Category Uncategorized

It might not feel like it at the moment, but the future is bright for Tottenham Hotspur.

Ange Postecoglou may be overseeing a dreadful domestic campaign this season, which has seen them lose more games than they’ve won in the Premier League, but his squad is bursting with young talent.

For example, the sensational Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert look primed to battle it out to be Son Heung-min’s successor; Dominic Solanke and Mathys Tel could be fighting to lead the line next season, and Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence and the tremendously exciting Luka Vušković could become defensive stalwarts in the coming years.

Finally, the North Londoners’ midfield could become truly special, with one of its future stars already having won comparisons to Jude Bellingham.

Spurs' future midfield

So, before getting to the player in question, it’s worth examining the two other Spurs players we reckon will be starting alongside him in midfield in the coming years.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

Now, assuming the team will still be playing a three-man midfield, the most defensive of them will undoubtedly be Archie Gray.

The former Leeds United gem joined the North Londoners for around £30m last summer and, despite just turning 19, has played a surprisingly significant role this season, primarily in defence.

In all, he’s made 19 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back, five at left-back, three in defensive midfield and another five so short as not to make it entirely clear where he was playing.

However, while most of his game time has come in a back four, he is a midfielder by trade and with how incredibly well he’s adapted to what has been needed of him this year, we wouldn’t be surprised to see him become the “future £100m cm” analyst Ben Mattinson has claimed he’ll be.

Just ahead of the Durham-born gem should be Dejan Kulusevski, as while he initially joined the club as a winger, he’s since spent much of this season as an attacking midfielder and thrived.

For example, eight of his 20 goal involvements have come from just 16 appearances across attacking and central midfield.

Moreover, as he’s still just 24 years old, the Stockholm-born monster has time to get even better before reaching the age that most attacking midfielders peak, which, according to The Athletic, is 26.

That leaves one more starting spot in the middle of the park, a place for someone who’s been touted for a lofty valuation and has been compared to Bellingham.

The Spurs star compared to Bellingham

There are a few other talented midfielders we have yet to mention, like James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr, but in this instance, we are talking about Lucas Bergvall.

The young Swede has been seriously impressive since moving to Spurs in the summer, making 40 first-team appearances, and it’s he whom Mattinson described as “similar to Bellingham” in November 2023.

At the time, he claimed their similarity stemmed from the fact that the teenager “has the raw & technical ability to adapt to any role” in the middle of the park, something we have seen this season.

Bergvall’s versatility

Position

Games

Goals

Assists

Central Midfield

24

1

3

Defensive Midfield

5

0

0

Attacking Midfield

4

0

0

Left Midfield

1

0

0

All Stats via Transfermarkt

For example, of his 40 appearances, 24 have come in central areas, five in defensive midfield, four in attacking midfield and even one in left midfield, helping to prove he’s the “uber-complete” talent Mattinson claimed he was over a year ago.

Moreover, on top of his five-goal involvements, the Stockholm-born gem has some brilliant underlying numbers from the last year, demonstrating his ability to do it all, akin to the Real Madrid star.

According to FBref, he sits in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for successful take-ons, the top 2% for penalties won, the top 4% for tackles in the attacking third, the top 7% for tackles plus interceptions, the top 11% for carries into the final third and more, all per 90.

Ultimately, the Swedish phenomenon looks destined to develop into a world-class central midfielder and someone who could even blow past the future “£80m” price tag Mattinson predicted for him back in 2023.

Related Ange could soon unleash a "freak" Romero replacement at Spurs

The sensational teenager could be a game-changer for Spurs.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 8, 2025

The slowest T20 World Cup but with the most sixes, an unbeaten champion, and much more

Sampath Bandarupalli30-Jun-20247.09 – Overall run rate, which was the lowest at a men’s T20 World Cup. The previous lowest was 7.43 in the 2021 edition, played in the UAE.517 – Sixes hit in the tournament, making it the first T20 World Cup with 500-plus sixes. The previous highest was 405 in 2021.The balls-per-six ratio was 21.35, the best ever. Also, the ratio between fours and sixes hit at this World Cup was 1.86, the lowest across all the editions.Related

Rohit and five other Indians headline ESPNcricinfo's team of the T20 World Cup

Sometimes sports can be messy and without any explanation

South Africa were winning, then came Jasprit Bumrah

History weighs heavy as South Africa die another death

Bumrah, Klaasen and SKY go flash, bam, alakazam

1 – India became the first team to win the men’s T20 World Cup without losing a game. India won all eight matches they played, with one – the group-stage game against Canada – abandoned without a toss.2 – Editions of the men’s T20 World Cup without an individual century: 2009 and 2024. The highest score in 2009 was an unbeaten 96 by Tillakaratne Dilshan in the semi-final game against West Indies, while Nicholas Pooran’s 98 versus Afghanistan was the highest in 2024.19 – Four-plus wicket hauls in 2024. That’s the highest at a men’s T20 World Cup, going past 14 in 2021.4.17 – Jasprit Bumrah’s economy rate at this World Cup, the best for anyone who has bowled 100-plus balls in a single edition of the men’s T20 World Cup. The most Bumrah conceded in the eight matches he played was 29 runs against Australia.3 – Difference between wickets taken and boundaries conceded by Bumrah at this World Cup. He took 15 wickets in the 29.4 overs he bowled, but only 12 boundaries, including two sixes, were scored off him.1 – Bumrah became the first to win the Player-of-the-Tournament award at a T20 World Cup – for men or for women – without scoring a run. Bumrah bagged a golden duck against Pakistan, the only time he had to bat in this tournament.Two players have done the same in ODI World Cups: Glenn McGrath in 2007, where he did not bat even once in 11 matches, and Mitchell Starc in 2015, when he faced three balls across three innings and did not score a run.14 – Number of dismissals for Rishabh Pant as a wicketkeeper. He took 13 catches and effected one stumping. No wicketkeeper (or player, for that matter) other than Pant has had even ten dismissals in a men’s T20 World Cup.ESPNcricinfo Ltd17 – Wickets for Arshdeep Singh and Fazalhaq Farooqi in this World Cup, the best ever. Both of them topped Wanindu Hasaranga’s mark of 16 in 2021.5 – Instances of teams winning despite scoring 120 or less in a full 20-over first innings at this World Cup.That had happened only once in the men’s T20 World Cup before 2024 – by Sri Lanka, who won after being bowled out for 119 against New Zealand in 2014.1 – Rohit Sharma is the first to win the men’s T20 World Cup both as a player (in 2007) and as a captain (in 2024). Daren Sammy won the title twice as a captain – in 2012 and 2016, while seven other West Indies players were part of those two wins under him: Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Dwayne Bravo, Samuel Badree, Andre Russell and Denesh Ramdin.109.52 – Percentage increase in maiden overs at this World Cup and the previous highest. A total of 44 maiden overs were bowled in the 52 completed matches at this World Cup, while the previous highest was 21 across 27 games in 2012.The 44 maiden overs in the 2024 edition account for 28.95% of the total maidens bowled in men’s T20 World Cups.25 – Difference between balls taken for the two individual fifties in the final – Virat Kohli took 48 balls and Heinrich Klaasen took 23 balls. Klaasen’s 23-ball fifty is the fastest in an ICC tournament final, while Kohli’s 48-ball fifty was the slowest of his T20 career.5-3 – Afghanistan’s win-loss record at this World Cup. They bowled out their opponents in all five matches they won, the joint-highest for a team at a men’s T20 World Cup alongside Australia in 2010.Afghanistan were themselves bowled out in all three matches they lost, the joint-highest for a team at a men’s T20 World Cup.Hardik Pandya and Rahul Dravid lead the celebrations after India’s second T20 World Cup win•Getty Images0 – Sixes hit in the match between New Zealand and Uganda. It was only the third men’s T20 World Cup match (discounting shortened T20 games) where no sixes were hit. South Africa vs Zimbabwe in Hambantota in 2012 and Netherlands vs Pakistan in Perth in 2022 were the others.4 – Papua New Guinea and Oman were the only teams in this edition without a point to their names. The four matches they played were the most without a win in an edition of the men’s T20 World Cup. PNG lost all four matches. As did Oman, but they took their first game against Namibia went into a Super Over.171 – Runs scored by Pant in this World Cup are the second-highest in an edition without a half-century. Anamul Haque scored 184 runs for Bangladesh in 2014 with a highest of 44*. Pant’s highest score was 42 against Pakistan.Tristan Stubbs scored 165 runs with a best of 33, the fifth-highest in a T20 World Cup without a fifty.96 – Balls Mohammad Amir bowled in this World Cup, the most without conceding a six. Amir is now the first bowler to not concede a six in two different editions of the men’s T20 World Cup (minimum of ten overs).He bowled 139 balls without being hit for a six in 2010, the second-highest by a bowler in an edition behind Umar Gul’s 147 balls in 2009.2 – Fours hit by Kohli in his first seven matches in this tournament, till the final. He went past that tally in the first over of the final itself, when he hit Marco Jansen for three fours.

They’ve battled injuries and unexpectedly slow pitches, but they’ve scrapped their way into the Super 12s

Sidharth Monga20-Oct-2022As far as banana peels go, Sri Lanka found themselves on a big one, which in turn was placed on an oily surface. Playing the first round of the 2022 T20 World Cup, after coming in as Asia Cup champions, they struggled to adjust to a slow, two-paced Geelong pitch and ended up paying for it with a defeat to Namibia. Add to it a soft outfield that can leave you vulnerable to injuries.Five of the Sri Lanka players have been injured so far. Dilshan Madushanka tore his quad during training on the eve of the first match. Dushmantha Chameera did his calf during the second game. Pramod Madushan and Danushka Gunathilaka injured their hamstrings. Pathum Nissanka has now gone for a scan of his groin.Related

• Agony turns ecstasy as World Cup pendulum swings Netherlands' way

• Mendis' 79, spinners steer Sri Lanka into Super 12s

Maheesh Theekshana feels the risk of injuries is high on this ground. “Even when we’re batting, we can see how the ball is not going to the boundaries; the ball stops early,” he said. “There’s a lot of tension on the body. That’s why there are more injuries.”Then, on the day after their defeat against Namibia, Sri Lanka saw a forecast for rain on Thursday, the final day of the first round, which left them even more anxious. And these are not conditions where you can blast away an opposition. You have to swallow your pride a little.Sri Lanka fell back on conservative, unsexy cricket to get back on their feet. Their first win, against UAE, was centred on Nissanka’s 74 at a strike rate of 123.33. In their next game, Kusal Mendis went at a run a ball for his first 17 balls against Netherlands. Just what you are taught not to do in T20 cricket. But they knew they couldn’t make the conditions bend to their will.”When we saw the pitch, I didn’t think it would be that slow in the morning,” Mendis said. “It’s very slow, and the spinners turned the ball. You can’t get to your normal game. Even if you jump out of the crease, it’s a bit slow. So we had to bat normally for 10 or 12 overs. Because we did that, we were able to score heavily in the last five.”[It’s] a little bit different here. In Australia, you come expecting bounce and pace. Here you have to play your normal game in the first six overs. Then we can hit out in the last ten overs. In the first game, we struggled. The wicket was slow. We didn’t know how to play on this pitch. The second and third game, I knew how to play here.”Often in T20s, not taking risks is the risk. Mendis was willing to take that risk. The pitch was perhaps slightly better than in the first two matches. Once he realised the slower ones were not gripping as much, Mendis played with the ground dimensions: short square boundaries and a long hit down the ground.Mendis managed to hit 23 balls between fine leg and midwicket, which brought him 62 of his 79 runs, including all five sixes. This points to a few loose balls especially as some of the slower ones didn’t grip. But it also points to ruthless execution and upscaling of his ambition as he went along.Sri Lanka didn’t quite avoid the banana peel but have managed to get back up. It has taken a heavy toll, but there’s no time to lick their wounds. They will have to regroup quickly, adjust to real Australian tracks, and keep finding answers and replacements as they go along.

Chahal bowled only three of his four overs. Was that a mistake? More on talking points

Nagraj Gollapudi05-Oct-20201:34

‘Surprising to see Stoinis do well in the middle order’

Was it correct to field, Royal Challengers Bangalore?Before Monday only one team had elected to bat in Dubai having won the toss. David Warner’s decision proved wise as the Sunrisers Hyderabad got the better of the Chennai Super Kings. In the other seven matches at the venue, the team that won the toss had elected to field and lost.Yet Virat Kohli elected to field today. And lost. At the toss, Kohli said that the reason to chase was based primarily on the dew factor, which he had noticed in some of the previous matches including the Super Kings’ successful chase against the Kings XI Punjab on the same pitch on Sunday. Inspired by watching the record partnership between Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, Kohli said “one good partnership” is what was needed. Royal Challengers lost three wickets in powerplay. Their biggest partnership was 32 runs between Kohli and Moeen Ali for the fourth wicket.Was it a new beginning for the Delhi Capitals?Twenty-three. Thirty-four. Thirty-six. The powerplay scores for the Capitals in their first three matches. A big weakness for the best team so far this IPL. The desire to play with more intent was launched in Sharjah by Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan in their last match, against the Kolkata Knight Riders, when the Capitals raced to 57 for 1 after the first six overs, which contributed to a winning score of 228.Delhi Capitals’ powerplay progression in IPL 2020•ESPNcricinfo LtdToday Shaw and Dhawan were even more rapid as they set up the second-highest total in the powerplay this IPL: 63 for 0. Positive starts have positive consequences: at this stage ESPN’s Forecaster predicted the Capitals would finish with 196. How accurate was that!The Capitals coach Ricky Ponting admitted on TV on Monday that slow starts were identified as a weakness. Several teams have suffered from slow beginnings with one of the openers opting to play with a conservative strike rate. With a batting order comprising power-hitters in Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis and Shimron Hetmeyer, the Capitals cannot and need not stay dormant for long in a format where no target seems unreachable anymore.Why was Washington Sundar bowled out in the first eight overs?Despite the Capitals’ robust beginning, one Royal Challengers bowler who kept his head high was birthday boy Sundar, who turned 21 on Monday. Sundar gave away just 17 runs in the powerplay, across three overs. Sundar dominated Dhawan, bowling six dots in 13 deliveries against the experienced left-hander who could just take seven singles against the offspinner.The challenge for Kohli was to squeeze the Capitals’ run rate. As a captain, Kohli is a creature of habit. Sundar had been bowled out before the halfway mark in RCB’s previous match too. No surprise then that Kohli asked Sundar to finish his spell in the first half of the innings today. Sundar did not disappoint, finishing as his team’s most economical bowler for the second match in a row with figures of 4-0-20-0.But did Kohli err by not keeping at least one over from Sundar for later, especially against left-hand batsman Rishabh Pant? Perhaps Kohli thought he didn’t need to as he had at his disposal another offspinner in Moeen Ali, who bowled just two overs for 21 runs and the wicket of Iyer.Why did Yuzvendra Chahal bowl only three overs?Chahal has been the best spinner in the tournament. Yet the legspinner did not finish his quota today, bowling three out of the four overs. You would reckon the presence of Pant put doubts in Kohli’s mind against throwing the ball to his senior legspinner. The match-up between Chahal and Pant in the IPL before today was 31 balls, 45 runs and 1 wicket. Eventually that strategy backfired, though, as Stoinis and Pant took advantage of the pace on offer to let the Capitals finish aggressively.Marcus Stoinis has been a game-changer for Delhi Capitals•Getty ImagesDid we see Stoinis 2.0?Shane Warne calls Stoinis “The Hulk”. With his powerful build Stoinis portrays the image of a power-hitter. Stoinis had not delivered on that promise at the IPL, though. In the three years leading up to this IPL, Stoinis scored 1458 runs at a strike rate of 126 with a boundary every 6.6 balls (as per ESPNcricinfo’s ball-ball-ball data). This IPL, though, Stoinis’ strike rate is nearly 199 – he has piled 123 runs from 62 balls with a boundary every 3.3 balls.Most of those runs were blasted on Monday as Stoinis showed intent virtually every delivery. Mostly he stood deep in the crease, moved several times across the off stump to clear the leg-side boundary with a still head. One of his best shots was the lofted straight drive over Ali’s head, with a high elbow despite the ball coming in to his body. Stoinis scored 31 runs off 14 balls batting between overs 12 and 15, which is the most by a batsman in that phase this IPL. Today Stoinis was the Incredible Hulk.

أكد إبراهيم حسن، مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، أن معسكر الفراعنة يسير بشكل مثالي قبل المشاركة في بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا القادمة بالمغرب.

ويخوض منتخب مصر معسكرًا مغلقًا في الوقت الحالي بمركز المنتخبات الوطنية بالسادس من أكتوبر، استعدادًا للمشاركة في المعترك الإفريقي.

وأشاد إبراهيم حسن، خلال تصريحات عبر المركز الإعلامي لاتحاد الكرة المصري، بالإمكانات الخاصة بمركز المنتخبات الوطنية بالسادس من أكتوبر، واصفاً المعسكر الحالي بالمثالي للاعبين، لأنه يحتوي على جميع المتطلبات الخاصة، من ملاعب جيدة، خاصة أن المشروع يضم 3 ملاعب وصالات جيم وغرف إقامة ومطاعم.

طالع.. حسام حسن يعلن قائمة منتخب مصر النهائية لـ كأس أمم إفريقيا

ومن المقرر أن يلعب منتخب مصر مع نيجيريا يوم الثلاثاء المقبل الموافق 16 ديسمبر، وديًا على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وستسافر بعثة منتخب مصر إلي المغرب، من أجل بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا يوم 17 ديسمبر.

و⁠يبدأ منتخب مصر مبارياته ببطولة أمم إفريقيا يوم 22 ديسمبر بمواجهة زيمبابوي ثم جنوب إفريقيا يوم 26 وأنجولا يوم 29 ديسمبر في دور المجموعات.

Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz didn't step into the batter's box during the 2025 Home Run Derby, but he debatably was having the most fun of anyone at Truist Park in Atlanta.

He was downright giddy watching fellow Dominican star Oneil Cruz mash 21 homers—including a 513-foot bomb—during the first round Monday night. After Cruz's monster round wrapped up, he joined the ESPN broadcast desk and was asked about his interest about competing in the future.

"I would like to do it at some point," he said when asked if he's interested in participating in the Derby on ESPN. "Not now, but at some point I'd like to do it. … I think I can win this."

He declined an invite to this year's contest for the third straight year. He did tease that he fans may see him there in the future, though, mentioning "the time is coming." Although that time isn't this year, the fun he had watching Monday night's show may have given some extra motivation. And he definitely got to take some notes.

The third-year star has 56 career homers, including 18 this season. On the year, he's slashing .284/.359/.495 with 63 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in addition to the 18 long balls.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras enfrenta a Portuguesa nesta quarta-feira (28), no Canindé, em jogo atrasado da 5ª rodada do Paulistão 2024, e caso conquiste a vitória, pode assumir a liderança da tabela geral do Estadual.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasPalmeiras inicia semana com retorno de importante titularPalmeiras26/02/2024PalmeirasPartiu Europa? Entenda por que Dudu, do Palmeiras, está na AlemanhaPalmeiras26/02/2024PalmeirasRaphael Veiga volta a brilhar no Palmeiras e se aproxima do 100º gol na carreiraPalmeiras25/02/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

Com um ponto a menos que o Santos, o time de Abel Ferreira só depende de si para fechar mais um ano com a melhor campanha da fase de grupos do Paulista, o que seria a quinta vez na últimas oito temporadas que isso aconteceria.

Mas para bater a Lusa de Henrique Dourado, Abel Ferreira pode escalar mais uma vez uma equipe totalmente alternativa, uma vez que o torcedor alviverde só pensa no clássico diante do São Paulo no domingo (3), que pode ser a revanche da Supercopa.

continua após a publicidade

O atacante Lázaro é um dos atletas do banco alviverde que pode ganhar uma chance como titular diante da Lusa e a torcida alviverde deseja ver a cria da gávea ganhando sua primeira chance entre os 11.

Um provável Palmeiras reserva para enfrentar a Portuguesa seria: Weverton (Lomba), Garcia, Naves, Luan e Vanderlan; Fabinho, Menino e Jhon Jhon; Lázaro, Rony (Luís Guilherme) e Breno Lopes.

continua após a publicidade

O Palmeiras chega ao Canindé com uma invencibilidade de 15 partidas e segue sendo até então, o único invicto deste Campeonato Paulista.

Em 10 jogos feitos em 2024, foram seis vitórias e quatro empates, o que faz o Verdão liderar de maneira isolada o grupo B do Paulista, com 21 pontos.

تذكر مارك كوكوريلا، نجم تشيلسي، رحيله عن صفوف نادي برشلونة، وذلك قبل مواجهة الفريق الإسباني يوم غدًا الثلاثاء ضمن منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

تشيلسي سوف يستضيف نظيره برشلونة يوم غدًا الثلاثاء، ضمن دوري أبطال أوروبا لحساب الجولة الخامسة من مرحلة الدوري.

ويسعى تشيلسي للفوز على برشلونة، من أجل الاستمرار في نتائجه الإيجابية والتي يعيشها رفاق كوكوريلا خلال الفترة الأخيرة.

كوكوريلا خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص باللقاء، أكد أن مواجهة الغد خاصة له للغاية ولعائلته، خصوصًا وأنه لاعب سابق في برشلونة.

ويعرف كوكوريلا برشلونة جيدًا، حيث شارك الظهير الأيسر مع البلوجرانا في الفئات السنية قبل الرحيل بعد ذلك إلى خيتافي ومنه إلى برايتون وأخيرًا تشيلسي.

وقال كوكوريلا في تصريحات نقلتها إيفننج ستاندرد: ”إنها مباراة مميزة جدًا لي ولعائلتي، لدينا فرصة للعب في دوري أبطال أوروبا وهي ليلة مميزة، إنها دائمًا مباراة جيدة بين الفريقين ونأمل أن نقدم غدًا مباراة جيدة ونحصد الثلاث نقاط”.

وأضاف كوكوريلا في حديثه: “مغادرة برشلونة؟ لكل شئ سبب، أنا سعيد جدًا بمسيرتي وبلعبي الآن مع تشيلسي”.

وأوضح: “إنه أسبوع مهم، جميع اللاعبين يرغبون في خوض هذه المباريات لما فيها من شعور خاص، الجميع مركزون ويبذلون قصارى جهدهم ولدينا فرصة جيدة وعلينا أن ندرك أن برشلونة وآرسنال مباراتان كبيرتان، لكنهما لا تتجاوزان حاجز الثلاث نقاط”.

وأردف كوكوريلا: “صحيح أننا نريد الفوز بجميع الألقاب، قبل أسبوعين عندما خسرنا أمام برايتون على أرضنا، قال الجميع إننا فريق صغير وغير مستعدين، الآن فزنا والآن يقول الناس إننا قادرون على المنافسة على الألقاب”.

اقرأ أيضًا .. ماريسكا مشيدًا ببرشلونة: فريق مذهل وعلينا اللعب بتوازن غدًا

وعن كول بالمر تابع الدولي الإسباني: ”بالتأكيد، نفتقد كول لبضع مباريات وقد لعب الفريق بمستوى جيد وفاز بمباريات مهمة، كول مهم جدًا لنا ونفتقده، نحن تشيلسي ولدينا العديد من اللاعبين ذوي الجودة وعلينا أن نؤدي بشكل جيد والأهم هو الفريق”.

وعن تعرض بالمر لكسر في إصبعه واصل كوكوريلا: “بصراحة، لا أصدق [يضحك] وهذه الأمور يمكن أن تحدث، إنها مفاجأة كبيرة لنا لأنه على وشك اللعب والتدريب معنا والآن يحتاج إلى الراحة، إنها جزء من كرة القدم”.

وقال: “ليس كافيًا الفوز بمباراتين ثم التراجع قليلًا، علينا أن نحافظ دائمًا على أفضل مستوياتنا إذا أردنا المنافسة على الألقاب الكبيرة”.

وعن مدرب تشيلسي، إنزو ماريسكا أضاف كوكوريلا: “هذا المدرب يحبذ الأفكار المختلفة، لدينا تشكيلات مختلفة ويجب علينا التكيف، أعتقد أن مركزي المفضل هو الظهير الأيسر لكنني سعيد باللعب في مركز متقدم والوصول إلى منطقة الجزاء، أنا سعيد بهذا، فالأداء يختلف من أسبوع لآخر”.

وعن موهبة تشيلسي، إستيفاو ويليان أوضح كوكوريلا في حديثه: “بالنسبة له لم تكن مباراة بالميراس ضد تشيلسي في كأس العالم للأندية سهلة، لأنه كان بحاجة إلى الركض كثيرًا وكنا نضغط عليهم، كان دائمًا يطلب الكرة وأتيحت له فرصة التسجيل، هو يلعب بابتسامة ويتمتع بطاقة منتعشة”.

وعن مواجهة نجم برشلونة، لامين يامال، اختتم كوكوريلا: ”من الصعب اللعب ضد مثل هؤلاء اللاعبين، لأنهم يمتلكون موهبة خاصة وجودة عالية، إنها ليست مباراة لامين يامال ضد كوكوريلا، إنها مباراة كبيرة ونحتاج لخوض مباراة كبيرة”.

Are Rangers heading in the right direction?

On Sunday, Danny Röhl’s perfect start to life in the Premiership continued, making it three league wins out of three, with goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore and then Djeidi Gassama downing Dundee at Dens.

Despite this, the Gers remain fourth in the table, level on points with Hibs, five points below fierce rivals Celtic and a whopping 12 adrift surprise leaders Hearts.

Goals though remain a problem for this team, having bagged only 15 in 11 Premiership outings to date, netting just 31 times in 24 fixtures across all competitions, with Sunday only the fourth time they’ve scored three or more in a match, despite doing so on 21 occasions last season.

Strikers Danilo, Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti continue to be, at best, inconsistent, but could Rangers’ youngster with “huge potential” solve this attacking issue?

Rangers' recent loan stars

While Rangers’ recent recruit has rightly come under scrutiny, with serious questions being asked of sporting director Kevin Thelwell, the club remain excellent in one particular area; identifying attackers on loan.

In the last four seasons, Rangers have signed a high-quality attacker on loan each time, as the table below documents.

52

18

9

39

16

2

43

12

5

13

3

Zero

As the table highlights, in each of the last four seasons, Rangers have brought in a high-class attacker on a season-long loan.

Amad is probably the outlier on this list, making little impact during his six months in Glasgow, albeit he’s since become a key figure for Rúben Amorim at Manchester United.

Since, Malik Tillman, Abdallah Sima and Václav Černý have all registered at least 17 combined goals and assists during one season at Ibrox, with the latter the most productive of the lot, starring during a season on loan from Wolfsburg, a major loss having joined Beşiktaş instead of returning this summer.

Now, could a current member of the Rangers squad keep the streak of outstanding attackers on loan going?

Rangers' latest loan star

Of course, the entire Rangers team has improved since Röhl replaced Russell Martin last month, an admittedly low bar, but the player who has thrived the most is Mikey Moore.

The teenager scored his first goal for the club at Dens on Sunday, doubling the Gers lead with this strike which flew into Jon McCracken’s bottom corner.

Even before opening his account, the Englishman had looked sharper since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.

Speaking during Sky Sports’ Coverage, Chris Sutton asserted that he is “flourishing” into his full potential under Röhl, while James McFadden notes that he is enjoying a lot more freedom with the German coach at the helm, forecasting that he will only continue to get better in the coming weeks.

When the 18-year-old arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in August, he did so with a massive reputation for someone who had only played 815 minutes at senior level.

Upon joining, then manager Martin praised his “huge potential”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelled him “the English Neymar”.

Despite his slow start to life at Ibrox, only two Rangers players, namely Gassama and Thelo Aasgard, have registered more successful dribbles on a per 90 basis in the Premiership, early signs that he is ready to make a significant impact.

As already alluded to, scoring goals is one of this team’s primary issues.

Across all competitions, only captain James Tavernier, Gassama, Danilo and youngster Findlay Curtis have bagged more than two goals thus far, with that strike against Dundee the first of Moore’s campaign.

Thus, there is a spot up for grabs for the 18-year-old to take responsibility and become a truly integral figure in this team’s attack, following in the footsteps of Sima, Tillman and Černý, the other high-class loan attackers who have come before.

Move over Moore: Rangers star proved why he's their "best player" vs Dundee

Rangers demolished Dundee 3-0 at Dens on Sunday and Danny Röhl’s “sensational” star was as key as Mikey Moore in this Scottish Premiership victory.

Nov 9, 2025

A Champions League-winning striker is “one to watch” for Rangers, as Danny Rohl plans for an exciting January transfer window at Ibrox.

Rohl fumes after woeful Rangers defeat

The Rohl era got off to a disappointing start on Thursday evening, with the Gers losing 3-0 away to Brann in the Europa League, as their appalling start to the season continues.

Speaking after the game, Rangers’ new manager was not amused with what he saw from his players, assessing the defeat and apologising to the fans.

“(At the end) I first apologised (to the fans) for this defeat and the performance. They’ve travelled a lot for the team and they’re always there. This club has a lot of passionate fans and they deserve this. It was very important for me to show that I understand them. I said as well to them I’m working very hard to improve this group of players and get results.

“It was a great welcome before the game. Then you hope you can give them straight away the three points and a good feeling. So this makes me sad that I couldn’t. That was the reason why I walked to them to give them the big respect that they deserve. This is my job. We have to understand our fans are very patient and you cannot expect that they are always happy with us when we have such a performance.”

Thursday’s loss was further proof that lots of added quality is required for Rangers, whether that be in January or next summer, and a high-profile name has been linked with a move to Ibrox, amid reports Andrew Cavenagh is set to back Rohl in January.

Rangers backed to sign Champions League winner

Speaking on Hotline Live [via Ibrox News], Daily Record journalist Daniel Caw talked up the idea of Rangers signing RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, due in part to his connection with new first team performance manager Sascha Lense.

Werner would be an eye-catching addition for Rangers, with the Leipzig ace winning the Champions League with Chelsea back in 2021, as well as scoring 24 goals in 57 for Germany.

Now 29, his very best days may be behind him, but that’s not to say he couldn’t be a potent weapon, with even the hard-to-please Roy Keane praising him in the past.

“He’s a nuisance to play against, isn’t he, Werner. There’s question marks about his end product and whatever, his final pass. But he does affect games, he is a threat.”

Fewer touches than Butland: Rohl must drop Rangers flop who won 0 duels

Danny Rohl must drop this Rangers flop who had fewer touches than Jack Butland.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 24, 2025

The Lense factor will hopefully come in handy for Rangers, and if they snapped up Werner in January, it would give Rohl an enormous boost midway through the season. Whether he wants to depart a top club in Leipzig is up for debate, though.