Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen starred for Nigeria as they qualified for last eight stage after beating Cameroon 2-0.
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Southampton have not been busy in the summer transfer window in terms of bringing players into the club as they have only made three first-team signings to date.
Who have Southampton signed this summer?
Russell Martin has been able to bring in left-back Ryan Manning on a free transfer from his former team Swansea and versatile defender Shea Charles on a permanent deal from Manchester City, whilst goalkeeper Joe Lumley has also arrived on a free.
Meanwhile, Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse, Mohammed Salisu, Mislav Orsic, Ibrahima Diallo, Mohamed Elyounoussi, and Theo Walcott have all departed on a permanent basis.
These sales could provide the Scottish head coach with the funds to dip into the market to bolster his squad further before next month's deadline.
One player who could arrive on the south coast over the coming weeks is Newcastle United outcast Isaac Hayden. The defensive midfielder has been linked with a move to St. Mary's this summer and is reportedly free to depart Tyneside if the right offer comes in for his services.
How good is Isaac Hayden?
Martin could land Oriol Romeu 2.0 for the Saints by signing the English enforcer as he is an excellent ball-winning battler who can screen in front of the back four to make Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens' lives easier.
Hayden spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Norwich in the Championship and showcased his defensive instincts with 2.7 tackles and interceptions per match, which came after he managed three tackles and interceptions per outing for the Magpies during the 2021/22 Premier League season.
The £22k-per-week ace also ranked within the top 3% or higher of his positional peers across the last second-tier term for blocks (2.21) and aerial duels won (3.31) per 90.
These statistics suggest that Hayden could be an outstanding defensive option for the Saints as no midfielder managed more than 0.4 blocks or two aerial battles won per clash for the club last season.
Romeu made 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game during his final Premier League campaign with Southampton in 2021/22. He also averaged 1.22 blocks and 2.09 headers won per 90 at the base of Ralph Hasenhuttl's midfield.
His duel success rate of 55% showed that the Spaniard was strong in his physical contests and the reported Saints target came out on top in 58% of his Championship battles for the Canaries.
The now-Barcelona enforcer excelled at putting out fires across the pitch to win possession back for his side as a holding midfielder and the Magpies outcast is a player who has similar qualities, as ex-boss Dean Smith hailed him as an "excellent" and "technical" ball-winner.
There is, however, a concern over his injury record as Hayden has missed 45 competitive games since the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
However, he had only been absent for 19 matches over the previous three years and his recent issues could just be a flash in the pan.
Southampton could gamble on him being a reliable option as his statistics when he is available suggest that the 28-year-old battler could be Romeu 2.0 for the club as a screening midfielder in front of the back four.
The tournament will retain its usual 4pm and 8pm starts, with double-headers restricted only to weekends
Nagraj Gollapudi14-Feb-2018
BCCI
Defending champions Mumbai Indians will face Chennai Super Kings in the IPL opener on April 7 in Mumbai. Super Kings will also play the last match of the league phase, which ends on May 20, against Kings XI Punjab. The IPL has also decided not to alter the tournament’s regular match timings with afternoon matches scheduled for a 4pm IST start and the evening matches commencing at 8pm.In a welcome change, all the double headers – 13 in total – will be played over Saturday and Sunday. In the final schedule released by the IPL on Wednesday, 44 matches during the league phase will be played in the evening, while the remaining 12 games will be start in the afternoon.In addition to the home bases of the eight franchises, Indore will be the ninth venue, playing host to the home games of Kings XI. Apart from the tournament opener and the final, Mumbai will also host the first qualifier.Incidentally the venue for the other two play-offs – the eliminator and the second qualifier – remains unnannounced. The main reason behind that was because the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) sent a letter to IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla, demanding the two play-off matches be played in Pune, home of last year’s runner-up Rising Pune Supergiant.In the letter, MCA president Abhay Apte told Shukla that he was merely asking the IPL to stick to the norm and allot the Eliminator and second qualifier to the home base of last season’s runner-up. A final decision on the issue is likely to be taken by the IPL Governing Council at its next meeting.Meanwhile, the IPL acquiesced to the franchises’ demand of sticking to the original match timings and not alter it. In January, the Governing Council had approved the proposal – worked out with the host broadcaster Star – that afternoon matches would begin at 5.30 pm, and evening games would commence at 7pm. The immediate repercussion of that move, the franchises argued, was the second innings of the first match and the first innings of the second would overlap on double-header days.According to an IPL official, one solution was to start the day match at 3.30pm to “avoid” the overlap. That, however, was not a feasible solution considering the IPL is played during peak summer and the franchises did not want the players to suffer in India’s unforgiving heat.
Chelsea attacker Mykhailo Mudryk has sent a defiant message to his supporters on social media amid his slow start to the 2023/23 Premier League season.
Has Mykhailo Mudryk been playing badly for Chelsea?
Over the weekend, the Blues slumped to a disappointing away defeat against West Ham United at the London Stadium, losing 3-1 despite being up against ten men for the final 23 minutes of the 90.
For all the positivity that seems to have been around the arrival of new head coach Mauricio Pochettino, this hasn't quite resulted in performances on the pitch with Chelsea yet to win either of their first two games, following a 1-1 draw against Liverpool on the opening weekend.
In both matches, Mudryk has had the opportunity to make himself a hero but fluffed his lines. Indeed, against the Reds, he was put through on goal late on but took a heavy touch past goalkeeper Alisson Becker and the chance ultimately came to nothing.
You can see the moment via Reddit below.
While against the Hammers, the £88.5m player also failed to deliver a telling moment of quality when the opportunity presented itself, as he skewed a volley so poorly that it didn't even end up as a shot on goal.
Unsurprisingly, the 22-year-old has come under criticism for his displays. For instance, he was handed a 3/10 player rating by journalist Nizaar Kinsella of the Evening Standard, while Jude Summerfield of 90min described one moment involving the player as "comical."
In response to his critics, Mudryk appears to have sent out a defiant message on his Instagram story, saying: "Guys, I just wanna say that I appreciate all your support. We going with y'all in one boat, lose together and we win together, and my success will be yours as well."
What position is Mudryk?
Unfortunately, his lack of composure in these last two outings means that Mudryk is still yet to score a competitive goal for the Blues, having now featured in 19 matches across all competitions for the club.
He hasn't started either game so far, though, coming off the bench both times – playing on the right wing against Liverpool, and replacing Carney Chukwuemeka in a more central role vs West Ham.
Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…
Perhaps Pochettino will be able to get more out of the Ukraine international if he was to play Mudryk on the left wing. After all, this is probably his best position, having played there 77 times in his career – only operating on the other flank 10 times, and even playing as a centre forward and an attacking midfielder once each (via Transfermarkt).
TV pundit and former player Ashley Cole certainly seemed to think the winger shouldn't have directly replaced Chukwuemeka against the Hammers. He told Sky Sports (via Metro): "Maybe the substitution [Chukwuemeka off, Mudryk on] caused an issue.
"They lost a bit of impetus in the game. They weren’t getting the runs in behind between right-back and centre-back. It was all then too easy for West Ham.
"Pochettino will have understood the context behind the change but I felt they lost a bit of ability to drive beyond and cause West Ham a problem. They lost a little bit of power and impetus to sustain attacks."
The offspinner has dismissed suggestions that he is not interested in playing for West Indies; it is just a matter of not rushing back to ODIs with his remodelled bowling action, he said
ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2018Sunil Narine has dismissed suggestions that he is not interested in playing for West Indies. The offspinner said that playing for West Indies remains an “ultimate goal” for him.Recently Narine, who has been working on his remodelled bowling action, told selectors he wanted to focus on his bowling and get his confidence back and hence he would not want to feature in the World Cup Qualifiers that will be played in March.Now Narine is playing for Trinidad & Tobago in the Regional Super50, the local one-day tournament. On Monday, he became the highest wicket-taker during the course of a hat-trick he picked up against Windward Islands. He also has the best economy rate so far in the tournament (2.33), and the best match figures as well: 5 for 10, against Combined Campuses and Colleges.Regardless of this form, Narine does feel he is not ready to bowl for West Indies in ODIs yet. While he played the solitary Twenty20 in England last September, the last time Narine represented West Indies in ODIs was in October 2016, in the UAE, against Pakistan.Since then Narine has been busy playing domestic T20 leagues even while asking selectors not to pick him for ODIs. According to Johnny Grave, Cricket West Indies’ chief executive officer, Narine told the selectors that he is not yet fully confident about his bowling action, and would like to carry on working with specialist coach, Carl Crowe, on his action. Grave said he could understand Narine’s position and was willing to grant the player a bit more time.”It’s nothing like that [not wanting to play for West Indies],” Narine told , a Barbados-based weekly cricket TV programme. “I just don’t want to rush back into international cricket and the 50-over game. I think I need to play some [domestic] 50-overs cricket, get accustomed again [instead of] rushing back and making a mess of myself.”According to Narine, he wanted to “enjoy” his game; that way he could build his confidence before returning to the bigger stage. “It’s about my self-performance, and about self-belief, going out there and trying to perform for Trinidad and Tobago; once I can do that, I will be available for West Indies again.”I think playing for West Indies is the ultimate goal. I think you have to enjoy cricket, no matter where. So I will see how these [domestic] games go in the 50-over [format] and if I am comfortable and enjoying it, why not.”
The India offspinner has been working on expanding his repertoire and has already shown hints of it in the ongoing domestic one-day tournament
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2018With limited-overs cricket becoming an increasingly unfamiliar environment for fingerspinners, R Ashwin has amped up his efforts to remain relevant. Over the past few years, he has been working towards becoming a wristspinner and was confident enough to try those variations in a domestic one-day match against Gujarat on Monday. He finished with figures of 2 for 38 in 9.1 overs as Tamil Nadu won the match by 76 runs.Ashwin was one of the two top-ranked bowlers in Test cricket when he was given a break from India’s ODI squad. Legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav were brought in to fill the void but now have become an intrinsic part of why India are so hard to beat in 50-overs cricket.To keep pace with the competition, Ashwin has been practicing legspin himself. “This is part of my plan going into the IPL,” Ashwin told reporters on the sidelines of Tamil Nadu-Gujarat Vijay Hazare Trophy match. “I am just trying to build my armoury. I used to bowl good legbreaks with my offspin action when I was playing league cricket in Chennai. Over a period of time, in a search to get my stock ball right, I obviously had to cut out a lot of those things. I had possessed a lot more variations. Having bowled offbreak as the stock ball for almost 10 years, trying to change things around is challenging. But I don’t really settle for anything. At no point in my career, I thought ‘this is it’ and decided to settle for the rest of my career.”Ashwin said he has largely been working alone. “As of now everything is cooked by me. I try to take feedback from our coaches in my academy. L Balaji has been of great help. First time I was bowling legspin, we were working on some actions on how to gain momentum. How I can make a repeatable action work for me. For example, my arm doesn’t go 45 degrees which is perfect for a legspinner. I am more upright. I have to adjust my action. It has been a painful ride. One day it will come out well in the nets, and the next day it won’t come out all right. It will be frustrating. I have gone through the entire journey and have reached a place where I can land the ball where I want to.”The IPL presents the next opportunity for Ashwin to make a case for himself in limited-overs cricket. Although this season, when he goes home to play in Chennai, he would line up as part of the opposition: Kings XI Punjab bought him for INR 7.6 crore (USD 1.18 million approx).”I was a tad disappointed because I have been here for the last ten years,” Ashwin said. “Literally, I have owned that space around Chepauk. Every time I came on to bowl, the kind of roaring and cheering I got will always stick on in my head. Coming back there, to play against CSK, will probably motivate me more.”
Ryan Harris, the former Australia fast bowler and now coach, has been reprimanded and handed a suspended fine of A$3,000 (US$ 2300 approx) for voicing his displeasure at the obstructing-the-field decision made against Alex Ross when playing for Brisbane Heat against Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.In a series of tweets, Harris let fly at the umpiring decision resulting in Ross’ dismissal, a moment that the Heat captain Brendon MCullum later blamed on his opposite number George Bailey for failing to withdraw his appeal. Cricket Australia has subsequently defended the decision, while the Queensland Cricket chief executive Max Walters has questioned why the board was so eager to worry about technicalities over the wider appeal of the game.”Ryan Harris, CA High Performance coach, has been charged for breaching the CA Code of Conduct on 10 January 2018, in relation to a number of tweets he sent about the KFC Big Bash League match featuring Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes,” a spokesman said. “Harris was reported for breaching CA’s Code of Conduct Article Level 2.2.3 – public or media comment that is detrimental to the interests of cricket, irrespective of when or where such comment is made.”Every player and any player support personnel are required to adhere to Cricket Australia’s Code of Conduct. This includes any person employed by, contracted to, representing or otherwise affiliated to CA or any State or Territory Association or BBL/WBBL team. The proposed sanction was a reprimand and fine of $3,000, fully suspended, subject to Harris not being found guilty of any further breach of the Cricket Australia Code of Conduct for a period of 24 months from 10 January 2018.”There has been mounting discontent among players about numerous umpiring decisions during the BBL, at the same time as a surfeit of teams are penalised for slow over rates, including the Hurricanes and Perth Scorchers on Friday. However CA has stood by the third umpire Simon Lightbody and the on-field umpires Geoff Davidson and Simon Fry, who has also stood in seven Tests, 38 ODIs and 12 T20Is.”The dismissal of Alex Ross from Brisbane Heat saw the batsman change direction, turn to watch the direction of the throw and run on the pitch,” a spokesman said. “The third umpire concluded that the change of running direction of the batsman, after seeing the direction of the throw, obstructed the wicketkeeper’s opportunity to affect the run-out.”Obstructing the field is one of the more difficult decisions to interpret as it is based on umpires assessing the intent of the batsman. After assessing footage of the incident alongside the Laws, playing conditions, and cues that umpires are provided, CA believes the obstructing-the-field decision is justified.”Walters has said that while the Heat accepted the decision, he wondered at CA’s priorities. “The umpire is always right and we congratulate the Hurricanes on their victory,” he said. “It’s time to move on. But we need to understand clearly that mum, dad and the kids are interested in being entertained, not subjected to a forensic examination of the rule book.”For his part, Ross has explained that he was not intending to block the throw but to avoid being hit by the ball. “You must always respect the umpires decision, but I wanted to clear the air and state my intentions in the run last night,” he wrote on Twitter. “I can unequivocally say I was trying to run away from the line of the ball to avoid being hit, as I felt I was going to make my ground.”
Ghana were effectively knocked out of AFCON 2023 after they squandered a two-goal lead in stoppage time against Mozambique on Monday.
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Ghana on verge of AFCON exitSquandered two-goal leadConceded twice in stoppage timeTELL ME MORE
It took Ghana star Jordan Ayew just 15 minutes to break the deadlock from the penalty spot after Mozambique full-back Infren Nanani brought down Joseph Paintsil inside the box. Despite an early opening goal from the Black Stars the first half was an evenly contested encounter.
The Mambas started the second half in the ascendancy as they looked desperate for an equaliser. They came close to restoring parity in the game within five minutes from kick-off, as Bruno Langa attempted a shot from inside the box. However, Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori did well to deny him from scoring.
Disaster struck in the 67th minute when Mohammed Kudus' goal-bound shot hit Reinildo Mandava's outstretched hand inside the box, resulting in a second penalty for the Black Stars. The Crystal Palace attacker once again took the spot-kick and doubled his team's lead.
With mere minutes remaining and with Ghana seemingly having sealed all three points, Andre Ayew accidentally handled the ball inside the box to give Mozambique an opening. From the resulting penalty, Geny Catamo pulled one back in the 91st minute.
Then, three minutes later, Reinildo made amends for his earlier mistake as he headed Shaquille Momad Nangy's corner into the goal to complete a dramatic capitulation for Chris Hughton's side. They effectively exit the tournament with two points from three games and minus one goal difference, but await the fate of other third-placed sides to have that confirmed.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE MVP
Crystal Palace star Jordan Ayewshowed great composure when taking the spot-kicks as his brace almost booked a knockout berth for his side – and deserved to do so. Ironically, it was his older brother Andre who helped Mozambique stage a come back after he accidentally handled the ball inside the penalty box in the injury time, giving them a way back into the matchup.
THE BIG LOSER
Ghana goalkeeper Richard Ofori committed the terrible mistake of conceding a late corner which resulted in the equalising goal. Under no pressure and with the ball harmlessly bouncing out for a goal kickfrom Mandava's shot, he tried to parry but instead fumbled the ball on for the fateful corner. Granted, Ghana's defending of the set piece which saw Mozambique equalise was less than satisfactory, but it could have been avoided altogether were it not for Ofori's attempted intervention.
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Despite a spirited performance on Monday, Mozambique's AFCON journey effectively came to an end as they bowed out of the competition finishing last in their group. Ghana, on the other hand, finished third in their group and are staring at an early exit from the tournament, barring a minor miracle from other groups.
Manchester United limped over the line in their 1-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in their Premier League opener at Old Trafford.
Three points were important but now the club could step up their pursuit of new players in the transfer market who could improve performances.
Will Man United sign a midfielder?
According to Italian news outlet La Repubblica, Manchester United remain keen on securing Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat's signature this summer.
As per the report, the Red Devils are working on outgoings to facilitate their move for the midfielder as they need to bolster funds before they dip back into the market over the remaining weeks.
Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…
It is further noted that the Serie A club would be satisfied with an approach worth €30m (£26m), which shouldn't be too difficult for Man United to meet.
Why do teams want to sign Sofyan Amrabat?
Erik ten Hag got his first opportunity to gain a better perspective of what needs to improve and where new additions are desperately needed during their first competitive outing in the Premier League on Monday evening, and there were certainly many concerns to address for the Dutch coach.
None more so than the midfield – who were branded as "non-existent" by former Man United star and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville – who struggled to contain Wolves' pressing and attacking threat throughout the performance in front of the home support.
Whilst new club captain Bruno Fernandes lost possession of the ball a whopping 20 times and Casemiro found himself being dragged all over the pitch to cover his teammates in other positions, Mason Mount failed to impress on his debut in the famous Red shirt.
Over his 68-minute display, the former Chelsea whiz lost out in five duels, made no tackles, no key passes, no dribble attempts and was dribbled past twice, before being hooked by Ten Hag and replaced with Christian Eriksen.
As a result, the signing of Amrabat could be exactly what the Man United boss needs to improve ball retention and control in the middle third, to allow Casemiro to do the job he was signed for and unlock Mount's creativity.
It is no secret that the Serie A gem has become one of the hottest prospects over the last 12 months after putting on a number of incredible performances in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he was a huge contributor in Morocco's record-breaking campaign, attracting the attention of some of the biggest clubs in the world including the Red Devils' biggest rivals Liverpool.
Last season, the talented midfielder – once hailed "extremely impressive" by journalist Josh Bunting – ranked in the top 10% of his positional peers in the Serie A for pass completion, progressive passes, passes into the final third and successful take-ons, demonstrating his outstanding strengths in progressing the ball, as per FBref.
Amrabat's strong passing range and incredible accuracy in the deep-lying role will not only create a more fluid transition for Man United when building attacking opportunities, but will provide Mount with more chances to receive the ball and create goal scoring moments more often.
With that being said, Ten Hag should waste no time in securing the services of the "monster" that is Amrabat – as dubbed by WhoScored's Ben McAleer – as he could be an incredible asset to his potential teammates and the missing piece needed to improve performances over the campaign ahead.
Former board member warns that key principles of county game are at stake as he elaborates on stinging criticism of ECB
George Dobell08-Mar-2018The ECB could be moving towards a system featuring only eight fully-professional first-class teams, Andy Nash has warned.Nash, who resigned from the ECB Board on Wednesday citing his concerns over the standard of corporate governance, has now warned that one of the key principles at the heart of the game in England and Wales – an equal share of revenues – is under threat.Talking to BBC Somerset, Nash warned that ‘compensation’ payments planned for the Test-hosting grounds in years when they do not host Tests – understood to amount to £500,000 a year – illustrated “what the ECB’s direction of travel is”.As a former chairman of Somerset, Nash was never personally convinced by the virtues of the new-team T20 competition – though he was persuaded to vote for its approval – on the grounds that it might exclude counties like his that will not (at least in the medium term) host matches. But the possibility that non-Test-hosting grounds might be further disadvantaged by a disparity in funding has increased his alarm.”It suggests we’re moving towards favouring an elite band of eight teams rather than treating 18 fairly,” Nash said. “And that is not something I could reconcile my conscience to.”There are 18 counties (plus the MCC) and historically they’ve always shared equally as funds come in from ECB from various sources. What we’ve read about is very different and strikes at the very heart of what the ECB’s direction of travel is.”It is a very, very important issue that goes right to the heart of cricket in England and Wales. And that is the county system.”The ECB claim the compensation payments were, at this stage, only a discussion topic for a working party and insist that the idea would have been put to the board before any payments were made. It appears, however, that at least one county has already received a payment and at least a couple of others have been led to expect them and budgeted accordingly.”It is a very a substantial development,” Nash said. “And it’s clearly something that should have been discussed by the board before it got anywhere near the public domain.”If, as directors, you’re learning about such things through the media then there’s something very wrong.”I’m professional non-executive director. And it’s been a great privilege to serve the ECB for the last five years. Usually that role is one of support and guidance to executive colleagues. But occasionally challenge is very important, too.”Our responsibilities are prescribed by law. To be able to discharge those responsibilities, an organisation must have in place effective corporate governance. The board is responsible for the organisation and, to perform that to a satisfactory level, it must be well appraised. It must have the right information.”Ultimately corporate governance has to be at a level where you can discharge your fiduciary responsibilities. Regretfully I came to the conclusion that I was unable to do that.”You don’t call out a national governing body lightly. But ultimately you have to be prepared to do that. As I woke this morning and the consequences of my decision sunk in, I’m happy I did the right thing. My moral compass is in a good place.”Nash’s words will do nothing to dissuade those who fear the ECB has an unpublished agenda to reduce the number of first-class counties that it is trying to introduce through stealth.