da marjack bet： A quarta-feira encerra de forma decepcionante para o Internacional. Com o sonho de brigar pelo título do Brasileirão, o Colorado empatou dentro do Beira-Rio com o Red Bull Bragantino e viu a distância para o líder Palmeiras aumentar. Agora são 10 pontos.Na saída de campo, Pedro Henrique lamentou o tropeço em casa e pediu que o time consiga a reação o quanto antes.
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da bwin： – Sabemos o quanto batalhamos na temporada por momentos bons, não aconteceu hoje. Manter o foco, sábado temos um grande adversário novamente, sabemos da nossa capacidade. Procurar a vitória no sábado – afirmou.
Pedro Henrique analisou a partida que terminou empatada em 0 a 0. Ele elogiou o adversário e disse que o gol ficou por um detalhe.
– O Bragantino se defendeu bem, difícil fazer gol em um adversário que tem jogadores de qualidade. Faltou um detalhe, procurar concentrar melhor para a próxima partida – completou o atacante.
Com 50 pontos, o Internacional cai para a 3ª colocação do Campeonato Brasileiro. O próximo rival é o Santos, mais uma vez no Beira-Rio.
Rachael Haynes has been appointed head coach of Women’s Premier League team Gujarat Giants, who have also bolstered their support staff roster with Nooshin Al Khadeer as bowling coach, Tushar Arothe as batting coach, and Gavan Twining as fielding coach. Mithali Raj had earlier been signed up to be the team’s mentor and advisor.”The likes of Rachael Haynes, Nooshin Al Khadeer, Tushar Arothe, and Gavan Twining will certainly take the performance of the team notches up,” Raj said in a statement released by the franchise. “Not only have they carved a niche for themselves in their roles, but their stories of resilience will [also] be an inspiration for the team.”Haynes, who retired as a player late last year after a glittering international, domestic and club career, won six world titles with Australia, and was the vice-captain of the team from 2017 to 2022. For Australia, she played six Tests where she had 383 runs at an average of 34.81, 77 ODIs where she scored 2585 runs at 39.76, and 84 T20Is with 850 runs at a strike rate of 117.72.Related
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Al Khadeer, apart from being at the helm when Supernovas had won the Women’s T20 Challenge in 2022, was the coach of the India team that won the women’s Under-19 World Cup in South Africa earlier this week. An offspinner during her playing days, Al Khadeer played five Tests, 78 ODIs and two T20Is, picking up 115 wickets overall.And Arothe, a Baroda batting allrounder who played 114 first-class matches in a career of close to two decades, was the head coach of the India women’s national team for just over a year in 2017-18, before stepping down following reports of strong differences with some of the players. Twining, meanwhile, has been a part of the coaching circuit in Australia for a while, and most recently served as head coach of New South Wales women’s side in the Australian domestic set-up.The WPL is likely to be played between March 4 and March 24, between the Women’s T20 World Cup that ends in late February and the men’s IPL that is set to start one week after the women’s competition.WPL’s player auction, expected in just over a week’s time, will have auction purses of INR 12 crore (USD 1.46 million approx.) per team. Each sude can buy a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 players, including seven overseas ones, of which one must be from an Associate country. Unlike in the men’s IPL, WPL teams will have the option of fielding up to five overseas players in the XI, provided, again, that one is from an Associate team.A total of 22 matches will be played in WPL 2023, with each franchise playing the other twice to make it a total of eight games per team. The top-ranked side will enter the final directly, while the second- and third-placed teams will face off in a qualifier to determine the second finalist.
Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly entering the market for new centre-backs in January, and one target is now becoming more tempted to leave in 2025 as Spurs add him to their shortlist.
Spurs target new centre-back after triple injury blow
As things stand, Radu Dragusin is manager Ange Postecoglou’s only natural senior central defensive option right now – with trio Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all sidelined through injury.
Tottenham make approach to sign "very fast" £25m centre-back in January
Spurs are after a stand-in for Micky van de Ven or Cristian Romero.
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Postecoglou has been forced to deploy versatile summer signing Archie Gray at centre-back to partner Dragusin in the last few games as a result, and while the teenager’s done well in a very unfamiliar role, Tottenham’s current injury crisis has exposed the lack of depth in their squad.
Speaking ahead of their blockbuster Premier League clash at home to Liverpool, Postecoglou dropped a transfer hint and suggested that Spurs could go into the market for more experienced players to complement the likes of Gray.
Tottenham’s next five Premier League games
Liverpool (Home)
Nottingham Forest (Away)
Wolves (Home)
Newcastle United (Home)
Arsenal (Away)
“Moving forward, we probably need to err on the side of getting a little bit more experience, just to help the group, because we’ve got very few at that kind of sweet spot in terms of ages,” said Postecoglou in his latest press conference.
“And we want to give the guys in their teens or early twenties the opportunity to keep growing. We need to make sure we put quality around them, so how we allocate the next resources may shift a little bit. But I’d hate to be sitting here now and saying we had an opportunity to sign Archie Gray at 18, and we passed it up because maybe we could have got a player who helps us for a couple of years.”
Postecoglou has held recruitment meetings with technical director Johan Lange ahead of January, by his own admission, and reports suggest that Spurs could go after a fresh centre-back option.
There are many potential options for Spurs in this regard, with French newspaper L’Equipe claiming that Tottenham have entered the race for RC Lens starlet Abdukodir Khusanov, who his club are attempting to sell in the winter as they attempt to raise funds.
Postecoglou has also asked Tottenham to consider a move for Getafe’s Omar Alderete, as per Spanish media sources, and they’re also believed to hold an interest in Feyenoord star David Hancko.
David Hancko open to leaving Feyenoord as Tottenham eye move
The Slovakia international was a key player for Arne Slot during his time at Feyenoord, and has continued to be a mainstay, but he’s now considering a fresh chapter away from the Eredivisie side.
That is according to TEAMtalk and journalist Rudy Galetti, who report that Hancko is open to leaving Feyenoord as Tottenham express an interest in signing him.
This transfer appears to be more likely for the summer as things stand, though, and despite contrary reports of a reduced price tag, TT write that Hancko will cost around £41 million to sign in 2025.
Slovakia'sDavidHanckoin action
That being said, the 48-cap star has a glowing reputation and could be worth the investment, especially if Postecoglou is after proven reinforcements at the back.
“He is so stable and can basically do anything. I just think he is a top defender all-round,” said ex-Feyenoord ace Tim de Cler to SoccerNews.
“I think he can easily handle a club just below the top six in Europe. Then I’m talking about a club like Atlético Madrid or Liverpool. He can certainly handle that.”
Stats highlights from the second day at Trent Bridge as England closed in on the Ashes
S Rajesh07-Aug-20155-35 Ben Stokes’ bowling figures, his second five-for in Tests. His best is currently 6 for 99 against Australia in Sydney in 2014.16.71 Michael Clarke’s average in this series; it is the second-lowest by a batsman-captain in an Ashes series since 1965 (minimum six innings). Only Ricky Ponting did worse in 2010-11, averaging 16.14 in eight innings. In all Ashes series, there are only five instances of captains having lower averages when batting in the top seven. In fact, Clarke’s batting average isn’t dissimilar to Mike Brearley’s in the two Ashes series he captained in: in 1978-79 he averaged 16.72 from 12 innings, while in 1981 he averaged 17.62 from eight innings. England, though, won both those series.18 Number of times, in his last 33 Test innings – starting with the 2013-14 Ashes – that Clarke has been dismissed for less than 20. He has gone past 40 only six times during this period. Before the 2013-14 Ashes series, Clarke had a career average of 52.08; it has now slid down to 49.30.331 England’s first-innings lead, which is their eighth-highest against Australia since 1940. Three of their higher leads came in a single series, in 2010-11 in Australia. (Click here to see England’s highest leads when they batted second, and here for their leads when they batted first.) It’s also their second-highest lead in a Test at Trent Bridge, after their 401-run lead against Pakistan in 1954.69.09 David Warner’s Test average in the second innings against England: in 12 innings he has eight 50-plus scores. In the first innings he averages 19.50, with only one 50-plus score in 12 innings.5 Number of opening pairs who’ve put together two century partnerships in the second innings of an Ashes series. Chris Rogers and David Warner became the fifth such pair, adding 113 here and 114* in the second innings at Lord’s. Before them, the only pairs to achieve this were Jack Hobbs-Herbert Sutcliffe (1926), Len Hutton-Cyril Washbrook (1946-47), Geoff Boycott-John Edrich (1970-71), and Michael Slater-Mark Taylor (1994-95). Out of nine second-innings century partnerships for the opening wicket for Australia in England, Rogers and Warner have contributed three.26 Runs scored by Steven Smith in his last four Test innings: 7, 8, 6, 5. At Lord’s he scored 273 runs in two innings.42.66 Stuart Broad’s batting average in Tests at Trent Bridge. In ten innings, he has been dismissed for less than 24 only once.106.33 Joe Root’s Test average at Trent Bridge. He has scored two hundreds in four innings – 154 not out against India last year, and 130 in this Test.6-111 Mitchell Starc’s bowling figures, his best in Test cricket, surpassing 6 for 154 against South Africa in Perth in 2012. This is his fourth five-for, but in three of those he has gone at more than four runs per over. These are also the fifth-best figures by an Australian bowler at Trent Bridge.
Goonesena was the buccaneering all-round Sri Lankan talent, who plied his trade with distinction well before his country made ripples in the cricketing world
Rob Collins06-Jun-2016One of the most entrancing stories of world cricket during my lifetime has been the rise and rise of Sri Lankan cricket. Their successes appeal to the romantic in us all. That such a small, seemingly idyllic, teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean has, since its elevation to Test status in 1981, produced a conveyor belt of batsmen with superb technique allied to visible spirit, nous and courage, is remarkable in itself. In the last generation, however, this has been complemented by some of the most entertaining, idiosyncratic and compelling bowling the world has ever seen, featuring the likes of Lasith Malinga, Rangana Herath and, of course, the great Muralitharan.In their pre-Test incarnation of Ceylon, Sri Lanka produced a cricketer who has been somewhat overshadowed by these cricketing giants of recent years. Gamini Goonesena represented Nottinghamshire in county cricket for 11 seasons, on and off, with much success. I was too young to have watched him, and only recall his contributions as a summariser on Test Match Special on early Sri Lankan tours of England. Nevertheless, a cursory examination of the record books reveals an impressive all-round cricketer, who may just have been one of the best cricketers that the island has ever produced and whose contribution bears a second examination.Goonesena was a highly skilled legbreak bowler with excellent control of line and length, honed by endless hours of practice. Richie Benaud recalls that he was “a big spinner of the leg break and had a decent top-spinner and googly”. As a batsman, he may not have been prolific, but he was a meticulous and organised predominantly back-foot player. Nearly 700 first-class wickets and nearly 6000 first-class runs are, however, a testament to his all-round abilities. In fact, he was probably the best player ever produced by Ceylon. His captaincy was said to be outstanding too. His team-mate Ian Pieris claims that his charismatic captaincy was “head and shoulders above his contemporaries in England at a time when there were captains in the counties such as Peter May, Colin Cowdrey and Cyril Washbrook”.A legspinner of some repute, Goonesena registered to play for Notts in 1952, along with a fellow leggie, the Australian Bruce Dooland. However, he needed to wait until the following year while serving the required qualification period. As it happened, Notts had to share his services in his early years in England, because, like his countryman Kumar Sangakkara, his talents were not confined to the cricket field alone. Although he had originally headed to England in his early twenties with the aim of becoming a pilot at RAF Cranwell, he abandoned this idea and instead took up a place at the University of Cambridge to study law.Whilst obtaining his law degree, he became the first Asian to captain Cambridge (Ted Dexter was his vice-captain), and in 1957, with his side struggling at 80-4, he hit 211, which remains the highest individual innings by a Cambridge batsman in the varsity match, and is still the only double hundred made by a Sri Lankan at Lord’s. His partnership of 289 with Geoffrey Cook also remains the highest seventh-wicket partnership at Lord’s in first-class cricket. After his four-wicket haul in Oxford’s second innings, Wisden reported “…Goonesena, by reason of his splendid batting and his bowling in the second innings, was the matchwinner…The Cambridge captain and his men received the ovation they deserved as they left the field”.Goonesena had taken up legspin only because, as he wrote in his 1959 book, , “I was the smallest boy in my form at school and it wasn’t much use trying to bowl fast – the bigger boys could do it so much better and more successfully”. Yet, his career produced 674 wickets at 24.37. Although at first he struggled to adapt to English conditions, Goonesena achieved “the double” in 1955 (1380 runs and 134 wickets) and 1957 (1156 runs and 110 wickets). He also became the only man from either Oxford or Cambridge to have scored 2000 runs and taken 200 wickets, a feat which will, of course, now never be equalled.A peripatetic childhood had taken Goonesena from Ceylon to Kenya, before he returned to Ceylon where he starred for Royals in their classic rivalry with St.Thomas – the second-longest uninterrupted cricket rivalry in the world. He then headed to England in his early twenties, appearing as a professional for Notts and an amateur for Cambridge.His wanderings continued and later took him to Australia where he played for New South Wales, mostly as a locum for Richie Benaud, helping them win the Sheffield Shield in 1960-61. He also played grade cricket for Waverley in Sydney (as did his son), whilst, off the field, he worked for the Ceylonese Embassy and the Ceylon Tea Board.After his playing days, Goonesena used his acquired knowledge and experience to represent Sri Lanka on the ICC and to manage the Sri Lankan Test team on their 1982 tour of India.All-round cricketer, law student, businessman, diplomat, cricket administrator, team manager – Goonesena was both a trailblazer and a Renaissance man for Sri Lankan cricket.Want to be featured on Inbox? Send your articles to us here, with “Inbox” in the subject line.
Pep Guardiola is confident that Kevin De Bruyne, who is leaving Manchester City, will soon have a statue outside the Etihad Stadium.
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Belgian spent 10 years at the Etihad
Will depart when contract expires
Standing secured among club icons
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WHAT HAPPENED?
After taking in 10 memorable years with the Blues, Belgian midfielder De Bruyne has revealed that he will be leaving as a free agent when his contract expires this summer. He will walk away as a modern day legend in the Premier League.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
De Bruyne has won everything with City, including the Champions League, and is assured of a standing among the immortals on the blue half of Manchester. That should, at some stage in the near future, earn him a permanent monument outside the ground that he has graced with such distinction during an era of remarkable success.
WHAT PEP GUARDIOLA SAID
Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany, David Silva, Mike Summerbee, Colin Bell and Francis Lee all have statues at the Etihad. Quizzed on whether De Bruyne will get that treatment, Guardiola told reporters: "Listen, I don't know, but I would bet a lot of money that it is going to happen, that's for sure."
Getty Images Sport
DID YOU KNOW?
De Bruyne has been a talismanic presence for Guardiola throughout his trophy-laden reign as City manager, and the Catalan coach said of seeing another iconic figure move on: "A sad day. A happy day for the pleasure personally that I will leave with him. He gives all of us humility and his influence in our success over the last decade – that would have been impossible to imagine without him.
"A sad day because one of us is leaving. When Vincent left, or Sergio left, or David Silva left, these players with their contribution. It’s a sad day. But we still have 10 games and hopefully 11 that we can enjoy with our fans. He will get, I’m sure, the love."
Pakistan were beaten by the Governor General’s XI but had the hosts in trouble early on
AAP13-Jan-2023Governor-General XI 235 (Burns 74, Knott 66, Dar 4-46, Sana 3-27) beat Pakistan 182 (Maroof 74, Wellington 4-33)Legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington reminded Australian selectors of her talents with a match-winning display with the ball in the Governor General’s XI’s 53-run victory over Pakistan in the 50-over clash in Brisbane.Wellington was dropped from the T20 squad for the upcoming World Cup in South Africa, losing her place to fellow leggie Georgia Wareham who has returned from a long injury layoff to reclaim her place.Wellington overcame that disappointment to take 4 for 33 against Pakistan at Allan Border Field in a classy spell.The Governor General’s XI were dismissed for 235 in the 50th over and bundled Pakistan out for 182 in the 45th.Governor General’s XI captain Ash Gardner said Wellington was one of the best spinners in the game and would fight her way back into the Australian team.”It has been quite tough for her. Over the last couple of years she has bowled really well in all competitions and I do feel for her,” Gardner told AAP. “It is a tough decision to make. You look at the likes of who is in our squad at the moment and it is so hard for people to find their way in.Bismah Mahroof made 74 against Governor-General’s XI•Getty Images”I know Wello’ will keep striving. I know she is playing in New Zealand as well as the WNCL so she is playing in as many competitions as she can to get better. She is a class bowler and I am sure we will see her around for many more years to come.”Wellington said she had spoken to chief selector Shawn Flegler during the match to say she understood the decision.”Coming into this game I thought it was a good opportunity for me to put my case forward for other series or other events,” she said. “I know selection is hard…it’s disappointing but I know those tough calls have to be made. It’s hard to get there, but it’s even harder to keep your spot. You have people fighting you for your spot.”Veteran Erin Burns and rising star Charli Knott earlier came together with the Governor General’s XI in dire trouble at 8 for 3 but combined for a 129-run fourth-wicket stand.Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof outlined her immense talents with the bat ahead of the visitors’ upcoming ODI and T20 internationals against Australia.The Australians won’t have it all their own way in a six-game series which begins with a one-dayer at the same venue on Monday.Pakistan opening bowlers Diana Baig and Fatima Sana were accurate and picked up wickets to showcase the threat they will pose.
Chelsea have been a revelation under Enzo Maresca this season, impressing as outsiders in the Premier League title race.
Liverpool might be a cut above the rest but the Blues have laid the framework for a prosperous era, but the Blues have been sensational when considering the club’s recent history.
Maresca has expertly managed his crowded squad since joining in the summer, but there’s a clear distinction between the tried-and-tested top-flight stars and the more peripheral members, who dwell almost exclusively in the Conference League.
Cole Palmer
Without question, there are still gains to be made, but given that the west Londoners have unearthed a winning strategy, there’s ample reason for optimism.
Blending high-class quality with exciting potential, Chelsea are on the rise, and Todd Boehly appears to have identified their latest teenage sensation.
Chelsea transfer news
Cobham Academy has long been accomplished as one of the finest in Europe, and that hasn’t changed despite the upheaval over the past four years.
Some thrilling prospects wait in the wings, but with Chelsea eyeing a deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi, the best may still be to come. As per transfer insider Graeme Bailey, Chelsea are among the high-profile European outfits looking at the LOSC Lille midfielder.
Lille's AyyoubBouaddicelebrates with teammates after the match
Bouaddi, 17, is believed to have blown scouts away with his composure and technical distinction, though Chelsea will need to up their game given Arsenal are ‘enamoured’ with the talent and could make their move as early as January.
Lille would be looking to collect a figure in the ballpark of €30m (£25m), and while this isn’t cheap for someone so young, Arsenal may well take a punt on that and Chelsea must ensure that they steal ahead.
Why Chelsea are interested in Ayyoub Bouaddi
Chelsea’s ruthless nature has left rivals incensed for many years, but then it’s also a product of their ambition and will to win. Bypassing Arsenal’s pursuit of Mkyhaylo Mudryk to sign the Ukrainian in a deal rising to £89m is evidence of this, even if it hasn’t gone to plan.
Mykhaylo Mudryk for Chelsea
Bouaddi could be a different prospect altogether, however, having established himself through a Lille production line that has recently created Leny Yoro and Benjamin Pavard. Talent scout Jacek Kulig has praised his “impressive” start to life in Ligue 1 and rightly so.
Analyst Ben Mattinson has praised Bouaddi’s composure and even suggested that he is shaping into a midfielder worth more than “£80m”. He’s the kind of player who dances between statistical lines, skirting around metrics and numerical analysis while still producing exceptional results.
Matches (starts)
12 (5)
Goals
0
Assists
1
Touches*
28.6
Pass completion
90%
Big chances created
2
Ball recoveries*
2.5
Dribbles*
0.5
Tackles + interceptions*
2.4
Ground duels (won)*
2.8 (58%)
Even so, his fledgling steps onto the major stage have belied his youth and then some, for he has completed 90% of his passes in Ligue 1 this term while winning 58% of his ground duels. For a young deep-sitting midfielder lacking in the bulk department, this is a most interesting point toward his tenacity and combativeness.
As per FBref, Bouaddi actually ranks among the top 9% of midfielders across the span of Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 10% for tackles per 90. Why don’t we wipe that point about metrics – it’s clear that Bouaddi will rank favourably on many lists as he continues to make headway.
Chelsea won’t want to derail the progress of a player who has only made 36 senior appearances in his career, but then there’s little question that he is capable of achieving great things, and with Maresca at the wheel, he will be more than capable of shining on the margins of Chelsea’s squad over the coming years (he may also complete a season out on loan to further sharpen the whetted blades of his toolkit.
Who knows, he might grow into the cream of Chelsea’s teenage crop, even surpassing the soon-to-arrive Estevao Willian.
Bouaddi could be a bigger star than Estevao
Estevao’s agent Andre Crury has tipped his client to win the Ballon d’Or one day as Lionel Messi’s natural successor. He’s silky and elegant, a bag of tricks with an eye for goal and bundles of creativity besides.
Young Brazilian star Estevao Willian
The 17-year-old Brazil winger is still plying his craft in his homeland but agreed a deal to leave Palmeiras for Chelsea in the summer of 2025 for an initial £29m figure.
The head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, made quite the bold claim: “Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar.”
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Indeed, he’s stirred up quite the storm over the past year or two, winning the 2023 Brasileiro Serie A championship and posting 25 goal contributions across 45 outings for the side thus far into his young career.
That may be true, but Bouaddi is quietly going about his business and shaping into one of the best deep maestros of his generation. In any case, if Chelsea beat the likes of Arsenal to his signing, it would only add another layer to their young ranks, stepping up a prosperous new era.
After all, Kulig, who specialises in assessing the finest prospects around, has hailed Bouaddi as a “10/10 talent” as he continues to show his style in one of Europe’s top five leagues.
There’s no telling how he’ll do on English shores, of course, but it’s certainly something that he is already impressing in the French top flight. His age-mate still resides in Brazil and might find jumping continents something of a big adjustment at the maiden stage of his career.
Keen-eyed analysts may well view Bouaddi as an £80m star in the making, but honestly, his stock could rise stratospherically higher if he continues at his current rate.
Chelsea must sell £40m flop who was dubbed one of Europe's "most exciting"
Chelsea must finally axe £40m flop who was previously dubbed as one of Europe’s “most exciting” players
da betsul： Manchester United made it through to the fourth round of the FA Cup, beating Arsenal 5-3 on penalties after drawing 1-1 with Mikel Arteta’s side following extra time.
da betcris： The victory at the Emirates was made all the more impressive, featuring for the final thirty minutes of the clash and the whole of extra time with just ten men after Diogo Dalot’s second yellow card.
Bruno Fernandes’ goal put the Red Devils ahead before Gabriel levelled a few minutes later, with no side able to find a winner before the spot kicks commenced.
Goalkeeper Altay Bayindir saved Martin’ Odegaard’s penalty in normal time, before also denying Kai Havertz’s effort in the shootout, helping the holders advance against all the odds.
Ruben Amorim masterminded the perfect result after Dalot’s dismissal, but not every player played an important part in the victory, failing to impress and ultimately being saved by the backup goalkeeper.
Man Utd’s disappointing performers against Arsenal
Left wing-back Dalot once again featured in an unnatural role to accommodate for Noussair Mazraoui on the opposite side.
Even before his sending off, the Portuguese failed to pull up any trees, losing five out of the six duels he entered, whilst also committing four fouls in the process.
Whilst he may not have made any contact for his second yellow, his decision to go flying into a challenge was ludicrous, and simply unacceptable – getting a lucky escape after the side bailed him out following their victory.
Forward Alejandro Garnacho was handed a start by boss Amorim at the Emirates, registering the assist for Bruno’s second-half strike, but ultimately not doing enough once again to retain his starting role.
The Argentine featured for 80 minutes, registering just one effort on goal, whilst also committing three fouls and failing to complete any of his attempted crosses.
The aforementioned pair weren’t the only ones to struggle in North London, with one player being saved by the heroic Bayindir after his lack of impact against the Gunners.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The Man United player who needs to be axed after Arsenal
Striker Rasmus Hojlund was starting his fourth game in a row at the Emirates for United, but once more failed to demonstrate why he should be the club’s number one striker.
The Denmark international failed to find the back of the net for a seventh straight match, further highlighting the need for investment in the attacking areas before the end of January.
He was subsequently replaced after 81 minutes, longer than many expected after his lack of impact, being replaced by fellow forward Joshua Zirkzee who managed to tuck home the winning penalty.
Hojlund endured an evening to forget, managing just 16 touches of the ball, losing 100% of the duels he entered against the Arsenal backline.
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The 21-year-old also was unable to register a single effort on goal, lacking that impact and focal point that Amorim has desperately been desiring since his appointment.
Rasmus Hojlund’s stats for United against Arsenal
Statistics
Tally
Minutes played
81
Touches
16
Passes completed
11/11 (100%)
Shots taken
0
Duels lost
5/5 (100%)
Possession lost
4x
Dribbles completed
0
Stats via SofaScore
As a result of his showing, the striker was handed a 4/10 match rating by The Express’ Alex Turk, with only Dalot receiving a lower match rating than the Dane in the cup triumph.
After such a dismal showing, Amorim needs to axe Hojlund from his starting eleven for the next Premier League clash against Southampton on Thursday night.
Manchester United manager RubenAmorim
Zirkzee may appear to be the only other central option currently at his disposal, further showcasing the need for the club to back the new manager in the transfer market in the coming weeks.
He's like Vinicius Jr: Man Utd chasing exciting £33m Rashford upgrade
Manchester United may have already found the perfect Marcus Rashford replacement.
Celtic secured the first piece of silverware of the Scottish campaign with a win on penalties in the League Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday.
The Hoops won 5-4 on penalties against their Glasgow rivals after an entertaining, for the neutral, 3-3 draw in regulation time, to win the competition for the first time since Brendan Rodgers returned to the club last summer.
They were twice pegged back by Rangers after going 2-1 and 3-2 up but kept their cool and ended up being perfect from the spot, scoring all five penalties.
The Gers won the competition, beating Aberdeen 1-0 in the final, last year after the Bhoys had been knocked out by Kilmarnock, and they were unable to defend their crown.
It was far from a perfect showing from the Scottish Premiership champions, given that they conceded three times and had to take the match to penalties.
However, there were a number of strong performers on the park for Celtic in the match, as a few of Rodgers’ star players stepped it up on the big stage.
Celtic's top performers against Rangers
Despite letting in three goals, veteran goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel was fantastic between the sticks for the Scottish giants with several important stops, and could do little about the goals that were conceded.
Kasper Schmeichel
The Denmark international, of course, had the telling moment in the match with his brilliant low save from Ridvan Yilmaz’s penalty to provide Daizen Maeda with the opportunity to win the game in the shoot-out.
Summer signing Arne Engels came off the bench to contribute to the victory with an assist for the third goal for Celtic, cutting the ball back to Nicolas Kuhn for the forward to score, before coolly converting from the spot in the penalties.
Maeda and Kuhn, the scorers of the second and third goals, were also impressive on the flanks, with the former brilliantly winning the ball back before racing through to score, as well as finding the back of the net from the penalty spot to win the trophy.
Kuhn’s goal was also superb as the German forward raced down the wing to lay the ball off to Engels before positioning himself perfectly inside the box to finish brilliantly.
However, there were also some players who struggled to showcase the best of their abilities, and one of those was Greg Taylor – despite his goal.
Why Greg Taylor may have secured his departure
The Scotland international was at fault for the opening goal in the match as it was his dreadful pass in the middle of the pitch that went straight to Nedim Bajrami, who eventually scored after Hamza Igamane’s shot was parried out to him in the box.
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BBC Scotland reporter Martin Dowden described it as a “mindless” mistake from the former Kilmarnock man, as his decision to play the ball towards Cameron Carter-Vickers when Igamane and Bajrami were in position to intercept could not be explained.
The 27-year-old earned a player rating of 5/10 from the Daily Record, who wrote that his sloppy passing let the team down, and that the lightweight looked ‘off the pace’ down the left flank.
Taylor did, however, find the back of the net with an equaliser but it was a deflected, low, effort from the edge of the box that may not have caused Jack Butland many problems had it not come off Robin Propper’s boot.
Popular account ‘Everything Celtic’ on X posted that the full-back “just secured his departure” as he “hasn’t been good enough for Celtic for a long time”, adding that they hope the defender is moved on by the end of the January transfer window.
The experienced full-back’s current contract with Celtic is due to expire in the summer of 2025, and this means that he can speak to teams from abroad next month to secure a pre-contract deal elsewhere.
Why Celtic should cash in on Greg Taylor
With this in mind, Rodgers must ruthlessly cash in on the Scottish dud when the January transfer window opens for business, to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.
Taylor can leave on a free transfer at the end of the season and this means that next month’s window is the club’s last chance to rake in a fee, albeit a potentially small one with his deal running down, if there are any sides interested in a swoop for him ahead of the second half of the season.
He has been a fantastic servant for the Hoops over the years, with 194 appearances in all competitions to date, but his departure would open the door for another player to get an opportunity in the left-back spot.
Celtic defender Greg Taylor
Celtic already have a young talent in the squad in Barcelona loanee Alex Valle and the Spanish dynamo could step up to be the first-choice left-back in the second half of the 2024/25 campaign.
His performances in the Premiership in his limited minutes on the pitch this term have been impressive, and he could potentially be an upgrade on Taylor.
24/25 Premiership
Greg Taylor
Alex Valle
Appearances
12
6
Dribbled past per game
0.6x
0.3x
Ground duels won per game
3.1
3.5
Aerial duels won per game
1.6
1.8
Aerial duel success rate
40%
48%
Assists per game
0.3
0.3
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Scottish dud has been dribbled past twice as much on average per game in comparison to his Spanish teammate, which shows that forwards have far more joy in one-on-one battles against him.
They offer a similar threat at the top end of the pitch, with two assists in six games for Valle and four assists in 12 outings for Taylor, but the Barcelona loanee appears to have the edge over him from a defensive perspective.
This shows that Rodgers does have a player with the potential to slot straight into the left-back spot in the starting XI, which is why he could afford to brutally bin Taylor next month if a club comes in with an offer for him.
As bad as Taylor: Rodgers must instantly drop 6/10 Celtic star
Celtic secured the first piece of silverware of the season by defeating Rangers at Hampden.