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Former interim coach takes on Performance role following departure of Stuart Law

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2021Alan Coleman has stepped up from his role as Middlesex’s interim head coach to become the club’s new head of Men’s Performance Cricket.Coleman, 38, took the reins at Middlesex following Stuart Law’s departure last month, amid a restructuring of the club’s coaching structure. His new role will oversee the professional men’s game, alongside both a First XI coach and a club coach – two roles that Middlesex hope to fill in the “very near future”.”I am honoured to be offered this opportunity with a Club that is so close to my heart,” Coleman said. “We have a lot of work to do to reverse the team’s fortunes over the last few years, but I am confident that if we create the right environment for our players, and support them with the appointment of an excellent First Team Coach and Club Coach, that we will be able to make significant progress in the near future.”I truly believe in the ability of the playing group that we have here at the Club, and I can speak personally and on behalf of the entire dressing room when saying that collectively we are all looking forward to repaying the faith that our members and supporters have shown in us.”Coleman made a handful of List-A appearances for Middlesex as a player in 2001 and 2002, before rising through the club’s coaching ranks, from Age Group sides, to Head of the Club’s Academy, second XI Coach and assistant coach.”We are thrilled to have agreed this new role with Alan, who is a Middlesex man through and through, who belongs here at the Club,” Andrew Cornish, Middlesex’s chief executive, said. “He is the perfect fit for what we are looking to achieve and I’ve no doubt that he will excel in this latest challenge, as he has done time and time again in every previous coaching role in our structure.”A review of our current set-up has led to a focus on us putting in place a coaching structure that helps support our strategy of developing our own young cricketers and building a plan for success on the pitch moving forward.”We are blessed to have such a young and talented group of home-grown players in the Middlesex dressing room, with seventy percent of the current playing squad being products of our own Youth Academy – they are undoubtedly the future of Middlesex Cricket. With those youngsters complemented by a senior group of experienced cricketers, we firmly believe, that with the right coaching structure in place, we can develop this playing group into a side that achieves success for many years to come.”We’re looking for continuity, stability, an environment where the players can learn, grow, develop and thrive, and it is our responsibility to put that in place. We are confident that with Alan overseeing this structure, having worked so closely with the majority of our playing squad throughout their careers, and working closely with two new coaches we will be appointing, we have the recipe for success.”

Tottenham Hotspur are looking at a potential alternative to playmaker James Maddison in the form of a “high level” Argentine star, with the £170,000-per-week midfielder’s inconsistent form symbolic of Spurs’ season so far.

James Maddison challenged to improve amid England snubs

Maddison’s lacklustre showings on the field lately have resulted in the former Leicester City star’s consistent omission from England duty.

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In truth, despite some fantastic performances here and there, the nature of Maddison’s stop-and-start form eventually cause ex-England boss Gareth Southgate to lose faith – and he decided to exclude the 27-year-old from his squad for Euro 2024.

Man City vs Tottenham

November 23

Tottenham vs Fulham

December 1

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

December 5

Tottenham vs Chelsea

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Southampton vs Tottenham

December 15

Maddison has also missed their last two rounds of qualifiers for the Nations League, sitting out their international ties in both September and October, with the ex-Norwich City loanee also set to watch on at home as England prepare for clashes against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

Reports have suggested that Tottenham are monitoring Shakhtar Donetsk starlet Georgiy Sudakov as a potential stand-in for Maddison, so the club may have plans to sign players in a similar mold, who could either alternate or challenge him for a place in the team.

“I don’t think you pick national teams on the back of a free-kick, to be fair. I think you need more than that. So that’s the first thing,” said Postecoglou on Maddison’s form, challenging him to earn back his England place.

“Look, secondly, it’s with all these things I’ve always said, team selection, squad selection, it’s more in the players’ hands than the managers’, they’re the ones that need to put up the compelling evidence for people to make decisions.

“When I select a team on the weekend or when the England manager selects his squad, he’s doing it on the back of the evidence he has before him. So if you miss out, well then you’ve got to say: ‘OK, well I’ve got to give you more compelling evidence next time to get back in there.’

“I’ve never come across a manager who doesn’t select what he thinks is the best team for what he wants and the purpose of his sort of brief. So, whether it’s Madders or anyone else, they’ve just got to keep putting up the evidence that means they get selected for the next national team.”

Brighton stance as Tottenham look at signing Facundo Buonanotte

Another possible alternative to the Englishman is Brighton and Hove Albion attacker Facundo Buonanotte. The Argentine has been excellent on loan at Leicester City this season, bagging three goals and two assists in all competitions as one of Steve Cooper’s bright sparks, and The Boot Room claim Tottenham are looking at Buonanotte – whlst also sharing Brighton’s sale stance.

“When he brakes and accelerates, he reminds me of [Lionel] Messi,” said former Man City star Carlos Tevez. “He is at a very high level.”

Unfortunately, it’s bad news for Spurs and perhaps Leicester too, as the Seagulls have no plans on letting their 19-year-old starlet go permanently at this stage.

Mumbai allrounder Shivam Dube and video analyst also test positive, stay at home as team travels to Kolkata

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2022Seven members of the Bengal Ranji Trophy squad – six players and a senior support staffer – have tested positive for Covid-19, leading to training sessions being cancelled. Their travel to Bengaluru, where the Elite Group B games are scheduled, on January 8, could also be pushed back.Confirming the update, Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) joint secretary Debabrata Das told ESPNcricinfo that the positive results came up after the players and support staff were tested over the weekend keeping in mind “the pandemic situation” in the country as a whole and the state of West Bengal in particular.A PTI report quoted sources as saying that the seven people in question are players Sudip Chatterjee, Anustup Majumdar, Kazi Junaid Saifi, Geet Puri, Pradipta Pramanik and Sujit Yadav, and assistant coach Saurasish Lahiri.Related

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The players and Lahiri were present at the team’s training sessions as well as practice matches, played in Kolkata, in the lead-up to the Ranji Trophy, and have now all been placed in isolation. The team was scheduled to play a couple of warm-up games against Mumbai, who are playing their Group C games in Kolkata, before leaving for Bengaluru, but those have now been cancelled.Mumbai’s Dube tests positive; Patil named replacement
ESPNcricinfo has learnt that Mumbai allrounder Shivam Dube* and the team’s video analyst have also tested positive for Covid-19 prior to the team’s departure for Kolkata today, and did not travel with the team. Sairaj Patil has replaced Dube in the line-up.”The CAB is taking all necessary precautions and actions in this regard,” Snehasish Ganguly, secretary of the association, said in a statement.Kolkata is one of six cities that were named to host Ranji Trophy group-stage matches this year, with Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram the other venues. Kolkata is also scheduled to host the knockouts of the tournament. All of that could, however, change now, and it has been learnt that the BCCI will meet later this week to discuss the situation.Local tournaments in Kolkata cancelled
All local CAB-run tournament that were in progress have been put on hold, and the association has called for an emergent apex council meeting, which will take place tomorrow. The meeting is “to review the current Covid situation and take necessary decisions pertaining to holding of local tournaments (first division, second division and district tournaments) at present,” CAB president Avishek Dalmiya said in a statement.The statement said that CAB is also “taking immediate steps to vaccinate the registered players who fall in the 15-18 age bracket since health and safety of cricketers and all concerned is paramount to the association”.According to the West Bengal state government’s daily Covid-19 bulletin on Sunday, January 2, 6153 positive cases had been reported in the previous 24 hours, taking the total in the state to 1,649,150; the number of active Covid-19 cases as of that date was 17,038. On Sunday, the state government also announced a slew of new restrictions, including on social, religious and cultural gatherings, academic activities, government and private-sector offices and entertainment venues.

Julen Lopetegui has revealed West Ham’s reaction to Michail Antonio's car crash, with the ex-Hammers boss admitting "we feared he was leaving us".

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Involved in traffic accident on December 7Has undergone surgery on lower leg fractureForward admits that he is lucky to be aliveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Jamaica international forward was involved in a horror road traffic accident on December 7. His Ferrari was written off after colliding with a tree, leaving Antonio having to be cut from wreckage before being airlifted to hospital.

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The 34-year-old forward concedes that he is lucky to be alive. He has undergone surgery on a lower leg fracture and has been training again in Dubai as he looks to work his way back to full fitness. That process could take up to 12 months.

WHAT JULEN LOPETEGUI SAID

Lopetegui was West Ham manager at the time of the incident and admits that those inside the club feared the worst after learning how severe the accident had been. The Spanish coach told : "We feared he was leaving us."

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Antonio was one of several issues that ex-Real Madrid coach Lopetegui had to contend with during his short reign at the London Stadium. He also saw Brazilian playmaker Lucas Paqueta face accusations of breaching gambling regulations, but said of the South American: "He handled it very well; we were pleased with his commitment."

Palace are onto the next round of the competition, with the U.S. duo playing a key role in victory Saturday

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Palace defeat Millwall 3-1 in FA CupChris Richards and Matt Turner handed startsUSMNT defender records late assistFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Crystal Palace defeated Millwall 3-1 in the FA Cup on Saturday, knocking the EFL side out in Round 5 of the competition.

U.S. internationals Chris Richards and Matt Turner started the contest, with Richards playing a pivotal role late in the match, recording an assist on their third goal that put the game to bed. Leaping in the air off a late set piece in the 81st minute, Richards headed the ball across the box to forward Eddie Nketiah, who tapped home to secure their victory on the day.

Turner, meanwhile, made one save and had 29 touches on the ball.

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Earlier in the match, Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta was the victim of a horror tackle from Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, who karate-kicked the France international in the face, seeing straight red just eight minutes into the contest.

Mateta was stretchered off the pitch after receiving oxygen from training staff. There has been no update on his status yet.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR PALACE?

The quarterfinal draw for the next round of the FA Cup will take place Sunday evening. Palace will find out who their next foe is as they search for glory in the competition.

Newcastle United are reportedly open to the idea of signing a “complete” attacking player on loan during the January transfer window.

Newcastle transfer news

Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo continues to stand out as arguably one of the Magpies’ main transfer targets, with the Cameroonian already catching the eye so much in the Premier League this season.

There is no guarantee that Miguel Almiron will still be at Newcastle by the time the January window closes, but even if he remains at the club, reinforcements are needed on the right flank, in order to match the strength of Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes on the opposite wing.

Sporting CP superstar Viktor Gyokeres has also been linked with a move to St James’ Park, with the Swede one of Europe’s most-in form strikers in Europe on current form. Remarkably, he has already scored 21 goals in the Primeira Liga (16) and Champions League (5) combined this season.

Seventeen-year-old starlet Geovany Quenda has been backed to seal a switch to Newcastle, with the Sporting CP winger seen as a player with a bright future in the game. Despite his tender years, he has already played 18 times for his current club side at senior level, highlighting the strides he has made.

Newcastle open to signing "complete" PSG ace

According to Football Transfers, Newcastle are open to signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan in January, having been linked with him in recent months.

It is noted that there is “appreciation” from the Magpies about his ability to “play along the front line”, providing Eddie Howe with more attacking options. West Ham are also believed to be interested.

Signing Kolo Muani on loan could be ideal, allowing the Frenchman a chance to shine but also not risking bringing him in permanently, should the move not work out.

There is no reason why the 25-year-old wouldn’t be a success at Newcastle, however, with none other than Kylian Mbappe saying of him: “He is a striker who offers different game options to our team. He is very complete and has an impressive volume of play.”

Things haven’t worked out for Kolo Muani in a PSG shirt, with Luis Enrique reportedly willing to move him on, but that’s not to say that he couldn’t excel for Newcastle, having scored eight times for a star-studded France side to date.

He was even famously denied a World Cup final-winning goal in 2022 against Argentina, with Emiliano Martinez making an enormous save in the dying seconds of extra-time. He did score his penalty in the shootout, however.

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Kolo Muani’s versatility will no doubt appeal to Howe, and while his preferred central role is likely to mean he would play second fiddle to Alexander Isak, having the depth in reserve is vital, and he could still enjoy lots of playing time, proving to be a potential upgrade on Callum Wilson who has been missing through injury so far this season.

Jasprit Bumrah named vice-captain; Shardul Thakur rested for both Test and T20I series

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2022Ravindra Jadeja and Sanju Samson have returned to India’s squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, which begins in Lucknow on February 24.Both Jadeja and Samson have recovered sufficiently from injuries while Shardul Thakur has been rested for both the T20I and Test series. Jasprit Bumrah, who had been rested for the white-ball series at home against West Indies, also returned to the squad, as vice-captain. He will lead a seam attack comprising Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Siraj and the uncapped Avesh Khan.ESPNcricinfo LtdVirat Kohli and Rishabh Pant, who had exited the Kolkata bubble after helping India wrap up the T20I series against West Indies, have been rested for the T20I series against Sri Lanka.Pant’s absence created an opportunity for Samson but he is not there in mere place-holding capacity. Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said: “Sanju is in our scheme of things. Most importantly we have to see which is a cricketer who will be useful on Australian wickets. He is definitely in our scheme of things [for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year].”Related

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Allrounder Hardik Pandya, who will be captaining the new franchise Gujarat Titans in the IPL, was not considered as he was not yet fully fit. “Hardik was a very important part of the Indian team,” Chetan said. “But after the injuries, until he is 100% fit, until we get a confirmation he is 100% fit, ready to go and that he is bowling and is match fit, we can’t consider him.”Hardik has not played any domestic cricket since being left out of the Indian team but his IPL team named him the captain despite the fitness record. Chetan was asked if the selection process was being compromised if Hardik comes back to the World Cup squad based on his performance in the IPL. Chetan said runs in IPL was no guarantee to get his place back, but asked for support for Hardik. “What Hardik has done for the country, you shouldn’t forget in one minute.”

Jurgen Klopp has revealed exactly when he plans to return to Anfield to watch Liverpool, even though he fears he will prove a "jinx".

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Liverpool leading the leagueSlot's side look destined to win titleKlopp set to make Reds returnFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Klopp has confirmed that he will return to Anfield before the end of the season, in what would be his first time back at the club since his exit at the end of last summer. The legendary German boss spent nine years in charge, winning the league and the Champions League during his time in the dugout.

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Klopp has admitted that he has feared being seen as a "jinx" to Arne Slot's side and as a result he has claimed he is only willing to watch the Reds at Anfield once they have confirmed their status as Premier League champions. Of course, when Klopp won the title, he did so in front of an empty stadium due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

WHAT KLOPP SAID

Klopp was speaking at a charity event in South Korea and confirmed he would attend the final game of the season against Crystal Palace.

He said: "Yes, the plan is [to be in Liverpool] but not on the bus. I will be there with the people, the people I saw when we were on the bus. That's the idea to be honest, but we will see. I think I will be there for the last game… I didn't want to go earlier to be honest because I didn't want to jinx it all the time.

"If I'm in the stadium for the first time and they lose: 'oh f*ck sake'. So I go there when it's decided."

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

Liverpool play Southampton this weekend as they bid to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table to 16 points.

Blast’s all-time leading scorer quits captaincy after seven seasons in charge

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Mar-2022Luke Wright, the leading run-scorer in T20 Blast history, has stepped down as Sussex’s T20 captain after seven seasons in the role.Sussex have been one of the leading T20 sides in the country under Wright’s leadership but have not managed to convert a strong win/loss record into a trophy, and lost to eventual champions Kent in last season’s semi-finals.They have lost several key players – most recently Chris Jordan and Phil Salt – in recent seasons, and Wright spoke out against the talent drain on the eve of Finals Day last year, saying: “It’s absolutely not impossible to keep your best players.””It’s something from the club’s point of view that we need to look at because we can’t be losing our best players all the time,” he added. “Our recruitment process has got to be really strong and it’s something that probably hasn’t been as good as it should be at this moment in time.”Sussex said in a statement that they were “naturally disappointed” that Wright had asked to step down as captain but that they “respect his decision after 104 T20 games in charge.”Related

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Wright: 'We can't be losing our best players all the time'

“It has been a huge honour to captain Sussex, the club I love so much,” Wright said. “However, I feel it is the right time to step down. I will continue to give my all to help Sussex as I have over so many years.”Rob Andrew, their chief executive, said: “We respect Luke’s decision to step down as captain and we will work with him to move forward and focus on the future with his successor at the helm.”Luke has been a fantastic captain, leading the team to the knockout stages of the T20 Blast in five of his seven seasons as captain, including two Finals Day appearances in 2018 and 2021. The experience and knowledge he will be able to share with his successor will be invaluable.”Wright has been preparing for his career after cricket of late, completing a Masters of Sport Directorship at Manchester Metropolitan University this winter, but is under contract at Sussex until the end of the 2023 season.He was released by his Hundred team, Trent Rockets, after spending the inaugural season of the competition on the bench but is expected to be signed in April’s draft.Sussex have recruited a handful of new signings for this season’s Blast, with Rashid Khan due to be available throughout the group stages with Mohammad Rizwan and Josh Philippe splitting the second overseas spot. Steven Finn and Fynn Hudson-Prentice were also recruited at the end of last season.

Well, as should be expected by this point, Tottenham Hotspur followed up their sensational win away to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday with a dismal draw against Roma in the Europa League last night.

Ange Postecoglou has done very well in his year and a half at the club, helping to turn them into one of the most exciting teams in Europe, but he hasn’t been able to quash the inconsistent streak that seems ever-present within the club.

However, the North Londoners had enough chances to win the game last night, so it would be unfair to pin the draw on anyone other than the players.

Europa League

AS Roma (H)

2-2 (D)

Premier League

Man City (A)

4-0 (W)

Premier League

Ipswich (H)

2-1 (L)

Europa League

Galatasaray (A)

3-2 (L)

Premier League

Aston Villa (H)

4-1 (W)

In particular, there was one regular starter who was notably poor on the night and should probably be dropped for Sunday’s clash with Fulham.

Spurs' poor performers

So, before we get to the offender in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other disappointing displays from last night, starting with club-record signing Dominic Solanke.

Now, it’s true that the former Bournemouth ace didn’t make a mistake that cost his team a goal. However, he missed more than his fair share of chances that could have taken them out of sight of the Giallorossi, somehow failing to score once from an expected goals figure of 1.13, which saw Spurs writer Alasdair Gold award him a 6/10 match rating.

Likewise, while Son Heung-min scored the penalty in the first half, he was painfully ineffective for most of the game, either taking weak and inaccurate shots when he shouldn’t have or failing to pass to his teammates when he should have, resulting in a 6/10 from Gold.

In the midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur looked tired early on in the second half, and while he put in some decent tackles here and there, he failed to assert himself in the middle of the park, once again leading to a 6/10 rating from the football.london journalist.

However, while all three of the above were underwhelming against the Serie A giants, one of their teammates managed to put in a display that was even worse.

The Spurs starter Postecoglou should drop

So, while the likes of Radu Dragusin and even Brennan Johnson struggled at points last night, the starter who put in arguably the worst performance of all and should, therefore, be dropped was Pedro Porro.

Yes, the Lilywhites’ talented full-back, who is usually so effective for the club in attack and, at the very least, reliable in defence, was neither last night.

The Spaniard’s best moment came when he hit the woodwork from a free-kick in the second half but as Gold highlights, he ‘almost gifted Dovbyk a late equaliser’ and was ‘nowhere near Angelino’s cross for the leveller,’ which was unsurprisingly enough to warrant a paltry 5/10 match rating.

While that could be construed as harsh, it is an opinion backed up by the Spaniard’s statistics on the night.

For example, in his 95 minutes of action, the former Sporting CP ace was dribbled past twice, made an error that led to a shot, lost 100% of his aerial duels, lost the ball a staggering 23 times, misplaced 66% of his crosses, failed in 100% of his dribbles and maintained a passing accuracy of just 73%.

Minutes

95′

Dribbled Past

2

Errors Leading to a Shot

1

Aerial Duels (Won)

2 (0)

Lost Possession

23

Crosses (Accurate)

3 (1)

Dribbles (Successful)

1 (0)

Passing Accuracy

44/60 (73%)

Shots on Target

2

Tackles

6

Now, while he did manage to take two shots on target and make several tackles during the game, his mistakes were too numerous to ignore.

As such, the manager should seriously consider dropping him for Fulham, especially when he can call upon Djed Spence, who needs game time badly, or even Archie Gray, whom Gold awarded a 7/10 for his display in the unfamiliar position of left-back last night.

Ultimately, nobody will dispute the sensational innate talent that Porro possesses, but last night was a particularly dire display from the full-back, and with players lining up behind him, Postecoglou should drop him to the bench on Sunday.

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