Shoaib Malik will rejoin the Fortune Barishal squad on February 2, after leaving the BPL abruptly last week. He will be available for the team’s last game of the Sylhet leg, against Khulna Tigers on February 3.It was not clear initially why Malik had left. Later, he tweeted: “I would like to address and dismiss the recent rumours circulating about my playing position with Fortune Barishal. I had a thorough discussion with our captain, Tamim Iqbal, and we mutually planned the way forward. I had to leave Bangladesh for a pre-committed media engagement in Dubai.”In his three outings for Barishal so far, Malik batted at No. 6 and scored 7, 5* and 17*. He bowled one over in each of the first two games but didn’t get to bowl in the third.There was a storm around Malik on social media during the second game, against Khulna Tigers in Mirpur. Bowling the fourth over of the innings, he overstepped three times and leaked 18 runs as Fortune Barishal failed to defend 187.Malik is the only spinner to overstep three times in an over in men’s T20s (where data is available with ESPNcricinfo). Only Miguel Cummins bowled more front-foot no-balls in an over, when he overstepped five times in a CPL 2014 match.Barishal are currently fifth on the points table with two wins from five games.
Henry Nicholls has been accused of breaking New Zealand Cricket’s code of conduct after being reported by umpires for ball-tampering in a domestic first-class match.TV footage of the Plunket Shield match between Nicholls’ Canterbury and Auckland this week appeared to show Nicholls brushing the ball against a helmet during a change of ends.”Nicholls has been reported for allegedly breaching Rule 3.1, article 1.15 of the Code during Day 3 of the Plunket Shield match between Canterbury and Auckland at Hagley Oval,” New Zealand Cricket said in a statement Friday.The rule “involves changing the condition of the ball in breach of Law 41.3 of the Laws of Cricket”.New Zealand Cricket said the allegation had been referred to a commissioner for first-class cricket. No date has yet been set for the hearing. Nicholls is due to tour Bangladesh with the New Zealand Test squad later this month.Nicholls has not commented on the charge.In the game between Canterbury and Auckland, Nicholls played a leading role in taking his side to an eight-wicket win. After Auckland were bowled out for 217 in their first innings, Canterbury declared their first innings on 413 for 9, with Nicholls top-scoring with 120. He added another unbeaten 30 when Canterbury, set a victory target of 61, got there for the loss of two wickets.It was Canterbury’s first win of the Plunket Shield season. They are currently in fourth place on the six-team table.New Zealand’s leading limited-overs players are in India competing at the ODI World Cup, where a win over Sri Lanka on Thursday moved the 2019 runners-up closer to qualifying for the semi-finals.
Liverpool are ready to trigger a £125m release clause to sign a free-scoring striker over Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak.
Isak helps Newcastle to EFL Cup final win over Liverpool
The Reds suffered Wembley heartbreak in the final of the EFL Cup against Newcastle, with Arne Slot’s side losing 2-0 to the Magpies.
A Dan Burn header on the stroke of half-time was followed up by an effort from Isak in the second half, with Federico Chiesa’s late goal only proving to be a consolation.
Slot can axe Jota for Liverpool teen who's a "better finisher than Nunez"
Liverpool are planning for significant changes in the transfer market this summer.
1 ByAngus Sinclair Mar 19, 2025
There has been talk of FSG signing a new striker this summer, and Fabrizio Romano has recently claimed that Liverpool have made contact with Isak’s representatives. However, Arsenal are also keen on the Sweden international, who is valued at up to £160m.
“Newcastle keep insisting in private and in public that they want to keep Alexander Isak. They hope to be in the Champions League next season but, in any case, they want to keep Alexander Isak at the club, so that’s the message from Newcastle. But I keep telling you that big, big, massive proposals will come to the table for Alexander Isak because Arsenal will be there, Arsenal want Isak.
“[Benjamin] Sesko is the other name on the list but, for sure, Isak and Sesko are the main names. Liverpool are also there for Alexander Isak, they already made some contacts with people close to the player, so both clubs are interested in Alexander Isak. For Arsenal, he is the absolute top target. For Liverpool, he’s one of names they are considering in that position.”
Another attacker on the Reds’ radar is Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez.
alvarez-atletico-madrid
There have been reports that Liverpool were lining up a club-record bid to sign the former Man City star, and a new update has now emerged.
Liverpool ready to trigger £125m clause to sign Julian Alvarez
According to a report from Spain, Liverpool are planning to spend €300m (£250m) on three new signings this summer. The three players in question are Alvarez, attacking midfielder Xavi Simons and centre-back Alessandro Bastoni.
Alvarez looks set to be the most expensive of the trio, with the report claiming that Liverpool are ‘prepared to pay’ his €150m (£125m) release clause.
It is added that the Argentine’s ‘ability to play in various attacking positions makes him an ideal fit for Slot’, and it looks as if a £125m move is on the cards.
The Atletico Madrid man has impressed in his first season under Diego Simeone, scoring 23 goals and registering five assists in 44 appearances, taking his career tally to 144 goals.
River Plate
122
54
31
Man City
103
36
17
Atletico Madrid
44
23
5
Argentina
42
11
2
However, a swift return to England could be on the cards for the 25-year-old, especially following this exciting update.
Liverpool may have made contact with a European club over the signing of their “monster in the making” in the January transfer window, with a summer move to Anfield still possible.
Latest Liverpool news
The Reds suffered a rare off day on Sunday afternoon, crashing out of the FA Cup at the fourth round stage, following a 1-0 defeat away to Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle.
In the grand scheme of things, the result was no disaster for Liverpool, with Arne Slot ringing the changes at Home Park, ahead of a vital Premier League clash with Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening. Still, being eliminated from any competition is never ideal for momentum and confidence.
In terms of Red-related transfer news, the Merseysiders are believed to be pushing to complete the signing of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong this summer. The 27-year-old could be made surplus to requirements at the end of the season, so Slot may look to pounce.
Feyenoord centre-back David Hancko, who Slot knows well from their time working together, has also been linked with a move to Liverpool, being seen as a possible long-term heir to Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the defence. He has started 20 league games his season, averaging 2.8 clearances and 1.6 aerial duel wins per match.
Liverpool contacted club over defensive signings
According to a new update from Jornal de Noticias [via Sport Witness], Liverpool contacted Benfica over the potential signing of defenders Alvaro Carreras and Tomas Araujo in the January window, although it isn’t specified who the Reds wanted out of the two.
While the Reds were unable to sign the left-back and centre-back, respectively, a summer deal still looks possible for one or the other. Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are also mentioned in the report with an interest in either defender.
Alvaro Carreras for Benfica.
A new left-back is essential for Liverpool in the summer, considering Andy Robertson turns 31 soon and Kostas Tsimikas arguably isn’t the long-term answer in that position. In Carreras, the Reds could have an ideal option to bring in, having already become such a key player for Benfica, making 49 appearances to date.
The 21-year-old has a £41.5m release clause in his contract, which seems relatively cheap in the modern game, and football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him as a “monster in the making” recently, further highlighting his talent.
Bournemouth ace Milos Kerkez is the same age and arguably looks like the strongest target, mainly because he already has Premier League experience, but the Benfica man could be right near the top of the list, too.
Meanwhile, centre-back also has to be an area of focus for Liverpool, considering Virgil van Dijk isn’t getting any younger and Ibrahima Konate is injury-prone, and Araujo stands out as an exciting signing.
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Liverpool were dumped out the FA Cup by giant-killing Plymouth.
By
Angus Sinclair
Feb 10, 2025
The 22-year-old is already an influential figure for Benfica, averaging 2.2 aerial wins per game in the Primeira Liga this season, and completing 86.% of his passes in the Champions League. He would be a long-term acquisition who could also battle to be a starter from the off.
Aston Villa snuck through to the next round of the FA Cup last night after getting the better of Ange Postecoglou’s out-of-form Tottenham Hotspur side 2-1.
On another occasion, Unai Emery’s Villans might well have cruised to victory instead of being made to hang on at the end courtesy of a goal from Spurs debutant Mathys Tel, with the hosts registering a bumper seven shots on target across the duration of the entertaining clash.
Thankfully, Villa got the ball rolling early on when homegrown product Jacob Ramsey caught Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky cold, with Ramsey one of many faces for the hosts that can walk away from the Cup win with their heads held high.
Standout Aston Villa performers vs Spurs
The natural place to start here is with Ramsey’s fortuitous goal within the first minute of the match, with the Villa starlet lashing an effort towards the Czech ‘keeper’s net that somehow trickled in.
Away from this perfectly timed opener, there were also the likes of Donyell Malen and Leon Bailey who looked equally as lively in attack with a combined five shots amassed between them, on top of Morgan Rogers stylishly stealing the show from the number ten spot once more.
Rogers would ultimately seal the win with a tap-in deep into the second 45 minutes, with his performance on the night more than deserving of another standout moment in the Villa Park spotlight, considering the on-fire 22-year-old accumulated four key passes, two successful dribbles and won six duels away from this simple finish finding the back of the net.
Whilst there would have been frustrations that Villa leaked a late goal, the main mood around the stadium at full-time would have been one of joy and optimism, especially with the star-studded substitutes bench Emery can now call upon after a busy transfer deadline day.
Performance in Numbers
Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.
Aston Villa star has already shown glimpses of Grealish
Obviously, there was a lot of fanfare surrounding Marcus Rashford’s late introduction into the contest, but Marco Asensio would end up leaving more of a lasting mark on Villa supporters than the Manchester United loanee.
Indeed, Asensio very much showed off his ex-Real Madrid pedigree with a cool and assured 24-minute cameo, amazingly not misplacing any of his 15 passes which was undoubtedly the standout statistic.
Minutes played
24
Touches
20
Accurate passes
15/15
Key passes
1
Dribbles
1
Crosses
2
Duels won
2/3
Possession lost
2
Interceptions
1
Tackles
1
Birmingham Live journalist John Townley gifted the skilful Spaniard a high 8/10 post-match rating despite the 29-year-old barely being on the pitch, stating that his brief showing gave the Villa masses something to ‘cheer’ about late on with more ‘flicks and tricks’ to come as he establishes himself in England.
Asensio will hope he goes down remembered as an exciting player in the West Midlands in a similar manner to Jack Grealish with the Spain international’s cameo certainly showing a few shades of the Midlands native. The backheel to set free Rogers at one stage (footage above) was simply marvellous.
Both Asensio and Grealish certainly share similar traits with both players in question regularly leaving defenders in a spin courtesy of a whole array of flashy moves down the wing, with the end product also there to justify the immense trickery.
PSG
47
7
11
Real Madrid
286
61
32
At his previous two esteemed employers, Asensio has managed to pick up an impressive 111 goals and assists from 333 appearances, with Grealish helping himself to a hefty 32 goals and 41 assists when hitting the 200-plus game mark at Villa Park.
Emery will hope Asensio can explode into life like this – away from these promising beginnings in Birmingham – to show off his PSG and Madrid best.
The options the ex-Arsenal manager has at his disposal now in attack are very impressive as the Villans potentially eye up a FA Cup success as well as a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Cost £0, now worth 2x more than Malen: Aston Villa hit gold with magic ace
Broadcast commentators confirm there was an issue during the DRS process after West Indies reviewed the on-field not-out decision
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2023A clarification has been issued regarding Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal in India’s first innings of the second Test in Port-of-Spain, with broadcast commentators saying during the tea analysis show that the correct decision was made by the TV umpire despite “a glitch” during the DRS process.India were 360 for 5 in the 104th over when Kemar Roach offered a ball wide outside off stump. Jadeja took the bait, driving away from his body, and turned around to see the wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva go up in immediate celebration. Jadeja was expressionless. And so was the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus.West Indies challenged the on-field decision of not out and DRS came into play, starting with the spin-vision replay, which showed bat and ball were close together. The TV umpire Michael Gough then asked for the assistance of UltraEdge.The replay that came up, however, seemed to be for a different shot that Jadeja played. The actual ball was wide outside off stump and Jadeja was playing away from his body. At the point where the ball passed the outside edge of his bat, his bat was quite visibly away from his pad. But in the replay where UltraEdge showed a clear spike, Jadeja’s bat was so close to front pad that his inside edge flicks it. Furthermore, the shot he was playing in the UltraEdge replay seemed to be a straight-bat shot. The actual shot that put Jadeja in trouble was more of an extra-cover drive.Umpire Gough was satisfied that there was an edge and asked the on-field umpire Erasmus to reverse his decision. Jadeja was dismissed for 61 off 152 balls and walked off without protest.Later on, while on air with Curtly Ambrose and Samuel Badree, Daren Ganga offered a clarification while speaking to visuals of the correct replay of the wicket delivery. “This is the actual replay and the ball part. There was no contact with bat on pad,” he said, while the replay was shown on the broadcast. “This is the correct UltraEdge. And the right decision was made in the end, that is the most important thing.”Just to clear that issue up and basically set the record straight, no fault of the umpires or the system, it’s just a glitch that took place.”
da betsul： If this is to be the end of Martin O’Neill’s brief return, what a way to sign off.
da winzada777： On Thursday night, Celtic ended a 16-match, four-year-long winless streak in European away games by beating Feyenoord 3-1 at De Kuip, coming back from a goal down to do so; Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren all on target.
This means O’Neill has won five of six matches since being parachuted into the role following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation.
The 73-year-old, alongside Shaun Maloney, is set to remain in charge when the Celts visit Easter Road to take on Hibernian on Sunday lunchtime, but there is optimism that Wilfried Nancy will take over soon, potentially in time for the visit of Dundee on Wednesday.
Once the Frenchman does swap Ohio for Glasgow, one of Celtic’s breakout stars from this season could well become a key figure, currently on course to replicate an active club legend.
Callum McGregor's importance at Celtic
While players, managers and board members come and go, Callum McGregor remains a constant, the heartbeat in both the team and the club as a whole.
Thursday saw the captain make his 540th appearance for the club, starting 21 of 22 matches so far this season, accumulating 1,939 minutes out of a possible 2,040 so far (95%).
When Scott Brown departed in 2021, his leadership and all-around brilliance was supposed to be impossible to replace, but McGregor has transitioned into this role seamlessly, lifting 24 major trophies to date, and it is incomprehensible to imagine a Celtic side without him.
As well as winning back the ball and keeping the team ticking in possession, McGregor continues to produce key moments, lashing home a 95th-minute winner at St Mirren last Saturday night, having scored a similar rocket against Rangers in the League Cup semi-finals earlier this month.
Having joined the club as an eight-year-old, McGregor continues to set an example to all those in the Celtic academy dreaming of representing the first team one day, but who is currently on course to follow in his footsteps?
Celtic's next academy star
Celtic have endured rotten luck in terms of injuries this season.
Cameron Carter-Vickers could be out for the rest of the season following achilles surgery, Jota remains sidelined after rupturing his ACL in April, while Alistair Johnston suffered a torn hamstring against Kairat in August, only to aggravate the issue 26 minutes into his return when Sturm Graz visited Parkhead.
With Johnston, who has been so excellent since joining the club, having started only five matches all season, most would have expected Anthony Ralston to deputise, but it appears as though Colby Donovan has leapfrogged him in the pecking order.
After featuring sporadically during pre-season, scoring against Cork City at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in July, the 19-year-old made his competitive senior debut against Livingston when Rodgers made wholesale changes in between the two legs against Kairat.
Well, since then, he hasn’t really looked back, starting just two Premiership matches, but included in the lineup for four of the five Europa League fixtures, these against Crvena zvezda, Braga, Sturm Graz and now Feyenoord, putting in an excellent display in Rotterdam.
The table below documents how well he has played in Europe so far.
Colby Donovan’s UEL stats
Stats
Donovan
Celtic rank
Minutes
283
9th
Assists
1
2nd
Completed passes
151
7th
Key passes
3
6th
Big chances created
2
3rd
Passes into final 3rd
14
5th
Progressive passes
18
4th
Passes into box
4
3rd
Shot-creating actions
6
7th
Goal-creating actions
3
1st
Successful dribbles per 90
1.8
3rd
Tackles
7
2nd
Touches
227
6th
Average rating
7.10
2nd
Stats via FBref and SofaScore
As the table documents, Donovan has been excellent in the Europa League this season, contributing in a wide variety of ways.
The teenager ranks highly for all the in possession metrics, recording an assist for Liam Scales’ crucial equaliser against Sturm Graz, while only Arne Engels and Benjamin Nygren have created more big chances, ranked first in terms of goal-creating actions.
Given that incoming manager Nancy deploys a 3-4-2-1 formation, his Columbus Crew side featuring flying wing-backs Max Arfsten and Andrés Herrera, his imminent arrival could be great news for the youngster.
Speaking ahead of the clash with Braga, then-manager Rodgers praised Donovan’s “outstanding” performances, labelling him a “real bright spark” as well as heralding his “personality” and “mentality”.
Well, these all feel like compliments that could be thrown the way of a certain McGregor, whose leadership is as invaluable as his quality to this team.
Thus, it is certainly still early days, but all the signs suggest that Celtic supporters are rightly excited about Donovan, who will go on to have quite the career should he manage to match McGregor’s achievements and make 500+ appearances for the club.
Celtic man was finished under Rodgers, now he can be undroppable for Nancy
Celtic’s wait for a European away win is over, beating Feyenoord 3-1, with a star Brendan Rodgers once labelled “sloppy” playing like an £100m man.
Bangladesh will be looking to bounce back in the two T20Is in Sylhet after Afghanistan came up trumps in the ODI series
Mohammad Isam13-Jul-2023Bangladesh and Afghanistan will play their last T20I series before entering an ODI extravaganza for the next few months. Both teams have the Asia Cup and World Cup in mind but these two matches in Sylhet could pose an interesting challenge for the two sides. The home side is itching to bounce back after going down in the ODIs earlier in the week, but Afghanistan are an even stronger force in T20Is and have the wood over Bangladesh in the format.The home advantageBangladesh have had a great year so far in T20Is – winning five out of six games – so beating Afghanistan will be the icing on the cake. They won both series they have played this year, against England and Ireland, further improving their already strong home performance in T20Is, taking their win percentage up to 61.9% at home in the last three years.They have adopted a new and bolder approach with big hitting throughout the batting order, which they have shortened to include extra bowlers. Mehidy Hasan Miraz bats at No. 7, which allows for him and Shakib Al Hasan to be the spinners, followed by a four-man pace attack. This year is so far Bangladesh’s best in terms of team bowling average and strike rate.Related
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Afif, Ebadot back in Bangladesh's T20I squad for Afghanistan series
Rashid, Shahzad back in Afghanistan squad for Bangladesh T20Is
Afghanistan have the firepowerA quick look at the Afghanistan squad makes it clear that they have loaded their side with big hitters. Mohammad Shahzad is back in national colours after almost two years, Hazratullah Zazai also returns after missing the T20Is against Pakistan, and Rahmanullah Gurbaz is in fine form after his 145 against Bangladesh in the second ODI last week.Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a crucial 145 in the second ODI against Bangladesh•AFP/Getty ImagesThey also have youngsters Sediqullah Atal, a left-hand batter who made his T20I debut recently against Pakistan, and Ibrahim Zadran in their batting stocks. Najibullah Zadran will be the finisher alongside allrounders Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai. Captain Rashid Khan has young Noor Ahmad and the now-experienced Mujeeb Ur Rahman for company in the spin department.Fazalhaq Farooqi will lead the pace attack alongside fellow left-arm quick Fareed Ahmad and Wafadar Momand, the only uncapped player in the squad. Nijat Masood, who took a five-wicket haul against Bangladesh on Test debut last month, was called up to replace Naveen-ul-Haq.Litton Das, Rony Talukdar vs Afghanistan’s new-ball attackBangladesh’s run rate of 6.03 in the powerplay overall against Afghanistan needs to meet their powerplay run rate of 9.36 from 2023. Litton Das and Rony Talukdar have been all the rage in the Bangladesh T20I side, leading their bold approach. They have already amassed 328 runs in six innings together, just 68 short of eclipsing Bangladesh’s best-ever opening pair. Their brave approach will be facing a strong Afghanistan spin attack, particularly Mujeeb who troubled the Bangladesh openers during the ODI series.A T20I supply line for ODIs?Since both teams have two major ODI tournaments from September, much of their focus will be on giving game time to key players who will feature in those competitions. At the same time, they will also be on the lookout for any new and emerging talent. Two T20Is can’t tell a lot but if a player makes a case for himself, doing well in these matches could help their causes.Bangladesh will get another look at batters Talukdar and Shamim Hossain, and spinners Nasum Ahmed and Rishad Hossain. It will also be another chance for Afif Hossain, who had a miserable ODI series, to get some runs under his belt.Afghanistan can look at several players including batters Hazratullah, Sediqullah and Shahzad, while fast bowlers Fareed, Janat and Nijat could get a look in. The prodigious Noor Ahmad can be a handy option in the subcontinent so a call-up in Sylhet may help him.Rain a big threat in big-scoring SylhetJuly is peak monsoon in Sylhet. It also means peak offseason for cricket in the region. The first T20Is to be held in Sylhet for five years therefore have the risk of both matches getting interrupted by rain. T20Is, however, last roughly three hours and coupled with the ground’s strong drainage facilities, they could sneak in the cricket. The scoring rate is quite high for night T20s in recent years in Sylhet, with BPL teams scoring at an average of 182 runs an innings since 2020.
“I had a lot of luck didn’t I? Jesus.” Harry Brook was under no illusions that his seventh Test century was riddled with fortune.But having been gifted five lives by New Zealand, Brook did not waste them with a hearty 171 that lifted England to 499. A score which, at this stage, puts them in the box seat, with New Zealand closing day three just four runs ahead and with only four second innings wickets remaining.Brook resumed day three on 132 not out – having bagged the accolade of being England’s second fastest batter to two thousand Test runs, in his 36th innings – adding 39 from 34 deliveries. A sixth-wicket stand with Ben Stokes (who finished with 80) took England past New Zealand’s first innings score of 348.Related
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That partnership would eventually be broken on 159, when Brook feathered an edge through to Tom Blundell off Matt Henry. The relief in the field was palpable, and not just because Brook had begun to free his arms, which included planting Tim Southee onto the roof of the Pavilion for his third six.New Zealand, who shelled eight chances in all, had dropped Brook four times on Friday (on 18, 41, 70 and 106) before another on 147 on Saturday morning. Brook looked to the heavens, as he did when he reached three figures, though he was laughing to himself this time.The last was the easiest of the lot; straight to Glenn Phillips at gully, who was also culpable for the costliest miss on 18. The Yorkshire batter did cede not all of his chances were straightforward – not least because of how hard he strikes the ball, as evidenced by most of his 18 boundaries.”That first drop, especially, I’m not sure many people are catching that to be honest,” Brook said. “I hit that very hard.”I do throw my hands at it quite hard sometimes and it is going to be a good catch if you catch one at gully there, especially with the viewing. Just go out there and watch the ball and try and hit it really.”Phillips had redeemed himself somewhat on Friday with a stunning effort diving full-length to his right to remove Ollie Pope for 77. Brook, who had been given three lives at that point, went over and apologised to Pope as he was walking off.Harry Brook went past 150 for the fourth time in Tests•Joe Allison/Getty Images
Nevertheless, it was still an innings of substance from Brook, his second of the winter after the blockbuster 317 against Pakistan at the start of October. He was out in the middle at the Hagley Oval for five hours 23 minutes, having arrived at the start of the second session of day two with his side reeling on 45 for 3.A charging lofted cover drive off Southee – from his 186th ball – took him past 150 for the fourth time. The career average is now a shade above 60, the average against New Zealand a crisp 100.00.Brook now has two centuries and two fifties in five innings against New Zealand – with the only failure a duck when he was run out without facing in the fourth innings of 2023’s famous Wellington Test.”I just think I’ve gone out there and just tried to play the ball, really,” Brook said, at a loss to explain why he found the hosts such amenable foes.”The pitches have been fairly good with a bit of pace and bounce, and if you get it past the infield most of the time it’s four. I’ve tried to use the pace, ride the bounce and had quite a bit of luck in there this week.”
Micky Van de Ven was left blown away by the performance of a Tottenham Hotspur star in the 2-0 victory against Brentford at the weekend.
Tottenham secure first Premier League win since late October
The pressure has been mounting on Thomas Frank in recent weeks, with it even emerging that Tottenham were considering a move for Barcelona manager Xavi as a replacement, but the Dane may have bought himself more time courtesy of a victory against Brentford.
Spurs breezed to a 2-0 win against the Bees, which was their first triumph in the Premier League since winning 3-0 at Everton at the end of October, with Richarlison opening the scoring after 26 minutes, finding the back of the net for the seventh time in all competitions this season.
Xavi Simons was the creator, and the Dutchman then went on to score his first goal since moving to north London just before half-time, sealing all three points for Frank’s side in the process.
Simons has received heavy criticism for making a slow start to life at Tottenham, with Jamie O’Hara left particularly scathing after the defeat against Fulham, but he clearly has the full support of teammate Van de Ven, who singled the attacking midfielder out for high praise after Brentford.
Simons needs to build on his Brentford performance
Frank will no doubt be delighted the Netherlands international appears to be finding his feet, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 9.5 after registering a goal and an assist against Keith Andrews’ side.
Having finally shown what he can produce, the 22-year-old needs to build on that performance, starting on Tuesday against Slavia Prague, with Spurs set to host the Czech side in their sixth Champions League game.
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Frank’s side have looked bereft of ideas at times this season, with only a Richarlison wonder goal preventing them from suffering an even heavier loss against Arsenal back in November.
As such, Simons needs to step up, and Tottenham will be hoping the former RB Leipzig man can start recording similar attacking numbers to what he did during his time with the German club, registering 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 games.