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Few players for the away side stood out in West Ham's 2-0 loss to Nottingham Forest on Saturday however, one particular individual has been criticised for his poor form and lack of fitness.

West Ham's dreadful Premier League form continues

For supporters of West Ham, this season has been something of a rollercoaster. Last year saw statement victories over city rivals Chelsea, Spurs and Arsenal, but the turn of the year has seen the East London outfit fail to win any of their league games in 2024 and lose all of their last three outings.

West Ham make decision on future of David Moyes amid Forest defeat

The Hammers appear to have changed their mind on the future of the Scottish manager.

ByBen Browning Feb 17, 2024

Despite sitting eighth in the Premier League and in the hat for the Europa League round of sixteen, there has been a sense of growing discontent at the London Stadium. An embarrassing 6-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend saw countless fans vote with their feet and walk out of the ground before half-time. A goal from former captain Declan Rice to make it six rubbed salt in the wound, with pressure mounting on David Moyes.

Part of West Ham's struggles this season have come from their failure to replace Rice. The £105million received for the Englishman has gone some way to fund reinforcements, however, it is clear that Rice's departure has left a gaping hole at the base of the Hammers' midfield. To make matters worse, the man signed to bolster the middle of the park has failed to impress in his new colours.

Phillips "nowhere near up to speed"

Speaking on their TalkSPORT radio show after Saturday's game, Dean Ashton and Jamie O'Hara were unanimous in their critique of Kalvin Phillips' display. The midfielder was shown a second yellow card 71 minutes into the game at the City Ground, adding to his catalogue of poor performances for his new club.

Ex-Hammers striker Ashton took aim at Phillips, bluntly stating that “It’s been, let’s be honest, an absolutely shocking start to his West Ham career for Kalvin Phillips. He’s clearly been sat on the bench for far too long and he is nowhere near up to speed”.

O'Hara then shared his thoughts, adding: “Kalvin Phillips can’t go to the Euros, he looks unfit, he looks way off the pace”.

Once a stalwart for Gareth Southgates' England, it is now unlikely that Phillips will be adding to his thirty-one caps for The Three Lions anytime soon. A product of the Leeds United academy, Phillips earned plaudits as a tough tackling midfielder with a creative spark. Departing his boyhood club for Man City in 2022, the Englishman struggled for minutes, playing just thirty-one times in eighteen months.

Now on loan at West Ham, Phillips' time away from regular football has left him a shell of the player he once was. Playing in one of the most physically demanding areas of the pitch, the midfielder's lack of fitness has left him struggling to get into games, making countless mistakes and failing to impress.

Blackwell’s one-year contract will extend her domestic career into a record-equalling 19th season

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2019Sydney Thunder have re-signed Alex Blackwell and Rachael Haynes for the upcoming season of the Women’s Big Bash League, with the latter named captain after Blackwell opted out. While Blackwell has signed a year’s contract with the franchise, Haynes’ deal extends to two years.The extension means that 35-year-old Blackwell, who is also Thunder’s all-time leading run-getter, will be playing a record-equalling 19th season of domestic cricket. She will join West Australian Lauren Ebsary as the longest-serving Australian domestic female player, since women’s players went to a full season with the creation of the Women’s National Cricket League in 1996-97.”Continual improvement as a batter and team member is what I always look to achieve,” Blackwell told . “This season I will be juggling more responsibilities away from the playing field and I’m confident this will enhance my enjoyment of playing the game.”The other responsibilities Blackwell mentioned are to do with her position as director on the Cricket New South Wales board and her job as an associate genetics counsellor at Sydney Children’s Hospital.”It’s a great foundation Alex and Jo [Broadbent, NSW Breakers mentor] created and I am looking forward to continuing that on,” Haynes told . “It’s something I’ve done throughout my career and I’m comfortable in my ability to lead the team.”Alex was really supportive about me taking over. We’re really happy she has decided to go another year, her presence will be really good to have around the group.”Sydney Thunder will begin their campaign in the first-ever standalone WBBL with a derby clash against Sydney Sixers on October 18.

USMNT star Josh Sargent has revealed how long he has been nursing the ankle problem that has forced him to undergo surgery and take regular rests.

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Forward starred for Canaries in 2023-24Missed four months through fitness issuesNow chasing down Copa America gloryGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

The 24-year-old frontman has just enjoyed the most productive campaign of his career in front of goal – with 16 efforts recorded for Norwich in their bid to secure promotion back into the Premier League. That haul was achieved despite sitting out four months through injury.

AdvertisementWHAT SARGENT SAID

Sargent is now in the United States’ squad for a Copa America on home soil and has told the podcast of how he is managing fitness issues that have been troubling him since late 2022: “It is feeling good at the moment. It is kind of a day-by-day thing. I have been training with the guys the past couple of days and everything is going well. Hopefully it stays that way. For a while now, pretty much ever since the World Cup it is that balance to push the ankle or rest it. That has been a lot of talking with my club and national team. I am doing everything I can. After a big operation there are bound to be little things that aggravate the ankle. I didn’t know how it would be coming to the friendlies. It didn’t feel great but I put in a lot of work with the physios. Gregg [Berhalter] has put his faith in me to pull this around and get some minutes in this tournament and do well.”

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The USMNT are confident of holding their own in Copa America competition, with Sargent adding on collective ambition following a 5-1 friendly defeat to Colombia and 1-1 draw with Brazil: “I don’t know what went on in the Colombia game but it was day and night with Brazil in terms of our approach and mentality. That is the real US and we know in a tournament like this we all have to be dialled in and at our absolute best.

"This is a big moment and we need to show that grit and firepower and stick together as a team if we want to have a chance to win this thing. We want people to know that we have a lot of good young players coming up with the passion to play for that crest, and hopefully we represent that. As a group we have talked about it and when you go into a tournament the goal is to win it. But we know there are some of the best teams in the world. We might not have as many skilful players but as a team we can be better.”

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WHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

The United States will get their Copa America campaign up and running at AT&T Stadium against Bolivia on Sunday. A positive result in that contest will set them up for further Group C outings against Panama and Uruguay.

Tottenham Hotspur’s charge towards Champions League football continued with a victory on Saturday, as they beat Crystal Palace 3-1.

It was a vital win for Ange Postecoglou’s side, especially after losing 2-1 at home last weekend to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Around the hour mark, it seemed as though it would be consecutive home defeats as Eberechi Eze gave the visitors the lead, but Spurs showed character and belief to pick up the three points.

Nonetheless, there was one individual who was simply outstanding and once again proved to be undroppable.

Cristian Romero’s 23/24 season in numbers

Cristian Romero has been an absolute rock at the heart of Spurs’ backline, especially under the Australian boss this season and alongside Micky van de Ven.

The "incredible" Argentine, as lauded by journalist Alasdair Gold this season, has started 21 matches in the Premier League this campaign, showing his vast skill set and ability to affect the game in both penalty boxes.

Over the campaign, Romero has scored four goals and kept five clean sheets while displaying his dominance both on and off the ball, as you can see by some of his key statistics from this season below.

Touches

89.1

Pass accuracy

92%

Interceptions

1.3

Tackles

2.0

Duels won

5.1

All of that was on display again this weekend in arguably his best performance in a Spurs shirt this campaign.

Romero’s game in numbers against Palace

Spurs were excellent from the first whistle to the last, despite going behind. Their dominance can be highlighted by their 78% possession, as well as the fact that Palace only had four shots all game and an xG of 0.32.

In truth, Romero didn’t have much defending to do other than deal with set pieces and long balls into the striker, hence his zero tackles, clearances, and blocks.

However, the 25-year-old showcased his ability to control the game and progress the ball, which was ultimately vital to Spurs overturning their deficit.

Goals

1

Touches

132

Passes (Accuracy)

117 (93%)

Passes into final third

15

Shots on target

2

Romero proved his importance to the side in the build-up, having the technical security and bravery to fire the ball into the final third 15 times while also taking a mammoth 132 touches and making 117 passes.

The fact that his pass accuracy was as high as 93% despite having such a high number is immense, but it was his threat in the final third that cements him as a rather complete defender.

After Timo Werner equalised in the 77th minute, the World Cup winner also scored the vital goal to put Tottenham one goal up, showing striker-esque movement to guide a header home from a looping James Maddison cross.

Overall, it was the perfect centre-half performance by Romero, even without the goal, and it further cemented him as one of the most important players for Postecoglou and Spurs.

On October 16, a week before the elections, the BCCI would release the final list of candidates along with the positions they would be contesting

Nagraj Gollapudi04-Oct-2019Former India captains Mohammad Azharuddin and Sourav Ganguly along with former India batsman Brijesh Patel are among the biggest names put forward to contest the BCCI elections scheduled for October 23.They were part of an electoral draft roll made public on Friday which also included Jay Shah (Gujarat Cricket Association secretary and son of India’s Home Minister Amit Shah), Arun Dhumal (president Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association and brother of former BCCI president Anurag Thakur), Rajeev Shukla (former IPL chairman), Rajat Sharma (Delhi Districts Cricket Association president) and Jaydev Shah (Saurashtra Cricket Association president and son former BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah)Friday was the last date for all the state associations to wrap up their polls and send in the names of a representative that would attend the BCCI’s annual general meeting, which happens alongside the elections.This list of 38 representatives would now be vetted by the BCCI’s electoral officer N Gopalswami before releasing a final electoral list on October 10. The state associations would then have to send in names from that final electoral list of representatives to contest various positions at the BCCI elections. On October 16, a week before the elections, the BCCI would release the final list of candidates along with the positions they would be contesting.The board would be looking to fill five office bearer posts (president, vice-president, secretary, joint secretary and treasurer), one seat on the Apex Council and two positions on the IPL Governing Council.Although Ganguly, who was re-elected president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, has been to a BCCI AGM previously, he has never contested the elections. It remains to be seen whether he would put his hat in the ring considering the BCCI’s new constitution, framed as per the RM Lodha Committee reforms, dictates that he would have to accept a cooling off period of three years after he completes six years as office bearer. That is only 10 months away.Azharuddin, meanwhile, would be attending the board’s AGM for the first time. But the new president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association would be surrounded by people who were close to him during his playing career, including Patel and Shukla, a veteran administrator and former IPL chairman.Both Shukla and Patel did not take part in elections at their respective state associations – Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka – but have still been pitched as representatives. Questions would be raised about their eligibility considering both Shukla and Patel have already served several years as office bearers at their state associations.Eligibility is bound to become a key factor in the coming weeks keeping in mind the rules drawn by the Committee of Administrators (CoA), which was appointed as the supervisory authority of the BCCI by the Supreme Court on January 30, 2017.The CoA has made it clear that in order to participate in the BCCI AGM and nominate a representative for the elections, state associations’ constitutions would need to be compliant with that of the board’s. If not, they would not be allowed to cast their vote nor would their respresentative be allowed to contest for a position in the elections. Gopalswami has reiterated that point in the communication he has sent in the last two weeks.Not everyone agrees with this though. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), the bastion of former BCCI president N Srinivasan, has challenged the CoA directive and told Gopalswami that as far as it was concerned, it was compliant and would be the attending the AGM and contesting the elections.

Gary Lineker has explained why Jordan Pickford must ditch his penalty ‘cheat code’ water bottle after more heroics for England at Euro 2024.

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Everton keeper starring for Three LionsHas a reputation for saving spot-kicksOpponents now fully aware of his anticsWHAT HAPPENED?

The Everton goalkeeper has made a habit of delivering for the Three Lions in nerve-jangling shootouts. His crucial saves helped Gareth Southgate’s side to break their penalty curse against Colombia at the 2018 World Cup.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pickford saved and scored in a Nations League shootout with Switzerland in 2019, while also repelling two spot-kicks in the Euro 2020 final against Italy. He frustrated Swiss opponents for a second time when beating away an effort from Manuel Akanji in the quarter-finals of this summer’s European Championship.

WHAT LINEKER SAID

England do their homework ahead of shootouts, with Pickford sticking penalty advice to his water bottle. Said accessory told him to “dive left” when Akanji stepped up for Switzerland. Rivals are, however, now fully aware of his antics and ex-Three Lions striker Lineker has told the podcast: “One player is going to look at that bottle. If you are listening do it differently, do it on a different piece of paper or do it on the post!”

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Southgate will be hoping to see England avoid the need for any more penalty drama as they head into the semi-finals of Euro 2024. A clash with the Netherlands is next up for them on Wednesday, with that contest taking place in Dortmund.

Led by the same majority owner as NWSL side Washington Spirit and eight-time European champions Lyon, the Championship club are having a big summer

Kosovare Asllani is one of the most talented players of her generation. She has lifted the Women’s Super League title with Manchester City, represented Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and AC Milan, racked up 187 caps for Sweden and played in four major tournament semi-finals. So when a second division team set about trying to persuade her to make a shock transfer this summer, it’s no surprise to hear that she wasn’t quite sure.

Even when she was unveiled last week as the marquee signing for London City Lionesses, who play in the Women’s Championship in England, the iconic playmaker admitted that she was still “a little bit terrified” about a move she described as a “risk”. However, sitting alongside new head coach Jocelyn Precheur, who himself was lured across the channel from French giants Paris Saint-Germain, she was simultaneously keen to emphasise how “excited” she was about joining an ambitious project led by Michele Kang, who is also the majority owner of the Washington Spirit in the NWSL and eight-time European champions Lyon.

“I've been waiting for someone like Michele to come along, honestly,” Asllani said. “The reason I'm here is because of Michele. We've been waiting to get these investments into women's football and having the opportunity to work with, for me, the most powerful woman in the business at the moment is what intrigued me.”

While sat alongside two additions that probably no other team in the division could have made, and discussing news that London City had also acquired its training facilities and struck an agreement with new men’s League Two side Bromley to play home games at its Hayes Lane ground, Kang acknowledged: "Just because you spend more money doesn't mean you're going to win the Championship. I'm very cognisant of that.”

Yet, the mission is clear. London City Lionesses want to do exactly that, secure promotion to the WSL and, then, become champions of England. To achieve any of that will take a lot – and it needs the big ambition which Kang is showing.

USA TODAY SportsDifferent challenge

It’s easy to see why Kang is a revered figure for many in the women’s game. She doesn’t just talk the talk, she is a “doer” in Asllani’s words. She quite literally puts her money where her mouth is and invests and supports the teams she owns.

There are some that are opposed to her multi-club ownership model, but Kang made it clear in just her second press conference that, across the three teams she owns a majority stake in, “the goal is to make every team the champion in each of the leagues that they play” rather than “to make one team successful, like some of the common models that you see on the men's side”.

To get London City to the level she envisages is going to be her toughest challenge yet, though. Lyon was already established as the biggest team in Europe before her investment, and while the Spirit didn’t win a first NWSL Championship until after Kang got involved, the club has been in the U.S. top flight since its establishment in 2013. That’s not to say that Kang hasn’t done things to help both improve, but to illustrate the difference in trying to help an English second division side achieve such lofty ambitions.

AdvertisementGettyStumbling blocks

Kang has experienced the obstacles such a challenge presents already, too. “Over the past six months, we approached a lot of top coaches, a lot of top players, and a lot of them told us, 'Call me when you get promoted',” she explained. “A lot of people were very nervous about joining a Championship team.”

After all, there are implications. Asllani, whom Kang is extremely “grateful” for because of her decision to take a “risk”, will want to go to the European Championship next summer with Sweden, and dropping down to the second division could impact that. Given her experience and quality, and how proven she is, it’s possible she will still get the nod, but other players aren’t in that situation. Even though Asllani is, it remains a gamble.

GettyPersuasive figure

And that is where Kang’s character comes into it all. “I went with the gut and the feeling I get from Michele with her vision for women's sport,” Asllani explained. “She is someone that believes in a project, that is investing, that is a doer. That is how I feel, and the impression I got from Michele from our first meeting. I remember leaving the room feeling like, 'I want to work with her'.”

Precheur gave similar comments. “Since I met Michele last season, I have admired her vision, her dedication for the women's game,” he added. “She is very ambitious. This is a big project. Very quickly, I decided to join Michele because I really, really wanted to support her to be part of this project.”

It’s clear that her ambition resonates and that she is able to convey her vision in a way that persuades people to get onboard. Lyon star Ada Hegerberg told GOAL that Kang was a big reason in her decision to renew with the eight-time European champions earlier this year. Now, she’s playing a huge role in drawing elite players and coaches to the English second-tier.

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GettyOn and off the pitch

It's not just on the pitch that she’s making big things happen, either. Recognising the need for a top-class training environment if London City are to hit the heights desired, Kang has purchased the 23-acre training facility that the club was renting.

“We engaged the architects who designed the Tottenham training centre,” Kang explained. “I did my research, and in my opinion, they have actually the best football training centre. We engaged with them and they have been working with us to design the state of the art training centre for women's football teams. They will be designing basically the same concept for London City, for the Spirit and for Lyon.”

That’s on top of the decision to relocate from Princes Park, the stadium used by seventh-tier men's team Dartford FC, to Hayes Lane, the ground of newly-promoted League Two outfit Bromley. It moves the club from Kent to Greater London, which Kang believes is “important”, but most significantly gives them “a professional grade stadium” to play in.

For a team that has lost a Test by a margin of more than 200 runs, South Africa were unusually pleased with their performance in Visakhapatnam

Firdose Moonda06-Oct-2019For a team that has lost a Test by a margin of more than 200 runs, South Africa seem unusually pleased with their performance against India in Visakhapatnam. Compare it to the way they played four years ago here, or even 15 months ago in Sri Lanka, and it’s easy to understand why.Before Visakhapatnam, South Africa had lost four of their last five Tests in India, including a 3-0 defeat in 2015. Two of those three losses in that series came inside three days, with only the Delhi Test going the distance. South Africa’s batting line-up was befuddled by the conditions and opposition spinners as they looked a shadow of the outfit that won in Sri Lanka in 2014 and drew in India in 2010.In Visakhapatnam, they went down fighting. They scored over 400 in the first innings, taking the match well into the fifth day. Two of their batsmen scored centuries, and even though they teetered on 70 for 8 in the second innings, they did not crash and burn until the penultimate session of the match. The overall assessment was to take “a lot of confidence” from their efforts and to pat themselves on the back for showing they had learnt lessons and improved from previous trips.Watch cricket on ESPN+

India v South Africa is available in the US on Hotstar and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the Tests.

“I’m really proud of the first innings, the way that we batted. That was a real line in the sand for us as a team,” Faf du Plessis said after the match. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in our dressing room because of what happened in the first innings. Dean [Elgar] scored a great 160 and Quinny [de Kock] as well – a great combination of attack and defence. Certainly the last time we were here, it was tough but we grew as a batting unit and the experience that we got from that tour… I am hoping that the lessons we learnt there will show us we can score runs and compete.”While there is still ample work to be done among the less experienced players, such as Aiden Markram and Theunis de Bruyn, and questions continue to lurk over when Temba Bavuma will add to his lone Test century, runs are not the only thing South Africa need to challenge their hosts. They were unable to bowl India out in either innings and the composition and quality of their attack will come under scrutiny ahead of the next Test.South Africa made the bold call of using all three frontline spinners in their squad, though two of them – Dane Piedt and debutant Senuran Muthusamy – appeared to be more useful as batsmen. They chose their senior seamers Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada, but Philander’s lack of pace reduced him to a containing role and Rabada was unable to make anything happen even when variable bounce came into play. While hindsight may have called on Lungi Ngidi or Anrich Nortje for extra pace, du Plessis is unsure they would have made a difference.”It was difficult to try and slow the game down,” he said. “We were bowling a lot of spin so the pace of play was really fast. And when you’ve got momentum, which they had at that stage, it just felt like it was really difficult to stop. But from a combination point of view, it’s difficult to say.”Apart from today [the last day], seamers didn’t play that much of a role in this Test match. They played a holding role in the first four days. Whether an extra seamer would have made a difference, I am not sure. But definitely day five, we saw that there was huge value in the seam, the up and down, it is something for us to consider moving into the next Test match.”Du Plessis expects surfaces to turn more in Pune and Ranchi, which will leave South Africa with the same conundrum. He has faith his premier slower bowler, Keshav Maharaj, is due something special as the series goes on. “On wickets that offer a little bit more spin, he is just as good as any of the spinners in the Indian team.”Du Plessis was also impressed by Muthusamy’s resolve in scoring an unbeaten 33 and 49 in the match.Faf du Plessis is bowled•BCCI”You can see technically he is very sound against spin, which is something he has worked really hard on. Obviously he bowls a bit as well, so that helps,” du Plessis said. “Batting in that No. 7 or No. 8 position is always something we are looking for as a team. He batted with real maturity in both innings and is making it hard for us to leave him out of the second Test. He is putting the numbers on the scoreboard, which is what we want.”All that suggests that Piedt may be the man to miss out as South Africa look to pick a player who can bolster their ability to take wickets without compromising the length of the line-up. Neither Ngidi nor Nortje fits that role exactly, which will place extra responsibility on Philander, Muthusamy and Maharaj with the bat, but that is the price South Africa have to pay for not having a steady supply of seam-bowling allrounders anymore.”If we leave out an allrounder then our batting becomes weaker, if we play an extra batter then we don’t have enough bowling resources. Someone like Keshav can bowl a lot of overs, so he can block up an end the whole day, similar to what [R] Ashwin does with India,” du Plessis explained. “It’s about finding the balance, which is our best wicket-taking options. But also, you definitely need to have one element of control in the subcontinent. You can’t just have guys running and bowl in fast but not hitting the stumps consistently. Those are the conversations that we will have.”Before South Africa look that far ahead, du Plessis wants the team to concentrate on something entirely different: head space. Rather than obsess over technique or team-combination, he wants his men to take the positives from their first innings and put a poor day five in Visakhapatnam behind them as they attempt to win a Test on the subcontinent for the first time in five years.”That will be a big thing for us a team – that we focus on how strong our heads can be,” he said. “There’s not much that you can do in the nets over the next two days to be strong in that next Test match. It’s about mentally how we are able to put away the last day that we didn’t play well and make sure we are ready to come back for the next, hungry to put in a big performance.”

Leeds United just about crept over the line against Stoke City last night to pick up their 23rd Championship win of the season to date, overcoming Steven Schumacher's tricky visitors 1-0 on a cagey evening in West Yorkshire.

In truth, the performance wasn't Daniel Farke's high-flying side at their free-flowing best with the goal-shy Whites bailed out by Daniel James scoring a belter in the first half.

The silky Leeds number 20 was reintroduced into the first team fold after battling to be back in his manager's plans following recent injury woes, proving his worth for the promotion chasers once more on their own turf – the ex-Manchester United winger onto 11 goals for the season now.

Leeds were thankful that James stepped up to the mark owing to the off-day experienced by Patrick Bamford leading the line for the hosts, who was quiet throughout in contrast.

Daniel James' stunning performance vs Stoke

Away from the lacklustre showing by the Leeds number nine, James starred again for Farke's men from down the right-hand channel.

The electric winger was constantly wanting to make things happen at Elland Road whilst the likes of Bamford and even Georginio Rutter failed to get going, with the Welshman amassing four shots on target in the contest.

Moreover, the slick 5 foot 7 attacker would muster up four key passes to show his unselfish side away from firing constant shots at Daniel Iversen's net on top of winning five duels in total as a high-energy menace.

This should see James be retained for Leeds' next match away at Sheffield Wednesday on Friday night, shrugging off any lingering injury concerns with a fantastic display against the Potters.

Bamford won't rest so easy about his first-team spot, however, off the back of his no-show up top in the 1-0 win, coming away from the game with fewer touches than Whites goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Why Patrick Bamford must be dropped after dismal Stoke showing

It could well be time for Farke to reevaluate who his main centre forward is as Leeds enter a number of crunch games in the automatic promotion race, with Bamford in danger of falling down his manager's striker pecking order after a second-rate display on Tuesday night.

Bamford would only accumulate a dire 32 touches of the ball to Meslier's superior 63, during a match that simply passed him by from start to finish.

Only registering two shots on Iversen's goal, alongside only completing 18 accurate passes from his 72 minutes on the Elland Road turf, Farke could well look to other members of his squad to come in and do a job against the Owls up top in place of a poor Bamford.

It would result in Bamford picking up a 5/10 rating from LeedsLive journalist Beren Cross after the game was over, with Cross stating that the 30-year-old offered 'very little.'

Minutes played

72

Touches

32

Shots on goal

2

Accurate passes

18/23 (78%)

Duels won

4/6

Whites hotshot Mateo Joseph could well fancy his chances in the first team off the back of Bamford's dire showing, whilst Joe Gelhardt will be waiting in the wings patiently for opportunities to impress after finding himself stuck on the Leeds periphery.

Before either of those reserve figures get the spotlight shone on them however, the most logical reshuffle would see Joel Piroe re-enter the Leeds first-team fold as a number ten – with the former Swansea City man creating one big chance against Stoke from off the bench – and then Rutter would slot back in as the lone striker again.

Leeds will just keep wanting to add more wins to their season tally away from Bamford's off-day troubling them, with James desperate to continue being a hero for Farke's men in the crucial weeks to follow in the promotion hunt.

The reigning Ballon d'Or winner must deliver in Copa America final if Argentina hope to conquer Colombia

When Lionel Messi stepped up to take Argentina's first penalty against Ecuador in the Copa America quarterfinals, the outcome was inevitable. Messi was surely going to bury it. Maybe he'd smash it top corner, perhaps he'd panenka it down the middle. Either way, there was no way he could miss.

And then, the unthinkable happened. Messi missed.

He tried to chip the ball down the middle, but his effort clipped the bar and went behind. Argentina seemed doomed, in the moment. Of course, that didn't happen. Emi Martinez made two saves, and every other Argentina player converted on their spot-kicks as La Albiceleste stayed alive.

Messi, the guy who had saved his team so many times, was bailed out by those he had so often led to victory. Depending in which corner of social media debate you reside, Messi is either the best or the second best footballer to ever play the game.

He operates on his own plane. Messi is the rare star player who tends to act like one. And Argentina need him. After enduring a disappointing tournament – by his standards, anyway – Messi simply must come alive when Argentina line up against Colombia in Sunday night's Copa America final in Miami.

GettyBailed out

That Ecuador game was arguably one of Messi's worst in an Argentina shirt in years. The stats, in isolation, make for grim reading. The Argentina captain touched the ball 29 times, completed 21 passes, took one shot, and didn't dribble past a single opponent. La Albiceleste's undisputed talisman was reduced to a bit-part player.

Some of the credit has to go to Ecuador. Moises Caicedo – so disappointing for Chelsea last season – shepherded Messi excellently. He barely had time to breathe. When the Argentine did the standard walking-to-get-open stuff, Caicedo simply followed him around. And when he was caught, someone else stepped in. The only real way to stop Messi is to suffocate him. Ecuador did just that.

That meant Argentina had to turn elsewhere. Lisandro Martinez took his goal well, and La Albiceleste were excellent on penalties again.

AdvertisementGettyInjured?

Through all of this, though, there is a real concern that Messi might not be entirely fit. He arguably hasn't been for nearly two years. We are talking about a 37-year-old, after all. Messi played almost every minute at the 2022 World Cup, and won the trophy he coveted so dearly as his reward.

But since then, he has suffered from constant injuries. First, it was his calf during his last few months at PSG in early 2023. Then it was a series of knocks for Inter Miami, loosely described as "muscle fatigue."

These are all understandable ailments for someone of his age, and with all the minutes in his legs. Messi is certainly quick and strong, but he has never been an incredible athlete, and has never had to rely on his physical attributes to be the best in the world. Still, he walks more these days, and is given nights off for Miami (something that has landed him in hot water with MLS.)

And he missed a Copa America fixture as a result, ruled out of Argentina's game with Peru. Manager Lionel Scaloni admitted just a few days before the Ecuador quarterfinal that he didn't know if Messi would be ready to play. He ultimately did, but these concerns aren't so easily ignored.

GettyAllowing others to thrive

Still, watch Messi live, and you will notice everything he does off the ball. It was often remarked about Karim Benzema at Real Madrid that the striker was the best player in the world at creating space for others – knowing when to weave in and out of space, showing the world how touching the ball can sometimes be as equally important as touching it.

That's crept into Messi's game these days. Some superstars demand the ball – and Messi often does. But he's also equally happy not to have it, to move away from play, drag a defender with him, and allow one of Argentina's other supremely talented attacking players to make something happen.

Such was the case in La Albiceleste's opening goal against Canada in the semifinal. Messi dropped away from goal. Julian Alvarez had space to run into. Rodrigo De Paul provided the pass, Alvarez held off two defenders and scored. Messi was 40 yards from the ball, but his selflessness, his willingness to get out of the way, effectively created a goal for his team.

And therein lies his impact. Even when he is touching the ball less, Messi is never static. He may walk around, but he is always on the move, constantly giving opposing defenses something to think about. Those things don't show up on the stat sheet. They're not even immediately obvious. But Messi, aware of how much attention he draws, is able to allow others to thrive.

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GettyLessons to take from Qatar

This is not a new concept. Messi himself has acknowledged that there is a real art to his walking. He has even advised other Inter Miami players to do the same. The difference is, in recent years, he's also been able to make the most of the ball when he has it. He can be involved less, but be devastating when he's afforded the opportunity to make that happen.

The 2022 World Cup was a perfect example. Messi was the best player in the tournament by some distance, but not once was he the player with the most touches for his team. His chance creation, shot, and key pass numbers were all lower than they had been in years. The difference? Every single pass was clean, almost every opportunity was taken. He made the half chances look like easy goals, the impossible balls looked like easy assists.

No, he wasn't involved as much as he would have liked. But he maximized every opportunity when given the chance.