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This season is shaping up to be one of Arsenal’s best in a very, very long time.

Now, there is still a lot of football to be played, but going into the third international break of the campaign, Mikel Arteta has his side top of the Premier League and with four wins from four in the Champions League.

What makes it all the more impressive is the fact that, aside from the defence, there is a real sense that the team aren’t even operating at their best.

Moreover, the club have a significant number of injured players set to return in the coming weeks, which will massively bolster the squad, although it might also make it clear that a certain player appreciated by Thierry Henry needs to be moved on.

Arsenal's injury crisis

Now, Arsenal supporters will be the first to admit that the team just weren’t good enough to win the league last season.

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What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

However, a significant reason why the side was lacklustre on the domestic front was the absurd number of injuries Arteta has to deal with.

Understandably, the club sought to avoid a similar situation this year by signing eight first-team quality players in the summer, rather than spending record sums on individual players.

It’s an approach that has already paid off multiple times this season, as even though it hasn’t been discussed as much, the squad has once again dealt with a barrage of injuries this season.

Noni Madueke was able to cover for Bukayo Saka; Cristhian Mosquera covered for Gabriel Mahgaelese; Eberechi Eze stood in for Martin Odegaard, and Viktor Gyokeres was thrown into the deep end in place of the injured Kai Havertz.

However, the dam can only hold out for so long, and over the last few weeks, the injury list has grown too significant, with Mikel Merino once again starting up top for two matches in a row.

In all, Arsenal were without six first-team players for the draw against Sunderland, and all six of them were attacking players, which helps explain why the bench looked so short on options and why the manager brought on only Mosquera.

The good news is that most of them will be back in contention after the international break, and all should be available to play by the new year.

However, that means the squad could become quite bloated in attack, and so it might be time to sell someone Henry was once very complimentary about.

The Arsenal star who should be sold

With Gyokeres and Madueke being summer signings and Havertz clearly a firm favourite of Arteta, it feels like, of all the injured players, it’s £45m man, Gabriel Jesus, who should be moved on.

Now, that is no indictment of the player himself, as at his best, the former Manchester City star was almost unplayable and capable of things that no other Arsenal attacker could even think of doing.

That’s not hyperbole either, as following a particularly impressive showing against Seville, the legendary Henry said he “would have loved to play with him” due to his close control and ability to create for others.

However, that was over two years ago, and it’s been over three years since he was at his utterly incredible best.

Since then, there have been flashes of that sensational ability, but every time he seems to build up any steam, he goes down with another injury.

Since the start of his Arsenal career in the 22/23 season, the Brazilian international has been injured seven times, which has seen him spend a grand total of 559 days on the sidelines and miss 90 games for club and country.

It doesn’t really matter how talented a player is; if they are that unreliable, then they are not an asset to a club.

Moreover, it’s not like the 28-year-old is on a modest wage; he’s currently earning a whopping £265k-per-week, which makes him the second-highest earner at the club.

Ultimately, Jesus is undeniably an excellent footballer, but he’s just never available when the club need him and considering he has such an enormous wage, it might be time to sell him in the winter, or at the end of the season.

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Stobo took 4 for 7 to leave Queensland 67 for 7 after Edwards made 95 in the home side’s big total

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff06-Dec-2025New South Wales were charging towards a desperately-needed Sheffield Shield win, dominating an under-strength Queensland at the SCG.Declaring on 471 for 7 midway through day two, the Blues, led by a spell of 4 for 7 from Charlie Stobo, tore through Queensland’s brittle batting line-up.At stumps on Saturday, Queensland had crashed to 67 for 7, still trailing NSW by 404. They crumbled from 43 for 2 to 58 for 6 as Stobo claimed all four wickets in that collapse.Related

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Sam Geyer was forced to retire hurt late in the day after being struck on the helmet twice in two balls as he ducked into bouncers.NSW captain Jack Edwards fell painfully short of his fourth first-class century, out for 95 to former Australia legspinner Mitch Swepson.In the field, Edwards took a stunning one-handed catch at second slip to remove Jack Clayton and another excellent one to claim Jimmy Peirson during Stobo’s inspired spell.Ryan Hicks was the only member of the NSW top seven not to register a fifty. Axed Australia opener Sam Konstas brought up a confidence-boosting century on Friday, his first for NSW since October 2024.Second-placed Queensland are missing key quicks Michael Neser, who is playing his third Test for Australia, and Xavier Bartlett who is on Australia A duties.They are also undermanned in the batting department, with star opener Matt Renshaw at Allan Border Field playing for Australia A, veteran Usman Khawaja injured, and Marnus Labuschagne having been recalled to the Test team.NSW entered the match fifth on the ladder, having won just one of their five Shield matches this season.It comes just a week after they suffered an embarrassing defeat to Tasmania at Cricket Central when they capitulated on the final day on a flat pitch.

The dramatic pushing and shoving match between Idrissa Gueye and Michael Keane has been settled once and for all with a boxing bout at the club's training base, but all is not what it seems. The pair came to blows and Gueye was shown a straight red card during the Toffees' 1-0 win over Manchester United and have resorted to the old fight game to settle the score.

• Punch drunk at Old Trafford

  The shock incident occurred in the 13th minute after a misplaced pass from Gueye gave the ball away, leading to a Bruno Fernandes shot. An argument ensued, during which Keane pushed Gueye, who then responded by slapping Keane in the face. Referee Tony Harrington immediately issued a straight red card for violent conduct. Despite going down to 10 men, Everton went on to win the match 1-0, courtesy of a goal from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Gueye later apologised to his team-mates and Keane, taking full responsibility for what he described as his "moment of madness". 

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  Seconds out, round two…

  The pair have since buried the hatchet, even jokingly staging a mock boxing match in training to show there were no hard feelings. "Only love here," was the message from the Everton duo.

• Gueye: 'I'll make sure it never happens again'

  After the confrontation, Toffees boss David Moyes was quick to back both his players, saying the display of passion and aggression is what he asks of his players and suggested the referee could have avoided using the red card.

  Moyes said: "I like my players fighting each other, if someone didn’t do the right action. If you want that toughness and resilience to get a result, you want someone to act on it. If nothing happened (no red card), I don’t think anyone in the stadium would have been surprised. I thought the referee could have taken a bit longer to think about it. I was told that (by) the rules of the game that if you slap your own player, you could be in trouble. I'm disappointed we got the sending off. But we’ve all been footballers, we get angry with our teammates. He's apologised for the sending off, he's praised the players and thanked them for it and apologised."

  And after allowing a couple of days for the dust to settle, Gueye said: "I want to apologise first to Michael Keane. I take full responsibility for my reaction. I also apologise to my team-mates, the staff, the fans and the club. What happened does not reflect who I am or the values I stand for. Emotions can run high, but nothing justifies such behaviour. I’ll make sure it never happens again."

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  Toon test awaits Toffees

  Everton host Newcastle on Saturday with the Magpies on a dreadful run of away form, having lost their last four games in all competitions on the road. Moyes’ side are in decent form, having taken seven points from their last three league games, including a win at Old Trafford. Eddie Howe’s side have a host of injuries including Kieran Trippier, while Everton are without Jarrad Branthwaite and the suspended Gueye.

An active Test cricketer choosing T20 franchise over Ashes tour is unprecedented development

Matt Roller01-Sep-2025Has a single training session ever revealed so much about the state of English cricket? England’s preparation for Tuesday’s ODI against South Africa started at 9am in Leeds with one-third of their squad still in London after playing in the Hundred final. Then, two hours later, one of the few players present told the world he was quitting red-ball cricket indefinitely.Harry Brook said he was “a little bit shocked” to learn of Jamie Overton’s decision, barely two months before an Ashes series for which he would very likely have been picked. But a glance around Headingley would have confirmed that things are not what they used to be: cricket’s scheduling has never been perfect, but gaps between series have never been shorter.Brook’s own schedule has been packed enough. Since the start of England’s home summer on May 22, he has played six Tests, six white-ball internationals and nine Hundred games: the tournament itself began just 24 hours after Brook’s involvement in the epic fifth Test against India. His post-match media commitments finished late on Saturday night at The Oval after a washed-out Eliminator; his pre-match press conference for an ODI series barely 36 hours later.It is just another example of a fixture list that is fundamentally flawed, and gives players little chance of performing at their best. “In an ideal world, we’d have liked to meet up yesterday and train yesterday, [then] train today and go into the game as a group,” Brook said. “But nobody is short of cricket, that’s for sure.”South Africa’s own preparation has been slightly smoother, despite the dislocation of a long-haul flight from Cairns last week following their brief tour to Australia. “The first couple of days were about the guys recovering, getting over jetlag,” Temba Bavuma, their captain, said. “We’ve had our practice sessions – gym, on the field – and a bit of leisure for the boys.”Harry Brook and Brendon McCullum have much to ponder ahead of the white-ball series against South Africa•PA Photos/Getty ImagesEven still, there are other “distractions” – as Bavuma put it – lingering in the background. “Guys always have one eye on what is happening in the Hundred, with the final happening yesterday, there’s the auction [next Tuesday] with the SA20… That’s the life of an international cricketer. It’s just part of the package.”Bizarrely, in light of England’s last-minute preparation, South Africa did not consider David Miller for selection since he was playing alongside Brook at Northern Superchargers at the start of their preparation period, though he remains in their longer-term plans. After losing one key pillar of their middle order to the franchise circuit in Heinrich Klaasen, they cannot risk losing another.The ECB’s financial clout has staved off the same threat for a long while, but Overton’s announcement was a landmark moment. A handful of England players have skipped tours to maximise their franchise earnings in the past, but an active Test cricketer effectively opting out of an Ashes tour to play T20 instead is unprecedented.It took Rob Key, England’s managing director, by surprise: he described the news as “unexpected” and “sad to see” while effectively confirming that he would have been named in the squad to tour Australia. “He would have been part of our red-ball plans for the foreseeable future… It serves as a reminder of the cricketing landscape we now operate in.”It is also further confirmation that Key’s grand plan to create a stable of all-format fast bowlers to emulate Australia’s ‘big three’ is a chimera: Mark Wood last played in February, Brydon Carse had to withdraw from the Hundred to manage his body, and Gus Atkinson’s stock as a white-ball bowler has fallen sharply. Remarkably, Jofra Archer has become England’s most durable quick across formats.Related

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Jamie Overton out of Ashes amid 'indefinite break' from red-ball cricket

Overton can hardly be blamed for his decision. He toiled hard against India at The Oval but his body struggled to cope, and he would likely have carried the drinks in Australia in any case. That would have meant sacrificing the majority of his lucrative Big Bash contract with Adelaide Strikers – and, had he played, risking an injury that could have ruled him out for some time.The pull of the Ashes will remain strong enough for the majority of England players but, at 31, Overton has decided that the potential benefits do not outweigh the drawbacks. He described it as “accepting reality” in a interview; that alone should prompt a minor rejig of England’s contract system, addressing the imbalance between annual retainers and tour fees.Brook is viewing this week’s series as a chance to “create an environment where we’re working towards something” in the same way that Eoin Morgan did before the 2019 World Cup, putting his focus on the same event in 2027. It is an admirable ambition, but the gradual erosion of the relevance of bilateral international series may soon wear them down entirely.It will be easy enough to ignore the warning signs on Tuesday, when two strong sides face off in front of a good crowd at Headingley and the cricket itself takes over. But if England learned anything at all from Monday morning’s thinly-attended training session, it is that they too are vulnerable to the same forces that have already reshaped the rest of the global game.

Real Madrid's iconic Bernabeu stadium is gearing up to host its first-ever NFL match as Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders are set to lock horns in the Spanish capital on Sunday. The event marks a major step in the NFL's expansion into Europe as the Bernabeu follows in the footsteps of Wembley Stadium, which first held an NFL encounter in 2007.

Real Madrid set to host NFL game after €1.6b makeover

The Bernabeu underwent a major transformation earlier this decade as the club spent a whopping €1.6 billion (£1.4b/$1.8b) to add new features to the venue, including a retractable roof, retractable pitch and lots of new commercial space, as well as VIP and hospitality facilities. Ahead of the NFL clash between Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders, Madrid shared a glimpse of the transformation.

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Why is Real Madrid hosting NFL match?

Following the massive spending to upgrade the venue, Madrid now plans to maximise their revenue from the new facilities. The club get paid for renting their stadium to the NFL, while they also get a small share of the ticket sales.

From the NFL's point of view, this is another step to increase the game's popularity internationally. This is the final NFL game that will be hosted outside the United States of America. Earlier NFL had hosted matches in Sao Paulo, Dublin, London (which hosted three games) and Berlin.

For the Dolphins, Miami has 66 percent Spanish-speaking residents and thus, culturally, it made sense to play a match at the Spanish capital. Dolphins' vice president of international development, Felipe Formiga told : "A fantastic opportunity to grow the sport and do so in a city that has so many similarities to Miami."

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Getty Images SportNFL game sparked tensions between Real Madrid and Atletico

While Los Blancos hoped that the entire event would revolve around Bernabeu and the club, their city rivals, Atletico Madrid, silently struck a deal with the Dolphins to host them at their Metropolitano Stadium throughout the week, building up to the game. The NFL side reached Atletico's set-up earlier this week and then trained at their facilities, taking advantage of the international break. Several representatives of Atletico, including manager Diego Simeone, went to meet the Dolphins squad and the Argentine manager even gifted a jersey to the NFL coach. 

Madrid chief Florentino Perez's camp made every effort to block the arrangement, but he strong relationship between Atletico and the Dolphins prevailed.

Gujarat’s wicketkeeper-batter has managed to be consistent while batting at a high tempo and has started the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with a bang

Rajan Raj28-Nov-2025Aggressive batting is one of the most attractive features of modern cricket, and if a batter can be consistent at the same time, it is like a dream come true. Gujarat wicketkeeper-batter Urvil Patel has consistently played such innings that have made him a household name in domestic cricket.Captaining Gujarat, Urvil smashed a 31-ball century against Services in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025 and proved why Chennai Super Kings (CSK) gave him a chance after signing him as a replacement for IPL 2025.”It’s not that I try to play aggressive shots from ball one. They are backed by months of hard work, which gives me consistent confidence,” Urvil tells ESPNcricinfo. “Playing aggressive cricket may not be that difficult, but finding consistency in aggression is a little tricky. I know that if I keep working hard like this, I’ll be able to play even better cricket in the future.”Related

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• Players who have a lot at stake at SMAT 2025

• Urvil Patel smashes 31-ball ton; Rahane, Suryakumar star in Mumbai win

Urvil has previously scored a T20 century off 28 balls, the fastest by an Indian and the second-fastest in men’s T20s, during the 2024-25 SMAT. He also scored a hundred off just 36 balls against Uttarakhand last season. He has 1349 runs in T20s so far at an average of 28.70 and a strike rate of 179.62 with three centuries and four half-centuries. He also has a 41-ball century in List-A cricket, which is the second-fastest by an Indian after Yusuf Pathan.Playing for India is the ultimate goal for any cricketer but Urvil wants to pursue this dream a little differently. He believes that being part of CSK last year and his time with Gujarat Titans (GT) before that were two experiences that changed his thinking.

A century off just deliveries
The second-fastest by an Indian player in T20 cricket

WATCH snippets of Urvil Patel's magnificent 119*(37) for Gujarat against Services on Day 1 of #SMAT 2025-26@IDFCFIRSTBank pic.twitter.com/frJpZy9oiq

— BCCI Domestic (@BCCIdomestic) November 26, 2025