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Players take the knee, wear BLM armbands, sing Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika to make it a memorable day

Firdose Moonda18-Jul-2020After days of discussion around the Black Lives Matter issue, South Africa’s elite cricketers showed a united face against racism by taking a knee at Centurion’s SuperSport Park ahead of the 3TC match on Saturday. All 24 participating players, support staffers, CSA officials including Graeme Smith, the director of cricket, and members of the commentary team – Makhaya Ntini among them – joined in as South Africa staged its first live cricket match in four months.The gesture, in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, came after a fortnight that showed up the faultlines in South African cricket. On the eve of the match, Smith, Faf du Plessis and Dwaine Pretorius confirmed that they would take the knee, and joined three other white South African cricketers – Anrich Nortje, Rassie van der Dussen and Marizanne Kapp – in supporting Lungi Ngidi’s call for players to join the rest of the world in making a stand against racial discrimination.

pic.twitter.com/k4b0i1Cp20

— Beuran Hendricks (@Beuran_H13) July 18, 2020

With no spectators allowed at the ground, television coverage showed the players standing in a half-circle facing the vacant presidential suite at SuperSport Park to sing South Africa’s national anthem Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. The players then took their positions on the field, with Temba Bavuma’s Kites bowling first, to Reeza Hendricks’ Kingfishers. As the umpires called time, with the words “we are ready”, the Kites players – batsmen Janneman Malan and Hendricks – and the umpires took a knee on the field. The rest of the teams and everyone else involved stood around the outside of the boundary and did the same, their right fists raised in solidarity.Cameras panned to Smith, who was flanked by former Springbok World Cup-winning captain Francois Pienaar and former South Africa quick Ntini, who had made headlines this week as he recalled instances of racial discrimination during his time as an international. In an interview on television on Friday morning, Ntini revealed how he used to run from the ground to the team hotel to escape the “loneliness” of sitting on the team bus, where he said the rest of the squad would move to the back if he was in front and vice-versa.Janneman Malan takes a knee on the pitch prior to the start of the 3TC game•AFP via Getty ImagesOn the day, on the live broadcast, Ntini and Smith discussed the gestures at the start of the game. Smith told Ntini he could “feel the emotion coming from you”. Ntini replied: “that’s why we stand together.””A very important message is being put out today,” Smith said on air, and Ntini agreed, calling it “one of our greatest moments”, while also echoing the call for unity. “Everyone can see that, as South Africans, we all stand up and plough the same furrow together. We stand together,” Ntini said. “The more we do this the more change will happen. Here’s Lungi. He was the first one to voice it, and everyone [who has since supported BLM] stood by him.”Ngidi’s stance on BLM prompted reactions from both sides with four former players – Rudi Steyn, Pat Symcox, Brian McMillan and Boeta Dippenaar – criticising the youngster for not showing equal solidarity for the fight against the murder of predominantly white farmers in the country.Andile Phehlukwayo showcased his solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement•AFP via Getty ImagesThe quartet drew the ire of 31 former players including Vernon Philander, Ashwell Prince, Ntini, JP Duminy and Herschelle Gibbs, and five current coaches including Geoffrey Toyana and Wandile Gwazu who were in charge of Eagles and Kites respectively at the 3TC. The group collectively issued a statement in support of Ngidi and called for CSA and cricketers to support the BLM movement.Hashim Amla, who wasn’t in the list of signatories to that letter, made public his own thoughts on the matter the next day, thanking Ngidi and others who had “stood up for just causes in their own way”. On air, Smith said, “There’s no need for Ngidi to be attacked at all. I think he’s handled himself extremely well.”After the letter from the 36 players and coaches – all of colour – CSA issued a second statement supporting the BLM movement but it was not until Friday that more plans around how it would show that support were revealed when Smith, du Plessis and Pretorius said they would take a knee.Before, during, and after the game, the players and commentators, as well as CSA officials, wore armbands with ‘Black Lives Matter’ emblazoned on them. Andile Phehlukwayo, who was playing for the Eagles, also wore a “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt under his team shirt, and showed it off when he dismissed Heinrich Klaasen in the final innings of the match.AB de Villiers, who sparkled for the Eagles as they won, touched upon the subject in a post-match interview, saying that the aim was “solidarity in South Africa”.”There were obviously quite a few more important things out there today [than just the cricket]. Just getting out as cricketers and playing a bit of cricket, doing it for solidarity in South Africa. Showing that we can stick together as a nation. That, to me, was ultimately what it was all about,” de Villiers told the official broadcaster.

Barcelona could struggle to convince Euro 2024 star Nico Williams to join them from Athletic Club this summer.

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Williams not guaranteed to signBarcelona may have to reconsiderDeco trying to persuade wingerWHAT HAPPENED?

Signing Williams may not be as straightforward as first hoped. His €58 million release clause (£49m/$63m) represents value for a player of his ability, age and potential, but reports that the Euro 2024 winner is having doubts about linking up with Barcelona this year and could postpone the move by 12 months.

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After Hansi Flick and his playing squad flew to Orlando to begin a pre-season tour, sporting director Deco is reported to have stayed behind to persuade Williams to move this summer. Previous reports have suggested Barcelona are ready to trigger the release clause, although with the winger now not so sure, instead rate the chance of signing Dani Olmo higher.

DID YOU KNOW?

As a result of injuries, delayed returns and international duty, Flick is without as many as 10 first-team players in his first tour as Barcelona coach. Gavi, Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Ronald Araujo and Ansu Fati have not made the trip while they recover from various issues, while Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres are still on leave following Euro 2024. Pau Cubarsi, Eric Garcia and Fermin Lopez are also part of Spain's squad at the Olympics right now.

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If Williams really is doubting whether to join Barcelona this year, the club have a decision to make. Pursuing could end up being a waste of time when Flick's squad needs strengthening if the club are to have any chance of competing with Real Madrid.

England seamer confident of protocols on return to socially-distanced training at Edgbaston

Andrew Miller22-May-2020Chris Woakes believes that his first day back at training has given him an insight into how the rest of the England summer will pan out, after admitting that the strict social-distancing protocols at his home ground of Edgbaston would “take up some headspace”.Woakes bowled five overs at about 50% intensity on Thursday, on his return to outside practice, using the box of six balls that each member of the England squad has been allocated since the ban on sporting activity was partially lifted by the UK government.And while he said that his hour-long session was “literally about turning the arm over and getting things moving again”, the measures taken to protect the players from contracting Covid-19 were a central part of the experience, from taking his temperature and uploading it to an app before leaving his house, to following a prescribed route into Edgbaston, the venue that looks set to host Pakistan’s training camp ahead of their planned three-Test series in August.ALSO READ: England training ‘safer than going to supermarket’ – Ashley Giles”The venues and counties have tried to make this as safe as possible,” Woakes said. “In my eyes, they’ve done a really good job. I knew exactly how I was going to go into the ground. You have to drive your own car – at the minute there’s a lot of testing going on at Edgbaston, with the testing facility – [so I] parked in a safe area at the back, and walked onto the pitch through the Hollies Stand. This has all been planned in the last few weeks, so it’s as safe as possible, we don’t come into contact with anyone.”I took everything I needed for training with me: bottles, towels, medicine balls, bands that I use for warming up. I was given a box of balls, ready there for me to use once I got into the ground. And then those balls are now mine. No one else will touch them – the whole thing of having one skin on each ball.”It was all very strict. On arrival there’s a station where you can wash your hands and put anti-bac on before you start. There was a physio from Warwickshire there with me but, again, we don’t come into contact. We stayed more than two metres apart and I did my training. It took about an hour, and then I walked back through the Hollies to my car and left.”The need to ensure no overlap with team-mates means that the players’ sessions are tightly scheduled at this stage of the process, before they progress to “contact clusters” in the coming weeks, ahead of the proposed start of the West Indies Test series in July. And though Woakes admitted he was glad to get back to work after an extraordinary period of downtime, he did acknowledge that the circumstances would take some getting used to.0:56

Stuart Broad enjoys first day back at Trent Bridge

“I guess it’s a bit of a window [into the new reality],” he said. “Cricket is not generally a contact sport, so that helps, but we will get more of an inkling when we start practising more as a team, and have more people training at a venue. There are no changing rooms involved at the moment, match mode will look a lot different.”Off the park, it will take up quite a bit of headspace. The world we are living does take up some headspace. But on the field you want 100% concentration, whether that is batting or bowling, and cricketers and sportsmen in general are quite good at focusing on the job in hand. But the ECB, the venues and counties are going above and beyond making it as safe as possible, so that will help us as players.”Some habits will have to change on the field, however, in particular the ingrained bowler’s instinct to polish the ball with saliva, which has now been outlawed by the ICC.”You’re going to have remind yourself that you can’t use those things to shine the ball,” said Woakes. “Don’t get me wrong, you can shine the ball without saliva and sweat, it probably just doesn’t have the same effect. You might have to work a little bit harder on the rubbing on the trousers, but luckily enough the ball moves around in England anyway.”You don’t always have to work overly hard on the ball, so hopefully that’ll work in our favour a bit. Thankfully it’s a Dukes and not a Kooka this summer, because then we would be struggling.”One trend that could catch on this summer is the use of bowler’s headbands, with both Woakes and Stuart Broad taking to wearing them in their practice sessions. However, while Broad said on Instagram that his had been a bid to prevent sweat running down his face, Woakes claimed that he was merely keeping his hair out of his eyes after several weeks without a trim.”I haven’t had it cut in 12 weeks apart from the wife doing the sides,” he said. “The alice band will probably be a feature for a while until I can get it cut.”

Julian Alvarez is looking for a way out of Manchester City after rejecting a four-year contract with the Premier League champions.

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Alvarez second fiddle to HaalandScored 36 times across two seasonsRejected four-year contractWHAT HAPPENED?

According to El Chiringuito, Alvarez has turned down a new four-year contract at Manchester City and is keen to embark on a new challenge. Both Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are believed to be interested in the World Cup winner but must pay at least £70million (€81m/$89m) to prise him away from the Etihad.

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Losing Alvarez would be a huge blow for City. While he has not been a star name like Haaland or Kevin De Bruyne, the Argentina international has played an important role under Pep Guardiola. His impact as a substitute or in the absence of their Norwegian talisman has helped City dominate the Premier League since his arrival in 2022.

DID YOU KNOW?

At 24, Alvarez has already won the World Cup, Copa America, Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup. He has had a hugely successful career and racked up 32 goal contributions in 54 games for City last season.

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There is not much for Alvarez to do but wait for his chance to sign for a new club. He is tied down to his contract until 2028 and will report for pre-season with the rest of his team-mates and head out to the US for their tour.

Chelsea's frantic dealings in the transfer window since the takeover by Todd Boehly was always going to be a risky strategy given the Premier League's strict FFP and PSR rules.

It was announced last week that the Blues had made a loss of £90.1m in the financial year ending 30th June 2023 – hardly a surprise given the club have splashed over £1b on transfers within the last two seasons.

With the news of the club's recent financial situation, the Stamford Bridge outfit could land themselves in hot water with the Premier League – potentially receiving a points deduction similar to what Everton did in 2023.

Given the losses, the club may have to operate on a shoestring budget in the next couple of transfer windows to comply with the regulations to avoid any potential sanctions.

This could provide opportunities for boss Mauricio Pochettino to allow some youngsters to stake their claim for a place within the first-team squad, with one player in particular deserving of a run in the team next season.

Financial Fair Play: What is PSR, how does it work and who's in trouble?

Leicester City have become the latest club charged with an alleged PSR breach, but what could happen next?

ByStephan Georgiou Apr 16, 2024 David Datro Fofana's stats since joining Chelsea

Chelsea forked out around £8m-10m on striker David Datro Fofana from Molde during the January window in 2023, with the Ivorian making three appearances for the Blues during the 2022/23 season.

His lack of game time saw the 21-year-old join Union Berlin on loan for the first half of the 2023/24 campaign, where he made 17 appearances in all competitions, scoring just twice, before being recalled by the Blues.

Fofana joined Burnley this January, with the striker gaining valuable Premier League experience before his return to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

He's since excelled in England's top flight for a side who have struggled for large periods of the campaign with the striker offering Vincent Kompany's side hope of completing a great escape.

The 21-year-old has scored four times in his eight appearances for the Clarets, including an unbelievable strike in the draw away at West Ham United, skipping past a couple of players before unleashing one of the fiercest efforts on goal you're likely to see.

His successful form in a struggling side must give Chelsea fans hope that he can be a hit at Stamford Bridge and follow in the footsteps of a fellow Ivorian who enjoyed a brilliant career at the club.

Datro Fofana touted as the next Didier Drogba

The "exciting" striker, as labelled by journalist Hrach Khachatryan, could prove to be the answer to the club's long-term solution to their goalscoring problems.

Fofana, who's been dubbed "a baby Drogba" by Turkish commentator Hakan Gulec, could see the Blues steer away from any potential deal for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, with the Nigerian potentially costing the Blues over £100m – further adding to the club's FFP troubles.

If the striker turns out to be even half the player that Drogba was for the Blues, they will have signed themselves an absolute gem and a bargain for the £8m-10m fee touted.

Drogba, who joined the Blues from Marseille in 2004, became a legend at Stamford Bridge, bagging an impressive 164 goals in 381 appearances for the club – including a vital goal during the Champions League triumph in 2012.

Fofana will be well aware of the Ivorian's impact at Stamford Bridge given his role and nationality and, if given the opportunity next season, then he might be able to follow in the footsteps of their great striker of yesteryear.

However, it's still very early days in Fofana's Chelsea career, with the youngster needing to take his career game by game and ignore the hype before making a name for himself at Stamford Bridge.

Nottingham Forest fell to a second late winner in the space of a week, after Darwin Núñez's 99th-minute header secured all three points for Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool.

The goal came with controversy, as referee Paul Tierney decided on an uncontested drop ball to Klopp's side after Forest had possession following a collision between Ibrahima Konate and teammate Caoimhin Kelleher.

Klopp's side transitioned quickly, winning a corner before Nuno Espírito Santo's side failed to clear the danger, with Alexis Mac Allister playing a pinpoint cross onto the head of the Uruguayan.

The result was harsh on Forest, with Nuno's side matching the Premier League leaders for large spells of the encounter. Forward Anthony Elanga had two brilliant chances to put the Reds ahead, but the Swede couldn't make the most of his opportunities.

Despite the disappointing result for Forest, numerous players impressed with their performance levels more than deserving of a point in a close encounter. One player in particular impressed after returning to the starting lineup…

Andrew Omobamidele's stats against Liverpool

Central defender Andrew Omobamidele hadn't started for the Reds since the FA Cup fourth-round replay against Bristol City at the City Ground – with the Irishman earning a recall alongside Murillo yesterday.

The 21-year-old played all 90 minutes, with the former Norwich City defender slotting straight back into the Reds' defence as if he'd never been away.

Omobamidele contested three tackles, with eight clearances – seven of which with his head, as he played his part in keeping Liverpool's potent attack out for over 90 minutes.

Minutes played

90

Accurate passes

16/20 (80%)

Touches

36

Tackles won

1/3

Blocks

3

Clearances

8

Headed clearances

7

Defensive actions

15

Duels won

3/3

The Irishman also cleared a shot off the line, with the defender a real key part in keeping the game level for a large chunk of the encounter.

He proved his dominance at the back, winning all three of his duels during the game – with Omobamidele the only Forest player to win 100% of his duels.

Why Omobamidele should partner Murillo long-term

He had to wait a long time for his Forest debut, but Omobamidele has impressed consistently since with the Irishman taking his opportunity with both hands.

The Reds have been looking for a consistent partner for Murillo, with the Brazilian being a regular starter for the club since his debut back in October.

Moussa Niakhate, Felipe and Willy Boly have often featured alongside Murillo at the back for the Reds, but Omobamidele looks the most complete partner for the Brazilian despite his tender age.

The club forked out £11m for the Irishman on deadline day during the summer transfer window, with the defender subject to interest from the likes of AC Milan before his eventual move to the City Ground.

Although he's had to bide his time since the move, the defender looks to be a really shrewd addition to the Forest ranks, with Omobamidele the perfect fit to play alongside Murillo now – with the pair of 21 year-olds having the potential to be at the heart of the Reds' defence for many years to come.

Arsenal will need to beat Rangers and possibly Atletico Madrid to reach the second round of qualifying in the 2024-25 Women's Champions League.

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Arsenal to face Rangers in first UWCL qualifierLikely to face Atletico in second matchMust win both to reach second qualifying roundWHAT HAPPENED?

The Gunners finished third in the Women's Super League last season, meaning they need to start from the earliest stage of Europe's premier competition. That was the case 12 months ago, too, and Jonas Eidevall's side fell at the first hurdle when they lost to Paris FC.

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Arsenal will hope history doesn't repeat itself when they compete in the same stage in September, though they have been given a very tricky draw. First up, the Gunners will face Scottish side Rangers and if they come through that, Spanish giants Atletico Madrid or Norwegian outfit Rosenborg will be waiting in a match where the prize will be a place in the second round of UWCL qualifying.

DID YOU KNOW?

Plenty of other big clubs were involved in Friday's qualifying draw, including Ajax, Benfica, Twente and Celtic. Eintracht Frankfurt vs Sporting CP is a particularly tasty draw and perhaps the pick of the first round matches.

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The Gunners will take on Rangers on September 4, with the winner to face either Atletico or Rosenborg on September 7 for a place in the second qualifying round.

The Australia great delves into Dhoni’s school of thought in run chases in a chat with Sanjay Manjrekar

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Apr-20201:14

‘In my mind, he’s the best’ – Mike Hussey on MS Dhoni

Michael Hussey thinks MS Dhoni is the greatest finisher of all time. Having shared a dressing room with the former India captain for seven years across two IPL stints, Hussey also believed Dhoni’s instincts and mental toughness at his peak made opposition captains blink first under pressure.”In my mind, he is the best finisher of all time,” Hussey told Sanjay Manjrekar in programme. “That is maybe a little controversial, because there have been some great finishers over time, but he had the mental capability of knowing what the opposition would try to do, and then stay cool and calm in that high pressure situation. He’d be cooler than the opposition, he’d make the opposition captain blink first by bowling the better bowler in the second-last over.”The other thing he has that not many other finishers have is unbelievable power. He knows when he needs to clear the ropes, and he can do it. I didn’t have that kind of belief in myself. Dhoni….his mental capability, coolness and power, he knew he could find a six when he needed it and he did it so consistently. I think his confidence grew in his methods, so in my mind he is the best.”Hussey also gave an insight into Dhoni’s mind and his philosophy of “taking it till the end” in run chases.According to Michael Hussey, MS Dhoni could judge the opposition captain and remain calm in run chases•BCCI”I tried not to let the asking rate get to 12-13 an over,” Hussey responded when asked about his approach to big chases. “I probably learnt off MS Dhoni. He was incredible. His big thing was, ‘he who panicked last wins the game’. So he would keep his cool and keep it longer, because there’s pressure on the bowler as well.”If you’re out in the middle and the bowlers know someone like Dhoni or Michael Bevan’s still there, then India, Australia or Chennai Super Kings still have a chance, because the pressure builds on the bowlers too. And that is when the wides, no-balls and loose deliveries come, which you can hit for a four. So if you can keep your cool longer than the opposition, you will come out on top.”Hussey, who has seen Dhoni evolve, both as an opponent and a close confidante at Super Kings, underlined his self-belief and the ability to take emotions out of every situation as key to reveling under pressure.”One of his great ability is he won’t take on defeat for too long,” Hussey explained. “Yes, he’ll be disappointed like everyone, but he will get over quickly and look over to the next match, and that is a great trait to have.”Ricky Ponting was similar too, whether he was going well or going poorly. A consistent character, and not someone like a yo-yo, going up and down, riding emotions all the time. He’d be level the whole time, a trait you notice in great players.”

The Three Lions are still alive in Germany, but their last-16 victory over Slovakia only raised more questions over the manager's decision-making

Gareth Southgate is the luckiest man in football. The England manager was one minute away from losing his job, after another truly horrendous performance from his toothless, unimaginative team at Euro 2024.

Memories of the Three Lions' painful exit at the hands of Iceland at the same stage eight years ago came flooding back, but defeat against Slovakia would have been unforgivable. Southgate was presiding over the biggest failure in the country's entire footballing history, because England have never had a squad as talented as this one.

But in the fifth minute of stoppage time, his team finally registered their first shot on target of the match, and Southgate's prayers were answered. "Who else?," asked Jude Bellingham after finding the back of the net with an overhead-kick of the highest quality. The Real Madrid man conjured up the most important goal of Southgate's reign out of nowhere, forcing extra-time in the process.

Harry Kane then nodded home the winner for England, who can still dream of a first piece of silverware since 1966. Southgate doesn't deserve it, but he's got another chance to carve out a lasting legacy.

That will soon evaporate if England play the same way in their quarter-final tie against Switzerland, though. The Three Lions will come up against elite opposition for the first time in the tournament on Saturday, and Southgate has to wise up if they're to get over the line; individual brilliance won't be enough to save him this time.

GOALSame old Southgate

"With 15 minutes to go you wonder if he is out on his feet," Southgate told when quizzed on Bellingham's last-gasp equaliser. "Him and Harry Kane produce those moments and that is why you don't makes changes when people are clamouring for more changes. We had enough attacking players on the pitch."

That statement does not bode well for England's hopes of going beyond the last eight. Southgate felt vindicated after the final whistle in Gelsenkirchen, having stressed the importance of not "losing continuity" by making too many tweaks to his team before the Slovakia tie. As was the case in all three group games, Southgate waited too long to start ringing the changes.

For the first time since 1986, England failed to register a shot on target in the first half of a major tournament fixture. Kane, Bellingham and Phil Foden were all poor, and England didn't show nearly enough creativity to beat Slovakia's high press. But the same set of players emerged for the second half, and England continued to toil in vain until the 66th minute, when Southgate finally reacted.

Cole Palmer came on for the abysmal Kieran Trippier and went out on the right wing, with Bukayo Saka moved to an unnatural left-back role due to the continued absence of Luke Shaw. The next substitution wasn't made until six minutes from the end of regulation time, as Kobbie Mainoo made way for Eberechi Eze, despite the Manchester United teenager having easily been England's standout player on the night. And then in the final minute of stoppage time, Southgate threw on Ivan Toney, who actually offered the Three Lions something different.

Toney's intelligent movement helped cause chaos in the Slovakia defence from the long throw that led to Bellingham's goal, and he then provided the assist for Kane in extra-time. Southgate admitted that the Brentford striker was "disgusted" by his cameo role, which was the overriding emotion for England fans for so long too, before relief took over.

AdvertisementGetty Flawed blueprint

Even after England got their noses in front, there was no improvement in their general play. Southgate thought only of how to protect that lead, and instructed his team to sit deep in a 5-4-1 formation that invited Slovakia to come onto them.

Eze ended up at left-wing back as Saka moved to the opposite flank, while Ezri Konsa and Conor Gallagher came on for the second half of extra-time as Kane and Bellingham were taken out of the firing line. England clung on, but it wasn't pretty, which has been the story of their tournament so far.

"We know we will do whatever it takes. If we have another game like this in the quarter-final, then so be it," Kane said after the final whistle. "This team knows how to dig deep and that is exactly what we have done today. Of course we could have been better, we could have played better, but ultimately, it’s a results business. That is what we care about."

There is no lack of team spirit in the England camp, that much is true. But if Slovakia can neutralise Southgate's side, Switzerland have the potential to annihilate them.

They will be happy to let Trippier have the ball, knowing full well he will just cut inside onto his right foot and instantly slow down England's build-up play, and the Swiss will also target the space Kyle Walker leaves when he bombs forward. The difference is, Murat Yakin's team is full of quality players that can make the Three Lions pay for their mistakes.

England are still not pressing as a team either, which is creating huge gaps for the opposition to exploit. The likes of Breel Embolo, Ruben Vargas, Dan Ndoye and Granit Xhaka could have a field day if Southgate doesn't realise that his blueprint for success is deeply flawed.

Getty ImagesToney makes his case

One way to ensure that England do at least carry a far greater threat going forward against Switzerland would be to play with two upfront. Whether or not Southgate has the courage to drop Foden or Bellingham remains to be seen, but there is a real case for Toney coming in as the lead centre-forward, thereby giving Kane licence to tuck in and put his superb passing range to good use.

Toney likes to play on the last defender and will constantly make runs in behind. Too often England's best players have been forced to play backwards or sideways because of a lack of options ahead of them, but the Brentford star is capable of stretching the opposition.

Ideally, Anthony Gordon would also come in on the left flank to give the the Three Lions some proper width. Foden's unique talents have completely gone to waste in that position, and if Southgate isn't going to use him as a No.10, the Manchester City playmaker might as well not be on the pitch.

Saka has also overstayed his welcome in the starting XI, at least on the right wing, because he's offered none of the penetration in the final third that we saw at Arsenal last season. There is an argument for trying him at left-back again in the quarter-finals, but Palmer deserves a full 90 minutes in attack.

There are plenty of ways Southgate can turn things around; England have more strength in depth than any other other nation in Germany summer; he just cannot afford to do . "We've been very lucky and we should thank our lucky stars," former England full-back Gary Neville said on. "We were woeful and we've been woeful now for four games. We've got to change something dramatically now."

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Getty ImagesCoping with Guehi blow

The biggest bright spot of England's Euro 2024 campaign to date has been Marc Guehi, who has proven to be far more than just a competent deputy for the injured Harry Maguire in the heart of the defence. But unfortunately, the Crystal Palace talisman will only be present at Dusseldorf Arena next weekend in a spectator capacity.

Guehi picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in the early stages of the Slovakia game, and will now serve a one-match suspension. He has Trippier to thank for that blow, as he was left with little choice but to take out David Strelec after being sold short by a hospital pass from the Newcastle defender.

John Stones had built up an excellent rapport with Guehi that gave England a solid foundation, but he will need a new centre-back partner against the Swiss. That job is set to go to Konsa or Lewis Dunk, assuming Southgate sticks to his usual 4-2-3-1 formation.

However, there was a time when the Three Lions boss regularly opted for a 3-4-3 system, which he should at least consider reviving for the quarter-finals. After all, the best win of Southgate's entire tenure came when he went with three at the back, in the 2-0 last-16 victory over Germany at Euro 2020.

On that day, England had the luxury of using Shaw and Trippier in their favoured wing-back slots, and their relentless pressing prevented Germany from building up any kind of rhythm. This time around, Saka could do Shaw's job, with Trent Alexander-Arnold drafted in on the right, back in the position he excels in for Liverpool after his failed foray into central midfield, and Stones, Walker and Konsa or Joe Gomez could then form the last line of defence.

Taking this approach would be even riskier than the 4-4-2 option with Toney, and completely against Southgate's character, but the rewards could be great.

Kumar Sangakkara will captain MCC team in matches against PSL opposition next month

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2020Former England allrounder Ravi Bopara has been named as part of a 12-man MCC squad to tour Pakistan in February. The team will be captained by Sri Lanka great, and current MCC president, Kumar Sangakkara, and coached by former England quick Ajmal Shahzad.Also included in the touring party are Scotland’s Safyaan Sharif and Michael Leask, Netherlands duo Roelof van der Merwe and Fred Klaassen, along with county players from Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Kent and Worcestershire. England internationals Samit Patel and Liam Dawson, as well as Sussex’s Phil Salt, will each feature in one match, as part of a link up with the Pakistan Super League.MCC are set to play games against two PSL teams, Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans, as well as Pakistan’s domestic T20 champions, Northerns. The tour is aimed at encouraging support for international teams returning to play in Pakistan, more than a decade after the 2009 terrorist attacks.The MCC’s chief executive, Guy Lavender, will take on the role of team manager, supported by MCC assistant secretary (cricket) and former England, Essex and Hampshire allrounder John Stephenson.”We are thrilled to be able to name a strong squad for this tour, which blends youth and experience for a strong side of high quality,” Stephenson said. “We have really appreciated the collaborative approach from the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Pakistan Super League, which has enabled us to arrange fixtures against sides preparing for this year’s PSL tournament as well as to secure the services of some of those participating.”As a club, we share the PCB’s wish in wanting to see international teams returning to play in Pakistan on a regular basis and we hope that this tour contributes to those objectives.”MCC squad:Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Ravi Bopara, Michael Burgess, Oliver Hannon-Dalby, Fred Klaassen, Michael Leask, Arron Lilley, Imran Qayyum, Will Rhodes, Safyaan Sharif, Roelof van der Merwe, Ross Whiteley