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CA said the incident occurred when the players were walking to a cafe on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Oct-2025Two Australian players were “touched inappropriately” by a motorcyclist in Indore, where they played South Africa in their final league game of the Women’s World Cup on Saturday. The incident occurred while the players were walking to a cafe on Thursday, the morning after Australia’s victory against England in Indore.”CA can confirm two members of the Australian Women’s team were approached and touched inappropriately by a motorcyclist while walking to a cafe in Indore,” Cricket Australia said in a statement. “The matter was reported by team security to police, who are handling the matter.”Rajesh Dandotiya, the additional district commissioner of police, Indore crime branch, said they had made an arrest. “The security in-charge manager of the Australian team registered a complaint about inappropriate behaviour against two players. We carried out an intensive strategic operation and arrested the culprit, Aqeel. He belongs to Khajrana but now lives in Azad Nagar. He has an old criminal record.”The Indore Police Commissionerate held a meeting with the stakeholders, BCCI and MPCA, after which security protocols were put in place. We are examining where the security protocol was breached. The incident happened on October 23 around 11am and within the next six hours, we carried out an intensive strategic operation and arrested the culprit. The incident happened when they were headed to a cafe from hotel Radisson.”Devajit Saikia, BCCI secretary, described the incident as “very condemnable” and assured to “revisit our safety protocols if required.”The Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) said in a statement that it was “deeply pained and shocked by the disturbing incident of misconduct and inappropriate behaviour with two players from the Australian Women’s Cricket Team in Indore. No woman should ever have to endure such trauma, and our thoughts and support are with those impacted by this distressing incident. This unfortunate event has deeply affected everyone from MPCA who cherishes the values of respect, safety, and dignity of women. It is truly inspiring to see the players rise above this painful experience and continue to compete with courage and determination, carrying the pride of their nation on their shoulders in the match against South Africa.”Over the years, Indore has earned a proud reputation as a safe venue for the visiting teams and dignitaries from other fields. It is deeply painful that the disorderly action of one individual has caused such harm and cast a shadow over the city’s image. As the host, MPCA extends sincere apologies to the Australian Women’s team for this deeply distressing and unfortunate incident while in our city known for safety, grace, and hospitality.”Australia ended the league stage on top of the World Cup points table and will play India in the second semi-final on October 30 in Navi Mumbai. South Africa will travel to Guwahati to play England in the first semi-final on October 29.

Former U.S. striker and current Apple TV broadcaster Taylor Twellman praised Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano for his decision to drop Luis Suarez, calling it true to Mascherano’s bold nature as a player. Twellman also noted Miami’s recent defensive improvements, crediting tactical tweaks and better player integration.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Twellman on Mascherano’s choice to bench Suarez

  Twellman said Mascherano was always the type to make a call like this, describing him as bold and brash even during his playing days. 

  “When you really look at Javier Mascherano, it’s very difficult for people, in our line of work, to disassociate Javier Mascherano as a player to then all of a sudden Mascherano as a manager,” Twellman said in a Apple TV conference call to promote the Conference Finals. “Cause we don’t have a ton of proof, we don’t have a ton of stuff to go off of. But you don’t lose, a majority of people who turn from player to coaches, you don’t lose who you are.

  “Now Javier Mascherano… was always going to have the guts to do it. Now, freedom is a different way of putting it because, naturally, you look at Suarez and his pedigree and his profile. That’s very difficult to do. However, what everyone is forgetting is that Suarez was suspended after the Leagues Cup fiasco. They had games without Luis Suarez; the difference now was that [Mateo] Silvetti hadn’t integrated himself at a level that he is now, neither had Baltasar Rodríguez, neither had Rodrigo De Paul."

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• Defensive improvements under Mascherano

  According to Twellman, Miami’s recent clean sheets show that improved player integration – not Suárez’s absence alone – is the decisive difference from earlier, less cohesive matches.

  “You can always make the argument that starting Suarez was fine and was completely confirmed in the sense the way they were the rest of the year,” Twellman continued. “However, at the end of the Nashville game, and I’ve done more Messi games than anyone, I’ve never seen Miami and Messi on the field together in a game like that be as defensively sound, and I would use a better word than that, competent in their structure.

  “They’ve never had a clean sheet in the playoffs; they’ve had two in a row. That’s not a coincidence. A coincidence is that Rodriguez is healthy, Silvetti has now been integrated, (Rocco) Ríos Novo is a better goalkeeper for what they want to do than Ustari, the balance of the team is better now than it was going into the Leagues Cup final.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  On Mascherano’s development as a coach

  Twellman credited Mascherano with identifying Miami’s weaknesses and making decisive changes that enhanced the team’s overall balance.

  “I think he has done a fantastic job,” Twellman said. “I really think he has earned my attention, that’s the wrong way to put it. He has really got my attention with the ability to see what they were in the Leagues Cup final, where Seattle really got under their skin, and they were the better team on the day…But Seattle was really good that day.

  “He’s figured out where they were. I think they gave up five goals to Chicago, [and] he immediately got rid of Ustari and Rios Novo has been in there. Against Nashville in Game 3, he told Busquets ‘In possession, I want to go to three at the back, you have the freedom to go forward, I want Rodrigo De Paul to be further up the field. So he’s made little tweaks there that have really got my attention.

  Twellman was unsurprised by the choice to bench Suarez, viewing it as a necessary step in the team’s evolution. Not only that, but he also revealed that New York City FC are preparing to face a different Inter Miami team as compared to the regular season because of the changes.

  “I, for one, was not surprised….I was not surprised Javier Mascherano sat Suarez, and the reason why is I go back to my original point,” Twellman said. ”I’ve never seen Miami with Messi on the field look this good, I just haven’t. And it doesn’t mean the best players are playing, it doesn’t…Having spoken with New York City people in seeing that, they’re preparing for a different Miami team than they were when they played them at the beginning of the year, they’re a different team.”

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  What this means next for Miami

  Inter Miami will face New York City FC in the Western Conference final on Nov. 29 at Chase Stadium in a single elimination game. 

Arsenal are the best team in the Premier League right now. Four points clear at the summit, Mikel Arteta’s squad are so steely in defence, so well organised and so well oiled across the park.

However, they don’t have Erling Haaland at the front of their system, and the Manchester City centre-forward seems set on challenging the Gunners almost single-handedly for the league title this season.

But this is an elite outfit, and no mistake. Arsenal also sit second in the Champions League, four wins from four and the only side left in the competition to have maintained an impregnable defence.

But Arsenal have an unfair reputation, in a way. They are not just strong protectors of the goalmouth, but among the most dynamic and intelligent when on the ball too.

Arsenal

1st

40

Liverpool

8th

36

Man United

7th

35

Man City

2nd

33

Aston Villa

6th

30

No team has played more successful through balls than the Emirates side in the Premier League this season, and this underrated progressiveness stems from the centre of the park, with Declan Rice proving – again – that he is the main man.

Why Declan Rice is Arsenal's main man

When Arsenal paid West Ham United a club-record £105m fee for Rice’s signature in 2023, some felt it was excessive. For sure, that’s a lot of money. But Rice has repaid the faith and finances invested in him.

You might even say he’s spearheading Arteta’s side in their bid for the Premier League title, having been described as “the best of the best” by statistician Statman Dave.

A big improvement he has made this season is his accuracy in progressing play, not only with his body but his feet too. As per FBref, Rice actually ranks among the top 10% of Premier League midfielders for progressive passes, the top 18% for shot-creating actions and the top 5% for touches made per 90.

He also ranks among the top 1% for progressive carries per 90, unsurprisingly, and has notched seven goal contributions across all competitions, his ability to produce a show-stopping strike as firmly intact as it has ever been.

Many players comprise a brilliant team in north London, and Arsenal absolutely have what it takes to lift that elusive title this season. Rice is the cream of the crop, though, the driving force in the centre.

However, having finished as runners-up for three years in a row, it was crucial that technical director Andrea Berta got it right this summer, and he has succeeded in bringing in a player who is now rivalling the Three Lions superstar as the best addition in recent years.

The best Arsenal signing since Rice

Rice was once a centre-back. He has also played plenty of football in a deep-lying midfield berth, but a roaming, off-the-leash midfield role is where he finds his most fruitful form.

That’s where Martin Zubimendi comes in, welcomed in July to sit at number six and organise Arteta’s ball-playing vision. The Spain international arrived with a weight of expectation, and he has not let the club’s fanbase down thus far.

Arsenal signed Real Sociedad’s Basque star for about £60m. He rejected Liverpool last summer, but was won over by the Londoners’ vision, and made the move to England, where he has since been thriving at the heart of a title-challenging project, hailed as the club’s “signing of the summer” by content creator Adam Keys.

It is perhaps a marker of Rice and Zubimendi’s connection in the middle of the park that captain Martin Odegaard has now missed four Premier League matches (and more across tournament fronts) due to the knee injury sustained against West Ham United in October, and yet Arsenal remain

That’s good coaching, but it’s also an illustration of the effectiveness of the midfielders. Each Premier League manager has an understanding of how he wants his team to play, but the symbiosis between coach and player doesn’t always click in a fluent manner.

The 26-year-old is among the most intelligent deep playmakers of his generation. In this, he is “world-class”, as has been acknowledged by Spanish football writer Alexandra Jonson.

Zubimendi is not a player who is defined by statistics, but he has still shone on the data front at Arsenal this season, dominant in the air and composed and active on the ball, at the heart of the Gunners system.

Sofascore record that he has actually won 67% of his aerial duels thus far, completing 89% of his passes and averaging 1.9 tackles per game.

It is the deeper meaning behind Zubimendi’s role that suggests he is the best signing in recent years. His influence and control in the centre of the park has seen him occupy those spaces and feed through those surgical passes, which have added a dimension to Arteta’s tactics, keeping things fresh, maintaining progression and evolution.

The likes of Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres are welcome additions to a high-flying Premier League team. But neither has enjoyed the same impact as Zubimendi across the past several months.

Perhaps we should draw attention to David Raya, or maybe Mikel Merino or Riccardo Calafiori. Fantastic players, the lot of them. But if Arsenal manage to get their mitts on the Premier League title this season, with Zubimendi orchestrating from the middle, the loudest praise must surely fall onto Zubimendi’s back.

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Newcastle United fans have felt equal levels of excitement and bewilderment at how their up-and-down team has fared so far this season.

In the Champions League, the Toon have looked energetic and vibrant, with eight goals coming their way across two wins in the illustrious competition.

Yet, back in the big time of the Premier League, Newcastle have looked lost and lethargic, instead of potential world-beaters, with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of a relegation-threatened West Ham last time out, seeing the Magpies sink to new lows.

Unfortunately, many of the old guard Eddie Howe has favoured since taking on the Newcastle job post are beginning to show very visible signs of decay, with Dan Burn a declining presence who is hard to defend at this point, heading into the Toon’s latest European clash with Athletic Club.

Burn's decline at Newcastle

Before delving further into the number 33’s out-of-sorts form in the here and now, it should be said that Burn is definitely viewed as a modern-day hero at St James’ Park.

After all, the 6-foot-7 colossus was the man who headed home the all-important opener earlier this year to help Newcastle triumphantly lift the EFL Cup, as Howe continues to regularly wax lyrical about how “incredible” a servant the Blyth-born defender has been over the years on Tyneside.

But, Burn could now be overstaying his welcome, with the likes of Malick Thiaw – who joined in the summer from AC Milan – a shinier new model who will stay in the heart of Newcastle defence, you imagine, for the foreseeable future.

With Sven Botman rock-solid, too, as his consistent centre-back partner, Burn has had to make do with minutes as a makeshift left-back as of late, with the position not playing to his commanding strengths whatsoever.

Away at West Ham, Burn failed to register a single successful dribble, which then limited Newcastle’s attacking options down the left flank, with the 33-year-old also giving possession away a high 14 times.

With Lewis Hall edging back to full fitness, he could be in for a starting space against Ernesto Valverde’s challengers in midweek as Burn is perhaps given a rest after a shaky couple of games in a row.

Howe will also have to push his sentiment to one side, again, with another possible alteration on Wednesday.

Newcastle star who's "nowhere near his best" faces the chop

Thankfully, some of the 47-year-old’s long-standing servants continue to excel, so deep into their stays in the North.

Bruno Guimaraes – who has lined up for 168 games under Howe to date – finds himself three goals down this season in the Premier League already, which has led to pundit Michael Carrick hailing him as the club’s ever-dependable “talisman.”

Howe’s most used current Newcastle players

Player

Games played

1. Bruno Guimaraes

168

= 2. Fabian Schar

163

= 2. Dan Burn

163

4. Jacob Murphy

148

5. Joelinton

143

Sourced by Transfermarkt

But, his fellow compatriot and midfield partner Joelinton isn’t receiving similar praise right now, despite boasting a colossal 143 games under Howe’s management.

Indeed, Joelinton – much like Burn – will be viewed as a modern-great amongst the hardened St James’ Park masses long after he departs the building, with teammate Kieran Trippier branding him as a “machine” when he’s at his high-octane peak.

With 31 goals and 21 assists up his sleeve too for Newcastle, Joelinton is clearly fondly respected and admired.

But, in the words of journalist Mark Douglas in mid-October, he has been “nowhere near his best” in recent times, as Newcastle continue to struggle to spark into life in the Premier League this season.

Only a sorry two strikes have come Joelinton’s way this season, with both of those efforts coming against lowly Bradford City in EFL Cup action.

Moreover, the number 7 was one of Newcastle’s worst culprits for looking lethargic against the Hammers, with just three of his seven duels being successfully won, as Lucas Paqueta and Freddie Potts controlled the game from the middle of the park for the hosts instead.

Last time out in Europe’s top competition, both Lewis Miley and Jacob Ramsey were given run-outs in the middle, as Joelinton then came on against Benfica in the latter stages.

A similar refreshed look could be on display against the visitors from Bilbao, with Hall possibly given some crucial minutes back in the first team fold, too, in place of Burn.

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The ICC recently approved several changes to its playing conditions for men’s international cricket including the updated Boundary Law and operating with just one ball in ODIs from the 35th over. While some of these new rules have already come into play in the new cycle of the World Test Championship (WTC) (2025-27), those pertaining to white-ball cricket will be effective from July 2.Having accessed the playing conditions the ICC shared with the member countries recently, ESPNcricinfo looks at the noteworthy changes across the three formats.

Stop clock in Test cricket

A year after introducing a stop clock in white-ball formats, the ICC has decided to introduce it in Test cricket as well because slow over rates have been a long-standing problem in the format. According to the rule, the fielding side must be ready to start an over within a minute of the previous one ending. They will receive two warnings from the umpires if they fail to do so. After those warnings, the umpires will impose a five-run penalty on the bowling team. Warnings will be reset to zero after each block of 80 overs. Also, the clock will be counted upwards from 0 to 60. The rule has already been in play since the beginning of the 2025-27 WTC cycle.Related

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No mandatory ball change for deliberate use of saliva

While the ban on the use of saliva on the ball continues, the ICC has said it is no longer mandatory for the umpires to change the ball after a player is found using saliva. This change comes to avoid a scenario where teams trying to force a ball change deliberately apply saliva on it. So going forward, the umpires will only change the ball if its condition has been drastically changed, like if it appears too wet or there is more shine. This has been left entirely to the discretion of the umpires. Also, if the ball starts doing things after the umpires have said the application of saliva has not changed its condition, it cannot be replaced. The batting team, though, will be awarded five runs.

DRS protocol for secondary review after an out decision

Imagine this – a batter has been given out caught behind and he asks for a review. UltraEdge shows the ball has actually brushed the pads without any contact with the bat. With the catch ruled out, the TV umpire now checks for the second mode of dismissal, and, asks to verify via ball-tracking whether the batter is lbw. So far, the protocol during such a review was, once it was determined the batter was not out caught, the default decision for the second mode of dismissal – lbw – would be not out. That means if ball-tracking led to an “umpire’s call” verdict, the batter would remain not out. But in the updated rule, when the ball-tracking graphic for lbw is displayed, the “original decision” label on it will read “out”. And if the review yields an umpire’s call verdict, then the batter would be ruled out.

Combined reviews – decision will be chronological

The ICC has also decided to modify the process of adjudication during a combined review involving both umpire and player referrals by conducting them in a chronological order, or their order of occurrence. Till now, during a combined review the process involved the TV umpire taking up the umpire review before moving on to the player’s review. “If the conclusion from the first incident is that a batter is dismissed, then the ball would be deemed to have become dead at that point, rendering investigation of the second incident unnecessary,” rule 3.9 in the revised ICC playing conditions says. So if there is an appeal for an lbw as well as a run out, the TV umpire would now first take up the leg-before review as that occurred first. In case the batter is out, then the ball would be declared dead.There will continue to be a five-run penalty if saliva is applied on the ball•Getty Images

Fairness of catch to be reviewed for no-ball

Say there is a case where both on-field officials are not certain if a catch has been taken cleanly, but even as they are deliberating, the TV umpire informs them it was a no-ball. In the previous version of the playing conditions, once the no-ball was signaled, the TV umpire would not need to adjudicate on the fairness of the catch. But in the updated playing conditions, the third umpire will now review the catch and if it is a fair catch then the batting team will only get an extra run for the no-ball. However, if the catch is not clean, the batting team would get the runs the batters have taken.

Deliberate short run

So far, in case one of the batters had been caught taking a deliberate short run, the batting team would suffer a five-run penalty. But in the updated rules if one of the batters is found to have not made their ground deliberately in order to steal an extra run, then the umpires will ask the fielding team to decide which batter they want on strike. Also, the five-run penalty will continue to be part of the sanction.”A deliberate short run is an attempt for batters to appear to run more than one run, while at least one batter deliberately does not make good their ground at one end,” Rule 18.5.1 of the playing conditions says. “Batters may choose to abort a run, provided the umpire believes that there was no intention by the batter concerned to deceive the umpires or to score the run in which they didn’t make their ground.”

Full-time playing replacement in domestic first-class cricket

To offset the loss of a player who has suffered serious external injury, the ICC has asked boards to trial in their domestic first-class cricket fielding a full-time replacement player who can come in and perform the role of a team participant. The replacement player will have to be like for like, as is the case for a concussion sub. The injury will need to be evident and visible to the match officials before they allow a full-time replacement. This would not apply for players suffering hamstring pulls or niggles.This rule will be on a trial basis and is entirely up to the member countries to implement in their domestic first-class circuit.

Pundit Jamie Carragher has switched sides when asked for his favourite Scottish club out of Celtic and Rangers.

A Liverpool legend, Carragher made 737 appearances for the Reds across 17 years and has since been a regular for Sky Sports alongside former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville.

As a player, Carragher won numerous domestic cup competitions but never lifted the Premier League title. In Europe, the defender won the UEFA Cup in 2001 and the Champions League in 2005, featuring in the historic final against AC Milan in Istanbul.

Champions League

2005

UEFA Cup

2001

UEFA Super Cup

2001, 2005

FA Cup

2001, 2006

League Cup

2001, 2003, 2012

Community Shield

2001, 2006

Interestingly, the former Reds defender never played against Rangers in his career but did feature on three occasions against Celtic.

In 1997/98, Carragher was an unused substitute in the 2-2 draw at Celtic Park in the UEFA Cup First Round first leg. In the return fixture, Carragher started as the Reds qualified on away goals with a 0-0 draw at Anfield.

When the two sides met again in the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2002/03, Carragher played every minute of action as the Hoops famously won 3-1 on aggregate.

Martin O’Neill’s side would go on to reach the final at the Estadio Olimpico in a historic European run before losing to Jose Mourinho’s FC Porto 3-2 in extra time.

Carragher chooses between Celtic and Rangers

Players and managers who aren’t associated with either Celtic or Rangers are often asked who they prefer, and Carragher is no different.

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Talking on American network CBS Sports as he covered the Champions League in 2024, Carragher was asked to pick out of Celtic and Rangers by fellow pundit Micah Richards. The former England defender simply said:

However, back in 2020, Carragher was asked the same question on an Instagram Q&A, and replied at the time: “Right now it’s Rangers because of Steven Gerrard but as soon as Steven leaves it’ll be Celtic.”

Steven Gerrard, a long-term teammate of Carragher’s at Anfield, left his role as Rangers manager back in 2021, which has resulted in Carragher swapping back to green and white.

Winning the Scottish Premiership at Ibrox, Gerrard had a successful spell in charge of the Gers but departed for Aston Villa.

His stint in charge at Villa Park wasn’t as positive as he’d have hoped, which led to Gerrard moving to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ettifaq until 2025.

“Right now it looks like a mess”. Those were the words of Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, speaking after his former side slipped to a frustrating 1-0 defeat away to Galatasaray on Tuesday evening.

Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty proved enough to clinch all three points for the Turkish giants in that Champions League tussle, with the trip to Istanbul a particularly damaging one amid notable injury blows for both Alisson and Hugo Ekitike.

While the reigning Premier League champions remain top of the pile domestically, this has been a challenging week for Arne Slot’s side, having been deservedly beaten by an in-form Crystal Palace at the weekend.

This is certainly no time to panic, amid a difficult seven days in what has largely been a flawless tenure for the Dutchman to date, although with the warning signs having already been there in recent weeks, something needs to change.

As Carragher alluded to on CBS, the Merseysiders “haven’t gained anything going forward, but they’ve lost a lot defensively” following the summer squad overhaul, with the backline looking all at sea thus far.

With just two clean sheets in ten games in all competitions in 2025/26 – the last of which came away at Burnley – the Reds need to find a way to plaster over the cracks that are emerging…

Konate & Frimpong's display vs Galatasaray

While there were few who could hold their heads high on Tuesday night, among those who particularly underwhelmed were Ibrahima Konate and Jeremie Frimpong, with the pair enduring another worrying display against the Super Lig side.

In the case of Frimpong, there may well be concerns brewing over his ability to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back for the long-term, with Slot even favouring him in a more advanced role, in order to afford Mohamed Salah a well-earned rest.

That switch certainly didn’t pay off, however, with the diminutive Dutchman hooked on the hour mark after a desperately disappointing showing, having lost the ball on 16 occasions from just 35 touches, as per Sofascore, while winning just two of his nine attempted duels.

Such lightweight quality hardly inspires any confidence that the ex-Bayer Leverkusen man can flourish when moved back into a full-back berth, with Slot perhaps wise to avoid pairing the summer signing with the hapless Konate in that right channel.

Indeed, the Frenchman endured another sorry outing up against the rampant Osimhen, having notably gifted possession to the Nigerian in the second half, after a slack pass back was intercepted by the ex-Napoli striker.

As noted by the Liverpool Echo’s Paul Gorst, the former RB Leipzig man ‘looks worryingly out of form of late’, with the failure to get the Marc Guehi deal over the line looking set to haunt Slot and co over the coming months.

Even despite the lack of alternatives, Slot needs to find a way to take Konate – and Frimpong too – out of the firing line, with the same perhaps true of this season’s Alexander-Arnold…

The new Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool

While ‘Trent’ may now be old news at Anfield, it is worth noting that the struggles of the injury-hit Real Madrid man last season now appear to be being repeated in this new-look Liverpool side.

There is a sense that the Reds romped to the title in 2024/25 in spite of the Englishman, not because of him, with the contract rebel never seemingly managing to win over Jurgen Klopp’s successor in the dugout.

Indeed, while the attacking quality remained – with his 14 goals and assists eclipsing his tally of 13 from the previous campaign – the 26-year-old’s defensive woes were plain to see.

Substituted off on 16 occasions in the top-flight, the academy graduate notably made four errors leading to a shot, while being dribbled past 1.7 times per game, as per Sofascore, with Slot certainly not wholly impressed by what he saw:

That scenario now looks to be repeating itself with the case of £40m man, Milos Kerkez, with the Hungarian youngster also emerging as something of a liability at full-back, following his summer switch from Bournemouth.

Much like Alexander-Arnold, the 21-year-old – who registered five Premier League assists last season – is a real asset in an attacking sense when at his best, with that form also seeing him create eight ‘big chances’ under Andoni Iraola’s watch.

Unfortunately, that quality is yet to be seen in a Liverpool shirt, with Kerkez still waiting to register his first goal involvement for his new side, after making ten appearances in all competitions.

Targeted on the opening weekend by former teammate Antoine Semenyo, the rampaging left-back has regularly come under the microscope since then, not least following his early withdrawal amid the threat of a red card at Turf Moor.

It was also his errant clearance which led to the throw-in that saw Palace clinch victory at the weekend, while in midweek, the £75k-per-week menace won just three of his seven attempted duels, while failing to provide a single successful cross or long ball.

Games

38

6

Goals

2

0

Assists

5

0

Big chances created

8

0

Key passes*

1.0

0.5

Pass accuracy*

80%

87%

Possession lost*

13.9

9.3

Total duels won*

54%

61%

Errors leading to goal

1

1

It is, of course, still early days, with the at-times hot-headed defender also perhaps not aided by the woes of those ahead of him, having yet to strike up a fruitful partnership with Cody Gakpo down that left flank.

That being said, as was the case with Alexander-Arnold’s demotion behind young Conor Bradley on occasion last term, Kerkez may find himself ousted for a more steady presence in the form of the long-serving Andy Robertson.

Like Trent, at his best, the former Cherries starlet can be such a weapon from the flanks with his wicked delivery and attacking instincts. Like Trent, too, however, at his worst, he can be a costly figure in a defensive sense for Slot’s side.

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Na última terça-feira (5), a CBF pegou todos de surpresa ao anunciar o técnico Fernando Diniz como novo treinador da Seleção Brasileira, pelo menos até a chegada do italiano Carlo Ancelotti. Diniz conciliará o trabalho na Seleção com o comando do Fluminense em uma temporada.

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Essa situação ‘diferente’ não é novidade na CBF. Isso porque, em 1998, Vanderlei Luxemburgo dirigiu a Seleção Brasileira juntamente com o Corinthians. Logo após o vice-campeonato na Copa do França para os anfitriões, Zagallo deixou o comando do Brasil e a CBF tinha dificuldades para acertar com um novo treinador.

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Então, Ricardo Teixeira, presidente da entidade na época, acertou com Luxemburgo, que estava empregado no Corinthians. Mas o treinador deu uma condição: continuar dirigindo o Alvinegro até o final do ano. A CBF aceitou e Luxa foi campeão brasileiro daquela temporada enquanto comandava a Seleção Brasileira, vencendo o Cruzeiro na decisão.

Apesar da dupla ‘preocupação’, pode se dizer que o seu retrospecto na Seleção foi bom. Luxa dirigiu o Brasil em 34 partidas, entre 1998 e 2000, com um aproveitamento de 69,60%, sendo 21 vitórias, oito empates e cinco derrotas. Ele conquistou a Copa América de 1999, vencendo o Uruguai na decisão por 3 a 0.

Crystal Palace hero Eddie Nketiah received "thank you messages" from his former club Arsenal after he scored a last-gasp winner against the Gunners' title rivals Liverpool on Saturday. Ismaila Sarr opened the scoring for Palace before Federico Chiesa equalised in the 87th minute. Nketiah, however, stole the limelight in the end by scoring a crucial late goal.

Nketiah helped Palace extend unbelievable streak

Nketiah's last-minute winner at Selhurst Park helped Crystal Palace maintain their status as the only Premier League to remain unbeaten in the league in the 2025-26 campaign. Oliver Glasner's side also remained unbeaten in their last 18 matches across all competitions since their last defeat in the 2024-25 campaign. This is their longest streak since 1969.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArsenal thank Nketiah for winner against Liverpool

Speaking to reporters after the match, Nketiah revealed that he received quite a few "thank you messages" from his club Arsenal, as he said: "I had a few thank you messages to be honest. Yeah, a couple of the staff messaged me but I'm fully focused on life here and want to do well and help the team as much as possible."

Nketiah, however, mentioned that none of the messages were from Gunners boss Mikel Arteta

Liverpool's set-piece woes continued

After the disappointing loss at Selhurst Park, Reds boss Arne Slot admitted that his team has failed to tackle set-pieces this season, which also led to them conceding twice against Newcastle United last month. 

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AFPChance for Arsenal to reduce gap with Reds

Nketiah has done his bit to snatch away crucial three points from league leaders Liverpool and it is now upto Arsenal to grab the opportunity and beat Newcastle United on Sunday to reduce their gap with the Reds to two points.

Birmingham City are looking to further strengthen their squad in their efforts to be promoted from the Championship back to the Premier League.

The next target is former Arsenal, Liverpool and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who most recently played for Turkish side Besiktas. The Champions League winner has experience at the highest level of the game and would be a statement signing for the club.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is reportedly looking for a move back to England after spending two seasons in Turkey.

Not only would Oxlade-Chamberlain be a good addition to the squad, but he may also come without costing a penny, currently working with Besiktas to terminate his contract and grant him the right to negotiate with any club. This means the only thing Birmingham will have to deal with are his personal terms, including his wages and potentially a signing-on fee.

Sky Sports pundit and former England and Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has spoken to Football League World about Birmingham’s transfer business and the possibility of signing Oxlade-Chamberlain.

“Birmingham just seem to be doing piece of business after piece of business, and you can understand why they’re attracting players of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s caliber.

“With the style they play and the formation that they’re using, you do think that would suit someone like Chamberlain. He can play in wide areas, he can come and play inside.”

Hendrie played over 250 appearances for Birmingham’s rivals and played in the derby on four occasions, going on to add: “I think this would be such a big signing for them, I really do. For their promotion push, this could be another big name entering the building for Birmingham City”.

Birmingham have already made major signings to their squad this window, like former Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi.

Oxlade-Chamberlain a worthwhile signing despite injury troubles

Oxlade-Chamberlain is currently unavailable as he is suffering from a knee injury sustained back in May. He’s expected to be available in the first few weeks of September, meaning he shouldn’t miss too much of a season with Birmingham, provided he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.

However, this isn’t a new issue, and Oxlade-Chamberlain’s career has been plagued by knee injuries that have kept him out of football for prolonged periods of time.

The above table demonstrates how persistent the issue has been, and although he may be fit again in September, there’s no guarantee that the injury won’t recur.

He may be worth the punt however – even injured, such an experienced player can bring something to the dressing room. He has won nearly every domestic trophy available to him, including the Champions League and the Premier League. He also has promotion experience from the start of his career, as he helped Southampton get promoted into the Championship.

This experience will be invaluable for a team trying to push itself back into the Premier League. When fit, Oxlade-Chamberlain will help the team on the pitch, but if he gets injured, he will still be a massive boon to the squad.