He is frustrated at not converting starts but has been satisfied with the way he has played

Andrew McGlashan25-Jul-2023David Warner has shut down rumours that he will retire from Test cricket after the fifth and final Test at The Oval as he prepares to face England for the final time.Speculation was fuelled in Australia when Michael Vaughan told that he had heard “whispers” during the Old Trafford Test that the final Ashes encounter would be Warner’s last, rather than him going through to the Pakistan series and a Sydney farewell in early January that he had set out at the beginning of this tour.”No, not at all,” Warner said at The Oval when asked if he had considered making it his final Test. “I haven’t seen anything…I don’t have an announcement. For me it’s about trying to work hard in the nets as I did today and if selected, go out there and play and try and win an Ashes series.”Related

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Switch Hit: Ashes to Splashes

“I came here last time and it was a draw. Hopefully, we can go away with a series win and then that’ll be a fitting Ashes campaign for us and a fitting tour over here in England with the World Test Championship as well.”In the same comments, Vaughan also raised the possible retirement of Steven Smith but, that too, was laughed off. “Obviously it’s a joke,” Warner said. “I won’t take that too seriously.” When asked in recent months, 34-year-old Smith has dead-batted talk of when he may close out his international career.Warner’s Test retirement plan is still a finish at his home ground of the SCG in early January, although there does remain the question of whether the selectors could decide to start afresh at the beginning of the home summer.David Warner has failed to convert a number of his starts in the Ashes•Getty Images

Warner has scored 201 runs at 25.12 in the four Ashes Tests – having scored 43 and 1 in the World Test Championship [WTC] final against India – which has been an improvement on the horrors of the 2019 tour when he averaged 9.50. However, this means his overall Test return since the beginning of 2021 is 28.26 and that includes the double century against South Africa.After failing twice against Stuart Broad at Headingley – to revive memories of the last Ashes in England – he made a pair of starts at Old Trafford before falling to Chris Woakes on both occasions. Warner has been frustrated not to convert into something more substantial but believes he has played his part in helping Australia retain the Ashes at 2-1 up heading to the last match, sharing three half-century stands with Usman Khawaja in the two victories.”I’ve probably left a few out there, but in saying that I’ve played a lot better than what I did last time,” he said. “I’m looking to score. I’ve had a couple of unlucky dismissals and then been dismissed where I’ve tried to negate the swing or the seam and it’s caught the outside edge of the bat.”So for me, I feel like I’m in a good space, contributed well, and as a batting unit, we’re all about partnerships. And I think the partnerships that we’ve had in key moments of this series so far have actually worked very well for us as a team.”With one Test to go in England, Warner’s average in the country (including the final against India) stands at 25.60 from 18 matches and he has never made a hundred. His overall average away from home is 32.31 compared with 58.39 in Australia.Warner came into this series promising a more attacking mindset than in 2019, when he felt that a lot of his problems came from looking to defend against the moving ball. Although he has only managed one half-century this time, he has been happy with his method.”Look at the dismissal against Woakes in the first innings last Test. That one seams,” he said. “If it doesn’t seam, it hits the middle of the bat and that’s what happens in this game. I would have been disappointed if I went forward to that and just tried to defend it. So that’s how I’ve wanted to play. I do feel like I’m playing pretty decently.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da betcris： O título do Brasileirão pode ser um sonho distante para muitos alvinegros, mas não para Luís Castro. O treinador reconheceu as dificuldades da competição, mas ressaltou que tem muita vontade de conquistar esta taça pelo Botafogo.

– O Brasileirão é um dos campeonatos mais difíceis do mundo. Chegando lá, há equipes com nível muito bons, como Fluminense, Flamengo, Palmeiras, Atlético-MG e Corinthians. Queremos estar nesse lote, de ter possibilidades de conquistar o Brasileirão. Ganhar ou não é questão de correr melhor ou não as coisas. Mas não pode ser uma distância de 20 pontos – declarou Luís Castro, em entrevista ao “Charla Podcast”:

+Lista fechada! Saiba todos os clubes classificados para a Sul-Americana 2023

RelacionadasBotafogoJoia do Botafogo, Matheus Nascimento fica fora da lista do Brasil no Sul-AmericanoBotafogo08/12/2022Fora de CampoLuís Castro defende treinador de Portugal por colocar Cristiano Ronaldo no banco na CopaFora de Campo08/12/2022BotafogoConfira detalhes do planejamento de Luís Castro para a pré-temporada do BotafogoBotafogo07/12/2022

da bwin： +Botafogo alcança liderança inédita de engajamento em rede social

– Quero muito isso. Queria já nessa última temporada. Conquistar títulos é viciante. Nos últimos anos ganhei e queria ganhar no Botafogo. Sinto energia positiva no clube e na torcida. Sinto toda gente entusiasmada, quero aproveitar para crescermos mais e mais. É o que procuro fazer através da minha liderança diária – completou.

Nesta edição do Brasileirão, Botafogo cresceu muito no segundo turno e chegou perto de conseguir uma vaga para Libertadores. Na próxima temporada, Luís Castro espera construir uma equipe ainda mais competitiva e menos oscilante.

GOAL writers analyze Luis Suarez's goal-scoring issues, Messi's apparent frustrations, and what's troubling Atlanta and Galaxy

Nearly three months into the MLS season, there are a few surprises. Inter Miami have been good at times, but fairly woeful at others. And as a result, manager Javier Mascherano has endured his fair share of criticism.

The Herons are a different team to the one that won the Supporters' Shield last year. There have been personnel changes, but also radical dips in form. Luis Suarez found the net for just the third time this season last weekend, while Lionel Messi has cut a frustrated figure of late, showing it on the pitch and with reactions to losses (cue the body language experts!)

But a big result against the Red Bulls showed it might not all be doom and gloom – especially if they can put a run together.

Elsewhere, the LA Galaxy continue to struggle immensely. A rough start was perhaps inevitable given that Riqui Puig is out for most of the season, but going winless in 11 is almost unfathomable. There are faint calls for a coaching change, and the detractors might just have a point this time.

Meanwhile, Atlanta United have sputtered, and are yet to find their mojo after spending more than $40 million to rebuild their squad this offseason. Is it just a slow start, or have the front office gotten it all wrong?

GOAL US writers discuss all of these MLS topics in the latest edition of… The Rondo.

GettyIs Messi's apparent frustration justified?

Tom Hindle: Don't you just love body language experts? It is entirely possible that we're reading way too much into everything here. Still, the man has won eight Ballons d'Or, a World Cup, and everything else a billion times. He's probably pretty angry that his team are struggling in MLS. Not usually a fan of superstars giving the "you guys all suck" vibes, but you can understand Leo's frustrations. Still, it's probably better to motivate than sulk.

Jacob Schneider: Absolutely, but that should be aimed at Javier Mascherano. Some of his personnel selections have been baffling. In his last two MLS starts, Benja Cremaschi has a goal and an assist. He came off the bench twice – against Vancouver, and against RBNY on Matchday 11. Playing him as a second striker alongside Suarez, or at the 10 with two other wingers opposite, is not where he needs to be. Play Messi on the right side of the pitch, play Cremaschi central, and then choose your LW. Stop trying to be cute and innovative.

Alex Labidou: This is par for the course for world-class players who have come into MLS. David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – it's a rite of passage at this stage. Playing in MLS is unlike any other league in the world. You have players who could still start for Champions League clubs, making 20-times more than a teammate they start with who might be EFL League One quality. Then you have the travel aspect. It can be grueling, especially for star players who are the face of a franchise in a way they aren't expected to in other leagues. For example, no one blames Lamine Yamal for losing to Inter in the Champions League. Fans and media blame the tactics or the collective effort of the team. In MLS, when Inter Miami lose, the magnifying glass goes directly to Messi. All of that is to say, the frustration is understandable, but it is what he signed up for.

AdvertisementGettyIs Suarez's goal finally a sign of better things to come?

TH: You'd certainly hope so! Suarez was class last season, but has spent much of this looking like an old man with bad legs – while his form inside the box has been pretty miserable. Then again, the stats suggest he's doing everything right. His xG is higher than his actual goals scored, and he's still getting into the right spots. So, for all of his struggles in the final-third – he has just three goals – he is providing assists. Maybe this is just a funky new version of Suarez, who might assist 10-15, and only provide 10 goals. As long as everyone else finds the back of the net a bit, Miami will likely take that.

JS: He won't reach 20 goals in MLS as he did last year – but he'll come close to 12-15 by the end of the season. Where Suarez will be more efficient around net is with hold-up play and awareness in drawing defenders out of position, thus allowing other attackers to move into goal-scoring spots. His knees are tired, and he can't move like he did before – but he still has a role to play. "Better things" is subjective. Don't think he will be more efficient in terms of scoring, but he'll continue contributing and building on the six assists he has.

AL: Going to put this as simple as possible: Class might be permanent, but Father Time is undefeated. The reality is Suarez's technical ability is still world-class and still among the elite of MLS. But his athleticism, whatever was left of it, left last season. He simply can't beat defenders anymore, no matter how nice the dribble or skill he tries to use to do so. He'll still finish chances like he did against the Red Bulls, a chance that was very much force-fed into a finish. His quality also means he likely can find teammates with intelligent passes, which explains his assist tally this season. But he shouldn't be counted on to be a goal-scorer at a high level consistently game after game. One could make an argument that on an elite MLS team, he would be better suited as a backup who can be counted on for 20 strong minutes. Inter Miami should strongly consider doing the same.

Getty Images SportDo the LA Galaxy need a coaching change after a winless start?

TH: No. The results have been disastrous, but the performances haven't necessarily been terrible. They were a team that really relied on a star, and then lost a collection of very good footballers around him. At some point, it's fair to question the coach, but it's still a bit early in the season to be talking seriously about moving on from him. Also, who else can they get who can make this team better? If there were an obvious, REALISTIC(!!!)hire out there, then, sure, consider it. Harsh truth: there isn't.

JS: Absolutely. It's crazy to say out loud, but it's absolutely something that should be considered. Losing Riqui Puig is a massive blow, we all know that – but ZERO wins in 11 matches, including a game in which the opposition won by not taking a SINGLE shot on goal (shout-out own-goal)? It's just absurd.

AL: Don't want to pile on managers today, and Vanney has shown – with the right pieces – that he can win titles. It's a trait that isn't recognized enough, being able to win in the biggest games. Yet, if there is an area in which Vanney has been challenged, it's being able to handle significant changes. In 2018, the year after Toronto FC won its historic treble, Toronto FC struggled mightly – finishing ninth in the East. It appears as if the same thing is going on now, though Vanney has fewer excuses. In Toronto, he had a core that was coming to the end with stars such as Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore past their peak. In LAFC, he has a largely young core with Gabriel Pec and Joseph Pantsil leading the way. Yes, losing Puig was a significant blow, and sure, trading Dejan Joveljic was a tough decision. But three points in 11 matches is bad. There's no way around it. If things don't turn around by the summer, expect wholesale changes, including the manager. The Galaxy can't afford to fall into irrelevance again, especially in just one season.

Getty Images SportWhat is going on with Atlanta United?

TH: It seems like there's been loads of change with a manager who still can't quite figure out how to piece it all together. They are victims of their own expectations here. They spent exorbitantly last summer, brought in a new coach, and promised big things. The issue is, this is still a team that scraped into the playoffs and spent most of 2024 being not very good at soccer – other than the upset of Inter Miami in the playoffs. There's enough talent for them to turn things around, but they still need time to piece things together. Patience.

JS: It's a really baffling development, right? It doesn't make a ton of sense that Atlanta have spent more than $40M on three Designated Players since August 2024, but not bolstered their defense or added a ball-winning midfielder to match the caliber of their attack. They focused SO much on their attack, they forgot to consider other areas of development – and they've fallen behind as a result. Ronny Deila hasn't done well on the touchline, but the transfer business from the club over the offseason isn't a winner by any means.

AL: Not entirely convinced Deila is a strong manager. Yes, he won the MLS Cup with NYCFC, but other than 2021 – when he won – it always seemed as if The Pigeons were underachievers despite their talent. The year they won, it was a flash-in-the-pan moment for the franchise. And there's a reason why things didn't work for him at both Club Brugge and Al Wahda prior to his return to MLS. Did Atlanta get it wrong to overlook Rob Valentino, who had done a good job with the team in his interim spell with the Five Stripes? This team is too talented to have won just over 18 percent of its games since Deila's arrival.

Pakistan are No. 2, followed by India, New Zealand and England

ESPNcricinfo staff11-May-2023Australia have retained their No. 1 spot in the ICC men’s ODI team rankings following the annual update that dropped results from the 2019-20 season and reflects all matches completed since May 2020.With 118 rating points, Australia are two points clear of second-placed Pakistan after the update, which weights matches completed before May 2022 at 50% and subsequent matches at 100%. Earlier this month, after a similar update for Test rankings, Australia had lost their No. 1 position in red-ball cricket to India.Pakistan had grabbed the top ODI spot last week, after taking a 4-0 lead during their five-match home series against New Zealand. But their stay proved to be a short one as they lost the final match and slipped back behind Australia. Had Pakistan won the series 5-0, they would have remained at the top of the table even after the annual update.Full rankings tables

Click here for the full team rankings

Click here for the full player rankings

India, who are No. 1 in both Tests and T20Is, are at No. 3 in ODIs, with just one rating point separating them and Pakistan.India are followed by New Zealand and England who lost four and ten points, respectively, after the update.Afghanistan were the biggest beneficiaries. They are now eighth, having overtaken Sri Lanka and West Indies. South Africa and Bangladesh are at No. 6 and 7, respectively. The top eight happen to be the teams that have qualified directly for this year’s ODI World Cup, to be held in India.The women’s annual team rankings updates will be carried out at the beginning of October.

da dobrowin： Shifting their focus towards the summer transfer window, Newcastle United are now reportedly racing to sign a young attacking midfielder for what would be a bargain price at the end of the season.

Newcastle transfer news

da leao： The Magpies have been forced to face the harsh reality of profit and sustainability rules in the last year or so, resulting in a quiet summer and January transfer window. In a position where they must sell before they can buy – even as the team with arguably the richest owners in the Premier League – Newcastle at least showed the door to Lloyd Kelly and Miguel Almiron last month.

It’s two sales which should free up some room on the PSR front and allow Newcastle to spend once again, albeit perhaps only on bargain deals. Reports suggest that’s very much the market that the Tyneside club are looking into too.

The likes of Paulo Dybala have been among those threatening to steal the headlines this week, with his bargain release clause reportedly grabbing the attention of those at St James’ Park.

Meanwhile, if it’s not to be the experienced option then the Magpies could turn towards a rising star. According to SportBILD, via Sport Witness, Newcastle are now chasing a deal to sign Ibrahim Maza from Hertha Berlin this summer following reports that his €20m (£17m) price tag is set to drop to €10m (£8m) at the end of the season.

The Magpies aren’t alone in their interest, however, with Atletico Madrid, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers – among others – all interested in the 19-year-old.

Related Newcastle planning £33m offer for "dangerous" star who destroyed Liverpool

He would complete Eddie Howe’s attack.

Posts ByTom Cunningham Feb 12, 2025

For £8m, Newcastle could land an eventual bargain deal if Maza’s rise continues out of the 2. Bundesliga in the near future. A deal which would end their wait for an impressive reinforcement whilst avoiding any PSR risks, they should make their move.

"Decisive" Maza is on the rise

Although he hasn’t stolen every headline throughout the current campaign courtesy of his place in Germany’s second division, the stats do plenty of the talking for Maza. At just 19 years old, he’s been a crucial player for Hertha – scoring seven goals and assisting another four in all competitions in the middle of what has otherwise been a disappointing season for his side.

Earning the praise of Ben Mattinson as a result, the analyst claimed that Maza can be “the face of a top team” and described the young attacking midfielder as both “assertive” as well as “decisive”.

Yet to reach the peak of his powers, Newcastle would be wise to make their move at a bargain price this summer rather than holding off and watching Maza reach his potential elsewhere.

Hindsight is a terrible tease, but where might this series be now had Mark Wood been fit to play the first Test at Edgbaston? To judge by his ferocious pad-thumper to a motionless Pat Cummins in the afternoon session, Australia’s captain probably wouldn’t have been quite so composed in that fraught run-chase, especially against a bowler with a proven ability to transcend the conditions on flat decks – see Wood’s priceless performance on the final day at Multan for recent evidence.But he’s here now, all right, and after claiming his fourth five-wicket haul and his first on home soil, a sensational 5 for 34 in 11.4 overs, Wood was champing at the bit to make up for lost time in England’s hour of Ashes need.”I’m delighted,” Wood told Sky Sports at the close. “Obviously I haven’t played a Test match in a while, but to be able to come back fairly fresh and produce that was pretty special.”However, Wood was also keen to prove that he’s learnt a few new tricks since he was last unleashed in a home Test, against India at Lord’s almost two years ago. For pace may be pace (yaar) when you’re playing on a road in Pakistan, but on one of the most helpful home surfaces that he’s ever been unleashed on, Wood had a mission to ensure that his eye-watering speed was translated into wicket-taking success.”I was really happy that I could show in home conditions that I can bowl as well,” he said. “Movement, that’s what’s deadly I think. If you just bowl fast, these top players are just used to that. They face dog-stick guys [throwing the ball] off 17 yards, so they’re used to facing quick bowling. So I the thing that helped today was the movement really.”For all that his day’s work was done in the blink of an eye (or three-and-a-bit, to be exact – four precisely measured bursts of four, two, three and 2.4 overs, spread evenly across the innings) Wood’s tactics were more carefully calibrated than his raw speed might suggest, as he explained in front of the Sky Sports replay screen at the close.”In general the wicket felt to me like, when you went up there, it came onto the bat, it slid on,” he said, referencing how David Warner had leant on Stuart Broad’s first ball of the match and pinged it for four down the ground.Mark Wood unleashed extreme speed in his first outing of this summer’s Ashes•Getty Images

“So it was about trying to hold the good length to keep [the batter] on the crease and then I thought, ‘right, this is the one I’m going to try and get the wicket’, push it right up there with a bit of swing, and luckily it paid off.”No wicket was more spectacular in that regard than his first, a stunning stump-wrecker to Usman Khawaja that was clocked at 94.6mph – and given Khawaja’s prior record in this series, 300 runs from almost 20 hours of application across the first two Tests, no wicket was more essential to England’s cause, either.”We were discussing it as a bowling group out there,” Wood said. “At Headingley you think, ‘full, full, full’, but then you can get drawn in, so it’s just that balance of when to attack the stumps and when to hold it in. It was more a case of bashing the top of the stumps on that nicking length, and then the odd one full rather than being full all the time.”A still image of Wood’s point of release during that spell emphasised the extraordinary physical toil his bowling puts on his body, but also the remarkable rewards when his action is perfectly aligned, with a braced front knee, and fully loaded torso, compared to a fractionally buckled load-up for his second spell, when his speeds intermittently dipped below 90mph.”When I’m at full biff, it feels like all my body’s going towards the batsman. It looks like an awful position, but it’s almost like a catapult sling that, when you let it go, all the chinks in the chain fizz the ball out.”But it was the subtlety that Wood brought to his performance that pleased him the most – especially knowing that, in the past, he probably wouldn’t have been given first dibs on such a pitch.Related

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“I’m usually on the flat ones, to be fair, and my record is much better away from home,” he said, citing a record of 49 wickets at 24.18 overseas, compared to 35 at 40.71 prior to today, both from 13 Tests.”On wickets like today, when the ball moves around, you’re automatically thinking Anderson, Broad, Robinson, Woakes,” he added. “They are your top guys who can trouble people in these conditions.”For me, being able to move the ball today, it’s really helped me, because that’s not something that I’ve always done to be, to be brutally honest. I’ve tried to work hard behind the scenes on the wobble-seam, through speaking to the other guys and the bowling coaches.”It’s something I’m trying to get better at. I’m 33, but I’m still trying to get better and better, even though it’s a slow progress. It doesn’t just happen overnight.”But I like bowling away from home, because it brings in reverse-swing. And the bouncer attack on flat pitches, I feel really that suits me, because they sometimes skid through and it’s hard to play especially with the field.”The short ball at Headingley, however, proved a trickier weapon to get right, particularly when the WACA-born-and-bred Mitchell Marsh was climbing into his sensational run-a-ball counterattack in the afternoon session.”If you bowled it too short, it looped over the keeper, and then if you didn’t get short enough, it’s in that Australian sweet spot, where they play it really well,” Wood said. “It’s about that happy medium you got to find.”Mitch Marsh played fantastically well. He was difficult to bowl at in that period, when the ball went from having that zip off the wicket, and all of a sudden, it looked very different when he was in. But of course, when a new batter came in, it was tough again.”I’ve had a good day. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, I’ve got to back it up. This is a must-win game, and we’ve got to back it up in the second innings. But the outfield is rapid and rock hard. We’re gonna score quickly if the lads can get in tomorrow.”

“If I was really not that loyal I would have done it five years ago when T20 leagues really took off”

Firdose Moonda17-Sep-2023

Quinton de Kock has admitted that the lure of T20 league money influenced his decision to retire from ODI cricket after this year’s World Cup as he looks to “top up” his earnings as his career winds down. Although just 30 years old, de Kock has been playing professional cricket for the last 11 years, retired from Test cricket almost two years ago and will continue playing T20 cricket, both internationally and in leagues around the world, starting with the BBL in December.De Kock made himself available for Australia’s competition even though it will clash with South Africa’s white-ball series against India and shortly afterwards announced his ODI retirement. Asked by the host broadcaster, in an interview ahead of his final home ODI, whether the T20 franchise circuit prompted that decision, de Kock confirmed that they did but maintained that his first priority had been South Africa.”I am not going to sit here and deny that it doesn’t. It helps with my decision. I’ve been around for 10 or 11 years and I’ve tried to keep my loyalty to the team, which I think I’ve done really well. I think I have represented the Proteas badge very well over my career,” de Kock said. “T20 events – I am not going to deny that there is a lot of money and coming to the end of your career, guys want to get their final top-up before their career finishes. Any normal person would do it anyway. If I was really not that loyal I would have done it five years ago when it really took off. Now I am older and with me coming to the down slope of my career, it’s time.”Though still a dangerous batter and lightning quick with the keeping gloves, de Kock’s decision to wind down his career comes from a desire to spend more time with his young family. He stepped away from Tests shortly before the birth of his daughter Kiara and at the time said he and his wife Sasha planned to “grow our family,” in the coming years and he wanted to be a present father. He has now also revealed the longest format lost its appeal for him. “It was a feeling I was getting,” he said. “I remember at the end of my Test career, I was fighting playing Test matches. I only played 50 ([54] Test matches I think. I spoke to the people who I trust in my life and they said if you want to, there’s no shame in it, retire so you can focus on other formats.”In the 21 months since, de Kock has played 21 ODIs and 19 T20Is for South Africa, scored one century in each format and averages slightly less than his overall numbers. He implied the slight dip may come from his changing role in the team – from maverick youngster to senior professional.”When I was younger, it was easier because they knew what I could do and we had senior guys like AB (de Villiers), Hash(im Amla), Faf (du Plessis) and JP (Duminy). They just let me play. They didn’t try and stop me and said I must just keep being aggressive,” he said. “Over time it’s changed. Somehow, I try to play a situation that has been put before us. There’s a time for me to be aggressive but there’s also time just being out in the middle and trusting I can just catch up an innings. I’ve learnt another way to score runs and I had to take control of the senior group. Guys like myself and David Miller – we had to lead the group. Somehow through that process, my game has got a bit more enhanced than being the guy who just smashes it the whole time.”That’s why when asked for his best memories, de Kock doesn’t immediately think of his career-best ODI knock – the 178 against Australia in 2016 – but turns to events like his half-century in a Test in a Galle in 2014 as an example of his grit.”We won in Sri Lanka one-nil, which is never an easy feat for teams not from the subcontinent,” he said, also recalling his first ODI hundred against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi and three ODIs hundreds in a row against India in 2013, which helped him make his name.”I’ve had a lot of good memories along the way, things you can’t just forget,” he said. “The guys know I am an elephant, I don’t forget. There are things I don’t forget. I remember every last bit of detail about everything. It’s some skill I have just developed.”His memory may not enjoy the way his final ODI innings at home went. He scored 27 of 39 balls before being caught at slip and walked off to a standing ovation from his home ground at the Wanderers.This was his 144th match and he will add a maximum of 11 more to his name at the World Cup. And what does he plan to do other than play T20 cricket after that? “I will take a gap year for sure and then reassess,” he said. “And then I will just go back into society and be a normal person.”

Liverpool aren’t supposed to be miles clear at the top of the Premier League.

With Jurgen Klopp stepping down from his manager’s role at the end of the 2023/24 campaign after missing out on the biggest prizes, rivals tittered as Arne Slot took the German’s baton and prepared himself for failure.

These might be echoes of misguided opinion, but Liverpool have been nothing short of mesmerising in their professional brilliance this season, sitting pretty at the top of the division with an 11-point lead over second-place Arsenal.

Into the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United and preparing for a two-legged showdown with Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League, there’s plenty to play for. The high-flying Reds are firing on all cylinders.

Well, maybe not all cylinders – Darwin Nunez has been something of a conundrum since signing for the Merseysiders in a deal worth £85m (a club record), and he’s facing a summer departure after failing to kick on under Slot’s management.

Darwin Nunez's inevitable departure

This was supposed to be Nunez’s season. Liverpool hadn’t signed a striker last summer to kickstart the Slot era, leaving Diogo Jota and the Uruguay international as the two recognised senior options.

It’s nearly March, and Dominik Szoboszlai’s triumphant performance at the Etihad, moonlighting as a centre-forward as Nunez sat cold on the bench, epitomised the saddening situation he finds himself in.

He’s effectively fourth in the pecking order, behind Jota, Luis Diaz and now Szoboszlai. Cody Gakpo would be picked ahead of him too, were the Dutchman not performing so well on the left flank.

How has this happened? Retired striker Dwight Yorke remarked earlier this season that there is a “monster of a player” dwelling somewhere within Nunez’s recesses, but he hasn’t come out for more than flashes of promise across three years as a Red.

Perhaps the most concerning part is he’s having a comparatively effective season in front of goal. And even so, just four Premier League goals to his name, six from 35 appearances across all competitions.

It’s simply not good enough, especially with Jota missing 15 matches so far this term. He’s fit at the moment but has only scored eight goals, playing 22 times.

When you realise there’s a former Liverpool centre-midfielder who was offloaded on a free transfer, you begin to see how concerning Liverpool’s central striking options are in the long term.

The former Liverpool midfielder who's outscoring Nunez

Liverpool have hit the mark with the majority of their signings over the past decade, hitting with greater consistency than certain domestic rivals.

It’s not just about the big-money additions, but Klopp and Michael Edwards’ almost unerring ability to pick out players who had not yet established themselves at the top of the European game.

Take Gini Wijnaldum, for example. Relegated with Newcastle United in 2015/16, the Dutch ace joined Liverpool that summer in a move worth £25m.

Best-known across Europe for that moment in the Champions League, Wijnaldum was far more than an off-the-bench brace, even if it was one of the most significant cameos in Liverpool’s history, helping the injury-hit Reds on to an incredible 4-3 aggregate victory over Barcelona in the semis.

Wijnaldum, now 34, was described as an “irreplaceable” part of Klopp’s dynasty by correspondent Richard Jolly, playing 237 times. He only scored 22 goals, and only placed 17 assists, but then Wijnaldum’s role was one of control and fluency in the middle of the field, fashioned into an industrious workhorse after principally playing on the left flank with the Magpies.

He saw out his £75k-per-week contract on Merseyside, never once renewing. When Liverpool failed to tie him down to fresh terms in 2021, he was snapped up by Paris Saint-Germain, though failed to really kick on in the French capital and left for the riches of the Saudi Pro League in 2023, joining the now-departed Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq.

Klopp had actually gone on the record in November 2020 to state that he “would be happy if he would stay here,” but the impasse failed to find a resolution and Liverpool’s midfield perhaps didn’t look quite the same over the next two years, with Thiago Alcantara routinely injured.

The versatility of the Netherlands man could have been utilised over those next few years, perhaps even stabilising Liverpool in 2022/23, when they fell off a proverbial cliff as several members foundered.

He’s certainly showcased as such with his current outfit, playing across the midfield this season. Despite being fielded as an anchoring presence for the bulk of the term, Wijnaldum has still managed to fire nine goals home across 21 matches, recently claiming a brace in a 3-2 win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.

Central midfield

31

7

7

Defensive midfield

14

2

0

Attacking midfield

7

7

2

Right winger

2

0

0

He’s still got it alright. That impressive dynamism has been on full show in Saudi Arabia, with his natural-born clinical edge even seeing him outscore Nunez and Jota for Liverpool this year.

The goalscoring engine is a man of many parts, and while his ship has now sailed over on the banks of the River Mersey, his continuing success serves as a rueful reminder of the talent that supercharged Klopp’s squad in its pomp, and the inverse of that, that his goalscoring form underscores just how flimsy Liverpool’s central strikers have been – either on the fitness front or in the final third themselves.

Wijnaldum will turn 35 before the end of the year and, in this twilight stage, perhaps no longer has the athleticism and crispness to withstand the rigours of Premier League football.

However, a prime Gini may well find a starting spot in this current Liverpool midfield, underscoring the value he had under Klopp’s management. The fact he’s still got enough in the tank to outscore the likes of Jota and Nunez, nearly four years after leaving, suggests that maybe his departure was premature.

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The second season to have an extra game; each team to also sign a rookier player, aged 22 or under, who has never played in SA20 before

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2023The second season of the SA20 will see one additional match – a mirror of the IPL’s knockout phase – and a salary purse increase of R5.1 million (USD 276,000 approx) – per team. That takes the total number of fixtures to 34, with each side playing the other five teams both home and away before the knockout stage. Instead of two semi-finals and a final, as was the case in the inaugural edition, the SA20 will have two qualifiers and an eliminator before the final.Each of the six teams can contract an additional player, bringing the total squad size to 19. The additional player must be a South African rookie, who is 22 or younger and has not played in the SA20 previously.These changes have been made after what league commissioner Graeme Smith told ESPNcricinfo was a debut season that “exceeded expectations across the board,” and with a view to growing the league “in a way that benefits South African cricket.”Related

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Smith envisages a “mini-auction” towards the end of September 2023 and no major changes to the franchises, most of whom contracted local players on two-year deals. “The position around that was that we wanted the fan base to get to know their teams,” Smith said. “And that was one of the major successes we had in season one – how fast fans got behind their teams. But with teams also getting to know South African cricket, you want a bit of space to manoeuvre and so we expect some South African players will move between franchises.”To accommodate that, an official trading window for South African players opened on June 1. Teams can pre-sign, trade, buy-out or retain players until the end of July when the SA20 will have a full audit of the squads and plan for the auction.There is a mixture of one and two-year deals for international players contracted to the SA20 and there is also expected to be some movement in that area, albeit likely before the auction. Teams will be allowed to pre-sign four overseas players in their squad, an increase by one from the last edition. This means that players who were unavailable previously can be contracted even before the auction. There will also be the opportunity to contract a wildcard player as was the case last season.The inaugural SA20 was a roaring success•SA 20With some player movement likely, teams will need to dip into the extra salary allowance, which has gone up from R34 million (USD 1.84 million approx) last season to R39.1 million (USD 2.1 million approx) for the edition. The organisers feel the extra incentive will allow squads to “attract the best talent” and help assemble “powerhouse squads”. Smith foresees another big auction ahead of the third season.In total, each of the six teams is required to have a minimum of 11 South African players in their squads. On match day, the teams can field a maximum of four overseas players and a minimum of seven local players.The inaugural SA20 season was a roaring success in South Africa, which saw Sunrisers Eastern Cape crowned as champions. The second season will be played in the same January window in 2024 and could also see some changes to the playing conditions.After the SA20 became the first league to allow teams to name 13 players at the toss and whittle that down to 11 afterwards, it is now mulling whether to keep that or explore an IPL-style Impact Player Rule instead. “The committee will debate strategies on how we think the game can move forward,” Smith said. “The regulations today are related to squad composition and how teams can build their squads and we will look to other matters in the months to come.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da bet vitoria： O São Paulo encaminhou mais uma contratação para a temporada 2023. O novo reforço do clube deve ser o volante Jhegson Méndez, que disputou a Copa do Mundo do Qatar pela seleção do Equador. A informação foi publicada pelo jornalista Venê Casagrande, e confirmada pelo LANCE!.

> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2023 clicando aqui

Méndez estava atuando pelo Los Angeles FC, da Major League Soccer (MLS), mas seu contrato termina neste mês de janeiro. Foi aí que o Tricolor viu a possibilidade de assinar sem custos e negociar com o estafe do jogador. Embora tenham tido concorrência forte e esbarrado em valores considerados altos de luvas, os dirigentes conseguiram reduzir a pedida para chegar a um acordo.

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da cassino： Dessa forma, o São Paulo encaminhou a contratação do volante, que ainda depende dos trâmites finais e da realização de exames, que podem ocorrer na próxima semana. A oficialização, porém, deve acontecer somente em janeiro, quando ele estará livre de seu contrato nos Estados Unidos.

Aos 25 anos, Méndez foi titular da seleção do Equador na Copa de 2022 nas partidas contra o Qatar e contra a Holanda, mas ficou suspenso do terceiro jogo diante de Senegal, quando sua equipe foi eliminada da competição. Ele defende seu país desde 2018, somando 34 partidas ainda sem gols.

Formado na base do Independiente del Valle, Méndez foi negociado com o Orlando City em janeiro de 2019. O volante ficou por lá até julho deste ano, quando se transferiu para o Los Angeles FC.

Nesta janela de transferências, o São Paulo contratou os atacantes Marcos Paulo (Atlético de Madrid-ESP), Pedrinho (Lokomotiv Moscou-RUS) e Wellington Rato (Atlético-GO), e o goleiro Rafael (Atlético-MG). O clube ainda busca fechar as contratações do atacante David (Internacional), e do zagueiro Alan Franco (Atlanta United-EUA). Nos dois negócios avanços foram feitos nessas últimas semanas, mas ainda sem desfecho positivo para o Tricolor, pois esbarram nos altos valores.