All posts by h716a5.icu

A number of Manchester United fans hit out at right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka for his performance against Young Boys on Wednesday.

Ralf Rangnick made several changes to his squad with United already through, with eight players in the squad below the age of 20.

Wan-Bissaka was one of 11 changes to the starting line-up, making his 18th appearance of the campaign in the 1-1 draw and needed to be stretched off after colliding with the advertising boards towards full time.

However, plenty of United fans didn’t like what they saw from the 24-year-old at Old Trafford. The full-back lost possession on 19 occasions, the most out of any home player. [SofaScore]

He also failed to complete a cross or make a key pass all evening, with Luke Shaw on the opposite side registering an assist for Mason Greenwood early on.

<iframe width=”890″ height=”501″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/VSqwYjR8Xbo” title=”YouTube video player” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen></iframe>

United fans react

This is what these United fans had to say about Wan-Bissaka on social media, with many wanting him sold and another believing he won’t survive the Rangnick era.

“I don’t mean to be horrible, truly I don’t, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka has just produced the most horrific disasterclass of a performance I have ever seen. He is absolutely awful. Don’t even wait for the summer, just sell him in January.”

Credit: @MarkLenehan

“Wan-Bissaka is not surviving the Rangnick era.”

Credit: @Alex_Bentham

“sell awb asap he’s finished”

Credit: @afiqimrann

“Wan-Bissaka is playing against us. Sell this guy already”

Credit: @Melussi2

“I’ve seen the light AWB is a terrible footballer. Sell him, Lingard and Mata in January”

Credit: @utdHarryy

“Awb can’t press. He’s lazy. With that Ole as our manager we thought he’s the best because they don’t even train all was vibes n cruise. He was nowhere to be found today and the gegen pressing is too intense for him. We should sell him by January.”

Credit: @nestaseyi

In other news: ‘Revamp continues’ – Lots of Man Utd fans erupt as two ‘big’ arrivals are named. 

Former Premier League striker Nigel Jemson believes that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is facing a big season at Liverpool.

The midfielder has endured numerous injury blows at Anfield since moving to the club from Arsenal.

He has missed a total of 74 Reds games since his move from the Gunners back in 2017, suffering a cruciate ligament rupture and a serious knee injury.

Now, though, Oxlade-Chamberlain is fit and will be hoping to make a real impression under manager Jurgen Klopp this season.

The 28-year-old has made four appearances in all competitions, starting the club’s first game of the Premier League season against Norwich City, although he has only featured for 165 minutes in total.

Jemson thinks that the midfielder is more than good enough to get into the Liverpool starting XI every week and has backed him to prove his worth throughout the campaign.

He said: “Oxlade-Chamberlain, it’s a big season for him this season. He’s had his injury problems but when he’s fit, he’s certainly more than capable of playing for Liverpool Football Club.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain has a contract until 2023 and is valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt; he has made a total of 108 appearances for the Reds, scoring 14 goals and registering 12 assists.

Three wickets from captain Mahmudul Hasan coupled with a fluent fifty from opener Saikat Ali helped Bangladesh Under-19 to a narrow eight-run win against England Under-19

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009
ScorecardMahmudul Hasan with the series trophy•Bangladesh Cricket BoardThree wickets from captain Mahmudul Hasan coupled with a fluent fifty from opener Saikat Ali helped Bangladesh cap off a successful series against England, with a narrow eight-run win at the Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.Having lost back-to-back games, Bangladesh were hoping to sign off on a high note and Saikat, who was recalled after sitting out the last game, justified Mahmudul’s decision to bat first. He hit six fours during his 72-ball stay and put on 77 for the second wicket with Amit Majumder as the hosts looked to take the upper hand. But repeated strikes from Matt Dunn and Nathan Buck, both of whom finished with three wickets apiece, meant Bangladesh were limited to 206.England were off on the wrong foot during the chase, as the openers departed with the score on 13. But fighting forties from Charlie Roebuck and Jos Buttler revived the innings, and the 64-run fourth-wicket partnership looked to have got the visitors back on track. But once Roebuck was sent back by offspinner Mahmudul, Buttler soon followed. Ben Stokes and Azeem Rafiq looked to make it a nervy end, but Mahmudul and Shaker Ahmed ensured the 5-2 scoreline in favour of Bangladesh with five balls to spare.

Leeds United could answer Marcelo Bielsa’s prayers by signing Getafe’s midfield powerhouse John Patrick in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Last season saw Patrick become the youngest-ever player to play for Getafe in their history when he made his debut against Levante aged only 17 years and 42 days.

It’s no surprise then that recent reports from TEAMtalk claim that the Whites, along with Premier League rivals Manchester United are interested in signing the teenager.

The report adds that Patrick has pledged his international future to the Republic of Ireland despite being able to represent Spain and Cameroon.

Solving Leeds’ midfield problem

Make no mistake about it, the big problem facing Bielsa at Leeds at the moment is the worrying lack of depth in central midfield.

Reports over the course of the summer transfer window linked them with moves for the likes of Nahitan Nandez and Lewis O’Brien, but neither deal failed to materialise before the deadline.

That was of course in the midst of Andrea Radrizzani strangely responding to a fan’s question about a new midfield signing, by tweeting Adam Forshaw’s name.

For a player who had been injured for well over a year, and hadn’t played a single minute of Premier League football, it was simply unnecessary added pressure, and Leeds’ faith in the ace back-fired earlier this season when he suffered a setback.

The decision not to move for a new midfielder looks even more foolish by the day, but a January move for Patrick would go a long way to solving that problem for Bielsa and Leeds.

In the 6 foot 4 teenager, they could find the kind of player who looks perfectly suited for the rigours of the Premier League.

LaLiga TV pundit Andrea Orlandi said: “No disrespect to Getafe, he will play for bigger clubs. Last summer he was heavily linked with Atletico Madrid. He has everything a modern midfielder needs. He has enough pace to go with the physicality to be up and down and play the kind of game played in the UK. He’s got qualities, he’s got a great strike, and has scored some great goals — top corner finishes. He’s got confidence, he’s got the composure, he’s mature enough to make a big step.

“But he’s got that Uruguayan blood that makes him so competitive. It would be, if it happens, a very good signing. He’s a player I rate really really high. I think he is ready for the next step. He’s a very complete midfielder, very aggressive, but in a good way. He’s got aggression but also the quality when he has to play the ball.”

The fact Leeds are interested in signing Patrick suggests the Whites are keen on rectifying their summer mistake, and that will surely leave Bielsa delighted.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered an update on Leeds United’s Elland Road plans…

When Valerien Ismael took over as the new West Bromwich Albion manager this summer, the Frenchman arrived with a reputation of playing a direct and attacking brand of football, as well as being a coach who is more than willing to fast-track a club’s most promising youth players into his first-team squad.

However, so far this season, the youngest player to have featured for West Brom in the Championship is 20-year-old Rayhaan Tulloch, with the centre-forward coming on with just one minute remaining in the Baggies’ 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers back in August.

Indeed, while the likes of Caleb Taylor, Ethan Ingram, Tom Fellows and Taylor Gardner-Hickman have all made an appearance in the 46-year-old manager’s matchday squads, none of the teenagers have been awarded any game time in the league as yet.

This is a subject that Ismael addressed in a recent interview with the Express & Star, with the Frenchman stating his belief that the time has to be right for the youngsters to make the breakthrough into first-team football.

He said: “They’re always close to being involved. You see the results with the U23s since I came here. From the first day they’ve changed their way, they play the same system and they’ve won a lot of games with brilliant performances. Southampton 6-0, Norwich 5-2.

“It shows you already that everything is going in in the right direction – with the first team and the 23s. The main reason now is that a lot of the young players train with us, and they follow our principles. When they play with the 23s, it’s good to see those principles.

“We know that in some positions, if we need to, we can give chances to the younger lads. But they need to wait until the right time, and when it comes I’m sure we’ll have joy with the young players.”

Indeed, while it may be understandable that Ismael has not opted to field some of his younger talents ahead of established first-team regulars while his side are fighting for promotion towards the top of the Championship table, injuries to centre-back duo Matt Clarke and Dara O’Shea earlier this season presented the 46-year-old with the perfect opportunity to afford one of the club’s most promising academy products, Caleb Taylor, with some first-team minutes.

However, rather than doing so, Ismael instead opted to field firstly Cedric Kipre in his back three, before moving left-back Conor Townend into a central defensive position, all while Taylor sat watching on from the bench.

And, should the manager indeed wish to develop the 18-year-old centre-back who Peter Gilbert dubbed a “vocal” player as efficiently as possible, it would seem highly advisable for the Frenchman to unleash the youngster sooner rather than later, or else he may begin to feel somewhat left behind by the West Brom manager.

Indeed, with Albion’s own website describing Taylor as a “colossus at the heart of defence”, it would certainly appear as if the general consensus about the 18-year-old is that the he possesses the potential to save the club millions of pounds in transfer fees over the coming years, all he needs is an opportunity to make his mark.

In other news: Major blow: West Brom dealt potential setback ahead of Fulham, Ismael would be gutted

Tottenham Hotspur slumped to an embarrassing 1-0 loss at the hands of Vitesse in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday evening.

There were some very poor performances on the pitch for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team, and The Transfer Tavern have used statistical experts Sofascore to analyse the worst-three performing players (who played at least 45 minutes) based on statistics:

Ben Davies

Admittedly tied with Steven Bergwijn, Ben Davies was given the joint-third lowest rating out of any of his teammates by Sofascore, a mere 6.3.

Captain for the day, the Wales international lost out on eight of his duels, and failed to record a single successful dribble, tackle or accurate cross from left-back.

He also lost possession of the ball on no fewer than on 14 separate occasions, the joint-fourth most out of any of his teammates.

Dane Scarlett

Young Scarlett did not take his chance to impress, as Sofascore gave him a measly six overall rating.

The striker lost out on a whopping 19 duels, more than double the next closest player, perhaps suggesting he is struggling to adapt physically to senior first-team football.

He did not manage to have a shot or successful dribble, while losing possession 16 times, the second-most out of any Spurs player.

Dele Alli

Oh how far Alli has fallen. The once England regular was given an alarming 5.8 rating by Sofascore, which does not even tell half of the story.

Alli list eight of his duels, and had no shots on target, successful dribbles or key passes, while he too was also guilty of giving the ball away on far too many occasions, 14 in total.

In other news, find out which Lilywhite has suffered another injury setback here…

The third day belonged to Namibia after UAE’s batting lost their way following a solid start to give away a 72-run first-innings lead

Cricinfo staff07-Dec-2009
ScorecardThe third day belonged to Namibia after UAE’s batting lost their way following a solid start to give away a 72-run first-innings lead. Namibia opener Raymond van Schoor then put the game further in Namibia’s favour with a patient 87, which increased the lead to 206 by stumps.UAE started the day at a solid 185 for 3, and the overnight pair of Arfan Haider and Abdul Rehman progressed steadily to 238. Haider had moved to 84 when he was dismissed, sparking a collapse from the lower order – the final seven wickets going down for 59 runs. Medium-pacer Louis Klazinga was the architect of UAE’s downfall; he grabbed a wicket in each of his five overs, starting from the 85th.It was van Schoor’s turn then to press the advantage. He hit five fours and a six in his fifth career half-century to take the lead beyond 200. He was in sight of a century when he fell to left-arm spinner Fayyaz Ahmed with less than three overs to go for stumps.

West Indies have persisted with a weakened squad for the third ODI and the Twenty20 match against Bangladesh in St Kitts

Cricinfo staff30-Jul-2009West Indies have persisted with a weakened squad for the third ODI and the Twenty20 match against Bangladesh in St Kitts. Chris Gayle and other top players still find no place, and the only change was the exclusion of fast bowler Nelon Pascal, who sustained a finger injury in the first ODI last Sunday.Bangladesh have already clinched the one-day series 2-0, and are still undefeated on the tour.West Indies squad
Floyd Reifer (capt), Darren Sammy, David Bernard, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Rawl Lewis, Nikita Miller, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas, Gavin Tonge

To pick him or not to pick him, that’s still the question for England. Andrew Flintoff has become this series’ Glenn McGrath, missing the Ashes Test which his side lost

Peter English at Headingley09-Aug-2009To pick him or not to pick him, that’s still the question for England. Andrew Flintoff has become this series’ Glenn McGrath, missing the Ashes Test which his side lost, and will spend the next week trying to prove he is capable of getting five more days out of his brittle knee.Told by Andrew Strauss on the first morning he was not playing, Flintoff’s future will be determined much earlier at The Oval, where England need him more than ever. However, any Flintoff appearance comes with conditions: he must be able to be able to bowl two spells a day and can’t break down in his final Test before retirement.He won’t play as a specialist batsman despite the problems in the innings-and-80-run defeat at Headingley, which meant England have to win in south London to lift the urn. “Ideally we’ll be in a better situation to get a result early for that final Test,” Strauss said of Flintoff’s condition. “Hopefully we’ll know two or three days out whether he’s fit or not.”Flintoff’s late withdrawal from the team added to England’s muddled moods on the opening day, when they were dropped for 102, and they also missed his ability to hurry the batsmen during Australia’s confident first innings of 445. “He’s still desperate to play in that final Test but he realises he’s got to be fit enough,” Strauss said. “I’m very hopeful he will.”Ricky Ponting said England could win without Flintoff but the task would be much harder. Flintoff is the only player in the home side that the Australians fear and they would say so if they knew he wasn’t going to be available. “We prepared this week as if he was going to play,” Ponting said, “and we will prepare for the next Test as if he’s going to play as well.”England can’t do that because Flintoff creates such significant changes in the side’s balance and attitude. If he’s out the hosts must consider picking a batsman at seven or keeping the bowler-heavy line-up that failed in Leeds. With a fitness clearance Flintoff clears up all their worries and can come back in for Steve Harmison.”If he’s going to play he’s got to be fit to play his role and that’s as an allrounder,” Strauss said. “Maybe he doesn’t need to bowl 28 overs a day but he’s got to be able to bowl more than one spell. We felt for this game that he was unable to do that. But having had a couple of weeks’ break, hopefully he’s in a better position.”

A round-up from the latest Twenty20 Cup matches as Surrey win a thriller at the Oval

Cricinfo staff27-May-2009South DivisionSurrey held on for a thrilling one-run win against Hampshire in a low-scoring game at The Oval when Hamza Riazuddin couldn’t quite manage the 14 needed off the last over. He did his best against Jade Dernbach, taking boundaries off the first and fifth balls but James Benning made a sliding stop on the rope off the final delivery to keep him to two. Chris Schofield also played a key role with the vital wicket of Chris Benham for 39 and two direct-hit run outs to remove Jimmy Adams and Nic Pothas. The batsmen struggled throughout a dull, grey evening and Stewart Walters top-scored for Surrey with 30 off 22 balls.For a full report of Middlesex against Kent in the first match using the permanent floodlights at Lord’s click here.

South Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Surrey 32 1 0 0 4 +0.617474/60.0 437/60.0 Kent 2 10 0 1 3 +3.100 191/20.0129/20.0 Hampshire 2 1 10 0 2 +0.767 261/36.1 258/40.0 Sussex 2 1 1 00 2 -0.370 317/40.0 300/36.1Essex 1 0 0 0 11 0/0.0 0/0.0 Middlesex 20 2 0 0 0 -2.975258/40.0 377/40.0

Mid/West/Wales DivisionZander de Bruyn continued his fine form with 72 off 44 balls to help Somerset to a five-wicket win against Warwickshire at Taunton. de Bruyn’s innings meant the home side could chase down a challenging 188 with two balls to spare as Justin Langer guided them across the line with 29 off 21 balls. Warwickshire’s innings went through peaks and troughs as the early impetus came from Jonathan Trott and James Troughton (50) who added 80 for the second wicket. Then four wickets fell for 14, including two in two balls for young legspinner Max Waller, with Craig Kieswetter producing a sharp stumping to remove Troughton. Captain Ian Westwood (49 off 34 balls) got the innings back on track with Ant Botha, but on a high-scoring round it wasn’t enough.Ryan Watkins claimed career-best figures of 5 for 16 as Glamorgan registered a 39-run victory against Gloucestershire at Cardiff. The visitors had started brightly chasing 167, but when Will Porterfield fell to Garnett Kruger the innings quickly folded. Watkins did most of the damage taking the next four wickets to fall – all key Gloucestershire batsmen – including Craig Spearman and Chris Taylor in consecutive balls. Glamorgan had earlier been given a flying start by Mark Cosgrove’s 39-ball 52 as he and Jamie Dalrymple added 86 for the first wicket and although the middle order was pegged back the total was more than enough.

Midlands/Wales/West Division Team Mat Won Lost Tied N/R Pts Net RR For Against

Somerset 2 2 00 0 4 +0.164 303/39.4 299/40.0 Worcestershire 1 1 0 00 2 +1.150 145/20.0 122/20.0Glamorgan 2 1 1 0 02 +0.950 278/40.0 240/40.0 Northamptonshire 1 1 0 0 0 2+0.850 176/20.0 159/20.0 Warwickshire 20 2 0 0 0 -0.577346/40.0 366/39.4 Gloucestershire 2 02 0 0 0 -1.550 249/40.0311/40.0