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16Dec

Wolves set for Adama & Trincao crunch talks

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Wolverhampton Wanderers boss, Bruno Lage, is set for crunch talks with the Old Gold hierarchy.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Birmingham Mail, who claims that the Wolves boss will meet with the Molineux hierarchy to discuss the future of Adama Traore and Francisco Trincao.

The former is set to return to Molineux after Xavi declined Barcelona’s £25m option to re-sign their youth product at the end of the season, whilst Lage’s stance on the latter is currently yet to be decided.

Wolves have a reported £25m option to buy within Trincao’s loan deal and with Traore set to return to his parent club to enter what will be the final year of his current deal, the Old Gold have a decision to make.

Time to go?

With Traore’s latest setback in being rejected by the Blaugrana once again, he requires a club that can work around his direct style and within a system that gets the best out of him.

Ironically, Wolves have missed the spark that the Spaniard of Malian descent offers on the wing, and as Trincao will have found out this season when looking at his numbers in comparison to the rest of the squad, no one comes close to Adama’s average of 7.0 dribbles per 90, with Trincao closest to that Premier League-leading tally, having managed an average of 3.0 dribbles per 90.

You get the impression that a player of Adama’s technical ability would see him shine at the likes of Liverpool, if he was afforded regular game time that is. But whilst that is very unlikely to be the case, a move to a side that commits more bodies forward in the attacking phase of the game could suit the La Masia youth graduate well – especially if Wolves are to decide on signing Trincao permanently.

At the age of 26, Adama needs regular game time, and having suffered a slight blip in his career, despite showing glimpses of his potential under Lage, Trincao needs regular minutes in a progressive system also.

With Trincao linked with a reunion with former Braga-boss-now-Sporting manager Ruben Amorim, a return back to his homeland in an exciting project with familiar faces will surely prove too much of a temptation to reject.

Wolves could find themselves without the £177k-per-week duo, amidst what looks to be a big rebuild at the Molineux this summer.

In other news: In talks: Lage can unearth Wolves’ new Neves & Moutinho in double swoop for £12.8m duo

16Dec

Liverpool eye up move for Otavio

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Liverpool are interested in signing Porto midfielder Otavio during the summer transfer window, according to a fresh transfer rumour that emerged this week.

The Lowdown: Otavio shines for Porto

The 27-year-old has continued to be a key figure for Porto this season, producing a host of influential performances in his wide attacking role.

Otavio has registered an impressive 11 assists in 32 Primeira Liga appearances, as well as making nine appearances in the Champions League and Europa League combined.

Whoscored list him as being ‘very strong’ at creating scoring chances through both his passing and individual skill.

It could be that the Portuguese looks for a new challenge at the end of the season as he is approaching his prime and yet to test his mettle in a major European league, and Liverpool could well be in the conversation.

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The Latest: Liverpool in contact

According to A Bola [via Sport Witness], the Reds are one of a number of English clubs to have sent officials to watch Otavio in action and make contact with his club.

Julian Ward and co. have the player ‘referenced’ ahead of a potential move, with Manchester United and Newcastle United two of the other clubs mentioned in the report.

It is also stated that a move to Liverpool almost happened last year and an offer was even sent from Anfield, but Otavio’s Porto teammate, Luis Diaz, ended up joining in January instead. As we know, new Reds transfer guru Ward was instrumental in the capture of Diaz.

They say the two clubs have now had ‘even more communication’ since then, and the player has a €60m (£51m) release clause.

The Verdict: Is he needed?

While Otavio is clearly an excellent attacking player – he grew up idolising Brazil legend Ronaldinho – it is questionable as to whether or not Liverpool need to spend big on a player of his ilk this summer.

Jurgen Klopp already some several world-class attacking players at his disposal, so it is hard to see how the Porto man would fit into his regular plans.

The only way it could work is if Klopp used him in more of a central midfield role, potentially slotting into the right-sided No.8 berth that the likes of Jordan Henderson and Naby Keita take up.

In other news, a journalist has dropped a Liverpool transfer claim. Read more here.

16Dec

Kieran Devlin hails ‘special’ Tom Rogic

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Kieran Devlin has sung the praises of Tom Rogic’s after his final appearance for Celtic in their emphatic win over Motherwell on Saturday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Hoops bow out in style

The Hoops completed their triumphant Premiership campaign in style at the weekend, thumping Graham Alexander’s side 6-0 at Parkhead.

There was a party atmosphere in Glasgow after clinching the title in midweek, and Ange Postecoglou’s side turned on the style and showed exactly why they have been the best team in the country this season.

Rogic may not have scored or set up a goal for the Hoops on the day, but it was a fine farewell performance from him in a Celtic career which has brought so much success. He won two tackles and enjoyed an 82% pass completion rate against Motherwell to bring the curtain down on a glorious nine-year spell at Parkhead.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-6/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

The Latest: Devlin hails ‘special’ Rogic

Taking to Twitter as he shared a corresponding article from The Athletic, Devlin lauded the Australian’s all-round brilliance as a player and the impact he has made since arriving in 2013, offering gratitude to Rogic for producing some special memories in a Celtic shirt.

The journalist gushed: “If you analyse Rogic’s career by the stats and trophies he’ll come out brilliantly. But it would ignore what made him special. Few players in living memory have inspired as many moments of joy, relief, awe, and uncut, unbridled emotion.”

The Verdict: Modern-day Celtic legend

There is no doubt that Rogic now has to go down as a genuine Celtic legend, having been a vital performer in the middle of the park for so many years now. As Devlin outlined in The Athletic, the Australian’s legacy will live on thanks primarily to his last-gasp winner in the 2017 Scottish Cup final, which ensured a historic unbeaten domestic treble for the club.

The 29-year-old made a total of 272 appearances for the Hoops, not to mention the small matter of winning an incredible seven Premiership titles, along with five Scottish Cups and five Scottish League Cups.

The emotional scenes involving Rogic on Saturday illustrate how much he is adored by Ange Postecoglou and the Parkhead faithful, and he can certainly be classified as a modern Celtic legend given his aforementioned contributions in green and white.

In other news, a pundit has discussed a potential big Celtic blow this summer. Read more here.

15Dec

Matthew Mott: 'We literally can't play our best team, but we've just got to find a way to compete'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

England’s white-ball coach on his first year in the job: winning a World Cup, losing bilaterals, and not getting his best XI at all times

Matt Roller01-Jun-2023″It’s weird,” Matthew Mott says. “It’s not like I’ve never had time off before – but it’s usually been in the winter.”Mott is speaking to this writer in a Cardiff bakery, grappling with the bizarre nature of his job as England men’s white-ball coach. Outside, the city is soaked in early-summer sunshine and during our conversation, a handful of Glamorgan players wander in for coffees on a rare day off for them, two months into the county season.But while the rest of English cricket is gearing up for mid-summer, Mott’s main goal is “to try and stay connected”. His team’s next fixture is a T20I against New Zealand on August 30, five and a half months after their most recent one, a long-forgotten 16-run defeat to Bangladesh on March 14.He has been driving around the country to watch his players in the T20 Blast, and has kept a close eye on their progress at the IPL. “We have meetings quite regularly, and there’s a bit of admin to do. But the physical nature of throwing balls to people isn’t there, and I miss that. It’s about trying to keep yourself busy without creating work for the sake of work.”A year has passed since Mott took the job after seven years with the Australia women’s team. He and his family are settled in Cardiff, where he spent three years as Glamorgan coach from 2011. Mott has spent many hours watching his 14-year-old son Jai playing cricket locally and his six-year-old daughter Milla has just enrolled on the ECB’s All Stars programme.They have recently bought a house, and Mott gives the impression of a man who is in for the long haul: “It’s been a great adventure for us all so far. We’ve really enjoyed the lifestyle and have some great friends here. We haven’t set any time frame but I signed for four years. I’d love to, at least, fulfil that – if they’ll have me.”Related

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Mott’s first year in charge has been a mixed bag in terms of bilateral series results: four series wins (two each in ODIs and T20Is), one drawn series and six defeats (three each in ODIs and T20Is). Rob Key, England’s managing director of men’s cricket and Mott’s boss, made it clear to him early on that his success would be defined by silverware, and so far he is one from one at World Cups.”I don’t think any of us are completely happy with the overall year that we’ve had,” he says. “We’re definitely trying to get a lot better. But if you’d said to me, ‘You’re a year into the job, the results are what they are but you’ve won a World Cup?’ I’d have said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take that any day.'”It has taken some time to get used to. With Australia, Mott was “so consumed… I’d been working pretty much ten to 11 months of the year and when we weren’t with the team, we were doing camps and so on. In this one, there’s more of a balance – and an opportunity to put your head up and look further along the line.”He plays down the contrast between working in the women’s and men’s game: “I don’t think there’s too much change. I really don’t. The mindset is pretty similar; both teams are very confident in their ability and they back themselves a lot. I haven’t found too much different at all.”The one thing about this role, which I probably hadn’t expected, what just how blocked it would be…”And I probably hadn’t prepared enough for not having all your best players available all the time. That’s something new to me. But as long as everyone’s on the same page and the communication is good, I think we can all get through it pretty well.”

“We want our dressing room to be everyone’s favourite, where people turn up and are excited to be there. Financially, sometimes, it’s not going to be as good as some of these franchises”Matthew Mott

There were moments last year when Mott must have wondered what he had got himself into – none more so than in the aftermath of a 90-run defeat to South Africa in a T20I at the Ageas Bowl. After an initial “honeymoon period” in the Netherlands, England played a dozen white-ball games in 25 days in July and won only four of them, with one no-result and seven defeats.Mott suffered by comparison to Brendon McCullum, whose red-ball team was in red-hot form at the start of his tenure. He also found himself blooding a new leader in Jos Buttler. Eoin Morgan, England’s long-serving captain, announced his retirement a matter of weeks after Mott took the job.”It wasn’t a huge shock,” Mott says. “I knew he wasn’t going to be around for a heap of time. Even during the [recruitment] process, he asked questions like, ‘What happens if I’m not around?'”He blames me! We had a conversation in London before we went off to Holland, and he was saying then, ‘I’m not sure when the right time is.’ I said, ‘You’ll wake up one day and just know you’re done.’ And he felt that after the second game in Holland.”On the non-stop schedule last July, he says: “It all seemed to come thick and fast. We came up against some really good teams [India and South Africa] in a bit of a rush, and we were all trying to find our feet: new captain, new coach, some players that hadn’t played together for a while.”Over the following six weeks, Mott had a watching brief. A number of players went down injured at various stages: Jos Buttler, Chris Jordan and Liam Livingstone would miss the seven-match series in Pakistan, Jofra Archer’s absence for the T20 World Cup was confirmed, and Jonny Bairstow broke his leg on the golf course.England with the ODI series trophy in Bangladesh: injuries, player rotation, and franchise commitments have meant Mott hasn’t always had full-strength squads to work with. And this year, England have no white-ball cricket between March and the end of August•Getty ImagesBut as England boarded the plane to Karachi in mid-September – with a recalled Alex Hales in the touring party – Mott sensed a shift: “That was probably the turning point,” he says. “It was a moment where we galvanised together and played some tough cricket – and in some tough conditions as well.”Sometimes in home series, you can go your separate ways a little bit. But in Pakistan we were locked down, and the group seemed to really grow. Apart from players getting out for golf, it was pretty much a case of getting around each other in the hotel. That had a huge impact on me getting to know the players, them getting to know me, and all the coaching staff and management really bonded there as well.”One such relationship formed between David Saker, who Mott brought in as bowling coach, and Sam Curran. “Halfway through the summer, we dropped him [at Trent Bridge],” Mott says, “and to his credit, he asked for some conversations with me and Jos. He just wanted some clarity on what he needed to do to get back in there.”When Sakes came in, they clicked straightaway. I remember him saying to me from the start, ‘He’s going to be one of the best bowlers in the world in this format.’ He was adamant about it: every time we would throw around names for teams, he was like, ‘Sammy Curran, first pick.’ And Sam was a revelation for us.”Curran was named Player of the Final and the tournament for the T20 World Cup, but to get there, England had to overcome a surprise early defeat to Ireland. On a damp Thursday afternoon, their performance was as flat as the MCG was empty, and they succumbed to a five-run defeat via DLS.For Mott, it was familiar territory. “Over my seven years with the women’s team, a lot of people talked about the dominance but during World Cups, we often dropped a game early and were under the pump. Those experiences helped me a lot – to maintain that balance. It was like, ‘Okay, that was pretty bad. Let’s not play like that again.’

“You’ve got to love the one you’re with. I work for the ECB, so definitely, I hope Baz and Stokesy and the boys get the win”Mott on who he will support in the men’s Ashes

“In some ways, it released a lot of that fear. We knew we could still control our own destiny, so we didn’t panic. There were a lot of key characters around that: Stokesy was very important; Moeen Ali, with the way he keeps everyone balanced; and then Jos’ sheer determination to get things right.”A washout against Australia and wins over New Zealand and Sri Lanka were sufficient to set up a semi-final against India in Adelaide; even with five first-choice players out injured, England thrashed them by ten wickets, then snuck home in a tricky chase against Pakistan in the final. “World Cups are pretty fickle,” Mott says, “but it felt like we achieved something special.”The six months since then have been very different. England stayed in Australia for three ODIs – “there’s no way we could have competed properly” – and have only played nine times since, losing an ODI series in South Africa and winning another in Bangladesh before being whitewashed in the T20Is. The tours epitomised the direction of travel.In South Africa, with the vast majority of their players arriving from franchise leagues, England scrapped their warm-up games and barely trained before the start of the series – which lasted only six days. In Bangladesh, they were proud to win the ODIs but by the end of the tour were fielding an imbalanced T20I team because their batters were either resting between a Test tour and the IPL, or had declined selection to play in the PSL instead.”There’s a good understanding among you guys in the press, commentators and our playing group around expectations,” Mott reflects. “We literally can’t put our best team on the park and we’ve just got to find a way to compete. The schedule is what it is, and it’s not going to change over the next couple of years.Mott on bowling coach David Saker (left) backing Sam Curran (right): “I remember him saying to me from the start, ‘He’s going to be one of the best bowlers in the world in this format’. And Sam was a revelation for us”•Munir uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images”It’s almost like football,” he says. Mott was recently invited to speak at a coaching seminar through the Football Association, and spoke to England manager Gareth Southgate before it started. “I asked him about access to players. He said, ‘I don’t really get it at all – it’s like two or three days before we go away, and that’s it.’ The days of having a lead-in and preparation are gone. There’s nothing we can do about that.”It’s very different to what I – and most coaches – have been used to. We just need to adapt. We have to be prepared – and it doesn’t feel right to say – to lose in order to win the long-term battles. When you’re in the moment, it doesn’t sit that well with you but sometimes you have to make decisions that are looking well ahead.”The root cause is simple: the recent trend of Indian investment in global franchise leagues has undermined the status and relevance of bilateral international cricket, offering players an alternative source of income to their national contracts. “In the last two or three years, they [franchise leagues] have expanded rapidly. Everyone is fighting for their little space,” Mott says.”We often talk about this, and Jos is big on it: we want our dressing room to be everyone’s favourite; the one that everyone wants to be in. We want to maintain that culture where people turn up and are excited to be there. Financially, sometimes, it’s not going to be as good as some of these franchises – and I’m not sure we can compete with that.”But what we can compete with is that it’s international cricket. Look at Sam Curran: a lot of his success [in leagues] is on the back of a great World Cup campaign. Players need to make a living, to look after their families, to pay their mortgages, but the lure of playing for World Cups is something that no franchise can compete with.

“You’re a year into the job, the results are what they are but you’ve won a World Cup? I’d have said, ‘Yeah, I’ll take that any day'”

“And we need to have a positive look at these franchises too. They provide a huge development opportunity for our players. The more we can work with them to find an equal balance – rather than saying, ‘We don’t like it’ – then we’ll create better cricketers in the long run.”Mott brings up the example of the T20 World Cup semi-final, when Moeen – who has just won his second IPL title after six seasons in the competition – was the driving force behind England’s decision to chase against India. “He was convinced. ‘No, we need them to have to set a score. We need them not to chase,'” Mott recalls. “Those are things that you don’t pick up unless you’re in those environments.”Key made clear when recruiting last year that he was open to England’s coaches working in franchise leagues, and Mott, who spent the first two IPL seasons as Kolkata Knight Riders’ assistant coach, admits it is “definitely a goal to get back there at some point”. He was approached by a WPL franchise but the dates clashed, and has turned down an offer from another league in recent weeks.But in the immediate term, Mott’s focus is on England’s preparations to defend their 50-over World Cup title in India later this year. “With an Ashes and a World Cup in the same year, there’s going to be some stress points, I’m sure. But I’ve got really great trust in Keysy and Baz [Brendon McCullum] to help have those conversations.”Ideally Mott would like to field his strongest 50-over team against New Zealand in September but accepts that might not be possible. “You have to keep a really open mind because there will be compounding impact from the Ashes,” he says. “We have to look at the World Cup, work our way backwards and manage individuals as best we can.”Mott is at Lord’s this week to watch England’s Test team play Ireland and is relishing a “fascinating” men’s Ashes series. “Like every cricket nuffy, I just can’t wait for it to happen. I don’t think there could be a better time for those two teams to come up against each other. At home, England are hard to beat even when they’re not at their best but they’re going in at the top of their game. But I think Australia are confident.”As for his allegiances, “I’ve got great friends in both camps, so it’s a tough one,” he says with a wry smile. “But I always said from the moment I took this job, you’ve got to love the one you’re with. I work for the ECB, so definitely, I hope Baz and Stokesy and the boys get the win.” And for the women’s Ashes? “I’ve got lifelong friendships with a number of those people in there,” he says of the Australia camp. “That’s a hard one for me…”In the meantime, it is just a question of staying busy. “I’m really enjoying the home time at the moment. My daughter was just starting to have a crack at me about being away too much but that’s settled down a bit; I think she’s pretty keen to get rid of me now.”

15Dec

So you think Stuart Broad is rubbish at the DRS? Think again

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Patterns in his celebrappeals show he is actually a fine judge of when a leg-before shout is out

Charles Reynolds15-Jun-2023It is testament to how good Stuart Broad has been with the ball throughout his career that he is still thought of primarily as a bowler. In reality he should be considered one of the greatest allrounders the game has ever seen.No, not in the gaudy sense of combining both bowling and batting skill – any Jacques, Dick or Garry can do that. Broad is at the apex of his sport in the twin disciplines of bowling and comedy.That last owes much to his reputation for being overzealous with DRS – an aspect this article wishes to address: the widely held belief that Broad is a liability when it comes to third-umpire referrals, his insatiable lust for wickets leading him to have absolutely no sense of judgement when involved in any sort of DRS situation.Yes, there may well be countless examples of his over-eagerness leading to highly questionable referrals – at this point there’s probably even a YouTube montage dedicated to them somewhere – but I have long maintained that, in fact, subconsciously, Broad is one of the finest instant judges of lbw in the game.The key to Broad’s DRS judgement is in his celebrappeal
My theory is that far from being the hapless, trigger-happy, review-eater of public perception, Broad, in fact, has a highly sophisticated, subliminal, inbuilt Hawk-Eye. Nighthawkeye, if you will.Fittingly, the key to unlocking this revolves around another key pillar of the church of Stuart Broad, the “celebrappeal”. For the uninitiated, this is a term coined by Dave Tickner for the manner in which Broad usually appeals lbw or caught-behind decisions to the umpires: celebrating the wicket first and then only very belatedly turning round to appeal, if even bothering to do so at all.It has long been my theory that Broad’s subconscious DRS wizardry can be unleashed simply by analysing at which point during his celebrappeal he instinctively turns around to the umpire. The earlier he turns, the less out it is, the later he turns, the more out it is.How does this theory hold up in the face of data?The method: analysing every Broad lbw appeal since 2019
Thankfully in the modern age of cricket analysis, practically every ball bowled is filmed, tagged and logged in a database somewhere. So using video generously provided to me by an organisation that wishes to remain anonymous – the cricket establishment is clearly not quite ready yet to be seen supporting such controversial research – I looked at every Broad international lbw appeal from the start of 2019 up to, but not including, the recent Test against Ireland.The starting year of 2019 was chosen simply because it was the furthest point in the past from which deliveries were tagged in the database with “lbw appeal”, but it nevertheless gave me a healthy sample of 83 deliveries to analyse.I took an imaginary top-down view of a cricket pitch and from popping crease to popping crease, divided it into ten equal horizontal segments, starting with No. 1 at the bottom, the non-striker’s end, going up to No. 10 at the top, the striker’s end, noting down at roughly what point in each appeal Broad turned around to the umpire, and correlating it with the result of the appeal.From this I was able to calculate the out percentage for each of the ten sections of the pitch – that is, the percentage of times a batter was actually out (from dismissals given on the field that were not overturned by DRS, and those given out after successful reviews). This would allow me to see whether there was, in fact, any correlation between the point at which Broad turned to appeal and whether the delivery was actually out.A disclaimer here: while cricket has made great strides in analytics in recent years, one area where it still lags behind other sports is player positional tracking – i.e. recording player movements for exact positioning data, much like Hawk-Eye does for the movement of the ball. (It is largely because of this lack that effective metrics for judging players’ fielding ability still don’t exist and too much subjective human input is required.)Sadly, that does mean that an element of subjectivity – in this case, the point I judged Broad to have turned around for each of these 83 deliveries – had to be inserted into this otherwise highly rigorous scientific study. However, I strove to maintain the highest levels of consistency throughout the result-recording process.Stuart Broad: lbw expert
A thorough analysis of the data revealed fairly overwhelmingly that Broad is, in fact, a highly sophisticated lbw-judging machine.Firstly if we look at the heat map of the points in his celebrappeals at which he turned round to appeal, we can see that, rather surprisingly, 43.4% of the time, he appeals before he gets to the halfway mark on the pitch – a little earlier than you might expect from the game’s premier celebrappealist – although there a still a solid amount of those late turnarounds that have established his standing in the field.Compare this however with the out-percentage heat map above and we can instantly see the huge correlation between the point at which Broad instinctively turns round to appeal and whether the batter is out or not. Quite definitively, as you can also see from the graph of the compiled data below, there is a clear link between the point at which Broad subconsciously decides to turn and appeal to the umpire and how unequivocally out the delivery actually is.

15Dec

The Rondo, USMNT edition: Who steps up without Christian Pulisic – and what are the expectations for Gio Reyna and Ricardo Pepi?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

With the USMNT set to kick off their first match of the November break this Saturday, GOAL's writers discuss the biggest storylines revolving around the team.

It’s camp time. The USMNT have reported for training, leaving their clubs behind to strut their stuff for the national team. And because this is the USMNT, there’s always a bit of drama. Injuries have hit hard, with Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams, and Chris Richards all out – and Malik Tillman missing as well. If this window ever felt like “must win,” that mood feels even further away now.

So, what can we make of all of this? Paraguay and Uruguay are good teams – certainly better than Australia and Ecuador. This will be a very difficult pair of fixtures.

Perhaps it’s all down to individual performances. There are a few players fighting for a spot on the World Cup roster. Some of the chosen absentees – looking at you, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah – also speak volumes. And then there’s the Gio Reyna conversation, with the attacking midfielder brought into the fray unexpectedly. There are plenty of storylines here, and GOAL US’s writers break them all down in the USMNT edition of… The Rondo.

Thoughts on the squad overall

Tom Hindle: Well, it’s about as full-strength as possible, given who Pochettino rates and the injuries he has. Sure, he’d love to have Pulisic, Adams, Tillman, and Richards, but if none are fully fit, there isn’t much that can be done. It’s good to see Christian Roldán back, and Ricardo Pepi certainly deserves another shot to prove he can be either the main man or the No. 2 behind Folarin Balogun. Honestly? Also, welcome back, Reyna.

Ryan Tolmich: It's fine, given the situation. There’s no navigating injuries at the moment, so Pochettino was forced to confront the reality that this team, despite all intentions, was never going to be as strong as it could be. In that sense, yes, it makes sense to take a look at Reyna and Scally to see if they've learned anything. Yes, it makes sense to sort out the center-back pool without Richards to see what that looks like. And yes, it makes sense to take a different path with McKennie, who always plays his best when he’s in that sweet spot of being under pressure and playing at Juventus. For all of those reasons, the squad is fine – even if there are a few things many of us would have done differently.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWho are you must looking forward to seeing this camp?

TH: Pepi. Haji Wright and Balogun are known quantities at this point. Where does Pepi fit? Sure, the U.S. will take three strikers to the World Cup; Pepi isn't going to lose his spot. But is he the No. 1 guy? Or the backup’s backup? This camp could offer a few clues as to where exactly he stands in this setup.

RT: The center backs, for sure. We know one of the three World Cup starters will be Richards. The other two? Pretty up in the air. With no Richards in camp, it’s up to everyone else to brawl for those spots. Will it be a familiar face like Tim Ream? Can Mark McKenzie and Miles Robinson convince? Will Auston Trusty make a late push? With so many positions accounted for, center back is still a question mark. Maybe we'll get some answers this camp.

GettyWho is under the most pressure to perform?

TH: It’ll have to be one of the center backs. Any errors at the back can prove costly – not only to results, but to reputation. Trusty is very much on the bubble and will need a solid camp to prove he deserves a spot.

RT: All eyes are on the strikers, right? For the first time post-Copa America, the U.S. have what seems to be the top three strikers in the pool all in camp together. Now that that’s happening, the race for the starting job can truly begin. Balogun, Pepi and Wright are all directly competing – may the best man win!

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GettyWho could make a case to start with a good couple of performances?

TH: Gio flipping Reyna. Do it, Mauricio.

RT: Tanner Tessmann is in a spot where he could really convince. The U.S. are seemingly still searching for an Adams partner and, at the moment, Tessmann seems to be in pole position. If he can perform – especially without Adams next to him as a safety blanket – he could do a whole lot to convince Pochettino that he can be the guy in midfield.

15Dec

Afghanistan to host Bangladesh for bilateral white-ball series in the UAE after Asia Cup

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Teams to play three T20Is and three ODIs, starting four days after the Asia Cup final

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2025Afghanistan will host Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in the UAE in October, shortly after the conclusion of the Asia Cup on September 28.The T20Is are on October 2, 3 and 5 in Sharjah while the ODIs are on October 8, 11 and 14 in Abu Dhabi.ESPNcricinfo understands the Bangladesh squad could stay back in the UAE after the Asia Cup to play the bilateral series. Both teams are part of Group B in the Asia Cup, along with Sri Lanka and Hong Kong, and play each other on September 16 in Abu Dhabi. Only the top two teams from each group will progress to the Super Fours stage of the tournament. India, Oman, Pakistan and UAE are in Group A.The Afghanistan-Bangladesh bilateral series is the second part of what was supposed to be an all-format tour in July 2024, comprising two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. The schedule was revised to include only white-ball matches while that series, due to be played in Greater Noida in India, was postponed due to weather conditions and Bangladesh’s packed schedule.The two teams have a rivalry brewing. Bangladesh and Afghanistan have played four bilateral ODI series, with the head-to-head record level at 2-2. Bangladesh won in 2016 and 2022, while Afghanistan won the two most recent series in 2023 and 2024. It’s level in bilateral T20I series too, with Afghanistan winning in 2018, Bangladesh in 2023, and a tied series in 2022.

15Dec

'It's impossible!'- Bournemouth admit they were powerless to stop Erling Haaland after Norwegian bagged brace in Man City win

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Erling Haaland gave yet another reminder of his monstrous goalscoring powers as he scored twice in Manchester City's 3-1 win over Bournemouth, and afterwards the Cherries' boss Andoni Iraola and captain David Brooks admitted there was almost nothing they could do to stop him. Haaland drew a rare blank in last week's 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa but responded in a typically ruthless fashion.

Getty Images SportBournemouth are Haaland's latest victims

The City striker produced a lung-bursting run from behind the halfway-line after latching on to a Rayan Cherki header to slot the hosts in front and combined with the French playmaker again to restore their lead after Tyler Adams had equalised. Haaland has 13 Premier League goals in 10 matches this season, with 17 in 13 games in all competitions. Including his goals for Norway since the season began, he is on 26 strikes.

AdvertisementHaaland 'always going to be a threat'

Bournemouth captain Brooks told : "We look to press but Manchester City are extremely comfortable on the ball. In the first half we created a lot of opportunities for ourselves through the press. But the big man up top for them – Haaland – is always going to be a threat. It's almost impossible [to prepare to face Haaland]. He's 6ft 5in, strong, a massive threat when the ball is falling to him. He took his chances well.

"It was always going to be a tough game against Manchester City. It's probably the hardest week to prepare for. We knew we had to come here and be the best version of ourselves. A few minor details cost us today."

Getty Images SportIraola: 'You're not recovering from Haaland'

Head coach Iraola added: "In the first half they punished us with Haaland behind our defensive line, probably the coordination between the centre-backs was not spot on. The first goal we were in a good moment before the goal, we were playing in their half but in our attacks we lose the ball, we jump, we don’t cover in behind and he punishes us. You make the smallest mistakes and they punish you.

"The timing the speed was top class. You sit deeper and maybe Haaland scores two headers at the second post because maybe they have 25 crosses. You lose one metre against Haaland, you are not recovering. It is going to be three metres at the end of the play."

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Guardiola puts Haaland on same level as Messi & Ronaldo

Pep Guardiola put Haaland on the same pedestal as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and said the Norwegian was so dominant that it didn't matter that City's other forwards were not contributing many goals this season. No City player aside from Haaland has scored more than one Premier League goal this season.

"It's a little like when you play with Messi or Cristiano," Guardiola said. "The influence is so big. Of course we need the goals from Phil [Foden] and Tijjani [Reijnders] and the other ones."

Asked whether Haaland was truly on the same level as Messi and Ronaldo, Guardiola had no doubts at all. "Has he reached that level? You see the numbers of that guy? Oh my God, yeah, of course he's at their level. So the numbers from Cristiano and Messi have been for 15 years. You see Messi still in MLS, he scores two or three goals every day. Cristiano in Saudi is the same. But he [Haaland] is at that level.

"The first goal, the way he shoots the ball, going down on the grass [saying] 'I am going to score this'. I have said many times, he is incredibly coachable and I am tough with him sometimes. I always try to be open minded with him and there are players who say, ‘What are you talking about?' He is completely down to earth, he wants to do it and he lives for the goals. Without him, it would be tough to be honest."

15Dec

Siraj six-for hands India huge lead despite Smith and Brook hundreds

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Day three at Edgbaston was as stirring, emotional and mesmerising as this format gets

Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Jul-2025

Mohammed Siraj started and ended the day with a flurry of wickets•Getty Images

Day three’s claim on the “moving day” moniker in a Test match was given extra credence at Edgbaston. While the situation in this second Test at stumps was not all that different to how it began – India ahead by plenty, England ruing various mistakes with ball and then bat – this was as stirring, emotional and mesmerising as this format gets.It began with Mohammed Siraj prising out Joe Root and Ben Stokes with successive deliveries in the second over of the day, and he would close England’s innings with the final three to finish with 6 for 70. This was Siraj’s fourth five-wicket haul, and first on these shores, confirming a first-innings lead of 180 that would eventually swell to 244 by the close, for the loss of just Yashasvi Jaiswal, trapped lbw by Josh Tongue.Related

Stats – Two 150s, a 303-run stand, and six ducks on a topsy-turvy day at Edgbaston

No Bumrah, no problem for India as Siraj steps up

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Smith hails belief to 'do what you feel is right in the moment'

In between, however, Jamie Smith’s unbeaten 184, of which the first century clocked in at a joint-third-fastest 80 deliveries, alongside Harry Brook’s 158 dared England to believe they might wipe out India’s opening effort of 587 despite having to rise from the canvas. From 84 for 5, Smith struck Siraj’s hat-trick delivery back past him for four and did not look back, while Brook occupied his slipstream for an initial retaliation that turned into a calculated occupation of the crease and time.They were eventually parted for 303 in the evening session, England’s second-highest stand for the sixth wicket. On a new-ball pitch, the second one had done the trick, as Akash Deep seamed one through Brook’s bat and pad off a length, disturbing the timber. That would be the first of the final five wickets to fall for just 20 runs in 7.2 overs. As KL Rahul’s 28 not out led a quick dart to 64 for 1 with dark clouds looming, England had snapped out of their Smith-inspired fever dream and were back in cold, dank reality.And it was Smith inspired. Siraj set the scene with the jeopardy Smith used to fuel a second Test century and new top score for an England wicketkeeper, beating his Surrey mentor Alec Stewart’s 173 against New Zealand back in 1997.Jamie Smith completed his century in a single session•ECB via Getty ImagesRoot’s demise was a boost for its earliness – nine balls into Friday – and ease; over-balancing to tickle an edge down the leg side through to Rishabh Pant. If that was a little bit of good fortune for Siraj, it was all him for the next delivery, as a snorter – leaping off a short length, scorching the gloves as Stokes attempted to protect his neck – gave England’s Test captain his first golden duck in the format. It was only the second time England’s top six had provided three noughts.It was from that point of disarray, with England trailing by 503 in the 22nd over, that Smith unleashed his astonishing counterattack. Smith was more or less a-run-a-ball up until he locked horns with Prasidh Krishna in the over before the drinks break. With Shubman Gill chasing the match earlier than he needed to, Prasidh was ordered to bounce Smith, who cashed in handsomely with four fours and a six smashed high over fine leg, taking the over for 23.Remarkably, Gill persisted with Prasidh and the short-ball tactic and, as expected, Smith tonked the first ball of this new over for another six over backward square-leg. The previous over had seen Smith move to his sixth fifty-plus score from 43 deliveries.Harry Brook celebrates after getting to 150•Getty ImagesFurther shifts came with consecutive boundaries off spinners Washington Sundar (two fours through cover) and Ravindra Jadeja (a cut through point, then a launch back over the left-arm bowler’s head), bringing Smith in with a shout of taking the record for England’s fastest Test century.He was 84 from 62 deliveries, needing 16 from nine deliveries to take the record outright with the uncertainty of whether Gilbert Jessop achieved the feat from 72 or 76 deliveries. Alas, a slowdown as lunch approached, while sensible, meant that opportunity passed him by.Nevertheless, the century within the session came with three deliveries to go, as Smith lifted Jadeja down the ground and then smeared a 17th boundary through midwicket to take him to three figures. Edgbaston roared and then roared again as he walked off with Brook unbeaten on 91, the pair of them smashing 165 of the 172 scored in the first 27 overs between them – the third-most India have conceded in a session.Harry Brook played some eye-catching shots•AFP/Getty ImagesBrook’s ninth Test century came up four overs into the afternoon, with a controlled guide through the cordon – his 13th boundary, off his 137th ball – between gully and second slip off Prasidh. It was Brook’s first century against India, and only his second at home, having fallen for 99 in his first innings of the series at Headingley.By tea, Smith and Brook had eaten further into India’s lead – 232 by this point – but they had started to slow down, taking 101 deliveries to move their partnership to 250 from 200, which had only taken 192. A combination of Siraj, Jadeja and Washington could claim responsibility for prompting that deceleration with wider, more consistent lines. Nitish Kumar Reddy did find Smith’s edge on 121, but Pant could only get fingertips to the chance, allowing the 24-year-old to pass 150 – off 144 balls – for the third time in his first-class career.The 12 runs off the penultimate over of the second session, bowled by Washington, who was reverse swept with ease by Brook, spoke of the ability of both batters to shift back up the gears. However, India pinned their hopes on the second new ball, which arrived five overs and one warm-up delivery from Akash Deep into the evening and proved their saviour.1:39

Akash Deep: Morne Morkel has given me a lot of confidence

Brook was cramping up, needing the physio – and a banana – eight deliveries before he was dismissed. He could score no runs during this period considering he only faced one of these deliveries, the one that dismissed him, prompting Smith to switch gears again. The wicket-taker Akash Deep was lifted gorgeously over long-on and then clouted through long-off for four. But with that second boundary coming at the end of the over, Smith watched on as Siraj trapped Josh Tongue lbw, and put a sickening bouncer on Shoaib Bashir’s temple before castling the No. 11, who had opted to leave a delivery that moved in off the deck.Smith rushed off, cursory waves of his bat for a quite incredible innings that ran India ragged and thrilled a large home support. At various points, you needed the scoreboard to show you who was actually in charge. By the end, it was clear as day, as Rahul drove pristinely and Jaiswal, while he was there for 22 deliveries, smoked 28, punishing both Chris Woakes and Brydon Carse when they dropped short.There was almost a moment of controversy when, having been pinned by Tongue, Jaiswal seemed to run out of time before calling for the review, which was given to him by standing umpire Sharfuddoula, who had given the decision on the field. Stokes immediately stormed over to remonstrate after watching intently as the big screen ticked from 15 to zero before Jaiswal’s signal.In the end, it did not matter, and resulted in India losing a review as three reds were confirmed on the big screen. A small victory for England in a mini session that, not unlike this Test match so far, belongs to India.

15Dec

Football Manager wonderkids: The best youngster in every position in FM26

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Following the release of the beta last week, Football Manager fans have finally been able to get to grips with the new game ahead of the full launch on November 4th, and it has been a long time coming.

The 2025 edition of the game was cancelled, with Sports Interactive studio director Miles Jacobson revealing the problems with the game would’ve done irreversible damage to their reputation if it had been released.

It is full steam ahead for FM26 however, with a number of exciting new additions being made, including official FIFA tournaments, a Premier League license, over 40 new roles and the introduction of women’s football.

However, many of the core principles have stayed the same, and undoubtedly one of the most satisfying parts of FM saves is developing lesser-known talents into world-beating stars.

Goalkeeper Guillaume Restes

Every top side is built from the back, and one of the most exciting up-and-coming goalkeepers is Toulouse’s Guillaume Restes, who has already made 18 appearances for France’s U21 side, indicating the youngster could be the heir to Mike Maignan.

Just 20-years-old, the Frenchman is still in the very early stages of his career, but he has emerged as Toulouse’s first-choice option between the sticks, keeping three Ligue 1 clean sheets this season.

If you aim to emulate Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal by building from the back, Restes will provide a rock-solid foundation, but be sure to snap him up quickly, as the goalkeeper is likely to attract interest from plenty of Europe’s elite clubs.

Hidden gems: Quenten Attigah, Tommaso Martinelli, Alessandro Nunziante

Right-back Givairo Read

Previously an unfashionable position, with Jamie Carragher famously quipping “no one wants to grow up and be a Gary Neville”, Trent Alexander-Arnold showcased just how influential right-backs can be during his time with Liverpool.

It may be difficult to replicate Trent’s stellar assist record, but there are plenty of options to choose from in FM26, although many are already at top clubs, such as FC Barcelona’s Hector Fort and Real Madrid’s Jesus Fortea.

Givairo Read, on the other hand, may be easier to prise away from Feyenoord, despite the 19-year-old breaking out as a first-team player for the Dutch side, chipping in with two assists in nine Eredivisie games this season.

World Cup glory and over 40 new roles: 5 changes coming to Football Manager 2026

Anyone for project San Marino?

ByTom Cunningham Oct 19, 2025

Hidden gems: Martim Fernandes, Daniel Banjaqui, Marco Palestra

Centre-back Willy Kambwala

Manchester United may end up ruing the decision to let Willy Kambwala leave in the summer of 2024, with the 21-year-old going on to make an immediate impact for Villarreal last season, making 19 appearances in La Liga.

Kambwala also caught the eye in a United shirt in the very early stages of his career, when called upon against Liverpool near the end of the 2023-24 campaign, at which point he was just 19-years-old.

If you do try to sign the Villarreal star, watch out for United, who retain a buy-back clause which doesn’t expire until 2027.

Hidden gems: Matteo Palma

Left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly

Lewis-Skelly needs very little introduction, given the impact the 18-year-old has made at Arsenal since such a young age, infamously mocking Erling Haaland with his celebration after scoring in the Gunners’ 5-1 rout of Manchester City last season.

The teenager hasn’t featured quite as regularly for Arteta’s side this season, but it is a testament to his ability that he has already amassed six international caps for England, with the youngster’s World Cup debut very much on the cards next summer.

The north Londoners are likely to demand a huge fee for their left-back, however, so it may also be worth taking a look at the more affordable options below…

Hidden gems: Saba Kharebashvili, Davinchi, Tom Rothe

Central midfield Ayyoub Bouaddi

It is no surprise that Ayyoub Bouaddi has already started to attract the attention of some top clubs, with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all hatching plans to sign the Lille midfielder.

Boauddi only turned 18 earlier this month, but he has already emerged as a key first-team player for Lille, making 66 appearances for the French club, during which time he’s displayed his versatility by featuring in both defensive and attacking midfield roles.

Having been born just one month too late to be included in the previous edition, FM26 fans should be chomping at the bit to sign the Lille starlet, given that beta players have already discovered he develops into a midfielder with phenomenal physical and mental attributes.

Hidden gems: Tom Bischof, Niccolo Pisili, Kees Smit

Right-wing Lamine Yamal

It would be impossible to compile this list without mentioning Lamine Yamal, who is already regarded as one of the best wingers in world football, currently sitting in second place in the 2026 Ballon d’Or power rankings.

Having established himself as one of the best players in the world, however, signing Yamal is likely to break the bank, which means it may be worth taking a look at some lesser-known prospects, such as Vasco da Gama’s Rayan, who Tottenham Hotspur recently opened talks to sign.

Still, if you choose to start a Barca save or somehow manage to persuade the La Liga giants to cash-in, you can be sure the 18-year-old will remain one of the best right-wingers in the world for a decade to come.

Hidden gems: Rayan, David Martinez, Ian Subiabre

Left-wing Kenan Yildiz

Much like Bouaddi, Juventus winger Kenan Yildiz has already started attracting major interest from the Premier League, with it recently being revealed Man United were preparing an ‘aggressive pitch’ to sign the 20-year-old.

Having initially made his breakthrough in the 2023-24 campaign, it was last season in which Yildiz truly started to flourish, regularly providing goals and assists for Juventus across all competitions.

Competition

Appearances

Goal contributions

Serie A

Champions League

Club World Cup

Italian Cup

Italian Super Cup

The Turkish starlet announced himself to the world with his stellar performances at the Club World Cup, and he could make all the difference in your pursuit of European domination on FM26…

Hidden gems: Jeremy Monga, Gabriel Mec

Attacking midfielder Arda Guler

Arda Güler has already gotten his big move to Real Madrid, which means he will no doubt cost a pretty penny on FM26, but the Turk has shown all the signs he is capable of reaching the very top level with his performances under the helm of Xabi Alonso.

Alonso clearly has a lot of faith in the 20-year-old, having played him in every La Liga match this season, and the Turkish youngster has repaid his manager with three goals and four assists.

FM fans will know all about the Real Madrid star, given that he was among the highest-potential players on FM24, and he is once again set to be one of the most exciting young attacking midfielders, although there are some potentially more affordable alternatives.

Hidden gems: Rodrigo Mora, Luca Williams-Barnett

Striker Vitor Roque

South American strikers have helped transform countless struggling sides into European champions in FM saves over the years, and Vitor Roque has the ability to do exactly that.

The 20-year-old Brazilian has been prolific in front of goal for Palmeiras in the 2025 Serie A, picking up 13 goals and three assists in 27 matches, and it no doubt won’t be too long before links with a move to England re-appear, having previously been targeted by Newcastle United.

With the now one-time Brazil international still currently plying his trade in his home country, a deal will not break the bank, at least in comparison to his potential, which is among the highest of any striker in the game, as it has been revealed he is expected to cost around £45m.

Hidden gems: Sami Bouhoudane

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