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It's not Andre or Gomes: Wolves may have found their next Matheus Nunes

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

It may not be have been confirmed just yet, but Wolverhampton Wanderers can begin planning for life in the Premier League next season, having all but secured survival following Saturday’s win over Ipswich Town.

In truth, Vitor Pereira’s men had already looked rather comfortable heading into that trip to Portman Road, albeit with the visitors showing a few early signs of nerves after the in-form Liam Delap pounced to steer the Tractor Boys into the lead.

To their credit, however, the Old Gold did not wilt even despite falling behind, with Pablo Sarabia dragging his side level late on, before man of the moment Jorgen Strand Larsen completed the turnaround with his 11th league goal of the campaign.

With 12 points now separating the two sides, it would take a remarkable collapse for Wolves to cede ground now with just seven games left to play, with new boss Pereira having superbly steadied the ship after a rocky start to 2024/25 under Gary O’Neil.

The Portuguese coach will now need to be handed the appropriate tools to help build on this momentum next season, albeit with there no doubt fears that the Midlands side could be raided for many of their key individuals – just as they were with the likes of Matheus Nunes.

Why Matheus Nunes left Wolves

There was no doubt a great deal of excitement at Molineux following what was a then-club record deal to sign Nunes from Sporting CP in the summer of 2022, with the Portugal international having previously been described as “one of the best players in the world” by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, amid his sparkling Champions League form.

It’s fair to say that the Old Gold didn’t exactly witness a player of that ilk during the midfielder’s solitary season at the club, as he scored just twice and registered only two assists in 41 games in all competitions.

There were notable highlights – including his stunning strike against Chelsea in May 2023 – yet such performances were few and far between, with Express and Star journalist Liam Keen stating that he had some real “had peaks and troughs in a Wolves shirt”.

Indeed, Keen also noted that he felt that Nunes viewed things as being “too easy for him”, with that attitude playing its part in his inability to really get going for the club, prior to being poached by Guardiola and Manchester City on a £53m deal in 2023.

Matheus Nunes

That move to the Etihad had come amid Nunes’ refusal to train with Wolves, as he looked to push through a move, with sporting director Matt Hobbs certainly not mincing his words when discussing that turbulent exit:

While Nunes did apologise, before stating that the “opportunity” to join City was one he “couldn’t let… pass by”, it marked a sour end to a disappointing end to his brief Wolves association.

Hopefully a similar scenario doesn’t occur this summer.

Wolves could now have their next Matheus Nunes

With Nunes out the door – as well as the likes of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho in recent times – there has since been a real rebuild in the midfield ranks at Molineux, with Pereira now relying on the Brazilian pairing of Joao Gomes and Andre.

Wolverhampton Wanderers'JoaoGomescelebrates with Andre and Matheus Cunha after scoring

The combative duo were praised as a “quality” partnership by pundit Danny Murphy last month, while they were also lauded by their manager following Saturday’s win over Kieran McKenna’s side, with the pair having been “very good again” after dominating the game in the centre of the park.

The hope will be that neither man departs at the end of the season, with Pereira having seemingly found a winning formula. One high-profile figure who could be in line for an exit, however, is Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Like Nunes before him, the long-serving wing-back is being touted for a marquee move away from the Midlands side, with a fee of around £50m having been mooted for the 23-year-old, amid interest from the likes of Manchester United.

Previously described as “one of the Premier League’s best players in 2024” by Sky Sports journalist Dougie Critchley, the Algerian sensation has enjoyed another solid season at Molineux, chalking up eight goals and assists in the top flight thus far.

Also dubbed an “incredible talent” by former boss O’Neil, the France-born defender is actually noted as a similar player to Nunes among their fellow full-backs in the league this season, as per FBref, with the City man having been transitioned into that role of late, amid Guardiola boldly outling that the 26-year-old is “not clever enough” to feature more centrally.

Nunes vs Ait-Nouri comparison – 24/25

Stat (per 90)

Nunes

Ait-Nouri

Non-penalty goals

0.00

0.11

Assists

0.29

0.18

Shot-creating actions

2.50

2.33

Pass completion

86.1%

84.4%

Progressive passes

4.04

3.35

Progressive carries

3.60

2.40

Successful take-ons

0.96

1.69

Touches in opposition box

3.68

2.54

Tackles

1.91

2.72

Interceptions

0.88

0.74

Stats via FBref

The pair are notably alike with regard to their willingness to get forward from the defensive berth on the flanks, as evidenced by their assist record and touches in the opposition box, with Ait-Nouri a particularly dazzling dribber, as shown by the fact that he ranks in the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90.

With the current Wolves man seemingly the superior figure defensively, showcasing his qualities and all-rounder, it is no surprise that has caught the attention of elite Premier League clubs, having proven a real bargain following his £9.5m switch from Angers.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' RayanAit-Nouriin action with Tottenham Hotspur's Pedro Porro

Like Nunes, Ait-Nouri could represent another marquee sale for Fosun and the Old Gold, albeit with the fleet-footed wing-back able to look back upon a far more fruitful stint at Molinuex, in contrast to his former colleague.

More goals than Cunha: Wolves now plotting swoop to sign "superb" new star

He could replace Cunha…

ByTom Cunningham Apr 5, 2025

Pakistan need to know what they want from Test cricket

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

It has been a WTC cycle of squandered opportunities as plans swiftly and constantly moved from being centred around pace to spin to seemingly everywhere in between

Danyal Rasool07-Jan-2025There was some extremely exciting red-ball cricket being played by some Pakistanis on the third day of the Newlands Test. It’s an unusual thing to say for a day that saw some of Pakistan’s worst shot selection, and a day where they crumpled in a heap for 194, giving South Africa a 421-run lead, and effectively killing off any hopes Pakistan would break their interminable losing run in South Africa.But that aforementioned exciting cricket wasn’t being played at Newlands; it was happening in Karachi at the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (QeA) final, where a thrilling run-chase saw Sialkot beat Peshawar by one wicket.The QeA this year is an appropriate bellweather of Pakistan’s relationship with Test cricket over the last year. In a year that saw the busiest home Test season for Pakistan this century, there was little information on when QeA would start, or what format it would assume. When eventually it did start, it began on October 26, almost as late as it ever has in the last 15 years. The format, too, was somewhat clunky, an expanded tournament comprising 18 teams played across a pool and triangular stage.Related

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  • Frustration for Babar after falling late despite return to form

By that time, five of Pakistan’s seven home Test matches had already been played; the home season was almost done. September, the only window Pakistan had that hadn’t been packed with some international series or other, could have been spent in preparation for the red-ball winter; instead, Pakistan hosted, to much fanfare, a domestic 50-over tournament, to the bemusement and frustration of then red-ball coach Jason Gillespie. None of it, bar the final, was broadcast live, though the PCB was diligent with providing regular updates. The QeA final, clashing as it was with the Newlands Test, did not exactly capture public imagination.

****

This World Test Championship (WTC) cycle is gone. Yes, Pakistan have to play two Tests against West Indies later this month, but none of it really matters. This series was supposed to be held this time last year, but an overcrowded schedule squeezed it out. Pakistan are eighth on the WTC table, West Indies are ninth. This is a basement battle. The feast of the last six months will be followed by a prolonged famine; Pakistan do not play another Test until October, and just two in the next 14 months.It is something their captain Shan Masood, appointed in the early stages of this cycle, has called on to change, but, despite his brief tenure, he is already the great survivor of the last year in Pakistan. Pakistan’s approach to Test cricket has been so furiously inconsistent that even a glut of Tests – as we saw this season – is unlikely to lead to improved results. They began the 18 months of this cycle with a demolition of Sri Lanka away from home under coach Grant Bradburn and director of cricket Mickey Arthur. The PCB branded it “the Pakistan Way”, ostensibly a long-term roadmap for how they aimed to play Test cricket.

The feast of the last six months will be followed by a prolonged famine; Pakistan do not play another Test until October, and just two in the next 14 months. It is something their captain Shan Masood has called on to change, but… Pakistan’s approach to Test cricket has been so furiously inconsistent that even a glut of Tests is unlikely to lead to improved results.

By the time the next series came about, Bradburn, Arthur, the PCB chair, and captain Babar Azam had all been replaced, and references to the Pakistan Way were getting harder to find. Any encouragement they drew despite a whitewash in Australia was squandered when they were similarly swept aside at home by Bangladesh. By now, the chair as well as the coach had of course changed once more, and Pakistan had planned to prepare a pitch so juicy they played an all-pace attack in the first Test.Just two Test matches on from both Gillespie and Masood indicating pace at home was a strategy they wanted to pursue, both had had their selection powers stripped from them, and Pakistan played all-spin attacks at home against England on raging surfaces. Another month and another change of coach later, Pakistan dropped Shaheen Afridi – or allowed him to sit out the Test series in South Africa to play the Bangladesh Premier League – and played four medium-fast bowlers at Newlands, sitting Naseem Shah out as well for good measure. (The official version that he had a stiff back is somewhat undercut by him bowling on the practice pitches a few strips away from the playing surface at tea on the second day, notably quicker than any of the four Pakistan actually fielded). Masood directly compared South Africa’s pace to Pakistan’s lack of it following the series loss, less as a point of criticism than just a statement of fact.In Pakistan, there’s a leitmotif of existential crisis running through most setbacks, one which must be framed in terms of who is to blame, who can be sacked, or who the saviour can be. But a series loss in South Africa is in itself hardly a signifier of anything, because Pakistan have lost almost every series across every decade in South Africa.Shan Masood has called for more Test cricket, something Pakistan will be quite short on over the next year and a bit•AFP/Getty ImagesThey could not have played three high-pace, high-quality seamers like South Africa, because they simply don’t have them. They might have played Naseem, though he wasn’t exactly at the level of Kagiso Rabada or Marco Jansen in Centurion, and they might have played Noman Ali, though they do not have enough seam-bowling allrounders to do so without enfeebling a vulnerable batting line-up. The series result was more of an endpoint than a harbinger, of the rather boring fact that better Test teams are more likely to win Test matches than worse ones.Perhaps none of this really matters, because all indications from the PCB is it has matters of greater import to deal with. It has spent the last few months working out the finer details of how it will go about hosting the Champions Trophy. All three stadiums that will see games are undergoing significant renovation, with the chair Mohsin Naqvi stating on multiple occasions construction work needed to happen “day and night” to make sure the venues will be ready on time. The PSL has moved into a new window that clashes with the IPL; just about every day of the South Africa Tests, a new player to have signed up for the draft was excitedly announced across the PCB media channels.But Pakistan is not like a number of other cricketing nations, where people only care about it if it’s happening in a particular season, at a particular time or year, in a particular format or against a particular opposition. It is a de facto single sport country, where the official line is every game matters. As they look rather enviously over at South Africa, making plans to go Lord’s to play the WTC final, they know they are far off finding themselves in a situation where they, too, can realistically harbour such ambitions. For that, they will need to know what they want from Test cricket when it comes around again, so they do not squander it quite as profligately as they did this cycle.

Agha Salman's spark helps Pakistan shift Rawalpindi narrative

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

His quickfire fifty played a part in what has suddenly turned into a very exciting Test match

Danyal Rasool04-Dec-2022For the first three days, it was England who shouted their intentions from Rawalpindi’s rooftops; they were here to win this Test match. That was made obvious by the record-smashing onslaught of the first day. Will Jacks said 24 hours later Pakistan looked like they were content with a draw, whereas his side was going all in on victory. Joe Root on day three echoed those sentiments. Pakistan, meanwhile, were rather more taciturn; the match situation had ensured a more optimistic assessment would have bordered on the delusional.But at stumps on Sunday evening, setting up a final day climax this pitch scarcely deserves, Pakistan’s tenor began to change, and the first hints of confidence seeped back into their outlook. A surprise declaration at tea from England had set them a target of 343 on a surface that looks like it could withstand another four days before the first signs of deterioration. It looked foolhardy at the time, though two quick wickets – including that of Babar Azam – had sceptics swiftly putting their faith in England’s intrepid tactics once more. Add to that an injury to Azhar Ali that threatens further involvement in this match, and a tail that begins at No. 8 for Pakistan, and the ingredients for a historic English win had begun to blend together nicely.But an unbeaten half-century stand under the setting sun between Imam-ul-Haq and Saud Shakeel, with neither batter looking troubled in the least, meant Pakistan’s hopes of running England’s score down were reinvigorated. Pakistan now need a further 263 runs for victory, and with a full day’s play left, the draw has been taken out of the equation altogether. This time, though, it is Pakistan who were bullish with their match evaluation.”We’re talking in the camp that we need to go and win this match,” Agha Salman at the end of play. “We don’t know how the pitch will react on the fifth day, but we have it in our minds that we’ll go for it and try to win it.”England managed to pack so much into another truncated day of Test cricket it’s easy to forget that when play commenced, Salman was the only roadblock to the visitors taking complete control over this Test. Pakistan were still 160 runs behind in their first innings when the seventh wicket fell overnight. A collapse from that point would have left the hosts facing an insurmountable target and the best part of two days to survive. The sledgehammer is England’s scoring rate had virtually guaranteed that.But Salman, playing just his third Test, and the first at home, counter-attacked in a 67 run-stand where his partner, Zahid Mehmood, scored just 5. By the time he fell, Pakistan had whittled England’s lead down to just over 100, and taken most of the first session out of the game. It was a breezy knock (though given England’s truculence, that is relative), his 67-ball 53 decorated with seven fours and a six.”The management tells us to play as we naturally play,” he said. “My game is such I try and score runs and attack. I applied myself today and looked to keep them on the back foot. When you’re playing with the tail, you know you have to score runs, so that decision gets made for you.”The day wasn’t all rosy for him, though. With England making a mockery of a Pakistan bowling attack further depleted by the loss of Haris Rauf, he had the misfortune to be called upon to turn his arm over for five manic overs. England plundered 47 off those 30 balls, but Salman said that was simply a matter of accepting how England play and the advantageous position they found themselves in at the time.”When we started bowling, we tried to restrict the runs and not give them boundary opportunities. But you have to give them credit, they’re playing positive cricket. That shows in their declaration too, which was quite positive. The way they’ve been playing in the last few months, this was expected from them, and we believed they’d put us in to bat around this sort of target. But now we have a chance to win, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”There’s little reason to doubt England’s commitment, but the tone post-match had shifted ever so subtly. The visitors had spoken only of the pursuit of victory over the first three days, but for the first time this Test, assistant coach Paul Collingwood framed the same point in slightly different terms.”It’s been pretty clear we’re willing to lose games for the sake of putting ourselves in a position to won. Some will say it was an early declaration, we’ll see tomorrow if it was. We’re not scared of losing, it takes the consequences away from the players – tomorrow we can hopefully get on the right side of it.”It’s exciting isn’t it – on a pitch that’s been docile, to be in a position to watch an exciting game on the final day is great for everyone. The bigger picture for Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum is for Test cricket is to be entertaining.”That now looks set to happen in spite of the conditions both sides have had to play in, rather than because of them. In a Test where every string has been pulled by England. But tomorrow, they might find out that in Test cricket, control and victory are two very different things.

Who replaces Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami? Should Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill get a game?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Pick your India XI for MCG to decide who should open and who should keep

Sidharth Monga21-Dec-20203:37

Gambhir: Rahane should go with five bowlers

Predictions before the Adelaide Test expected India to be down 0-1 going into Melbourne, but the way it happened has left the team management second-guessing itself. Add to it the non-availability of Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami, and they have quite a few selection decisions to make. Here is your chance to put on their hat and play selector. As of now, five men are confirmed to start: captain Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, R Ashwin, Jasprit Bumrah and Umesh Yadav.Openers
The popular demand for a scalp – Prithvi Shaw in particular – is high. It doesn’t mean Mayank Agarwal is in the clear by that yardstick. Both Shaw and Agarwal scored a fifty each in New Zealand, both had stellar home series before that and both failed twice in Adelaide. India have two reserve openers in the squad: Shubman Gill, who opens for Punjab in domestic cricket and scored 43 and 65 in the tour game at the SCG and KL Rahul, who has opened for India before, but has played just the one first-class game since being dropped after the West Indies tour last year.

Kohli’s replacement
India’s No. 4 and captain will not be available for the rest of the series. Going by the warm-up games, it seemed India were planning to promote Hanuma Vihari in order to occupy Kohli’s usual spot, with Rahane attached to his No. 5 position. However, India will need a batsman to replace Kohli, who – in Rohit Sharma’s absence – will have to be one of Gill and Rahul. But neither might make the cut if India decide they need extra bowling in the absence of two of their first-choice bowlers – Ishant Sharma and Shami – and instead pick Ravindra Jadeja to bat at No. 6.

Wicketkeeper
India went against their policy of playing Rishabh Pant in Tests outside Asia when they picked Wriddhiman Saha for Adelaide. Was he just a horses-for-courses pick because the pink ball was expected to do more, and thus call for a more accomplished, pure wicketkeeper? Does Saha’s miss of a tough chance from Marnus Labuschagne defeat that logic? Has Saha left the door open for Pant, who has fallen out of favour with India in all formats, to make a comeback?

Shami’s replacement
Though the BCCI is yet to officially confirm that Shami has been ruled out of the remainder of the tour, it is understood that he has fractured his forearm and will not be taking any further part. No replacement has been named yet, and there are three extra bowlers on the tour: T Natarajan, Kartik Tyagi and Shardul Thakur. While the competition for a spot in the XI should ideally be between Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini, it is always difficult to guess something when it comes to India’s team management.

In a rare scenario, if the pitch miraculously happens to be spin-friendly, India could think of playing Jadeja as Shami’s replacement to go with six specialist batsmen. That move is highly unlikely because defensive moves and playing for draws rarely work in Test cricket, but it can’t be ruled out as an option either.

Às vésperas da chegada de Artur Jorge ao Botafogo, Fábio Matias diz: 'Fiz o meu melhor'

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

MatériaMais Notícias

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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➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

– 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.

Tudo sobre

BotafogoCampeonato CariocaFábio Matias

Newcastle star was entering Obertan territory, now he’s their “best player”

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Newcastle United’s December fixture list is looking extremely busy already.

By the time the action-packed month closes, Eddie Howe’s Toon will have played eight games in all competitions, with Bayer Leverkusen up next for the frantic Magpies in the Champions League.

So far for Howe and Co, it’s been one draw and one win in the hectic month, with the 2-1 win over Burnley secured last time out in the Premier League far more nervy than it needed to be, after the hosts had gifted the ten-man Clarets a penalty right at the death.

Thankfully, no late fightback was on the cards, but with fixture congestion obviously going to become a big issue the more the month goes on, some changes could be on the agenda for the trip to Germany on Wednesday night, whether it’s because of tired legs or an actual drop in performance.

Where Eddie Howe needs to rotate against Leverkusen

With 17 shots tallied up on the Burnley goal throughout, Newcastle, arguably, should have notched up a far more comprehensive win against Scott Parker’s valiant visitors.

Nick Woltemade didn’t cover himself in much glory up top, in this regard, with just 18 touches of the ball passing him by, leading to zero on-target shots being powered at Martin Dubravka’s busy goal.

With Yoane Wissa back and available for selection after a lengthy injury, too, it could well be the perfect time to test out the ex-Brentford striker from the start against Leverkusen, with the German dismissed as having a “sloppy” performance, as per the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope.

He wasn’t the only performer on the pitch that stood out for all the wrong reasons, though, with Jacob Ramsey struggling throughout, next to Bruno Guimaraes, who grabbed another memorable Toon strike.

Sandro Tonali and Joelinton will likely walk back into the midfield spots ahead of Ramsey, who would give up the handball that gifted Zian Flemming a 94th-minute lifeline.

Anthony Elanga also continues to look lost in Newcastle black and white, with just one of his seven dribbles coming off against Burnley, but other Newcastle faces managed to cement their first-team position even more on Saturday afternoon, as this often hit-and-miss attacker continues to turn around his initially underwhelming season.

Newcastle's "best player" is now undroppable again

Newcastle have been very hit and miss so far this season, but with three Premier League victories now from their last four clashes in the tough division, Howe will hope his wobbly team have turned a corner.

Anthony Gordon certainly has, with the ex-Everton winger’s days of drawing blanks in league action this season firmly over, as he has now converted two crucial penalties back-to-back at St. James’ Park.

Without the England international’s ice-cold precision from the spot, the Magpies might well have been staring at two completely different results.

It’s been a very sharp turnaround in fortunes for the 24-year-old, with one analyst claiming that Gordon had entered “Gabriel Obertan territory” earlier in the campaign when he was consistently drawing blanks in the Premier League.

Obertan would only go on to score three goals for the Toon across a difficult 77-game spell, having never lived up to his early hype in England, when on the books of Manchester United.

Thankfully, Gordon now looks to have recaptured his gung-ho best, away from looking passive down the channels, with Howe – come the full-time whistle of the Burnley win – even labelling the Liverpool-born forward as the “best player” on the pitch as his “direct running” ultimately helped Newcastle overcome a stern Clarets battle.

PL games played

10

PL goals scored

2

PL assists

0

Champions League games played

5

CL goals scored

4

CL assists

1

Looking at the table above, too, Gordon has the chance to firm up why he deserves to be one of Howe’s first names on the teamsheets by putting in another memorable showing in the Champions League at the BayArena, having mustered up a sublime four goals and one assist this season in Europe’s first-class competition.

With a whirlwind 37 goals and assists amassed over his previous two seasons on Tyneside, too, Gordon will hope he can enter into another purple patch of form after suffering from some shaky moments here and there this campaign, off the back of his manager’s glowing words.

There’s certainly plenty of action ahead for Gordon to sink his teeth into, as he prays more words of praise come his way soon from his manager and beyond, alongside Newcastle continuing to pick up more wins.

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Leeds star now looks like their best Premier League player since Phillips

by z3u9t.icu Uncategorized

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke is looking to follow in Marcelo Bielsa’s footsteps by steering the club clear of relegation in their first season back in the Premier League.

After a run of four straight losses, the Whites have picked up four points and scored six goals in two matches against Chelsea and Liverpool in the top-flight, which has pushed them out of the bottom three.

Farke has needed his players to step up in recent games to climb back out of the relegation zone, and several stars have shown that they have what it takes to deliver in the Premier League.

Ranking Leeds United's top performers this season

Joe Rodon, who has started all 15 games, has proven to be a reliable option at the heart of the defence, winning 69% of his ground duels in the top-flight, per Sofascore.

Gabriel Gudmundsson, signed from Lille in the summer, has also caught the eye at left-back, with 3.1 tackles and interceptions and 1.3 dribbles completed per game, per Sofascore, whilst exciting fans with his bombing runs down the left flank.

£17.4m signing Anton Stach has been one of the top three performers for the Whites, though, with his return of two goals and two assists as a box-to-box midfielder.

1

Ethan Ampadu

2

Sean Longstaff

3

Anton Stach

4

Gabriel Gudmundsson

5

Joe Rodon

As you can see in the ranking above, we have placed Sean Longstaff in second place. He leads the team in ‘big chances’ created (six), but he has also only started ten of the 15 league games, per Sofascore.

That leaves the captain, Ethan Ampadu, in first place as Leeds United’s best Premier League performer since they sold Kalvin Phillips to Manchester City in 2022.

Why Ampadu is Leeds United's best Premier League player since Phillips

After Phillips was sold to City for £45m, after emerging as an England regular at Elland Road, the Whites were relegated from the top-flight in the 2022/23 campaign. No other player was able to step up and save them from trouble.

The English star was particularly impressive with Marcelo Bielsa, as shown in the graphic above, and he averaged 3.9 tackles and interceptions per game in midfield in his last Premier League season with Leeds.

Ampadu, now, is looking like the club’s best top-flight performer since Phillips departed. He was judged as an “indispensable” part of Leeds’ midfield in the words of scout Jacek Kulig when promotion was being eyed up, and since moving up a division, he has been a rock on the pitch in the middle of the park. It’s safe to say he could be the first player to lead the team to safety since the Man City midfielder was at the club.

Off the pitch, teammate Karl Darlow described him as a “brilliant” person who has “handled the pressure” of captaining Leeds in the Premier League, which speaks to the qualities that he provides as a leader within the group, and perhaps explains how the team pulled off the last two results despite such a poor run of form that preceded them.

On the pitch, his performances have been impressive. Ampadu lined up in the middle of the park in the games against Chelsea and Liverpool and caught the eye with his defensive nous.

Minutes

90

87

Pass accuracy

86%

87%

Tackle success rate

100%

100%

Duels won

6/11

3/6

Interceptions

2

1

Dribbled past

0x

0x

As you can see in the table above, the Wales international was perfect in his tackles and did not allow an opposition player to dribble past him a single time, which shows how combative and reliable he was in midfield.

Ampadu has started all 13 of his appearances in the Premier League this season, per Sofascore, and averaged an eye-catching 3.7 tackles and interceptions per game, which is just shy of the 3.9 that Phillips averaged in his final season with the club.

The former Chelsea starlet offers a similar presence to the England international at the base of the midfield for Leeds, sitting in front of the back four and screening play, making vital defensive interventions to regain possession and start attacks for his side.

He has won 60% of his ground duels and 53% of his aerial duels, per Sofascore, whilst only being dribbled past 0.6 times per match, which shows that Ampadu has been efficient and reliable in the middle of the park for Farke, as an ever-present when fit.

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Overall, the Welshman may well be the club’s best Premier League player since Phillips, not just for the quality that he clearly provides as a holding midfielder, but also for his leadership skills and how he handles the pressure of leading a Premier League side.

As poor as Isak: The new Nunez has been "such a bad signing" for Liverpool

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Penny for Alexander Isak’s thoughts? Liverpool’s record-breaking striker has been down by the wayside right since the summer, and the fans are desperate to see him recover his form and showcase that world-class quality.

Isak left Newcastle United for Anfield at the end of the summer transfer window, on strike throughout August following a breakdown in relations on Tyneside. It’s been a struggle ever since, with the lack of a pre-season and injury issues in recent months limiting him to just four Premier League starts so far.

This is all symptomatic of the deeper malaise at Arne Slot’s Liverpool. Slot’s Liverpool, last season’s dominant league champions, have been pants this year, with nine losses in their past 12 matches in all competitions.

Not good enough. Isak’s only goal came against Southampton in the Carabao Cup, a competition the Merseysiders have since been dumped out of.

He will surely come good, but FSG will be anxiously waiting for proof that they have got bang for their buck. At the moment, Isak is offering less than Darwin Nunez before him.

Why Liverpool sold Darwin Nunez

Slot’s brand of football is built on structure and. Both he and Jurgen Klopp subscribe to attacking play, but where the German enjoys heavy metal, Slot is more of a purveyor of smooth jazz.

That was last season, though, with the Reds having left so much to desire this season. Liverpool are so tactically imbalanced, lacking the control of last season.

It’s for this reason that Nunez was sold. Wasteful in front of goal, yes, the Uruguayan was also erratic and mercurial, and given that Slot only started him once in the Premier League after Boxing Day, it’s clear he did not view him as the answer.

Darwin Nunez – Past 5 Seasons (all comps)

Season

Apps

Goals + Assists

25/26(Al-Hilal

10 (6)

5 (2)

24/25 – Liverpool

47 (17)

7 + 7

23/24 – Liverpool

54 (33)

18 + 15

22/23 – Liverpool

42 (26)

15 + 4

21/22 – Benfica

41 (32)

34 + 4

Stats via Transfermarkt

So, it would not be that bold to assume that selling Nunez to Al-Hilal and replacing him with a clinical superstar like Isak was done with a view toward giving Liverpool more accuracy and presence in the final third.

It’s worth stressing that Isak is anticipated to be a success at Anfield. He is too good – and proven in the Premier League – not to click into gear.

But, as journalist David Lynch put it earlier in November, Isak is “offering Liverpool less than Darwin Nunez did” at the same stage last season, and that will certainly need to change going forward.

There is still full anticipation that the Sweden international will be a success story at the club, though, but the same can’t be said for another of Liverpool’s summer recruits, who has so much to prove after a wretched start to the season.

Liverpool's new version of Nunez

In fairness, Nunez scored on his Liverpool debut against Manchester City in the Community Shield. He posted a goal and an assist off the bench on his Premier League debut, a draw at Fulham.

Darwin Nunez looks frustrated for Liverpool

But, ultimately, the 26-year-old’s erraticness and his inability to conform to Klopp and then Slot’s tactical systems led to his sale.

Now, Liverpool may have landed their new version of the South American, and not in Isak, but Milos Kerkez, who completed a £40m move from Bournemouth to the Anfield club this summer.

Kerkez, 22, was named as a part of the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for 2024/25, exceptional on the south coast. That fine form is a world away from what Liverpool fans have witnessed over the past three months, with journalist Jean Paul Schiberras claiming he “looks like he has never played football before” in Slot’s set-up.

Following the defeat to PSV, content creator Mark Goldbridge remarked that Kerkez has been “such a bad signing” for Slot’s team. It was a collective shambles on Wednesday evening, but the Hungary international was culpable for lackadaisical defending as the visitors surged forward and took the lead in the second half.

It is incomprehensible to think that Kerkez simply doesn’t have what it takes to play for Liverpool. Last season, he was arguably the best left-back in the league, such a ferocious mix of power and athleticism and energy.

But he is lacking, as it were, street smarts. Kerkez has the skills to succeed at a club like Liverpool, but too often he has suffered from poor decision-making, lacking the awareness and positioning to read danger and ensure he is one, two, three steps ahead.

Milos Kerkez in the Premier League

Stats (* per game)

24/25

25/26

Matches (starts)

38 (38)

11 (10)

Goals

2

1

Assists

5

0

Touches*

59.6

50.8

Accurate passes*

28.6 (80%)

27.9 (86%)

Chances created*

1.0

0.6

Dribble (success)*

0.6

0.3

Recoveries*

4.7

2.8

Tackles + interceptions*

2.6

1.6

Clearances*

2.6

3.3

Duels won*

4.0 (54%)

3.6 (61%)

Errors made

4x

2x

Data via Sofascore

This is why he is an endangered member of this squad. This is why he faces the potential of leaving with a reputation akin to Nunez, brimming with quality but arriving as a young and uncut gem, ultimately failing to bring it all together.

Is he a liability in this team? Perhaps so. It is useful to use Andy Robertson as a yardstick for the conundrum: last season, the Scotsman was clearly on the decline; a left-back was clearly a priority for FSG to sort out. But there are many calls now for the vice-captain to restore a nailed-down starting berth.

Slot has started using the 31-year-old more frequently, yes, but he has only started two of 12 Premier League fixtures this season, one of which includes the comprehensive 2-0 win over Aston Villa earlier this month.

Described as a “nervous wreck” by pundit Jamie Carragher, it’s clear that Kerkez is feeling the weight of moving to one of the world’s largest outfits. It doesn’t help that Slot’s tactics have proved so dysfunctional this term.

But left-back was a glaring weakness at Liverpool last year, and with Kostas Tsimikas out on loan and Robertson winding down, things have only gotten worse for the champions.

In this, Kerkez is becoming a major problem, a liability as concerning as Nunez was.

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Former Orioles All-Star Strikes Out First Batter He Faces After 556-Day Absence

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Félix Bautista was away from MLB for a whopping 556 days before making a return to the mound on Monday during the team's spring training game against the Boston Red Sox.

Bautista last pitched in a professional baseball game on Aug. 25, 2023. He suffered a right UCL tear that resulted in him undergoing Tommy John surgery.

It was a heartwarming and successful return for Bautista, as he put together a quick one-two-three inning on just 13 pitches (nine strikes) in the fifth. He struck out Trayce Thompson—the first batter he faced in 556 days—with a 96-mph fastball, and he couldn't help but break out in a big smile afterwards. He went on to strike out Nate Eaton and got David Hamilton to ground out to end the inning.

The crowd at Ed Smith Stadium rose to their feet as the top of the fifth ended and Bautista walked back to the dugout. He hugged teammate catcher Adley Rutschman and smiled at the crowd.

“That was very exciting," Bautista said via team interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I missed my fans. I missed hearing them every time I stepped onto the field. It was very gratifying being able to go out there today and hear them once again.”

Bautista is expected to make the Orioles' Opening Day roster as long as everything continues to progress well during spring training.

The 29-year-old pitcher played for the Orioles in 2022 and '23, etching a 2.19 ERA and a 1.48 ERA, respectfully, in those two seasons.

Gayle on Mulder's 367* declaration: He 'panicked and blundered'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Gayle said Mulder’s decision to not got after Lara’s record was an “error” and “he didn’t know what to do in that situation”

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jul-2025

Wiaan Mulder had 38 fours and three sixes when he got to 300•Zimbabwe Cricket

Former West Indies captain Chris Gayle has criticised South Africa’s stand-in captain Wiaan Mulder for not going after Brian Lara’s record of the highest individual Test score earlier this week, when he declared on 367 not out against Zimbabwe.Gayle, a former team-mate of Lara, said Mulder “maybe panicked” and made an “error” by not chasing the “once in a lifetime opportunity.””If I could get the chance to get 400, I would get 400,” Gayle told . “That doesn’t happen often. You don’t know when you’re going to get to a triple-century again. Any time you get a chance like that, you try and make the best out of it.”Related

Mulder: Lara told me I should have gone for the record

Mulder: 'Lara keeping that record is exactly the way it should be'

Stats – Mulder breaks records and Zimbabwe with 367*

Mulder said he did this out of respect for Lara’s record and Gayle accepted that, to an extent: “But he was so generous and said he wanted the record to stay with Brian Lara. Maybe he panicked, he didn’t know what to do in that situation.”Come on, you’re on 367, automatically you have to take a chance at the record. If you want to be a legend… how are you going to become a legend? Records come with being a legend.Mulder, 27, was playing only his 21st Test, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo where South Africa were put in to bat. Mulder went out at No. 3 in the 10th over of the innings and Zimbabwe were unable to dismiss him in the 334 balls he faced, of which 49 were stuck for fours and four for sixes. He was unbeaten on 264 at the end of the first day and not far from Lara’s record on 367 when the teams took lunch, but South Africa never returned to bat as they had declared.”I think it was an error from his side, not to try and go to get it,” Gayle said. “We don’t know if he would go on and get it or not. But he declared on 367 and he said what he had to say. But listen, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to get 400 runs in a Test match. Come on, youngster, you’ve blown it big time.”Gayle further said the quality of the opposition did not matter in such records.”It’s the same cricket, Test cricket,” Gayle said. “Sometimes you can’t even get one run against a team like Zimbabwe, if you want to put it that way. It doesn’t matter, the opponent, if you get a hundred against any team, that’s a Test century. If you get a double or triple, 400, that’s Test cricket. That’s the ultimate game.”Like I said, he panicked and he blundered, straight up.”Much of the cricket world has been debating the event, and a question was even put to England’s Ben Stokes at the press conference ahead of the Lord’s Test. Would he have declared on a batter so close to the record?”As captain, you’d rather do it to yourself than the captain pulling out on a groundbreaking day,” Stokes said. “I think he said something about how it should stay with Brian. He’s not going to get that opportunity again. They got the win, which obviously is the big thing that counts.”

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