Tag Futebol

Trouble is brewing and the strongest shall win

Alan Gardner14-Sep-2020You may well have heard of the ongoing “culture wars” dividing modern society (basically just a glorified term for the actions of certain men who want to play computer games without being told to tidy their rooms) – but news has reached the Light Roller this month of a far more serious rift. The normally carefree troupe of globetrotting hipsters known as the Australia cricket team has split into rival factions based around their preferences for coffee.Clearly, dealing with life in the biosecure bubble while on their tour of England has taken a toll. Discussing the situation in an emotional, socially distanced interview, Kane Richardson spilled the beans (organic, hand-picked) on the group’s descent into caffeine-fuelled nihilism, hitting out at diminutive legspinner and haircut wearer Adam Zampa for being a “coffee snob” who had never extended him an invite to the famous Love Café.(As watchers of will know, the Love Café was founded in response to the crisis that engulfed Australian cricket following the 2018 sandpaper affair. Zampa and Marcus Stoinis are the designated “rare units” who front the operation, with the goal of fostering a more caring, sharing environment within the national team. There is also an aim to teach Stoinis how to play legspin but they haven’t got round to that part yet.)Richardson revealed that he has taken to patronising the newly established outlet of batsman-barista David Warner, adding warmly that “to me it all tastes the same”. Marnus Labuschagne has also tried to claim a slice of the market with what connoisseurs describe as a homespun brew that looks a bit funny but gets the job done – though given he is only open for business when not batting in the nets (or throwing for Steven Smith in the nets), success is believed to have been limited.Furthermore, rumours that Smith was considering switching to coffee from tea, in a move that could help unite the warring parties, have been dismissed by well-placed sources who point out that he could never betray his preference for exotic leaves.While captain Aaron Finch has so far managed to maintain appearances of elite mateship, mainly by overseeing a series of team-bonding latte art sessions, there are fears more serious cultural issues may once again be percolating through the Australian system. Dressing-room feuds such Warne v Waugh or Katich v Clarke are nothing new, but the emergence of this latest beef/vegan-friendly meat substitute could tear the squad apart. What might be the consequences, for instance, of Pat Cummins starting up a cold brew movement, or Glenn Maxwell experimenting with kombucha?Remember, as the old saying goes, a team is only as strong as its weakest pot of vacuum-brewed single-origin fair-trade Sumatran.

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Australia’s old guard, meanwhile, continue to cherish their status as unappointed moral arbiters of the sport, diligently policing “the line” wherever they go. Ricky Ponting has been quite clear about which line he doesn’t want R Ashwin to cross during the IPL – that is the notional, “spirit of cricket” perimeter beyond which lies the lawless world of running out a non-striker for backing up (NB: completely the Laws). However, it seems after a chat with Ashwin, he has now noticed the actual, physical white line that non-strikers keep sauntering past, too. “I think something has to happen with the laws of the game to make sure batsmen can’t cheat,” said a perplexed Ponting. Quite right, too, Ricky. But what possible solution could there be?

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From the IPL to the Svenska Cricketförbundet – quite literally, in the case of Jonty Rhodes, who will head for Scandinavia after the completion of his stint with Kings XI Punjab in the UAE. Tempting as it is to make the joke that Sweden is one of the few places whiter than South African cricket, Rhodes has spoken openly in support of transformation and his own experience of privilege growing up – and we wish him great success in helping to establish the game in what looks to be an inhospitable foreign clime. Here’s hoping he is able to assemble a capable team quicker than you can say ubiquitous flat-pack furniture manufacturer and is back at an ICC event in the very near future, leading a bunch of tall, chiselled Nordic types who are all absolute guns in the field. Just don’t ask questions about how they will handle the knockout rounds.

تحدث عبد الواحد السيد، مدير الكرة السابق بنادي الزمالك، عن أسباب هزيمة الفارس الأبيض في مباراة القمة أمام الأهلي، مُشددًا على أن مجلس الإدارة كان له يد في هذا الأمر.

وتعرض الزمالك للهزيمة أمام الأهلي بنتيجة 2-1، في قمة الجولة التاسعة من الدوري المصري الممتاز، في اللقاء الذي أقيم على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وقال عبد الواحد السيد في تصريحات عبر برنامج اللعيب على قناة “MBC مصر”: “نادي الزمالك لديه مشكلات وصلت إلى مرحلة الشلل، والشيء الوحيد الذي يُسند نادي الزمالك هو الجمهور، فإذا رفع يده، انتهى الأمر تمامًا”.

وتابع: “لدينا مشكلات غير طبيعية، بعيدًا عن أجواء المباريات، فأنت تهيئ اللاعبين للمباراة، أليس كذلك؟ هل سمعت عن مشكلة مالية في النادي الأهلي؟”.

وأشار: “أنت الآن تريد تغيير المدرب، وهناك أسباب عديدة للوصول إلى هذه المرحلة، فلا بد من توفير مستحقات اللاعبين، ولا بد من تهيئة الأجواء المناسبة قبل المباراة”.

وأضاف: “المرة الوحيدة التي كنا ندخل فيها مباراة وأنا لدي يقين وثقة كانت مباراة السوبر الإفريقي، حيث جلست مع الكابتن حسين لبيب وقلت له: هذه المباراة بالنسبة لنا فارقة، وكما تعلم كانت البطولة مهمة للغاية لجماهير نادي الزمالك، وكان الأمر عكس التوقعات تمامًا، فقد كان الجميع متأكدًا أن الفريق سيخسر”.

طالع أيضًا | أيمن يونس: أعتذر لما قلته عن لاعب الزمالك.. وبيزيرا تعرض للترهيب أمام الأهلي

وواصل: “قلت للكابتن حسين لبيب: يا كابتن، أريد من اللاعبين أن يؤدوا دورهم دون أن يتحدث أحد أو يؤثر عليهم أي شيء، ولا بد أن أوفر مستحقات اللاعبين، وكانت المرة الوحيدة التي دخل فيها لاعبو نادي الزمالك المباراة دون أن يكون لهم أي مستحقات، لا مكافآت ولا رواتب”.

وواصل: “بغض النظر عن النتيجة، أتحدث عن إصرار اللاعبين وروحهم وتركيزهم، لكي توفّر أجواء محترمة أو حتى لاعبين جيدين، لا بد من أن تدرك أن اللاعبين مهما قال الناس إنهم يتقاضون ملايين، إلا أن هذه الملايين تعني أنهم يعيشون حياة معينة ولديهم التزامات ونفقات كبيرة وظروف صعبة”.

وأردف: “الأمر يُحدث فرقًا كبيرًا، ويجب أن تدرك أن الأجيال القديمة تختلف عن الأجيال الجديدة، فالجيل الحالي بالنسبة له الأهم أن يحصل على مستحقاته في موعدها؛ لذلك، إذا أردت التغيير، فلا بد من بناء أساس محترم، وذلك بتوفير مستحقات اللاعبين، وإلا ستجلب مدربًا وتغيّره وتفعل ما تريد، ثم تعود لتواجه المشكلات نفسها”.

واختتم: “ما حدث في الزمالك خلال الفترة الماضية هو من وجهة نظري دافع معنوي كبير للاعبين، فاللاعبون لديهم الرغبة، ولكن كما قلت لك، يصل اللاعب في النهاية إلى مرحلة لا يستطيع الاستمرار بعدها”.

With an average of 25.80 from 15 Tests in South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia, should he continue being one of India’s first-choice openers?

Ankur Dhawan14-Sep-2018After another overseas defeat, India find themselves in a quandary. What to do about Shikhar Dhawan? A prolific run-getter at home, Dhawan has struggled to make the same kind of impact on the road, in conditions where the ball moves as though it has legs and a mind of its own. He finished the England series with a top score of 44 in eight innings, which meant the middle order was exposed to the new ball far too often.It wasn’t for lack of effort, but there were no tangible rewards for Dhawan. Dropped at Lord’s following two dismissals to loose strokes in the first Test at Edgbaston, he came back with a changed approach, and tried hard to play close to his body and resist the temptation to drive on the up when the carrot was dangled. Inevitably, though, Instinct prevailed over discipline, and even after getting his eye in at the Ageas Bowl, he was lured into poking at deliveries in the channel outside off stump, either driving away from his body or defending on the walk.The most successful team in England over the last decade or so has been South Africa. For all the talent that ran through their middle order, their backbone was their captain and opener Graeme Smith, who scored the ugly runs, which allowed the Amlas and de Villiers to score the pretty ones. That’s not to say Amla and de Villiers didn’t score tough runs, only that Smith’s solidity gave them more freedom against a usually older ball. Dhawan has generally shown a brittleness incongruent to seeing off the shine.Virat Kohli’s India discovered the value of a solid opening stand in Nottingham, the only time the openers blunted the new ball in both innings, putting on 60 both times. It was no surprise that those starts were followed by middle-order partnerships of 159 and 113.In Southampton, however, old maladies resurfaced for Dhawan – perhaps because they had never really gone away.At the beginning of India’s previous cycle of overseas tours, in early 2014, Dhawan played two of his best knocks, back to back, a century in a fourth-innings chase in Auckland and then a 98 in Wellington. The salient features of both innings were common – meditative discipline outside the off stump until the shine wore off, patience, and a desire to play as straight as possible.The adjustments he made, however, never became habits. As a consequence, he hasn’t repeated those scoring feats outside Asia (excluding the West Indies) since.When India toured England in 2014 his outside edge and the away-moving delivery had reunited. In Nottingham, where England’s No 11, James Anderson, made 81, Dhawan was caught behind pushing at a full ball from the same bowler for 12. Twice in the next four innings, Anderson squared him up, exploiting his tendency to fish at the late-moving ball without getting across with his feet to cover the line, and had him caught in the slips.Zoom back to the just-concluded series in England, and Dhawan has been out caught by the keeper, slips or gully five times in eight innings. And while one would expect a high percentage of such dismissals among openers in these conditions, he hasn’t necessarily fallen to unplayable deliveries that threatened his off stump or moved prodigiously late. They’ve generally been full, wide and swinging further away, luring Dhawan, who has eventually taken the bait. In the last Test at The Oval he was lbw twice, and the second-innings dismissal in particular seemed like a consequence of his struggles outside off stump: he fell over, going too far across his stumps in an attempt to cover the away movement, and was lbw to the inswinger.Getty ImagesOnly once since that first innings in Wellington – when he made a second-innings 81 in Brisbane – has Dhawan managed to face 100 or more balls in an innings in the SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia) countries. The most he has managed in England is 85 balls. In his 14 outings in England, Dhawan has faced an average of 35.93 balls per innings.By the end of the previous cycle of away tours, Dhawan’s average in the SENA countries was 29.00. It has now fallen to 25.80.Not much seems to have changed between the previous cycle of tours and this one. The weaknesses Dhawan has shown on this tour of England are the same ones that led to India dropping him after the third Test of their previous tour here. They are the same weaknesses that cost him his place for the final Test of their Australia tour of 2014-15.Why then was he part of the first-choice opening partnership on their tours of South Africa and England this year? Perhaps this was because India played all their Test cricket in the subcontinent or the West Indies between the previous SENA cycle and this one. In these conditions, Dhawan averaged 51.78, scoring three of his four hundreds against Sri Lanka and the other against Bangladesh.There were accomplished innings against spin in that period, such as his first-innings hundred in Galle in 2015, but his technique against fast bowling wasn’t really tested that often. On the rare occasion when he did come up against seaming conditions, as in the Kolkata Tests against New Zealand in 2016 and Sri Lanka last year, he did not entirely convince with his handling of the new ball.Now, after the series defeats in South Africa and England, India’s next Test assignment is a home series against West Indies. It could be another chance for Dhawan to score runs in conditions where his technique won’t really be scrutinised to the fullest, but India will have to be mindful that a sterner test awaits them thereafter: in Australia, against one of the best pace attacks in the world.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit believes Jack Grealish's 'commitment issue' cost him a place in the Manchester City squad.

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• Petit slammed Grealish
• Says 'commitment issue' cost him
• Grealish linked with a move away from City

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Grealish struggled for minutes across the 2024-25 campaign, being limited to just seven Premier League starts. His poor form throughout the season also cost him a place in City's Club World Cup squad and he has now been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium this summer.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ex-Premier League star and World Cup-winning French midfielder Petit accused Grealish of being undisciplined and has claimed that the winger's behaviour has affected his performances and prevented his progress as a player despite being a top talent.

  Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZNStream now

• WHAT PETIT SAID

  Speaking to , Petit said: "Jack Grealish has lost his position with the national team and he has lost the confidence of Pep Guardiola. Since Man City won the Treble, his behaviour during the celebrations and with alcohol was too much. I think he earned a place in the starting XI but he needed to show commitment and desire to keep it.

  "You have to show discipline and I don’t think Grealish did that. He has talent and great ability, but I think he needs to be more mentally mature when you play for top club and earn so much money. With his talent, he should be among the best players in the Premier League every season, I think it’s a commitment issue."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GREALISH?

  The 29-year-old, who has also lost his place in the England squad, will be aiming to find a way out of City this summer, to get regular game time. He was earlier linked with a switch to Napoli, but the proposed move has hit a stumbling block due to his massive wage demands.

Leeds United are believed to be readying a move to sign of a player who Daniel Farke has described as “brilliant”, according to a new transfer report.

Leeds one step closer to Premier League return

The Whites picked up another priceless three points in the Championship promotion tussle on Good Friday, battling their way to a 1-0 victory away to Oxford United.

Manor Solomon’s second-half goal proved to be the difference between the two sides, and with Burnley and Sheffield United also winning on the day, victory was imperative.

It means Leeds are now within touching distance of sealing a return to the Premier League from the Championship, sitting five points clear of the third-place Blades with only three matches remaining. It would need a capitulation at this point to prevent the Whites from getting back into the top flight.

If Farke’s side do earn promotion, the manager and the 49ers Enterprises will know that lots of reinforcements are required in the summer transfer window, with the gap between England’s top and second-best league never feeling greater, with the three promoted teams set to go straight back down again for the second year in a row. Now, a new Leeds transfer rumour has emerged.

Leeds pushing to sign "brilliant" goalkeeper

According to Football Insider, Leeds and 49ers Enterprises are “readying a move” for Norwich City goalkeeper Angus Gunn this summer, seeing him as a replacement on the error-prone Illan Meslier.

The Scot is “yet to be offered a contract extension” by the Canaries, meaning he could leave the club on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Gunn could be an astute addition for Leeds ahead of next season, with the Norwich stopper now an experienced head who has proven himself over an extended period of time.

The 29-year-old has 164 appearances to his name in the Championship, showing that he can perform in an extremely competitive league, and he also has 15 caps for Scotland.

Meanwhile, Jackie McNamara has hailed Gunn as an “excellent” player, while even more promisingly, Farke is an admirer, having worked with him in the past, saying:

“Angus is very highly-rated and a really talented goalkeeper. He’s brilliant with his feet as well as his hands and is tall too. We’re happy to have him here for the next season and are thankful to Manchester City for helping us with this deal. I’m looking forward to working with such a great talent.”

The fact that Gunn would be available on a free transfer makes this even more of a no-brainer for Leeds, meaning that it wouldn’t even be much of a risk if it ended up not working out.

Fewer touches than Darlow: Leeds need to upgrade on £15k-p/w star & Gnonto

Leeds moved one step closer to the Premier League, although work still needs to be done

ByRobbie Walls Apr 19, 2025

There is nothing to suggest that that would be the case, however, and while Meslier has had good games this season, his penchant for making mistakes has been costly too often, so an upgrade such as the Norwich ace is required.

Matt Short named for New Zealand but will miss West Indies series due to a hamstring injury with Aaron Hardie replacing him

Alex Malcolm05-Feb-2024Steven Smith, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have been named in Australia’s full-strength T20I squad for the upcoming three-match tour of New Zealand which Mitchell Marsh will captain as the selectors declare their hand in what will be the team’s final series before the T20 World Cup in June.Chair of selectors George Bailey had mooted last month that Smith would return to the squad after being rested from the upcoming T20I home series against West Indies which begins in Hobart on Friday. Cummins and Starc will also return in New Zealand after missing the West Indies series. Travis Head has also been named. He was originally selected to play in the West Indies series but has been withdrawn to rest ahead of the New Zealand series.Marsh will lead the full-strength squad but the selectors have yet to confirm if he will captain at the World Cup. That will likely be done after the New Zealand series as it will be the first time Marsh will captain when Andrew McDonald is coaching. McDonald rested from the South Africa T20I series that Marsh captained last year and is also resting from the West Indies series later this week.Related

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Morris suffers side strain, in doubt for New Zealand Tests

Behrendorff hopes towering 12-month run translates to T20 World Cup ticket

Marsh to captain T20Is against West Indies with Warner named

Short ruled out of final ODI with McDermott called up

Matthew Short has been named in the squad to tour New Zealand but was withdrawn from the West Indies series on Tuesday due to the low-grade hamstring injury he suffered in Sunday’s second ODI in Sydney. Aaron Hardie will replace Short in the squad for the West Indies’ T20I series but has not been included in the New Zealand squad.Nathan Ellis has been named as the fourth fast bowler behind Cummins, Starc and Josh Hazlewood for the New Zealand series although he is still recovering from a rib injury. He has edged ahead of Jason Behrendorff and Sean Abbott in the pecking order with the latter two named as standby players for the New Zealand tour despite playing in the West Indies series while Cummins and Starc rest.Spencer Johnson is on standby for the West Indies T20I series in case Ellis needs more time ahead of the New Zealand tour.”Travis, Pat, Mitchell and Steve rejoin the squad following the series against the West Indies with Jason Behrendorff and Sean Abbott amongst the standby players from those playing the upcoming T20s,” Bailey said. “The next six games will provide us the opportunity to start shaping what we think our World Cup squad will look like and potential roles within that.”We will also fully utilise the opportunity to monitor and watch the performances of the Australian players in the IPL immediately preceding the World Cup.”There is no room for Cameron Green in the T20I squad with Bailey stating last month that the selectors wanted him to focus on his red-ball preparation for the New Zealand Test series that follows the T20Is. The selectors are confident Green will get enough T20 cricket at the IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore.Australia squad for New Zealand T20I seriesMitchell Marsh (capt), Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Eight teams have completed a clean sweep of domestic and European silverware in the last 34 years, but which stands out as the best?

At long last, Paris Saint-Germain have got their hands on the Champions League trophy after demolishing Italian giants Inter 5-0 in the 2025 final at the Allianz Arena. The first European crown in PSG's entire history capped a remarkable season that also saw Luis Enrique's side romp to the Ligue 1 title and Coupe de France as they joined a very exclusive club.

PSG are only the eighth team to have won the treble since the European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in 1991. Luis Enrique also achieved the feat at Barcelona in 2014-15, which puts him alongside Pep Guardiola, who is the only other manager to deliver the three biggest trophies on offer in a single season for two different clubs (at Barcelona in 2008-09 and Manchester City in 2022-23).

Elsewhere, Sir Alex Ferguson became the first modern-day coach to achieve the feat at Manchester United in 1998-99, Jose Mourinho defied all the odds at Inter in 2009-10, and Jupp Heynckes and Hansi Flick both became immortals at Bayern Munich (in 2012-13 and 2019-20, respectively). There have been plenty of other great Champions League-winning teams, but these eight sit in a class of their own for showing such incredible consistency across all of the major competitions.

GOAL has attempted to rank the holy octet below, and the comments section is now open… let the debate begin!

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  8Inter (2009-10)

  Jose Mourinho's second season at Inter was arguably his last truly great season as a manager, and perhaps the finest one of his entire career. The Portuguese delivered the Scudetto in his first year at San Siro, but the summer additions of Samuel Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Diego Milito and Lucio took the Nerazzurri to a whole new level.

  Inter were pushed all the way in the Serie A title race by Roma, but pipped them to the post by two points after Milito's final-day winner against Siena, and finished with the best attacking and defensive records in the division. Mourinho's side also beat Roma 1-0 in the Coppa Italia final, courtesy of more heroics from Milito, who would incredibly also prove to be the hero in the Champions League showpiece.

  Inter saw off Chelsea and CSKA Moscow before pulling off an upset for the ages against Barcelona in the semi-finals, progressing after a 1-0 loss at Camp Nou that Mourinho called "the most beautiful defeat of my life", because it wasn't enough for the Blaugrana to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg. Another counter-attacking masterclass would come in the final as a Milito brace fired Inter to a 2-0 win against Bayern Munich.

  It wasn't always pretty, but each and every member of the dressing room was willing to run through a brick wall for Mourinho, and that team spirit gave Inter the edge in all of the biggest games.

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  7Bayern Munich (2019-20)

  Bayern's 2019-20 season did not start well, with Niko Kovac losing his job at the start of November after a chastening 5-1 Bundesliga defeat to Eintracht Frankfurt. Hansi Flick was the man tasked with lifting a Bayern team that had fallen to fourth in the table, and though he would lose two of his first four league games in charge, he soon transformed the team into an unstoppable winning machine.

  With 18 wins from their final 19 games, Bayern romped to the title, finishing 13 points clear of arch-rivals Borussia Dortmund. They also downed Bayer Leverkusen 4-2 in the DFB-Pokal final to complete a domestic double, but that wasn't much of a surprise considering they had managed the same feat in 2018-19.

  Bayern had pulled so far ahead of the rest in German football that they were being judged mainly on their Champions League exploits. Flick's men had to win the competition to silence those who doubted their overall quality, and they did so in emphatic fashion, winning all of their games (albeit while benefiting from UEFA temporarily scrapping two-legged knockout ties due to Covid-19 pandemic).

  After dispatching Chelsea 7-1 on aggregate before that change, Bayern absolutely battered Barcelona into submission with an 8-2 win in the quarter-finals, and then saw off Lyon and PSG to lift the trophy. Flick's direct, high-intensity style of play made Bayern the footballing equivalent of a bulldozer, and Robert Lewandowski served as the wrecking ball with a staggering 55 goals across all competitions.

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  6Manchester City (2022-23)

  Man City became the most dominant team in England after Pep Guardiola arrived in 2016, but for so long Champions League success remained elusive. Monaco, Liverpool, Tottenham and Lyon all ended City's European dreams before they suffered a heart-breaking defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 final and an agonising semi-final loss to Real Madrid the following year, leaving many fans wondering if they were under some kind of curse.

  That was lifted in 2022-23, though, with Erling Haaland proving to be the final piece of the puzzle after his transfer from Dortmund. The Norwegian terminator plundered 52 goals in his debut campaign at the Etihad, including 12 in the Champions League, with City blitzing past RB Leipzig and Bayern before exacting revenge on Madrid in the last four and edging out Inter 1-0 in the final.

  As a result of their European exertions, City were not always at their best domestically, but they clicked into top gear down the home straight with 11 wins on the bounce to secure a third-successive Premier League title with three games to spare. Guardiola's all-conquering team also conceded just one goal en route to winning the FA Cup, and completely outclassed neighbours Manchester United in the final.

  City's domestic procession was too predictable for them to be any higher on this list, but they were undeniably one of the most complete sides of all time. Haaland wasn't the only one to deliver, as Kevin De Bruyne reached the pinnacle of his playmaking abilities, Rodri ran the show in a deeper role, Ruben Dias was colossal at the back and Rico Lewis and John Stones both shone in hybrid midfield roles, with Guardiola once again leading the way as a tactical innovator.

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  5Paris Saint-Germain (2024-25)

  Let's get this harsh truth out of the way first: PSG are by far and away the best team in the worst of Europe's top five divisions. Ligue 1's status as a 'farmer's league' was cemented this term as Luis Enrique's side finished 19 points clear of second-placed Marseille with a +57 goal difference and only two losses on their record.

  It was practically a certainty that PSG would be crowned champions again, and retain the Coupe de France, which they achieved via a comfortable final win against Reims. There's no doubt that the competitiveness in the French top-flight has suffered since the Qatari takeover at PSG some 14 years ago, but that fact will be put to one side for a while longer after their spectacular run in the Champions League.

  PSG became only the second French club to ever win the trophy, and the manner in which they dismantled Inter was nothing short of breath-taking. Simone Inzaghi's team couldn't lay a glove on PSG, who were also single-handedly responsible for busting the myth that the Premier League has become too powerful after overcoming Man City, Liverpool, Aston Villa Arsenal in the earlier rounds.

  Luis Enrique created a special team after losing Kylian Mbappe, with Desire Doue, Joao Neves, Willian Pacho and Khivicha Kvaratskhelia all proving to be incredible signings while the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Vitinha, Nuno Mendes, Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma have taken their respective games to new levels. Ligue 1's failings should not count against this ruthless, swashbuckling version of PSG, who can outplay and outwork any team.

Scorchers captain also takes two wickets with the ball after Mooney chipped in with a fifty

Tristan Lavalette09-Nov-2023Captain Sophie Devine blazed a century before taking two wickets in a domination of Brisbane Heat as Perth Scorchers claimed a pivotal WBBL victory at Allan Border Field.After being sent in, Scorchers’ imposing total of 192 for 3 was built on Devine’s blistering 106 from 62 deliveries in her fourth WBBL century. She capitalised on ragged Heat fielding after being dropped three times. Devine batted through the innings having earlier compiled a seventh century partnership with Beth Mooney.After being left to rue such a sloppy fielding effort, Heat still maintained confidence having almost chased down 205 against Sydney Thunder in their last match.Opener Grace Harris, who is coming off a record 136 not out, loomed as the key wicket. She hit a boundary against teenaged quick Chloe Ainsworth on her fourth delivery before falling lbw next ball after being struck on the foot by an inswinging yorker that appeared to be missing the stumps.Devine in the next over continued her starring role to remove Amelia Kerr with a return catch and then almost dismissed Mignon du Preez, who was dropped by wicketkeeper Mooney in a diving, one-handed effort.Du Preez threatened to make Scorchers pay until she holed out on 22 to quick Piepa Cleary as Heat slumped to 57 for 3. It wasn’t long before Devine was back in the action with the wicket of Charli Knott and Heat never threatened despite an attractive half-century from Georgia Redmayne.The result leaves the teams locked on 5-3 records as Scorchers rebounded impressively after a last-ball home defeat to Adelaide Strikers.Nat Sciver-Brunt’s season debut against Strikers had meant a reshuffle for Scorchers’ top-order batting with Devine moving back to her customary role as an opener alongside Mooney having previously batted at four.Devine and Mooney again showed their liking for batting together, but they had to initially counter seam movement from quick Nicola Hancock in a cautious start.Hancock reverted to a short-pitched length, but the plan backfired with Devine executing the pull shot superbly to smack a couple of boundaries in the third over.She sought an aggressive approach against the spinners and used her feet with confidence. Devine unleashed brutal power in contrast to a scratchy Mooney, who wisely focused on turning the strike over.Devine decided to put the foot down after the drinks break and she lived dangerously, but was dropped by Georgia Voll at long-on off left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen.Jonassen’s frustrations grew when Devine smashed the next delivery for a boundary and she shortly after whacked another through midwicket to notch her half-century in style.Having scored the most power surge runs in the competition, Devine was unstoppable after it was taken in the 14th over as Mooney also registered her half-century with a boundary.But Mooney was dismissed on the next ball after a delivery from Hancock thumped into her pads and fell onto the stumps. Sciver-Brunt was promoted to three, but completely overshadowed by a rampaging Devine who clubbed a six off Jonassen over long-on to complete her century.Devine was run out on the last ball of the innings, but her standout performance wasn’t yet over as she led Scorchers to a crucial win.

كشفت تقارير صحفية أن نادي برشلونة يفكر في خطف صفقة أمام أنظار نظيره ليفربول، في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي المقبل 2026، لتعزيز أحد مراكز الفريق الإسباني.

وانتهت نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية في إسبانيا، يوم الإثنين الماضي، حيث لم يبرم برشلونة سوى 3 صفقات وهم: الحارس خوان جارسيا والشاب روني باردجي، إلى جانب استعارة خدمات ماركوس راشفورد.

ويعاني برشلونة في مركز قلب الدفاع، حيث رحل إينيجو مارتينيز هذا الصيف وانضم إلى النصر السعودي، وقد يغار أندرياس كريستنسن في غضون عام، حيث سينتهي عقده الحالي في 30 يونيو المقبل، ولا توجد مؤشرات حول إمكانية تلقيه عرضًا لتجديد عقده.

وذكرت صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية، نقلًا عن مصادر إنجليزية، أنه في هذا الصدد، يراقب مارك جويهي لاعب كريستال بالاس، تحسبًا لإمكانية ضمه مجانًا نهاية الموسم الحالي، بعد فشل انتقاله إلى ليفربول في لحظة دراماتيكية الإثنين الماضي.

وكان جويهي على مقربة من الانتقال إلى ليفربول في اللحظات الأخيرة من الميركاتو الصيفي، حيث خضع لفحص طبي بعد التوصل إلى اتفاق مع كريستال بالاس، ولكن الصفقة انهارت في النهاية لعدم إيجاد ناديه البديل المناسب.

اقرأ أيضًا | رسميًا.. برشلونة يعلن فسخ عقد لاعبه

وسينتهي عقد جويهي مع كريستال بالاس في صيف العام المقبل، ولا ينوي المدافع الإنجليزي التوقيع على عقد جديد، في إشارة غضب من جانبه على فشل انتقاله إلى ليفربول بسبب قرار ناديه، حسبما أكدت تقارير اليومين الماضيين.

وأوضحت الصحيفة أن برشلونة يراقب جويهي عن كثب حيث أبدى اهتمامًا بإمكانية ضمه مجانًا الصيف المقبل، رغم أن الأمر لن يكون سهلًا على الإطلاق، مع رغبة مماثلة لدي ريال مدريد في ضمه.

وقد يعود ليفربول نفسه لضم جويهي مطلع العام الجديد، في موسم الانتقالات الشتوي المقبل، إذا كانت هناك حاجة مُلحة إلى ذلك، حيث أن المسألة المالية لا تهم إدارة النادي.

ويتسم جويهي كونه قلب دفاع قوي وسريع، كما إنه جيد للغاية في المواجهات الفردية، وكان أحد أبرز نجوم بطولة يورو الأخيرة.

A decision on his place in the squad will be taken early next week

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2023Tim Southee will undergo surgery on Thursday for the thumb injury he sustained against England last week and New Zealand remain hopeful he could still be available the World Cup.Southee dislocated and fractured his right thumb attempting to take a catch at slip offered by Joe Root at Lord’s. A decision on his availability will be taken early next week.”We’ve got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim,” head coach Gary Stead said. “He’ll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play.Related

Southee fractures bone in right thumb during Lord's ODI

“Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability.”Tim’s obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign.”Southee is New Zealand’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 214 at 33.60 and has played in three previous World Cups.He was one of four specialist quicks named in New Zealand’s squad alongside Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. Kane Williamson is also part of the squad as he returns from an ACL injury although when he becomes available is still uncertainNew Zealand play two warm-up matches on September 29 against Pakistan and October 2 against South Africa.Five of the World Cup squad are currently part of the ODI series in Bangladesh while the rest will depart for India next Tuesday.