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This is not the end of the road for Sourav Ganguly because he remains crucial to Kolkata’s brand image and leadership, but he somehow needs to inspire himself to overcome his failings, before he can inspire his team

Cricinfo staff22-Mar-2010It is getting sadder by the day. To witness Sourav Ganguly, once a proud man, resemble a slow and ageing boxer, entering the ring tired and sluggish is a sad sight. That image of an intense Ganguly, staring his opponent in the face and steadily infuriating his enemy with his attitude, strategy and daring, is now a thing of the past. Instead what remains is an athlete, forcibly fighting against time and playing in a format that is uncompromising.After five games in this IPL, Ganguly has yet to complete 100 runs – he is two short of that mark and has a paltry average of 19.60. Lesser-known batsmen like Manish Pandey, Saurabh Tiwary, Ambati Rayudu, to list a few, have shown more character and had more impact on the fate of their teams than Ganguly has. And, before you say that all these three are youngsters, more suitable for the format, what of the dominance of Sachin Tendulkar, Jacques Kallis, Adam Gilchrist and Anil Kumble? All these men are on the other side of 30, all Ganguly’s peers, but it is only the Kolkata captain, who finds himself in an isolated corner, sitting numb from the punches thrown at him.Today was the first instance of Ganguly walking in as an opener in this IPL. In the first four matches he batted at No.3, and in the previous match, against Rajasthan, he had come in as No. 4. But Ganguly batting in the middle-order was always going to be a gamble considering he lacked the firepower he once possessed to take the bowling attack on. Also in the absence of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum, Brad Hodge opened the innings in the company of Manoj Tiwary, but apart form the solid partnership in the home victory against Bangalore, that pairing had not proved to be successful.After the defeat in Ahmedabad, Dav Whatmore said the loss would prompt a change in the batting order. For Ganguly, opening remains the most appropriate position in his present form where he could at least use the pace of the ball and the freshness in the pitch to his advantage along with some initiative. But that was not to be the case at Brabourne Stadium, which was once again filled to the brim with Mumbai supporters.On the fifth ball of the fourth over, Zaheer Khan pitched a short delivery outside off stump. In his pomp Ganguly would’ve hit that ball over, or cut it past point for a definite four. In this instance it ended up being a hit and miss. Zaheer followed with the same delivery, maintaining the same line. Ganguly stepped out, failed to connect once again, ending up looking ridiculous. Immediately he asked for a change of gloves. Clearly, the erstwhile ‘God of the off side’ was nervous. The pattern did not change through the innings – even as Ganguly lengthened his stay, the run rate stayed stagnant.The reasons behind Ganguly’s failure to dominate can be many but the most important one is his slowness. His reflexes have dimmed. That impeccable placement has disappeared followed closely by the timing. Those wrists don’t co-ordinate anymore with the bat to lend any direction to the drives, those legs stay planted to the spot. Even his charges against spinners invariably end in the hands of the fielder, where once they ended behind the ropes. Ganguly’s actions have become predictable, making it easy for the bowlers to gain the uppherhand.It is easy to put the detriment of age behind Ganguly’s reverses but take the example of Tendulkar today. He was chalk to Ganguly’s cheese: Tendulkar bristled, stayed athletic at all times, and urged his fielders and batsmen to remain pro-active, and dissected the bowlers clinically.All this is not saying that Ganguly doesn’t try doing the same. He does, only that, perhaps, time has overtaken him. Things happen in the Twenty20 format at run-time – all those net sessions add up to zero most times and what remains the key is recognising the moment to step up the ante. Today Ganguly had the opportunity many times to force the change with the bat. But he failed miserably. It was the same case against Rajasthan.In fact it is not the first time he has been exposed in this format. In the inaugural season of the IPL, when Gayle was absent, McCullum left after four games and Brad Hodge was yet to be bought, Ganguly was the top run-getter with 349 runs at 29.08 but those runs could not save Kolkata from drowning. In South Africa, the following year, Ganguly struggled on the bouncier pitches and ended the tournament with 189 runs at 17.18.This is not the end of the road for Ganguly because he remains Kolkata’s brand image. Also he still retains the leadership qualities that are necessary to inspire the team and he is the most accomplished and capable man to lead the side. Only that he needs now to inspire himself first.

Despite spending Christmas Day atop the Premier League tree, it has been a pitiful couple of weeks for Arsenal, in which they have lost three games on the bounce.

While there are often multiple reasons a team goes through a poor patch, with the Gunners, it is painfully obvious what is letting them down: their attack.

Mikel Arteta's front line have been misfiring for much of the season, but the performances against West Ham United and Liverpool at the Emirates were perhaps the worst games the attack have had in quite some time.

All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

The good news for Arteta and the Arsenal faithful is that the latest player touted for a move to N5 has been scoring for fun this season: Bournemouth's Dominic Solanke.

Arsenal transfer news – Dominic Solanke

According to the Daily Star, Arsenal are still on the lookout for a new striker this January, and while Brentford's Ivan Toney remains a player they are keen on, Bournemouth's Solanke is another number nine that they would like to bring to north London.

Unfortunately for the Gunners, this won't be a cheap deal to complete, with the Mirror reporting that any move for the former Liverpool striker will cost at least £50m, which would represent a serious investment for a winter signing.

That said, for a striker who has 12 goals and one assist in 19 Premier League appearances this season, he could prove to be worth every penny for a title-chasing Gunners side.

Moreover, club legend Thierry Henry seems to be a fan of the Englishman, telling Amazon Prime (via the Metro): "I guess it was a bit too much when he was younger. But what he is doing right now is brilliant."

Arsenal could sign £60m “pace monster” to rival Saka

Arsenal could sign a £60m Premier League star to provide competition for places in attack.

ByMatt Dawson Jan 8, 2024 Why Dominic Solanke could unlock Arsenal's attack

Now, last season proved that Arsenal's attack is not to be taken lightly; from Gabriel Martinelli to Eddie Nketiah, practically every attacker at the club played their part in running Manchester City close for the title, but it just wasn't enough. Indeed, their top four scorers, Martinelli included alongside Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard all netted double figures in 2022/23.

Unfortunately, the attack hasn't been able to produce the same output this season, and the need for a clinical number nine has been painfully obvious, which is precisely where Solanke could come in.

The 26-year-old has already reached double figures for the season and looks set to breach the 20 goals a season mark, which is only made all the more impressive considering he is doing it for a Cherries side that many had tipped for relegation just a couple of months ago.

In comparison, Jesus has scored just three league goals, Martinelli has scored twice, Saka has found the back of the net six times, and Nketiah has scored five goals.

So the "predatory" number nine, as described by Soccer Saturday pundit Kris Boyd, has the Arsenal attackers beaten when it comes to pure goalscoring, but how do his underlying numbers stack up to the Gunners' recognised strikers?

Well, given his performances this season, it shouldn't come as a surprise to see that the "complete" Solanke, as described by his manager Andoni Iraola, comes out on top in most striker-related metrics.

Goals

0.64

0.29

0.46

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.60

0.60

0.43

Shots on Target

1.12

1.35

0.93

Goals per Shot on Target

0.52

0.21

0.50

Aerial Duels Won

2.13

0.96

1.57

The Cherries ace has a better non-penalty expected goals and assists figure than Nketiah, and while Jesus has more shots on target per 90, Solanke has a far better conversion ratio than the Brazilian. Likewise, his propensity to win aerial duels would add an extra layer to Arsenal's attack.

Ultimately, while it would cost the club a significant amount of money if Arteta is serious about ending Arsenal's two-decade title drought, he should be pushing for this transfer.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou reportedly wants to "replace" two players of his players as Spurs eye a move for one "incredible" star.

Spurs' form under Postecoglou

Nobody could have envisaged such a bright start to the season for Postecoglou, nor could they guess that Spurs would be making their best start to a campaign since their double win in 1961. The Lilywhites have clinched victory in six of their opening eight league matches, remaining unbeaten over that period while sitting top of the Premier League table. Tottenham faced tough, tough tests against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in that time, but came through both matches unphased and undeterred.

Speaking after their 2-2 draw away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last month, Postecoglou heaped praise on his Tottenham squad for a growing will and desire to improve as a team.

"There's a real will and desire to become the team we want to be, which includes making sure that you're disciplined and you're buying into the team ethos and we had a really young team out there," said Postecoglou to Tottenham's official website.

"Vic, that's his first derby, Destiny, van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Brennan, they're all in their early twenties, Porro, even Kulusevski is only 23, so it was a young team but just super proud of the experienced players we did have in there. Romero was outstanding, Bissouma has been brilliant all year, Maddison, and Sonny was just on a different level, not just his goals, although they were outstanding, but his work rate, his work ethic was incredible."

Who could Spurs sign in January?

Despite their electric form right now, it has been claimed that the north Londoners could move to strengthen their ranks in the new year. Indeed, one of the rumoured transfer targets is Al-Ittihad winger Jota, who could well be on the move back to Europe after very little time in Saudi Arabia.

There are reports that the former Celtic star is keen to reunite with his ex-boss at Tottenham (90min), and it is believed the feeling is very much mutual from Postecoglou. Now, a new report has shed light on this, with journalist Rudy Galetti sharing a Jota transfer update for Tribal Football. He says that Postecoglou's "priority" is to "replace" both Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon on that side with another option, leading to Tottenham's interest in signing Jota next year.

Nothing is added beyond that point, but we believe Jota could be an excellent alternative to the Spurs duo. Pundit Alan Hutton, speaking last year, revealed he is a big fan of the "incredible" Portuguese.

"Jota's only 23-years-old, he's still developing," explained Hutton to Football Insider.

"He's probably only going to get better, I think he can get better. What he's done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he's not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there's a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he's stood up to that task.

“Jota's that player fans want to see. He's exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes."

With their eyes firmly fixated on retaining their Scottish Premiership crown once again, the last thing that Celtic need is any injury disruptions, especially as the Champions League also gets underway.

The Hoops haven't showed signs of slowing down when it comes to their dominance in Scotland's top flight, and already sit top of the league, four points clear of Old Firm rivals Rangers.

Last time out, Brendan Rodgers' side eased past Dundee 3-0, courtesy of goals from David Turnball, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Matt O'Riley. It was a routine victory for Celtic, but they were not without their concerns, with one key player going off injured at half-time.

What's the latest Celtic injury news?

So far this season, Celtic have been fairly unfortunate when it comes to injuries, but have masked their absences well through impressive results. As things stand, Rodgers is without Stephen Welsh, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki, Reo Hatate, and Liel Abada in what has been a frustrating time when attempting to enjoy a full squad.

One more injury blow emerged over the weekend, and when Liverpool loanee Nat Phillips was forced off at half-time against Dundee, the worst was feared.

A sign of relief would have been heard round Celtic Park today, though, as the central defender was pictured in full training ahead of the Hoops' clash against Feyenoord. With that said, Phillips looks more than ready to play a part.

Celtic will be hoping to get off to a fast start in Group E, as they look to defy the odds to reach the last 16, beating the likes of Atletico Madrid, Lazio, and Feyenoord to progression as a result. Phillips, using his experience among Europe's elite gained at Liverpool, could play a large part in that.

How has Nat Phillips performed this season?

After playing somewhat of an emergency role at Liverpool for so long, Phillips finally has his chance to impress on a consistent basis at Celtic. He finally got that opportunity last time out, too, only to be forced off at the break through injury. Getting his debut under his belt, nonetheless, he will now look to push on even further.

Statistically speaking, via FBref, Phillips has proven in the past just how valuable he can be, particularly when it comes to his work off the ball, making an average of 4.51 clearances, as well as winning over one tackle per 90.

When at his best, the defender has earned some high praise, too, including from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who said, via The Metro after the Reds were held to a draw by Brighton & Hove Albion: "Very good, I couldn’t be more proud of the boys what they put out here today. In the first half hour we struggled with the new backline with their balls in behind because we didn’t drop at the right moment.

"We got that sorted in the first half already. Second half we had no problems with that anymore. But second half we had some problems with energy so we sat a little bit deeper. Nat Phillips played an exceptional game, honestly, so that was all good. You need in football always a little bit of luck to win a tough away game. And today we didn’t have luck so it was a draw."

He also downplayed the spot-fixing allegations surrounding Australia’s Test against India in Ranchi in 2017, calling them ‘unsubstantiated’

Daniel Brettig28-May-2018

Getty Images

They’ve all sat through them. Long, wordy pre-season meetings in which Australian players are reminded of their values and obligations under the various charters, codes and policies they are signatories to. These sessions have long been seen as necessary, but a bit of a yawn – like HR compliance training at any company.But in the wake of the Newlands ball-tampering scandal, Australia’s captain Tim Paine and coach Justin Langer are adamant that the squads to tour England and Zimbabwe for ODIs and Twenty20 matches over the next six weeks will know the difference between paying lip service and actually living out the expectations of the Australian team. In the face of an expected hostile English reception, and up against Eoin Morgan’s trendsetting 50-overs combination, this will be no small challenge.Spot-fixing claims are unsubstantiated – Paine

Australia captain Tim Paine downplayed the spot-fixing allegations against his team during their 2017 Test against India in Ranchi. “As far as I’m aware at the moment, the claims are unsubstantiated, and as far as I’m concerned, our players have got nothing to worry about,” Paine said in Brisbane. “I’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest, and I can’t speak on behalf of all of our guys, but I certainly know it’s never been spoken about in Australian dressing rooms that I’ve been involved in.”
Paine’s response came ahead of his side’s departure to London for a limited-overs series against England, and the Australia captain was confident the developments of the last few days will not affect the team’s psyche.
“I’m really confident none of our players are involved and this group is really focused on going to England tonight and putting up a really good performance over there,” he said. “I don’t think [it will affect team’s image], at this stage it’s unsubstantiated claims and we’re confident that none of our guys are involved in it.”

“Justin sat us down for a team meeting last week and spoke about the Australian cricket team’s values, and what he expects,” Paine said in Brisbane before the squad’s departure to London. “It’s nothing that’s brand new, nothing the guys haven’t heard before – it’s purely about acting on what we know is the right thing to do and the right way to play our cricket.”Justin’s big thing is about living our values. We’ve had Spirit of Cricket documents, we’ve had Code of Conduct documents, but at the end of the day they mean nothing if you don’t act on them and you don’t live by them. That’s been a huge focus for us, has been around our actions, our behaviours, and making sure we live up to the standards that the Australian cricket team should.”So we’ve spoken about it, but getting on a plane tonight now, we get to go over there and talk through our actions, which the guys are looking forward to.”Quite apart from all the issues to arise out of South Africa, leaving Paine as captain, Australia have been a faulty limited-overs combination in recent times, having sunk from the peak of the 2015 World Cup victory at home. Paine spoke about the balance between seeking high performance and striking the right note as a team.”We’re going over there to win this series. We’re not going over there to make up the numbers or to be the nicest Australian cricket team ever to play against,” Paine said. “We’re going to be really competitive; at the same time we’re going to be really respectful, but we’re going there to win.”We’re probably going to get a bit more intense spotlight from their media when we first arrive. But we’ve spoken about the way we want to hold ourselves, the way we want to behave, and I’m sure once we get there and get into playing cricket, those sorts of things will die off into the background and cricket will be the number one focus.”Tactically, there is still much to be decided about the makeup of the side, whether it is who partners Aaron Finch at the top of the order, who between Nathan Lyon and Ashton Agar will take on spin-bowling duties, and how to get the best out of the endlessly enigmatic Glenn Maxwell. Paine said he had made a point of spending time with Maxwell, but would get into deeper discussions into the shape of the team upon arrival in England – 12 months out from next year’s World Cup.”I’ve had a few chats with Maxy this week about where he thinks he could be of best value to this cricket side, because I think he’s, even at international level, an out-and-out match-winner,” Paine said. “If we can get Maxy playing in a role he’s really comfortable in and it complements our team, he can be really important for us this series. England are the No. 1 team in the world, and Maxy’s the kind of player who can really trouble them.”Maxy will probably slot in somewhere around Nos. 4 or 5 – when those [batting order] changes were going on I wasn’t in this position and JL wasn’t the coach. At the moment, we haven’t got too specific into things; it’s just been about guys getting to know Justin, Justin getting to know them and the way he wants us to play. We’ve got 10 or 12 days where we’ll really nut things out about how our team sets up. I’m sure we’ll try a few different combinations in the practice games leading into the first game.”

Mohammad Amir believes pressure is something that an individual creates for himself and can be avoided

Cricinfo staff22-Aug-2010Pakistan’s remarkable young fast bowler, Mohammad Amir, sliced through England’s second innings in the third Test at The Oval to set up an unexpected win for a Pakistan team that was clearly struggling for confidence going into the match. He showed composure with the bat too, pulling Graeme Swann to the midwicket fence to relieve the growing tension after England had taken three quick wickets to make a small target look much bigger than it was.Amir has now taken 13 wickets at an average just over 20 apiece in three Tests against England. Add the two Tests against Australia and he has 24 wickets at 21.27. Pressure, it appears, means little to this 18-year-old.”I don’t really let pressure affect me at all,” Amir told after his Man-of-the-Match performance at The Oval. “I believe that pressure is something that an individual creates for himself and it’s something that you can avoid. I guess it’s just down to the individual and the characteristics of an individual. I just go out there, relax, smile, enjoy myself, play my natural game, do what comes naturally to me and play my cricket according to the conditions and match situation.”The more you worry about things when you are out there in the middle, the more problems you are going to encounter”.The win over an England side that has been in great form this year has naturally given Pakistan a huge boost of confidence, and some much-needed momentum, heading into the fourth and final Test. “It’s great to be going into the final match at Lord’s with some momentum,” Amir said. “It was such an important victory for us and keeps us in the series. We’ll be going all out for victory at Lord’s.”Amir’s new-ball partnership with Mohammad Asif is rapidly developing into one of the best in the world, if not the best, and Amir was quick to praise his fellow opening bowler. “He’s a fantastic guy to bowl in tandem with. He’s such a threatening bowler, a wicket-taker, someone who has the ability to take a wicket with every delivery. He never gives the opposition batsmen any respite and is such a brilliant team player who will bowl according to any situation, or in such a way that the team requires him to bowl.”He’s so accurate and rarely gives the batsmen any easy opportunities to score off him. His nagging accuracy and skill really helps me and I think we complement each other very well.”Having rattled both Australia’s and England’s batsmen during the MCC’s Spirit of Cricket Series, Amir said Australia are marginally ahead of England in the batting department.”The Australian batting line-up is a really powerful one and I would say marginally stronger than England’s batting line-up when we are comparing them on all types of pitches and conditions. That is not meant in a disrespectful way towards the England team, but it’s just that the Australian line-up is such a renowned, powerful and experienced line-up. The England batting line-up though is really powerful in home conditions and is used to playing on seaming and swinging conditions.Both of our opponents this summer are very difficult to beat in their home conditions and it’s been a complete and thorough test for us.”Amir’s figures of 5 for 52 in England’s second innings are the best of his short career so far and he credited former Pakistan fast bowlers Waqar Younis, the current team coach, and Aaqib Javed, the current bowling coach, with helping him improve.”Both Waqar and Aaqib have really helped me improve as a bowler. They guide me quite literally session by session. They will sit down and talk to me at the end of each session when I have been bowling and explain to me what I did well and what I didn’t do well in the completed session of cricket. In addition they will talk to me about the upcoming session and what is required of me. They are of great help to me and I believe that I can only improve as a bowler with guys like Waqar and Aaqib around me.”Amir, who has been drawing favourable comparisons to another Pakistan left-armer, Wasim Akram, doesn’t seem to be affected by the acclaim he has been attracting, saying all he plans to do is stick to the basics and not get carried away.”I don’t want to over experiment and prefer to stick to the basics. I feel that if I try too many different things and experiment too much, then that affects the quality of my cricket. My philosophy is to keep it simple and stick to the basics instead of trying to be too clever.”One thing he does have to work on is getting closer to the stumps when he bowls.”Waqar has told me that I need to get closer to the stumps when I am bowling. We have been working on this issue in the nets and in practice situations. In practice I do get close to the stumps, but I have to be honest, in match situations sometimes I overlook this. I’m sure with further experience this is something I can address.”He is also careful to keep a level head and not let an opponent’s reputation unsettle or intimidate him. “I feel it’s important not to get overawed even as a youngster and let the opposition attempt to intimidate you. I have come up against some of the world’s biggest names in cricket and I don’t feel intimidated by them.”Given that the issue of teams playing too much cricket is a hot topic these days, there have been calls from former Pakistan players to manage Amir’s workload, even suggesting he should sit out a few games from time to time. Amir, however, wants to play as much cricket as he can.”The more cricket I play, the more I learn; the more experience I gain and ultimately that improves my game. If I feel I am bowling well, feeling fit and in good rhythm then I don’t want to miss any matches, as that will affect my rhythm in the next match that I will play in.”

To one teenager at least, Fraser made relentless application and sweaty doggedness glamorous. Almost

Andrew Miller11-May-2009The summer of 1989 was a desperate time for an impressionable 11-year-old to get hooked on cricket. Four thumping Test defeats, 29 players, a raft of rebel-tour defectors, and Gooch lbw b Alderman 0. Try picking the positives out of that.And yet there was one. A lone pillar of rectitude in a ransacked temple. His shoulders were perpetually stooped but his spirit was never broken, and while the charlatans and showponies were being ruthlessly disembowelled by Allan Border’s freakishly focused Australians, Angus Fraser just ran in and bowled, and ran in and bowled, and ran in and bowled.I had hit upon my hero largely by accident. I had been struggling, as a patriotic Scotsman born in Germany and raised in Dorset, to justify on the one hand my loathing of the England rugby team and on the other my adoration of all things leather and willow. Fraser, born near Wigan and based in Middlesex, but blatantly as Scottish as they came, was all the evidence an 11-year-old needed to have his cake and eat it.But as soon as I saw him bowl, I realised the connection went deeper than any spurious claims to shared ancestry. In Fraser I recognised an anti-athlete at the peak of his powers, a sportsman to inspire the fat, the slow, the red-faced, and the sweaty. I was all of these and more. I loved cricket but was exquisitely hopeless at it.Fraser taught me that there was another way. Line and length, rhythm and control. Parsimony over panache. Every spare moment was spent in the nets, lumbering in, reaching high, competing for the first time with my flash athletic peers who had all the pace but none of the guile. When I was picked as first change for the junior third XI, it was the proudest day of my life.As the summer wore on and England’s poundings continued to mount, Fraser’s pyrrhic successes became the only thing worth clinging to. Take the fifth Test at Trent Bridge. I surveyed it from afar, having been whisked away on a family holiday to Yugoslavia, but a sneaked glimpse at a rare copy of the told me all I needed to know. Australia had amassed 602 for 6 declared, but Fraser had put his peers to shame with 52.3 overs, 18 maidens, 2 for 108. It was genius repackaged as futility.But then suddenly Fraser’s wickets started coming as well and my hero worship went into overdrive. Five for 28 in 20 overs at Sabina Park, as West Indies were sensationally toppled on home turf; eight in the match against India at Lord’s, when Gooch scored 333; and another five-for in the very next Test at Old Trafford. When my parents caught me bouncing on the sofa in glee after India had been skittled for 432 (Fraser 5 for 124), they realised it was time to bite the bullet and indulge my odd obsession.And so off we went to the Oval to watch my very first Test. It was an abominable day’s play, dominated by a tedious Ravi Shastri century, but at the close, I finally met my man. In fact I almost missed him. I’d been immersed in autograph-hunting behind the pavilion, ticking off the names like a trainee anorak, but my mother spotted Fraser’s loping figure plodding into the distance, and bang, I was off – hurtling down the Harleyford Road to intercept him as he fled. I don’t recall speaking as I thrust my bat under his nose. Adrenaline could carry me only so far.

While the charlatans and showponies were being ruthlessly disembowelled by Allan Border’s freakishly focused Australians, Angus Fraser just ran in and bowled, and ran in and bowled, and ran in and bowled

But no sooner had I met him than he was gone. A mystery hip condition, brought on by yet more Ashes futility, left his career hanging by a thread. For two seasons I searched for him in the county scorecards, but under ARC Fraser I found only an imposter with a handful of expensive appearances to his name. “Why aren’t you playing, Angus? We need you,” I shocked myself by shouting when I bumped into him again at the Oval in 1991. “I want to play,” came the plaintive response.But he couldn’t, and didn’t, and I had no choice but to move on. Mike Atherton became my new favourite player (no other bowler cut the mustard), and I took pleasure in England’s rare moments of success. But I still checked the Middlesex card every week, hoping that the big man would return.And then suddenly it happened. A spell of 7 for 40 against Leicestershire in 1993, and the cry went up from the shires that Fraser had got his “snap” back. Two games later he – and I – were back at the Oval for the sixth Test against Australia. But how would I respond? I was now 15 with my first vaguely teenage pretensions – clearly too grown-up for such childish obsessions.Like hell I was. Eight match-winning wickets later I was smugly reminding anyone I’d ever met that Fraser was the greatest medium-fast seam bowler that had ever walked the earth.And I was still doing it five years later as Fraser routed the West Indians in the third Test in Trinidad. Did he lose a certain something after his injury? Maybe. But in an era of slim pickings for players and fans alike, he still cared more passionately than any other English bowler of his generation. His main failing was that he was a sweaty knacker who looked defeated after a single delivery. But as the man himself has been known to grumble, “Bowling is bloody hard work.” It was never in Fraser’s nature to try and pretend otherwise.

تأهل برشلونة إلى دور الثمانية من بطولة كأس ملك إسبانيا، بعد الفوز بخماسية مقابل هدف على حساب ريال بيتيس، ضمن منافسات دور الـ16.

المباراة جمعت بين الفريقين على ملعب لويس كومبانيس، ولكن البداية كانت كتالونية بامتياز، في ظل النشوة التي يعيشها الفريق منذ الفوز بالسوبر الإسباني على حساب ريال مدريد يوم الأحد الماضي.

طالع أيضًا.. الفرق المتأهلة إلى دور الـ8 من كأس ملك إسبانيا (محدث باستمرار)

برشلونة تمكن من التسجيل مبكرًا عن طريق جافي، في الدقيقة 3 من داخل منطقة الجزاء، وظل النادي الكتالوني في الضغط لتسجيل الثاني.

جاء الهدف الثاني بعد إهدار العديد من الفرص، في الدقيقة 27 بعد تمريرة رائعة من لامين يامال، وأطلقها جوليس كوندي بصاروخية في شباك ريال بيتيس.

انتهى الشوط الأول بعد سيل من الفرص، وابداعات النادي الكتالوني، بعدما ألغى الحكم هدفاً لـ لامين يامال.

بدأ الشوط الثاني بنفس المستوى الذي أنهى به البلوجرانا شوط المباراة الأول، وسجل لامين يامال هدفًا في الدقيقة 57، ولكن الحكم ألغاه بداعي التسلل أيضًا.

وفي الدقيقة 58، نثر لامين يامال سحره، وانطلق من منطقة جزاء فريقه إلى مرمى الخصم، ليمر من لاعبي ريال بيتيس، وعندما سدد تدخل عليه لاعب النادي الأندلسي بقوة ليعطي الحكم إتاحة الفرصة للبلوجرانا ويستغل رافينها الوضع ويسجل الثالث.

أجرى فليك العديد من التغييرات، وأراح نجومه، ودخل فيران توريس، الذي لم ينتظر طويلًا حتى يضع بصمته، وبتمريرة من داني أولمو، يطلق تسديدة في شباك الضيوف معلنًا عن الرابع في الدقيقة 67.

ظن البعض أن الحفلة قد توقفت هنا، ولكن عزف لامين يامال استمر، وبعد تمريرة ممتازة من فيرمين لوبيز، سجل الإسباني المغربي هدفه الثاني، والخامس لفريقه عند الدقيقة 75.

وخرج لامين يامال بعد الهدف، وسط تحية كبيرة من جماهير البلوجرانا، الذين ظلوا يحتفلون بالإشارة للخماسية التي تكررت في أقل من 4 أيام، أمام ريال مدريد وبيتيس.

وفي الدقيقة 85، سجل فيتور روكي لاعب برشلونة السابق، هدف حفظ ماء الوجه لـ ريال بيتيس، من ركلة جزاء.

بهذه النتيجة يتأهل برشلونة إلى دور الثمانية من بطولة كأس ملك إسبانيا، في انتظار منافسه بذلك الدور الذي كان آخر محطاته في الموسم الماضي.

القرعة ستقام يوم الاثنين المقبل، في انتظار منافس برشلونة، صاحب الرقم القياسي في الفوز بالبطولة برصيد 31 لقبًا. أهداف مباراة برشلونة وريال بيتيس في كأس ملك إسبانيا

Leeds United appear to want to sign a new attacker this month and are seemingly eyeing up a loan move for an international forward.

Leeds transfer news

The 49ers Enterprises, Nick Hammond and Gretar Steinsson could be active in Yorkshire during the January transfer window, looking to bolster Daniel Farke’s squad for the second half of the Championship campaign. However, the manager has played down a frantic winter window, but said the club “won’t fall asleep” over possible moves.

“I expect a much more quiet and calm January to the last transfer period for example. We wish for a quiet January, but won’t fall asleep and when there are decisions to make, we will also make decisions and you never know what happens. I have been working too long in this business not to rule anything out.”

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A new left-back could be of interest to the Whites, and reports have claimed that Leeds have already held talks over a move to sign Hellas Verona full-back Josh Doig. Spezia goalkeeper Bartomej Dragowski is another rumoured target for the Whites, whereas those at Elland Road appear ready to make a move for Hammarby defender Nathaniel Adjei. However, additions in the final third could also be made to rival the likes of Joel Piroe, Georginio Rutter and Patrick Bamford, with an update emerging in the last 48 hours.

Leeds linked with Kieffer Moore

According to The Sun, Bournemouth are open to letting Kieffer Moore leave the club this month, with a number of Championship clubs linked, including Leeds. They say that the Wales international's £40,000-a-week wage could result in a loan exit, with the Whites, Birmingham City, Cardiff City, Ipswich Town, Middlesbrough, Sunderland and West Brom all named as possible destinations.

A new centre-forward arriving at Leeds could surprise some, especially with the likes of Piroe, Rutter, Bamford and Mateo Joseph all available to Farke.

However, Moore has plenty of Championship experience and helped the Cherries to promotion in 2021/22, so could be open to helping Leeds target an immediate Premier League return. The 31-year-old was previously praised by former Cherries boss Scott Parker, who called the 31-year-old a striker who is “horrible to play against”.

“I think Kieffer is probably a little bit of a throwback in that sense. He’s probably a modern day nine in his stature and his profile, he’s mobile, you can get things into him and he can bring players into play. But certainly, he is horrible to play against.”

Parker also added:

“He makes it uncomfortable for you. He can threaten you in behind, in terms of because of his mobileness and he can then come into feet and hold the ball up, make it stick and bring in other players into play as well. So he’s an all round nine.”

Moore is an out-and-out striker, so Leeds could be better off targeting a creative attacking midfielder to supply Piroe and Rutter, with the likes of Crysencio Summerville and Dan James continuing out wide.

Leeds United continue to make up ground in their hunt for automatic promotion and are now seven points behind second-place Ipswich Town following a 3-1 victory over Swansea City.

Whilst league leaders Leicester City dropped two points against Sheffield Wednesday, the Whites avoided a slip-up on Wednesday night, although they did initially fall behind.

A Jamie Patterson deft lob caught Daniel Farke's men cold inside the first minute, but once Joel Piroe instantly levelled against his former club, Leeds began to find their groove as goals from Georginio Rutter and Daniel James handed them the initiative in the contest.

The German tactician cooked up a storm at Elland Road as the Whites blew Swansea away with a 2.33 xG and eight shots on target, compared to the visitor's 0.34 xG and two shots on target.

Rutter played a pivotal role in that threat as the Frenchman wreaked havoc in the final third.

Georginio Rutter's performance against Swansea

Rutter has been in phenomenal form this term and he continued in that vain against the Swans by supplying a goal and an assist.

The goal he scored – Leeds' second on the night – personified his class, as he delightfully controlled a sumptuous Ethan Ampadu pass before racing through on goal and calmly slotting the ball past Carl Rushworth.

He then turned into a creator for the third to grab his seventh assist of the campaign. After the ball dropped his way following a crunching tackle from Sam Byram, he threaded an inch-perfect pass into James, who clinically fired a rocket into the roof of the net.

Although the chance creation machine caused real problems for the visitors, having completed five of his eight attempted dribbles, he also set the tempo through his ferocious pressing and aggression in the tackle by winning eight of his 13 ground duels; the most of any player on the pitch.

The 21-year-old arguably put in one of his best performances for the club since arriving in January, but that still wasn't enough to outshine the irrepressible Crysencio Summerville.

Crysencio Summerville's performance in numbers

Summerville has been tearing through defences at will all season long and the plaudits have continued to drop for the Dutch dynamo.

Dubbed a "real talent" by writer Beren Cross, the 22-year-old has become the fulcrum of the Whites's attack this term by cutting in from the left flank and wreaking havoc with his devastating dribbling and sublime end product.

With seven goals and six assists already this season, including the sublime assist for Piroe's opener, Summerville is the difference-maker that every promotion-chasing team needs.

And he certainly showcased his ability to make a difference against Swansea with the Dutchman described by journalist Phil Hay as "causing a fair amount of havoc", implying how much the Welsh side struggled to live with him.

Assists

1

Acc passes

20/23 (87%)

Key passes

4

Big chances created

1

Dribble attempts (succ.)

8 (5)

Ground duels (won)

13 (7)

All stats via Sofascore

The above table, in particular, demonstrates how much of a menace he was and Swansea – like several teams this season – struggled to cope with his searing pace, directness and agility.

In what was an excellent performance from Summerville, he was awarded an 8/10 match rating by Yorkshire Post's Graham Smyth, matching Rutter in that regard, while showing he was the real hero against the Swans.