Graham Arnold might be targeted by better-known clubs if Australia reach the World Cup second round, but the coach has revealed his heart is set on rejuvenating NAC Breda.
Now aged 59, Arnold was a prolific striker with the Dutch club in the 1990s and has been disheartened to see NAC struggle in recent seasons.
Previously mainstays of the top flight, NAC sit 15th in the second tier, known as the Eerste Divisie, after winning just five of 16 games this term.
They are currently bossed by former Leeds United defender Robert Molenaar, with ex-Netherlands striker Pierre van Hooijdonk recently appointed to a technical role.
Arnold told Voetbal International: "I would love to return to NAC. The negative energy has to get out and the culture has to change. It's about winning again. Hopefully I can try it someday.
"I just want to bring the club back to the Eredivisie. You know, I was there in 2018 by invitation. I stayed at the bar in the second half. It sucked.
"I just couldn't take it any more. Breda deserves a club at the highest level. NAC should play against Ajax, Feyenoord and PSV. Not against Jong FC Utrecht.
"I still follow every game from Australia and every week I get angry when I see the result."
He added: "My heart is with NAC. It's my club and Breda is my city."
Arnold, a former striker for the Australia national team, has spent almost all his coaching career in his home country, having spells in charge of Sydney FC, Northern Spirit and Central Coast Mariners.
His Australia team were 1-0 winners against Tunisia on Saturday, pepping up hopes of reaching the last 16 following a 4-1 defeat to France in their opening game.
The Socceroos complete their group-stage campaign when they tackle Denmark on Wednesday.
Didier Deschamps recalled Raphael Varane to his starting XI for France's World Cup clash with Denmark.
Varane, who has not played since he was forced off with an injury in Manchester United's Premier League game with Chelsea on October 22, was one of three changes made to the France team for Saturday's game in Doha.
Deschamps confirmed on Friday that Varane had been fit to feature in the opening game, and had trained without any issues prior to France's second match of the tournament. The former Real Madrid centre-back replaced Ibrahima Konate in France's XI.
Les Bleus head into the match at Stadium 974 knowing that victory would ensure their progression to the last 16.
The holders thrashed Australia 4-1 in their opening Group D game, though suffered another injury blow in that match, with Lucas Hernandez sustaining a serious knee injury.
Hernandez was replaced by his brother, Theo, and the latter started at left-back against the Danes, with Barcelona defender Jules Kounde replacing Bayern Munich's Benjamin Pavard at right-back.
Olivier Giroud will become France's all-time leading goalscorer the next time he finds the net, and the Milan forward was given the nod up top, leading a line that also included Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Antoine Griezmann.
Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand made four changes.
Thomas Delaney was injured in the draw with Tunisia on Tuesday and makes way for Mikkel Damsgaard, while Victor Nelsson replaced Simon Kjaer in the defence and Jesper Lindstrom came in for Andreas Skov Olsen.
Andreas Cornelius missed a fantastic chance to seal the points for Denmark against Tunisia, hitting the post from a yard out, but he was handed a start in place of Kasper Dolberg.
Hansi Flick unequivocally dismissed the suggestion Germany lost their World Cup opener against Japan because they were distracted by the controversy surrounding the OneLove campaign.
Germany were one of several European teams planning to have their captains wear the OneLove armband to highlight discrimination and human rights abuses by World Cup host nation Qatar, where homosexuality is criminalised.
In response, FIFA threatened to apply "sporting sanctions" to the teams involved, who all subsequently backtracked on their commitment to wear the armbands.
Germany felt FIFA was attempting to "silence" them, and they responded by holding their hands over their mouths while lining up for a team photo before the match against Japan.
After they ended up losing to the Samurai Blue, some Germany critics tried to link their defeat to the idea they were distracted by their moral stance.
When Flick was asked if that was the case ahead of Sunday's pivotal clash with Spain, his response was blunt.
"No," he said followed by a long pause. "Not at all."
Flick was surprisingly attending Saturday's pre-match press conference alone.
Teams are contracted to attend the events with at least their head coach and one player, and they can be fined if they fail to adhere to those rules.
However, Germany are based in the very north of the country near Al Ruwais, meaning any player attending a press conference will be away from training for approximately three hours.
Given the crucial nature of Sunday's encounter, Flick was simply unwilling to compromise the team's preparations by allowing a player to attend, even if it means the German Football Association (DFB) potentially copping a fine.
"I came by myself to the press conference because we didn't want any player to spend almost three hours driving. We don't expect any player to drive for so long. It's a long drive," he said.
"It's a very important match, so everyone, all 26 players are important [for training], that's why we didn't want to take a player with us. They should now prepare for the training.
"I think we could have done [the press conference] in our media centre as well, that is really good, it would have been better. But we have to accept this."
Earlier on Saturday, Spain coach Luis Enrique said Germany were the team most similar to La Roja at the World Cup in terms of their style of play.
Flick concurred, and although Spain thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 on matchday one, the Germany coach chose to remain optimistic as he urged his team to be courageous at Al Bayt Stadium.
Asked about Luis Enrique's assessment, Flick added: "I can only confirm this. I think both teams, if you look at systems, it's one-to-one in each position, and this is what we tell our players, to be in position to win the duels.
"Spain, of course, is a team who have always played the 4-3-3 formation like Barcelona, regardless of their opponent. They then have clear automatic moves and we need to find a way against it, we have a plan and we hope to implement it.
"The main focus for me has been the football, I think I'm convinced about what we want to do, how we want to play football.
"[Germany's situation] could've been avoided, but we still stick to our guns because we have the quality. We can implement what we want.
"This is what it's all about, being brave, believing in our quality and going into the match like that."
Robert Lewandowski ended his wait for a first World Cup goal as Poland took a significant step towards reaching the knockout stage for the first time in 36 years by beating Saudi Arabia 2-0 on Saturday.
Talisman Lewandowski's penalty failure against Mexico had denied Poland an opening win, but he and they made amends at Education City Stadium, toppling Argentina's conquerors to blow Group C wide open.
Although Saudi Arabia were largely more impressive than in their smash-and-grab defeat of Argentina, they again fell behind and this time could not recover – the latest episode of spot-kick drama making a hero of Wojciech Szczesny after he denied Salem Al Dawsari.
Either side of that save, Lewandowski assisted the opening goal for Piotr Zielinski and belatedly netted a breakthrough strike to make sure of a win that moves Poland to four points ahead of themselves taking on Lionel Messi and Co.
Matty Cash raced onto an incisive pass six minutes before the break and squared to Lewandowski, whose first touch took him away from goal before he cut the ball back for Zielinski's clinical finish.
The response might have been swift as a VAR review granted Saleh Al Shehri a soft penalty following contact from Krystian Bielik, but Szczesny sensationally repelled Al Dawsari's spot-kick and then – even more spectacularly – Mohammed Al Burayk's follow-up.
Szczesny had to come to Poland's rescue again 10 minutes after the restart, blocking with his legs from Al Dawsari, and Feras Al Brikan and Mohammed Kanno each blazed wildly off target.
Poland squandered chances to put the game to bed as first Arkadiusz Milik and then Lewandowski worked the frame of the goal, but the Barcelona man eventually got his goal after pinching possession from Abdulelah Al Malki and finishing calmly.
What does it mean? Poland take pole position
Even in victory, Czeslaw Michniewicz's men were not especially impressive, although Lewandowski would have felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders with a first goal in his fifth finals match.
Vitally, Poland also have a star performer at the other end of the pitch. Their strong position in this group is chiefly down to their back-to-back clean sheets, now having kept three in a row stretching back to 2018 – matching their best such sequence.
Poland penalty heroics
Poland have now faced five penalties at World Cups, yet three of them have been saved. Szczesny's stop sees him join Jan Tomaszewski, who kept out two at the 1970 tournament.
The save from Al Burayk on the rebound was truly remarkable, while Szczesny had also early made a sharp stop from Kanno and would later frustrate Al Dawsari again.
Tempers boil over
Played in front of a raucous – primarily Saudi – crowd, a kind observer might call this encounter "competitive". Players from both sides thundered into challenges, occasionally with both arms and legs.
In the opening 30 minutes, the sides shared more yellow cards (four) than shots (three). By half-time, there had been five bookings – the most cards at that stage of a World Cup game since the famously feisty 2010 final.
It seemed inevitable there would be a red card eventually, but it never came.
What's next?
Poland must still play their toughest fixture on paper, taking on an Argentina side who will need to win. Saudi Arabia remain in contention ahead of facing Mexico at the same time on Wednesday.
James Maddison has joined team training with England for the first time since the World Cup began, having missed the Three Lions' first two fixtures in Qatar due to a knee injury.
Three years after winning his only senior cap to date, Maddison claimed a place in Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad after enjoying a fine run of form with Leicester City.
Maddison's tally of 11 Premier League goal contributions this season (seven goals, four assists) is only bettered by four players – Erling Haaland (21), Harry Kane (13), Kevin De Bruyne and Ivan Toney (both 12).
However, the attacking midfielder sat out England's first two Group B games – a 6-2 win over Iran and a goalless draw with the United States – after sustaining a knee injury in Leicester's most recent match against West Ham.
As England began their preparations for Tuesday's meeting with Wales on Saturday, Maddison played a full part in group training for the first time since the team arrived in Qatar.
"Fourteen players are out for today's session in Al Wakrah, with those who started yesterday's game taking part in a recovery session," read a fitness update issued by England.
"James Maddison returns to training following his rehabilitation, while Jordan Henderson is working indoors on an individual programme."
England lead the way in Group B ahead of the final set of first-round fixtures, and they will qualify for the last 16 providing they avoid a four-goal defeat against Rob Page's team.
The Three Lions have never faced another British side at the World Cup, but they are unbeaten in three such games at the European Championships (W1 D1 v Scotland, W1 v Wales).
Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic has lashed out at World Cup organisers and Canada boss John Herdman, stating his side "deserve respect".
The 2018 World Cup finalists opened their Qatar 2022 campaign with a goalless draw against Morocco in Group F, which kicked off at 1pm local time on Wednesday.
Speaking ahead of his side's next match however, Dalic hit out at FIFA, suggesting his team should have been handed a cooler, more favourable late-day slot for their match as incumbent runners-up.
"The fact that we played the first match at 1pm disturbed our rhythm," he stated. "I attribute our lack of energy in that first match to the early kick-off.
"The fact that Croatia plays at 1pm is not respectful. England, Spain, France and Brazil are not playing at that time. We are the runners-up in the [last] World Cup. This is not the attitude towards Croatia that it should be."
Dalic previously struck a more neutral tone over opposite number Herdman's comments, where he said his team must "F" Croatia after a narrow defeat to Belgium, despite arguably outplaying their European opponents.
However, he proved more angered by the words this time around, reinforcing again: "Croatia deserves respect from everyone. We have earned it with our games and results.
"I will not pay attention to any comments. We will get ready and play football and be dignified towards Canada as well as towards others. But we deserve respect."
Herdman, meanwhile, is relishing the chance to face Croatia, adding: "It's a hell of a test for this team. We are excited. We have a hell of a match coming."
Luis Enrique has warned Spain against complacency heading into the mouth-watering World Cup showdown with Germany, who he feels will "hammer" La Roja if they are overconfident.
The 2010 champions launched their campaign in Qatar with a comprehensive 7-0 rout of Costa Rica on Wednesday, scoring seven goals in a single match at the finals for the first time.
La Roja could secure their last-16 place with a match to spare with victory over Germany, who they steamrollered 6-0 when the sides last met in the Nations League two years ago.
Following their shock defeat by Japan, Hansi Flick's side would subsequently be eliminated at the first hurdle for the second successive finals should Costa Rica fail to beat the Samurai Blue elsewhere in Group E.
Addressing the media at his pre-match press conference, Luis Enrique said: "We tried to manage the [Costa Rica] victory with all normality.
"It was resounding and that gives confidence, but we shouldn't have too much confidence. We face an opponent that will hammer us if we are overconfident.
"It's a great challenge. They've won a World Cup four times. We respect them greatly, they've great players and history is undeniable.
"Germany are a very good team, so much mobility. If we can control that, great. Otherwise, I have to think about every single element."
He added: "But we are convinced we can beat Germany. We don't want a crazy open match because if they play a high block, we may take too many risks.
"There are many things we have to find out, but we need to follow our principles, which are very similar to theirs."
Meanwhile, forward Dani Olmo, who opened the scoring in the Costa Rica victory, urged his team-mates not to take Germany's defeat by Japan for granted, and focus on their own performance levels.
"Of course, they're under pressure, they need to win after loss against Japan," he said. "But we know they are one of the best in the world, and you cannot put them down after one game.
"It's a final for them, they need to win to get to next round, but we focus on our journey because we are through if we win.
"Hansi a great coach, he wants to dominate the game, he showed this in Bayern.
"Most of their players play for Bayern, so we know the style, and they know us well, so we have to focus on our game."
Coach Graham Arnold wants his Australia players to swiftly forget their 1-0 World Cup win over Tunisia and turn their attention to securing qualification for the knockout stage against Denmark.
Mitchell Duke scored the only goal, glancing home Craig Goodwin's deflected cross in the 23rd minute, before the Socceroos withstood some concerted Tunisia pressure to secure their first win at a World Cup in 12 years and first clean sheet since 1974.
The win moves Australia on to three points and with renewed hope of advancing out of Group D. Next up on Wednesday is a clash with the Danes and that has already become the focus of Arnold's attention.
Asked about his approach to that game, he said: "We've got to see what the result is tonight [between France and Denmark] but nothing will change, we’ll focus on ourselves and getting ourselves right.
"I am very proud but we've achieved nothing. We can talk after about one win and that it hasn't been done for 12 years and all that stuff.
"We are here to go as far as we can go. I don't want the players sitting up all night looking at social media, we need to recover well and get ready for Denmark."
The goal was a special moment for Duke and he celebrated by making a J sign with his fingers to son Jaxson, who was watching on from the stands. Television images showed his son replying in kind.
Duke said: "I spoke to my son and told him I was going to score – you have to have that belief that you are going to score in every match. I told my son that I was going to share that moment with him."
The 31-year-old, who plays in Japan with second division side Fagiano Okayama, was reunited with Jaxson and daughter Chloe at the start of November and admitted it was difficult being apart from his family.
"Definitely, when the final whistle went and I was interviewed by TV, I was trying to hold back the tears," he added. "I have been on my own a lot over the last couple of years and there has been a lot of sacrifice. It's the best feeling in the world."
Tunisia must now beat defending champions France on Wednesday and hope other results go their way if they are to go through.
Coach Jalel Kadri bemoaned his side's lack of cutting edge but insisted all was not lost.
He said: "During the first half, we did not perform the way we wanted to, Australia led us into playing a style we did not like.
"They dominated the game, created one chance and scored and unfortunately we could not equalise. We changed tactics two or three times in the second half and created four or five chances but we were not clinical enough. They were very efficient in converting their chance.
"The World Cup has a surprise for everyone, even the larger teams have been beaten by the underdogs. We were not expecting to lose [to Australia] but we have one game to go and we will play our hearts out."
Roberto Martinez will expect a vast improvement from his Belgium side when they go in search of a record-breaking World Cup win over Morocco on Sunday.
The Red Devils were fortunate to beat Canada 1-0 in their first match of the tournament on Wednesday courtesy of a clinical finish from Michy Batshuayi.
Canada were the better side and Alphonso Davies had a penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois before Batshuayi secured all three points.
Belgium looked shaky at the back and got away with a lacklustre performance, Canada failing to find the back of the net with 22 attempts in the opening match of only their second World Cup.
But if Belgium beat Morocco, they will become the first team in World Cup history to win nine consecutive group games.
Morocco held Croatia to a goalless draw in their first Group F match and are plotting to spring a surprise at Al Thumama Stadium this weekend.
The Atlas Lions have injury concerns over Achraf Hakimi and Noussair Mazraoui for the encounter in Doha.
Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku has been back in training as he works his way back from a thigh injury, with head coach Martinez having stated no timeframe has been set on when he might return
Kevin De Bruyne says even if the Red Devils' all-time record goalscorer is only able to take his place on the bench, that would give the squad a lift.
The inspirational midfielder said: "I don’t know how he is, he has been training with us and also apart these days.
"I must admit that he is a player who helps the team a lot, you can feel his presence on the pitch.
"I don't even know if he will be there against Morocco, but if he were to start from the bench he would be an extra weapon in the game."
Belgium are unbeaten in their four World Cup meetings with African teams and came out on top when the two nations met at the 1994 showpiece, Marc Degryse scoring the only goal of the game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Belgium - Michy Batshuayi
In the absence of Lukaku, Batshuayi stepped up to get Belgium off to a winning start as they rode their luck in midweek.
He had five of Belgium’s nine shots and was the only player to register an attempt on goal for the Red Devils before being replaced in the 78th minute.
If Belgium can exert more control on the game, Batshuayi is capable of rewarding them as he should be full of confidence after his decisive strike.
Morocco - Hakim Ziyech
A lack of goals has been a big issue for Morocco in World Cup matches, with the stalemate versus Croatia being the ninth time in 17 games they have failed to find the back of the net.
Hakim Ziyech is one of the players who is capable of getting them firing in Qatar, where he had two shots and created as many chances against Croatia.
The Chelsea winger has shown he can has the quality to produce moments of magic with his wand of a left foot, which Belgium will be wary of.
PREDICTION
Belgium will be expected to make it two wins out of two despite an uninspiring start.
According to Stats Perform's AI model, Martinez's men have a 48.7 per cent chance of securing a record-breaking victory.
Morocco will have seen weaknesses to exploit in that Belgium display against the Canadians and they are rated as having a 26 per cent chance of pulling off a shock victory, with the draw at 25.3 per cent.
A first-half header from Mitch Duke was enough to see off Tunisia and ignite Australia's hopes of progressing to the World Cup knockout stages in a 1-0 victory.
Duke converted Craig Goodwin's left-wing cross in the 23rd minute with the Socceroos having to withstand some late pressure to secure a win that means they head into their final Group D clash with Denmark with all to play for.
Tunisia have a solitary point from their two games and will have to beat defending champions France on Wednesday and hope other results go their way.
Australia shaded a frantic opening but could not profit from a series of crosses into the Tunisia box.
Delivering the ball from wide areas was clearly a key part of the Australia strategy and it paid dividends midway through the first half. Duke started the move with a deft touch in midfield before racing into the box to cleverly glance Goodwin’s deflected cross past Tunisia goalkeeper Aymen Dahmen.
Tunisia grew as an attacking force as the first half progressed and could have levelled twice before the break.
After 41 minutes, robust play from Issam Jebali saw him pick out Mohamed Drager at the far post only for defender Harry Souttar to race across to block his goalbound shot.
The tireless Jebali then turned up on the right but his low centre was fired wide by captain Youssef Msakni.
Tunisia dominated possession in the second half but their desperation to find an equaliser almost saw them undone again after 71 minutes - substitute Jamie Maclaren escaping down the left before delivering a low cross that was inches in front of the sliding Mathew Leckie.
A second goal was not required in the end as Australia's resolute backline - in which Souttar was outstanding - did enough to keep Tunisia out and register just the Socceroos' second clean sheet in 18 World Cup matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been touted as a "total genius" for winning Portugal's controversial penalty in the 3-2 victory over Ghana in the World Cup by a FIFA member.
The 37-year-old tucked home Portugal's opening goal from the spot to become the first player to score in five separate World Cup tournaments, though the decision to award the penalty left Ghana furious.
However, a FIFA member has suggested that the awarding of the penalty was down to the play of Ronaldo, who was deemed to have been fouled by Ghana's Mohammed Salisu.
In a briefing in Doha, FIFA technical study group (TSG) member Sunday Oliseh declared forwards were "getting smarter" and believes it was Ronaldo's intelligence that led to the awarding of the spot-kick.
"Maybe the strikers are getting smarter?" he said, per the BBC.
"The Ronaldo penalty, people can say what they want about him, but the smartness to wait for that second, to touch the ball, continue his leg and then get the contact. That is total genius.
"Let's give strikers the compliment for getting smarter. VAR is also a major reason why this [more penalties being awarded] is happening. Referees can look at it three or four times."
Nine penalties have been awarded in the first 20 games of the World Cup, seven of which have been scored – the exceptions being Poland's Robert Lewandowski and Canada's Alphonso Davies.
That figure is on track to beat the total number of penalties at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where 20 were awarded across the 64 matches.
Romelu Lukaku is on course to return to action before the end of the World Cup's group stage, according to Belgium boss Roberto Martinez, though he is unlikely to face Morocco on Sunday.
Lukaku was absent as Belgium overcame a lively Canada side 1-0 on Wednesday, having struggled with a thigh injury since returning to Inter on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Michy Batshuayi proved a capable deputy against Canada, scoring the winner and posting a team-high tally of five shots, but Belgium's record goalscorer is making good progress in his recovery.
While Martinez is determined not to rush Lukaku back, he views Thursday's final Group F fixture against Croatia as a realistic target for the 29-year-old's comeback.
"Medically, Romelu was only available for the third game and I think we'll carry on with that, but he's ahead of where he should be," Martinez said at Saturday's pre-match press conference.
"He's trained twice with the group and the signs are very good.
"We need to see how he reacts today and then he's going to have another training session.
"I don't expect him to be involved tomorrow unless something goes extremely well today, and it'd be a little bit of adaptation to be with the group, [he would not be] 100 per cent at the start. That's where he is.
"The lineup is important but there are two lineups in this World Cup. Five subs means you have a lineup at the start and a lineup at the end.
"What's important for me is that every player who comes on the pitch has an impact, an understanding and the opportunity to enjoy the World Cup.
"In the first half against Canada we were very, very, very below par. The second half was an improvement, and it's important that we use our players to help the team depending on how our game goes.
"If you ask me, the game tomorrow is about controlling and being able to be ourselves until the end.
"Whoever's going to be on the pitch depends on the moment, how the players are [in training] and how I get the feeling the players are getting ready for the game."
Belgium will seal qualification for the round of 16 if they beat Morocco, and they are also bidding to become the first nation in history to win nine consecutive group games at the World Cup.
Eden Hazard accepts Belgium had a better chance of winning the World Cup when their 'golden generation' was at its peak in 2018.
Belgium enjoyed their best World Cup showing four years ago in Russia as they finished third following a 1-0 defeat to eventual winners France in the semi-finals.
But after then losing to Italy in the quarter-finals of Euro 2020, there is a perception Belgium's greatest generation of players has missed its chance of winning a major trophy.
While their squad in Qatar includes many familiar names and several members of the 'golden generation', it is widely accepted most of them are past their best, with the unconvincing 1-0 win over Canada doing little to disprove that notion.
Hazard, who himself is 31 and has had a nightmare with injuries while at Real Madrid over the past three years, is realistic about Belgium's chances, but was keen to remind critics that Roberto Martinez's team still have plenty in their arsenal.
"To be fair, I think we had a better chance four years ago," he told reporters ahead of Belgium's second Group F game against Morocco.
"The team was better four years ago, but we still have the quality to win games, win competitions.
"We have a few guys who are a bit older now but we have experience, we have the best goalkeeper [Thibaut Courtois] in the world, and like I said before, we have one of the best midfields in the world right now, we also have good strikers.
"We are a complete team and I think it's just [we need to show] the desire if we want to win, it's just mentality things.
"We have to enjoy moments, play our game, have fun on the pitch, try to win and then we'll see what happens."
Belgium were roundly criticised for their performance against Canada, particularly after being outplayed in the first half.
At the end of the game, Canada – who saw an Alphonso Davies penalty saved by Courtois – had accumulated 2.63 expected goals (xG) to Belgium's 0.77, highlighting just how much of a greater threat John Herdman's side carried.
One recurring theme from that match was apparent tension between De Bruyne and Toby Alderweireld, who were involved in on-pitch spats with each other at least twice.
De Bruyne explained after the game that his frustration stemmed from a belief Belgium – and Alderweireld – were looking for the long ball too often, but Martinez was quick to shut down any suggestion of there being a major problem between them.
"We shouldn't try to get an issue where there's no issue," he added. "You've got two experienced players, they've played – if I'm not wrong – over 70 games together for the national team.
"This is not a young player coming into the team, I think there's a real understanding as a team you need to find what the opponent gives you and at times you play through the lines with pressure, sometimes there's spaces in behind, making the right decisions, and when you do that it's important because you need to react as a team.
"There's no issue there, they're two players who are winners and they want to perform well and they take responsibility, as a team that's where we're working.
"We need to know when we're doing one aspect and when doing the other we do as a team, but it's not an issue at all."
Jamie Carragher was perplexed by Gareth Southgate's "strange" decision to leave "special talent" Phil Foden on the bench in England's goalless World Cup draw with the United States.
The Three Lions remain top of Group B and on the brink of qualifying for the round of 16 heading into a clash with Wales on Tuesday, but were fortunate to secure a point against USA at Al Bayt Stadium on Friday.
England were sluggish and were almost punished when Christian Pulisic rattled the crossbar in the first half after Weston McKennie wasted a good opportunity to open the scoring.
Southgate brought on Jordan Henderson, Jack Grealish and Marcus Rashford in the second half, but Manchester City attacking midfielder Foden was an unused substitute.
Former England defender Carragher cannot understand why Foden has not been included in the starting line-up or at least brought off the bench earlier, stating that City boss Pep Guardiola would turn to the 22-year-old ahead of Grealish.
He wrote in his column for The Telegraph: "I was among those hoping Gareth Southgate would turn to the Manchester City youngster. It was baffling that he remained on the bench when the game was crying out for his creativity.
"If you had told me before the tournament that Foden would only feature for 19 minutes of the first two World Cup games, my initial thought would be he must be injured.
"When asked to select my starting XI for the opening fixture against Iran, Foden was in it. The more the squad was studied, the harder it was to leave him out. He is too much of a special talent.
"Speak to any football supporter watching the Premier League over the last three years and ask 'who is the most naturally gifted English footballer today?' and 80 per cent would say Foden. The other 20 per cent are not watching closely enough.
"For Southgate to turn to his substitutes and opt for his City team-mate Jack Grealish ahead of him felt strange. Would Pep Guardiola look to Grealish before Foden if seeking a winning goal? Highly unlikely."
Ex-Liverpool defender Carragher added: "Foden has had plenty of opportunities for England, so it is not as if Southgate has ignored him. But although it is very early in his career, there have been times watching Foden playing for his country when his situation has reminded me of John Barnes in his heyday.
"For those too young to remember, between 1987-91, Barnes was not only the most talented England player of his generation, he was streets ahead of the rest.
"Think of Thierry Henry during his peak years at Arsenal. That is how good Barnes was for Liverpool. Yet for England, he was a shadow of himself.
"The question was often asked whether the problem was Barnes or England. Surely it cannot be so difficult to accommodate a rare talent?
"It is imperative history does not repeat itself with Foden. Already, it is a shame he is not one of the first picks in the starting line-up, let alone the first go-to player from the bench.
"When Foden played in the last Euros you would have thought it certain he would be established in the side by now. Instead, others have jumped ahead of him.
"I really like Bukayo Saka and have no criticism about his selection given his Arsenal form. I also understand the loyalty to Raheem Sterling who has been one of the best players in the Southgate era.
"Over the last few days we have been rightly talking about Jude Bellingham a lot. But can it just be shrugged aside what Foden has been doing in the Premier League?
"To me, he eclipses those chosen ahead of him. I truly believe if he was Spanish he would be in their first XI."
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