Smriti Mandhana’s sublime century, Punam Raut walking when the umpire was saying not out and an improved spell from Ellyse Perry were the notable features on another truncated day of the pink-ball Test on the Gold Coast which is now likely to need to some ingenuity from the captains to engineer the chance of an outright result.Australia chipped away either side of the second new ball before another ferocious Queensland storm sent the players off midway through the middle session. The forecast for the weekend is good and there will be 108 overs scheduled on both days, but the game will need to move at a pace from here. The onus, initially at least, will be on Mithali Raj if she wants to push for four points.Mandhana had departed for a magnificently-constructed 127, ending a second-wicket stand of 102 with Raut, after which Australia made further inroads. That included the wicket of Raut who walked for a thin nick against Sophie Molineux at the same time as umpire Phillip Gillespie was saying not out, although it was not entirely clear if she had seen the initial decision. There is no DRS for this series, so Raut could have survived if she had wanted to; it provided a chance to debate the merits and spirit of walking.Perry claimed her first wicket of the multi-format series in what was her best spell of the season to date – although she had been denied twice earlier, once when she overstepped to give Mandhana a lifeline and then when Beth Mooney dropped Raj – and shortly before the storm Raj was run out by Annabel Sutherland.Related

• Smriti Mandhana records the highest score for a visiting player in Australia

• Smriti Mandhana aces pink-ball test after 'two nets sessions'

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Mandhana, who resumed on 80, was given a reprieve off her second ball of the day when she drove a full toss from Perry to point where Mooney took what appeared to be a fantastic one-handed catch diving to her right. But any debate over whether it was clean was rendered moot when replays showed Perry’s no-ball.Having said the previous evening that she would not change her game in sight of three figures, Mandhana was true to her word. She moved into the 90s with arguably the shot of her innings, a perfect straight drive off Sutherland, and it took her just another 11 balls to reach the century when she twice pulled Perry for boundaries in the space of three deliveries.She continued to pick off boundaries, taking her tally to 22 alongside a six, the best of the ones after three figures being a drive wide of mid-off against Georgia Wareham who was finally given her first bowl on debut in the 60th over.Ashleigh Gardner continued to offer Australia the most control – her spell in the session reading 11-6-12-1 – and she made the breakthrough when Mandhana was lured into driving to short cover.With Mandhana departed, India had two batters together – Raut and Raj – whose natural game is a more sedate tempo. Raut continued along in her own bubble until the moment that got people talking while Raj played herself in as the new ball loomed.Sutherland had been impressive with the old ball but, when given the first chance with the new one, a wayward over cost 11 shortly before the dinner break.Shortly after the resumption Raj got her life on 23 when she edged Perry into the gully where Mooney shelled Australia’s fourth catch of the innings in what has been another fielding display below their high standards. However, Mooney made amends by taking a tougher chance when left-hander Yastika Bhatia, who had settled nicely on debut, was squared up by Perry’s movement with the outside edge carrying low.Raj had played in a very controlled manner but her stay was ended by a direct hit from Sutherland after she had set off for a single to midwicket, been sent back and slipped a little. It what is likely to be her final Test, she will hope for one more innings.

Rescheduled Test has to be a one-off match, and not a continuation of the aborted series, says BCCI president

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2021

Sourav Ganguly, the BCCI president, believes the Old Trafford Test between England and India should be “cancelled”, not postponed.Ganguly added that whenever a one-off Test between England and India is eventually scheduled, “it cannot be a continuation of the series” that ended prematurely when India opted against taking the field last Friday.While he chose not to speak on the book launch Ravi Shastri and some other members of the Indian contingent attended prior to the fourth Test as being the possible reason for the Covid-19 outbreak, Ganguly did stand by the head coach and the others, saying that there was no question of blaming anyone in the circumstances.Related

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“The Old Trafford Test has been cancelled. They (ECB) have incurred a lot of losses and it’s not going to be easy on [them],” Ganguly said in an interaction with the Kolkata-based . “Let things settle down a bit, then we can discuss and decide. Whenever it’s held next year, it should be a one-off match since it cannot be a continuation of the series any more.”Ganguly is expected to be in London for a personal visit later this month, and while he didn’t say he would meet ECB officials while there, he said the BCCI has “given them the option of taking some more time since it’s just got over”.An event around Shastri’s book – – took place on September 1, a day before the start of the fourth Test at The Oval, which India won to take a 2-1 lead in the series. On September 5, Shastri tested positive for Covid-19. His colleagues in the support staff, Bharat Arun, R Sridhar and Nitin Patel, were identified as his close contacts and put in isolation, and Arun and Sridhar subsequently tested positive too. Then, on September 9, India’s assistant physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar tested positive for the virus as well, and that is understood to have been the tipping point for a group of players, who refused to take part in the fifth and final Test.”The players refused to play but you can’t blame them,” Ganguly said. “Physio Yogesh Parmar was such a close contact of the players. Being the only one available after Nitin Patel isolated himself, he mixed freely with the players and even performed their Covid-19 tests. He also used to give them a massage, he was part of their everyday lives.”The players were devastated when they came to know that he had tested positive for Covid-19. They feared they must have contracted the disease and were dead scared. It’s not easy staying in a bubble. Of course, you have to respect their feelings.”8:41

Newsroom: ‘ICC has to adjudicate what the result of the series is’

Speaking about the book launch in a chat with on Sunday, Shastri had defended himself, saying, “The whole country [UK] is open. Anything could have happened from Test One.”While Ganguly said that “No permission was sought,” by Shastri or anyone else to be part of the event, he felt that the coach and others were blameless.”How long can you stay confined to your hotel rooms? Can you stay locked at your home day in and day out? You can’t be restricted to a life where you go from the hotel to the ground and return to the hotel. This is humanly not possible,” Ganguly, who also dismissed suggestions that the players skipped the last Test to be in the UAE early for the resumption of the IPL from September 19, said.”You can’t stay in a bubble forever. Life has to open up. These players and support staff have been in a bubble for more than a year now. It’s no joke. It’s very demanding physically and mentally. They are human beings and it’s unfortunate. From the UK, the players are already in another bubble in the UAE [for the IPL]. Another round of quarantine, another bubble.… Then there will be the bubble for the T20 World Cup. It’s not easy.”

Derby County have been handed a huge boost ahead of their trip to Millwall on October 19, with a number of the club’s currently injured players expected to be back or close to fitness for the match at The Den.

The Rams have had eight players either out injured or working their way back to fitness in recent weeks, including experienced figures like Ben Osborn and Tom Barkhuizen.

Fortunately for manager Paul Warne, both of those players could now be fit for the game against Millwall, according to The Derby Telegraph. Indeed, Osborn and Barkhuizen are just two of four expected to return to training during this international break, with Liam Thompson and David Ozoh also on the brink of returns, although the latter is not expected to be fully fit in time for Millwall.

Warne will be hoping the return of the other three players can help turn the tide on his side’s poor away form. The Rams have lost all four of their away games in the Championship this term, conceding nine goals in the process.

Best yet to come from Ozoh

One man who might not be fit in time for Derby’s clash with Millwall is Ozoh. The Crystal Palace loanee was forced off in the second half of the Rams’ 1-0 win over Cardiff City on September 14 with a hamstring problem and has not featured since.

According to the Derby Telegraph, the midfielder will train next week but the “Millwall game might come too soon for him”. On Wednesday, Ozoh shared a couple of snaps of himself back on the training pitch with Warne to his Instagram story, captioning the pictures: “Step by step.”

Ozoh, 19, joined Derby on loan from Palace in the summer after having made 12 appearances for the Premier League outfit last season. Though he hadn’t played much for Rams before he succumbed to injury, the young midfielder turned heads with his performances.

Among those to have praised Ozoh is former Ram Shaun Barker, who made over 100 appearances for Derby between 2009 and 2015.

Speaking with Rams TV after Derby’s 3-0 win over Bristol City at the end of August, in which Ozoh was on the scoresheet, Barker said: “As soon as they got the structure I thought he grew into the game. If you gave him another three or four minutes for choosing the player of the match he might have got it.

“He was that good in the last 5-10 minutes, he seemed to be more commanding, making more tackles didn’t lose the ball, drove forward got his goal. What a player he is going to be for Derby this year.”

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Warne has also been extremely complimentary of Ozoh. Shortly after he joined the club back in July, Warne said of the midfielder, via The Derby Telegraph: “He keeps the ball moving and he is a really athletic and tenacious player. He breaks play up and gets us on attacks quick.

“He’s a really humble, down to earth kid who is going to use this loan to develop as a man and as a player.”

خسر فريق الهلال السعودي أمام باختاكور الأوزبكي، بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.

الهلال حل ضيفًا على باختاكور بملعب الأخير، في إطار مواجهة الذهاب لدور 16 من عمر مباريات مسابقة دوري أبطال آسيا للنخبة.

وسجل هدف فوز فريق باختاكور، لاعبه فلاماريون جوفينو فيلهو في الدقيقة 29 من عمر الشوط الأول للمباراة.

وجاء هدف بعد عرضية من الجانب الأيمن استقبلها فيلهو من لمسة واحدة في مرمى المغربي ياسين بونو حارس الفريق السعودي. هدف فوز باختاكور أمام الهلال السعودي في دوري أبطال آسيا

وبتلك النتيجة، نادي الهلال مطالب في مباراة العودة على أرضه ووسط جماهيره، بالفوز بنتيجة أكبر من هدف، من أجل حسم التأهل لصالحه إلي دور ربع النهائي من دوري أبطال آسيا.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة العودة على ملعب المملكة أرينا في السعودية، ذلك يوم الثلاثاء 11 من شهر مارس الجاري.

طالع | النصر السعودي يتعادل مع الاستقلال الإيراني في ذهاب ثمن نهائي دوري أبطال آسيا

يذكر، أن الهلال كان قد تأهل إلي دور الـ 16، بعدما تصدر ترتيب مجموعة الغرب، برصيد 22 نقطة، بينما جاء تأهل باختاكور محتلًا المركز الثامن برصيد 7 نقاط.

وتقام بطولة دوري أبطال آسيا، هذا الموسم بنظام جديد، حيث تم تقسيم الأندية الـ24 على منطقتين للغرب والشرق، كل منطقة تضم 12 فريقًا، يتقابل كل فريق مع ثمانية أندية مختلفة، عبر 4 مباريات على أرضه، و4 مباريات خارج ملعبه ذلك في مرحلة الدوري.

وتتأهل الأندية الثمانية الأولى من كل مجموعة (مرحلة الدوري) إلى دور ثمن النهائي من دوري أبطال آسيا (دور الـ16).

وبداية من دور ربع النهائي وحتى المباراة النهائية ستقام البطولة بنظام البطولة المجمعة (التأهل من مباراة واحدة)، في المملكة العربية السعودية، وذلك خلال الفترة من 25 أبريل وحتى 4 مايو 2025.

MatériaMais Notícias

Único representante do Palmeiras a falar com a imprensa após a vitória por 1 a 0 sobre o São Paulo, na noite deste sábado (22), em Barueri (SP), pela semifinal da Copa São Paulo de juniores, o técnico Paulo Victor Gomes se disse triste com a invasão de campo de torcedores armados com faca no final do confronto.

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Segundo Gomes, o trabalho agora é fazer com que os jovens atletas palmeirenses superem o episódio para a final de terça-feira (25), contra o Santos, às 19h30 (de Brasília), em partida que deve ser confirmada para o Allianz Parque, apenas com a torcida alviverde.

– A gente não tem o controle sobre esse tipo de situação. Eu fico triste, chateado, e agora é procurar controlar meus atletas, deixá-los calmos para superar o que aconteceu.

Aos 50 minutos do segundo tempo, dois torcedores tricolores invadiram o gramado. Um deles, armado com uma faca, tentou agredir os jogadores palmeirenses. Foram contidos pelos próprios atletas do Tricolor.

Incidente à parte, o Palmeiras volta pela terceira vez à final da Copinha, competição que nunca venceu. Já decidiu, sem sucesso, em 1970 e 2003.

Vencer a competição de base virou uma espécie de obrigação no Verdão, até como forma de acabar com as provocações rivais.

Mesmo com esse cenário, Gomes diz que encara a situação “como um privilégio.”

– Eu não gosto de falar sobre pressão. Isso é um privilégio de quem trabalha em alto nível, em grandes equipes. Vamos continuar fazendo da mesma forma, com tranquilidade e fazer por merecimento para alcançar nosso objetivo.

Por conta do incidente, todos os jogadores do Palmeiras deixaram o gramado correndo escoltados pela equipe de segurança do clube.

Manchester United travel to face Turkish side Fenerbahçe this evening in their third outing of this season’s Europa League.

Erik ten Hag’s side are still hunting for their first win in the competition, after drawing their opening two meetings against FC Twente and Porto.

However, the Red Devils will face a tough task in securing three points tonight, coming up against former boss José Mourinho, who will undoubtedly be looking to inflict yet more pain on his former employers.

His side come into the fixture after a win and a draw in their opening two outings, with both teams putting their unbeaten streaks on the line in Istanbul.

The European clash would’ve been tricky enough for the United boss, but he also has various issues to contend with throughout his squad, potentially leaving his side light in key areas.

Ten Hag’s midfield dilemma against Fenerbahçe

As well as Mourinho, United will be coming up against a couple of familiar faces in former first-team members Fred and Sofyan Amrabat – with the duo undoubtedly wanting to claim the bragging rights.

Ten Hag will have to pick a midfield to cope with their respective threats but faces a dilemma with limited options available at his disposal.

Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount have both been left out of the travelling squad amid their respective injury woes, whilst Bruno Fernandes will have to sit out the clash after his dismissal against Porto last time out.

Casemiro was substituted in the weekend’s victory over Brentford at Old Trafford with a suspected injury, but the Brazilian has travelled with the Red Devils – an indication that his withdrawal on Saturday was just a precaution.

The 32-year-old remains just one of a handful of midfielders who are able to feature in Turkey this evening, with the former Real Madrid hopefully looking to build on his influential display against Thomas Frank’s side.

As a result of the various absentees, he could be joined by a new partner at the base of the side, potentially providing that added bite in what will be a feisty affair.

The man who could replace Fernandes tonight

There’s no denying that Ten Hag’s side will miss the qualities of Portuguese international Fernandes tonight, but there’s more than enough quality in the Red Devils’ midfield department to cover for the 30-year-old.

However, it could lead to a slight reshuffle, with Christian Eriksen likely to push slightly further forward and operate in the number 10 role, opening up an opportunity for summer signing Manuel Ugarte to start from the off.

The Uruguayan, who cost the club a total of £50m including add-ons, has only started three times since his big-money transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, but tonight could hand them the perfect chance to kick start his United career.

Ugarte, who’s previously been dubbed a “machine” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has a lot of qualities, with his ability out of possession allowing Ten Hag’s side to dominate the midfield against Mourinho’s men.

In his only previous Europa League outing for his new side, the 23-year-old started and completed the whole 90 minutes against FC Twente, producing some phenomenal numbers.

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The midfielder made four tackles, whilst winning six duels and making two interceptions – providing a real solid base at the heart of Ten Hag’s midfield – something which his side will desperately need without Fernandes involved.

Minutes played

90

Touches

91

Pass accuracy

59/73 (81%)

Passes into final third

10

Tackles made

4

Blocks

1

Interceptions completed

2

Duels won

6

Recoveries made

5

With all eyes set to be on the midfield amid the presence of those familiar faces in Amrabat and Fred, it could well be crucial to utilise the ball-winning presence of Ugarte to help dominate that experienced pairing.

In Ligue 1 last season, the one-time Sporting CP star averaged a mammoth 5.5 tackles & interceptions per game, far ahead of what Fred (2.9) and Amrabat (1.7) achieved in the Super Lig and Premier League, respectively, for that same metric in 2023/24. As such, United’s new man could well be the difference-maker to help get a stranglehold on the game in the centre of the park.

The meeting tonight is huge for United as they look to secure their first European win of the 2024/25 season and push for a place in the knockout stages of the competition.

Whilst injuries and suspensions have plagued the first-team squad, Ten Hag now has the perfect opportunity to unleash Ugarte, giving the youngster the platform to demonstrate why they paid such a sizeable fee for his services this summer.

Man Utd thought they'd signed Scholes 2.0, then Ten Hag sold him for £420k

Man United lost millions of pounds on the deal

1 ByJoe Nuttall Oct 22, 2024

Over the summer Erik ten Hag met with members of the new Manchester United hierarchy to determine whether he’d remain in the dugout at Old Trafford.

Whether or not the verdict was conclusive, the Dutchman remained in Manchester and is now overseeing United’s worst start to a Premier League campaign after seven matches. Talk about making the wrong decision.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co did have a gander at former Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel but he rejected any advances having just been laid off by the German giants.

That said, it looks as though the ex-Chelsea manager is back on the table as a candidate.

The candidates to replace Erik ten Hag

If Ten Hag does lose his job – with increasing scrutiny on the Netherlands native – then they could turn to a number of options.

Tuchel is being touted again with notable journalist Fabrizio Romano revealing the latest on Man United’s ‘admiration’ for him.

Speaking recently, he said: “What happened [in the summer] is that internally at Manchester United, they had a meeting with Thomas Tuchel and also with his agent representing him. Then they decided not to proceed on both sides. On Tuchel’s side, he wanted to relax a bit after Bayern, to take some energy and then return in the next months.

“And also, Manchester United decided to confirm Erik ten Hag as the manager. But that meeting is showing to you once again that the appreciation of INEOS, of the management team and of Manchester United in general, for Tuchel remains.”

Who else could arrive? Well, there has been admiration for former United youth team coach in Kieran McKenna, but any move for the Ipswich Town boss is highly unlikely considering he penned new terms at Portman Road over the summer.

Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is currently playing second fiddle to Ten Hag, is another option and one who certainly knows the club.

There will, of course, be fears they could have another Ole Gunnar Solskjaer on the cards here but Van Nistelrooy has at least managed at a high level with PSV Eindhoven.

There’s also Michael Carrick, who was once interim boss. The current Middlesbrough head coach could have been given the gig on a full-time basis back then but other options were considered.

According to the aforementioned Solskjaer, he should be given the gig as well. “He’s a winner but he’s still in control of his emotions. I cannot see him not being the Manchester United manager,” the Norwegian said.

What Carrick could bring to Man United

Sentiment should never be a consideration when signing a player, let alone hiring a new manager, the face of your football club, the decision maker, the main man.

But, with Carrick, we’re certainly not talking about sentiment. We’re talking about one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s best signings, a player who as Solskjaer notes, is a “winner”.

His time with Boro has been up and down but there are some exciting attributes which we’ll run you through in just a moment.

With the second-tier club, Carrick steered them to an eighth-placed finish, just four points off the play-offs. He did so by employing what Riley McCree described as a “calming presence” and with a ‘good calm atmosphere inside the building’ – something another of his players Jonny Howson alluded to.

That feels like the total opposite of the chaos that seems to be engulfing Ten Hag’s squad. After all, you don’t slump to 14th place in the table and ‘rest’ the likes of Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martinez for a game that could determine your job.

It may well have paid off by keeping a clean sheet against Aston Villa last Sunday but Ten Hag’s words speak of delusion, they speak of a lack of clarity in what he’s trying to do.

With Carrick, he never wavers from the plan in place. That was seen in the 2023/24 campaign when the former midfielder overcame a difficult start to the season at Boro where they had lost seven straight games before finishing just outside the league’s top six. It was that calmness again that helped steady the ship.

As one figure told the i newspaper: “He’s not a ranter or raver by nature, he’s methodical and believes in what he’s doing. He’s intelligent and focused on finding solutions rather than problems. It just creates this culture where there’s no panic when things go wrong.”

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Again, this feels like the opposite of what’s occurring at Old Trafford now. Ten Hag exudes panic. The players clearly don’t buy into what he’s doing.

At Boro, the players really believe Carrick is the man to take them to the Premier League with the i explaining once more of how his ideas on the training pitch are ‘fresh, innovative and players love them.’

Goals scored

71

57

Goals conceded

62

58

Average possession

52.8%

50.4%

Pass success %

84.3%

82.7%

Shots per game

13.6

14.5%

Set-piece goals

11

9

% of play in opposition’s third

30%

29%

So, what about the style of play? Well, it’s a 4-2-3-1 traditionally on paper but the 43-year-old can be a lot more flexible than that, specifically in attack there the front four players have out-of-possession roles but when on the ball have a licence to roam out of position.

It all feels a bit too rigid under Ten Hag at United in comparison. Marcus Rashford is often strictly on the left. Alejandro Garnacho is usually strictly on the right. Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee will regularly drop into the pockets but there isn’t much movement out of position beyond that.

It may well be too soon for a manager of Carrick’s inexperience to be given such a difficult job at Old Trafford but he certainly boasts the man management, tactical nous and knowledge of the club to give it a right go.

Their answer to Arteta: Man Utd could appoint surprise Tuchel alternative

He’s a very inexperienced coach who could become their answer to Mikel Arteta.

1 ByJoe Nuttall Oct 7, 2024

Liverpool are making headway under Arne Slot but some old habits die hard. Darwin Nunez, for example, is struggling to shake his inconsistency and runs the risk of ostracising himself from the starting XI, for Diogo Jota is the nailed-on focal frontman at the moment.

And that’s concerning. Nunez joined Liverpool from Benfica in a deal rising to a club-record £85m in 2022, but he has only started one Premier League match this season as he plays second fiddle.

The Uruguay international is now in his third season and should be enjoying a role of greater significance. He’s only scored 21 goals from 69 matches in the English top flight and has missed a whopping 47 big chances in that timeframe, as per Sofascore.

The injury-prone Jota has only scored 19 Premier League goals across the same period, albeit featuring far more infrequently and missing just 18 big chances besides. There’s a stark polarity in composure and precision when it comes to those key moments, with Nunez failing to effectively promote his quality against that of his peers.

Should the 25-year-old fail to bring it all together, there’s a real chance he will find himself sold. Slot takes no prisoners and Liverpool are fielding interest from some European heavyweights.

Liverpool transfer news

According to Spanish sources from last month, Atletico Madrid are considering moving for Nunez to replace Antoine Griezmann, with the 33-year-old currently in the penultimate year of his contract.

Nunez might be wasteful in front of goal but he is immensely talented and fiercely aggressive in his attacking efforts, and Liverpool have thus made it clear that bids must total €70m (£59m) for his departure to be considered.

Barcelona are also admirers: Robert Lewandowski is still one of the best strikers in the world, but he’s 36 and a success plan is being considered.

Should all this fall into place, Liverpool should move for Florian Wirtz, who might not be a like-for-like replacement but would certainly inject some world-class quality into Slot’s already excellent frontline.

How Florian Wirtz would fit in at Liverpool

Wirtz is one of the hottest talents on the globe, winning the German Bundesliga Player of the Season last year as he supercharged Bayer Leverkusen’s invincible and title-winning campaign, ending Bayern Munich’s 11-year dynasty.

According to a report from Caught Offside only a few weeks ago, Liverpool are hot on his trail and will look to pounce if the opportunity to sign the German arises, though Xabi Alonso’s outfit will demand a fee in excess of £80m to part ways with their linchpin.

He’s quite the player. The 21-year-old has already suffered a long-term injury in his fledgling career but was simply breathtaking in his performances last term, scoring 18 goals and supplying 20 assists across 49 matches in all competitions, also winning the DFB-Pokal, which is the German equivalent of the FA Cup.

This season, the versatile attacking midfielder – who can also perform at centre-forward – has started with renewed prolificness, scoring four goals across his opening six Bundesliga appearances, also averaging 3.2 key passes, three dribbles and 5.7 successful duels per fixture.

With Player of the Match awards in each of Leverkusen’s opening Champions League games of the season – his first foray into the competition – Wirtz’s star factor has been underscored.

It’s no surprise that fans and critics alike have rhapsodised over his performances. Talent scout Jacek Kulig, for example, has hailed him as a “little genius”.

What a footballer. Wirtz is seemingly tailor-made for a career in the Premier League, for he carries some of the finest traits of both Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden, two of the division’s finest.

A Foden & Saka hybrid

Football fans are fickle. Foden has taken shots on various online platforms of late after starting the 2024/25 campaign slowly, but there’s little question that this man carries one of English football’s most talented skillsets.

After all, did he not win the Premier League Player of the Year award for 2023/24, scoring 19 goals and clinching his sixth title? Is he not the most balletic and brilliant of players, capable of hurting opponents in many ways?

And Saka. A player to marvel over. He’s exuded pure playmaking excellence across the opening months of the current term, supercharging Mikel Arteta’s third shot at the Premier League title. With three goals and seven assists from ten matches in all competitions, his influence is truly nonpareil.

Wrap them into one, why don’t you, Arne? Wirtz will gift Liverpool some of the best attributes of both stars, will complete the Reds’ frontline with the most prodigious of players.

FBref’s comprehensive statistical database has crunched the numbers and communicated that Foden and Saka are both players of a similar likeness to the German international, whose breezy gait, incisive shooting and creative spark present him to be a sort of hybrid of the two talents.

Saka might be a little bit more productive with his playmaking, and Foden, for sure, is the most natural goalscorer of the three, but Wirtz far outstrips both in regard to the bulk of the underlying metrics.

He’d be a credit to Liverpool’s first team, perhaps the catalyst for illustrious success under Slot’s wing. He wouldn’t quite be a direct replacement for a star such as Nunez, but if Liverpool were to lose their mercurial striker, this would be the marquee transfer to maintain and perhaps even raise the capacity of the club’s attacking line.

Liverpool struck gold on "superstar" who’s worth more than Alexander-Arnold

He’s a real linchpin for the Anfield side…

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By
Angus Sinclair

Oct 8, 2024

Says experience of playing one-and-a-half seasons of the IPL in the UAE “put me in good stead” for the T20 World Cup

PTI19-Oct-2021Picking MS Dhoni’s brain is on KL Rahul’s checklist for the next few weeks, as he wants to utilise every bit of advice from the Indian team’s mentor, who, according to the opening batter, always brings a sense of calm into the dressing room.Rahul, who is all set to open with Rohit Sharma in the T20 World Cup, where India will start against Pakistan on Sunday, said that there couldn’t have been a better mentor than Dhoni in what promises to be a tough journey. “Obviously, MS Dhoni back with the team feels amazing because we have played under him and we have looked towards him as a mentor even when he was our captain,” Rahul, who scored a fine half-century in the warm-up win against England on Monday, said during a Clubhouse session on ten years of Red Bull Campus Cricket.

“The bubble is really hard. It was all okay when it started with the IPL in 2020. We came out of five months of no cricket so we were excited to just play cricket. But the bio bubbles have been going on for so long that it is really hard”KL Rahul

Dhoni has often been described as an emotion by the observers and fans of the game, an emotion that binds everyone and above all, the Indian dressing room.Rahul endorsed this view, describing him as the man everyone looks up to. “We loved having him in the dressing room when he was the captain. We loved the calmness. We have all looked up to him to help us out, to have him here is amazing,” he said. “This gives us a sense of calmness, I have enjoyed spending time with him in the first two to three days and it has been a lot of fun. Looking forward to chewing his brain about cricket, captaincy and all things cricket.”Related

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Dhoni recently led Chennai Super Kings to a fourth IPL title and there is a chance that he will play one last time in front of the Super Kings’ home crowd at Chepauk in 2022. “None of us are sure that IPL 2021 final was his last game,” Rahul said.Rahul feels that despite being on the other side of 40, the former skipper can hit the farthest sixes, beating some of the more muscular youngsters.”I think Dhoni can give any of us stiff competition, he definitely is a guy who can hit the ball farthest, he is very strong and he is good (while running) between the wickets. He looks the fittest, it is good fun to have him,” Rahul said.Rahul has been one of the most consistent T20 performers for India, with astounding returns of 659, 593, 670 and 626 runs in the last four editions of IPL. And the fact that the last one-and-a-half editions of the IPL have been played in the UAE makes him confident of a good show from himself and the team.KL Rahul had an excellent IPL 2021 personally, scoring 626 runs from 13 innings•BCCI”Playing consistently has helped me. The six-seven IPL games have helped us adapt to the conditions. The experience of playing in UAE last year helped me know what shots to play and will put me in good stead in preparing for the upcoming World Cup,” he said.But life in biobubbles has been taking its toll, he conceded.Rahul, like most of the senior players, has been in biobubbles since June, and it is also the seventh confined environment he has been in starting with the IPL 2020, followed by the Australia tour (till he left due to injury), the England home series, the first half of the IPL in India, the World Test Championship, the Test series in England, the second half of IPL, and the T20 World Cup.”The bubble is really hard. It was all okay when it started with the IPL in 2020. We came out of five months of no cricket so we were excited to just play cricket. But the bio bubbles have been going on for so long that it is really hard,” he said.However, the positive side of bubble, according to him, is getting to know team-mates better as there is very little in-person interaction with outside world.”The bubbles have gotten the team a lot closer because we spend a lot of time together and can’t interact with others. We try to do what best we can in the bubble. I am hanging out with Hardik’s son mostly; I love kids and love playing with kids.”

أظهرت لقطات خلال مباراة ليفربول وباريس سان جيرمان بدوري أبطال أوروبا، رد فعل محمد صلاح تجاه داروين نونيز، عقب إهدار الأخير لركلة ترجيح.

والتقى ليفربول وباريس سان جيرمان ليلة الثلاثاء، بمنافسات إياب دور الـ 16 لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “آنفيلد”.

كان ليفربول حقق فوزًا في الذهاب بهدف دون رد، وتقدم باريس سان جيرمان بهدف في الإياب، لتمتد المباراة لأشواط إضافية، ومن ثم ركلات الترجيح.

محمد صلاح سجل ركلة الترجيح الأولى لليفربول، ثم أهدر داروين نونيز الركلة الثانية، واتجه لزملائه.

وأظهرت لقطات متداولة على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، نونيز وهو يتلقى مواساته من القائد فيرجيل فان دايك ويتجه إلى زملائه في ليفربول.

اقرأ أيضًا | لورنسون يوجه نصيحة لـ ليفربول بشأن مستقبل محمد صلاح

وتقدم لاعبو ليفربول نحو نونيز لدعمه ومواساته على إهدار ركلة ترجيح حاسمة، لكن محمد صلاح كان اللاعب الوحيد الذي لم يتجه لدعم نونيز، وتجاهله.

وأشارت شبكة “talkSPORT” إلى أن الهزيمة أمام باريس سان جيرمان كانت مؤلمة لمحمد صلاح، وشوهد وهو يمسح دموعه بعد خروج ليفربول من دوري أبطال أوروبا.

جدير بالذكر أن كورتيس جونز أهدر الركلة الثالثة لليفربول، وفاز باريس سان جيرمان بركلات الترجيح (4-1).

Salah knows Nunez is useless https://t.co/bzzZHvsH1h — CF Comps (@CF_Compss) March 12, 2025