It’s been a long time since the mood around Arsenal has been this positive.

Mikel Arteta’s side are through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup, flying high in the Champions League and currently top of the Premier League.

Moreover, even with the injustices they’ve had to contend with, the Gunners have looked far and away the most assured and confident team in the country.

However, the North Londoners cannot rest on their laurels and have the chance to put more pressure on their rivals with a game against Burnley this afternoon. To ensure his side gets all three points, Arteta must drop one of those who starred on Wednesday night.

The changes Arteta should make for Burnley

Starting at the sharp end of the pitch, and for as well as they did against the Seagulls, Arteta should obviously take Andre Harriman-Annous and Max Dowman out of the team for Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka.

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The latter is simply the side’s talisman, and the former, while he hasn’t scored enough in the league, does stretch opposition defences and create space for his teammates.

On the left, with Gabriel Martinelli confirmed to be out of contention, it would make sense to bring Leandro Trossard back into the team and move Eberechi Eze back into the midfield.

The former Crystal Palace star scored last time out in the league, and while Ethan Nwaneri looked good on Wednesday, Arteta will want more of a controller in the middle of the park in Martin Odegaard’s absence.

Coming into the midfield alongside the 27-year-old has to be Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, as the former’s deadball wizardry should come in handy against a Clarets side that will likely sit deep, and the latter could help kickstart attacks from deep.

Finally, while they performed well in the week, Arteta should consider replacing most of his defensive unit for this game.

While David Raya, Jurrien Timber, and Gabriel Magehele pick themselves, the manager will have a decision to make for his second centre-back, as William Saliba remains a doubt for the game.

Fortunately, Cristhian Mosquera has been incredible this year, and therefore should start a second game in succession, as risking the Frenchman at this point would be foolish.

Last but not least, Arteta has a decision to make at left-back.

Arteta must start Arsenal's player of the season

It might sound harsh considering his sensational performance against Brighton, in which he provided an assist, but Arteta should drop Myles Lewis-Skelly, who club insider Hand of Arsenal has dubbed a “future captain,” for Riccardo Calafiori.

There are a few reasons why he should make this decision, but the primary one is the simple fact that the Italian has, in the words of Ray Parlour, one of Arsenal’s “players of the season.”

After a disappointing campaign last year, in which he was blighted by injury, the Italian international has come back like a man possessed so far this year and become a key part of the team in defence and attack.

For example, he has played in every league game so far, helping the team concede just three goals.

Additionally, he scored the only goal in the match against Manchester United and provided two assists against Leeds United for good measure.

Moreover, even though Arteta has a reputation for being a somewhat conservative coach, he allows the former Bologna star to maraud all over the pitch, so much so that the Telegraph’s Sam Dean described him as a “wild horse” and journalist James Benge called him “the most electrifying man in sports entertainment.”

Such appraisals of the 23-year-old are proven accurate by simply watching him play, but they are also more than backed up by his underlying numbers.

Shots Total

2.20

Top 1%

GCA (Defensive Action)

0.13

Top 1%

xG: Expected Goals

0.25

Top 4%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.25

Top 4%

SCA (Fouls Drawn)

0.26

Top 4%

GCA (Shot)

0.13

Top 4%

Goals + Assists

0.39

Top 7%

npxG + xAG

0.31

Top 7%

SCA (Shot)

0.39

Top 7%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.65

Top 7%

Touches (Att Pen)

3.50

Top 7%

SCA (Defensive Action)

0.13

Top 10%

Assists

0.26

Top 13%

npxG/Shot

0.11

Top 16%

GCA (Live-ball Pass)

0.39

Top 16%

Goals

0.13

Top 19%

Non-Penalty Goals

0.13

Top 19%

Passes Completed (Medium)

18.78

Top 19%

For example, FBref ranks him in the top 1% of full-backs in the league for total shots, the top 4% for expected goals, the top 7% for goals plus assists, the top 10% for touches in the opposition’s penalty area and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, while dropping Lewis-Skelly might seem harsh, Arteta simply has to start Calafiori in the league, as he has been nothing short of sensational this season.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 31, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur produced one of their best performances of the 2025/26 campaign on Tuesday night when they smashed Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League.

Thomas Frank’s side strolled to a comfortable victory in North London, despite Brennan Johnson’s second-half red card, and could have had a fifth when Richarlison missed a penalty late on.

The pick of the goals on the night was, undoubtably, the unbelievable solo run from central defender Micky van de Ven, which will

surely be in contention for the Goal of the Season award next year.

In terms of performances, Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simons will be pleased with his personal contribution after an impressive outing.

How Xavi Simons may have kickstarted his season

The £52m summer signing from RB Leipzig ended a run of 11 matches without a goal contribution in all competitions for Spurs with his assist for Johnson’s opening goal.

Xavi played a brilliant pass through to the Wales international, which allowed him to slot into an empty net after rounding the goalkeeper, and that was his second assist of the season.

The Netherlands international created three ‘big chances’ for the team in total, per Sofascore, and was the first Spurs player to create three chances in a Champions League half since the 2016/17 campaign.

Xavi, now, needs to use this impressive performance as a platform to kick on and provide consistency on a regular basis for the Lilywhites.

The Dutchman was not the only star player who could use Tuesday night’s match as a platform, though, as Wilson Odobert had his best night for the club.

Why Copenhagen was Wilson Odobert's best performance for Spurs

Since his move to Spurs from Burnley in the summer of 2024, Odobert has only managed two goals and no assists in the Premier League and the Champions League, with the second of those two goals coming against Copenhagen.

The French winger, who earned the same player rating (8/10) as Xavi from GOAL, remained incredibly composed to finish his chance, as shown in the clip above, when it would have been easy to snatch at it or try to smash it towards goal.

On top of scoring, the former Burnley man also completed three dribbles and created one chance, per Sofascore, which speaks to how direct and effective he was with the ball at his feet.

The Athletic’s Jay Harris suggested it was his “best performance in a Spurs shirt”, and that is hard to argue with, when compared to the only other game in the Premier League or Champions League that he has contributed to a goal in.

Minutes

90

80

xG

0.47

0.21

Goals

1

1

Pass accuracy

70%

88%

Key passes

0

1

Dribbles completed

1/1

3/6

Duels won

2/6

6/9

As you can see in the table above, Odobert was better in duels, as a dribbler, as a creator, and as a passer against Copenhagen than he was against West Ham when he scored his first league goal for the club.

These statistics suggest that the French sensation, who was as effective as Xavi on Tuesday night, did play his best match for the Lilywhites against the Danish outfit.

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Like the Dutchman, Odobert should look to use this performance as a platform to build from for the rest of the season to kick on and become a star for Tottenham.

George Balderson half-century, Arav Shetty three-for help overcome Somerset

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay10-Aug-2025

Marcus Harris anchored the Lancashire chase•Getty Images

Lancashire 254 for 8 (Harris 95, Balderson 65) beat Somerset 250 for 7 (Goldsworthy 63, Vaughan 59, Hill 57) by two wicketsMarcus Harris led the way with 95 as Lancashire recorded a nerve-jangling two-wicket Metro Bank One-Day Cup victory over Somerset at the Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.The home side posted 250 for seven after losing the toss, Lewis Goldsworthy top-scoring with 63, while Archie Vaughan contributed 59 and 19-year-old Devonian Fin Hill 57. Offspinner Arav Shetty marked his List A debut with 3 for 34 from ten overs.In reply, Lancashire reached 254 for eight with 8 balls to spare, Harris making his runs off 99 balls, with 7 fours and 2 sixes. George Balderson hit 65 and shared a match-winning fifth wicket stand of 101 with the former Australia Test player.A crowd of more than 5,000 at Somerset’s annual Family Fun Day saw the hosts suffer an early setback when Tom Lammonby was caught at backward point off George Balderson with the total on five.Goldsworthy and Vaughan had to exercise caution on a pitch lacking pace and were largely content to accumulate in ones and twos. Goldsworthy was first to fifty, off 70 balls, with 5 fours and the hundred partnership occupied 143 deliveries.Vaughan’s 81-ball half-century included only three boundaries and with 30 overs of their innings completed his side were becalmed on 129 for one.Goldsworthy provided 21-year-old Shetty with his maiden List A wicket, driving a catch to mid-off. With onlyten runs added, Vaughan was stumped advancing down the pitch to the graduate of the South Asian Cricket Academy, who quickly followed up by dismissing James Rew in similar fashion.Seamer Luke Hands claimed his maiden List A wicket on debut, Thomas Rew edging through to wicketkeeper George Bell to make the score 146 for five. Sixteen-year-old Hands ended the innings with a creditable one for 32 from eight overs.Somerset required another meaningful partnership and it came from rookies Hill and Josh Thomas, who added 66 in good style before Thomas holed out to deep square off Balderson for 32 at a run a ball. Hill then hit the first two sixes of the innings in the same over from Charlie Barnard, both launched over the leg side.The youngster’s maiden List A fifty came off 49 balls and enabled his side to post what appeared a below par total in bright sunshin.. Lancashire’s reply began with Michael Jones striking a straight six off Josh Davey in the fourth over, Somerset’s experienced seamer taking quick revenge by having him caught at deep cover with the score on 18.It was 42 for two in the ninth over when Bell, on 21, pulled a catch to deep square off Alfie Ogborne and 51 for three as Bohannon was caught and bowled by off-spinner Vaughan attempting a back-foot forcing shot.Harris responded with a six off Somerset 18-year-old Cornish seamer Kian Roberts, a third player making his List A debut, but lost another partner when Harry Singh inside-edged a wide ball from Vaughan onto his stumps.Harris went to fifty off 61 balls and at the halfway point in their innings Lancashire were 111 for four. The Australian looked to be winning the game as he accelerated with a six over long-off off Goldsworthy in a century stand with Balderson that appeared perfectly paced.With a century in sight, Harris fell to the left-arm spin of Goldsworthy, driving a catch to Roberts at mid-off. Lancashire still required 71, but Balderson was going well and moved to a well-crafted half-century off 62 balls, with 4 fours. Shetty gloved a catch behind off JT Langridge with 25 needed and the left-arm seamer struck again when Balderson top-edged a pull shot.Hands was then yorked by Davey to set up a tense finish, which saw Sutton dropped at cover by Vaughan off Davey before seeing side over the line.

MatériaMais Notícias

Com a Vila Belmiro emprestada, o São Paulo venceu o Red Bull Bragantino por 1 a 0. Um resultado positivo para a equipe de Bragança seria essencial para o time disparar na briga pelo título do Campeonato Brasileiro, mas o pênalti convertido por Erison atrapalhou o caminho de Pedro Caixinha. Com o resultado, o Tricolor soma os tão sonhados 45 pontos na tabela e está na 9ª colocação. O Bragantino, por sua vez, segue com 59, em terceiro lugar.

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CINCO LANCES QUE MARCARAM A PARTIDA

>SEGURA, RAFAEL! A partida começou agitada. Logo no primeiro minuto de jogo, a lei do ex quase foi posta em prática. Mosquera começou com uma jogada pela esquerda e Helinho chutou de primeira. O ex-São Paulo só não abriu o placar graças a grande defesa de Rafael.

>QUE PANCADA! Ainda no primeiro tempo, Luciano assustou a defesa do Bragantino. O camisa 10 soltou a bomba após receber um belo passe de Juan. Para a sorte da equipe de Bragança, Cleiton defendeu.

>COMO PERDEU ESSA? Michel Araujo perdeu uma chance inacreditável. O jogador teve o caminho limpo por Arboleda e ficou cara a cara com o gol. Porém, o uruguaio se atrapalhou e desperdiçou a oportunidade de abrir o placar.

>QUE PRESSÃO! No segundo tempo, o Bragantino chegou muito perto de balançar as redes depois de uma forte pressão em cima do Tricolor. Sasha tentou um voleio, que parou na marcação são-paulina.

>CAIU NA ÁREA, É PÊNALTI! Se o jogo pouco prometia, ao apagar das luzes tudo mudou. Praticamente no final do confronto, Caio Paulista foi derrubado na área por Thalisson. A arbitragem assinalou pênalti para o Tricolor e Erison converteu com sucesso, garantindo os três pontos.

COMO FOI O PRIMEIRO TEMPO?

Mesmo que o Red Bull Bragantino tenha assustado ainda no primeiro minuto da partida, com uma finalização perigosa de Helinho, que foi muito bem defendida por Rafael, o primeiro tempo pertenceu totalmente ao São Paulo. Luciano quase marcou após receber um bom passe de Juan, mas Cleiton defendeu. Aos 22 minutos, Alisson aproveitou uma sobra deixada após uma cobrança de falta de Wellington Rato, tentou um chute com a direita, mas a bola foi para fora.

Mas a melhor chance pertenceu a Michel Araujo, que perdeu um gol praticamente ‘feito’. Quase no final do primeiro tempo, Arboleda venceu uma disputa com Juninho Capixaba e Cleiton. Livre, Michel Araujo se atrapalhou e perdeu a dividida com o defensor do Bragantino.

Embora o Tricolor tenha criado as melhores chances da partida, não conseguiu converter nenhuma em gol. Assim, a primeira etapa terminou em 0 a 0.

E A ETAPA FINAL?

O Bragantino voltou do intervalo com outra postura para a partida. Pressionando mais o São Paulo, arriscou algumas finalizações logo no começo do segundo tempo, mas todas salvas por Rafael. Sasha chegou a arriscar um voleio, mas parou na marcação do Tricolor. Com o passar do tempo, o jogo foi perdendo um pouco a intensidade. Erison até tentou uma finalização após uma arrancada em busca do primeiro gol do São Paulo no confronto, mas nem ameaçou.

A emoção começou quase no final do jogo. Aos 45 minutos, Caio Paulista foi derrubado na área por Thalisson. A arbitragem de vídeo analisou e marcou a penalidade máxima para o Tricolor. Erison ficou responsável pela cobrança e garantiu a vitória da equipe.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

OS NÚMEROS DA PARTIDA

O QUE VEM POR AÍ?

O São Paulo chegou aos 45 pontos na tabela e agora respira tranquilo no Brasileiro. A equipe joga no domingo (12), contra o Santos, mais uma vez na Vila Belmiro. Já o Bragantino se frustra após desperdiçar a chance de disparar na luta pelo título do Brasileiro. O time joga no domingo (12), contra o Botafogo, em confronto direto por esta luta. A partida será em Bragança, no Nabizão.

FICHA TÉCNICA
SÃO PAULO 1 x 0 BRAGANTINO

Local: Vila Belmiro, em Santos (SP)
Data e hora: 08/11/2023 (quarta-feira), às 20h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Flavio Rodrigues de Souza (SP-Fifa)
Assistentes: Danilo Ricardo Simon Manis (SP-Fifa) e Miguel Cataneo Ribeiro da Costa (SP)
VAR: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral (SP-VAR-Fifa)
Público e renda: 11.948 torcedores e R$ 1.135.233,00
Cartões amarelos: Juan, Gabriel Neves (SAO), Helinho, Lucas Evangelista (RBB)
Cartões vermelhos: –
Gols: Erison (1-0)

SÃO PAULO
Rafael; Rafinha, Arboleda, Beraldo e Welington (Caio Paulista, 1´/2ºT); Pablo Maia, Alisson, Wellington Rato (David, aos 22´/2ºT)e Michel Araujo (Gabriel Neves, aos 25´/2ºT); Luciano (Nathan, aos 33´/2ºT) e Juan (Erison, 25´/2ºT).

RED BULL BRAGANTINO
Cleiton; Aderlan, Léo Realpe, Léo Ortiz; Juninho Capixaba, Matheus (Thiago Borbas, ao 1´/2ºT), Jadsom, Lucas Evangelista; Henry Mosquera (Vitinho, ao 1´/2ºT), Sasha e Helinho (Talisson, aos 25´/2ºT).

يجري الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم قرعة دور الـ32 من مسابقة كأس مصر، اليوم السبت، في بطولة يتنافس على تحقيق لقبها العديد من الأندية.

طالع | نتائج قرعة دور الـ 32 لبطولة كأس مصر 2025-2026.. منافس الأهلي والزمالك

وكان الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك قد حقق لقب النسخة الماضية من مسابقة كأس مصر، على حساب بيراميدز

طالع | حسام حسن يعلن تفاصيل إصابة الشناوي وحمدي فتحي.. ورسالة للجماهير المصرية

ويشارك في دور الـ32 للبطولة الـ21 ناديًا من القسم الأول، إضافة إلى 11 ناديًا من القسم الثاني.

وتتواجد من القسم الثاني أندية: “أبو قير للأسمدة – السكة الحديد – القناة – بترول أسيوط – وي – بلدية المحلة – مسار – تليفونات بني سويف – بور فؤاد – دكرنس – نادي جي”. موعد قرعة دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس مصر

تبدأ قرعة دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس مصر للموسم الحالي 25/2026، في الثانية عشر ظهر اليوم، السبت، الموافق 15 نوفمبر، في مقر الاتحاد بالجزيرة. القناة الناقلة لقرعة دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس مصر

تنقل قرعة دور الـ32 من بطولة كأس مصر عبر قناة أون سبورت 1.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been handed a fresh boost over Juventus striker Dušan Vlahović, with the player now ready to take one drastic action to leave Turin.

While summer signing Liam Delap is now ready and available once again after weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring problem, the Englishman’s absence somewhat exposed Chelsea’s lack of striker options.

BlueCo were forced to cut short Marc Guiu’s loan spell at Sunderland and bring the Spaniard back to Stamford Bridge as cover for Delap, with Joao Pedro, an arguably more natural number 10, also handed the task of playing up front by Maresca.

Guiu was handed his first Premier League start of the season for Chelsea in their 2-1 loss to the Black Cats last weekend, but failed to make the desired impact, despite scoring against Ajax a few days prior.

While Chelsea forked out nearly £300 million in the summer transfer window, placing them among England’s most lavish spenders, Maresca still finds himself short in key areas.

Premier League Clubs’ Summer Spending
Rank	Club	Gross Spend	Sales	Net Spend
20.	Bournemouth	£136.7m	£202.5m	+£65.8m
19.	Brighton	£67.7m	£127.5m	+£59.8m
18.	Brentford	£92.8m	£152m	+£59.2m
17.	Wolves	£105.6m	£126.5m	+£20.9m
16.	Chelsea	£296.5m	£314.4m	+£17.9m
Find the rest here…

This is particularly the case at centre-back, and reports suggest that Chelsea are set to prioritise a new defender in January as a result.

The likes of Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who could reportedly re-join his former club on a cut-price deal in the winter, and Bayern Munich’s Dayot Upamecano have both been discussed as options by Chelsea in that regard (Graeme Bailey).

Further forward, Chelsea are believed to be considering a new striker as well, as journalist Simon Phillips has reported, but any deal would be in the ‘cheaper’ bracket.

Phillips mentions Vlahovic as one option, and this is backed up by other media sources.

It is believed that Chelsea have already held talks with the Serbia international’s agents given his contract expires at the end of this season, and there’s now been another update.

Chelsea given fresh Dusan Vlahovic boost amid fresh stance

Speaking to The Chelsea Chronicle, reporter Graeme Bailey says that Maresca’s side have been offered the chance to do a deal in January.

Vlahovic, who apparently earns a staggering £370,000-per-week at Juve, is also ready to take a pay cut after renewing his stance in that regard — coming as a boost for Chelsea.

Ever since his breakout campaign in 2020/2021, Vlahovic has managed at least 14 goals per season, often far more.

The ex-Fiorentina “superstar” has also scored in big Champions League games against the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Man City in the last two campaigns, so the prospect of signing him for below £20 million is a pretty enticing one.

If Chelsea do make a move, Vlahovic’s potential wage cut will be key, as Chelsea’s current highest earning first-team player is Reece James on £250,000-per-week.

This doesn’t include ‘bomb squad’ member Raheem Sterling, who takes home roughly £325,000-per-week.

Sterling is among Chelsea's highest earners

Weekly wages: Chelsea FC 2025/26 highest-paid players

Here’s how much Todd Boehly is playing his players at Stamford Bridge…

By
Charlie Smith

Sep 23, 2025

Lazio head coach Maurizio Sarri has demanded the recruitment of foreign referees in Serie A to elevate the officiating standard in the Italian top flight. The 66-year-old was furious about a few decisions taken by the officials during his side's clash against Inter game, but stressed the issues are prevalent in the league.

• Sarri furious after Lazio loss

  Lazio suffered a 2-0 defeat against Inter, with Lautaro Martinez and Ange-Yoan Bonny scoring in either half to hand a defeat to the visitors. Sarri, who fumed after Martinez's challenge on his pupil Mattia Zaccagni, was shown a yellow card by the match official. The Italian winger was also forced off the pitch, and Sarri was annoyed by the risk of Lazio conceding a goal as a result.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Sarri slams Serie A officials

  Sarri took a dig at the refereeing in Serie A, calling it below par. He said after the Inter game: "Why did I get angry? For one simple reason: Lautaro's foul on Zaccagni deserved a yellow card. If it had, Zaccagni shouldn't have left the pitch. Not only did he not issue a yellow card, he forced Zaccagni off the pitch, and we almost conceded a goal from that side. Even Padre Pio would have gotten angry."

  Instead of booking the Argentine forward, the referee showed a yellow card to Sarri for expressing his frustration at the sequence of events. "I don't see any referees up to the task, including tonight's. I hope Serie A can get the help of referees from abroad; they need to be 'rented' there," he said.

  He added: "We're paying for something inside the box. We had a few chances, but it's not easy. What positives do I take away? This is a team that's improving. After the first goal, the team recovered and stayed in the game until the end. Let's start again with this mentality."

• Sarri stops short of blaming referee for Inter loss

  Sarri admitted that Inter were the better side in the game as he held off of blaming the officials for his team's defeat, saying: "The referee didn't influence the result. Inter played better than us and would have won regardless of who officiated. When you enter San Siro and concede a goal after two minutes, it becomes tough. We wobbled but got back into the game. We had our chances. It wasn't a disastrous match. It's frustrating because the two goals came from two simple turnovers: the first near the box, the second right after we regained the ball. Perhaps these errors favour the more technical team, but it leaves a bitter taste. The performance was decent.

  "We pay for the technical gap; we'll see if we can close it as much as possible. We don't have a traditional striker. Our forwards have other characteristics. The only one could be Castellanos, who can handle himself well in the box; the others play the role differently. Right now, we're paying for that in the area, yet coming to San Siro we still had two or three scoring chances, which isn't easy."

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Two successive Milan games await Lazio

  Lazio currently sit ninth in the Serie A standings, having accumulated four wins and three draws in 11 games so far. The defeat to Inter was also their first loss since September, when they went down to Roma. With no continental football this season, Lazio are solely focused on Serie A, trying their best to utilise this season to head back to the European competitions. They will resume action on November 23 against Lecce and then take on Milan in successive games across the domestic league and the Coppa Italia on November 29 and December 4, respectively.

  Sarri is hoping that he will be able to enhance his squad in the January transfer window, saying: "They haven't told me yet whether the transfer market is open or not. I think the market is open, but I'm waiting for the official announcement and then we'll make the various decisions as necessary."

Derbyshire four-down at the close with an uphill battle awaiting them

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay31-Jul-2025Derbyshire 377 (Andersson 105, Chahal 6-118) and 52 for 4 trail Northamptonshire 550 for 9 dec (Broad 171, Keogh 125*) by 121 runsAllrounder Justin Broad hit a brilliant 171, his second score in excess of 150 this month amid a Northamptonshire run-fest against Derbyshire at Wantage Road as the hosts racked up a mammoth 550 for nine declared.Returning from a wrist injury, Broad struck 18 fours and a six, following his maiden first-class ton, 157 not out at Canterbury at the beginning of July. On a day of records, his 171 was the highest score ever made by a number seven from any team against Derbyshire.With Rob Keogh also striking an excellent unbeaten 125, the pair put on 208, the highest seventh-wicket partnership for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire as the visitors’ attack wilted in the afternoon sunshine.Luis Reece was the pick of Derbyshire’s bowlers, finishing with figures of three for 114.Northamptonshire declared 173 ahead and reduced Derbyshire to 52 for four at stumps, Indian legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal picking up two wickets in two balls. It leaves the visitors with a mountain to climb on a pitch offering turn and bounce, still trailing by 121 at the end of day three of this Rothesay County Championship fixture.Earlier, resuming on 265 for five, Broad and George Bartlett extended their sixth-wicket partnership to 127, also the highest for Northamptonshire against Derbyshire. But after posting 66, his highest score this season, Bartlett was trapped lbw by a Ben Aitchison delivery which nipped back and kept low.Broad and Keogh though looked relatively untroubled by a lacklustre Derbyshire bowling display throughout the morning as they focused on building a partnership and taking a first innings lead, picking up a handful of boundaries along the way. Broad, 64 overnight, deployed the pull against Zak Chappell and on drove handsomely, while Keogh swept and reverse swept against Joe Hawkins’ spin.Broad lunched nervously on 99, but despite flashing outside off stump against Martin Andersson after the break, he took a single off Hawkins to celebrate his first century at home.With the scoring rate accelerating, Keogh drove Andersson sweetly through midwicket to reach his second successive half-century off 112 balls and crunched Andersson through extra cover to bring up the 100 partnership and put Northamptonshire ahead. Broad then punched Blair Tickner down the ground for another boundary.Derbyshire plugged away, trying several short-term experiments to try to force a breakthrough. Andersson bowled consistently wide outside off-stump to Broad, while Aitchison reverted to bowling spin. Then for Chappell, three fielders were stationed in the area between mid-on and short midwicket.But Northamptonshire’s batters continued unabated, Keogh cutting Tickner to backward point to bring up the 150-partnership before passing the previous highest seventh-wicket stand (163) by Josh Cobb and David Willey at Derby in 2015.Frequent Northamptonshire milestones continued to keep the public address announcer busy, Keogh turning Andersson away for two to bring up his century, Broad taking a single next ball off Hawkins to reach his 150.In a scrappy passage of play before tea, Derbyshire’s tired fielders shelled three catches, but picked up one vital wicket in between. First, Keogh, on 101, swept Hawkins firmly to short midwicket where Madsen put down a straightforward chance. Then after Broad smashed Reece through extra cover, Caleb Jewell dropped one at backward point off an attempted reverse sweep.Undeterred, Broad and Keogh celebrated their 200 partnership, Broad swinging Reece for six into the sightscreen as Northamptonshire accelerated further. Broad’s 273-ball knock finally ended though when he hit Reece down the ground again but was caught just inside the ropes.George Scrimshaw won an immediate reprieve when Aitchinson failed to hold a one-handed grab at first slip off Reece. But his intentions were evident as he quickly went on the offensive against Hawkins.Tickner struck after tea castling Scrimshaw with a full and straight delivery, but Keogh found good support from Liam Guthrie (22), Northamptonshire declaring when Hawkins had the Australian caught hitting down the ground.Derbyshire’s reply started ominously when Jewell flashed outside off, Ricardo Vasconcelos snatching the ball at first slip.Promoted to opener Zak Chappell made 22 before Chahal’s double strike. First Chappell reverse swept straight to backward point, then Harry Came was lbw playing back to a slider. Finally skipper Wayne Madsen edged Keogh to Broad at first slip to further compound Derbyshire’s woes.

Old Firm weeks are never quiet in Glasgow, but this one has been off the scale.

On Monday night, completely out of the blue, Brendan Roders resigned as Celtic manager, not the first time he has abruptly departed the club, despite reiterating “without any avoidance of doubt, I will be here next year 200%” following last season’s Premiership title was clinched at Tannadice in April.

However, in the intervening six months, plenty has clearly changed, with owner Dermot Desmond releasing a scathing statement against Rodgers following his resignation, blaming him for creating a ‘toxic atmosphere around the club that had fuelled hostility towards members of the executive team’ and describing the manager’s actions as ‘divisive, misleading, and self-serving’.

Fair to say, he’s probably not returning for a third time!

With Martin O’Neill back in interim charge for now, ahead of Sunday’s Glasgow derby at Hampden, all eyes are on who will be the next appointment, so should the board target a manager currently coaching in the Champions League?

Whether Ange Postecoglou could return to Celtic

Of course, the populist appointment would be to re-hire Ange Postecoglou.

The Australian is out of work following his ill-fated 39 days in charge of Nottingham Forest, but is still ultra-popular in Glasgow’s East End, having won five trophies across two seasons in charge of the club, turning the team around after Rangers had won the Premiership title by 25 points the year before.

However, Lyall Thomas of Sky Sports reports that a Postecoglou​​​​​​​ return to Parkhead is ‘very unlikely’ as he seeks to take a break from football, but would he actually be the right appointment anyway?

Well, Celtic do love re-hiring managers, with Neil Lennon, Rodgers and now O’Neill all given second stints; since 2000, only seven men have managed Celtic, three of which have had multiple spells.

However, despite Europa League glory in May, thereby ending Spurs’ infamous trophy draught, Postecoglou’s reputation may be seriously damaged, considering he’s lost 31 of his last 48 Premier League matches, accumulating just 45 points across this period, his teams conceding 91 goals.

So, rather than looking to the past, seeking to recapture former glories, Desmond, Peter Lawwell​​​​​​​ and Michael Nicholson should look forwards and target a “workaholic”.

Celtic should target Champions League-level manager

Plenty of managers have been linked with the vacancy in the past few days, including Kieran McKenna, Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy and Kjetil Knutsen, but Nicky Hayen is surely the outstanding candidate on the radar so far.

As per the aforementioned Sky Sports report, Hayen is a figure that the Parkhead hierarchy are currently ‘tracking’, albeit with it yet to be seen if they will be able to prise him mid-season.

The 45-year-old has been a coach for over a decade, holding a variety of managerial and assistant roles, including briefly being the manager of Haverfordwest County​​​​​​​ in the Cymru Premier, winning six of 11 games in charge of the Bluebirds from Pembrokeshire.

He then took the job as Club Brugge’s youth team manager, before becoming their senior head coach on an interim basis when former Celtic boss Ronny Deila was sacked in March 2024.

Well, during his caretaker stint, he won nine of 14 matches, losing only once, leading the Blue-Blacks to the Conference League semi-finals and clinching the Jupiler Pro League title on the final day.

This earned him the job on a permanent basis, and his record at Jan Breydelstadion is very impressive.

Hayen at Club Brugge

Stats

Hayen at Brugge

Matches

93

Wins

57

Draws

19

Defeats

17

Goals scored

183

Goals conceded

100

League points

132

League points per game

2.13

2024/25 league finish

2nd

UCL matches

15

UCL wins

6

UCL best finish

Round of 16

All stats via Transfermarkt

As the table notes, since winning the Belgian league title during his interim spell, he has continued to rack up domestic victories, beating Anderlecht 2-1 in May’s Coupe de Belgique Final in Brussels, albeit they were pipped to the league title by Royale Union Saint-Gilloise​​​​​​​ on the final day.

Meantime, in the Champions League, thanks to wins over Sturm Graz, Aston Villa and Sporting, as well as a hotly-contested 1-1 draw at Parkhead, Club Brugge reached the knockout stages last season, springing a major surprise by dumping out Atalanta, before eventually falling at Villa Park in the round of 16.

All of this has earned Hayen high praise, with Rob Edwards, chairman of Haverfordwest, labelling him a “workaholic”, adding that he favours a possession-based style, delighted that his club is associated with ‘undoubtedly one of the hottest properties in the world of football’.

Meantime, Will Unwin of the Guardian documents how Hayen does ‘not change his philosophy’, wanting to ‘keep the ball and pass through opponents’, with Jack Chippendale of Total Football Analysis praising his tactical masterclass in Bergamo last year.

To start this Champions League campaign, Club Brugge claimed a result Celtic supporters would have enjoyed, demolishing Rangers 9-1 on aggregate in the play-off round, before commencing the league phase with a 4-1 annihilation of Monaco.

​​​​​This European pedigree will certainly catch the eye of the decision makers at Celtic Park, considering the Hoops’ lack of continental victories over the last two decades and more.

Of course, getting Hayen out of Brugge certainly will not be easy, especially mid-season, but this would surely be a slam-dunk appointment, with the 45 year old very much on the up, while the same surely cannot be said of Postecoglou, despite how popular he will forever be.

Related Rodgers upgrade: Celtic have "kamikaze" title-winning manager on the radar

Celtic have a manager on their radar who could come in as a big upgrade on Brendan Rodgers.

Posts ByDan Emery Oct 29, 2025

India’s Test captain Shubman Gill will lead North Zone in the 2025-26 Duleep Trophy, which will kick off the domestic season in Bengaluru later this month.Seamers Anshul Kamboj and Arshdeep Singh, who were recently part of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, were also named in the North Zone squad. Harshit Rana, who made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year, will add more depth to North Zone’s seam attack.However, if Gill, Arshdeep or Harshit get picked in India’s squad for the Asia Cup, Shubham Rohilla, Gurnoor Brar and Anuj Thakral will replace them for the Duleep Trophy. The Asia Cup, which will run from September 9 to September 28 will overlap with the Duleep Trophy, which will start on August 28, with the final scheduled between September 11 and 15.Ankit Kumar, who was the top scorer for Haryana with 574 runs in 14 innings at an average of nearly 59 in the previous Ranji Trophy season, was appointed North Zone’s vice-captain. His Haryana team-mate Nishant Sindhu, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder, also found a place in the squad.Apart from Harshit Rana, Yash Dhull, the former India Under-19 World Cup-winning captain, and Ayush Badoni are the only Delhi players in the squad. The trio is currently in action in the second season of the Delhi Premier League T20 tournament.Related

• Kuldeep, Khaleel in Jurel-led Central Zone squad for Duleep Trophy

• Tilak Varma to lead South Zone

• Iyer, Sarfaraz in West Zone squad

• Mohammed Shami in East Zone squad

Five players from Jammu & Kashmir made the cut for the Duleep Trophy, including opener Shubham Khajuria and seamer Auqib Nabi, who was the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy, with 44 wickets in eight matches at an outstanding average of 13.93.Services’ Ravi Chauhan and Chandigarh’s Nishunk Birla are among the stand-bys.The Duleep Trophy has reverted to its traditional format of a zonal contest after a season where four teams – A, B, C and D – comprising players in the Test fray were picked by the Ajit Agarkar-led senior men’s selection committee. Teams for this year’s tournament will be picked by zonal selection committees, comprising one member from each of the state sides from the zone.North Zone will play the domestic season’s opening game against East Zone from August 28 at the Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

North Zone squad

Shubman Gill (capt), Shubham Khajuria, Ankit Kumar (vice-capt), Ayush Badoni, Yash Dhull, Ankit Kalsi, Nishant Sindhu, Sahil Lotra, Mayank Dagar, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Anshul Kamboj, Auqib Nabi, Kanhaiya Wadhawan (wk)Replacements: Shubham Rohilla to replace Gill, Gurnoor Brar to replace Arshdeep and Anuj Thakral to replace Harshit in case of any India commitments during the tournament.Stand-bys: Shubham Arora, Jaskaranvir Singh Paul, Ravi Chauhan, Abid Mushtaq, Nishunk Birla, Umar Nazir, Divesh Sharma