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The Premier League is back this weekend, with Crystal Palace taking on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Monday.

They are bidding for their first victory in the league this campaign. The two meetings between the sides last season ended with draws, 0-0 at Selhurst Park, and 1-1 on the road.

Oliver Glasner’s Palace side have averaged 48.6% possession so far this season (11th highest in the division), scoring just five goals, and conceding ten, leaving them 18th in the Premier League after the first seven games.

Forest have averaged 39.3% possession in the league this season, the second lowest in the division, but have managed to score seven goals (more than Palace), and concede just six (fewer than the Eagles), leaving them in a comfortable tenth place.

With both sides averaging less than 50% possession, it is tough to say how this game will be played, and who will take the ascendancy. That being said, a change in system for Palace could see them dominate more of the ball, and profile some of their players better to get the most out of them.

Glasner's 4-2-4 system

Glasner could make changes to his system in his hunt for a first Premier League victory this season, going from his usual 3-4-3 into more of a 4-2-2-2, which was seen in the last 30 minutes against Leicester City earlier in the season.

This would allow the Eagles to get multiple players into their best positions, with Eberechi Eze and Daichi Kamada in attacking midfield roles, Tyrick Michell as a nominal fullback, and a strike partnership of Jean-Phillipe Mateta and Eddie Nketiah.

One of the three central defenders would have to drop out for this to happen, as Maxence Lacroix, Marc Guehi and Trevoh Chalobah all started against Liverpool, and one could drop out for the return of Mateta to the side, to fully unleash the striker pairing people want to see.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Why it's time to unleash Mateta alongside Nketiah

The “old-fashioned” striker as labelled by Premier League legend Thierry Henry, has scored four goals this season in nine appearances, also providing one assist, and totaling 623 minutes played.

Overall, Mateta has made 115 appearances for the Eagles, scoring 33 goals and providing seven assists.

His strike partner in this system would be Nketiah, who has made five appearances since joining Palace from Arsenal this summer, scoring one goal in the EFL Cup and totalling 384 minutes. But by playing them alongside each other as strikers, it could get the best out of the pair. Here’s why…

Playing the pair alongside each other, it would allow Palace to lean into the individual qualities and attributes each brings to the team.

Mateta stands at 6 foot 4, and would be able to hold off defenders, win aerial duels, and bring Nketiah into play, whilst also finishing chances that come his way with high efficiency, shown by his 0.33 goals/shot ratio.

Nketiah, being smaller, could play off Mateta, using his high shot volume to generate chances, whilst also progressing play by dropping in and running the channel to help the team, qualities the 25-year-old clearly has, as seen by his progressive metrics already this season.

Crystal Palace have a "top player" who could be their new Olise

Crystal Palace may have their next Olise in the pipeline, who is currently out on loan

By
Connor Holden

Oct 16, 2024

West Ham United could now cash in on a Hammers hero in January despite being a regular under Julen Lopetegui.

West Ham off to worrying start under Lopetegui

The Irons have won just one of their opening six Premier League games under Lopetegui, who already appears to be under some early pressure to deliver results at the London Stadium.

Most recently, West Ham travelled to Brentford, where they managed to secure a 1-1 draw after conceding in the first minute. Tomas Soucek scored to grab the visitors a point, with the Hammers just two points above the relegation zone.

Talking after the game, Lopetegui took the positives after coming away from Brentford with a point, saying: “We knew that we had a very tough match, they won both matches here against Southampton and Crystal Palace and we suffered by conceding in the first minute.

“We showed this [Brentford’s record of scoring early] to the players and it’s incredible we suffered. It’s a bad picture to concede so early. “We kept calm and I think we deserved to win the match in the second half, we showed character and commitment.

“We had three or four very clear situations to score a second goal but we didn’t manage it and we take a point. I have to keep positive. We always have to work as a team or we are weaker – I think we did this in the second half.”

West Ham officials and technical director Tim Steidten backed the manager in the transfer window, bringing in several new players and splashing the cash.

West Ham summer signings

From

Fee (Transfermarkt)

Max Kilman

Wolves

€47.5m

Crysencio Summerville

Leeds United

€29.3m

Niclas Fullkrug

Borussia Dortmund

€27m

Luis Guilherme

Palmeiras

€23m

Mohamadou Kante

Paris FC

Undisclosed

Aaron Wan-Bissaka

Man Utd

€18m

Wes Foderingham

Sheffield United

Free transfer

Guido Rodriguez

Real Betis

Free transfer

Jean-Clair Todibo

Nice

Loan transfer

Carlos Soler

PSG

Loan transfer

As can be seen, one of those was striker Niclas Fullkrug, however, the German has missed the last four games through injury. Danny Ings and Michail Antonio have been used as a result of Fullkrug’s absence, but it looks as if the latter could be on the move in the New Year.

West Ham could now sell Michail Antonio in January

According to a new report from Football Insider, West Ham could cash in on Antonio during the January transfer window, where he will have months remaining on his £85,000-a-week contract.

The report describes Antonio as a cult hero at the club and adds that he has been a regular under Lopetegui, appearing in all but one of West Ham’s eight games this season.

However, the 34-year-old was linked with a summer exit and interest is still lingering, according to FI, with the club willing to entertain offers at the beginning of 2025. Antonio moved to West Ham in September 2015, and he has played a key role in attack during his nine-year stay, justifying his cult hero status.

Appearances

315

Goals

82

Assists

41

However, 2025 could be the right time to part ways with the Jamaica international due to his age and contract situation, making this one to watch.

أسدل الستار على مباريات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من عمر مسابقة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين “روشن” 2024-2025.

وسقط فريق الاتحاد في فخ التعادل مع القادسية بنتيجة 1-1، بينما فاز الخلود على الفتح بهدفين مقابل هدف، كما حقق الوحدة الفوز على الرائد بثلاثية مقابل هدف.

والتقى الهلال مع الفيحاء وانتهت المباراة بفوز الأول بثنائية دون مقابل، وسقط الأهلي في فخ التعادل الإيجابي مع الخليج بهدفين لمثلهما.

صدمة لـ بيولي.. 7 لاعبين يغيبون عن النصر أمام الشباب في الدوري السعودي

وفي مباراة أخرى أقيمت مساء الجمعة، تعثر النصر أمام الشباب السعودي بنتيجة 2-2، وذلك على ملعب الأول بارك.

ويتربع الاتحاد على عرش صدارة ترتيب البطولة برصية 58 نقطة، ويأتي الهلال في المركز الثاني، ولديه 54 نقطة. جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي

1- الاتحاد – 58 نقطة

2- الهلال – 54 نقطة

3- القادسية – 51 نقطة

4- النصر – 48 نقطة

5- الأهلي – 48 نقطة

6- الشباب – 40 نقطة

7- الاتفاق – 35 نقطة

8- التعاون – 34 نقطة

9- الرياض – 33 نقطة 

10- الخلود – 31 نقطة

11- الخليج – 30 نقطة

12- العروبة 26 نقطة

13- ضمك – 24 نقطة

14- الفيحاء – 22 نقطة

15- الفتح – 19 نقطة

16- الرائد – 18 نقطة

17- الأخدود – 17 نقطة

18- الوحدة – 17 نقطة

يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب الدوري السعودي محدث باستمرار من هنا 

Despite the suspensions, injuries and nightmare run of fixtures, it has been a brilliant month or so for Arsenal.

Due to his ankle injury, Mikel Arteta’s side have been without club captain Martin Odegaard for some of their most challenging games of the season, against Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain.

However, the North Londoners have come out the other side practically unscathed, level on points with City in the Premier League and undefeated in the Champions League.

There have been plenty of fantastic performers over the last few weeks. Still, perhaps one of the stand-outs has been Leandro Trossard, who, as we all know, only joined the club following the failed pursuit of Chelsea flop Mykhailo Mudryk, but there was another star the club were interested in at the time as well.

Trossard's Arsenal record

Trossard joined Arsenal in January 2023 for a relatively minor fee of around £27m from fellow Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion, and to say he has since exceeded expectations in North London would be a vast understatement.

In his first half-season for the club, the Belgian international racked up a seriously impressive haul of one goal and ten assists in just 22 appearances, equating to a goal involvement every other game, even though he was in an entirely new environment.

The following season saw the 29-year-old become more of a goalscorer than a provider, as in his 46 appearances for the club, he found the back of the net on 17 occasions and produced two assists for good measure, meaning that he maintained an average of a goal involvement once every 2.42 games for a team that came painfully close to winning the league.

This year has seen the 37-capped international go through yet another overhaul in how he plays for the team, as the absence of Martin Odegaard has seen him both fill in as one of the leading creators in midfield and form an interchanging strike partnership with Kai Havertz when the team revert to a 4-4-2 shape.

So far, Trossard has scored twice and provided one assist in his eight games this season, and while he did get himself sent off against City, he has generally been excellent, so it was a real stroke of luck that Arsenal signed him and not Mudryk or the other young star they were targeting in January 2023.

Arsenal's interest in Mudryk and Felix

Yes, as most of us are well aware of by now, before he joined Chelsea for a ludicrous fee of around £89m, Mudryk was one of Arsenal’s top priorities, with reports suggesting that Edu Gaspar had flown out to Poland to hold a meeting with the player’s representatives. Luckily, nothing came of it.

However, alongside this interest in the Ukranian, the Gunners were also in with a shout of landing Portuguese international João Félix.

An article from The Athletic on the 2nd of January revealed that, among other English clubs, the North Londoners had been offered the services of the then 23-year-old and were seriously considering bringing him in to help with their surprise title charge.

However, as they did with Mudryk, the Blues beat them to the punch and brought him in on a six-month loan, during which he didn’t do an awful lot, scoring just four goals in 20 appearances and picking up a red card on his debut.

The following season saw the former Benfica ace join Barcelona on loan, where he did a little better, racking up ten goals and six assists in 44 games, before finally getting himself a permanent move back to Chelsea this summer for a rather hefty fee of £46.3m.

Now, unlike his Ukranian teammate in West London, there is no doubt that the 24-year-old “genius”, as dubbed by Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto, is an incredibly talented player, but he hasn’t really shown that in recent years, and when you compare his output to Trossard’s over the last couple of seasons, there is no competition.

For example, the Belgian has racked up a haul of 20 goals and 13 assists since January 2023; in the same period, the Viseu-born ace has produced 15 goals and seven assists, while the Blues’ £89m man has just seven goals and six assists to his name.

Appearances

76

69

64

Goals

20

15

7

Assists

13

7

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.43

0.31

0.20

Ultimately, it’s undeniable that Arsenal dodged a bullet regarding Mudryk, and while Felix has shown far more over the last few years, Trossard has been by far the best player of the three since he joined the North Londoners in 2023.

Arsenal's "top signing" left for free, now he's outscoring Saka & Trossard

The talented forward has been on fire this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 3, 2024

علّق هانز فليك، المدير الفني لفريق برشلونة، على فوزهم الصعب على خصمه فريق رايو فاليكانو، مساء يوم الإثنين في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

وتلاقى الفريقان في ختام منافسات الجولة الرابعة والعشرين من الدوري الإسباني، 2024/25، حيث فاز برشلونة بهدف دون رد.

جاء فوز برشلونة عن طريق هدف روبرت ليفاندوفسكي من ضربة جزاء، في الشوط الأول من عمر تلك المباراة.

اقرأ أيضًا | بتصريح غريب.. مدرب رايو فاليكانو يعلق على الجدل التحكيمي في مباراة برشلونة

وصعد برشلونة، بفضل ذلك الانتصار، إلى صدارة الدوري الإسباني برصيد 51 نقطة، بفارق الأهداف فقط عن ريال مدريد.

وقال هانز فليك، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “أنا أشعر بالتعب قليلًا، لقد لعبنا ضد منافس عظيم وقوي، قدمنا عملًا رائعًا، نحن سعداء للغاية، كانت مهمة صعبة للغاية بالنسبة للاعبين”.

وأضاف: “اللاعبون سعداء بكل تأكيد بسبب الصدارة، نحن جميعًا في حالة سعادة، يمكننا أن نقدم أداءً أفضل، ولكن رايو فاليكانو لعب 9 مباريات دون خسارة، اليوم كان نجاحًا كبيرًا بالنسبة لنا، الصدارة أمر إيجابي للغاية، لقد عدنا”.

وفيما يخص الجدل التحكيمي بشأن إلغاء هدف تعادل رايو فاليكانو في الشوط الأول، بداعِ التسلل، قال الألماني: “لم أشاهد الموقف، لدينا تقنية الفيديو، أنا أؤمن بها، هذا كل ما أستطيع قوله في هذا الشأن”.

ولم يتواجد كوندي في التشكيل الأساسي لفريق برشلونة في مباراة اليوم، عكس المعتاد، وظهرت تقارير صحفية قبل اللقاء تفيد أن السبب وراء ذلك هو قرار تأديبي من جانب فليك لتأخر اللاعب عن إحدى محاضرات المدرب.

وسُئل فليك عن الأمر، حيث رد: “إنه جزء من كرة القدم، تلك الأشياء تحدث، لا يوجد المزيد حول ذلك”.

وعندما طُلب منه المزيد من التوضيح، قال: “نعقد اجتماعين أو ثلاثة قبل المباراة، من المهم للغاية أن يكون اللاعبون حاضرين، وليس من الصعب الوصول في الموعد المحدد”.

واختتم: “الأمر يتعلق باحترام زملائك، لقد وصل كوندي متأخرًا، وهذه قاعدة واضحة في النادي، لا يمكن أن يحدث هذا وقد حدث اليوم”.

وسبق أن تصرف فليك بنفس الإجراء ضد كوندي لهذا السبب في شهر أكتوبر الماضي، مثلما فعل ضد الحارس بينيا قبل لقاء أتلتيك بلباو في نصف نهائي السوبر الإسباني، مطلع العام الحالي.

Perhaps hoping to add to what is already a star-studded squad, Real Madrid’s chief scout was reportedly in attendance at the North London derby to watch one particular Tottenham Hotspur player.

Tottenham transfer rumours

The Real Madrid call is one that Spurs are all too familiar with. It’s one that Luka Modric answered in 2012 and one that Gareth Bale answered just one year later to deal the Lilywhites the ultimate double blow.

Related Spurs fear their "outstanding" target has actually been talking to Arsenal

This could be quite the saga…

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Both players are now Los Blancos legends with their own individual moments to look back on in the history books, with Modric even still going as one of Madrid’s most important players. Now, the phone could be set to ring once more over 10 years since Bale swapped North London for the Bernabeu.

This time around, however, it would be Ange Postecoglou’s squad who may feel the impact of the European giants’ transfer activity, with the Australian into just his second year of what Daniel Levy will hope is a lengthy project which eventually culminates in the silverware that Spurs are craving. No project is without its hurdles though, and one exit would deal Postecoglou the ultimate blow.

According to Defensa Central, Juni Calafat, Real Madrid’s chief scout travelled to watch Cristian Romero in the North London derby as the La Liga champions ponder a move for either the Argentine or Arsenal centre-back William Saliba.

For once, Spurs will hope that it’s their rivals and Saliba who have the attention as Real Madrid look to strengthen their backline. Meanwhile, if it is Romero, that they approach, then they know they will find it complicated to negotiate with Levy for the central defender who also earns a reported £165k-a-week.

When 2025 arrives, those on both sides of the divide in North London look set to be in for a nervous wait with Real Madrid’s chief scout well aware of both Romero and Saliba’s talent.

"Outstanding" Romero is crucial to Tottenham

Even amid the likes of Heung-min Son and James Maddison, there’s a strong argument that Romero is Spurs’ most important player under Postecoglou. Whether it’s next to Micky van de Ven or Radu Dragusin, the World Cup winner is seemingly one of the first names on the team sheet within the Lilywhites’ backline and they’ll hope that remains the case for years to come.

Postecoglou is certainly well aware of his quality too, urging others to follow Romero’s lead after a narrow 3-2 loss against Arsenal last season, saying via Football London: “Yeah, he was outstanding. He’s a World Cup winner and I’ve just got to get some of what’s in him into some of the others.”

Unfortunately, Spurs could yet fall victim to Romero’s success if Real Madrid come calling. Now 26 years old, the Argentine appears to be in the prime of his career and whether those in North London can facilitate the ambitions of such a player remains to be seen, especially compared to serial winners Madrid.

Having lost stars to the Bernabeu in the past, Spurs will be desperate to avoid a repeat when it comes to their impressive central defender.

Arsenal have been busy on transfer deadline day, working to secure the signing of a new goalkeeper following Aaron Ramsdale's exit.

He joined Southampton on a permanent deal which has forced the Gunners into acquiring a replacement.

Espanyol's Joan Garcia looked like one option but he proved too expensive so Edu and Co have looked to bring in Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto on loan instead.

That deal is now done but official confirmation from the Gunners is yet to emerge.

That said, he's not the only deadline day signing on the cards with a forward player potentially set to arrive before 11pm.

Arsenal looking to sign Premier League forward

Arsenal are in talks to sign Raheem Sterling in a last-minute deal according to the Athletic's David Ornstein.

The winger is available after being alienated by new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca following the player's omission from the squad during their opening weekend defeat to Manchester City.

Rumours had been rife surrounding the player's future on transfer deadline with a will he won't he saga emerging.

Arsenal had been reported to be the player's favourite destination if a move could be agreed after a phone call with Mikel Arteta and now it appears a move is well and truly on the cards.

Should a deal be struck then it looks like Arsenal could sign a similar player to Gabriel Martinelli.

How Sterling compares to Gabriel Martinelli

According to FBRef's statistics for the 2023/24 season, Arsenal's Brazilian superstar was the fourth-most similar player in the Premier League to Sterling.

Why? Well, both tricky wingers who largely play down the left, they possess similar qualities that help make themselves a total nightmare for the opposition when en-song.

Here's a breakdown of the numbers between the two for last season which showcases a number of similarities.

Sterling vs Martinelli (23/24 PL season)

Stat (per 90 mins)

Sterling

Martinelli

Goals

0.36

0.27

Assists

0.18

0.18

Expected goals (xG)

0.30

0.30

Shot-creating actions

3.86

4.11

Progressive passes

3.55

2.90

Successful take-ons

2.05

1.79

Progressive carries

5.45

5.67

Stats via FBRef.

As we can see from the data above, they're particularly alike in a host of important areas for a wide player, most specifically progressive passing, dribbling and carrying.

For progressive carries, in particular, they are almost identical, with Arteta now potentially set to be able to call upon another electric dribbler in the form of Martinelli.

The Brazilian has been off the boil of late, scoring just one league goal since the beginning of March. That form, and the sheer number of minutes that Bukayo Saka played in 2023/24, meant that signing another body in the final third of the pitch was particularly vital.

Sterling, certainly at the 11th hour, isn't a bad option indeed, even if he wasn't their first choice.

Some may complain about his lack of form at Stamford Bridge but this is a player Arteta knows and he represents a brilliant late market opportunity. This one is unexpected but certainly needed for Arsenal.

Related Arsenal now favourites to sign £35m star who's like Nico Williams

Arsenal are looking at signing a winger on deadline day.

Posts ByMatt Dawson Aug 30, 2024

Enzo Maresca has revealed that he is trying to change the game of Enzo Fernandez, as he bids to get more goals from the Chelsea midfielder.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Fernandez scored against LeicesterChelsea won 2-1 against coach's former teamMaresca working closely with ArgentineFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Fernandez scored Chelsea's second goal in their 2-1 win over Leicester on Saturday, his first league goal of the campaign. Now, Maresca has explained that he is attempting to transform the Argentine's game by instructing him to get into the box more often, as he did against the Foxes.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Fernandez has scored just seven goals in 77 games for the Blues since his arrival in 2023, but Maresca was impressed with his effort against the Foxes, and hopes he can coach him to be more productive when it comes to hitting the back of the net. He invoked the examples of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Wilfred Ndidi at Leicester; they combined for 18 goals in the Championship last season.

WHAT MARESCA SAID

Maresca said: "Enzo did really well today. He is doing very well since we started. The same as I said many times for Joao Felix, the problem is it depends on the game-plan; we use different kind of players. Today I thought was the right game to use Enzo even if he was back from international duty [late]. I think he did very well. I'm trying to convince Enzo in the same way as I did last year with Ndidi and Kiernan that attacking midfielders need to arrive in the box. The reason why he scored today was because he was inside the box and if he was outside of the box, he wouldn't have scored the goal. We are happy in the way Enzo is doing."

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Chelsea play Heidenheim in the Conference League on Thursday before they return to Premier League action against Aston Villa next Sunday.

MatériaMais Notícias

O próximo compromisso da Chapecoense pelo Brasileirão será somente no próximo domingo (24) onde a equipe viaja até Salvador para encarar o Bahia, outro clube que também briga na parte de baixo da tabela.

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>Aplicativo de resultados do LANCE! está disponível na versão iOS

E, se a atual campanha da equipe que ocupa a lanterna da competição com 15 pontos atrás do primeiro time fora do Z4 (o próprio Bahia) não inspira confiança no torcedor, o histórico da Chape atuando como visitante frente ao próximo adversário apresenta números animadores.

Ao todo, o Verdão do Oeste já jogou contra a equipe baiana quatro vezes como visitante onde conseguiu duas vitórias, um empate e somente uma derrota. O revés em questão ocorreu no Brasileirão de 2018 onde Élber marcou o único tento da partida. Na época, a Chapecoense era dirigida por Claudinei Oliveira.

Depois de enfrentar o Bahia, a Chape ainda terá outro jogo como visitante onde joga contra o Corinthians para, somente na 30ª Rodada, retornar a Arena Condá. No confronto em questão, a equipe enfrentará o Flamengo.

Fast bowler cleared a fitness Test and will be part of the squad for both remaining games

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2021Umesh Yadav has been added to India’s squad for the third and fourth Tests against England after clearing a fitness test. Yadav, who had given the fitness test on Sunday, was formally added to the squad on Monday, two days ahead of the third Test, which will be a pink-ball, day-night affair. Yadav will be available for selection for the match at the new stadium in Motera, which starts from February 24. The fourth and final Test will take place at the same venue from March 4, though that will be a traditional red-ball game.Yadav replaces Shardul Thakur in the Indian squad. Thakur has been released to play in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy – India’s domestic 50-overs competition – where he will turn out for Mumbai.Related

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Yadav was expected to be part of the squad once he had cleared his fitness test, and he joins a fast-bowling group that comprises Ishant Sharma – who will be playing his 100th Test, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj.Yadav has played 48 Tests overall, of which 28 have been in India, where he has been particularly effective. Overall, he has 148 wickets at 30.54, but at home, he has 96 wickets at 24.54. He has been particularly devastating at home since 2018, averaging 13.86 with 38 wickets in seven games. His average and strike rate (24.3) in that period are the best in India of any bowler, given a minimum of three Tests played.Given the success Yadav has enjoyed and the likelihood of India bringing in a pacer in place of a spinner due to the match being a pink-ball one, Yadav could return to the playing XI straightaway, marking his first game since picking up a calf injury during the Boxing Day Test against Australia.