Tag Futebol

Harmanpreet Kaur put together a magnificent century, capped off by stunning late acceleration, in a near-perfect batting display

S Sudarshanan22-Sep-2022The wide-eyed, wry smile perhaps told a tale.Harmanpreet Kaur had just managed a last-minute crouch, enough to connect a pull off a short ball from Lauren Bell that barely rose knee high. So good was the contact that it beat deep square leg to her right. The reaction was telling because she was bowled by a Sarah Glenn delivery that stayed low in the first T20I against England. But on Wednesday, the India captain was set, having already faced 46 balls until that point, and was up to the task.A flurry of cuts, pulls, slog-sweeps and scythes over the off side followed as Harmanpreet lit up Canterbury with some scintillating strokes to finish unbeaten on a monumental 143, thereby taking India to 333 for 5, which eventually proved 88 too many for England. It was India’s second score over 300 in ODIs this year, following the 317 for 8 against West Indies in the World Cup earlier this year.In fact, two of India’s four 300-plus totals in ODIs have come in 2022. And both of them have a common thread – a Harmanpreet century combined with a three-figure fourth-wicket stand.Related

• Harmanpreet 143*, Renuka four-for help India to unassailable 2-0 lead

• Harmanpreet: 'Victory sets up fitting farewell for Jhulan Goswami at Lord's'

Harmanpreet walked out to bat after Yastika Bhatia’s dismissal and soon saw a well-set Smriti Mandhana depart, leaving India at 99 for 3 at the start of the 19th over. At the time, it seemed as if yet again, India’s batting would let them down after the toss had gone against them. It had happened more recently in the T20I series decider and also in the World Cup against England.With Harmanpreet though, there’s now a sense of this being team, especially after assuming the captaincy across formats post Mithali Raj’s retirement. She commands more authority – not that she did not earlier – and the players seem to rally behind their fearless leader. And so, in company of Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet set about with the rebuilding task. India could score only 24 runs in the next seven overs as Harmanpreet guided Deol, who was playing just her sixth ODI. The run rate, that was well over five when the pair got together, dipped below 4.75.Deol likes to play the long game – get in early, get set and then accelerate, much like she had showed during the Senior Women’s One Day Challenger earlier in the year. Having crawled to 18 off 36, Deol tried breaking the shackles by stepping down to Kate Cross but only managing to chip one over mid-on, before truly doing so with a dab past backward point for four.She then showed her wares against spin – carting offspinner Charlie Dean inside-out over cover before slinking down and depositing left-arm spinner Sophie Ecclestone into the sightscreen – then notching up her maiden half-century in ODIs. In the interim, Harmanpreet used the crease well to flick Bell through midwicket before a slog sweep over the same region brought up her second successive fifty-plus score. In the 12 overs leading up to Deol’s dismissal, India had managed to score 76.Highest individual scores for India in women’s ODIs•ESPNcricinfo LtdWhile Harmanpreet’s first fifty came off 64 balls, the next fifty runs took only 36 balls coming. She picked the lengths early and almost made England bowl to her plans by using the crease well. Full and wide outside off, get across and smack it over the bowler; slower length ball outside off, move across and swipe it through square leg; full and fast on off, get down to paddle it to fine leg or nail the cover drive. Debutant Freya Kemp’s back of the hand slower balls were dealt with by making room and slicing over the infield to exploit the arc from extra cover to backward point.It was as if Harmanpreet was finding the boundaries at will. She scored her last 43 runs off just 11 balls with India managing 62 off the last three overs. Her unbeaten 24-ball 71-run stand with Deepti Sharma was the quickest in women’s ODIs where data is available. Kemp’s 11-ball penultimate over went for 26 and Harmanpreet scored 18 off her 19-run last over.”I just wanted to spend some time on the wicket because today’s wicket was not easy to bat on in the first innings,” she said after the match. “I wanted to keep watching the ball and play accordingly. I didn’t try too many shots [early on]. It is important to read the wicket and be there. Being there is more important because I know if I take more balls initially I can easily cover up in the end.”It was the 113-run fourth-wicket partnership between Harmanpreet and Deol that enabled them to score 121 in the last ten overs against England.”After the partnership with Harleen, we got the rhythm we wanted and I just backed myself after that,” she said. “We knew even if we scored 300, it could be chaseable given England’s batting line-up. That’s why we were looking for maximum runs in the last five-six overs.”Whoever was coming in to bat with me, I was giving them the message that if they could find boundaries, fine, otherwise keep rotating the strike. Scoring more than 300 was very important for us.”At the end of it all, Harmanpreet ensured that she – and the entire team – could afford more than just a wry smile as they head to Lord’s for the series finale with an aim to give veteran fast bowler Jhulan Goswami a fitting farewell.

Their arrival on the world stage is a watershed moment for women’s cricket and all 15 players know it

Annesha Ghosh in Perth21-Feb-2020″Long-on, long-off, Gade. Long-on, long-off…” rings out a reminder from Thailand’s captain Sornnarin Tippoch, who gestures at her batting partner Chanida Sutthiruang, to play in the ‘v’ more often. For the best part of this nets session at the WACA, Thailand’s first one at the venue that hosts their T20 World Cup debut on Saturday, Sutthiruang, the 2019 ICC Emerging Cricketer of the Year, has needed little reminding. To Tippoch’s suggestion, though, she pays heed almost instantly as the next two balls are driven deftly down the ground. Within the ‘v’.The first of those two deliveries was bowled by Ireland’s Lara Maritz. In September last year, Maritz, with bat in hand, stood as the final barrier between Thailand and their entry into the semi-final of the T20 World Cup Qualifier. Ireland needed three off the last ball, but Maritz, on strike, would end up being stumped and Thailand one step closer to qualifying for the 2020 T20 World Cup.”They were the better team on the day, but this team looks even better than the one we played in the Qualifier,” Maritz, who moved to Australia after the Qualifier, says. She has been in touch with many of the Thai players since the tournament. “Something that looks quite different is the intent of their batters. They’ve always been a very nice bunch, but I don’t think I’ve seen them this confident. It just shows how hungry they are to do well at such a big stage.”Maritz’s assessment is testament to the focus that runs within the Thailand team, almost imperceptibly. Such has been the enormity of the elation, warranted in every way, around their impending debut alone, that unlike the build-up around most of their opponents in this ten-team World Cup, their quiet determination has drawn little commentary. Their tunnel vision, though, is the very virtue that has brought them to threshold of the biggest moment in their career, a watershed moment in the women’s game.

Looking at us, maybe Singapore or Malaysia or Myanmar will think, ‘Yes, even we can do it.’ That’s how cricket in our region will grow, and that’s how the sport will grow, and that will be an achievement for us when they get thereShan Kader, the Cricket Association of Thailand Development Manager

“We have one goal: to play good cricket and play fearlessly as we have played through the recent past,” Tippoch would tell ESPNcricinfo the previous night, two hours after landing in Perth from Adelaide, where they played their only warm-up, against New Zealand.”We are not looking at England as England or, say West Indies as [former] world champions; we are just looking at them as opponents we want to win matches against,” Tippoch adds. “If we get a good result, it’s great, if we don’t, it’s experience. We will keep growing, keep dreaming. We will work hard to go to New Zealand [next year, for the 50-over World Cup]. Our hard work doesn’t stop here.A bowling allrounder, Tippoch, 33, has led Thailand in all of their 35 T20Is, and many more before the ICC awarded international status to T20s between Member nations across men’s and women’s cricket, the Member women’s teams getting international status at the 2018 Asia Cup. Her first appearance for Thailand, though, came way back in 2007, in an Asian Cricket Council tournament, but under vastly different circumstances.”Two months of practice,” she says, smiling. “That was all the experience I had of playing cricket going into that 2007 tournament. I was studying sports science at the university at the time, but wanted to seriously try out cricket. So, I played it and we lost the tournament, but I was convinced I don’t want to play cricket for just two months. I knew I had to learn more, grow more.”Sornnarin Tippoch and Chanida Sutthiruang are all smiles after the win•Peter Della PennaMeanwhile, the lead-up to this T20 World Cup has seen many Thailand players engage in centre-wicket practice, match simulation, face quick bowlers in the range of 130kph on a tour of Pune, the home town of their head coach Harshal Pathak, last November and then spend time in Brisbane during December-January to acclimatise and hone their skills further.The packed schedule since the Qualifiers, says Tippoch, has brought the players positives aplenty. For players like Sutthiruang, some of those benefits go even beyond simple runs and wickets. “I come from a sports background,” she says. Her sister and aunt were sprinters while her father played football and sepak takraw – a variant of foot volleyball – locally. “But my family didn’t quite know what cricket is until we qualified for the World Cup. Now that we are here they want to know more about the game, understand what we do, what a World Cup means.”Both Tippoch and Sutthiruang, much like the majority of Thailand’s 15-member squad, hail from families with a farming background, often having to live hand to mouth due to dwindling growth in the sector or inclement harvesting conditions. Such financial hardships with the players’ community have often directly led to what, Shan Kader, the Cricket Association of Thailand (CAT) Development Manager, calls “loss of assets”.”At one point, we found ourselves in a position where we started losing a lot of players because they’d simply choose to give up the sport,” Kader says. “It takes about 10 years to become a good cricketer in Thailand. We pick and train many girls through the university level, so at that point when they are faced with having to decide whether cricket is a viable career option financially, many of them go away from the game.”To retain talent, the Thailand board started offering contracts to its women’s players in 2008-09. Tippoch and Nattaya Boochatham, both now senior members in the side, became the first two beneficiaries. By the end of 2019, the figure had peaked to 11, all of the contracted players subsequently making the World Cup squad.According to Kader, the retention of promising players lay at the heart of Thailand’s journey to the World Cup.”We have done it with a full ethnic side; that’s a big, big achievement,” Kader, who hopes Thailand’s qualification might inspire other South-east Asian countries to support home-grown talent, says. “Looking at us, maybe Singapore or Malaysia or Myanmar will think, ‘Yes, even we can do it.’ That’s how cricket in our region will grow, and that’s how the sport will grow, and that will be an achievement for us when they get there.”For now, though, Thailand’s focus remains on matching potential with performance on the field of play.”I dream of playing in the WBBL, and even in the Women’s IPL, when it picks up,” Sutthiruang says. “There’s always talk in the team about playing in such leagues. Our coach says at least five players from our squad have the talent to play in overseas leagues. If we can perform well at the World Cup, some of us can be snapped up by the franchises, and that would be a great chapter in our journey.”

شارك النجم المصري محمد صلاح في تعادل ليفربول أمام سندرلاند بهدف لمثله على ملعب أنفيلد في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ودخل محمد صلاح مع بداية الشوط الثاني وغادر كودي جاكبو، وفشل النجم المصري مع أول لمسة من المرور من أحد لاعبي سندرلاند.

وفي الدقيقة 47 أبعد دفاع سندرلاند كرة عرضية من محمد صلاح، وفي الدقيقة 49 واصل دفاع سندرلاند المتكتل التصدي وإبعاد تمريرة أخرى من قدم النجم المصري.

وفي الدقيقة 50 قام محمد صلاح بالتحكم في الكرة بشكل رائع ومراوغة لاعب سندرلاند وصنع كرة إلى سوبوسلاي ولكن بدون خطورة على مرمى الفريق الضيف.

اقرأ أيضاً.. فيديو | بمشاركة محمد صلاح.. ليفربول يهدر نقطتين جديدتين بتعادل مخيب مع سندرلاند في الدوري الإنجليزي

وأنعش صلاح ليفربول وقام بتبادل الكرة بشكل رائع مع سوبوسلاي وحصل على ركلة ركنية في الدقيقة 57، وسدد النجم المصري تسديدة بعد أن عادت الكرة له ولكن تصدى لها دفاع سندرلاند برأس أحد مدافعيه.

وفي الدقيقة 59 استلم محمد صلاح الكرة بشكل خاطئ لتضيع من أمامه، وفي الدقيقة 64 واصل النجم المصري محاولة مساعدة زملائه بالتمريرات القصيرة وفك تكتل دفاع سندرلاند.

وواصل محمد صلاح المحاولة وتشكيل خطورة على دفاعات سندرلاند ولكن من دون صناعة أي فرص حقيقية تهدد شباكه، وفي الدقيقة 87 وبعد سلسلة من المحاولات، مر المصري بشكل رائع من الجهة اليمنى ليسدد ولكن تسديدته اصطدمت بدفاع الفريق الضيف، وعاد ليحاول من جديد بعد أن تابع ركلة ركنية بقدمه ولكن تسديدته اصطدمت بزميله كييزا في الدقيقة 89.

وحصل محمد صلاح على ركلة ركنية في الدقيقة 95 بعد محاولة المراوغة من الجهة اليمنى.

Celtic have now been approached with the chance to sign a Premier League striker who could become Wilfried Nancy’s first arrival, according to reports.

Nancy delivers "honest" response to Celtic criticism

It’s been a tough start for Nancy at Celtic, who lost their first game under the Frenchman against title rivals Hearts last time out. One image, one tactics board and one defeat have already raised concerns around Glasgow, but the new manager has been quick to point out that he won’t pay attention to such criticism.

The Celtic manager told reporters: “People deserve the right to talk. I’m going to dress one way, maybe they are going to say that they don’t like the way I dress, so I don’t waste time on that.

“If I use it [the tactics board], it’s because it’s good for me. Simple as that and I’m not saying that I’m going to use it all the time.

“I’m going to be really honest with you. When I decided to become a coach – sorry, when I had the opportunity to become a coach – I was an assistant coach for seven years, so I worked with many coaches. I always told myself that when you become a coach, cut everything. So this is what I did.”

Celtic star was "set to" leave, now he could be the new Tierney under Nancy

This Celtic star who was set to leave the club in the summer could emerge as Wilfried Nancy’s own Kieran Tierney.

ByDan Emery 6 days ago

It doesn’t get any easier for Nancy, either. Up next, Celtic square off against AS Roma in the Europa League tonight and could get the chance to see Evan Ferguson in action for themselves ahead of a potential January move.

Celtic offered chance to sign Evan Ferguson

As reported by TeamTalk, Celtic have now been contacted with the chance to sign Ferguson, with Roma increasingly likely to cut his loan spell short in Italy.

The Brighton & Hove Albion forward was once valued at as much as £100m, but is now in the most difficult moment of his career after scoring just once in 14 games at Roma.

The Republic of Ireland forward now needs the Hoops just as much as they need the best version of him in January, as they aim to come from behind and retain their Scottish Premiership crown.

At his very best at Brighton, Ferguson was never short on praise with the Premier League’s record goalscorer, Alan Shearer, among those who had plenty of positives to say in 2023.

Two years on, the 21-year-old may be out of form, but the potential is still there and Celtic should look to take full advantage in the winter window next month.

£5m Celtic star is one of their biggest wastes of money since Albian Ajeti

He's back.

Nearly one full year from his last Major League game on May 26, 2024 when he tore his left ACL, Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. is set to make his season debut on Friday night against the San Diego Padres.

The Braves plan to activate Acuña from the 60-day injured list ahead of the weekend series to set up his season debut. He was a healthy scratch for Triple A Gwinnett on Thursday night, signaling that Acuna was nearing a return to the big leagues.

Acuña's last full season in 2023 resulted in the outfielder batting .337 with 41 home runs, 106 RBI and 73 stolen bases. He was named the unanimous National League MVP.

The Braves star will look to return to prior form when he takes the field on Friday for the first time in nearly a full calendar year.

Harris strained her calf in the final ODI against India on Saturday while fielding

Alex Malcolm23-Sep-2025Australia batter Grace Harris has been ruled out of the upcoming ODI World Cup due to a calf strain, with Western Australia allrounder Heather Graham called up to replace her.Harris injured her calf while fielding in the final ODI of the three-match series against India in Delhi on Saturday. It was the only match that Harris played in the series having been called in when Annabel Sutherland was ruled out with hip soreness.Harris was unlikely to be in Australia’s first-choice XI at the start of the World Cup but was a key reserve player given her lower-order hitting ability. She may have played a part in the tournament as Australia do have some injury issues. Sutherland’s hip soreness was the latest niggle to crop up after Phoebe Litchfield missed the last two matches of the ODI series with a quad issue and Darcie Brown suffered back spasms.Sophie Molineux was unavailable for the entire series as she is still working to full fitness coming off her major knee injury. Georgia Wareham is coming off a groin and adductor strain that saw her miss the Hundred and skipper Alyssa Healy is on return from her major foot problems but both got through all three matches against India.Graham, 28, has only played one ODI for Australia back in 2019 but has been part of many squads since. However, she has not played an international since the last of her five career T20Is in September last year.

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

Wednesday night saw Arsenal pick up their second win in as many Champions League games this season.

Was it the perfect performance? No, probably not, but Mikel Arteta made a slew of changes to the lineup, and on another night, they could have scored a handful more goals.

Moreover, several starters really shone, including David Raya, Martin Zubimendi, and, even though he didn’t score, Viktor Gyokeres looked lively.

However, when it comes to the man of the match, it’s hard to look past Martin Odegaard, who, unlike one of his teammates, has undoubtedly played himself into the lineup for West Ham United.

Arsenal's best player vs Olympiacos

It would be fair to say that, following his ankle injury, last season was one to forget for Odegaard.

The Arsenal captain looked a shell of his former self for the best part of a year, so much so that plenty of fans and pundits alike began to doubt his quality and ability to get back to his best.

Now, it’s certainly still early doors in that respect, but the Norwegian looked great in his cameo against Newcastle United on Sunday, and then took things up another level against Olympiacos on Wednesday.

According to content creator Connor Humm, the Gunners’ number eight showed a version of himself that “has been absent too long” and was “sensational.”

It would be hard to disagree, as for much of the first half and moments of the second, he seemed to be constantly playing perfect balls through the Greek side’s defence and got his rewards with an assist for Bukayo Saka’s strike.

The Drammen-born star was so effective that the Standard’s Simon Collings gave him a 9/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘looked so sharp and played some majestic through-balls’.

Such high praise is more than justified by his statistics, as in his 95 minutes of action, the 26-year-old amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 1.65, took 86 touches, played four key passes, was accurate in seven of ten long balls, took one shot on target, completed 100% of his dribbles and made one clearance.

Minutes

95′

Expected Goals

0.72

Expected Assists

0.93

Assists

1

Key Passes

4

Touches

86

Long Balls (Accurate)

10 (7)

Shots on Target

1

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (1)

Clearances

1

Tackles

1

In short, it was the kind of performance that has to see him keep his place for the weekend, which is the opposite for another starter.

Arsenal's worst player vs Olympiacos

While most of the team played well, some starters, such as Ben White and Gabriel Martinelli, were not particularly impressive, despite the latter’s goal.

Chalkboard

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

However, it would be hard to deny that the most disappointing display in red and white on Wednesday night came from Leandro Trossard.

The Belgian international retained his place in the starting lineup from the Newcastle game, but unfortunately, he was even less effective than he had been in that match.

In fact, if there is one word to describe the 30-year-old’s display against the Greek outfit, it would be frustrating.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion star kept finding himself in promising positions, but time and time again, he’d waste the moment, either through a wayward shot or a poor pass.

Collings felt similarly about the winger, giving him a rather generous 6/10 match rating and writing that he ‘wasted’ his fair share of chances.

Unsurprisingly, his statistics tell a similar story: in 73 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.48 but failed to produce either, took 48 touches but completed just 17 passes, lost 50% of his duels, lost the ball 14 times, and was dribbled past twice.

Minutes

73′

Expected Goals

0.44

Goals

0

Expected Assists

0.04

Assists

0

Passes

17/25 (68%)

Touches

48

Long Balls (Accurate)

4 (2)

Shots on Target

1

Lost Possession

14

Duels (Won)

12 (6)

Dribbled Past

2

It was a performance that did little to dispel the idea that the 5 foot 8 ace is far better coming off the bench than starting games.

Therefore, while it might seem harsh, Arteta should look to drop Trossard for the upcoming game against West Ham.

Not Mosquera: Arsenal have signed a Gabriel & Saliba hybrid in £45m "beast"

The international star could be a game-changer for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 30, 2025

Chelsea are now looking to sign an “outstanding” experienced centre-back who’s won 11 trophies, having struggled defensively at times this season.

Blues fall to ninth after Sunderland setback

Enzo Maresca has been forced to contend with a number of injury problems already this season, with the manager particularly light on options in defence, given the absence of Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile, who are both set to be out for quite some time.

Colwill is a long-term absentee, having suffered an ACL injury in the summer, while Maresca has confirmed Badiashile won’t be back for another couple of months, saying: “Benoit will be out until December. He is injured again with a muscle problem. He was doing fantastic, showing how good he is, and we will wait for him.”

That said, the manager is still likely to be concerned by just how susceptible his team have been to conceding chances, with Nottingham Forest missing four big opportunities and hitting the woodwork last weekend.

The Blues got away with it against Forest, but Sunderland made them pay on Saturday, with the Black Cats emerging as 2-1 winners at Stamford Bridge, which means the hosts have fallen to ninth in the Premier League table.

As such, Maresca may need to bolster his backline if Chelsea are to transform into title contenders, and they are now looking to sign Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano, who is facing an uncertain future at the Allianz Arena.

That is according to a report from CF Bayern, which states the west Londoners want to sign Upamecano in 2026, at which point his contract with the German club will have expired, having been unable to agree a new deal.

Chelsea now join race to sign "hugely impressive" £70m Champions League forward

A new forward has emerged as a target for the Blues.

ByDominic Lund Oct 26, 2025

With the Blues potentially looking to offload ‘bomb squad’ member Axel Disasi, a new centre-back could be brought in to replace him, and the Bayern defender has been identified as a target, although there could be competition from Real Madrid.

"Outstanding" Upamecano could be exactly what Maresca needs

Jamie Carragher has made it clear just how much he disagrees with BlueCo’s recruitment policy of signing young players, saying: “Chelsea should be title contenders and considered Champions League challengers this season. Instead, their hierarchy seems content to be praised for being the smartest recruiters in the business – the world’s richest development club.”

In fairness, while Chelsea did win the Club World Cup in the summer, the model is yet to translate to success in the Premier League, and more experienced players are arguably needed if they are to become title contenders.

As such, the “outstanding” France international, as lauded by Joshua Kimmich, could be exactly what they need, given that he is experienced at the top level, winning 11 major trophies throughout his career, and the 27-year-old’s passing ability indicates he could be an ideal fit in a Maresca system.

Statistic

Average per 90 (past year)

Passes attempted

89.32 (99th percentile)

Pass completion %

93.4% (96th percentile)

Progressive passes

6.39 (95th percentile)

The £168k-a-week star’s potential availability on a free transfer is an added bonus for Chelsea, who clearly need greater strength in depth at the back, given that 19-year-old Josh Acheampong has emerged as a regular starter.

Manchester United are keen to compete on all fronts and could now look to add an experienced full-back to their ranks who could push Patrick Dorgu for his starting spot.

Manchester United look to balance youth and experience

The Red Devils are a club that has always taken pride in developing youngsters from their academy. Balancing the growth of young players with some experienced older heads to learn from will be their best chance of long-term success at Old Trafford.

With that in mind, Manchester United fans will be delighted to hear that Shea Lacey was called into England’s senior squad training before their clash against Wales, and England Under-20 coach Ben Futcher spoke to BBC Sport about the impact he feels the step up can have on his development.

He said: “We have looked after Shea and helped him get some minutes. He is a top talent, has reconnected with the group and I thought he performed really well. I am sure Manchester United have a good plan for him. Hopefully he can stay injury free and fulfil that potential.”

JJ Gabriel and Samuel Lusale are among other promising Manchester United academy gems hoping to one day make their senior breakthrough, and it appears that they are willing to give youngsters a chance.

Patrick Dorgu comes into that conversation under different circumstances since his move from Lecce in January. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old has made seven appearances in all competitions this season, completing four full matches in the Premier League.

Despite his emergence as a positive source of energy on the left-hand side of Ruben Amorim’s backline, he won’t be expected to play every game this season, which could pave the way for a positional competitor to arrive at Old Trafford.

Ruben Amorim pushing to sign Federico Dimarco for Man Utd

According to Inter Live, Manchester United are pushing to sign Inter defender Federico Dimarco, who is into the final two years of his £142,500 per week contract at San Siro.

Amorim is considered the man behind the effort to recruit the Italy international, and their involvement in persuading him to move to England is reportedly complicating the Nerazzuri’s bid to have him extend his contract.

£18m per year Man Utd star who regretted Old Trafford transfer set to leave

Should the Red Devils try and keep him?

ByHenry Jackson Oct 13, 2025

Earning 33 caps for his country, Dimarco has registered 20 goals and 37 assists in 198 appearances for the Serie A giants, establishing himself as a key goal threat and presence on the left flank.

Two strikes and three assists in eight outings this campaign has elevated his stock once more, and he may well be the ideal candidate to offer competition to Dorgu after Luke Shaw’s move into a left-sided centre-back role.

Either way, this transfer saga may be one to keep an eye on as Manchester United probe the market for reinforcements to strengthen under Amorim.