ألونسو ردًا على سؤال بشأن هجوم ريال مدريد: سأقع في مشكلة.. ولن أبالغ مع فينيسيوس

أكد تشابي ألونسو، مدرب نادي ريال مدريد، على قوة ليفانتي، قبل مواجهة الفريقين يوم غدًا الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة السادسة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني للدرجة الأولى.

ريال مدريد يسعى إلى تحقيق الفوز على ليفانتي، من أجل مواصلة تصدره لبطولة الدوري الإسباني والاستمرار في الانتصارات.

ويتصدر ريال مدريد الدوري الإٍسباني برصيد 15 نقطة وبالعلامة الكاملة من 5 انتصارات.

اقرأ أيضًا .. فالدانو يحذر فينيسيوس: عليك إقناع ألونسو.. وما تفعله عدم احترام

وبدأ ألونسو مؤتمره الصحفي في لقاء اليوم والذي نقلته صحيفة “آس” بالحديث عن لقاء ليفانتي، حيث قال: ”أي مباراة خارج ملعبنا ليست سهلة وليفانتي خصم شرس ولديهم مدرب مميز، غدًا علينا القيام بالكثير من الأمور بشكل جيد وأن نلعب بجودة عالية وإيقاع متسارع وتركيز عال”.

وعن الكرة الذهبية وما إذا سيكون هناك مفاجأة بعدم فوز نجم باريس سان جيرمان، عثمان ديمبلي، بالكرة الذهبية، أجاب ألونسو: ”الأمر ليس من شأني، لست جزءًا من لجنة التحكيم الخاصة بالجائزة ولم أفكر كثيرًا في هذا الأمر، أفكر فقط في ليفانتي”.

وأضاف: ”نحن أفضل ونتحسن لكننا ما زلنا في مرحلة البناء، في المباراة الماضية لعبنا بشكل جاد وفعال وهذا يخبرنا بالأشياء الجيدة التي نقوم بها، لم نكن هناك في هذا المستوى إلا لفترة قصيرة، ويجب أن يكون لدينا طموح للمزيد، نحن متعطشون ونريد الحصول على الكثير من النقاط ولهذا يجب أن نفوز بالعديد من المباريات”.

وأوضح عن اعتراض بعض اللاعبين على تغييرهم في المباريات: ”كنت لاعبًا وعندما كان يتم استبدالي لم أكن سعيدًا، لقد تعاملت مع الأمر بشكل طبيعي ولا أبالغ في هذا”.

وعن تألق ألفارو كاريراس مع ريال مدريد، أردف ألونسو: ”كان متفائلاً، لكن شخصيته وروحه التنافسية فاجأتني بشكل سار، يرتكب أخطاء قليلة جدًا ويتمتع بعقلية رائعة، من المذهل مدى تأثيره الفوري ولدينا أيضًا فران جارسيا وديفيد ألابا وفيرلاند ميندي في هذا المركز، لكن أداء كاريراس ممتاز”.

وعن فينيسيوس جونيور وغضب الأخير من استبداله ضد إسبانيول تابع تشابي: ”في اليوم الذي خلف مباراة إسبانيول، كان جميع اللاعبين سعداء بالفوز وهذا ما نحتاجه، أن نكون فريقًا جماعيًأ، الجميع يفهم الدور الذي نريده للفريق والذي علينا أن نضيفه”.

واستمر ألونسو في الحديث عن فينيسيوس، حيث واصل: ”أنا سعيد بما يقدمه فينيسيوس وما زلنا في البداية، لا يزال هناك الكثير مما يجب تقديمه ويجب أن أشعر بأهميته”.

وفتح ألونسو الباب أمام مشاركة جود بيلينجهام وإدواردو كامافينجا بشكل أساسي، غدًا، حيث قال: ”نعم، يمكنهما المشاركة غدًا وتدربا بشكل أكبر مع الفريق”.

وأضاف: ”النتائج تعزز الثقة بالنفس عندما نفوز خارج أرضنا، لكن لا توجد أسرار، أن يكون الفريق متحدًا ويجب أن يلعب الجميع بروح جماعية ليستفيد الفريق”.

وأوضح عن ثلاثي خط الهجوم المفضل له في ريال مدريد: ”هذا سؤال معقد سيوقعني في مشكلة، أنا سعيد ونحن بحاجة للجميع، يجب أن نتطور في بعض الجوانب، هذا واضح لكن هناك قاعدة تبنى وأسلوب يوضع وسيكون الفريق قويًا لبقية الموسم، كان بإمكان البعض تسجيل المزيد من الأهداف والبعض الآخر ينتظر الهدف الأول. لكن الجميع يتطلع إلى ذلك”.

وعن صعوبة خلق الفرص ضد إسبانيول على الرغم من الاستحواذ أجاب ألونسو: ”في المباراة السابقة، واجهنا صعوبة في إيجاد المزيد من الحلول في الثلث الأخير، لكننا تحدثنا محاولين تصحيح ما يمكننا فعله، يجب الاستعداد لجميع مراحل المباراة، البيانات تبقى بيانات لكن تفسيرها قد يختلف”.

وعن ما يتوقعه ألونسو من كامافينجا أردف: ”أنا متفائل بعض الشيء بشأنه لأنه لم ينضم للفريق إلا منذ فترة قصيرة، أعرفه من خلال رؤيته ومن طريقة قراءته للمباريات، لديه إمكانات هائلة وموهبة كبيرة وهناك مكان له في مشروعي، لديه الرغبة”.

وعن عدم استبعاد كاريراس وأوريلين تشواميني من تشكيلة ريال مدريد الأساسية ومشاركتهم في جميع المباريات اختتم ألونسو: ”إنهم مهمون ولم نلعب سوى ست مباريات، لكل شيء وقته وسيدخلون في قائمة المداورة، لا تسألني متى لكنهم سيرتاحون، حتى الآن كانت فترة قصيرة منذ بداية الموسم، وسنرى مع مرور الوقت”.

'One hell of a way to start' – Lyon praises England's young spinners

Nathan Lyon was impressed with how England’s inexperienced spinners acquitted themselves in India, even though the visitors lost 4-1 having won the opening Test, as he prepares to join forces with one of them, Tom Hartley, for a county season with Lancashire.In two of the five Tests England fielded Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed as a spin trio. Hartley played the whole series and finished with 22 wickets at 36.13 after stunning with 7 for 62 on debut in Hyderabad. Bashir appeared four times after a delayed arrival due to visa issues and claimed 17 wickets at 33.35 including a maiden five-wicket haul in Dharamsala.How much Hartley and Lyon play together in the early rounds of the County Championship remains to be seen, but the England spinner has already joked Lyon will be “fed up of me” by the end of the season.Lyon, who said he was “absolutely glued” to the India-England series, also believes Bashir could have “something special” and has the potential to be successful in Australia.Nathan Lyon will team up with Tom Hartley at Lancashire•Getty Images

“All three of them to be honest with you,” Lyon said on the podcast when asked who stood out for him. “And I’m not just saying that to be kind. They had a pretty hard introduction into Test cricket. That’s one hell of a way to start your Test career, come over and bowl to Rohit [Sharma] and [Shubman] Gill and everyone else.”But I’m looking forward to getting over to Lancashire and meeting Tom [Hartley] and bowling with him and just having discussions about left-arm [orthodox], right-arm offies is a pretty similar craft. It’s going to be interesting to see the mindset, his reflections. I’m looking forward to hopefully playing a bit with him over there as well which will be good.Related

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“Bashir looked like he had something special as well. I like that he went over the back of it [the ball], so he could be a threat down here for sure.”The next Ashes series will take place in the 2025-26 season in Australia with England trying to build a side that can win down under for the first time since 2010-11 and only the second since 1986-87.From Australia’s point of view, there is debate starting about how much turnover there will be on the Test side following David Warner’s retirement earlier this year and the fact Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne were the only players under 30 during the recent series in New Zealand.Nathan Lyon is confident the current Australia Test side can reach the next Ashes•AFP/Getty Images

Most conjecture tends to surround Steven Smith who is non-committal on his future whenever asked, but Lyon does not foresee any further departures from the Test group in the next 12 months and is confident everyone can reach the Ashes.”We’re definitely getting closer to the end than the start,” Lyon said. “But I think also where we are in our careers is that we’ve done the hard work when we’re continuing to do the hard work in our preparation, our recovery, our rehab. There’s no reason why we can’t keep playing on for three to four or five years.”The only thing going to stop blokes is potential injuries and how the body holds up. The skill is always going to be there. The guys have played long enough now and they know what to do and how they go about it. And another thing is that, especially within the bowlers, under Pat [Cummins], Pat gets it as well. He understands when the bowlers are cooked…he understands the importance of managing [our] bowlers pretty well.”

Why the summer transfer window will close for six days and re-open again

Premier League clubs have recently voted to open the summer transfer window early later this year – and it’s all because of Manchester City and Chelsea.

Due to the expanded FIFA Club World Cup, which features the winners of the 2023 and 2021 Champions Leagues, the game’s world governing body had given leagues involved the option to open their summer transfer window for 10 days.

This will allow clubs participating in the tournament to do some business before the tournament starts on 14th June.

FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Qualified teams, format, venues & how to watch

The FIFA Club World Cup takes place this summer, with plenty of teams set to head to the United States in July 2025.

By
Ross Kilvington

Oct 30, 2024

Why the transfer window will close for six days in the summer

At a meeting in central London, Premier League clubs have voted for an early start to the window on Sunday 1st June, before closing again on Tuesday 10th June.

It will then reopen on Monday 16th June ahead of the summer transfer deadline on Monday 1st September. But why does the window have to close?

FIFA transfer windows can only be open for a maximum of 89 days, meaning the window must close briefly so that the deadline can remain in line with the rest of Europe.

If the Premier League’s window was to close earlier, it could leave clubs at a disadvantage as they would be able to sell players without the prospect of replacing them.

Manchester City and Chelsea are taking part in the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup, which takes place in the United States between 14th June and 13th July.

UEFA has 12 slots available, and are made up of the last four Champions League winners, as well as the best-ranked teams over the last four years as per UEFA’s team ranking.

South America’s CONMEBOL has six teams, while all the other confederations have four teams each, except for Oceania’s OFC, who are represented by New Zealand’s Auckland City. Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami were invited as ‘hosts’.

The format is similar to a World Cup, with the top two in each group advancing to the knockout stages.

Every English club to play at the Club World Cup

Chelsea and Man City are preparing to head to the United States in the summer.

1

By
Brett Worthington

Dec 6, 2024

Fluminense deve lucrar com provável venda de João Pedro; saiba o valor

MatériaMais Notícias

da apostebet: O Fluminense pode ter uma receita inesperada em breve. De acordo com o jornalista italiano Fabrizio Romano, o atacante João Pedro, de 21 anos e atualmente no Watford (ING), vai ser negociado com o Brighton (ING). Os valores giram em torno de 30 milhões de libras (R$ 188 milhões). Deste valor, o Tricolor tem direito a cerca de R$ 13 milhões, que podem ter descontos.

+Fortaleza x Fluminense: onde assistir, horário e escalações do jogo do Brasileirão

A venda do “Moleque de Xerém” foi em torno de 11,5 milhões de euros, parcelados até 2023. O LANCE! apurou em 2022 que o Fluminense ainda tem direito a 5% de mais-valia(diferença entre o valor que foi vendido ao Watford e o que os ingleses receberão na revenda). Porém,dentro desse valor existem alguns descontos e, portanto, ainda não é possível precisar a porcentagem exata. Além disso, são mais 3,5% referentes ao mecanismo de solidariedade da Fifa que entram em parcelas de acordo com o contrato.

+ Veja a tabela do Brasileirão

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da esoccer bet
João Pedro foi vendido ao Watford ainda na gestão de Pedro Abad, em 2018, mas Mário Bittencourt conseguiu renegociar a transação, aumentando o valor total recebido pelo Fluminense. Em contrapartida, o limite de pagamento foi prorrogado até este ano.

+É na terça! Veja os times e regras para o sorteio das oitavas da Copa do Brasil 2023

Uma das maiores promessas da base tricolor, João Pedro atuou em apenas 37 partidas com a camisa do Fluminense. O atacante marcou dez gols e deu duas assistências no curto período.

100% duels lost: Spurs flop is in danger of becoming Jack Clarke 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur were beaten for the 17th time in the Premier League this season when they lost 4-2 to relegation-threatened Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday.

Despite Wolves having battled against the drop throughout the 2024/25 campaign, Vitor Pereira’s side are now just two points behind Spurs, who are sat in 15th place in the division.

Player ratings courtesy of Sofascore

There is no escape from the fact that it has been a failure of a season for Ange Postecoglou in the Premier League, as his team are 17 points adrift of the top seven and European qualification, whilst they are only 16 points ahead of Ipswich Town in the last relegation spot.

Spurs are still in the Europa League, and face Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday, but there will be no domestic success for Tottenham before the end of the campaign.

Tottenham do have a clutch of very young players who are learning on the job, and Postecoglou may point to that as one of the factors behind their underperformance, but there is no guarantee that they will fulfill their potential.

There have been talented young prospects in North London in the past who have not gone on to live up to the hype, including electric winger Jack Clarke.

Why Jack Clarke failed at Spurs

Back in the summer of 2019, Tottenham swooped to sign the 18-year-old forward from Championship side Leeds United for a reported fee of £10m.

He had just made 25 appearances in the first-team for Marcelo Bielsa as the Whites reached the play-off semi-finals, only to lose to Derby County, and Spurs clearly saw him as a high-potential talent who could be a future star for the club, hence why they were willing to spend £10m on his services.

Clarke, as you can see in the graphic above, went on to make a further three appearances for Leeds on loan in the 2019/20 campaign, before playing six times in the Championship for QPR in the second half of that season.

At the start of the 2020/21 season, the English whiz was given a few opportunities to showcase his quality in the first-team for Spurs, with two appearances in the Europa League and one in the FA Cup, but did not muster up any goals or assists.

Appearances

2

Shots

1

Shots on target

0

Goals

0

Key passes

2

Assists

0

Big chances created

0

Dribbles completed

0

Duel success rate

25%

The £10m signing showed promise at youth level with a return of four goals and four assists in 18 academy matches in the first half of the 2021/22 campaign, before being sent out on loan to League One side Sunderland in January 2022.

After one goal in 20 League One outings – including the play-offs – Tottenham decided to cash in on Clarke, who had yet to prove himself on a consistent basis at senior level three years on from his £10m move, by selling him to the Black Cats.

Ultimately, Clarke, who now plays for Ipswich in the Premier League, failed to realise his potential at White Hart Lane, and Archie Gray is in danger of following in his footsteps after a dismal showing last time out.

Archie Gray's performance against Wolves

The 19-year-old defender started at right-back, the position he made his breakthrough in at Leeds last season, against Wolves on Sunday and put in a dismal showing.

Gray was far from the only poor performer on the pitch, as Vicario flapped the ball back out for two of the goals, Djed Spence scored an own goal, Cristian Romero lost the ball for the third goal, and Ben Davies completely mistimed his challenge on Matheus Cunha for the fourth.

However, it was still a disappointing 90 minutes of football from the England U21 international, whose play in and out of possession left far too much to be desired.

Minutes

90

90

Pass accuracy

85%

87%

Key passes

0

0

Successful crosses

0/4

1/4

Possession lost

19x

17x

Interceptions

2

1

Tackles

0

3

Duels won

0/3

8/11

As you can see in the table above, Spence delivered an even better performance than him – despite playing as a right-footer at left-back – even with an unfortunate own goal to go with it.

Gray offered no threat at the top end of the pitch, with no key passes or successful crosses, and was a lightweight off the ball, losing 100% of his duels.

Why Archie Gray is in danger of being the next Jack Clarke

The versatile youngster is now in danger of following in the footsteps of another Leeds academy graduate, as it remains to be seen if he can realise his potential at Spurs.

Tottenham reportedly splashed out a fee of £30m to sign the defender from the Whites last summer, and he has yet to prove his worth on a consistent basis in the Premier League.

Gray has made 40 appearances in all competitions for Spurs, far more than the three outings that Clarke had at the start of his Tottenham career, but there has not been too much quality in those outings.

The England youth international has started nine of his ten appearances in the Europa League, resulting in zero goals, zero assists, and a duel success rate of 47%.

Appearances

23

Goals + assists

0

Key passes per game

0.1

Tackles + interceptions per game

0.9

Error led to shot

1

Error led to goal

1

Duel success rate

47%

As you can see in the table above, Gray has also failed to deliver much in the way of quality in the Premier League, with one chance created every ten games and less than one tackle and interception combined per game on average.

The 19-year-old, who has the lowest Sofascore rating (6.58) in the squad, does not offer a threat in possession or quality off the ball as a defender, rarely making interventions and losing the majority of his duels.

You could argue that he is being played out of position at right-back, as central midfield was the role he came up through the academy in, but 30 of his 49 starts for Leeds came in that area of the pitch.

At this moment in time, Gray is on his way to following in Clarke’s footsteps by failing to live up to his potential at Spurs after joining the club for big money.

Of course, there is plenty of time for the teenage talent to improve and develop if Postecoglou is willing to trust him in the long term, but he will need to show far more than what he is doing right now to become a success and avoid being Clarke 2.0.

As bad as Vicario: 3/10 Spurs star just reduced his price tag by £50m

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Refocused Bancroft puts Test snub behind while gearing up for Shield final

“Sometimes as players in sport it’s about moving on to the next thing. But on this occasion I felt that I needed to allow myself to be a little bit disappointed”

Tristan Lavalette15-Mar-20242:22

Bancroft: ‘Sheffield Shield is the pinnacle of Australian domestic cricket’

After being overlooked to succeed David Warner in Australia’s Test team, opener Cameron Bancroft was left feeling “very disappointed”. But instead of trying to shrug off his emotions, Bancroft accepted the hurt and allowed himself time to heal.Despite Bancroft being the leading Sheffield Shield run-scorer over the past couple of seasons, Australia’s hierarchy in January decided on promoting Steven Smith to open and shoehorning Cameron Green at No. 4 following Warner’s retirement. Matthew Renshaw was selected as the reserve batter, consigning Bancroft, 31, to the outer.Australia captain Pat Cummins contacted Bancroft at the time to reassure him that he would remain firmly in Test consideration. The last of his 10 Tests was during the 2019 series against England.Related

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“Naturally I was very disappointed. I would have loved to be in that environment,” Bancroft told reporters in Perth on Friday. “There were some consolations to come out of it…allowing myself to experience what I was experiencing.”Sometimes as players in sport it’s about moving on to the next thing. But on this occasion I felt that I needed to allow myself to be a little bit disappointed and that was actually okay.”Once that digested, you bring yourself back to what’s important and what you need to do.”A refocused Bancroft has played a major role in two-time defending champions Western Australia’s strong late-season form. He scored an unbeaten century on the final day to defy Tasmania in Hobart before producing a gutsy second-innings fifty against Victoria on a tough surface at Junction Oval.Bancroft finished second overall on the run charts in the home-and-away competition with 778 runs at 48.62 and three hundreds. For the second straight season, he faced the most balls. Those stats are made more impressive with Bancroft having had to mostly contend with difficult batting conditions at the WACA this season.Western Australia celebrate clinching a home final•Getty Images”It’s been a challenging back half of the season. We’ve played on some challenging wickets,” Bancroft said. “It’s been nice to fight through some tough periods. I tried to be really consistent.”WA will host Tasmania in the five-day final starting on March 21 at the WACA after a remarkable series of results went their way in a compelling last round. After Tasmania were stunned by lowly South Australia in Hobart, WA rocketed to the top of the ladder and clinched a home final for the third straight year with an impressive victory over Victoria.”We have no idea what has transpired in the last week. You couldn’t script it. The gods were towering over us,” Bancroft said. “It’s huge [a home final]. We know the conditions and what we’re going to face.”There were times this season when we didn’t look like we were going to make the final. We had to dig deep. We feel like we’ve had to work hard.”WA have overcome adversity this season having missed a host of first-choice players due to injuries and international commitments. But their enviable depth of talent, especially with pace-bowling, has been underlined late in the season with fringe quicks Cameron Gannon, Charlie Stobo and Liam Haskett stepping up in place of injured frontliners Jhye Richardson, Lance Morris and Matt Kelly.”At the start of every season, we say it’s not eleven players who will get you to the final, it’s 20-plus who are going to get you there,” Bancroft said. “It’s a big squad mentality and we push that and emphasise that. It’s been a great opportunity for everyone to be part of.”Cementing themselves as the dominant force in Australian domestic cricket, WA are closing in on a hat-trick of Shield titles to go along with their three-peat in the Marsh Cup.WA last completed the feat in the Shield in the late 1980s.”I know for our group, it [Shield] is the pinnacle of Australian domestic cricket,” Bancroft said. “As we saw in the last round, there’s ebbs and flows…all sorts of chaos. I think that’s the beautiful thing about longform cricket.”Having overcome his disappointment from a couple of months ago, Bancroft is hoping to finish another prolific season with the ultimate success. And he’ll be preparing for the final in usual meticulous fashion.”I’ll do the same things I normally do every day…keep that consistency,” he said. “You get to play in finals because you do things well in the season and that doesn’t need to change.”

Taijul Islam: Bangladesh's go-to man for a gritty fight

He’s not flashy. He always ends up in a support role. But he never shirks the dirty work

Mohammad Isam at Eden Gardens23-Nov-2019Virat Kohli had a wry smile on his face, shaking his head as he watched Taijul Islam taking a remarkable catch at fine leg. Taijul’s body was parallel to the ground as he leapt to his right and made the grab while mid-air. He landed awkwardly, and threw the ball up. Team-mates stood stunned, but as soon as Taijul got up, they raced towards him.Behind by 202 runs, down 1-0 in the Test series and having just been subjected to a batting masterclass by arguably the best in the world, Taijul’s catch suddenly injected a bout of energy to the entire side. They smiled and had a bit of fun. Ebadot Hossain, the bowler, even gave a salute goodbye to Kohli, all in good fun.This wasn’t just about a great catch. They were celebrating Taijul – quiet, almost forgotten, until there’s need for dirty work. Bangladesh turn to him for those long spells to hold up one end while Shakib Al Hasan or Mehidy Hasan take wickets at the other because he always gives it his all. Even when he’s batting.On the second day, he was probably the only bowler to ask Kohli some tough questions, varying his pace and length expertly. In the middle of his marathon 17-over spell from the start of the second day till the new ball was available after lunch, he beat Kohli twice in five balls drawing the batsman onto the front foot both times and spinning it past his outside edge.This, remember, was a bowler who was originally dropped from the XI, who is only playing this game after being called in as a concussion substitute for offspinner Nayeem Hassan. It is easy to drop someone like Taijul. The team management, much like any other in a normal office setting, knows there are certain individuals who can “take it in the chin and move on”. Taijul is one of those who would happily do the dirty work – he took on 12th man duties in addition to everything else – and then be happy to fade away into the background.Taijul Islam keeps his eyes on the ball•BCBLast month he became only the third bowler in Bangladesh Test history to take 100 wickets. He has taken 87 of those at home, where he averages 27.04 in 18 Tests. His overseas average, to take 19 wickets, is 59.05, which is a major concern and one of the reasons he is easily dropped from the side away from home.His experience, however, always keeps him in the fray. The selectors can’t keep him out of the Test squad, one of the reasons being his “Test specialist” tag. He also offers more with the bat than the average Bangladesh tail-ender. Taijul often provides confidence to the main batsmen with his sheer willingness to play time. He doesn’t run away from the ball, presents a straight bat on most occasions and ends up scoring useful runs. He is a safe fielder, but not someone who would pull off something flashy every day. Today he did, and he also gave us a reminder of his value.Even early in his career, Taijul found himself working overtime. When he took 8 for 39 against Zimbabwe in 2014, the best innings figures by a Bangladesh bowler, his team still needed his dogged batting to pull off the victory.But Mehidy Hasan’s emergence, particularly his 19-wicket haul against England in 2016, put Taijul further behind in the pecking order. As long as Bangladesh use spin-friendly pitches at home, though, Taijul will keep hanging on. And he will never give up.He will bowl through tough phases, like 17 overs non-stop on the second day of a lost-cause Test match against the best batsman in the world. He will have to bat ugly against tough bowling attacks, letting the other batsmen get to their milestones. He will field well, occasionally taking a great catch.When Ebadot lifted him up in the middle of their jubilation following the Kohli catch, Taijul’s smile turned into a scowl. He told Ebadot to put him down. Enough of this. It was not the occasion for merry-making. If there’s one Bangladesh player who was aware even in that moment what was happening at Eden Gardens, it was Taijul. He has seen and fought through it all before.

Survival of the fittest for Justin Langer's Australia

Australia’s new coach has made it patently clear already that he wants thoroughbreds capable of staying mentally sharp, with rigorous physical preparation a key part of his outlook

Daniel Brettig12-Jun-2018When Australia’s players sauntered in one after the other to complete their customary 2km time trial at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane last month, some got quite a shock when they were immediately asked to do a series of short sprints to test their endurance.This extra stretch of the players was no surprise to those from Western Australia, where Justin Langer’s insistence on higher fitness and training standards had been a hallmark of his work in the state ever since becoming coach in late 2012. But there were others who were not used to the extra exertion, and were quickly left in no doubt that things had changed from whatever they had been used to for state or country.”Over the past five years we’ve done a lot of that in Western Australia but to be fair that has backed off and he does work on the principle of common sense so we’re not going to be doing anything over the top,” Ashton Agar, one of the WA-based ODI squad members, has said of Langer. “I think being physically fit certainly helps your mental state and that’s what he’s all about. One of his biggest things for the players is discipline, and the fitness side of things certainly helps.”ESPNcricinfo has learned of at least one player being given a stern talking to by Langer about general fitness and the need to improve his endurance, as part of a wider theme that will doubtless be carried through all the way from Brisbane in May 2018 to England for the World Cup and Ashes double a year from now. Langer has made it patently clear already that he wants thoroughbreds capable of staying mentally sharp despite fatigue, with rigorous physical preparation a key part of his outlook.As he stated on the day he first addressed the team in Brisbane: “To me it is really clear. You need good athletes. You have to be able to field well and be really fit to run hard between the wickets. We have to take responsibility with the bat. We have probably got away from that the past year or so. Our ranking would suggest that.”While much has been written and said about the still evolving area of fast bowling fitness, Langer’s link between fitness and “taking responsibility” as batsmen was significant. Quite apart from the technical demands of batsmanship, which are also being addressed by coaches at the NCC, the physical hardness and endurance required of those who bat for long periods is an area getting plenty of attention.It is being backed up by plenty of empirical evidence, including the findings of GPS collections taken in recent times that indicated any batsman scoring more than 90 in an ODI is likely to cover anywhere between 11 and 13km between the wickets. Such a load is not dissimilar to a pace bowler getting through 10 overs while also fielding.One of the guinea pigs for the 2016 GPS data was David Warner, clocked at 12.6km for his innings of 109 against South Africa at Warner Park during the Caribbean triangular series that year. It is one of the ironies of the Newlands scandal that the bans for cheating have shorn Langer of three players in Warner, Steven Smith and Cameron Bancroft who were all noted hard trainers with plenty of endurance. The way Warner had changed his body shape and built his endurance between 2012 and 2018 was something that Langer, among others, had admired even if they did not always agree with other elements of his behaviour.”He’s a really good young bloke and he made a mistake,” Langer has said of Warner. “I love the way he plays his cricket. The way he runs between the wickets, the way he fields, the way he bats – they’re things that for the less-trained eye, you might not respect as much. Has he got areas to get better at? Yep … we’ve all got areas we can get better at.”Getting better was of course something at the forefront of Langer’s mind when he became the coach of the Warriors and the Scorchers in late 2012 amid plenty of indiscipline and disunity in the state. Among the lessons Langer took from his stint as an assistant coach for Australia over the preceding four years was the importance of not only a strong fitness base but also training for volume, as recounted by Alex Malcolm for Cricket Mentoring:”In the lead up to the first test at the Gabba Australia’s captain Michael Clarke was struggling with his ongoing back problems. The medical staff had advised him to limit the amount of batting he did in the lead up. Langer said Clarke ignored the advice and hit somewhere in the vicinity of 400-500 balls on each of the three days leading up to the test match, including the day prior to the game starting.ESPNcricinfo Ltd”What he had done in practice was train his body and his mind to bat for long periods. If you train in one-hour sessions all the time you will train your body and your mind to switch off after an hour. Is it little surprise then that you fail to kick on after batting for an hour in a match? It shouldn’t be. This was eye-opening to me. I would hit balls four or five times a week but never for more than an hour or 90 minutes. Most team training sessions batsmen generally only get 10 minutes in a net against bowling and have a few throw downs on top of that.”So I tried some two-hour plus sessions the following winter, hitting 10 buckets instead of four, 400 balls instead of 160. The result was six of my next eight 50-plus scores [for Subiaco-Floreat in Perth first grade] were hundreds.”For Malcolm, this sort of volume sat alongside physical training, based largely around the running of short repeated sprints to replicate running between the wickets. With WA, Langer emphasised a similar kind of regime with plenty of emphasis on personal responsibility. In many ways it replicated the sort of discipline Bob Simpson first brought to a then struggling Australian side, shorn of talent by the South African rebel tours, in the mid-1980s.Tom Moody has recalled the fact that ahead of the 1987 World Cup in India, the Australians arrived earlier than most and trained for the sort of endurance that was to help them outlast all comers and claim the Cup.”There were no prisoners,” Moody said. “He didn’t miss anyone with regards to practice and making sure it was done at a very high level. He had an enormous influence in where Australian cricket is now. Because we were so far ahead of our opponents in terms of how we prepared, how hard we worked, and he built a very strong foundation.”The WA foundation Langer set in terms of physical preparation was to be backed up by results, particularly in terms of the state’s ability to produce long innings. Over the five seasons from Langer’s first full summer in 2013-14 to that just completed, WA batsmen compiled 51 centuries between them, six clear of the next best in Victoria. The number of balls faced by WA batsmen, 49,119, was a wide margin ahead of the sixth placed state, NSW, with 45,936.More tellingly, the fruits of Langer’s demands were shown in a notable spike from season one (seven centuries) to two (18), before levelling out in seasons three (12) and four (10) and then finally dropping off last summer (five). Langer’s contract with Australia is for four years. Over that period, Adam Voges and Bancroft were equal most prolific centurions in the Shield with nine apiece, sharing the mantle with Callum Ferguson. Notably, South Australia employed the former Adelaide Crows fitness coach Stephen Schwerdt to raise the fitness levels of the Redbacks, reflecting a broader trend towards more exacting standards.Tasmania, too, has pushed this line, with the coach Adam Griffith – a former assistant to Langer in WA – requiring his players to turn up for the start of preseason training in the sort of trim they might have traditionally hoped to get into by the time Hobart’s winter began to thaw. This is not only about higher standards but also more efficient training: a player needing to spent less time in the gym or on the running track has more time to work on technique. And as the new Australian captain and fellow Tiger Tim Paine said in London, the Australian players’ realisation about the fitness component of the new regime is a recent development, even if the 2km time trial is not.”The style of cricket we want to play we realise we want to be a little bit fitter, for our little things, our running between the wickets, having a really high intensity for 50 overs in the field,” Paine said. “So we realise we have to be a little bit fitter than what we have been to play at the intensity for as long as we have. In terms of the 2km time trials and testing and all that stuff, that’s always been a part of our programs, it’s just that I think now guys actually buying into it and seeing that it is more important because of the style of cricket we want to play.”

Chelsea told they may sign "incredible" Ballon d'Or contender for £80m fee

Chelsea are huge admirers of an “incredible” Ballon d’Or contender, and they have now been informed they may be able to sign him for a fee of £80m this summer, according to a report.

Blues keen to strengthen in attack

BlueCo have spent heavily to strengthen Chelsea’s attack since their arrival at Stamford Bridge, but after some concerning performances over the past few weeks, it is looking increasingly likely at least one new forward will be brought in this summer.

A striker is of particular interest, given Nicolas Jackson’s struggles in front of goal, and a £60m offer is now being prepared for Borussia Dortmund’s Serhou Guirassy, while they are also in talks to sign Sporting CP star Viktor Gyokeres.

It would be fair to say Enzo Maresca’s side have also lacked a creative spark in recent weeks, failing to score in away trips to Arsenal and Brentford, which means the manager may also be keen on bringing in a new playmaker.

Chelsea eager to sign £40k-p/w full-back who's "one of the best" in Europe

The Blues are set to battle it out for a defender, who has been in very impressive form this season.

ByDominic Lund Apr 21, 2025

Lyon’s Rayan Cherki certainly fits the bill in that regard, with the Blues now willing to submit a £20m bid for the Frenchman, who ranks in the top 1% of attacking midfielders for assists per 90 over the past year.

Cherki is an up-and-coming talent, but Chelsea have also been informed they could sign one of the world’s most established forwards this summer, namely Barcelona star Raphinha, who could now be available for £80m.

FC Barcelona'sRaphinhacelebrates scoring their fourth goal

The west Londoners are huge admirers of the Brazilian, and intermediaries have now hinted a deal could be possible this summer, with Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal also monitoring the situation.

Saudi Pro League sides are also keen on the 28-year-old, but he is currently happy at the Camp Nou, and Barcelona are looking to offer him a new contract to ward off the interest from elsewhere.

"Incredible" Raphinha is a Ballon d'Or contender

In the aforementioned report, it is detailed that Thierry Henry believes the Barca forward is a leading contender for the Ballon d’Or, given his very impressive performances in both La Liga and the Champions League this season.

TEAMtalk’s James Marshment has also hailed the Brazil international for his “incredible” goal and assist tally, which has played a major role in Barcelona reaching the Champions League semi-finals and going four points clear at the top of La Liga.

Competition

Appearances

Goals

Assists

La Liga

30

15

11

Champions League

12

12

7

Copa del Rey

4

1

4

Supercopa

2

2

1

It almost goes without saying that Raphinha would be a fantastic signing for Chelsea this summer, but it seems likely they will have to qualify for the Champions League to stand any chance of competing for his signature.

McCoy and Charles thump South Africa to give West Indies series sweep

South Africa will be especially worried about the poor form of Quinton de Kock and Anrich Nortje ahead of the T20 World Cup

Firdose Moonda26-May-2024

[File photo] Johnson Charles hit 69 off just 26 balls•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

West Indies swept the three-T20I series against South Africa to conclude their T20 World Cup preparations in the most commanding way possible. South Africa, on the other hand, have won just two of their last 11 completed T20I matches since the last T20 World Cup, and have lost series to West Indies twice and Australia once, and enter the global competition on the back foot.If there’s any consolation, it’s that none of South Africa’s powerhouse middle order of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller and Tristan Stubbs were part of this series, but all will return for the World Cup. Still, there remain concerns over Quinton de Kock, who scored 64 runs in three innings and didn’t have a good time of it at the BBL, the SA20 and the IPL earlier, while also appearing to pick up a back injury on Sunday; and Ryan Rickelton, who managed only 43 runs in three innings.Related

T20 WC: McCoy replaces injured Holder in West Indies squad

Equally, Anrich Nortje’s economy rate of 12.16 through the series and the absence of any wickets to his name raises questions over his readiness for international cricket after an almost-nine-month absence following a lower-back stress fracture. But he is part of South Africa’s final squad for the World Cup.West Indies head to Trinidad to play Australia in a warm-up match before their first World Cup match in Guyana, and they appear as ready as they can be. They have won four out of five series since the last T20 World Cup, and beat South Africa 3-0 for the first time in this one. After defending totals of 175 and 207 to win the series, they were made to chase and hunted down 164 inside 14 overs to ease past South Africa again.Obed McCoy, added to the T20 World Cup squad in place of the injured Jason Holder, was the most successful bowler in the final match with 3 for 39, while stand-in captain Brandon King finished as the series’ leading run-scorer.[File photo] Gudakesh Motie finished with 2 for 21•AFP/Getty Images

The redemption of Johnson CharlesIt was against South Africa, 15 months ago, that Johnson Charles made the case to reclaim his spot in the T20I squad with 118 off just 46 balls in a T20I in Centurion. But since then, it has been lean going for him. Charles went ten innings without crossing fifty, and questions over his T20 World Cup-squad involvement were more than just whispers.But he silenced those questions with a knock of complete assurance and authority to bring up his fifth T20I half-century, and set the platform for another West Indies win. Charles’ takedown of South Africa’s fastest, Nortje and Gerald Coetzee, was most impressive. He scored 25 runs off just ten balls from Nortje, and 22 off four from Coetzee, including three successive sixes. Only three of his 69 runs came in singles, and even though he was dismissed in the seventh over, he had already put the result beyond doubt.Motie makes the most of itAfter taking three wickets in each of his last three games, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie seemed set for a similar haul after two exceptional overs. He was brought on immediately after the powerplay, and displayed good changes of pace to have de Kock trapped lbw, as the latter played a reverse sweep too early and was given out.In Motie’s next over, Matthew Breetzke hit the ball back over the bowler’s head. It looked like a clean strike but wasn’t timed as well as he intended, and Shamar Joseph took a good catch inside the boundary rope to end a disappointing tour for the CSA T20’s top run-scorer for the 2023-24 season.After two overs, Motie had 2 for 5, but his day didn’t finish as well as he would have hoped. He conceded 11 runs off his final over, as Rassie van der Dussen hit him for two sixes, and he wasn’t used again.[File photo] Rassie van der Dussen rescued South Africa from 50 for 4•AFP/Getty Images

Van der Dussen’s statement inningsExcluded from South Africa’s T20 World Cup squad but asked to captain them in this series, van der Dussen has not had the easiest few months. But he had a strong last say on this tour. Van der Dussen scored a 30-ball fifty to take South Africa from 50 for 4 to 163 for 7, and demonstrated strong hitting skills straight down the ground. All five of his sixes were scored in the V between long-off and long-on, and his 77-run fifth-wicket stand with Wiaan Mulder was the difference between a South African collapse and a semblance of competitiveness.Mayers misses, and then he doesn’tVan der Dussen’s knock could have ended on 9 when he dragged a Hayden Walsh Jnr delivery from outside off to long-on, where Kyle Mayers was waiting for the catch. He took it cleanly but misjudged how close his back foot was to the boundary rope and stepped over it with the ball in hand. Van der Dussen was the first to gesture that he had earned six.Six overs later, Mulder mis-hit a McCoy slower ball to long-on, where Mayers was ready to take the catch two-handed, with more than enough space behind him to tumble, hold on and avoid giving away a boundary.With the bat, Mayers cracked four sixes in an unbeaten knock of 36, helping wrap the chase up after Charles had laid the foundation. But Mayers remains a reserve player in the West Indies T20 World Cup squad.

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