Paul Pogba insists he is “not finished”, with the Juventus midfielder vowing to keeping fighting the “injustice” that landed him a four-year ban.
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Failed standard drugs test in August 2023Handed lengthy suspension to 2027Intends to contest that ruling & clear nameWHAT HAPPENED?
The World Cup winner failed a standard doping test in August 2023, with a B sample also coming back positive. As a result, he was stung with a lengthy suspension from all football-related activity. Pogba is taking his appeal against that ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT POGBA SAID
Pogba is being prevented from doing his day job at present and recently figured in a video in which he claimed to be “dead” professionally. The 31-year-old claims that production was poorly edited, with his career far from being over. Pogba has told : “If you don’t see a video where I say that I am stopping with football it’s because I am still a football player. I am still here, still positive, I have an opportunity to fight what in my view is an injustice. We’ll see, things will go better. I don’t know if you saw the whole interview, but they only put up a part of it were I hadn’t even finished speaking yet. Pogba is not finished, Pogba is here and until you see me say I'm finished, don't worry. I still feel like a player, I am training and in these moments I must only be positive. I am spending a lot of time with my family, seeing my kids grow up. I am not doing what I love, which is football, but I am really eager to get back. I am so eager, I feel like a kid who wants to be a professional.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Pogba is working on the lowest possible salary at Juventus, as he cannot train or play for them, but reports of his contract being terminated on June 30 proved to be wide of the mark. The France international, who was in attendance to watch his country battle past Belgium in the last-16 of Euro 2024 and visited the squad after the game, added on his future at club level: “From the last I heard, I am still a Juventus player and I think you’d have to ask them. I have a contract, I have not been able to talk yet to the director or the coach, there is silence… I think they are waiting for the appeal. As for the rest, you’d have to ask them.”
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
Pogba’s ban is due to run until 2027 as things stand. The former Manchester United star hopes he will be back on the field long before then, but there are a number of legal hurdles to clear before he can lace up a pair of boots.
Liverpool have had "positive contacts" with a manager ahead of a potential move to Anfield this summer – has Jurgen Klopp's successor been found?
Liverpool manager latest
Klopp's farewell tour is threatening to go out in style between now and the end of the season, with one trophy already secured, following Sunday's EFL Cup final triumph over Chelsea. Liverpool still have a chance of winning all four competitions they are competing in, and it would be just like their legendary manager to enjoy a stunning end to his tenure.
The German is going to be bordering on irreplaceable when he does leave, with his brilliance as a manager and quality as a person something that is going to be so hard to replicate. The Reds are clearly working hard on nailing the 56-year-old's replacement, however, and Xabi Alonso is the name that many supporters want, both due to him guiding Bayer Leverkusen to within touching distance of the Bundesliga title, but also because he was much-loved as a player at Anfield between 2004 and 2009.
He is far from the only target, however, with Sporting CP boss Ruben Amorim another exciting young coach impressing in Portugal, and Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann also considered an option, ahead of his exit from his current job after Euro 2024.
Big Xabi Alonso to Liverpool update
According to journalist Santi Aouna on X, Liverpool have had "positive contacts" with Alonso over replacing Klopp, with the Reds firm favourites to snap up the Spaniard, who is "excited" about the possibility of a return to Merseyside.
This feels like another significant step in the right direction when it comes to Liverpool's pursuit of Alonso, who certainly feels like the overriding favourite to become Klopp's successor this summer.
It appears as though he is FSG's first choice, and the decision now looks like it is up to him, in terms of whether he joins the Reds or Bayern Munich, who he also represented as a player. There is also the option of him staying at Leverkusen for another year, but that would arguably be a surprise, given the calibre of the two clubs who want him.
Granted, Alonso's preferred 3-4-2-1 formation is different to the 4-3-3 system that Klopp invariably goes with, but the job he is doing at Leverkusen is incredible, and Liverpool's players should feel confident and excited about the prospect of working with him.
FSG moving in on long-term Liverpool appointment in boardroom role
An announcement is expected next month.
ByHenry Jackson Feb 26, 2024
At this point, it could be a surprise if the 42-year-old didn't become the Reds' next boss, and while replacing Klopp is going to be one of the hardest jobs for any manager in many years, Alonso does feel like the most logical and eye-catching choice.
For India, Ishant might miss out, while it could be a toss up between Ashwin and Jadeja
The Preview by Sidharth Monga28-Feb-2020Big pictureIn Wellington, India came face to face with how subtle New Zealand’s home advantage is. Theirs is not the kind of dominance that comes from knowing no other place can produce two spinners of the quality you have. Or batsmen who demoralise opponents before their big untiring fast bowlers bash out every assistance from their pitches.New Zealand do things differently. They take down attacks that look better than theirs on paper. Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner might be a somewhat incomplete trio in other conditions, but in New Zealand, they kill you with a thousand paper cuts. Their knowledge of conditions – when it will swing and how to swing it, when to attack and when to bowl dry – and exploitation of winds and angles is second to none. Teams such as India do themselves no favour by playing just two Tests in New Zealand in five years, giving themselves no shot at familiarity.After the near three-day defeat in Wellington, India go to Christchurch looking for two quick fixes: how to swing the ball for longer periods, like New Zealand did, and how to bat with more freedom against New Zealand. The first one is slightly tricky because of the nature of the bowlers involved in the contest. Southee and Boult are out-and-out swing bowlers, and thus have the ideal wrist positions and seam at the point of release for swing on most occasions.Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are more seam bowlers; Shami in particular bowls with a beautiful upright seam. The one man who tries to swing it, Ishant Sharma, is all but ruled out as the ankle injury seems to have recurred.Twenty-seven overs, 40 runs, one wicket. That is Colin de Grandhomme’s returns from Wellington. That is what Virat Kohli doesn’t want a repeat of. Good as New Zealand’s bowlers are, they aren’t always threatening the wickets like, say, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja do at home. Or that’s what the thinking within the India camp is. How much of a risk it is to try to be more proactive, and what the rewards might be, will be seen in Christchurch.Form guide New Zealand WLLLD India LWWWW In the spotlightThe coin toss. Just consider how much the chances of a side losing the match reduce the moment it wins the toss. The last time New Zealand lost a home Test despite winning the toss was way back in 2009. The last time Kohli lost a match after winning the toss was… never. The credit belongs to both the sides for playing excellent cricket after winning the toss, but the one losing the toss will be fighting massive odds.Neil Wagner is now a dad, and is back to test batsmen with his own grammar of Test-match bowling. There were times when New Zealand missed him in Wellington, in the second innings especially, but will Wagner feel the pressure of having to bowl the kind of ball Kyle Jamieson did to Cheteshwar Pujara to take his maiden Test wicket? Not if both of them are playing.India would love for the Christchurch Test to contain a cathartic Virat Kohli innings•Getty ImagesVirat Kohli has gone 20 international innings without a century. While it is never smart to pool together formats when judging how a player has been doing, a small worry for India will be that he felt the need to play too many shots at the start of both his innings. This is not how he batted in Australia, which was when he seemed at most peace with his game and his captaincy.Team newsWagner will definitely be back, but whom does he replace? If the pitch calls for a spinner, the sensational debutant from last week, Jamieson, will have to sit out. However, if New Zealand feel there might not be much for a spinner to do, both could play. Only once in five Tests at Hagley Oval have New Zealand gone in without a specialist spinner, losing that Test to Australia. After having missed India’s second innings with a shoulder injury, Tom Blundell is fine to open again in Christchurch.New Zealand 1 Tom Latham, 2 Tom Blundell, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Henry Nicholls, 6 BJ Watling (wk), 7 Colin de Grandhomme, 8 Kyle Jamieson/Ajaz Patel, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Neil Wagner, 11 Trent BoultIshant Sharma seemed cooked when he batted in India’s second innings after bowling a big spell despite jetlag. It seemed India would push him in the series decider, but the recurrence of pain in the right ankle makes Umesh Yadav a likely starter.India are no longer the side that made spot judgments and impatient changes based on runs scored. Prithvi Shaw is fit after he missed one net session with foot swelling so he will be backed in the second Test. The only question might be whether India want to strengthen their lower-order batting with Ravindra Jadeja ahead of R Ashwin. India coach Ravi Shastri’s assessment of Ashwin might make Jadeja a slight favourite. “He is a world-class bowler,” Shastri said of Ashwin. “There is absolutely no doubt about it, but we have to make sure we pick the right side for the right conditions, and see what a player can bring to the table. I think he has bowled well over the years. If anything, he will be disappointed with the way he has batted. He’ll want to improve on his batting in time to come.”India 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Hanuma Vihari, 7 Rishabh Pant (wk), 8 R Ashwin/ Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Ishant Sharma/ Umesh Yadav, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditionsThe Hagley Oval pitch looks green with approximately 12mm grass, which is less in length than what the Basin in Wellington had. It is expected to be quicker than Wellington, and perhaps flatten out more, maybe after day two. There should not be more than the odd interruption from the weather.Stats and trivia Only Broad-Anderson and Wasim-Waqar are more prolific new-ball combines than Southee-Boult, who have taken 426 wickets at 26.51 in innings that they have shared the new ball. They have left behind Walsh-Ambrose, McGrath-Gillespie and Donald-Pollock. Since Hagley Oval’s debut, Christchurch, Hamilton and Wellington have been New Zealand’s three main Test venues. Christchurch has been the least batting-friendly with an average of 32. At the other two venues, batsmen have been scoring more than 35 per wicket. New Zealand have lost only two home Tests when both Southee and Boult have played, both in 2015-16 to Australia. That is close to the Ashwin-Jadeja domination in India; they have lost just one Test when playing alongside each other, again to Australia.Quotes”They are the No. 1 side for a reason, and that is because they can adapt to any conditions. We are definitely expecting them to adapt pretty quickly, and be positive coming into this Test match. Their record speaks for themselves.” Trent Boult expects India to hit back hard“We are here not to give any excuses, we were outplayed in the first Test, but I always believe that when you are on a run like we were, a shake-up like that is good. Because it opens your mindset. When you haven’t tasted defeat, you can have a closed mindset. Here you have seen what has happened, which is good, there is opportunities to learn. You know what strategies New Zealand are going to employ, you know what to expect, and you have your plans how you are going to counter them.” India coach Ravi Shastri believes the Wellington loss was not necessarily a bad thing
Last summer, Wolves were able to snap up Matthew Whittingham, one of the stars of Manchester City's under-18s' title triumph. Whittingham had scored seven times and set-up 11 more in 2022/23, so may have been regarded as a significant academy coup at Molineux.
The deal for the Englishman, who can play in a variety of midfield roles and even popped up at left-back, is part of a broader recruitment plan for Gary O'Neil's side. Harry Hooman, head of UK recruitment at their academy, said at the time:
"We’re always on top of the ‘bigger’ club’s players and monitoring the ones who are possibly looking to come out for a better pathway at some point."
Latest Wolves transfer news: £60m Neto claim, exciting replacement eyed
What’s going on at Wolves now the window is finished? Catch the latest news and rumours here…
ByBrogan Clasper Feb 11, 2024
Wolves are now continuing that policy in their free-transfer pursuit of Arsenal's Amario Cozier-Dubbery, who's out of contract at the end of the season. It recently emerged that the Midlands outfit are interested in the 18-year-old as the Gunners try to reach an agreement over an extension, with Newcastle, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax and Anderlecht all watching closely too.
Wolves ready to strike for Cozier-Duberry "bargain"
Speaking to GiveMeSport, CBS Sports journalist Ben Jacobs said Wolves "in particular" are ready to pounce on any stumbling blocks in talks at the Emirates. He believes that Cozier-Duberry could be a bargain, and says Arsenal are aware that his suitors inside and outside the Premier League are circling.
Wolves transfer target Amario Cozier-Duberry in action for Arsenal.
He said: “Wolves in particular are very much across this and hoping that they might be able to, should things not go Arsenal's way, get a transfer over the line in June. It's also fair to say that Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund, amongst others, are also facing the same situation. That's normal because when a player is available on a free transfer in June, there's always that ability to get a bargain deal and try to pre-agree something on a free transfer. Arsenal know this.”
Cozier-Duberry could be the missing piece at Wolves
Cozier-Duberry is enjoying an excellent season for Arsenal's under-21s, scoring or assisting eight goals in nine Premier League 2 appearances and netting a couple more in his four UEFA Youth League outings. He's also shone at the international level by hitting the target twice for England's under-19s in friendlies against Switzerland and Romania.
Mikel Arteta has taken notice of his form and named him on the bench for the EFL Cup trip to Brentford in late September as well as the Champions League match against Sevilla in early November, but he's yet to make a full debut for the title-chasers.
1
Owen Hesketh
AM
10
5
2
Justin Hubner
CB
10
4
3
Owen Farmer
CF
11
3
4
Nathan Fraser
CF
6
3
5
Tawanda Chirewa
AM
4
2
As you can see in the table above, there aren't any specialist wide players putting up especially eye-catching numbers in Wolves' under-21 current crop, so Cozier-Duberry may be regarded as a missing piece in O'Neil's next generation.
“I could just tell by his body language for the rest of his innings that night that he knew he made a mistake”
Alex Malcolm12-Jan-20201:29
Playing in India the biggest challenge in white-ball cricket – Richardson
Marcus Stoinis is still coming to terms with the regret he feels for the homophobic slur directed at Kane Richardson in the BBL which led to him being fined AUD7500 (USD 5200) earlier this month.The incident happened when the Melbourne Stars faced the Melbourne Renegades on January 4 with Stoinis pleading guilty to the Cricket Australia code of conduct level two charge of using personally abusive language and apologising to Richardson.Ahead of the ODI series in India, Richardson said Stoinis had “looked more angry than I have ever seen” but did not know what had sparked the outburst.Other than a brief line in the statement after the fine was handed out, Stoinis had not spoken about the incident but addressed it after his record-breaking 147 not out against the Sydney Sixers at the MCG on Sunday.”There’s absolutely no excuses,” Stoinis told reporters. “I mean he’s a good mate, and he over the last couple of games we’ve played I think he’s wound me up a few times, [but] it’s absolutely no excuse to use words like that. And that’s what he was trying to do. He was trying to get a reaction out of me and that sort of thing and unfortunately, I took that bait and went too far and that’s not acceptable.”I’ve spoken to Kane but then even more than that, I think it’s not the type of person I am. It’s not who I want to be and I understand it’s out of line. It’s not how I was raised. And I’m not proud of it, but I guess I’ve just gonna cop that on the chin and, and roll with it now. And also, look, hopefully other people learn from my mistake.”And unfortunately, that’s all we can do. I guess you can’t take anything back. You’ve just got to show it by your actions from going forward.”Richardson said it was normal for Stoinis and him to exchange words when playing against each other. The two have played a lot of cricket together for Australia and were both part of Australia’s 2019 World Cup campaign, and have often sparred verbally in domestic cricket. However, Richardson said this was different from what he had experienced in the past.”We always talk, we’re both competitors,” Richardson said in Mumbai. “It was just a bit of harmless banter about what was going on on the field and the way he goes about it. I always want to have a chat to him about that. It was just harmless cricket chat. For some reason, he reacted the way he did. You would have to ask him why; it was really out of character. He looked more angry than I have ever seen him. I’m not sure what he was thinking. The learning has to be that it never happens again.”Richardson said Stoinis had contacted him the following morning and while he was not personally offended, he reiterated the words of Australia coach Justin Langer in saying that it was unacceptable for any player to use those words moving forward, particularly as it was the second such incident this season after Australia Test quick James Pattinson was suspended following a similar code of conduct charge in December.”Yeah, a little WhatsApp the morning after, but not a whole lot of conversation about it,” Richardson said. “He realised he made a mistake. I could just tell by his body language for the rest of his innings that night that he knew he made a mistake. I didn’t need an apology for myself, he didn’t offend me. It’s what he said that offended so many people. It was more just his actions and everyone’s actions, we can’t afford to have that happen again.”
Dani Ceballos reached out to Roberto De Zerbi to explain his decision to reject Marseille's offer as the midfielder opted to stay at Real Madrid. The French side approached the Spaniard late in the transfer window and even reached a deal with Madrid, with De Zerbi eager to make him a key player following Adrien Rabiot's exit.
Why Ceballos' move to Marseille never materialised
Madrid splashed lavishly in the transfer market, signing the likes of Alvaro Carreras, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dean Huijsen and Franco Mastantuono. New head coach Xabi Alonso reportedly demanded a midfielder, too, but the Spanish heavyweights didn't sign one. As the transfer window approached its end, speculation surrounding Ceballos' future started to intensify. After rumours of a return to Real Betis, all signs pointed towards Ceballos calling curtains on his Madrid career by writing "Last dance" on his Instagram story. This action was followed by Marseille ramping up their efforts to close a deal to sign the ex-Arsenal loanee. An agreement worth €15 million (£13m/$16m) had been finalised between Marseille and Madrid, but Ceballos' last-minute change of heart and hesitation to leave Madrid led to the deal collapsing.
AdvertisementAFPDe Zerbi receives apology from Ceballos
In the wake his decision to reject the offer, the 29-year-old personally called Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi over phone and asked for forgiveness, reports. The Italian coach had gone to great lengths to sign him and had convinced Ceballos that he would be central to his plans at Stade Velodrome. Nevertheless, the Spaniard opted to remain part of Alonso's team.
“The Dani Ceballos situation stays between us. He is a great player. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out and he missed out on playing for a special club," said De Zerbi on Monday.
Ceballos could still be crucial to Alonso and Madrid
With Alonso eventually confirming that Ceballos would remain a part of his roster for this season, expectations were that he would struggle to find regular playing time. Aurelien Tchouameni has already been described as the "pillar" of Madrid by Alonso, Fede Valverde remains a guaranteed starter and Arda Guler has become the team's chief orchestrator. It became increasingly difficult to see where Ceballos would fit in, but Alonso has given him reason to be optimistic.
Ceballos clockied 68 minutes as a starter against Real Sociedad at the weekend after making three appearances off the bench. Given how congested the calendar is, Ceballos will fancy his chances of carving out an important role in midfield as the season progresses.
(C)Getty ImagesWill Ceballos start against Marseille?
Whether he keeps his place in the starting XI for Tuesday’s Champions League clash hinges on whether Valverde is fit enough to start. The Uruguayan was left out of the starting XI after personally requesting a rest from Alonso, citing fatigue from the international break. Ceballos put in a solid performance against Real Sociedad on Saturday and will likely be the obvious choice if Alonso decides to give Valverde another game off.
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Matz Sels has named Cristiano Ronaldo the Premier League's greatest ever player ahead of Thierry Henry and Mohamed Salah.
Sels names PL's greatestPuts Ronaldo top of pileHenry in second with De Bruyne thirdFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
In an exclusive interview with GOAL at the PFA awards, Sels was asked to pick between a series of Premier League icons in a winner-stays-on game. The Forest shot-stopper started by choosing Eden Hazard over Riyad Mahrez, and stuck with the ex-Chelsea winger against Robin van Persie, before dropping him for Wayne Rooney. He then sided with Rooney against Erling Haaland, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez, but eventually traded him out for Salah. Sels immediately discarded Salah for Kevin De Bruyne to set up a battle between the Manchester City legend and Thierry Henry, and he gave the nod to the latter. Ronaldo was put forward as Henry's final opponent, and the Belgian ultimately sided with the former United striker.
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Ronaldo scored 103 Premier League goals in 236 appearances across two spells for United. He helped the Red Devils win three successive Premier League titles and the Champions League between 2006 & 2009, winning his first Ballon d'Or along the way.
GetttyWHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?
Ronaldo is still going strong at the ripe old age of 40 with the Portugal national team and Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Nassr. He scored two goals in his latest international outing against Armenia as Portugal recorded an emphatic 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory.
Last Friday, Tottenham Hotspur's most likely route toward silverware was severed after Manchester City struck late in north London to knock Ange Postecoglou's side out of the competition.
It would be unjust to claim that this was a detrimental blow for Spurs, who failed to qualify for European football last term and underwent a big transformation in the summer upon Postecoglou's appointment, multiple new signings integrated and club record scorer Harry Kane sold to Bayern Munich.
An early Carabao Cup exit against Fulham highlighted the lack of depth and defeat against the Citizens at the weekend leaves a bitter taste but, candidly, an acceptable one to swallow.
Tottenham will now place full focus on the Premier League and have much to fight for in the division, currently in fifth place and just three points behind Arsenal and Aston Villa above – though table-toppers Liverpool are eight points ahead of the London side.
Nonetheless, Tottenham have strengthened this month and look stronger with Radu Dragusin replacing Eric Dier in defence and Timo Werner adding some depth and dynamism to the frontline.
A centre-midfielder is still coveted and Conor Gallagher has been on the radar this month, but Chelsea look unlikely to let him leave Stamford Bridge.
Spurs eyeing stunning late swoop
Spurs supporters need not worry regarding Gallagher; late-window news has filtered in concerning one of the most prominent midfield stars in Europe.
Latest Tottenham transfer news: Striker search latest; defender nears exit
Ange Postecoglou is looking to strengthen his side in the summer market once again.
ByBrogan Clasper Aug 1, 2024
Indeed, according to recent news from Football Insider, Spurs are lining up a stunning late swoop for Bayern Munich star Joshua Kimmich, with the German Bundesliga champions willing to let the midfielder leave this month.
The German international is out of contract in 2025 and Thomas Tuchel's side would want somewhere in the region of £40-60m to grant his departure.
How Joshua Kimmich would fit in at Tottenham
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been on the periphery under Postecoglou's management and could complete a move away in the coming days, rejecting an offer from French strugglers Lyon but still likely to transfer away.
The Dane's sale is crucial to facilitate the incoming of a high-profile, large-outlay phenom such as Kimmich, who has been one of the gold standards in deep-lying midfield over much of his time at the Allianz Arena, moving from right-back to the midfield anchor some years ago.
Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.
Once dubbed an "absolutely phenomenal" player by former Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho, the 82-cap international has completed 370 fixtures for Bayern and won the complete gamut of silverware domestically, also gleaning the Champions League in 2020.
In the Bundesliga this season, as per Sofascore, Kimmich has sustained some sublime showings, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 2.7 key passes, 1.7 tackles and 6.1 ball recoveries per game and winning 58% of his ground duels.
Situated at the base of the midfield, Kimmich drifts forward and orchestrates openings with supreme ability and would be a sensational addition to the Spurs team.
Given that he is probably more comfortable in sticking to a deep-lying role than Gallagher, the 28-year-old might actually be the best option for transfer at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, allowing the likes of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison to operate further upfield.
Of course, Yves Bissouma is one of the meanest tough-tackling players on English shores but he has proved himself unreliable on the disciplinary front this season and a "world-class" – as hailed by former Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge – in-team rival in Kimmich would only improve the overall quality of Postecoglou's team.
Casemiro
Manchester United
Declan Rice
Arsenal
Moises Caicedo
Chelsea
Source: Football Transfers
Of course, the added bonus that he offers a skill set similar to that of Arsenal star Declan Rice hardly hampers his chances of a transfer to Tottenham, with Postecoglou sure to relish capturing his own version of the England international.
How Joshua Kimmich compares to Declan Rice
Arsenal completed the £105m transfer of Rice from West Ham United in the summer to replace Granit Xhaka and continue the remarkable growth under the tutelage of Mikel Arteta.
Declan Rice
A sense of malaise might have crept into the Emirates Stadium following a blip after Christmas – failing to win three straight matches – but there's no disputing the fact that Arsenal have come on leaps and bounds over recent years and have signed one of Europe's best midfielders in Rice, who has been lauded for his "sensational" performances since his cross-London switch by journalist Matt Scott.
Sure, Postecoglou thinks that's cool and everything but he would only find true felicity in securing the services of a midfield machine to springboard his side into ascendancy in the Premier League – and, down the line, on the continent.
Matches played
14
21
Goals
0.08
0.15
Assists
0.25
0.10
Pass completion (%)
91%
91%
Progressive passes
10.9
9.21
Progressive carries
1.48
1.93
Successful take-ons
0.00
0.64
Shot-creating actions
5.82
2.03
Tackles
1.97
2.13
Tackles won
1.39
1.24
Interceptions
0.82
1.53
Blocks
1.23
1.14
Now, the player comparison presented above displays variegated strengths when assessing Kimmich and Rice's skill set, and how the former would enhance Tottenham's squad, with similarities to Rice but advantages across key areas that make him the perfect fit down N17. Let's elucidate this matter.
First, Rice is superior in his ball-carrying ability, surpassing Kimmich in progressive carries (1.93 vs 1.48) and trumping the German in successful take-ons, though given that the Munich player has not actually completed a single take-on, this speaks of positional choice, rather than deficiency.
In this way, metrics can appear to favour one player on surface value, but deeper analysis illuminates the reasoning behind certain segments of a player's skill set.
Further on this point, Rice surpasses Kimmich in rate of tackles (2.13 vs 1.97) but is actually far less accurate in reclaiming possession from a carrier.
Kimmich's tactical role requires him to remain deeper and cling to the anchor rather than pivot between the thirds – though that's certainly not to say that he isn't active and ubiquitous in his movement and command in the midfield.
And though Kimmich tends not to drift into the box, he eclipses Rice in shot-creating actions (5.28 vs 2.03), denoting his celestial range of delivery – indeed, the £322k-per-week star has been dubbed a "passing master" by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
In summation, Kimmich and Rice might share many similar skills – notably in their defensive attributes – but the German would actually be the perfect addition for Tottenham with a tactical style that suits Postecoglou's system and the player required to complete the transformation in the centre of the park.
It's a big, bold approach, but then Postecoglou is hardly proving himself to be circumspect at Tottenham and Kimmich would be a stunning acquisition for an outfit on the rise.
Head coach believes 50-over struggles are in a category of their own as attention shifts to Perth
Cameron Ponsonby01-Nov-2025Brendon McCullum conceded that England “clearly need to improve” in one-day cricket after they fell to a 3-0 clean sweep against New Zealand. ‘Go harder’ has been the mantra of this England team, with Harry Brook imploring his side to double down in their efforts with the bat after his side’s first collapse in Mount Maunganui a week ago. Two matches and two further batting failures later, however, McCullum has reset the party line and called for England to adopt a more considered approach.”Harry’s said before that we need to put pressure back on the bowlers, and there are times when we do need to be a little braver and put some pressure on the bowlers,” McCullum said following the defeat in Wellington. “And then there are other times where we’ve got to adjust to their lengths and lines.”Not necessarily in a high-risk sort of way but just by being brave enough – whether that’s coming down the wicket or moving around the crease – just get things going a little bit more and bounce off one another.”Across the series, England lost 11 wickets in the opening 10 overs of the innings, compared to New Zealand’s four, and were bowled out in all three matches. Their innings in Wellington was their longest of the trip, batting for 40.2 overs before they were all out.”I think when we’re confronted with good, flat wickets, we’re a very, very good cricket team,” McCullum said. “I think we play a high-octane style of cricket and those conditions suit us. When the wickets have a little bit in them and they’re a bit more challenging, whether that be spin or seam or swing, we probably can’t quite adapt our tempo quick enough.Fewest runs by a team’s top four•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”We’ve got some talented players but, unfortunately, our performances at the moment in this form of the game aren’t quite up to scratch and we need to rectify that.”England’s top order combined for an historically poor series, managing just 84 runs between the top four, the lowest tally in one-day international history. Of the top six, only Brook, Joe Root and Jos Buttler made a score of 20 across the three matches.McCullum, however, does not believe it is a concern heading towards the Ashes, where Australia are expected to serve up similar styles of wickets. In the longer format, he argues that England have been able to counter different conditions well.”I like to separate it,” McCullum explained. “I think in T20 cricket we’re going really well and in Test cricket we have a pretty decent idea of where we’re at – and I think we’ve performed reasonably well, albeit we have a huge challenge ahead of us.Related
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“One-day cricket is clearly the area we need to improve, and my comments are more directed at one-day cricket. I think when we do come across the trickier conditions in Australia and Test cricket, we have a pretty good understanding of how we’re going to go about it. It doesn’t guarantee us anything but it gives us a level of confidence going into that series.”He also believes that, despite a number of players experiencing a poor run of scores, the likes of Jamie Smith, Ben Duckett and Root will be “better for the run” after getting a number of games under their belt.”They’ve marked centre a few times and gone through the process and I’m sure they’ll be better for it. With the prep that we’ve had with the other Test guys who’ve been here for a while too, we’ll have no excuses come Australia.”McCullum identified Jamie Overton as England’s “huge win” for the tour, after the bowling allrounder contributed with the bat in all three matches and put together his finest performance in ODI cricket in Wellington, scoring 68 runs and taking two for 32 with the ball.”I think there’s times when we think he’s a better player than he does,” McCullum said. “And on this tour he’s fully believed in the player he can be at this level. There’s not too many players around the world who can bowl 140kph, field the way he does and hit the ball as cleanly. It’s been a huge series for Jamie…he’s incredibly well liked within the group and we’re all delighted for him.”England’s next competitive fixture will now be in Perth, with the long-awaited Ashes series finally around the corner after years of build-up.”I’m proper excited,” McCullum concluded. “We’re incredibly respectful of the challenge Australia is going to present us and we know how hard that tour is going to be.”It’s going to require a team to stay together right throughout, to be as strong as we can to try and block out any of the outside noise. But we’re very respectful of who we’re coming up against, we’re so excited to get over there and we can’t wait to get started.”
Erling Haaland suffered a freak accident while on international duty with Norway that left the striker needing three stitches.
Haaland suffers injury on international dutyStriker laughs about freak injuryNorway host Moldova on TuesdayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The Manchester City striker shared a couple snaps showing off his new injury caused by a collision with a bus door. Sharing the photos on Snapchat, Haaland showed off his new battle scars, featuring the cut under his lip that required the stitching. Despite the incident, the 25-year-old was able to see the funny side and will not be kept out of the action.
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Haaland shared the photos with a caption, the first of which said: "Just got banged out by a bus door. Three stiches."
He then added: "Looks actually quite good."
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Fans of Norway and Manchester City will breathe a big sigh of relief that the bus door did not inflict more serious trouble on their star man. Haaland has started the season in typical goalscoring form with three goals in as many Premier League games – in spite of City's faltering start. The forward will hope his goals can power City to the Premier League title once again, having finished a disappointing third place last campaign.
AFPWHAT NEXT FOR HAALAND?
The powerful striker will be back in action against Moldova on Tuesday before returning to Manchester. City host their local rivals United on Sunday in a hugely important clash that, after their respective poor starts, could prove to be a make or break game for Pep Guardiola and Ruben Amorim already.