da betsson： Liverpool fielded something of a patchwork side against Southampton in midweek, and though they had to weather the storm, in both senses of the phrase, Arne Slot’s remarkable campaign moved further forward.

da brdice： The hard-fought Carabao Cup victory has set up a semi-final tie with Tottenham Hotspur in the new year, and given that Liverpool are atop the Premier League and Champions League tables, things could hardly be going any better.

Well, they could. They always could. The Reds have ceded ground in both of their recent top-flight matches, away at Newcastle and against Fulham at Anfield last weekend, having been reduced to ten men before 20 minutes were on the clock.

The culprit: Andy Robertson. The experienced left-back has been criticised throughout the campaign, and while he’s still a high-class player, there’s a growing sense that FSG will want to replace him sooner rather than later.

Why Liverpool need to replace Andy Robertson

Robertson has been nothing short of a stalwart since joining Liverpool from Hull City in 2017, signing for an astute £10m fee. His energy and dynamism have seen him defy the naysayers and forge a prosperous career at the heart of one of the most successful contemporary English sides.

Along with his alternate full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, Robertson’s creativity and ball-playing skills rewrote the job description and saw Jurgen Klopp’s system take a liftoff, with Reds writer Leanne Prescott once even hailing the Scotland skipper as a “Duracell Bunny.”

But he was afflicted by a damaging shoulder injury last term and has struggled to maintain his level under Slot’s wing, ditched for Kostas Tsimikas on several occasions and starting to fumble in big moments, conceding a few penalties and indeed being dismissed against the Cottagers.

Aged 30, Robertson might feel that he has plenty of mileage in the tank, but the tireless work that he has performed over so many years is bound to have reduced the engine’s throttle power.

Liverpool have hardly been scatter-spenders since Slot took to the helm, but there’s little question that when the time comes for action, replacing Robertson will be near the top of the agenda.

Liverpool transfer news

As per German reporter Christian Falk, Liverpool are thick in the battle to sign Alphonso Davies, with the Bayern Munich speedster out of contract at the end of the season.

Obviously, the caveat is that Real Madrid are also interested, but Davies earns a pretty penny at £178k per week and his lofty demands appear to have dissuaded the La Liga giants, as per Spanish sources.

He is set to become a free agent next summer and that is why he could be an attractive target for the Reds, who would not have to splash out a transfer fee to secure his services.

What Alphonso Davies would bring to Liverpool

What would Davies bring to Liverpool? Pace, and plenty of it. The Canada superstar’s electric rapidity is a remarkable thing, with an ever-present fleetness denoting his high technical quality too.

Bayern signed Davies from Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps for a fee rising to £17m in July 2018, which was a record for an MLS player, and a 17-year-old one at that.

Davies has stayed at Bayern throughout the entirety of the intervening period, his evident quality diffusing any notion of a loan spell to help him sharpen his tools.

In fact, the pacy defender has completed 216 appearances for Die Roten, notching 46 goal contributions and notably lifting five Bundesliga titles and the 2019/20 Champions League.

He’s a remarkable player, once described as a “machine” by podcaster Stefan Buczko, and still only 24, the Bayern ace could replace Robertson at Liverpool and serve as Slot’s number one for many years to come.

This all goes to prove that Liverpool would be getting their mitts on a left-back of immense talent, sure, but also one with an elite, title-winning mentality that amazingly has much room for further growth and success.

It will come as no surprise that Davies ranks among the top 2% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for progressive carries (4.76) and the top 1% for successful take-ons (2.25) per 90, as per FBref, further highlighting the blistering energy that Slot would weave into his thriving side.

Of course, pace isn’t everything, but when assessing the Bavarian star’s metrics compared to Robertson’s across league matches in 2024/25, you can see that Liverpool’s man is lacking across the board, less threatening in attack and far less robust in defensive phases.

Andy Robertson vs Alphonso Davies (2024/25)

Match Stats*

Robertson

Davies

Matches (starts)

11 (10)

13 (12)

Goals

0

1

Assists

0

2

Touches*

69.5

84.2

Pass completion

88%

92%

Key passes*

1.5

1.6

Ball recoveries*

4.0

6.3

Dribbles*

0.2 (40%)

1.8 (51%)

Tackles + interceptions*

1.6

2.1

Ground duels (won)*

1.5 (50%)

4.9 (58%)

Stats via Sofascore

The pertinent question for those of a Liverpool persuasion would be whether Davies would be willing to prioritise Anfield with Real Madrid lurking. Los Blancos have their hesitations, but when a team engages in a transfer tussle with Florentino Perez, there’s rarely any surprise about the one to come out on top.

It’s curious that Robertson has adapted his game to a point where he averages only 0.2 dribbles per Premier League outing, something that is perhaps a by-product of the indefatigable displays across the best part of eight years.

Davies’ wage demands will see him rival the heaviest hitters at Liverpool on the bill, and that might prove to be a stumbling block for Richard Hughes and co. Nonetheless, the chance to sign one of the best left-backs in the world for free is an opportunity that simply can’t be passed up.

Having only signed Federico Chiesa in Slot’s first transfer window for a reduced £12.5m fee, it’s hardly as if FSG don’t have the money to spend on a high-profile superstar, one who could make a marked impact on Slot’s reign over the coming years.

It’s time for action. This would be a signing to show Europe that the Reds mean business, and are keen to turn their fast start to the season into an imperious run over a number of years.

Related He's like Diaz: Liverpool could repeat Salah blinder with £54m "magician"

Liverpool want to sign a winger in 2025 and are looking at this former Premier League star.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Dec 21, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

da fazobetai： Após São Bernardo e Pouso Alegre, o domingo (28) foi o dia de Amazonas FC e América-RN confirmarem as classificações para as semifinais do Brasileirão Série D 2022. As duas equipes entraram em campo nesta tarde e garantiram as vitórias.

Confira o resumo:

da heads bet： Amazonas FC 3 x 2 Portuguesa-RJ

Depois do placar de 1 a 1 no jogo da ida, as equipes entraram em campo em busca da vitória. O Amazonas, que jogou em casa, contou com a força da sua torcida e já abriu o placar aos 6, com Yuri. Treze minutos depois, Miliano ampliou a vantagem para os donos da casa. Aos 38, Ruan fez o terceiro.

O segundo tempo foi de reação da Portuguesa-RJ. Correndo atrás do placar, os cariocas diminuíram a vantagem dos donos da casa. Aos 22, Luan Silva marcou. O jogador ainda fez o segundo da equipe, aos 46. Contudo, o jogo terminou com a classificação do Amazonas.

América-RN 3 x 1 Caxias

Também jogando em casa, o América-RN até tentou pressionar, mas encontrou um Caxias bem fechado. Apesar de tentativas, os times só foram balançar as redes na segunda etapa. Com a vantagem do 1 a 0 na ida, os gauchos abriram o marcador aos 13, com Matheusinho. Sete minutos depois, porém, Iago deixou tudo igual. Dez minutos depois, o atacante fez o segundo, decretando a virada. No apagar das luzes, aos 48, Téssio garantiu o 3 a 1.

The twin pillars of a victory that England attempted to shake to its very foundations were Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor, two players who were not as prolific as expected at the World Cup

Alan Gardner at Kia Oval12-Jun-2015At the end of the New Zealand innings, as Mitchell Santner sliced a thick edge down to third man for a single, an ironic cheer went up around the ground. New Zealand had finished on 398 for 5, narrowly failing to emulate England’s achievement in the first ODI of passing 400. A small victory but one plenty of Englishman – a few sweat-stained bowlers among them – were willing to take at the time.England had promised a brave new world of one-day cricket and delivered it in style at Edgbaston. Three days later, the Big Dipper went careening on, to the extent that England were still in contention to pull off the second-biggest run chase in history of ODIs going into the last few rain-affected overs.In some senses, the result did not matter. New Zealand had promised to roll out the artillery and The Oval responded with generous applause; that they were pushed so close only enhanced the sensations on a night that must rank as one of the giddiest in England’s one-day history (and coming so soon after the other one). Even a rain delay as the climax approached could not wash away the good vibes.New Zealand could already take some of the credit for inspiring their once-staid opponents, though they prefer to accept victories along with the plaudits. This New Zealand team have been surfing the crest of a zeitgeist for some time, endearing themselves wherever they go – on the trains into Vauxhall, people could be heard marvelling at the unfettered, unaffected style of play that Brendon McCullum’s team routinely go in for.McCullum might have tried to be too clever by inserting England in the first match but he fell back on a trusted tactic after winning the toss here: if in doubt, pile ’em up. The charge from McCullum, with 39 from 22 balls, beat out a tattoo of intent, while Martin Guptill mixed caution with scything strokeplay in reaching a half-century that was sedate – just under a run a ball – in comparison to the rest of the match.The twin pillars of a victory that England attempted to shake to its very foundations were provided by the next men in, however. Kane Williamson, with his first 50-plus ODI score since the opening match of the World Cup, and Ross Taylor, who had led New Zealand’s forlorn effort at Edgbaston, gave a display of boiler room efficiency that is a key component for their team’s success. Yes, there was even room for efficiency among 763 runs.”I didn’t think anyone went nuts, no one played an amazing innings like Eoin Morgan but it was still good enough to get us to close on 400,” Taylor said. “That just shows you what partnerships can do to a team, in building momentum.”The two openers, McCullum and Guptill, were New Zealand’s leading run-scorers at the World Cup and such was the destruction they regularly wrought, the relative lack of returns of Nos. 3 and 4 was no impediment to their reaching the final. But the sight of their contrasting styles dovetailing smoothly again would have been another reason for McCullum to crack a flinty grin on the team balcony.Williamson has already notched a century on tour, in the Lord’s Test, and made a significant contribution to New Zealand’s World Cup campaign with the nerveless six he crashed off Pat Cummins to see off Australia in Auckland. This innings, full of deft touches, whipcrack pulls and lofted drives, was a throwback to his ODI form leading into the 50-over tournament, when he recorded three hundreds, and two scores of 97, in eight innings against Pakistan and Sri Lanka.The 15 runs Williamson took off Adil Rashid’s eighth over included a six so precise that it plopped directly on to the boundary rope and consecutive fours straight-driven on a gossamer thread over the head of mid-off.Williamson almost seems to chuckle to himself when praise comes his way, deflecting such comments in the same manner that he dextrously manipulates the ball. Taylor is perhaps a little more blunt as a speaker but his approach with the bat, when he gets going, is entirely direct. Williamson looks so good it hurts; Taylor hits so hard it hurts.Three times he dumped the ball over long-on, twice threatening the spectators in the second tier of the OCS stand. There is probably nothing quite so satisfying as a club over cow corner, from village green to international arena.Taylor actually began a little tentatively, allowing Rashid a brief period of control, and he was dropped on 7, cutting Liam Plunkett hard past point where Jason Roy could not hold on. Roy thumped the ground in frustration and that sense would only grow as Williamson and Taylor added 121 in 17.4 overs, the partnership growing steadily more expansive. Both went on to their most significant scores since hundreds apiece – Taylor’s again unbeaten – took New Zealand to 369 for 5 against Pakistan in Napier in February, amid the stirrings of a World Cup charge.That score would have been plenty enough to break the mark for the biggest ODI total at The Oval but, having reached 235 for 2, New Zealand pushed further onwards and upwards through rat-a-tat bursts from Grant Elliott and Luke Ronchi. Taylor, like Williamson, had reached his fifty from 52 balls and he measured another 69 from the last 44 of his innings – though he could not quite see his side past 400 for only the second time, it was still the highest mark by a visiting team in England. It turned out to be just enough.

Celtic were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw at Parkhead in the Champions League on Wednesday night after they failed to land a winner against Club Brugge.

The Hoops pushed for a second goal in the final stages of the clash in Glasgow but were unable to create many high-quality openings to find the back of the net.

They had to come from behind in the match, though, after a horror own goal from centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers, before Daizen Maeda struck level in the second half.

It was a moment to forget for the USA international, as he handed the Belgian side the lead, but the rest of his performance was relatively impressive.

Cameron Carter-Vickers' performance against Club Brugge

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender will not want to see any more replays of his error, but we are going to provide you with one here, as he lost track of where his goalkeeper was and found the bottom corner of his own net.

It was a moment of madness from Carter-Vickers, who panicked under pressure. The way he responded to that mistake, however, was very admirable.

The 26-year-old brute ended the match with six out of seven aerial duels won and two out of three ground duels won, with two tackles and one interception made to cut out Club Brugge attacks.

He also completed a staggering 139 passes and had 160 touches of the ball, with a 94% pass success rate, and this shows that the English-born ace was largely reliable in possession, aside from that one slip-up for the own goal.

Despite his huge error, Carter-Vickers was not the worst performer on the pitch for the Scottish giants, as there was a player who Brendan Rodgers must now consider dropping from the XI.

Why Kyogo Furuhashi must be dropped

Kyogo Furuhashi is the player in question. The Japan international struggled throughout the game and was unable to offer an outlet to the team or quality in front of goal.

Performance in Numbers

Want data and stats? Football FanCast's Performance in Numbers series provides you with the latest match analysis from across Europe.

In 76 minutes on the pitch, the experienced marksman mustered up just three completed passes, 136 fewer than Carter-Vickers, and only had nine touches of the ball in total.

The one ‘big chance’ that did fall his way was missed by the former Vissel Kobe star, whose finishing let him down in the vital moment, whilst Adam Idah came on and showed Celtic what they had been missing.

Vs Club Brugge	Kyogo Furuhashi	Adam Idah
Minutes	76	14
Touches	9	9
Passes completed	3/5	6/6
Duels won	0/0	1/2
Fouls won	0	1
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Idah completed more passes, competed in more duels, won more duels, and won more fouls in 14 minutes than Kyogo did in 76.

His presence in the centre-forward position gave Celtic a target to hit and it helped them to pin Club Brugge back for the final ten minutes or so, albeit the team ultimately failed to make the most of that dominance.

Celtic sold "powerful" flop for just £1.4m, now he's on par with Adam Idah

The former Celtic centre-forward has thrived since his move away from Parkhead.

1

By
Dan Emery

Nov 26, 2024

Rodgers must, now, ruthlessly ditch Kyogo from the starting XI and bring Idah, who scored twice off the bench against Hearts in the last Premiership match, into the team.

He has been living in Sydney since being granted bail in November, and his case is expected to return to court in April

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2023Danushka Gunathilaka’s bail conditions were relaxed by a Sydney magistrate on Thursday, now allowing him to use the WhatsApp messaging service and go out at night.He has been living in Sydney since being granted bail in November, but was not allowed to access social media unless in the company of his legal team, and also had to adhere to a night-time curfew.Magistrate Jennifer Atkinson did prohibit him from using WhatsApp “for the purposes of facilitating or managing dating,” however. Gunathilaka is facing four charges of sexual intercourse without consent, after a woman he met off the dating app Tinder, accused him of choking her without consent, and stealthing, among other offences. He had subsequently been arrested at the team hotel on November 6 while the T20 World Cup event was ongoing in Australia. Gunathilaka has not yet entered a plea in these proceedings.Related

• Gunathilaka charged for alleged sexual assault, arrested in Sydney

• Police facts sheet: Gunathilaka's alleged victim was 'choked repeatedly without consent'

• Gunathilaka granted bail in case of alleged sexual assault

In this most recent hearing, crown prosecutor George Rixon argued the night-time curfew was needed to mitigate the risk of offending based on the alleged facts of the complainant’s statement, specifically, Gunathilaka’s “aggressive sexual behaviour” against her.But magistrate Atkinson said she was “not satisfied today that it is necessary to keep the curfew in place”, and that “there’s nothing unique about [the alleged offences] that it would have occurred at night and couldn’t occur during the day”.Though acknowledging that Gunathilaka had been fully compliant with the bail conditions thus far, the magistrate did warn that Gunathilaka would spend many months in custody waiting for a trial or sentencing if he breached bail. His case is expected to return to court in April.Gunathilaka had travelled to Australia as part of the team’s T20 World Cup squad, before being ruled out with a hamstring complaint early in the tournament. He had remained with the injury-hit squad as a backup, with his hamstring – at the time – expected to heal quickly.Sri Lanka Cricket has footed his legal bill but may expect to recover them from Gunathilaka.

GOAL selected the 50 best footballing talents from around the world born on or after January 1, 1998 – but did they go on to fulfil their potential?

Since NXGN's launch in 2016, GOAL has profiled the 50 best footballing wonderkids on the planet on an annual basis. Some of those recognised for their talent as teenagers are now household names, but others have not yet realised their potential.

So, after theNXGN 2025 list was revealed, check out where the stars of 2017 are now:

Every NXGN list
Dembele, Tielemans & 2016's best wonderkids
De Ligt, Kluivert & 2018's best wonderkids
Haaland, Sancho & 2019's best wonderkids
Saka, Rodrygo & 2020's best wonderkids
James, Oberdorf & 2020's best women's wonderkids
Pedri, Ansu Fati & 2021's best wonderkids
Le Tissier, Bennison & 2021's best women's wonderkids
Bellingham, Musiala & 2022's best wonderkids
Dumornay, Fowler & 2022's best women's wonderkids
Gavi, Garnacho & 2023's best wonderkids
Shaw, Thompson & 2023's best women's wonderkids
Yamal, Mainoo & 2024's best wonderkids
Caicedo, Moultrie & 2024's best women's wonderkids

• AFP
  

  50Diego Lainez (Club America)

  2017: Having made his senior debut as a 16-year-old, Lainez was regarded as the best prospect in Mexican football as he bore a passing resemblance to Lionel Messi in his style of play.

  2018: Lainez continued to develop, and made his senior international debut for Mexico in September 2018.

  2019: In January 2019, Real Betis paid €12m to sign Lainez, making him the second-most expensive Mexican player bought by a European club. His first goal for the club came in dramatic fashion, as he netted a last-minute equaliser against Rennes in the Europa League.

  2020: Lainez's first full season in Spain yielded just 18 outings, though he did miss the final three months of the campaign due to an abdominal strain.

  2021: The forward again found himself on the fringes at Betis, making 25 appearances during the 2020-21 campaign. He also scored for Mexico in the final of the CONCACAF Nations League, though El Tri were beaten by the United States.

  2022: After a knee injury meant he missed the first two months of the season, Lainez fell right down the pecking order and made just 13 appearances in all competitions before being loaned to Braga at the end of the campaign.

  2023: Braga cut Lainez's loan short in January 2023 after he made just six league appearances in Portugal, and he was sent on a one-year loan to Tigres in his native Mexico a few weeks later. That deal was made permanent in July 2023.

  2024: Lainez was a regular contributor for Tigres, though he struggled to provide goals or assists, while he also fell out of favour with the Mexico national team.

  2025: The playmaker has made an encouraging start to the 2025 Clausura campaign and should be part of Tigres' squad for the Club World Cup.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  49Takefusa Kubo (FC Tokyo)

  2017: Nicknamed 'The Japanese Messi', Kubo was forced to return to his homeland in the aftermath of Barcelona's FIFA-imposed transfer ban having been invited to La Masia as a 10-year-old. In April 2017, he became the youngest goalscorer in J.League history as a 15-year-old.

  2018: Kubo was loaned to Yokohama F. Marinos in August 2018, and scored on his debut for his new club.

  2019: Having enjoyed the most productive season of his career at senior level in 2019, Kubo made his international debut after being called-up to the Japan squad for the Copa America (they participated as one of the guest teams in Brazil). At club level, many expected him to return to Barcelona, but Real Madrid managed to secure his signature, before sending him on loan to newly-promoted Mallorca for the 2019-20 campaign.

  2020: Kubo was one of the young stars of the Spanish season, directly contributing to nine goals as Mallorca fought against relegation. His form persuaded Villarreal to take him on loan for the following season.

  2021: The forward failed to force his way into Unai Emery's team, and had his loan spell cut short in January 2021, with Madrid instead sending him on loan to Getafe for the remainder of the season, though he struggled to make much of an impact.

  2022: Mallorca's promotion back to La Liga allowed them to make their move and bring Kubo back to the club on loan in 2021-22, and the Japan international's form having improved a little as a result.

  2023: Kubo left Real Madrid to join Real Sociedad for an initial €6.5m in the summer of 2022, and he was back to his best in San Sebastian, as he provided 18 direct goal contributions for a team that qualified for the Champions League.

  2024: The Japan international continued to impress for La Real in 2023-24, and he was linked with elite clubs around Europe.

  2025: Kubo hasn't quite hit the same heights so far this season in San Sebastian, leading to him being left out of the line up on a number of occasions.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  48Dujon Sterling (Chelsea)

  2017: After impressing in the Blues' youth ranks, Sterling made his first-team debut under Antonio Conte in September 2017.

  2018: Sterling made one further appearance for the Blues senior side in 2017-18 before joining Coventry City on loan for the following campaign.

  2019: The full-back enjoyed a successful spell in League One, playing 40 matches in all competitions, before heading to Wigan Athletic on loan to test himself at Championship level the following season.

  2020: Sterling managed just 10 appearances for Wigan because of a hamstring injury, which was then compounded by him picking up a serious illness that kept him on the sidelines for even longer.

  2021: After missing 13 months of football, Sterling returned to action for Chelsea's U23s in the second half of the 2020-21 season. He proved his fitness enough to earn a new contract at Stamford Bridge, which he signed before joining Blackpool on loan.

  2022: Sterling was largely a starter for the Championship outfit, and impressed enough to earn another loan move, this time to Stoke City.

  2023: Sterling managed to lock down a starting berth for the Potters having been in and out of the side during the opening months of the campaign, and though he was subsequently released by Chelsea, he joined Rangers on a free transfer.

  2024: After a slow start to life at Ibrox, Sterling forced his way into Philippe Clement's line-up during the second half of the campaign, showcasing his versatility by performing well in midfield.

  2025: Injuries have meant Sterling has been out of action for long periods during 2024-25, though he has mostly been a starter when available.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  47Niklas Dorsch (Bayern Munich)

  2017: Likened to Toni Kroos by those in the know at Bayern, Dorsch was being closely monitored by then-coach Carlo Ancelotti.

  2018: Dorsch marked his senior Bayern debut with the opening goal against Eintracht Frankfurt, but that proved to be his only appearance for the club, as a failure to agree a new contract saw him join second-division outfit FC Heidenheim in the summer of 2018.

  2019: A regular starter for Heidenheim through the 2018-19 season, Dorsch impressed with his maturity despite his lack of experience.

  2020: Dorsch helped Heidenheim reach the 2019-20 promotion-relegation play-off match, which they lost to Werder Bremen, before joining Gent at the end of the season in a €3.5m deal.

  2021: Having got his first taste of European football with Gent, Dorsch was outstanding for Germany as they won the 2021 U21 European Championship. Those performances earned him a €7m move to Augsburg.

  2022: After a slow start to life in the Bundesliga, Dorsch grew into his new environment, and played 30 times as Augsburg fought off the threat of relegation.

  2023: A broken foot meant that Dorsch missed the entire first half of the 2022-23 season, but he worked his way back into contention and ended the campaign as a regular starter.

  2024: Dorsch began the 2023-24 season in the Augsburg line up, but injuries limited his involvement after the New Year, and he thus begun to fall down the pecking order.

  2025: Heidenheim, who are now in the Bundesliga, re-signed Dorsch in August 2024, and he has been a key member of their team for much of the season.

Celtic are now pushing to sign a new defender this January, however there are question marks over whether he is a necessary signing for Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic set to splash the cash in January

Although they are top of the Scottish Premiership and have already secured one domestic trophy this season, Celtic are keen to strengthen this January, having identified targets in a number of different positions.

Ajax central midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic is said to be on the radar, having made it clear he wants to leave the Eredivisie side, with summer target Mahamadou Diawara also being considered in the same area of the pitch.

With Luis Palma now considering his future at Parkhead, Rodgers is keen to bring in a new winger, and the Hoops have also set their sights on Brondby attacker Mathias Kvistgaarden, who would be interested in a move away.

Rodgers is keen to strengthen his squad this January, in order to make sure his squads competes on all fronts this season.

Celtic pushing to sign Jonjoe Kenny

Celtic are now pushing to sign Hertha BSC’s Jonjoe Kenny according to Pete O’Rourke. The defender will be a familiar face, having spent a few months on loan at Parkhead back in 2021.

O’Rourke says Kenny’s previous spell at Celtic Park is considered a ‘disaster’, while Rodgers already has Alistair Johnson and Anthony Ralston to choose from at right-back, casting doubt over whether it would be a necessary signing.

Strengthening other areas of the pitch is likely to be more of a priority for Rodgers this winter, and the report questions why the board are seemingly pushing for a signing which is both unlikely and not massively beneficial.

Sky Sports: Celtic interested in signing versatile international midfielder

He was once described as “one of the biggest talents” ever seen in his position.

ByBarney Lane Dec 12, 2024

As mentioned in the report, the Englishman’s previous spell in Glasgow did not go exactly to plan, and he has since described his time with the Scottish champions as a “difficult period”. However, Hertha’s financial woes mean they may be willing to sell the 27-year-old for a fee of just £2m, so he would be a low-cost addition to the squad for Rodgers.

Furthermore, the former Everton man has found his feet again during his time with Hertha, albeit in the second tier of German football, ranking among their best-performing players in the league so far this season.

Over the past year, the full-back ranks in the 97th percentile for assists per 90, when compared to his positional peers, and the 88th percentile for clearances, highlighting his ability in both boxes.

That said, Kenny was less than impressive during his previous spell with Celtic, meaning he is unlikely to be a signing that wins over the fans, and Rodgers already has plenty of options to choose from at right-back.

Flighting the ball when other spinners may have darted it in, Amit Mishra lost and then won the match for Delhi Daredevils, with a little help from his adhesive fingers

Sidharth Monga30-Apr-2016Four overs to go, 51 runs required. Small ground, flat pitch. Kolkata Knight Riders are five down, but one of those five is a pinch-hitter so they still have two specialists at the crease. Robin Uthappa has broken free from the middle-overs clutches on him, during which he went 18 balls without a boundary and scored 17 off them. All that is in the past now. The comeback after losing Quinton de Kock and Shreyas Iyer in the first over doesn’t matter now. Sam Billings’ impressive debut, Carlos Brathwaite’s return to hitting form and Zaheer Khan’s clever start with the ball are all in the past. Delhi Daredevils also need to forget that fielding no-ball – three men inside the circle – which resulted in 12 extra runs and a change in the momentum.What matters right now is Uthappa has begun to hit, Andre Russell is extremely dangerous, and there are big decisions to be made. Daredevils have gone in with five specialist bowlers; nobody else in the side can bowl, not under this pressure anyway. Chris Morris has two overs left, Zaheer has one, and Amit Mishra has one. There are a few considerations here.Does Zaheer want Morris bowling the 18th, which leaves him no option of a change of end should he go for runs? Does he want to keep Mishra for later? He has been the best spinner in the match, but his last over went for 14, which took his figures to 3-0-21-0. Mis-hits can go for sixes here so he don’t want to keep him till too late, but then again this is the last recognised pair; if Mishra gets the opportunity to bowl to a lesser batsman, he can bowl the match-winning over with his variations. If Zaheer bowls Morris now, it gives him flexibility later but leaves him with the risk of Mishra having to bowl really deep into the chase. If he bowls Mishra now, he is saying, “Right Chris, it’s you and me for the last three overs.” He is also giving up the option of bowling the 18th himself.Zaheer goes with Mishra for the 17th. It is the slightly safer option, the less adventurous route, but only by a little. Mishra to Uthappa so far: 16 off 11 plus one wide. Overall in T20 cricket Mishra has now bowled 64 balls to Uthappa for just 69 runs while getting him out five times. So there is every reason Mishra can come back from the last over in which Uthappa hit him for a six and a four. This, though, is the deepest into the innings when Mishra has bowled to Uthappa. The game hinges on this contest. Mishra trusts his legbreak first ball, flights it generously, but doesn’t get it to dip enough, and Uthappa slog-sweeps it for six. Suddenly all those numbers lose relevance. Suddenly it looks like Uthappa can end this thing if he has managed to rattle Mishra.Mishra isn’t rattled, though. Not even by the sight of Uthappa shaping for a switch hit. He bowls a wide legbreak, but not the big legbreak. It’s just wide enough not to be called a wide. It is a clever ball, out of Uthappa’s reach, but he manages a bottom edge that sneaks between the wicketkeeper’s legs. That’s four more, and it’s 41 off 22 now. Well under two a ball. Mishra finds some relief with a single to deep midwicket next ball.With Knight Riders needing 40 off 21, with Russell on strike, this now is the moment. There isn’t much T20 history between the two, surprisingly. Before this game Mishra has bowled only five balls to Russell, for three runs. Here is Mishra’s opportunity, here is the threat. Russell is a big hitter. He can finish this game. In the previous over, bowled by Mohammed Shami, Russell faced three dots first up, and hit the fourth ball for six. If he gets two hits in, it is over, but with hitters as big as Russell, the opportunity for a legspinner is if they don’t watch the ball closely enough out of the hand.Mishra bowls the wrong ‘un, the flatter, cramping wrong’un. The dot ball earned, now Mishra has brought it back to two a ball. Mishra now tries the loopier, slower wrong ‘un. It is not clear if Russell picks this one because it is too full and Russell would have been going for the big sweep because of the length. That’s one boundary of the two that can finish the game in this over. Mishra has not had a great over. Normally you would say the only way to redeem himself is a wicket, but he owes his team-mates that non-boundary ball now. To still give them a shot.It’s 36 off 19 with five wickets in hand. Thirty-two or 30 required in the last three leaves it heavily in favour of Knight Riders. A single keeps Daredevils in. Mishra, though, is not scared. Not yet. He flights the ball, he is still looking to beat the batsman in the air, this time looking to go past the outside edge. It takes a brave man to do this at such a stage.Russell shimmies down the wicket, reaches the pitch of the ball, and wallops it back down the wicket.The trouble is, Russell has hit this straight at Mishra’s face. At first look this looks like Mishra has just put his hands up in self-defence and taken an accidental blinder, but repeated replays will show you Mishra wouldn’t have been hit had he failed to get his hands in the way. He has got his head under the ball, and raised his hands towards the ball. He is not looking to catch it for sure, but he is not looking to avoid it either. It sticks. The over is redeemed. This leaves one end open, and Daredevils burst through it. Once again they have found a way to win.

The home side had their target adjusted due to rain and couldn’t get close

AAP28-Nov-2022Queensland kept their Marsh Cup campaign alive by defeating New South Wales by 31 runs via the DLS method in their rain-affected one-day clash at North Sydney Oval.Queensland had blasted 5 for 298 from 43.2 overs, with Max Bryant making 88 off 53 balls, when lightning and rain brought a premature close to their innings on SundayThe home side’s original DLS target following the first 80-minute delay was 329, before further showers halted play for a further 80 minutes with NSW 2 for 75 after 11.3 overs.The target was revised to 225 off 24 overs and the new asking rate of 150 from the next 75 balls proved well beyond the home side when a third downpour ended proceedings permanently.Kurtis Patterson and Matthew Gilkes both holed out to pull shots prior to the second delay as Queensland asserted their dominance early in the chase.In-form Daniel Hughes, who had amassed three tons from his previous four competition knocks, was scratchy early before finding his best form after play resumed. Hughes looked the Blues’ best hope of pulling off a miracle, top-scoring with 43.But when he was run out in the 16th over via a direct hit from Sam Truloff, just one ball after Moises Henriques skied a catch to Max Bryant, the home side’s hopes went out the door.The first rain delay denied the blazing Bryant the opportunity to notch a maiden ton, but he revelled in the victory nonetheless.”It’s always good to play at North Sydney as a batter,” Bryant said. “It’s pretty small so you have to go 100 percent hard or nothing. You don’t really have those in-between shots where you get caught on the boundary.”I’m not going to go down without a fight – it’s the Queensland way. Getting a win against NSW is always special.”After the early loss of Bryce Street to a contentious lbw decision, fellow opener Sam Heazlett and first-gamer Jack Clayton impressed before Bryant ripped the match away from NSW.He hit five sixes in his swashbuckling knock, dominating a 122-run sixth-wicket stand with captain Jimmy Peirson, which came from just 12.1 overs and put Queensland right on top.The result meant Queensland leapfrogged NSW and Victoria to rise to fourth spot on the points table.

Enzo Maresca fully rotated his Chelsea side yet again in the UEFA Conference League, handing out full Chelsea debuts to both Josh Acheampong and Sam Rak-Sakyi last night.

The Blues are now five wins from five in the European competition, topping the group with 15 points, scoring 21 goals and only conceding four times, giving them a +17 goal difference.

The latest victory saw Chelsea beat Kazakhstan side Astana 3-1, with goals coming from talented youngsters Marc Guiu and Renato Veiga. The 18-year-old striker put in an excellent performance, even receiving high praise from a former Chelsea legend.

Marc Guiu's performance vs Astana

Guiu scored the opener for Chelsea within 14 minutes with a lovely solo goal, receiving the ball from Pedro Neto in a wide area, before driving inside and cooly placing it past the Astana keeper.

Chelsea’s second was also forced by Guiu, getting on the end of Neto’s drilled ball across the box, which later went down as an own goal by Aleksandr Marochkin.

Minutes

78

Touches

22

Accurate Passes

11/15

Goals

1

Key Passes

1

Shots

3

Ground Duels Won

1/2

The 18-year-old striker only needed 22 touches to affect the game, taking three shots (two on target), making one key pass, and winning one of his two ground duels. His excellent performance earned the teen a 9/10 match rating from The Express.

Joe Cole praised the young strikers’ performance, stating “Marc Guiu must have watched Luis Suárez as a young man at Barcelona”.

A £75m star in the making?

Chelsea signed Guiu from Barcelona this summer, joining for a fee of around £5m, and is already being compared to one of the best strikers of his generation. Suarez moved from Liverpool to Barcelona in 2014, for a fee of around £75m.

The Uruguayan made 283 appearances for the Spanish giants, scoring 195 goals, providing 113 assists, and totaling 23,850 minutes. As good as Nicolas Jackson has been for Chelsea this season, Guiu could add some extra potency up top for the Blues, becoming an option for Maresca to utilise.

Goals

0.48

0.66

Assists

0.00

0.25

xG

0.84

0.61

Progressive Carries

2.11

2.21

Progressive Passes

1.58

1.31

Shots Total

5.24

2.79

Goals/Shot

0.09

0.24

Key Passes

1.05

1.15

Touches (Att Pen)

6.84

5.57

Guiu is slightly more physical in the way he uses his upper body, whereas Jackson likes to be slightly more evasive with his, looking to avoid contact with agile movement and weave his way to the box. This extra physicality and box presence is what allows Guiu those extra penalty area touches (6.84).

When analysing the players’ metrics, their minutes do need to be taken into account, as Guiu has only managed 186 minutes so far this season, in comparison to Jackson, who has already played 1,100 minutes. Therefore, the per 90 metrics are slightly skewed.

The Senegalese forward’s all-round game and goal-scoring form has been superb this season, but sometimes the game needs a different type of forward. Chelsea are likely to address this in the transfer market at some stage, but could Guiu give Maresca an option for now, and even play his way into the plans quicker than expected.

Forget Guiu: Chelsea gem with 101 touches deserves the limelight

Chelsea’s youngsters got the job done in freezing temperatures against Astana.

2 ByConnor Holden Dec 12, 2024