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.

Newcastle United supporters will be filled with relief after seeing Eddie Howe secure his first major signing of the summer transfer window.

A move for Anthony Elanga was finally confirmed on Friday, but this deal has been weeks in the making.

The Swedish winger cost the Toon around £55m, but Howe will be hoping that this fee eventually turns into a bargain.

“Elanga is an exciting talent with attributes that make him a unique attacking threat,” said Howe upon Elanga’s arrival at St James’ Park.

“His pace, energy and ability to create and score goals will strengthen us and complement the way we want to play.”

Champions League football will take centre stage next season and Howe will be aiming for his side to do better than when they were last in the competition. Newcastle finished bottom of their group during 2023/24, despite claiming a famous 4-1 win over PSG.

With Elanga now signed, it should be the catalyst for the manager to land another couple of signings in the coming weeks.

The former Nottingham Forest star has plenty of Premier League experience, but what exactly will he offer the Magpies next term and beyond?

What Anthony Elanga will offer Newcastle

Since making the move from Manchester United to Forest in the summer of 2023, Elanga has been at the forefront of their recent success.

Across these two seasons, the winger has scored 11 goals in the Premier League, while chipping in with 20 league assists in that time.

He doesn’t just offer a clear-cut threat in front of goal either. According to FBref, when compared to his positional peers in the Premier League last term, Elanga ranked in the top 3% for crosses (6.66) per 90, along with ranking in the top 10% for goal-creating actions (0.65) and in the top 27% for carries into the opposition penalty area (1.73) per 90.

While signing the 23-year-old is a boost for the team, plus giving Howe an excellent attacking option for the next few years, was signing another player in this area a priority for the club?

Jacob Murphy was excellent on the right flank last term, tearing it up for the Magpies in the top flight. Indeed, across 35 top flight games last season, the Englishman scored eight goals while recording 12 assists for the Magpies.

If comparing him to fellow wingers Anthony Gordon and Harvey Barnes, who registered 12 and 14 goal involvements in the Premier League, Murphy was by far the best-performing wide man in the squad.

Of course, he won’t be around forever, and some competition would be ideal, but in terms of improvement, the right flank shouldn’t be Howe’s priority ahead of next season.

The defence is an area which requires strengthening, notably at centre-back and between the posts.

Howe is certainly making inroads to bolster both positions and he has been given an exciting update regarding a transfer target recently.

Newcastle’s search for a defender

Marc Guehi still looks like a target, although it remains to be seen exactly how far Howe is prepared to go in order to sign him.

Elsewhere, Malick Thiaw and Leonardo Balerdi are both defensive targets, with Howe expressing interest in both centre-backs recently.

The one player he appears to be most keen on is Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini. The Italian could be set to leave the Serie A side this summer, but they have placed a £50m price tag on his head.

According to The i Paper, the Toon have ‘carried out preliminary work on a possible deal’, but there are a host of clubs keen on securing his signature, including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus.

Scalvini has reportedly stated he is intrigued by the prospect of playing in the Premier League, while also gushing about both the club and manager when on international duty of late.

Could this help Howe get a deal wrapped up sooner rather than later? Only time will tell.

Why Newcastle must sign Giorgio Scalvini

Newcastle must add at least one centre-back to their squad this summer. Last season, Howe mainly relied on Dan Burn and Fabian Schar. Both are excellent players, but they are both 33 and won’t be around forever.

Indeed, the only centre-back in the current squad who is under 30 is Sven Botman, but he has missed 59 games since the start of the 2023/24 season.

As such, a move for Scalvini is a must for the club. He missed the majority of last term due to injury, but throughout the 2023/24 campaign, he was superb.

Accurate passes

37.8

Tackles

1.6

Interceptions

1.8

Clearances

2

Total duels won

4.8

Balls recovered

4.9

Hailed as a “top talent” by Fabrizio Romano in 2022 – as well as a “world-class” centre-back by talent scout Jacek Kulig – Scalvini ranked highly across a range of metrics in Serie A during 2023/24.

Compared to his peers, he ranked in the top 5% for successful take-ons per 90, along with ranking in the top 11% for touches in the attacking penalty area, the top 4% for interceptions and in the top 16% for aerials won per 90.

If he is able to replicate those types of performances at Newcastle, then Howe would have landed an excellent signing for the club.

The best thing is, Scalvini has yet to even reach his peak, indicating that the next few years could see the Italian defender only going from strength to strength.

Although Howe has just spent £55m on Elanga, there is no doubt that a deal to sign the Atalanta starlet would be viewed as a more important signing, especially with concerns about the defence.

Scalvini has showcased his talents in Europe before, impressing during the 2024 Europa League final as his side defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-0.

Performing in the Champions League will be a massive step-up for the youngster, but if he wishes to take his game to the next stage, this is the level he should be playing at.

The next few weeks will be interesting for the club. That much is certain.

Elanga's new Gibbs-White: Newcastle leading race for £40m "magician"

Newcastle are hoping to make more signings after landing Anthony Elanga.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 12, 2025

Everton chiefs are now confident in their bid to sign a “menacing” forward who has a £34 million release clause, according to a new report.

David Moyes wants midfield reinforcements at Everton

Heading into the new stadium, it is clear to see that David Moyes is keen to put together a squad at Everton that can look up the table rather than over their shoulder. The Toffees are unlikely to have lots of money to spend this summer as like everyone else they dance around PSR, but Moyes will have no intentions of another relegation scrap.

Everton in race with West Ham to sign midfielder who can leave for £25m

Everton are now involved in a Premier League race to sign an experienced international midfielder.

ByBrett Worthington Jun 26, 2025

Strengthening his midfield appears to be high on the list, and that can be shown with their latest transfer targets. According to talkSPORT, Everton have returned to Wilfred Ndidi as a potential target this summer. The midfielder could cost Everton as little as £9 million, due to a release clause that has now been activated due to Leicester City suffering relegation.

As well as looking at Ndidi, the Toffees have reportedly registered their interest in signing James McAtee from Manchester City. The attacking midfielder is expected to leave the Etihad due to his lack of game time last season, and he could be available for around £25 million.

There is now a new name on their midfield list, and that is Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge. Everton are said to be in pole position to sign him, with Club Brugge looking to get £25 million for his services.

Everton confident in their bid to sign Thierno Barry

But as much as Moyes wants a new midfielder, that may have to wait, as the Toffees focus on securing their top striker target. According to TBR Football, Everton are now ready to accelerate talks to sign Thierno Barry from Villarreal.

The Toffees’ interest in Barry emerged at the very start of the summer transfer window, but they have had to be patient when it comes to a transfer, as the forward has been away with France at the U21 Championships, only knocked out by Germany on Wednesday.

Despite interest from other teams across Europe, The Friedkin Group are confident they can sign Barry this summer. The forward’s representatives have already held talks with the Premier League side, and he is now open to the move. The fact that Barry has a £34 million release clause makes the deal easier to do, but the Toffees may even end up paying slightly more than that if they do the deal in installments.

Apps

35

Starts

25

Goals

11

xG

12.41

Total shots per game

2.1

Big chances missed

15

Chance conversion

15%

Assists

4

Big chances created

7

Barry, who has been dubbed “menacing” by U23 scout Antonio Mango, joined Villarreal in August 2024, and in his first full season, the striker scored 11 goals in 35 La Liga appearances.

His presence and ability to find the net have made him a target for Everton, who lacked a serious presence at the top end of the pitch last season and now look set to lose Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the end of this month.

Ian Chappell pays tribute to his first touring room-mate Graeme Watson

Ian Chappell25-Apr-2020You never forget your first touring room-mate; it’s not quite a love-of-your-life remembrance but a fond recall.My first room-mate on a five-month tour of Rhodesia (modern-day Zimbabwe) and South Africa in 1966-67 was Graeme Donald Watson. His nickname was Beatle as he wore his hair long like the ‘Fab Four’. He was chosen as the replacement for Doug Walters who was called up for Army national service.Beatle was a genuine allrounder who batted in the top six for Victoria and bowled hit-the-deck-hard medium-fast. Before the tour, I’d played against Graeme, but I really only knew him as a slightly unusual Victorian in that he stayed around for a beer after play.On a five-month tour where you’re regularly cooped up in the same room, you get to know a guy pretty well. The friendship is either a lasting one or it runs out of steam pretty quickly. In our case, it remained firm until Friday, when sadly cancer claimed the Beatle’s life.There are many fond memories of that tour. We shared a lot together including a solid partnership against Eastern Province where we both completed our first centuries for Australia. The match was played at St George’s Park, which was then known as Pollockville because of the presence of the brothers, Peter the fast bowler and Graeme, one of the pre-eminent Test batsmen of the time.The second-innings battle of the Graemes ended with Pollock c Chappell b Watson 120.After commencing his debut Test at Newlands with an impressive half-century, Beatle injured his ankle while bowling and finished up on crutches with his leg in plaster. That resulted in the unusual sight of late-night crutch races being held in the corridors of Deals Hotel in East London, with the other participants being the fully capacitated but slightly inebriated Dave Renneberg, Brian Taber and yours truly.Unfortunately for Beatle injuries dogged his sporting life.I toured with Beatle again in 1972 but by that time I was captain and enjoyed a single room, so he had to make do with second best. He’d been included in the touring party despite suffering a near-death experience after an incident at the MCG in the Rest of the World series of 1971-72.I was batting with Watson when an unintentional beamer from Tony Greig hit him in the nose and he was carted off the ground bleeding profusely. He was extremely unfortunate as Greig’s delivery was affected when his bowling hand hit the stumps and Watson top-edged a ball that would’ve hit him in the chest if his attempted pull shot had missed.By 1972, Chappell was captain and enjoyed a single room, so Watson (back row, extreme left) had to make do with second best•Getty ImagesIt was only on that 1972 tour when I met one of his nurses at a social function that I found out Beatle had actually stopped breathing for a while when he was in hospital. It was typical of Beatle to say very little about the incident; he made light of any injury and at times was too brave for his own good.That serious injury occurred on January 5 but with a fervent desire to be selected for the 1972 tour of England, he defied doctors’ orders and played against South Australia on February 26. In the second innings with a gale blowing in the direction from mid-off to fine leg, I told fast bowler Kevin McCarthy the only option was to operate with a strong leg-side field.A bouncer from McCarthy struck Watson on the side of the head and for a moment my heart sank. Fortunately, it was only a glancing blow and he successfully continued his innings.In another season, he bowled for Western Australia with a broken bone in his leg and Rod Marsh swears that at times he was standing as far back for Beatle as he was for Dennis Lillee.However, there was one injury that did stop him; a broken jaw. A talented dual sportsman, he was in the Melbourne Football Club squad that won the 1964 Victorian Football League grand final. When he suffered two broken jaws in quick succession during the 1965 season, that brought his football career to an abrupt halt. On that South African tour, whenever Keith Stackpole wanted to annoy Beatle, he’d call out, “Hey, glass jaw.”His cricket career involved playing for three states Victoria, WA and New South Wales. During regular drink sessions with a group of mates it was a standard joke to claim that he played with four states – he was selected for Queensland but joined World Series Cricket instead – the same number as he had wives.I was in the official party at his first wedding which was attended by then Australian prime minister Harold Holt. I was unable to attend any of the other ceremonies which was unfortunate because it precluded me from using the hilarious line of England’s fast bowling funnyman John J Warr.When JJ attended England batsman Bill Edrich’s fifth wedding he was asked, “Which side – bride or groom?” Without a flicker of a smile, he answered, “Season’s ticket.”I know his last two wives well, Karina with whom he sired two beautiful girls in Laura and Louisa, and Jan who was at his side when he passed away. Beatle had generously offered a kidney to Jan who needed a transplant, but the dreaded cancer diagnosis put an end to that plan. Fortunately, Jan received a transplant and is now recovering well.Watson had a successful business life after sport, cleverly maximising his qualifications as an architect. He excelled in solutions for sports stadium management and was involved in that capacity in the highly successful Sydney Olympic precinct.His architectural background stood out in the functional design of his house at Burradoo in the NSW Southern Highlands and the farmhouse on his property at Wollombi, just north of Sydney. That was a favourite venue as a ‘male retreat’ and I have fond memories of the sessions enjoyed there with Tabsy and Beatle that made allowances for one female – our dog Bella.Beatle lived a very full life and he was looking forward to caring for Jan in her post-operation period, but unfortunately, the tables were turned and it was she who lovingly cared for him.His last public act was a selfless one as usual. Even in struggling health, he offered to help the Southern Highlands District Cricket Association raise funds for junior development.This culminated in a sold-out dinner in early March which provided much-needed funds for the association. Beatle – with his voice fading – made a fine speech that night, full of common sense and with a vision for the future.It was a long journey from Salisbury (now Harare) to Burradoo, but it was a successful one, with a lot of laughs along the way.

The toss became crucial on a surface that started out sticky before flattening out considerably

Sidharth Monga02-Oct-20214:55

Dasgupta: Gaikwad shows that this format is not just for power-hitters

When a side wins so comfortably after conceding a century to an opposition batter, the first thing you tend to do is look at that hundred with suspicion. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s came up in 60 balls, off the last ball of the innings. While batting first in the IPL, there have been 11 innings lasting 60 balls or longer and worth between 100 and 105. Eight of them, including Gaikwad’s, have come in defeats.Gaikwad’s innings, though, was not the problem on the night. It was a night on which the first 10 overs of the match produced just 63 runs, and the next 27.3 went for 316 at 11.5 an over. Gaikwad’s first 50 took 43 balls, the next 51 came in 17. All of a sudden you weren’t thinking of the field settings each time someone hit the ball in the air. This was a pitch different to what has been on display so far this season: everything was travelling with the ball beginning to skid onto the bat.Watch the IPL on ESPN+

Sign up for ESPN+ and catch all the action from the IPL live in the US. Match highlights of Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals is available here in English, and here in Hindi (US only).

It was one of those unfortunate things that can happen in T20: you get put in on a slightly sticky pitch, the dew then settles in in about 10 overs, and the ball starts to come on nicely. In a contest as short as a T20 match, even a period of five overs before the pitch settles down can prove critical. MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Gaikwad and Stephen Fleming all said that was the case. When you are put in on such a pitch, the best way to be competitive is to post an above-par score, which, according to Dhoni, would have been close to 250 here.”My observations were that as the dew settled, the pitch just got better and better,” the Super Kings’ coach Fleming said. “The second half of our innings showed that as well. Initially there was a bit of stickiness so the ball just sat a little bit. Once the dew settled, it became an absolute road. Which is quite different to any other pitches we have played on so far. All games have been sort of 130-150.”The Super Kings have already qualified for the playoffs and look favourites to end up in the top two, which means the ideal response from them would be to forget such a match and move on. However, this is something that can happen in a knockout game too.If an identical match were to happen in identical conditions, Dhoni doesn’t believe it would be possible to set a target of more than 190 or 200. Dhoni said his openers have been really good at assessing the conditions, and while the idea is to prevent over-attacking and losing too many wickets early, this wasn’t a case of a hangover from earlier slow pitches and thus aiming too low.Ruturaj Gaikwad’s first 50 came in 43 balls, and his next 51 in just 17, but the difference wasn’t just about intent•BCCIWhat a side can change when they lose such a bad toss is either take that over-attacking route, which is a risk, or, as Dhoni would want, be smarter with the ball. In their ideal XI, Super Kings would have Dwayne Bravo and Deepak Chahar, who were rested against the Royals and should make a difference when they return, but Dhoni and Fleming would like to see better thinking from the bowlers when caught in another onslaught.”The wicket changed quite a bit,” Dhoni said when asked how much he missed Chahar and Bravo. “Both of them are quite experienced, but I felt their batters put us under pressure. What we could have done slightly better was maybe use the dimensions of the field. Or put fielders where you would like to bowl, make them go over the [boundary] fielders rather than go over mid-off or short cover.”Fleming echoed the sentiment. “It is not a bad thing to have a high-scoring game like this and be tested,” Fleming said. “It gives you some really good coaching points and improvement points. One of them is how to absorb an onslaught like that. It was spectacular and it was great play. The only criticism would probably be our adjustments were not as quick as they needed to be.”

The captains event is tentatively scheduled around February 16 or 17 in Karachi

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Jan-2025

Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam at the captains’ photoshoot ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India•AFP/Getty Images

There is no clear answer to whether India captain Rohit Sharma will travel to Pakistan for the ICC’s official captains call to ring in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The captains event, which as per practice happens in the host country, is tentatively scheduled around February 16 or 17 in Karachi, but the BCCI is yet to get any official communication on it from the ICC.”It [Rohit travelling to Pakistan] has not yet been discussed. It is not on the agenda yet,” Devjit Saikia, the BCCI’s newly-appointed secretary, told ESPNcricinfo.It could not be confirmed whether the BCCI would need the Indian government’s permission for Rohit to travel to Pakistan.Related

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Due to the climate of political tension between the two countries, India and Pakistan have played no bilateral series since 2012, but continue to meet at ICC tournaments. While Pakistan have travelled to India for ICC tournaments in this period, India have not played any international cricket in Pakistan since 2008.With the BCCI insisting that India would not travel to Pakistan for their matches, the ICC in co-ordination with the PCB, the tournament hosts, decided upon a hybrid model for ICC events until 2027, with Dubai named as the host of India’s Champions Trophy games.While there is no recent precedent for an India player visiting Pakistan in an official capacity, there is one involving BCCI officials. In 2023, Roger Binny and Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI’s president and vice-president, travelled to Lahore for an official PCB dinner during the Asia Cup, after being invited by the then PCB chair Zaka Ashraf.It is understood that the PCB has requested the ICC to ensure that, as per standard practice, all teams and captains are available for the Champions Trophy photoshoot, opening ceremony and other pre-tournament engagements. The ICC, it is understood, is still finalising logistics and travel dates for teams.Incidentally, the ICC did not organise a captains event ahead of the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup which was co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA. With teams playing warm-up matches in several countries, the ICC instead opted to do the official launch via a lighting projection show that featured all 20 captains beamed onto the Rockefeller Centre building in New York City. It is understood that like in the 2024 T20 World Cup, teams will have the option of playing up to two warm-up matches each depending on their arrival time for the Champions Trophy.Saikia: ‘BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule’Saikia, meanwhile, has clarified that India will adhere to the dress code set by the ICC for the Champions Trophy, responding to media speculation that the BCCI had objected to the host nation’s name on their jersey. Player jerseys during ICC events usually include the tournament logo with the name of the tournament, host country and year below it.”BCCI will follow every uniform-related ICC rule during Champions Trophy,” Saikia told . “Whatever the other teams will do regarding the logo and dress code, we are going to follow in true letter and spirit.”

“It was not an easy decision to make,” according to Johnathan Atkeison, CEO of USA Cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2024USA Cricket has announced the departure of Stuart Law as the head coach of the men’s national team. While the reason behind his departure has not been made public, Johnathan Atkeison, CEO of USA Cricket, said “it was not an easy decision to make”.The announcement came in the middle of USA’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 campaign, a day before their game against Nepal in Dallas.Law’s tenure, which started in April, lasted just over seven months despite the team beating Bangladesh in a T20I series and then advancing into the Super-Eights stage of the T20 World Cup for the first time in their history.USA beat Canada and more significantly, Pakistan, to progress in the tournament they co-hosted with the West Indies.”Given Stuart’s contribution to the program, this was not an easy decision to make,” Atkeison said in a press release. “Unfortunately, we felt that a change was necessary for the next phase of competitive preparation.Venu Pisike, Chair of USA Cricket added, “We thank Stuart for his contributions to USA Cricket during his tenure. We wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”USA are currently placed second on the Cricket World Cup League 2 points table with six wins in nine games, and are looking to qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

تحدث جاري نيفيل، النجم السابق لفريق مانشستر يونايتد، عن سباق المنافسة على لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2025/26، مع نجاح آرسنال في الوقت الحالي وصدارتهم تحت قيادة المدرب ميكيل أرتيتا.

ويتصدر آرسنال جدول الدوري الإنجليزي برصيد 25 نقطة، ويليه بورنموث وليفربول بـ18 نقطة.

وقال جاري نيفيل، في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “مترو” الإنجليزية: “انظروا، قد يخسر آرسنال من الآن فصاعدًا، لكنهم الفريق الأكثر ثباتًا في الأداء، وقد واصلوا العمل على هذا النهج لثلاثة أو أربعة مواسم”.

وأضاف: “لقد رشحتهم للفوز باللقب في المواسم الثلاثة الماضية، لم يحققوا ذلك، كنت أعتقد أنه كان ينبغي أن يكونوا هناك الموسم الماضي عندما فاز ليفربول باللقب، لأنني اعتقدت أنه إذا تراجع مانشستر سيتي، فإن آرسنال هو الفريق الأنسب لتحقيق اللقب”.

وواصل: “لن يكون هناك الكثير من الأعذار لـ آرسنال هذا الموسم وهذا لا يعني أنني أضغط عليه، أنا فقط أعتقد أنهم أفضل فريق في الدوري ولديهم التشكيلة المناسبة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي بعد فوز ليفربول على أستون فيلا

وأردف: “ما زلنا في نوفمبر، لذلك من غير المنطقي أن نقترح الفائز بالدوري لكنهم يستحقون ذلك، وإذا لم تكن ميكيل أرتيتا أو لاعبًا في آرسنال، فيمكنك قول ذلك بثقة تامة”.

وشدد: “السبب الذي يجعلني أقول إني واثق من فوز آرسنال بالدوري هو أنك دائمًا تفكر فيما يمكن أن يوقف الفريق، لو خسر ليفربول فيرجيل فان دايك أو محمد صلاح في المواسم السابقة، لكان في ورطة”.

واسترسل: “لكنني لا أستطيع التفكير في إمكانية خسارة آرسنال للقب حال خسارته أي لاعب الآن، حتى قلبي الدفاع، بسبب التعاقدات الصيفية، جميع المراكز مُغطاة”.

وأوضح: “كان بوكايو ساكا هو ذلك اللاعب في الماضي (لا يمكن تعويضه)، لكن نوني مادويكي جاء عندما كان مصابًا، يُضاعفون من قوتهم في كل مركز، بنفس المستوى أو بانخفاض طفيف فقط، سيتعين على آرسنال أن يهزم نفسه حتى لا يفوز باللقب”.

وأفاد: “لا أعتقد أن مانشستر سيتي سيعود إلى مستواه السابق ويعود إلى منافسة آرسنال، بيب جوارديولا عبقري، لكنه لا يملك اللاعبين أو الفريق الذي يلعب بالمستوى المطلوب، ليفربول هو الفريق الوحيد ولكن سيتعين عليه العودة إلى المسار الصحيح بسرعة كبيرة”.

Stand-in captain, who is just one away from 10,000 Test runs, will rather look to “focus on job at hand”

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Jan-2025Sometimes it spins. At other times it goes straight. Be ready for both. This is stand-in captain Steven Smith’s advice to Australia’s less-experienced batters, as he prepares to lead them in a two-Test series against Sri Lanka in Galle. Of Australia’s batters on tour, Smith understands the challenge ahead more than most – he has two hundreds in Sri Lanka, and averages 49.75 on the island.”We have spoken about the differences in the surfaces,” Smith said on Tuesday, the eve of the first Test on Australia’s ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. “Last time we came, we played on one that spun from ball one and the other one was pretty flat in the first innings, and then spun a lot in the second innings.”So it’s important to have plans for both kind of surfaces. Then if it is extreme from the outset, then you need to be proactive and follow different methods to score runs. You just have to adapt as quickly as possible to what you get.”Related

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In 2016, Smith had overseen a tour in which Australia’s batters largely failed to pick the slider from the one that turned off the surface, thus going down 3-0 in the series. In 2022, however, their batters fared much better, even winning a Test on the more spin-friendly surface in that series.Among the more recent trends in countering the kind of spin often seen in Galle has been to focus on run-scoring, rather than on defence. Smith’s own 145* the last time he was at this venue was memorable for how quick he was to move around the crease to create scoring opportunities. Reverse sweeps, slogs, paddles around the corner, and more frequent trips down the pitch – these have all become much more commonly employed.”I think the game has changed a lot since I first came to the sub-continent,” Smith said. “Guys play different shots to put pressure on the bowlers. The game has evolved a lot in the last ten years, and it’s good to see some of the shots these guys play to take the game forward.”For Smith, this is a series that will almost certainly feature a major career milestone. He is one run away from becoming the fourth Australia batter to 10,000 Test runs. Smith only needed 38 more runs from the last Test of the home summer – in Sydney – to get to the landmark, but fell for 33 and 4 against India.”I’ll just try to put it out of my mind, to be honest,” Smith said of the milestone. “I probably thought too much about it in Sydney. This time I’ll just try to forget it and focus on job at hand.”

The 22-year-old missed nearly the entire second half of the 2024-25 campaign, but returned Wednesday wearing his shooting boots

• Pepi scores brace for PSV in preseason match
• Striker returned from injury with statement
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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. men's national team forward Ricardo Pepi returned to the scoresheet for PSV on Wednesday in a preseason friendly against FC Eindhoven, scoring a first-half brace in their 3-2 victory.

  Former New England Revolution winger Esmir Bajraktarevic played a role in both goals, creating the opportunity for each that saw Pepi find the back of the net from close range each time.

  For Pepi, it was his second appearance this preseason, and his first start since suffering an injury in a Champions League match against Liverpool in January that sidelined him for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

  Fellow American Sergino Dest was not named to the teamsheet for the contest on Wednesday. He suffered a minor setback in preseason, but is expected to be fit for the start of the Eredivisie campaign.

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• WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS

• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Pepi is set to play an integral role for both club and country this upcoming campaign, as PSV look to win their third-straight Eredivise title, and the U.S. men's national team looks to find a spell of form under Mauricio Pochettino.

  The U.S. has just 10 matches left across five FIFA international windows until the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and after falling short in the CONCACAF Nations League and the Gold Cup in recent months, they'll look to put in some positive showings.

  Pepi, meanwhile, will look to play his first minutes for the USMNT this September since November 2024, when he scored twice across two matches against Jamaica in the Nations League quarterfinals.

  To date, Pepi has 33 caps and has scored 13 goals, and has recorded three assists.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  This offseason, PSV awarded Pepi the historic No. 9 jersey at the club, a shirt previously worn by the likes of Romario, Ronaldo Nazario, and Dutch legend Patrick Kluivert.