Colombia boss Nestor Lorenzo has downplayed injury concerns over Liverpool's Luis Diaz but revealed the national side will "take care of him."
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With just one defeat to their name all season, which came in controversial fashion against Tottenham Hotspur, it's fair to say that Liverpool are once again flying under Jurgen Klopp, who rebuilt his midfield during the summer transfer window. The Reds suffered the ultimate failure in pursuit of their goals in the last campaign, finishing outside of the Premier League's top four for the first time in a full season under Klopp.
It gave them a much needed wake-up call, however, with players such as Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Naby Keita shown the exit door in favour of Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister. Despite their improvement, one pundit has predicted that the Reds could suffer one major transfer blow to potentially bring their rebuild to a crashing halt.
Liverpool transfer news
At the start of the summer, those at Anfield may have been concerned by Liverpool's transfer tactic, as they stripped their midfield almost entirely, including club captain Henderson. Two months into the season, however, and any concerns have been shut down with Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Gravenberch and even surprise arrival Wataru Endo all getting off to impressive starts in Merseyside.
When the January window arrives, Klopp will hope to have similar success when it comes to incomings. The German may yet face an uphill battle to keep hold of one of his star players in January or next summer, though. Or at least that's what Gabriel Agbonlahor thinks, who told Football Insider that he believes Mohamed Salah will leave Liverpool for Saudi Arabia in 2024.
The former Premier League striker said: "I do see Mo Salah in Saudi Arabia, 100%. He’ll go out there and be the highest-paid player. I do see it happening in the summer. He’ll have a year left on his contract, and Liverpool will know it’s coming and have the chance to find a replacement. I don’t think it’s about money for Liverpool. They’ll get whatever they ask for. It’s inevitable at this point."
Liverpool must keep "phenomenal" Mohamed Salah
Even at 31, Salah remains arguably Liverpool's best player. There has been no sign of the Egyptian slowing down, either, having failed to contribute to a goal in just one appearance this season, which came against Spurs when his assist for Luis Diaz's strike was wrongfully disallowed in one of the most controversial moments of the season so far. Salah's stats even make a strong case that he could be Liverpool's greatest ever Premier League player.
Player
Premier League Goals For Liverpool
Mohamed Salah
145
Robbie Fowler
128
Steven Gerrard
120
Michael Owen
118
Sadio Mane
90
It's no surprise that Salah has received praise all throughout his time at Liverpool as a result of his consistent ability to break records. And that praise includes the words of former Red Emile Heskey, who told The Sport Review: “I think it was Arsene Wenger’s thing that you kind of limit their minutes at a certain age. But you kind of want him [Salah] to keep playing as many minutes as possible. He’s done fantastic, and to hit the targets that he has with 200 league goals, you’re talking about a winger doing phenomenal feats.”
TalkSPORT pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor has heaped praise on a reported West Ham United transfer target who they are apparently in pole position to sign.
Who could West Ham sign in January?
The winter transfer window is slowly approaching and manager David Moyes will see it as a prime opportunity to strengthen his Hammers ranks. There are currently a fair few players who look set to leave when their contracts expire next summer, a long list including the likes of Tomas Soucek, Pablo Fornals, Ben Johnson, Vladimir Coufal, Michail Antonio, Conor Coventry, Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski and Angelo Ogbonna (Transfermarkt).
Coufal, Antonio and Soucek's deals contain options for the club to extend by another year, but reports have suggested that the latter could still be sold in January if talks over a new and improved contract go nowhere (Football Insider). Elsewhere, it is rumoured that Fornals, Johnson and Coventry are set to leave in 2024; which could mean the east Londoners need to think about replacing them.
Amid doubts surrounding the futures of both Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma also, who are reportedly attracting big-money interest from Saudi Arabia, West Ham are believed to be eyeing up a new centre-half. Bayer Levekusen defender Edmond Tapsoba has been linked, while the Moyes could go back in for Man United defender Harry Maguire.
Harry Maguire transfer update
The England international, who has struggled under Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford this last year, has been linked with a move to the London Stadium yet again very recently. Indeed, a West Ham transfer update from Football Insider this week claimed that West Ham are in pole position to sign Maguire if he decides to leave in January.
Now, talkSPORT's Agbonlahor has heaped praise on the 30-year-old amid these reports, claiming he would be the "perfect" man-for-man replacement for Zouma. Commenting on the latter player's exit links, Agbonlahor told Football Insider:
“That’s one I can picture happening. I don’t know when, but I can see Kurt Zouma in Saudi Arabia. He will know players who are over there playing, and the money will be just so hard to turn down.
“He’s approaching his thirties now, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him make that move in the near future. West Ham, then, would probably have to go back in for Maguire. It would be the perfect man-for-man replacement.”
While the Englishman hasn't exactly been on top form lately, ten Hag did call him a "dictating" player earlier this year, all while praising Maguire's attitude and application in training.
Likes to play long balls
Indirect set-piece threat
"Definitely. I'm really happy with the progress that Harry is making in this moment," said Ten Hag to the media in March.
"He's more dominant and dictating, he's taking more initiative on the training pitch and I think also in the Real Betis game, he showed leadership, especially in those aspects of initiative and dictating of the game."
MatériaMais Notícias
Na noite da próxima quinta-feira (03), Goiás e São Paulo medem forças na Serrinha em duelo adiado da 1ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Enquanto o Tricolor pensa em vencer para ser líder isolado da competição, o clube de Goiânia, o lanterninha do campeonato, tenta os três pontos para respirar na tabela.
TABELA
>Confira a classificação do Campeonato Brasileiro
O São Paulo do técnico Fernando Diniz terá praticamente o elenco inteiro à disposição para conseguir o triunfo fora de casa. Os únicos desfalques são o zagueiro Walce e o meia Liziero, machucados.Lucas Perri, Paulinho, Toró e Igor Vinícius, que estava lesionados, devem ser relacionados e estarem à disposição da comissão técnica, mesma situação do atacante Rojas. Diego Costa volta de suspensão, mas Arboleda deve jogar, segundo o ‘GE’.
Já a equipe esmeraldina tem alguns problemas.O zagueiro David Duarte e o volante Miguel Figueira receberam o terceiro cartão amarelo e, suspensos, não pegam o São Paulo. Na zaga, Heron deve formar dupla com Fabio Sanches. No meio, há a dúvida entre Gustavo Blanco e Henrique Lordelo. Outros desfalques são o lateral-direito Taylon, machucado e o meia Shaylon, que pertence ao São Paulo.
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FICHA TÉCNICA
GOIÁS X SÃO PAULO
Local: Estádio da Serrinha, em Goiânia (GO)
Data e horário:03 de dezembro de 2020, às 19h (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Caio Max Augusto Vieira(RN)
Assistentes: Jean Marcio dos Santos(RN) e Vinicius Melo de Lima (RN)
VAR: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves Pinheiro (RN)
Onde acompanhar: Premiere e Tempo Real LANCE!
GOIÁS
Tadeu; Ratinho, Fabio Sanches, Iago Mendonça, Heron, Rodrigues; Ariel Cabral, Breno, Índio (Sandrinho); João Marcos (Keko), Fernandão. Técnico: Augusto César.
Desfalques: Taylon (lesionado), Shaylon (questão contratual)
Suspensos:David Duarte e Miguel Figueira
Pendurados:Fernandão, Heron, Vinicius Lopes, Caju, Ratinho e Luiz Gustavo
SÃO PAULO
Tiago Volpi; Juanfran, Bruno Alves, Arboleda (Diego Costa) e Reinaldo; Luan, Daniel Alves, Gabriel Sara e Igor Gomes; Luciano e Brenner. Técnico: Fernando Diniz.
Desfalques: Walce e Liziero (lesionados)
Suspensos: –
Pendurados: Daniel Alves, Gabriel Sara, Reinaldo, Léo, Igor Gomes, Vitor Bueno, Igor Vinicius, Tchê Tchê e Fernando Diniz
Volta de suspensão: Diego Costa
From a tearaway fast bowler to motor racing, Mitchell Johnson can’t quite free himself from his addiction for speed
ESPNcricinfo staff13-Sep-2018Mitchell Johnson made his name as a tearaway fast bowler in cricket, but he’s gearing up for a different kind of speed now. Having retired from all forms of cricket in August this year, the 36-year old former Australia quick is set to make his motor racing debut this weekend at the Barbagello Raceway in a Formula 1000 series event.”I’ve always loved my cars, I’ve always had that passion,” Johnson told the . “For me it’s that release – it’s not quite the same as what I got with cricket but it’s a great adrenaline rush for me to get my mind off things. You’re going pretty quick, you’ve got so many technical things to think about – when you’re going to turn into the corner, braking, feeling the car. It’s been a great process – I’m starting to really enjoy it.”Johnson took a liking to motorsport following a charity event, and since then he underwent a training and development programme with Arise Racing, an outfit based in Perth that helped prepare him for the race he’ll be a part of this weekend. For Johnson, though, it’s not too different from the thrill of fast bowling, whether he’s bounding into his delivery stride, or at the other end facing it.”I faced Shoaib Akhtar when I was playing for Queensland,” he said. “He’s got this massive run-up – the first ball, I was sort of shaking there. His first ball, hit for four, it was a full toss and I ran past and said ‘please don’t hit me’. It was almost the same as the first time I was driving out here.”Johnson had retired from all international cricket following a Test series against New Zealand in 2015, finishing as the third-highest wicket-taker among Australia fast bowlers in Test cricket. With 313 wickets in 73 Tests, he’s behind only Glenn McGrath (563 wickets) and Dennis Lillee (355). He was a crucial part of the devastating 5-0 Ashes whitewash Australia inflicted on England in 2013-14, when he took 37 wickets at a stellar average of 13.97 and was named Player of the Series.It seems like his days in the fast lane aren’t quite done yet.
Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered an agonising late defeat to Sheffield United over the weekend, despite equalising with just a few minutes to go.
Their Jekyll and Hyde campaign continues. So far this season, Wolves have defeated Manchester City and drawn with Newcastle United, yet they have lost to Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup and drew with Luton Town, ensuring that consistency is their biggest weakness at the moment.
With a clash against in-form Tottenham Hotspur coming up this weekend, Gary O’Neil must look to make a few changes to his starting XI if he has any ambitions of securing a vital win against Ange Postecoglou’s men.
This could mean a few players who were disappointing against Sheffield Utd drop to the bench – Matheus Cunha being one name who failed to perform well.
Matheus Cunha’s game vs Sheffield Utd in numbers
The Brazilian was deployed in a number ten role just behind main striker Sasa Kalajdzic as O’Neil was looking for him to have a strong impact.
The former Atletico Madrid gem struggled to really get involved much throughout his spell on the pitch, having just one shot on target while failing to make a key pass or register a goal contribution. It was hardly a surprise, therefore, to see Express & Star journalist Liam Keen lament his "no real goalscoring threat" post-match.
Cunha did attempt six dribbles during the encounter, yet he succeeded with only one while the player won just three of his nine ground duels contested, indicating that he struggled to impose himself with regard to one-on-one duels.
Matheus Cunha in numbers vs Sheffield Utd
Touches
60
Accurate Passes
28/40 (70%)
Expected Goals (xG)
0.05
Dribble Success
1/6
Duels Won
4/11
Possession Lost
22x
Fouled by an opponent
2x
Stats via Sofascore.
The 24-year-old was also rather sloppy on the ball, losing possession a grand total of 22 times, which was three more times than the second-highest player on the pitch, and it is evident change is needed against Spurs.
The players who could replace Matheus Cunha
Much will depend on the formation O’Neil goes with against the morth Londoners, but ditching Cunha could mean he operates with two players leading the line, and he has a few options to choose from.
Hee-chan Hwang could move into a more advanced role, and he has been on fire so far this term, scoring seven goals across just 12 games, grabbing two assists too, while it appears as though O’Neil has rejuvenated him following a poor season in 2022/23 where he only netted four times.
If Cunha does drop out of the starting XI against Spurs, the manager may also utilise Fabio Silva in the team, although he hasn’t been as prolific as the South Korean star this term.
Indeed, Silva has scored only once, yet he has started just three Premier League matches, averaging 35 minutes per game and perhaps a more regular run in the starting XI would boost his confidence.
O’Neil has a few options to choose from and with a little bit more luck, Wolves would be occupying a place much higher than the 14th position they currently find themselves in at the moment.
Cunha has been impressive this term – registering three goal involvements – yet his display against the Blades lacked any sort of attacking intent and O’Neil could certainly freshen up his team by dropping the £60k-per-week player to the bench and unleashing someone else in his place.
Aurelien Tchouameni refused to speak on Kylian Mbappe's proposed transfer to Real Madrid after France went down 2-0 against Germany.
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Tchouameni refused to comment on Mbappe transferFrance went down 2-0 against GermanyMbappe set to join Real Madrid in summerWHAT HAPPENED?
The Real Madrid midfielder claimed he doesn't "care" when asked about compatriot Mbappe's possible transfer to Los Blancos in the summer, after France's disappointing outing against Germany in an international friendly on Saturday. Mbappe is expected to join Real on a free transfer after his contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires on June 1.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Bayer Leverkusen attacker Florian Wirtz opened the scoring for Germany in the seventh second of the game before Kai Havertz doubled the lead in the second half to seal an important win for the Germans. Toni Kroos, who returned to international football for the first time since announcing his retirement in 2021, provided the assist for Wirtz's early strike.
WHAT AURELIEN TCHOUAMENI SAID
Speaking to after the game, Tchouameni said when quizzed on Mbappe's proposed switch to Real: "To be honest … Right now, at this time I don’t care. Let’s see what he’s gonna do. Right now he’s a player of PSG. We will see in the future what will happen."
On a disappointing show against Germany, the midfielder added to : "We were outclassed in every area of the game. We all have to do better! We couldn’t put our game plan in place. We came up against a great team. We need to do better, individually and collectively."
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FRANCE?
Didier Deschamps' side will be next seen in action on Tuesday as they take on Chile in a second friendly clash in Marseille.
Gary Ballance and Tom Kohler-Cadmore settled Yorkshire’s second innings after Lancashire had made inroads
Paul Edwards11-Sep-20181:55
Hampshire put Surrey on the brink of glory
ScorecardOptimism should carry a health warning in this Roses match. The importance of the game has eclipsed the fond regrets of September and lured supporters of each side into an evanescent belief that their county might, indeed, prevail.The perils of such confidence were made plain as Lancashire lost seven wickets for 93 runs in the first 40 overs of this day’s play before eventually gaining a first-innings advantage of 43. Then as if to mock their own supporters’ pleasure at what was a notable revival, Yorkshire surrendered three prime batsmen before the deficit had been cleared. But the final session brought some balm to the anxieties of home supporters as Gary Ballance and Tom Kohler-Cadmore put on an unbroken 100 runs with the calmest and most assured batting of the match.Yet a statistical skeleton cannot reflect the full fluctuations of this second day nor can it properly convey what is at stake in the game. Should Lancashire lose, they will need to win their last game at Hampshire and hope other results have not sealed their fate by then. Should Yorkshire lose, they will need to win one of their last two games, at home to Hampshire or away to Worcestershire; quite probably they will need to win both. “I’m surprised to see you here, again,” said a member in Headingley’s Long Room before play began. “Well, you’ve turned up, as well,” came the fair replyThe stoicism was unremarkable; the Long Room was crowded. And at least those who turned up on this bright morning had some reward for their loyalty, albeit one with a bitter edge. For five of the six wickets that fell in the first 30 overs of the day were taken by Jack Brooks, whose obvious value to Yorkshire’s attack made it all the more painful that he will be leaving the county in a few weeks’ time. Brooks, who was 34 in June, will be joining Somerset after accepting a three-year contract, twelve months more than was on offer at Headingley.Yorkshire’s morning had begun perfectly when Karl Brown was caught down the leg side by Jonny Tattersall off Ben Coad’s first ball of the day, but hopes that Lancashire’s lead would be kept below three figures were wreathed in caution before Brooks came on at the Kirkstall Lane End. His first wicket, though, was a filthy affair. Receiving a ball well wide off the off stump Steven Croft aimed an ugly slash and was well taken at second slip by Adam Lyth who clutched the ball to his stomach.As though encouraged by a piece of cricket from which only Lyth emerged with much credit, Brooks settled into his work. Liam Livingstone lost his off stump when playing crookedly at one which came back off the seam and that was the prelude to the trio of lbws which removed Dane Vilas, Alex Davies and Josh Bohannon. Each delivery tracked back and struck the pad in line with middle stump; each batsman failed to cover the movement and was sent on his way by David Millns.The morning, then, belonged to Yorkshire but also, to a degree, to Davies, a cricketer who seems inspired by adversity. Lancashire’s opener only scored 29 runs off 58 balls in the session but every shot, whether attacking or defensive, was a declaration of defiance. Just before lunch he was joined by Bohannon, a player who is cut from similar cloth but Brooks took care of them both in the space of five overs after the resumption and Lancashire were then 175 for 6.Suddenly visiting supporters, who are attending this game in good numbers, realised that they may not have the comfort of any first-innings lead at all, but those worries were allayed largely by Keshav Maharaj, who launched sixes into the Kirkstall Lane and White Rose stands before whacking a third over the boundary in front of the Long Room. Maharaj’s 38 off 26 balls gave Lancashire a far smaller advantage than they might have envisaged at the start of the day, but it seemed substantial enough when Jeet Raval, Adam Lyth and Harry Brook were removed by Tom Bailey and Graham Onions inside the first 13 overs of Yorkshire’s innings.Now there was more anxiety in the Long Room; now there were yet more fears of another collapse at just the wrong time in the season. The gradient of the game had shifted again and now it seemed Lancashire might be chasing a paltry total. But Kohler-Cadmore, who is in special form, joined Ballance and the pair defended capably against Onions and Bailey before taking a succession of boundaries off Lancashire’s support bowlers.Ballance reached his fifty off 107 balls just before the close and they day ended with Yorkshire in the ascendant. But no one is taking bets it will last. Some prayers will be answered and others seemingly ignored before this match is done with us.
كشفت تقارير صحفية سعودية النقاب عن موقف ثنائي فريق الكرة الأول بنادي مانشستر يونايتد من الانتقال إلى دوري روشن.
وكان البرتغالي برونو فرنانديز واليخاندرو، والأرجنتيني جارناتشو محط أنظار عدد من الأندية السعودية للتعاقد معهما خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.
وأكد “أندرو وارد” المتحدث الرسمي لنادي مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي، في تصريحات خاصة لصحيفة اليوم السعودية أنه لا مجال للتفريط في خدمات الثنائي.
طالع | كانتي في محادثات للعودة إلى الدوري الإنجليزي
وأوضح خلال تصريحاته أن برونو فرنانديز لاعب مهم بالنسبة لفريق مانشستر يونايتد، والنادي يخطط لاستمراره وعدم الرحيل عن النادي خلال الفترة المقبلة.
وأكدت التقارير أن مسؤول نادي مانشستر يونايتد شدد على أن جارناتشو يعد أحد الأسماء والركائز الأساسية للفريق، كما أنه ليس للبيع ومستمر في الموسم الجديد.
الجدير بالذكر، أن نادي القادسية السعودي الصاعد حديثًا لـ دوري روشن السعودي قد أعلن قبل ساعات عن ضم المهاجم الدولي أوباميانج قادمًا من نادي مارسيليا الفرنسي.
ScorecardLess than three years have passed since the domestic schedule was changed to avoid counties constantly switching between formats, but if this Sussex bowling effort was anything to go by then nothing could be easier than transitioning between T20 and a promotion charge.After a clinical quarter-final win at Chester-le-Street on Friday night, Chris Jordan, Jofra Archer and David Wiese slipped seamlessly back into four-day mode, bowling with control and discipline to dismiss Middlesex for 169 in helpful conditions.But adapting to the demands of red-ball cricket proved harder for the batsmen. Their recent victory over Derbyshire was a fast-scoring effort on a pitch that allowed them to continue their Blast aggression, but a gloomy final hour under the Lord’s lights saw them let slip the opportunity to make Middlesex pay for their underwhelming efforts with the bat.While Sussex’s short-form bowling attack often resembles the Harlem Globetrotters, such is the box-office nature of Tymal Mills’ raw pace and Rashid Khan’s spellbinding legspin, this was an old-fashioned demonstration of the merits of hitting a consistent line and length, as the four seamers shared ten wickets between them.Chris Jordan said: “It did a lot all day and in the morning when we took four wickets we could have taken even more. It swung, there was some seam movement as well and I thought our bowlers exploited the conditions really well.We were pleased with the score we restricted them to but we knew it would be tough for us as well, even though it was a shorter session after tea to bat. But we bat all the way down to 11 and we’re going to need every run.”In the morning session, Middlesex’s misfiring top order all threatened stoicism before falling cheaply, as Sam Robson, Stevie Eskinazi and Dawid Malan were all trapped lbw by inswingers, and Nick Gubbins’ loose drive saw him caught at second slip.It is easy to forget that Middlesex have won three of their last four Championship games, such is the mood around the club following another disastrous Blast season and the departure of Richard Scott, but those wins have relied on third and fourth-day fightbacks after poor starts.While every batsman except for Australians Adam Voges and George Bailey from the title-winning 2016 side is still on the club’s books, a collective failure to find the form of that campaign has led to something of a slump in the two years since. This was the fifth time in ten games this season that they have failed to secure a single first-innings batting point; only once have they passed 250 in their first innings.The one find since that year in batting terms has been Max Holden, whose unbeaten 50 was a gritty and determined innings from a man still learning his game. Two gift-wrapped cover drives stuck in the mind, but it was his dogged defence and patience at the crease that will provide the club with reason to believe he has a bright future.When he last played a first-class game on this ground, Jordan was England’s newest and most promising seamer in the 2014 Test against Sri Lanka, and while that reputation has changed considerably in the past four years, his mid-afternoon spell was a reminder of his ability as he found pronounced movement off the seam.First, Jordan ended Eoin Morgan’s torturous innings of 6, which spanned 78 balls and had the aesthetic value of a brutalist Eastern European tower block, before he bowled both Ollie Rayner and James Fuller to put Sussex firmly on top.If Sussex’s seamers were metronomic, Middlesex’s started with the rhythm of Theresa May dancing in front of a group of South African schoolchildren. They sprayed the new ball about on a pitch that rewarded discipline, but then dragged themselves back into the game as they found their groove in a final hour which changed the day’s complexion.The Sussex top three fell to aggressive strokes, before three late strikes – including Luke Wright, who ended up on the rough end of a harsh lbw decision – gave Middlesex hope of a manageable deficit if not a first-innings lead.It will take a much better day with both bat and ball for them to edge in front in this game, and a rekindling of the fighting spirit in their recent wins. But Sussex ended this day on top, and creeping ever closer to a promotion which few would claim to be undeserved.