the three points and move Al-Nassr up to third in the table.

  Al-Nassr's threat grew as the first half went on, with Milan Borjan making a fine double stop to deny Ronaldo and Talisca once again before Mohamed Simakan struck the post on the rebound.

  Mane would eventually break the deadlock in the 41st minute though, darting in front of his marker to meet Abdulrahman Ghareeb's low cross and rifle it into the roof of the net.

  The Senegalese striker arguably should have doubled his tally before the break, but was denied by Borjan's stretching save when one-on-one with the Canadian.

  Talisca should have wrapped up the points in the final three minutes, but he blazed over an empty net from close range, before having a late goal disallowed for offside.

  Data Debrief: Derby delight for Al-Nassr

  After drawing their last two matches, this win was a welcome result for Al-Nassr as they racked up their sixth victory of the season to close the gap at the top of the table to six points. 

  It is just the second time Al-Nassr have avoided defeat in their first 10 matches of a Pro League campaign, last doing so in 2013-14, when they won the league title.

  They are now unbeaten in their last seven Pro League derbies (W4 D3), their longest such streak since a run of nine between 2018 and 2020.

  This is the first time in eight such games that they have kept a clean sheet though, and limited their opponents to just five shots throughout.