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As the international break arrives, Everton have reportedly turned their attention towards the future and landing not one but two young stars from Scotland in a double swoop.

Everton transfer news

The Toffees will welcome the international break with open arms having gone three games without victory in the Premier League after the ultimate stalemate against West Ham United. It had looked as though they finally turned a corner under Sean Dyche but recent results suggest that they’re far from out of trouble just yet, making further reinforcements all the more important.

On the transfer front, names such as Bright Osayi-Samuel and Tariq Lamptey have already been linked with a move to Goodison Park as The Friedkin Group look to make an instant impact on arrival.

Lamptey would be a particularly interesting deal. Once the next talented right-back coming through English football, Lamptey struggles to break into the Brighton & Hove Albion side these days, leaving the door ajar for an exit in 2025. In pursuit of rediscovering his form through game time, Goodison Park could be an ideal location. It’s not just current stars that the Toffees are targeting, however.

According to Pete O’Rourke of Football Insider, Everton are now plotting a double swoop to sign Cole and Dylan Williams from Scottish side Airdrie after sending scouts to watch the twins in action.

Revealed: When Everton's takeover could be completed

The news comes after a sale has been agreed with the Premier League.

1

By
Ben Browning

Nov 13, 2024

Two players for the future at just 16 years old, Everton’s focus on youth should benefit them in the long term, especially as they aim to push beyond relegation scraps and gradually back towards the top half where they belong. Already named on the bench for Scottish Championship side Airdrie, the Williams twins are certainly ones to watch.

Williams twins are ones for the future

There’s plenty of famous siblings in football – be it Gary and Phil Neville or more recently Inaki and Nico Williams – and now the Williams twins may well follow in suit should they complete a move to Everton. Both midfielders, their own dream will undoubtedly be to form a partnership at the heart of a top flight side, which Everton could pave the way for.

Still incredibly young players, they will have it all to think about if the Toffees come calling. A place in the academy would likely await, of course, before a path towards the first team is formed. With Crystal Palace also reportedly interested, however, the twins could yet deal those in Merseyside the ultimate blow.

Whether it would be a good time to be joining Everton remains to be seen. When Dan Friedkin arrives, the hope will be that one of England’s oldest clubs finally climb away from relegation concerns and become a go-to side for young players once again. As things stand, however, a move to Goodison Park is one with far too many risks for one young player to complete, let alone two already making their way in senior football.

Azhar Ali’s early steps in captaincy will be analysed extensively but he needs time to step out of the large shadows of Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi

Mohammad Isam20-Apr-2015On Monday afternoon, Shahid Afridi arrived in Dhaka along with three other members of Pakistan’s T20 squad. When he reached the reception of his hotel two hours later, he was engulfed by a crowd of journalists, photographers, cameramen, fans and security persons.Afridi spoke briefly to the reporters before being whisked away to his room. “This is a young team,” he said. “It takes time to get everything right. You have to give them time.”Pakistan’s ODI players have been in Bangladesh for a week already, but none of them have attracted this sort of fan and media attention. Given that they’ve just lost a series to Bangladesh for the first time, it’s fair to call this Pakistan ODI outfit the weakest they have sent to these shores. And possibly the most anonymous too, given the retirements of Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq from the 50-over format.But they haven’t gone away completely. Afridi is the T20 captain. Misbah, the Test captain, will arrive with Pakistan’s other long-form specialists on the day of the third ODI. Azhar Ali, the new ODI captain, will welcome their presence in the dressing room, but it will be another reminder of the shadows he seeks to emerge out of.After Pakistan’s loss in the second ODI, Azhar was asked about the pressures of taking over from Misbah.”He was a terrific ambassador for Pakistan and he led exceptionally well,” Azhar said. “I played with him a lot, definitely taking over [from] him is not easy; the way he led Pakistan for 4-5 years. It has been a long time. When the time goes, things will settle down. When the team starts performing, it gets easier. I am very hopeful that in the near future we will be a very, very good team.”Azhar has plenty on his plate as it is – managing the team’s transition; injury worries within the squad; the weakening of Pakistan’s historical dominance over Bangladesh; and last but not least his own place in the ODI team, to which he has returned after nearly two years out – and his way of dealing with them, so far, has been to try and be in the thick of things.He rushed in from his position behind the bowler, mid-on or mid-off, after nearly every delivery, and often walked his bowlers back to their mark. He was there for a pat on the back at the end of the over or to consult with the bowler if he wanted to review a caught-behind or leg-before decision. The first time he asked for a review in his captaincy tenure, he overshot the 15-second stipulation.Every time the ball went to the boundary, the camera panned to Azhar, and on most occasions he showed enough self-awareness to keep his expression inscrutable. In both matches he held his own with the bat, latching on to every short ball and giving them a fair clump.Still, every time Pakistan fell in trouble, the mind traveled to a time, not too long ago, when they would be bailed out by a few Afridi thumps or smoothened by Misbah’s batting or captaincy. Bangladesh has been at the receiving end of both. On Friday when Pakistan were chasing 330, it was hard not to think of Afridi’s 25-ball 59 at the same ground last year, in a similar-sized chase that Pakistan pulled off.In 2011 it was a Misbah-Umar Akmal partnership that bailed Pakistan out of a rut in Chittagong. The following year it was Misbah’s calmness as captain that helped Pakistan clinch the Asia Cup against a Bangladesh side that fought tooth and nail in the final.Misbah was Pakistan’s ODI captain from May 2011 to the end of this year’s World Cup. He led in 87 matches and Pakistan won 45 of them. He made 27 of his 42 fifties as captain.Overall, Misbah’s was a moderately successful record on paper but his leadership was of the sort that will be talked about for years to come. Azhar’s infancy as a leader will be chewed over, and whether or not it is fair to him will not matter in this day and age of instant gratification. As he has said a number of times already, this young Pakistan team needs time. He will need that time too.

After two whirlwind fixtures, New Zealand’s batting line up would benefit from a calmer workout with Ross Taylor the most in need of a substantial score before the quarter-finals

Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-2015The uneven schedule of the World Cup is far from ideal, with gaps of longer than a week between some team’s matches, but on balance it’s probably a good job New Zealand have some time off before their next outing against Afghanistan. After Saturday at Eden Park everyone needs a moment to catch their breath and, in Brendon McCullum’s case, shake off the bruises.As the emotion subsides from that incredible day – courtesy of Trent Boult and Mitchell Starc a much shorter day than it might have been – it will also be worthwhile for some calm assessment of the “learnings”, as Mike Hesson termed them, which can be taken from New Zealand’s heart-stopping run chase.It’s plainly clear that their bowling is in fine fettle and it may seem churlish to try to find weakness in a campaign that is now four wins from four, swept along on a wave of emotion that hit new levels on Saturday. But it is often wise to be critical from a position of strength.Before the match against Australia (and, for that matter, England although that is now appearing a gross over estimation) it was billed as the true test of where this New Zealand side had progressed to, especially with their batting line-up. The England game proved little – except how far McCullum could hit a ball – and for a period the Australia contest appeared to be heading in the same direction.But then the collapse set in. Firstly a wobble as McCullum, Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott fell in the space of one run before the more eye-popping demise from 131 for 4 that almost cost them the game.Before going further it should be restated how outstanding Starc’s spell was – one of the great white-ball bursts, as was Boult’s a few hours earlier. Still, some techniques were also left wanting, as Michael Clarke made plainly obvious with his comments about Australia’s performance. Hesson was a little subtler about the challenges of facing swing. “It’s something we’re going to have to be a little bit better prepared for next time,” he said.Adam Milne and Tim Southee can be excused for their swift departures to Starc, but Elliott was not in the same postcode when he faced the first ball after the interval, while Taylor did not give himself the best chance by playing across the line. The zing bails never threatened to stay in their grooves and will have needed recharging.

After the frenetic pace of the outings since then, a performance closer to their first outing in one of their two remaining matches would serve New Zealand well.

Taylor’s form is shaping as the key concern for New Zealand. His World Cup hasn’t started yet. A scratchy innings against Sri Lanka, a slog against Scotland, a brief not out against England and then 1 off two deliveries against Australia.He entered the tournament with some strong numbers under his belt – 96 against Sri Lanka then unbeaten scores of 59 and 102 against Pakistan – so it is far from a crisis, especially for a player who averages 41.18 in ODIs, but the way New Zealand structure their innings, with early aggression the order of the day, makes the role of Nos. 3 and 4 even more vital.Kane Williamson is ticking along beautifully, but he can’t be expected to shoulder all the burden of travelling in the slipstream of McCullum. Martin Guptill’s frustrating knack of progressing smoothly but not converting means, as against Australia, a blistering start can soon become something less secure.There remains a school of thought that McCullum should rein himself in rather than blazing on regardless but New Zealand have built their team to allow him that freedom. His numbers in 2015 – an average of 40.58 and a strike-rate of 142.39 – shows he is marrying two elements and in the last three World Cup matches the success of his attack has allowed him a free approach. They are also a vast improvement on 2014 when he averaged 20.33. But that does not mean that the prospect of him at the crease for closer to 30 overs rather than 10 is not a tantalising one (unless you are a bowler).The structure of New Zealand’s fixtures could help them, even if the lengthy gaps provide a little too much downtime. They now have matches against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, both capable of making life tricky for batsmen but also offering the chance – on two traditionally flat surfaces in Napier and Hamilton – to build substantial innings ahead of the quarter-final, perhaps against South Africa, in Wellington.The form of the bowling attack will make it very tempting for McCullum to stick the opposition in and aim for further quick victories but there is also value in considering allowing his batsmen to set a target – providing them the chance to bat 50 overs and reacquainting them with the skills of having to deduce a target to set rather than hunt one down with insatiable haste.Of course, that decision could be made for McCullum, as it was in the opening match of the tournament when Sri Lanka inserted them at Hagley Oval. New Zealand proceeded to forge a near-complete batting performance, putting 331 for 6 on the board, with three individual half-centuries and everyone who batted reaching double figures.McCullum attacked, but in a relatively restrained fashion compared to his rampages against England and Australia, Williamson was the fulcrum, Corey Anderson provided the steadying hand before a strong finish with Elliott and Luke Ronchi chipping in. After the frenetic pace of the outings since then, a performance closer to their first outing in one of their two remaining matches would serve New Zealand well.

Manchester United are now considering moving away from a £10m-a-year target and going after an “underrated” player instead due to wage demands, according to a recent report.

The Red Devils look set to announce Ruben Amorim as their new head coach, and the Portuguese will be keen to hit the ground running when he arrives during November’s international break, which was agreed between the two clubs when his release clause was met.

Dalot says Man Utd ace who struggled for Ten Hag is actually "unbelievable"

Diogo Dalot says a United teammate is incredible behind the scenes.

By
Brett Worthington

Oct 31, 2024

Amorim needs to address Man Utd left-back problem

Amorim’s short-term goal at Old Trafford is to get going in the best way, and that is by winning football matches. But one of his long-term goals must be addressing the left-back problem at the club.

United spent the majority of last season and all of this season so far without a recognised left-back, as Luke Shaw continues to be on the sidelines with a calf injury, on which he has suffered a setback this week, and Tyrell Malacia continues his recovery from a long-term injury. INEOS decided not to sign a left-back during the summer, a decision that has been described as “unbelievable” by pundit/fan Mark Goldbridge.

The Premier League side are clearly looking at all their options, as Julio Soler emerged on their radar last week as an option to replace Shaw. Meanwhile, Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri is also being looked at by United, and there are two other names under consideration at Old Trafford in what looks sure to be the priority position they choose to address in 2025.

£10m-a-year wage demands too much for Alphonso Davies

According to Caught Offside, Manchester United remain keen on Alphonso Davies but are also interested in signing Ben Chilwell from Chelsea. The report states that it remains to be seen if a deal for Davies can be justified by INEOS due to his demands, as he looks for around 12 million euros a year, which is roughly £10 million, the same wages that Antony is on at Old Trafford.

Davies is in the final year of his contract at Bayern Munich and has interest from United, as well as Real Madrid and Barcelona. His future with the German side remains up in the air, but given his demands, a move to Old Trafford may not happen, and therefore, United are also interested in signing Chilwell.

The Chelsea defender, who has been called “underrated” by Youtuber and podcaster Laurenz Vescoli, is seen as a more realistic and affordable option for the Red Devils. However, the Englishman has also had injury problems while at Stamford Bridge, and that could potentially put United off any deal.

Davies could still be seen as a viable option for United, but it is likely that players will have to be sold and moved off the wage bill before the left-back can come to the club. Unlike Davies, Chilwell still has two and a bit years left to run on his contract, so United will have to pay a transfer fee to get him out of Stamford Bridge.

Italian top flight experiences unprecedented growth in American market, sees growing appetite for international soccer in U.S.

• 50 percent surge in live TV viewership for Serie A matches
• USMNT stars drive increased interest in the league
• Strategic broadcast partnerships have boosted accessibility

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Serie A says it has has experienced a 50 percent increase in live TV viewership in the United States during the 2024-25 season, marking an unprecedented surge in popularity for Italian soccer in the country. The growth has been attributed to strategic broadcast partnerships and the presence of high-profile American players in the league.

  The reason, the league said, was because every match was aired on CBS with three matches per gameweek also airing on FOX Deportes. The rise came as no shock to Serie A Ambassador Andrea Pirlo, who spent time in the MLS with New York City FC.

  “Having lived and played in New York, I’ve seen first-hand the passion for Italian football here. It’s incredible to see how much it’s grown, with broadcasts and events like this bringing fans even closer to the game," Pirlo said.

Advertisement

• WHAT EZIO MARIA SIMONELLI SAID

  “This season marks a historic milestone for Serie A in the United States,” said Ezio Maria Simonelli, President of Lega Serie A. “Never before has Italian football been so widely accessible across the country. The upcoming CBS main network broadcast of Juventus vs. Genoa on March 29 is yet another key moment in our mission to bring Serie A to as many fans as possible.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The rise in Serie A's American viewership reflects a growing appetite for international soccer in the U.S. market. The likes of Christian Pulisic Yunus Musah and Weston McKennie, amongst others, doing well this season for AC Milan and Juventus respectively plays a part in that.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The Serie A is among Europe’s top leagues and with three teams currently competing for the league title. Going into Gameweek 28, Inter have only a one point lead over second place Napoli who sit only two points above third place Atalanta BC. Timothy Weah’s Juventus and Lazio are also in the running but are a distant fourth and fifth place respectively.

While he was disappointed at the heavy defeat in Adelaide, he felt West Indies had had an encouraging year in Test cricket

Andrew McGlashan11-Dec-2022West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite lamented that his team “didn’t show any fight” in Adelaide but believed that overall they had produced a successful year in Test cricket.They crashed to a 419-run defeat within the opening session of the fourth day, their heaviest runs defeat in Test cricket, having shown heart to take the first Test deep into the penultimate session.Related

• Australia complete series sweep with a crushing 419-run win

In both matches West Indies’ bowling attack was put to the sword by a combination of Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith and Travis Head. A couple of late wickets for Alzarri Joseph in Adelaide made him their the leading bowler with five at 53.00 – highlighting their struggles – amid a string of injuries that left them with a patched-up attack.Brathwaite produced their standout knock of the series with 110 in the second innings in Perth, but no one passed fifty in Adelaide as they could only make 214 and 77.”It was very disappointing. The first game, we fought to day five which was a decent effort. Coming here we didn’t show any fight at all,” Brathwaite said. “Obviously Australia bowled well but we didn’t fight. The pink ball is always different, under lights is always tough. Bad days happen and bad games. This was a bad game for sure, but it’s not the end of the world, we have a lot of Test cricket to play next year so we have to look ahead.”West Indies came into the series unbeaten in five Tests for the year – including three wins a row – and, before the Adelaide match, were above England and New Zealand on the World Test Championship table.Brathwaite was adamant that, viewed as a whole, and given the strength of the opposition they faced in this series, that it had been an encouraging year in the format.”This loss is a little disappointing and how we didn’t show the fight,” he said. “But I still think it was a good year for us – a very good year – losing one series against probably the No. 1 team in the world is not a bad effort.”‘You’ve got Mitchell Starc coming in at 90mph and you see a guy fighting like that, says a lot about his character’ – Brathwaite on Tagenarine Chanderpaul•Getty Images

West Indies’ next Test cricket will come on tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa in early 2023. They are then due back in Australia in a little over 12 months’ time due a quirk of the next World Test Championship cycle, which has seen them paired together again with no other spot on the calendar to try and space out the series a little more. CA had tried to find another window to avoid back-to-back summers with the same opposition but it wasn’t possible.Brathwaite hopes that those players who return can use what they have learned from watching the Australians go about their work with this Test series having been West Indies’ first here since 2015-16.”For a lot of the guys it was their first time to Australia,” he said. “The experience would help, both as batsmen and bowlers. Seeing how Australia play, how their batsmen started their innings, we can learn from that and then how their bowlers bowled throughout a spell. At times in Perth they bowled for the whole day but then you see the areas they bowled. Australia will always be a strong team at home but the key from experiences is learn from them.”One of the encouraging aspects for West Indies was the debut series of Tagenarine Chanderpaul who made 51, 45, 47 and 17 at the top of the order alongside the captain. Such was his occupation of the crease that Australia got very inventive with their fields when they went at him with a short-pitched attack, although Chanderpaul blotted his copybook by running himself out in the first over of the third day.”It showed that he’s tough,” Brathwaite said. “You’ve got Mitchell Starc coming in at 90mph and you see a guy fighting like that, says a lot about his character. I thought he had a good start to his career and can see him really blossoming to have a superb career for West Indies.”Brathwaite, himself, meanwhile said he retained the hunger and desire to lead West Indies.”I love Test cricket and [am] thankful for the job. We’ll see how it goes. I want to lead this team from the front, especially with the bat, that’s my job. As a group we have the talent, we have the ability. It’s for us to believe in ourselves and you learn from all the challenges you go through.”

With a 2-0 lead, Australia only had to play risk-free cricket on the fifth day at the MCG to win the series. They achieved victory, but did they take caution too far?

Jarrod Kimber at the MCG30-Dec-2014″We’re going to play entertaining cricket,” Australia coach Darren Lehmann, on the 0730 report earlier this year.”Get on with it.” “Just declare.” “Play a shot.” “Boring.” The MCG crowd, today.Every single opinion you have on cricket is wrong. Even when it isn’t. No matter how firmly you believe, or have researched, or how often you’ve seen it play out, you’re still probably wrong. So is Ian Chappell. So is Ravi Shastri. So is your uncle. So is your daughter. All of them, wrong. Because rights and wrongs in cricket are never absolutes. It doesn’t work that way.Today Australia declared at lunch, well just after lunch was supposed to begin. There were people who thought Australia batted three hours too many. There were people who thought Australia batted two hours too many. There were people who thought it was only an hour. Each thought the other was wrong.Then there were people who thought there was no need for Australia to declare. They thought the longer they batted, the more chance they’d win the series. Why give India a sniff? Why worry about Virat Kohli when you didn’t need to? Either India play out the draw, and you win the series, or they collapse and you win the Test and the series. The early declarer obviously thought this was as wrong.Even if Australia had bowled out India by tea, some would still have said they had declared too late. Steven Smith would be wrong, and a winner. India end up nine wickets down, Smith would be wrong and a winner. India finish three wickets down with 50 runs to get, Smith would be wrong, and a winner. Instead it was four wickets left for Australia, many would say that’s a session of bowling. Maybe they’re wrong.Under Lehmann, we were promised exciting cricket. When talking about how England play, Lehmann said, “Dour. It’s not the type of cricket I’d play.” In general, he’s not wrong. This morning if you had England on the scoreboard instead of Australia, would anyone have noticed? Big lead, plodding batting, waiting for milestones, ensuring you couldn’t lose – it was dour, dull and defensive. This was Boof’s boys at their most English.There were MCC members in London cheering as the ones in Melbourne were screaming for a declaration.Ryan Harris likes to play his shots, and often pose after them as the crowd cheers his work. Here he scored 13 runs from nearly 20 overs. The only applause was from a few blokes giving him the slow clap. Shaun Marsh made only a few more in the same time. This was the innings of a man trying desperately to show he could play this kind of innings. Gritty and determined. Obdurate rather than obliterate.Australia needed four wickets in four overs when they decided to call off the game•Getty ImagesMarsh was stung into action with Harris’ wicket, and for the only time in the morning session we had anything approaching entertainment as he was dropped and then hit 6,4,2 in the space of four balls. It was so attacking that a woman in the Betty Cuthbert cafe was woken up.The entertainment continued as Marsh played and missed, started unlikely singles and then ran himself out on 99, but it wasn’t really the kind of excitement Lehmann had promised. This was more spoof than action film. It was made funnier by the arrival of a playing and missing Josh Hazlewood, and then Australia forgot that at nine wickets down, sessions get extended. They couldn’t even walk off the ground correctly.Then Uncle Boof called them in. Australia’s dour hours were finally over.It was telling – and maybe this is wrong – that it was Lehmann who could be seen waving them in, not Smith. Of course Smith could have been doing his shoelaces up behind the coach. Some thought that under Michael Clarke, Australia would have declared far earlier, they talked about the Oval Test. But that was a dead rubber, and a gamble for a win, so the comparison was wrong. Clarke was even defending Australia’s actions from the commentary box. Some people still think Clarke would have declared earlier. Maybe they are wrong, maybe Clarke was wrong, maybe Lehmann was wrong.194,481 came to this Test. Plus the two coaching staff, so probably 200,000 all up. All with their own opinions. All wrong.Smith shook hands with MS Dhoni, ending the match with four overs to go and four wickets to take. Maybe Lehmann or Clarke thought that was wrong. On William Barak bridge, the fans thought it was wrong. One bloke said, “bloody, defensive, crap cricket.” His mate said, “They won it the wrong way”.Wrong. Even in glory.

Manchester City made history on Wednesday night, breaking the record for the longest unbeaten run in the Champions League, previously held by cross-city rivals Manchester United.

It was a destructive win that sealed the deal for Pep Guardiola’s side, as they destroyed Czech side Sparta Prague 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium. The record now stands at 26 games.

It was a superb showing from the 2022/23 winners, who had four different goalscorers on the night. Unsurprisingly, it was Erling Haaland who scored twice, with his first a particularly impressive acrobatic effort. The other City players to find the back of the net were Phil Foden, John Stones and Matheus Nunes.

There were several standout performers from the Citizens last night, although Foden was in imperious form against the Czech side.

Foden’s stats vs. Sparta Prague

It has been a curious season for the 2023/24 PFA Player of the Year winner. After a spellbinding campaign last term, in which he helped win another Premier League title, Foden has struggled to break into the starting lineup under Guardiola this term.

He has played nine games in all competitions, with two goals and two assists to his name so far. However, the City number 47 has just 494 minutes, equating to just 5.4 full 90-minute games in total, with injury and illness a contributing factor.

Against the reigning Czech champions, Foden impressed. His goal was a classic finish, dancing between a few defenders before drilling his shot low and hard into the bottom left corner. Outside of that, he was superb, a real creative force for the hosts in the final third.

His Sofascore stats also reflect a superb performance. The England international had 78 touches, completing 92% of his passes and creating two chances. He completed both of his attempted dribbles and won four of seven attempted duels.

Foden’s enterprising performance won him a 7/10 rating from Goal journalist Richard Martin. He explained that the City attacker is finally “approaching his best form” after an indifferent start to the season, and called him a “constant headache” for the opposition.

The 24-year-old starred on Wednesday night, but another of his City teammates, Savinho, arguably outshone him.

Savinho’s stats vs. Sparta Prague

Since joining the Premier League champions this summer, Brazilian winger Savinho has shone. He has four assists in 11 games and has shown – notably on Wednesday night – that he could even be City’s answer to talented Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal.

Not only are they both young, left-footed wingers, but the pair are similar statistically on FBref too. Amongst other stats, the City man averages 2.75 key passes per game and 10.5 progressive carries; comparatively, the Barcelona teenager averages 2.39 key passes and 5.57 progressive carries.

The wingers are two of the most exciting talents in world football, so for City to have a player so similar to Bracelona’s exciting young talent, both stylistically and statistically, is an exciting luxury for Guardiola.

Focussing on the performance against the Czech outfit, former Girona winger Savinho stood out for all the right reasons and received an 8/10 rating from Martin. The journalist was full of praise for the Brazil international, explaining that he “ran the visitors ragged”, praising him for the fact he was “destroying opponents” on the right wing.

The 20-year-old was spellbinding having created five key passes and two big chances, even managing to register an assist for Haaland’s first goal. He completed four of his eight attempted dribbles, and worked hard off the ball, winning six ground duels.

It was a wonderful performance from City’s answer to Yamal, Savinho last night. He will no doubt be hoping to continue this form as the Premier League champions look to push for titles in all competitions.

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By
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Oct 22, 2024

The Pakistan fast bowler took the key wickets of Finn Allen and Kane Williamson in Sydney

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2022Shaheen Shah Afridi had a slow start to the T20 World Cup in Australia but former Pakistan Women captain Urooj Mumtaz says the fast bowler has been improving throughout and was at his best in the semi-final victory against New Zealand.”By far, I think we probably saw him at his best,” Urooj said on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out show. “He has grown into his element throughout the tournament.”Afridi was returning from a serious knee injury at the start of the World Cup and picked up 2 for 24 in the semi-final in Sydney, striking in his first over by trapping New Zealand opener Finn Allen lbw.”He again didn’t get the ball to swing, but the one to Finn Allen just did enough,” Urooj said. “And I think you set the tone when you pick up wickets early up front. He didn’t give a lot of loose balls and it had to be within the stumps and throughout, I think the bowling attack today did that very well,” she said. “Shaheen in the last two overs as well was again very good with the ball towards the end.”After taking 1-11 in his two overs in the powerplay, Afridi returned to bowl the 15th and the 17th, conceding only 13 runs and dismissing the well-set Kane Williamson for 46. Williamson was bowled moving across his stumps and looking to hit behind square on the leg side.”It’s interesting. When he [Williamson] got out, he realised that he should have gone hard at the square boundary and not gone for the one over fine leg,” former Australia allrounder Tom Moody said. “And he just got outfoxed really. It was a good slower ball from Afridi to get a key wicket. Kane is a player, once he’s established like that, he can find boundaries at the back end of the innings quite easily with those pickup shots.”Afridi’s figures of 2 for 24 helped Pakistan restrict New Zealand to 152 for 4 and took his tally of wickets in this T20 World Cup to ten, making him Pakistan’s joint-highest wicket-taker along with legspinner Shadab Khan. Nine of those wickets have come in his last three games, after Afridi went wicketless against India and Zimbabwe, and took only one wicket against the Netherlands.

With key players out and Hayes seeking to mix and match, GOAL looks at how the USWNT could line up against Australia

The SheBelieves Cup is a sprint, not a marathon and, at this level, sprints require rotation. U.S. women's national team head coach Emma Hayes acknowledged that by calling in an extra outfield player to this camp, with just two goalkeepers. For the USWNT to get through two more games, they'll need just about everyone.

Hayes unleashed a few surprises for the USWNT's opener, a 2-0 win over Colombia headlined by goals from Catarina Macario and Ally Sentnor. The latter, in particular, was one of the more surprising starters in that game and she responded by netting her first USWNT goal. There are plenty of other young players in search of similar breakouts, but Hayes has some difficult decisions to make when balancing this XI.

Changes are coming for Sunday's match against Australia, which kicks off at 5 p.m. ET in Phoenix. The only question is how many? With just a few days in between games, and just a few more before Wednesday's match against Japan, Hayes will certainly mix and match.

It'll be a balancing act of youth and veterans, but also of fitness level as the U.S. travels all over the West to play three tough games against three strong teams. And several stars are not on the roster, including Naomi Girma, Sophia Wilson, Trinity Rodman and Mallory Swanson.

There's no predicting what Hayes, who remains unbeaten in her first 16 matches in charge of the USWNT, will do – she's proven on more than one occasion that she can go any which way with her XI. So what changes could she make from Colombia to Australia? GOAL takes a look.

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  GK: Jane Campbell

  No need to change anything here and, to be fair, Campbell deserves at least one, if not two, more starts this camp. She had so little to do against Colombia, but maybe she'll get a chance to make a few saves against Australia, even if they are without superstar striker Sam Kerr.

  Campbell is pushing for a spot as the USWNT's No. 1. The Colombia game didn't give her much to work with when it came to proving her case, which makes this Australia match feel even more important.

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  LB: Crystal Dunn

  Jenna Nighswonger started the first game and, to her credit, shined in that left-back role. She got up and down the field, as the USWNT clearly attempted to attack down her side, leading to some good sequences and very nearly a goal.

  Because of that performance, Nighswonger could certainly retain her spot in the XI. Hayes, though, could also rotate, giving Crystal Dunn a runout. Dunn could use it.. She's played just 79 minutes since September, so getting some extended game time will likely do wonders for her as she begins life at PSG on the club level.

  With that in mind, we'll give her the start in this game, even if it's tough to bench Nighswonger.

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  CB: Emily Sams

  Sams looked solid in her first two caps back in the fall, but watched on from the bench in the Colombia game. She's due another chance, and it'll likely come on Sunday.

  Newcomer Tara McKeown put in a good shift after settling into the game on Thursday, and she and Sams are likely now pushing each other for one of those final centerback spots in a full-strength roster. Both need more experience, though, and it's Sams' turn to get some.

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  CB: Tierna Davidson

  Another change here as Davidson takes the spot of a fellow veteran. Emily Sonnett got the nod last game after being honored for her 100th cap pregame but this should be Davidson's time to shine.

  At the moment, Davidson is likely the best partner for the currently-absent Naomi Girma. That duo has proven itself plenty of times, but this is a good chance for Davidson to get some reps alongside someone other than the world-class Chelsea newcomer.