Despite Chase’s five-for, visitors are 273 runs behind Sri Lanka

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Nov-2021Stumps West Indies worked themselves back into the game in the first two sessions, taking Sri Lanka’s last seven wickets for 105. But then they gave up all the ground they had gained in the evening, losing six wickets for 54 runs.Essentially, what this means, is that despite Roston Chase’s five-wicket haul, West Indies are 273 runs behind Sri Lanka, with only four wickets remaining. They bat deep, but the pitch is already taking substantial turn, particularly for Sri Lanka’s spinners. So dominant were the slow bowlers of both sides on day two, that no batter could make a half-century; Dinesh Chandimal and Kraigg Brathwaite came closest, hitting 45 and 41 respectively.Sri Lanka lost their overnight pair in the first hour, and lost the remainder of their batters either side of lunch, but still, it was the last session of the day that was most dramatic. West Indies had restricted Sri Lanka to 386 – a good score, but not the gargantuan one that the hosts had threatened at the end of day one. Brathwaite and makeshift opener Jermaine Blackwood (he was taking the place of the concussed Jeremy Solozano, with concussion substitute Shai Hope to come in at No. 4) made a half-decent start, too, putting on 46 for the first wicket. But as is often the case in Galle – though often not as early as the second day – once one partnership is broken, several wickets fall in quick succession.Blackwood was the first to be dismissed. He had been lbw on 2 against Dushmantha Chameera, but the umpire turned down the appeal and Sri Lanka did not review. He had seemed to have become comfortable at the crease, particularly against Lasith Embuldeniya, whom he launched for a straight six, but then missed a straightening delivery from the same bowler, and was correctly adjudged lbw (Blackwood burned a review).Four overs later, Praveen Jayawickrama – the other left-arm spinner in Sri Lanka’s XI – got a ball to erupt from the straight, and take Nkrumah Bonner’s glove on the way to slip, where Dhananjaya de Silva took a sharp catch to his left.Roston Chase had figures of 5 for 83•AFP/Getty ImagesOffspinner Ramesh Mendis then took two wickets in two big-spinning balls, split across two overs. His first victim was Brathwaite, who was caught at leg slip. His second was Shai Hope, who was snaffled at short leg – both batters having been out off the inside edge. Mendis would also have Chase caught at short leg before the day was out, after Jayawickrama had nightwatchman Jomel Warrican caught behind. Although West Indies have Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers at the crease, and Joshua de Silva and Rahkeem Cornwall to come, it is not guaranteed, on what has suddenly become such a devious surface, that they will surpass the follow-on score.The first dismissal of the day, however, had been the strangest. Dhananjaya de Silva had added five runs to his overnight 56 and seemed to be batting nicely, when he was a touch late playing a defensive shot to a back-of-a-length Shannon Gabriel ball. He made a good connection, but the ball dropped by his feet and seemed to be bouncing into the stumps, so he turned around to swipe at it. He only nicked it the first time, and had to swipe again, but on that second occasion, dislodged the bails with his bat, and was out hit wicket.Dimuth Karunaratne, who was on 132, had started the day nervously, and was out to some excellent wicketkeeping having added only 15 to his score – Joshua da Silva whipping off the bails after Chase had drawn Karunaratne forward with a loopy offbreak.Jomel Warrican, who had gone wicketless on day one, took three wickets either side of lunch – the dismissal of Ramesh, whose glove Warrican collected with a delivery that leapt off the surface, being the most spectacular of the three. Chandimal, who had battled the spinners as well as anyone on day two, was out to Chase, after Rahkeem Cornwall anticipated and intercepted a reverse sweep. Chase dismissed Embuldeniya to complete his fourth five-for in Tests. At the time, it had seemed like West Indies had clawed themselves to near parity by keeping Sri Lanka’s total under 400.

Chelsea haven’t won at Old Trafford since 2013, and they will still be waiting to break that duck, as the two sides shared the points with a 1-1 draw on Sunday evening.

A relatively cagey game saw the first goal scored by Manchester United in the 70th minute when Bruno Fernandes converted from the spot after Robert Sanchez gave away the penalty.

But Moises Caicedo struck back with a thunderbolt volley in the 74th minute, equalising the game and making for an interesting final 15 minutes.

Chelsea had more of the ball, managing 54% possession during the game, whilst taking 12 shots, and only fashioning one big chance. Meanwhile, Manchester United had 46% possession, and managed 11 shots, but did create four big chances, more than the Blues managed.

Whilst this isn’t a great result for Enzo Maresca’s men, Chelsea now sit fourth in the Premier League after ten matches played, winning five times, drawing three, and losing just twice – to Manchester City and Liverpool. Thanks to Caicedo’s goal, Chelsea now have 18 points in the league, with a complete performance from the Ecuador international.

Moises Caicedo's amazing performance in numbers

As well as his brilliantly taken goal, Caicedo was generally imperious in the middle of the park, making 36 successful passes out of his 43 attempted.

He completed one key pass, made 2/3 of his long balls, won eight of his 16 ground duels contested, won his only aerial duel contested, and made three tackles in the game.

The 23-year-old has made 12 appearances for Chelsea this season, scoring one goal, providing two assists, and totalling 997 minutes played. He is clearly one of Maresca’s most trusted men, and his consistent performances have been a highlight for the Blues so far this campaign.

Unfortunately, Caicedo’s goal was an equaliser, rather than a worthy winner. Despite his excellent performance, there were some other Chelsea players on the pitch who weren’t quite at the races, and one of them was Noni Madueke.

Noni Madueke's performance in numbers

The 22-year-old winger has had a great start to life under Maresca, being the preferred choice on that right-wing so far this season, playing to his strengths, allowing him to get 1v1 with the fullback, be direct, and attack the box on every given opportunity.

In his 12 appearances so far this campaign, Madueke has scored five times across 752 minutes played. However, his performance against United was below par, failing to provide that usual directness he has done in other games this term.

Goals

0

Assists

0

xG

0.75

Touches

34

Accurate Passes

16/20

Crosses

0/2

Shots

2

Successful Dribbles

1/3

Ground Duels Won

2/8

Dribbled Past

2

Madueke is important on both sides of the ball for Maresca’s system, and he failed to deliver in both aspects today. Only completing one of his three dribble attempts was unlike him, and it felt the ball wasn’t making its way out to the right side quickly enough in transition to get the best of Madueke.

But the England international also lost six of his eight ground duels and was dribbled past twice, which shows not only was Madueke relatively ineffective going forward against United, but also off the ball, he was exploited on a few occasions.

On that evidence, it was hardly a surprise that the i’s George Simms handed him a 4/10 rating, describing how ‘Mazraoui and Martinez got the better of him.’

Despite not having his best performance, it is clear Maresca values his profile and work ethic for the team, and therefore Madueke’s spot probably isn’t at risk, but many Chelsea fans will be hoping to see him return to his best in their next game against Noah in the Conference League on Thursday.

Enzo could drop Madueke for "elite” teen who's never played for Chelsea

Chelsea have a talent with zero appearances who could permanently displace Madueke in the future.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 2, 2024

أعلنت رابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة، قرارها بشأن أزمة مباراة الأهلي والزمالك، التي لم تلعب من منافسات الجولة الأولى من عمر مباريات المرحلة الثانية لبطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقررت رابطة الأندية، اليوم السبت، بشكل رسمي، اعتماد فوز الزمالك على الأهلي بنتيجة 3-0، مع خصم 3 نقاط مع المارد الأحمر في نهاية المسابقة على إثر انسحابه من مباراة القمة التي كان مقررا لها يوم الثلاثاء الماضي.

طالع | رابطة الأندية تعتمد فوز الزمالك بالقمة وتخصم 3 نقاط من الأهلي

وبذلك، يحصد الزمالك 3 نقاط، ترفع رصيده إلى النطقة 35، يحتل المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري (مجموعة تحديد البطل).

بينما النادي الاهلي، يظل عند النطقة 39 محتلًا المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، مع العلم أنه سوف يتم خصم 3 نقاط من الفريق مع نهاية الدوري للموسم الحالي.

يذكر، أن بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز للموسم الحالي 2024-2025، تقام بنظام استثنائي، حيث تم لعب مباريات الدور الأول كمرحلة أولى.

ثم تم تقسيم الأندية إلى مجموعتين، مجموعة من المركز الأول حتى التاسع للمنافسة على اللقب، وبداية من 10 حتى 18 للمنافسة على البقاء والهبوط، على أن يهبط فريقين فقط إلى دوري القسم الثاني. ترتيب الدوري المصريترتيب مجموعة تحديد البطل للدوري المصري

1- بيراميدز – 43 نقطة.

2- الأهلي – 39 نقطة. (سوف يتم خصم 3 نقاط مع نهاية المسابقة بناءً على قرار رابطة الأندية).

3- الزمالك – 35 نقطة.

4- المصري – 31 نقطة.

5- البنك الأهلي – 29 نقطة.

6- فاركو – 26 نقطة.

7- بتروجيت – 25 نقطة.

8- سيراميكا كليوباترا – 24 نقطة.

9- حرس الحدود – 22 نقطة. ترتيب مجموعة البقاء والهبوط في الدوري المصري

10- زد – 24 نقطة.

11- طلائع الجيش – 21 نقطة.

12- الجونة – 20 نقطة.

13- سموحة – 20 نقطة.

14- الاتحاد السكندري – 18 نقطة.

15- الإسماعيلي – 17 نقطة.

16- غزل المحلة – 17 نقطة.

17- إنبي – 12 نقطة.

18- مودرن سبورت – 12 نقطة.

يمكنكم متابعة ترتيب الدوري المصري الممتاز، بشكل محدث باستمرار من هنا

MatériaMais Notícias

Em partida que teve superioridade bem dividida entre os tempos, o Avaí venceu por 2 a 0 a equipe do Barra neste sábado (29), na Ressacada, pela terceira rodada do Campeonato Catarinense. Foi o primeiro triunfo Azzurra na competição enquanto a equipe que retornou recentemente à elite estadual tem um empate e duas derrotas no início da disputa.

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>Receba as principais notícias com o novo canal do LANCE! no Telegram

SAI, ZICA!

Além de não ter vencido nenhum compromisso em duas rodadas do estadual, o time Azzurra sequer havia balançado as redes adversárias na competição, algo findado aos 12 minutos do confronto na capital catarinense. Depois de bola levantada onde Renato escorou, Copete mostrou oportunismo e marcou para o Avaí.

Priorizando a recomposição defensiva e diminuir a área de atuação do adversário, o Leão da Ilha conseguia não apenas dificultar a vida do Barra como também tinha maior controle sobre as ações da partida, tendo problemas, na verdade, na hora da conclusão. A única exceção dentro desse cenário mais controlado para os anfitriões veio na bola parada onde, na cobrança de falta, Fredson cabeceou dentro da área para uma excelente defesa de Douglas Friedrich.

I-N-A-C-R-E-D-I-T-Á-V-E-L

Já nos acrescimos da primeira etapa, mais precisamente no último ataque, o Barra teve duas chances mais do que clara para deixar tudo igual na Ressacada. O ex-Avaí Renatinho e o atacante Dudu Beberibe bateram com violência contra a meta avaiana, mas o goleiro Douglas Friedrich fez duas intervenções espetaculares e que foram capazes de segurar o marcador a favor do Leão.

PRESSÃO CRESCENTE

O lance derradeiro nos primeiros 46 minutos de jogo parece ter deixado o time de Balenário Camboriú esperançoso no compromisso, já que os visitantes subiram bastante suas linhas de marcação e colocaram o Avaí em situação de dificuldade na partida, praticamente não frequentando o ataque nos primeiros 15 minutos após o intervalo. Nesse período, foram pelo menos três oportunidades de perigo (duas com Dudu Ceará e uma por meio de Pereira) com Douglas Friedrich e o zagueiro Fagner Alemão sendo providenciais para impedir a igualdade.

ALÍVIO

Diante de um momento totalmente desfavorável no jogo, o lance trabalhado entre Bruno Silva e Paulo Baya foi determinante para a marcação do segundo gol avaiano que decretou o resultado positivo do time da casa. Após passe do meio-campista para o atacante no lado direito do ataque, o camisa 8 foi para a grande área e, na finalização, contou com a “colaboração” do arqueiro Bruno Grassi.

FICHA TÉCNICA
AVAÍ 1 x 0 BARRA

Local: Estádio da Ressacada, em Florianópolis (SC)
Data e hora: 29/01/2022 – 19h (de Brasília)
Público e Renda: 1887 torcedores – R$ 37.170,00
Árbitro:Ramon Abatti Abel
Assistentes: José Roberto Larroyd e Guilherme Costa Gonçalves
​Cartões amarelos:Arthur Chaves, Bruno Silva (AVA); Luiz Otávio (BAR)
Cartões vermelhos:

GOLS:Copete (12’/1°T) (1-0) e Bruno Silva (34’/2°T) (2-0)

AVAÍ (Técnico: Claudinei Oliveira)

Douglas Friedrich; Matheus Ribeiro, Fagner Alemão, Arthur Chaves e Diego Matos; Bruno Silva, Eduardo (Raniele, aos 21’/2°T), Renato (Romulo, aos 10’/2°) e Vinícius Leite (Matheus Lucas, aos 26’/2°T); Lourenço (Muriqui, aos 26’/2°T) e Copete (Paulo Baya, aos 21’/2°T).

BARRA (Técnico: Matheus Costa)

Bruno Grassi; Lenon, Cleyton, Fredson e Dudu Paraíba (Renan Luís, aos 21’/2°T); Arthur, Luiz Otávio (Pereira, no intervalo) e Renatinho (Vitinho, aos 32’/2°T); Dudu Silva (Gabriel Pires, aos 42’/2°T), Diego Ceará (Wallace, aos 20’/2°T) e Dudu Beberibe.

South Africa’s Test captain Dean Elgar signalled his return to full fitness from an abductor injury with a hundred in his third red-ball innings this summer as the Titans registered their first win of the season. Elgar, who sustained the niggle during the T20 domestic competition, was one of four centurions for the Titans, who beat Western Province by an innings and 139 runs.”The most important thing was that he got an opportunity to spend time at the crease and he took it. He has had a difficult few weeks so his goal was to make sure he is batting for a long period of time, knowing that if he does that, the runs will come,” Mandla Mashimbyi, Titans coach told ESPNcricinfo.Elgar and his opening partner Grant Mokoena, who top-scored with 154, shared in an opening stand of 231 before Jiveshan Pillay and Ayabulela Gqamane contributed 113* and 117* respectively to take the Titans to 647 for 7 declared. Despite the towering total, Mashimbyi indicated batting at Newlands was not as straightforward as the scorecard made it seem. “It was not a typical Cape Town wicket. It was a bit slowish so the batter really had to knuckle down,” he said. “We found that once guys got in, things became a little easier.”Western Province batters barely managed that. There were only two scores over 40 in their first innings as Simon Harmer’s 7 for 76 forced the follow-on, 452 runs behind. Harmer finished the match with 10 wickets, with Western Province bowled out for 313 in their second dig, where Daniel Smith and Kyle Verreynne made half-centuries.The win puts the Titans in fourth place on the table and, with one round of fixtures to go before a break, Mashimbyi is hoping for a second victory in the Cape, over Boland this week, to consolidate their position in the top-half. For Elgar, the fixture will be doubly important as he seeks to maximise his competitive batting time ahead of South Africa’s three-Test series against India, that begins in mid-December.”Dean just wants to work on a couple of specifics: things like getting into good positions and watching the ball and it’s just about emphasising those points,” Mashimbyi said. “He knows his game well and he has been playing a long time, so with some more time in the middle, he will be ready for the Tests.”

In other results:

Division One

• The Lions maintained their place at the top of the points table with an innings-and-30-run victory over Boland at the Wanderers. After bowling Boland out for 170, new ODI call-up Ryan Rickelton scored 117 as the Lions took a 180-run lead after their first innings. Boland were skittled out for 150 in their second innings with Duanne Olivier taking 5 for 57. Olivier finished with eight wickets in the match and is the competition’s leading bowler with 20 wickets at an average of 12.30.
• The Warriors have climbed to third on the log after their 130-run win over North West in Potchefstroom. Edward Moore, Lesiba Ngoepe and Diego Rosier scored half-centuries to take the Warriors to a first innings 334. North West took the lead, scoring 350, thanks largely to Wesley Marshall’s 94 before a big second innings from the Warriors swung the advantage their way. Matthew Breetzke’s 152 and Rudi Second’s 103* allowed them to declare on 342 for 2 and set North West 349 to win. They were bowled out for 218.
• Despite the win, the Warriors could not leapfrog the Knights, who are in second place after a draw against the Dolphins in a weather-affected match in Durban. The Knights bowled their hosts out for 226 and then declared their first innings closed on 397 for 4, with Matthew Kleinveldt contributing 177 but their 171-run lead could not force a result. The Dolphins second innings had reached 174 for 5 by the end of the fourth day.

Division Two

• Sean Whitehead became the fourth South African to take all 10 wickets in an innings as South Western Districts earned a 120 run win over Easterns. Whitehead’s performance came in the fourth innings of the match, with Easterns set a target of 186 runs to win. They were dismissed for 65. Whitehead took 15 in the match all told and is now joint-third on the overall bowling charts. Leus du Plooy’s 91 and 85* made him the match’s highest run-scorer.
• Kwa-Zulu-Natal Inland lead the Division Two points table after a seven-wicket win over Border. Thomas Kaber’s 103* helped Border post 384 in their first innings which KZN Inland matched exactly. Tshepang Dithole scored 162 while Kaber took 5 for 109. Luke Schlemmer’s 6 for 31 saw Border dismissed for 106 in their second innings and KZN Inland reached the target after losing just three wickets.
• In Polokwane, Limpopo and Northern Cape played out a draw despite a result appearing agonisingly close. Northern Cape were set 126 to win the match and finished on 121 for 7 with captain Aubrey Swanepoel unbeaten on 44 at the end. Earlier, Swanepoel took 7 for 56 as Northern Cape bowled Limpopo out for 290 and replied with 350, after Rivaldo Moonsamy’s 101. Limpopo were dismissed for 185 in their second innings, which gave Northern Cape an opportunity to go for victory but they were unable to close out the game.

“As a South African cricket side, we have been put under immense pressure around this whole topic”

Firdose Moonda09-Nov-2021

Temba Bavuma has called for South African cricket to take a “collective” decision on how it will approach anti-racism gestures going forward, and said the pressure mounted on the team to take a knee is “sometimes a bit unfair,” given the myriad issues facing ordinary South Africans.Bavuma, who led the team at the T20 World Cup, where they were instructed by the Cricket South Africa board to take a knee ahead of their second match for the duration of the tournament, is unsure whether the national side will continue making the gesture but believes the values of inclusion should translate into daily behaviour.Related

CSA directs men's team to collectively take a knee, notes de Kock's refusal to do so

Temba Bavuma: Team 'surprised and taken aback' at Quinton de Kock's refusal to take a knee

Why did Quinton de Kock refuse to take a knee?

'I am not a racist' – Quinton de Kock apologises, will take the knee

South Africa are not perfect, but they are starting to get comfortable about it

“The important thing for me is, how does this translate into our everyday life,” Bavuma said. “That for me is the cream on top. We can all go out there, raise our fists, go on the knee, but if deep down in the heart, you’re not really for the cause, and what it stands for, and it doesn’t show in your everyday behaviour then I guess it brings into question the authenticity of it all.”As a South African cricket side, we have been put under immense pressure around this whole topic, more than any other international teams, more than any of our other local teams, for whatever reason that may be. I think that the work and the effort that has gone behind the scenes does not get enough attention or acknowledgement probably because of the fact that people from the outside don’t get to see or hear the conversations that we have. Sometimes the pressure that is mounted on us is a bit unfair.”Going forward, a decision is going to have to be a collective one. That’s an important thing. We want to avoid a situation where things are being dictated or instructed towards players. Importantly, how does it show in our everyday behaviour? Not just in our Proteas team, but within the country as a whole. Our country has big big big problems and that’s where the energy, in my opinion, should really be spent.”‘The off-field matters with Quinton and how all of that unfolded and how it was dealt with, that helped increase people’s confidence in my ability as captain’•ICC via Getty

CSA has said it will consult with the players on this issue, but wants them to show a unified face. “The position of the board is clear that we want to team to take a unified stance against racism,” Lawson Naidoo, the CSA chairperson, said. “We will engage with them. But we want a clear and consistent approach.”The Proteas are the only South African national team who have become embroiled in controversy around the knee. Neither the Springboks nor Bafana Bafana have taken a knee, despite playing several fixtures since the re-emergence of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement last year, but neither rugby nor football have had issues of race in the recent spotlight as much as cricket has. CSA held Social Justice and Nation-Building hearings from July, aimed at providing a space for those who have experienced racial discrimination to air their grievances and allowing anyone implicated, including current national coach Mark Boucher and current director of cricket, Graeme Smith, the right of reply. The transformation ombudsman, Dumisa Ntsebeza, will furnish CSA with his report by the end of this month.With Smith and Boucher both part of the current structures, the SJN testimony directly affected the national set-up, where it was initially decided not to take a knee late last year. CSA opted for black armbands and banners in the stands, then moved to raised fists and then gave players options of taking a knee, raising a fist or standing to attention. That changed at the World Cup, where the board made it mandatory for everyone in the national set-up to take a knee. The next steps are yet to be decided.”Originally what was decided was the team would take the opportunity to show their gesture in their particular way. Things changed within the World Cup,” Bavuma said. “As a team, we haven’t spoken yet [about what we will do from here]. Everyone will have to get together. A guy like (Test captain) Dean Elgar will have to be a part of the conversation to see how we are going to do things going forward. A conversation there still needs to happen and I would assume all decision-makers, all role-players will be involved in that decision. You will find a situation where it’s the team, the board, probably Graeme Smith and then a decision will be made on that.”At the World Cup Quinton de Kock was the only member of the touring party who refused to do so at first and sat out the game against West Indies as a result. It was left to Bavuma to explain the situation and, despite not being asked to handle the post-match press conference at first, he decided to address the media, where he delivered impressive answers. “Everything happened quite quickly. There was no real time to consult with anyone from my side. I found myself in a position having to weigh up both sides of the story and then be able to express my opinion,” Bavuma said “Sometimes, that’s the best way to go about something – when you don’t really have a lot of time to think about it. You can really just speak to the merits of what is at hand. It doesn’t have to be premeditated or scripted and fake.”Even though they narrowly failed to make the semi-finals, South Africa’s fans began to warm to the team as the World Cup progressed•Aamir Qureshi/AFP/Getty Images

Bavuma recognised the situation as something that “is very hard for one to prepare for,” and that it could have caused the entire World Cup campaign to unravel. “There were matters that happened off the field that put us under pressure and there were challenging times as a team. It was moments that could have broken us or brought us together as a team. There’s a lot of growth as a team,” he said. “I was tested as well. I was put in situations that are very hard for one to prepare for. I am grateful that I was able to get out of those situations. I am a lot more confident. In terms of the trust, in terms of the backing of each other and the confidence in each other, we are in a better space as a team going forward.”South Africa went on to win the match against West Indies and their next three, but missed out on a semi-final spot on net-run rate and Bavuma could feel a shift in the way South Africa are perceived. “Before heading to the World Cup not a lot of people had much faith in us. Those were people within our own circles as well. The type of messages I got were along the lines of go and enjoy the experience. There wasn’t much about really setting our sights on winning the World Cup,” Bavuma said. “As the tournament unfolded, the sentiments changed. Us qualifying became a bit more of a realistic goal until Australia beat Bangladesh the way they did.”The off-field matters with Quinton and how all of that unfolded and how it was dealt with, that helped increase people’s confidence in my ability as captain. There’s been a bit of a shift. A different type of energy. That’s quite warming.”But, although Bavuma’s stocks have risen, he does not expect things to get easier. “Me coming in as the captain, the responsibility was always going to be a big one, there was always going to be pressure and expectation from all angles,” Bavuma said. “If I look at my Proteas career, there has always been some type of pressure around me, and rightfully so. As an international cricketer, that’s the environment that you operate in. Over the years, I have learnt ways to deal with that pressure, to try to put aside emotions and deal with the issue at hand.”

After West Ham United ruthlessly dispatched of Ipswich in a 4-1 win a week and a half ago, Julen Lopetegui must have been wishing the international break away.

At long last his Hammers side looked like the real deal. This is what was promised when the Spaniard entered the building over the summer but it hasn’t all gone according to plan.

Well, there’s certainly some positivity in the air now after that four goal salvo and they will be bullish about their chances heading into a game with Tottenham who recently slumped to a 3-2 defeat to Brighton having led the game at half-time.

So, how’s the break gone for those of a West Ham persuasion?

West Ham during the international break

The big news ahead of club action pausing was that there was no place for Jarrod Bowen in Lee Carsley’s England team.

The Irons winger was selected during Carsley’s first camp but was perhaps harshly excluded on this occasion. Still, with Thomas Tuchel set to arrive as the new Three Lions boss, Bowen will be hoping there’s a space for him in the setup come 2025.

Speaking of England, West Ham defender Dinos Mavropanos was part of the Greek team that incredibly defeated them at Wembley last week, a game in which he won five of his six duels.

Further afield, Lucas Paqueta did not feature in Brazil’s 4-0 win over Peru in the early hours of Wednesday morning, but he did start the 2-1 win over Chile, although was withdrawn at half time.

Minutes played

90

Touches

44

Accurate passes

30/34 (88%)

Long balls

3/4

Dribble attempts

1/1

Ground duels won

3/3

Aerial duels won

2/3

Tackles

2

Clearances

4

Michail Antonio went goalless for Steve McLaren’s Jamaica, as too did Mohammed Kudus whose poor season to date continued over in Africa.

Kudus' performances for Ghana

Missing captain and Arsenal star Thomas Partey, it was an incredibly poor break for not just Ghana but Kudus too.

In African Nations qualifying, they drew 0-0 with Sudan last week and then slumped to a 2-0 defeat on Tuesday night in what was a shocking performance by the Black Stars, as the Ghanaian national team are commonly known.

Unfortunately, Kudus hardly played his part, most notably in the reverse fixture this week. Handed a dismal 4/10 match rating by the national media, Pulse wrote the following words about his performance.

‘The captain of the side, Mohammed Kudus tried to lead by example by creating magic from the first whistle but that wasn’t enough to inspire the team.’

So, it wasn’t the most scathing of reviews but it’s easy to see why he was handed such a low rating when you look at the stats.

During the game, the former Ajax man lost the ball a whopping 20 times and, as Pulse said, failed to create many moments of magic having failed to register a key pass or dribble in the match. To make matters worse, he only completed 67% of his passes.

The 24-year-old enjoyed a wonderful debut campaign in east London, scoring 14 goals and registering six assists but he has been some way off his best in his second term.

To date, Kudus has only scored once – against Ipswich last time out – and supplied just a sole assist as well.

If West Ham are to recover from their current slump under Lopetegui they will need one of their main men firing. That begins against Spurs this weekend.

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1 ByAngus Sinclair Oct 16, 2024

Chelsea transfer chiefs are now prepared to include Crystal Palace loanee Trevoh Chalobah in talks to sign a £70 million defender, who they believe could be the perfect defender for Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea targeting centre-back signing in 2025

Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill have performed admirably in a solid central defensive partnership so far this campaign, but it is believed that BlueCo are targeting another body for that area of the pitch.

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In terms of back-ups, Maresca already has Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo at his disposal, but there are doubts over the former’s suitability.

The Frenchman has played just 37 Premier League minutes this term, a cameo in their defeat at Liverpool, and has even failed to make four matchday squads out of their opening 10 top flight matches.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures

Date

Arsenal (home)

November 10

Leicester City (home)

November 23

Aston Villa (home)

December 1

Southampton (away)

December 4

Tottenham (home)

December 8

Some uncertainty surrounds the £90,000-per-week defender and his future at Stamford Bridge, with some reports suggesting Badiashile could be sold by Chelsea at the turn of the year.

It is worth noting that respected transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has since moved to pour cold water over Badiashile’s possible departure from west London, claiming the ex-Monaco man is highly thought of.

However, that hasn’t stopped Chelsea from looking at the market for new central defensive options. Reliable reporter Simon Phillips, who has sources at Cobham, says that Chelsea have been targeting centre-backs from South America.

Phillips has also claimed that Chelsea are expected to sign a new defender “very soon”, so this could spell bad news for Badiashile who is already struggling for a regular starting place ahead of Colwill and Fofana.

One potentially brilliant name linked with a move to the club is Nottingham Forest star Murillo. The Brazilian has been a regular in Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, playing a key role in their exceptional beginning to the campaign and starting all 10 of their opening matches.

Chelsea prepared to offer Chalobah in talks to sign Murillo

According to reports out of Spain, the 22-year-old remains a target for Maresca’s side, and they could float a makeweight to Forest in exchange.

Chelsea are prepared to offer Chalobah in talks to sign Murillo, who Forest reportedly value at around £70 million. The versatile 25-year-old has started four league games for lowly Palace, and it is unclear whether they will attempt to sign him permanently once his loan spell concludes.

There is no option or obligation to buy in Palace’s temporary deal for Chalobah, so he appears set to return to his boyhood club as things stand. He doesn’t appear to have a future under Maresca, so perhaps Chelsea could gift him permanent new surroundings whilst securing an immediate upgrade in Murillo simultaneously.

It is added that Chelsea believe Murillo fits perfectly into Maresca’s system, so they clearly rate him highly.

Everton have produced some fantastic footballers over the years and the Toffees have an incredibly underrated academy. Of course, Wayne Rooney is the standout player; he played 117 games for the club across two spells, sandwiched between a legendary career at Manchester United.

There are other notable academy graduates to come out of Goodison Park, too. Leon Osman spent his entire career at the club, aside from a brief loan spell at Derby County, and racked up 433 games. The likes of Richard Dunne and David Unsworth also played for the Toffees after graduating from the academy.

However, there is one other player who did not quite live up to the hype, and Toffees fans might well be disappointed with how his career ended up. That man is Ross Barkley.

Barkley’s Everton career

Born and bred on Merseyside, England international Barkley might well forever be a ‘what could’ve been’ player at Goodison Park. When he was at the club, he impressed but was inconsistent, and left in January 2018 for Stamford Bridge, joining Chelsea for £15m.

In total, the midfielder played 179 games for his boyhood club. Barkley managed 27 goals and 25 assists in that time, playing mainly as an attacking midfielder, with the ability to play deeper or even out wide.

His finest campaign in that famous Blue shirt was in 2015/16. The England international played all 38 games in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and assisting eight goals. One of his finest moments in that season was scoring two goals and assisting one in a 4-0 thrashing over Aston Villa at Goodison Park.

Sadly, the midfielder never actually played for the Toffees in the 2017/18 season. An injury kept him out until January before he made the move to West London. His final game for his boyhood club was a 3-1 defeat against Arsenal.

An article from The Athletic explained that Everton fans “wanted Barkley to succeed and become a legend” at the club. Sadly, it did not work out like that, and his departure in 2018 was a disappointing end to something that could have been so great.

In recent years there may be another player who fits into the same category as Barkley, who has now departed Goodison Park despite such a promising early career.

Everton's next Barkley never lived up to expectations

The player in question here is academy graduate Tom Davies. The midfielder now plies his trade at Sheffield United, but once had such a promising career ahead of him for his boyhood club.

The 26-year-old was once held in high regard by a legend of English football, fellow Scouse midfielder Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool legend might be from the Red side of the city, but he once described him as a “terrific footballer”, and the player to “be excited about at Everton”.

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Sadly, things did not quite go according to plan for the midfielder. He made plenty of appearances for Toffees, 179 to be specific, scoring seven goals and grabbing eight assists in that time. However, a lack of opportunity in the starting lineup, and he struggled to nail down a regular starting spot.

2015/16

2

97

2016/17

24

1543

2017/18

33

1091

2018/19

16

976

2019/20

30

2026

2020/21

25

1426

2021/22

6

233

2022/23

19

527

Davies was called “England’s next star” by Ryan Kelly of Goal back in 2017, but he never got selected for the national team whilst at Goodison Park. However, he did play for the Three Lions at age group level, up until the U21s, for whom he played 23 times.

He left his boyhood club to move to Sheffield United in 2023. Incredibly, the Blades paid nothing for him, meaning this once high-rated English talent ended up a free transfer. Sadly, it has not worked out at Bramall Lane, either. The midfielder has managed just nine appearances in 18 months at the club and is yet to feature this season.

Looking back on this, Toffees fans may well be disappointed things did not work out how it was suggested it might between Davies and his boyhood club. Like Barkley, he is another player who football fans might wonder what could have been.

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ByJoe Nuttall Nov 1, 2024

Saudi Pro League chiefs reportedly believe they are "being used" by Mohamed Salah as they try to sign him and Liverpool attempt to extend his deal.

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Salah in last year of Liverpool contractSaudi league wants to sign wingerFeel they are "being used" by EgyptianFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to the i Paper, there is growing belief in the Saudi Pro League that the Egyptian will stay at Liverpool – even though the 32-year-old would be the 'perfect signing' for the division.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'WE ARE BEING USED'

A senior advisor to the Saudi Pro League told The i Paper: “There is a feeling we are being used in contract negotiations this time. We want him, that is no secret. But we are getting less indication from the player that he is even considering moving here. Liverpool are flying this season and he is scoring goals like he was five years ago again.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Salah said at the turn of the year that he and Liverpool are "far away" in terms of a contract extension and despite being 'buoyed' by his public admittance that he may depart Anfield, faith in a Saudi transfer is reportedly 'dwindling'. The report adds that Al-Hilal are offering the ex-Roma star £65 million ($81m) for two seasons but whether he will accept remains to be seen.

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

There is just a few short months for Salah, who is reportedly valuing personal accolades more as he puts together a superb goalscoring season, to sign a new Liverpool deal.