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أشاد بول ميرسون، لاعب آرسنال السابق، بالنجم المصري محمد صلاح ووصفه بأنه أفضل مهاجم لليفربول في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتألق محمد صلاح في فوز ليفربول على مانشستر يونايتد بنتيجة 7-0، وسجل هدفين وصنع مثلهما ضمن منافسات الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، في مباراة جمعت الفريقين على ملعب “آنفيلد”.

يستعد ليفربول لملاقاة بورنموث متذيل ترتيب البريميرليج، يوم السبت القادم ضمن مواجهات الجولة السابعة والعشرين.

قال ميرسون في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” البريطانية: “لقد قام بورنموث بعمل جيد في الأسابيع الأخيرة، قبل أسبوعين، كانوا سيحظون بفرصة ضد ليفربول (للفوز)”.

وأضاف: “لكن فجأة، فاز ليفربول على مانشستر يونايتد 7-0 وعادوا إلى السباق على المركز الأربعة الأولى، ويظهر ذلك أن توقيت المباريات مهم”.

اقرأ أيضًا | جيرارد لـ محمد صلاح: ابني يحبك أكثر مني.. وأتمنى العودة كلاعب في ليفربول

وأكمل لاعب آرسنال السابق: “ربما تكون هذه هي المرة الأولى منذ ثلاث أو أربع سنوات التي لم يحصل فيها ليفربول الكثير من الفرص أمام مانشستر يونايتد، لذا فإن الفوز 7-0 على ملعب آنفيلد على الشياطين الحمر كان نتيجة مذهلة بالنسبة لي”.

وأشار ميرسون: “بورنموث قدم أداءً جيدًا حقًا ضد آرسنال الأسبوع الماضي، لقد كان أداءً جيدًا وسيشعروا بالضيق لخسارتهم في آخر لحظات المباراة”.

وأستطرد بشأن مهاجمي ليفربول: “بدأ مهاجمو ليفربول في العودة، الثقة أمر مهم للغاية، وفي الأسبوع الماضي، بدا الثلاثي المكون من كودي جاكبو وداروين نونيز ومحمد صلاح أفضل بكثير مما كانوا عليه طوال الموسم، هذا الفوز سوف يبني ثقتهم بشكل جيد”.

وأتم: “قد يكون صلاح أفضل مهاجم لليفربول في عصر الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، إنه يلعب في الجناح الأيمن وقد سجل عددًا كبيرًا من الأهداف باستمرارية وقد فعل ذلك لفترة أطول من لويس سواريز”.

Match facts

Wednesday, February 15, Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Start time 1500 (1100 GMT)
Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to outscore the opposition in the first ODI•AFP

Big Picture

Immediately after the opening match attention turned largely to England: they found release from a troubled Test series with victory by 130 runs; Alastair Cook underlined himself once more as a captain eminently capable of adapting to 50-over cricket with an unflustered century compiled at almost a run a ball; and Steve Finn’s fast-bowling development was clear to see as his four new-ball wickets confirmed England’s superiority.But what of Pakistan? Their batting vulnerabilities were masked as their spinners dominated the Test series but they were apparent again as they found Finn’s opening burst impossible to contain. Bowl straight and full at Pakistan’s top order, England have concluded, and you will prosper. If Pakistan take note of Cook’s innings they may be tempted to ask Azhar Ali or Asad Shafiq to try to play a similar stabilising role.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Pakistan: LWWWW
England: WLLLL

Players to watch

It was easy to see why the Pakistan captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, was tempted to call for Shoaib Malik to return to the squad. Pakistan need to shore up a long tail and England’s vulnerability against spin has been so apparent that it is tempting to take the view that the more spinners the better. But Shoaib played with little verve in the opening game and on that evidence will be fortunate to survive the series.If you missed Steven Finn’s audition on Monday to be viewed as one of an exciting crop of new fast bowlers then don’t make the mistake again. Finn was the stock answer to the “can you take any positives out of this?” cliché as England were drubbed 5-0 in India in October. Pakistan will not want him to get another opportunity to bowl under the lights as the dew enlivens the pitch.

Team news

Umar Akmal strained his back during the first match which must make him a doubt, especially to keep wicket, a role he fills modestly at best. Umar was once accused of overplaying a back injury to get his brother, Kamran, back behind the stumps. This time another brother, Adnan, could deputise. Shoaib Malik would be vulnerable in a shake-up.England could bring in Tim Bresnan for batting depth and that would put James Anderson’s place under threat. Jade Dernbach might have to wait for his chance until Dubai.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Adnam Akmal (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Wahab RiazEngland (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ravi Bopara, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Craig Kieswetter (wk), 7 Samit Patel, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven Finn

Pitch and conditions

The evidence of the first game points to a simple decision to bat first upon winning the toss, post 250-plus and then rely on new-ball wickets when evening dew freshens an otherwise benign surface.

Stats and trivia

• Alastair Cook became the first England batsman to outscore the opposition in an ODI on Monday. His 137 beat Pakistan by seven runs.
• England win bucked a losing trend of nine defeats in 10 matches across all formats and an equally demoralising run of 11 defeats in 12 overseas ODIs.
• England have drawn level with Pakistan in fifth position in the ODI rankings. Both teams are on 107 points, three adrift of fourth-placed Sri Lanka.
• Pakistan’s 130 was their lowest ODI score since they were bowled out for 124 against New Zealand in Wellington in January 2011 and New Zealand needed only 17.2 overs to win the match. Pakistan went on to win the series 3-2.

Quotes

“Happy Valentines Day everyone. Me and @StuartBroad8 will be having a romantic dinner tonight.”

“I hope there is no panic. We should not panic because we have not batted badly in the last four or five matches so we need to try our best and put Monday’s performance behind us.”

Fixing matches or elements within them will be illegal in Australia in 2012, perhaps as soon as March, as the federal and state governments push ahead with specialised legislation.The legislation, which is set to include penalties of up to 10 years’ jail for those found to be involved in match-fixing, was encouraged and informed by cricket administrators, via the Coalition of Major Participation and Professional Sports (COMPPS), following the game’s long and pained history of shady dealings between players and illegal bookmakers.State attorneys-general are scheduled to meet in Hobart later this month to discuss the legislation, which was agreed to by the federal and state sports ministers at a Council of Australian Governments meeting in Brisbane June. Support for the legislation on both sides of politics should hasten its speedy progress into law.There is a desire to have the legislation, which will need to pass through each state parliament, in place by the time football seasons commence for AFL and rugby league, well in advance of Cricket Austrlaia’s preference for it to be in place in time for the 2015 World Cup.In addition to the criminal legislation, proposed measures to outlaw the manipulation of matches include the introduction of formal integrity agreements between sporting bodies and betting firms, while the federal government will oversee the formation of a national sports integrity office.The office will be responsible for formulating integrity agreements and codes of conduct for a wide range of sports. Any electing not to co-operate will face the loss of government funding.Pakistan’s government is also considering the introduction of similar legislation, and the ICC’s chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said sporting bodies needed the help of legislative oversight.”A regulatory framework with appropriate laws to deal specifically with sports corruption is better than no legislation and is something that we would support,” he said in June. “As a sporting body, our code – and our mandate – covers only players, officials and other support personnel. We are not a law-enforcement agency, so if there are ways in which nations’ legislative framework can help us to maintain cricket’s integrity then naturally we would encourage and support that.”

Garey Mathurin has been included in the West Indies Twenty20 squad against England in place of offspinner Ashley Nurse

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2011Windward Islands left-arm spinner Garey Mathurin has been included in the West Indies Twenty20 squad against England in place of offspinner Ashley Nurse, who did not meet the required fitness standard at a preparatory camp in Barbados.Mathurin, 27, has played 11 first-class games, picking up 40 wickets at 22.15 and 12 T20 games, collecting 10 wickets at 24.50 with an impressive economy rate of 5.56. He has best figures of 7 for 72 against the England Lions, followed by 5 for 86 against Leeward Islands the very next game this season.”I see this as an opportunity given to me to represent the people of the Caribbean and I’m looking to have a good tour,” Mathurin said. “I’m looking forward to fitting into the new environment and working with the coach and the other members of the team. I’m a confident person and a confident cricketer so I always keep a positive outlook.”In T20 cricket it’s all about looking to get runs as quickly as possible so the aim of the bowler is to keep the batsmen in check and restrict the scoring. My main asset is my ability to keep it tight and build pressure on the batsmen. I see this as my job in the team. Also, I know I have to contribute with the bat and I’m always looking to see what I can do to contribute to the team.”Mathurin is the third St Lucian to be picked in the West Indies national team, after Johnson Charles and Darren Sammy. “I have known Darren for a very long time, we played together at the Under-19 level and the senior level for St Lucia and Windwards and we talk a lot about the game, so it’s special for me that I get to play for West Indies with him as the captain.”West Indies play two Twenty20 internationals in England, on September 23 and 25, and have selected a young side, with many seniors unavailable due to their participation in the Champions League Twenty20.

Vincent Barnes has turned down an offer to coach Bangladesh but has been asked to reconsider his decision by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Barnes’ contract as South Africa’s assistant coach will be terminated at the end of June and he is not part of the revamped national set-up under newly-appointed coach Gary Kirsten.”I did turn it [Bangladesh job] down, but I have been asked to reconsider,” Barnes told ESPNcricinfo.At a press conference in Johannesburg, Cricket South Africa named Russell Domingo, who coached the Warriors, as assistant to Kirsten, and Allan Donald as the bowling coach. Barnes was offered a role at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. Gerald Majola, the CSA chief executive, said they were waiting for a response from Barnes.If Barnes does not reverse his Bangladesh decision, it will be a setback for the BCB, who had said they were close to signing him to fill the vacancy created by Jamie Siddons’ departure after a disappointing World Cup campaign. Stuart Law, the interim coach of Sri Lanka, was also in the running but there were reports of his chances failing due to a disagreement over conditions with the BCB.

The Titans franchise will not be renewing the contract of head coach Chris van Noorwdyk for the upcoming season. van Noordwyk was in charge for two seasons, during which the Titans failed to win any silverware.van Noordwyk succeeded former Pakistan coach Richard Pybus, who enjoyed a succesful five-year stint with the Titans. Under Pybus, the Titans won seven trophies, including three SuperSport Series, two MTN domestic titles and two Pro20s. Pybus quit in July 2009, which gave van Noordwyk, who was then his assistant, to move up to coach at the franchise level.”During his tenure as coach of the Northern Cricket Union Amateur team and Titans assistant coach, Chris had the unique ability to identify players who came through the system to play at a higher level,” Andy O’Connor, chairman of the Easterns Titans board said. “We appreciate the contributions that Chris has made and wish him well in the future.”van Noordwyk, who was born in Durban, has done all his administrative work at the Titans. Before he was appointed coach, he was the Titans’ cricket coordinator and was responsible for identifying and developing talent. Youngsters like Roelof van der Merwe and Farhaan Berhardien came through at that time. While youth flourished, when van Noordwyk took over as coach, the Titans lost some of their key players such as Dale Steyn, who moved to the Cobras, Imran Tahir, who went to the Dolphins and Paul Harris, who joined the Lions.

Manchester United are interested in securing the services of Stuttgart’s Croatian left-back, Borna Sosa.

What’s the word?

That is according to German outlet Kicker, as per the Metro, who claim that Erik ten Hag is a big fan of the 24-year-old and would like him at Manchester United for when he takes over ready for next season.

The report states that Sosa could be available for around €25m (£21.4m).

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The next David Beckham?

With the Croatian’s contract expiring in 2025, this represents a fair valuation and gives Manchester United the perfect opportunity to sign a high calibre player for very little expense, something the new manager would surely love.

As a left-back who is capable of playing as a left-midfielder, Sosa has made himself a regular at Stuttgart ever since his move from Dinamo Zagreb back in 2018.

In his first full season as a starter, the Croatian bagged eight assists in 27 outings.

Sosa has received plaudits from Stuttgart’s sporting director Sven Mislintat who once said: “Borna Sosa reminds me of David Beckham.”

His stats reflect his flair as a player, with the left-back boasting an average of 3.62 shot-creating actions per 90 with 27.88 touches in the attacking third per game also.

For this attacking excellence though, his defensive stats falter, with the Croatian averaging around 1.16 tackles per 90.

The 24-year-old has mainly operated in a three-at-the-back system which has most certainly given him more licence to attack.

Whilst this will have been good for his positional development, it remains to be seen as to whether ten Hag would feel he is defensively sound enough to play as a full-back in his system.

There is a lot of room for improvement in the out-of-possession aspect of his game and with Brandon Williams set to return to his parent club, there will be a lot of competition with Luke Shaw and Alex Telles also competing for minutes.

In other news: “Manchester United are..” – Romano drops exciting transfer claim, ten Hag will love it