Category Uncategorized

After a ‘weird’ start, youngster is keen for a sense of normality in his international career

Valkerie Baynes31-Dec-2019Ollie Pope knows how suddenly opportunity can come knocking… then turn around and slam the door in your face.So, rather than panic when illness robbed him of a fifth Test appearance for England at Centurion last week, he just rolled with it. Pope has learned a lot over the past 18 months or so, you see.Having played two home Tests against India in 2018, Pope was bumped from England’s tour of Sri Lanka to make way for Ben Foakes, who scored a century on debut in the first Test at Galle. Pope was then overlooked for England’s Caribbean campaign at the start of 2019 and a dislocated shoulder injury then curtailed his English summer before he found himself on Ashes standby and playing a further two Tests in New Zealand. All that and he is still just two days shy of his 22nd birthday.Now, having declared himself “pretty much 100 percent back to normal now” ahead of the second Test against South Africa starting in Cape Town on Friday after succumbing on Christmas Day to the illness doing the rounds of the England camp, Pope can be forgiven for yearning for a touch of normality in his burgeoning international career.”Absolutely,” Pope said. “It’s been a bit of a weird start to my career … I think the weirdest time for me was after I got told I was leaving that Sri Lanka tour, which was completely understandable with Foakesy coming in, scoring that hundred just put me one down. I wasn’t going to play.”Hoping I’d be on that West Indies trip, not being on that, not really hearing much and then doing my shoulder. I had no idea how far away from it all I was. That was a pretty frustrating time and I had a lot of time to think, overthink things.”As soon as I found out I was the next batter in for the Ashes, that concussion replacement, that was a massive boost for me. Then coming back – last week sums it up. I’m very rarely ill as well so that was annoying. If I do get a go at Newlands… I don’t overthink it really. I try to just take it in my stride… If I do get a run – brilliant – then hopefully I can take that and make it my own. “Also read: We ‘won’t be afraid’ to leave out Broad or Anderson – SilverwoodPope made his debut batting in the unfamiliar position of No. 4, scoring 54 runs in three innings against India. Initially included as the spare middle-order batsman in Sri Lanka, Foakes’ performance, combined with the presence of Joe Denly in the squad and Jonny Bairstow making his way back from injury, made him surplus to requirements. In a twist, it was Bairstow’s omission that handed Pope a chance in New Zealand – where he scored 29, 6 and 75 – and it is Bairstow who could make way again in Cape Town if Dom Sibley also recovers from illness in time.How things can turn in an instant.”I was looking at the county scores while I wasn’t playing and I was thinking about all these players that are probably ahead of me, in line, just purely because I wasn’t really sure even how I’d come back from the injury,” said Pope of his recovery from shoulder surgery which culminated in a double-hundred for for Surrey against Hampshire and a call-up as a potential, but ultimately unused, concussion substitute for Jason Roy, who was hit on the helmet in the nets in the lead-up to the third Ashes Test at Headingley.”Next thing you know I’m nearly playing a Test in the Ashes. That week was a good way for me to gain my confidence back and know where I’m at with this England side. And, having put a score under the belt, that was a massive boost for me as well. That was a strange week but that week hopefully set it all up.”Making Pope’s illness setback over this past week more frustrating was the fact he had scored 132 off 145 balls in an innings full of the attractive stroke play that is a distinctive feature of his game during the warm-up against South Africa A. But it has him straining at the leash to taste South African Test conditions for which he feels prepared, having faced down county team-mate Morne Morkel in the nets at Surrey.”Obviously these pitches will be a different challenge to what I’m used to,” Pope said. “But we’ve come across some quick bowlers in the county circuit, we’ve faced a lot of Morne in the nets – someone who is tall and gets a lot of bounce like a lot of their bowlers do.”In the warm-up games, felt good with it, they had some nice pace and in the nets when I get them to ramp it up on the bouncier decks, then same really. I feel confident in my game to deal with their pace and bounce.”I’ve gained the confidence in myself and my game over the last, probably – and it sounds stupid because I was injured for so much – but over this season and the back-end of last season. There’s no need to put myself under any more pressure.”I definitely don’t see it as ‘I definitely have to score runs in this game’ because I understand how cricket works. If you just stay pretty level across it all then I’m sure the good will come with the bad.”

Without the distractions of European football, Ange Postecoglou has had plenty of time to instil his philosophy at Tottenham Hotspur this season.

Even with the departure of the club’s all-time leading goalscorer, Harry Kane, Spurs are in an excellent position to qualify for the Champions League.

This highlights just how impressive the Australian boss has been since joining, especially in regard to how he’s changed the culture at the club, which had become rather toxic in recent years.

Under Postecoglou, the Lilywhites have been particularly impressive in the final third this campaign, only failing to score once all season, with Heung-min Son at the forefront of that, but there’s a star at the opposite end of the field who’s arguably become Spurs’ best player this term.

Heung-min Son’s 23/24 Premier League season

For years, the partnership of Harry Kane and Son has torn Premier League defences apart for fun, with the South Korean scoring 160 goals in 399 appearances for the Lilywhites.

With Kane leaving for Bayern Munich in the summer, the expectation was that Son’s performance would see a slight drop-off, but that certainly hasn’t been the case for the captain.

This season, Son has alternated between a left-wing role and a false nine, thriving over his 26 appearances, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists, which is a mightily impressive return.

The number 11 is absolutely instrumental to the way Postecoglou’s side plays, with Son registering ten more goal contributions than the next best in the Spurs squad, Richarlison.

However, there’s one player in the squad who has potentially been Spurs’ best player this campaign, especially for his influence at the heart of the backline, with his performance against Luton Town highlighting that.

Cristian Romero’s performance against Luton Town

Spurs’ Argentine rock, Cristian Romero, has been simply superb this campaign, becoming a leader in the side at just 25 years of age.

The World Cup winner has started 24 matches in the Premier League this season, keeping six clean sheets while also being a threat in the final third, scoring on four occasions.

Romero further underlined his importance in the side against Luton on Saturday, where he was completely dominant, earning a 7/10 rating from the Evening Standard.

With the visitors scoring early, the Hatters became content with holding onto their narrow lead, sitting back and attempting to catch Spurs out on the counter-attack.

Clearances

3

Dribbled past

0

Duels won

5/6

Passes completed

92

Pass accuracy

91%

Touches

106

As you can see in the table above, Romero wasn’t provided with an opportunity to showcase that he’s a defensive "monster", as dubbed by journalist Charlie Eccleshare, with three clearances and six duels being his only defensive actions.

However, it was the former Atalanta defender’s ability on the ball that separated him from the rest, taking 106 touches and 92 passes with a remarkable pass accuracy of 91%.

Amazingly, this has just become the norm for the number 17, as displayed by his average rating of 7.30 this season according to Sofascore, and he may just prove to be Spurs’ best player over the campaign if he continues to perform at this level.

South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp took a hat-trick to set up a big win for the Sydney Sixers over the Melbourne Stars at Hurstville Oval. Kapp bowled Madeline Penna and Nicola Hancock before trapping Holly Ferling lbw to complete her three-in-three as she claimed overall figures of 3 for 16. There was a strong South Africa flavour to the first half of the match as Mignon du Preez (44) top-scored for the Stars while Dane van Niekerk struck with her first delivery and collected 2 for 18 in her first appearance of the season for the Sixers. The chase was completed with nearly three overs to spare as Ellyse Perry eased to an unbeaten 39.The Adelaide Strikers dug deep to defend 113 against the Hobart Hurricanes at Allan Border Field. It came down to the Hurricanes needing five off two balls with Nicola Carey, whose 39 was the highest score of the match, on strike against Sophie Devine. Carey connected well into the leg side, but didn’t quite have the distance to get over Katie Mack who took a well-judged catch near the rope. Legspinner Amanda Jade-Wellington, who received an on-ground wedding proposal last week, took two key wickets including an excellent delivery to remove Fran Wilson. In the first innings, Australia quick Tayla Vlaeminck had stood out with a rapid display as she claimed 2 for 18, but in the end Sarah Coyte’s late surge to hit 24 off 13 balls where most others struggled to hit a run-a-ball proved vital.Amy Jones and Meg Lanning almost beat their own record in a commanding opening stand against defending champions Brisbane Heat as Perth Scorchers cantered to a nine-wicket in the second game of the day at Allan Border Field. Jones (60*) and Lanning (56) added 129 for the first wicket and had looked set to earn the win themselves which would have overhauled their 144-run stand against the Adelaide Strikers last season as the record in a 10-wicket chase. Beth Mooney had led the Heat’s innings with 67 off 55 balls but after Maddy Green fell at the end of the 15th over the last five overs brought just 40 runs.Hannah Darlington pulled off a crucial final-ball catch to deny Jess Duffin who had played a terrific captain’s innings of 69 which almost carried the Melbourne Renegades to victory over the Sydney Thunder at Blacktown. Duffin and Courtney Webb (32) added 88 for the fifth wicket after the Renegades had fallen to 4 for 25 chasing 133. It came down to 15 needed off the last over bowled by Rene Farrell and then four off the last with Duffin on strike but she could only loft the ball in the air towards long-off where Darlington took an excellent catch.

Former Barcelona, Bayern and Liverpool star Thiago Alcantara is set to retire from football, according to a new report.

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• Midfielder hanging up his boots
• Enjoyed sensational, trophy-laden career
• Retires at age of 33

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Per Fabrizio Romano, Thiago is set to call time on his career at the age of 33. The former Spain international made his professional debut in 2008 for Barcelona B and went on to become a fixture at the Camp Nou, before joining Bayern Munich in 2013. He would spend seven years at the club prior to his final transfer, when he joined Liverpool in 2020.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Thiago has been plagued by injuries in recent seasons and in 2023/24, he only managed to play five minutes of competitive football. In total, though, he played 98 times for the Reds before hip and muscle injuries took their toll. His fitness has undoubtedly played a key role in his decision to hang up his boots. Prior to the announcement, he had briefly been linked with a move back to La Liga with Girona.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Thiago enjoyed a ridiculously trophy-laden career. He won La Liga four times with Barcelona, as well as the Copa del Rey, the Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

  At Bayern, he won seven Bundesliga trophies, four DFB-Pokals, and the Champions League and Club World Cup once again.

  At Liverpool, he won the FA Cup and was a runner-up in the Champions League. Amazingly, he only won 46 Spain caps, as he struggled to dislodge the likes of Xavi, Andres Iniesta, and Cesc Fabregas.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Thiago will look to embark on a new career path but Romano claims that he would like to stay involved in football. Whether he becomes a manager or a coach remains to be seen.

Not many Newcastle United fans will want to remember the 4-4 draw at St James' Park against Luton Town last weekend.

Although Eddie Howe's side were able to salvage a point after trailing by two goals, it was another poor defensive display from the Magpies.

Last season was one of the club's best in recent times, with the Magpies securing their place in the Champions League for the first time in 20 years. Howe's side only conceded 33 Premier League goals last campaign – the joint best in the division alongside champions Manchester City.

However, Newcastle's defensive record this season has been far from impressive, having already conceded 37 goals – four more than last campaign with 15 games remaining.

Defensive players such as Kieran Trippier and Sven Botman have failed to reach the performance levels they achieved last season – with Howe's side conceding 11 goals in their last three games on their home turf.

Dan Burn's game vs Luton Town in numbers

Dan Burn had an afternoon to forget against Luton last weekend. The 31-year-old gave away the penalty for the Hatters' third goal and was ineffective throughout the game at both ends.

His performance was so poor, that the Newcastle Chronicle's chief football writer Lee Ryder gave Burn a 4/10 rating and admitted that Burn's man, Chiedozie Ogbene, 'ran the show for long spells'.

When reflecting upon the stats from last weekend's encounter, it's hard to argue with Ryder's rating. As per Sofascore, Newcastle's left-back gave possession away 16 times within his 64 minutes on the pitch, whilst being dribbled past four times – mainly by the rapid Ogbene.

Burn also lost eight duels during the encounter, giving away two fouls – one of which led to the visitor's spot-kick. His afternoon was over after being replaced by Tino Livramento with just under half an hour to play as Howe tried to combat the danger Luton posed on the counter-attack.

Although Burn was an important player in the Magpies' brilliant Premier League finish last season, the game against Luton was yet more proof that the 6 foot 6 defender might not have the pace required to play on the left-hand side of Howe's defence.

The man to replace Dan Burn vs Forest

After replacing Burn off the bench last weekend, Magpies boss Howe should consider starting 21-year-old Tino Livramento in his place for the trip to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday evening.

Nuno Espírito Santo's side defeated Newcastle on Boxing Day at St James' Park, with the Reds' counter-attacking style giving them success and allowing former Magpie Chris Wood to bag a hat-trick.

Anthony Elanga and Callum Hudson-Odoi started on either flank for Forest that day, with the pair causing Trippier and Burn no end of problems. Burn may only have been dribbled past once by Elanga, but the Swede's pace forced Newcastle boss Howe to replace the 31-year-old 55 minutes in for Livramento to try and combat the pace of the Forest winger.

Although they still fell to a defeat against Nuno's side, Livramento's performance throughout the final 30 minutes of the encounter restricted Elanga to limited opportunities after his two assists earlier in the game.

Hopefully, Howe can recognise Burn's lack of pace against wingers such as Elanga and Hudson-Odoi. The Newcastle boss must start the former Southampton full-back at the City Ground on Saturday to avoid a repeat of the result that occurred just six weeks ago.

Liverpool players appeared to be falling like flies, with Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota both leaving the Gtech Community Stadium pitch in the first half with injuries.

But Jurgen Klopp's side prevailed, producing a delightful attacking performance that maintains pole position in the Premier League after 25 matches, dispatching Brentford 4-1.

The injury-hit Reds are indeed scrapping for fitness right now but it did not matter against Thomas Frank's team, who were brushed aside by some clinical finishing, not exactly helping themselves with some questionable defensive awareness at times.

Darwin Nunez opened the scoring with a delicious chipped finish after latching onto Jota's placed header in the centre, with the returning Mohamed Salah lapping up a goal and assist apiece after the break to remind English football of his world-class ability.

There were some lovely attacking sequences and even nicer goals to take Liverpool one step closer to the Premier League title, but for all the offensive efforts it was the unseen work of Virgil van Dijk in central defence that secured victory, standing firm and stamping his dominance into the defensive third.

Virgil van Dijk's performance vs Brentford

On his 250th appearance for Liverpool, Van Dijk produced a colossal display in the rearguard, captaining his side to a convincing victory over a Brentford side desperate for some respite, pulled ever closer to the dreaded dotted line after a dismal run of form.

In the later stage, Ivan Toney might have bagged his fourth goal in five Premier League matches since returning from long-term suspension, but it was too little too late as Liverpool's incisive attacks overpowered the Bees.

Vital was the command of Van Dijk in defence, allowing the Salah's and Nunez's of Liverpool's team to bypass Mark Flekken's net.

As per Sofascore, the Netherlands star won 100% of his aerial duels and lost possession just seven times on a successful afternoon in the capital, completing 90% of his passes from 80 touches and creating one big chance for his forward-surging peers.

The towering titan also rattled the crossbar with a last-gasp header following Andy Robertson's corner in what would have cherry-topped a commanding effort, but it wasn't to be on this occasion.

Nonetheless, Van Dijk illustrated once again why he stakes a very good claim for the accolade of the Premier League's finest centre-half, with The Athletic's James Pearce heralding him as Liverpool's "most transformative signing" in modern history post-match.

Writing in his post-match player ratings, the Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle handed the 32-year-old an 8/10 match rating for his display, writing: 'Solid enough and helped Liverpool repel Brentford threat at set-pieces first half and initiated opener. No-nonsense when required after break and dominated in the air, hitting crossbar in injury time.'

It is concerning that Liverpool have been hit with a deluge of injury concerns in the prelude to next weekend's Carabao Cup final against Chelsea, but with Van Dijk producing such iron-clad showings in defence, there is every chance that the Reds will succeed in their silver-laced ambitions this term.

Beaten Pakistan have made six changes over three games after their opening match

Osman Samiuddin in Manchester16-Jun-2019Asif Ali made 51, 52, 17 and 22 and he made his way into Pakistan’s World Cup squad. These 142 runs came in four games against the top-ranked side in ODI cricket at their home. They came at a strike rate of 131.48.Despite not having anyone with anywhere near that strike rate, he didn’t make the original World Cup squad. Once he made it, with runs and form behind him, Pakistan didn’t pick him for their opening tournament game against West Indies despite not having anyone else for a position which would otherwise be crucial to finishing off the big starts their top order was giving them.In their second game against England they brought Asif Ali in and dropped Imad Wasim. Against England in the ODI series just before this game, Imad had taken six wickets and, in a very high-scoring series, conceded 6.37 runs per over. They also brought in Shoaib Malik who, at that time, was averaging 14 with the bat in England over his career. They wanted his experience and calm on the field. They dropped Haris Sohail who is considered by the Pakistan management to be the second-best batsman in the squad behind Babar Azam.Shoaib Malik has been under-par with the bat so far•Getty Images

Then they took on Sri Lanka and, fortunately for their selection group, the game got rained off and they didn’t have to pick an XI.Australia next, at Taunton, and the pitch looked green and friendly for fast bowlers. They brought in Shaheen Afridi to bolster their pace attack and dropped Shadab Khan. The latter is their best ODI player and absolutely essential to their bowling attack. They thought they’d be fine getting ten overs from Malik and Mohammad Hafeez. They went 11-0-86-1.Shadab is also their best fielder, the one who sets the tone as much as he can in what is now the worst fielding side in the tournament. Pakistan dropped two catches – one as a direct result of Shadab not being where he would usually be – and were generally abysmal in the field.WATCH on Hotstar (India only) – Fakhar Zaman’s half-centuryWATCH on Hotstar (US only) – Match highlightsAgainst India, Pakistan put Shadab back in the XI and also Imad, dropping Asif and Shaheen. They kept Malik in the side, despite his last three scores reading 4, 8 and 0. Experience, they reasoned, they needed his experience. He was out first ball.Pakistan have made six changes over three games after their opening match. None of them have been injury induced. They have argued the reasons for each change, but whether they are tactical or strategic, it’s clear that they have little idea what their best XI is. Five games into this tournament.Asked about the decision to drop a specialist bowler and batsman on Sunday, Sarfaraz Ahmed insisted it was the right move. “I think it was right. We were going with five bowlers and six batters. So I think our decision was right.” Similarly he had defended the decision to drop Shadab against Australia.Imad, who’s been at the receiving end of these decisions, was suitably diplomatic when asked whether Pakistan knew what their best XI was. “I can’t give an answer to this. Only the captain and the coach can. Whatever XI we put on the field, the players try and do their best.”That isn’t a surprise given that they weren’t all that sure about what their best XV for this World Cup should be. They picked Abid Ali on the basis of two innings in their provisional World Cup squad. Then, having allowed him just one game in the series just before this World Cup, they dropped him.Mohammad Amir was always going to be a part of their plan, even if he wasn’t in the provisional squad but Wahab Riaz had not played an ODI in two years when he was suddenly pulled into the squad. He was nowhere on the scene or in their plans and yet here he is, one of their more successful players. Mohammad Hasnain, picked for his youth and pace, has not played a single game yet and is unlikely to until Pakistan are definitely out. There will be almost certainly be changes for the next game against South Africa too.This is a tournament which they have been building up to for the best part of two years, for which they have actually had a very good run-in, for which they actually have a good, young core of players to work with.”We need to win our next four matches now, we need to play well,” Imad said. “Other results are not in our hands but we need to win those four games.”For that, they will need to first figure out what their best XI actually is.

It's upon us. Liverpool's clash against Arsenal in the Premier League last today is probably the most important fixture of the club's season so far.

Having put last year's struggles behind them, Liverpool are back in the ascendancy and are challenging for the title, with the first-placed Gunners just one point ahead at the peak of the festive period.

Liverpool must bench £55k-p/w "game-changer" alongside Gomez

Jurgen Klopp most boldly keep this star from the starting line-up today.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 23, 2023

Jurgen Klopp's side have been immense this season with a rekindled never-say-die attitude marrying with blistering offensive credentials.

At present, the Reds are nursing several injuries to key personnel and this will be at the forefront of Klopp's mind ahead of a glorious opportunity to take the lead in a compelling title race.

Liverpool team news vs Arsenal

Ryan Gravenberch is expected to be available for Saturday's clash after the suspected hamstring injury he sustained during last week's draw against Manchester United was put down to muscular fatigue.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister, with the influential pair still a week or two away from returning to fitness.

Andrew Robertson will return to first-team training in the new year but remains out; Spanish midfielders Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara are still long-term absentees and Joel Matip's season is over after rupturing his ACL against Fulham earlier in December.

Why Darwin Nunez must start at left wing

One player who will be expected to start is Darwin Nunez, with the fleet-footed Uruguay international impressing against West Ham United on Wednesday night having been shifted to the left wing.

The 24-year-old's goalless run stretched to 11 matches, concerningly, but he bellowed his worth to his manager with a creative and impactful effort, creating four key passes, succeeding with three dribbles and incredibly winning 11 duels.

Such a feat warrants another starting berth from the left today, replacing Luis Diaz, who has not been at his best recently.

It's important to note that while Diaz might not be in the richest vein of form, he is still a brilliant, mercurial winger with pace, trickery and incisiveness in abundance.

With reporter Charlotte Coates dubbing him a "game-changer" following his match-winning performance off the bench against Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier in the season, the £55k-per-week ace could be a valuable weapon against a rock-solid Gunners defence.

It's just quite difficult to discredit Nunez right now after such an effective display against West Ham, and this connection with Cody Gakpo, who will be eager to sculpt some impressive form after scoring in midweek, must be allowed to bloom.

Since Diogo Jota is still injured, this is the move to make as Klopp looks to leapfrog Arsenal into pole position for Christmas Day, with high-flying Aston Villa dropping points at home to Sheffield United on Friday night.

As per FBref, the Uruguayan ranks among the top 13% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 1% for shots taken, the top 2% for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 10% for aerial wins per 90.

This is all a roundabout way of stating that he is the man for the job on the left, which will enhance the hosts' offensive fluency and ensure that Liverpool have balance in their probes against Mikel Arteta's backline.

Important he may be, Nunez might not be the key component this evening, with Curtis Jones surely in line for a starting berth after his midweek masterclass.

"Truly special" Jones' time to shine

Jones was one of the most influential players during Liverpool's late-season purple patch before the summer, starting all 11 of the final Premier League fixtures, scoring three goals and supplying an assist, and impressing with his distribution and composure in the centre.

Pundit Gabby Agbonlahor has previously claimed that Jones is "not good enough", but then the ex-Aston Villa striker could not be wider of the mark, with the industrious and intelligent midfielder proving to be one of the most underrated players in Klopp's squad.

But he has been excellent this season and has scored two goals and provided three assists across all competitions this term, and must now start after starting the past four league encounters from the bench.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Passing

Aerial duels

Through balls

Tackling

*Sourced via WhoScored

The 6 foot 1 star ranks among the top 2% of midfielders for pass completion, the top 14% for goals scored, the top 5% for assists, the top 14% for progressive carries, the top 11% for successful take-ons and the top 16% for tackles per 90.

Very much the all-encompassing asset at the beating heart of Liverpool's system, Jones reannounced himself against the Hammers with two spectacular strikes, but while his innate eye for goal is a good tool for his side, it is the "phenomenal" level of his passing and ball retention that cements his standing at Anfield, as has been said by BBC Sport's Raj Chohan.

And it is because of this that he must start against Arsenal; Ryan Gravenberch is fit but does not seem to be clicking alongside Dominik Szoboszlai.

As per Sofascore, the 22-year-old complemented his two strikes with two key passes, success in both of his attempted dribbles and a 93% passing accuracy despite taking 89 touches, right in the thick of the action.

With Wataru Endo likely to anchor the midfield in Mac Allister's absence, Jones has to start to counterbalance his Hungarian teammate's creativity, keeping it crisp and ensuring that Liverpool stay on top in a midfield battle against the sensational Declan Rice.

Described as a “truly special” talent by one analyst, Liverpool's chances of defeating Arsenal will only improve with Jones deployed from the outset, allowing the likes of Nunez and Salah to flourish further up the field.

It's a gargantuan contest, but it's one that Klopp and his squad will be confident of prevailing in, assuming the lead in the title race and pushing to establish a gap.

Mitchell Marsh found a way past Tim Paine on an enthralling final day of the match at Bellerive Oval

Daniel Brettig15-Mar-2019

Getty Images

Western Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh found a way past the Australian Test captain Tim Paine to vault the Warriors into third place on the Sheffield Shield table after an enthralling final day of the match at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.Needing exactly 400 on the final day with all 10 wickets in hand, the Tigers’ pursuit was marshalled by a masterly innings from Matthew Wade as he maintained his push for a place on the Ashes tour with a century.The Warriors had struck early on the final day and at 4 for 136 the game seemed to be headed inevitably for a WA win. However, Wade, who had earlier seemed intent primarily on survival, spread his wings in the company of Ben McDermott in a stand worth 183 for the fifth wicket.At 4 for 319 with plenty of overs and time remaining, the Tasmanian chase appeared well and truly on course. But Wade and McDermott were both accounted for by the second new ball within 16 runs of each other, leaving the hosts scrapping for a draw.This pitted Paine against Marsh, who had been dropped from the Australian side in all formats this summer. It appeared that Paine might be on the way to repeating his rearguard heroics in Dubai late last year, but Marsh coaxed a catch with the first ball of the penultimate over to hand outright points to the Warriors.

Glasgow Rangers don’t play again until 20 January and the winter break will allow Philippe Clement to properly assess his first few months in the Ibrox hotseat.

Securing a first trophy since May 2022 by defeating Aberdeen to win the League Cup last month is the obvious highlight, yet securing Europa League progression and actually giving Rangers confidence to mount a Premiership title challenge is commendable.

With the club still currently in with a chance of winning another three trophies this term, it is clear that the Belgian coach will require some more fresh faces this month for his squad to cope with the demands of fixture congestion, especially if they go far in Europe.

Fabio Silva has already arrived in Glasgow, joining on a sixth-month loan deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and another attack-minded option or two wouldn’t go amiss.

Rangers transfer news – Million Manhoef

With Abdallah Sima away to the Africa Cup of Nations representing Senegal and Danilo out injured for the next four months, adding to his attacking department will be a necessity for Clement this month.

According to the Scottish Sun last month, the Gers have shown interest in Vitesse Arnhem winger Million Manhoef recently, and he could be an ideal addition to the first-team squad.

Rangers can repeat Mols masterclass by signing "electrifying" star

Rangers are lining up a move for a Dutch winger this month

ByRoss Kilvington Jan 1, 2024

The Dutchman could cost the Light Blues a fee in the region of £2.5m, yet this could turn into a shrewd piece of business, especially judging by comments from journalist Dean Jones, who praised the player, saying:

"It would be a really exciting signing actually. He is a tricky player. He is one that's really difficult to track. He has very smart little movements and a result of those movements is actually that he picks up the ball in really nice positions in and around the box. It'd be a really savvy signing by Rangers, actually. And if they could pull it off, he's the sort of player that will get fans off their seats."

While the performances of late have been much better than what was on show during the Michael Beale reign, adding in another player who could thrill the supporters and generate excitement is clearly worth going for.

He could also get Cyriel Dessers finally clicking too, as the Nigerian striker may be supercharged if Manhoef makes a move to Glasgow.

Cyriel Dessers’ season in numbers

The 29-year-old arrived for a £4.5m fee in the summer as Beale sought to bolster his attacking options, but a return of just ten goals in all competitions during 2022/23 didn’t exactly excite the Ibrox faithful.

Fast-forward six months, and he has failed to really hit the ground running at the Light Blues, finding the back of the net on just nine occasions in 30 matches before the winter break.

While on the surface this might sound decent, his displays have often been lacking in any sort of substance, with the striker fading out of matches for long spells and failing to contribute anything meaningful.

Indeed, the former Cremonese frontman has missed 11 big chances in the Premiership this season so far, which ranks him first among the Ibrox squad for that metric. As a result, his finishing needs to improve vastly ahead of the second half of the season.

While Sima on the left wing has been in excellent form, Clement has more of an issue on the opposite flank.

Scott Wright is on the periphery of the first team, netting only once under the Belgian. Ross McCausland has been a breath of fresh air since becoming a regular in the senior side, yet he is still only 20 and hopes and expectations have to be lowered so that he doesn’t feel too pressured to make an impact in every single game.

This suggests making a move for Manhoef would be the best course of action this month as he seeks to gain improvement at all costs in the pursuit of more glory.

Million Manhoef’s season in numbers

The 22-year-old has been the standout in a struggling Vitesse side this season as they are fighting to retain their Eredivisie status.

The club have won just three matches all season and currently occupy bottom place in the league table. Manhoef has scored four goals in 15 matches in the Dutch top flight, which counts for 33% of their total goals scored so far this term, proving how important he is to the club.

The winger currently ranks third in the squad for shots per game (2.2), along with ranking third for key passes per game (1.3) and first for successful dribbles per game (2.7), certainly showcasing his frightening attacking talents on a regular basis.

Manhoef has also impressed when compared with positional peers across similar European leagues, ranking in the top 11% for progressive carries per 90 (4.88), the top 18% for successful take-ons per 90 (2.54) and in the top 15% for total shots per 90 (three), indicating that he could thrive under Clement and subsequently elevate Dessers' game to new heights.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig praised the winger for having a “breakthrough season” during 2022/23, as he scored nine goals and registered four assists across 32 league matches.

Goals

9

4

Assists

4

0

Key passes per game

1.2

1.3

Successful dribbles per game

1.5

2.7

Big chances created

10

1

Rangers Journal founder Kai Watson analysed the player amid rumours surrounding the club being interested in signing him, and he dubbed Manhoef as one of Vitesse’s “best attacking threats” while saying the Dutchman has “electrifying pace” along with having “confidence on the ball." Such words must be music to the ears of Dessers who must lust after having a player of such excitement next to him.

A fee of £2.5m won't break the bank either and while Clement may need to move a player or two on in order to boost his budget, signing a young Dutch talent for this price will pay dividends in the coming years.

If the Gers click into gear during the second half of the season, they could end the campaign with two or three trophies.

Adding in another couple of signings would give the 49-year-old coach a major boost, and they could be the catalyst for future success.