Ask Mina: Why Grealish to Napoli could work and Al Ahly punch above their weight at Club World Cup

Q: Jack Grealish to Napoli? I’m shocked, but this might work out?

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A: Jack Grealish was left out of Manchester City’s squad for the 2025 Club World Cup, a decision that made his exit feel inevitable.

However, City boss Pep Guardiola on Tuesday suggested the player may still have a future at City if he can rediscover "the butterflies in his stomach that he needs to play every three days."

Napoli’s interest doesn’t surprise me. The Telegraph newspaper recently reported just how highly Antonio Conte rates Grealish. The interest dates back to January, shortly after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain, when Napoli began quietly exploring replacements. At the time, a deal for Grealish seemed unlikely, and Alejandro Garnacho was prioritised.

That said, tactically, Grealish would slot in seamlessly into Conte’s system. The Italian's 3-5-2 (or 3-4-3) relies on inverted attackers and dynamic wide players to drive transitions. Grealish, with his ball-carrying skills, dribbling, and left-sided creativity, would fit in perfectly.

The stumbling block is, of course, the wages. At around £300,000 per week, Grealish is a luxury Napoli can’t afford. The question now is whether he will be willing to take a pay cut, or whether City would subsidise part of the deal. Napoli would offer him something of a shot at redemption. Just look at what the move has done for Scott McTominay.

With the World Cup next year, Grealish can’t afford to sit on the bench. If he wants to force his way back into Thomas Tuchel’s England plans, he needs regular football.

Q: Gennaro Gattuso is the new Italy coach? They couldn’t find a better manager?

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A: The truth is, Italy don’t have many options. Claudio Ranieri rejected the job, Carlo Ancelotti took over Brazil and Max Allegri joined AC Milan.

Previous coach Luciano Spalletti, tactically, was a genius, but his biggest challenge was instilling the right mentality. His Italy often lacked the grit, unity, and spirit of sacrifice that traditionally defined the Azzurri on the biggest stages.

Gattuso, in many ways, is his opposite. He comes from a generation that wore the shirt with pride, gave everything for the badge, and helped deliver the 2006 World Cup. His strength lies not in complex systems but in passion, leadership, and man-management. The hope now is that his fire can reignite belief, restore discipline, and bring back the emotional edge Italy have been missing.

He is devoted to his players. During his stint as coach of OFI Crete, in 2014, the club was in financial freefall, and players hadn’t been paid their wages. Gattuso stepped in to help cover the costs, paying the players €30,000 out of his own pocket. How many coaches would do that?

A man of integrity, he wants to win and will do anything for the club or team he leads. That’s the kind of spirit that Italian Football Federation president Gabriele Gravina is banking on to ensure Italy can return to winning ways.

Q: Pepijn Lijnders has joined the coaching staff at Manchester City, surprising considering his long career at Liverpool. Is he who City need?

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A: I think Lijnders is the perfect appointment for what Manchester City are aiming to achieve. It’s clear City needs to refresh, not just in personnel, but in philosophy. The average age of the squad needs lowering, the team needed new faces, new ideas, and new energy to keep evolving. And Pep Guardiola recognised that this wasn’t just about players, it was about the people standing beside him on the touchline.

In that context, Lijnders makes complete sense. He joined Liverpool back in 2014 as an under-16s coach and earned his way up, getting promoted to the first team under Brendan Rodgers. When Jurgen Klopp arrived later that year, Lijnders stayed on.

What made him stand out was his ability to shape systems, develop talent, and modernise training. At Liverpool, he was instrumental in helping young players settle. He wasn’t just running training sessions; he helped the club broaden their horizons tactically.

Granted, things didn't really work out for him as head coach at Salzburg, but that doesn’t take away from his qualities. Assisting Guardiola might just be the ideal role for Lijnders, as he won’t be under the same pressure as a head coach.

Q: Germany did badly in the Nations League. Why are we not talking about Julian Nagelsmann? Is he the right coach?

@NadimH via Instagram

A: Germany suffered two consecutive defeats in the Uefa Nations League, losing 2-1 to Portugal and then suffering a 2-0 loss to France in the third-place play-off.

Germany were without Kai Havertz, Jamal Musiala, Antonio Rudiger, Tim Kleindienst and Nico Schlotterbeck for those games. That's a lot of important players to be without.

Nagelsmann is a tactically inventive coach, but he’s had limited time on the training ground to embed his ideas. It raises the question whether coaches who thrive on fine detail and long-term identity-building are truly suited to international football. These are managers who excel when they can shape a team over months, not days. But in the national team setup, time is a luxury they simply don’t have.

In the match against Portugal, Nagelsmann opted for a 3-4-2-1 formation, only to shift to a 4-4-2 setup against France. It’s clear he’s searching for answers, but the pieces haven’t quite fallen into place. Nick Woltemade struggled to make an impact up front, and Germany lacked the attacking spark needed to break through Portugal’s defence in the second half.

Against France, Germany created plenty of chances (20 shots on goal) but struggled to convert their opportunities. In their quest to find a goal, they left themselves open to the counter, and France capitalised.

I’m not sure Nagelsmann always gets it right with his substitutions, but they were facing two of the strongest European sides and have yet to fully absorb their coach’s tactical instructions. At times, it looked like they were awfully confused.

Nonetheless, Nagelsmann remains optimistic. He has time and plenty of players to recover to continue building.

Q: Al Ahly played well against Messi and Co. Why are they not considered as possible underdogs?

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Fifa Club World Cup 2025 opener ends in goalless draw

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A: They should be as they are, after all, one of the most decorated clubs in world football. It was a fascinating opening game of the Club World Cup, and the result, a 0-0 draw against Inter Miami, proved they belong on the biggest stage.

I would agree that Al Ahly played well; they dominated the first half, and Miami needed Oscar Ustari to pull off a man-of-the-match performance in goal to keep Ahly from scoring. He made eight saves, including a penalty.

In the second half, they did tire and their attacking output decreased significantly. This poses a problem: do they have the stamina against better-equipped teams? More importantly, the penalty incident can’t be ignored. Wissam Abou Ali was the designated taker, followed by Zizo, then Trezeguet. But Trezeguet insisted on taking it himself, defying clear instructions from the coaching staff. The move caused tension within the squad and reportedly led to a reprimand.

However, considering this was their first match, they did well. There is a lot of talent within that team, especially Marwan Attia. For me, he was Ahly's best player. He anchored the midfield superbly, was calm under pressure and worked hard to nullify Lionel Messi.

The loss of top scorer, Emam Ashour, to a collarbone injury, is huge. He will now miss the rest of the tournament, but Ahly coach Jose Ribeiro remains optimistic about their chances of progressing.