Former Real Madrid and Spain centre-back Sergio Ramos has departed Mexican side Monterrey following their final game of the season. Monterrey fell to a 3-2 defeat to Toluca in the semi-finals of the Liga MX playoffs, and Ramos has confirmed that he has played his final game for the club. However, the legendary defender has no plans to call time on his playing career.
خاض نجم فريق ليفربول، محمد صلاح، مباراة اليوم ضد توتنهام في بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية الإنجليزية، كأس كاراباو، موسم 2024/25.
واستضاف ملعب “الأنفيلد” مباراة الفريقين في خضم لقاءات إياب نصف نهائي كأس كاراباو، حيث فاز ليفربول بنتيجة 4/0.
ولعب محمد صلاح كأساسي في تلك المباراة، وخاضها حتى الدقيقة 82، حيث صنع الهدف الأول وسجل الثاني من ضربة جزاء. ملخص لمسات محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وتوتنهام
وسدد محمد صلاح كرة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، في الدقيقة السابعة، ولكن كرته اصطدمت بدفاع توتنهام لتصل سهلة إلى الحارس.
ونفذ محمد صلاح ركلة ركنية، في الدقيقة 12 من عمر الشوط الأول، من الناحية اليسرى، ووصلت الكرة دومينيك سوبوسلاي الذي مررها إلى داخل منطقة الجزاء، ولكن تم تشتيت الهجمة من قِبل دفاع الخصم.
وحصل محمد صلاح على رمية تماس لصالح ليفربول، في الدقيقة 19 من عمر الشوط نفسه.
وفي الدقيقة 26، سنحت فرصة خطيرة لصالح محمد صلاح بعدما سدد كرة من الناحية اليسرى، ولكنها اصطدمت بأحد المدافعين لتغير اتجاهها وتتحول إلى ركنية.
وسجل دومينيك سوبوسلاي هدفًا في الدقيقة 30، بعد أسيست من محمد صلاح، ولكن تم إلغائه بداعِ وجود تسلل.
وصوب محمد صلاح تسديدة أعلى من اللازم فوق المرمى، في الدقيقة 32، لتمر بسلام على توتنهام.
وتمكن محمد صلاح من صناعة الهدف الأول لصالح ليفربول، في الدقيقة 35، بعدما مرر كرة من الجهة اليمنى داخل منطقة الجزاء، لتصل إلى كودي جاكبو الذي سددها في الشباك.
وكاد محمد صلاح أن يسجل الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 45، بطريقة عالمية بعد تسديدة رائعة للكرة على الطائر، ولكنها مرت أعلى المرمى قبل أن يبعدها الحارس كذلك.
وفي الدقيقة 46، كاد محمد صلاح أن يسجل هدفًا بعدما سدد الكرة، من الناحية اليمنى داخل منطقة الجزاء، ولكن الحارس تصدى لها محولًا إياها إلى ركنية.
وأحرز محمد صلاح ثاني أهداف ليفربول من ضربة جزاء، في الدقيقة 50، بعدما حصل عليها داروين نونيز حيث تعرض للعرقلة داخل المنطقة بعد تمريرة من المصري.
وحاول محمد صلاح، مرارًا وتكرارًا، دخول منطقة جزاء توتنهام، وسط مراقبة دفاعية قوية للنجم المصري لمنعه من الوصول إلى مرماهم، في ظل تألقه اللافت هذا الموسم.
وقرر المدرب استبدال محمد صلاح في الدقيقة 82، بعدما تقدم ليفربول بأربعة أهداف دون رد في تلك المباراة، ليحسم الريدز تأهله إلى النهائي.
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
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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
MatériaMais Notícias
da realsbet： Falar de arbitragem é uma chatice. Mas como não falar de arbitragem, quando, no Brasileirão, um jogo que transcorre normalmente, é decidido na bola, se tornou a exceção. Sim, pois a regra, como tem se visto, passou a ser a polêmica, os erros grotescos cometidos pelos sopradores de apito que estão comandando o futebol tupiniquim.
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da betway： Ainda que tardiamente, a CBF decidiu agir, com o afastamento de Leonardo Gaciba da presidência da comissão de arbitragem. Mas, que ninguém se iluda, isto está longe de ser a solução do problema. Muuuuito longe! Não adianta trocar nomes, é preciso mudar conceitos, fazer uma reforma estrutural que realmente mude o cenário caótico em que está mergulhada a arbitragem nacional.
É preciso ter coragem e vontade política para fazer não uma reforma, mas uma revolução! No mundo ideal, a comissão de arbitragem deveria ser independente, desvinculada da CBF, com uma governança profissionalizada, mandatos de presidente com prazos estabelecidos e critérios exclusivamente técnicos, sem interferências políticas em suas decisões
O modelo que rege a atividade de juiz de futebol no Brasil é cruel. A profissão até é regulamentada por uma lei federal, de 2013, que garante alguns direitos, inclusive a possibilidade de organizar associações e sindicatos da categoria. Mas é uma outra legislação, a Lei Pelé, de 1998, que determina que árbitros não podem ter vínculo empregatício com ligas, federações estaduais ou com a CBF, recebendo apenas um pró-labore por jogo apitado. Em outras palavras: num ambiente em que os salários de jogadores e treinadores chegam a valores estratosféricos – ao menos entre os grandes clubes – os juízes são os únicos personagens que não são, de fato, profissionais, dentro de um campo de futebol.
E esse é o X da questão.
Há juízes que atuam como corretores de imóveis, comerciantes, professores, funcionários públicos e trabalhadores autônomos nas mais diversas áreas. Não ser profissional é um empecilho real ao melhor exercício da arbitragem. Reduz a concentração, afeta a parte física e, não raramente, o equilíbrio emocional. Mas, principalmente, impede a dedicação que deveriam ter ao desenvolvimento da carreira, à atualização permanente, ao treinamento constante.
Não é assim no restante do mundo. Em boa parte dos países europeus, Portugal, Espanha, França, Inglaterra, aqui na vizinha Argentina, os árbitros são contratados das confederações nacionais, recebem salário fixo e um adicional por partida apitada. Em todos eles, quando a mudança de regime trabalhista foi adotada, registrou-se uma melhoria no nível das arbitragens. E aumentou a confiança dos clubes, de jogadores e de torcedores. Erros existem – e continuarão a existir sempre e em qualquer situação. Mas são a exceção e não a regra como por aqui.
A ideia, já levantada na CBF, como revelou o blog do jornalista Rodrigo Mattos, de promover um intercâmbio de árbitros, trazendo europeus para inclusive apitar partidas como parte de uma reciclagem geral da arbitragem brasileira, não é ruim. O aprendizado pelo exemplo sempre será a melhor forma. E há um abismo entre os dois lados do Oceano Atlântico. Basta ver, como exemplo, a forma como o VAR tem sido usado por lá, com critérios claros, auxiliando o juiz do campo em decisões rápidas e precisas, em contraponto aos absurdos desmoralizantes que têm ocorrido no Brasileirão.
A arbitragem brasileira nunca inspirou confiança. A obrigatoriedade de sorteio, estabelecida pelo Estatuto do Torcedor, foi uma demonstração clara disso, buscando afastar suspeitas de favorecimentos políticos e de negociações escusas na escalação de juízes. Qualidade técnica também nunca foi uma virtude do conjunto de nossos árbitros. Mas o que se vive agora, o show de horrores dos erros que se repetem a cada jogo, não por má fé, mas por incompetência ou despreparo, ultrapassa limites e já pode ser considerada uma das piores – se não a pior – fase de todos os tempos. Gaciba não vai deixar saudades. Mas que ele não seja tão somente o bode expiatório dessa história.
Mohamed Salah will start on the bench for the third successive Premier League game as Liverpool face Leeds United at Elland Road, and head coach Arne Slot has explained his reasoning behind the decision as the Egyptian takes his place amongst the substitutes once again. The Reds have picked up four points in the two games since Salah was dropped, and Slot will hope that his decision pays off once again against the Whites.
Slot explains decision to keep Salah on bench for Leeds clash
Slot spoke pre-match about his decision to name Salah amongst the substitutes once again, citing the importance of picking players suited to the task at hand against a Leeds side who will be full of confidence following victory over Chelsea in midweek.
Slot told Sky Sports: “It’s never an easy decision because we all know what a great player he is. But it is also up to me to pick the team that I think we need today. That’s why I made the decision”.
Liverpool start the encounter in the bottom half of the table but could rise as high as fifth with victory, with Salah on the bench and available to make an impact if called upon by Slot.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportSalah sacrificed as Slot continues with new attacking formula
The absence of reigning PFA Player of the Year winner Salah from Liverpool’s starting XI in recent weeks has meant that Slot has started with the more defensive-minded Dominik Szoboszlai wide right, as he has done again for the trip to Elland Road.
While Szoboszlai has given the Reds more solidity down their right, the alteration in personnel has also begun to get the best out of Florian Wirtz. The 22-year-old put in arguably his best performance in a Liverpool shirt in the victory at West Ham United last weekend, then thought he had scored his first goal for the club against Sunderland at Anfield, only for it to go down as a Nordi Mukiele own goal.
Whether dropping Salah from the line-up is the long-term solution for Slot remains to be seen, but he evidently feels it is the right decision in order for the Reds to turn things around at present, after their well-documented struggles throughout the autumn.
Slot praises Salah's professionalism after dropping to bench
Slot spoke of Salah’s professionalism when the 33-year-old was an unused substitute at the London Stadium last Sunday, telling reporters it was a “fair assumption” that Salah was not happy about the decision but that he “handled himself really well” after he was dropped from the starting XI in the league for what was the first time this season.
Slot added: "That's a normal reaction from a player that's good enough to play for us, and I say that mildly because he has been so outstanding for this club for so many years and will be for the future. He wasn't the only one who wasn't happy that he wasn't starting and that is normal.
"He is so disciplined – he knows what to do to stay fit," Slot said. "No matter if he plays well or if he doesn't play well, if he plays or doesn't play, he will always be that top professional and that's what he was in the last two days.
"With all players around their world, there are also phases in your time at the club that they are human. He's scored so many goals for us and I am sure he will in the future."
"We have to find a way to play without him because he won't be here," Slot said in reference to the Africa Cup of Nations, for which Salah will depart by December 15.
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Getty Images SportSalah and Isak both on bench to face Leeds
Salah was not the only big-name player named amongst the substitutes to face Leeds, as Alexander Isak also had to settle for a place on the bench with Hugo Ekitike starting through the centre. Slot has a wealth of attacking options to call on, and the pair will certainly have their role to play for the Reds in the coming months.
In a move that could see them skip out the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Liverpool have reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive South American wonderkid.
Van Dijk: It's "clear" Liverpool must improve
Returning from the international break looking to return to winning ways for the first time in three games, against rivals Manchester United no less, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has admitted that the Reds must improve.
The Dutchman also praised the Red Devils, sending a warning to the rest of his teammates about the threat that they pose even after getting off to a difficult start to the campaign, themselves.
For Arne Slot, it’s an unfamiliar position.
The Dutchman only knows winning ways in Merseyside after securing the Premier League title in his debut campaign last time out. Now, for the first time, the pressure is on him to turn Liverpool’s £400m summer spending spree into a side capable of defending that title.
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Anfield chiefs rarely panic on that front, however, and will instead have their sights set on further improvements.
After smashing their transfer record twice in the summer to welcome Florian Wirtz and Alexander Isak, Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes have reportedly shifted their focus towards a wonderkid.
Liverpool join Ian Subiabre race
As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, Liverpool have now joined the race to sign Ian Subiabre alongside Arsenal, Manchester City and a number of other Premier League rivals.
The youngster is one of the most promising stars that South American football has to offer, and is reportedly ready to move on from River Plate in 2026.
Described as a “direct dribbler” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Subiabre would be an excellent coup for Liverpool, especially in January if a winter move does indeed become possible.
Whether it’s been those at Anfield in the case of Alexis Mac Allister or Chelsea with Moises Caicedo, a number of top Premier League sides have missed out on bargain deals for South American stars before paying a premium price to the likes of Brighton to secure those same players.
The Reds could now skip that step by landing a repeat of Man City’s Claudio Echeverri deal for Subiabre next year.
While Subiabre’s deal is due to expire at the end of 2026, reports from his homeland suggest the 18-year-old is actually ready to renew his deal until 2028 — giving River Plate the chance to recuperate a larger fee for him.
This proposed fresh contract, if officially announced, would include a whopping £74 million release clause.
Liverpool will be praying this isn’t the case, and Subiabre pulls a ‘Trent’ by running his current deal down.
If not, Slot’s side would have to fork out much more money for the Argentine, albeit maybe not as high as the clause.
Can Arsenal continue their unbeaten streak at Stamford Bridge?
The Gunners will make the seven-mile trip across the capital on Sunday, currently unbeaten in six away games against Chelsea, winning three of them, despite having lost eight of their previous ten Premier League fixtures at the Bridge; how times have changed.
Well, already this week, Mikel Arteta’s team have comprehensively beaten both Tottenham and Bayern Munich at home, and a victory on Sunday would move them nine points clear of the Blues at the top of the Premier League table.
So, if the Gunners are to beat another fierce rival, Arteta should unleash his attacker labelled “better than Bukayo Saka”.
Leandro Trossard latest injury news
Just when Arsenal were starting to get some attacking players back from injury, another could be heading for the treatment room.
38 minutes into Wednesday’s win over Bayern Munich, Leandro Trossard suffered a knock and was forced to come off.
Speaking in his press conference on Friday, Arteta said that “we’ll have to see” if the Belgian will be available this weekend, noting that he has avoided serious injury, but has not trained since the match.
Losing Trossard would be a major blow, considering he has already scored five goals and registered five assists across all competitions this season, most recently breaking the deadlock in last weekend’s North London derby.
However, does Arteta have a ready-made replacement, one who will be particularly raring to face Chelsea?
The attacker Mikel Arteta must start vs Chelsea
Arsenal do remain without Viktor Gyökeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus, but Arteta is now going to have some attacking options from which to choose once again.
Both Martin Ødegaard and Gabriel Martinelli made their returns off the bench in mid-week, while Noni Madueke has been introduced as a substitute in each of the last two matches, scoring his first goal for the club against Bayern Munich, connecting with Riccardo Calafiori’s cross at the back post.
Before being introduced for a late cameo against Spurs, Madueke hadn’t been seen since 21 September when Manchester City drew in North London, sustaining a knee injury that day, which was a real blow because he had been really bright up until that point.
Back in September, the winger also scored his first goal for England, on target as the Three Lions demolished Serbia 5-0 in a World Cup qualifier at the Marakana in Belgrade.
After the match, former Manchester United defender Paul Parker asserted that “I actually think he’s better than Bukayo Saka”, a bold take, but let’s compare the pair in the Premier League last season to test this hypothesis.
Goals
0.4
0.4
Assists
0.2
0.6
Shots
2.6
2.2
Shots on target %
56%
56%
Chances created
1.4
3
Big chances created
0.26
1.1
Big chances missed
0.6
0.4
Completed take-ons
2
2.2
Take-on success %
49.45%
52.56%
Touches
47.4
56.8
% of touches in box
18.48%
16.54%
Average rating
7.03
7.60
As the table documents, Saka does come out on top for the vast majority of metrics, but Madueke’s numbers are largely comparable across the board, superior in some key areas too.
The 23-year-old attempts more shots and registers a higher percentage of his touches in the opposition penalty area, underlining that he might just be more of a goal threat, with Saka excelling as the creator.
Also, Madueke’s direct running and fearlessness could be exactly what Arteta’s team need in this game, hoping to give Reece James, Malo Gusto or whoever else Enzo Maresca might deploy at right-back nightmares.
Having been cast aside by Chelsea in the summer, told he was surplus to requirements, Madueke will surely be ultra-motivated to show his former employers what they passed up on, so could he write his name into Arsenal folklore?
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The former Australia allrounder was the franchise’s head coach in the first three seasons of the MLC
ESPNcricinfo staff22-Oct-2025
Shane Watson coached San Francisco Unicorns in the first three seasons of the MLC•Getty Images
Shane Watson, the former Australia allrounder, has parted ways with the San Francisco Unicorns after a three-year stint as head coach of the Major League Cricket (MLC) franchise.The Unicorns have not announced Watson’s successor yet. “In an effort to strengthen the Unicorns’ long-term strategy, the organization is shifting to a year-round coaching model,” the franchise said in a statement. “Watson’s ongoing commentary commitments and the rapid growth of his acclaimed performance coaching brand, BEON Performance, prevent him from taking on a full-time role with the Unicorns.”Under Watson, the Unicorns finished fifth out of six teams in the inaugural edition of the MLC in 2023 before reaching the playoffs in both 2024 and 2025; their best finish came in 2024 when they lost the final to Washington Freedom.”It has been a true privilege to lead the San Francisco Unicorns over the last three seasons,” Watson said. “I’m proud of what we accomplished, and am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with world-class stars and incredible young talent in Major League Cricket, which continues to be an exciting new frontier for the sport.”Apart from the Unicorns stint, Watson has also coached in other franchise leagues; he was assistant coach of Delhi Capitals in the 2022 and 2023 seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and head coach of Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in 2024.”Shane was the natural choice to be our first Head Coach, and he played a key role in building the Unicorns from the ground up,” Unicorns CEO David White said. “We are eternally grateful for Shane’s dedication across his three seasons in charge, and the Unicorns wish him every success in his future endeavors.”
They have chosen to play in SA20 and ILT20 instead, but will play the ODIs in Zimbabwe
Matt Roller13-Dec-2022Josh Little and Paul Stirling will miss Ireland’s T20I series in Zimbabwe next month in order to play in the SA20 and ILT20 respectively, in the latest example of franchise leagues’ growing impact on the primacy of bilateral international cricket.Ireland’s tour to Zimbabwe starts with three T20Is from January 12-15, followed by three ODIs – which are not part of the Super League – from January 18-23, with all fixtures staged at the Harare Sports Club. Little and Stirling will miss a handful of early group games for Pretoria Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders respectively, but will return to their respective franchises straight after the ODI series.
1st T20I – January 12
2nd T20I – January 14
3rd T20I – January 15
1st ODI – January 18
2nd ODI – January 20
3rd ODI – January 23
All matches at Harare Sports Club
Ireland have a busy schedule in 2023 which features spring tours to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, a home series against Bangladesh, a Test and three ODIs in England and the European qualifying tournament for the 2024 T20 World Cup, plus the possibility of the 2023 50-over World Cup in India if they qualify, either through the Super League or the global qualifiers.Andrew White, Ireland’s national selector, said the volume of cricket meant they would have to develop “a broader pool of ‘international-ready players’ to meet the challenges ahead” and will use Little and Stirling’s involvement in overseas leagues as an opportunity to give fringe players a chance to impress.”2023 will be the year when we return to playing all three formats,” White said. “However, with a T20 World Cup Qualifier in July and a possible 50-over Cricket World Cup in October – if we can qualify – the importance of this white-ball series is obvious. The volume of cricket next year demands that we will need a broader pool of ‘international-ready’ players to meet the challenges ahead, and the Zimbabwe tour will be the start of that process.”While the squads selected reflect the new dynamism and positive philosophy that Heinrich [Malan, head coach] and his staff have been instilling in our white-ball squads, we have taken advantage of the decision to allow a couple of our players the opportunity to participate in franchise tournaments.”As a result, Stephen Doheny looks set to make his full international debut after he was an unused squad member at the recent T20 World Cup in Australia, while bowling allrounder Tyrone Kane returns to the fold and could make his first appearance for Ireland since July 2019.Little and Stirling’s absences have created space for Neil Rock, the young wicketkeeper-batter, and Ben White, the legspinner who played one game at the 2021 T20 World Cup, in the T20I squad. “Ben has benefited from spending time with spin-bowling coach Nathan Hauritz in the nets and is continuing to develop his legspin, and Neil will come into the squad in largely a batting capacity,” White said.Curtis Campher is included in both squads despite holding a contract with Chattogram Challengers in the Bangladesh Premier League which, like the ILT20 and SA20, clashes directly with the tour. Simi Singh, the offspinning allrounder, has been left out of both squads, while Craig Young is sidelined with an injury suffered at the T20 World Cup and Conor Olphert is also absent through injury.T20I squad: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Tyrone Kane, Barry McCarthy, Neil Rock, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben WhiteODI squad: Andy Balbirnie (capt), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Stephen Doheny, Graham Hume, Tyrone Kane, Josh Little, Andy McBrine, Barry McCarthy, Paul Stirling, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker
Within the last week, Amad Diallo has pulled off the rather impressive feat of being seen as one of Manchester United's greatest weapons and yet also one of their most obvious weak points. The Ivory Coast international's incredible volley at Nottingham Forest last Saturday grabbed his side a point, while he was a few inches away from snatching the winner in added time. Yet while he was rightly hailed as a difference-maker in United's attack, a lot of the post-match analysis focused on his defensive shortcomings.
Both aspects of Amad's game exist. He is far from alone in being a wonderful attacking player who is yet to master the art of winning headers in his own box or being able to clip the wings of pacey, fleet-footed wingers.
The difference is that, unlike the other top attacking players in the Premier League, he is being asked to carry out those defensive tasks on a weekly basis due to operating as a wing-back in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 formation. In a few matches he has gotten away with it, but Forest seemed to target Amad and successfully exposed his vulnerabilities. United's next opponents – Tottenham, Everton and Crystal Palace – would be advised to do the same.
The scrutiny on Amad's role in the team has further highlighted the limitations of Amorim's formation and given the coach yet another problem that he needs to confront.