Khawaja hundred helps Queensland topple Victoria

Scorecardsize: 900•Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Usman Khawaja’s 122, coupled with the seven wickets taken by the pace-bowling duo of Jack Wildermuth and Michael Neser, helped Queensland complete a 110-run rout of Victoria inside three days of the day-night match at the Gabba.Propelled by Khawaja’s first century of the season, which included 16 fours, Queensland posted 311 in their second innings. They might have wanted more, considering they began the day at 5 for 254 but Scott Boland and Chris Tremain knocked them over rather quickly.Victoria needed 329 to win, but were reduced to 5 for 77 in the 26th over with Neser and Wildermuth taking turns in dealing blows to the opposition line-up. The only semblance of resistance from the visitors came in the form of two fifty-plus stands – worth 66 and 52 runs respectively – as Daniel Christian partnered captain Peter Handscomb and Tremain for the sixth and seventh wickets. They could only delay the inevitable though. Victoria slumped from 6 for 195 to 219 all out in the space of 10 overs.Peter Siddle, in the frame for the upcoming Ashes, had a decent game. He took the new pink ball, got through 37 overs and picked up a couple of wickets as well. Khawaja was the biggest gainer, his 21st first-class century adding to the belief that he will line up against England at No. 3.Glenn Maxwell couldn’t get past 20 in either innings. And though Matt Renshaw had a similarly unproductive outing for Queensland, scoring 17 and 16, he did ensure he was at the crease for a total of 112 deliveries.

Após empate, Gabigol pede calma: 'Não é o começo que a gente queria, mas iremos melhorar'

MatériaMais Notícias

Após o empate do Flamengo com o Grêmio por 1 a 1 no Maracanã, o atacante Gabriel Barbosa comentou sobre a atuação da equipe rubro-negra, que novamente não fez um bom jogo sob o comando do treinador espanhol Domènec Torrent mas conseguiu empatar a partida no final do jogo em um gol de pênalti.

– Primeiro a gente tem que ter calma, eu acho que a gente vem de um ano passado maravilhoso, que eu acho que nenhum clube brasileiro fez ou vai repetir. A gente vai tentar até o final buscar títulos, mas temos que pensar que é um novo trabalho. O Domènecteve pouco tempo de trabalho e a gente vem conversando muito – destacou.

O jogador desencantou e marcou após sete jogos sem estufar as redes, porém não teve uma boa atuação, errou muito passes e não conseguiu dar sequências às jogadas ofensivas do rubro-negro. Segundo o atacante, a equipe buscou o resultado até o final e irá trabalhar para melhorar na sequência da temporada.

– A gente não pode criar coisas que não são verdades como peso, reunião que jogador pediu. A gente tem que ter calma, manter os pés no chão, somos um grande clube, um clube vencedor, com jogadores, que vão dar a vida até o final como hoje. Jogamos contra um grande time e buscamos o resultado até o final. Isso mostra união, comprometimento, alegria ao vencer com esse clube e tentar vencer novamente. Então, não é o começo que a gente queria, mas a gente está trabalhando, buscando, e iremos melhorar – afirmou.

Na próxima rodada, o Flamengo volta a campo no domingo contra o Botafogo, às 11h, no Maracanã. O Grêmio, por sua vez, joga contra o Vasco, no mesmo dia, às 16h, em São Januário.

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Tottenham: Ange Convincing "Unbelievable" Spurs Star To Stay

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso won't push for a summer exit to Real Betis with manager Ange Postecoglou playing a big role in that.

Who is leaving Spurs this summer?

After completing deals for goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, midfielder James Maddison and winger Manor Solomon – there are certain squad members on the chopping block to free up more squad space and funds.

Ivan Perisic, for example, has reportedly been told he can leave Spurs this summer if a suitable offer comes in. After the signing of Vicario, long-serving number one Hugo Lloris could also make way.

The Frenchman, speaking to news outlet Nice-Matin recently, admitted as much and believes this summer could be the end of an era for him in north London.

“We have reached an important moment, whether it be for the club or me,” said Lloris.

“It’s the end of an era. I have a desire for something else. I will carefully study what is possible. However, I haven’t forgotten that I have a year left on my contract at Tottenham, and in football, it’s always hard to predict what will happen."

Meanwhile, Spurs accepted a bid from Russian side Spartak Moscow for defender Davinson Sanchez, though it remains to be seen whether the Colombian will agree to join them or if the transfer will even be authorised by government officials – due to the ongoing situation in Ukraine.

Japhet Tanganga, after limited playing time last season, comes as another player expected to depart while Spurs regular Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is being chased by La Liga side Atletico Madrid.

Lo Celso had been mentioned as a candidate to leave, but according to Spanish news site Mucho Deporte, he won't exactly force the issue.

Villarreal midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.

Real Betis are eyeing a move for the Argentine, and while he's interested in joining them, there is a belief Lo Celso will not push for the transfer.

This is mostly down to Postecoglou, who is delighted with the midfielder's efforts in pre-season, and Lo Celso himself feels comfortable playing under the Australian and fits in well to his system.

It's added that the South American has fun in each training session under Posteocoglou and works hard for him.

How good is Giovani Lo Celso?

Signed for £27.2 million from Betis in January 2020, Lo Celso has endured a mixed Spurs career to date, but has showcased his quality on loan spells with Villarreal.

Just last season, during a temporary stint with Villarreal, he averaged their joint-highest rate of key passes completed per 90 in the final third – all the while scoring two goals and assisting three others (WhoScored).

The 27-year-old could fit in well to Postecoglou's system as a more advanced playmaker, with Spurs superstar Son Heung-min once showering praise on Lo Celso.

“I think he’s unbelievable!” said Son on Lo Celso's form in 2020.

“He’s working really hard in every single training session so I think every player is really happy for him to be doing so well and working so hard."

After three seasons of trying, it could well be the case that Lo Celso has found a perfect managerial fit in Postecoglou, so it will be interesting to see if he becomes a key player next season.

Reckless Glamorgan no match for leaders

ScorecardLuke Fletcher took four Glamorgan wickets [file picture]•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire assumed total control on day two of their Specsavers’ County Championship game against Glamorgan at the SSE Swalec in Cardiff.Having reached 448 all out with the bat, thanks to half centuries from Chris Read and Brett Hutton, they bowled out Glamorgan for 187 and will choose overnight whether or not to enforce the follow on.The Welsh county have yet to win a four-day game this season and on the evidence of their performance on day two, a change of fortune looks highly unlikely. In fact, if they attempt as many high risk shots in their second innings as they did in the first, they will do well to take the game past tea.Aneurin Donald, Glamorgan’s only batsman to pass 50, said: “I felt pretty good out there, but it was criminal to get out in the way I did and when I did. We bowled well for two sessions on Friday and then we lost our way a bit. Today we stuffed up with the bat and didn’t get the job done.”Although the morning’s play was fragmented due to a couple of heavy rain showers and injuries to both Read and Hutton, Notts arrived at lunch on 389 for 6. Hutton, who was struck on the head by Marchant de Lange was the more aggressive of the two players, whilst Read, who reached his 50 off 71 balls with eight fours and a six, thereafter set off in careful pursuit of a three figures.After an early lunch had been taken due to heavy rain, the seventh wicket pair upped the tempo with Read, who was forced to have a runner after damaging a hip, playing a secondary role to Hutton who passed 50 from 80 balls, with six fours.Read eventually departed, at 427 for 7, caught by Will Bragg off the bowling of Lukas Carey for 88 and thereafter, Glamorgan enjoyed their most productive spell of thye day.Stuart Broad was bowled by Colin Ingram for seven, Hutton top-edged Carey to de Lange at backward point for 61 and Harry Gurney was comprehensively bowled by Timm van der Gutgen for one.Van der Gutgen was the pick of the Glamorgan bowlers, finishing with figures of 5 for 101. Carey helped himself to 3 for 100.Keen to make early inroads, with the ball, Notts took less than eight overs to make the initial breakthrough. Luke Fletcher, bowling from the River End, had Nick Selman caught behind by stand-in wicket keeper Rikki Wessels for 7. Thereafter, Glamorgan lost wickets at regular intervals.Bragg committed cricketing suicide when running himself out for five at 20 for 2 and though the host county were only two wickets down at tea, their plight worsened thereafter.Ingram departed for nine, caught by Steven Mullaney off Hutton at 47 for 3, before captain Jacques Rudolph (25) edged Gurney to Wessels at 51 for 4.David Lloyd and Donald batted with a degree of aggression and application to take the Welsh county past the 100 mark in the 34th over, but after Lloyd was caught at slip by Mullaney off the bowling of Broad, for 34, Chris Cooke had his off stump knocked back by the England seamer to leave Glamorgan on 125 for 6.Any faint hope Glamorgan might have had of avoiding the follow on disappeared when Donald (53) pulled Fletcher to the mid wicket boundary where substitute Luke Wood pulled off a remarkable one handed catch.De Lange followed, caught in a similar position, by Cheteshwar Pujara at 158 for 8 and after van der Gutgen gifted Samit Patel his first wicket, shortly after, Carey was last man out at 187, leaving Notts with a first innings lead of 261.

Somerset spun out by Dawson, Crane

Spinners Liam Dawson and Mason Crane bowled Hampshire to a 90-run victory over Somerset

ECB Reporters Network28-May-2017
ScorecardSpinners Liam Dawson and Mason Crane bowled Hampshire to a 90-run victory over Somerset in their Specsavers’ County Championship game at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton. The pair picked up nine of the 10 Somerset wickets to fall on a day when the hosts suffered their third four-day defeat of the summer.With the exception of Dean Elgar, who helped himself to a second half-century of the game, it was another disappointing batting performance from Tom Abell’s side. Having begun the day needing a further 220 runs to win, with all 10 second-innings wickets intact, they slipped from 58 for 0 to 169 all out in 36.5 overs.”It was a great comeback and we are obviously delighted to have won,” Hampshire’s coach, Craig White, said. “We had a blip last week at Essex, but it was always going to be about how we responded to that.”We felt that the first partnership for Somerset was key to them. If we broke that pair up, we could look at chipping away after that. We did exactly that and we bowled really well. I felt the bowlers showed brilliant discipline with the ball and a great first session was what we needed.”After starting the penultimate day as slight favourites, Somerset lost six wickets in the first session as Dawson, in particular, bowled with purpose and accuracy.Marcus Trescothick looked in decent touch until he was adjudged to have nicked a Dawson delivery to wicket keeper Lewis McManus. Thereafter, wickets tumbled at regular intervals as Hampshire, for the first time in the game, appeared to be in total control.Abell departed at 70 for 2, once again off the bowling of Dawson, before Crane found a way through James Hildreth’s defence, three runs later. Steven Davies was trapped leg before by the increasingly effective Dawson and though Elgar, who passed 50 off 85 balls, batted without equal, he and Peter Trego were back in the locker room before the lunch interval.Trego was run out after Elgar refused a possible single. Then the South Africa opener was bowled by a Crane long-hop that bounced twice and crept beneath his bat.Lewis Gregory offered some resistance after lunch but with Craig Overton and Jack Leach departing to Crane, for 10 and 7 respectively, Somerset were soon staring down the barrel. Gregory followed, lbw to Dawson for 25, leaving Crane to help himself to the wicket of Jamie Overton and his fifth scalp of the innings.”It’s not good enough. It was a massively disappointing day and it has been a massively disappointing start to the season,” Abell said afterwards. “What is even more disappointing is the fact that we have been in a strong position in all three of the Championship games we have lost.”We have got to be more ruthless and make it more difficult for the opposition. I feel the bowlers have bowled really well. It’s the batsmen that are letting the side down. But it’s us who have got us in to this mess. Now, it’s up to us to get us out of it.”

New Zealand shot themselves in the foot – Piedt

South Africa spinner Dane Piedt, who joined the squad on Sunday, has said he was surprised by the New Zealand conditions and their tactic to not back their seamers

Firdose Moonda in Wellington20-Mar-2017New Zealand have done themselves a disservice by not trusting their seam strength, according to Dane Piedt. The South African offspinner joined the squad on Sunday, as a reinforcement in the spin department for the Hamilton Test, and said he was surprised by New Zealand conditions.”I think they have shot themselves in the foot. They didn’t back their seamers to do the job, and I thought their seamers bowled pretty well in South Africa. They bowled us out for 263 in Durban on quite a sporting deck,” Piedt said. “I didn’t expect that New Zealand would play two spinners in the first Test and when they left Tim Southee out I was also surprised. Just the fact that two series before that, Bangladesh and Pakistan were here and they played on surfaces that were quite sporting for the seamers. I expected it to be the same, but obviously with the type of seam attack we have they thought they would be under pressure.”In the four home Tests before this series, in which New Zealand were victorious in every one, their quicks contributed heavily to their success. They bowled Pakistan out four times out of four – twice under 180, twice under 240 – and bowled Bangladesh out three times out of four – twice under 180. In the Pakistan series, Tim Southee topped the wicket charts, followed by Colin de Grandhomme and Neil Wagner. In the Bangladesh rubber, Trent Boult topped the bowlers’ list, with Southee and Wagner next.Piedt can’t be blamed for expecting conditions to be prepared to favour those players but a combination of wet weather and slower venues have prevented New Zealand from tapping into that. Instead, they have gone the other way and two of the three surfaces for this series – Dunedin and Hamilton – are the complete opposite of seamer-friendly. Still, it was in Wellington, the greenest and bounciest of the tracks, that New Zealand succumbed to a spin threat they may have underestimated, which didn’t even include Piedt.They lost a dozen wickets to Keshav Maharaj and JP Duminy which selector Gavin Larsen called the “most disappointing thing” about their eight-wicket defeat. “You couldn’t call that Basin deck a raging, turning deck. Maharaj, to his credit, bowled nicely with control and put the ball in the right areas but I don’t think it was overly threatening. To allow a spinner like him to take 6 for 40 is unacceptable,” Larsen said. “When you come to a deck that might turn a little bit more, you might argue it’s going to present even more challenges.”Will South Africa change a winning combination to include Dane Piedt?•Getty ImagesThat would be Hamilton, where Faf du Plessis expects a “dustbowl” and although Larsen clarified that New Zealand have not specifically asked for one, it may be what they get. “The history would suggest that this season, in particular, it has turned up there. If you’re asking if we’ve ordered the pitch to turn, no we haven’t,” he said. “The reality is that that’s the way it has been panning out in Hamilton and we’ve picked our team accordingly, similar to Dunedin where we thought it would be dry.”And so, Piedt has his best chance of making a Test comeback after being discarded following the home series against New Zealand last August. Although Piedt had not done much wrong, the South African selectors felt they needed someone with a little more control and Maharaj provided that. In previous interviews, Piedt admitted to his ability taking a knock but he has nothing but praise for the man who ousted him.”He’s shown that he’s in unbelievable form and he’s done that in domestic cricket so I can only be happy for him. I spoke to him last night and I told him how impressive it’s been to watch him bowl on the international stage. It’s never hard feelings. It’s about spin bowlers coming through and being able to show their skill to the rest of the world,” Piedt said. “His changes of pace and the angles he bowls at are impressive. The shape of his ball is really good as well. If you’re bowling consistently in the same sort of area you’re always going to be rewarded, like he has. He’s quite a patient guy so he does it for long periods of time.”While Maharaj, a left-arm spinner, “doesn’t need a lot of tricks” according to Piedt, who cited Rangana Herath and Ravindra Jadeja as examples, Piedt has been working on a few variations that he may bring out if selected. “There’s always something I’m trying in the nets. I’m bowling to the old dogs like Andrew Puttick and Dane Vilas, and I’m trying new things all the time,” he said.But will South Africa tinker with a winning combination that Piedt himself believes is “the superior team at the moment”? Perhaps not.”I had just got onto the plane and I saw JP had taken four wickets, and I told myself even if I don’t play at least I’m getting recognised again. I think that’s the most important thing,” he said. “I’ve had quite an up-and-down Test career. I made my debut in 2014, had a freak shoulder injury and came back from that. So there’s been a lot of frustration and thinking will I ever play for South Africa again. Just to be here again is a privilege.”

Dunk replaces injured Lynn for Sri Lanka series

Chris Lynn will not be part of Australia’s squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka starting on February 17. Lynn aggravated his neck injury during training last week, Cricket Australia said, and will be replaced by left-hand batsman Ben Dunk, who finished as the highest-run scorer in the recently concluded Big Bash League.Team physiotherapist Kevin Sims said that Lynn returned to training recently and will be seeing a specialist, following which a timeline for his return could be established.”Chris resumed some light training as part of his rehabilitation but was still unable to function at the level he needs to play international cricket due to his existing neck injury,” Sims said. “He will be seeing a specialist later this week and from there we will have a better understanding of the ongoing management, along with the return to play time frames.”Twenty-nine-year-old Dunk made his Australia debut in the three-match T20I series against South Africa in November 2014 but was subsequently dropped after scores of 2, 23 and 14. Interim national selector Trevor Hohns said Dunk’s selection comes on the back of his consistent performances in the various T20 leagues around the world.”Ben was the highest run-scorer for the Big Bash in the season just gone, amassing a total of 364 runs in just 222 balls faced,” Hohns said. “He has had consistent performances in the BBL, IPL and CPL and also brings international experience to the squad.”The three-match series begins in Melbourne before the teams move to Geelong before concluding in Adelaide on February 22.

Sunderland Eyeing £7m "Top Talent" Who Can Partner Stewart

Sunderland have gone continental in their search for another new striker as Tony Mowbray looks to further add to a squad capable of challenging for Premier League promotion once again.

What are the latest Sunderland transfer rumours?

The Black Cats suffered a disappointing playoff semi-final loss to Luton Town a little over a month ago, but since then they have moved to bring in Nectarios Triantis, Jobe Bellingham and Luis 'Hemir' Semedo.

Semedo impressed for Benfica B last season but is still a relative rookie, having yet to play any senior football, and that could mean Mowbray spreading his proverbial net further out in search for an unpolished gem.

French outlet Le Parisien reports that Rennes forward Matthis Abline may be just the player, with the Black Cats said to be keeping an eye on his situation.

Who is Rennes forward Matthis Abline?

Abline has already played 38 times in Ligue 1 and also has four Europa League appearances to his name, which includes a goal in Rennes' 1-1 group-stage draw with Larnaca last season.

With that strike, he overtook El-Hadji Diouf as Rennes' youngest scorer in European competition, earning praise from football reporter Tom Maston as "another top talent" to emerge through the club's academy.

That was one of just four senior goals the youngster has netted, suggesting he is hardly the 15-goal-plus attacker many Championship clubs crave, but 22 of his 30 league appearances with Rennes and loan side Auxerre came as a substitute last season.

The 20-year-old is also attracting interest from French sides Strasbourg and Lorient, while Rennes value him at €8m (£7m), so he clearly has something about him.

Indeed, while there is definitely room for improvement in terms of his goal return, FBref ranks Abline in the top 15% for progressive carries per 90 minutes (1.96) in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues, and top 14% for both successful take-ons (1.20) and touches in the opposition penalty box (5.81).

To give those numbers some context, at a lower level last season, the highly-regarded Ellis Simms registered 1.92 progressive carries per 90 minutes for Sunderland, 0.48 successful take-ons and 4.64 touches in the opposition box.

Abline also stands out in terms of various defensive metrics such as interceptions (0.34 per 90 minutes) and blocks (0.77) – putting him in the top 16% and 18% respectively among his peers – which shows he is capable of doing both sides of the game.

With Amad Diallo back at Manchester United and Jack Clarke continually linked with a move away, it might well be that France U21 international Abline is considered an ideal option to partner the returning Ross Stewart.

Stewart's 1.12 goals and assists per 90 last season was the third-best return of any Championship players to have played 10 games or more, meaning he is capable of taking care of that side of things.

If Abline can add some goals to his game, the data shows he can be an upgrade on Simms at the Stadium of Light, which will in turn only benefit Stewart when he is fully back up to speed.

Dhoni calls for patience with India's inexperienced middle order

Following India’s 19-run loss in Ranchi, India captain MS Dhoni has said patience must be shown with India’s new-look middle order, especially given it’s not easy to finish games on tricky tracks like the one used in this ODI

Arun Venugopal in Ranchi26-Oct-20161:51

‘Hard to bat down the order on these wickets’ – Dhoni

MS Dhoni has asked for more patience to be shown with India’s inexperienced middle order after they couldn’t complete a chase of 261 on a sluggish Ranchi pitch. Dhoni backed the young players to find their own method of finishing games, even if it meant going for big shots, referring to the dismissals of Manish Pandey and Hardik Pandya at a critical juncture. While Pandey lofted a slower ball from Tim Southee to mid-on, Pandya’s inside-out strike off Mitchell Santner was pouched by Tom Latham at long-off, and with this wicket India had slipped from 128 for 2 to 167 for 7.”Cricket has changed, people like to play big shots. It is important to not tell them to stop playing the shots; you don’t want them to go into their shells,” Dhoni said at the presentation ceremony. “They played their shots when the ball was in their area. The Nos. 5 and 6 are quite new, they will learn their own way. Some will play big shots, some will take it deep. Once they have played 15-20 games, they will figure out what works for them.”Dhoni’s post-match press conference was along the same lines; he reiterated the difficulty of batting down the order on such a sluggish pitch. “It’s important they get games like these and finally they’ll figure out a way what suits them best to chase down a total like this,” he said. “Unless they get an opportunity like this it will be very difficult because that’s how you get experience. You can learn a lot by watching but ultimately when you feel the pressure and go through that motion, that’s where you learn a lot. It will be a good learning curve for them. Give them some time.”Dhoni saw parallels with the defeat in Delhi, and said the loss of wickets in clumps hurt the team. He also hit out at India’s profligacy with the ball – they conceded 13 wides in the afternoon. “I think it was the first 10 [overs] where we gave away a lot of runs and the extras,” he said. “The wicket was best to bat on in the afternoon, and it kept getting slower and slower. On a wicket like this when the score is not too much – we were not chasing anything over 6.5 or 7 runs an over – you need partnerships.”Also, you need to realise that with two balls it initially comes on to the bat better and as the game progresses the wicket slows down and the ball doesn’t come that well. That’s where it becomes difficult to freely rotate the strike.”India’s innings received an early jolt after Rohit Sharma was dismissed in the fifth over. But, the chase was kept on track by Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane, who put on 79 runs for the second wicket. However, once Kohli was caught behind attempting to cut Ish Sodhi, India’s innings fell apart. Dhoni disagreed with the suggestion that India’s chases were overly dependent on Kohli.”If you see the last one to one and a half years, we haven’t played a lot of ODI cricket,” he said. “In between we had Zimbabwe, we had three games so… I can say that the stats actually don’t reflect the exact scenario because also in that period I have batted at a different position and our top order was batting brilliantly. So everything is very different. Just in this series, if you see, there have been a couple of games where the wicket was on the slower side.”It’s when the wickets are slow and when the required run rate is not high, you calculate and at times you play out a few overs thinking if you have a partnership at this moment, with more wickets in hand in the last few overs, you can look to chase down something that’s even seven to seven and a half [runs per over]. We have got quite a few batsmen who can do the job. It’s just that we have to give them more time. Batting down the order is one of the toughest things to do. You don’t get a [ready-made] player who’s complete, who bats at No. 5, 6 or 7, all the time.”

Celtic Could Turn To 43 y/o Coach If Postecoglou Joins Spurs

Celtic could turn to Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca as an alternative to Ange Postecoglou if the latter is appointed as Tottenham Hotspur manager amid speculation over his future, journalist Dean Jones has suggested.

What's the latest on the manager situation at Celtic?

As per The Independent, Postecoglou is said to be under 'strong' consideration for the vacant managerial position at Tottenham following the Lilywhites' failure to land Feyenoord's Arne Slot as their new manager.

Sky Sports cite that Postecoglou has commented on speculation linking him with a move to N17, stating: "I think anyone who knows me – and I've been asked about this kind of things plenty of times – knows that what's important for me is the here and now."

Celtic have just sealed back-to-back Scottish Premiership titles under the Australian boss and have the chance to secure a historic eighth treble in their history against Inverness Caledonian Thistle this weekend, something that the 57-year-old has indicated he is fully focused on, saying: "It's not every year you get the opportunity to win a treble and if anyone thinks I'm thinking anything other than that, they don't know me."

Football Insider have claimed that Celtic are 'keeping tabs' on Manchester City assistant manager Enzo Maresca in case Postecoglou does choose to seek a new challenge south of the border.

The 43-year-old Italian was previously linked to the managerial role at Celtic back in 2021 before Postecoglou was eventually appointed later in the year while both men have well-publicised links to the City Football Group.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones reacted to the rumours involving the Man City man and thinks that Maresca may be a rout that Celtic would consider going down if they were faced with the challenge of having to replace Postecoglou.

Jones told FFC: "Maresca is definitely an interesting option for them to look at and I think from a fan point of view, they'll be keen to explore more of that profile of manager."

Will Celtic be able to keep hold of Ange Postecoglou?

Celtic will hope they can keep Postecoglou at Parkhead for as long as possible and will take hope from his words following their 2-1 Viaplay Cup final victory over Rangers earlier this year.

As per KeepUp AU, the former Australia boss stated: “I am still here even though people have been getting me out the door and I think you will be surprised how long I am here. All that I do when I am here is just be consumed by what I do and try to make this football club the best it can be and enjoy every minute of it."

Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou

Nevertheless, Hoops fans will be aware that the lure of the Premier League is always there when managers succeed in Scotland, which is a path that Brendan Rodgers chose to go down in 2019 when he swapped the Glasgow giants for Leicester City.

Postecoglou will have a big choice to make if he is earmarked as the man to take Tottenham forward by Daniel Levy; however, it doesn't look like too much will be given away surrounding his future until after the Scottish Cup final this weekend.

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