Newcastle United have not started the 2023/24 Premier League campaign in the finest form but it is worth remembering that last term just two wins were picked up from the first eight games, and how did that season go again?

There has been a wealth of acquisition over the summer but the sunlight has not quite suffused across St. James' Park just yet, with three defeats after a 5-1 dismantling of Aston Villa in the season opener.

One of last year's staples, Joe Willock, has yet to feature since the summer break, with the absence of his dynamic, electric presence felt on Tyneside thus far.

What happened to Joe Willock?

Signed from Arsenal in a £25m deal in August 2021 – just months before the fortune-changing PIF club takeover – Willock has been an important member of Eddie Howe's outfit over the past 22 months, having played 64 matches under the former Bournemouth boss.

Prior to his permanent signing, Willock captured the awe of the masses on his initial loan, revelling in a swarm of goalscoring form and posting eight strikes from 14 matches since joining the Magpies in January – including a seven-match goalscoring streak to close the campaign.

Last season, the 24-year-old was the source of goals no longer, but utilising his energy and creativity from midfield, he served an important role for such a cohesive, high-octane side.

Willock ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 2% for progressive carries, the top 10% for successful take-ons and the top 7% for blocks per 90, as per FBref.

Unfortunately, the £80k-per-week gem sustained a hamstring injury in May after starting 31 top-flight fixtures, missing the final two games and yet to play this term.

Originally slated to make his return after the current international break, Willock has suffered a setback and Howe begrudgingly confirmed that he will not make his return until October at the earliest. As such, now might be an opportune moment for Elliot Anderson to stake his claim.

How good is Elliot Anderson?

Last year, Newcastle's midfield was the engine that just kept on purring. Monumentally achieving Champions League qualification with a top-four finish, the Toon are now one of the most exciting teams in the Premier League and will target European football season upon season.

However, given the trio of losses – against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion – the club will be desperate to secure victory over Brentford in the forthcoming Premier League match, and indeed craft a purple patch to propel them up into top-four contention.

The current central axis of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and £55m summer signing Sandro Tonali has not quite clicked yet, and that's not to say that it won't, but perhaps it's time for Howe to shake things up and make an alteration.

READ MORE: Why Newcastle should BENCH Bruno Guimaraes…

This could lead to a maiden start of the season for homegrown talent Anderson, who has been hailed for his "unbelievable" performances in pre-season by Toon captain Kieran Trippier.

Anderson withdrew from international duty with Scotland last week after picking up a knock in training but is hoping to be fit for the match against the Bees and the following Champions League tie against AC Milan.

Anderson plundered multiple goals and assists during Newcastle's summer preparations, with Howe personally noting the player's performances and suggesting he could receive a starting role sooner rather than later.

Elliot Anderson's Key Strengths (via WhoScored)
Through balls
Key passes
Finishing
Dribbling

The 20-year-old's listed attributes could prove to be the perfect solution to Willock's present absence, utilising a forward-surging tendency to add a dimension to the midfield, blending incisiveness with creativity.

Playing 22 times in the league last year, Anderson produced the assist for Anthony Gordon's goal against Chelsea on the final day of the season, and since he has featured across all four contests since the summer, Howe clearly holds this dynamo in high regard.

Now is the time to unleash Anderson from the opening whistle; a talented midfielder with a nice mix of quality and intensity, he could produce some performances to provide his manager with something of a selection conundrum going forward.

Manchester United will be hoping it’s a case of Deja Vue when they face Crystal Palace in the Premier League this afternoon as they delivered arguably their most comfortable performance of the campaign by prevailing 3-0 during their EFL Cup clash in midweek.

Erik ten Hag will be looking for just United’s fourth league win of the 2023/24 season, and they will need to make up ground sooner rather than later as Manchester City are already topping the table, nine points ahead of the Red Devils.

The Dutchman may make a few changes ahead of the tie in order to freshen up his starting XI.

What’s the Manchester United team news vs Crystal Palace?

Lisandro Martinez and Sergio Reguilon will be missing for the Old Trafford side this afternoon due to injury problems, yet Ten Hag has delivered some good news with regard to some players returning to the squad.

He said: "We have seen some players back on Tuesday, and tomorrow, back are the players who were out of the squad for Tuesday: Scott McTominay, Christian Eriksen. They are back.”

This may allow him to shuffle his midfield around a bit, yet there should be a change further up the field, with Rasmus Hojlund coming on for Anthony Martial to lead the line against the Eagles.

Will Rasmus Hojlund start for Manchester United vs Crystal Palace?

The £85k-per-week striker has made just five appearances since joining the club during the summer transfer window from Atalanta due to an injury problem, and he has scored once, against Bayern Munich in the Champions League.

The match today represents an opportunity for Ten Hag to unleash him from the first whistle in order to give him more game time and a chance to grab a goal or two in the process ahead of tougher tasks.

He has started twice in the Premier League so far, and while he hasn’t scored, the youngster has taken 1.3 shots per game while averaging 0.7 key passes per game, and he could certainly improve these statistics upon featuring more.

His display against Bayern was excellent, and it offered Ten Hag a glimpse into just what the Danish striker is capable of if he remains consistent.

Making his first start in the competition for the Red Devils, Hojlund received a Sofascore rating of 7.2 for his performance which included his first goal for the club while he also won 100% of his aerial duels, took two shots and lost possession just five times in what was a productive evening on a personal level, despite the 4-3 defeat.

Talent scout Jacek Kulig previously hailed the youngster as being a “monster in the making” after he scored five goals across his first two games for Denmark and if given the opportunity to lead the United frontline, he will go on to prove he is worth the hype.

The tie against Palace is an ideal chance for United to claim another three points and unleashing Hojlund would be a wise move by the Dutchman, that’s for sure.

قال أحمد دياب رئيس رابطة الأندية المصرية المحترفة، إن الرابطة تم انتخابها من 18 ناديًا، ولا يمكن أن يكون هناك خلاف مع أي فريق، مشيرًا إلى أن العلاقة مع الجميع على أفضل وجه، وذلك في تعقيبه على مطالب الزمالك وإعلانه عدم خوض أي مباراة في الدوري إلا بعد أن تلعب جميع الأندية المباريات المؤجلة من الدور الأول.

وأضاف دياب في تصريحات تدلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورت”: “علاقتي بـ حسين لبيب رئيس نادي الزمالك من أفضل العلاقات ومن قبل الكرة، القصة ليست خلافًا، ولكنها وجهة نظر عند نادي الزمالك، والرابطة تستمع لها وتنظر في أي منها ممكن أن يتم تنفيذها أو لا لصالح الـ 18 ناديًا”.

وتابع: “بيان الزمالك مؤدب جدًا ولا يوجد فيه خروج عن النص، أتفق فيه على بعض النقاط، وأختلف في نقطتين، أولًا المطلب بتحقيق عاجل في المخالفات التحكيمية، وهذا المطلب أتفق معه، ولكن هناك رئيس لجنة الحكام وعنده شكاوى الأندية، نادي فاركو توجه بشكوى أيضًا وما زال لم يرد عليه”.

وواصل: “رئيس لجنة الحكام لديه 15 شكوى من 15 ناديًا هذا الموسم، التحكيم يمر بموسم سيء، هذا اعتراف لم نعترف به أمس، بل كل الأندية اشتكت وتعاني، إذًا لدينا مشكلة في المنظومة التحكيمية، ولا بد أن نجلس معًا لإيجاد حل، وهي أن تكون المنظومة التحكيمية مختلفة”.

“الغي الدوري”.. بطولات يوضح تفاصيل اجتماع أحمد دياب مع مسوؤلي الزمالك قبل مباراة الأهلي

وأشار: “في نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، صدر بيان رسمي بأن التحكيم تسبب في تغيير النتيجة، ولم يرد عليهم أحد، هل سمعت في يوم عن إعادة مباراة بسبب خطأ تحكيمي؟ هذا لم يحدث، مارادونا جلب كأس العالم للأرجنتين بهدف بيده ولم يتم إعادة المباراة، الحل هو تغيير منظومة إدارة التحكيم، لان الأخطاء متكررة، طالما الأندية تشتكي إذًا يوجد شيء خاطئ”.

واستكمل: “المطلب الثاني للزمالك وهو رفض اللعب حتى تنتهي مباريات الدور الأول، نادي الزمالك لعب 15 مباراة من الدور الأول، و5 مباريات من الدور الثاني، توقيت البيان ليس مناسبًا لأنه بالفعل لعب 5 مباريات من الدور الثاني، واستلم الجدول من شهر فبراير، ومنشور على الموقع الرسمي للرابطة”.

واستطرد: “أكثر ناديين تم تأجيل مباريات لهما هما الزمالك والأهلي، بسبب المشاركات الإفريقية ومشاركة الأهلي في المونديال، والتأجيلات لصالح المنتخب الوطني، هذه المؤجلات ساهمت في فوز الناديين بالبطولتين الإفريقيتين، ولا توجد مباراة تم تأجيلها إلا بموجب اللائحة”.

واستأنف: “المؤجلات لعبت بترتيب القرعة التي أقيمت قبل بدء الدوري، ويلعب الزمالك والأهلي مؤجلاتهم في يوم واحد في ساعة واحدة، ويمكن الناس انتقدوا هذا الأمر، ولكن هذا هو السبب، اللعب بالترتيب العادل للمباريات ليكون هناك عدل وتكافؤ فرص، المؤجلات الآن للزمالك مباراتين من الدور الأول، و3 مباريات للأهلي”.

وتابع: “لكي ننهي الدور الأول أولًا كان لا بد أن تنتظر جميع الأندية حتى ينتهي الزمالك والأهلي من البطولات الإفريقية، نحن لسنا في خلاف، بل نشرح الموقف، كل الأندية تلعب الآن لأنها تعرف الوضع”.

وأكد: “هنا مبدأ تكافؤ الفرص موجود، يتم لعب المؤجلات وفقًا لترتيبها وتُلعب في مواعيد واحدة، فتوقيت بيان الزمالك غير مناسب، كان يمكن أن يصدره قبل أن يلعب 5 مباريات من الدور الثاني، خاصة وأنه لكي يتحقق مطلب الزمالك لا بد أن يظل 16 ناديًا في البيت أسبوعين، حتى تنتهي المؤجلات ثم يعودون ويلعبون وننهي الدوري في ديسمبر”.

وكشف: “قلت هذه الأمور في اجتماعي مع مجلس إدارة الزمالك، وفي الأول والآخر هما قطبين للكرة في مصر، قمة الكرة المصرية لا يجب أن تكون يوم حزين بعدم تواجد أحد القطبين، سنظل نسعى والأبواب مفتوحة، لكن يجب أن نقف عند المباديء حتى لا تتضرر باقي الأندية”.

وأتمم: “المطلب الثالث للزمالك الخاص بانتداب لجنة محايدة لإعادة تنظيم وترتيب مباريات الدوري، غير موافق عليه تمامًا، هل يصح أن نقول نريد لجنة خارجية تدير نادي الزمالك؟”.

أما عن إمكانية وجود مخرج لإنهاء الأزمة، قال دياب: “الباب مفتوح، جلسنا أمس وسنجلس مرة أخرى، أنا لا أتخيل عدم لعب مباراة القمة، الفكرة أن المجلس له طلبات، منها ما يُمكن تنفيذه ومنها ما هو مستحيل تنفيذه لأن مصلحة الكرة المصرية تتعارض مع تلك الطلبات، عندنا مرونة مع الـ18 ناديًا، وهذا دورنا، ننتظر غدًا ردًا جديدًا به مرونة من جانبنا”.

وشدد: “عدم ذهاب نادي الزمالك لمباراة القمة حدث سيء، ليس لنادي الزمالك فقط بل للكرة المصرية ويترتب عليه أشياء كثيرة، هذه المباراة لها معلنين ورعاة، غير الخسارة المعنوية للجماهير، وعدم لعب الأبيض للقاء سيتسبب في خسارة مادية للنادي، هذا لن يكون حل”.

وأوضح: “المباراة في موعدها يوم الثلاثاء وطاقم التحكيم سيذهب، ولو الزمالك لم يذهب سيتم خصم 3 نقاط واحتساب النتيجة 2-0 وغرامة مالية، واللائحة مع نادي الزمالك وبالتأكيد يعرفونها”.

وأضاف: “أما عن تصريح ثروت سويلم فكان غير مقصود، واعتذر، وأي مسؤول في العمل العام وارد أن يُجانبه التوفيق في بعض التصريحات، ومنذ سنوات عديدة والأندية تشتكي من الضغط ومشاكل الدوري، ونحن ننادي منذ فترة بضرورة لعب موسم استثنائي”.

واختتم: “لا أعتقد أن نصل لمرحلة استمرار الزمالك على موقفه بعدم خوض مباراة القمة وإذا وصلنا لهذا الأمر سندعو الجمعية العمومية لـ 18 ناد ونجلس ونتناقش”.

Aston Villa are continuing to be proactive in the transfer market looking ahead to 2024, and boss Unai Emery is now keen to reignite his interest in an experienced defender he failed to sign this summer, according to reports.

Aston Villa international break news…

In conversation with GIVEMESPORT, journalist Dean Jones believes that Youri Tielemans will be frustrated with his lack of game time at Villa Park this campaign, stating: "Villa are having a good season so far, and it's impacting him personally. It's frustrating for him, with the Euros coming up at the end of this season. If you were looking from an outside point of view, and you look at what's happened to Tielemans’ career over the past couple of seasons, you might say it's going backwards because of his game time and the influence he's having over games."

Last weekend, Aston Villa recorded a point on the road away to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux in a 1-1 stalemate, and pundit Alan Shearer has claimed on Match of the Day 2 via Birmingham Live that the Villans should've had a penalty for Matt Doherty's challenge on Ollie Watkins.

Shearer explained: "If he doesn't shove him, he's getting a clear shot at goal. Clearly he shoves him, enough for him to be off balance there. That's why he misses the target as he does. For me, that should have been a penalty."

Of course, the big recent news coming out of Aston Villa is that striker Watkins has signed a new contract at Villa Park that will tie him to the West Midlands-based side until the summer of 2028.

Speaking to the Villans' official website, Watkins signalled that he is excited to be part of future plans at the club, as he said: "I’m really happy. I feel like this is the best place for me to play my football; I’ve still got a lot to achieve here. I feel like I’ve had a really good connection with the fans since I’ve come here. From day one they’ve been really good with me; we’ve had highs and lows but that’s football. You can see the direction of the club, and I want to be a part of that."

Aston Villa transfer news – Marcos Acuna

According to a recent transfer update on Sevilla's Marcos Acuna, Aston Villa are keen to reignite their pursuit of the Argentinian full-back and are inclined to try again to bring him to Villa Park in January.

The report doesn't specify the type of fee it would take to acquire Acuna; however, Aston Villa boss Emery is familiar with his presence from his time in La Liga and could now enact an ambitious swoop after coming close to securing his services in the summer transfer window, with Sevilla willing to part ways with the veteran defender in the New Year.

Acuna, who was labelled a "top defender" by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, has made 135 appearances for Sevilla across all competitions, registering five goals and 13 assists (Acuna's statistics – Transfermarkt).

Now, it seems like Aston Villa boss Emery is determined to try and tempt Acuna to swap the sunny shores of Andalusia for a shot at the English top flight.

Meanwhile, Titan Law, the firm that represents the Zimbabwe players, says it has resurrected the players’ association that was disbanded in 2015

Firdose Moonda15-Jun-2018Zimbabwe Cricket have undertaken to pay all outstanding salaries of players by July 25, a month after the players’ deadline.The players threatened to “review their availability for selection” if their initial deadline wasn’t met, which threatens to derail next month’s T20 triangular series involving Australia and Pakistan. The series is slated to be held between June 28 to July 8 in Bulawayo and Harare.In a letter addressed to the players, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, newly-appointed ZC consultant Vince van der Bijl has reiterated the board’s commitment to “pay all outstanding monies up to your June salary by 25 July and July salary by end of July.”The letter also states the timeline is “conservative” and that ZC are “hopeful” of making payments sooner. The board is also hopeful of paying the Sri Lanka tour fees by end of June. ZC is expected to receive their next payout from the ICC in July.Despite the assurances, ESPNcricinfo has learnt that a section of the players are unhappy with the proposed plans and consider it to be “unacceptable”.In a separate statement, Titan Law, the firm that represents the Zimbabwe players, confirmed that they had resurrected the players’ association that was disbanded in 2015. The body formed on June 1 is likely to seek affiliation from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA).

MatériaMais Notícias

Após uma péssima fase com Argel Fucks, a diretoria do CSA apostou no jovem Mozart. Sem a badalação de grandes técnicos do cenário nacional, o comandante tinha a missão de tirar o time das últimas colocações e surpreendeu.

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Com um estilo ofensivo e principalmente intenso, o CSA cresceu dentro de campo e começou a galgar novas posições. Atualmente, o time é o 6º colocado.

Ataque

Um dos motivos para o crescimento na tabela é o desempenho ofensivo dentro de casa. Nos cinco jogos que Mozart foi técnico, o Azulão venceu todos e por três vezes com larga vantagem de gols.

No total, o sistema ofensivo marcou 14 gols. Mesmo com o estilo ‘faminto’, a marcação do Azulão foi bem e sofreu apenas três gols. Sendo que o time passou três partidas sem ser vazado.

Confira os resultados:
CSA 3 x 2 Juventude
CSA 3 x 0 Figueirense
CSA 4 x 0 Paraná
CSA 1 x 0 Botafogo
CSA 3 x 1 Náutico

Glasgow Rangers parted company with manager Michael Beale on Sunday evening following yet another poor start to a season.

The Ibrox side already find themselves seven points behind Celtic in the Premiership while also failing to qualify for the Champions League group stages.

Along with having no clear identity or playing style, all these factors played a role in the 43-year-old being sacked, and the hunt is on for a new boss.

Steven Davis has been put in interim charge ahead of the tie against Cypriot side Aris Limassol on Thursday and there could be various changes to the starting XI that lost against Aberdeen last weekend.

What’s the Rangers team news vs Aris?

During the woeful defeat to Aberdeen, both Ridvan Yilmaz and Ryan Jack were substituted due to injury problems, and they become the eighth and nine players to join the growing list of players unavailable.

They join the likes of Todd Cantwell, Tom Lawrence and Danilo, who have all missed the last couple of games.

The £12k-per-week Scottish midfielder will be a notable absentee from the Europa League tie as he has been solid in the heart of the midfield recently alongside John Lundstram and Jose Cifuentes and this is a potential blow from which Davis will have to navigate.

Could he perhaps turn to a young player in order to step up and replace Jack in the starting XI? Youngster Bailey Rice could well be one candidate having already made a first team appearance this term.

Who is Bailey Rice?

The 16-year-old is one of the most promising talents in the Ibrox academy at this current moment in time and the player made history during the 2022/23 season for the club.

After joining from Motherwell in the summer of 2022, Rice went on to be impressive for the B team during his first full season at Ibrox, making 21 appearances while chipping in with three goal contributions – two goals and an assist – and this led Beale to name him on the bench for a match against Livingston earlier this year.

The teenage starlet joined the fray with just a few minutes to go, however, he became the youngest ever player to feature in a league match for the Gers, beating the previous record by 14 days, and it certainly showed just how much faith the management team had in Rice.

Although Beale may have departed, Davis will know all about his strengths having trained with him on numerous occasions and there is no doubt he could slot into the void left by Jack.

With 22 caps for the Scotland U17 side, he has plenty of experience on an international level and a tie in Europe could be the perfect place for him to shine and demonstrate his talents.

Lauded as a “prospect” by writer Mark Hendry in January 2022 as clubs were lining up to pinch him from the Steelmen, Rice has everything it takes to forge a way into the senior side and become an integral part of the first team setup over the coming years.

A new era will begin on Thursday, and this could see several youngsters get their chance to show exactly what they are capable of.

Southampton are well-known for churning out talent from their academy setup and selling them on for huge profits in the future.

James Ward-Prowse is the most recent of those to have demonstrated the quality being produced from the Saints' academy having followed in the footsteps of the likes of Luke Shaw, Theo Walcott and five-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid, Gareth Bale.

While the relentless production of talent coming from their academy is impressive – as emphasised this season through 17-year-old Samuel Amo-Ameyaw being rewarded with a chance in the first team – Southampton have also become renowned for signing young players at comparatively small fees and nurturing their development before selling at a significant profit.

The most blatant example of that fact was their £13m acquisition of Virgil van Dijk from Celtic in 2015 with the Dutchman quickly rising to prominence as one of the best defenders in the league, as the Saints pocketed a hefty £75m from Liverpool two and a half years later.

In 2022, Ralph Hasenhuttl unearthed a gem from Manchester City as Romeo Lavia joined the club for £10.5m and although the South Coast club were relegated from the Premier League, Lavia's impressive performances earned him a £58m move to Chelsea this summer, making them a cool £48m on their investment.

Southampton are experts when it comes to signing young players for a cheap and turning a huge profit, but have buckled under the pressure of spending big money on more experienced talents, wasting millions on Dani Osvaldo, who demonstrated that the Saints haven't always been smart with their business.

How much did Southampton pay for Dani Osvaldo?

During Mauricio Pochettino's tenure at the club, the Argentine was in desperate need of a striker to help them become more ruthless in front of goal and after managing him at Espanyol, where he chalked up 20 goals in 45 appearances, Pochettino decided to break the bank to lure Osvaldo to the Premier League.

Joining from Roma for a club record fee of £15m in 2013, the Italian promised to live up to the price tag having amassed an eye-watering 34 goal contributions in 55 appearances in the Serie A.

Despite his impressive rate of scoring, Roma's coach at the time, Rudi Garcia, questioned Osvaldo's attitude during a friendly with Turkish side Bursaspor in 2013, stating that the 27-year-old's behaviour would cause serious problems unless he changed his attitude.

He said: “He is a great striker, but his personality is a serious issue.

“[For instance], in my opinion, he shouldn’t have reacted to the fans’ jeers, although I do understand it’s hard not to do when you’re being insulted."

In that one moment, warning signs were thrown towards Southampton, but they chose to ignore them. Indeed, Pochettino thought his attitude wouldn't get in the way of his performances, and it turned out he was wrong.

What happened to Dani Osvaldo next?

As a club record signing, a lot is expected, especially as a striker. Supporters were expecting Osvaldo to become their next heroic goalscorer, following in the footsteps of Rickie Lambert, but how his Southampton career unravelled instead left supporters pulling their hair out.

In 13 appearances for the club in the 2013/14 campaign, Osvaldo's only moment of brilliance came against Manchester City, as his superbly curled effort helped the Saints to a point against the eventual champions.

"From now on I can show how much I can do, and how well I can perform,” the Italian said, after scoring his third – and last – Southampton goal.

Although he offered words of encouragement to supporters, he failed to kick on from there, headbutting Jose Fonte in training, an incident that ultimately ended his career in England.

Osvaldo spent just 166 days at the club before he was shipped out of the club to Juventus on loan, failing to impress at the Old Lady before Southampton released him in 2015 after he'd bled the club dry of £25m, including fees and wages, across two years.

After retiring at 30-years-old in 2016, the Italian outlined his hatred towards football in an interview with Fox Sports, saying: “Football was not happy, it is a world full of ****." You can imagine the ending of that.

As far as record signings go, Osvaldo will go down as one of the worst in Premier League history.

Newcastle United's squad is built on tremendous new signings under the PIF ownership and the management of Eddie Howe, but that's not to say that there weren't a few diamonds in amongst the rubble in the days preceding the new era.

The Premier League side have certainly been bolstered by the lucrative takeover and would not have risen from their lowly position with half as much vigour had the newly-appointed Howe been unable to make impactful acquisitions in January 2022.

But the diligence and astuteness of the business has been nothing short of remarkable, with some free-spending outfits left scratching their heads and wondering just how this dream formula has passed them by.

Joelinton is probably the prime example, having been converted from a profligate striker to a brutish midfield engine, paramount to the club's success.

But he's by no means the only one, and one player who has been out of the headlines this season in Joe Willock has arguably had just as profound an impact on United's endeavours over the past few years.

Why did Newcastle sign Joe Willock?

Newcastle completed the loan signing of Willock from Arsenal in January 2021, having scored eight goals from just 14 appearances and netting in seven successive matches.

It's fair to say he impressed during that stint, and consequently earned a £25m move to St. James' Park with Arsenal unable to give him assurances regarding the regularity of his minutes on the pitch, and he has since worked his way into one of Europe's most exciting projects.

He has never quite recovered the incredible rate of scoring, but this matters not for a player who has been moulded into one of the most robust and dynamic midfielders in the Premier League.

How good is Joe Willock?

Having joined Newcastle on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021, Willock has yet to rekindle the level of prolific brilliance that captured the awe of the Tyneside masses upon his initial arrival.

That is not, however, to say that he enjoyed an early purple patch and has since languished, far from it; now 24-years-old, the former Gunner has been utilised in a thriving midfield pivot primarily consisting of Brazilian's Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton, with Sean Longstaff and Willock both bringing energy and positivity to the centre.

It was partly why the Magpies flew so high last season, with Howe even going as far as to label him "pivotal" to the system, completing 85% of his passes in the league last term, creating 12 big chances and tacking 1.5 shots and making 1.7 tackles per outing.

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

22/23

43

3

6

21/22

31

2

0

20/21 (NUFC)

14

8

0

20/21 (AFC)

11

3

3

19/20

42

3

1

18/19

6

3

0

Sourced via Transfermarkt

This season, Willock is still awaiting his maiden appearance, having sustained a hamstring injury in the closing weeks of the Premier League campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion, since aggravating the issue and leading the Daily Mail's Craig Hope to begrudgingly confirm his continuing absence last month.

The £80k-per-week phenom offers energy and intensity in the same way as Longstaff, but offers a far more dynamic and creative threat, which makes him a very singular kind of midfield threat, boasting an array of methods to wreak devastation on the opposition and just as tenacious in his defensive application.

Indeed, as per FBref, the 5 foot 10 gem ranks among the top 19% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 12% for assists, the top 3% for progressive carries, the top 8% for successful take-ons, the top 1% for touches in the attacking box and the top 7% for blocks per 90.

Such metrics instantly spring one Jude Bellingham, aged just 20, to mind, with the prodigious England international boasting a remarkable semblance in playing style to Newcastle's dynamo.

The "generational" starlet, as he has been dubbed by journalist Raphael Honigstein, moved from Borussia Dortmund to Real Madrid for an initial £88.5m in the summer, and has obliterated expectations with ten goals and three assists from his opening ten games – a better start to life with Los Blancos than Cristiano Ronaldo.

Bellingham, believed to be on £347k-per-week, ranks among the top 1% of positional peers for goals, the top 17% for assists, the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for progressive carries, the top 1% for successful take-ons and touches in the attacking box and the top 5% for blocks per 90.

Now, of course, Willock is not on Bellingham's level at present – quite candidly, is anyone? But Newcastle's exciting ace is considered the most comparable player, via FBref, to his precocious countryman and offers similar skills, and given his "limitless" potential, as claimed by writer Simon Collings, he too could start to strut his stuff with stunning style once back on the grass.

#1 Joe Willock (Newcastle)

#2 Conor Gallagher (Chelsea)

#3 Fede Valverde (Real Madrid)

#4 Harvey Elliott (Liverpool)

#5 Lovro Majer (Wolfsburg)

The one-time Birmingham City youth has captured the awe with his unbelievably clinical start to life in Spain, described as "so special" by Real manager Carlo Ancelotti, who urged people to remember that goals are not everything and his game stretches far, far wider.

Willock too has underscored his goalscoring credentials with a destructive start to life on Tyneside, and upon his comeback, perhaps with Sandro Tonali deployed deeper next to Guimaraes, this could be realised once again.

Journalist Daniel Wales corroborates such a notion, claiming that Willock is both similar to Bellingham last season and is deserving of a place in Gareth Southgate's England squad alongside him.

He said: "I saw a stat yesterday, it showed players that are similar to Jude Bellingham and I think it was Gavi and Pedri were the top two.

"And then Joe Willock was third after those, if I remember rightly, showing that he is certainly capable of, perhaps not exactly emulating the ability of Jude Bellingham – we know how good he is for his age as well – but certainly producing performances good enough to get him in the England squad with that sort of ability that Joe Willock is showing week-in, week-out."

Again, Willock is not Bellingham, and to claim he is the second coming is simply untrue but given his proven goalscoring ability and all-encompassing, energetic midfield game, the Toon talent could prove to make a resounding return to Howe's squad soon.

Perhaps even orchestrating a run of form so great that the Magpies soar into heights unseen at St. James' Park for many, many years.

Big Picture

The ease with which Afghanistan won the series opener on Sunday should set some alarm bells ringing in the Bangladesh camp. Just like that, it’s back to a do-or-die situation as the teams prepare for the second T20I on Tuesday.Bangladesh’s fast bowlers seemed out of their depth, and were somewhat carried along by Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, who delivered timely wickets. Shakib chose to not bowl his spinners (himself included) in the last four overs, a mistake in hindsight. With Abu Javed and Abul Hasan looking far from settled in the international arena just yet, it was unusual to give them such a big responsibility of the death overs. They paid the price for it on Sunday, as Afghanistan scored 71 off the last five.Not all is lost yet, though, for Bangladesh. Their top and middle order is accomplished and experienced enough to fight back, but key to how they fare will be their plans against Afghanistan’s trump cards: Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.Not everything is rosy for Afghanistan. They frittered away a solid start with the bat, stuttered briefly but were helped by the strength of their lower order. Can they fire in unison?One thing is for sure: after Sunday, Afghanistan will be supremely confident of defending anything over 150.

Form guide

Afghanistan: WWWLL (last five matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: LLWLW

In the spotlight

In his last innings prior to this series, Shafiqullah made an unbeaten 89-ball 200 in a first-class match, with 11 fours and 22 sixes. On Sunday, his eight-ball 24 gave Afghanistan rapid runs in the end overs to help them wrest momentum at the halfway mark. This much is sure: he is a big hitter and is perhaps unlucky at not being picked in the Test squad. Tuesday is another opportunity to leave an imprint.So much has been talked of Mahmudullah the finisher these days. He proved it in the Nidahas Trophy in March and has done it regularly in the Bangladesh Premier League. Along with Shakib, he’s a key all-round force in Bangladesh’s T20 side. In the first T20I, he even picked up two wickets in his only over. That said, the team management will still prefer important contributions with the bat from him. Can he deliver to keep the series alive?

Team news

Barring injuries, it is hard to see Afghanistan change a winning combination, even though they have some multi-skilled players like Najeeb Tarakai or Gulbadin Naib in the reserves.Afghanistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Usman Ghani, 3 Asghar Stanikzai (capt), 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Samiullah Shenwari, 7 Shafiqullah, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Karim Janat, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Shapoor ZadranIf Bangladesh do end up pressing the panic button, there’s a good chance they’ll slot in Soumya Sarkar in place of Mosaddek Hossain. The Dehradun surface – slow and low – could mean some match time for offspinning allrounder Mehidy Hasan.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Sabbir Rahman, 7 Soumya Sarkar/Mosaddek Hossain 8 Mehidy Hasan/Abul Hasan, 9 Abu Jayed, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Nazmul Islam

Pitch and conditions

The spinners thrived in the series opener. It’s hard to see how that will change. However, there are light showers forecast for the evening.

Stats and Trivia

• Tamim Iqbal’s first-ball dismissal on Sunday was the first time Bangladesh lost a wicket off the first ball in a T20I.
• Afghanistan are a win away from recording their fourth bilateral T20I series win over a Test-playing nation. All three of these till date have come against Zimbabwe.