Category Uncategorized

There is an anxious wait to see if Liverpool’s win over Inter Milan at the San Siro is a turning of a page or a stay of execution ahead of more poor results, dismal displays.

Arne Slot would be the first to admit that things haven’t gone to plan for the Premier League champions this summer, who find themselves 10th in the top-flight standings after a record-breaking summer of spending. Slot is also a glass-half-full kind of guy, and he sees a route out of this rut.

Circumstances apply for the Anfield side, but there’s no denying many stars have been miles off it, and while much has been made of Liverpool’s defensive disasters, the uncertain future of Mohamed Salah has heaped pressure on FSG and Richard Hughes as the sporting director searches for fresh firepower.

Why Liverpool could sign a new forward

Who knows if Salah will still be a Liverpool player in February? Regardless, the Egyptian hasn’t been good enough this season, and, aged 33, questions are being raised as to whether he has gone past the apotheosis of his glittering Premier League career.

Salah’s decline has seemingly hampered his fellow attackers. It’s only natural; ther 33-year-old has held Liverpool’s success on his back for so many years. Cody Gakpo, for example, has struggled for form too, arguably offering less than the Egyptian while reprising his starting berth

More pace and potency is surely needed, and that’s why FSG are weighing up a move for RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, with Spanish sources claiming Liverpool have raised their interest and are ready to sign the Ivorian teenager to cover Salah’s mid-season sale, should that come to pass.

Diomande might only be 19 years old, but he’s already confirmed his elite status, with Leipzig set to demand payment in the range of €100m (about £88m) to let him leave.

Arsenal and Manchester City are also known suitors.

What Yan Diomande would bring to Liverpool

Diomande is fast. Very fast. However, he’s anything but a one-trick pony, quickly establishing himself as a potent threat in the final third and a tenacious defender when against the ball.

Journalist Bence Bocsak has actually hailed him as a “generational talent”, comparing the youngster to Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland, who was several grades above when cutting his own teeth for the Red Bull group.

Diomande might actually be a better player than Gakpo even now, even before adding the building blocks to his natural foundation. The 19-year-old doesn’t match Gakpo’s rate of output, not yet, but the underlying data is certainly kind to Diomande’s completeness.

Cody Gakpo vs Yan Diomande (past 12 months)
Stats (per 90)	Gakpo	Diomande
Goals scored	0.45	0.36
Assists	0.26	0.21
Shots taken	2.53	2.08
Shot-creating actions	4.16	5.23
Touches (att pen)	5.67	7.16
Pass completion (%)	72.5	81.2
Progressive passes	2.56	3.44
Progressive carries	3.33	6.66
Successful take-ons	1.31	4.01
Ball recoveries	3.01	6.01
Tackles + interceptions	1.41	2.72
Data via FBref

And anyway, Diomande has demonstrated startling growth in a short time, having scored seven goals and supplied four assists for his Bundesliga club this season, joining them from Leganes in the summer.

Gakpo, moreover, has only completed 39% of his 1.3 dribbles per Premier League game this term, whereas Diomande is proving himself to be a highly efficient ball carrier, completing 63% of his dribbles, averaging 2.3 per game (data via Sofascore).

This is an up-and-coming talent who is quickly becoming the talk of the town. Liverpool must ensure they add him to their ranks, adding depth and dynamism to their flanks and a far more dynamic threat than someone like Gakpo.

If Liverpool are currently bracing themselves for Salah’s shock departure, such a profile will be needed.

He could be captain after Van Dijk: £35m star very keen on joining Liverpool

Liverpool clearly need to fix some defensive problems after a wretched start to the season.

1

By
Angus Sinclair

4 days ago

Manchester City’s winless run after the international break extended to two games, following a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

It was a night where Pep Guardiola made ten changes, with Nico Gonzalez the only player to keep his place in the side. However, it was not a decision that paid off.

It was a fairly equal first half, with City failing to exert any sort of dominance on the German side, which you might expect from them at the Etihad Stadium. They only managed five shots in that first 45 minutes.

Alejandro Grimaldo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 23rd minute, striding into the box unmarked and sweetly striking a left-footed volley into the bottom right corner.

It was a superb finish, but poor defending from Guardiola’s side to allow him that much space.

In the second half, the City manager turned to the bench, calling upon the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki to get his side back into the game. Yet, a header from Patrick Schick in the 54th minute doubled Leverkusen’s lead and was enough to seal the win.

It was a poor performance from City, with some players failing to take their chances.

City's worst performers vs. Leverkusen

On a night where Guardiola rotated his side, it could have been the moment for some players to stake a claim for a more regular starting spot. Well, one of the players who struggled was defender Nathan Ake.

The Dutchman has become a squad player under the former Barcelona manager in recent times, and did not exactly cover himself in glory on Tuesday night.

There is a case to be made that he was at fault for Schick’s goal, allowing the Czech Republic striker to get in front of him in the penalty box and head home. It was poor defending from the experienced Ake.

Another player who underwhelmed was Omar Marmoush. The Egyptian attacker is Haaland’s understudy at the Etihad Stadium, so it will always be hard for him to get regular minutes as a number nine.

Against Leverkusen, he was completely isolated and struggled to get involved in the game, being replaced by the Norwegian in the 65th minute.

Marmoush managed just 18 touches of the ball, didn’t manage a shot and could only win two out of five duels.

As poor as Ake and Marmoush were, two City players were arguably worse.

Man City's 4/10 duo must never start together again

Marmoush and Ake were disappointing, but two players who really played poorly were Savinho and Oscar Bobb. They were City’s two wingers against Leverkusen, but City Chief, a page over on X, said they “offer nothing” when playing out on the flanks.

Indeed, it was a night to forget for both of the wide men.

They didn’t cause Leverkusen many major problems, having a combined 12 touches in their box, creating two chances between them and losing the ball 34 times altogether.

Touches in opposition box

10

2

Chances created

0

2

Passes into final third

1

0

Ground duels won

5/12

3/4

Number of times ball lost

25

9

One person who noticed how lacklustre the wingers performed was Manchester Evening News reporter Simon Bajkowski. He gave them both a 4/10 rating, explaining that Bobb ‘went missing’ after the opening minutes and Savinho had no ‘meaningful contributions’.

With Jeremy Doku and Cherki tending to be Guardiola’s first-choice wingers this term, it is hard to see how the pairing that started against the German side will get into the team together again.

Individually, the quality is there, but as a duo, they lack the potency and perhaps confidence to pose a real threat to a full-back. It was certainly a passive showing against Leverkusen, especially with City losing for most of the game.

It is hard to see how Guardiola doesn’t switch back to his first-choice wide pairing, after such a disappointing performance from Bobb and Savinho.

They would fit well with more direct wingers on the other flank, but as a duo, are perhaps too similar and not urgent enough in one-vs-ones to cause frequent problems.

Worse than Savinho: Man City star is in danger of becoming another Grealish

This Manchester City star is in danger of becoming the next Jack Grealish after another off-performance versus Bayer Leverkusen.

2 ByKelan Sarson Nov 26, 2025

The Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs will get the 2025 MLB season started with a two-game set at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on March 18 and 19. The Dodgers are extremely popular in Japan due to their trio of standout Japanese players in Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, and now their overseas fans will have the chance to see them in-person in Tokyo.

Ahead of the season-opening series, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced the team's pitching plans for the game on March 18. In a fitting decision, Roberts declared that Yamamoto would toe the rubber for L.A. in the first of the two games.

"I think the expectation for both those guys (Yamamoto and Sasaki) to pitch is real." said Roberts. He noted that the team is anticipating having Yamamoto on the mound for first game, while Sasaki will likely follow as the starter for the second game. Ohtani doesn't figure to be ready to pitch in that series, but he will likely be in the lineup as the DH.

Roberts made clear that he's not expecting either pitcher to throw a usual starter's workload as they continue to ramp up for the season, so there figures to be plenty of bullpen arms getting into the games.

After the two-game set in Tokyo, the Dodgers return to the U.S. and will host the Detroit Tigers in a three-game series from March 27-29.

England spinner starred at Lord’s last week, but reveals she ‘wasn’t sure’ she’d return from mental-health break

Valkerie Baynes22-Jul-2025

Sophie Ecclestone missed the early part of England’s season in the wake of a tumultuous winter•Getty Images

Sophie Ecclestone has revealed she considered quitting cricket in the aftermath of the off-field drama surrounding England Women’s T20 World Cup and Ashes failures.Ecclestone missed the start of the international summer when England hosted West Indies, instead playing for Lancashire during the T20I series while she managed her comeback from a knee injury. She was then ruled out of the ODI series, citing the need to prioritise her wellbeing.Having returned for both white-ball series against India, Ecclestone spoke about the reasons surrounding her absence in a pre-match interview ahead of the third and final ODI at Chester-le-Street.She had come under fire during the Ashes in Australia, where England lost the points series 16-0, after Alex Hartley, the former England spinner turned broadcaster, said Ecclestone had refused to be interviewed by her on TV. Hartley also said she had been “given the cold shoulder” by England players since criticising their fitness following their group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup last October.”It was a tough time for me personally,” Ecclestone told Sky Sports in a pitch-side interview before play on Tuesday. “I tore my meniscus and I had a very sore knee, but I feel like personally I was so tired and so drained from the last few months.Related

Onus on England to process lessons as India issue World Cup wake-up

Nat Sciver-Brunt defends England after wife Katherine questions attitude

Alex Hartley: Sophie Ecclestone 'refused TV interview' after Ashes loss

Ecclestone to take time away from cricket to prioritise wellbeing

Ecclestone, Bouchier in England ODI squad to face India

“As a cricketer, we don’t stop, we don’t get much time off and we go from franchise tournaments to England tournaments and it takes it out of you. I feel like during the West Indies series I wasn’t actually sure if I was going to come back and play cricket.”I was away from cricket and I cried to a few people, I cried to my dad, I get emotional now, but it was it was a tough time. But I feel like I’ve come out the other side now and I’m back playing cricket.”Ecclestone credited team-mates Lauren Bell and Alice Capsey, along with her family and friends for helping her return to the cricket field with “a smile on my face again”. That culminated in a Player-of-the-Match award for her 3 for 37 at Lord’s on Saturday, which helped England to an ODI series-levelling victory.Ecclestone disputed the use of the word “refusal” when it came to the infamous interview with Hartley, and appeared to take issue with the timing of the request to talk, suggesting that she wanted to concentrate on her warm-up.”It was a weird time,” Ecclestone said. “I feel like obviously that went down the wrong way, and a few things were said, and I was just concentrating on cricket at that moment.”A lot of things were being said which wasn’t ideal for me and it affected me quite a lot to be honest. It took a lot out of me. There were a lot of words being thrown around about me that I thought were untrue and it wasn’t very nice to hear.”I kind of had to put that to one side, and I did go off social media for a couple of weeks actually during the Ashes, just because it was affecting me quite a lot, what was being said. It wasn’t very nice but we’ve all learnt from that now and there’s a lot of feelings involved but we’re all over that now, and ready to move on.”Ecclestone went on to say that she believed misconceptions had emerged about her in the fallout from the incident.”I feel like a lot of words were being thrown around about me that weren’t true,” she said. “Just that I was really arrogant maybe, and that’s just not me as a person.”The word refusal was getting thrown around and that just wasn’t really true and some of the things people were saying about the team I didn’t really agree with, so it was hard to take for me and hard to take for the team.”Immediately after the Ashes, Clare Connor, managing director of England women’s cricket, described the interview situation as “an unfortunate incident that won’t happen again”.”Our players in general… embrace their media obligations,” Connor said. “It matters to them to be good role models for women’s cricket and the England women’s cricket team. As professional women’s cricket has developed at the rate that it has over recent years, that scrutiny is something that we will all have to embrace and accept.”Ecclestone acknowledged that women’s cricket being in the spotlight more than when she made her debut as a 17-year-old in 2016 was a positive thing and said she had learned from the experience, including the public’s reaction.”I was so surprised,” she said. “I feel like it got slightly blown out of proportion but it was no-one’s fault. It was hard at the time because I feel like I came out to my phone and had about 25,000 messages about something that had happened in the media and I was like, ‘well what’s happened?’ Then I came out and I saw it all, and I was just like, ‘wow like that’s mega.'”

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vitória fez valer o mando de campo e venceu o Guarani, por 2 a 0, no Barradão, e se mantém na liderança isolada da Série B. Os gols foram marcados por Léo Gamalho e Wagner Leonardo, um em cada tempo. O Leão ainda teve o jogo facilitado com a expulsão do volante do Bugre, Matheus Bueno, aos 26 minutos do primeiro tempo.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalAtlético-GO vence a Ponte Preta fora de casa pela Série B do BrasileirãoFutebol Nacional15/10/2023Futebol NacionalJuventude x Sport: onde assistir ao vivo, horário e escalações do jogo pela Série BFutebol Nacional16/10/2023Futebol NacionalEmpates marcam o dia na Série B; confira os jogos da rodadaFutebol Nacional14/10/2023

Com o resultado, o Vitória chegou aos 61 pontos, sete de vantagem para o próprio Guarani, o primeiro fora da zona de acesso para a Série A. Na próxima sexta-feira (20), o Leão encara o Sampaio Corrêa, no Castelão. No mesmo dia, o Bugre visita o Mirassol.

+ A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!

+ Confira a tabela e a classificação da Série B

Dragão na cola

Mais cedo, o Atlético-GO venceu a Ponte Preta, no Moisés Lucarelli, por 2 a 0, gols de Álix Vinícius e Matheus Peixoto. O Dragão chegou aos 56 pontos e assumiu a vice-liderança da Série B, porém pode ser ultrapassado por Juventude ou Sport, que se enfrentam segunda-feira (16), no Alfredo Jaconi.

Jogo dos desesperados

No Estádio do Café, o Londrina abriu o placar com Iago Dias, mas o Avaí empatou com Fellipe Bastos. O resultado foi ruim para os dois times, que lutam contra o rebaixamento. O Tubarão tem 25 pontos e é o penúltimo colocado na Série B. Já o Leão da Ilha tem 35, dois a mais que a Chapecoense, que abre o Z4 da competição.

Arsenal have been handed a Noni Madueke injury blow as Mikel Arteta receives some news about the in-form summer signing.

Noni Madueke subbed off half-time with injury in Man City draw

The England winger’s electric start to life in north London has attracted due praise, with Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera arguably standing out as Andrea Berta’s finest purchases thus far.

Arteta has started Madueke in five out of Arsenal’s first six games in all competitions so far, and the England international has repaid that faith by terrorising full-backs with his trickery, burst of pace and initiative in the final third.

Kepa Arrizabalaga

£5m

Martin Zubimendi

£60m

Christian Norgaard

£15m

Noni Madueke

£52m

Cristhian Mosquera

£13m

Viktor Gyokeres

£55m

Eberechi Eze

£67.5m

Piero Hincapie

Loan

Just months ago, Gunners supporters were protesting the ex-Chelsea star’s arrival with a petition and ‘#NoToMadueke’ movement on social media platform X, but fast-forward to now, and those same fans are now very worried about a potential long-term injury for him.

Madueke has also shined for the Three Lions under Thomas Tuchel on international duty, and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville is among the critics to admit they’ve been left surprised by the 23-year-old’s excellent performances in an Arsenal shirt.

In place of the previously injured Bukayo Saka, Madueke dazzled on the right-wing, but Arteta now faces the prospect of being without him.

The former PSV Eindhoven forward was forced off at half-time in Arsenal’s dramatic 1-1 draw with Man City on Sunday, and there are some fears that Madueke may have suffered an ACL injury.

If that were the case, he’d face months on the sidelines, but luckily for Arteta, it appears his problem isn’t as serious as that.

That being said, he’s still set for a lengthy spell out.

Arsenal dealt Noni Madueke blow as David Ornstein shares news

The reliable David Ornstein reports that Madueke avoided an ACL tear, but will be unavailable for around two months with a knee injury, putting his return date during the November international break, meaning he could play against Tottenham on November 23.

While he is yet to get off the mark in terms of goals or assists, Madueke has been without question one of Arteta’s best players of the campaign so far, so this is undoubtedly a blow for Arsenal.

Noni Madueke form at Arsenal prompts Chelsea regret

The winger was Arsenal’s most threatening player in their 1-0 loss to Liverpool prior to the last international break, before he put in a Man of the Match display against Nottingham Forest at the Emirates, whilst also impressing in the first hour of their 5-0 win over Leeds United.

Arsenal’s new £150,000-per-week star is looking like the player who expensive flop Nicolas Pepe was supposed to be, except Madueke didn’t cost a seismic £72 million to bring in.

There are some suggestions that high-ranking Chelsea chiefs held reservations over selling Madueke to Arsenal, and so far, he’s shown exactly why.

يخوض فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي مباراة مساء اليوم الأربعاء، أمام خصمه كريستال بالاس، في إطار مواجهات بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية لموسم 2025-2026.

ويحل كريستال بالاس ضيفًا على ليفربول بملعب “آنفيلد”، وذلك ضمن مباريات الجولة السادسة عشر لبطولة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية “كأس كاراباو”.

طالع | تشكيل ليفربول الرسمي أمام كريستال بالاس في كأس كاراباو.. موقف محمد صلاح

وتحدث مدرب ليفربول، آرني سلوت عن مواجهة كريستال بالاس، والتشكيل المتوقع لفريقه، لكنه لم يحسم التشكيلة المختارة.

وأفاد سلوت: “لم أتخذ قرارًا نهائيًا بشأن التشكيل الذي سنستخدمه لهذه المباراة، هناك حاجة للتدريب والتحقق من جاهزية اللاعبين، ولكن يجب أن يكون أي لاعب نختاره جاهزًا لمواجهة فريق مثل كريستال بالاس”.

ومن المرجح أن يقوم سلوت بمداورة في تشكيل فريقه ليفربول، بعد المباراة الماضية أمام بيرنلي في الدوري الإنجليزي، ومن المتوقع ألا يشارك محمد صلاح أساسيًا في لقاء اليوم. تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام كريستال بالاس

حراسة المرمى: وودمان.

خط الدفاع: برادلي، جوميز، إندو، روبرتسون.

خط الوسط: نيوني، أليكسيس ماك أليستر، فيديريكو كييزا.

خط الهجوم: فلوريان فيرتز، نجوموها، هوجو إيكيتيكي.

ويمكنك متابعة مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من خلال مركز المباريات من هنا.

Shardul Thakur has joined* Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) as replacement for Mohsin Khan. Thakur, who had gone unsold at the auction ahead of IPL 2025, has been with the LSG squad in Visakhapatnam, where the Rishabh Pant-led team starts its campaign with an away match against Delhi Capitals (DC) on March 24.An IPL statement said that Thakur, who has been signed from the “registered available player pool”, has been acquired for his reserve price of INR 2 crore. He has played 95 games in the IPL over the years, turning out for five franchises – Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings, PBKS), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Rising Pune Supergiant/s – and has 67 Wickets from them with an economy rate of 8.89.It is understood that Mohsin, who plays for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket, tore the anterior cruciate ligament tear (ACL) on his right knee on December 31 while playing in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. While Mohsin had joined the LSG camp recently in Lucknow, it is learned he did not travel with the squad to Visakhapatnam.Related

• Thakur on high-scoring pitches: 'All bowlers want is a fair chance and opportunity in the game'

• Mayank Yadav's recovery set back by new toe injury

• An IPL soaked in soap-opera intrigue

• Fast-bowler injuries threaten Pant-powered LSG's season

• IPL 2025 FAQs: What's new this season? Any changes in format?

The development is a setback for both LSG and Mohsin, who had survived a career-threatening shoulder injury after IPL 2022 but recovered fully and played the entire 2024 season. It is understood that Mohsin is currently doing rehab and will work with the LSG support staff to chalk out his route back.Thakur and Shivam Mavi have been training with LSG since the franchise started its main preparatory camp recently in Lucknow. Both fast bowers, who have featured for several other franchises in the IPL in the past, did not find any buyers.Consequently, Thakur, who had a successful domestic season with Mumbai after a foot surgery, signed as an overseas player for Essex to play in county cricket. It is learned that Thakur had already alerted Essex that he would take up the offer if any IPL franchise needed a replacement player, and Essex confirmed on Sunday that Thakur will no longer be joining them.