When Gian Piero Gasperini was unveiled as Roma's new coach back in June, he made a point of repeatedly stating that his first objective was getting the fans onside. The former Atalanta coach may have worked miracles in Bergamo but he's always been a bit of a divisive figure, so his appointment certainly wasn't met with universal approval among the supporters.
Truth be told, they would have preferred to see local legend Claudio Ranieri continue as coach for another year. However, Ranieri refused to reverse his retirement in order to take up a directorial role with the club and felt that the infamously gruff Gasperini was precisely the kind of character required to revive Roma.
"I didn't like him [when I was a coach]," Ranieri revealed with typical honesty, "and I told him so, but he was chosen because I am convinced that Rome needs a strong personality, a coach who is never satisfied, who is always angry, who wants to improve the team, the individual.
"I will be a friend for him, I will be on one side and if he needs something, we will try to solve problems together. He's aware of the difficulties we will encounter but if I had stayed, I would have lost a year of time for the construction; he was called to build something that can bear fruit.
"That won't be easy, of course, but that's why we offered him a year to make himself understood." Happily for everyone involved, Gasperini has needed less than six months to win over the fans by cooking up a surprise Scudetto challenge…
The first sign of Gasperini's killer counters
An hour into Sunday's Serie A clash with Cremonese, Roma were 1-0 up and going top of the table – not that you would have known that from Gasperini's demeanour. He'd been on edge pretty much all afternoon, irked by the decision-making of the match officials, and, in the 62nd minute, he was sent off.
Unsurprisingly, Gasperini lost it and, rather amusingly, he argued afterwards that if he was going to be dismissed, it should have been in the first half rather than the second. Indeed, when he was issued two yellow cards in a matter of seconds just after the hour mark, an irate Gasperini insisted that, in that particular moment, he hadn't actually said anything insulting towards the referee or his assistants.
However, Gasperini's rage quickly dissipated. While he was still reluctantly making his way to the stand, substitute Evan Ferguson scored his first goal for the club. Five minutes after that, a visibly ecstatic Gasperini was out of his seat and slapping colleagues after Wesley finished off the kind of killer counterattack with which the 67-year-old had enjoyed such remarkable success at Atalanta.
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The wizard of Rome
By the time the moment came to speak to the press after a 3-1 win that moved Roma two points clear at the summit of Serie A, Gasperini was all smiles – and particularly when he was shown images of a piece of street art that appeared in the Italian capital last week depicting him as a wizard concocting a title challenge with 'grit, heart and sweat'.
"That's wonderful but disconcerting!" Gasperini joked in his post-match interview with . "The ingredients are fantastic, though, and I agree they are the things that we need. Maybe we can also add a little spice and salt." With Gasperini as coach, that shouldn't be too much of a problem. Keeping a lid on the fans' expectations represents a tougher task.
What's interesting, though, is that Gasperini isn't really trying to rain on anyone's parade. He's actually preaching positivity, looking to ride rather than quell the wave of optimism generated by Roma's best start to a season for 10 years.
"We want to keep playing like this," Gasperini said on Sunday. "It's only right to dream in these positions, while at the same time being aware that very few dreams come true in the end. However, we're trying to keep the dream going for a while longer."
Getty Images Sport
Continuing Ranieri's good work
The good news for Roma's long-suffering supporters, some of whom weren't even alive when they last won the Scudetto (2001), is that we've already seen enough evidence to suggest that the Gasperini-led title challenge is at least sustainable.
As Ranieri alluded to, nobody anticipated an especially smooth transition from last season to this. Gasperini is a notoriously demanding coach, he has been known to clash with unwilling workers, and it usually takes some time for his methods to take root.
There was, therefore, a fear that his spell at Roma would go the same way as his last stint at one of Italy's biggest clubs, when he was sacked after just five games in charge of Inter all the way back in 2011.
However, Gasperini has done a sensational job building upon the excellent platform put in place by Ranieri, who took over with the Giallorossi in total disarray last November and led the club to a fifth-place finish, after losing just once in the second half of the season.
As a result, Roma have retained a base level of organisation and commitment that has allowed them to continue eking out wins. Indeed, across Europe's 'big five' leagues, only Real Madrid (23) have won more matches by a single-goal margin in 2025 than the Giallorossi (20).
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A surprisingly strong defence
Roma have also kept clean sheets in half of their 12 Serie A games so far, and conceded just six goals – fewer than anyone else in Italy's top flight thanks to the likes of veteran centre-back Gianluca Mancini, goalkeeper Mile Svilar and midfield duo Manu Kone and Bryan Cristante, who are both doing an excellent job of protecting the three-man backline.
However, to say that the excellent defensive record is surprising would be a massive understatement, as Gasperini's Atalanta were renowned – and revered – for their offensive game, which was significantly aided by the willingness to go one-v-one at the back.
Gasperini even brought up his adventurous approach in his first press conference as Roma boss. "I don’t think it's any secret, everyone knows what kind of football I like," he said. "My style of play reflects my own characteristics.
"My teams have always played in a certain way, with intensity and quality, scoring a lot of goals, always focused on scoring one more rather than conceding one fewer."
And yet 10th-placed Udinese are the only team in the top half of Serie A to have scored few goals (12) than the current league leaders (15).
Chopra: Very little the bowlers could do against Abhishek
Pakistan’s Saim Ayub is the new No. 1 allrounder in men’s T20Is while India opener Abhishek Sharma has broken the record for highest rating points, extending his lead at the top of the men’s T20I batting charts.Ayub moved up four places to the top of the allrounder rankings, pushing India’s Hardik Pandya down to No. 2. Ayub took eight wickets in six innings and went at only 6.40 per over in the Asia Cup, although he scored only 37 runs in seven innings. Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi dropped one position to third while Nepal’s Dipendra Singh Airee and Zimbabwe’s Sikandar Raza complete the top five.Abhishek, who was already leading the batting rankings, reached 931 rating points after his half-century against Sri Lanka. He has surpassed Dawid Malan’s previous best mark of 919 rating points in 2020. Abhishek, who only debuted last year, finished the Asia Cup with 314 runs at an average of 44.85 and a strike-rate of 200 to clinch the Player-of-the-Tournament award.Full rankings tables
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Abhishek has an 82-point lead over England’s Phil Salt, who is second, with India’s Tilak Varma third. Jos Buttler remains at fourth while Pathum Nissanka moved up to No. 5 after scoring 261 runs in the Asia Cup.Among bowlers, Varun Chakravarthy retained the No.1 spot after taking seven wickets in the Asia Cup. Kuldeep Yadav rose nine places to 12th after his 17-wicket haul in the tournament. Shaheen Afridi jumped 12 spots to joint-13th, and Bangladesh’s Rishad Hossain advanced six places to 20th.
SEATTLE — The most dangerous hitter in the Detroit Tigers lineup has never hit 30 homers, driven in 70 runs or made an All-Star team. Injuries and left-handed pitchers have kept Kerry Carpenter from elite statistical thresholds and acclaim. But don’t do what the Seattle Mariners did in Game 1 of the ALDS: overlook him.
Carpenter is a career .507 slugger who mashes high fastballs. This year he slugged .571 against high fastballs (at least 33 inches off the ground), the 12th best mark among hitters who saw at least 350 such heaters—ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Jose Ramirez and Cal Raleigh.
“One thing about Carp,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, “is he can be streaky. But no matter what, he’s looking to get off his A swing. Even if it’s two strikes, he can do damage. And that’s why he is so dangerous.”
The Mariners did not respect the danger ever present in Carpenter’s bat, and that is why they suffered a brutally painful 3–2 loss Saturday. They burned their closer for six outs and still lost, knowing they are staring at seeing the best pitcher on the planet, Tarik Skubal, two of the next four possible games, including Game 2 Sunday. Ouch.
Yes, a 73-mph, 15-hop single from Zach McKinstry plated the winning run in the 11th inning, a run set up by two egregious mistakes by Seattle reliever Carlos Vargas at such a juncture: a leadoff walk and a wild pitch.
But it was one swing by Carpenter that changed everything, a swing that should never have been permitted by the Mariners. Seattle manager Dan Wilson, running his first postseason game, held a 1–0 lead in the fifth with one on, two outs and first base open with George Kirby on the mound. Wilson had his best lefty, Gabe Speier, up in the pen with Carpenter due to bat with another lefty, Riley Greene, behind him.
Wilson sent pitching coach Pete Woodworth to the mound for a conversation with Kirby.
“Yes, in the back of my mind I thought they weren’t going to pitch to me,” Carpenter said, adding with a laugh, “Maybe my first two at-bats convinced them.”
Hinch had set a trap for Wilson by batting Greene and Carpenter back-to-back. By showing he will pitch-hit for either one with lefty masher Jahmai Jones, Hinch puts the onus on the other manager early in a game. No matter what option you choose, Hinch will have the platoon advantage.
Wilson chose to have Kirby pitch to Carpenter, even though Carpenter had four home runs in 10 at-bats against Kirby. Even though Carpenter is a high fastball hitter.
“Yeah. It’s a tough one,” Wilson said, “and you do the best you can and try to take the information that you have and what you’re seeing. And we thought George continued to throw the ball pretty well there and still had pretty good stuff and a lot left in the tank, and he had been in a couple of tough spots earlier, but really pitched out of it well.”
Kirby, a high-fastball pitcher, has the stuff to better attack Greene, not Carpenter.
“With Carpenter,” Wilson said, “you're trying to keep it down in the zone or trying to get him to chase up in the zone.”
Said Carpenter: “I always feel like the more I face people, the more opportunity I have to have success. And so yeah, I was hoping to get another opportunity off him.”
Mariners pitcher George Kirby has struggled mightily against Tigers slugger Kerry Carpenter. / Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
Kirby opened with a slider in the zone that Carpenter fouled. The next pitch was an elevated sinker that was inside but was mistakenly called a strike.
“That ball called a strike probably changed the at-bat,” Carpenter said.
Now the count was 0-and-2. Carpenter had one homer all year after falling behind 0-and-2. It was easy now for Wilson and Kirby to throw caution aside and think they could finish him off.
Kirby missed with a sinker in. He decided to throw a third straight fastball. This one headed straight to Carpenter’s power zone: elevated over the plate. Carpenter crushed it harder than any home run he’s ever hit in his life: 112.5 mph.
He has hit only two home runs at 110 mph or harder, both in the postseason: one off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase last season (110.8) and this one off Kirby (112.5), his fifth home run in 11 at-bats against the righthander.
“That’s what Carp does in the postseason,” McKinstry said. Carpenter has a postseason slash line of .294/.385/.500.
You simply cannot lose a lead by letting Kirby throw another elevated fastball to Carpenter. You knew that going into the game.
Carpenter typifies what the Tigers are about. Other than Skubal, they are low on star power. They strike out way too much. In Game 1 they became only the fifth team to win a postseason game with 16 strikeouts over 11 innings or less. They went 2-for-18 with runners on base, with eight of those at-bats ending with strikeouts. Empty at-bats galore.
And yet they won the game on swings from Carpenter and McKinstry. They used eight pitchers, the last of whom, Keider Montero, secured a save for the first time since pitching for the while playing Little League ball in Venezuela.
“I don’t pay attention to the name on the back,” Montero said after dispatching Randy Arozarena, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor for the save. “No matter when I pitch, I attack.”
Detroit, with all the strikeouts in its lineup and not enough whiffs in its bullpen, somehow is the best team in baseball at winning one-run games (23–12).
The Tigers became the first team to lose five straight series entering the postseason and advance. The wild-card Game 3 win restored their confidence. The dread of blowing a 15.5-game lead to Cleveland and the potential of being sent home by Cleveland has been replaced with the swagger they had in the first half after eliminating the Guardians. Their airways are fully open again. The Tigers are dangerous again, and not just on the days Skubal pitches.
يخوض فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي مباراة في دوري أبطال أوروبا 2025-2026، مساء اليوم الثلاثاء حيث يواجه نظيره إنتر ميلان الإيطالي.
ويستقبل إنتر ميلان خصمه ليفربول على ملعب “جوزيبي مياتزا” ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة لمرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويعاني ليفربول بشكل واضح هذا الموسم تحت قيادة مديره الفني آرني سلوت، وفشل في الحفاظ على تقدمه أمام ليدز يونايتد في الجولة الماضية بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وحسمت المباراة بالتعادل الإيجابي 3-3.
وزادت الأمور توترًا بعد التصريحات التي أدلى بها نجم الفريق محمد صلاح، والتي أبدى من خلالها اعتراضه على وضعه الحالي في ليفربول، لجلوسه بديلاً في ثلاث مباريات متتالية بالبريميرليج، واتهم النادي بالتخلي عنه، كما أشار لانقطاع علاقته بالمدرب آرني سلوت.
وقام سلوت باستبعاد محمد صلاح من قائمة ليفربول للمباراة أمام إنتر ميلان، بحسب ما أعلن النادي مساء الإثنين.
ويحتل ليفربول المركز 13 في دوري أبطال أوروبا برصيد 9 نقاط، وقد تعرض للهزيمة في مباراتين بمرحلة الدوري، ويأتي إنتر ميلان في المركز الرابع بجدول الترتيب بـ 12 نقطة. موعد مباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان اليوم
تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت مصر، الحادية عشر مساءً بتوقيت السعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان اليوم
تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD 1. معلق مباراة ليفربول وإنتر ميلان اليوم
يعلق على المباراة، عصام الشوالي.
ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.
Mookie Betts captured his fourth World Series ring on Saturday night thanks to him leading a double play in the 11th inning to have the Dodgers beat the Blue Jays 5-4.
The six-time Gold Glove award winner put his skills to the test in the last few innings of Game 7 on Saturday. Betts admitted he was “nervous” the last few innings, especially knowing how much weight he had on his shoulders to produce a major play. And, the shortstop succeeded by getting an out at second from a ground ball, and then throwing the ball to Freddie Freeman at first to get the second out to win the title.
Betts described the “positive reinforcements” he gave himself during this crucial play.
“That ninth inning, that was probably the most nervous I’ve ever been on a baseball field. Man, I’ve never done it. I never did it in Game 7 of the World Series,” Betts told the MLB Network crew after the game. “I mean, literally, I was talking to myself that whole—as Yoshi [Yoshinobu Yamamoto] was throwing the ball, I was literally talking to myself like ‘Be nasty, Mook. Be nasty right now.’”
Here’s a full video of the Dodgers’ final play to seal the victory.
Betts scored one of the runs on Saturday night in the sixth inning after he was walked. Over the course of Los Angeles’s postseason this year, Betts averaged .229/.333/.314, while producing 16 hits, four runs and eight RBIs.
O atacante Alan, ex-Fluminense e campeão Brasileiro em 2010, voltou a ser convocado para a seleção da China. Atualmente no Qingdao West Coast, o jogador se naturalizou em 2019 para defender o país asiático e retorna a lista após estar ausente desde fevereiro de 2022. Os jogos acontecem no dia 6 e 11 de junho contra Tailândia e Coréia do Sul, válidos pelas eliminatórias asiáticas para Copa do Mundo de 2026.
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– Motivado e feliz pelo reconhecimento do trabalho nesse retorno promissor ao futebol chinês pelo Qingdao. Seguir focado para entregar sempre o melhor em campo agora pela Seleção e avançarmos de fase nas eliminatórias – disse o atacante, que anotou cinco gols e contribuiu com duas assistências nessa temporada.
Alan tem larga carreira na China, com passagens por Tianjin Tianhai e Beijin Guoan, mas foi no Ghangzhou Evergrande que teve grande destaque. Por lá, conquistou os prinpais títulos do país e do continente, incluindo a Super Liga Chinesa, Copa da China, Supercopa da China e Liga dos Campeões da Ásia. Pelo Fluminense, o jogador teve duas passagens e soma 101 jogos e 29 gols, além dos títulos do Brasileirão de 2010 e Carioca de 2023.
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Kagiso Rabada sustained a rib injury during South Africa’s first training session in India on Tuesday, which ended up ruling him out of the Eden Gardens Test on the morning of the match. No decision has been made on whether he will be available for the second Test, which starts in Guwahati next week.ESPNcricinfo has established that Rabada was taken for a scan the morning after injury occurred. However, he still attended Wednesday’s training session. The extent of his participation in that session is unclear, though. He did not take part in Thursday’s optional training – which is regular practice for many senior players – and underwent a fitness test before play began on Friday morning. After experiencing discomfort during the test, a late call was made, ruling Rabada out of the Test match.Corbin Bosch, who has played three Tests prior to this tour, was named in the XI in Rabada’s place. Bosch was also part of South Africa’s Test squad in Pakistan, but did not play in either of the matches on the tour. He is now one of three seamers in South Africa’s line-up for the first Test; the other two are Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder.South Africa do not have any other seamers in their squad, after Lungi Ngidi was left out of both the Pakistan and India series in a horses-for-courses approach to playing in the subcontinent. Despite Rabada’s injury, no replacement players have been called up to the squad yet.South Africa will play another Test, followed by three ODIs and five T20Is, over the next five weeks in India. The white-ball squads have not yet been announced, but it is expected that South Africa will select as close to a first-choice T20I squad as possible, with next year’s T20 World Cup in mind. Rabada is expected to be part of that T20I squad.
They have received plenty of stick for it over the years, but Chelsea’s transfer strategy is starting to pay off.
The likes of Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, Estevao, Enzo Fernández and Marc Cucurella all joined the Blues under the current ownership and have been exceptional.
However, it also has to be said that the club have made their fair share of dud signings over the last few years, with Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk among the most high-profile.
Unfortunately, there is a player in Enzo Maresca’s squad who could end up going down the same road, a player who has to be dropped ahead of this weekend’s game.
Sterling and Mudryk's Chelsea careers
Chelsea paid around £50m to sign Sterling from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, and while it’s easy to say that was a mistake today, it looked like pretty good business at the time.
After all, he was a multiple league winner, still just 27 years old, and in 339 appearances for the Citizens, had scored 131 goals and provided 86 assists.
Unfortunately, while he has certainly had moments of real brilliance with the Blues, they have only ever really been moments, and his tally of 19 goals and 15 assists in 81 games doesn’t really justify his mammoth weekly wage of £325k.
The West Londoners hoped that by sending him on loan to Arsenal last season, he’d put himself back in the shop window for a move away, but he ended up further damaging his reputation and is now stuck in the club’s ‘bomb squad.’
Unfortunately, the situation with Mudryk is even worse.
The Ukrainian international joined the Pensioners in January 2023 for a fee of up to £89m, and there was understandable excitement around the deal, helped in part by Arsenal’s failure to secure his services.
The hype only increased when, on debut, he came off the bench against Liverpool and looked electric, so much so that Gary Neville claimed that he “wouldn’t like to play against him!”
However, that performance ended up being something of a flash in the pan, as the 24-year-old ended the season with just two assists in 17 appearances.
The following campaign was not much better, as in 41 appearances, he scored just seven goals and provided four assists.
Mudryk’s Chelsea career
Appearances
73
Minutes
3612′
Goals
10
Assists
11
Goal Involvements per Match
0.28
Minutes per Goal Involvement
172′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Unfortunately, things somehow got even worse for the player and the club as he was provisionally suspended after failing a drugs test last December, and was then charged by the FA in June, which could see him handed a four-year ban.
Now, while Chelsea don’t have anyone in the team in danger of something that bad, they do have a previously hyped winger who is underperforming and needs to be dropped.
The Chelsea ace Maresca must axe
Unfortunately for Maresca, you could probably make an argument for why several players need to be dropped following Chelsea’s dire display against Leeds United.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
However, while the defence was obviously a massive problem, the attack was not much better.
Moreover, while he wasn’t the worst player on the pitch, far from it, to be fair, Jamie Gittens once again offered very little.
Last season, the then Borussia Dortmund star was scoring and assisting goals for fun, so much so that he ended the campaign with 17 goal involvements and was even labelled “England’s best left winger” by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley.
However, aside from the odd bit of skill here and there, the Stamford Bridge faithful have seen very little to get excited about from the 21-year-old, so much so, in fact, that one analyst has gone as far as calling him a “pointless signing.”
Gittens’ recent league form
Season
24/25
25/26
Appearances
32
11
Minutes
1784′
401′
Goals
8
0
Assists
4
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.37
0.18
Minutes per Goal Involvement
148.66′
200.5′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
Now, that is almost certainly too far at this point in the season, but with just one goal and five assists in 17 games for the West Londoners, it’s not hard to see where he is coming from, especially considering how hyped Sterling and Mudryk were before they arrived and eventually disappointed.
So, with all that said and a must-win game against Bournemouth this afternoon, Maresca has to take the Englishman out of the team.
Granted, the other options are not ideal either, but at least Alejandro Garnacho has more league goal involvements in fewer games.
Moreover, the manager could return to the winger pairing of Pedro Neto and Estevao, which did reasonably well against Arsenal.
Ultimately, while there is still plenty of time for Gittens to make good on his vast potential, it is hard not to think of the likes of Sterling and Mudryk when watching him struggle to stamp his authority on games.
Chelsea hold talks with defender's camp as Moises Caicedo offers thoughts on signing
The midfielder is playing a role in this potential transfer.
Penny for Alexander Isak’s thoughts? Liverpool’s record-breaking striker has been down by the wayside right since the summer, and the fans are desperate to see him recover his form and showcase that world-class quality.
Isak left Newcastle United for Anfield at the end of the summer transfer window, on strike throughout August following a breakdown in relations on Tyneside. It’s been a struggle ever since, with the lack of a pre-season and injury issues in recent months limiting him to just four Premier League starts so far.
This is all symptomatic of the deeper malaise at Arne Slot’s Liverpool. Slot’s Liverpool, last season’s dominant league champions, have been pants this year, with nine losses in their past 12 matches in all competitions.
Not good enough. Isak’s only goal came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, a competition the Merseysiders have since been dumped out of.
He will surely come good, but FSG will be anxiously waiting for proof that they have got bang for their buck. At the moment, Isak is offering less than Darwin Nunez before him.
Why Liverpool sold Darwin Nunez
Slot’s brand of football is built on structure and. Both he and Jurgen Klopp subscribe to attacking play, but where the German enjoys heavy metal, Slot is more of a purveyor of smooth jazz.
That was last season, though, with the Reds having left so much to desire this season. Liverpool are so tactically imbalanced, lacking the control of last season.
It’s for this reason that Nunez was sold. Wasteful in front of goal, yes, the Uruguayan was also erratic and mercurial, and given that Slot only started him once in the Premier League after Boxing Day, it’s clear he did not view him as the answer.
25/26(Al-Hilal
10 (6)
5 (2)
24/25 – Liverpool
47 (17)
7 + 7
23/24 – Liverpool
54 (33)
18 + 15
22/23 – Liverpool
42 (26)
15 + 4
21/22 – Benfica
41 (32)
34 + 4
So, it would not be that bold to assume that selling Nunez to Al-Hilal and replacing him with a clinical superstar like Isak was done with a view toward giving Liverpool more accuracy and presence in the final third.
It’s worth stressing that Isak is anticipated to be a success at Anfield. He is too good – and proven in the Premier League – not to click into gear.
But, as journalist David Lynch put it earlier in November, Isak is “offering Liverpool less than Darwin Nunez did” at the same stage last season, and that will certainly need to change going forward.
There is still full anticipation that the Sweden international will be a success story at the club, though, but the same can’t be said for another of Liverpool’s summer recruits, who has so much to prove after a wretched start to the season.
Liverpool's new version of Nunez
In fairness, Nunez scored on his Liverpool debut against Manchester City in the Community Shield. He posted a goal and an assist off the bench on his Premier League debut, a draw at Fulham.
Darwin Nunez looks frustrated for Liverpool
But, ultimately, the 26-year-old’s erraticness and his inability to conform to Klopp and then Slot’s tactical systems led to his sale.
Now, Liverpool may have landed their new version of the South American, and not in Isak, but Milos Kerkez, who completed a £40m move from Bournemouth to the Anfield club this summer.
Kerkez, 22, was named as a part of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for 2024/25, exceptional on the south coast. That fine form is a world away from what Liverpool fans have witnessed over the past three months, with journalist Jean Paul Schiberras claiming he “looks like he has never played football before” in Slot’s set-up.
Following the defeat to PSV, content creator Mark Goldbridge remarked that Kerkez has been “such a bad signing” for Slot’s team. It was a collective shambles on Wednesday evening, but the Hungary international was culpable for lackadaisical defending as the visitors surged forward and took the lead in the second half.
It is incomprehensible to think that Kerkez simply doesn’t have what it takes to play for Liverpool. Last season, he was arguably the best left-back in the league, such a ferocious mix of power and athleticism and energy.
But he is lacking, as it were, street smarts. Kerkez has the skills to succeed at a club like Liverpool, but too often he has suffered from poor decision-making, lacking the awareness and positioning to read danger and ensure he is one, two, three steps ahead.
Matches (starts)
38 (38)
11 (10)
Goals
2
1
Assists
5
0
Touches*
59.6
50.8
Accurate passes*
28.6 (80%)
27.9 (86%)
Chances created*
1.0
0.6
Dribble (success)*
0.6
0.3
Recoveries*
4.7
2.8
Tackles + interceptions*
2.6
1.6
Clearances*
2.6
3.3
Duels won*
4.0 (54%)
3.6 (61%)
Errors made
4x
2x
This is why he is an endangered member of this squad. This is why he faces the potential of leaving with a reputation akin to Nunez, brimming with quality but arriving as a young and uncut gem, ultimately failing to bring it all together.
Is he a liability in this team? Perhaps so. It is useful to use Andy Robertson as a yardstick for the conundrum: last season, the Scotsman was clearly on the decline; a left-back was clearly a priority for FSG to sort out. But there are many calls now for the vice-captain to restore a nailed-down starting berth.
Slot has started using the 31-year-old more frequently, yes, but he has only started two of 12 Premier League fixtures this season, one of which includes the comprehensive 2-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this month.
Described as a “nervous wreck” by pundit Jamie Carragher, it’s clear that Kerkez is feeling the weight of moving to one of the world’s largest outfits. It doesn’t help that Slot’s tactics have proved so dysfunctional this term.
But left-back was a glaring weakness at Liverpool last year, and with Kostas Tsimikas out on loan and Robertson winding down, things have only gotten worse for the champions.
In this, Kerkez is becoming a major problem, a liability as concerning as Nunez was.
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Eddie Howe is now set to be without one of his Newcastle United mainstays following another injury blow, according to recent reports.
Howe admits he needs "to think" about Pope decision
Defeat against Marseille in midweek was a setback, but Newcastle have the chance to at least make it back-to-back victories in the Premier League against Everton this weekend. The Magpies were excellent against Manchester City last week and will be desperate to commence a domestic resurgence.
If they are to do that, however, then Howe may have a big decision to make regarding his starting goalkeeper. Following yet another mistake from Nick Pope in midweek, many have been calling for the Newcastle boss to turn to Aaron Ramsdale and the Newcastle boss has now had his say.
Since signing Ramsdale from Southampton in a deal worth £27m in the summer, the Magpies have handed the shot-stopper just one appearance in the Premier League, which came from the bench following Pope’s injury against Brentford.
Now, however, the England international could finally get the chance he’s been waiting for following one mistake too many from Newcastle’s No.1.
He won’t be the only defensive change if he comes in, either. Newcastle will be without Kieran Trippier against Everton this weekend after he picked up an untimely injury.
Kieran Trippier set for spell on Newcastle sidelines
As reported by the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Trippier will now miss the next four weeks of action after suffering a hamstring injury. The Newcastle mainstay has started eight of 12 Premier League games this season, but will now miss his side’s next seven fixtures in all competitions as the chaos of festive football arrives.
Everton vs Newcastle
29/11/2025
Premier League
Newcastle vs Tottenham
02/12/2025
Premier League
Newcastle vs Burnley
06/12/2025
Premier League
Bayer Leverkusen vs Newcastle
10/12/2025
UCL
Sunderland vs Newcastle
14/12/2025
Premier League
Newcastle vs Fulham
17/12/2025
EFL Cup
Newcastle vs Chelsea
20/12/2025
Premier League
The biggest of those seven games will undoubtedly be the Tyne-Wear derby in December. It’s the first time that Newcastle and Sunderland will meet in the Premier League since 2017, but the Magpies will be without one of their most experienced men.
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Dubbed “incredible” by Howe last season, Trippier is still one of the leaders in the Newcastle dressing room and has done well to keep hold of his place at times, but will now ultimately miss a crucial stage of the campaign.
Bigger liability than Pope: Howe must finally bin Newcastle "legend"