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Watching Tottenham Hotspur’s 4-1 defeat to their bitter rivals in the Premier League on Sunday made it clear where Thomas Frank’s priorities need to be moving forward.

Whilst you could look at that loss and suggest that they need to improve defensively, which would be a fair comment after they conceded four goals, it is in possession where they really need to improve.

xG

11.0

17th

Non-penalty xG

11.0

16th

Progressive passes

413

12th

Shots

110

19th

Shots on target

40

15th

Average shot distance

15.6 yards

17th

As you can see in the table above, Spurs are one of the worst teams in the Premier League at progressing play with passes, creating shooting opportunities, and creating high-quality chances.

The Lilywhites ended the match against Arsenal with three shots on goal and 0.07 xG, per Sofascore, with their goal coming from Richarlison’s stunning long-range lob over David Raya.

Tottenham’s struggles at the top end of the pitch explain why the club are reportedly considering a move to sign Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo.

The Ghana international has a £65m release clause that can be activated at the start of the January transfer window, and Spurs are one of the teams vying for his signature.

How Antoine Semenyo could solve Tottenham's attacking problems

Whilst a lot of Tottenham’s problems could come down to coaching issues, with how players are asked to play, the team selections, and the patterns that are or are not coached in training, having a top talent in the final third can make up for some coaching problems.

Semenyo is the kind of forward who can create things for himself with his incredible speed, power, ball control, and ability in front of goal when he gets near the opposition’s box.

The former Bristol City striker’s goal against Liverpool at Anfield earlier this season is the perfect example of the kind of quality that he could bring to North London in the second half of the campaign.

With Tottenham’s lack of progressive passing and high-quality chances this season, having a player who has runs and goals like that in his locker would be invaluable for Frank.

That strike against Liverpool was also not a flash in the pan for the versatile attacker, who can play out wide or through the middle, because he has been in impressive form in the Premier League this term.

xG

4.58

Top 1%

Goals

6

Top 1%

Shots

23

Top 10%

Shots on target

14

Top 1%

Assists

3

Top 6%

Successful dribbles

21

Top 5%

Touches in the opposition’s box

45

Top 12%

As you can see in the table above, Semenyo has been one of the most productive wingers in the division for Bournemouth this season, with more goals than any other winger in the league.

These statistics, and the nature of his goal against Liverpool in particular, suggest that signing the Cherries star would go a long way to solving some of the attacking issues that Frank’s side have.

Therefore, Spurs should push hard to win the race for his services by activating his release clause at the start of the January transfer window and trying their hardest to convince him that a move to North London is the best next step in his career.

£65m, though, would make him the club’s joint-record signing alongside Dominic Solanke, who also came from Bournemouth, so it would take a big financial commitment from the Lilywhites.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

In order to make a move for the 25-year-old star viable, sporting director Fabio Paratici should look to ruthlessly sell some of the club’s current players to fund a transfer for Semenyo.

One of the sellable assets who should be cashed in on by Paratici to create funds for a swoop for the Cherries sensation in January is right-back Pedro Porro.

Why Spurs should sell Pedro Porro

Ahead of the summer transfer window, CaughtOffside reported that the Spain international was attracting interest from Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City.

It was claimed that Spurs were not interested in selling the full-back at the time, which was in May, but that they would have changed their tune if an offer of around £57m came across their desk.

Whilst Porro ultimately remained in North London, that report in the summer shows that there are some top clubs across Europe who would be interested in him if he became available, although it remains to be seen if any of them would pay the £57m price tag.

The Spaniard attracted interest from those teams after a return of four goals and nine assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for Spurs in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, but his form this season has left a lot to be desired.

Polish journalist Michał Okoński described his crosses into the box as a “disaster” earlier this month, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment when you consider that he has lost possession 222 times and delivered one assist in 12 Premier League games, per Sofascore.

Appearances

33

12

Possession lost per game

17.5

18.5

Key passes per game

1.7

1.2

Big chances created

10

2

Assists

6

1

Pass accuracy

76%

73%

Cross accuracy

31%

17%

As you can see in the table above, the Spain international’s use of the ball has regressed since the end of the 2024/25 campaign. He is currently giving the ball away more frequently whilst creating less for his team.

Porro has been far too wasteful with the ball at his feet at right-back for Tottenham. That is evident in his regressing creative stats, but it is also evident in that he has made four errors leading to shots for the opposition in the Premier League, twice as many as he made in 33 matches last season.

As well as his struggles on the ball, the former Sporting star has gone from averaging 3.1 tackles and interceptions per game last season in the Premier League to averaging just 1.7 per match in the current campaign, per Sofascore.

These statistics show that Porro has regressed in and out of possession at right-back for the Lilywhites, which is why it could be the right time for Paratici to cash in on him in January, amid interest from City, Barcelona, and Bayern, to avoid his value dwindling if his form does not improve.

Fewer touches than Vicario: Frank must drop 3/10 Spurs dud after Arsenal

Thomas Frank has numerous glaring errors he needs to address at Tottenham Hotspur after the Arsenal defeat.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 24, 2025

Whilst it remains to be seen how much teams would be willing to pay for him, any fee in the region of the quoted £57m would go a long way to funding a deal for Semenyo, who has a £65m release clause.

If Pant’s finger injury prevents him from keeping at Old Trafford, India have just the man for the job

Nagraj Gollapudi19-Jul-20251:39

Watch – Jurel practicing his wicketkeeping drills

The ball was flying out of the far net at the Kent County Cricket ground in Beckenham during India’s training on Thursday morning. , , , the comforting noise of ball hitting bat echoed around the empty ground as ball after ball landed on the green plastic seats behind long-on and in the small grassy mound shaded by trees beyond cow corner. A few lofted drives landed around wide long-off too.Related

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Clad in a tight, short-sleeved white T-shirt under a blue India vest, Dhruv Jurel launched smartly into effervescent strokeplay.Jurel would soon be tested by India bowling coach Morne Morkel, the former South Africa quick delivering from 20 yards and testing his stumps as well as his outside edge. Jurel did not flinch or stutter in his defence and was firm in his stride. Part of why Jurel has been a success ever since his Test debut last year against England at home is that he has a solid and fluent technique that allows him defend and attack. It makes his batting looked assured.The son of a former army man, Jurel’s body language is chest-out, chin-up, smile, and a walk with a confident stride. The clarity and commitment in his batting have helped him play match-wining innings like the 90 in the first innings of the Ranchi Test against England.2:30

Manjrekar: ‘Will be shocked if Bumrah doesn’t play in Manchester’

On a low, turning pitch where a horizontal bat was often fatal, Jurel negotiated Shoaib Bashir and Tom Hartley admirably despite playing in the company of India’s tail. Jurel charged at anything remotely in his arc to hit over mid-on, mid-wicket and mid-off, and swept confidently when the line was outside leg stump. He brought India back into the match from a dire position, and duly earned the Player-of-the-Match award.Just as he had impressed with bold knocks of 80 and 68 in testing conditions in the warm-up match preceding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy late last year in Australia, Jurel put himself in the shop window once again upon arriving in England, with three half-centuries against England Lions in the two unofficial Tests in June. If the Canterbury pitch in the first match was dead flat, overcast conditions posed a good challenge and Jurel showed skill and patience while constructing a healthy partnership with KL Rahul.All that, unfortunately for him, did not earn him a spot in the first three Tests mainly because Rishabh Pant remains indispensable even with an injured finger and India prefer batting depth and bowling options in the form of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar. On Thursday, though, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate said Jurel remained a viable option for the Old Trafford Test next week in case Pant, who hurt his left index finger while intercepting a leg-side delivery from Jasprit Bumrah during the first innings at Lord’s, was not fit to keep wickets.Dhruv Jurel’s catch of Ollie Pope showcased his balance and quick hands•Getty ImagesEven as a wicketkeeper, Jurel is rated highly by experts like former India glovesman Dinesh Karthik. Speaking on during the Lord’s Test where Jurel replaced Pant behind the stumps, Karthik observed that Jurel had strong basics including a well-balanced set-up that allowed him to brilliantly pouch Ollie Pope off Ravindra Jadeja. On Thursday, Jurel did keeping drills under the guidance of India’s fielding coach T Dilip who stressed the importance of taking the ball in the line of the body.So if Jurel does play and Pant takes on a specialist batting role, who goes out of the XI that played the third Test? The likely options are Karun Nair, Reddy and Washington. Nair has failed to convert several starts in the first three Tests, but India might persist with him given that No. 3 might be too high a slot for either the keeper or the allrounders, and that Shubman Gill and Pant are settled at Nos. 4 and 5. Washington will be optimistic about retaining his spot not only because he found ample drift and picked up vital wickets in both innings at Lord’s, but also because Old Trafford is known to offer bounce to spinners. That leaves Reddy, who picked up important top-order wickets in both innings at Lord’s, but hasn’t yet found the batting form that made him such a find during his debut series in Australia.It will be a difficult decision in each case, but if he’s needed, Jurel will be ready to take on the job, chest out and chin up.

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso insists he has a “very good relationship” with midfielder Jude Bellingham amid speculation suggesting there is growing tension between the pair. The Spaniard is adamant he has no issues with the England international, who has been in fine form since returning from the shoulder injury which disrupted his 2025-26 campaign.

Bellingham has been in good goalscoring form following return

Missing a large part of the opening period of the season, Bellingham made his return to La Liga in Real’s 2-0 victory over Espanyol on 20 September, emerging from the substitutes bench as goals from Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappe earned all three points for Alonso’s men. 

Former Borussia Dortmund ace Bellingham has since been in good goalscoring form for Los Blancos, scoring the winner in October's Clasico victory over rivals Barcelona before netting a last-gasp equaliser in the 2-2 draw with Elche last weekend.    

AdvertisementGetty Images SportReport claims England international is frustrated with Alonso

However, while Bellingham has impressed in his first few matches under Alonso’s stewardship, Spanish publication reported earlier in the week that there is believed to be friction between the two. The report claims midfielder Federico Valverde and forwards Rodrygo and Endrick are also unhappy with ex-Bayer Leverkusen boss Alonso, who took over the reins from Carlo Ancelotti in the summer.      

Real head coach Alonso insists he has good rapport with Bellingham

But ahead of Real’s trip to Girona in the league on Sunday, Alonso has rubbished talk surrounding his rapport with Bellingham, saying they have "excellent" communication with one another.

When asked if he had any problems with Bellingham, Alonso said: “Absolutely not. I have excellent communication and a very good relationship with Jude. He's a world-class player; he has that drive to improve, learn, and become more efficient with the great potential he has.    

“I like players who are curious and proactive enough to come and ask what we can do better. He fits in with different profiles and heights because he's very well-rounded, and we also need to be aware of what's going on around him.” 

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Getty Images SportEx-Leverkusen boss also defends relationship with Vinicius

It is not the first time Alonso has had to come out and clarify his relationship with a player, having also faced questions over his decision to start Vinicius on the bench for Real’s trip to Elche.

Explaining he and the Brazil international had planned the move before the game, Alonso said after the final whistle: “No, we had discussed it. We talk about it often. He understands; he knew the role he could play. We've done it before, like in Getafe. Today we're not happy, but everyone is eager to get back on track.”

Insisting he and the rest of the Real squad are growing closer, he added: “We haven't fallen apart. We're still competing; the context of each match is different. The result is what matters, and we're aware of that and self-critical. The spirit is good; we have to respond to adversity. This is Real Madrid. We live with criticism; we want to improve.

“The connection is improving; we have more time and interact more, we know each other better. We're all in the same boat, we celebrate victories. We suffer if we don't win. The connection is good. We need to turn this situation around, starting with Athens [against Olympiacos].”   

Jasprit Bumrah and Josh Inglis are two big returns for either team as No.1 and No.2 face off with the T20 World Cup edging closer

Alex Malcolm28-Oct-2025Big picture – Bumrah returnsWhile ODI series had relatively little meaning other than both teams taking some early steps on the road to the 2027 World Cup, the five-match T20I series beginning in Canberra on Wednesday night is of far greater significance for the near term.The No. 1 and 2 teams in the world face off in the final throws of their preparations for February’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The conditions will bear no relevance, but the chance for each side to test themselves and their game style against each other so close to a World Cup will be highly beneficial to both teams.India are unequivocally the No.1 team in the world. The reigning World Cup winners stormed to the Asia Cup title without being defeated and they were only run close once by Sri Lanka in the Super Fours and to an extent by Pakistan in the final. They have lost just three matches since winning the World Cup in 2024 and have arguably become an even stronger and more dynamic group with an influx of young IPL talent under Suryakumar Yadav.Related

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Shreyas Iyer 'on the road to recovery' after laceration to spleen

Jasprit Bumrah returns after being rested for the ODI series and will likely enjoy the early season conditions in Australia given his exploits with the red and pink balls down under last summer. One challenge facing India will be how to best balance the XI in Australian conditions, something they struggled with in the ODIs, having won the Asia with a spin-heavy team in spin-friendly conditions.Meanwhile, Australia have turned over a new leaf since their disappointing exit from the 2024 World Cup at the hands of India. Back-to-back mediocre showings in the 2022 and 2024 editions force a rethink from Australia’s hierarchy about their approach. The results have been spectacular since going to an all-out power-hitting method of playing under Mitchell Marsh. They have lost just two of their last 20 T20Is on the back of some electric batting led by Marsh, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, Tim David, Mitchell Owen and Glenn Maxwell. They are without Green against India as he prepares for the Ashes but Marcus Stoinis and Matt Short fill the breach.”There has been a shift,” coach Andrew McDonald said on Monday in Canberra.”We’re 11 games in now from the initial conversation. When we set out on this journey, we’d failed in a couple of World Cups previously, so we wanted to shift and stretch the boundaries on what we thought we could do.”So yeah, we have been more aggressive, we’ve played people in different positions. Tim David has batted a little bit higher than previously.”Our admission was that we haven’t been successful in a couple of campaigns. We’ve got to change things up. We’ve got to stretch ourselves.”Is it the style that can win a World Cup? We believe so. Will we have to pivot and nuance it slightly, depending on whether we’re in Colombo or Delhi or Kolkata? There’s no doubt about that.”In the short term they get to test their new style against the best team on the planet.”You’re playing against India, so it’s a really good test on whether this style will hold up,” McDonald said. “They’re the number-one ranked team in the world, I think we’re number two. We’re excited to test ourselves against the best.Form guide
Australia WWWLW
India WWWWWSuryakumar Yadav’s form has been a worry•AFP/Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Matthew Kuhnemann and Suryakumar YadavIn any Australian white-ball team, Adam Zampa is the first name written on the team sheet and the rest are selected from there. For the first time since the 2023 tour of India, where Australia picked a second XI post their ODI World Cup triumph, Zampa won’t be in an Australian T20I XI having played every game in the past two years. He will miss the entire series for paternity reasons. It presents a great opportunity for Matthew Kuhnemann, who has played just one of Australia’s last 16 T20Is despite being in every squad. Australia want the option of playing two spinners in the same XI in the World Cup, particularly in Sri Lanka. Kuhnemann can lock himself into the final 15 with a good series against some of the best spin-hitters in the world that will put him under severe pressure.Suryakumar Yadav’s fall from being the No.1 ranked T20I batter in the world in the first half of 2024 to struggling for runs in 2025 has been startling. He has not scored a half-century in his last 14 innings and has averaged 10.50 and struck at just 100.80 in that time. How or why is somewhat of a mystery given he had an outstanding IPL earlier this year as the second leading runscorer across the tournament with five half-centuries at a strike rate of 167.91. It seems incomprehensible that he wouldn’t be a key pillar in India’s top four heading into the World Cup but he would love some runs against Australia to ease any pressure he might be feeling.Team news: Inglis back, Short out, India to add pace optionsMatthew Short’s hopes of bedding down his spot in the T20I side have taken another blow after he had surgery on the cut he sustained on his finger in the second ODI in Adelaide. He will remain with the squad but will be unavailable until the wound heals. Inglis missed the entire T20I tour of New Zealand and the ODI series against India with a calf strain that has taken some time to get right. He has been ramping up the intensity of his running since rejoining the squad in Sydney and looks set to return to the line-up. He will likely return at No.3 where he has had great success. How Australia structure their middle order remains to be seen as Glenn Maxwell does not return until game three. They are thin for options with backup keeper Josh Philippe set to play as a batter in Canberra while Ben McDermott has been called into the squad as extra cover. Australia do not have Ben Dwarshuis for the opening three T20Is due to a calf issue.Australia (possible): 1 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 2 Travis Head, 3 Josh Inglis (wk), 4 Tim David, 5 Josh Philippe, 6 Mitch Owen, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Sean Abbott/Xavier Bartlett, 9 Nathan Ellis, 10 Matt Kuhnemann, 11 Josh HazlewoodIndia had a spin-heavy line-up in their last T20I outing in the Asia Cup final but will likely add some pace to their attack for the five matches in Australia. Arshdeep Singh is almost certain to return alongside Jasprit Bumrah but Harshit Rana may also come into the mix after his career-best ODI performance in Sydney on Saturday. If those two are added, then Shivam Dube could miss out. Nitish Kumar Reddy is fit again after missing the final ODI with a left quad issue and could be an allround seam-bowling option if needed.India (possible): 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 4 Tilak Varma, 5 Sanju Samson (wk), 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Shivam Dube/Harshit Rana, 9 Kuldeep Yadav/Varun Chakravarthy, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsIt is expected to be cool in Canberra on Wednesday with a medium chance of showers during the day but the evening is expected to be clear and a full game is expected. Manuka Oval has tended to be a lower scoring ground in men’s T20I and BBL cricket with spin playing a role and the boundaries being large.Stats and triviaThere have been five men’s T20Is in Canberra, with the most recent in 2022, with the record split 2-2 between defending and chasing teamsIndia won their only T20I in Canberra against Australia in 2020, defending 161Suryakumar’s streak of 14 T20Is without a half-century is the longest of his career Australia have not beaten India in a T20I series in Australia since 2008Quotes”The opportunity to play in front of sold out crowds in pretty much all three one-day games, and what’s looking like the next five T20 games, it’s fantastic. I think building into the World Cup, where there’s going to be big crowds and perceived pressure, it can only be beneficial for us.”
“I have had good few sessions back home, good two to three sessions here, so I am in a good space. I think that is really important. Runs… it will come eventually but I think working hard towards the team goal, it’s more important what team wants from you in different situations and I take it one game at a time. If it starts, then I think it will be a good thing.”

The Dodgers are gearing up for a title defense, slated to take on the Reds in MLB's National League Wild Card. With the series is set to get underway on Tuesday, Sept. 30, the team got some injury news on a pair of key players on Monday.

Max Muncy spoke to reporters and informed them that he'd be available for L.A. on Tuesday. Muncy had missed a chunk of the season with an oblique strain, but returned from the IL on Sept. 8. He's since been hit by multiple pitches, all against the Giants, and ended up missing the final few games of the season while dealing with a bruise on his leg. Fortunately, he appears to be good to go for Tuesday's playoff opener.

The other update the team received was to do with catcher Will Smith. The 30-year-old hasn't played since Sept. 9 and is dealing with a fracture in his right hand. Per Fabian Ardaya of Smith is expected to swing a bat Monday and could face live pitching Monday evening, if swinging feels okay. His status for the series remains uncertain.

The Dodgers finished the 2025 season as the No. 3 seed in the National League, and winners of the NL West. They're looking to become the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to win consecutive World Series titles, and having stars such as Muncy and Smith available will be critical towards achieving that goal.

First pitch for Tuesday's game in L.A. is slated for 9:00 p.m. ET.

Leeds United will no doubt be disappointed after losing 3-2 against Manchester City this afternoon, but the fans can take some positives out of the clash at the Etihad Stadium.

Phil Foden’s first-minute goal could have signalled an afternoon of domination for Pep Guardiola’s men, but it wasn’t to be, with the hosts only boasting a two-goal lead at the break.

Daniel Farke’s substitutions at the break saw the Whites bring the game level within a matter of minutes, that’s despite many questioning his decision to withdraw Dan James and Wilfried Gnonto.

However, it wasn’t to be as Foden had the last laugh with his stoppage-time effort enough to secure all three points for the Citizens – resulting in a sixth Premier League loss in their last seven.

Despite the defeat, numerous players can leave Manchester with their heads held high, with one player deserving huge plaudits for his showing this afternoon.

Ethan Ampadu’s performance against Manchester City

For the 12th time in the league this season, midfielder Ethan Ampadu started at the heart of the Leeds side, doing so with the captain’s armband too.

His performance against Manchester City was one of a leader, with the Welshman putting in a phenomenal showing and one that was highlighted by his underlying stats.

The 25-year-old featured for the entirety of the contest, completing a staggering 46 passes, with such a tally the highest of any player in Farke’s squad.

He also completed 50% of the dribbles he attempted, whilst making two passes into the final third – often trying to hit the hosts on the counter in the second half.

Ampadu’s incredible showing was also evident without the ball at his feet, subsequently making four recoveries and winning 67% of his ground duels – arguably being one unsung hero at the Etihad.

He certainly wasn’t alone in producing a performance to remember against the former Premier League champions, with Farke needing to select one other player on a consistent basis.

The Leeds player who should be undroppable after City

Many people would have anticipated a dominant victory for City this afternoon, but Leeds certainly put up a fight – which is the least you can ask for given the current situation.

Farke will likely receive some criticism for failing to see out the game for a point, but ultimately, individual errors were the contributing factors to the late goal.

The supporters should also remember it was the manager’s bold call at the break that gave the side the opportunity to get back into the game in the first place.

He switched to a somewhat unfamiliar 3-5-2 system, with the impact of Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the top end of the pitch certainly putting the hosts under huge pressure.

The Englishman replaced Gnonto at the interval, a decision that proved to be an inspirational one given the talisman’s impact during the second half at the Etihad.

His first goal since September certainly wasn’t the prettiest, but it was a reward for his determined efforts at the top end, before poking the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

The 28-year-old was also hugely involved in the Whites’ second goal of the contest, with Calvert-Lewin caught in the area by Josko Gvardiol – leading to Lukas Nmecha’s rebounded penalty.

The substitutes’ underlying figures were also massively impressive, with the target man putting doubt into the opposition’s backline after his introduction.

He completed 100% of the dribbles he attempted, whilst also winning 80% of the ground duels he entered – subsequently offering a dominant option during the fightback.

Minutes played

45

Touches

18

Pass accuracy

80%

Dribbles completed

100%

Ground duels won

80%

Passes into final third

1

Fouls won

3

Shots on target

100%

Calvert-Lewin also completed a pass into the final third, whilst also drawing three fouls, with the former Everton man playing a huge part in the side’s ability to get off the canvas.

As a result of his showing off the bench, the striker was handed an impressive 9/10 match rating from Leeds United journalist Graham Smyth – further showcasing his impressive cameo off the bench.

After such a showing, there’s little denying the manager simply has to start Calvert-Lewin on a consistent basis, with his assets constantly causing havoc for the opposition.

Ampadu, too, has showcased this season why he’s a solid Premier League option, which could see both play a huge role in the club’s survival bid come the end of the season.

Bielsa 2.0: Leeds prepare for Farke replacement with "elite" boss in frame

Leeds are reportedly preparing to possibly replace Daniel Farke in the dugout with a LaLiga boss in the frame.

1 ByDan Emery Nov 28, 2025

Shota Imanaga is about to experience the MLB postseason for the first time, but before that could happen, he had to survive an encounter with champagne.

The Chicago Cubs clinched a spot in the MLB playoffs on Wednesday thanks to an 8-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. After the game concluded, the Cubs had the traditional celebration in their clubhouse, which included champagne showers for everyone. Imanaga had some pretty hilarious thoughts on the matter.

After being soaked by his teammates, the 32-year-old starting pitcher said, "I learned with champagne that instead of drinking it, you should absorb it with your skin. It feels better." He was immediately doused by his teammates again before looking at the camera and saying, "Yummy."

Video is below.

Imanaga and teammate Seiya Suzuki are both set to experience their first trip to the MLB playoffs and were really enjoying themselves during the celebration.

Imanaga has had an excellent season for the Cubs despite missing time with a hamstring injury. In 23 starts, he's 9-7 with a 3.29 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP, and 110 strikeouts against 23 walks in 134 innings. He was the team's Opening Day starter, and either he or Matthew Boyd is likely to start Game 1 of the playoffs.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank is being made to sweat over the fitness of one Spurs star ahead of their vital North London derby clash with Arsenal.

Frank’s side are desperately seeking to end their dismal run against Arsenal and salvage pride in one of English football’s most intense rivalries.

Tottenham have lost seven of the last nine North London derbies, and it’s been 14 years since the Lilywhites last won away to Arsenal in the Premier League. These shocking statistics hang heavy over Frank, who’s faced criticism for Spurs’ lack of creativity in open play this season.

Spurs are also faced with the mountainous task of breaking down a water-tight Arsenal backline which boasts the most superior defensive record in Europe’s top five leagues.

Mikel Arteta’s title chasers went on an historic eight-game run without conceding a single goal before their 2-2 draw with Sunderland, so you could hardly ask for a worse time to come up against Arsenal, who also splashed nearly £270 million on a plethora of new stars in the summer transfer window.

In 65 league visits to Arsenal, Spurs have won only twice, with their rivals triumphing 26 times. Even more concerning, Tottenham have failed to keep a clean sheet in a staggering 25 consecutive Premier League games away to the Gunners, a record that stretches back over a decade, and Arsenal have won 84 matches in the all-time head-to-head compared to Spurs’ 61.

Make no mistake, Arsenal dominate the derby, but there’s real encouragement to be found in Spurs’ overall away record this season.

An excellent run of four wins, one draw and zero defeats outside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has catapulted them to top of the away form table with an average of 2.60 points per game, though Frank will be hoping as many players as possible will be back in contention after a mini-injury crisis.

No other top-flight has more men out of action right now, with as many as 11 sidelined.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

29/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Mohammed Kudus

Knock

23/11/2025

Randal Kolo Muani

Jaw

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

23/11/2025

Lucas Bergvall

Concussion

23/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

23/11/2025

Archie Gray

Calf/Shin/Heel

23/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Star winger Mohammed Kudus missed Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Man United and their 4-0 win over Copenhagen with a knock, with the Ghanaian also not called up for his national team’s friendlies against Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, striker Dominic Solanke is “unlikely” to feature against Arsenal amid his slow recovery from what was once deemed a ‘minor’ ankle problem.

It remains to be seen how long Randal Kolo Muani will be out for too, after he fractured his jaw against United.

Frank sweating over Lucas Bergvall ahead of North London derby after injury setback

There is also the matter of young midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who’s been missing since their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea due to a concussion.

The 19-year-old was sent home from international duty earlier this week after initially being included in Graham Potter’s first ever Sweden squad, with national team official Stefan Pettersson now revealing he was withdrawn due to a ‘setback during training’.

Pettersson, speaking to the media, says they didn’t hesitate sending Bergvall back to N17 after a “reaction” to testing.

The teenager has been a revelation ever since arriving at Tottenham in an £8.5 million deal from Djurgardens.

Bergvall’s managed 60 total appearances for the club already, enjoying a fantastic September with successive Player of the Match awards and his first Premier League goal for the club against West Ham.

Frank’s preferred midfield partnership of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha has largely kept Bergvall out of the starting eleven recently, but the tactician will be hoping that he can upon his fellow Scandinavian from the bench for their all-important clash on enemy turf.

Where will this crucial contest be won and lost?

Sidharth Monga20-May-20252:58

Cricinformed: Bumrah, the gold standard for a T20 bowler

Win the toss by any meansThe toss seems to be worth more at Wankhede Stadium than other venues. The true pitch, the small boundaries and the dew are a nightmare for teams batting first. Among the active IPL venues, Wankhede offers chasing sides the best win-loss ratio in night games over the last five years: 1.8. This year only Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have defended successfully in a night game at Wankhede, scoring 221 and then just scraping home by 12 runs.What do you do if you lose the toss?MI are much more likely to overcome the toss disadvantage. They have the batting to keep hitting through the 20 overs and post a par-plus total. However, they haven’t yet been able to display how it can be done as they haven’t batted first and won a night game at Wankhede this year.They came close the one time they lost the toss, but that was on a seaming pitch. If they play on the same surface as they did against Gujarat Titans (GT), scoring just 155 and then taking the match to the last ball amid rain breaks, MI will back themselves because of a stronger pace attack. Especially given how DC are without Mitchell Starc, they might even want to play on the same track.DC will have a taller order if they have to bat first. They are coming off a match where KL Rahul scored a hundred in a total of 199, which turned out to be inadequate. On the usual flat Mumbai track, DC will have to bat out of their skins to post a challenging total.4:34

Are DC equipped to succeed without Starc?

Promote StubbsIt is not a question of just intent. DC made 56 boundary attempts as against GT’s 44 when they failed to defend 199. The conditions play a big role. The ball stops just a little when the pitch is fresh, but under lights it comes onto the bat beautifully. There are no match-ups or weak links for DC to exploit.The one tweak they could make is promote Tristan Stubbs to No. 3 if the first wicket doesn’t fall early. You can still have Abhishek Porel bat at 3 if the opportunity comes with a lot of powerplay deliveries left, but Stubbs has the highest ceiling among the DC batters after the openers. If DC find themselves batting first, it makes sense to give Stubbs as many deliveries as possible because what looks like a par score is never enough at Wankhede.The Surya-Tilak combinationDC are a rare team whose spinners have done well against Suryakumar Yadav. Axar Patel has gone at under a run a ball, and Kuldeep Yadav got him out the last time he came up against Suryakumar. However, Tilak Varma more than makes up for it with a strike rate of 178 against both of the spinners. We might just see MI promote Tilak if they get off to a good start or Axar bringing himself on should Surya and Rohit Sharma bat together. That is one pairing MI should look to avoid: both go at under a run a ball against Axar and aren’t great against Kuldeep either. Considering spin is DC’s strength, don’t bet against some flexibility in the order should Ryan Rickleton be the first batter dismissed.Target Deepak ChaharMI love to bowl a lot of Deepak Chahar in the powerplay so that they have Boult and Jasprit Bumrah for the death overs. Chahar has never got Rahul out. He has bowled just 11 balls to Faf du Plessis but has gone for 22 runs for no wicket. The best scenario for DC is to attack Chahar, force MI to take him off and make him come back late or make Hardik Pandya bowl those overs.

Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd have been rested for the Nepal series, while Shimron Hetmyer had made himself unavailable

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2025The West Indies team management is looking to expand the bowlers’ pool ahead of the T20 World Cup early next year in India and Sri Lanka.Their next T20I assignment is against Nepal at the end of this month for which the selectors have picked five uncapped players, including legspinner Zishan Motara, left-arm quick Ramon Simmonds and legspin-bowling allrounder Navin Bidaisee, apart from batters Ackeem Auguste and Karima Gore, who played international cricket for USA until 2021 but is yet to get his West Indies cap.They have also picked a support staff heavily stacked with former bowlers to accompany the 15-man squad to Sharjah, with Rayon Griffith as the head coach, Ottis Gibson as fast-bowling consultant, and Nikita Miller and Jerome Taylor as assistant coaches.Related

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“The tour of Nepal is quite strategic for us,” CWI director of cricket Miles Bascombe said in a press meet. “We have recognised that probably over the last few years, our bowling has been a little bit of the Achilles’ heel in our white-ball team. So we have tried to bolster the support for the bowling group.”After touring the UAE, West Indies will tour Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in October and then fly to New Zealand for five T20Is and three ODIs.Full-time head coach Daren Sammy explained that some of the first-choice players like Gudakesh Motie, the second-highest wicket-taker in the ongoing CPL, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd had been rested for the games in Nepal to manage their workloads. Except Shimron Hetmyer, who blew hot and blew cold this CPL and was unavailable for the tour.Ottis Gibson’s presence raises the profile of the West Indies support staff•Getty Images”If you look at the workload of these guys, Rovman for sure, he has been battling a wrist injury that prevented him from playing in the Pakistan series,” Sammy said. “I mean, he pushed it through this CPL. He requested a time off for him to further look at it. Motie and Shepherd, because of their workload over the last few months, we gave them a time off for that. Sherfane was also [rested] because of his workload.”Hetmyer also requested that he was unavailable for that Nepal trip. So again, like I said, it’s not always a bed of roses. Some things we don’t see, but it’s always a challenge. I’ve said that when I call somebody and tell them, ‘you’ve been selected for some of the series’, and I have to ask to everyone, do you accept the selection to play for West Indies? It’s something that I must do because we don’t own the players. We could only select from what’s available to us. Hettie has been one of our promising, talented players from the Under-19 level. However, the scope of things that now… we could only select and hope guys accept this selection. But he’s always available for selection from our side.”Sammy further said that the selectors and coaches also looked at the performers from the inaugural Breakout League – a new T20 league launched earlier this year to spot talent from across the Caribbean – and the CPL to pick fresh players for the upcoming T20Is.Nathan Edward is a rare left-arm quick in West Indies cricket•ICC/Getty Images”You look at the Breakout [League] and again, I will emphasise the need for continued avenues for us to showcase and unearth talent,” he said. “And the Breakout, maybe some people were against it because it was a T20 format, but if you see this year, the amount of players that came through – Bidaisee was one of them that came through and show his skillset in the Breakout. And, he reminds me of Samuel Badree, who probably could bowl in the powerplay, bowl in the middle, very consistent around that good-length area that brings challenges to batsmen.”And two areas that I’ve spoken about in our bowling department in T20s is the need for a wristspinner. And every single team I could remember in World Cup T20 cricket, has had a left-arm seamer. Just the angle they bring and the difficulty, especially in the back-end of an innings, or whether the ability to swing. I don’t think in the history of West Indies cricket we’ve actually even had two left-arm seamers playing together, much less three. And we also, from the Breakout, you see a young Nathan Edward, who’s been quite quality as well. So again, you put that and you’re hoping that one or two will graduate so quickly that they could be into the senior team.”We gave Jediah [Blades] the exposure, but the way Ramon Simmonds has been bowling in all phases of the game gives me, and I’m pretty sure the selection group, confidence. It makes us excited about the prospects, the promise he’s shown. And then to top that, having somebody like an Ottis Gibson working with them, it’s a win-win situation for us. And hopefully that experience that they will gain or learn from getting the skillsets and the technical aspects of fast bowling or seam bowling from Ottis on that short trip could be a step…”Matthew Forde was still not fit to be considered for selection after he dislocated his shoulder in August, which made him miss the ODIs against Pakistan. CWI is, however, hoping he will be “up and running again” by the Bangladesh series.