Liverpool: Klopp must start Elliott v Norwich

Liverpool will be back to cup football tomorrow night, just three days after their EFL Cup win over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium, as they host Norwich City in the FA Cup fifth round.

In a game which went all the way to penalties, many of head coach Jurgen Klopp’s men will be feeling the effects of a gruelling battle, and he will likely be forced into a number of changes for the tie.

One player who is likely to start is 18-year-old Harvey Elliott, who did come on as a sub on Sunday, but will be looking forward to getting more game-time from the first whistle, particularly against weaker opposition – as players like Naby Keita drop to the bench.

Norwich will certainly be no push-overs, but they aren’t likely to take the game to Liverpool in front of the Kop, so expect them to invite pressure in order to try and make quick counter-attacks and catch Liverpool on the break.

That pressure, though, will encourage the likes of Elliott, who has demonstrated exceptional confidence and ability since being promoted into the first team, freedom to roam and create, which he has done so well so far this season, averaging 5.16 shot-creating actions per appearance, the third most of any player in the Reds squad this term.

The Englishman will definitely be looking to add to the goal he scored against Cardiff City in the last round on his return from injury, and this type of game really could present him the opportunity to create chances for teammates – or get on the end of one.

Teammate James Milner has hailed Elliott’s mental strength as “incredible” after recovering from his unfortunate accident at Leeds earlier in the season, while his cameos in the last month are beginning to remind people what the fuss was all about.

Speaking to talkSPORT a couple of weeks ago, former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy also praised Elliott, saying: “I enjoy watching him play, he’s a creative footballer whose got great technical ability.”

Those are comments that could certainly strike fear into the Norwich defence, and supplement the “special” tag that Scott Parker gave the teenager following his debut.

The more we get to see of the former Fulham youngster, the more it becomes clear that he could genuinely become one of the country’s top young talents – if he continues to receive significant playing time, beginning with a start at home to Norwich City tomorrow.

In other news: Liverpool eye swoop for “world-class” £55m ace, he could force Salah out of Anfield…

Rangers predicted XI vs Annan Athletic

Following on from their midweek win in the Premiership, Rangers are back in action this evening with a Scottish Cup fifth round clash against Annan Athletic. 

In his latest press conference, Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronckhorst revealed that Filip Helander will be involved in the game in some aspect after recovering from a knee injury which has kept him out of action since September.

Van Bronckhorst also revealed that Ryan Jack will return to training this weekend, and that Leon Balogun’s injury is not as serious as first feared.

Taking all that into account, here’s how we feel Rangers could line up this evening to take on Annan, with six changes to the starting XI from the midweek win over Hibernian.

In goal, having started and kept a clean sheet in their 4-0 win over Stirling Albion in their previous Scottish Cup clash, we think Jon McLaughlin will come in for Allan McGregor to see if he can help the team progress further in the competition.

In defence, we think club captain James Tavernier will keep his place at right-back, with Borna Barisic coming in on the left and Calvin Bassey pairing up with Connor Goldson in the middle.

Moving to the two central midfield positions, we can see Van Bronckhorst sticking with John Lundstram and giving Aaron Ramsey his first start for the club ahead of Glen Kamara, who is currently earning £21k-per-week according to Salary Sport.

Out wide, we think the 47-year-old will give starts to Fashion Sakala on the left and Amad Diallo on the right to see if they can impress and help the team secure a win.

In between those two, it seems likely that Joe Aribo will start in the number 10 role given how he has been favoured for the Gers across all competitions this season, with Scott Arfield duly dropping out.

Up top, although Alfredo Morelos started and scored in midweek, we think he will be rested and Cedric Itten will be given another chance to shine after netting in the 4-0 win over Stirling in the previous round.

In other news – Game-changer: Why Van Bronckhorst must finally start “unbelievable” Rangers gem, he’d terrify Annan

قائمة ألمانيا لكأس العالم قطر 2022.. مفاجأتان

أعلن المدير الفني لمنتخب ألمانيا، هانزي فليك، عن قائمة اللاعبين النهائية الذين سيخوضون بطولة كأس العالم 2022 في قطر.

وتقام بطولة كأس العالم 2022 في قطر خلال الفترة من 20 نوفمبر حتى 18 ديسمبر المقبل، وتلعب ألمانيا ضمن فرق المجموعة الخامسة مع إسبانيا، اليابان وكوستاريكا.

وشهدت قائمة منتخب ألمانيا مفاجأتين وهما انضمام ماريو جوتزه بعد غياب كبير منذ 2017 وكذلك مهاجم بوروسيا دورتموند الشاب، يوسوفا موكوكو، مع غياب تيمو فيرنر وكذلك ظهير إنتر ميلان، روبن جوسينز.

اقرأ أيضًا | قائمة منتخب الكاميرون المشاركة في كأس العالم قطر 2022.. ضم أونانا وأبو بكر

قائمة ألمانيا في مونديال قطر 2022

حراس المرمى: مانويل نوير (بايرن ميونيخ)، مارك أندريه تير شتيغن (برشلونة)، كيفن تراب (آينتراخت فرانكفورت).

الدفاع: ماتياس جنتر (فرايبورج)، تيلو كهرير (وست هام)، نيكلاس سولي (بوروسيا دورتموند)، لوكاس كلوسترمان (لايبزيج)، أرميل بيلا كوتشاب (ساوثهامبتون)، أنطونيو روديجر (ريال مدريد)، نيكو شلوتربيك (بوروسيا دورتموند)، ديفيد راوم (لايبزيج)، كريستيان جونتر (فرايبورج).

الوسط: جوشوا كيميتش (بايرن ميونيخ)، جوناس هوفمان (بوروسيا مونشنجلادباخ)، جوليان براندت (بوروسيا دورتموند)، ليون جوريتزكا (بايرن ميونيخ)، إيلكاي جوندوجان (مانشستر سيتي)، جمال موسيالا (بايرن ميونخ)، ماريو جوتزه (آينتراخت فرانكفورت).

الهجوم: ليروي ساني (بايرن ميونيخ)، توماس مولر (بايرن ميونيخ)، كريم أدييمي (بوروسيا دورتموند)، سيرج جنابري (بايرن ميونيخ)، كاي هافرتز (تشيلسي)، يوسف موكوكو (دورتموند)، نيكلاس فولكروج (فيردر بريمن).

CA confirms split-innings one-dayers

One-day cricket in its familiar form could soon become a thing of the past after the Cricket Australia board gave the green light to a trial of split-innings state games next summer

Brydon Coverdale11-Jun-2010

James Sutherland: “What we at Cricket Australia are looking to do is to find a landing spot with a new format”•Getty Images

One-day cricket in its familiar form could soon become a thing of the past after the Cricket Australia board gave the green light to a trial of split-innings state games next summer. If the new format is successful, Cricket Australia will take the idea to the ICC as a plan to keep ODIs alive, meaning the 2015 World Cup could feature a split-innings format.Although there has been no decision on how many overs each innings would be – four innings of either 20 or 25 overs are the most likely – CA will finalise their concept in the coming weeks. The first four rounds of the FR Cup will be played under the existing rules before the new format is introduced for the remaining six rounds, which will start in February.By then, Australia’s World Cup squad will have departed, so their preparations will not be affected. James Sutherland, the CA chief executive, said the innovation was intended as a way to retain all three formats of the game, with the middle portion of 50-over innings having become largely predictable.”It provides a mechanism by which in the eyes of the consumer we can distinguish the one-day game a little bit more from the Twenty20 format of the game,” Sutherland said. “There’s no doubt that there’s some feedback there that suggests that parts of the one-day game are a little bit predictable. That’s certainly something that we are looking to address.”One of the things that’s come back as the feedback from fans and also from a television audience perspective is that by having a split innings, after the dinner break, no matter, you will get to see both teams bat in the evening. That is something that people who might be going to the game after work or coming home after work see as being a very significant plus for this format.”The popularity of Twenty20 cricket has left ODIs in a difficult position, somewhere between the dynamic shortest format and the traditional Test matches. England and South Africa have already reduced their one-day domestic competitions to 40 overs a side, in an effort to eliminate some of the less exciting middle overs.The ICC has been searching for ways to keep 50-over cricket relevant, and next year’s World Cup on the subcontinent could feasibly be the last one played in the existing format. Sutherland said it was hard to predict how one-day cricket would look by the time of the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.”If you’re suggesting that the current playing conditions that one-day international cricket is being played under today is going to be the same in 2015, then I would suggest that it’s probably not the case,” Sutherland said. “There’s a question there about how radically the playing conditions may have developed or changed. I honestly don’t know the answer to that but what we at Cricket Australia are looking to do is to find a landing spot with a new format.”We have also been encouraged to innovate through the ICC cricket committee, who met not long ago. They were very, very encouraging of full members looking to explore innovations within the playing conditions and certainly that’s been raised at chief executive committee level in recent times.”Cricket Australia will now move to finalise the details, although it seems certain that teams will resume their second innings from the point where their first innings concluded. Sutherland said feedback from fans had played a major role in the split-innings concept, which has also been trialled this year in England’s county 2nd XI competition.

Asia Cup 2010 to be held in Dambulla

The Asian Cricket Council has released the schedule of the 2010 Asia Cup which will be held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, between June 15 and 24

Cricinfo staff06-May-2010The 2010 Asia Cup will be held in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, between June 15 and 24, the Asian Cricket Council has announced. The tournament comprises India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and hosts Sri Lanka.The tournament gets underway with Sri Lanka taking on Pakistan. Each team plays the other once in a league format after which the top two sides meet in a final. There is also a provision for three reserve days during the league phase, and one for the final. All matches are day-night fixtures.”Funds raised from this tournament will be utilised to support and develop the game in the Asia region,” ACC chief executive Syed Ashraful Haq said in Colombo. “We are already seeing good progress in Afghanistan and Nepal.”Sri Lanka are the current holders of the Asia Cup, having beaten India by 100 runs in the final of the 2008 tournament in Karachi.Schedule
June 15: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
June 16: India vs Bangladesh
June 17: Reserve day
June 18: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh
June 19: Pakistan vs India
June 20: Reserve day
June 21: Pakistan vs Bangladesh
June 22: India vs Sri Lanka
June 23: Reserve day
June 24: Final
June 25: Reserve day

Leeds midfielder Mateusz Klich set to leave

Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich is expected to leave the Whites at the end of the season, according to journalist David Anderson.

The Lowdown: Klich a good servant

The Poland international has been a Leeds player since joining from FC Twente in 2017, making 158 appearances for the club in total.

Klich has made 10 Premier League starts so far this season, scoring one goal and setting up another, but he arguably wouldn’t be a regular with everyone fit.

A telling update has now emerged regarding his future at the club, even though his current deal doesn’t expire until 2024.

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Latest: Journalist makes Klich exit claim

According to The Mirror’s Anderson, Klich ‘is on his way out of Elland Road’ in the summer, bringing an end to his time at the club.

It is stated that Marcelo Bielsa doesn’t want to lose him in the January transfer window, but an exit once the campaign reaches its conclusion looks to be on the cards.

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The Verdict: Does it make sense?

With Klich turning 32 in the summer, it makes sense for Leeds to sell him at a time when they could still receive a fee for him. If it happens, it would further highlight the need to keep hold of Kalvin Phillips, with Bielsa not wanting to make wholesale changes to his midfield.

Selling Klich at a time when he is arguably past his best but still young enough to receive interest is the correct stance to take, despite him being hailed as ‘wonderful’ by David Prutton.

In other news, Leeds are eyeing up the signing of an attacker. Find out who it is here.

Bergwijn exit from Spurs at ‘final stages’

Taking to Twitter, Portuguese reporter Pedro Almeida has made a major Tottenham Hotspur exit claim involving winger Steven Bergwijn.

The Lowdown: Spurs exodus in January?

As manager Antonio Conte makes his squad ‘evaluations’ and decides who deserves to stay or leave, there are a fair few Tottenham players who could be shown the door.

Most recently, the likes of Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Matt Doherty have been most heavily tipped to leave north London before January 31 either on loan or in a permanent switch.

Bergwijn is another as Ajax table an official bid for the player, according to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

In an update, reporter Almeida has now shared how advanced that move could be as he drops a major claim.

The Latest: Spurs exit agreement ‘close’…

Taking to Twitter, the reporter says that an agreement between Spurs and Ajax over Bergwijn is now ‘close’ with talks at the ‘final stages’.

He goes on to explain this will be a permanent exit from north London and not a temporary deal with the Eredivisie giants also close to offloading winger David Neres.

It is believed the latter man will join Shahktar Donetsk for €16 million (£13.3m).

The Verdict: Mistake?

Recently dazzling against West Ham in the Carabao Cup and drawing real praise from former boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who called Bergwijn ‘unique’, selling Bergwijn permanently could be a mistake.

Depending on the transfer fee, Tottenham and Conte could have been better served handing more chances to the Netherlands international who is still fairly young with room for improvement.

Conte has also previously praised the 24-year-old, calling him ‘quick’ and ‘quality’ with a real eye for goal, attributes the Italian could have used as he seeks to guide Tottenham into a top four finish.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option for ‘sensational player’ after loan spell with EPL rivals, find out more here.

Leeds: Dan James suffers muscle injury

Leeds United winger Dan James suffered a muscle problem against Manchester City on Tuesday, Mike McGrath reports.

The Lowdown: Injury woes

The Whites are without a whole host of first-team players and have just three Premier League wins all season.

Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper, Kalvin Phillips, Robin Koch, Rodrigo, Pascal Struijk all missed the 7-0 defeat to Manchester City on Tuesday, while Jamie Shackleton hobbled off at the Etihad, and it seems as if James also now has a problem.

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The Latest: McGrath’s claim

The Telegraph shared a link to McGrath’s story on Twitter on Thursday morning.

They claim that James, who was replaced at half-time, suffered a muscle problem against Pep Guardiola’s side.

The Verdict: Breaking point

Leeds could almost field a starting XI of absent players, with Shackleton and now James the latest to join the list.

The winger has been a regular in Marcelo Bielsa’s side since joining from Manchester United, but it now seems as if he could miss the game against Arsenal on Saturday.

Eight of Leeds’ nine substitutes against City normally feature for the Under-23’s, so the current situation at Elland Road is reaching breaking point ahead of the second half of the season, meaning multiple January additions may well be seriously considered by the Whites.

In other news: Leeds now back in for summer target who is ‘like a beast’ – reliable journalist. 

Van Bronckhorst must axe Steven Davis

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has a chance to make it four wins out of four as Rangers manager at Ibrox in the Premiership on Saturday.

The Gers host Dundee in a league match and the Dutchman is looking to extend his fantastic start to life at the helm in Glasgow. Rangers have won all three of his matches in charge so far, beating Sparta Prague in the Europa League and then Livingston and Hibernian in the Premiership.

Time’s up

One change that the 46-year-old could make to his XI in order to maintain his 100% record is taking out midfielder Steven Davis after his disappointing display against Hibernian on Wednesday night, as his time should now be up.

The Northern Ireland international struggled despite Rangers winning 1-0 and was subbed off in the second half with the teams still level. Kemar Roofe was among the players who came off the bench and he scored from the penalty spot to seal all three points.

Davis lined up alongside Glen Kamara in one of the two defensive midfield roles and was shown up by the Finland international. As per SofaScore, the ex-Arsenal man won seven of his 10 duels (70%) and made three interceptions, one tackle and two clearances. He also completed 89% of his passes and created two chances for his teammates, showing off his ability on and off the ball.

However, his midfield partner failed to match those heights. As per SofaScore, Davis won a solitary duel in the game and failed to make a single tackle, interception or block, whilst making one clearance. On the ball, he completed just 77% of his passes and lost possession 14 times, failing to provide a single key pass before being hauled off the pitch.

This suggests that he was a passenger in the game as he was unable to impose himself defensively or offensively for the Gers, particularly in comparison to Kamara. In fact, over the course of the season, he has lost 55% of his duels in the Premiership, which highlights his lack of strength in the middle of the park for the club.

Therefore, Van Bronckhorst must ruthlessly axe him from the starting XI and offer a starting opportunity to another player to see what they can do, with the likes of John Lundstram and Scott Arfield waiting in the wings.

AND in other news, Gio must axe “popular” £15k-p/w flop who doesn’t have a “long-term” future at Rangers…

Rangers fans slam Ryan Kent v Hibs

Many Glasgow Rangers fans have slammed the performance of Ryan Kent in their 1-0 win at Hibernian in the Premiership on Wednesday night.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team managed to nick all three points at Easter Road in the end thanks to a late penalty from Keemar Roofe, which puts them firmly in pole position at the top of the table.

However, while some players impressed in a Light Blue shirt, Kent did not have his best game, as he lost out on nine of his duels and was unsuccessful with all three of his shots on goal (SofaScore).

The 25-year-old was also guilty of giving the ball away on 17 different occasions in the match, the joint-second most out of his teammates (SofaScore), in what was a frustrating night for him individually.

Rangers fans slam Kent

These Rangers fans slammed Kent’s performance on Twitter, with one Gers supporter going as far as to claim that he was a ‘passenger’ last night:

“Ryan Kent is an absolute passenger so far.”

Credit: @FarvaRangers

“Ryan Kent has been awful for a number of games now – others deserve a chance to prove themselves”

Credit: @RobertsonGreig

“What is the point of Ryan Kent?”

Credit: @mullanmcm

“Ryan Kent having an absolute stinker”

Credit: @BigMoLoyal1872

“Why is Ryan Kent still on this pitch?”

Credit: @StephenMcGarry3

“Ryan Kent still being on the pitch is mind boggling, worst game he’s ever played.”

Credit: @dylanblack23

In other news, find out whose display against Hibs was also slammed by many Gers fans

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