They used one of their three trump cards and had almost everything with their four experienced batters go right for them

Sidharth Monga24-Jun-20254:09

Gambhir: We had opportunities on all five days

India’s big guns have all fired. Rishabh Pant has scored two creative centuries, the openers have each hit a classy one in each innings, the captain has notched up a regal one, their gun bowler has exhausted one of the three Tests he is going to play and has delivered a five-for. And yet they are down 1-0. They have lost the unlosable Test.Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Their last four aggregated nine runs in both innings put together, becoming parts of collapses of 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 in pretty flat conditions. They dropped more catches than any team in a Test in England in the last 20 years. Their third and fourth fast bowlers provided them neither control nor penetration. They could have batted England out on the second day; they didn’t. They could have secured a huge lead had they held their catches; they didn’t. They could have batted England out again on the fourth day; they didn’t.It was a proper baptism by fire for captain Shubman Gill, having to lead a transitioning bowling unit on one of the more idiosyncratic grounds of the world against a side that might not have the quality of some of India’s recent opponents but are intimidating frontrunners. A new slips cordon had to come to terms with fielding about a foot or two below the pitch level, bowlers needed to quickly adjust to running in up and down the slope, and their mistakes with the bat forced them to defend more than they could attack on a notoriously difficult-to-defend ground with pitches running all the way to the boundary. He also has to deal with his lead bowler playing only three Tests.Related

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However, Gill will need to lay down the law here. It wasn’t long ago that the India tail used to dig in and fight for whatever runs they could claw out. On their last trip to England, India got the lead because of the runs the lower order scored. It’s not that Nos. 8 to 11 aggregated only nine runs in two innings. Dismissals can happen. Even to specialist batters. It was more the nature of the dismissals. They batted like millionaires without getting a feel for the conditions despite having a proper batter at the other end. They played Shardul Thakur precisely to provide them batting depth, but he was out playing expansive drives eighth ball and 12th balls.Gill just needs to imagine what would have happened if the tail had displayed such a casual attitude when Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma was captain. Once, leave alone twice, in the same match. Gill will soon learn it is nice to have a great atmosphere and respect in the dressing room, but there needs to be some fear of the leaders as well.The lower-order flop is not the only reason why India lost the unlosable Test but it was a symptom of general drops in intensity that a captain needs to watch out against. Test cricket is more about playing good cricket for longer periods of time than flashes of brilliance. This is why an attack of four good fast bowlers is better than one world-beater, one good bowler and two bowling ordinarily. You need fitness, intensity, and ruthlessness to be up six hours a day, each day for five days, or however long it takes.3:26

Harmison: Not sure India believed they could get Duckett out

On the final day, when finally none of the big guns fired, India didn’t seem to have a plan on how to put together a consistent set of overs. Jasprit Bumrah should be allowed to have a day on which he is not bowling an unplayable delivery every over. The bowling choices need to be made based not just on numbers that day. Mohammed Siraj, the best bowler on display on the final day, wasn’t bowled from overs 42 to 80, a period of not just 39 overs but also two rain breaks. Ravindra Jadeja took a little too long to shift his line wider, into the rough, to challenge Ben Duckett’s reverse-sweeps. At one point Ben Duckett punched Jadeja towards mid-off, and he looked up to see there wasn’t one. Not short, not wide, not deep. Just no mid-off at all.In a Test that you make only one or two such mistakes, they can have only a trivial impact on the eventual outcome, but all these things add up.This was also collectively India’s worst fielding performance in a long time. Thakur misfielded because he slipped, but took forever to get back up and retrieve the ball. As Rishabh Pant could be heard saying on the stumps mic, “It is okay to misfield, but you need to recover.” It should have come from Gill. If you zoomed-out a little and looked at the whole field as events unfolded during the final day, it was hard to tell if Gill was in charge. At various times, Pant and KL Rahul set the fields and talked to the bowlers.1:59

Why were Indian seamers ineffective on day 5?

The most important job for Gill and Gautam Gambhir will be to lift the team after they have lost a Test in which they used one of the three trump cards given to them and had almost everything with their four experienced batters go right for them. As has been said in this space before, Gill’s real test will be if he plays Thakur as the bowling allrounder and it doesn’t work out. The ideal response will be to double down on the need to take 20 wickets and bring in a proper bowler – possibly Kuldeep Yadav – but their collapses have given them every reason to be conservative.A captaincy debut which started like a dream for Gill has ended up being a nightmare. This was only his sixth first-class match as captain. He needs to be cut some slack, but this is a job that comes with a lot of prestige and also responsibility. He has no option but to learn quickly on the job. There is no magic potion that can maintain the love and care but still instil fear and accountability.This is not to say the players are not hurting for this loss. They are hurting more than anyone on the outside can. They will all have to dust themselves off and do the good things again but also make sure their intensity doesn’t drop. The England bowling attack can be taken down. They just need their bowlers to be in the good areas more often than at Headingley, and then be switched on in the field.If there is any consolation, it has been done before. Kohli’s first Test as captain is remembered for his brilliant twin hundreds, but even that game featured ordinary selections and lower-order disasters. In his first series as the full-time captain, Kohli lost what seemed like the unlosable Test in Galle to start off with. You can quibble with other things, but it is hard to remember drops in intensity in the side after that.

Opener adapts his game to go deep and delivers when it most matters

Alan Gardner14-Sep-2025Will Smeed was relieved to have finally produced the goods when it mattered for Somerset after his perfectly paced innings of 94 off 58 balls helped secure the club’s third T20 Blast title, and second in the last five years.Smeed had never previously scored a half-century in a T20 knockout match – a record that stretched back to his breakthrough season in 2021, and encompassed 13 innings for Somerset (five quarter-finals, five semi-finals and three finals), as well as one for Birmingham Phoenix in the Hundred.He fell one hit away from becoming only the second player to score a century on Blast Finals Days – after Chris Lynn broke new ground for Hampshire in Saturday’s second semi-final – and the first to do so in the final of the competition. But he said he was happy to hand over to his captain, Lewis Gregory, whose ruthless five-ball onslaught sealed the game for Somerset with an over to spare.Related

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“To be honest, I just wanted to win the game. I was gutted about not getting us over the line, but Lewis did it, so now I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to make sure we won it. That was the main thing.”Asked if it was his best innings, Smeed said: “It’s the first time I’ve done it in a knockout game. So it’s nice to nice to get that under my belt, and hopefully can take that on going forward. But tonight I’m just gonna celebrate with my mates.”The innings was also evidence of Smeed’s efforts to “add a few more dimensions” to his game as an all-or-nothing power hitter opening the batting. He was 18 off 15 balls when losing opening partner, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, and steadily increased his tempo through the chase, reaching a 35-ball fifty. His first and only six of the night came in the 17th over, from the 53rd ball he had faced.Lewis Gregory and Sean Dickson celebrate the moment of Somerset’s victory•Getty Images”We knew one of the top order had to take it deep, just the way the game panned out meant I had to take some more sensible options than I’m used to,” he said. “But it felt like you could hit fours if you hit gaps.”I think that’s been something I’ve tried to work on this year, is trying to add a few more dimensions to the game, as opposed to going gung-ho. TKC did it in the first game brilliantly [with 81 off 52 to set up victory over Lancashire], and I tried to take some learnings from that. We’ve got so much faith in guys down the order that if the rate does creep up, we can always get it back down. So yeah, it worked out today.”The absence of Tom Banton with England, which led to Kohler-Cadmore moving up from his usual berth at No. 3, “probably put a bit more responsibility on me,” Smeed said. “But we’ve not exactly got bad players filling in for him, we’ve got guns coming in. So yeah, it doesn’t change much in terms of the balance of the team or anything. I think that’s been our strength, everyone knows what the team needs from them, and they just go and try and do that.”In the middle alongside Gregory for the moment of victory was Sean Dickson, twice Somerset’s top-scorer when they prevailed on Finals Day in 2023 and the man who dragged them through the quarter-finals last weekend with a scintillating innings against Birmingham Bears. This was likely his last innings for the club, having agreed a move to Glamorgan after not being offered a new contract.”He’s been unbelievable for us. I think, probably the best number five in the country, and I think he shows that time and time again. So yeah, gutted to be losing hm, I’m not looking forward to playing against him next year. But yeah, he’s been so good for us, he brings that calm composure and the ability to execute under pressure, and he can smack any kind of bowler. So he’s a serious, serious player. We’re very grateful for what he’s done for the club over the last few years.”Smeed hailed Sean Dickson’s influence after his key role in the campaign•Getty ImagesHampshire, who were aiming for a record fourth T20 title, had appeared to be favourites after posting the joint-highest total in a Blast final on the back of Toby Albert’s 85 and a partnership of 97 off 59 balls with their captain, James Vince. They squeezed Somerset’s requirement up to 12.66 an over, with six overs left in the game, only for Smeed and Dickson reel it back in as dew descended and it became harder for bowlers to hold the ball.”They obviously got off to a flyer, but we bowled so well, like we have done in the last few games, through that middle period. At the halfway stage, we felt really in the game. We knew we’d have to bat well, but we felt in it. It was a great wicket and the outfield got quicker. So yeah, just absolutely buzzing to have won.”Both teams were playing at Finals Day for the 11th time – a joint-record – and while Somerset have the better record of reaching the final (this was their eighth), Hampshire had never previously been beaten with the trophy on the line.”They’re a great side. Every time we play them, it seems like a really close game, so I’m sure we’ll have lots of close games in the future. You’ve just got to look at their side, they’re full of good players. They know how to win, they know how to get to finals day, and it’s nice to get one over on them this time, but I’m sure they’re going to come back with a vengeance next year.”

The South Australia fast bowler had been due to tour the West Indies before injury but is on track to start the Sheffield Shield season

Andrew McGlashan11-Sep-2025Brendan Doggett is in the “prime of his career” and has been backed by his South Australia coach Ryan Harris to be able to step into Test cricket during the Ashes if needed.Doggett was part of the Australia Test squad last season, having first been called up back in 2018 for a series against Pakistan in the UAE, and was a traveling reserve for the World Test Championship final against South Africa.He had been due to tour the West Indies before being withdrawn because of a hip injury but is on track to start the season for the double defending champions although from there will have his workload managed in conjunction with the Australia set-up.Related

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The depth of Australia’s pace bowling has been brought firmly into view with Pat Cummins’ back injury, and while Scott Boland will be the next in line for a spot in the startling XI, Doggett is likely only one more injury away from a debut.”He’s had a really good winter,” Harris told ESPNcricinfo. “He came back from the World Test Championship with a couple of niggles [but] he had good time to let them heal.”He had a really good programme that he was following and he was diligent. We didn’t take him to Darwin in our pre-season camp and let him just get himself right down here.”We’ve got a couple of trial games [this week] which he’ll bowl some good overs in. But what I’ve seen in training, he’s up and about. He’s ready to go. He’s bowling fast and he’s moving the ball, which is good. He’ll definitely start for us.”Doggett’s elevation to the Test squad last season came on the back of a career-best 6 for 15 against India A in Mackay. He capped his summer with a career-best match haul of 11 wickets in the Sheffield Shield final, where South Australia secured the title with victory over Queensland, to finish with 44 first-class wickets at 20.56 which followed 32 wickets at 21.90 the previous season.

“He knows what he needs to do. He knows when he has step it up and bowl quick and knows he can control his pace. He’s in the prime of his career now. There’s no doubt that if Brendan gets a call, I have absolute full confidence in that he can go in and do a good job in that team”Ryan Harris on Brendan Doggett

“He’s definitely ready [for Test cricket],” Harris said. “[With] his mind, I think, and the confidence he has now in his game. He was a bit mixed [up] probably a couple of years ago where he was trying to swing it and he wasn’t trying to swing it, but he’s worked it all out.”He knows what he needs to do. He knows when he has step it up and bowl quick and knows he can control his pace. He’s in the prime of his career now. There’s no doubt that if Brendan gets a call, I have absolute full confidence in that he can go in and do a good job in that team.”There will be a balancing act for the selectors in the lead-up to the Ashes in ensuring the fast bowlers in the mix have enough work to be ready while avoiding pushing them too far.It is expected that Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood will combine the ODIs against India with potentially one Sheffield Shield game for New South Wales before the first Test, while Boland is expected to play at least two four-day games for Victoria. Lance Morris, who would have been in the frame, has been ruled out for 12 months after undergoing back surgery.Brendan Doggett will likely be around Australia’s Ashes squads•Getty ImagesCameron Green has been left out of the T20I tour of New Zealand so that he can play for Western Australia in the first round of the Sheffield Shield, which could mark his return to bowling following the surgery he had a year ago.Speaking earlier this week, Cummins said he was confident in the fast-bowling reverses Australia had heading into the summer.”We feel really well placed,” he said. “A lot of planning goes in. It’s not just a month before, it’s 12 months out. Someone like Jhye Richardson, hopefully he will be available for some of the summer. There’s [Michael] Neser. Brendan Doggett was part of squads last year. Sean Abbott. So I’m really confident in our depth.”Obviously there is a bit of Shield cricket and white-ball cricket before that to make sure everyone is up and raring to go.”Those who are involved in the one-day leg of the Australia A tour of India or the T20I tour to New Zealand will miss the opening round of Sheffield Shield matches which start on October 4. The men’s domestic season starts on September 16 with the 50-over Dean Jones Trophy.

Newcastle United could do with an injection of positivity after the November international break, having slumped their way down to 14th place in the Premier League after 11 matches.

Gone is the easy fluency of last season, and Eddie Howe has a task on his hands to rekindle the spark at the heart of his Tyneside squad.

While the impending return of Yoane Wissa from injury will add that extra dimension in attack, Howe will be concerned that this current international pause might inflict injury on one of his players in a similar fashion to when Wissa damaged his knee back in September, before he had even kicked a ball for the Toon.

No such bad news at the moment, though watching England defeat Serbia in their penultimate World Cup qualifier has issued a sombre reminder that PIF must do all that they can to bring Elliot Anderson back to St. James’ Park. How about that for an injection of positivity?

The latest on Newcastle's interest in Elliot Anderson

Anderson, 23, left Newcastle for Nottingham Forest in 2024, arriving at the City Ground after a fee in the region of £35m had been agreed.

How PIF must regret that PSR-influenced decision, with Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel recently hailing Anderson as being “one of the best midfielders in the Premier League” before his latest performance alongside Declan Rice, impressing as England claimed a professional 2-0 win.

So combative, cultured and composed in the middle of the park, the Tyneside-born talent never managed to spread his wings for his boyhood club, but he has made such impressive progress since leaving and forging his own path.

Howe, it should go without saying, would love nothing more than to bring Anderson back home, having expressed last month how the sale “didn’t sit right with me”, and intimating his desire to strike a transfer down the line.

It won’t be easy, though; far from it. Anderson’s all-encompassing qualities in the engine room have been picked up by some of the Premier League’s finest, with Arsenal and Manchester United among those looking to complete a deal for the £100m-rated midfielder.

Whether Newcastle manage to bring him back is anyone’s guess, but they must not let the same thing happen again, especially when there’s a new Geordie talent looking to break into the first team.

The Newcastle talent who could be bigger than Anderson

Newcastle will look for ways to bring Anderson back to St. James’ Park, but sadly there is no certainty that they will win the race for his signature.

That’s why they must prove they have learned from their blunder and ensure Sean Neave has a clear pathway from the academy to the first team.

The 18-year-old has been prolific right from the get-go this season, and his mature, confident displays are beginning to see a level of noise rise around him, with Howe sure to be considering handing him a professional breakthrough before long, should the right opportunity arrive.

While Neave hasn’t featured for the senior side yet, he was involved in Newcastle’s pre-season preparations this summer and is clearly viewed as having the potential to wedge his way into the fray.

Moreover, he was this week awarded an award during the annual Sport Newcastle ceremony for ’embodying the Newcastle spirit’, with Dan Burn taking the cake for the men’s team.

Though it’s a big leap from the world of development football to the major stage, Neave is nothing if not clinical, with an ease and accuracy in the final third that should lend itself to success in the Premier League for the seniors, albeit with physicality and maturity further elements that must be woven into the youngster’s game.

But given that he’s only just entered adulthood, there is every reason for United fans to get excited by this one. Magpie Media have already described him as “the best Geordie striker prospect in a long, long time”, after all.

If Neave reaches even the rim of what his potential suggests is possible, there’s every chance that Newcastle could have an even bigger talent than Anderson on their hands, and one who must not be allowed to leave for new pastures before being handed a shot at the big time.

Newcastle have already paid for that mistake, and they may pay more still if they succeed in re-signing Anderson. That would be a rousing transfer for the club, but one which would come at what could have been an avoidable financial cost.

Lighting surely won’t strike twice. Neave’s goalscoring efforts for the development teams underscore his quality and the importance of easing him into the first-team action under Howe’s wing.

Newcastle U18

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Newcastle U21

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Newcastle YL

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Newcastle

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With a brace netted against Burnley last week, Neave is finding his feet for the U21s, and it’s surely only a matter of time until he is unleashed in the Premier League, just searching for that extra steel in his physicality to prove he’s every bit as talented as Anderson, maybe even more so.

One of "Newcastle's best signings" under Howe is now on borrowed time

Newcastle’s need for change has gone beyond making tactical tweaks.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 14, 2025

Chamari Athapaththu would do anything to get Sri Lanka to the semi-final of this Women’s ODI World Cup. No Sri Lanka team has managed this over 11 years, at an ICC event, and the women’s team has never got there. Athapaththu has long been the talisman of this side, but feels she has the young players in her side now, who can excel in their own right.”More than in the other tournaments, I’m pretty relaxed in this one,” Athapaththu said in Colombo. “The youngsters have been performing – Harshitha Samarawickrama, Vishmi Gunaratne, and Kavisha Dilhari, are all batting well. So more than other times, I’m able to relax a bit.”Gunaratne, Dilhari, and Samarawickrama had all played important roles in Sri Lanka’s chart to an Asia Cup victory at home, though that was in the T20 format. Still, that was enough to inspire more trust from Athapaththu, who suggested she would be more fearless in the first 10 overs.Related

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“I’m going to be playing the game I play in the powerplay,” Athapaththu said. “Then, after that, the challenge is to figure out how I can change gears and do more damage. My one aim is to get Sri Lanka into the semi finals. Before I retire, what I want is to take Sri Lanka to a semi-final. If we can get there, we can figure out the next steps. But even getting there is big.”On paper, Sri Lanka have no easy games, especially at the start of their campaign. Their World Cup begins against India on September 30 in the tournament opener in Guwahati before matches in Colombo against Australia on October 4, England on October 11, New Zealand on October 14 and South Africa on October 18. They then play Bangladesh in Navi Mumbai on October 20 before flying back to Colombo for their final league-stage match against Pakistan on October 24.But the motivation is high, since Sri Lanka are returning to the ODI World Cup after eight years. They did not feature in the ODI World Cup in 2022, owing partially to Sri Lanka not having played a single international between March 2020 and January 2022.”We haven’t been able to play a World Cup since 2017. We lost the chance to play in the last World Cup, because with Covid we couldn’t play the qualifying rounds, and that’s where our rankings were. It’s after eight years we’re playing a World Cup.”We’ve sacrificed a lot and worked really hard to get here. We’ve played really well in the last cycle. We’re in a good mental space. I’m hoping we can get a good start to the tournament.”

Deepti Sharma’s fifty kept India in the contest but they fell short in the final equation

S Sudarshanan20-Sep-20251:42

Mooney: ‘There’s no ceiling for this group’

Australia 412 (Mooney 138, Voll 81, Perry 68, Reddy 3-86) beat India 369 (Mandhana 125, Deepti 72, Harmanpreet 52, Garth 3-69) by 43 runsCricket was played at a breakneck speed in Delhi on Saturday with close to 800 runs scored at a rate of over eight per over. Australia’s 412 was fuelled by what was then the second-fastest ODI century from Beth Mooney. India – and in particular Smriti Mandhana – came out hunting for both those targets. They got one – Mandhana is now the second-fastest centurion – but India fell just 43 short in the series decider.In the end, Australia protected a proud record of never losing a bilateral ODI series in India as they prepare to defend their crown in exactly these conditions.

India fined for slow over rate

India were fined 10% of their match fee for maintaining a slow over-rate. They were ruled to be two overs short of the target after time allowances were taken into consideration. In accordance with Article 2.22 of the ICC code of conduct, players are fined 5% of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl in the allotted time.

With just ten days to go for the Women’s World Cup 2025, a world record chase was attempted for a second day in a row after Pakistan almost chased down 313 in Lahore on Friday. Faced with a mountainous target of 413, India galloped at a high speed to be placed 204 for 2 in just 20 overs. But Australia gave a reminder of why they are the defending world champions by keeping at it, and striking regularly, to win the series 2-1Riding on a 57-ball century from Mooney and aided with misfields aplenty from India, Australia equalled their highest total. Strange as it may sound, their final total seemed to fall short of what they were likely to score before a late collapse of 6 for 34 ended their innings in 47.5 overs.India’s turbo-charged response was led by vice-captain Mandhana. She added 121 in just 69 balls with captain Harmanpreet Kaur, as Australia searched for ways to plug the flow of runs. It inadvertently came through Harmanpreet’s knee injury break, after which India lost three wickets in 19 balls.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Deepti Sharma, batting at No. 5 in Jemimah Rodrigues’ absence, continued to keep India’s hopes alive with a counter-attacking half-century. She scored a 58-ball 72, and her strike rate of 124.13 was her quickest for a knock above 20 runs. She added 65 off 54 balls for the eighth wicket with Sneh Rana to take India closer to the target. But with 59 needed off 46 balls, she holed out to deep midwicket to dash India’s hopes of a miracle.Mandhana started from where she left off in New Chandigarh, hitting Megan Schutt for three successive fours in the third over. She also greeted her nemesis Ashleigh Gardner with a six and four, before smashing Kim Garth for two fours and a six in the space of five balls. Earlier in the evening, Australia had scored 77 for 1 at the end of the first powerplay – a score India easily surpassed in seven overs. They were 96 for 2 in ten overs, which is the second-highest total in the first powerplay in women’s ODIs.Mandhana showed no signs of slowing down, getting to her half-century in 23 balls, before reaching her hundred in just 50 balls. She bettered her own mark of 77 balls from a few days ago, and also relegated Mooney’s 57-ball effort from earlier in the game to joint third-fastest. At the other end, Harmanpreet showed her silken touch as well as brute force on her way to a 32-ball fifty. But once Harmanpreet and Mandhana fell in consecutive overs, India’s challenge fizzled out.But for India’s fielding missteps earlier in the afternoon, which cost them 26 off 11 balls as per ESPNcricinfo’s logs, the result might have been different. Fielding has been one of the focal points under head coach Amol Muzumdar’s regime, and India looked to have turned a page with a clinical show in England. However, after dropping four catches in the first ODI, India grassed three chances on Saturday.Getty Images

Georgia Voll was the beneficiary of all three – first, when Richa Ghosh was wrongfooted and couldn’t hang on to the outside edge in the seventh over, and then twice by Radha Yadav. First on 23 when Radha only got her fingertips to a powerful swipe at square leg, and then on 36 when Radha misjudged the pace of Voll’s flick and was late on the jump at midwicket. Voll scored 81 before top-edging a sweep to substitute Uma Chetry at short fine leg.The tone was set early by captain Alyssa Healy, who wanted India to “run around in the heat”, and opted to bat. She attacked India’s new-ball bowlers and Australia managed to hit two fours in each of the first five overs. Kranti Goud then dismissed her for the third time in three games but Voll kept attacking, with Ellyse Perry offering stability during a fluent innings of her own.After Voll’s fall in the 22nd over, Mooney came in and never let the momentum shift. She found gaps at will, used the crease well to access empty parts of the field, and got to her fourth ODI century. The highlight of her innings was how she kept going in the hot and humid conditions, and scoring at a high rate while taking minimum risks. She added 106 from 72 balls with Perry, and then 82 off 46 with Gardner, to set the platform for Australia to post the highest total in women’s ODIs against India.It was only the seventh time a team crossed the 400-mark in women’s ODIs. That India responded with a strong challenge and posted the highest total in a chase in this format will give them solace with a World Cup on the horizon.

The summer of 2023 was a landmark period for Arsenal. It signalled the arrival of a certain Declan Rice no less.

The midfielder arrived in a club-record £105m move. The Gunners had beaten Manchester City to his services, thus securing the talents of one of England’s finest players of his generation.

Since he moved across London from West Ham to Islington, there has still been a feeling that Arsenal have missed a player of the calibre of a certain Granit Xhaka.

Over the last year, in particular, Rice has eradicated memories of the Swiss warrior but their Arsenal stories are woven together.

The year Rice arrived, Xhaka left and in perhaps peculiar circumstances. The veteran had just enjoyed the finest individual campaign of his time at the Emirates Stadium, scoring nine goals in all competitions.

No longer was he the defensive midfielder that a great Arsene Wenger once signed. He was now a goalscoring number 8.

After departing, Xhaka enjoyed a fabulous time under Xabi Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga but he’s now back in England and proving to be one of the signings of the summer.

How Xhaka inspired Sunderland to a draw with Arsenal

Over the last few years the newly promoted teams have been swept aside without so much as a noise. To put it frankly, they’ve been terrible.

However, Sunderland are bucking that trend. Ahead of Sunday’s fixtures in the Premier League, they sat fourth in the table and a large reason for that has been the performances of Xhaka.

The Switzerland midfielder signed for the Mackems in a £17m deal back in the summer and was swiftly made club captain. His displays since then have been admirable.

Sky Sports analyst and Sunderland supporter Dougie Critchley went as far as to say he is the “best player” he’s ever seen in the famous red and white strips after his goal against Everton last week.

While Xhaka did not find the net against Arsenal on Saturday, it was another fine display from Sunderland’s tempo-setting midfielder.

Xhaka is a warrior, a leader of men and he demonstrated that by completing 90% of his passes, winning four of his five ground duels and completing seven clearances this weekend.

Dan Ballard and Brian Brobbey made the headlines but Xhaka issued Arsenal a timely reminder of his qualities.

Up against Rice and Martin Zubimendi, Arsenal’s midfield pairing exudes similar qualities but they aren’t the only men in Mikel Arteta’s ranks who bring a Xhaka-like presence to the squad.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Arsenal's Granit Xhaka of 2025

The date is 28th October 2019. Unai Emery has chosen to substitute club captain, Xhaka. The response from Arsenal supporters inside the Emirates Stadium was remarkable.

He was booed and jeered as he left the field, which sparked an eyebrow-raising reaction from the Swiss. He cupped his ear, asked for more and then chucked the captain’s armband on the floor.

It was not a surprise to see that he was stripped of the captaincy just ten days later.

Speaking about the incident back in 2023, Xhaka labelled the situation as a “nightmare”. “The passports were out. I was done with Arsenal”, he said.

He ultimately stayed and enjoyed a remarkable change in fortunes under Arteta. The Spaniard turned him into a more forward-thinking midfield and after a hellish first few years in London, enjoyed a fabulous 2022/23 season, in particular.

That was the year Xhaka scored nine times and provided seven assists in all competitions.

The 33-year-old was still a vocal presence on the pitch and while he didn’t possess the armband, he still felt like a captain on the pitch. In the present day, the same could be said of defender Gabriel Magalhaes.

While the Brazilian hasn’t fallen out with supporters since moving from Lille in a £27m move, their Arsenal careers certainly have parallels.

Gabriel headed to London as an exciting talent but he was still incredibly raw. He showcased that during his first few years in English football.

The centre-back was rash and truth be told, a bit error-prone. Rio Ferdinand was particularly scathing of the defender back in 2022.

It was an incident that led to a DM exchange between Gabriel and Ferdinand and since that moment, he has gone from strength to strength.

Like Xhaka in his early days at Arsenal, the big Brazil international was a bit of an accident waiting to happen but they both enjoyed remarkable comebacks.

In the words of Jamie Carragher, Gabriel is now “the most influential player in the Premier League” this season and is in with a real shout of winning the PFA Player of the Year award if the Gunners win the league.

The defender has been a colossal presence in the heart of Arteta’s backline, a true “monster” as per pundit Troy Deeney. He’s a giant at the back, composed with the ball at his feet and has made a rather ridiculous impact from set-pieces.

So far this season, Gabriel has scored two goals and supplied three assists. Since joining in 2020, no centre-back in Europe’s top five leagues has scored more goals than him (22).

Like Xhaka, he’s also now one of the strongest commanders of men in the squad. He’s captained Arsenal on several occasions now and to quote Carragher once more, he is “the leader” in Arteta’s backline.

A midfielder he may not be, but he is certainly like Xhaka in plenty of ways. From being riddled with mistakes to becoming a cult hero at the Emirates, the parallels are certainly there.