Tendo chegou ao Coritiba no final do mês de janeiro deste ano, o meio-campista Andrey não demorou para mostrar a importância de sair do Vasco para respirar novos ares. Com atuações consistentes e “dominando” o meio-campo, o camisa 7 se destacou já nas primeiras partidas e necessitou apenas cinco jogos para balançar as redes.
RelacionadasCorinthiansCorinthians abre venda de ingressos para o confronto contra o Coritiba no BrasileirãoCorinthians14/07/2022Futebol NacionalJean destaca força do Coritiba e ameniza situação do Juventude: ‘Conseguimos um ponto’Futebol Nacional10/07/2022Futebol NacionalIgor Paixão comenta empate e revela futuro no Coritiba: “Gosto amargo”Futebol Nacional10/07/2022
>Cássio se manifesta após agressão sofrida na Vila Belmiro
O jogador foi um dos pilares do time na conquista no Campeonato Paranaense e na boa campanha no início do Brasileirão, quando marcou mais três vezes, até sofrer uma lesão no ligamento cruzado do joelho, em maio, e precisar passar por cirurgia.
Com o diagnóstico de lesão grave, Andrey realizou o procedimento cirúrgico em 11 de junho e recebeu o prazo de dez meses para o retorno aos gramados. Agora, cerca de um mês após a realização da cirurgia, o camisa 7 virou torcedor e sempre que pode está presente no Couto Pereira para acompanhar e torcer pela equipe.
Cria da base do Vasco, o volante já admitiu ter criado grande identificação com o clube paranaense e torce para que a equipe conquiste uma vaga para competições internacionais.
– Sigo muito focado na minha recuperação, estou me sentindo bem e feliz por conseguir ir aos jogos apoiar meus companheiros. Sei o quanto isso é importante neste momento e quero que nossa equipe saiba que pode contar comigo, mesmo estando do lado de fora como um torcedor. Venho sentindo o carinho da torcida no estádio e nas redes sociais e agradeço as mensagens de todos nesse período difícil para mim, por não estar fazendo o que tanto amo, que é jogar futebol – disse Andrey.
A próxima oportunidade que Andrey poderá voltar a exercer seu lado torcedor (porém à distância) será no próximo sábado (16) quando o Coritiba vai até o Rio de Janeiro enfrentar o Flamengo, no Couto Pereira, pela 17ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.
One of the more successful periods for Manchester United in recent seasons came under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Red Devils legend took charge of the club for 168 games over a period that spanned almost four years.
Initially taking over as caretaker manager, the Norwegian brought the feel-good factor back to Old Trafford and picked up some famous wins, including that famous away win at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
As permanent boss, the former United striker led the club to third, then second in the Premier League and the Europa League final, where they lost 11-10 on penalties to LaLiga side Villarreal.
If there was one thing Solskjaer did well during his time at the club, it was bringing through youngsters.
Academy stars who played under Solskjaer
There is no doubt that the scorer of the winning goal in the 1999 Champions League final understands what it means to play for United. He continued the long tradition of bringing through academy players, giving 16 different youngsters a first-team debut.
Perhaps the most successful academy graduate under Solskjaer was Anthony Elanga. Now at Nottingham Forest, the youngster impressed under the Norwegian manager. He played three times under his tutelage, scoring once in that time, against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Another youngster that Solskjaer brought through was James Garner. The midfielder is also still playing in the top flight with Everton but made seven appearances under United’s former number 20. He was an important player in the 2019/20 Europa League group stage, playing four out of the six games.
Some of the other notable names that Solskjaer gave a debut to include creative midfielder Hannibal, now playing at Championship Burnley, and centre-back Teden Mengi, who plies his trade at second-tier side Luton Town.
He also gave a record-breaking debut to one United youngster, but things did not pan out as he might have expected at Old Trafford.
The record-breaking Man United youngster
When thinking of the great young players to debut for United, names such as Duncan Edwards or Norman Whiteside might spring to mind. More recently, Angel Gomes was a prominent young debutant. However, another player on the list is Shola Shoretire.
At the age of 17, Newcastle-born Shoretire played against the Magpies, to become the second-youngest player to make his Premier League debut for the Old Trafford club, as per Statman Dave. Gomes was the only player younger.
David Gaskell
1956/57
16 years 19 days
Jeff Whitefoot
1949/50
16 years, 3 months, 15 days
Duncan Edwards
1952/53
16 years, 6 months, 4 days
Angel Gomes
2016/17
16 years, 8 months, 20 days
Willie Anderson
1963/64
16 years, 11 months, 4 days
Norman Whiteside
1981/82
16 years, 11 months, 17 days
Shola Shoretire
2020/21
17 years, 19 days
Andy Ritchie
1977/78
17 years, 28 days
David McCreery
1974/75
17 years, 1 month
Alex Dawson
1956/57
17 years, 2 months, 1 day
Just days later, he played in Europe for the first time, a 14-minute cameo against Real Sociedad in the Europa League. Not only was he hailed as an “enormous talent,” by journalist Rich Fay but manager Solskjaer said that the Red Devils youngster would go on to become “a very good player” for his boyhood club.
However, that was not the case. Shoretire went on to play just three more times in that famous Red shirt, making five appearances in total, with his last game coming in the 2021/22 campaign.
After a loan spell at League One outfit Bolton Wanderers, the United academy graduate left the club upon the expiration of his contract last summer despite being valued just as highly as Amad in the dying stages of the season from a monetary point of view. He made the move to Greek side PAOK on a free transfer, although the Red Devils got a compensation fee of £500k.
He has since made 23 appearances for his new club across all competitions, scoring four times in that time, playing on both the left and right flank. In a full-circle moment, Shoretire made a six-minute appearance at Old Trafford with his new side in the Europa League this season.
It was sadly not to be for Shoretire at Old Trafford. The club’s second-youngest Premier League player only made a handful of appearances, not living up to Solskjaer’s words after his second game for the club.
Their own Rogers: Teen Man Utd ace can be "pushed closer to the first-team"
Man Utd need to fill the void of Amad Diallo, who is out for the rest of the season.
Selections of Livingstone and Ahmed proof of England’s willingness to challenge convention
Vithushan Ehantharajah28-Nov-2022First they said it couldn’t be done beyond one lucky Test at the start of the summer. Then, after they did it twice more to New Zealand, India were supposedly going to stop them in their tracks. Cue 378 being chased down with ease.Ah, but what of South Africa? Sure, that didn’t work at the start. Defeat by an innings and 12 runs inside three days at Lord’s drew plenty of pent-up derision from the sidelines, most of it from traditional supporters – many of them English – who were slightly put out by the suggestion that they were the ones who had got this format all wrong. Cue victories by an innings and 85 runs and nine wickets to take that series with ease, too. Six wins out of seven, two series in the bag, another all-square from 2021. What were you worried about?Now, of course, the ever-shifting “gotcha” has moved to “can you do it on a sunny (but chilly) and perhaps also hot and sweaty month in Pakistan?” And to be honest, quite rightly. Just as those hypothetical stumbling blocks were posited early in the Brendon McCullum-Ben Stokes tenure, so the challenge of taking this high-wire act abroad is a new one altogether.”We’ll find out,” McCullum shrugged, when asked how different things could be here compared to the English summer. “There will be times where it could be more extreme in regards to the conditions, there will be times we have to absorb more, and times to put it back on more, and I think that could be the difference between playing, say, in English conditions and playing these. But we’ll find out, as long as guys are living in the moment and they’ve got a positive mindset heading into it, we’ll give ourselves the best chance.”There are no preconceived notions for England’s first visit to Pakistan in 17 years. “Be where your feet are” and “if you’re present, you give yourself a better chance to adjust” were two phrases that stuck out when McCullum veered close to talking tactics, without ever quite taking his shoes off to dip a toe into those waters. He didn’t quite go full Henry Cooke and say: “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans”. But he wasn’t far off.McCullum did, however, appreciate that the contrast between home and away will be felt this week. The first Test, starting in Rawalpindi on Thursday, will have shorter days, with play beginning at 10am because the sun gives it the Irish goodbye not long after 5pm. Conditions, naturally, will be different.And if the crowds prove to be as packed as they were at times during the summer, they are unlikely to be as supportive. “But we can still bring the same sense of belief among the group,” McCullum said. “To have the same ambition to play entertaining cricket and, hopefully, when the time arrives, win the key moments. Isn’t it the greatest challenge? To win away from home and be successful.”As much as the noise and funk established in the UK is about to be brought around 4,000 miles away and five hours ahead, there is something tangible at play over here that will have a knock-on effect to cricket back home. So much of the domestic game is up for grabs at the moment, whether through the high-performance review or private equity interest. But the opinion of the England Test coach is one that matters. And it is when running the rule over two of his picks – Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed – that you get an insight into McCullum’s thoughts on where the domestic game is right now.McCullum gives directions during England’s practice session at Rawalpindi•Getty ImagesAhmed’s addition to the full squad last week – a plan all along, said Rob Key, the team’s director – is, without question, an educated punt. His displays in three first-class games for Leicestershire, along with his limited-overs work, both at Grace Road and for Southern Brave, have shown him worthy of acceleration.McCullum echoed many of the sentiments already voiced by Key and Ben Stokes in the past week: “a rough diamond… who can spin the ball both ways, dynamic in the field and he’s got a power game and likes to play the game at a high tempo”. However, he decided to go a little further still, perhaps pre-empting future questions if Ahmed simply bowls in the nets and carries drinks throughout this trip, which is a distinct possibility given the pitches will be tough to predict.”He’s nowhere near the finished article, we know that, but what’s the alternative? Leave him in a system which may not come through necessarily as the product you’d hope for in the end? So we get him in here and it’s a great feather in the cap for the skipper and the senior lads, the coaches, that we believe we can help get his talent through quicker. If we can’t, that’s our problem, not his. He’s a rare talent worth investing in, and we’ll make sure we’ll try to look after him.”Related
Stokes puts prep over precedent as England ease towards Pakistan challenge
Pope to captain England in warm-up as Ben Stokes sits out
Archer makes encouraging return to England colours after long injury lay-off
Wood in doubt for first Test after World Cup hip injury
Pope embraces senior status after taste of England leadership
It was a shot across the bows of County Cricket, though previous national coaches have administered similar. Duncan Fletcher was famously irked by the drop-off from international cricket to the domestic codes and others have dished out facsimiles of his complaints, particularly on the topic of spin. Given the dearth of reliable spin alternatives beyond Jack Leach, Ahmed’s inclusion – whether made in October or November – and that of Livingstone, has merit.When asked if it mattered that Livingstone had not played a competitive red-ball match since August 2021, McCullum responded simply: “Not really. I think he’s a good player, so we’ll find out I suppose.”That view is no surprise given it was the entire premise of Livingstone’s selection. The of Livingstone is the greatest pull, though that perhaps does a disservice to his previous red-ball work, which is worthy of respect. All but one of his seven first-class centuries came in his first two years in the format. While he has been pulled in other directions by the white ball, you don’t have to meet the logic too far along to understand why he is such an attractive proposition to this team.”I’ve seen a bit of him on the T20 circuit and international cricket and enjoyed his style of play – he bowls off-spin, leg-spin, fields well and smacks the ball out of the park – it’s hard not to get around a player who plays like that.”Beyond that, there is a view that Livingstone’s selection is a win for English cricket. He has not struggled for offers elsewhere, and was even the first draft pick for the BBL this season before having to pull out for this Test series. At a time when boards are fighting off encroaching franchises, Livingstone’s presence in the squad sticks out as a statement piece.”He carries himself in a great way and in a great manner. It’s a real feather in the cap for the skipper and some of the senior players within the group that one of the best T20 players in the world is desperate to be part of the squad, because of the goodwill that’s been built up over the last few months.”There is a sense, however, that McCullum’s suggestion that the Test side can itself make up for the shortcomings of County Cricket is unsustainable. And that, really, is what all the queries around his brand of Test cricket were concerned with – sustainability.But, maybe even to worry about that is to miss the point entirely. Internally it has been about rediscovering the enjoyment of Test cricket, and no-one can say that has not been the external effect. The twin objectives of success and entertainment have skipped down the road hand-in-hand up to this point. Even in defeat, who’s to say it won’t continue?English Test cricket has always been its own island, but right now there is a real sense that it is drifting further away from its roots. And while that seems alarming when you read it aloud, at this juncture, it may not be a bad thing.One of the most sought-after T20 batters and a fearless leg-spinning allrounder are knuckling down for the longest format, in a part of the world where an English Test side has not set foot, since 2005. Who knows how this will end up in the next month let alone beyond that? Perhaps it really is about being where your feet are.
Manchester City’s troubles continue, and their fixture list isn’t getting much easier any time soon.
On Sunday, the Sky Blues were steamrollered 5-1 by Arsenal in North London, conceding four times after Erling Haaland had equalised with a towering header shortly after half time, completely capitulating as Pep Guardiola suffered their heaviest defeat of his managerial career.
This saw the Sky Blues slip down to fifth in the Premier League table, in a real battle for Champions League qualification.
On Saturday, the Citizens will face Leyton Orient in the FA Cup but, after that, they’ll meet holders Real Madrid in a two-legged Champions League tie, while their next four league matches are against Newcastle, Liverpool, Tottenham and then Nottingham Forest.
So, for Man City’s form to improve in the coming weeks, something needs to change, but do they already have the perfect youngster who could come in and help solve their issues both in and out of possession?
As it happens, he could be their answer to man of the moment; Myles Lewis-Skelly.
Myles Lewis-Skelly's success at Arsenal
Of course, during Sunday’s 5-1 demolition, Arsenal’s Lewis-Skelly was the main character, putting in, as Sam Blitz of Sky Sports called it, a “dazzling… stunning performance”, scoring the third goal that got the party started, then imitating Haaland’s meditation celebration, after the Norwegian striker had asked the teenager who he was following September’s heated draw.
Lewis-Skelly made his senior debut off the bench at the Etihad earlier this season, shown a yellow card before even making it on the pitch, a rare feat, only starting a first-team game for the very first time against Monaco in mid-December.
Now though, he has cemented himself as the Gunners’ first-choice left-back, starting seven of nine Premier League games since then despite, as Arsenal youth expert Jeorge Bird notes, the fact he “mainly played in midfield” at youth level.
Alex Howell of BBC Sport outlines that Lewis-Skelly “received a standing ovation” for his performance in January’s North London derby win, while Simon Collings of the Evening Standard believes Arsenal “have found their next big academy star”.
The fact that both 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri, who’s still only 17, scored was a stark reminder of what Man City are missing right now, having sold many of their most highly-rated youngsters.
As outlined by Miguel Delaney of the Independent, Cole Palmer, Roméo Lavia, Morgan Rogers, Liam Delap and Taylor Harwood-Bellis are amongst the many Man City academy graduates who have been sold in recent years and are now staring at Premier League level.
Rob Dawson of ESPN notes that this has allowed the Citizens to spend big this January, with these academy sales allowing them to comply with Profit and Sustainability rules, but Jamie Jackson of the Guardian believes an “ageing squad” is a key reason behind Man City’s downturn in form, suggesting these academy graduates would’ve made an impact.
Nevertheless, is one who has stuck around being under-utilised, as Guardiola searches for solutions?
Manchester City's answer to Lewis-Skelly
Earlier this season, Guardiola was full of praise for 20-year-old Rico Lewis, describing him as “so intelligent”, adding “he’s playing because he’s playing really good.”
Well, in more recent times, Lewis has not been playing, seeing just 18 minutes of action across the last four Premier League games, introduced at Ipswich with the score already 6-0, not starting any of the last seven matches in any competition.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Instead, Guardiola has favoured Matheus Nunes at right-back, with the Portuguese international starting all seven of those fixtures, despite the fact Michael Cox of the Athletic described Nunes as an “uncomfortable… makeshift right-back”, while Graham Ruthven of Forbes adds that he “doesn’t have the defensive instincts of a natural full-back”.
Lewis’ lack of recent action is a mystery, so let’s analyse how he and Lewis-Skelly compare as like-minded inverted full-backs who were more accustomed to playing in midfield in the youth teams.
Lewis vs Lewis-Skelly 2024/25 comparison
Statistics (per 90)
Lewis
Lewis-Skelly
Appearances
34
20
Minutes
2,548
1,263
Touches
55
39
Attempted passes
49
39
Pass completion %
92.3%
92.6%
Shot-creating actions
2.34
1.51
Take-on success %
43.8%
66.7%
Interceptions
0.7
0.5
Clearances
1.2
0.7
Tackles
1.2
1.8
% of dribblers tackled
68%
90%
All statistics courtesy of FBref.com
Of course, as noted in the table, Lewis has played more than twice the number of minutes Lewis-Skelly has accumulated this season, with the Arsenal youngster only offering a small sample size.
Manchester City defender Rico Lewis.
That caveat aside, the numbers underline that Man City’s full-back, who’s vastly more experienced, is significantly better in possession while comparing favourably in most out-of-possession metrics too.
In the Premier League this season, only nine players have a higher pass completion percentage than Lewis’ 92.1%, of which four have attempted at least 150 fewer passes, while he is the youngest player in the top 39 of this statistic.
So, after Sam Lee of the Athletic praised Lewis’ “superb progress” earlier this season, his importance has faded, but he could be just the injection of youth, exuberance and quality that Man City need ahead of a nightmare run.
Man City could axe one of their best ever players after signing Gonzalez
Manchester City’s rebuild is very much underway, with Nico González’s arrival from Porto their latest signing, but could he replace a club legend?
Gilchrist four-for keeps hosts below target, despite fighting fifties from Weatherley, Vince and Fuller
ECB Reporters Network22-Sep-2022Hampshire’s dream of winning the LV= Insurance County Championship title for the first time in 49 years was ended by a 77-run defeat to Kent.Joe Weatherley, James Vince and James Fuller – 56, 73 and 78 not out respectively – had given the south coast county a sniff of successfully chasing an unlikely 378 runs.But Hampshire’s hopes of replicating the 1961 and 1973 champions were dashed to give Surrey the pennant for the second time in five seasons – with Nathan Gilchrist taking 4 for 60, including the winning wicket as Hampshire only reached 300.It was Hampshire’s third defeat of the season, and Kent’s third victory.For Kent, their battle for survival in Division One was given a huge boost. To go with the 19 points they took from this win, closest rivals Warwickshire suffered a shock defeat to rock-bottom Gloucestershire, giving Kent a 14-point buffer ahead of the final round – where they face Somerset at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.Hampshire’s hopes of winning the game had been trounced after they had been bowled out for 57 – in doing so giving up a 108-run first-innings deficit – and were further diminished when they had lost four wickets in their pursuit of 378 on the second evening.Weatherley had been the shining light of that period with his first score above 25 since April. He had ended the day on 54, having left and defended well, while also finding ways to score.The morning only brought two runs in a six-over stay before a full Gilchrist delivery thudded into his shin. Gilchrist’s following over saw the end of the unbalanced Ben Brown, who clipped a similarly full ball to square leg.Conor McKerr had been sent on loan from Surrey for this fixture, but hadn’t personally helped his parent county with one and a duck with the bat, and no chance to bowl in the first innings. His celebration was perhaps the loudest of the day when he pinned Aneurin Donald in front.Vince wasn’t allowing Kent to ease to victory though, as he demonstrated his trademark mix of dogged determinism to win the game for his team and beautiful shot-making. His first three scoring shots were variations on a cover drive, including the first ball of the day.He moved to his sixth half-century of the season off 81 balls with a dabbed three down to third, to take the required runs down to 169 runs at lunch.But only 27 more runs were knocked off before a turning half-tracker from Jack Leaning lit up Vince’s eyes, and his pull shot fell straight into Tawanda Muyeye’s grasp on the deep midwicket boundary. It ended a 90-run stand with Fuller which had almost made Hampshire surprise favourites.Kyle Abbott was undone by bounce out of the footholds by Leaning to loop to first slip. And despite Fuller racing past a 74-ball fifty and biffing some late runs, Mohammad Abbas had his off stump knocked over by Gilchrist.The defeat is Hampshire’s first at home in the Championship since losing to Somerset last May – a run of 10 victories – and just their second since the start of the 2019 season.
Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier will be dropped to the bench for his team's Championship match against Luton, coach Daniel Farke has confirmed.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Meslier punished after Swansea blunders
Darlow set to start against Luton
Leeds eye replacements for French goalkeeper
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱
WHAT HAPPENED?
The Frenchman made two crucial errors in his team's 2-2 draw against Swansea last week, despite saving a penalty early on. He dropped the ball after a Swansea corner, allowing Harry Darling to equalise for the Welsh visitors in the second half. Then, after Leeds had restored their lead, a shot deep in injury time slipped under his gloves as they missed out on the chance to go level on points at the top of the Championship alongside Sheffield United.
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Meslier's displays for Leeds have resulted in calls for Farke to drop him and the German coach has decided to call on Karl Darlow to start against second-bottom Luton this weekend. The 25-year-old's mistakes could prove detrimental to his Leeds career, too, as the Elland Road team reportedly want to sign Caoimhin Kelleher from Liverpool or Djordje Petrovic from Chelsea should they earn promotion to the Premier League.
WHAT FARKE SAID
Farke said: "I have taken my decision and spoken to the goalkeepers, Karl Darlow will play Saturday. It's been important that we had clarity early in the week, so Karl could concentrate on this."
ENJOYED THIS STORY?
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Getty Images Sport
WHAT NEXT FOR MESLIER?
The French shot stopper was linked with a move to Manchester United as recently as December last year and will hope to prove he has the quality of reaching such heights by bouncing back from the upset of losing his spot.
He top-scored with 51 off 33 as India racked up 198 for 8 and then took four wickets to dismantle England
Matt Roller07-Jul-20221:26
Is Bhuvneshwar Kumar now a certainty for India’s World Cup squad?
The post mortem into India’s group-stage exit from last year’s T20 World Cup was long and gruesome, but perhaps the diagnosis was simple: they are a different team with a fully-fit Hardik Pandya in their middle order.Hardik was a bit-part player at the World Cup following back and shoulder injuries, facing 45 balls and bowling only four overs across five games, but at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday night, he was the driving force behind India’s 50-run win. He top-scored with 51 off 33 as India racked up 198 for 8, playing with plenty of attacking intent, then took three wickets with the new ball to dismantle England’s top order, before finishing with 4 for 33.Related
Buttler's challenge is to find his own voice, and continue England's evolution
In India's gauntlet match, Kohli must hit the right gears to stay in
Rohit Sharma, returning to competitive cricket after contracting Covid-19, chose to bat first on an excellent pitch, and set the tone with 24 off 14 before edging Moeen Ali’s arm ball through to Jos Buttler, in his first game as England’s full-time limited-overs captain after Eoin Morgan’s international retirement.Deepak Hooda and Suryakumar Yadav both contributed with fast-scoring cameos, putting England’s attack under pressure, though Chris Jordan’s impressive spell of 2 for 23 in four overs, eschewing his usual yorker plan for hard lengths, kept India below 200.England needed a fast start but slumped to 33 for 4 against the new, swinging ball. Arshdeep Singh, on debut, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar both found prodigious movement as the sun went down, Bhuvneshwar bowling Buttler for a first-ball duck with a hooping inswinger.Hardik struck twice in his first over, removing Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone, then removed Jason Roy with the first ball after the powerplay for an uncharacteristically scratchy 4 off 16 balls. Moeen and Harry Brook added 61 for the fifth wicket in six overs to keep England’s hopes alive, but Yuzvendra Chahal removed both of them in the space of five balls to end the game as a contest.2:26
Jaffer: Arshdeep Singh ‘a very skillful bowler’
High risk, high reward India went hard against England in the powerplay, and Moeen in particular. Buttler introduced his offspinner to bowl the third over, matching him up against the left-handed Ishan Kishan, but after Kishan knocked a single, Rohit slog-swept him for consecutive fours through square leg.He fell immediately after, edging through to Buttler, but Hooda continued to take Moeen on, launching consecutive sixes over long-on to move to 12 off three balls. Kishan fell to his second ball from Moeen as Buttler had planned, top-edging a sweep to short fine-leg, but India finished the powerplay 66 for 2, with Moeen’s two overs worth 26.Hard lengths pay off England have struggled big time at the death over the past year, epitomised by their defeat to New Zealand in last year’s World Cup semi-final, and made a distinctive shift in their plans in a bid to address that issue. Jordan tends to rely heavily on his yorkers, but used the long square boundaries at the Ageas Bowl to his advantage, banging the ball into the pitch and hitting 89mph/144kph.From 150 for 4 after 14 overs, India’s innings fell away somewhat. Matt Parkinson, playing as England’s main wristspinner with Adil Rashid making the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, dragged his figures back after an expensive start but was thrashed for six by Hardik to bring up a 30-ball half-century.He fell to Reece Topley shortly after, slashing to deep point, and despite a couple of late boundaries from Dinesh Karthik, India fell short of the 200-plus score that had looked like an inevitability for much of the innings.1:45
Was this a display of India’s new approach in T20Is?
Win the powerplay, win the game Bhuvneshwar’s first over was a masterpiece, moving four balls away from Roy before hooping an inswinger through Buttler and into the top of his leg stump. Arshdeep, the left-arm seamer who starred for Punjab Kings at the IPL this year, shared the new ball on his debut and moved it both ways, starting his international career with a maiden to Roy.Malan hit England’s first four boundaries, three of them in the space of four balls, as he found his timing against length balls. But then he dragged Hardik’s nip-backer on to his own stumps as he looked to guide him away through third. Hardik struck again in his second over, following Livingstone as he shuffled across to scoop, inducing a glove through to Karthik, and when Roy miscued the first legal ball after the powerplay to third, India had the game sewn up.Moeen and Brook kept England alive, attacking Chahal and Axar Patel, but Brook picked out midwicket and Moeen was stumped in the same Chahal over to end any faint hopes of a comeback win. Hardik claimed his fourth wicket when Sam Curran edged behind, and Arshdeep marked his debut by dismissing Topley, caught behind off a slower ball, and Parkinson, slapping to point.The margin of victory would have been even wider but for India’s mistakes in the field, with Karthik, who dropped three catches, particularly culpable. But a 50-run win reflected their dominance. With five members of the Test squad returning for Saturday’s game at Edgbaston, they will be confident of sealing the series.
Celtic are interested in signing a new midfielder, but face competition from clubs in both Italy and Greece, according to a new report from a Sky Sports journalist.
Celtic transfer news
Celtic are flying high nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, but that hasn’t stopped the Hoops being linked with a number of new players ahead of the January transfer window.
Among those rumoured to be Glasgow-bound is Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka. The 21-year-old has found opportunities scarce this season under Enzo Maresca, failing to make the squad for any of Chelsea’s 15 Premier League games, and managing just five cameo appearances in the Blues’ other competitions.
AC Milan are also interested in the Englishman, but according to Calciomercato, the Hoops are in pole position to land him, with a loan move with an option to buy touted.
Celtic lead European giants in race to sign "powerful" £100k-a-week player
He could be a brilliant addition for Brendan Rodgers.
1
By
Henry Jackson
Dec 9, 2024
Another potential target is Manchester United’s Christian Eriksen. But while the Danish midfielder would no doubt be an experienced addition to Rodgers’ midfield, his current weekly wage is a huge roadblock. The playmaker currently earns £150,000-per-week at Old Trafford, which is over four times the amount Celtic’s top-earner, captain Callum McGregor, takes home.
Bhoys want Tahirovic
Another player understood to be on Celtic’s radar is Ajax midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic. According to Sky Sports reporter Gianluca Di Marzio, the Bhoys are one of a number of clubs interested in the 21-year-old, with Lazio and Greek side PAOK also keen.
Tahirovic was a regular feature for Ajax last season, making 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring two goals and assisting five more. This term, however, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, who has been capped 14 times by his country, has been limited to just 215 minutes of football.
Di Marzio claims that Tahirovic recently changed agents and now “wants to leave” Ajax in search of regular first-team action. Despite Celtic’s interest, however, the versatile midfielder would, according to Di Marzio, prefer a return to Italy.
Club in financial chaos may sell defender to Celtic for just £2m in January
The club is in reported debts of £75 million…
1
By
Barney Lane
Dec 12, 2024
Tahirovic's career to date
Tahirovic began his professional career in Sweden with Vasalunds IF, before joining Roma in 2021. After just 13 appearances for the Italian club, however, he then moved to Ajax in the summer of 2023 for a fee of £6.2 million.
Upon joining Ajax, Tahirovic said: “I love to play as a six the most. I think that position fits my qualities as a player best. I am good when it comes to the technical aspect, have a good pass and play from ball possession.”
The club’s now former director of football Sven Mislintat, meanwhile, described him at the time as “one of the biggest talents I’ve ever seen in this position”.
How much does Frenkie de Jong make per week playing for Catalan giants Barcelona?
Frenkie de Jong has been a regular presence in Barcelona's midfield ever since his arrival from Ajax in 2019.
Despite struggling with injuries at times, de Jong has eventually won over each manager he's worked with at the Catalan club so far.
Thanks to his dedication, performances, and seniority within the squad, De Jong has been rewarded with a high salary, making him one of the top earners at the club.
Let's take a look at exactly how much the Dutchman earns playing for Barcelona.
GOAL delved into the numbers with Capology and found out!
*
Frenkie de Jong's wages at Barcelona in numbers
Under his current contract at Barcelona, De Jong earns £308,130 ($398,203) every week while, his annual salary exceeds £18.5 million ($20m).
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in GBP
Weekly wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Annual wages in USD
Frenkie de Jong
Dutch
£308,130
$398,203
£18,546,242
$20,706,538
Advertisement
Getty Images Sport
Top earners at Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski and De Jong acquire the top spots in the wage bill.
They are followed by a surprise entrant at number three in Ansu Fati. The youngster had a promising start to his career at Barca, however, it has only spiralled downhill since then.
Meanwhile, making an appearance in fourth place is former Sevilla defender Jules Koundé, who has been highly impressive in recent times.
Finally, rounding off the list at number five is Brazilian winger Raphinha.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages in GBP
Weekly wages in USD
Annual wages in GBP
Annual wages in USD
Robert Lewandowski
Polish
£542,525
$698,341
£28,107,307
$36,323,627
Frenkie de Jong
Dutch
£308,130
$398,203
£18,546,242
$20,706,538
Ansu Fati
Spanish
$292,365
£292,365
£11,764,084
$15,202,958
Jules Kounde
French
£219,745
$283,981
£11,426,763
$14,767,031
Raphinha
Brazilian
£202,717
$261,975
£ 10,541,294
$13,622,722
Top earners in La Liga
Lewandowski is not only the highest earner at Barcelona, but also across all of LaLiga.
Meanwhile, three Real Madrid players in Kylian Mbappe, David Alaba and Jude Bellingham also make the top five.
The only Atlético Madrid player to make the cut is Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Player
Nationality
Weekly wages GBP
Weekly wages USD
Annual wages GBP
Annual wages USD
Robert Lewandowski
Polish
£528,330
$ 674,908
£27,473,166
$35,095,197
Kylian Mbappe
French
£498,248
$629,355
£25,908,917
$32,726,459
David Alaba
Austrian
£356,659
£455,608
£18,546,242
$23,691,627
Jan Oblak
Slovenian
£330,187
$421,792
£17,169,698
$21,933,182
Jude Bellingham
English
£330,187
$421,792
£17,169,698
$21,933,182
Getty Images
Highest paid players in the world
Although it may seem like players in La Liga earn incredible wages, their salaries don't even come close when compared to the top earners worldwide.
Currently, all the players in the top-five highest earners globally play in the Saudi Pro League.
Ranking first and second on the list are former Real Madrid attackers Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, respectively, while Riyad Mahrez takes the third spot. Finally, rounding off the top five are Senegalese internationals Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly
UAE captain takes 5 for 19 to power 68-run win against Nepal, while McBrine helped Ireland qualify for the seventh straight edition
Peter Della Penna22-Feb-2022Less than three years after the national team was brought to its knees by a devastating fixing scandal, UAE have completed the valley to peak transformation by qualifying for only their second ever T20 World Cup after a 68-run drubbing of Nepal in the tournament semi-finals. Captain Ahmed Raza, who kept the faith in spite of the chaotic events from October 2019 which left his side gutted, led his side to victory with a maiden T20I five-wicket haul to run away with Player-of-the-Match honours as UAE secured a return to the T20 World Cup for the first time since 2014.Raza had never taken more than two wickets in a T20I spell entering the day, but saved his finest performance for the most important of occasions. After medium pacer Junaid Siddique’s new ball burst decimated the Nepal top-order inside the first three overs to leave the score at 14 for 3 chasing a target of 176, Raza ripped the heart out of the Nepal middle order by claiming the two most prized scalps off consecutive deliveries in the 13th over, former captain Gyanendra Malla for 20 driving a catch to Muhammad Waseem at long-on and then in-form vice-captain Dipendra Singh Airee lbw for 38. At 83 for 6, Nepal were left deflated and Raza capitalised by ripping through the tail for three more wickets as Nepal were eventually bowled out for 107 in 18.4 overs.The win was set up by another rollicking display by the tournament’s leading scorer, 19-year-old Vriitya Aravind, who blitzed the Nepal bowling attack after entering in the second over to score 46 off 23 balls, including five fours and three sixes. Aravind dominated a 66-run partnership with Waseem before finally falling to Nepal captain Sandeep Lamichanne in the eighth over.But Waseem picked up the slack afterward as medium pacer Abinash Bohara bore the full brunt of the opener’s power-hitting, leaking a six and two fours in the 11th over to put UAE in total command. Waseem clobbered Kamal Singh Airee’s medium pace for another six in the 13th to bring up a 32-ball half-century, eventually ending with four fours and the same number of sixes in his 70 off 48 balls before falling in the 17th. It was part of a late flurry of wickets in which UAE lost 25 for 5 in a 17-ball sequence, but Raza and Rohan Mustafa combined to strike 14 off the final seven balls of the innings to put the target well beyond Nepal.Andy McBrine guides a drive through point•Peter Della PennaIreland win big against Oman The only Full Member in the tournament dashed the dreams of the qualifier hosts, who were hoping to get back to a third straight T20 World Cup, as Andy McBrine’s solid all-round display clinched a 56-run win for Ireland and a spot in the T20 World Cup for the seventh consecutive occasion. Entering the day, Ireland did not have a single batter with 100 runs in the tournament, and nobody outside the top three of Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie and Gareth Delany had scored more than 39 runs.So when Stirling and Balbirnie fell to left-arm pacer Bilal Khan during a sizzling double-wicket maiden in the third over after being sent in to bat, it seemed unlikely that Ireland’s struggling middle order would be able to revive the innings. But Delany and Harry Tector forged a spectacular counterattack during an 82-run third-wicket stand, which reached its climax when Delany smashed Oman captain Zeeshan Maqsood out of the attack with a hat-trick of sixes that cleared the rope at midwicket and long-on in a 19-run 11th over.The momentum shifted back dramatically to Oman during an eight-ball sequence beginning in the 13th when Ireland lost 3 for 4 as Kaleemullah claimed Tector at backward point for 35 before getting Lorcan Tucker to chop on for a golden duck. A bigger blow was struck in the next over though as Khawar Ali’s magnificent spell of legspin ended Delany’s innings at 47, skying a top-edged slog sweep to Bilal at short fine leg, as Ireland slipped from 101 for 2 to 105 for 5.That triggered the arrival of McBrine, who entered the day with just 106 runs in 14 T20I innings but turned in a career-best 36 off 21 balls from No. 7. Knowing Bilal had two overs up his sleeve at the death, McBrine shrewdly chose to attack the opposite end during overs 18 and 20. Aamir Kaleem’s left-arm spin was smashed for a pair of sixes in the 18th before Fayyaz Butt was punched for a pair of boundaries in the 20th, giving Ireland a lift heading into the break.Mark Adair then struck the first blow during a timid powerplay by Oman as a top-edge by Kashyap Prajapati was taken at short third man by Craig Young for 7. Jatinder Singh’s poor run of form continued for Oman with an unfortunate lbw decision to Simi Singh for 7 in which replays indicated he was struck well outside the line of off stump on an attempted flick through midwicket.Oman maintained hope through a 40-run stand between Shoaib Khan and Maqsood. But an inspired bowling change by Balbirnie produced a double-wicket over in the 11th. Josh Little had bowled a sharp new-ball spell in which he conceded conceded just nine runs in two overs. Upon his return for a fresh spell, he found the outside edge twice in the space of four balls for a pair of edges behind to Tucker. Shoaib was cramped up by a short ball before Khurram Nawaz perished with a tame swish outside off for a third-ball duck to make it 68 for 4.Maqsood tried to soldier on but Singh sparked a swift collapse beginning in the 14th over as Oman lost their final six wickets for 25 runs. Khawar Ali’s attempted reverse sweep went pear-shaped for a simple lbw decision to go for 10. Young returned to the attack in the 15th, getting Naseem Khushi to heave to McBrine at deep midwicket for 1 before Maqsood’s vigil ended for 28, skewing a cut to Singh diving forward for a sharp catch at backward point off the next ball.McBrine sewed up Player of the Match honors in the 16th. Having bowled three tidy overs to concede just 14 runs, he struck twice in his final frame with the ball, getting Aamir Kaleem overstretching for a sharp stumping by Tucker for 1 before Kaleemullah heaved to Adair at long-on for 8. A relay effort between Tector and Adair to intercept a last desperate heave from Butt at the deep midwicket rope secured the final wicket for Singh to make victory official.After an off day on Wednesday, the teams return to Al Amerat on Thursday with UAE and Ireland contesting the tournament final to determine seedings for the T20 World Cup: the winner will join Sri Lanka and Namibia – plus the runners-up of Qualifier B in Zimbabwe in June – in Group 1 of the first round, while the runner-up will be in Group 2 with West Indies, Scotland and the winner of Qualifier B.Nepal and Oman will face off in the third-place play-off with only ranking points at stake. The same goes for Bahrain and Canada in the fifth-place match while Germany and Philippines each go in search of their first win of the tournament in the seventh-place play-off.