Saturday in the Premier League sees a crucial clash as two of the bottom three go head-to-head, with Wolverhampton Wanderers taking on Ipswich Town at Molineux.

Wolves are undefeated in seven league meetings with the Tractor Boys, beaten during only one of their 16 encounters in the Black County since 1991, but could really do with a victory in this one, considering both sides kick off four points from safety.

Following Monday night’s 2-1 defeat at West Ham, the Old Gold have won only three of their last 25 Premier League matches, dating back to early-March, pressure is really starting to mount on Gary O’Neil, desperately requiring a victory either here or at Leicester next Sunday, or potentially from both, if he’s to remain in charge this Christmas.

So, ahead of this huge relegation six-pointer, we assess the biggest selection dilemma O’Neil is facing.

João Gomes' suspension

Having collected his fifth yellow card of the campaign at the London Stadium on Monday, João Gomes will sit out Saturday’s crucial clash with Ipswich suspended.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

He had been carefully treading this tightrope for six matches beforehand, but was cautioned by referee John Brooks shortly after the hour mark during the defeat at West Ham.

This is a big blow considering Gomes has racked up 1,273 minutes in the Premier League this season, the second-most of any Wolves player, a mere ten minutes fewer than Rayan Aït-Nouri, starting all 15 fixtures and scoring two goals, finding the net against both Crystal Palace and Fulham.

So, could Wolves’ forgotten man fill Gomes’ void this weekend?

The perfect Wolves replacement for Gomes

When Hwang Hee-chan arrived from RB Leipzig in 2021, initially on loan with a £14m option to make the deal permanent, which was taken up, he did so to much excitement.

Nubaid Haroon described him as “exciting” and, given that the South Korean international had scored 45 times for RB Salzburg, 11 of these goals coming in UEFA competitions, it was easy to understand why.

The highlight of Hwang’s time in the Black County to date remains the winner he scored against Manchester City last season, coming days after Pep Guardiola, rather patronisingly and dismissively, named Wolves’ front three as “Neto, Cunha and the Korean Guy”.

Overall,the 28-year-old has scored 22 goals for Wolverhampton Wanderers to date, yet to get off the mark this season, following by some considerable margin his best campaign in an Old Gold shirt last time round.

Hwang Hee-chan Premier League career with Wolvs by season
Statistic	21/22	22/23	23/24	24/25
Appearances	32	27	29	9
Minutes	1,865	1,130	2,119	300
Goals	5	3	12	0
Goals per 90	0.24	0.24	0.51	0
Assists	1	1	3	0
Expected goals	4.6	2.9	7.7	0
Shots	28	18	44	0
Shot-creating actions	38	30	48	5
Goal-creating actions	2	2	9	1
Statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As outlined in the table above, 2023/24 was by far Hwang’s most productive campaign at Wolves, ending the season as their joint-top scorer in the Premier League, alongside Cunha.

However, this season, he’s yet to score, register an assist or even take a shot in just 300 minutes on the field.

Since suffering an ankle ligament injury during Korea Republic’s World Cup qualifying victory over Jordan in Amman back in October, Hwang has made just three cameo appearances off the bench, the longest of which was a 33-minute appearance at Goodison earlier this month, remaining amongst the substitutes on Monday night, despite the urgent need for an equaliser.

This weekend though, in Gomes’ absence, now is surely the time for O’Neil to unleash Hwang, starting him alongside the aforementioned Cunha, as well as Jørgen Strand Larsen, both of whom have been impressive this season, when Ipswich visit on Saturday.

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Dec 12, 2024

Khawaja registered his highest Test score while Smith went past Bradman with his 30th ton.

Tristan Lavalette05-Jan-2023Stumps
Usman Khawaja made his highest Test score, while Steven Smith overtook Sir Donald Bradman in the record books with his 30th Test hundred, as Australia gained a stranglehold on the third Test against a hapless South Africa.Khawaja was ruthless on a slow SCG surface to finish unbeaten on 195 and anchor Australia’s massive 475 for 4. But their push for a declaration before stumps on day two was thwarted by rain ending play an hour early.With a declaration looming, Khawaja and Travis Head accelerated after tea with Australia keen on moving the match forward due to more rain forecast in Sydney on days three and four.In what has become a trademark, Head played a swashbuckling innings to smash a flagging South Africa attack with a 59-ball 70 before holing out. In his first Test match since 2018, and having tested positive for Covid-19 on a rapid antigen test before play on day one, Matt Renshaw was on 5 not out.Khawaja bettered his highest Test score of 174 in streaky fashion with a gloved boundary that just beat high-flying wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne. His 13th Test century took him level with Wally Hammond, Doug Walters and VVS Laxman as the only batters to have struck three consecutive tons at the SCG.Having revived his Test career a year ago with twin centuries against England on this ground, Khawaja has now hit four centuries from seven Tests at the SCG with an average over 100.It ended a frustrating Test summer for Khawaja, who had missed out on Australia’s run glut and only averaged 27.43 from seven previous innings.Khawaja combined in a 209-run partnership with Smith to torment South Africa for most of the first two sessions on day two. It was their 10th century partnership from just 33 innings and their highest stand, overtaking their 188 against England at the SCG in 2018.Having moved past Bradman on the career Test century list with his 30th ton, Smith fell for 104 after tamely spooning a return catch to spinner Keshav Maharaj.After a slow start, Smith produced a masterclass and reached his ton with a pull shot to the boundary off Anrich Nortje. His back-foot trigger movement was more pronounced in this innings, having been refined earlier in the season, but it didn’t affect his game with Smith toying with the bowlers.Steven Smith celebrates his 30th Test century•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesIt would have particularly satisfied Smith, who in 20 previous innings against South Africa averaged 41.67 – nearly 20 below his career mark. His only Test ton was in his first innings against them when he struck 100 in Centurion in 2014.In the process, Smith overtook Matthew Hayden and Michael Clarke to sit fourth overall in Test career runs for Australia. He also passed 1000 Test runs at the SCG as he struck his fourth ton on his home ground.Related

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Another strong Australian batting effort put them on track for a clean sweep of the series with victory to secure a position in the World Test Championship final in June. They also completely sucked the life out of a beleaguered South Africa, who have been out of answers.With just four wickets in 131 overs, the spotlight might further shine on under-pressure skipper Dean Elgar who has seemingly been reactionary and conservative with his tactics.He juggled his bowlers sometimes bafflingly like when Nortje and spearhead Kagiso Rabada were not used after lunch with offspinner Simon Harmer taking an almost brand new ball.Harmer had been under-bowled on day one and in the first session, but struggled to make an impact and was hit for a huge six by a fleet-footed Smith.Nortje couldn’t quite summon the same fire he conjured during his heroic day one effort, where he claimed the only two wickets, while Rabada was wayward to continue a disappointing series.There was relief for left-arm spinner Maharaj after removing Smith out of nowhere. He was finally rewarded having leaked 247 runs off 75.5 overs in the series before his long overdue first scalp.Their chances of a victory to revive their slim chances of making the World Test Championship final appear forlorn. To avoid a series whitewash, South Africa might need Sydney’s temperamental weather to further intervene.

MatériaMais Notícias

da casino： O Botafogo se classificou para a semifinal do Torneio OPG Sub-20 após bater o Audax Rio fora de casa por 1 a 0, na última quarta-feira. O time já havia vencido o jogo de ida pelo mesmo placar e agora encara o Fluminense na semifinal. Titular em três das quatro partidas do time na competição, o jovem Kawan Thomaz falou sobre a importância do resultado.

da supremo： +Presidente do Botafogo revela que Textor tentou contratar Pedro, do Flamengo

– Essa classificação nos dá muita confiança. A OPG tem agregado para voltarmos ao ritmo dos jogos e serve também como preparação para a Copa SP, assim como a Copa Atlântico para os atletas nascidos em 2003, que começa neste mês. Pessoalmente tem sido um ano bastante especial, sinto que estou evoluindo bastante e fico muito feliz por isso. Tenho uma boa relação com as comissões, então sempre que preciso corrigir algo, eles estão ali para me ajudar e isso vem agregando muito na minha postura dentro do Botafogo – contou o jogador.

Kawan tem 19 anos e 24 jogos na temporada. O atleta atuou por seis competições diferentes, incluindo uma partida pela equipe profissional no Campeonato Carioca e outros dois jogos pelo Sub-23 no Campeonato Brasileiro de Aspirantes. O jogador também participou de diversos treinamentos junto com a equipe profissional, sendo também relacionado para diversas partidas na Série A do Campeonato Brasileiro.

+Tchê Tchê ganha moral no Botafogo e reforça ‘importância silenciosa’

Há quase um ano no Glorioso, o zagueiro pode conquistar seu segundo título com a camisa do time carioca. O primeiro foi justamente em 2021, na disputa do Torneio OPG-20. O jovem chegou ao Botafogo após destaque no modesto Betim FC, equipe de Minas Gerais. Kawan também acumula passagens na base de Paraná Clube e Remo.

da leao： Well, Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League has been slashed. It’s all doom and gloom (joking, it’s not). Arsenal might have won at home against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday but Liverpool remain four points clear and with a game in hand.

da dobrowin： Arne Slot’s side have been brilliant this season and are favourites for the title, but it would be remiss to think that the Reds will storm away and out of sight before January’s done and dusted.

It’s remarkable that Liverpool have even found themselves in such a promising position after Jurgen Klopp stepped down, with most assuming that Anfield would tussle for a place in the Champions League.

But Slot’s tactics and managerial expertise have propelled the Merseysiders into the ascendency across a range of fronts, and while Liverpool have only won three of their past seven top-flight fixtures, it’s anticipated the smoother sailing will return after a tough winter.

Liverpool’s Upcoming Fixtures (all comps)

Date

Competition

Opponent

17/01/25

Premier League

Brentford (A)

21/02/25

Champions League

Lille (H)

25/01/25

Premier League

Ipswich (H)

29/01/25

Champions League

PSV (A)

01/02/25

Premier League

Bournemouth (A)

Liverpool have endured. They usually do. And anyway, the Redmen often dip into the January transfer window to make one or two well-placed improvements, and that might take place in the coming weeks.

Liverpool & the January transfer window

Liverpool and the January transfer window, a match made in heaven. Be it Virgil van Dijk or Takumi Minamino, FSG have always enjoyed making a wonderful winter signing to advance Liverpool’s cause.

Van Dijk is the gold standard and his £75m move from Southampton might even be the Premier League’s greatest January transfer, revolutionising Jurgen Klopp’s backline and leading Liverpool to glory.

Years before, let’s not forget, Philippe Coutinho and Daniel Sturridge both joined from different outfits in January 2013, with Luis Suarez completing a £23m transfer from Ajax two years prior.

More recently, however, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo enjoyed mid-season switches to Merseyside, having now gone strength to strength under Slot’s wing, integral parts of the Anfield make-up.

The Red Devils were left munching dirt clouds as Liverpool welcomed Gakpo to the fold, and now, FSG are looking to repeat the trick with one of the Premier League’s most underrated midfielders.

Liverpool eyeing Prem midfielder

As per Football Insider, scouts from Liverpool and Manchester United have been tracking Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes in recent months and could strike a deal this year.

Wolves are battling relegation but have improved under Vitor Pereira in recent weeks, and it would take a mammoth fee to convince the Old Gold to part with their engine this month.

However, a deal could certainly be struck this summer, with previous reports suggesting that the Anfielders would have to cough up something in the ballpark of £50m.

What Joao Gomes would bring to Liverpool

Gomes is a talented midfielder with an eye for a tackle. Wolves signed Flamengo’s prospect for £15m in January 2023, so he’s already accustomed to a winter rehousing.

71 appearances later, Gomes has scored five goals and assisted three more for his English employers, making good on talent scout Jacek Kulig’s praise that he is a “warrior” who “always gives 100% on the pitch.”

Gomes’ seasonal heatmap from the English top flight says it all: his boundless energy and enthusiasm across the different facets of the midfield game, completing 85% of his passes, 62% of his dribbles and averaging 5.1 ball recoveries per game.

He might be a dynamic and multi-faceted midfielder, but Gomes is a ball-winning monster at heart, ranking among the top 1% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for tackles (4.05) per 90, as per FBref, emphasising that he would bring combative energy to Liverpool’s rich engine room.

Premier League 24/25 – Top Tacklers

Rank

Player

Tackles (per 90)

1.

Daniel Munoz

71 (3.94)

2.

Moises Caicedo

63 (3.06)

3.

Noussair Mazraoui

62 (3.67)

4.

Joao Gomes

61 (3.41)

5.

Idrissa Gueye

58 (3.74)

5=

Alexis Mac Allister

58 (3.70)

Stats via Premier League

17th-placed Wolves might be embroiled in a fight to stay in the Premier League but Gomes has been a machine in the middle, capable of playing deep and more advanced.

His energy and expertise as a “box-crasher,” as analyst Ben Mattinson has called him, could bear dividends for a Liverpool side that has enjoyed so much success with Ryan Gravenberch as the deep-lying playmaker.

Liverpool needs to get this one done, especially when considering the rich history in welcoming winter talent to the first team. Given that the aforementioned Gakpo had been on Man United’s radar, like Gomes, there’s an even more pressing reason to ensure that he’s added to the ranks.

Leaving PSV Eindhoven, Dutch sensation Gakpo was only 23 when he moved to Liverpool, the same age as Gomes is now.

He’s been one of the key attacking pillars in Slot’s system this season, firing 12 goals and placing four assists across 30 appearances in all competitions.

The Netherlands international has been hailed as “Liverpool’s man for the big occasion” by reporter Beth Lindop, not blessed with the audacious prolificness of Mohamed Salah but indispensable as a title challenge is mounted.

How Liverpool would love to strike a blow in Man United hearts once again, strengthening their midfield ranks with a player who would be perfect for Ruben Amorim’s system.

The Old Trafford side have endured much market misery over the past decade but Liverpool’s talent radar is usually unerring, so it would be a travesty to lose this player to their rivals, who are desperately seeking a resurgence.

Whether Gomes is ready to make the jump is open to question, but based on the evidence from within tough conditions at Molineux, the Reds might just score a blinder by adding this one to the fold.

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While Arsenal’s pursuit of the Premier League is currently rather uncertain, one thing is for certain; the Gunners must strengthen their squad this January.

If Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury wasn’t enough, then more dropped points against Brighton and Ethan Nwaneri’s muscular problem that will keep him out for ‘a few weeks’ should be.

That said, supporters will have to remain patient as the winter window is a notoriously difficult one to do business in.

Clubs don’t want to lose their star players due to the limited amount of time they have to replace them and as a result, it’s likely you have to pay way over the odds if you want your man and they aren’t available.

Despite that, not bringing in any new players would be inexcusable given Arsenal are six points behind league leaders Liverpool having played one more game.

Arsenal's January transfer window plans

We are now a week into the January window and haven’t seen much activity on Arsenal’s end.

A potential move for Wolves attacker Matheus Cunha has been touted but the latest on that is the Brazilian could be set to put pen to paper on a new deal at Molineux.

Arsenal may have to get creative therefore and reports suggest they have had a bid rejected for Botafogo striker Igor Jesus.

So, who else have they been linked with? Well, they could prise away Jude Bellingham’s brother, Jobe Bellingham.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

That’s according to Football Transfers who report this week that ‘Arsenal have set their sights’ on the 19-year-old

The club’s scouts are monitoring his progress closely and it’s thought that Bellingham is now a ‘top priority for manager Mikel Arteta’.

According to talkSPORT, the midfielder is expected to cost around £20m. Any move could well see a repeat of a deal to bring Aaron Ramsey to the Emirates Stadium back in 2008.

How Jobe Bellingham compares to Aaron Ramsey

In the summer of 2008, a young Welshman was capturing the imagination of plenty in English football.

Ramsey was making waves with Cardiff City in the Championship and it wasn’t long before Manchester United came calling. Infamously they even announced they had agreed a deal on their official club website.

Luckily for those of an Arsenal persuasion, he rejected the Red Devils and ended up signing for the Gunners in a £5m deal.

262 Premier League appearances and two FA Cup final goals later and the midfielder had cemented himself as a firm fan favourite at the Emirates. It’s just a shame the way he left.

Well, as a young star also shining in England’s second tier, a deal to bring Bellingham to north London would certainly evoke memories of Ramsey’s arrival.

They’re not too dissimilar either with the Sunderland ace not too far behind when it comes to goal and assist rate in the EFL during the embryonic stages of his career to date.

Ramsey joined Arsenal as an exciting attacking midfielder and Bellingham is certainly similar in that regard. Described as a “game-breaking midfielder” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, he highlights the teenager’s ‘powerful ball carrying’ and notes that he ‘loves to make runs into the box off the ball and arrive to finish cutbacks.’

That trait was something the Welshman certainly perfected during his time in red and white, notoriously scoring as many as 16 goals in the 2013/14 campaign when Arsenal won the FA Cup.

Bellingham has four league goals and three assists this term so he’s not quite in that ballpark yet but his ability to create magic in the final third is not going unnoticed.

A further look at the stats, however, tells us why we should all be excited about the Englishman’s potential.

Goals

86%

Assists

80%

Progressive carries

52%

Progressive passes

61%

Key passes

75%

Ball recoveries

90%

Aerial duels won

96%

Compared to positionally similar players in the Championship this term, he ranks among the top 9% of players for combined goals and assists while sitting in the best 10% for ball recoveries, rubber-stamping the Ramsey-like qualities at his disposal.

Indeed, the Wales international wasn’t just competent in attacking areas but like Bellingham, he worked hard to win the ball back and made sure he did his job from a defensive standpoint.

The Sunderland sensation is far from the finished article but as project signings go, you’d find few better than the talented teen.

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حددت اللجنة المنظمة لـ بطولة كأس العالم لكرة اليد تحت 19 عامًا، الصالات المستضيفة للمسابقة العالمية والتي ستقام في مصر خلال الفترة المقبلة.

ومن المقرر أن تقام فعاليات بطولة العالم لكرة اليد خلال الفترة من 6 إلى 17 أغسطس المقبل. مجموعات بطولة العالم لكرة اليد تحت 19 عامًا

المجموعة الأولى: السويد – البرتغال – الكويت – النمسا.

المجموعة الثانية: المجر – سويسرا – المغرب – كوسوفو.

المجموعة الثالثة: صربيا – إسبانيا – كرواتيا – الجزائر.

المجموعة الرابعة: أيسلندا – البرازيل – غينيا – السعودية.

المجموعة الخامسة: ألمانيا – سلوفينيا – أوروجواي – جزر الفارو.

المجموعة السادسة: النرويج – فرنسا – الأرجنتين – المكسيك.

المجموعة السابعة: مصر – اليابان – كوريا الجنوبية – البحرين.

المجموعة الثامنة: الدنمارك – تونس – التشيك – أمريكا.

طالع | الزمالك يُعلن التعاقد مع بيجاد مروان لتدعيم فريق اليد

وحددت اللجنة المنظمة 4 صالات لاستضافة المباريات هي: الصالة الرئيسية بمجمع الصالات المغطاة باستاد القاهرة الدولي – صالة 2 بمجمع الصالات المغطاة باستاد القاهرة الدولي – صالة حسن مصطفى – صالة العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة.

تُقام مباريات المجموعتين الأولى والثانية على صالة حسن مصطفى بمدينة السادس من أكتوبر، ومباريات المجموعتين الثالثة والرابعة على صالة العاصمة الإدارية الجديدة، ومباريات المجموعتين الخامسة والسادسة على صالة 2 باستاد القاهرة، ومباريات المجموعتين السابعة والثامنة على الصالة الرئيسية باستاد القاهرة.

Nottingham Forest are simply blessed with attacking talent in their current crop of forwards. The men in Garibaldi Red have been on fire this season, and find themselves flying high in the Premier League in third.

Chris Wood has certainly remembered his shooting boots this term. The New Zealand striker is the in-form player in the Forest side, with 13 goals in all competitions this term, more than any of his teammates.

The midfield trio behind him are equally as productive. Callum Hudson-Odoi has four goal involvements this term, Morgan Gibbs-White has seven to his name and Anthony Elanga is flying with eight goals and assists.

Incredibly, it seems like Forest could be looking to add more firepower to their already deadly attack with one Premier League star.

Nottingham Forest's search for a striker

The player in question here is Bretford forward Yoane Wissa. The DR Congo attacker has been on fire this term for the Bees, but could well depart the club before the transfer window slams shut in February.

At least, that is according to a report from John Percy of The Telegraph. Forest are expected to ‘explore a move’ for the 28-year-old in the coming days, as they look to add to the depth in attacking areas, should Taiwo Awoniyi depart.

However, they will not be alone in the chase for the Brentford star. North London giants Arsenal, who are one of only two teams above Forest in the Premier League table, also have the forward on a list of new recruits for attack. At this stage, a price for the attacker remains to be seen.

Why Wissa would be a good signing

It has been an exceptional season for Wissa so far in 2024/25, starring up front for the Bees alongside Bryan Mbuemo. The pair have really stepped up since Ivan Toney left the club in the summer for Suadi Arabian side Al-Ahli.

This term, Wissa has scored 11 times in the Premier League, grabbing two assists along the way, in 18 appearances in the top flight.

He has scored and assisted multiple goals in a game four times, which included two crucial strikes against Bournemouth to give his side a 3-2 win. He has certainly been “massively underrated”, as football analyst Ben Mattinson explained.

The DR Congo star could be a fantastic long-term upgrade on Awoniyi. The Nigerian striker seems like he could be on the way to Forest, with Percy explaining he is a ‘target’ for West Ham but they are yet to make a bid.

Although the former Union Berlin striker has shown some promise in that Garibaldi Red shirt, with 18 goals in 71 games for the club, he has not performed well this term.

He has just one goal in 16 Premier League appearances all season, with that strike coming in the recent 3-0 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

In fact, when looking at the statistics of the pair over the past two and a half seasons, since Awoniyi first moved to the Premier League, you can see the quality Wissa possesses compared to the Forest number nine.

For example, according to FBref, the Brentford attacker takes an average of 2.31 shots and averages 0.36 goal-creating actions per game. In comparison, Awoniyi averages 2.19 shots and 0.34 goal-creating actions.

Although those numbers are fairly close, Wissa is a superior player when it comes to his dribbling ability. The Bees’ number 11 averages 1.66 progressive carries each game, compared to 1.01 progressive carries per 90 minutes from the Nigerian striker.

Stat (per 90)

Wissa

Awoniyi

Shots

2.31

2.19

Goal-creating actions

0.36

0.34

Assists

0.13

0.13

Key passes

0.9

0.71

Progressive carries

0.66

1.01

Given his hot form this term, Wissa seems like he would be a big upgrade on Awoniyi, who seems destined to leave the club. He would certainly add to the attacking firepower at the City Ground this term.

The former Lorient star could be exactly the player Forest are looking for to help spur them on to Champions League qualification.

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Sanjay Manjrekar looks ahead to two key aspects for India in the forthcoming Tests against South Africa – Virat Kohli’s leadership style, and Cheteshwar Pujara’s role

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Nov-2015Having gone down in the T20 and ODI series, India will be keen to assert their superiority in the Tests. It will be Virat Kohli’s first home series as captain against a team that has built a formidable reputation on the road. Among the batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara will be keen to build on his triumphant return to the playing XI in the third Test in Sri Lanka, where he made a century. Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar says he will be watching these two aspects closely over the course of the matches‘Kohli willing to change plans if they don’t work’
Sanjay Manjrekar believes India will see a more mature side to Virat Kohli as he grows into the role of a captain. According to Manjrekar, Kohli is patient but also adaptable and willing to change his original plans if they don’t work – a good sign for a leader.2:47

Manjrekar: We will see a more mature Kohli

The challenges facing Pujara

Manjrekar says that Cheteshwar Pujara’s switch to a wider batting stance, as seen on the recent Sri Lanka tour, is a surprising change for a batsman whose style is built on strong defensive technique and mental toughness. Manjrekar examines the positives and negatives of the change and the challenges Pujara will face against South Africa’s attack.2:48

‘Pujara’s change in technique surprising’

Having come close to taking his side over the line in Sunrisers’ last match, Samad proves that he is “worth the investment” with a last-ball six

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-20232:13

Moody: Samad reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan

A last-ball six to overhaul a target of 215 and keep Sunrisers Hyderabad’s play-off hopes alive could be “the turning point” in Abdul Samad’s young career, according to his ex-coach Tom Moody.Samad is only 21 but is already in his fourth IPL season, and has found himself in and out of the Sunrisers team this year. By his own admission, he “got lucky” when Sandeep Sharma’s overstep on what should have been the last ball of the game granted him a second chance, but he took full advantage in drilling the free hit back over his head for six to clinch a win for his side.Related

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• Stats – Sunrisers' first successful 200+ chase

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Thirty-one games into his IPL career, Samad is averaging just 18.63 but has scored his runs at a strike rate of 136.67. He is also among a rare group of players who have hit more sixes (21) than fours (20) in the league – a statistic which underlines his power.”What Abdul Samad has got as a young, emerging player is a rare ability to hit the ball out of the ground,” Moody, who worked with Samad in 2021 and 2022, said on ESPNcricinfo’s show. “He reminds me of a young Yusuf Pathan. He’s got that strength, power, and it’s a very hard role to play.”I hope that it gives the management and the franchise confidence that they have got the right person, because that is the hardest part. Forget about the player having confidence, you need the organisation – wherever you are – to have confidence in you, and I think if you look at his erratic selection over the last two years, I think that hopefully this is the turning point for him.”Samad was unable to get Sunrisers over the line in their narrow defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday night, falling in the final over of the game for 21 off 18 balls. Hemang Badani, Sunrisers’ batting coach, said that Samad had taken responsibility for the defeat and “stayed strong” in the aftermath.2:31

Hemang Badani: ‘The win will give confidence to players like Samad’

“Let me start off by saying I have to give full marks to Samad,” Badani said, “because he was the first one to come up to me after the previous game and said, ‘I should have finished the game.'”He took ownership of it, and said with nine off six balls, more often than not, batters in the middle would finish games for their side, and he didn’t finish it and he was a little unhappy about it. He had a similar instance with the game against Mumbai [Indians]; that again was a game that he felt he could have finished.”And he was hurting, to be honest. He was hurting. He was like, ‘I’ve been around with SRH, this is my third [fourth] year, I’m a retained player and I really want to make it count. I really want to try and show them that I am worth your time and I am worth the investment.’ I think he’s ensured that he’s stayed strong.”Samad hardly reacted after his winning shot, which Moody said fitted his character. “He’s not charging off with his bat in the air; he’s a very humble, quietly-spoken guy,” he said.”But behind all that is someone that works extremely hard at his craft and is constantly trying to improve on his game in a role that is exceptionally hard to play. More often than not, you see your mature players playing in those roles, not a 21-year-old.”Abdul Samad’s 21, and we are judging him on his history as a 21-year-old. Let’s judge him on his history when he’s 28, and then make judgement on whether he’s consistent in one of the hardest roles to play.”Badani, meanwhile, said that Samad – and Sunrisers – would take confidence from their victory, which still leaves them in ninth place but with the points table incredibly tight.”It’s a great win, because it gives us momentum,” he said. “It will obviously give us confidence. It will obviously give a lot of belief for guys like Samad, because Samad would have felt that he missed out a couple of times.”To have done it here, the next time he comes in to bat, the next time he’s in a situation like this, he’ll be a lot more different to what he was in the past.”

Nottingham Forest’s side that won promotion back to the Premier League in the 2021/22 season will live long in the memory of their supporters.

Although much of that team now plays elsewhere, the men in Garibaldi Red that season wrote their names in the history books as the side who returned the Midlands club to the Premier League.

Despite struggling at the start of the campaign, Forest, managed by Steve Cooper, ended up finishing fourth in the second tier of English football. In the playoff final, the East Midlands outfit beat Huddersfield Town at Wembley to secure Premier League status again.

One of the standout players for Forest that year was Brennan Johnson.

Brennan Johnson’s Forest career

23-year-old winger Johnson came through the ranks at the City Ground. After a loan spell at Lincoln City, he eventually broke into the first team at Forest and became a crucial player, helping the club to promotion in 2021/22.

In total, the Welshman played 109 times for the club, scoring 29 goals and grabbing 12 assists. In the promotion season, his 16 goals and two assists in 46 Championship games, and two goals in three playoff games, ensured he could help bring his boyhood club back to the top flight of English football.

It is fair to say that, in his first season as a Premier League footballer, the Wales international impressed. He scored eight goals and grabbed three assists in 38 games as Forest survived by the skin of their teeth. He scored some crucial goals, but perhaps none more so than both strikes in a 2-0 win at home to Leicester City, who ended up being relegated themselves.

Sadly for Forest fans, he left his boyhood club for pastures anew on deadline day in 2023. Tottenham Hotspur paid £47.5m to sign Johnson from Forest, which was a record sale for the club.

There is no doubt it was a big loss for the East Midlands side, and they could be in danger of losing another star for perhaps an even bigger fee.

The £60m star who Forest could lose

According to a report last week from the Mail, Morgan Gibbs-White is someone who is of ‘keen interest’ to several Premier League clubs, including Liverpool, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

At this stage, a price is not clear should a deal materialise. However, Gibbs-White was valued at a reported £60m over the summer, with the club likely looking to make a profit on their initial investment.

There is no doubt that losing Johnson was a disappointing thing for Forest, even if the club did not stand in his way when the right price arrived. Losing Gibbs-White, however, could arguably be even worse.

He is the main man in a side flying this season under Nuno Espirito Santo. Forest are currently third in the Premier League on 40 points, the same amount as second place Arsenal and just six points off leaders Liverpool.

Their most recent win was a 3-0 thrashing away to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

There is no doubt that Gibbs-White’s four goals and three assists in 16 games are a big reason for that form. Initially, the 24-year-old started the season slowly, with just one goal in his first ten appearances.

However, in the last six games, he has really kicked on, with an impressive six goals and assists in his last six games. It is certainly no coincidence that his electric form has coincided with Forest winning six games in a row.

Opponent

Goals

Assists

Chances created

Dribbles completed

Duels won

Man United

1

1

1

2

5

Aston Villa

0

1

3

3

5

Brentford

0

0

1

1

9

Spurs

0

1

2

1

4

Everton

1

0

1

1

5

Wolves

1

0

0

0

5

Losing a man with 15 goals and 21 assists in 96 games across competitions would be a huge blow for Nuno and his squad. Those donning Garibaldi Red this season are doing an exceptional job, spearheaded by Gibbs-White.

It was never going to be easy to replace Johnson, yet Forest have found a man who is filling the boots of his former teammate pretty well, to say the least.

The last thing they need is for Gibbs-White to leave, meaning they would lose another of their talismanic attackers.

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