Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has lavished praise on a few members of his squad ahead of their Carabao Cup tie at Newcastle on Wednesday.

Tottenham prepare for Newcastle tie after 3-0 win at Everton

After his predecessor, Ange Postecoglou, ended the club’s 17-year wait for a trophy at the back end of 2024/2025, Frank will undoubtedly be judged on his charge for major silverware.

Spurs are currently third in the Premier League table and back to winning ways after victory against Everton on Sunday, and much like their north London rivals Arsenal, they’ve been excelling at set pieces.

The Lilywhites have scored from a dead ball situation on five different occasions this term in the league, the same number as Bournemouth, with it being no coincidence that the Cherries and Frank’s side occupy a place in the top three behind Arsenal.

While concerns have surrounded Tottenham’s lack of creativity from open play, with summer signing Xavi Simons off to a slow start after being signed as their new star playmaker, Frank has undoubtedly embraced this new ‘set piece revolution’ happening up and down the Premier League.

Spurs travel to St. James’ Park for their next clash as Frank looks to inspire a cup run, but they face a tricky test against the current Carabao champions who have won five out of their last seven matches in all competitions.

Tottenham also have nine players unavailable for the clash, including star defenders Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie, with Kevin Danso set to partner Micky van de Ven at the heart of Frank’s defence once again after impressing against Everton.

Dejan Kulusevski

Knee

22/11/2025

James Maddison

ACL

01/06/2026

Radu Dragusin

Knee

22/11/2025

Ben Davies

Thigh

23/11/2025

Yves Bissouma

Ankle/Foot

08/11/2025

Kota Takai

Ankle/Foot

08/11/2025

Cristian Romero

Groin

01/11/2025

Destiny Udogie

Knee

08/11/2025

Dominic Solanke

Ankle

08/11/2025

via Premier Injuries

Frank has piled praise on Danso for his excellent form since coming to replace Romero, but the Austrian has been somewhat overshadowed by van de Ven.

The latter has proved magnificent since Frank took over from Postecoglou, with reports suggesting that Tottenham are prepared to double van de Ven’s salary in a bid to keep him out of Real Madrid’s clutches.

The Dutchman’s brace against Everton condemned the Merseysiders to their first ever defeat at the brand-new Hill Dickinson Stadium, with Frank lavishing his star centre-back in the build up to Wednesday.

Thomas Frank says Micky van de Ven is becoming a new leader at Tottenham

Van de Ven was named as part of Spurs’ leadership group earlier this season, alongside Ben Davies, Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison and Romero, with Frank explaining how he’s since repaid the faith.

Commenting further in his pre-match press conference before Newcastle, Frank also explained how he’s gone up another level behind-the-scenes.

While van de Ven is tied down until 2029, if the 24-year-old continues in this fine form, Spurs must surely be worried about the prospect of Real swooping in to tempt him amid their hunt for new centre-backs.

That being said, the defender will command a premium, so the pending availability of free agents like Ibrahima Konate, Dayot Upamecano and Marc Guehi could sway them elsewhere.

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Técnico interino do Botafogo, Fábio Matias concedeu entrevista coletiva após a vitória sobre o Boavista, que rendeu ao clube a conquista da Taça Rio. O treinador avaliou a participação alvinegra no Campeonato Carioca e falou sobre o período à frente do Glorioso, que espera a chegada de Artur Jorge, novo comandante do time.

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– Uma das coisas principais que a competição nos deu foi a minutagem dos atletas. Um clube como o Botafogo tem que ter atenção à base, sou suspeito para falar. Essa questão da rodagem dos meninos, atletas que estavam no DM, atletas que precisam de ritmo, hoje tivemos atletas que têm condição de serem titulares na quarta-feira. Isso é fundamental para o Botafogo e fundamental para o tamanho que o Botafogo terá daqui para frente, com Copa do Brasil e Libertadores – comentou Fábio Matias.

– Todas as situações relacionadas a quem virá a melhor pessoa para responder é o John, é concentrado tudo nele. Sou funcionário do Botafogo, não de treinador. Fiz o meu melhor para o Botafogo, fazemos tudo pelo clube. Sou funcionário do clube, sou staff permanente. Em situações de crise, você tem o permanente para sustentar – falou o interino do Glorioso, sobre a chegada de Artur Jorge.

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– Tem quarta-feira, você tem que entregar bem. Posteriormente, você tem que perguntar para o John. Se eu elogiar mais, vão achar que é conveniência (risos). Tem que deixar tudo organizado, e fizemos isso. Cabe dizer ao John como as coisas vão funcionar daqui para frente – continuou Fábio Matias.

– John está muito feliz do que está sendo feito, o Alessandro (Brito, head scout) é nosso interlocutor principal nas conversas. John tem confiança. Se ele não tivesse confiança, não ficaríamos tanto tempo à frente. Sem sombra de dúvidas, é um voto de confiança – encerrou.

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Fábio Matias deve fazer seu último jogo como comandante do Botafogo na quarta-feira (3), no primeiro compromisso da fase de grupos da Libertadores, contra o Junior Barranquilla, no Nilton Santos. Depois disso, o portguês Artur Jorge – que se despede do Braga em partida contra o Portionense nesta segunda-feira (1) – irá assumir o time. Contudo, apesar de ter sete vitórias e um empate em oito partidas, o interino diz que não existe sentimento de “missão cumprida”.

– O trabalho continua, independente de estar à frente como treinador. Nunca é dever cumprido, nossa obrigação é entregar da melhor forma. Tenho que dar suporte para as pessoas que estão vindo. É um início bom com todos os percalços que tivemos. Olha quantos meninos jogaram, isso vale muito. O lateral-esquerdo que jogou hoje estava na Dallas Cup, tiramos ele de lá e ele jogou, olha quanto ganho. Dever cumprido é o que você entrega e larga, eu não sou assim. Minha forma de ser é ajudar. Hoje temos dois profissionais da base, Rafael e Lucas. Além de formar jogadores, estamos formando profissionais dentro do clube para que as pessoas reconheçam o DNA do clube. O Botafogo está fazendo isso.

Diante do Boavista, o Botafogo teve retornos de jogadores importantes que estavam no departamento médico. Luiz Henrique, Jeffinho e Patrick de Paula (este não entrava em campo há 400 dias) participaram da partida após períodos de lesão. Além disso, Rafael fez sua segunda partida de volta do DM.

– Tiveram um ritmo muito bom, mas temos que tomar cuidado porque não queremos que esses jogadores voltem para o departamento médico. Hoje combinamos que seriam 45 minutos para Rafael, Jeffinho e Luiz Henrique. Foi determinado pela performance. Não posso mudar de ideia dentro de campo, aí eu coloco o jogador em risco.

Confira outras respostas de Fábio Matias na entrevista coletiva após Botafogo x Boavista.

– Não estava aqui no ano passado, é difícil comparar (os títulos da Taça Rio). Temos que tirar proveito das situações, mas nós tiramos proveito da Taça Rio. Tinham meninos da base que a torcida não conhecia, serviu para isso. Comparar com o ano passado eu acho ruim. O clube está cada vez mais com uma estrutura maravilhosa, com grandes jogadores, temos jogadores do cenário nacional aqui, que daqui a pouco estarão no nível de Seleção. Mas tudo depende dar continuidade ao processo, também tem que valorizar o que foi feito antes. Hoje nós preparamos para quem vem, minha função é essa. Sempre deixei isso claro durante os 30 e poucos dias que fiquei no Botafogo.

– Temos cinco ou seis meio-campistas que estão entre os melhores do Brasil. Para quem quer ser campeão, são competições difíceis, há essa ideia de equilíbrio. Em jogo tal, joga fulano, no outro, joga ciclano. Temos hoje os melhores meio-campistas, melhores atacantes. Temos um grande trabalho de scout. A missão que os atletas têm está muito clara. Os caras são acima da média, ótimos em termos de trabalho e dia a dia. Eles compram tudo e são ótimos jogadores. Não vejo problema em relação a isso, quanto mais jogadores bons, melhor.

– Precisava quebrar a barreira da base para o profissional. Tínhamos um trabalho muito sólido na base, trabalhei com bons jogadores na base, mais de 20 que estão na Europa, é um privilégio isso. Meu momento é ótimo, sou auxiliar técnico permanente do clube, mas minha ideia a médio e longo prazo é ser treinador. Essa é a experiência que eu preciso hoje. O auxiliar técnico tem que servir hoje, e isso não é fácil. Você tem que ter humildade, compreensão e saber falar. Tudo isso está me capacitando para em médio prazo dar um salto na carreira. Mas muito pelo o que o Botafogo faz por mim.

– Tudo que a gente construiu foi relacionado à questão da Libertadores. Quando a gente vai para o jogo do Boavista lá foi para ter dias de treinos, mas para transferir situações de jogo. Tivemos uma situação facilitada no segundo jogo pelo resultado. Nosso plano era zerar o departamento médico e dar ritmo de jogo a esses jogadores, então é um processo de organização interno que conseguimos executar. Quanto mais jogadores bons tivermos, melhor somos. Vejo como acréscimo. Quanto mais dúvidas tivermos, melhor. Temos 24 atletas de nível alto. Hoje faz você ter condição de brigar por título, e mais de um. Não vejo problema, vejo solução.

– Clube está vivendo um momento muito bom. Temos o foco na Libertadores. A equipe está em uma boa fase, o período de Data Fifa é muito bom para se treinar, avalio que a equipe está em crescimento. Ainda há coisas para melhorar. Fisicamente, vejo os caras um pouco mais soltos. Estamos em um momento bom, mas com margem de crescimento. Ainda temos mais dois cilcos de três para fechar o ano, não adianta dar tudo agora, temos que terminar o ano bem.

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BotafogoCampeonato CariocaFábio Matias

تقدم منتخب الأردن على نظيره المصري في المباراة الجارية بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العرب 2025، في اختبار حاسم للفراعنة بقيادة حلمي طولان، الذي يسعى لتحقيق الفوز لحسم بطاقة التأهل من دور المجموعات.

وجاء هدف الأردن الأول عن طريق اللاعب محمد أبو حشيش في الدقيقة 12، بعد تسديدة قوية ارتطمت بدفاع المنتخب المصري، لتصل إلى أبو حشيش الذي تابعها ووضعها بثقة في شباك محمد بسام.

ويواجه منتخب مصر تحديًا كبيرًا في هذه المباراة، بعد تعادله في الجولة السابقة أمام الإمارات بهدف لكل فريق، ما أبقى آماله قائمة لكنه زاد الضغط على لاعبيه.

طالع أيضًا | ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العرب 2025 (مباشر)

ويحتل الأردن قبل المباراة صدارة المجموعة الثالثة برصيد ست نقاط، بينما يملك المنتخب المصري نقطتين فقط من تعادلين أمام الكويت والإمارات.

ويطمح المنتخب المصري لتحقيق الفوز الذي يمنحه بطاقة التأهل مباشرة، بينما شدد الجهاز الفني على أهمية التركيز الكامل طوال المباراة، خصوصًا في ظل قوة المنتخب الأردني وأدائه المستقر خلال الجولتين الماضيتين. هدف الأردن الأول أمام مصر في كأس العرب

The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in style Monday night, courtesy of a walk-off solo home run by Alec Burleson in the bottom of the ninth inning.

While it was a fun victory on a late summer night, a historically low number of fans were inside Busch Stadium to witness it.

The Cardinals are now just 65-67 on the season and it appears that they will miss the postseason for a third straight year. That lack of success might be the reason why only 17,675 fans were in attendance on Monday night. That number, according to the Derrick Goold, is the lowest in the stadium's history and the first time they have had under 20,000 people at a home game since the stadium was opened in 2006.

That's a tough look for a franchise that has won 11 World Series titles. But it's also a sign of the times for a club that has only won one two playoff series since 2014.

Lots of MLB fans roasted the Cardinals and their fans, who have been known to refer to themselves as the best in baseball.

The Cardinals will host the Pirates in the second game of their series Tuesday night at 7:45 p.m. ET.

The National League playoff race is far from decided, as several teams are still battling for the final wild-card spot, and while the Cubs, Padres, and Dodgers have already clinched, they’re still jockeying for position.

As of Thursday afternoon, only five teams have been mathematically eliminated, while five have secured playoff spots. The final weekend of the season could get wild.

The top of the NL has felt settled for months, with the Phillies and Brewers leading the way and the Dodgers limping behind, but still owning the sport’s best roster. All eight teams still in contention are capable of winning the World Series, but each has at least one serious weakness that could end its run prematurely. It’s worth noting, the NL race has changed considerably since the trade deadline, with some teams charging while others have fallen off.

What follows is a look at every National League contender’s biggest weakness—and how it could sink them once the playoffs get underway.

Milwaukee Brewers: Injuries

Suddenly, baseball’s best team looks mighty vulnerable. Milwaukee breezed through this season as an unlikely juggernaut. After a blistering August in which they went 21–9, the Brewers have fallen off significantly in September, going 11–10. The injury bug has struck.

Starting pitchers Brandon Woodruff and José Quintana are both on the IL, taking out two of the team’s top starting pitchers. Closer Trevor Megill is also out with an elbow injury, though he may be close to returning. Meanwhile, deadline acquisition Shelby Miller is out for the year, and reliever DL Hall remains out.

Milwaukee has used a complete team approach to winning this season, getting contributions from up and down the roster. The team’s pitching is beginning to look a bit thin entering the season’s final weekend, but if a few guys can get healthy, those fears would be allayed.

Philadelphia Phillies: Rotation Depth

Like the Brewers, the Phillies have been excellent for most of the season. Then things began to get shaky. Staff ace Zack Wheeler is out for the season due to thoracic outlet syndrome and Aaron Nola is struggling since returning from a sprained ankle and a stress fracture in his ribs.

Philadelphia’s rotation doesn’t look as daunting as it once did.

The typically reliable Nola is 4–10 with a 6.46 ERA, a 1.45 WHIP, and has pitched only 86 1/3 innings over 16 starts this season. If that wasn’t enough, Ranger Suárez has surrendered nine runs in his last 10 innings pitched. The upside is that Walker Buehler has only allowed one run on seven hits in 8 2/3 innings over two starts with the team, but given how poorly he pitched for the Red Sox this season, can he really be counted on?

The Phillies are one of the most well-constructed teams heading into the postseason. If their rotation can get it together, they should be among the favorites to win the World Series. If it doesn’t, it could mean an early exit.

Los Angeles Dodgers: A Leaky Bullpen

The Dodgers have struggled out of the bullpen all season. While the starting rotation is finally healthy and mostly dominating, the team’s relievers continue to disappoint.

Since the trade deadline, L.A.’s bullpen has a collective ERA of 4.61. Tanner Scott, whose four-year, $72 million contract may have done more to push MLB toward a salary cap than any deal in the sport’s history, has been horrendous since signing. On the season, Scott is 1–4 with a 4.82 ERA, a 1.25 WHIP and 22 saves, while leading MLB in blown saves (10). Since returning from an elbow injury on Aug. 24, the lefty is 0–2, with an 7.84 ERA and three blown saves in six chances.

The rest of the team’s bullpen has been nearly as disappointing. As a group, Dodgers relievers have blown 27 saves. Plus, Kirby Yates, Brock Stewart and Michael Kopech are all on the IL at the moment. L.A.’s bullpen was pivotal in the team’s run to the World Series in 2025 and looks like a major weakness this year.

Chicago Cubs: A Power Outage

The Cubs will have clinched a spot in the postseason, but look nothing like the team that got them there. Chicago had one of MLB’s best offenses for most of the 2025 season, but there has been a significant power outage in the lineup for a few months now.

On July 31, the Cubs’ offense led MLB in fWAR (23.8), was second in wRC+ (115), second in slugging (.444) and third in home runs (158). That has swung dramatically in the other direction. Since the deadline, Chicago’s offense is 16th in fWAR (5.8), 19th in wRC+ (95), 23rd in slugging (.386) and 21st in home runs (53).

While Nico Hoerner and Ian Happ have been solid since the end of July, Pete Crow-Armstrong has collapsed, posting a wRC+ of 30 since then, down from 137 before the deadline. Meanwhile, Carson Kelly (68 wRC+) and Seiya Suzuki (89) have similarly come back down to earth the past two months. Kyle Tucker missing a huge chunk of that time has certainly impacted the lineup, but the issues have been widespread.

San Diego Padres: Starting Pitching

The Padres entered the season with what looked like an excellent foursome at the front of their rotation. Michael King, Dylan Cease, Yu Darvish and the newly-acquired Nick Pivetta looked formidable. After a ridiculous string of bad luck, only Pivetta has met and exceeded expectations.

Darvish and King have missed most of the season and have pitched a combined 137 2/3 innings in 2025. While both are now back, they remain wild cards heading into the postseason. Meanwhile, Cease has been a mess.

The 29-year-old finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting during the 2024 season, but has looked like a different pkate this year. In 32 starts, he’s 8–12 with a 4.55 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and 215 strikeouts against 71 walks in 168 innings. Cease has elite stuff, but has struggled to locate it consistently all year, leading to high pitch counts and shorter outings.

San Diego has one of baseball’s best bullpens, but without reliable starting pitching, the team’s postseason run might be over before it begins.

New York Mets: Rotation Collapse

For the first half of the season, the Mets had one of baseball’s most effective starting rotations. On July 31, New York’s starting pitchers had a combined ERA of 3.44, which ranked fifth in MLB. Since the trade deadline, the rotation’s ERA is 5.73, which ranks 27th in baseball.

So what happened?

For much of the season, David Peterson, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and Tylor Megill were a solid group atop the team’s rotation. Since the deadline, everything has flipped. Peterson is 2–2 with a 7.74 ERA, Holmes is similarly 2–2 with a 4.25 ERA, and rookie Jonah Tong has limped to a 2–3 record with a 7.71 ERA. Sean Manaea returned to the rotation only to be banished to the bullpen, then returned to the rotation while nursing a 7.34 ERA. Meanwhile, Megill is out for the year thanks to Tommy John surgery. Rookie Nolan McLean has been the only bright spot, sporting a 5–1 record with a sparkling 2.06 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP.

Perhaps the most puzzling of all has been Senga. At the All-Star break, he was 7–3 with a 1.39 ERA. Since then, he’s 0–3 with a 6.56 ERA and was sent down to Triple A to work on his control. His struggles persisted. It doesn’t appear he’ll be returning to the rotation for the postseason.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Offensive Depth

The Diamondbacks have to be kicking themselves for selling as hard as they did in late July. Arizona enters the season’s final weekend in the thick of the wild-card hunt, and that’s after shipping several key players out at the deadline. Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, and Merrill Kelly were sent packing, and all could be a big help right now.

The Diamondbacks are 29–20 since the deadline, the sixth-best record in baseball. They have done that largely on the backs of phenomenal seasons from Geraldo Perdomo and Corbin Carroll. Unfortunately, they have a few regulars who are performing well below average. Alek Thomas has posted a wRC+ of 80 since the deadline, while Adrian Del Castillo (97), Jake McCarthy (78), James McCann (78), Ildemaro Vargas (70) and Tyler Locklear (52) have all been pretty bad as well.

With Lourdes Gurriel Jr. out for the year after tearing his right ACL, the team’s lineup is thin behind Carroll, Perdomo and Ketel Marte. Even factoring in a nice season from Gabriel Moreno, it’s likely not enough to sustain a playoff run without the thump from Suárez and Naylor.

Cincinnati Reds: Non-Existent Offense

Yes, this is broad, but there’s no other way to put it. The Reds have struggled mightily on offense since the trade deadline. The lineup ranks 26th in wRC+ (87), 25th in wxOBA (.307), and fWAR (3.0). At least they’re relatively consistent?

Only three players on the roster who have played more than 20 games have a wRC+ over 100. Deadline acquisition Miguel Andújar (162), Will Benson (136), Tyler Stephenson (123) and Spencer Steer (123) are leading the way, but the drop-off is precipitous after them.

Elly De La Cruz, in particular, has been dreadful. Since the deadline, he’s slashing .232/.290/.359 with a wRC+ of 74. He has a remarkable 63 strikeouts in those 49 games, and 177 on the season. Shockingly, the reigning MLB stolen base leader has only seven steals in that time and has been caught twice. The team’s most dynamic weapon has largely been bottled up, which is bad news as the postseason approaches.

Tottenham Hotspur were unable to build on the positive momentum that they seemed to have before the international break as they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Sunday.

Spurs had beaten Leeds United 2-1, thanks to goals from Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, before the break, and started the loss to Villa with an early goal through Rodrigo Bentancur.

It was all downhill for the Lilywhites after that impressive start to the match, though, as Unai Emery’s men came away with all three points, thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia.

Why Spurs must not drop Guglielmo Vicario

Some criticism may go the way of number one Guglielmo Vicario for his part in the match, as he conceded both of the shots against him and should have done better with the first goal.

As you can see in the clip above, the view from behind Morgan Rogers suggests that the Italy international was not in a good position and was then unable to stretch enough to get a glove on the shot, which was nowhere near the corner of the goal.

Vicario, though, should not be dropped by Thomas Frank for his performance against Villa, as he has been a net positive this season.

Per Sofascore, he has prevented 1.72 more goals than expected in the Premier League, which shows that he has been outstanding as shot-stopper on the whole.

A Tottenham player whose place in the starting line-up should not be as secured as Vicario’s, though, is attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, who was underwhelming on Sunday.

Why Xavi Simons is on borrowed time

The Netherlands international has started four of his five appearances for the club in the Premier League since his £52m move from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window.

Chalkboard

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

He should now be on borrowed time in the starting XI because he has not done enough in his performances as a player who is in the team to score and create goals as an attacking midfielder.

There have been flashes of quality from Simons on the ball, particularly in the win over Leeds, but he has not done enough in the final third so far.

25/26 Premier League	Xavi Simons
Appearances	5
xG	0.28
Goals	0
Big chances created	1
xA	0.57
Assists	1
Dribble success rate	42%
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Simons has only provided one direct goal contribution in his first five appearances, and that was an assist from a corner.

Against Aston Villa, the Dutchman created one chance, which was a short pass for Joao Palhinha to shoot from distance, failed to produce an accurate cross, did not have a single shot on goal and to make matters worse, only won five of his 14 duels, per Sofascore.

The former PSG youngster also failed 100% of his attempted dribbles, per Sofascore. This shows that he was completely ineffective in possession for Spurs, which is why he was as bad as Vicario, who was ineffective with no saves in goal.

His lack of impact in the final thid was not down to a lack of opportunity, though, as he had several opportunities to get a shot away in space on the edge of the box, yet opted to pass the ball sideways instead of trying to test Emi Martinez on multiple occasions.

Simons’ return of 21 goals and 21 assists in two seasons with Leipzig, per Sofascore, show that he does have the ability to score and create goals on a regular basis in a number ten or wide position.

However, he has had a timid start to his career in the Premier League and needs to step up and show more intensity in the final third, to make himself a difference-maker for Frank.

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At this moment in time, Simons is not doing enough on the ball and that is why he is on borrowed time in the starting XI, as the manager may have to consider dropping him out of the team if these underwhelming performances persist.

Celtic’s miserable season continues. On Sunday, Brendan Rodgers’ side suffered their first Premiership defeat of the campaign, losing 2-0 at Dens Park against Dundee, both goals coming in the first half, the second of which was an unfortunate Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal.

This was the Hoops’ first defeat at Dens since 1988, leaving them five points adrift league leaders Hearts, who they face at Tynecastle in a mouthwatering contest next Sunday.

Before then, the Celts are under pressure to get off the mark in the Europa League too, having yielded just one point from their first two matches, welcoming Austrian champions Sturm Graz to Parkhead on Thursday.

Ahead of these two massive fixtures, which Celtic summer signing should be concerned about losing his place in the starting lineup? Well, Yang is certainly one of them.

Why Yang was hooked at half time at Dundee

Among many players who offered very little on Sunday was Yang Hyun-Jun.

With Daizen Maeda sidelined due to a hamstring injury, Yang came into attack, chosen over James Forrest and summer signing Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

Well, the Korea Republic international touched the ball 25 times in the first half, attempting zero dribbles, so Chris Sutton, speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage at half time, asserted “just get him off”, adding that he’d offered absolutely nothing.

Chalkboard

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

Well, Rodgers must’ve been listening, because Forrest replaced Yang during the interval, bringing to an end his first Premiership start since 23 August.

Meantime, at the other end of the pitch, Liam Scales endured a nightmare afternoon, turned inside and out by Dundee forwards Simon Murray, Cameron Congreve and Joe Westley, who caused the Celtic back-line problems all afternoon.

However, it is neither Scales nor Yang who should be most worried about their starting spot following this catastrophic defeat to Steven Pressley’s side who, lest we forget, were pre-season favourites for relegation.

Celtic star Rodgers must drop

As has been well documented, at the moment the transfer window slammed shut, Celtic did not have a senior centre-forward in their squad, following the sale of Adam Idah to Swansea City.

Thus, Kelechi Iheanacho arrived as a free agent, making a decent start to life in Glasgow in fairness to him, converting penalties against both Kilmarnock and Motherwell, as well as netting against Crvena zvezda in the Europa League.

However, as the table below documents, the Nigerian was completely anonymous in Dundee on Sunday.

Shots on target

1

1st

Shots off target

3

1st

Big chances missed

1

1st

Hit woodwork

1

1st

Big chances created

1

4th

Key passes

1

8th

Duels won

1

25th

Touches

20

23rd

Iheanacho did rank highly for shots, mustering four in total, the most of any player, but this didn’t yield anything, thwacking the woodwork once as well as missing one Opta-defined big chance.

He also won only 50% of his duels while, most concerningly, he touched the ball just 20 times, the same number as Balikwisha, who was introduced in the 64th minute and 15 fewer than ‘keeper Kasper Schmeichel.

Considering Iheanacho played only around 1,300 minutes last season for Middlesbrough and Sevilla, he was always going to need time to get up to speed, and that was certainly apparent at the weekend.

Had Maeda been fit, he would surely have dropped out of the team on Thursday, although youngster Johnny Kenny, who came on at half-time, is talented enough to displace Iheanacho, so may feel he deserves an opportunity.

Thus, with huge games against Sturm Graz, Hearts, Midtjylland and Rangers to come in the next fortnight, the Celts’ may stand a better chance of winning these matches with the Nigerian left in reserve, utilised as an option off the bench.

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Chelsea have made an approach to sign a former Real Madrid sensation, and it is believed that the west Londoners could even strike a deal in January.

Enzo Maresca’s side, despite some shock defeats at home to Brighton and Sunderland recently, have made a solid start to the season overall — losing just once in their last nine matches and climbing up to third in the Premier League table.

However, even taking into account their form on paper, not to mention Chelsea’s near-£300 million spend in the summer, there are suggestions that Maresca is dissatisfied with his current squad and could look to upgrade key areas in the winter.

Premier League Clubs’ Summer Spending
Rank	Club	Gross Spend	Sales	Net Spend
20.	Bournemouth	£136.7m	£202.5m	+£65.8m
19.	Brighton	£67.7m	£127.5m	+£59.8m
18.	Brentford	£92.8m	£152m	+£59.2m
17.	Wolves	£105.6m	£126.5m	+£20.9m
16.	Chelsea	£296.5m	£314.4m	+£17.9m

Chelsea have lost all of Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwil, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo to injury at various points already this season, with Maresca reportedly prioritising the addition of a new centre-back in January.

Now that injury-ridden midfielder Romeo Lavia is also set to be out for “at least” a month with a quadriceps injury (Fabrizio Romano), Chelsea are said to be looking at new midfield options ahead of 2026 as well.

Nico Paz now keen to join Chelsea with approach made to Como

Indeed, it is reported by TEAMtalk that Chelsea have identified Como starlet Nico Paz as their most viable January midfield target, with Maresca looking to strengthen his squad in the engine room as well as further forward.

Chelsea have apparently opened discussions with both the Serie A club and Paz’s representatives through direct enquiries, as they look to address squad depth issues that have been exposed by recent injury problems.

The Blues are actively compiling a shortlist of midfield reinforcements, with Lavia’s latest injury lay-off prompting urgent action.

Paz, who came through Real’s academy system and is valued at around £62 million, has emerged as the leading candidate to arrive at Stamford Bridge in January ahead of both Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton and Man United’s Kobbie Mainoo.

What makes the potential deal particularly encouraging for Chelsea is the player’s own enthusiasm about the move. Paz is understood to be genuinely interested in a transfer to England and sees Chelsea as an ‘ideal’ next career step.

His technical ability on the left foot and creativity is said to have caught the eye of Chelsea’s scouting department, who believe he fits perfectly within their current recruitment philosophy.

The young Spaniard represents exactly the type of signing Chelsea have been targeting under BlueCo’s leadership – a player with high potential who ticks multiple boxes in terms of age profile, quality and future sell-on value.

However, Paz still won’t be an easy signing by any means.

Real Madrid basically own the player in practice if not officially, possessing full matching rights on any deal for him, not to mention a 50 per cent sell-on clause and multiple buy-back options worth just £8 million for the summer of 2026 and £8.5m in 2027.(Football Italia).

This means that Xabi Alonso’s side have a massive say over Paz’s future, so Chelsea may even have to negotiate with the La Liga giants alongside Como to make this deal happen.

Arne Slot is determined to put things right at Liverpool. Because it’s all gone very wrong this season, the champions 12th in the Premier League standings after losing five of their past six matches.

There is more than enough time for the Dutch coach to turn things around, but improvements are needed quickly if Slot is to repel rising noises regarding the security of his position in the hot seat.

The curious case of Alexander Isak. Liverpool’s record-breaking striker has flattered to deceive since joining from Newcastle United for £125m this summer, and getting him up to speed is paramount if the Reds are to fire on all cylinders going forward.

And with Mohamed Salah struggling and the Anfield side altogether imbalanced up front, FSG appear to be turning toward the transfer market once again.

Liverpool lining up new forward

Salah, 33, is waning. Then again, Liverpool have malfunctioned this season and the Egyptian superstar will surely rekindle his form after a lifetime of genius on Merseyside.

But, regardless, Liverpool need to draw up a succession plan, and they appear to have done exactly that after earmarking a former Premier League sensation to take his berth on the right wing.

As per Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool view Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise as a “future dream target” to replace Salah, who extended his stay on Merseyside until the end of the 2026/27 season in April.

Olise would cost a pretty penny, though, having been priced by Die Roten at a staggering €140m (about £122m).

Still, FSG have shown they will do business for such a fee in recent times.

Why Michael Olise would be perfect for Alexander Isak

Olise was immense throughout his debut season in Germany last season, steering Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title and earning acclaim for his dynamic attacking displays.

The 23-year-old has gone up a gear this term, posting nine goals and ten assists from 18 matches in all competitions, and TNT Sports pundit Owen Hargreaves said that he “could be as good as anyone” after one Champions League performance.

Whether Olise winds up at Liverpool remains to be seen, but his remarkable physical traits and natural playmaking qualities make him a tailor-made winger to accommodate Isak and Hugo Ekitike at number nine.

One thing’s for sure: he would provide a huge upgrade on this current version of Salah, whose wastefulness in front of goal is being matched by an inability to influence as he usually does across other areas.

Goals scored

0.63

0.34

Assists

0.63

0.17

Shots taken

4.62

2.43

Shot-creating actions

6.82

3.27

Touches (att pen)

7.55

6.21

Pass completion (%)

81.6

68.1

Progressive passes

6.40

4.19

Progressive carries

5.45

3.94

Successful take-ons

2.31

0.92

Ball recoveries

4.72

2.77

Tackles + interceptions

1.36

0.34

Isak is one of the best strikers in the world, but he needs service. The Sweden international darts upfield and finds space in between the lines. Olise could help activate this area of his skillset at Liverpool, averaging over six progressive passes per Bundesliga game this term.

Olise is also less focused on goalscoring side of the game. That’s not to say he’s not capable of show-stopping strikes, as has been seen numerous times in the Premier League, but serve as evidence that he could be the perfect counterweight in Liverpool’s attacking system to give rise to Isak’s striking ability.

Such an athletic and hungry wide forward with a proven pedigree in the Premier League could prove the key to success at Liverpool, whose forwards are toiling and surely need some fresh inspiration to lift them back into the ascendancy.

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Rohit’s biggest contribution has come in helping seed the idea within India’s batting consciousness that your wicket is worth less to the team than it is to you

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Feb-20251:23

What are Rohit and Kohli’s roles in this Indian unit?

Some batters dine out on bilateral fixtures. Some take special pleasure in pummelling subpar opposition into the dirt. Rohit Sharma does all that and has the ODI double-hundreds to show for it.But he’s also a big-tournament monster.For a player once accused of making only cheap runs, Rohit has carved an extraordinary career arc. In ODIs, the format in which he is unquestionably a great, there is no global tournament in which he has not written his name.Remember India’s run in the 2013 Champions Trophy in England? Rohit was powering India through the front end of that thing, hitting back-to-back fifties against South Africa, then West Indies. By tournament end, he was the second-highest run-scorer in the champion team. In the 2017 version of the Champions Trophy, he cracked 304 runs in five innings, outdone only by Shikhar Dhawan.Related

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• Rohit reminds us, and perhaps himself, that he isn't done just yet

And then there are the ODI World Cups. Pour yourself a beverage, sit in your favourite chair, load up the Rohit World Cup highlights, and let yourself be transported to a universe in which only the very middle of this man’s bat exists. (You may need a cold shower afterwards.)In 2019, it was easier to list the matches in which Rohit score a hundred. Six times in nine innings, he crossed fifty, and on five of those occasions, he reaped hundreds, gobbling up attacks so greedily you can imagine him patting himself on the belly and settling in for a nap at the close of play. In 2023, he was captain and gave himself the task of plundering runs against the new ball and shaking oppositions out of their plans, as India charted another path to another one-day final. By these standards, 2015 was a disappointment; our man averaged a 47.14.You look through this record and a question begins to bubble up. Could Rohit be India’s best contemporary ODI batter in ICC tournaments? There is no need to open up hostilities with the Virat Kohli fans of course, and Kohli has the greater body of work, having memorably played a role in India’s 2011 triumph. But if you’re a Rohit fan, and you’re in a contrarian mood, you could do worse than check out this table. Kohli averages 64.55 in World Cups and Champions Trophies, but Rohit isn’t far behind on the average front (58.74). His strike rate of 99.03 is almost ten points up on Kohli, though.Will the 2025 Champions Trophy be Rohit’s last big ODI tournament?•ICC/Getty ImagesAnd that strike rate is the key to understanding modern-day Rohit. Of all his considerable achievements, his major contribution may be helping seed the idea within India’s batting consciousness that your wicket is worth less to the team than it is to you. For Rohit, batters are most effective when they cast off egos and play cricket unfettered. A bowling team may get more India wickets, but every time a batter falls, the one that replaces them at the crease is prepared to crash boundaries and puncture the opposition’s delight. Batters won’t pad their stats this way. But India will post more match-winning totals.”I’ve seen it in the recent past, where even without scoring a hundred, teams have managed to get a par score or above-par score,” Rohit said on the eve of India’s first Champions Trophy match, against Bangladesh. “Everyone wants to chip in, or has chipped in. That will be our focus. We will not be looking at individual milestones and stuff like that. Whoever the guys who are in there have to do the job, and the guy going in after that has to do the job as well. If seven or eight of us think like that, we will end up getting the score we are looking for.”We sit, right now, on the edge of what is likely Rohit’s last big ODI tournament. Players in their mid-to-late 30s are infamously prickly about the date of their retirement. But by 2027, when the next ODI World Cup is set to be played, Rohit will be pushing 40.What will be fun to watch in this tournament is how far Rohit will take his aggression. He is a World Cup-winning India captain now, albeit in the shortest format. Perhaps that will unshackle him even further. And by extension, perhaps that whole India batting order.