Category Uncategorized

It's been a season of real ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League this year.

New boss Ange Postecoglou led them to a seriously impressive ten-game unbeaten streak at the start of the campaign, but his side have lost four games on the bounce ahead of the match against Burnley.

Now, in the Lilywhites' defence, they have come up against Newcastle United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool in those games.

However, there will be no excuse if they drop more points at home to the Clarets, especially with Champions League qualification still a faint possibility.

With that in mind, the former Celtic boss is likely to alter his team somewhat in order to help them rediscover their winning ways, and so here are the four changes he could make from the side that lost at Anfield on Sunday.

1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario

The first name on the teamsheet and the man between the sticks will come as no surprise, as summer signing Guglielmo Vicario has generally been great this year, and he's started 100% of league games thus far.

Being outmuscled by opposing players on set-pieces is still a concern, but the Italian's shot-stopping has been good enough to negate that drawback, and six clean sheets in his first campaign isn't too bad either.

2 RB – Pedro Porro

Keeping his place on the right of the back four is 24-year-old Spaniard Pedro Porro.

The three-capped international has started 91% of league games this season, and in his 32 appearances thus far, he's scored one goal and provided seven assists.

3 CB – Cristian Romero

Starting alongside the Spaniard will be World Cup winner and fan favourite Cristian Romero.

The Argentinian centre-back is often described as reckless, but his immense passion is what helps to set him apart from other players, and aside from a few moments here and there, he's been relatively reliable this season, picking up just six yellow cards and one red in 31 games.

Moreover, he's looked to be more of a goal threat in recent games and probably should have had more than one against Arsenal a couple of weeks ago.

4 CB – Micky van de Ven

His defensive partner, Micky van de Ven, will be alongside Romero.

Despite arriving from Wolfsburg in the summer as a relative unknown to most Premier League fans, the Dutch centre-back has quickly built a reputation for himself as one of the best in the division, in no small part thanks to his seriously rapid pace.

The 23-year-old officially became the quickest player in Premier League history in February when he registered a top speed of 37.38 km/h against Brentford.

5 LB – Oliver Skipp

Now, the fans probably won't be thrilled with this one, but given the lack of genuine options, bar continuing with Emerson Royal, Oliver Skipp may have to be the makeshift solution at left-back, having replaced the Brazilian on the hour mark last time out.

Postecoglou has hinted that could now be a more permanent change, having admitted that Emerson is "not really a left-back" – something which has been seen amid a torrid spell in recent weeks for the former Barcelona man, earning a 3/10 for his shocking display against Liverpool and a 4/10 for his showing against Chelsea.

It's far from ideal, but it's hard to see Skipp doing much worse?

6 CM – Yves Bissouma

The first midfielder in the team is Yves Bissouma, who, in spite of his lacklustre form this year, keeps his place in the starting lineup.

The former Brighton & Hove Albion star has undoubtedly been disappointing this season, but against Liverpool, he wasn't the worst central midfielder, and if Postecoglou wants to get the Mali international back to his best, he's going to have to play games.

7 CM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

The second change to the team – after Skipp's introduction – comes in central midfield.

After a poor showing from Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur on Sunday, for which they both received 5/10 ratings from football.london's Rob Guest, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg should start.

The Dane might not be the most exciting player, but he can help add a bit more stability to the base of the Lilywhite's midfield.

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 10% of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues for interceptions and clearances per 90, which will be necessary considering the player starting ahead of him on the pitch.

8 AM – James Maddison

The third change to the team sees James Maddison come in to start as the most attacking of Spurs' three midfielders.

The Englishman hasn't been in the best of form since his return from injury, scoring just once and providing two assists in 15 games, but when he came off the bench on Sunday, he looked lively.

He took three shots – one of which was blocked – completed two long balls and produced an expected goals figure of 0.20 in just 29 minutes.

Moreover, it's similar to the Bissouma situation: If Postecoglou wants to get the best out of the "incredible" ace, as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he's going to have to play him more often, and a game against relegation-threatened Burnley might be the perfect opportunity to start him.

9 RW – Brennan Johnson

There is another change on the right, as Brennan Johnson comes over from the left wing to take Dejan Kulusevski's place.

The Swedish international is an incredibly talented winger, but he didn't show that against Liverpool, putting in a 4/10 display in which he failed to take even a single shot and produced a shockingly low expected assists figure of just 0.01.

Meanwhile, Johnson managed to nab himself an assist, and while he wasn't miles better, his move to the right allows Ange to make another change in the attack.

10 ST – Richarlison

The fourth and final personnel change comes at the sharp end of the pitch, as Richarlison comes into the side and starts as the number nine.

The "fantastic" Brazilian, as described by Postecoglou, has had something of an underrated season this year, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists in 1737 minutes of first-team football, meaning he is averaging a goal involvement every 108 minutes.

He might not be a world-class striker, but he's proven this season that, when given the chance, he can be deadly.

A prominent Barcelona player has reportedly terminated his contract with Hansi Flick's side ahead of moving to Al-Nassr.

• Defender stars for Barcelona
• Barca ace terminates contract
• Set for shock Al-Nassr transfer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After journalist Matteo Moretto reported that Inigo Martinez is close to leaving Barcelona and that Al-Nassr were in talks to sign him, Fabrizio Romano states that the Saudi Pro League team have agreed to sign the centre-back. He adds that the 34-year-old will terminate his Blaugrana contract with immediate effect and join as a free agent.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Spain international has been an important player for Barcelona since signing from Athletic Bilbao in 2023. He has played 71 times for the club, 46 of which came last season as the veteran was a regular in Flick's team. But now, he is off to link up with Portugal icon Cristiano Ronaldo in a lucrative move.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Romano adds that Martinez will sign a deal until the summer of 2026, and there is an option to extend a further 12 months. Reports suggest that he will join for nearly €8 million and will say goodbye to his Barcelona team-mates this week.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  The former Real Sociedad star, who helped Barcelona win a La Liga and Copa del Rey double last season, could make his Al-Nassr debut in their Saudi Super Cup semi-final against Al-Ittihad on August 19. 

Tottenham scouts have been working overtime as they look to add quality to Ange Postecoglou's squad, and were spotted keeping a keen eye on a free-scoring striker ahead of the summer.

Spurs need depth in summer window

With their Premier League season threatening to fizzle out after a bright start, attentions have turned even more to the surgery required in north London this summer.

They made a good start to proceedings in Ange Postecoglou's first two transfer windows in charge, signing Gianluca Vicario, James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Manor Solomon and Brennan Johnson to bolster their ranks in the summer before signing Radu Dragusin from Genoa and Timo Werner on loan in January.

Spurs leading race for "extraordinary" defender available for just £21m

He could be the perfect new addition in north London.

ByBen Browning Apr 29, 2024

They also confirmed permanent deals for Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski, taking their season spend over £200m. There is still plenty of work to do though, with plenty of squad players expected to leave this summer.

A new attacker is a must, though it remains to be seen whether Werner's loan move is made permanent. Though Heung Min-Son remains clinical, there is certainly a vacant spot at no.9 in north London should the right man become available, which has seen Spurs linked with Ivan Toney already this season.

Cover is also required at left back, with Ben Davies likely to leave in the summer and no obvious alternative to young defender Destiny Udogie. The same can be said at right back, with Emerson Royal's future again unclear.

Another key area is in midfield; Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg started the north London derby but has fallen out of favour with Postecoglou, while Oliver Skipp is clearly surplus to requirements.

Tottenham's current midfield options

Player

Premier League starts

Yves Bissouma

23

Pape Sarr

22

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

7

Rodrigo Bentancur

10

Oliver Skipp

4

With that in mind, Tottenham's scouts have been keeping a close eye on one player in particular.

Spurs scout Gyokeres and teammate

Now, reports from Portugual [via Sport Witness] detail that Spurs had a representative at Sporting CP's most recent clash with Porto on Sunday, in order to keep an eye on two targets.

It is claimed that one of the players that Spurs were among the interested parties for is red hot striker Viktor Gyokeres, who helped his side fight back from 2-0 down with his 39th and 40th goals of the season.

The Swede only joined Sporting from Coventry City 12 months ago, but is already set to be on the move this summer and has an £86m release clause in his contract in Lisbon.

But he wasn't the only one Spurs were keeping an eye on, with previous reports having linked them with a move for midfielder Morten Hjulmand. In fact, this latest update even suggests the Lilywhites were there more so for the tough tackling midfielder than his free-scoring teammate.

Were they true, they would have been impressed with what they saw, as the 24-year-old turned in a top performance, wining six tackles, making eight recoveries and maintaining an 88% pass accuracy in the Sporting engine room.

On just £33k per week at Sporting, there is no indication of any release clause in his deal, but he is valued at 30m euros by transfer site Transfermarkt. Could the Dane come in as an upgrade on compatriot Hojbjerg this summer?

Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) appear to be at an impasse, with the former continuing to deny the latter unrestricted access to the forensic report which it used to fire former CEO Thabang Moroe. SASCOC, who last week instructed CSA’s Board and executive to stand down while it appoints a task team to investigate the cricket board’s affairs, has indicated it will take further action against CSA if the full report is not made available to them.SASCOC is not at liberty to disclose what that may entail just yet. However, according to SASCOC’s constitution, it can compel its members to comply with its instructions, which suggests it may meet CSA in court if needs be.ALSO READ: No clarity on task team details after CSA-SASCOC meetingIn a joint press conference held on Thursday morning, both CSA and SASCOC said they are willing to engage with the other but neither appeared willing to move from its position. CSA maintains that they have received legal advice that it is “not in our best interests,” to release the full report, according to Members’ Council member Anne Vilas while SASCOC acting president Aleck Skhosana called it “irrational and unreasonable,” of CSA to deny SASCOC access to the report. Skhosana also said SASCOC’s task team will not be appointed until CSA presents SASCOC with the full report, which effectively means, the status quo remains. Kugandrie Govender is continuing to work as CSA Acting CEO, with her full complement of staff, and the CSA Board are still in place, despite calls from the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) and sponsors for the board to step down.The forensic report, which has proved to be a sticking point for much of CSA’s troubles, was made available to the Members’ Council – the 14 provincial presidents who make up the highest decision-making authority in the organisation – last weekend, subject to them signing a non-disclosure agreement (NDA). The report contained 20 findings, according to John Mogodi, president of Limpopo Impala Cricket, and contained names of those who are implicated in wrongdoing, according to Vilas. Exactly what the misconduct is or who has committed it cannot be revealed at this stage “at the risk of compromising future litigation”, Beresford Williams, CSA’s Acting President, said. CSA has offered SASCOC the full report provided they, too, sign an NDA. However, SASCOC has refused to do so.Instead, SASCOC will wait for CSA to provide them will the full report but have not set a deadline for how long they will give CSA before taking further steps. So far, SASCOC and CSA have met three times and Skhosana indicated SASCOC will give CSA a wide berth. He said “there is no need to read them the riot act,” because CSA has indicated a “willingness to engage.”SASCOC has the right to intervene in CSA according to South African law, which created SASCOC as the umbrella body under which all sporting federations operate. SASCOC regards itself as independent of the government and has written to the ICC explaining such. Skhosana reiterated that on Thursday when he said SASOC’s involvement is “not an attempt to place cricket under administration”, and that CSA remains, “the custodians of the game”. SASCOC intends for the task team to be independent and to “seek the authority” of CSA’s Member’s Council and for CSA’s board and staff to assist the task team, even as they are temporarily removed from day-to-day work.However, that is also a bone of contention between CSA and SASCOC because CSA has decided “the board and executive will not step aside,” according to Mogodi while SASCOC has insisted that must happen, on full pay, while the task team completes its work. Further, CSA’s Members’ Council believes SASCOC should foot the bill of the task team but SASCOC, who are cash-strapped, is seeking other solutions. The details around the task team remain moot until they are appointed, which will not be done until the forensic report is made available because SASCOC wants to appoint a task team with the relevant “critical skills,” to apply their minds to the report. The task team will then make recommendations that CSA will be expected to implement.For now, this means cricket administration in South Africa remains in limbo. According to CSA’s constitution, the organisation must hold an AGM within 15 months of the previous one, which was held in September 2019. That gives CSA until December to hold its AGM. At that meeting, CSA is due to elect a new president and new board members, as they seek to come of administrative crisis.

Liverpool star Darwin Nunez has been handed a lengthy ban by CONMEBOL for a brawl in the Copa America, and Luis Suarez has now offered him key advice.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Nunez banned for five Uruguay games
• Suarez offers advice for the striker
• Nunez will miss Suarez's final Uruguay match

• Twitter
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Following Uruguay's semi-final defeat to Colombia at this summer’s Copa America, Nunez and several La Celeste stars flocked into the stands to protect their families from Colombian hooligans. A fight broke out in the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and police had to step in to bring the brawl to an end.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Nunez was one of the key players in the brawl, and earlier this week CONMEBOL announced punishments for the players with the Liverpool star banned for five games with Marcelo Bielsa's side. Suarez is no stranger to controversy and lengthy bans, and the Uruguayan legend has offered advice to Nunez as he serves his suspension.

• AFP
  

  WHAT SUAREZ SAID

  Speaking to the media, Suarez said: "I already spoke with Darwin when he was sanctioned in England. Sometimes people enjoy it more when you are on the ground and fall, but people feel more pain when you get back up.

  "And that is what he has to do: get up and continue to show the kind of player he is. That is where you see the great players and the mental strength he has to have to show those people that they like to see him on the ground."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT FOR NUNEZ?

  Suarez announced his retirement from the international game earlier this week, and Nunez will miss out on the former Barcelona star's final Uruguay match. Suarez also talked about the same as he said: “It is not an easy moment that they must be going through, these are complicated moments. I have spoken with some of them and unfortunately, they cannot be here, for something so important for me.

  "I've been with all of them for many years in the national team and I would have liked them to be here on Friday, but that's football and they've sent me their messages, and they know that it's a difficult time for me to make that decision.”

أعلن ستيفانو بيولي، المدير الفني لنادي النصر، تشكيل الفريق الأساسي لمواجهة الاتفاق بعد قليل، في الدوري السعودي للمحترفين.

ويحل نادي النصر، ضيفًا على ملعب الاتفاق، في اللقاء المقام على ملعب الأخير، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من مسابقة الدوري السعودي للمحترفين.

طالع أيضًا.. بيولي يرد على مخاوف جماهير النصر السعودي ويؤكد: فضلت عرضهم على الجميع

ويظهر بيولي، للمرة الأولى مع النصر بعد توليه المسئولية الفنية خلفًا للبرتغالي لويس كاسترو، وذلك بعد التعادل مع الشرطة العراقي في دوري أبطال آسيا.

ويحتل الاتفاق المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري السعودي، برصيد 9 نقاط، بينما يتواجد النصر بالمركز الخامس ولديه 5 نقاط. تشكيل النصر اليوم أمام الاتفاق في الدوري السعودي

حراسة المرمى: بينتو ماتيوس.

الدفاع: سلطان الغنام – محمد سيماكان – إيميريك لابورت – سالم النجدي.

الوسط: عبد الله الخبيري – أوتافيو – أندرسون تاليسكا.

الهجوم: كريستيانو رونالدو – ساديو ماني – أنجيلو جابرييل.

Vitor Roque has left Barcelona on loan for the duration of the 2024-25 campaign as he seeks a La Liga reset after struggling to make an impact.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Roque & Lenglet leave Barcelona
• Loans to Real Betis & Atletico Madrid
• Olmo still not registered to play

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Roque will spend the 2024-25 season with Real Betis, who also have the option to a second year and a permanent transfer. Barcelona first announced the deal, while Betis initially teased it with a comical nod to cult fictional Brazilian striker Castolo from the Pro Evolution Soccer video games.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Roque will hope the move to a less pressurised environment, where he can also learn from veteran players like Isco, Nabil Fekir and Marc Bartra, as well revered coach Manuel Pellegrini, will allow him to find his feet in Spanish football. The 19-year-old cost Barcelona an initial €30 million (£25.4m/$33.6m) as the Catalans looked to respond to Real Madrid's pre-arranged capture of Endrick. But Roque struggled to establish himself, afforded just 353 minutes of game time across 16 appearances. He was then omitted from this season's first-team squad and saw his shirt number stripped away and handed to Lamine Yamal.

• Getty
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Shortly after confirming Roque's loan, Barcelona also announced Clement Lenglet's one-year loan to La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, without an option for a permanent transfer. The French defender hasn't played a competitive game for the club since 2022 after successive loans at Tottenham and Aston Villa.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  Barcelona fans will hope the combined exits of Ilkay Gundogan, Roque and Lenglet finally allow the club to register €60m (£50.8m/$67.1m) summer signing Dani Olmo. The Euro 2024 star has missed two La Liga games so far because of the financial shortcomings.

South Africa pacer eager to regain form and fitness ahead of the England series with help from Mark Boucher

Firdose Moonda12-Nov-2019Lungi Ngidi has been set three tasks during this year’s Mzansi Super League (MSL): to hone his craft, so he is able to win more games for the team; to keep his bowling loads up, so he is ready for the Test summer ahead; and to make sure he stays fit for the season after a history of injuries. He knows that the last of those will be the most difficult for him to control.”You can tell yourself that [you will stay fit] but you never know what’s going to happen to the field. You never know that you are going to tear a hamstring until it happens,” Ngidi said ahead of the Tshwane Spartans match against Nelson Mandela Bay Giants in Centurion. “You always want to finish the season unscathed, but I will just take it one game at a time and see what happens from there.”Ngidi’s most recent niggle was a hamstring strain, which forced him to withdraw mid-match in South Africa’s defeat to Bangladesh at the World Cup and miss the next three games. He recovered in time to play two more, but was only deemed match fit for the Tests against India by late October, for South Africa’s final fixture on a forgettable tour.Before that, Ngidi had a side strain that kept him out of the 2019 IPL, a knee injury in Australia in late 2018, which sidelined him for three months, a hip injury in early 2017, which kept out of a tour to New Zealand, and an abdominal injury which forced him out of five ODIs against Sri Lanka.His fitness concerns stem from a combination of bad luck and the inevitable consequence of trying to manage a big frame while bowling quick. But, as Ngidi matures, he is getting to know himself and understand his own body a little more.”It’s not a perfect science,” he said. “As a young bowler, I am still trying to find the best way to make sure I am 100% ready for every game. Over the years that has changed. Different trainers have different opinions for to you try different things. I am trying to settle into a groove now, and I feel it’s coming a lot better than over the past couple of years.”Having played in the South African set-up in the Russell Domingo, Ottis Gibson and Enoch Nkwe eras has meant Ngidi has rubbed shoulders with different coaches. While that may have broadened his perspective, it’s also meant he has not had the consistency of a mentor – something Ngidi hopes will change.”Every player would love to have something like that but it’s not happening at the moment,” he said. “There’s not much you can do about it as a player and until someone is appointed, you’ve got to work with whoever is there at the time. It is nice as a player to work with a coach for a long period of time.”The proof is the domestic set-up, where Ngidi has worked with Titans and Spartans’ coach Mark Boucher since the former wicketkeeper-batsman joined the franchise. “For example,” Ngidi said, “Boucher and I have worked together since I played for the Proteas and I feel he is one of the guys that understands me as a player. He may not be a bowling coach, but he knows what gets me ticking mentally. And that’s very comforting for me because I know where to go if I am struggling.”AFP

Though not struggling at the moment, Ngidi is at that point in his career where he needs to make the step up. This is his third international season, so the early excitement and the second-season blues are both over. In the shortest format, his 50 T20 caps are likely enough to see him considered a senior and at the Spartans, that’s what Boucher wants him to be. Ngidi has been instructed to become more resourceful and work on his skills in this competition, something he is taking seriously. “I was told to find a way in whatever situation I am in. I take 100% of that responsibility,” he said.At the same time, he knows he needs to look ahead, to the four Tests against England, which are the marquee matches of this home summer. Ngidi has only played five Tests but is expected to be a big part of the England series and understands he needs to have form and fitness on his side when the series starts.”As a cricketer, I know what’s coming up in the calendar and it would be reckless and irresponsible of me to disregard that. While training for T20, you’ve got to make sure your bowling loads are still up for four-day cricket and you do not neglect those skills,” he said. “As much as this is the T20 tournament, there’s obviously a bigger picture in terms of the English team coming to play us on South African soil which is a must-win for us. In no way do we disregard those skills in a T20 tournament.”It may be unfair to judge Ngidi on the evidence of the India series, where he played one match and went wicketless, but it’s the most recent data we have. And going by that, Ngidi has to work on his control and his lengths, which he seems ready to start fine-tuning, especially for when he plays on unhelpful surfaces in future.”Personally, it was disappointing to not get as many games as I wanted to play and to not perform the way I wanted to in the one Test that I did play. For me, that’s just a learning curve; Indian conditions are different,” Ngidi said. “Out of the four Test series I’ve played, two of them have been in the subcontinent, so it’s not exactly easy as a fast bowler but you’ve got to find a way and that’s what I am doing. Hopefully, next time I go there, I will be a lot better.”

تقدم فريق ريال مدريد بهدف أول أمام ضيفه بلد الوليد، خلال المباراة بين الفريقين بمنافسات الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2024-2025.

ويستقبل ريال مدريد نظيره بلد الوليد، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”، ضمن مباريات الجولة الثانية للدوري الإسباني.

وأحرز فيدي فالفيردي هدف التقدم لصالح فريقه ريال مدريد في الدقيقة 50 من عمر المباراة.

الهدف جاء بعد تسديدة من فالفيردي من ركلة حرة من على مشارف منطقة الجزاء لتسكن الشباك يسار حارس مرمى بلد الوليد.

ويمكنك مطالعة أحداث مباراة ريال مدريد وبلد الوليد لحظة بلحظة بالفيديو من خلال الرابط. هدف فالفيردي في مباراة ريال مدريد وبلد الوليد

Somerset fight back after disastrous morning as Keshav Maharaj claims another five-for against them

Paul Edwards at Taunton10-Sep-2019
It is all too easy for folk in the West Country to fall in love with Somerset cricket and all too tempting at times to think their heroes have spurned such devotion. It is not so, of course; the players share that love, but as Yorkshire’s bowlers took six wickets for 85 runs and seamers’ cloud gave way to batsmen’s sunlight on this first morning many spectators at the County Ground feared this would be another September in which their hopes of a first title would founder.They may yet do so, of course. Yorkshire are only 129 runs behind the home team’s 199 and still have seven wickets in hand. But the day finished rather more evenly poised than had seemed likely when Somerset were in their lunchtime doldrums. Moreover, supporters have enjoyed unforgettable occasions at Taunton in recent years and few are more clearly printed on the mind than the morning four years ago to the day when Tom Abell reached his maiden first-class century. So perhaps it was fitting that it should be Abell, now Somerset’s captain, who rescued his team against Yorkshire with a patient innings of 66 which revealed all the nous the young skipper has picked up during four years in which his own resources, both mental and physical, have been tested to their limit.On a pitch offering slow turn and help to seamers who adhered to their disciplines, Abell eschewed the rashness which brought the downfall of Steve Davies, who was caught at point off Steve Patterson for 11 in the ninth over of the day. He also exhibited little of the technical looseness which caused James Hildreth to be bowled through the gate for a single by Duanne Olivier. Instead, he played late and watchfully, rarely driving through the V, wisely preferring to wait for the balls that were either too short or too wide.Somerset needed Abell’s vigilance. This is a game the home side may need to win if they are to sustain their dreams of the title. It is certainly a match Yorkshire must win if their own slender chances are to be anything more than arithmetical. So imagine the glee with which Abell and his players greeted the news that slow left-armer Keshav Maharaj would be available for this game. It may be compared to the joy likely to be felt by Andrea Leadsom were she to be told that John Bercow was dropping round for a cuppa and a chinwag. Maharaj, you see, took eleven wickets when playing for Lancashire in the tied match at Taunton last year; he then took another ten for Yorkshire in their innings victory over Somerset in July. And on this first day, he remained true to form by picking up another five, thus taking his total against Abell’s team to 26 in five innings at an average of 10.88.After the seamers had taken the first four wickets Maharaj was summoned to bowl at the River End ten minutes before lunch. His first wicket was something of a charity donation when George Bartlett decided it would be a good wheeze to reverse sweep the second ball after lunch. He duly edged a catch to Adam Lyth at slip. Young cricketers perceive reverse sweeps and scoops very differently to the old pro’s. They are part of their stock in trade. But it is still fair to ask whether the risk against reward equation worked in Bartlett’s favour on this occasion.In truth, Abell had little help until Jamie Overton joined him in a 51-run stand for the ninth wicket. Six of the first eight batsmen dismissed by Yorkshire’s bowlers reached double figures but none could manage more than the 15 notched by Dom Bess before he carelessly drove Maharaj to Tim Bresnan at short cover in the same over in which he had hit two fine fours. Bess was the seventh batsman dismissed but the fourth to be complicit in his departure. Overton, on the other hand, selected the ball to hit and celebrated the award of his county cap, after 153 games in all formats if you please, by clumping six fours in an unbeaten 40. Maharaj, of course, had the last word, removing both Abell and Josh Davey leg before wicket in the space of three balls to leave Somerset one run short of a batting point.Yorkshire began their innings as if intent on taking a first-innings lead this evening. Lyth hooked and pulled Davey for two sixes in the same over, thus taking him past 10,000 first-class runs for Yorkshire. But both he and Will Fraine were caught behind in the first six overs and after Gary Ballance had accumulated 35 runs in a little less than an hour, Dom Bess had Yorkshire’s top scorer leg before wicket ten balls before the close. We are thus set for a close contest, although no one is betting it will last into a fourth day.