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Mid-season international breaks are usually met with a hefty measure of scorn, halting the excitement that comes with the domestic campaign and heightening fears of injury layoffs.

Liverpool supporters are no different and are itching to see Arne Slot lead the Reds out once again, having blitzed through the opening weeks of the Premier League campaign, enjoying solid opening victories over Ipswich Town and Brentford before putting Manchester United to the sword in a one-sided affair at Old Trafford.

So many players have made their mark across August, which is most impressive given the lack of transfer activity despite clear signs that reinforcements are needed. Still, Federico Chiesa was signed for a shrewd £12.5m and the fans must trust the process.

Why Liverpool signed Federico Chiesa

Let's pretend it's May. If supporters were told that they could pick one position to strengthen, few would have chosen the attacking right flank, with issues glaring in central defence and holding midfield.

But Chiesa was available for a cut-price fee as he entered the final year of his contract with Juventus, and FSG pounced. The Italy international is a creative and versatile forward with dynamic qualities that make him the perfect foil for Mohamed Salah.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 3% for progressive passes per 90, with ball-carrying and creating properties that could supplement Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez and co, fuelling Liverpool's strikeforce with one final ingredient to ensure that they fire on all cylinders this year.

Ryan Gravenberch's evolution into a deep-lying maestro suggests that Liverpool's caution might pay off, and while defenders are coveted, Liverpool are well stocked in that area even if a fresh face will be needed sooner rather than later.

After all, maybe we're all forgetting about Joe Gomez somewhat, for he's still plying his trade on Merseyside and may prove to be a key component this year.

Liverpool hit the jackpot on Joe Gomez

Last year, pundit Steve McManaman hailed Gomez as an "absolutely priceless" member of Liverpool's team. However, such wording proved obsolete when Newcastle United came a-calling one year later, offering Liverpool an enticing sum to pull him to Tyneside.

Indeed, Newcastle's PSR issues this summer meant that sales were necessary, lest they fall to the snapping maw of financial repercussions.

Right-back

25

0

1

Left-back

19

0

1

Centre-back

5

0

1

Defensive midfield

2

0

0

For Liverpool, the opportunity to sign Anthony Gordon in a deal worth £75m, which would include a £30m cash payment plus the transfer of Gomez, who has not been against moving away after signing for a Brendan Rodgers-led Liverpool from Charlton Athletic for about £3.5m in 2015.

The versatile ace, aged 27, offers something very distinctive for the Reds but £45m is no small sum – indeed, it is nearly four times more than the paltry figure that was paid for Chiesa's services.

Gomez's ability to impress across the backline makes him a resourceful option for Slot, and there's every chance that he will rise to the occasion and play an important role.

Newcastle wanted to pay the big bucks for a reason, but alas, he shall continue to bless Liverpool with his presence, continue to perform for a club that has well and truly hit the jackpot on snapping him up way back when.

He's out on loan: The Liverpool "prodigy" who can one day replace Salah

He’s currently seeking senior minutes elsewhere…

1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 7, 2024

The ODIs will now be played on July 18, 20 and 23, followed by the T20Is on July 25, 27 and 29

Shashank Kishore10-Jul-2021India’s limited-overs series against Sri Lanka is now set to begin on July 18 as the BCCI and SLC announced a revised schedule “on the basis of health advisory after the Sri Lankan contingent detected two COVID positive cases.” The ODIs will now be played on July 18, 20 and 23, followed by the T20Is on July 25, 27 and 29.On Friday, Sri Lanka’s data analyst GT Niroshan was the second Covid-19 case in the Sri Lankan camp after batting coach Grant Flower had tested positive on Thursday, after their arrival from England.SLC has put together two back-up squads, one group isolating in Colombo and another in Dambulla, as part of their contingency measure to ensure the India series goes ahead. A player from the back-up squad in Colombo also tested positive for Covid-19 on Saturday, but it remains to be seen if it will affect Sri Lanka’s preparations.Related

Bhanuka Rajapaksa picked for India ODIs, T20Is; Kumara, Rajitha return from injuries

Sri Lanka allowed to come out of isolation as players return negative tests

Player from alternative SL squad tests Covid-19 positive

Shanaka set to replace Perera as white-ball captain

SL batting coach G Flower tests positive for Covid-19

Meanwhile, players currently in Colombo have been forced to isolate for two more days after Niroshan and Flower tested positive for the Delta variant of the virus. This extended isolation period would have left Sri Lanka with no outdoor session before the first ODI had the series begun on July 13.”We understand that circumstances are extraordinary, but the BCCI would like to extend its full support to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) during these tough times for the smooth conduct of the upcoming series,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah said in a media release. “Our medical team is in constant touch with the team of doctors at SLC and together following all safety protocols that will help the series to get underway. We are confident that both nations will put up a spirited show in the days to come and we are in for some exciting cricket.”The Sri Lankan team returned home from England after a short limited-overs tour early last week. The India series postponement is the latest issue SLC has to grapple with, even as they abruptly announced captaincy switch from Kusal Perera to Dasun Shanaka on the back of a messy contracts stand-off between the players and the board.

Death bowling proves decisive as Vince, de Kock, Whiteley threaten in chase

Alan Gardner27-Jul-2021Welsh Fire 165 for 4 (Bairstow 72, Duckett 53) beat Southern Brave 147 for 7 (Vince 40, Neesham 3-5) by 18 runsLed by a second consecutive half-century from captain Jonny Bairstow, Welsh Fire maintained their position as the surprise pace-setters in the Men’s Hundred, seeing off Southern Brave in a high-scoring encounter in Cardiff. Bairstow smashed 72 from 39 during a century stand with Ben Duckett and although Brave started aggressively in their chase, a clatter of wickets during the second half left them short.Fire’s batting continued their impressive start to the tournament by making the third-highest 100-ball total – just eight runs shy of their own record, set during a pulsating opening win at Headingley on Saturday. Tom Banton set the tone by striking two of his first three balls for six on the way to 34 from 23, Bairstow picked up the pace after a slow start to become the leading run-scorer in the men’s competition, and Duckett was particularly severe on Brave’s mystery bowler, the left-arm wristspinner Jake Lintott making his first appearance of the campaign.As well as bringing in Lintott and Craig Overton, after a supine defeat in their opening fixture away to Trent Rockets, Brave were buoyed by the arrival of Quinton de Kock from international duty with South Africa. But although de Kock made a frenzied start to the chase and James Vince kept them on track with 40 from 27, Fire held their nerve and closed out the game via impressive spells from Jake Ball and Jimmy Neesham, who finished with exemplary figures of 3 for 5 from his 15.Opening gambit
As the women’s match earlier in the day reiterated, Sophia Gardens is not a particularly hospitable ground for slow bowlers – particularly fingerspinners. When England play in Cardiff, Adil Rashid is usually the only specialist picked; the two T20I internationals this summer saw them rely on a battery of pace bowling supported by Rashid’s legspin, which tends to be held back (and has the added advantage of the batter not being certain which way the ball will turn).But when Brave walked out to bowl after winning the toss, Vince threw the ball to Danny Briggs. A left-armer, Briggs might have had the benefit of turning the ball away from Fire’s openers, Bairstow and Banton; but both are right-handers of aggressive demeanour and more than capable of targeting the short, straight boundaries if Briggs erred. Vince’s decision prompted the England analyst, Nathan Leamon, to tweet: “That is Southern BRAVE!!!”Banton duly took a look at Briggs’ first ball, decided there wasn’t much to fear, and popped the next two back down the ground for sixes, before following up with a boundary swept behind square. Sixteen runs from three scoring shots and Fire were cooking.Bairstow bides time
With Banton sounding the bugle, Bairstow was left searching for the spark that had ignited Fire’s opening win at Headingley. In that game, Bairstow creamed 39 out of an opening stand of 43 with Banton; here it was the younger man who took charge, scoring 30 out of Fire’s 38 for 0 in the Powerplay.Even after Banton was dismissed, bowled by Lintott’s first delivery in the competition, Bairstow remained subdued. His only boundary in the first half of the innings was an inside edge for four off Tymal Mills, but he resolved to turn over the strike and allow his partner to attack – Duckett picked up the Banton baton by twice reverse-sweeping fours off Lintott and then using the pace of Overton to ramp a six over the keeper. From the end of the Powerplay until the 67th ball, Fire managed only four boundaries as the second-wicket pair took the game deep.But nobody puts Jonny in the corner for long in white-ball cricket these days. Having been 20 from 21, a pulled four off Overton helped him find his range, before another moment of fortune saw a miscue off Mills fly for six over the keeper’s head. Then he was away, hitting two sixes and two fours in a set from Colin de Grandhomme that cost 22 as Bairstow raised his half-century from 31 balls.Duckett had also sensed the moment, carting four consecutives boundaries off Lintott via a selection of sweeps, while Briggs was twice fetched into the stands by Bairstow, making his last appearance before going on Test duty with England. The damage for Brave would have been worse had he not picked out long-on with six balls remaining.James Neesham sealed victory with figures of 3 for 5•Getty ImagesBrave attempt
Cardiff’s dimensions come into play for teams defending, particularly as the ball gets old, with pace off and cutters bowled into the pitch forcing batters to take on the long, square boundaries. If they were going to be successful, Brave would likely have to go hard early on and try to get ahead of the rate against the new ball and with fielding restrictions in place.Fire started with an over from Glenn Phillips, perhaps with the left-handed de Kock in mind; but Vince took strike and carved out two boundaries. Matt Critchley’s legspin was then hit straight back over his head by de Kock, who also launched David Payne for a brace of sixes in his opening set, before pulling to deep backward square for 21 off 7. But Vince and Devon Conway, who successfully reviewed after being given out caught behind off Qais Ahmad, kept a decent tempo as Brave finished their Powerplay on 55 for 1 – significantly ahead of Fire’s mark earlier in the day.After 50 balls, Vince and Conway had taken the score on to 85 for 1 and Brave were more than halfway to their target. But Fire claimed three wickets for 11 over the next three sets of five and the required runs per ball hit 2 for the first time. Vince was Neesham’s first victim, as the New Zealander’s variations in pace and length proved particularly effective, and when he had Ross Whiteley playing on for 25 off 14 from the 89th, Brave’s challenge was as good as over.

Manchester United flop Antony's stance on a possible Olympiacos transfer has been revealed with ten clubs chasing the Brazilian's signature.

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Antony's thoughts on Olympiacos move revealedGreek giants want the Brazilian on loanTen clubs have shown interest in the wingerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

On Monday, reporter Dharmesh Sheth reported that a Greek Super League club had shown interest in Antony, with later revealing that Olympiacos are the side in question. However, Caught Offside's has now claimed that the Brazilian winger does not want to join Olympiacos in a potential loan deal this month.

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Konur further added that a total of 10 clubs are interested in Antony, with United ready to offload the player in the current window. Antony has proved to be one of the club's worst-ever signings at £85 million ($107m) and the Red Devils will have to accept a big loss on the Brazilian if he leaves on a permanent deal.

DID YOU KNOW?

Antony's agent Junior Pedroso has confirmed to GiveMeSport that his client is ready to move out on loan if United force the issue, however, in the long run, the Brazilian is willing to work hard and fight for a place in Ruben Amorim's starting lineup. In the 2024-25 campaign, Antony has appeared in just 12 matches across all competitions and has clocked only 356 minutes on the pitch.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

After a spirited performance at Anfield last weekend where they managed to hold league leaders Liverpool to a 2-2 draw, Amorim's side will aim to get back to winning ways next Sunday as they take on Arsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.

Glasgow Rangers returned to domestic action last weekend with a whimper rather than the bang that many of the Ibrox support were expecting.

Of course, Dundee United at Tannadice was always going to be a tough challenge, but after Tom Lawrence scored the opening goal after just seven minutes, that was as good as it got for Philippe Clement’s men.

One of the most positive aspects of the underwhelming 1-0 victory was summer signing Hamza Igamane receiving a 25-minute cameo.

The Moroccan youngster took the game in his stride, showcasing his talents despite limited minutes. Could Clement unleash him from the starting XI this evening?

Hamza Igamane should start for Rangers vs Dundee

Despite arriving at Ibrox during the summer transfer window, it took a few weeks for him to build up his fitness.

Clement brought him off the subs bench during the 3-0 defeat to Celtic at the start of the month, but he was only given 11 minutes.

Against United, however, it was a different story. His inclusion made the Gers much more dynamic going forward, with his excellent ball control and special awareness giving him plenty of freedom in the final third.

With more clinical finishing, he could have had an assist after a wonderful through ball, but it was a solid cameo overall.

With Cyriel Dessers in need of a rest, this is Igamane’s chance to shine against Dundee in the League Cup quarter-final.

Opposition

Result

Date

Livingston

4–0 Rangers

September 27, 2023

Dundee

1–0 Rangers

October 18, 2022

Livingston

2–0 Rangers

September 18, 2021

St Mirren

3-2 St Mirren

December 16, 2020

Livingston

1–0 Rangers

September 25, 2019

There could well be more than one change, as one of Clement’s other summer signings is ready to make his first start for the Light Blues.

Why Nedim Bajrami should make his first start for Rangers

The Albanian scored after just 23 seconds against Italy at Euro 2024 in the summer, impressing for his country despite the fact they exited at the group stage.

In Serie A last season, the attacking midfielder scored twice and grabbed two assists for Sassuolo, although he couldn’t prevent the club from being relegated.

Bajrami also created three big chances, averaged 0.8 key passes per game and succeeded with 57% of his dribble attempts, demonstrating his attacking qualities in one of the top European leagues.

It was seen as a coup when the Gers announced his signing, with Kai Watson, founder of the Rangers Journal lavished praise on the midfielder, saying: “A technically gifted, intelligent footballer than can play in multiple positions with plenty of Serie A experience.”

He was limited to an appearance from the bench last weekend, coming on for the second half, showing flashes of his brilliance.

He managed to succeed with two of his four dribble attempts, while also winning 50% of his total duels in what was his introduction to Scottish football.

With a chance to progress to the semi-finals of the League Cup for the fourth consecutive year, the onus will be on Clement to mix things up and give a few new arrivals some game time.

This could see Igamane and Bajrami form a wonderful duo as they bid to take down the Dens Park side this evening at Ibrox.

Rangers missed out on £34m star in the making, they signed Bacuna instead

Steven Gerrard was not backed by the board after winning the Premiership title in 2021

1 ByRoss Kilvington Sep 18, 2024

Omar Marmoush was left out of Eintracht Frankfurt's game with Borussia Dortmund on Friday night as a transfer to Manchester City moves closer.

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Marmoush close to Frankfurt departureLeft out of Friday's game against DortmundSet to join Man City for €80mFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

A January move to the Premier League has long been mooted for Marmoush, who has scored 20 goals in 26 appearances for Frankfurt this season. The Egyptian played – and scored – in both of their first two games back from the winter break but now looks set to seal his move to the Etihad. According to Florian Plettenberg, City will pay a fixed €75 million (£63m/$77m) fee with €5m available in add-ons.

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City have been keen to sign a new attacker this month after a poor first half of the season, during which they have seen their hopes of defending the Premier League title virtually disappear. Pep Guardiola's side sit 12 points behind leaders Liverpool having played a game more than the Reds and have acted accordingly, adding Marmoush to pending deals for Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis of Palmeiras.

Getty Images SportWHAT EINTRACHT FRANKFURT SAID

Eintracht announced Marmoush's withdrawal before the game on Friday night, posting on X: "Eintracht Frankfurt is currently in talks with another club regarding a transfer of Omar Marmoush. Therefore, the player is not part of the squad today."

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WHAT NEXT FOR MARMOUSH?

Should the deal be completed, Marmoush's versatility could see him feature plenty for City between now and the end of the season. The 25-year-old can play on either flank, as a second striker or as a pure number nine, where he could help ease the burden on main striker Erling Haaland.

“Joe and I reflected on the Lord’s Test and thought about how we could get better,” says head coach

George Dobell29-Aug-2021It’s amazing how a few days can change things. After the Lord’s Test, the talk was of England’s longest winless streak at home in 30 years and how Joe Root had lost control in the field. Now, after a thumping victory in Leeds, Chris Silverwood, the England coach, found himself answering questions about whether Root is a “great” captain.To be fair, there aren’t many people claiming Root is a great captain at this stage. While he has now achieved the most wins as an England Test captain, he has also presided over 20 defeats. Alastair Cook’s uncherished record of 22 hovers.What’s rarely questioned is whether Root is the right man for the job at present. It’s hard to dispute he is. And, even as the obstacles have mounted in recent weeks – the months in bubbles, the withdrawal of some of his best players, a fixture list that does nothing to help prepare his team for Test cricket – his calm, good humour and top-class batting have kept England in this series. There’s a lot to like – and respect – about Joe Root.And he did learn from Lord’s. Instead of getting sucked into squabbles, instead of trying to win games with words, Root ensured England retained their focus. Never was this more the case than in the field where, in the first innings, James Anderson was masterful and, in the second, Ollie Robinson and Craig Overton were relentless. It might be relevant that the catching was better, too. England tried to win the game, not a playground fight.Related

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Stats – Root becomes England's most successful Test captain

It was a point made by Silverwood as he reflected on the third LV= Insurance Test on Sunday. As well as praising the “character” and “quiet confidence” of a side who suffered such a dispiriting defeat at Lord’s, he credited Root for inspiring a response.”He reflected on the Lord’s Test and some of the decisions he made,” Silverwood said. “He does learn as he goes along and that’s a great characteristic for a captain to have: to reflect back honestly and make a difference. And he’s certainly made a difference this game.”Joe and I reflected on the Lord’s Test and thought about what we could learn and how we could get better. And I think there was a controlled aggression around what they did [at Headingley]: the way they hit the lengths hard, the way they put the India tail under pressure and forced them to make decisions all the time. I think you can be aggressive in a very controlled way and I think they got that right.”Seeing him become England’s most successful captain was superb. It’s something I’ve been looking forward to for a while. He’s in a great place at the moment and I’m really enjoying watching him.”I think he’s a good Test captain. I think he is growing and learning all the time. We saw that last week. I think there’s potential there for him to be one of the great England captains. He’s got the potential to be. If we win in Australia, we can have this conversation again.”Some will scoff at the idea that Root, who has captained England in more Tests than anyone bar Cook in history, is still talked about as “growing and learning” and in terms of “potential”. But he does appear to have found another level with the bat and he has, at times, almost single-handedly kept England in this series. If he can keep improving with the bat, why not as a leader?He may be faced with even more challenges this week. England are understood to be considering resting either Ollie Robinson or, in particular, James Anderson to ensure their long-term fitness. As the pair have 29 wickets between them in the series, the absence of either would be a major blow. Jos Buttler’s availability is currently unclear, too, with his wife due to give birth in the coming days. Silverwood confirmed that Jonny Bairstow would take the gloves should Buttler be ruled out.”What I don’t want to do is break them,” Silverwood said of Anderson and Robinson. “We’ve got a lot of cricket in front of us. The Tests are coming thick and fast now. They’re back-to-back. It is difficult.”These guys are giving everything, every day when we’re out on the field. We’ve got to make sure we’re looking after them, but I won’t be making any decisions or judgments right now until we get to London.”With Chris Woakes and Mark Wood fit for selection, though, there may be a temptation to freshen things up a little. The performance of Craig Overton was also encouraging.”They’re both big lads, physically, and they’ve both got great character,” Silverwood said of Overton and Robinson. “And when they’re out there you can see that coming out for them. They both get into the battle which is great for the players, there’s plenty of energy there. They are relentless with what they do with their skills and I think that sort of physicality and character does give you presence on the field.”An attack of Overton and Robinson might not have been what Root envisaged when he was making preparations for the Ashes a few months ago. But you have to play the hand you’re dealt and, at Leeds at least, Root played it very well.

Arsenal have been handed a boost on the injury front as a trio of stars have been spotted in training ahead of their clash with Paris Saint Germain, it has emerged.

Arsenal in search of Champions League win

Currently unbeaten in the Premier League this season, Arsenal and Mikel Arteta remain on the hunt for their first Champions League win of the season, having drawn 0-0 with Atalanta 10 days ago. They now welcome French champions PSG to north London, with the Parisians also having enjoyed an unbeaten start to their domestic season and currently top of Ligue 1, while they edged past Girona in their opening Champions League clash.

Arsenal interested in £4k-p/w ace who Gabriel Martinelli terrorised

He is now in demand across the Premier League.

ByBen Browning Sep 30, 2024

Speaking ahead of the game, Arteta admitted his squad were looking forward to the test: “These are the kind of games that we want to have. Against a big opponent. We’re just ready for it.

“We missed it for a number of years. Last year it was the first one where we had the opportunity to do it. The group stage is a bit different this season. The opposition we’re facing is probably at the highest level in European football. Honestly it’s a great opportunity to see how we deal with that, how prepared we are and how we can deal with different contexts.”

Now, the Gunners have been handed an injury boost ahead of the clash.

Trio spotted in training but Ben White could miss out

That comes as a trio of their first team stars have been spotted back in training ahead of the clash with PSG. Riccardo Calafiori, who suffered an injury scare against Leicester City, was present as part of the final training session before the clash, with the Italian seemingly recovered from his issue.

Additionally, summer signing Mikel Merino was also among those who took to the grass, with the Spaniard having suffered a shoulder injury in his first training session with the club and yet to make his debut since joining from Real Sociedad. Though unlikely to do so against PSG, his return will be a welcome boost given the long term absence of captain Martin Odegaard.

There was also mixed news at fullback, with Takehiro Tomiyasu back in training alongside his new teammates, with the Japanese defender having been suffering with a knee injury.

However, there was no sighting of fellow defender Ben White, who was a substitute against Manchester City but has since missed games against Bolton and Leicester City through a reported groin injury.

Speaking ahead of the session, Arteta explained that White and Calafiori “are the two players that are in contention and we have to review today,” though White’s absence may suggest that the £150,000 a week defender has failed to prove himself fit for tomorrow night’s clash.

Arsenal’s new-look injury list

Player

Issue

Martin Odegaard

Ankle

Ben White

Groin

Kieran Tierney

Thigh

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Calf

However, Tomiyasu’s return will come as a major boost for the Arsenal boss, with Arteta having previously dubbed him a unique option in the squad.

“I always said that I’m really confident that the moment Tomi has consistency, he’s going to be a tremendous asset for us. He already is”, he explained. “He can play in any position in the backline, any formation in the backline, we don’t have another player like him.”

Though his return will likely come too late to feature against PSG, his impending return to the squad will be another massive boost for the Gunners.

Captain takes it upon herself to solve England’s batting struggles

Valkerie Baynes24-Sep-2021Heather Knight’s joy at reaching an elusive second ODI century to put England within touching distance of a series-clinching victory against New Zealand was almost immediately tempered by the disappointment of not being in the middle to see her side over the finish line.In a measure of the high standards naturally expected of a national captain, Knight admitted to letting out a few “expletives” as she returned to the bench having been dismissed for 101 with 10 balls left and eight runs needed in Thursday’s fourth ODI in Derby. But she quickly composed herself to stand beside head coach Lisa Keightley and watch England seal a somewhat anticlimactic win off a wide.Having called on her side to be more “ruthless” during their five ODIs against the White Ferns after they were challenged by the tourists in the T20I series – which England won 2-1 – Knight was frustrated that, in her eyes, she hadn’t walked the walk.”We haven’t been our best as a batting group the last couple of games so I was desperate to be that one to try and score a big score for the team and get us over the line,” Knight said.”I’m really, really pleased… super frustrated with myself to get out when we needed six or seven to win. I wanted to be really ruthless and just finish the game so it was a bit annoying that I made it a bit nervy for everyone, unfortunately.”Related

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Heather Knight calls for England to be more 'ruthless' in ODIs against New Zealand

Batting woes concern Heather Knight as England seek to seal series

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Heather Knight ton hands England victory for unassailable 3-1 series lead

It’s unlikely that her team-mates would agree with their skipper’s harsh self-appraisal.Their emphatic win in the first T20 aside, England’s batters struggled through much of both series and Knight took it upon herself more than once to lift them out of trouble.After missing the first two T20s with a hamstring injury, she scored a crucial 42 as England won the third and deciding match in Taunton with just one ball to spare.In the opening ODI in Bristol, her 89 gave England a below-par but ultimately defendable total as they won by 30 runs after New Zealand’s Amy Satterthwaite threatened to overhaul the target but ran out of partners.Knight rued the fact that England’s batting line-up, including herself, needed to rely first on Danni Wyatt at No. 7 in Worcester and then No. 8 Katherine Brunt in Leicester teaming up with the tail to piece together decent totals. It worked in the first instance as New Zealand fell narrowly short in a DLS-revised run-chase but not in the second, where the tourists won by three wickets to keep the series alive.In Derby on Thursday, Knight picked up her third Player of the Match award of New Zealand’s tour with her second century from 111 ODIs. It was pivotal to England winning the match with just three balls remaining and followed her previous ODI ton against Pakistan at the 2017 World Cup.She’d had to dive and slide to make her ground on the second run which brought up her latest hundred, but when she holed out to Brooke Halliday off Sophie Devine in the 49th over, some uncomfortable moments followed as England then lost Wyatt, potentially exposing the tail. Anya Shrubsole’s big-hitting drew them level, however, before Leigh Kasperek’s wide sealed the result.”I knew as soon as I got in, I wanted to be the one to get that big one and it’s a bit of a monkey off my back, to be honest,” Knight said. “Doing it in a chase, I think, generally I’m reasonably good at chasing but I’ve definitely not got that really big score, that big hundred to win a game. I have got a lot of fifties but not gone on to convert, so I’m really pleased that I’ve done that.”Particularly with the way we batted the last couple of games, it hasn’t been the standard we’ve wanted and I was desperate to be the one to do that today and after a long old season I’m delighted that I was able to do that.”The win gave England an unassailable 3-1 series lead heading into Sunday’s final match in Canterbury.Maia Bouchier, who was added to the England squad as cover ahead of the third ODI, has been released to play for Southern Vipers as they attempt to defend their Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy title against Northern Diamonds in Saturday’s final at Northampton.

Aston Villa take on a struggling Manchester United side in the Premier League this afternoon, giving them an ideal chance to head into the international break with yet another three points.

Unai Emery will still be buoyed by the performance of his team in midweek to seal a 1-0 win over Bayern Munich in the Champions League. Given the fairly sharp turnaround in games, could there be several changes to the team?

Leon Bailey may have to rely on making an appearance from the bench against the Red Devils given his poor form this campaign.

Leon Bailey’s season in numbers for Aston Villa

Last season, the winger scored 14 times and grabbed 14 assists for Villa as he became one of the key attacking threats in Emery’s side.

So far this term, Bailey has registered just one assist across all competitions, struggling to replicate the performances from 2023/24 which brought the supporters so much joy.

Metric

Premier League

Conference League

Goals

10

2

Assists

9

4

Big chances created

12

2

Key passes per game

1.5

1.2

Successful dribbles per game

1.6

2.2

The Jamaican has created two big chances in the Premier League, along with averaging one key pass and succeeding with 57% of his dribbles, yet he is failing to have much luck in front of goal, averaging only 0.2 shots on target per game.

Against Bayern, summer signing Jaden Philogene took his place on the right wing and performed admirably. This suggests he could retain his place in the starting XI for the clash against the Old Trafford side this afternoon.

Emery must keep faith with Jaden Philogene

The Englishman was brought back to Villa Park in the summer having spent a year at Hull City, where he registered 18 goal contributions for the club.

It looked like a shrewd move to bring him back to Villa Park, and he has played five times this season under Emery, including against Bayern in midweek.

Deployed on the right flank, Philogene delivered an assured display against the German giants. Not only did he succeed with 100% of his dribbles, but the winger also won 8 of his 13 ground duels, while making five tackles and three interceptions during the clash.

He clearly wasn’t fazed by taking on one of the best teams in Europe, and this experience will stand him in good stead for the future.

His former boss at Hull, Liam Rosenior, dubbed the youngster as a “special talent” during his spell in charge of the club, where his performances deservedly earned him a move back to Villa.

Given Bailey’s drop-off in form, it is certainly worth keeping Philogene in the starting XI for the match this afternoon, as the 22-year-old offers something different going forward, while also being able to contribute defensively, as shown against Bayern.

A win would see Emery and his side enter the international break potentially entering the top four depending on other results, which is surely a huge incentive for the club.

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