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Fifties from Kaleem and Mirza could not overcome a stiff target despite India testing out their non-regular bowlers

Deivarayan Muthu19-Sep-20253:04

What are the challenges of India’s fluid batting order?

After their batters got only around 20 overs of crease-time across their first two games against UAE and Pakistan, India batted first for the first time in the Asia Cup and posted 188 for 8 against Oman. All their batters got a hit in the middle except their captain Suryakumar Yadav, who did not come out to bat despite India losing eight wickets. Though Oman made a creditable impression with both ball and bat, they could not overcome India’s might and depth.Abhishek Sharma did Abhishek Sharma things, clattering 38 off 15 balls. He was the only India batter with a strike rate of over 200 on an Abu Dhabi pitch that offered grip and turn. Sanju Samson, who slotted in at No.3, was less fluent, but moved to a 41-ball fifty. Cameos from Tilak Varma (29 off 18), Axar Patel (26 off 13), and Harshit Rana (13* off 8) then pushed India up towards 190.India had rested their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and newly minted No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy, but Kuldeep Yadav befuddled Oman’s batters with his variations. Oman openers Aamir Kaleem and Jatinder Singh struck up a 56-run partnership but by the time Kuldeep broke it in the ninth over, the asking rate had shot up to 12. Though Kaleem and No.3 Hammad Mirza made battling half-centuries, they could not find the higher gears that could have hurt India. In pursuit of 189, Oman finished with 167 for 4.Having applied so much scoreboard pressure on Oman, India could afford to experiment with their bowling too. Tilak and Abhishek were among eight bowlers India used on Friday.2:20

Abhinav Mukund: This is how Abhishek should always bat

Abhishek’s opening salvoLeft-arm seamer Shah Faisal dealt India an early blow when he castled Shubman Gill for 5 with a sharp inswinger in the second over. However, that didn’t stop Abhishek from lining up Oman’s bowlers in the powerplay.Abhishek claimed 38 of the 60 runs India had scored in the first six overs. Left-arm fingerspinner Shakeel Ahmed got away with the first ball he bowled to Abhishek, but the batter took him for two fours and a six in the third over. Shakeel tried to drag the ball away from Abhishek’s reach with his sharp angle from left-arm around, but the left-handed opener still found a counter.Oman’s seamers then took pace off, but nobody can take Abhishek’s power away. When Mohammad Nadeem bowled a slower ball into the pitch, Abhishek forayed down the track and scythed it over point. Then, when Jiten Ramanandi dug a 104kph delivery into the pitch, Abhishek pumped it for a straight six.He got a reprieve on 21 when he tickled Nadeem down the leg side, but Vinayak Shukla, the Oman keeper, shelled the catch and umpire Raveendra Wilalasiri eventually deemed it as a wide ball. Abhishek added 17 to his tally before nicking another one behind, Shukla making no mistake this time.2:07

Jaffer: Wasn’t a fluent innings from Samson

Samson’s stop-start inningsAfter having chalked up two DNBs, Samson had a slow start – he was on 13 off 14 balls at one point – but a six and a four off Madhya-Pradesh-born wristspinner Samay Shrivatsava got him out of first gear. Samson proceeded to crash Zikria Islam for a straight six in the tenth over, but slowed down once again thereafter.Having got to 42 off 32 balls, he took a further nine balls to bring up his half-century. Then, when he looked to turn up the tempo, he holed out to deep midwicket for 56 off 45 balls in the 18th over.India cobbled together 21 off the last three overs and managed to find the boundary just once during this period – off the last ball of the innings when Harshit scythed Faisal for six over point.2:00

Jaffer: Inspired performances from Kaleem and Hammad

Oman’s spirited chaseAfter bagging the wickets of Axar Patel and Shivam Dube, Kaleem, who will turn 44 in November, stood up to India’s bowlers. He was cagey during the powerplay – he scored only 15 off 13 balls during the period – but then laid into Dube’s medium-pace, taking him for 18 off nine balls.Kaleem’s knock ended on 64 when Hardik held onto a screamer at the long-leg boundary off Harshit, putting a smile on fielding coach T Dilip’s face. Mirza also showed his batting chops with a half-century of his own, giving Oman hope for the T20 World Cup Asia & East-Asia-Pacific Regional Qualifier, a tournament they will host next month, even if they bowed out of their maiden Asia Cup with no wins in three matches.For India, Arshdeep Singh, who was playing his first game of the tournament, picked up his 100th T20I wicket when he had Shukla holing out in the final over. Arshdeep became the first India bowler to the landmark and closed out the game for them, with Bumrah and Varun applauding the effort from the sidelines.

Manchester United have been boosted in their efforts to sign a player who has been compared to Lionel Messi, with an offer potentially incoming.

Neville hails Amorim's "best week" at Man Utd

A feeling of positivity has finally returned to Old Trafford, following three Premier League wins in a row, with Saturday’s 3-2 win at home to Brighton another big step in the right direction.

In fact, United legend Neville even believes that has been Ruben Amorim’s “best week” in charge, finding plenty of positives in the last three games.

“I think that it feels like his best week in the job. I think where we’ve all been with it, I wouldn’t have been surprised if we talked about him losing his job. I was thinking he was under massive pressure after going into the international break in October. I felt as though that change could be imminent.

“But the victory at Anfield shows you how things can turn around and then obviously this was so important today. He’s not out of the woods yet and it’s certainly not time to get carried away but I think Manchester United are now where they thought they probably would be.”

Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha, two of United’s most expensive signings of all time, are beginning to purr, and the Red Devils are now being linked with a move for an equally exciting attacking player.

Man Utd boosted in Kubo chase

A newspaper in Spain claims to have a “bombshell” update regarding the future of Real Sociedad winger Takefusa Kubo. They report he is expected to leave the Spanish club in 2026, with Manchester United in line to bid for him.

The Japanese starlet is also wanted by the likes of Tottenham and Everton, both of whom have shown an interest, and he may cost as little as £35m as Sociedad have decided to cash in for less than his release clause rather than risk his value plummeting any further after a run of bad form.

Kubo is a special talent who has even been dubbed the ‘new Messi’ in his homeland, while Zinedine Zidane also once spoke highly of him when was out on loan from Real Madrid, even though he failed to excel at the Santiago Bernabeu in the end.

Kubo is primarily a right winger, coming in onto his left foot like Mbeumo, and while fitting him into the team may not be easy, competition for places and elite squad depth can only bed a good thing for Amorim.

Forget Sesko: Man Utd have Van Persie 2.0 who's 'one of the best in the PL'

Manchester United have found their next Robin van Persie in this star, and it is not Benjamin Sesko.

ByDan Emery Oct 27, 2025

Still only 24, there is still so much more to come from the Japan star, and if United can pip others to his signature, they could have a future Old Trafford superstar on their hands, both on the pitch and in terms of marketing.

John Campbell, Brandon King, Shai Hope and Roston Chase offered resistance for West Indies, but they slipped from 153 for 3 to 205 all out

Sreshth ShahUpdated on 10-Dec-2025

Stumps New Zealand’s patchwork fast-bowling attack delivered a strong show on the opening day of the second Test in Wellington, dismissing West Indies for 205 inside 75 overs at Basin Reserve. But the sight of Blair Tickner being stretchered off late in the afternoon with a suspected dislocated left shoulder took some sheen off their day of dominance.Tickner, playing his first Test in two years and leading the bowling with 4 for 32, was central to turning a bright West Indies start into yet another collapse, while Michael Rae, the 30-year-old debutant drafted into a severely depleted pace unit, complemented him with 3 for 67 in an energetic outing that gave New Zealand the bite they had lacked in the opening hour. That bite mattered because the first hour had belonged entirely to West Indies despite losing the toss, in a match where the hosts announced five changes and the visitors three.On a pitch far milder than the traditional green seamer, John Campbell and Brandon King put on 66 for the opening wicket. Jacob Duffy and Zak Foulkes, burdened with heavy workloads from the first Test after the injuries to Matt Henry and Nathan Smith in Christchurch, bowled honest but ineffective spells that allowed scoring opportunities.Campbell drove through the line, King played compactly, and West Indies looked assured.Michael Rae picked up three wickets in his first innings in Test cricket•Getty Images

But once New Zealand turned to Tickner and Rae – fresher workload-wise, and sharper in pace – the difference was visible. They operated either full or short but always at the stumps or the body, and the tone of the innings shifted dramatically.Tickner was the first to strike when he prised out King in the 17th over. King, playing the Test after Tagenarine Chanderpaul picked up a side strain on the eve of the Test, and opening for only the second time in his Test career, was pinned lbw when Tickner’s delivery from a short-ish length jagged in and hit him on the pad. One over later, Kavem Hodge was undone for a duck by a fuller ball from Tickner that tailed in late and struck him in front of middle and leg. The double-blow helped New Zealand quickly erase an indifferent start heading into the lunch break.Rae, who had leaked runs in his first spell in Test cricket, made an impact after lunch. Coming around the wicket, he angled a full ball across Campbell, who leaned into a drive with firm hands and edged to first slip, and at 93 for 3, West Indies’ position was slipping.Shai Hope and Roston Chase attempted to restore stability with a 60-run stand for the fourth wicket. Hope scored freely but never convincingly; Tickner and Rae repeatedly hurried him with the short ball, and he took two blows to the helmet with concussion checks following as the afternoon surface grew livelier. Hope reached 48, but Tickner finally cracked him with another rising delivery that he tried awkwardly to fend off, gloving a catch to Kane Williamson at third slip. That, Tickner’s third wicket, had seemed almost inevitable given the sustained discomfort he had caused the batters, and Chase followed soon after, cramped by a Tickner delivery that jagged in sharply to catch the inside-edge on to leg stump for 29.Justin Greaves, West Indies’ double-centurion in Christchurch, lasted 52 balls before Rae drew a faint outside edge with a tight off-stump line. Mitchell Hay completed the catch behind the stumps, leaving West Indies’ lower order exposed. Rae then trapped Kemar Roach lbw with a fuller delivery that kicked enough to beat the bat and straighten into middle stump, and at 184 for 7, the innings was in freefall.Blair Tickner had to be stretchered off after he hurt his shoulder•Getty Images

But New Zealand’s mood would sour dramatically in the next over. Tickner sprinted across from fine leg to stop a boundary-saving flick from Tevin Imlach and dived full-length near the rope. He landed awkwardly, stayed down, and the players signalled urgently as medical staff from both New Zealand and the venue rushed to him. After several minutes of treatment, he was stretchered off – sitting up, but in pain – to warm applause from the Basin Reserve crowd. He later left the ground in an ambulance, with early indications pointing to a suspected dislocated shoulder.Glenn Phillips, the most prolific wicket-taker in New Zealand’s XI with 31 strikes coming into the game, then removed the last recognised batter, bowling Imlach with a fuller ball that straightened just enough to beat the inside edge.Anderson Phillip was run out soon after attempting a risky single – first surviving a throw from Devon Conway but then succumbing when an alert Kristian Clarke broke the stumps on the rebound. Duffy ended West Indies’ innings by having Ojay Shields edge to third slip to end the innings at 205. West Indies lost their last seven wickets for just 52 runs.New Zealand openers Tom Latham and Conway batted nine overs before stumps, with West Indies’ seamers asking questions occasionally and inducing a couple of edges that didn’t carry to the slip cordon. The 24 runs they added before stumps gave New Zealand the firm upper hand, now behind by only 181 behind going into the second day where batting promises to be easier.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given an encouraging injury update prior to the Gunners’ mouth-watering Champions League tie against Bayern Munich.

Arsenal prepare for Bayern Munich amid injury doubts

Arteta’s side welcome Bayern to the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday in what promises to be a defining European encounter, with the Premier League title favourites riding high following their dominant 4-1 North London derby victory over Tottenham last weekend.

Arsenal delivered a masterclass against their bitter rivals, showcasing the attacking fluidity and defensive solidity that has characterised their strongest displays this season.

That emphatic win not only reinforced Arsenal’s credentials as top title contenders domestically, but also provided the perfect psychological boost ahead of this crucial European test.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal’s preparation has been complicated by several injury concerns, with captain Martin Odegaard still touch and go after failing to make the matchday squad for Spurs.

Arsenal star makes transfer admission and says club "want" to sign him

He’s responded to the speculation around his future.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 14, 2025

Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke returned to the side on Sunday following their respective injuries with both men ready to play a part tonight, as did Riccardo Calafiori, but Odegaard, Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Jesus were all nowhere to be seen.

Arteta may well be forced to play Mikel Merino as a makeshift number nine once again, a challenge the Spaniard has relished throughout 2025, with this game still coming too soon for Jesus.

That being said, Arteta has some good news about the Brazil international.

Gabriel Jesus in line for 'earlier than expected' Arsenal injury return

According to Arsenal’s manager, speaking in his pre-Bayern press conference, the 28-year-old’s recovery is actually further along than expected, and he’s about to be knocking on the door.

Jesus hasn’t played a single minute since rupturing his ACL during Arsenal’s FA Cup defeat to Man United in January, so it is approaching a year since he was last able to take part.

The former Man City star is on record stating this is the worst injury he’s ever had, and Jesus was repeatedly linked with a winter window exit following the arrival of Gyokeres in the summer.

Jesus, though, has poured cold water over the possibility of a transfer multiple times recently, even though he confirmed his intention to one day return to Palmeiras.

Arteta, meanwhile, has also said that he’s looking forward to welcoming Arsenal’s ‘unpredictable’ weapon back into the fold.

England have a 6-2 superior record against South Africa in the tournament

S Sudarshanan02-Oct-20252:05

Sciver-Brunt: WPL experience will benefit us

Big picture: England’s strong record vs SAEngland have been South Africa’s banana peel in the Women’s ODI World Cup. They have a 6-2 superior record in the tournament heading into the clash in Guwahati on Friday. While South Africa beat England in the group stages in 2022, they lost to England in the semi-final. The result was the same in the 2017 semi-final as well.”I feel like we’ve beaten them in the group stages in the past World Cups and then lost to them in the semi-final. So we know as a group, we can beat them, especially in the group stages,” South Africa captain Laura Wolvaardt said on Thursday. “We have played some good cricket recently. We’ve been batting really well. We’ve been bowling better and better. I think all of us know that if we really stick to our plans and are really clear with what we want to do, we can beat them tomorrow.”South Africa enter the World Cup on the back of a solid run of games. They played a tri-series with India and Sri Lanka, then played Pakistan in Pakistan. They have been in action regularly with the same set of players, high on confidence. While the women made it to successive T20 World Cup finals in 2023 and 2024, the men ended the drought of ICC titles with the World Test Championship win this year.”It’s been amazing to see how the country has supported them and how excited everyone was back at home and united to support them in that trophy,” Wolvaardt said. “Hopefully we have the chance to do something similar to really get the country behind us in this tournament.”England have had a contrasting run in this regard. Their leadership group underwent a change after the Women’s Ashes. Under head coach Charlotte Edwards and captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, England played just the two series – winning comfortably against West Indies and losing to India, both at home.Sciver-Brunt, however, was okay with the team’s preparation away from internationals. They had a ten-day camp in Abu Dhabi, where they acclimatised to the conditions they would encounter at the World Cup. Plus, there are eight players in the England squad with WPL experience.”We got some great time out in the middle in really hot, humid conditions where in England it’s not like that,” she said. “So preparing physically in that way was really good. That is going to be a massive part of our tournament, making sure that we are adapting as quickly as we can.”During the India vs Sri Lanka match at the ACA Stadium, spin played a part in the middle overs while it was easier to face pace at the start. That is a template that Sciver-Brunt backed England to follow.”That’s a blueprint that we work with, especially when we’re bowling, making sure the spinners in the middle are doing a really good job for us and making it really hard for people to get away. I think that has been a really good strength of ours for a number of years. We’ve got a brilliant spin attack.”Form guideEngland LWLWW (last five matches, most recent first)
South Africa LWWWWIn the spotlight: Nat Sciver-Brunt and Marizanne KappIn her first World Cup match as captain, the spotlight will be firmly on Nat Sciver-Brunt. She is England’s leading run-scorer since the 2022 World Cup and only Amy Jones has more than her so far this year. That is in addition to her 20 wickets in the last three years. With a view to manage her workload, she hadn’t bowled since the WPL but resumed duties with the ball at the warm-up games. With Heather Knight returning from a hamstring injury, Sciver-Brunt will draw from her WPL experience to navigate the side at the ACA Stadium, where the track could be slightly two-paced.This will be Nat Sciver-Brunt’s first World Cup as captain•Getty ImagesA like-for-like, South Africa allrounder Marizanne Kapp is at the peak of her powers. Give her the new ball, she’ll dry up the runs and pick up wickets. Send her in with South Africa in a spot, she will not just arrest the slide but also transfer the pressure back on the opponents. A WPL regular for Delhi Capitals, Kapp is into her fifth World Cup and would want her team to cross the finish line this time. “The amount of experience that she has is invaluable,” Wolvaardt said on match eve. “She knows every player going around. She’s bowled to basically all of them.”Team newsSciver-Brunt will bowl at the World Cup, which means England could play an extra spinner or an extra seamer. But she said on match eve that she would “like to select seven batters to go into this tournament” which opens the door for Alice Capsey, who also bowls offspin.England (probable): 1 Amy Jones (wk), 2 Tammy Beaumont, 3 Heather Knight, 4 Nat Sciver-Brunt (capt), 5 Sophia Dunkley, 6 Danni Wyatt-Hodge, 7 Alice Capsey, 8 Sophie Ecclestone, 9 Charlie Dean, 10. Em Arlott, 11 Lauren BellAyabonga Khaka bowled full-tilt on the eve of the game. She could shoulder duties with fellow seamers Marizanne Kapp, Nadine de Klerk and Annerie Dercksen. Karabo Meso had a long batting stint ahead of Sinalo Jafta, who is South Africa’s preferred wicketkeeper.South Africa (probable): 1 Laura Wolvaardt (capt), 2 Tazmin Brits, 3 Sune Luus, 4 Marizanne Kapp, 5 Annerie Dercksen, 6 Chloe Tryon, 7 Sinalo Jafta (wk), 8 Nadine de Klerk, 9 Nondumiso Shangase, 10 Nonkululeko Mlaba, 11 Ayabonga KhakaPitch and conditionsRain washed out England’s pre-game practice session, while South Africa managed to get theirs done under lights. Showers are expected on Friday as well with IMD issuing thunderstorm alerts. A washout isn’t on the cards, though.A fresh pitch will be used for the game. Expect spin to come into play as the game goes on, as was the case during the India vs Sri Lanka contest.Stats and trivia No opening pair has scored more runs than Laura Wolvaardt-Tazmin Brits in ODIs since January 2023. They have 1536 runs at an average close to 60. The next best is Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal with 1316 South Africa have won only two of their last six ODIs against England Marizanne Kapp has dismissed Heather Knight five times in 15 innings, Nat Sciver-Brunt three times in nine innings and Tammy Beaumont five times in 13 innings Charlie Dean has got Laura Wolvaardt out three times in seven innings for only 65 runs and Sune Luus three times in four innings for just 19 runsQuotes”She obviously has a lot of experience. I think it would be stupid of me not to listen to her. She’s a hugely valuable person in our side, whether it’s with the bat or just that tactical thinking. She’s got a brilliant brain for cricket. So, yeah, I’m encouraging her to be as vocal as she wants to be.”
“The biggest learnings in that series are probably just how to play spin, especially being nice and proactive with the bat against the spinners in that middle phase. We generally get off to good starts, and I think we had really good death overs with the bat in that series in Sri Lanka, but probably could have done a bit more in that middle phase.”

Southampton decided to part ways with head coach Will Still after the former Lens boss only won two of his 13 matches in charge of the club in the Championship.

Interim manager Tonda Eckert has won both of his league games in the dugout so far, including a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday last time out, but it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.

Irrespective of what happens now, Eckert has delivered back-to-back wins that were much-needed after a dismal start to the campaign, which led to Still’s dismissal.

Why Will Still was unfortunate to be sacked by Southampton

The Belgian-born tactician won two of his 13 league matches and averaged 0.92 points per game, per Transfermarkt, which is why it was not a surprise to see him lose his job.

However, per FotMob, Southampton rank sixth in the table for xPTS and are currently 11 places lower in the division than they would be if every game was decided by who created the higher-quality chances.

Of course, football is not played on paper and it is, ultimately, a results-based business, but these statistics suggest that performances from individuals let him down, as the Saints have underperformed their xG and conceded more than their xGA suggests that they should have.

Manager Focus

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Whilst it is hard to know what goes on behind the scenes, perhaps Still was unable to motivate a team to win consistently, as he finished between 11th and 8th in his three seasons as a manager in France, which means that he is not used to competing at the very top of a league.

This is why Southampton could find a major upgrade on the former Lens boss by hiring reported target Brendan Rodgers as their new manager during the break.

Why Southampton should hire Brendan Rodgers

The Northern Irish manager resigned from the Celtic job last month and he could be the dream appointment for the Saints if they can convince him to drop down to the Championship.

Rodgers, who was once dubbed “world-class” by Gabriel Agbonlahor, may have the perfect track record for the situation that Southampton find themselves in, because he has experience in the Championship, the Premier League, and the Premiership.

The 52-year-old coach won promotion via the play-offs with Swansea in the 2010/11 campaign, which is relevant for where the club is now, and helped them to stay up with an 11th-placed finish in the Premier League the following season, which should be Southampton’s long-term goal.

Premier League

312

1.56

Premiership

173

2.43

Premiership top six split

15

2.20

Championship

94

1.49

Championship play-offs

3

2.33

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is a proven Premier League manager who has excelled at Swansea, Liverpool, and Leicester City in the top-flight, which is why he would be the perfect appointment for now and in the future.

On top of that, the Northern Irishman is also a proven winner. Per Transfermarkt, he won four Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish League Cups, and four SFA Cups with Celtic, along with an FA Cup and a Community Shield with Leicester.

This means that Rodgers has won a whopping 13 trophies in his career as a manager, whilst Southampton have not won a major trophy since the FA Cup success in 1976.

Overall, the former Celtic manager would be a major upgrade on Still, who has only managed midtable success and has no trophies under his belt, because of his career record, his history in the Championship and the Premier League, and his proven track record of winning trophies.

Dream O'Neil alternative: Southampton considering "insanely talented coach"

Southampton are still considering a head coach who would be a dream alternative to Gary O’Neil.

ByDan Emery Nov 8, 2025

If they can convince him to take the job, Rodgers could be the ideal candidate to get the Saints out of the Championship, as well as to establish them in the Premier League.

ألغى حكم مباراة الزمالك وكايزر تشيفز الجنوب إفريقي، هدفًا ثاني لصالح القلعة البيضاء سجله التونسي سيف الدين الجزيري، وذلك في المباراة المقامة بينهما الآن، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

ويلعب الزمالك ضد كايزر تشيفز، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر مواجهات دور المجموعات لبطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، ذلك على ملعب الفريق الجتوب إفريقي.

وأحرز سيف الجزيري، هدفا ثانيا لصالح نادي الزمالك في الدقيقة 8 بعدما وصلته تمريرة طويلة إلى داخل منطقة الجزاء ونجاحه في استخلاص الكرة من مدافع كايزر تشيفز، سدد في المرمى.

طالع.. خاص | سبب استبعاد محمد عواد من قائمة الزمالك أمام كايزر تشيفز في الكونفدرالية

ولكن حكم المباراة، قرر إلغاء الهدف بداعي الدفع من سيف الجزيري لمدافع كايزر تشيفز، لتبقى النتيجة 1-0 لصالح الزمالك.

وكان سيف الجزيري قد سجل الهدف الأول في الدقيقة الثالثة من بداية اللقاء. هدف الزمالك الملغي أمام كايزر تشيفز في الكونفدرالية

Enzo Maresca has conceded that Liam Delap could be set to spend another period on the sidelines, after the Chelsea striker was taken off in the 32nd minute of his side's 0-0 draw with Bournemouth following a shoulder injury. The 22-year-old has already spent two months out of action with a hamstring injury since arriving at Stamford Bridge for £30 million ($40m) from Ipswich Town, and could see his frustrating start to life at Stamford Bridge continue.

• Delap could be set for another worrying injury lay-off

  Maresca spoke to reporters at full-time and revealed his concerns surrounding Delap, who has already missed 11 matches this season and was replaced mid-way through the first half following a shoulder injury. The Blues are set to assess Delap’s injury in the next 48 hours to determine for how long he will be on the sidelines.

  With both of Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu on the bench the Blues have a range of attacking options – though Maresca questioned the quality of his side's depth after defeat to Leeds United in midweek – but there is no doubt that injuries have curtailed Delap’s progress in west London since his big move from the Tractor Boys, which came with lofty expectations after 12 goals in his first top-flight season.

  Delap looked in clear pain after he was bundled to the ground by Marcos Senesi and subsequently taken off, ahead of what would go on to be a disappointing goalless draw for Maresca’s side.

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  'He has been unlucky' – Maresca reacts to Delap injury blow

  Maresca said in his post-match press conference: “Unfortunately he has already been out for two months and he has to be out again. We don't know for how long, but it looks quite bad, his shoulder.

  “He has been unlucky," Maresca added. "We are also a bit unlucky because we need that kind of a No.9.”

• Maresca reflects on goalless draw for his side after Delap's injury

  Maresca added on the result on the south coast: “I think it was a game where we lacked and we missed a little bit of quality in the last third. For me, there were many mistakes. We missed some passes in the last third, some moments that we could shoot and didn’t.

  “But overall, when you are not able to win, we have said many times, that it's important that we don't lose. I think it is because of a lack of quality in the last third for me, personally, in terms of last pass, some crosses, some moments.

  “We know that we are not going to score every game. I didn't know, to be honest, that [Chelsea had scored in every game] since Crystal Palace. Now we're going to try to score on Tuesday, but it's important at least to keep the clean sheet that gives us at least the chance to take points."

  Maresca also referenced Cole Palmer on his first start since September, and was asked by reporters if the reason his side lacked the cutting edge on Saturday was due to a lack of individual confidence from his players.

  He responded: “No, no, no, not because of this. I think it's a normal mistake that can happen, you know, a last pass in the last third. It's just that. I think Cole [Palmer] was quite good on that, he played half an hour the other day, played one hour today. So now it's important that he can build his physical condition.”

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  What next for Chelsea and Delap?

  Chelsea have faced a challenge keeping players fit so far this season, with the after-effects of the Club World Cup and a lack of pre-season apparent for Maresca and his players. While the return of Palmer is a welcome one, another injury blow for Delap is concerning for a young player still becoming accustomed to his new club and team-mates.

  Injury has prevented the 22-year-old from having enough of an opportunity to settle in on the pitch at Stamford Bridge, and Maresca will hope that he can get the England Under-21 international back on the field to help the team as soon as possible.

  Currently in fifth place, the Blues face a challenging end to 2025 – with Atalanta next up in the Champions League, and league fixtures with Everton, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth once again set to test Chelsea’s resolve over the festive period.

Liverpool’s season went from bad to worse at the weekend, with Sean Dyche’s Nottingham Forest condemning Arne Slot to a 3-0 Anfield defeat and a fifth loss in six Premier League matches.

Though FSG retain the faith in the Dutch coach, who so confidently won the league title last season, it’s clear that results and performances need to improve quickly, else the Reds will find themselves shackled to mid-table and a campaign of misery.

It’s also clear that sporting director Richard Hughes will consider making another signing this January, having overseen a summer transfer window in which Liverpool paid over £400m on new players, and Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo has been earmarked as the perfect fit.

However, Liverpool don’t have a bottomless pool of resources, and it may be the other end of the field which requires attention.

Liverpool ready to sign centre-back this winter

It almost feels absurd to think Liverpool need to spend in January after their record-breaking summer, but there’s no question that Liverpool would become threadbare if, say, Virgil van Dijk succumbed to a months-long injury setback.

Ibrahima Konate’s form has gone beyond the pale, and Liverpool’s full-back system is plumbing to imbalanced depths that were surely unfathomable after an ostensibly satisfactory spending spree.

That’s why Liverpool are considering a winter bid for Marc Guehi, having seen a deal for the Crystal Palace centre-half fall through on transfer deadline day at the start of September.

According to reports from Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, Liverpool remain in pole position to sign Guehi and will be emboldened to learn that the Eagles are setting their sights on Sporting Lisbon’s Ousmane Diomande as his replacement.

Reports from Spain in the last 24 hours corroborate those claims, suggesting that things are ‘practically a done deal’ and that ‘after several months of negotiations, the agreement appears to be almost finalised’.

Guehi is out of contract at the end of the season but Palace are expected to accept offers of £35m in January should one arrive.

While FSG would be wary of paying out for a player who can be snapped up for free only months down the line, Guehi is a rare talent, and Liverpool desperately need a defender.

Why Liverpool should sign Guehi now

Liverpool have already strengthened at centre-back this year through the £27m signing of Giovanni Leoni. The former Parma defender is only 18, but he’s among the most exciting talents in the world. He is also sidelined for nearly a year after rupturing his ACL on his Reds debut.

The uncertainty around Konate’s contract, and the Frenchman’s abject performances this year, emphasise the need for more depth, and Guehi has already been profiled extensively; he’s the man for the job.

The 25-year-old has played an instrumental part in Palace’s rise under Oliver Glasner’s wing, winning the FA Cup and then the Community Shield. The Londoners are currently fifth in the Premier League, with two losses from 12 games.

Liverpool, conversely, can’t stop losing, and they are leaking goals and lacking any semblance of security at the back. Guehi would fix that. Not only is he a “monster in defence”, as has been noted by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi, but he is also among the most dynamic and intelligent modern centre-halves out there.

His range of passing is exactly what Liverpool need. Van Dijk is getting old, and Konate is hardly a convincing proponent of play-out-from-the-back football.

This is outlined by FBref’s data. According to the digital platform, the Three Lions star ranks among the top 9% of centre-backs in the Premier League this season for progressive passes and the top 3% for shot-creating actions per 90.

This underscores Guehi’s confidence on the ball, and that’s exactly what Liverpool need, with analyst Raj Chohan saying that, partnered with Conor Bradley on the right side of the defence, the “build-up combination is horrible”.

Guehi, meanwhile, is two-footed and a driver of Glasner’s progressive vision in possession. He is also proving himself to be a more stable and convincing defender.

Though Konate remains a convincing aerial battler, his overall game has left so much to be desired, with errors rife and sure to be disabling any kind of confidence from his teammates.

He has actually been criticised by Sky Sports’ Jamie Carragher for being at the epicentre of all of Liverpool’s woes. Not quite, but there’s no denying he’s the weakest link in a fragile backline, and Slot cannot afford to persist with him for the duration of the campaign, not if he wishes to salvage things.

While Semenyo would be a neat addition, it’s true that Liverpool could crumble, truly, if they suffer a damaging defensive setback. Moreover, Rio Ngumoha has shown his class already this term and will be convinced that he has more to offer over the coming months.

Whether Liverpool opt to go this way or that this summer remains to be seen, but there’s no question that the Anfield side need to pull off a change or two, else they will flake away and be condemned to a truly disastrous campaign.

Guehi would ease the concerns and then some. The plan was to bring him over this summer, and the plan remains to seal his signature come the end of the season. Why not now?

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Angus Sinclair

Nov 25, 2025

Kiwi legend’s stint at Lord’s reflects changing priorities for the modern grandees of the game

Matt Roller28-May-2025Kane Williamson will call Lord’s his home ground for the coming months and looked the part in his box-fresh Middlesex training kit on Wednesday. His deal for the English summer covers the T20 Blast, at least five County Championship games and the Hundred, and he will base himself in north London with his young family throughout.Williamson hitched a lift to St John’s Wood with Stephen Eskinazi, his new captain, and pulled a Karachi Kings kitbag – barely used in an abbreviated PSL stint – out of the boot on arrival. He briefly caught up with Nathan Lyon – an early arrival ahead of the World Test Championship final – on the Nursery Ground, before his first net as a Middlesex player.He later revealed his plans to extend his ‘casual’ arrangement with New Zealand Cricket (NZC) for 2025-26, with his commitments in NW8 overlapping with an upcoming tour to Zimbabwe. Williamson’s first day at Lord’s served as an allegory for the modern game: he turns 35 in August, and while he sees red-ball cricket as the sport’s “soul”, his own priorities are changing.”My wife’s English, so we were keen to come over here,” he said. “To come here and call Lord’s home for a little bit, it’s quite special… I’ve got three kids, and they’re all quite small, so there’ll be a few parks and things we’ll visit, but it’s nice to be in one place for a [long] period of time. I’ve always enjoyed my time here, and summer has always got a nice buzz in London especially.”Williamson declined an NZC central contract last year, enabling him to skip a bilateral white-ball series to take up an SA20 deal. “I’ll be continuing with that,” he said. “Obviously, the landscape is changing really fast. I played a pretty large volume of international cricket in the last contract year, so we will be working through that again this season… It’s just a work in progress.”Williamson catches up with Nathan Lyon•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesThe 15 years since his international debut have seen the sport’s structures transform, driven primarily by the IPL. “I feel really grateful that I started when I did, personally,” Williamson said. “The opportunities now are vast, and that’s an amazing thing, and the growth of the game – more so in one format than the others – is, overall, a great thing for a lot more people.”But I talk about the soul of the game, and I still see that as the red ball… The bond that you have with a team when international cricket is the only pathway that you aspire to play, and there is this journey that you’re on… That’s slightly harder to achieve when you’re playing in all different competitions, and it comes and goes a little bit.”Williamson’s signature was the indirect result of Middlesex’s outlier status among English counties. They are merely tenants at Lord’s, and the ground’s owners, MCC, effectively brokered the move on the county’s behalf; he will also captain London Spirit, the franchise which MCC will soon run alongside a Silicon Valley tech consortium, in the Hundred this summer.Related

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It is a unique arrangement, but one that should prove beneficial to all parties. Williamson’s first assignment is to revive Middlesex’s T20 fortunes: champions in 2008, they have only twice reached the quarter-finals since (in 2016 and 2019). When they last won a Blast match at Lord’s, Eoin Morgan was England’s white-ball captain, and Boris Johnson was prime minister.The competition itself is struggling, too. Middlesex sold 108,144 tickets for their four Blast games at Lord’s in 2019 but only 64,351 last year, and are braced for a poor crowd against Sussex on Thursday night. The blame is shared between the Hundred’s impact on the fixture list, rising living costs, the pandemic’s effect on London working habits, and the club’s own results.Although the Blast has flagged since he last played in it, for Yorkshire in 2018, Williamson’s presence at Lord’s is proof that English cricket retains a certain pull. “When you see Test cricket on TV in this part of the world, it always gives you a lift,” he said. “To see full houses, often, is special to me… Seeing that appreciation and passion in that format over here is great.”Williamson heads to the nets on his first day with Middlesex•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesYet Williamson’s own future in the format is unclear as he gradually tapers back his international commitments. He could return to England for New Zealand’s three-match series next year, but the recent Test retirement of Virat Kohli – a fellow member of Martin Crowe’s ‘Fab Four’ – prompted a level of introspection.”You do start to reflect a little bit,” he said. “When some of those decisions are made, you go, ‘Oh gosh, there’s an end point.’ Before that, you’re on the journey, and there’s a pursuit there. It’s not connected to those other three, but we’ve all been playing at the same time and competed against each other for a long time… We’ve chatted a lot over the years.”You do realise that you’re not just cricketers as well: you’re human beings, and your life situation changes, and you go through a lot over the 14 or 15 years that we’ve all been doing it together… Until the decision is made, you assume that’s not happening; then it does, and you go, ‘Ah, I can understand it. It’s life.'”The underlying message is clear. Williamson will not be around forever, and while his reputation as a T20 batter may have dipped in recent years, there is no such doubt around his superstar status. Middlesex’s hope is that if anyone can revive their T20 fortunes – and the standing of the Blast itself – then it is him.