A pundit has been left confused by some "surprising" exit news out of Tottenham as transfer talks begin ahead of the summer window.

Spurs players who could leave this summer

Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou's full focus is on finishing the 2023/2024 season as strongly as possible, with the Lilywhites still well in contention for a top four finish and qualification for the Champions League.

Ange could turn to wildcard Tottenham left-back option after Udogie injury

The north Londoners will be without one of Postecoglou’s key players for the rest of 23/24.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 23, 2024

While Aston Villa currently sit six points clear of Postecoglou's side in fourth, Tottenham do have two games in hand on their rivals and could narrow the gap to nil, with just goal difference separating the pair in that scenario.

However, Spurs will have to be near-perfect if they wish to pip Unai Emery, and they'll need their key players to perform with star left-back Destiny Udogie out for the remainder of 2023/2024 through injury.

Arsenal (home)

April 28th

Chelsea (away)

May 2nd

Liverpool (away)

May 5th

Burnley (home)

May 11th

Man City (home)

May 14th

There are a few squad members who won't have much of a say, though, and their futures are looking pretty uncertain ahead of the summer window. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is among the big names who could leave Tottenham later this year, having been relegated to a bench player since Postecoglou's arrival last summer.

Speculation surrounds both Bryan Gil and Giovani Lo Celso as well, with the duo among five senior players who look certain to depart Spurs when the window reopens. As well as the current squad, there are contingent of senior players out on loan at the moment, all of whom look likely to depart.

Joe Rodon, Tanguy Ndombele, Djed Spence, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon and Troy Parrott all return to Spurs later this year, and all seem to be out of Postecoglou's future plans as things stand.

Spence is a particularly curious case, as his 2022 move from Middlesbrough really hasn't worked at all like chairman Daniel Levy and co had planned. The Englishman arrived at N17 with a very exciting reputation after a brilliant 21/22 campaign at Nottingham Forest, where he helped then-Steve Cooper's side achieve promotion back to the top flight.

Pundit surprised by Djed Spence exit update out of Tottenham

Following two years of barely any Spurs game time and multiple loan spells away, Spence is currently on a temporary stint in Serie A with Genoa. According to La Voce Rossublu earlier this month, Genoa are already in talks to sign Spence permanently this summer, and he's said to be keen on the move.

Speaking to Tottenham News, pundit John Wenham has expressed his surprise at the news Genoa are in talks to sign Spence permanently, given the Italians already have a buy option.

“He will be another one out the door and a player who Ange Postecoglou won’t need to interrupt his pre-season plans to include,” Wenham said.

“If Tottenham could get him out as soon as the window opens, that would be another big part of the rebuild which is continuing under Postecoglou.

“I was slightly confused as to why the report states they need to find an agreement with Tottenham when there is already a buy option in Spence’s loan.

“Perhaps they are trying to reduce the fee by a couple million, although £8.6million already seems pretty cheap to me, so it is a bit surprising that they are trying to lower the fee even more.”

Chelsea have left themselves with a chance to finish inside the top six in the Premier League as they prepare for their final two matches of the season.

The Blues are currently seventh in the division and only behind Newcastle United in sixth on goal difference, ahead of clashes with Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth this week.

Mauricio Pochettino's side are fighting to ensure that they nail down a place in the Europa League for the 2024/25 campaign, rather than the Europa Conference League.

The London giants did not compete in a European competition this season and they now look set to return to Europe under the Argentine head coach next term.

However, the full focus must be on these next two matches and what they can do to make sure that they come away with all six points, to give themselves the best chance of finishing ahead of the Magpies.

One change the former Tottenham Hotspur boss could make to his starting XI for the upcoming clash with Brighton could come in the right-back position.

Why Trevoh Chalobah should be dropped

Trevoh Chalobah could be ruthlessly binned from the lineup for the Blues after a difficult afternoon up against former Chelsea man Callum Hudson-Odoi against Nottingham Forest.

With Malo Gusto and Reece James now available, having both come off the bench against the Tricky Trees, Pochettino should drop the academy graduate to the bench, unless he decides to move him into a central defensive position.

90min reporter Tom Gott awarded the English defender a player rating of 5/10 against Forest, writing that he looked 'hesitant' throughout the game due to the threat of Hudson-Odoi.

Noni Madueke, who won three of his 13 duels in the game, did not do much to help his right-back out as Chalobah found himself isolated against the former England international far too often.

Chalobah won one ground duel and completed one tackle in the match and Hudson-Odoi, the player he was marking for most of the game, created four chances, including one 'big chance, hit the woodwork, and scored a fantastic goal.

His defensive work, however, is not the reason why Pochettino should look to take him out of the right-back position for these last two matches. It is, instead, his lack of quality in possession that should tempt the manager to shuffle the pack on Wednesday night.

23/24 Premier League

Trevoh Chalobah

Appearances

11

Starts

8

Assists

0

xA

0.34

Big chances created

0

Key passes per game

0.3

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Chalobah has offered very little as a creative force down the flank for Chelsea, with less than one chance created every other game on average.

These statistics show that, as you would expect from a player who typically plays as a centre-back, the 24-year-old dud is not likely to bomb forward to split open opposition defences with killer passes or impressive crosses into the box for the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku.

The player Pochettino should replace Trevoh Chalobah with

Pochettino can brutally bin Chalobah from the starting XI at right-back by unleashing 20-year-old sensation Malo Gusto from the start on Wednesday.

The French whiz recently missed four matches through injury and has come off the bench in the last two matches since making a return from that knock.

He should now be unleashed in the lineup against Brighton as the talented gem has the attacking quality to provide a far greater outlet down the right flank than his English teammate.

In the Premier League this season, Gusto has racked up five assists, 2.75 xA, seven 'big chances' created, and 1.2 key passes per game on average, which means that the £45k-per-week ace averages four times as many key passes per match than Chalobah.

Malo Gusto vs full-backs

23/24 Premier League (per 90)

Percentile rank

Assists (0.27)

Top 6%

Expected Assisted Goals (0.21)

Top 10%

Shot-creating actions (2.66)

Top 18%

Progressive passes (4.57)

Top 25%

Progressive carries (4.13)

Top 3%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, the young star ranks well above average among his positional peers in a host of key attacking metrics in the Premier League this season.

Gusto, who was lauded as "outstanding" by journalist Ben Jacobs earlier this year, has proven that he has the quality to create high-quality chances consistently in the English top-flight, which makes him a dangerous weapon for Pochettino to have in his arsenal.

This is why the former Southampton manager must unleash the 20-year-old wizard from the start against Brighton as he has the potential to offer significantly more than Chalobah in attack, which could help them to secure all three points against Roberto De Zerbi's side.

Gusto has also proven himself to be solid enough from a defensive perspective with a duel success rate of 55% and a ground duel success rate of 59%, which shows that opposition forwards do not find it easy to get the better of him in physical contests.

The alternatives to Malo Gusto

James, who came off the bench against Forest, is also available as a potential option for the manager to call upon at right-back on Wednesday night.

However, he had been out for far longer than the four games Gusto missed and it may not be worth the risk of throwing him back in straight away when there are only two league matches left.

The England international has missed a staggering 38 games through injury this season and has not started in any competition since the 4-1 loss to Newcastle in November 2023.

With Gusto available, there is no need to risk aggravating an injury by bringing him back before he is 100% ready to start and it could make sense to give him the summer and pre-season to be fully prepared to hit the ground running next season.

Instead, James could be used as a super substitute off the bench, which is the role he played to great effect against Forest on Saturday evening.

The full-back came on with 11 minutes to go and assisted the winning goal from Jackson with a fantastic whipped cross to find the striker at the back post, and he may look to have a similar impact this week.

يلتقي فريق ريال مدريد مع خيتافي في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2024-2025، مساء اليوم الأحد.

وعلى ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” يستقبل ريال مدريد خضمه خيتافي في مباراة بالجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

ويعاني ريال مدريد من غيابات في صفوفه بسبب الإصابات، ويغيب عن القائمة المستدعاة كل من: ديفيد ألابا، ايدير ميليتاو، داني كارفخال، أوريلين تشواميني، إدواردو كامافينجا، وفينيسيوس جونيور.

ويأتي ريال مدريد من هزيمة في دوري أبطال أوروبا أمام ليفربول بثنائية نظيفة، ويسعى للعودة للنتائج الإيجابية.

ويتواجد ريال مدريد بالمركز الثالث في الدوري الإسباني برصيد 30 نقطة، خلف برشلونة المتصدر (34 نقطة)، وأتلتيكو مدريد الوصيف (32 نقطة)، وخيتافي بالمركز 17 برصيد 13 نقطة. تشكيل ريال مدريد المتوقع أمام خيتافي

حراسة المرمى: تيبو كورتوا.

خط الدفاع: جارسيا، أنطونيو روديجر، أسينسيو، لوكاس فاسكيز.

خط الوسط: جود بيلينجهام، أردا جولر، داني سيبايوس، فيدي فالفيردي.

خط الهجوم: كيليان مبابي، إبراهيم دياز.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Kevin Roberts said the board’s finances could be ‘on a path to zero’ if action wasn’t taken

Daniel Brettig21-Apr-2020

Kevin Roberts said that CA had been left with little choice but to make major cost savings•Getty Images

Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has faced questions from staff about the decisions to stand down all but a handful of employees on 80% wage cuts until July for a saving of only A$3 million in an organisation that has so far faced minimal disruption from the coronavirus pandemic.In an effort to defend CA’s recent decisions and the ways in which they have been communicated amidst waves of dismay from staff, the state associations, the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) and the game’s broadcast and corporate partners, Roberts spoke to staff and media in quick succession on Tuesday afternoon. He faced similar questions from each group, and in addition to defending the staff stand downs, Roberts is believed to have also conceded to staff that redundancies were a possibility after June 30.At the same time, it is understood there have been significant discussions around Australian cricket about whether to convene state association chief executives, chairs and the ACA under the umbrella of the Australian Cricket Council for alternative approaches to current and future issues. Such a move would serve effectively as a vote of no confidence in the way that Roberts has managed the past few weeks.ALSO READ: Hazlewood calls for Cricket Australia transparency but players prepared to ‘ride the lows’Insisting that the wage cuts were necessary as part of an estimated A$20 million in savings that the governing body had already made, Roberts showed no inclination to revisit a decision that is understood to have been first drafted in March as part of a range of measures to sustain the business. Roberts confirmed, too, that CA is paying its stood down staff the equivalent of JobKeeper (A$1500 per fortnight) because it is not eligible for the government payment as a result of not having actually lost any significant revenue since the pandemic hit towards the very end of the season.”It wasn’t an overreaction because we’re dealing with a situation that’s hitting us unfortunately at the low point of our cash cycle over four years,” Roberts said. “We reach a point in early September where if there’s more shocks as we’ve had over the last month or more, where our reserves are very thin and in fact effectively we’d chart a path to zero if we didn’t take drastic action.”Then you layer on top of that the possibility that the international season doesn’t go ahead, and that’s an issue of hundreds of millions of dollars. Albeit the timing is a little bit different in our season relative to the football codes, we’ve seen across the two major football codes they’ve done four things: one is to secure debt facilities, one is reduce their own costs as leagues, the next is to reduce their funding of clubs and the next is to negotiate a sensible resetting of player payments for the season.”So it’s no surprise to see that blue print rolling out across all sports and that we’re pursuing that as well. If we weren’t doing that, we would be managing this situation by looking in the rear vision mirror and that’s not what we’re charged to do. We’re charged to manage the situation that we’re presented with, and that which we see in the future, so we’re looking forward and taking those actions as we’re required to.”The financial situation at Cricket Australia has escalated in recent days•Getty Images

Roberts also insisted he still had the support of the CA board, the states and his own staff to continue to prepare for a wide range of possible scenarios for the game. The state associations debated and won a backdown from CA on the depth of cuts to their annual grants, from 45% to 25%, a back and forth that strongly suggests major reservations among CA’s owners about the way its management has handled events of recent weeks.”We are all across Australian cricket acknowledging that reductions might need to go to that level but that’s preemptive planning,” Roberts said of states. “What we need is a plan to take 25% of cricket Australia’s operating expenses out next financial year with a further plan to go deeper if need be and something similar with the states and territories. It follows the work around player payments where naturally you have a smaller reduction in player payments if the season goes ahead without crowds and a larger reduction in player payments if the season in part or in full were not to go ahead.”Speaking about his staff, Roberts maintained that the stand downs – while executives and a skeleton staff are retained on 80% of their usual salaries – needed to take place as part of the range of measures the board has taken in preparation for the possibility of losing revenue ahead of next summer.”I feel desperately for our people who have been stood down through this period and emphasised that to them. The pain our people are enduring who are being stood down from next week onwards is part of the motivation for us to navigate this situation as best we can,” Roberts said. “We didn’t start with the stand downs, what we started with was acknowledgement that most activities in cricket needed to pause as a result of the emerging situation, and when you pause those activities you have a lot of people who were previously working on those activities who aren’t required to work on them anymore.”I feel desperately for each and every one of them and I hate the fact we had to move to that after all of the fantastic progress we’ve made as an organisation and our culture, and the outstanding people that we’re so grateful to work with, I hate doing that. Unfortunately, it was an unavoidable piece of the puzzle.”

With Philippe Clement's first summer transfer window in charge of Rangers fast approaching, the Gers are reportedly set to hold imminent talks over sealing the Belgian's first arrival of the new season.

Rangers transfer news

Whilst it may not end with the Scottish Premiership title, Clement's first seven months in charge at Ibrox should be seen as a success. The former AS Monaco boss turned things around for Rangers, who seemed down and out in the title race after Michael Beale's tenure hit an inescapable rough patch, leading to his dismissal. Now under Clement, however, the Gers sit three points adrift of Old Firm rivals Celtic to set up a dramatic end to the campaign in Scotland.

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With or without the title though, change is afoot at Ibrox. As things stand, the likes of John Lundstram, Leon Balogun, Kemar Roofe and Borna Barisic among others are all set to depart as free agents upon the expiry of their current deals at the end of the season. Leaving plenty of room for reinforcements, Clement is set to make his mark.

And those reinforcements could be some familiar faces. According to French outlet Canal, Rangers are set to hold imminent talks with Lens over signing Oscar Cortes in a permanent deal this summer, and "everything indicates" the interest is serious. The winger has been on loan in Scotland this season, but saw that spell disrupted due to an untimely injury not long after he first completed a move.

Impressed nonetheless, Clement confirmed the talks to turn the move permanent, saying via Rangers News: "We are talking with Lens about what the situation is because in this situation it is a different situation from when he was fit. At the moment he was fit he was showing the right things, but it was really short term. Then it needs to be at the right price.”

Cortes and Sima deals could make Clement's summer

Clement was impressed enough with Cortes during his first six games to want a permanent arrival, and that highlights how much the Gers need to see the winger reach his best form throughout an entire campaign. The Gers were forced to settle for a far smaller sample size in the current campaign due to Cortes' injury and now they must look to hand him a second chance when back fit and firing.

If they can also secure a permanent deal to sign Abdallah Sima from Brighton & Hove Albion, then they will have two wingers who are capable of forming a deadly partnership. On paper, getting both Cortes and Sima in the same side may seem difficult, but the fact that the former can play on the left-hand side and the latter can play right across the frontline suggests that utilising both is certainly possible.

Forming such a partnership going forward would go a long way in bridging any remaining gap on Celtic and potentially see Clement win the ultimate prize in Scotland in his first full season in charge. Cortes, still just 20 years old, is certainly one to watch.

The Reds have made a strong start to life under their new boss, but expiring contracts and competition for places are going to complicate things

It was all going so well for Arne Slot, even better than expected, in fact. Mohamed Salah had just put Liverpool 2-0 up against Brentford on Sunday, thus sealing a second consecutive Premier League victory for the Reds under their new Dutch coach.

Consequently, Slot decided to give some game time to three very deserving players. Darwin Nunez took over up top from Diogo Jota, Cody Gakpo replaced Luis Diaz on the left wing, while Conor Bradley came on for Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back.

Both Jota and Diaz, who had combined for the game's opening goal, accepted their substitutions with good grace. Alexander-Arnold, though, was visibly frustrated by his early exit, and Slot even sat down beside the disgruntled right-back as he attempted to explain the thinking behind the decision.

However, Alexander-Arnold, who was also taken off towards the end of the opening-weekend win at Ipswich, still looked miffed when he made his way back onto the pitch at Anfield after the full-time whistle had blown, despite Jota's very obvious attempts to lift his spirits.

It was the one blemish on an otherwise flawless afternoon for Liverpool, who have kicked off their 2024-25 campaign by scoring four unanswered goals. However, the Brentford win, coupled with Alexander-Arnold's obvious irritation, perfectly illustrated that while the Reds are enjoying a smooth transition under Slot from a tactical perspective, keeping every member of the squad happy is going to be immensely difficult for Jurgen Klopp's successor – particularly when it comes to the homegrown hero with the expiring contract.

Getty Images Sport'We need Trent for the whole season'

The petulance we saw from Alexander-Arnold on Sunday is hardly a rare event in football. Players always want to play every minute of every game, and some managers state – at least publicly – that they actually like it when their charges express dissatisfaction at being benched or taken off, as it's interpreted as evidence of the hunger and desire required to thrive at the highest level.

There was certainly nothing to suggest that Slot was put out by Alexander-Arnold's reaction (he was in fine form in his post-match interview with , even getting an amusing dig in at pundit Jamie Carragher) – or that back-to-back substitutions were any kind of negative reflection on the defender's displays at either Portman Road or Anfield.

"Trent had a few weeks off, came back and it is only his third game and we have to take care of him," Slot told reporters. "We need him for the whole season and not only for the first two games.

"The good thing for me is that I have a very good back-up as well with Conor, so that means we are taking care of Trent. But he played a good game."

AdvertisementGetty Images'Freedom to go anywhere'

Alexander-Arnold has certainly not shown any ill-effects of being cruelly scapegoated during England's Euro 2024 campaign, with the 25-year-old making a hugely impressive start to the season that has seen him create seven chances in two games – no other Liverpool player has managed more.

It's already abundantly clear that he will be just as integral to Slot's Liverpool as he was to Klopp's. The only difference is we're likely to see a little less of him in the middle of the park, particularly as Slot favours a double pivot in front of the back four, which means less space in the engine room for Alexander-Arnold but more opportunities for him to get forward because of the extra cover provided by the likes of Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister.

"Trent has many qualities, and one of them is the crosses from the side," Slot told on Sunday. "If we only play him in the midfield, he can only pass the ball, which he can of course do quite well. But I also want him in dangerous crossing positions. So, he has the freedom to go anywhere, [which is why] Trent is a difficult one to play against."

However, he could also prove a little difficult to manage the longer his contract saga drags on.

GettyWill he stay or will he go?

There can be no questioning of Alexander-Arnold's love of Liverpool, but he might well be a little frustrated with the club right now. He made light of the media's desperation to speak with him after last week's win at Ipswich but, as feared, the speculation around his future is only intensifying, and will continue to do so until the Real Madrid target signs a renewal.

Sunday showed precisely why. Under normal circumstances, Alexander-Arnold's sulking would have been quickly forgotten, but this is an extraordinary situation: the season is now well under way, the transfer window closes in less than 72 hours, and yet Liverpool's vice-captain is no closer to extending a contract that expires next summer.

As a result, every comment and gesture is being analysed in great detail, with journalists and fans desperately trying to detect whether Alexander-Arnold is more likely to stay or go. This kind of incessant scrutiny and speculation is no good for anyone, particularly Slot, who is also having to bat away questions about Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, who, as it stands, will also be free agents next summer.

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Getty Images SportPotentially damaging distraction

Both Van Dijk and Salah seem utterly unperturbed by the fact that they've yet to agree new contracts with the club – at least on the field – and Alexander-Arnold's performance level hasn't dropped either. Furthermore, the latter's poor reaction to being subbed is only really a story because his future remains in doubt – but that doesn't diminish the risk of the constant questions about Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk and Salah becoming an annoying and potentially damaging distraction for Slot, who really could have done without this level of uncertainty surrounding three of Liverpool's leading lights in his first few months at the club.

Encouragingly, the squad appears to have fully bought into his more measured footballing philosophy, but he obviously doesn't have as much credit in the bank with the players as his predecessor. It would be only natural if some don't feel as favoured by Slot as they did by Klopp.

After all, it already appears as if the new boss has a preferred starting line-up – the only change made on Sunday to the side that won at Ipswich was Ibrahima Konate replacing Jarell Quansah alongside Van Dijk – and although Slot has been at pains to point out that the season is long, meaning every squad member will have a role to play, it will not be long before certain big names come knocking on his door if they're restricted to the role of impact sub.

South Africa’s coach was hired on a deal that would keep him in place until the originally scheduled end of the tournament

Firdose Moonda20-Jul-2020Cricket South Africa’s board will need to consider if Mark Boucher’s contract as head coach will extend to the rescheduled 2023 World Cup after the ICC moved the tournament from its original February-March window to October-November.Boucher was hired in mid-December 2019 on a deal that would keep him in place until the World Cup’s originally scheduled finish in the first quarter of 2023. With the competition moved back by seven months, the duration of Boucher’s tenure could be reconsidered.”The board may need to consider the fact that with the World Cup being moved, the dates no longer doesn’t align with World Cup,” CSA acting CEO Dr. Jacques Faul told ESPNcricinfo.Boucher has so far overseen South Africa through one summer, in which they lost a home Test series to England and won only one of five trophies on offer. His next assignment was due to be a white-ball series in Sri Lanka in June, followed by a two-Test, five-T20I series in West Indies.In the fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Sri Lanka tour has been postponed and the Caribbean trip will have to be rescheduled, with West Indies due to be in England until July 29. CSA is in ongoing discussions with Cricket West Indies on when and where to play the series, especially as South Africa’s coronavirus cases rise.The news of the rescheduling of the ICC’s next three global tournaments also means that South Africa’s Future Tours Programme is likely to be reworked. They were due to host India for three T20Is in August, but the matches could be played as late as March in order to ensure they take place in the 2020-21 financial year. The fixtures will earn CSA USD 10 million.

Did he deliberately make Steve Waugh wait at the toss in 2001, and did Sachin Tendulkar always make him take strike in ODIs?

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2020

Virat Kohli – Sourav Ganguly’s first pick from the current lot•Getty Images

Five players from the current lot he would have wanted in his Test team
It’s a very tough question, Mayank, because I feel every generation the players are different, players face challenges differently in different generations, pitches, quality of opposition, even the change of the cricket ball – Kookaburra during my era and your era has completely been changed, maybe because of the leather, because the lacquer on the ball has changed. But on a humorous note, on a lighter note – and I hope nobody feels this generation is better than the other or that generation is weaker than the other because we unnecessarily get into such debates and for me, that has no meaning. From your current team, I would have loved to have Virat Kohli in the side, Rohit Sharma in the side… I will not pick you at the moment because I had Virender Sehwag at the other end, you’re my third opener. I will go for [Jasprit] Bumrah because I had Zaheer [Khan] at the other end, who I thought was exceptional. I would also go for Mohammed Shami Javagal Srinath retired, because I think Mohammed Shami is a fantastic bowler. So I’ve got Rohit, I’ve got Virat, I’ve got Bumrah, I’ve got Shami, so I’ve got four. I had Harbhajan [Singh] and Anil Kumble in my side, so [R] Ashwin would be my third spinner. I would be very tempted to have Ravindra Jadeja also.He made Steve Waugh wait at the toss during the 2001 series – fact or fiction?It was an accident actually. In the first Test match, I left my blazer back in the dressing room. They were such a good side, and I was very nervous in that series because it was my first big series as captain and up against a fantastic cricket team. In the last 25-30 years, I haven’t seen a cricket team as good as Australia in that generation. So initially it was [just that] I forgot my blazer in that first Test, but then I realised that he [Waugh] reacted to it. He reacted, and then he was not taking it very seriously, and it was working on them, working on the team, the way they play, the way they go about their… they were a bit grumpy with all that. And it worked for us, we won the series 2-1. But having said that, Steve Waugh is a dear friend, he has always been a friend, and I have tremendous respect for him as a cricketer, and it was all in good humour.Did Sachin Tendulkar force him to take strike when they opened together in ODIs?Always, always he did. He had an answer to that. I used to tell him, “, sometimes you also face the first ball, I am always facing the first ball.” He said he had two answers to it. One, he believed when his form was good it should continue, that he should remain at the non-striker’s end, and then when his form wasn’t good, he said, “I should remain at the non-striker’s end because it takes the pressure off me.” So he had an answer for both, good form and bad form. Until and unless you walked past him and stood at the non-striker’s end, and he was already on TV and he would be forced to be at the striker’s end. And that has happened one or two times, I have just walked past him and stood at the non-striker’s end.On pushing for MS Dhoni’s inclusion in the side during his captaincy daysYes, that’s true, but that’s my job, isn’t it? That’s every captain’s job, to pick the best and make the best team possible. You go by your instincts, you go by faith on that player, that he will deliver for you, and I am happy that Indian cricket got a Mahendra Singh Dhoni, because he is unbelievable. One of the great players in world cricket, I would say, not just finisher. I think everyone talks about how he finishes lower down the order, [but] he batted at No. 3 when I was captain and he got 140 [148] against Pakistan in Vizag, I think. The old stadium. It was fantastic. So I always believed that he should bat up the order because he is so destructive. The best players in the shorter format have the ability to hit boundaries at will. You look over a period of time, in the history of one-day cricket, the best players can find the fence under pressure consistently. And MS Dhoni was one of them, and that’s why he was special.

This week has been somewhat of a whirlwind at Chelsea football club, with Mauricio Pochettino’s exit kickstarting the mayhem.

After finishing sixth in the Premier League and losing in the EFL Cup final, the Argentine failed to impress Todd Boehly.

The Blues are now in a position where they will look to appoint a new boss rather swiftly, with over ten managers already linked with the club.

However, it seems that they’ve now finally decreased their shortlist as they look to sign a boss who could make Enzo Fernandes world-class.

Chelsea’s search for a Pochettino replacement

The list of potential Chelsea managers seems to be getting longer as the days pass, but there are clearly two targets who have been mentioned the most.

Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town is one of them, and he’s set to be at the centre of a three-way battle between Manchester United, the Blues, and Brighton & Hove Albion.

But it’s the boss who went unbeaten against him this season – the teams drawing twice – and pipped him to the Championship title that’s emerging as the favourite, Enzo Maresca.

According to The Guardian, Chelsea are currently in talks to begin contact with the Italian, who has an £8.5m release clause and is interested in the role at Stamford Bridge.

How Maresca could transform Enzo Fernandez

Leicester City’s return to the Premier League was a fantastic achievement after losing plenty of key players, but to do it in the fashion that they did is simply unbelievable.

The players deserve plenty of credit for their role in the success, but the majority of the plaudits must go to Maresca, who truly transformed the club and has been dubbed as "incredible" by midfielder Harry Winks.

To put into perspective just how dominant the Foxes were, they scored the second most goals in the division, conceded the fewest, and boasted an average possession of 62%.

Leicester vs Chelsea 23/24 League Stats

Stats

Leicester

Chelsea

Wins

31

18

Defeats

11

11

Goals scored

89

77

Goals conceded

41

63

Clean sheets

15

8

Possession

62%

58.9%

Via Sofascore

Each individual flourished in the Italian’s setup, but one player who truly starred was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, the driving force in the middle of the park.

The England international excelled as the left-sided central midfielder, scoring 12 goals and providing 14 assists, and Boehly will hope that Maresca can inspire Fernandez to follow a similar trajectory.

The Argentine joined Chelsea for a huge £107m fee in January last year, and unfortunately, he’s not really lived up to expectations this season.

Fernandez started 26 matches during the campaign, scoring three goals and providing two assists, but in a new role that promises attacking freedom, he could finally reach his potential.

The former Benfica ace is the definition of a technical ace, boasting 1.1 key passes, 79.2 touches, and 55.7 passes per game, while he’s also a threat in the final third, taking 1.7 shots per match.

Those statistics indicate that he would be best suited to a role similar to Dewsbury-Hall's; their profile is rather alike in regards to the fact that they can influence the game at both ends of the field. The clip below shows the kind of position that Fernandez would find himself in far more often under the Foxes coach.

Additionally, Maresca's extreme possession-based style would highlight Fernandez's strengths while also hiding his weaknesses, which is a sign of a top manager.

Overall, the Italian would be a great choice as the next Chelsea boss, and if he can transform the Blues players like he did at Leicester, he could quickly become a favourite amongst the fans and the squad.

Related Chelsea offered "incredible" manager who'd transform Caicedo

Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel isn’t a fan of the manager target.

Posts ByTom Lever May 24, 2024

The Lionesses striker was twice denied by the crossbar on Saturday, but Jonas Eidevall's side were still able to progress to the next round.

You could almost hear the sigh of relief when the final whistle went and Arsenal secured their place in the second round of Champions League qualifying on Saturday night, by virtue of a 1-0 win over Rosenborg. The Gunners crashed out at this stage last season and so as long as that second goal continued to evade them, despite a dominant performance, the nerves were always going to build among the home faithful. Fortunately for them, an opportunistic finish from Norway international Frida Maanum was enough to break the hearts of the team from her homeland and put Arsenal into Monday's draw.

It was a positive start from Jonas Eidevall's side and, after warning shots were fired by Mariona Caldentey and Alessia Russo, Maanum opened the scoring with less than 20 minutes played, with a helping hand from some rather calamitous Rosenborg defending. The Norwegian side fell behind in their shock win over Atletico Madrid on Wednesday but rallied late on to set up this clash and it was clear that their plan from this point onwards was to replicate that success. They rode their luck to stay alive in the game, though, with Russo hitting the crossbar and Maanum firing just wide before the break.

It was more of the same in the second half, with the only difference being that Rosenborg became increasingly more adventurous. That will have no doubt had the Arsenal fans getting a little more nervy as Russo again struck the woodwork and Kyra Cooney-Cross followed her lead seconds later, while Leah Williamson saw a header cleared off the line. But Maanum's early finish proved to be enough to move the Gunners on to the second round of Champions League qualifying, with them to find out their next European opponent in Monday's draw.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Meadow Park…

• Getty Images
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Manuela Zinsberger (6/10):

  Good starting position for when Rosenborg tried a few long ball counter attacks. Had little to do again, though.

  Emily Fox (7/10):

  Was constantly in the final third, prodding and probing at the Rosenborg defence. Not everything came off but she caused problems.

  Laia Codina (6/10):

  Wasn't called upon much, but stood up tall when she was.

  Leah Williamson (6/10):

  Looks sharper with each game that comes. Great in possession.

  Katie McCabe (6/10):

  Got forward well, combined brilliantly with Mariona at times and delivered some good set pieces.

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• Getty Images
  

  Midfield

  Kim Little (7/10):

  Another sublime display in which she kept things ticking in midfield.

  Kyra Cooney-Cross (6/10):

  Dangerous over dead ball situations and mature in her passing.

  Frida Maanum (7/10):

  Showed good awareness to pounce on some defensive chaos to break the deadlock. Took up fantastic positions.

• Attack

  Caitlin Foord (7/10):

  Put some dangerous crosses in from the right, including the one that led to Arsenal's opener.

  Alessia Russo (7/10):

  Linked up well with those around her and was looking to shoot whenever there was a slight chance, going close on several occasions.

  Mariona Caldentey (7/10):

  Was always positive, whether by creating for others or getting shots off in the final third.

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• Getty Images
  

  Subs & Manager

  Stina Blackstenius (5/10):

  Came on for the final 20 minutes but struggled to get involved much.

  Beth Mead (N/A):

  Returned from injury in the final minutes.

  Lia Walti (N/A):

  Came on to help Arsenal see the game out late on.

  Jonas Eidevall (7/10):

  Stuck with the same XI that did the job against Rangers in midweek and those players rewarded his faith. There will be some concerns that his side struggled against a low block, a theme throughout last season, but the woodwork did come to Rosenborg's rescue on three separate occasions, too.