Mikel Arteta has backed Arsenal centre-back Gabriel to embrace the challenge of going head-to-head with Erling Haaland when the Gunners take on Manchester City in a huge Premier League clash this Sunday. The Brazilian defender and the Norwegian striker have clashed in the past, with their fiery battles becoming a storyline of their rivalry.
Gabriel and Haaland to renew rivalry this Sunday
Gabriel and Haaland have already provided plenty of fireworks in previous meetings, with tempers flaring in both encounters last season. The pair will now renew hostilities as Arsenal welcome Manchester City in what could prove a key early marker in the title race. Haaland, fresh off seven goals in a week for club and country, is expected to be the main threat once again, and Arteta believes that Gabriel is relishing to chance to face off with the Norwegian.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportBrazilian ready for opportunity to face Haaland again
“It’s his qualities,” Arteta said of Gabriel. “One of them is that he can get up to anybody in the world. He’s someone that really enjoys the defensive part, the contact, the physicality. When the game has to get to that part, he enjoys it. That’s a big quality to have and it’s very needed with someone like him [Haaland] as well, who is so physical. You need to have those qualities to be efficient. I think it’s efficiency, the word that you want to use with defenders. In relation to the quality of your opponent, how you’re going to adapt your qualities to resolve a lot of situations. If you don’t have to have any contact and it’s not needed, even better. But Gabi has both, I think.”
Haaland holds chance to derail Arsenal's title hopes early on
Haaland’s explosive return to form makes him the biggest obstacle to Arsenal’s title hopes this weekend. The Norwegian has five goals in four league matches and looks sharper than ever, with Pep Guardiola even suggesting he is at a new peak. For Arsenal, Gabriel’s battle with Haaland could define the contest at the Emirates and send an early signal of their credentials.
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Getty Images SportArsenal and Man City to face off at the Emirates
Arsenal and Manchester City face off in what already feels like a six-pointer. Victory for either side would be a significant boost in the early stages of the title race. All eyes will be on Gabriel and Haaland as they collide once again in one of the league’s fiercest individual duels.
“The body has taken a lot of load at the same time. So we have to manage here and there and see to it that I strategise in terms of how I play”
Vishal Dikshit19-Oct-2024The year 2024 has been like a box of chocolates for Shreyas Iyer. He wouldn’t have known 10 months ago what all he was going to get.He started the year playing Test cricket but was soon dropped from the side during the home England series. When he skipped Ranji Trophy briefly, he lost his BCCI central contract worth INR 3 crore.But he returned to win the Ranji Trophy for Mumbai with a knock of 95 in the final before ending KKR’s ten-year drought by leading them to the title as captain.Related
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Day 2 blog – Centuries for Washington, Iyer
With back issues bothering him at the start of the year, Iyer’s big challenge in this domestic season was to be patient, play long innings and stay fit by playing one red-ball game after another. And in five first-class matches that started with the Duleep Trophy in early September, Iyer began a stretch of four scores of 50 or more in 11 innings that culminated with a Ranji Trophy century against Maharashtra on Saturday – 142 off 190 balls studded with 12 fours and four sixes, including a couple off short balls. It was Iyer’s first century in first-class cricket in nearly three years, since his hundred on Test debut against New Zealand in Kanpur. Iyer says he is “absolutely keen for a comeback” with runs behind him and his back 100% fine.Calling the century “special,” Iyer said: “Coming back after a very long time, obviously I was feeling a bit down with my injuries, but now getting a century after a very long time, it’s a great feeling.”I am absolutely keen for a [Test] comeback but yeah, as we say, control the controllables and my job is to keep performing and keep participating as much as possible and also see with that my body is in best shape. So I’ll take the best decision possible according to that.”Iyer revealed that after his back surgery last year, he went through a phase where he had doubts that the injury might recur. He came back from an injury layoff in the Asia Cup last year that was followed by the ODI World Cup at home before he played the two Tests in South Africa at the turn of the year and then two more against England at home. Iyer had said at the end of IPL 2024 that he was “definitely struggling” with his back in the longer format but “no one was agreeing” when he raised the concern. Does he still feel such doubts about his back creep in sometimes?”Not anymore,” he said. “But there was this phase where I was feeling that it might occur again. But yeah, I trained a lot to see to it that I have optimum fitness and obviously it comes here and there, but now my capacity has improved a lot.”Shreyas Iyer: ‘I am absolutely keen for a [Test] comeback but yeah, as we say, control the controllables’•PTI And how did he get his body there?”Training. Yeah, obviously I improved my long-distance running and that’s what I wanted to. You know, increase my patience as well in terms of the longer format and according to that I was training. [I did] intensive training like I was stressing up my body, like pushing my body 400-800 meters of running and I was trying to push my limits and seeing to it that I was at the best fitness possible.[Earlier], even when I would sit for long, stand for long, the back would get stiff automatically and yeah, basically that’s what I wanted to improve on.”Did the fitness issues and how he thought “nobody was agreeing,” create an inaccurate perception about him for Test cricket?”See, I had addressed my feeling during the longer format and things didn’t go my way,” he said, implying that he was willing to put it behind him. “But I’ve also addressed it in the previous interviews I’ve given and I’m in a good space right now. I’m doing what I’m meant to do, that is training and playing matches consistently and I feel that all the matches I’ve played right now in the past have helped me gain that fitness level as well, along with my training.”Playing his sixth first-class match in a row in the last six weeks, Iyer said, “The body has taken a lot of load at the same time. So we have to manage here and there and see to it that I strategise in terms of how I play. Now I have to be smart in terms of what decisions I take, I need to see to it that my body is in the best shape possible. As I mentioned previously as well, I have to decide according to that, no matter whatever people think outside. I have to listen to my body because I know the amount of threshold carried over the last few years and based on that, I’ll be taking the right decision, and I hope that my team will also back [that].”
“You win three championships in a year, and what else can you ask for? All I see is the positive things over here and that is winning the trophy and that’s what I want.”Shreyas Iyer on missing out on India A squad for the Australia tour
Iyer further said that coming back from injury for the longer format, he also had to change the way he approached the red-ball format. Iyer faced 190 deliveries during his knock spread across Friday and Saturday, and the last time he consumed as many deliveries in first-class cricket was back in December 2022 in Chattogram, scoring a patient 86 off 192 in the first innings of the first Test. Since then, there were only two occasions when Iyer faced over 100 deliveries in a first-class innings in 28 attempts.”Nowadays when the teams come up, they straightaway put a defensive field right from ball one,” he said. “So I was just trying to take some time, in between trying to play more balls than scoring shots, so that was my plan. Play session by session and try to see how much my body can take. When I said that I played a few matches in the past, that was the reason where I got to know that I can smash every ball, but at the same time I have to bat longer if I want my body to be ready for any situation provided by the opposition. And yeah, we faced many challenges in the past.”Like even in the previous match, Baroda gave us a rank-turner and they performed brilliantly and we were put under the pump. So you know, different occasions, different demands and we have to see to it that we are in the best mindset possible.”After the game against Maharashtra, Iyer will play three more league games Mumbai are slotted to play this year before the Ranji Trophy season will be paused for the 50-over and 20-over white-ball tournaments. It might be a little far-fetched to say that Iyer will be a strong contender for the Australia tour, having not been named in the India A squad for the two red-ball games starting October 31.Does Iyer feel he has had a mixed bag of chocolates this year?”You win three championships in a year, and what else can you ask for? All I see is the positive things over here and that is winning the trophy and that’s what I want.”
تحدث البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك، عن مباراة الفريق القادمة ضد الجونة، كما أكد خروج أي لاعب من حساباته إذا كان يفكر في لقاء القمة أمام الأهلي.
ويلتقي الزمالك مع الجونة، مساء الثلاثاء المقبل، في الجولة الثامنة من بطولة الدوري المصري، ثم سيكون لقاء الجولة التاسعة أمام النادي الأهلي في قمة مرتقبة.
وقال فيريرا خلال المؤتمر الصحفي قبل المباراة اليوم: “كل تركيزنا في الوقت الحالي على مباراة الجونة، وقادرون على التعامل مع الغيابات سواء محمود حمدي الونش أو محمود بنتايج أو خوان بيزيرا”.
وأضاف: “نعمل على تجهيز اللاعبين من الناحية البدنية، وخضوعهم لعملية الاستشفاء البدني والذهني في ظل ضغط المباريات وضيق الوقت بين كل مباراة وأخرى”.
طالع أيضًا.. خاص | سبب استبعاد شيكو بانزا من مباريات الزمالك
وتابع: “المنظومة الدفاعية للزمالك تؤدي بشكل رائع، والعمل الجماعي وراء الحفاظ على نظافة الشباك في أكثر من مباراة”.
ورفض المدير الفني الربط بين مباراة الجونة ولقاء القمة أمام الأهلي، مضيفاً: “علينا التفكير في كل مباراة على حدة، وهي سياسة الجهاز الفني منذ بداية الموسم وإلى نهايته”.
وواصل: “إذا شعرت أن أي لاعب يفكر في مباراة القمة من الآن لن يكون في حساباتي، وتركيزنا في مباراة الجونة الآن ولا غيرها”.
واختتم فيريرا تصريحاته: “جماهير الزمالك تجعلني مستمتعًا بما يقدموه وهناك أعداد كبيرة تحضر في كل المباريات، ونشعر لهم بالامتنان، وعلينا أن نشكرهم بتقديم أفضل ما لدينا في كل المباريات وأن نؤدي ما علينا بكامل طاقتنا”.
ويتصدر نادي الزمالك، جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 16 نقطة، بعد مرور 7 جولات، إذا فاز في 5 مباريات وتعادل في واحدة وخسر في لقاء.
Chelsea are mounting a serious push to sign a “mature” player who’s also a wanted man at Liverpool, with Enzo Maresca looking to shore up a key area of the squad which could be central to a major overhaul.
Maresca’s side are currently in the midst of an intriguing Club World Cup campaign after a long campaign, and they’ll face-off against Portuguese heavyweights Benfica in the last 16 after luckily avoiding Bayern Munich in the next round.
Player left "very surprised" by Chelsea decision with five-man sale possible
The west Londoners have U-turned over giving him a chance under Maresca.
1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 25, 2025
The CWC is a controversial talking point given the clubs taking part will have precious little rest before the start of preparations for next season, but Chelsea are reportedly determined to win the tournament, especially with the significant prize money on offer for the victors.
Cole Palmer
7.33
Moises Caicedo
7.02
Enzo Fernández
6.95
Nicolas Jackson
6.88
Noni Madueke
6.82
via WhoScored
They’ve already pocketed £8.8 million in performance-related prize money after winning two of their opening three games, and if they get past Benfica, Chelsea will receive another £10.1 million (Standard Sport) – taking their total windfall from the CWC to nearly £20 million, plus their participation fee.
This kind of cash could do wonders to assist Chelsea’s recruitment drive whilst helping them comfortably avoid the PSR threshold, with Maresca reportedly keen to sign a new centre-back alongside wingers and a striker.
Their backline could look very different by the commencement of 2025/2026 in particular, as journalist Graeme Bailey recently reported. It is apparently very possible Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga could all be sold before deadline day, with Chelsea having their eyes on firmly on Ajax defensive starlet Jorrel Hato, among others.
The versatile centre-back/left-back could upgrade the heart of Maresca’s defence whilst providing adept cover for Marc Cucurella, and he could be available for just £40 million.
Chelsea have held talks with Ajax over signing Hato, according to journalist Simon Phillips, and they’re still very much in pursuit of his signature.
Chelsea "pushing" to sign Jorrel Hato
As per Bailey, speaking to TBR Football in an update, both Arsenal and Liverpool are big fans of the Netherlands international, and Arteta’s side have been following him since his early teens.
However, Chelsea are “pushing hard” for Hato, so it could be the west Londoners who reign supreme in the race for his signature.
“We know that Chelsea are pushing hard to sign Hato and Liverpool still really like him. But I think Arsenal would be annoyed if they didn’t get Hato considering how much work they’ve been putting in,” said Bailey.
“Arsenal have been chasing Hato since he was around 14 or 15 years old, so I think there is a bit of confidence there. They want to sell Zinchenko to make room for Hato and then we still expect Kiwior to go as well.
“There will be plenty of room in that squad for Hato who is able to play a variety of roles.”
England international and ex-Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson knows his Ajax teammate very well, calling Hato “very mature” for his age and tipping him for a bright future.
“It’s crazy how young he is, but obviously how mature he looks when he’s on the pitch and also off the pitch,” he told Ajax’s official website, via the Liverpool Echo.
“He’s a very mature person. Works hard. Fantastic player. And yeah, he has a bright future ahead of him, I’m sure.”
Tamim questions team selection and calls for better batting surfaces to be produced back home
Mohammad Isam22-Jun-20240:54
Tamim: Bangladesh’s approach in the chase was disappointing
Bangladesh’s two most high-profile cricketers, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, were left disappointed with the team’s lack of intent against India in their T20 World Cup 2024 Super Eight game in Antigua.Shakib made 11 off seven balls having arrived at the crease in the 12th over with Bangladesh needing 121 runs at 14.23 per over. He rued the team’s lack of fight in the business end of the tournament as they made below-par scores of 140 for 8 and 146 for 8 against Australia and India respectively. The Bangladesh top order’s continued poor form hasn’t improved even on the Antigua pitches where batting is seemingly easier than on most surfaces in this tournament. Shakib said that they couldn’t even show their intent of wanting chasing India’s 196 runs in this game.”We have a 50 percent win rate in this World Cup but if we had fought against India and Australia the way we fought against South Africa, we could have called it a good World Cup campaign,” Shakib said. “We are short of runs as a batting unit. We made 140 in the last game, 146 today. We should have done better today since we had a target in front of us. We couldn’t even show it to people that we were trying [to chase the target] today. I don’t think the confidence was there. We have lacked in this area throughout the World Cup.Related
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“You have to bring your A-game against teams like Australia and India. I think we lacked in skill and strength. We couldn’t do the basics for longer periods to create pressure. Throughout this World Cup, I don’t think we justified ourselves as a batting unit. We are capable of scoring big runs. We were well short of par scores like 175-185 in the last two games, both played on good wickets. Maybe India scored 20 more runs today but we have to show the intent from the start of the innings. I don’t think it was there.”Tamim, in his capacity as an expert for ESPNcricinfo, said after the match that Bangladesh’s lack of intent with the bat surprised him against India. “[Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh’s captain] said that he should have finished the game but Bangladesh never got close in this contest. I didn’t understand why he would say that. Bangladesh’s batting has disappointed in this whole tournament. The think-tank really needs to think about how they will go from here on.”When your batters are scoring runs, you are confident that your batting line-up can chase down a total like 160 or 170. When you know that your batting is struggling, it surprised me that [Bangladesh] decided to bowl first. Couple of their decisions have surprised me in this game. Fingers will be pointed.”Tamim added that the Bangladesh team management’s decision to leave out Taskin Ahmed against India, bringing in the extra batter in Jaker Ali, left him surprised. Taskin had gone for some runs against Australia, but he is the team’s vice-captain, and someone looked upon as the bowling attack leader.”I was very surprised why Taskin didn’t play. Both the spinners went for plenty of runs. There was a time when India were in a bit of bother losing back-to-back wickets to Tanzim [Hasan Sakib]. If Taskin was there as an extra fast bowler, Bangladesh could have attacked India more. We know about Shivam Dube’s short-ball weakness. Taskin had the pace to use those tactics against him.”Mustafizur Rahman had an off-day with the ball•Associated Press
Tamim also felt that not giving the new ball to Mustafizur Rahman was a missed opportunity to take on Rohit Sharma’s talked-about weakness against left-arm pace, while he also felt that Tanzim could have been allowed to continue with the new ball because he was handling it well in the previous matches.”Everyone is talking about Rohit Sharma having a little weakness against left-arm fast bowling. It plays on the player’s mind when he is taking on a similar bowler in the game. Bangladesh had an opportunity to start with the left-arm seamer, just to have a look. India might have scored 196, but Rohit’s start was very important for India. That’s how momentum comes.”Tanzim did well with the new ball in the previous matches. He didn’t get the new ball today. Why do you have to change the whole setup for somebody else and even when someone is doing exceptionally well?”Dropping Taskin was mainly to boost the flagging batting line-up. It has been problematic for a long time, but since coming to North America last month, the top-order has caved against most bowling attacks. Shakib said that Bangladesh has a general batting tendency to do better on tricky wickets rather than on good batting pitches.”We don’t really do well when we play on flat wickets that produce 180-200 runs,” Shakib said. “We play better on wickets that produce 130-150 runs. That’s what we are familiar with. Apart from one game in BPL this year, our local batters haven’t really chased big runs. It remains our weakness.”Tamim further explained that the Bangladesh batters aren’t used to good batting wickets for many years. He said that they play on slow and low surfaces back home where they play most of their cricket, so when they encounter good ones in ICC tournaments, they get caught out not knowing what to do.”Bangladesh [usually] play in difficult wicket for batters. They also can’t start scoring runs freely when you put them in a very good wicket. You need to know how to score runs even on a good wicket. You need to know your limitations on which shots to play. I think there should be a long-term plan where Bangladesh should play on good wickets. They don’t get it in Mirpur.”Tamim said that even their marquee T20 tournament, the Bangladesh Premier League, failed to produce exciting cricket due to the nature of the pitches in the country. He said that the win-first (at home) nature of Bangladesh cricket has left the batters in the lurch.He suggested being patient with better pitches so that the batters can improve while the bowlers also pick up how to bowl on good batting surfaces.”BPL is a fantastic tournament but we couldn’t get wickets that excited the crowds. The last two years, scores have been higher. Teams are chasing 170-180, but we are so result-oriented in Bangladesh. If we have a very good wicket in the first game, the moment we lose that game, people are trying to make a spin-friendly track. I think not only players and coaches, the board also has to come out of that mentality. Let us lose for another six months, but let’s prepare wickets where bowlers and batters can learn. I think this is the only way forward for Bangladesh cricket.”
The 2025/26 campaign will be all change for Wolverhampton Wanderers. After a strong end to last season for Vitor Pereira’s side, the Old Gold promptly lost their two biggest names, Matheus Cunha, who switched to Manchester United and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who joined their rivals, Manchester City.
Now, the West Midlands side will have to recruit well and pick themselves up to build on what was an impressive end to the season. Under Pereira, they went from relegation candidates to one of the inform sides, going unbeaten in eight of the final 11 top-flight games.
The transfer window reopens on Monday, giving Wolves the chance to reshape their squad ahead of a huge campaign in 2025/26. Here is a look at their dream lineup next season, with some of those potential new additions.
1 GK – Jose Sa
The man between the sticks once again next term for the Old Gold will surely be Jose Sa. The Portugal international just won the Nations League for the second time with his country, and will surely be hoping to carry that form into the new Premier League season.
Last campaign, Sa started off shakily and was actually dropped from the starting lineup by former boss Gary O’Neil. However, his performances picked up, and he ended the season with seven clean sheets to his name in 29 games.
2 CB – Santiago Bueno
Santiago Bueno
Santiago Bueno’s future at Molineux isn’t as clear-cut as others in this side. Wolves may well recruit at centre-back, but with the need to replace Cunha and Ait-Nouri, they might not have the money left over.
The Uruguay international played 29 games in the Premier League last season, but his involvement definitely decreased under Pereira. However, his performance at Old Trafford at the end of the campaign was described as “assured” by journalist Liam Keen. Perhaps the new boss will have seen enough promise in that to show faith.
3 CB – Toti
Toti Gomes warming up for Wolverhampton Wanderers.
A key man at the back for the Old Gold last season was Toti, and it seems like he will be one of their first-choice defenders again in 2025/26. His role in this side is as the central centre-back in Pereira’s back-three system.
Last season, Toti, who has also played international football for Portugal, made 31 Premier League appearances. He also captained the side in their penultimate game of the season, showing excellent leadership skills and trust from the manager.
4 CB – Emmanuel Agbadou
A January addition for the Old Gold, Emmanuel Agbadou, was impressive during his first few months in the Premier League. He played 18 times in all competitions, helping his side to five clean sheets and even managing to get himself on the scoresheet.
He has certainly made a great impression during his short stint in the West Midlands. Journalist Nathan Judah said he was “one of the signings of the season” before going on to say that “he looks so comfortable” playing in the English top flight. A great start to life at Molineux.
5 RWB – Nelson Semedo
It is imperative for Wolves that they manage to keep Nelson Semedo at Molineux this summer. The club “have made an offer” to their captain, with his contract set to expire in a few months time. They can’t afford to lose such an experienced player.
Semedo was crucial for both O’Neil and Pereira last term, taking over the captaincy halfway through and dealing with that situation admirably. He played 34 Premier League games and grabbed four assists. Given this is a dream lineup, let’s assume he chooses to stay in the West Midlands. He would certainly be a huge loss.
6 CM – Andre
After his summer move to Molineux from Fluminense last summer, Andre really grew into his role in that Wolves midfield. Football analyst Ben Mattinson said he “quietly had a really good season” for the Old Gold, praising him for his technical ability in possession. As per FBref, he averaged 3.96 progressive passes per game, highlighting exactly what Mattinson meant.
In total, the Brazilian, who is a full international for his country, made 33 Premier League appearances last season. He played 90 minutes on 11 occasions under Pereira, showing just how much he trusts the midfielder.
7 CM – Joao Gomes
Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes
The other half of Wolves’ Brazilian pivot is Joao Gomes. The former Flamengo man was a key member of the Old Gold midfield, playing 36 games and using his extra attacking responsibility well, scoring three goals and grabbing an assist.
If some of Andre’s statistics stand out, then Gomes’ certainly do. He played the most progressive passes among his teammates last season, with 165, and topped the charts for tackles and interceptions, with 141, just pipping Andre in second, who notched up 128. That is a midfield pairing that will be crucial to Wolves’ success next season.
Gomes key stats in 2024/25 PL season vs teammates
Stat
Gomes number
Rank vs teammates
Progressive passes
165
1st
Passes into final third
122
1st
Tackles and interceptions
141
1st
Ball recoveries
200
1st
Progressive carries
59
4th
Stats from FBref
8 LWB – Gerard Martin
Finally, we reach the first new signing of this Wolves dream lineup. That man is Barcelona left-back Gerard Martin. According to a report from one Spanish news outlet, the Old Gold have ‘expressed interest’ in signing Martin this summer. They suggest that an offer of £10m or more would be enough to convince the La Liga champions to sell him.
Make no mistake about it, Martin would have a tough job on his hands, replacing Ait-Nouri, “the best left back” in the Premier League, according to Wolves man Jean-Ricner Bellegarde. However, he has been in and around a fantastic environment at Barca, and played an important role under Hansi Flick last term.
In total, the 23-year-old featured 42 times for the club last season, grabbing three assists, including two against Inter in the Champions League semi-final. With the quality of delivery on show from Martin, it surely showcases just how deadly he can be as a wing-back.
9 RAM – Bilal El Khannouss
Leicester City's BilalElKhannoussin action
The second new signing in this dream Wolves side is Leicester City star Bilal El Khannouss. GiveMeSport reported at the end of May that the Old Gold ‘have set their sights on making a move’ for the Morocco star ‘as a direct replacement for Cunha’. It is a deal that could cost them upwards of £22m.
Replacing Cunha will obviously be no easy task for whoever Wolves sign this summer, but perhaps El Khannouss is the best man for the job. After all, he is a “magician” according to football scout Antonio Mango, and that is what they are surely looking for.
At just 21 years of age, it was a seamless adaptation to the Premier League for the Morocco international last season. The Foxes’ attacking midfielder scored twice and grabbed three assists in 32 Premier League games last season, including a winning goal away to Tottenham Hotspur.
10 CF – Jorgen Strand Larsen
Jorgen Strand Larsen’s silky link-up play, which should combine superbly with El Khannouss, will still make for a great watch. Last term, he played 21 key passes in the Premier League.
The Norway star will join the club permanently after he made 35 appearances in the Premier League, enough to trigger the buy clause. In that time, he was sensational, with 14 goals and four assists, showing some of the aforementioned link-up play. Pereira will hope he can continue that excellent form into next season.
Manchester United fell to a 1-0 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, in what was their 18th defeat in what has been a Premier League season to forget.
Marc Cucurella’s second-half header from Reece James’ cross was enough to secure all three points for the hosts, subsequently bolstering their Champions League ambitions.
Harry Maguire thought he had put Ruben Amorim’s men ahead early on, but his fine finish was ruled out after being adjudged to have been in a slight offside position.
The defeat isn’t the end of the world for the Red Devils, with full focus on next week’s Europa League final, coming through the meeting with no new injury concerns.
However, the manager will likely be disappointed by the performances of multiple first-team starters in West London, putting their starting roles at risk for the European final.
Man Utd’s poor performers against Chelsea
Defender Luke Shaw has been injured for the majority of the campaign, but boss Amorim handed him a start from the off, looking to stake his claim for a place in his plans next season.
However, the 29-year-old struggled to make a positive impact at the Bridge, failing to win a single tackle, whilst losing possession four times – ultimately looking like a shadow of his former self.
He wasn’t alone in failing to impress, with striker Rasmus Hojlund once again unable to deliver the goods in attacking areas, registering a measly tally of just 26 touches during his 90-minute display.
He also lost possession a staggering 13 times, losing every ground duel he entered and failed to register an effort on goal – with Amorim desperately needing to offload the Danish international this summer.
The pair ultimately weren’t at a level good enough to hand the manager a reason to start the Europa League final, with another player needing to be dropped for the crunch clash with Tottenham Hotspur.
5/10 Man United dud must be axed for Europa League final
The Europa League final hands United a chance to end what has been a dismal campaign on a high, securing another trophy and a place in the Champions League for 2025/26.
Manchester United manager RubenAmorimbefore the match
Amorim will have the opportunity to land his first title after his appointment at Old Trafford back in November, potentially being a key step in his tenure at the club.
However, if they are to win such a meeting against fellow Premier League opposition, they will need to be at the top of their game – something which they haven’t been for many months.
The manager will likely have numerous selection headaches ahead of the meeting in Bilbao, but Noussair Mazraoui should be one player who’s not included in the starting eleven after his display against Chelsea.
The Moroccan international operated in a right-wing-back role against Maresca’s men and struggled to have the desired impact at both ends of the pitch. While he’s often demonstrated he’s one of Erik ten Hag’s best signings this term, notably ranking second in the club’s Player of the Season rankings, his form has fallen off, perhaps due to fatigue.
He featured for the entirety of the contest on Friday, only completing 77% of the passes he attempted, whilst being unable to complete any dribbles and unable to aid players in the final third.
However, out of possession, he was just as poor, often being unable to prevent winger Noni Madueke from gliding past him into attacking areas.
Minutes played
90
Touches
68
Passes completed
33/43 (77%)
Dribbles completed
0
Aerial duels won
2/4 (50%)
Possession lost
13x
Crosses completed
0
Mazraoui only made one block, and won just 50% of the aerial duels he entered, struggling to match the high standards he set for himself in the early stages of the season.
As a result of his showing, the full-back was handed a measly 5/10 match rating by GOAL journalist Richard Martin – highlighting his lack of impact during the defeat.
It’s evident that he’s not the player to operate at wing-back, undoubtedly being more comfortable in a centre-back role, with the manager needing to drop him for the final next week.
Such a showing will hand the manager a decision to make in wide areas, but unfortunately for the former Bayern Munich ace, it was an evening to forget and one that could put his place in the side at risk.
Man Utd's own Frimpong: INEOS plotting move to sign "phenomenal" £30m star
Manchester United could be about to land a star who could nail down one key position in Ruben Amorim’s squad.
With how poorly this season has gone for Tottenham Hotspur, this summer is set to be a seismic one.
Regardless of whether Ange Postecoglou is still the manager, the squad needs a sizable overhaul, which means Daniel Levy and Co need to get ready to spend.
However, it’s not just incomings that could shape the squad, as reports linking Cristian Romero with an exit seem to be never-ending at present.
Fortunately, if the World Cup winner is sold, it would appear that the club have already identified someone who’d be a dream replacement.
Tottenham transfer news
Before we get to the player in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other exciting players Spurs have been linked with in recent weeks, such as Jobe Bellingham.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The Sunderland star, and younger brother of Jude Bellingham, is supposedly available for around £20m this summer, and with former professional Adrian Clarke claiming he possesses a “Dele Alli-style” in the way he plays, he could be a perfect addition to the club’s growing crop of promising youngsters.
However, the North Londoners will also need first-team quality, which would explain the resurfacing links to the £60m Eberechi Eze.
The Crystal Palace maestro has enjoyed another strong season south of the river this year and has a tally of six goals and 11 assists in 33 games.
With that said, if the stories about Romero’s potential exit are true, who’s the signing who could come in as an ideal replacement?
Well, that would be Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen, as, according to a recent report from The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the North Londoners are one of several sides keen on the Spaniard.
In fact, alongside Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Newcastle United, the Lilywhites have already made contact over the player.
AFC Bournemouth's DeanHuijsenduring the warm up before the match
However, on top of getting ahead of the pack, Levy and Co will need to stump up £50m to activate the 19-year-old’s release clause.
It would be a complicated and costly transfer to get over the line, but given Huijsen’s immense ability and sky-high potential, one well worth fighting for, especially as he’d be a perfect Romero replacement.
Why Huisjen would be an ideal Romero replacement
So, the first thing to say is that, in an ideal world, Spurs would be able to keep hold of Romero and sign Huisjen as well, but if the former is to leave, there are a few reasons why the latter would be a perfect replacement.
Bournemouth's DeanHuijsencelebrates after the match
The first is that he’s already the ideal blend of youth and experience, as at 19 years old, there is a good eight years until he hits the peak age for centre-backs, per research from The Athletic, but at the same time, he already has a decent amount of first-team experience.
For example, this season alone has seen him make 29 appearances for the Cherries, of which 24 have been starts, and in those, he’s scored twice and provided an assist.
Furthermore, the “phenomenal” Amsterdam-born monster, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has already won two senior caps for Spain and even started in the second leg of the Nations League quarter-final against the Netherlands.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, when you compare the teenager’s underlying numbers to Romero’s, he comes out on top in most metrics, including but not limited to actual and expected non-penalty goals plus assists, progressive passes and carries, key passes, aerial duels won, shot-creating actions, interceptions, blocks and more, all per 90.
Non-Penalty Expected G+As
0.17
0.13
Non-Penalty G+As
0.14
0.07
Progressive Passes
4.42
4.01
Progressive Carries
1.49
0.85
Passing Accuracy
83.6%
89.0%
Key Passes
0.63
0.42
Shot-Creating Actions
1.68
1.19
Goal-Creating Actions
0.14
0.14
Tackles
1.49
2.25
Blocks
1.54
1.20
Interceptions
2.16
1.34
Clearances
6.88
3.38
Ball Recoveries
4.18
5.42
Aerial Duels Won
2.74
2.39
Ultimately, while Romero remains a superb defender, Huijseni is not far off him, so even if the Argentine isn’t sold this summer, Spurs should do all they can to sign the Spanish international.
4/10 Spurs star is now in real danger of becoming their next Dele
Spurs drew 1-1 at home to Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League
This is a team heading into transition. While the players who built India’s invincibility at home are still around, let’s celebrate what they have achieved instead of chastising them for how it ended
Sidharth Monga27-Oct-20241:13
How much will this defeat hurt India?
Don’t cry it’s over. Rejoice it happened. One of the great runs in our sport has come to an end. It spanned three captaincies (four if you count Ajinkya Rahane), three coaches (four if you count the two staggered Ravi Shastri stints separately), and survived batting and fast-bowling transitions. It was so long that the current coach was a player when India last lost a series at home. In between he made a Test comeback, won an IPL, served a term as a Member of Parliament, mentored two IPL teams, won another IPL title as a mentor, and is now back as India’s coach.While also being at their best-ever when travelling, India took their home dominance to such extremes that winning a Test series in India became more difficult than winning a World Cup of either format or a World Test Championship. The world just didn’t have the depth to match the sides India played at home. You could outscore their top order – which teams did for varying lengths of time – but the allrounders, also two of the best spin bowlers of all time, always pulled India out of holes of varying sizes. Batters will tell you just how much risk taking even a single involved when the ball was turning and R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja at their prime bowled with 6-3 or 7-2 fields.On the final day of this streak, the two allrounders took one final stand, triggering a 5-for-24 collapse with the ball, batting with each other for 12.3 calm overs, giving us time to go over the wonderful memories created over the period. It is hard to ignore, though, that the final nail was nailed in in a Test in which Ashwin and Jadeja were outbowled by two spinners who entered the match with two first-class five-fors between them.Related
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Far be it for anyone to suggest that this golden age is over, but these players are not going to get fundamentally better from here. Father time is at work. Come next year, this same set of players will start as favourites at home, and will most likely win again, but you can’t wish away transition. Virat Kohli has averaged 32 over the last five years. He will be 36 before he takes the plane to Australia. He still might find an Indian Summer, but there likely won’t be a fresh summer. The same goes for Rohit Sharma, Ashwin and Jadeja.It’s not like the signs haven’t been there. Pune was India’s fifth Test defeat at home since 2021. In the previous seven years, they had lost just one at home. The need for rescue acts from the allrounders had increased. Jadeja started missing Tests with various injuries. Ashwin’s lengths have not been as exacting as they earlier were. This series defeat was a freight train coming, which just happened to gather speed at an unexpected time.The weather in Bengaluru turned at the right times for the opposition, New Zealand lost a good toss to lose and won a good toss to win, and boom… It didn’t even take two excellent spinners bowling in tandem, which was considered the bare minimum to beat India in India. The previous series defeat at home came to Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar, aided by James Anderson’s reverse swing. Panesar was temperamental but he was good when he was good. A Sreesanth if you will. High ceiling. Here New Zealand rocked up casually after a 2-0 wipeout in Sri Lanka, didn’t play any warm-up game, and we thought we knew the ceiling of Steady Santner. It is a bit like The Undertaker dropping his Wrestlemania streak to a part-timer.Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been key cogs in several of India’s successes over the last decade•AFP/Getty ImagesIn a way, this result is good for the new spinners and batters who will carry India in two-three years’ time. A streak won’t be their burden to carry. But the administration and the players will do well to learn the commitment it took to build this empire. Ashwin is not the fittest athlete going around, but he never missed a single home Test. Jadeja only started missing the odd Test after 2020. That Kuldeep Yadav, who should be the spin leader for a few years, did not or wasn’t made to sort out his chronic left groin issue between the T20 World Cup and now smacks of complacency on both the player’s and the administration’s part.Transitions are tricky. Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar have the unenviable job of getting in new players who will learn from the experience of these stalwarts, and have a formidable team ready by the time Australia come to India for a five-Test series in January 2027. Skill might not be an issue in this massive country, but game awareness, when to attack and when to weather a storm, preparedness, body management, all needs to be learned. While also managing two massive tours of Australia and England in the coming 12 months, tours that can turn ugly in no time if the injured Mohammed Shami is not adequately replaced.It will be a bittersweet morning after for the players. They will be proud of the streak, but will also be asking themselves if it could have been extended. Even those who were not a part of the losing side: Cheteshwar Pujara, Rahane, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Shami and others who played smaller roles.Spare a thought for Ashwin, Jadeja and Kohli, constants throughout the streak. Professional rivals in many ways who came together beautifully. Ashwin having a go at Anderson because he took the captain’s name in vain. Kohli building up pressure for Ashwin by not letting one ball pass through him at short straight midwicket. Younger, quicker men didn’t have that intuition to move the right way whenever Kohli missed a match. Ashwin and Jadeja gradually learning to admire each other despite being two completely different persons.Now they will listen to their bodies a little more closely and decide when to completely pass the torch. Agarkar will have to be as ruthless as he was with Pujara and Rahane. Batters will be more dispensable than bowlers, but also likelier to make comebacks at an advanced age. A few emotional years await Indian cricket. Savour every last bit of it.
There were several questions floating around about his methods against West Indies at Perth Stadium, but once again he got the job done in extraordinary manner
Alex Malcolm04-Dec-2022Spin to win in Perth? It’s almost blasphemous to say it out loud. The home of some of the fastest and bounciest pitches in the world, built on the mythical Harvey River clay from Waroona in southwest Western Australia that sets like concrete in the baking WA sun.But Perth Stadium’s drop-in pitches, built in the mould of the WACA, the place that still adorns Dennis Lillee’s name, have been manna from heaven for Nathan Lyon as Australia’s offspinner once again spun them to victory, by six wickets against West Indies, in the fourth innings of a Perth Test match.Related
Lyon continues outstanding Perth record with six to secure victory
Lyon crept past R Ashwin to climb to eighth on the all-time Test wickets-takers list with 446. That he went past Ashwin is a fascinating talking point, and Ashwin could well reclaim higher ground on that list at some point.But what is truly mind-blowing is Lyon’s record at Perth Stadium. In three matches there he has collected 22 wickets at 18.45, striking every 42.4 deliveries. But in the fourth innings of those three matches he has spun Australia to victory each time having taken three, four and six wickets in each individual fourth innings at an average 17.69 overall, striking every 38.9 deliveries.Throughout this six-wicket haul against West Indies, there was a chorus of voices from the various broadcast boxes questioning Lyon’s methods. He was bowling too fast, too straight and from too wide on the crease for some of their liking. Former WA offspinner Bruce Yardley, who took 126 Test wickets for Australia including 19 at the WACA ground at 25.73, striking at 62.7, used to get tight to the stumps with a side-on action, flight the ball slower above the eyes and curve it away on the Fremantle doctor (Perth’s southwesterly breeze) to pitch wide of off to the right-handers and spin the ball back or slide it on with the arm. Those of Yardley’s generation and those who were coached by his generation cannot compute what Lyon is doing.Lyon’s six wickets came with deliveries at speeds of 90.7kph, 89, 90.2, 98, 86.2 and 87.7. Two hit off stump. The other four were on the stumps. Of those four, three asked questions of the batter’s defence as they were caught on the crease trying to determine how much it would spin and bounce. Some were beaten on the inside by balls that spun, others on the outside by balls that slid on, but none had the time to adjust and play him off the pitch. The other was Roston Chase, who tried to go aerial but got nowhere near the pitch of it, because of the speed and drop, and dragged a catch to deep midwicket.Chase recognised what Lyon was able to do having 23 balls from him during his 85-ball 55, and having bowled 37 overs of offspin on the same Perth pitch for figures of 1 for 171.”Once I saw what he did in their first innings bowling I just tried to emulate that and bowl a bit quicker, put a little more pace on the ball along with some revs on in the second innings,” Chase said.”As the wicket deteriorated, I thought he was trying to use the rough a little bit more to put doubt in the batter’s mind. But the wicket didn’t really offer much spin. So I think it was kind of easy. Although he still got six wickets, I didn’t think that it was that hard to really bat [against] him in terms of the ball spinning on bouncing as he usually has it throughout his career. But he’s still got six wickets. So, kudos to him.”That is Lyon’s skill now. He can create deception on a surface which is offering very little assistance to him. It is a skill his team-mates and particularly his captain Pat Cummins appreciates.”I think he’s got plenty of different tricks now,” Cummins said. “He’s obviously always had a really good offspinner but the way he moves around the crease. You saw him bowl over the wicket, around the wicket a lot.”Felt like he could beat them on the outside of the bat or he could bring bat pad into play. He just feels like he’s got a few different ways he can get a batter out and he’s happy chopping and changing between them, perhaps more than early on in his career.”One thing he’s always been good at but continues to get better and better is he can bowl 25-30 quality overs in a day and there aren’t many bowlers in the world that can do that.”Lyon will continue to have his doubters, those that point to his recent fourth innings against India in 2021 in Sydney and Brisbane, or 2022 against England in Sydney and against Pakistan in Karachi where he was unable to spin Australia across the line.Like spin to win in Perth, there will be those who believe that comparisons to Ashwin are blasphemous given Ashwin’s far superior Test average and strike rate. There is no debate that Ashwin’s record leaves Lyon’s in the dust in Asia. But in fourth innings in Australia, South Africa, England and New Zealand, Ashwin averages 34.70 and strikes at 95.9 compared to Lyon’s average of 29.87 and strike rate of 64.7.Both men are one-of-a-kind and incomparable to each other. But Lyon’s performance in Perth and his record at Perth Stadium should be appreciated for what it is: simply extraordinary.