After the 15th-place finish in the Premier League during 2024/25, all eyes were on Ruben Amorim this campaign to try and resurrect his career as Manchester United boss.

The 40-year-old was certainly on borrowed time before a ball was kicked, but there’s no doubt the pressure has been eased, given the recent results in England’s top-flight.

He’s led his side to a five-game unbeaten run in the last couple of weeks, with such a period even seeing the Red Devils claim three wins in a row for the first time in his tenure.

As a result, Amorim claimed the division’s Manager of the Month award for October, also achieving such a feat for the first time since taking the reins a little over 12 months ago.

However, he wasn’t the only United representative to receive recognition for their efforts, as one player endured a month to remember at Old Trafford under his guidance.

Why Bryan Mbeumo won the October Player of the Month award

Like Amorim, Bryan Mbeumo was a player with expectations placed upon him by the United faithful, after the hierarchy splashed a reported £71m on his signature in the summer window.

The Cameroonian scored a staggering 20 league goals at Brentford last season, with the supporters placing faith in the forward to transform the club’s fortunes in the final third.

However, upon his move to Manchester, it was evident he would be asked to operate in a slightly different position compared to his right-wing role in West London during 2024/25.

Amorim’s system operates with two narrow number tens behind the striker, with the big-money addition being brought into the club to feature in such a position rather than out wide.

However, it hasn’t seemed to have hindered his progress, as he scored his first league goal against Burnley back in August, before springing into life at Old Trafford back in the month of October.

The 26-year-old featured in three games during the aforementioned month, subsequently registering a goal or assist in every one of his appearances for Amorim’s side – leading to his Player of the Month award.

His first contribution came at the start of the winning run, with his assist for Mason Mount helping secure the Red Devils a 2-0 victory over newly-promoted Sunderland.

Mbeumo’s biggest moment in October undoubtedly came against Liverpool at Anfield, with the forward slotting home just minutes into the clash and securing the club their first win at Anfield in nearly a decade.

His final outing came against Brighton & Hove Albion on home soil, with the Cameroonian netting twice and securing a phenomenal 4-2 triumph over the Seagulls.

The United star who’s been a better signing than Mbeumo

Whilst it’s still early days in his career at United, Mbeumo has already made an immediate impact and is starting to showcase why the hierarchy splashed such a huge fee on his signature.

He’s already found the back of the net on five occasions, with his latest effort against Tottenham Hotspur cementing his place as the club’s top scorer in 2025/26.

Other figures, such as 1.3 shots on target per 90 and a 2.5 assist xG, rank him top within the Red Devils squad, further highlighting his incredible start to life in Manchester.

Mbeumo wasn’t alone in moving to Old Trafford during the off-season, with Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko also joining him in the final third to transform the club’s fortunes in front of goal.

Senne Lammens was the final addition made by the United hierarchy in the summer window, with the Belgian coming in to provide competition in the goalkeeping department.

Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir both struggled to nail down the starting position last campaign, with the former of the duo registering eight errors that led to goals last season alone.

The Cameroonian was subsequently shipped out on loan to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor, leaving new addition Lammens to stake his claim for the number one shirt under Amorim.

Whilst he was an unused substitute in each of his first three matches for the Red Devils, the 23-year-old was handed his maiden start against Sunderland at the start of October.

Since then, the player and supporters haven’t looked back, with Lammens providing the quality which the first-team have massively lacked between the sticks in recent seasons.

He’s already claimed two Man of the Match awards in his first five appearances, with the club yet to taste defeat when the Belgian is named in the starting eleven.

His underlying stats further prove his importance to Amorim’s men, as he’s undoubtedly saved the side in numerous key matches since his arrival at Old Trafford.

Games played

5

Minutes played

450

Saves made

14

Goals prevented

0.3

Goals conceded

7

Clean sheets

1

High claims

5

Passes completed

75

The goalkeeper is currently averaging 2.8 saves per 90, whilst he also has a positive goal prevented record, with most of his efforts coming in the superb triumph over local rivals Liverpool last month.

Lammens, who’s been dubbed “world-class” by one analyst, has also made 1.2 high claims per 90, subsequently offering the needed aerial presence in the 18-yard box – something which Onana massively struggled with last season.

One of his most important assets is his ball-playing ability, which has seen him register 9.1 long balls per 90 – which ranks him in the top 5% of all ‘keepers in the division.

There’s little denying that Mbeumo has transformed the club’s frontline in recent weeks, with his transfer one that has proved to be a success in the early stages.

However, the goalkeeping situation was the glaring problem for Amorim last season, with Lammens now handing the club an incredible option to rely upon for at least the next decade and beyond.

Should he carry on such a path, there’s no reason why the Belgian can’t play a vital role in any success endured during Amorim’s tenure at the Theatre of Dreams.

Their own Anderson: Man Utd to make £53m bid to sign "world-class" CM

Manchester United are set to make a January move for another top-level central midfielder.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 13, 2025

The ICC has found UAE players Mohammad Naveed and Shaiman Anwar guilty of offences relating to attempted match-fixing during the 2019 T20 World Cup qualifying tournament. The verdict follows a hearing by an independent anti-corruption tribunal, with the ICC saying in a statement that “the pair remain suspended and sanctions will follow in due course”.The two are among UAE’s most experienced international cricketers. Anwar, now 41, is their highest run-getter across the ODI and T20I formats, and 33-year-old Naveed their most prolific wicket-taker and a former captain.Related

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Naveed and Anwar were charged under the ICC anti-corruption code in October 2019, and suspended days before the start of the qualifiers in the UAE. Naveed, who was UAE’s captain at the time, was stood down from the post.The two have both been found guilty of the following breaches of the anti-corruption code:

• Article 2.1.1 – for being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of a match or matches at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019.
• Article 2.4.4 – failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier 2019.

Naveed, in addition, was also found guilty of breaching the same two codes during the T10 League in 2019, which was also held in the UAE.ESPNcricinfo understands the two players had allegedly stood to make around US$ 272,000 if they had been successful in impacting the outcome of matches during the qualifiers.In October 2019, Naveed accepted that he had failed to report a suspicious approach during the T10 tournament, but claimed he had ended the conversation when he realised the person he was meeting was a “fixer”.

Celtic will be on cloud line after sweeping aside Rangers to reach the Premier Sports Cup final, and they have now received a response after making a surprise approach to appoint Mark van Bommel as their new manager.

Whether he lands the job permanently or not, Martin O’Neill has once again hammered home his legendary status in the dugout at the Scottish Premiership champions after securing back-to-back wins over Falkirk and Danny Rohl’s men since returning to Parkhead.

After a frustrating start to the campaign under Brendan Rodgers that led to an explosive departure, his Irish compatriot has more than steadied the ship and would be open to taking on the role full-time if discussions with Dermot Desmond were to be forthcoming.

Nevertheless, the search for a permanent fix goes on. Lee Carsley, Nicky Hayen and Kieran McKenna are on Celtic’s list. Meanwhile, Robbie Keane and Wilfried Nancy are outside contenders to fill the void as the race widens before the international break.

One thing is for sure, they won’t have a shortage of talent to work with in Glasgow. Callum Osmand’s Glasgow Derby heroics have given the Bhoys an unexpected striker solution, and Johnny Kenny has also bagged three in his last two games after coming in from the periphery over the last week.

Until January, anyone who takes on the Celtic job may need to play around to find solutions in certain areas. However, O’Neill will leave the squad in a much better place should they find a new head coach, that is, if he isn’t appointed himself.

Either way, time is ticking, and the Hoops are seemingly keen to announce their latest manager, though fresh developments seem to suggest it won’t be a certain former Netherlands international.

Mark van Bommel replies to Celtic management offer

According to a report from Telegraaf, Mark van Bommel has declined an offer to manage Celtic, and he also has offers on the table from Saudi clubs offering more than £1 million per annum, something he has decided to knock back.

The former Royal Antwerp boss doesn’t want to move away from home right now because his son, Ruben, suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury at PSV Eindhoven. In a time where he needs support, the 48-year-old has opted to put his family first.

Honestly, it is hard to fault Van Bommel for his decision. Despite also being linked to Rangers after they sacked Russell Martin, it doesn’t appear that he will be pitching up in Glasgow any time soon.

Throughout his career in the dugout, the Maasbracht-born man has been in charge of PSV Eindhoven, Wolfsburg and Antwerp, and has claimed the Belgian Pro League, Belgian Cup and Belgian Super Cup during his time at Bosuilstadion.

Celtic could still spring a surprise appointment instead of Van Bommel

Now, Celtic will focus on other targets, safe in the knowledge that O’Neill and Shaun Maloney are getting a tune out of their side in the meantime.

MatériaMais Notícias

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The former England captain and well-known psychoanalyst talks about Bazball, the current England side, and his new book

Paul Edwards18-Apr-2024Last September, Mike Brearley travelled to Old Trafford to watch Middlesex play Lancashire and to promote his memoir . As part of the visit he was interviewed for Lancs TV by Paul Allott, who made his Test debut under Brearley’s captaincy against Australia in 1981. Naturally, their conversation turned to Bazball and the ways in which Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have transformed the attitudes of England’s players and the results of the team. Midway through their chat, Allott asked his old captain whether he’d have enjoyed captaining the current England side with McCullum as its coach. The answer came back in a trice. “Yes, I think I’d have loved it”.Now it is six months later and Brearley is sitting at his kitchen table, sipping coffee and eating an almond croissant. His answers to a different set of questions are more measured and invitingly nuanced but the enthusiasm for this England team’s approach is no less keen than it was before they lost 4-1 to India. He likes the idea that Stokes’ players have been liberated by possibilities rather than constrained by expectations, and he admits that some England teams during his career suffered from the latter limitation.”I couldn’t imagine anyone changing the team’s morale and performance overnight in the way McCullum and Stokes have done, and you don’t do that by accretions of technique or little nudges this way or that,” he says. “You do it by changes of heart and attitude, and these seem to have released people from their inhibitions and tensions and the view that you must never get out playing an attacking shot if you could have defended the ball. The changes have been very much for the good.”Related

• The mind of Mike Brearley (2007)

• What is the point of sport? (2013)

• 'You need to work by intelligent hunches' (2019)

Typically, Brearley traces Bazball to one of its sources: McCullum’s resolve to change the culture of the New Zealand team he captained in 2013, a few days after they had been bowled out for 45 by South Africa in Cape Town: “Just because there is more at stake now doesn’t mean you should lose the innocence of why you played the game in the first place,” said McCullum in an interview. “For a long time we had lost that, and I think our team had lost it… We expected the game to owe us something. We almost felt entitled… There was no soul about our cricket… It sounds a bit corny, but we talk about the playful little boy who fell in love with the game. When you have that mindset you can be positive and aggressive because you’re thinking about what can go right rather than what might go wrong.”Brearley identifies examples of the changed approach in many areas, not least selection, and talks with fascinated delight about the success enjoyed by Tom Hartley, Shoaib Bashir and Rehan Ahmed in the Test series against India.”The old spinners like Fred Titmus and Ray Illingworth would have completely pooh-poohed the idea of anyone playing Test cricket after playing half a dozen [first-class] games, and I think I would have done too, but I thought the three young spinners kept at it and they did remarkably well,” he says. “Rehan Ahmed reminds me of Warne with his strong shoulders and his busy, energetic, strong action. He certainly has chutzpah.”

“Winning is essential to a game. I’m very suspicious of the attitude expressed by some people that they don’t mind losing”Mike Brearley

As so often with Brearley, there are links with his working life as a psychoanalyst. One of the abundant joys of is to see how its author’s profession informs his understanding of the game he has been passionate about since the age of four. For example, the chapter “Prophet to a Profession” pays tribute to the psychoanalyst Wilfred Bion, a figure who is probably well known only to specialists. For Bion, the essence of psychoanalytic treatment is “to introduce the patient to that person with whom he has most dealings in his life, namely himself”. Brearley takes to the suggestion that Bazball has introduced cricketers to the players they could be if they weren’t so burdened down with precedent and expectation. “I think it’s true of sides who could have a distinctive way of playing the game, just as orchestras could have a distinctive way of playing music,” he says. “Stokes and McCullum introduced their England team to the team it could be.”Yes, but acquainting oneself with new ways of thinking can produce strange decisions. I challenge Brearley about Stokes’ declaration near the end of the first day of last year’s opening Ashes Test, when Joe Root was 118 not out and Australia’s attack seemed to be flagging. It was a decision Brearley has described as bizarre. Or what about Root’s own comment to his overnight batting partner, Ollie Pope, that he would reverse-scoop the first ball of the fourth morning’s play? How can that be squared with Greg Chappell’s statement, quoted in , that “premeditation is the graveyard of batting”?”Well, I wouldn’t have declared when Stokes did and I don’t advocate it, but I don’t necessarily blame him because it was part of his overall approach, in which I still believe,” says Brearley. “And Bazball has changed. For example, when Stokes first came to Bazball, he got out wildly in Pakistan, running down the pitch and slogging. That was a result of his determination to lead by example, but he did modify his approach.”As to Root’s reverse scoop, it’s got to be almost regardless, hasn’t it, and he did it for a while and had some considerable success. I have seen people readjust from a reverse scoop but I haven’t seen many do it. And what Greg Chappell would allow is that you could look for something; you have in your mind where you’re going to score runs off a certain bowler. Where might I get a four off Joel Garner, say?” Brearley smiles wryly at the memory. “There’s a difference between looking to do it and absolutely determining to do it.”So in addition to welcoming the change in England’s approach to Test match cricket, Brearley is fascinated by the way in which that approach might evolve after a series in which England’s 4-1 defeat hardly reflected the balance of the five games, which were played on very fair pitches.Brearley suggests that Stokes and McCullum have opened the England players’ eyes to who they could potentially be•Getty Images”I was sad that we didn’t get to two-all but I thought India were the better side and they deserved to win,” he begins. “I was disappointed that we didn’t take advantage of the positions we were in during one or two of the earlier matches, and particularly so in Pope and [Ben] Duckett, who both made huge hundreds and then got worse rather than better.”Pope looked just as jumpy even after making that wonderful 196 in the first Test, and Duckett played that extraordinary innings of 153 and yet lost it against Ashwin and Kuldeep [Yadav]. By the end he didn’t want to block, yet he didn’t want to lap. I thought [Zak] Crawley played extremely well and moderated his style but was unlucky to get good balls, and I was glad to see Root come back and play in his old way.”Brearley’s knowledge is as deep and his observations as informed as one might expect, yet is also notable for its author’s continuing enthusiasm for the game and his youthful, wide-ranging desire to find out new things and learn more. Brearley’s wife, Mana, says that he is more relaxed in the company of cricketers, and his editor, Andreas Campomar, believes he writes with more spontaneity on the game than on psychoanalysis, albeit that he has written a “memoir of the mind”.”Cricket is something that I feel I know more thoroughly but it’s also more limited than psychoanalysis, which is about the whole of life and you’re less likely to think you know it,” Brearley says. “There are people still doing psychoanalysis who are more renowned and better at it than me. And after having played for all those years, it is easier to write than to play. I was more anxious because of my limitations as a batsman at the highest level, so I was more liable to get tense about batting than I am about writing or psychoanalysis. Now I’m not answerable to anyone and I still sometimes have strong views about cricket, whereas I’m still a practising psychoanalyst and I’m in the thick of it.”But what does Brearley make of the times when sport and psychoanalysis overlap? I’m not thinking about captaincy here, an area in which his expertise has frequently been explored, but more about the purpose of playing games at all and the satisfactions to be derived from them. In , Brearley references the Dutch historian Johan Huizinga’s famous book and also quotes Bion, for whom play was easily contaminated by the will to win, or paradoxically in Brearley’s case, by his ability, which led to his being considered for a leadership role. For example: “Excellence meant that the prospect of captainship began to appear over the horizon. That would mean that the prospect of games for the sake of games would no longer be a feasible aim.”Little, BrownPrompted by such thoughts and connecting them to current debates, I ask Brearley whether the health of a country’s sport should be judged by the health of its national team.”That does seem to happen,” he acknowledges. “If you have a view of cricket like Bion or Huizinga’s, you would think that if the game is played in its purest spirit, it doesn’t matter who wins. The purity of the game is in the spontaneous, playful enjoyment of it – just as young lions play without hurting each other. You do it for its own sake. I hope we never lose that, and it’s actually what Stokes and McCullum are trying to achieve. But I do think winning is important – the rules of a game determine what a win is and winning is essential to a game. I’m also very suspicious of the attitude expressed by some people that they don’t mind losing.”It is nice if the national cricket team does well, especially if they play in the right spirit, as they have been doing. And there’s no other way of learning how to get there, except through county cricket. So it is a function of the county game that it should produce players of international standard, just as it’s a function of club cricket that it should produce players who are ready to go into county second teams and the first-class game. If you don’t have those stepping stones and strengthen them, then you don’t get the top level either.”Turning Over the Pebbles

Batsman set to enter IPL auction as international exile continues

Matt Roller22-Jan-2021Alex Hales’ prospects of an England recall remain unchanged, despite his rich vein of form for Sydney Thunder which has propelled him to the top of the Big Bash League’s run-scoring charts.Hales’ innings of 110 off 56 balls against cross-town rivals Sydney Sixers on Friday night was enough to take him past Josh Philippe in the race for the ‘golden bat’, but he said after the game that he had received no contact from the England selectors ahead of the white-ball tour to India in March which comprises three ODIs and five T20Is.”No, nothing at all – nothing from that end,” Hales told Fox Sports when asked if he had heard anything from the England management. “At the moment, I’m just enjoying my cricket and I’m going to keep trying to score as many runs as I can, enjoying myself, and see what happens.Related

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“Obviously that’s the peak of cricket, playing for your country. At the moment, I’m just going to focus on the process of scoring runs and enjoying my cricket, and if that’s the end result then brilliant.”Hales was de-selected from England’s 2019 World Cup squad immediately before the tournament after it came to light that he had returned a second positive test for recreational drugs, and he has not been part of a squad since.Eoin Morgan, England’s white-ball captain, has repeatedly stressed that Hales’ actions had caused a “breakdown in trust” and demonstrated a “complete disregard” for the team’s values. While he has never officially drawn a line under Hales’ England career, 22 months have passed since his last international appearance.Hales overtook Josh Philippe in the race for the Golden Bat on Friday night•Getty ImagesHales’ case is not helped by the fact that England are overflowing with top-order options, particularly in T20 cricket. Jonny Bairstow shifted into the middle order in their most recent series with Jason Roy, Jos Buttler and Dawid Malan forming the top three, while players like Tom Banton, Phil Salt and Liam Livingstone missed out on the squad altogether.And his prospects of a recall were dealt a further blow on Thursday when Ed Smith, the national selector, said that he did not anticipate the situation changing in time for Hales to win a recall for the squads to tour India, leaving his chances of a comeback before the T20 World Cup in India looking slim.”I think at the moment, I would expect things to stay as they are,” Smith said. “No doors are closed – there’s been no final decision. It’s not that it’s going to be the same indefinitely, but at the moment, if I had to make a prediction, I would say we would stay as we are.”Smith said that it was an “unfair inference” to suggest Hales would not be picked again under Morgan’s leadership, but stressed the importance of captains’ opinions in the decision-making process.”I would say every captain is very important for selection, and that goes for Joe Root, too,” he said. “But in terms of responsibility, selectors take responsibility for a selection of squads, while working closely with all the coaches, and especially the captain. We all work together, and we all take responsibility for our decisions.”ESPNcricinfo LtdInstead, Hales is set to play for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League from February to March, following the conclusion of the BBL season. His runs helped Karachi Kings to the title in November, but he has been traded back to the franchise he represented in 2018 and 2019 ahead of the 2021 edition.It is understood that he will enter next month’s IPL auction, and he will hope that his form over the last two years will be enough for a team to pick him up. A handful of overseas openers, including Banton, Roy and Aaron Finch, were released by their franchises this week, boosting his chances of being signed.Hales is the leading run-scorer around the world in T20 cricket since the start of the 2019 Vitality Blast, averaging 32.21 with a strike rate of 147.93 in that period. He has played more innings than anyone else in that time, across five different leagues, and demonstrated his skill and experience in his belligerent innings on Friday. His hundred – his fourth in T20 cricket – included nine fours and eight sixes, helping the Thunder to break their losing streak as they piled on the highest total in BBL history.”The last few games hadn’t quite gone to plan so for us to turn up in the Sydney derby was really good,” he said. “It’s about trying to find that balance between which bowlers and which ends to attack, and what stage of the partnership to go at. It’s finding that balance between having that positive intent and not throwing your wicket away, which I’d done a few times this year in the 40s, so to go on and get that big score was really pleasing.”

Arsenal have been warned by Gary Neville that they risk being a forgotten team if they fail to win the Premier League or Champions League.

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Arsenal finished second to Man CityLooking to win Premier League this seasonTold they need 'statement win' against championsWHAT HAPPENED?

After surrendering a lead at the top of the Premier League table to finish second behind Manchester City for the second year in a row last season, Arsenal are aiming to end the dominance of Pep Guardiola's side this time around.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite the strength of Mikel Arteta's team, ex-Manchester United star Neville says failure to land a major trophy will see them consigned to "nearly men", as he challenged them to earn a "statement win" against City on Sunday.

WHAT NEVILLE SAID

"If this superb Arsenal team doesn’t win the Premier League or the Champions League then they can forget about going down in history. That’s harsh but the reality of elite sport," he wrote in newsletter for . "No one will fondly recall the magnificence of William Saliba and Gabriel at the back, the brilliance of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, David Raya’s extraordinary saves or the incision of Bukayo Saka up front. There will be no Netflix documentaries. They will never be feted or admired. They will be dismissed as nearly men."

Neville added: "History is unforgiving of those who fall just short. And that’s why, for all the excellent work they’ve done in the past two years, there is still a step to take. We’re too early in the season to describe Sunday’s clash with Manchester City at the Etihad as a title decider. Yet Arsenal need a statement win because they need to damage Manchester City and to demonstrate to themselves that they are the team of the moment."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

The Gunners sit two points behind reigning champions City after four Premier League games, with the two teams going head-to-head at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

Captain MS Dhoni says the “players have taken more responsibility” this season

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-20214:14

Stephen Fleming: We were really sure about what style we were going to play this year

A “change in attitude” in dealing with the various challenges posed by playing during a pandemic has resulted in a change in fortunes for the Chennai Super Kings, according to captain MS Dhoni and coach Stephen Fleming.Six months ago, the Super Kings left the UAE having endured their worst-ever showing at the IPL, not making the playoffs for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 2008. Now, they are back on a familiar perch, top of the points table six games into IPL 2021, having completed another convincing victory, this time against the Sunrisers Hyderabad.Speaking at the post-match presentation in Delhi, Dhoni elaborated. “One of the facts was, five to six months we were out of cricket [before IPL 2020]. Nothing was really allowed. It was not like you could go and practice on your own, that also makes it slightly more difficult. Then the change of venue [from India to the UAE], and you know quarantine, it was a slightly longer quarantine, people were not used to it. There were quite a few factors that could have resulted in that [poor showing].Related

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• CSK canter to target of 172 to move to No. 1 on points table

“But overall, I think to really sum it up nicely, the players have taken more responsibility this year – you will be facing adverse things but ultimately it boils down to how each and every individual rises to the occasion and does that 10% extra for the team.”At the post-match press conference, Fleming spoke on similar lines. “It was tough in the UAE. We had a pretty bad run. A lot of things went against us, which we didn’t make too much of at the time. We got a pretty big knock at the start of the tournament for a number of reasons, but [during] the last part of the tournament we were really comfortable. We made some changes around our attitude towards what we were doing, and then we were really sure [of] what style we wanted to play going into this year’s IPL.”The Super Kings had a rocky start to IPL 2020, with more than ten of their contingent testing positive for Covid-19, and their batting mainstay over several seasons Suresh Raina returning home for personal reasons before the tournament began. While nothing more on the matter has been officially revealed, it is understood that he had told the team management that he had issues with staying in the bio-secure bubble.The Super Kings subsequently did not seem to be able to fix on a playing XI in the early part of the season, fielding 17 players across the first six matches and winning only two in that period. Eventually, they would go on to play 20 players across the season. By comparison, this year they have fielded 13 players in the first six games – with nine playing in all the matches so far – and have won five of these.Both Dhoni and Fleming admitted this clarity over the XI was a plus. “Whenever you start a tournament, you may or may not face some kind of issue with the playing XI,” Dhoni said. “If there are a few issues, the earlier you settle it, the better it is, because it gives some sort of a settled view to the team-mates.””The challenge we had – and most franchises had – was that we weren’t sure where we were going to play,” Fleming said and added the team worked towards correcting this in the latter part of the 2020 season, with an eye on IPL 2021. “We worked really hard on that in Dubai. It wasn’t that we just ran the season out, we made sure we made the most of every opportunity we had. We finished that well. To be honest, we were only one, maybe two, games away from getting through [to the qualifiers]. So it wasn’t actually a disaster – the finish was really good.”So we took a lot out of that, and in the off season we just looked at players that could fit and do a job – not just in Chennai but in conditions that were still a bit foreign. We needed to play a faster game, we needed to keep evolving if we were not in Chennai. And that’s what we are trying to do; we are not the finished product by any means, but we’re playing well at the moment.”That said, Dhoni had a special word of praise for the players who have not got their chance yet. “For the last 8-10 years we’ve not really changed a lot of players in our squad, and also we appreciate the ones who are not playing a lot,” he said. “Keeping the dressing-room atmosphere healthy is very important. I think the individuals, we need to credit them, because those are the persons who need to [not take sitting out personally and] really digest it, because it’s not an easy thing – when you are at the top level you want to play. I feel we need to give extra credit to the players who have not played so far.”

Tottenham’s miserable form under Thomas Frank continues following a lacklustre 2-1 loss at home to Fulham on Saturday night, with the home side subjected to a chorus of boos at the full-time whistle.

Tottenham 1-2 Fulham as tepid Spurs form piles pressure on Frank

The visitors delivered a devastating early double blow to extend the North London club’s torrid run and raise fresh questions about Frank’s ability to arrest their alarming slide.

Fulham raced into a commanding two-goal advantage within the opening six minutes at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, capitalizing ruthlessly on defensive frailties that continue plaguing Spurs despite their manager’s persistent tactical tinkering.

Kenny Tete opened the scoring after just four minutes when his speculative effort took a wicked deflection off Destiny Udogie’s leg, completely wrong-footing goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and nestling into the bottom corner. The Italian stopper, helpless against the deflection, barely had time to recover before Fulham doubled their advantage.

Harry Wilson compounded Tottenham’s defensive nightmare just two minutes later, capitalizing on catastrophic goalkeeping from Vicari

The Welshman caught Vicario in no man’s land with a long-range chip from distance, and given there were no defenders there to clear it off the line, the ball floated into a completely empty net.

Tottenham dominated possession throughout the opening period but created virtually nothing of substance, managing just two shots and accounting for a paltry 0.01 expected goals during the first half.

Frank introduced attacking reinforcements during the second half, withdrawing Joao Palhinha, Richarlison and Archie Gray for Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons and Rodrigo Bentancur around the hour mark.

The changes provided brief encouragement when Mohammed Kudus lashed home a powerful half-volley in the 59th minute — his first at home in a Spurs shirt — which reduced the deficit and offered fleeting hope of a comeback.

Tottenham hold talks with Arsenal target as Frank 'craves his progressive passing'

Spurs need more creativity.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 28, 2025

However, Fulham expertly managed the remaining half-hour, introducing Sasa Lukic and Emile Smith Rowe to shore up midfield and nullify Tottenham’s increasingly desperate attacking thrusts.

Despite introducing forwards Mathys Tel and additional creative players, Spurs lacked the quality and conviction required to salvage anything from another disappointing home performance.

The defeat represents Tottenham’s fourth loss in their last six matches across all competitions, following humiliating setbacks against Arsenal (4-1) and PSG (5-3) in the last week.

The pressure is now seriously on Frank, who is attracting real scrutiny as critics question whether he is really the right man for the Spurs job.

Jamie O'Hara loses it with Xavi Simons in Tottenham defeat to Fulham

Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, pundit Jamie O’Hara picked out substitute Simons for criticism alongside Frank, despite the fact he only had half an hour to make an impact.

The former Spurs midfielder was livid with Simons following repeated failed flick attempts when the north Londoners were chasing the game at 2-1, with O’Hara expressing his outrage at the wasteful attacking play.

After his disasterclass in goal, keeper Vicario was also booed by supporters nearly every time he touched the ball, with the tension among fans now reaching breaking point as Spurs continue to underperform.

Simons, who could end up costing the club £125 million over a potential seven-year contract when you factor in wages, agent’s fees and add-ons, needs to find his feet in England soon or risk being seen as a major flop.

The Dutchman has scarcely been given a chance by Frank lately, but the fact he’s only been given a few minutes here and there should send a pretty clear message.

Simons was often bullied off the ball against Fulham and failed to make the desired impact, even despite all of his efforts to get into dangerous positions.

For Spurs, the home curse continues, and no other ever-present Premier League side boasts a worse record on their own turf than Tottenham in 2025.

All 24 cricketers offered the new contracts have opposed the deals offered to them

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-May-2021

Sri Lanka’s men’s cricketers have refused to sign the contracts offered to them by Sri Lanka Cricket, citing a lack of transparency in the manner in which contract categories have been allocated. The players also expressed “shock and dismay” that proposed salary details were revealed to the public, in a statement issued by their legal representative.Senior players whose base salaries had been hit hardest by the proposed contract scheme had been expected to push back against the new pay scale, but here, all 24 cricketers offered the new contracts have opposed the deals offered to them. In the statement from attorney Nishan Sydney Premathiratne – agreed to by all 24 cricketers – the players have said they are “not in agreement to sign unfair and non-transparent contracts and urge SLC to not hold the players at gunpoint or give the players such ultimatums”. ESPNcricinfo understands that the players have been given till June 3 to sign the contracts.Primarily, the players want to know how much each of them scored on the player-assessment model devised by SLC, which allocated each player into his respective contract category. The new contracts process, devised largely by director of cricket Tom Moody and SLC’s Technical Advisory Committee headed by Aravinda de Silva, supposedly gave 50% weightage to performance since 2019, 20% to player fitness, and 10% each to leadership, professionalism, and future potential and adaptability. The players claim, though, that none of them know how much any of them scored on these criteria, and that their scores should be revealed to them.Related

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Sri Lanka's England tour in jeopardy after players refuse to sign contracts

“Despite the players’ requests from the Management Committee for information regarding the manner in which points were allocated in respect of the categorisation, none of the players have been provided with their individual assessment sheets setting out how points were awarded under the criteria of performance, fitness, leadership and professionalism,” the statement from Premathiratne said.The statement also takes issue with the fact that SLC “has seen it fit to release to the public, specific payment details of contract fees paid to specific players, in a one sided manner, without placing the same in the context of earnings of players in other cricketing nations, the entire earnings of Sri Lanka Cricket and also without disclosing the payments made to the officials/administrators, coaches and support staff of Sri Lanka Cricket.” On top of which the statement alleges that SLC attempted to have some players sign the contracts ahead of the tour of Bangladesh, while negotiations were ongoing.In addition to all this, the statement alleges that the remuneration offered in SLC’s contracts represents figures that are “more than threefold lower” than the sums paid to players of boards that are financially comparable to SLC. Also, that SLC “has in the past paid local and foreign coaches significant sums of money (salaries of approximately over 7 Million Rupees per month) and all those facts have to be placed in context when attempting to highlight and portray payments to be made to Sri Lankan cricketers”.If the cricketers do not sign the contracts offered to them by the June 3 deadline, a “tour contract” for the forthcoming series in England seems the likeliest outcome – essentially a temporary measure while the main, central contracts are negotiated.