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Head coach Brendon McCullum admits it will be up to him to decide his future, but that he wants to stay in charge of England.

McCullum previously predicted that his team would “define” themselves in an Ashes defeat in Australia in a series that he had presided over.

The New Zealander’s contract with England runs until the 50-over World Cup in 2027, which also includes the following year’s home Ashes.

It’s a pretty good performance,” said one performer. It’s entertaining, McCullum claimed. You try to play some exciting cricket with the lads and accomplish some goals while traveling the world.

Ben Stokes stated in the aftermath of his third Test defeat against Australia that he “wants to remain England captain.”

After agreeing to a new central contract in November, Stokes will remain with England until 2027.

Rob Key, the managing director of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), whose position will also be closely watched, might decide the fate of both men. The fourth Boxing Day Test will take place on Tuesday in Melbourne, where Key is scheduled to address the media.

McCullum responded, “I don’t know, but I’m curious if I think I’ll be in charge for the home summer of next year.” I’m not really up to it, is it?

“I’ll just keep trying to do the job, trying to learn some lessons that haven’t quite come right here, and making adjustments.” Not for me, but for someone else, not for me.

Following the previous Ashes tour, which ended with a 4-0 defeat, McCullum was appointed by Key in 2022.

McCullum led England’s Test cricket team, winning 10 games out of his first 11 games while serving alongside Stokes.

However, the form of England has since slowed. They have lost neither of their top-five encounters against Australia or India. England have won 15 of their 33 Test matches and lost 16 of them as a result of their initial run of success.

The T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka early in the year make it difficult to make a decision regarding McCullum’s future.

He said, “I’m enjoying the time I’ve had with these guys, and we’ve made some progress since I took over.”

“We’re not the finished article, but our cricket team has definitely improved.” We all had a distinctive identity.

“We must now really show that identity and try to salvage something from it in the final two Tests,” he said.

England’s unbeaten run in Australian Test matches reached 18 matches after losing in Adelaide. Since 2010-2011, they haven’t won a series in this nation.

After three games, they are forced to battle with the injustice of a 5-0 clean sweep. They are once more going 3-0 down. In Australia, three previous England teams lost the Ashes series 5-0.

Ollie Pope could start for England’s fourth test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, where a capacity crowd of up to 100 000 is anticipated. The tourists’ squad’s reserve batter is Jacob Bethell.

Brydon Carse appears to be the least likely candidate to be cut out if England’s pace attack is improved.

The visitors have a choice to make in favor of Shoaib Bashir, who was the team’s first-choice spinner but did not play in any of their previous three Tests.

Rehan Ahmed, a leg spinner for the Big Bash, is currently playing T20 cricket in Australia, but McCullum said he won’t look for replacements outside of his 16-man squad.

He said, “I can’t imagine we’ll invite anyone in from the outside.” We’ll need to determine what the conditions in Melbourne will be for those conditions and that competition.

McCullum claimed that his team could not have a “glass jaw,” while captain Stokes claimed that Australia is “no place for weak men.”

Then, in the lead-up to the third Test in Adelaide, Stokes admitted to having “rural” conversations with England players about his message.

However, opener Zak Crawley later claimed he was unaware of the comments made by the “weak men.”

McCullum responded, “I hope so,” when asked if the players still believed in his method. You’ll have to get in touch with them.

“I’ll always have my players’ backs, support them, and make sure I’m protecting them in public spaces as well,” he said.

Sir Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, claims that sacking coaches and captains in Australia after the Ashes defeats down under is insufficient to change a “depressingly one-sided story.”

Under coach Andy Flower, Strass led England to a 3-1 victory in the 2010-11 series, their first victory in Australia since 1986-1987.

In a post on LinkedIn, Strauss wrote that “england has been severely beaten by a better team, exploiting their home conditions to good effect, and now the blood letting will begin.”

England were swept 5-0 in 2013-14 by Sir Alastair Cook, who was then the country’s captain, and 4-0 in 2018-19 by Joe Root and Trevor Bayliss, and 4-0 again in 2021-22 by Root and Chris Silverwood.

In the wake of devastating defeats in Australia, Ashley Giles, Silverwood, and Flower all announced their resignations.

McCullum and Stokes will be subject to “extreme scrutiny for the decisions that they took in preparation for this tour,” according to Strauss, who was Giles’ predecessor as ECB managing director of men’s cricket.

He claimed, however, that none of those former captains, coaches, and directors are solely to blame for England’s consistently low performance in Australia since 1986-1987.

Because Australia is a better team, served by a better high-performance system, “we have been badly mauled there,” he continued.

At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Liverpool striker was too quick to open the scoring.

Isak earned a goal while also being injured, but he also has a long time on the sidelines.

Was the striker and defender colliding with one another inevitable? Or did Van de Ven have a case for receiving a red card?

Defenders are rarely held accountable for their challenges after an attacker hits them, whether right or wrong. If these were committed elsewhere on the pitch, you would expect punishment for them.

Manchester City should have received a penalty at Newcastle last month, according to a 3-2 decision from the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel.

After Phil Foden had shot him, Fabian Schar had kicked through his boot without requiring VAR intervention.

Isak’s injury may have an impact on people’s opinions, but it doesn’t have to be foul play; it can just be an unfortunate consequence.

It’s crucial to examine both how Isak recovers from the injury and how Van de Ven makes the challenge.

Van de Ven tries to block the shot as Isak releases it.

Crucially, Isak accidentally injures his shooting foot.

Van de Ven’s injury appears to have occurred when the foot lands between the Sweden striker’s legs.

This discussion would have been different if Van de Ven had confronted his opponent directly or through Isak’s standing foot.

However, Van de Ven enters Isak’s space by making a block. It should not be seen as a red card because it was a real challenge.

If a defender attempts to stop a shot but clatters into an attacker, that does not mean they can’t be sent off.

In a Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven in 2015, Luke Shaw suffered a double leg fracture.

Hector Moreno struck Shaw, taking his standing foot away in a scissors-style collision, before bursting into the area to take a shot.

Since it occurred before VAR, Moreno did not even accept a red card or a penalty. However, it is precisely the kind of blocking tackle that should prompt a player’s dismissal right away.

Virgil van Dijk was caught by Xavi Simons as he closed down the Liverpool defender, who was sent off.

Referee John Brooks was the only player to receive a yellow card from the pitchside monitor, Stuart Attwell, the VAR.

If someone receives a red card, Frank says, “The game is over.” Former players once believed it to be the best choice.

Joe Hart on Match of the Day described it as “absolutely a red card because he’s caught him on the back of the Achilles.”

Howard Webb, the head of referees, made it clear last season that a VAR review should be required in order to resolve this kind of dispute.

His remarks came after Wilfred Ndidi of Leicester City was not disciplined for raking his studs down Cole Palmer of Chelsea in a similar situation to Simons on Van Dijk.

We discussed this with the officials, according to Webb, and we would prefer that this situation be handled with a red card. The safety of players must be protected.

What about Alejandro Garnacho’s potential red card earlier in the day, though? Jacob Ramsey, a Newcastle forward, only received a caution for his foul.

The VAR Peter Bankes backed the decision of the referee, Andy Madley.

Important differences should be taken into account.

Garnacho started the challenge with the ball in play range. There was only a small amount of contact with Ramsey, despite the fact that he did so with his studs.

Even if the initial contact is above the boot, a caution is regarded as an acceptable disciplinary action if a player steps into a tackle and slightly misinterprets it.

Huge Ekitike rose above Cristian Romero to head home after Jeremie Frimpong’s cross made a slight deflection.

John [Brooks] made a huge error on the pitch, according to the media. Ekitike had two hands on his back, Frank claimed.

“Fortunately, we have VAR, so they can provide you with assistance when you need it, which they didn’t.”

Romero appeared to be ineligible, but Ekitike’s hands didn’t appear to be being used to foul the defender. It appeared to be a powerful header.

Leny Yoro put two hands on Calvin Bassey’s back earlier this season, scoring Manchester United at Fulham. Following a VAR check, the goal was set.

The KMI panel voted 3-2 to reject it on the field, but 4-1 to reject that it had not passed the VAR’s threshold.

On Bassey, Yoro had pushed a little forward, but Ekitike didn’t move any further than Romero.

The panel is unlikely to accept the referee’s or VAR’s error in the scoring of the Ekitike goal.

Following Jocelyn Precheur’s dismissal, the London City Lionesses are appointing Spanish coach Eder Maestre as manager.

Maestre recently oversaw the top-tier of Spain’s top-tier CD Tenerife Femenino, but he left in December.

On Sunday, London City fired Frenchman Precheur after being first to earn a promotion to the Women’s Super League this season.

Precheur, 43, joined London City from Paris St-Germain in 2024 as a result of Michele Kang’s ambitious multi-club investment.

With five victories from their first 11 matches in the WSL, London City was forced to make the decision.

However, it is believed that Precheur did not intend for the club to take them to the next stage of their development.

Maestre is regarded as a future world-class coach with a strong Spanish style that they want to see bring into London City, according to some.

One of the most challenging tasks for any club is figuring out how to strike a balance between achieving desired outcomes in the short term and achieving long-term goals.

The Scottish champions selected Wilfried Nancy, the 2024 MLS Coach of the Year, who is renowned for his exciting, front-foot approach, after Martin O’Neill established the course at Celtic.

The Frenchman had four losses in the first four, but Sunday’s dramatic 3-1 victory over Aberdeen gave him some much-needed rest.

Nancy has a high-possession 3-4-2-1 system that he used when he was a young Celtic player.

Celtic have developed a 3-3-2 formation that features two central midfielders who are close to each other and three central defenders in possession.

Both attacking midfielders are positioned centrally, close to the striker, and both wing-backs remain high and wide. In the middle of the pitch, the attacking midfielders and the central midfielders form a box as a result.

Nancy purposefully chose to use position players who are versatile at Columbus Crew.

The team was able to play fluidly thanks to the team’s central defenders, Steven Moreira, Sean Zawadzki, and Malte Amundsen, who are comfortable at either full-back or midfield.

Although it has been questioned about Nancy’s early Celtic team selections, he will need to develop his skills over time.

The principles he likes to use in build-up play are revealed when we examine Nancy’s approach at Columbus Crew.

The right-back position of his, Moreira, moves into a midfield position unmarked, which is particularly interesting.

Once the players become more used to his methods, these unusual movements, which require versatility from players, will become a hallmark of Celtic under Nancy.

Asymmetrical play is not a thing that Nancy avoids. In this instance, there are eight players close by, with six of them on the left.

Passing should be simpler with little room for each player, which presents an unusual challenge for a defending team.

The opposition will press up the pitch as they advance the ball up the pitch into dangerous areas by building up with this many players so much.

Players are encouraged to attack the space that their team-mates have created for them by leaving their positions as a result of this shift in pace and smart, unusual movements.

In the final third of Nancy’s defense, central midfielders, and central defenders frequently make runs from deep into these gaps, and defensive markers typically follow the attacking players out of position.

Even if examples of Nancy’s attacking methods working as he would have hoped were rare in his early days in Glasgow, the analysis of those techniques should give hope to Celtic fans.

In their previous two games, Celtic have improved significantly, with the home win over Aberdeen and the defeat at Dundee United among the highlights.

They hit the post four times in a game against Aberdeen and had 71% of the ball, 31 shots, and an expected 4.53 goals tally.

These numbers are staggering even against a team with only 10 men, and it would be fair to say that they were only allowed to score three goals due to poor luck, excellent finishing, and excellent saves.

Under Nancy, Celtic’s attacking performances appear to be gradually improving.

Fans will need to be patient, though, because it takes time to create the connections that make these strategies effective.

Nancy encourages freedom for his players to express themselves, which has long-term benefits but short-term effects.

Nancy enjoys Nancy’s precise use of his sides to score goals.

He prefers to introduce players in the box to receive passes or cut-backs rather than focusing on crosses.

Due to the smallness of his first three league games, Celtic decided to put this to bed.

His players were looking for those extra passes to find team-mates in the box against Aberdeen, though.

Crosses have resulted in turnovers when this has not occurred, and Celtic have been more prone to counter-attacks with fewer players behind the ball.

Nancy directs Celtic to counter-press right away when they lose the ball. They have made an effort to do it with intensity, but when they don’t coordinate, gaps open up and teams can quickly access their backlines.

Their inability to defend set-pieces has been another issue.

Although it may take time to implement an improved defensive structure, Celtic’s squad appears to lack the skills to dominate both on the ground and in the air.

This could be due to replacing traditional centerbacks with more technical full-backs.

The decision to hire Nancy came from Celtic executives because they were aware of his game plan, which is a three-at-back system that puts pressure on the quarterback before the ball enters the opening.

How successful Nancy is in Glasgow will depend in large part on whether this works for Celtic, who play domestic football teams that sit back and block rather than press them.

His teams consist of players who are encouraged to rotate frequently, express freedom, and play one-twos while also attempting to attack diagonally.

Even if one of Celtic’s previous two games ended in defeat, it has worked well for them in the past for them, and there have also been more promising signs in that regard.

To bring the ideas that were successful at Columbus Crew to life, Celtic will need to work with him and make the signings.

However, there are high expectations for Celtic, and a change to this level will require some minor adjustments to attract both fans and players.