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Danny Rohl’s start to life in charge of Glasgow Rangers on the European stage has not gone to plan so far, as he has lost both of his Europa League games without his side scoring a goal.

The former Sheffield Wednesday head coach, though, has inherited a team that struggled badly under Russell Martin, and will not have any of his own signings until the January transfer window.

Rohl took over from Martin after the Scottish manager only won five of his 17 games and one of his Scottish Premiership outings in the dugout for the Ibrox giants.

The German tactician has had an instant impact on the side in the Premiership. Rangers have won all three of their league games since his arrival at the club, and kept back-to-back clean sheets away from home.

A 3-0 win at Dens Park on Sunday means that the Light Blues can head into the final international break on a high, after goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore, and Djeidi Gassama.

However, there are still some individuals within the squad who have been unable to step up. Bojan Miovski, for example, was hooked off at half-time against Dundee.

Why Rangers should be worried about Bojan Miovski

The Light Blus should be concerned by the Macedonia international’s dismal start to life at Ibrox, because he has yet to show any signs of replicating his form with Aberdeen.

Miovski was signed from Girona during the summer transfer window to bolster Martin’s options at the top end of the pitch, possibly because of his proven track record in Scottish football.

The left-footed forward’s return of 32 goals in 78 games in the Premiership for the Dons suggested that he was a safe and sensible signing to add goals to the Gers attack, but it has not played out that way.

Miovski has scored one goal in eight appearances in the top-flight for Rangers, against Falkirk, from an xG of 1.84, per FotMob, which suggests that he has underperformed as a finisher.

The Rangers centre-forward was given the nod to lead the line against Dundee at Dens Park, after coming off the bench against Roma last week, but he was unable to prove to Rohl that he deserves more starts on the other side of the international break.

Minutes

45

Touches

14

Dribbles completed

0/0

Shots

0

Key passes

1

Big chances created

0

Duels won

2/8

As you can see in the table above, Miovski failed to register a single shot on goal in 45 minutes of action before being taken off at half-time. Whilst you could point to a lack of creativity behind him, his struggles in duels meant that he was unable to fashion chances for himself.

The Scottish giants, therefore, should be worried about the former Aberdeen marksman, because he has been at the club for several months now and is no closer to showing the kind of quality that earned him a good reputation in the Premiership in the past.

Miovski, though, was not the only Rangers player who failed to deliver an impressive performance in spite of the 3-0 victory against Dundee last time out.

Chalkboard

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

Rohl must ruthlessly drop central midfielder Mohamed Diomande from the starting line-up when the Gers return to action on the other side of the international break, as he was just as bad as Miovski at Dens Park.

Why Rangers should drop Mohamed Diomande

The Ivorian midfielder was taken off by the German head coach at half-time, just as Miovski was, and was replaced by Scotland international Connor Barron.

Per Sofascore, Diomande lost 75% (3/4) of his duels in the opening 45 minutes of the game at Dens Park, which shows that he was too much of a lightweight in the middle of the park. That may have been why Rohl decided to take him off for Barron, who won 100% (2/2) of his duels in the second half.

The Rangers midfielder also failed to take any shots on goal, did not create any chances for his teammates, and did not attempt a single dribble, per Sofascore, which shows that he offered very little in midfield and was just as bad as Miovski, who was as ineffective in and out of possession.

Diomande, who was sent off against Genk in the Europa League in September, has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign after catching the eye with his impressive performances last term.

The left-footed star scored four goals and provided seven assists in 36 outings in the Premiership last season, but his form in and out of possession has dropped off a cliff this year.

Appearances

36

8

Sofascore rating

7.19

6.45

Goals

4

0

Key passes per game

1.2

0.5

Assists

7

0

Duels won per game

4.4

2.9

Ground duel success rate

57%

46%

Aerial duel success rate

48%

25%

As you can see in the table above, his defensive and offensive numbers are down across the board in the Premiership for the Gers, which shows that he has been unable to carry last season’s success over to the current one.

His underwhelming performance against Dundee on Sunday was simply the latest in a long line of disappointing performances from the central midfielder for the Light Blues in the 2025/26 campaign, as he has struggled in and out of possession throughout the season.

Given that Barron came on and showed great energy and desire to win 100% of his duels off the bench in the second half, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Diomande from the starting XI for the clash with Livingston at Ibrox on the other side of the international break.

Rangers launch first enquiry to sign versatile defender who dominated Chermiti

The Gers desperately need reinforcements.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 7, 2025

Miovski and Diomande both failed to offer enough quality on the pitch in the first half against Dundee, hence why they were hauled off at the break, and they should both lose their place in the starting line-up as a result of that.

A couple of tight lbws and a stunning caught behind were among the decisions to go upstairs

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2025Australia 1st innings: 45.2 – Shamar Joseph to Travis HeadHas that carried?! Shamar is pleading, and the umpires are checking now with their colleague upstairs! On a length outside off. Head throws the kitchen sink at it and the ball grazes the under-edge. Seems to bounce before getting to Hope, who was also unsure about it. No doubt about the nick, which is anyway confirmed by UltraEdge. But hang on. Hang on…This could be a lot closer than it first seemed. The ball seems to carry through to Hope, but the third umpire (Adrian Holdstock) says that there is no conclusive evidence that the ball has carried. Oh my word – that call will be debated long after this day is done, and how big a decision will that prove to be?!West Indies 1st innings: 20.6 – Josh Hazlewood to Roston ChaseInside edge runs to fine leg but Australia review! They think it was pad before inside edge. This is tight for the third umpire. He deems the inside edge was first and it runs to fine leg for a single. Australia are bemused but they lose a review. It was a good delivery nipping and nearly sneaking throughWest Indies 1st innings: 49.2 – Pat Cummins to Roston ChaseGiven lbw. Chase reviews immediately! Back of a length on middle and off and it shoots low as he went back to defend. Chase thinks he got a little inside edge before it thudded into the back pad. It was going to cannon into middle. Ultraedge isn’t showing conclusive spikes although there are a couple of smaller ones close together. Adrian Holdstock says there’s a clear gap between bat and ball but then wants to rock and roll it a lot. He says there’s a spike but there’s a gap between bat and ball. He concludes there is no bat involved. Ball tracking has it hitting in line and smashing the top of middle. Chase is out and they lose the review.West Indies 1st innings: 57.3 – Beau Webster to Shai HopeBrilliant one hander from Carey! Caught behind off the inside edge! Webster produces another beauty. Good length, wobble seam, it nips in, catches the inside edge and Carey flings himself full stretch to his left to take but hang on! It sticks in the glove but did part of the ball touch the ground as he fell to the ground? Adrian Holdstock says it’s cleanly in the gloves! Part of the ball may have been touching the ground as his glove landed on the ground even though it never came out of the glove. Another contentious decision by the TV umpire. Hope had already left the field of play though. He never hung around which was interesting.Australia 2nd innings: 24.1 Justin Greaves to Cameron GreenMassive lbw shout, not given! Back of a length, pitching in and around off stump before jagging back in sharply. Green is a little late on the stroke and seems to play outside the line. Gets pinned in front and West Indies, after a bit of deliberation, opt to take it upstairs. Did Green get a scratch to it? Was it too high? Ah, here we go again. The bat, pad and the ball are all in close proximity. But it does seem like the ball grazes the front pad first, before the bat hits the flap of the back pad, subsequently making contact with the ball. Adrian Holdstock, in the eye of the storm again, is doing a lot of rocking and rolling, and he decides that there is bat involved, despite a rumbling on UltraEdge when the ball is next to the knee roll of the front pad. Well well. Another decision that might rankle those with a West Indian persuasion, and Green survives!

Tottenham Hotspur stepped into the Thomas Frank era with excitement, but anxiety too. Last season, Ange Postecoglou led the club to the Europa League title, but Spurs also finished 17th in the Premier League.

Circumstances matter, but there was much to be desired and Daniel Levy was justified in dismissing the Australian. Tottenham still ended their long search for silverware, and they did so having lost their definitive talisman of modern years at the very start of Ange’s tenure.

Harry Kane’s sale to Bayern Munich two years ago took from Tottenham their bona fide superstar. Heung-min Son once bore such a reputation, but he had steadily declined over a couple of years before moving to LAFC during the summer.

Now, though, there’s a sense that a few within the Lilywhites fold could reach such a level with a blend of hard work and Frank’s coaching.

The new Spurs superstars

Tottenham attacked the summer transfer window and have been duly rewarded for their ambition with several exciting talents.

Front and centre has been Mohammed Kudus, whose pace and physicality have seen him settle in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after completing a £55m move from West Ham United in July.

The Ghanaian winger scored and assisted against Leeds United last weekend, instrumental in the 2-1 win. He’s imperfect, sure, but the pros far outweigh the cons, and four assists from seven top-flight fixtures so far (placing him joint-first with Jack Grealish) is nothing to be sniffed at.

The likes of Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel are also stars for the future, already playing important roles in Frank’s squad.

However, whether any of these players will rival the very best of the best remains to be seen. Premier League heavyweights such as Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland and Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah.

However, the £52m signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig this summer felt significant. Indeed, Tottenham have landed themselves an attacking midfielder with the potential to rival any across Europe.

Frank has struck gold on Xavi Simons

In August, Tottenham had to swallow their pride as Arsenal stole from them the signature of Eberechi Eze, who signed in a £60m deal after a move was in place down N17 for the Crystal Palace sensation.

Tottenham missed out on a number of transfer targets, but they struck gold with Simons, who had looked for many weeks to be joining Chelsea before the Blues signed Alejandro Garnacho.

Having played and impressed over the past several years in Germany with Leipzig, Simons arrived in England with more than his share of excitement, saying he had “been dreaming of this for a long time”.

And while the bedding-in period is very much in swing right now, the Netherlands international has shown glimpses of elite quality, having previously been described as a “world-class” talent by countryman Rafael van de Vaart.

The data backs this up. Not only did Simons perform prolifically in front of goal for his German side, notching 46 goal contributions from 78 outings in all competitions, but his underlying data emphasises his ability.

Data platform FBref have crunched the numbers: across the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, the 22-year-old ranked among the top 16% of positional peers for goal contributions, the top 15% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive passes, the top 19% for progressive carries and the top 5% for ball recoveries per 90.

The Dutchman’s robustness and consistency across all facets for Leipzig further underpins his potential, and indeed his chances of becoming the standout for a Tottenham side on the up.

Matches (starts)

32 (32)

25 (25)

Goals

8

10

Assists

11

7

Shots (on target)*

2.5 (1.0)

2.0 (0.9)

Touches*

62.6

68.0

Pass completion

82%

83%

Big chances created

14

12

Key passes*

2.5

2.0

Dribbles*

2.6

1.3

Ball recoveries*

5.2

5.1

Tackles + interceptions*

1.4

1.6

Duels won*

6.3

5.4

While the likes of Salah and Haaland are one-of-a-kind players, Simons, too, is the full package, and has a style of play that could see him remain a cut above his Tottenham teammates, scoring and creating and orchestrating and defending.

Could Simons even leave north London, one day, with the awe and admiration of the Tottenham persuasion in a similar fashion to Kane? Certainly, we could look back at that £52m transfer fee as a shrewd figure.

As per Transfermarkt, Simons is already worth around £61m, and given his youth and inexperience within the English game, he is only going to get better as time goes on.

Harking back to FBref, the statistical site have revealed Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Martin Odegaard to be among his most tactically comparable players. Looking at the success each of these creators has forged for themselves in recent years, it’s easy to see why fans are beginning to get excited.

Called a “game-changer” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, this is exactly the type of buy to align with the grand plans of the club. Richarlison and the like have quality in the final third, but this is a different standard.

Simons was the marquee signing at Tottenham this summer, and with that comes expectation and scrutiny. He hasn’t yet provided the sustained quality that his skillset suggests is in there, but it will come, especially with one of the finest coaches in the business, Frank, pulling the strings.

When Simons hits his stride, raising Spurs’ collective level, we might just find this outfit celebrating the birth of a new superstar, one who could rival the Salah’s and the Haaland’s of the Premier League.

Cost £8.5m, now worth 440% more: Spurs struck gold on "phenomenal" star

Tottenham Hotspur have showcased their excellent talent identification with the deal to land one player now looking a bargain.

1 ByEthan Lamb Oct 9, 2025

Newcastle United are in a six-club battle to sign an “exceptional” Champions League-winning player, sending scouts to watch him in action.

Newcastle handed Livramento injury concern in Arsenal heartbreak

The Magpies lost 2-1 at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as their disappointing start to the season continues.

The nature of the defeat was bad enough, with the Gunners winning it in the dying seconds, but a serious-looking injury to Tino Livramento compounded Newcastle’s misery, with Eddie Howe clearly concerned about it after the game.

“He’s such a big player for us in so many different ways – his versatility, his attitude, his quality. If we’re going to miss that for any length of time, it is going to be a huge blow.”

Losing Livramento for a lengthy period of time would be a massive blow for Newcastle, considering what a key man he has become at both right and left-back, and it could even affect his chances of representing England at the 2026 World Cup.

Away from the injury news, it looks as though the Magpies are still trying to show ambition in the transfer market, with a Champions League winner mentioned as an option for them in 2026.

Newcastle send scouts to watch "exceptional" star

According to a new report from Caught Offside, Newcastle United are “closely monitoring” Real Madrid forward Arda Guler, sending scouts to watch him in La Liga action.

The Magpies are far from alone in expressing an interest in the Turk, however, with Arsenal, Tottenham, AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig making it a six-club tussle for his signature. The Gunners have been the most strongly linked, pursuing the Turkey prodigy – who was also wanted by Barcelona before he chose Madrid – since earlier this summer.

Guler is arguably one of the most gifted and exciting young attacking players in Europe, so Newcastle supporters should love the idea of him moving to St James’ Park.

The 20-year-old has tasted Champions League glory with Madrid, impressing with his left-footed guile as a squad player, with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente a big admirer of him.

“Arda Guler is an exceptional player. We’re watching him here in La Liga with Real Madrid. His position has changed, he’s shown that he’s very versatile. He can play in deeper positions, close to the box, and also on the wing. He’s a great player.”

Guler isn’t always a key starter for Madrid, given the world-class attacking depth at their disposal, but he already has three goals and assists apiece in the league this season, suggesting that he is an important player for Xabi Alonso.

Related As bad as Burn: Howe must drop Newcastle star who won just 23% duels

Dan Burn isn’t the only Newcastle United stalwart who will now be fearful about his starting spot.

Posts 2 ByKelan Sarson Sep 29, 2025

If he decides that he needs a new challenge, though, wanting to be the star man at a club, Newcastle should be at the front of the queue for his signature.

Arne Slot has held his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s second Premier League game of the season against Newcastle United, revealing he is happy with the current squad.

“As always, if we think we can improve in a certain position and there’s a player available who can really make us better – which you could see with Giovanni Leoni – then this club has always shown that they can bring these players in, but only if things are right,” said the Dutchman.

Slot also implied the return to form of Federico Chiesa will improve his attacking depth: “I see a totally different Federico now than I did for most of last season.”

When asked about his upcoming opposition, he highlighted the threat they pose going forward: “The main thing we have to be ready for is their midfielders, their last forwards, their three forwards. I assume Isak isn’t playing, but they still have Gordon as a nine, Elanga, Barnes, Jacob Murphy.”

Slot also revealed that Liverpool had been dealt a blow that will affect their ability to deal with Newcastle’s attack, as their new right-back, Jeremie Frimpong, has picked up an injury that will see him out of action until after the international break.

Liverpool’s eyes are on Newcastle in more ways than just the Premier League clash however, as they plot another bid for one of the Magpies’ star players.

Liverpool readying new Isak bid

Liverpool are preparing another bid for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. The Reds had previously bid £110 million plus add-ons for the Swedish striker, but that deal was rejected. Now, as Newcastle edge closer to signing Yoane Wissa and also line up Wolves star Jorgen Strand Larsen, Liverpool are preparing a new bid for Isak.

Reports from Spain have indicated that the new bid will be worth somewhere in the region of £138 million. The club view this massive fee as worthwhile, however, as they think “his arrival would bridge the gap following the imminent end of the Salah era”.

The bid may come in after the two clubs face each other on Monday, as Newcastle are unlikely to sell their best player to a team right before they play them.

From the player’s perspective, it has now got to the point where he is publicly pushing for the move, as he put out a statement before the PFA awards, where he spoke of Newcastle’s broken promises and the benefits of “change” for both parties.

What happens to Ekitike if Liverpool sign Isak?

Whilst Hugo Ekitike had an impressive season last year in the Bundesliga, he arrived in the Premier League as something of an unknown quantity, and when it looked like Liverpool might sign him and Isak, the latter looked the safest option of the two.

Ekitike quickly put any doubts about him to rest with his first two performances for Liverpool. During the Community Shield and the opening Premier League game, he registered two goals and an assist, showing that he’s easily adapted to English football.

This means Slot may be faced with the best predicament a manager could find themselves in, as he has two impressive strikers both competing for game time. While Isak may want to come straight into the first team, he’s been away from team training at Newcastle for a while, meaning it may take a few weeks to get up to speed.

An answer to Slot’s issue may arrive before it becomes too much of a problem. This is because in less than a month’s time, the Champions League group stage will be starting, meaning Liverpool will often be playing two games a week, and there should be ample minutes for the forwards to share.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo está fora da Liga do Futebol Brasileiro, a Libra. A informação foi divulgada pelo dono da SAF do clube, o norte-americano John Textor. Em entrevista ao ge, ele explicou a decisão e revelou quais são os planos para vender os direitos de imagem de transmissão do Glorioso. O investidor justificou a decisão de romper com o grupo por causa da demora nas negociações.

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– Estou pronto para fazer negócio. Mas uma liga unificada não pode ter os desentendimentos que estão acontecendo entre os clubes. E a maioria deles se relaciona com uma história de que eu não fazia parte. Velhas discussões com as quais eu não tinha nada a ver. Quando vejo prazos pelo pessoal de Libra, não posso ignorar isso. E por qual razão? Por esses argumentos e velhas discussões de cinco anos atrás. Não tenho paciência para isso. Eu respeito a história do Brasil, mas cansei de esperar – disse Textor.

+ O que é a Libra? Saiba

O Botafogo se juntou à Libra em maio do ano passado. Agora, no entanto, está fora. Textor informou que o clube não vai se juntar ao Liga Forte Futebol, o outro grupo que também negocia a venda dos direitos dos clubes brasileiros. A ideia é vender os direitos do Botafogo de forma individual, numa posição neutra no embate entre os clubes brasileiros, mais “ao centro”.

– Há uma coisa que estou esperando e que não devo esperar, que são minhas receitas de mídia, televisão. Não vou perder dinheiro para sempre esperando. Então eu vou para o meio. Posso dizer que a Libra não tem uma governança adequada para a liga. Acredito no modelo da Premier League, no qual todos os clubes estão representados no Conselho de Administração.  Eu não estou apenas me movendo para o meio. Vou fazer acordos comerciais com os direitos de mídia do Botafogo que são benéficos para o Botafogo. Esse é um bom exemplo do que acredito que todos os clubes deveriam fazer, os negócios individuais – explicou.

+ Mubadala Capital e Serengeti: conheça os fundos que negociam investimento bilionário no futebol brasileiro

Textor fez elogios a Rodolfo Landim, presidente do Flamengo. O empresário considera o dirigente rubro-negro uma peça importante para que a Libra tenha sucesso nas negociações.

– Eu não gosto do Flamengo em campo, mas tenho muito respeito por Rodolfo e sua liderança. Acho que ele tem feito tudo o que pode para unir esta liga e vejo as pessoas ficando com raiva dele e falando sobre problemas de cinco anos atrás. Isso tudo é um absurdo para mim – disparou.

Recentemente, Leila Pereira, presidente do Palmeiras, subiu o tom em críticas a Landim. A mandatária alviverde, umas principais entusiastas pela criação de uma liga, disse que há divergências e descontentamento sobre o que seria uma postura centralizadora nas discussões do grupo.

Campher first picked up three wickets and then added 144 with Stirling, who scored an excellent 89, to steer the chase

Abhimanyu Bose16-Feb-2025Curtis Campher produced another brilliant all-round display to lay the platform for Ireland’s series-levelling win in Harare. His three-wicket burst sucked the momentum out of Zimbabwe’s innings and restricted them to a total well below par and his 144-run stand with Paul Stirling, who scored an excellent 89, ensured Ireland were always comfortable in the chase.Ireland had fallen short in their chase in the first ODI, but Stirling was happy to bowl first once again on a greener pitch. Despite half-centuries from Wessly Madhevere and Sikandar Raza, Ireland never let Zimbabwe get away from them.Mark Adair finished with a four-wicket haul, but it was Campher’s spell that broke a 74-run stand between Madhevere and Raza and pegged the hosts back significantly just as they were getting into a position of strength.And despite an early wicket, Stirling and Campher ensured Ireland stayed above the asking rate, and by the time the two departed, it was too late for Zimbabwe to mount a comeback.With Ireland chasing 246, Andy Balbirnie got them underway with an elegant drive through cover point in the first over. The second over saw Stirling thrash Blessing Muzarabani through the covers for a boundary first ball. Muzarabani lost his radar as he ended up bowling a ten-ball over, which cost Zimbabwe 14 runs.However, Muzarabani came back strongly and had Balbirnie caught at slip with a well-directed short ball in the sixth over. He even beat Campher’s outside edge a couple of times.Craig Ervine lost his middle stump to Josh Little•Zimbabwe CricketBut Campher and Stirling saw out the new ball and kept Ireland on track, with the skipper still cashing in on the fielding restrictions with a few more boundaries, including the first six of the match in the ninth over off Trevor Gwandu.The fifty-run stand came up in just 51 balls, with the batters happy to rotate strike amid the occasional boundary. Ireland were also helped by Zimbabwe being generous with extras – 23 in all.Stirling brought up his half-century in the 24th over, and the century stand with Campher came up soon after.Campher’s fifty came up in the 30th over and he celebrated by pulling Gwandu into the stands in front of square leg. The stand was finally broken when a length ball from Gwandu stayed deceptively low to beat Campher’s attempted pull and pin him in front.Harry Tector, who made a sluggish 39 off 78 in the first ODI, was more enterprising, pulling away the third ball he faced for a boundary. In the last game, it took him 77 deliveries to hit one.But his stay was short-lived as he looked to cut a short and wide delivery only to edge it behind, with Tadiwanashe Marumani taking a good catch. Stirling, though, ensured Ireland didn’t get bogged down, launching Ngarava over long-on.Ngarava finally got a breakthrough when Stirling went after a short ball and ended up miscuing it to cover, 11 short of a century. Lorcan Tucker then took charge and hit Gwandu for three consecutive boundaries. Ireland wiped out the rest of the target without fuss, with Tucker hitting the winning runs in the penultimate over.Earlier, Zimbabwe’s openers got off to a watchful start before Brian Bennett got going with a flurry of boundaries off Adair and Graham Hume. Five of his six boundaries came on the off side, and he hit two of them in succession off Adair, only for the quick to snag him with a wide delivery that he edged to slip.Sikandar Raza’s fifty went in vain•Zimbabwe CricketIreland were able to slow things down after Bennett’s dismissal. Curran and Craig Ervine could add only nine runs off 25 balls before Josh Little got a full delivery to seam past Ervine’s inside edge and uproot his middle stump. Curran’s frustrating knock came to an end when he chopped on in Andy McBrine’s first over for 18 off 36.Raza played out McBrine for four dots to start off with, handing the spinner a wicket maiden, before getting off the mark with a boundary off him in his next over. Madhevere, who looked positive from the get-go, and Raza ensured Zimbabwe kept ticking along with regular boundaries, with Madhevere bringing up a run-a-ball half-century in the 27th over.However, an inspired bowling change got the momentum right back with Ireland. Campher was introduced in the 30th over and in his second over, he set Madhevere up beautifully. Bowling a series of outswingers, he had Madhevere moving across his stumps before firing in a straight one to trap him lbw.In his next over, he bowled a length ball across Johnathan Campbell and there was a noise, prompting the umpire to give it caught behind. Replays, however, suggested that the ball had brushed the pad. There was little doubt about Campher’s next wicket when he pinged Marumani plumb in front two balls later.Raza and Masakadza then arrested the collapse, with Raza scoring 27 off 24 in a 50-run stand, bringing up his half-century in the process. Raza holed out at deep midwicket trying to up the tempo as he miscued a pull off Adair. Tector took a good catch running in from the ropes and diving in front.Masakadza and Ngarava tried to drag Zimbabwe past 250, but Ireland made short work of the tail, with Adair picking two of the last three wickets.

Uttar Pradesh fell 20 short after being set 194, despite a half-century from Priyam Garg, at the Chinnaswamy Stadium

Himanshu Agrawal11-Dec-2024
Perhaps the only thing that could have stopped Anuj Rawat’s assault was the end of Delhi’s allotted overs. No matter which Uttar Pradesh bowler bowled at him in the death overs of the quarter-final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Bengaluru, the ball either went to the boundary or pinged the objects that lay beyond it.Rawat rammed an unbeaten 73 off just 33 balls despite being on 9 from 10 at one stage. Six of his seven boundaries, and all five of his sixes, came from the 15th onwards. Delhi, who had 112 at the start of the 15th, finished with 193, before their bowlers restricted UP to 174 to book their place in the semi-final.The fun started when Rawat deposited Vineet Panwar for a four and six each, before taking Shivam Mavi for 23 runs in the 16th over. That featured a flick to fine leg and a loft over mid-off for four each, and two carbon-copy swivel-pull sixes over fine leg. Rawat brought up his half-century off 22 balls just after whipping Bhuvneshwar Kumar for six over deep square leg. He took three more boundaries off Bhuvneshwar, before ending the innings with a six off Mavi.In reply, UP’s chase hardly gained momentum. They managed only 18 in the first three overs, after which Priyam Garg decided to attack Simarjeet Singh. Garg lofted over Simarjeet’s head and ramped him over deep third for six each, before ending the over by going for four over cover. But Garg’s turned out to be a one-man effort, as UP slumped to 51 for 3 after seven overs.The loudest roar from the sparse crowd, though, was reserved for when Ayush Badoni had Nitish Rana caught at long-on. The two had come head to head earlier when Rana, bowling the third ball of the 13th over of Delhi’s innings, stopped short of delivering. Badoni then backed out of Rana’s next attempt, only for the bowler to get in the batter’s way after a single was taken when the delivery was finally bowled. The umpires had to intervene to prevent things from heating up too much.Badoni didn’t forget to give Rana a little send-off during UP’s chase, which only seemed to gather pace towards the end of the tenth over. Garg swatted and lofted Prince Yadav for four and six. He got to his fifty in the 11th over, in which Sameer Rizvi cut Suyash Sharma for four behind point.Next over, bowled by Simarjeet, Rizvi and Garg hit three boundaries off the first four legal balls. But Simarjeet got a return catch when Garg’s attempted pull resulted in a top edge – he fell having contributed 54 out of UP’s total of 104 at that stage. Rizvi scored a quick 26, but lacked long-term partners as Delhi’s bowlers kept chipping away.Bhuvneshwar, Mohsin Khan and Panwar provided some late entertainment by smashing five fours and two sixes between them. But the fact that UP needed their tailenders to do all this hitting to take them somewhat closer to Delhi’s total told the story of their batting on the day.

The England camp were taken aback when they first heard of Pakistan’s plan to stage the second Test in Multan on the same strip as the first. The ploy has been designed to bring Pakistan’s spinners into play, but among its unintended consequences is that it has enabled Ben Stokes to return from his injury earlier than he might have been able to.It is rare for the same venue to stage back-to-back Tests, and using the same pitch twice in a row is believed to be unprecedented. James Anderson, England’s fast-bowling consultant, thought it would be outlawed by the ICC, but their regulations only stipulate that the host board and ground authority must prepare the “best possible pitch”.Stokes was one of six England players to train on Sunday, and has put himself through “quite a lot of high-intensity stuff” in the past two days as he prepares to return from his torn hamstring. The pitch was heavily watered after the first Test and has since been dried out by a combination of two industrial-sized fans and the harsh Multan sun.Related

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“I’ve never seen a used pitch before, used in back-to-back games – and I’ve never seen fans that big standing as umpires,” Stokes joked on Monday. “You’d like to think it’s going to offer the spinners a bit more than it did last week with it being used and hot. It’s a slightly drier square, so you might see a little more reverse-swing to bring seamers into the game… Hopefully, we win the toss and bat.”Pakistan have endured a turbulent few days even by their own standards, after their innings loss last week extended their streak of consecutive Test defeats to six. They have revamped their selection panel and made five changes to a 16-man squad which included the omissions of perhaps their three most high-profile players in Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah.Around 90 minutes after Stokes spoke on Monday, Pakistan announced a team featuring three frontline spinners – despite the fact Abrar Ahmed, their first-choice legspinner, is in hospital with dengue fever – and only one seam option, in the allrounder Aamer Jamal. Azhar Mahmood, their assistant coach, said they had decided this was the best way to take 20 wickets.”We thought about how we’re going to take those,” Mahmood said. “We thought that if we use that pitch [again], the thinking was, ‘How do we take 20 wickets against England?’ And we thought spin was the way to do it… We want the ball to turn. We felt we could have the home advantage. Let’s see if it works to our advantage or not. Time will tell.”England have named two frontline spinners to Pakistan’s three, with Jack Leach partnering Shoaib Bashir and Joe Root offering a part-time option. But the expectation that the used surface will favour spin has enabled Stokes to make his comeback: he pledged to be “sensible” with his bowling workload but revealed he would not have played as a specialist batter.”Playing on a used wicket made the decision a little bit easier,” Stokes said. “I’m available to bowl and when I sense the time is right for me to come on and make an impact, there won’t be any doubts in my mind that I can come on and bowl. You’d like to think it might be a bit more in favour of the spin, hence playing on a used pitch made the decision a little bit easier.”Stokes’ knee injury limited him to five overs across England’s 4-1 series defeat in India at the start of this year, when they only selected four frontline bowling options per Test. He conceded that he could not work out a way of playing as a batter in Pakistan without compromising England’s attack: “I’d written a few teams down with me not bowling, and it just didn’t work.”While Stokes was evidently surprised that Pakistan had decided to use the same pitch again, he encouraged his team to “play what’s in front of us”. Root, meanwhile, said the surface was “clearly not going to produce the same kind of game” and that it was “very likely” to offer more assistance for bowlers: “It can’t be any flatter than it was last week.”And Stokes suggested that Pakistan’s ploy was a legitimate use of home advantage. “If we went 1-0 down at home, we would probably be going to our groundsman at the second Test [venue] saying, ‘Can we have a bit more of this, bit more of that?’ to use our home advantage in our favour,” he said.”If you look at the way that first Test played out, if another wicket like that was produced, maybe that gives us more of an advantage, just because of the way that we take the game on. Using a used pitch brings a lot more into the game for both teams, actually – so if it does spin more, if it does reverse more, there’s more options there for both teams. It could be a tactic. I’m not sure.”

With Thierno Barry already on his way, Everton and The Friedkin Group are now reportedly pushing to sign a World Cup-winning defender at a bargain price this summer.

Michael Keane "delighted" to extend Everton deal

The good news has kept coming for Everton following reports that they reached an agreement to sign Villarreal forward Barry, with Michael Keane officially putting pen to paper on a new deal. Whilst the Toffees failed to keep hold of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, they have managed to avoid the same fate in the defender’s case, who has signed a one-year extension.

After confirming his new contract, Keane told Everton’s official website: “I love Everton and have been massively proud to play for this club since the day I joined so I’m delighted to extend my stay here.

“The manager wants a competitive squad and I still feel I have a lot to give to Everton. We’ve been through a difficult few years but it’s an exciting time ahead for us as players and our brilliant fans.

“We’ve got a world-class new stadium to play in, and our form under the manager last season shows there’s a lot of reasons to be positive. I’m looking forward to being part of it.”

Bigger talent than Branthwaite: Everton enter race for £34m "diamond"

Everton are interested in signing a new central defender or two this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jul 4, 2025

As the defender said himself, David Moyes is keen to put together a “competitive squad” at the Hill Dickinson Stadium and that has led to decisions such as Keane’s extension and Barry’s pending arrival.

The Toffees may not be done there, either. Reports are now suggesting that Everton have set their sights on the likes of Wilfred Ndidi and stepped up their chase to sign a World Cup-winning defender this summer.

Everton hold advanced talks to sign Tagliafico

According to reports in Spain, Everton have now held advanced talks to sign Nicolas Tagliafico and are pushing to secure his signature. The talented left-back is now a free agent after leaving a Lyon side in financial turmoil and could yet be on his way to the Premier League.

At a bargain price, the Toffees could land an experienced World Cup-winning defender for Moyes and kickstart a new era in style. Alongside Barry, the Argentina international would be an impressive signing.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)	Vitaly Mykolenko	Nicolas Tagliafico
Minutes	3,082	1,902
Assists	2	1
Tackles Won	38	37
Ball Recoveries	88	102

In fewer minutes, it was Tagliafico who stood out compared to Vitaly Mykolenko last season and his place as Everton’s starting left-back is likely to be a guarantee if he completes a summer switch.

Dubbed “superb” by scout Jacek Kulig in the early days of his career, Tagliafico is now a player with plenty of experience at 32 years old. Adding his first Premier League move to an impressive list of clubs would be quite the way for the defender to round things off too, and that could see Everton seal a bargain deal.