'Cut his wages in half?!' – Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover blasted as record that delivers 'big problem defensively' is highlighted ahead of Champions League semi-final clash with PSG

Arsenal set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has earned plenty of plaudits, but one concerning record has led to calls for his wages to be “cut in half”.

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Gunners pose considerable threat from dead-ballCan be vulnerable when defending cornersIssues to address ahead of European encounterFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners have worked hard on increasing their threat from dead-ball situations. Jover is considered to have played a crucial role in making the north London outfit one of the best in the business when it comes to free-kick and corner routines.

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Mikel Arteta’s side have scored 68 set-piece goals since Jover’s appointment in 2021 – the highest return in the Premier League. As fearsome as they are when attacking a corner or free-kick, the same cannot be said of their efforts when it comes to defending.

WHAT JAMIE CARRGHER SAID

Crystal Palace further highlighted that fact during a 2-2 draw at Emirates Stadium, leading to ex-Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher saying on : “Arsenal have conceded six per cent of their goals from corners. That, would you believe, is the most in the top half of the Premier League.

“Only Manchester United are actually worse than Arsenal set-piece wise. When we make a big deal about the set piece coach, he's out of this world going forward but they've got a big problem defensively. Should we cut his wages in half?”

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Carragher added: “It's been one of the stories of the season and rightly so, it's unbelievable. You think Arsenal are going to score a goal from every set piece… He's had a huge impact. But it's funny that on the flip-side of that, they're having problems themselves.”

قائمة منتخب إنجلترا لمباراتي أندورا والسنغال.. موقف لاعبي كأس العالم للأندية

أعلن المدير الفني لمنتخب إنجلترا، توماس توخيل، قائمة اللاعبين الذين تم استدعائهم للمشاركة في مباريات فترة التوقف الدولي المرتقب خلال شهر يونيو المقبل.

ويخوض منتخب إنجلترا مباراة ضد منتخب أندورا في إطار التصفيات المؤهلة إلى بطولة كأس العالم نسخة 2026، يوم 7 يونيو المقبل.

اقرأ أيضًا.. يويفا يعلن عن نظام التأهل إلى يورو 2028

كما سيخوض منتخب إنجلترا، في الشهر نفسه، مباراة ودية ضد نظيره السنغال وتحديدًا يوم 10.

وشهدت القائمة تواجد اللاعب ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، الذي يستعد للرحيل عن ليفربول نهاية الموسم الحالي، في حين يغيب فيل فودين لاعب مانشستر سيتي.

كما شهدت القائمة تواجد لاعبين رغم استعدادهم للمشاركة رفقة أنديتهم في كأس العالم للأندية، في الفترة بين 14 يونيو و13 يوليو، مثل جود بيلينجهام لاعب ريال مدريد، كول بالمر لاعب تشيلسي وهاري كين نجم بايرن ميونخ.

بخلاف كونور جالاجر لاعب أتلتيكو مدريد ورباعي تشيلسي ليفي كولويل، ريس جيمس، نوني مادويكي وتريفو تشالوباه. قائمة منتخب إنجلترا لمباراتي أندورا والسنغال

حراسة المرمى: دين هندرسون (كريستال بالاس)، جوردان بيكفورد (إيفرتون)، جيمس ترافورد (بيرنلي).

خط الدفاع: ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد (ليفربول)، دان بيرن (نيوكاسل يونايتد)، تريفو تشالوباه (تشيلسي)، ليفي كولويل (تشيلسي)، ريس جيمس (تشيلسي)، إزري كونسا (أستون فيلا)، مايلز لويس سكيلي (أرسنال)، كايل ووكر (ميلان ومعار من مانشستر سيتي).

خط الوسط: جود بيلينجهام (ريال مدريد)، كونور جالاجر (أتلتيكو مدريد)، مورجان جيبس وايت (نوتنغهام فورست)، جوردان هندرسون (أياكس)، كورتيس جونز (ليفربول)، كول بالمر (تشيلسي)، ديكلان رايس (آرسنال)، مورجان روجرز (أستون فيلا).

خط الهجوم: إيزي (كريستال بالاس)، أنتوني جوردون (نيوكاسل يونايتد)، هاري كين (بايرن ميونخ)، نوني مادويكي (تشيلسي)، بوكايو ساكا (آرسنال)، إيفان توني (أهلي جدة)، أولي واتكينز (أستون فيلا).

Sheffield Wednesday star who left for £0 is now outscoring Smith & Bannan

With just one win picked up from their last five Championship games, Danny Rohl’s Sheffield Wednesday continue to fall short of the second-tier playoff spots.

If the Owls were to string together a patch of positive results, they could still leap into those coveted top six spots, with the South Yorkshire outfit only three points off Blackburn Rovers who hold that final position in the playoff picture.

For now, Rohl will just have to make do with how inconsistent his side can be, with the potential for promotion to still be on the cards if a number of his top performers turn on the style between now and the close of the campaign.

The numbers behind Sheffield Wednesday's top performers

The most obvious place to start here is with top scorer Josh Windass who is enjoying one of his finest seasons to date donning Wednesday blue and white.

Windass has already surpassed his second-tier goal tally from last season this time around, with the former Rangers man now up to ten league strikes from 29 games, compared to a lesser total of six when Wednesday were battling against the drop.

One of those goals even saw the entertaining 31-year-old score from inside his own half on New Year’s Day, with Rohl hopeful that more moments of magic like this audacious strike from his number 11 can see the Owls sneak into playoff contention.

He will also be well aware that other attackers will have to step up to the mark too, with Michael Smith another face that has been a source of goals this campaign so far.

Despite being regularly linked with a move away from South Yorkshire, the experienced EFL head boasts an impressive record of seven goals and four assists from only ten league starts.

There is also Barry Bannan of course who is a spectacular star on his day with four goals from 29 league encounters, but the Scotsman could now face a long time out on the sidelines owing to injury.

To add further insult to injury, there is one attacker who left Hillsborough in the summer and he is now outscoring both Bannan and Smith in League One surroundings.

The ex-Sheffield Wednesday man now outscoring Smith and Bannan

During Wednesday’s recent promotion heroics up to the second tier, the aforementioned Smith was often helped up top by an equally deadly partner.

Lee Gregory now finds himself back at the level where he shone with the Owls and it’s as if the 36-year-old has never been away judging by his lethal campaign to date with Mansfield Town.

24/25

Mansfield

20

10

22/23

Wednesday

38

10

21/22

Wednesday

36

16

16/17

Millwall

37

17

15/16

Millwall

41

18

Looking at the table above, Gregory is ageing like a fine wine under Nigel Clough’s wing at the Stags, with a sublime ten goals coming his way from 20 League One encounters.

Amazingly, that means the veteran centre-forward has already matched his 2022/23 output for Wednesday from 18 fewer clashes, whilst also managing to better both Smith and Bannan’s 2024/25 numbers when lining up with confidence at Field Mill.

He was the division’s leading goalscorer during the fledgling stages of the season, with the “outstanding” 36-year-old – as he was once heralded by Rohl for his attitude behind the scenes – continuing to show there’s life in his legs still after walking away from Hillsborough on a free transfer.

It’s unlikely that Wednesday hold many lingering regrets over the way Gregory departed the club though, considering the ageing striker was in dire need of game-time.

Sheffield Wednesday striker Lee Gregory.

The German will just pray there’s enough in his team’s tank to challenge for the playoffs for the rest of the campaign, whilst Gregory aims to keep putting in some top goalscoring displays in the division below.

Championship Table: Latest standings for the 2024/25 season

Latest English Football League Championship standings 2024/25.

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 22, 2025

USA Cricket discloses $650K in debts, confirms cancellation of men's national championships

Financial audit shows board had net positive assets of $868,000 in 2021, but overspent projected budgets by $1.5 million

Peter Della Penna10-Oct-2022More details of USA Cricket’s worrying financial situation were unveiled during an Annual General Meeting on Sunday in Los Angeles, as a financial audit showed that the governing body was approximately $650,000 in debt by the end of 2021.As a consequence of the current debt, it was announced that the men’s Senior and Under-19 National Championships had been cancelled for 2022 and will not resume until 2023 at the earliest.The report showed that USA Cricket had net positive assets of $868,000 at the start of 2021, but had subsequently overspent projected budgets by $1.5 million during the calendar year. This included spending $400,000 to host Ireland in December 2021, a series that had not been budgeted for at the start of the year and was only hastily announced in November 2021. The costs were particularly hefty in retrospect considering that it amounted to two just T20Is following the cancellation of the subsequent three-match ODI series due to Covid-19.Related

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Another section of the report showed that USA Cricket had budgeted $136,000 in administrative costs, but wound up totalling just short of $800,000 in administrative expenses. No explanation was provided as to what these excess administrative expenses were. The report also showed that USA Cricket had expected to received $1.1 million in sponsorship money for 2021, but only wound up receiving $829,000.In a piece of promising news, though, USA Cricket interim board chairman Atul Rai confirmed that overdue financial submissions to the ICC had finally been delivered and that this should soon result in USA Cricket’s funding suspension being lifted by the ICC. Rai had stated in a letter to members on September 30 that part of USA Cricket’s debt was a result of missing financial statement submission deadlines to the ICC and that the ICC had suspended funding until these statements were submitted. The AGM was attended by ICC Global Development Manager Will Glenwright and ICC Americas Regional Development Manager Fara Gorsi.But the full picture regarding USA Cricket’s entire debt still remains unclear. Following the financial report presented by newly appointed treasurer Kuljit Singh-Nijjar, it was stated by fellow board member Avinash Gaje that USA Cricket’s financial accounts currently remain unreconciled.”We are still discovering some expenses coming through that were not documented,” Gaje said after the financial report was presented. “We have done 80-85% of the reconciliation and there is still more to come.”USA Cricket board members Nadia Gruny and Sushil Nadkarni chat with ACE and Major League Cricket co-founder Sameer Mehta•Peter Della PennaAny attempts to get clarification on USA Cricket’s financial situation were severely limited during a question and answer session for members that lasted less than 15 minutes and was restricted to questions submitted and pre-screened by a 36-hour deadline prior to the start of the AGM. When a member asked USA Cricket to explain what they had spent the $5 million that was received by commercial partner ACE – cited by ACE co-founder Vijay Srinivasan in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo – on since the signing of the commercial deal in May 2019, board member Venu Pisike said that members should check financial statements on the USA Cricket website from the last three years.However, complete financial statements from 2021 have not been made publicly available. Separately, USA Cricket board meeting minutes are also supposed to be publicly available – as required by US non-profit law – but there are no board minutes available to access from the time the board was formed in August 2018 through the start of 2020, a time frame that includes the signing of the deal with ACE.Other information released by the board stated that membership had risen from approximately 12,000 individual members who were eligible to vote in the most recent USA Cricket election, to approximately 16,0000 as of September 2022. USA Cricket had previously said that it had more than 20,000 members, but Gaje clarified that the 20,000 figure was based on people who attempted to become members via the USA Cricket website but never actually carried out the complete registration process including paying a membership fee.Gaje stated that aside from individual membership growth, clubs had risen from 1300 to 1860 members and leagues from 86 to 140, as well as 44 academies, showing a 60% growth rate in these areas. Of these figures, women’s board representative Nadia Gruny stated that there were 283 female players registered.USA Cricket interim board chairman Atul Rai also told members that the organisation was identifying CEO candidates and hoped to announce a new CEO shortly. This contradicted Rai’s own words from the letter sent out to members on September 30 in which he said that “until we bring back financial stability and we are able to balance our budgets, we will not be able to move forward with any such appointments”. The role has been vacant since Iain Higgins resigned in November 2021.

Abel x Turco: estrangeiros no topo do futebol brasileiro, mas com prestígios diferentes

MatériaMais Notícias

Neste domingo, às 16h, no Allianz Parque, dois dos melhores times do país se encontram para um duelo valendo a liderança do Brasileirão-2022. Palmeiras e Atlético-MG protagonizarão um dos mais aguardados embates da temporada, sob o comando de dois estrangeiros, que estão no lugar mais alto do futebol brasileiro. No entanto, eles gozam de status diferentes dentro de seus clubes.

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Enquanto Abel Ferreira bate recordes atrás de recordes, títulos atrás de títulos, e já cava um lugar entre os maiores personagens da história alviverde, Turco Mohamed ainda busca a mesma consolidação que seu rival de domingo alcançou nos últimos anos.

Abel Ferreira já foi criticado, mas hoje é incontestável no Verdão

Quem acompanha o Palmeiras de perto ou torce pelo clube, sabe que são raros os momentos de paz e consenso, e quando isso acontece a torcida até estranha, mas Abel Ferreira atingiu esse status e ajudou na construção dessa rara paz. Situação, oposição, cornetas e amendoins, todos estão encantados pelo português, que chegou desconhecido, sob desconfiança, mas conquistou corações verdes.

Até isso acontecer, o caminho foi tortuoso e as condições não eram as mais fáceis. Foi no meio de uma pandemia que Abel chegou da Europa para assumir um time que havia passado por uma reformulação, carregava um título paulista recente, mas não engrenava. Como ele, recém-chegado, poderia resolver essa situação e levar o Verdão ao topo do futebol brasileiro e sul-americano?

Ele respondeu de forma contundente: com trabalho, com gestão de grupo e muitos planos, muitos mesmo. E havia plano até para um surto de Covid-19 que esfacelou o elenco em jogos importantes, também havia um plano adaptando jogadores a outras funções que eles não estavam acostumados. Em três meses à frente do Palmeiras, ele já era era campeão da Libertadores em pleno Maracanã.

Mas não foram somente glórias para Abel. Mesmo depois de uma Liberta e uma Copa do Brasil, ele sofreu críticas pela participação pífia no Mundial de Clubes, e pelos vices da Recopa, da Supercopa e do Paulistão, que vieram praticamente numa tacada só. Novamente ele conseguiu dar a volta por cima baseado em muito trabalho e muitos planos na Liberta: contra São Paulo, Atlético-MG e Flamengo.

Resultado: mais um título continental, que marcou de vez o nome do português na história alviverde, mudando a discussão para “será que ele já é o maior de todos?”. A resposta para isso tem sido dada, com um título da Recopa, um título paulista, uma participação relevante no vice-campeonato mundial e, acima de tudo, uma evolução no jogo da equipe que a torna ainda melhor do que nas outras temporadas.

Neste domingo, Abel terá mais uma batalha importante para seguir rumo a um troféu que ele ainda não tem, que é o do Brasileirão, o qual ele já declarou ser uma das prioridades para este ano, tanto é que chegou até a poupar jogadores na Libertadores, e mesmo assim teve a melhor campanha da história da fase de grupos. Somente um técnico consolidado poderia fazer esse tipo de gestão de grupo.

No comando de um gigante Atlético-MG, Turco busca consolidação

El Turco Mohamed causou bastante expectativa ao ser anunciado pelo Atlético-MG. O treinador argentino de ascendência sírio-libanesa realizou trabalhos consistentes ao longo da carreira, especialmente no futebol mexicano.

Em 2010, ganhou o seu primeiro grande troféu, a Copa Sul-Americana daquele ano, pelo Independiente, da Argentina. Em 2012, o treinador ergueu o primeiro título mexicano da história do Tijuana, mesmo time que quase eliminou o Atlético-MG da Libertadores em 2013, com o famoso pênalti defendido por Victor nos minutos finais da disputa.

Antonio ainda venceu um campeonato nacional com o América do México e outro com o Monterrey. Com bons resultados no currículo, o técnico argentino chegou com bom status para a equipe atleticana.

Entretanto, Antonio Mohamed vive uma fase de provação constante no Atlético-MG. El Turco assumiu o Galo após uma das melhores temporadas da história do time (ou a melhor), e trabalha com a pressão de uma exigente torcida atleticana.

Diferentemente de Abel Ferreira, que já se consolidou como um dos grandes treinadores da história do Palmeiras, Turco ainda tenta se firmar de vez no Galo. Apesar de ter bons números desde que chegou ao time mineiro (21 vitórias, sete empates e três derrotas em 31 jogos), Antonio Mohamed ainda vive sob desconfiança da torcida.

Muito da cobrança para cima de El Turco se dá pelo fato de o Galo ter preservado grande parte do time campeão no ano passado. Com poucas baixas no elenco, parte da torcida atleticana espera o futebol vistoso e dominante do Atlético-MG de 2021, que não aparece em todos os jogos do Galo de Turco.

Apesar disso, Antonio Mohamed é abraçado pela confiança da diretoria e jogadores do Atlético-MG, e tem se mantido firme com os bons números do time até o momento. Entretanto, diferentemente de Abel, Turco ainda tem muito para provar, e precisa saciar a sede de “quero mais” de torcedores atleticanos acostumados com 2021.

Spurs looking at signing £226k-p/w "phenom" who could be Bale 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur have been ravaged by injuries throughout the entire squad this season, which has really hampered their progress in the Premier League. Incredibly, they sit 14th in the top flight, and although they have made good progress in the Carabao Cup, this season has simply not lived up to expectations.

Towards the start of the season, Ange Postecoglou claimed he has a record at each club he has managed that sees him “always win things in my second year”. Well, that theory will be truly put to the test this season, with the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and Europa League still all winnable.

The Lilywhites might need reinforcements to help with their trophy-winning quest and have been linked with one attacker who could add plenty of firepower.

Spurs target new attacker

The player in question here is Barcelona and Spain winger Ansu Fati. The La Masia graduate has also had terrible luck with injuries, and a fresh start away from the Nou Camp could be on the cards this winter.

According to a report from The Guardian, Spurs are one of the sides interested in signing the winger, given the fact they are “in need of attacking reinforcement” in the January transfer window, with Postecoglou lining up a swoop for the Barcelona outcast.

However, they are not alone in the race to sign Fati, who earns £226k-per-week according to Capology. The Guardian also suggests London rivals West Ham United are interested in adding him to the squad under new boss Graham Potter. There is currently no clarity on if it is a loan deal or a permanent move.

Why Fati would be a good signing

It has once again been a really disappointing season for Fati. Once one of the biggest stars to come out of the esteemed La Masia academy, he was handed Lionel Messi’s number 10 shirt when the legendary attacker left Barca in 2021.

This season, injuries have struck the winger again. He has missed 11 games, a total of 84 days, with a muscle issue and a foot injury. Thus, the 22-year-old has only managed eight appearances across all competitions and has not scored a goal.

His Barca record overall curtailed somewhat over time, as the injuries hit. He has played 120 times, scoring 29 goals and grabbing nine assists. That includes a goal and two assists against Real Sociedad in 2022/23.

Over time, he had 13 separate injuries for the La Liga giants, and one for Brighton and Hive Albion during his loan spell, where he scored four times and assisted once in 27 appearances for the South Coast side.

Yet, Spurs still want to sign the winger, surely because of the obvious talent there. His debut season in 2019/20 was a prime example of what he can do, a campaign where he scored seven times and grabbed an assist, becoming a breakthrough star.

That season, Fati was comparable to Spurs legend Gareth Bale, who was playing for Real Madrid in 2019/20. The Welshman scored two goals and grabbed two assists in 16 La Liga games.

For the Lilywhites, Bale was sensational. Over two spells in North London, he scored 71 times and grabbed 53 assists. One of his best goals came against Inter in the Champions League, where he carried the ball from inside his own half and fired home. That day, he also got his first Spurs hat-trick.

The similarities between Fati and Bale in 2019/20 are there to see from a statistical point of view, as per FBref. For example, they both had an Expected Goals tally of 0.33xG per 90 minutes, and the Spaniard averaged slightly more key passes each game, with 1.58 compared to 0.99. The Welshman’s 2.89 progressive passes per game slightly trumped Fati’s 2.54.

Fati & Bale 2019/20 La Liga stats compared

Stat (per 90)

Fati

Bale

Expected goals

0.33xG

0.33xG

Key passes

1.58

0.99

Progressive passes

2.89

2.54

Shot-creating actions

3.42

2.98

Progressive carries

6.75

3.97

Stats from FBref

If Spurs can get Fati back to a good level of fitness, they might have a “phenom” on their hands, as football statistician Statman Dave once described him, who can progress the ball up the pitch and make things happen in the final third in a similar way to how Bale did in his career.

Postecoglou will be hoping the 22-year-old can regain those levels at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as they look to win a trophy for the first time since 2008, when Bale was just breaking through.

Spurs struck gold with "world class" star worth millions more than Dibling

The transfer window has been open for three weeks at this point, and despite being in desperate need of some reinforcements, Tottenham Hotspur have made just one signing.

Now, it’s important to say that the £12.5m acquisition of the young goalkeeper Antonín Kinský was a necessity and looks like it could be a brilliant deal to boot, but given the state of the team’s season, it’s not enough.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been ravaged by injury in defence, and now that Dominic Solanke is out, their options up top look less than ideal.

So, it’s not all that surprising that, over the last week or so, the club have been linked with a whole host of players, including Southampton’s exciting Tyler Dibling, although even with all the hype around him at present, he’s worth millions less than one of Postecoglou’s most essential players.

Tottenham's transfer targets

So, one of the names that keeps coming up in connection with Tottenham this month is Lecce sensation Patrick Dorgu, who’s been pulling up trees in Serie A this season and already has a tally of three goals and one assist in 20 league appearances.

However, while the interest from Spurs certainly feels genuine, recent updates from transfers expert Fabrizio Romao suggest that Manchester United have now gotten ahead of them in the chase.

From the defence to the middle of the park, the Lilywhites have also been credited with an interest in Palmeiras’ midfield destroyer Richard Ríos on more than one occasion this month.

In the words of respected analyst Ben Mattinson, the Colombian international is a “press-resistant” monster with an “engine which allows him to get up and down the pitch all game,” and could therefore be the ideal long-term replacement for the increasingly disappointing Yves Bissouma.

However, he reportedly has a €100m – £84m – release clause in his contract, which could prove an insurmountable barrier.

Now, while defensive and midfield additions are essential for Postecoglou’s side to advance, it’s frontline additions that will excite the fans, and a name heavily linked with the club this week is Southampton gem Dibling.

The 20-year-old is supposedly available for around £55m this month, and while that might sound like a lot for someone so young, his performances this term suggest he’d be more than worth it.

For example, in just 24 appearances, the up-and-coming “game-breaker,” as dubbed by Mattinson, has scored four goals and provided two assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every four games.

However, while that is undeniably impressive for such a young player on such a poor side, his valuation is still dwarfed by that of one of Spurs’ star attackers, who occasionally plays in the same position.

The Spurs' star worth millions more than Dibling

So, to get straight to the point, the player in question is none other than the sensationally gifted Dejan Kulusevski.

The Swedish superstar has been one of the few shining lights for Spurs this season and, according to Football Transfers, is worth up to €73.8m, which comes out to a cool £63.3m, or around £8.3m more than Dibling could cost the club.

Now, that is undoubtedly an enormous valuation, but over the last couple of years, and indeed this season, it would be fair to say it’s more than justified.

For example, in just 33 appearances for Postecoglou this year, and in spite of moving between midfield and right-wing, the “world-class” 24-year-old, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored nine goals and provided eight assists.

That means the former Juventus star is currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.94 games, which, for a team struggling as much as the North Londoners are, is seriously impressive.

Appearances

33

Minutes

2355′

Goals

9

Assists

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.51

Minutes per Goal Involvement

138.52′

Ultimately, Spurs should still do what they can to sign Dibling this year as he looks like he could go right to the very top and Kulusevski would be a superb player to learn from.

Their new Bale: Spurs working to sign £34m gem with "super high potential"

The exceptional Spurs target has shades of Gareth Bale about him.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 21, 2025

Finch and David a chance for Australia's crunch game against Afghanistan

Despite carrying a hamstring injury, captain Aaron Finch remains a chance to play in Australia’s must-win T20 World Cup game against Afghanistan on Friday night.Finch, Marcus Stoinis and Tim David all suffered hamstring injuries in Australia’s win against Ireland in Brisbane on Monday night. Finch suffered what he described as a “little hammy twinge” while batting. He fielded and captained for the first seven overs of Ireland’s chase but then left the field and didn’t return. David also batted, making 15 off 10 but did not field at all after experiencing some hamstring tightness. Stoinis batted and bowled the 10th over of the innings, picking up a wicket, but left the field at the end of the 11th and did not return.Both Finch and David did some light running at Australia’s optional training session at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide on Wednesday but didn’t bat. Neither reached top speed but both moved relatively freely. Stoinis didn’t participate in the session at all.Related

  • Australia take charge against Ireland, but fail to take control of destiny

  • Scenarios: What NZ, Aus, Eng and SL need to do to make the semis

Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey confirmed Stoinis is certain to front against Afghanistan in Adelaide while Finch and David face further fitness tests, but haven’t been ruled out.”We will keep assessing them over the next 48 hours,” Bailey told reporters on Wednesday. “I think Stoin in particular was more precautionary. I think he’s certainly good to go. The other two are actually pretty good, they are moving pretty well out there today.”I haven’t had a chance to grab our medical staff.”I trust the information that they’ll give us. I trust the information that Finchy will give us and we’ll give it the time it needs.”If Finch is unavailable, Matthew Wade will take over as captain having led Australia six times in the last two years in Finch’s absence. If both Finch and David are unavailable then Cameron Green and Steven Smith will likely slot straight into those respective spots.If one of Finch or David is available, then Australia’s selectors have a decision to make. Green gives Australia an added option with the ball, particularly if there are any doubts around Stoinis’ bowling ability given Mitchell Marsh has not bowled much in this tournament due to an ongoing ankle issue. But Green would likely open the batting given his inexperience in the middle order. If Australia need a middle-order player and Stoinis is fine to bowl, Smith would be the more likely option.Australia must defeat Afghanistan in their last group game to have a chance of advancing to the semi-finals. The hosts sit third in their group behind New Zealand and England. All three are level on five points and if they each win their remaining group game, then net run-rate is set to decide which two teams advance to the knockout phase.Australia have an inferior net run-rate due to the hammering they copped from New Zealand in the opening game of the Super 12s. They also had a chance to significantly improve their NRR against Ireland but failed to capitalise after having Ireland 25 for 5 in the chase.New Zealand play Ireland at Adelaide Oval on Friday afternoon prior to Australia’s clash with Afghanistan. England have the luxury of knowing what the final NRR scenario will be when they meet Sri Lanka in the group’s last game on Saturday.”We will obviously work through a few scenarios today around net run-rate and what that looks like,” Bailey said. “The first port of call is making sure you set yourself up to win the game and make sure you’re playing well enough to do that.”There’s a lot that still remains out of your control. But I just think going in flexible, open-minded and I think we’ve got a team that’s got talent that if they need to put their foot down and do something special, they’ve got it in them.”There’s only so much you can do on that front because England and Sri Lanka play after us.”It is mathematically possible Australia could advance to the semis even if England beat Sri Lanka narrowly, but it would require a huge net run-rate boost against Afghanistan.

Ravindra Jadeja returns for Bangladesh tour in December

Jasprit Bumrah is not part of the tour after missing the T20 World Cup because of a back injury

Shashank Kishore31-Oct-2022Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has returned to India’s Test and ODI squads for the tour of Bangladesh in December. He has been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru following a knee surgery and is believed to be in his final stages of recovery.India’s selectors have been more cautious with pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is also under the care of the NCA medical staff as he continues to recover from a stress reaction in his back.Chief selector Chetan Sharma was confident that Bumrah would be ready for the home Tests against Australia in February, but didn’t want to rush him back into action for Bangladesh, which is India’s penultimate assignment in the World Test Championship.”The selection committtee has to deal with workloada management which we follow very closely,” he started. “Now, we tried to hurry up Jasprit Bumrah, we tried to get him with the World Cup coming. And see what has happened? We are without Jasprit Bumrah in the World Cup.”The NCA team and the medical team is looking after him very well. And he will definitely be part and parcel of the team very soon, in. the sense definitely against Australia (series in 2023). But for Bangladesh we are little cautious with Jasprit Bumrah as opposed to like we tried to bring him back early (post Asia. Cup). So we don’t want ot do that this time.Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul, all of whom were rested for the New Zealand tour in November following the T20 World Cup, will return for the entire tour of Bangladesh that comprises three ODIs and two Tests. These three, along with Rishabh Pant, Cheteshwar Pujara and Shreyas Iyer are expected to form the bedrock of the batting. Hardik Pandya, who is part of the full tour of New Zealand, has been given a break from the trip to Bangladesh.ESPNcricinfo LtdJadeja aside, the spin department is formidable with the inclusion of R Ashwin, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav, who last played a Test in February 2021.Mayank Agarwal, who was named as a late replacement for Rahul in the fifth Test against England in June, has been left out of the squad, with the selectors preferring Shubman Gill on current form. There was also no place for Hanuma Vihari and Ajinkya Rahane.”Our middle order is packed and as per team combination, wickets and conditions, we looked at players who will potentially play in the XI,” Sharma said, when asked about Vihari’s absence. On Rahane, Sharma was clear: “He needs to score some more runs in domestic cricket.””The door is not closed on anyone,” Sharma said. “Pujara scored runs, he’s been picked. Rahane made some runs [in the Duleep Trophy opener], he’s been playing domestic cricket and the selectors have been in constant touch with him. If he scores runs, he will definitely be considered.”Among those who narrowly missed out, according to Sharma, was Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan, who topped the charts in the 2021-22 Ranji Trophy, making 982 runs in nine innings at an average of 122.75. He struck four centuries, including one in the final against Madhya Pradesh. Sarfaraz has also been a regular member in India A’s squads for a year now.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”The selectors are giving him [Sarfaraz] a chance wherever there are opportunities,” Sharma said. “He was part of the India A squad recently. He is a brilliant player, he also knows that. He’s not too far away. Sometimes you may have to work extra harder to come into the team, but otherwise he’s done his job. He’s a serious contender, there was a lot of discussion and he will definitely get a chance very soon.”In the ODI squad, the selectors continued to persist with Madhya Pradesh’s Rajat Patidar and Maharashtra’s Rahul Tripathi for possible middle-order slots. Both players have had prolific IPLs for their respective teams and were part of the mix for the home ODIs against South Africa last month.Among the bowlers, Uttar Pradesh left-arm seamer Yash Dayal was among the surprise inclusions for the ODIs. Dayal has previously been part of India’s net bowling contingent and is coming off an impressive maiden IPL season with champions Gujarat Titans, for whom he picked up 11 wickets in nine games at an economy of 9.25.India begin the tour of Bangladesh with three ODIs in Mirpur on December 4, 7 and 10, after which they play two Tests in Chattogram (December 14-18) and Mirpur (December 22-26).India are currently in fourth place in the WTC standings, and have a good chance of making the final should they win their remaining six Tests in the cycle. The Bangladesh Tests will be followed by four against Australia early next year.

The next Martial: INEOS continue Man Utd talks for "very special" signing

When it comes to incomings in the January transfer window, Manchester United have not been very busy. The Red Devils have made just two signings so far, bringing two defenders into the club.

They have signed Patrick Dorgu from Lecce and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, with several players, including Antony and Marcus Rahford, leaving the club on loan for the remainder of the season.

Ayden Heaven (Arsenal)

Undisclosed

Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa)

Loan

Patrick Dorgu (Lecce)

£29.3m

Antony (Real Betis)

Loan

Ethan Ennis (Doncaster)

Loan

Daniel Gore (Rotherham)

Loan

Joe Hugill (Carlisle)

Loan

Ethan Wheatley (Walsall)

Loan

Ethan Williams (Cheltenham)

Loan

However, they are reportedly trying to add another attacking player to the squad on deadline day.

Man United target late attacking addition

According to a report from Nathan Salt of The Mail, INEOS are still looking to bring Bayern Munich star Mathys Tel to the club. The journalist reported that the deal remains on ‘despite the deal stalling overnight’, with talks ‘continuing’ regarding a potential late swoop.

Mathys Tel

The type of deal that could be struck is currently unclear. The Red Devils reportedly wanted a loan, but the Bundesliga side instead wanted a permanent deal, or at least a temporary move with a buy clause, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

Why Tel would be a good signing

It has been a slow season for Tel in 2024/25, hence his desire to leave the Allianz Arena. Under Vincent Kompany, he has managed just eight games across all competitions, a total of just 458 minutes – which is equivalent to just five full 90-minute games.

Bayern Munich forward Mathys Tel

However, last season, in 2023/24, the 19-year-old really showed what he can do. The Frenchman once again struggled for regular starts, playing just 1406 minutes, equal to 16 full 90-minute games.

However, he managed to score ten times and grab six assists across competitions, averaging a goal involvement per game. As football talent scout Jacek Kulig explained, he is a “very special” footballer.

If Tel was to join the Red Devils on transfer deadline day, he could be the second coming of Anthony Martial. There are certainly similarities between the two players, not least because they are both talented French attackers who would be making the move to Old Trafford on deadline day at 19 years of age.

Man United's Anthony Martial

Martial was sensational in his first season at United, where he scored 17 goals and grabbed eight assists in 49 appearances, helping his side to win the FA Cup, scoring the winner in the semi-final against Everton.

Aside from the French links between the pair, you can also see some comparisons between Tel’s Sofascore statistics last season, and the numbers Martial put up in his first campaign at Old Trafford in 2015/16, courtesy of Sofascore.

For example, they both have a good conversion rate, with Tel averaging 16% and the former United number nine averaging slightly more, at 19%. They are also both chance-creation specialists, with the Bayern star creating six big chances last season compared to Martial’s eight big chances during his first campaign in that famous Red shirt.

If this is to be a deal that United get over the line today, they will certainly be hoping Tel can have a similar impact as Martial in his first year and beyond. Of course, injuries affected the former Monaco star, but he was simply unstoppable when fully fit, as the early stats show.

This could be a fantastic attacking addition for INEOS and United, to bolster their options and help them climb the Premier League table.

Sell him on deadline day: Amorim must axe 5/10 Man Utd dud after Palace

Manchester United fell to yet another Premier League defeat against Crystal Palace this afternoon.

1 ByEthan Lamb Feb 2, 2025

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