MatériaMais Notícias

Em duelo atrasado pela 23ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Flamengo foi a Porto Alegre e derrotou o Grêmio por 4 a 2, de virada, com gols de Everton Ribeiro, Gabriel Barbosa – o melhor em campo -, Arrascaeta e Isla. Diego Souza marcou bis para o Tricolor, em confronto fundamental para o time de Rogério Ceni quanto às pretensões para o título e “conforto” no G4. Assista aos gols:

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O treinador rubro-negro enalteceu a importância de Gabigol para o triunfo desta noite, além de dedicar o resultado positivo ao torcedor, que agora vê o Fla na vice-liderança, a quatro pontos do Internacional (líder) e com “folga” de seis pontos dentro da zona de classificação direta à Libertadores-2020;

– O mais importante é chegar faltando seis rodadas, mesmo com alguns tropeços, algumas boas atuações sem vitórias, outras não tão convincentes, com chances e briga real pelo título. Sabemos o quanto é importante – disse Ceni, emendando:

– No Rio, você começa a conhecer o torcedor flamenguista, né?! É muito mais do que uma simples noite de vitória. É o prazer, a alegria de tanta gente humilde tem em voltar para casa, sair do bar onde assistiu… Devagar você vai entendendo como funciona. É o motivo de alegria de muita gente, a grande vitória da vida de muita gente.

> ATUAÇÕES:Gabigol brilha e comanda vitória do Flamengo sobre o Grêmio

Ainda em relação à briga pelo octacampeonato, Ceni admitiu o seguinte:

– Não dependemos somente da gente, mas encurtamos uma distância que, se não viesse essa vitória hoje, seria praticamente impossível brigar por título.

A IMPORTÂNCIA DE GABIGOL

– Acho que são 16 jogos que estou aqui e o Gabriel não começou somente em um. Hoje, ele se tornou, se não me engano, o quinto maior artilheiro do Flamengo na história do Brasileiro. Ele está sempre em campo. Teve um jogo que não começou jogando apenas. Não só conto com ele como tenho uma admiração por ele. Cresceu nos últimos jogos, tem dado combate na marcação, sendo mais intenso e coloco sempre para jogar. Só um único jogo dos 16 que estou aqui ele não começou…

– Não só ele, que logicamente é muito importante. É um cara alegre, descontraído, bom de lidar, mas o Diego é muito importante, hoje o Bruno Henrique falou antes do jogo, Everton fazer o gol me deixou muito feliz. Arrascaeta no segundo tempo melhorou bastante, Arão é uma liderança natural, Filipe Luís… Sou muito grato a todos pela maneira que voltaram para o segundo tempo. A atitude deles nos deixa em condição de brigar pelo campeonato – concluiu Ceni sobre o camisa 9 do Flamengo.

MUDANÇA NO SEGUNDO TEMPO

Rogério Ceni apontou as importantes mudanças de posicionamento na equipe em prol da virada no Rio Grande do Sul.

– No primeiro tempo, criamos algumas oportunidades, mas o time foi muito lento. No segundo tempo, mudamos o sistema com os mesmos jogadores e conseguimos mudar a atitude do time em campo.

-Sempre tentamos fazer com que os dois tempos sejam bons, como fizemos, por exemplo, contra o Palmeiras. Mudamos um pouquinho taticamente o posicionamento da equipe. Empurramos o Bruno Henrique para frente, abrimos o Arrascaeta e jogamos com o Gerson no esquema que começamos aqui. Precisávamos ser mais agressivos na marcação para recuperar a bola. Mas eles também conhecem, têm responsabilidade, caráter, estão acostumados a ser campeões, brigar por títulos, e seguimos vivo na competição.

> Confira e simule a tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro

O próximo jogo do Flamengo será contra o Sport, fora de casa, nesta segunda-feira e pela 33ª rodada do Brasileirão.

Cristiano Ronaldo completed his suspension and returned to action in the win over Al-Khaleej and the Portuguese has sent out a motivational message.

Article continues below

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Al-Nassr win 1-0 over Al-KhaleejRonaldo returns after suspensionSends out motivational messageWHAT HAPPENED?

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was included in Luis Castro's starting lineup against Al-Khaleej after his two-match suspension for violent conduct during Al-Nassr's 2-1 loss to Al-Hilal in the Suadi Super Cup semi-final was reduced to a one-match ban. The match against Al-Khaleej was settled by Aymeric Laporte's winner in the 67th minute and Ronaldo had a message for fans after the win.

AdvertisementWHAT RONALDO SAID

After the match, the former Real Madrid and Manchester United forward posted on Instagram and captioned his post: "Happy with the win, let’s keep it going!"

GettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

In the Saudi Pro League, Al-Nassr have been stuck in a sort of limbo with their second-place spot very well secured over the last few matchdays. They sit nine points behind league leaders Al-Hilal and are also 19 points ahead of Al-Ahli in third place.

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WHAT NEXT FOR RONALDO?

Al-Nassr will play against Al-Khaleej yet again as they will take on Pedro Emanuel's side in the semi-finals of the King Cup of Champions on Wednesday, May 1.

South Africa moved ever closer to a 3-0 clean sweep on the third day at Johannesburg, as Dale Steyn and Duanne Olivier bent their backs in the face of some stiff resistance to leave Pakistan’s second innings in the balance at 153 for 3, and ensure that Quinton de Kock’s superb fourth Test century is unlikely to go to waste.Despite a doughty first-wicket stand of 67 between Shan Masood and Imam-ul-Haq, and another pair of combative knocks from Babar Azam and, especially, Asad Shafiq, Pakistan were firmly up against it at the close.ALSO READ: De Kock bursts through still waters after drought-breaking tonThe loss of both openers in the space of three Steyn overs set the scene for another critical failure for Azhar Ali, their under-performing senior batsman, who completed a dismal series haul of 59 runs at 9.83 when he was bounced out for the fourth time in six innings by Olivier.It was Olivier’s 22nd wicket of the series, more than even Steyn has ever managed for South Africa in a three-match series, and it had to be hard-earned on a surface that appeared to lack the demons that had been in evidence while de Kock and Hashim Amla, in particular, were eking out their team’s lead in the early part of the day.In the absence once again of a frontline spinner to mix up South Africa’s options, it took invention and nous to force their openings in the evening session – not least from Steyn, who had left the field clutching his shoulder in the first innings, but shook off any lingering doubts about his fitness with another bravura performance.After failing to cause many problems to Pakistan’s left-handers in a three-over foray before tea, Steyn returned from round the wicket to test their mettle with a wide line angled into the stumps. Imam, on 35, was first to blink, drawn into playing the original line and nicking off as Steyn straightened one off the pitch. And 14 Steyn deliveries later, Masood departed in fury to a similar ball, seemingly oblivious to the feathered inside-edge onto thigh-pad that condemned him on review.For the second match running, however, Pakistan’s batsmen had saved their best for last, and as Babar and Shafiq reprised the watchful shot selection that had given their hosts plenty to ponder in Cape Town, it was South Africa who were the most grateful to take refuge in the dressing room. A night’s sleep, however, will remind both teams of the distance this chase still has to run. A fourth-day target of 228 remains more than Pakistan have managed in four of their five completed innings on this tour.All of which made de Kock’s earlier efforts with the bat all the more crucial. By the time South Africa’s final wicket fell, 13 balls after de Kock had launched Shadab Khan once too often into the leg side to fall for an equal Test-best 129, their batsmen had completed a fine recovery from a wobbly 93 for 5 to a hefty total of 303 all out.It is an indication of de Kock’s supreme talent that, despite rattling along at a typically brisk strike-rate, this was one of the more circumspect performances of his burgeoning Test career. He had resumed his innings on 34 not out overnight, having barrelled along at a run a ball on the second evening, but slipped back into a more measured pace in the first session to combat a Pakistan attack that never lost heart despite their mounting challenge, but struggled to force the breakthroughs.They managed two in the morning session: Amla, who had pressed along to 71 – five shy of Jacques Kallis’ long-term record for most runs at the Wanderers – before Hasan Ali got one to pop into his gloves from a good length to end a sixth-wicket stand of 102; and Vernon Philander, who picked off three sweet boundaries in a well-compiled 14, before Mohammad Amir pinned him on the shin with a perfectly directed yorker.De Kock stood firm throughout, picking off four boundaries before the break before stepping up an extra gear in the hour after lunch to move to the brink of his hundred.But then he endured a disarmingly jittery spell – he had fallen twice in the 90s in consecutive Tests against New Zealand in March 2017 and not come so close to a hundred since. And so when, on 99, a clobbered straight drive off Faheem Ashraf deflected off Kagiso Rabada’s boot at the non-striker’s end and straight to the man at mid-on, de Kock had reason to fear his luck might not be in.Another nervy declined single and a fierce smack to short cover ramped up the angst even more, but de Kock kept flinging the bat, and eventually connected with a cathartic drill through long-off to cue a release of pent-up emotion.Sarfraz Ahmed, who would finish with a Pakistan-record ten dismissals for the match, missed a sharp fizzing edge soon afterwards, high to his left off the persevering Hasan, whereupon de Kock launched into a predictable fusillade of strokeplay.He scorched his very next ball wide of mid-off before clearing his front leg in Hasan’s next over and belting a lofted flog straight back over his head for another four. That massive six off Shadab then followed, before de Kock chanced his arm against the legspinner once too often. He picked out Hasan just inside the rope to depart to a deserved standing ovation.The end of the innings followed quickly. Rabada had been a willing accomplice in a 79-run stand for the eighth wicket, but soon spliced a Faheem Ashraf bouncer to cover as he sought to up the ante. Duanne Olivier then nicked off to give Shadab his third wicket in an under-used role, and set the stage for Pakistan’s response.

The Premier League is one of, if not the best, league in the world. It is filled to the brim with Ballon d'Or nominees and world-class managers capable of lifting Europe's biggest honours. And fans in England have the opportunity to watch week in, week out, as their sides do battle…for a certain price, of course.

The cost of a season ticket to watch your side every week – to sing songs likely aimed towards the referee's performance, and celebrate every goal like it's your last – seems very much worth it. Except, you rapidly begin to notice just how much you've paid when you travelled far and wide only to see your side concede seven against your rivals. Looking at you, Manchester United fans…

With that said, the natural question is, what's the most and least expensive season ticket in the Premier League? Well, that's a query recently answered by The Athletic, which revealed some surprising numbers that you can see below.

Football FanCast provides you with all the ins and outs of a season ticket in the Premier League.

How do season tickets work in the Premier League?

Buyers can attend all home games

A season ticket allows the buyer to attend all home games across a single Premier League campaign, and also any cup competition the club is involved in.

Generally, they can be extremely difficult to get a hold of with most sides having a waiting list to even buy one and it'll likely set you back a fortune.

Though, the idea of a season ticket is that it's a great deal cheaper than purchasing a single one for each game.

How much has the cost of a Premier League season ticket increased?

Three London clubs froze their prices

The report revealed that seven Premier League clubs charge over £1k for a standard seat, and only three clubs have opted to freeze their season ticket prizes, with 17 raising them and some going as far as increasing by 10% or more in what will inevitably hit fans hard in the United Kingdom’s current cost of living crisis.

The three clubs to have frozen their season ticket prices are Chelsea, Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur – all London clubs. Chelsea and Tottenham decided to freeze their prices after enduring disappointing campaigns in front of their supporters.

The figures did not make for positive reading, as a whole, with many clubs becoming stricter in their categorisation of pricing and less generous when it comes to qualifying as a senior or junior ticket holder.

The increased pricing is not set to damage attendance figures, as only five Premier League sides do not currently have a waiting list for season tickets, but it does bring forth the value of fans once more, who remain a crucial part of the so-called beautiful game, as shown in the Covid-19 pandemic.

What is the most expensive Premier League season ticket?

Four of the 'big six' aren't in the top five

Surprisingly sitting top of the list is Fulham, who finished 10th last season and charge £3k for their most expensive season ticket.

Newly-promoted Luton Town, meanwhile, sit bottom of the list, charging just £500 for their most expensive season ticket in a positive first step into England's top flight.

What's more, it's quite surprising that traditional big six members such as Man United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City aren't even in the top five.

Most expensive PL adult season tickets (2023/24)
Team	Price
Fulham	£3000
Tottenham Hotspur	£2025
Arsenal	£1783.50
Newcastle United	£1108
West Ham United	£1105
Manchester City	£1030
Manchester United	£1007
Chelsea	£940
Crystal Palace	£895
Liverpool	£886
Wolves	£833
Aston Villa	£864
Bournemouth	£821
Brighton and Hove Albion	£800
Everton	£690
Nottingham Forest	£660
Brentford	£549
Sheffield United	£528.50
Luton Town	£510
Burnley	£500

Which Premier League club has the cheapest season ticket?

Three clubs sell a season ticket for less than £400

West Ham United sell the cheapest season ticket in the Premier League, which caught us by surprise a little given they're a London club. Prices tend to be dearer in the capital, which is evinced noticeably by Arsenal's cheapest season ticket of £973.50.

Meanwhile, Burnley and Manchester City are the only two other clubs to offer a season ticket sub £400, with the latter especially rather striking given the trophy-laden decade they've enjoyed.

Manchester United, who stage their home fixtures at the second-largest football venue (Old Trafford) in the United Kingdom, offer a season ticket for £551 – making it the 11th cheapest across the division.

Least expensive PL adult season tickets (2023/24)
Team	Price
West Ham United	£310
Burnley	£335
Manchester City	£385
Sheffield United	£418.50
Brentford	£419
Newcastle United	£438
Nottingham Forest	£465
Luton Town	£510
Wolves	£525
Crystal Palace	£545
Manchester United	£551
Brighton and Hove Albion	£565
Bournemouth	£595
Fulham	£595
Everton	£600
Aston Villa	£610
Liverpool	£699
Chelsea	£750
Tottenham Hotspur	£807
Arsenal	£973.50

MatériaMais Notícias

Com objetivos distintos nessa reta final de Série B, Juventude e Figueirense fizeram um duelo decisivo pelos respectivos sonhos no Alfredo Jaconi, pela abertura da 37ª rodada. E a partida foi tão dramática quanto a necessidade das equipes, onde os times empatavam sem gols até os 40 minutos do segundo tempo. Mas em um erro de arbitragem, o Figueira abriu o placar e o empate veio logo em seguida devido a uma falha bisonha do goleiro Rodolfo. E no último minuto, Rogério virou a partida para o time gaúcho e manteve a esperança de acesso.

Com os três pontos, o Juventude volta ao G-4 ao acumular 58 pontos, dois a mais que o CSA, que joga na rodada e pode recuperar a posição. De qualquer forma, a última vaga para a elite vai ficar para a última rodada da Série B.

Enquanto isso, o Figueirense pode ter seu descenso garantido para a Série C nesta rodada. Isso acontecerá caso o Vitória ganhe ou empate seu jogo diante do Botafogo-SP, que já está rebaixado, e o Náutico consiga os mesmos resultados contra o Cruzeiro. Os baianos e pernambucanos possuem 42 pontos, enquanto os catarinenses mantém os 39 pontos.

DOMÍNIO VERDE NO COMEÇO

Jogando em casa e superior na tabela, o Juventude se mostrou melhor no começo de jogo. A equipe de Pintado desde o apito inicial trabalhou bem a bola e em algumas oportunidades chegava no ataque. O problema estava no último passe ou nas finalizações, que até então eram poucas ou não tinha pontaria.

O Figueirense quando partia para o ataque se mostrava sem força e a defesa do Juventude levou a melhor em todas as tentativas dos catarinenses. Até os 20 minutos, o time de Jorginho não tinha chutado ao gol de Marcelo Carné. Geovane Itinga foi quem quebrou esse ‘jejum’ em arremate da ponta esquerda da área em que o camisa 1 do Juve encaixou bem.

FIGUEIRENSE QUANDO CHEGOU…

A partir da metade do primeiro tempo, o Figueirense passou a ter esporádicas chances de gol e chegadas com perigo na área do Juventude. Na principal delas, aos 30 minutos, Diego Gonçalves invadiu a área e teve a opção do passe, porém como manda o manual do atacante, ele preferiu chutar e Carné defendeu. No rebote, a bola bateu no próprio camisa 16 e foi para tiro de meta.

BOMBA NO TRAVESSÃO

O rebote do Juventude não demorou. Aos 33 minutos, a bola sobrou quicando para Matheuzinho na entrada da área. O meio-campista bateu de primeira e acertou o travessão. No rebote, Everton chutou firme rasteiro e ela passou muito perto da trave esquerda de Rodolfo. No minuto seguinte, Renato Cajá cruzou da esquerda para Matheuzinho, que novamente apareceu bem, porém cabeceou por cima da meta. Três momentos perigosos perdidos pelo Juve.

A equipe verde conseguiu neutralizar as chegadas do Figueirense e passou a pressionar na reta final. Apesar das inúmeras tentativas de chegar, a etapa inicial terminou mesmo sem gols.

FIGUEIRENSE PRESSIONA

O Figueirense fez três alterações ofensivas no intervalo. Deixaram o campo Dudu, Bruno Michel e Geovane Itinga e entraram Guilherme Teixeira, Erison e Lucas Barcelos. Nos primeiros 10 minutos, foi o Figueira quem mais chegou no ataque: Diego Gonçalves em duas oportunidades, Lucas Barcelos em cruzamento e Nonato em cabeçada perigosa foram os que assustaram o Juve até então.

UM LÁ E CÁ SEM SUSTOS

O tempo foi passando e os jogadores percebendo a pressão que o empate poderia ter para a sequência da rodada. Ambos times dividiram a posse de bola no ataque, mas o nervosismo fazia com que ninguém conseguisse se aproximar do gol.

Na metade do segundo tempo, já se via o semblante de desgaste físico nos atletas por causa da necessidade dos clubes. O jogo também pouco parou e os atletas não tentavam ganhar tempo em lances de faltas.

GOL, MAS NÃO VALEU!

Aos 35 minutos, o Figueirense errou na defesa. Rafael Silva ficou com a bola e tocou para Bambam, que dominou e chutou no gol. Porém o lance já estava invalidado por impedimento.

GOLS DRAMÁTICOS (E POLÊMICO) A PARTIR DOS 40 MINUTOS

Aos 40 minutos, Renan Luís recebeu bola em profundidade e cruzou depois que a bola já havia saído na linha de fundo. A arbitragem mandou o jogo seguir e Erison cabeceou para o fundo das redes.

Dois minutos mais tarde, Bambam aproveitou uma falha na saída de Rodolfo, que perdeu o tempo de bola e viu ela passar por cima após o quique, e o atacante só teve o pequeno trabalho de empurrar para o gol.

VIRADA NO ÚLTIMO MINUTO

Em escanteio aos 49 minutos do segundo tempo, o Juventude levantou a bola na área e Rogério, como herói, cabeceou para o fundo das redes. Na empolgação, o atacante tirou a camisa e recebeu o amarelo.

FICHA TÉCNICA
JUVENTUDE X FIGUEIRENSE- 37ª RODADA DO BRASILEIRO DA SÉRIE B
Estádio: Alfredo Jaconi, em Caxias do Sul (RS)
Data: 22 de janeiro de 2021, às 16h
Árbitro: Pablo Ramon Gonçalves Pinheiro (RN)
Assistentes: Cleriston Clay Barreto Rios (SE) e Vinicius Melo de Lima (RN)
Gramado: Regular
Cartões amarelos: Alemão e Patrick (FIG) / Rogério (JUV)

GOLS: Erison, 40’/2ºT (0-1); Bambam, 42’/2ºT (1-1); Rogério, 49’/2ºT (2-1)

JUVENTUDE (Técnico: Pintado)
Marcelo Carné; Luis Ricardo, Augusto, Emerson Silva e Hélder; João Paulo (Gustavo Bochecha, aos 33’/2ºT)), Gabriel Bispo, Matheuzinho (Rogério, aos 12’/2ºT), Renato Cajá (Roberto, aos 12’/2ºT) e Everton (Rafael Silva, aos 33’/2ºT); Rafael Grampola (Bambam, 24’/2ºT).

FIGUEIRENSE (Técnico: Jorginho)
Rodolfo Castro; Everton Santos, Alemão, Vitor Mendes (Geovane) e Renan Luís; Nonato (Matheus Neris, aos 15’/2ºT), Patrick e Dudu (Guilherme Teixeira, no intervalo); Bruno Michel (Bruno Michel, no intervalo), Geovane Itinga (Lucas Barcelos, no intervalo) e Diego Gonçalves.

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نجح فريق الكرة الأول بنادي بيراميدز في تحقيق فوز سهل وكبير على نظيره الجونة، برباعية دون رد، ضمن منافسات كأس مصر.

واحتضن ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي مباراة فريقي بيراميدز والجونة في دور الـ8 ببطولة كأس مصر 2023-2024.

وصعد بيراميدز من دور الـ16 بانتصار على حساب أبو قير للأسمدة بهدف دون رد، فيما تأهل الجونة من دور الـ8 على حساب الترسانة بركلات الترجيح.

وكان بيراميدز قد تقدم بهدف لفيستون مايلي في الدقيقة الثامنة من عمر اللقاء برأسية متقنة من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

فيديو | زد يقتنص فوزًا مثيرًا من سيراميكا كليوباترا في مباراة ماراثونية بـ كأس مصر

ثم أضاف الهدف الثاني المدافع أحمد سامي في الدقيقة 42 برأسية مميزة مستغلًا عرضية محمد حمدي المتقنة.

وزاد فريق بيراميدز من غلة التهديف بتسجيل الثالث عن طريق لاعب خط الوسط بلاتي توريه في الدقيقة 56 بتسديدة صاروخية من داخل منطقة الجزاء.

وعزز اللاعب الدولي مصطفى فتحي تقدم فريقه بهدف رابع في الدقيقة 79 من عمر اللقاء بعد انفراد تام بالمرمى.

الجدير بالذكر، أن مصطفى فتحي قد أهدر فرصة تسجيل الهدف الرابع بإضاعة ركلة جزاء بعد دقائق من تسجيل الهدف الثالث.

بتلك النتيجة، يصبح فريق بيراميدز أول المتأهلين للدور نصف النهائي ببطولة كأس مصر منتظرًا الفائز من موقعة المصري وفاركو.

ومن المقرر أن تقام مباراة بيراميدز أمام الفائز من موقعة المصري ضد فاركو، يوم الثلاثاء 27 أغسطس الجاري.  أهداف مباراة بيراميدز والجونة

ركلة جزاء مصطفى فتحي الضائعة

In April, Steve Parish re-appointed 76-year-old Roy Hodgson in an attempt to save Crystal Palace from relegation to the Championship. The move turned out to be a huge success, with the ex-England boss winning five of his ten games and losing only twice.

However, heading into this weekend, Palace were five games without a win and had only won one of their last nine matches, putting them just a few places above the drop zone in the Premier League table.

This run of poor form has sparked rumours regarding Hodgson's future at the club, with Crystal Palace reportedly showing an interest in Julen Lopetegui, as per Spanish outlet Marca, who has never lost a game against Crystal Palace, albeit having played against them just once.

Julen Lopetegui’s managerial statistics

Avid Premier League followers will recognise the Spaniard from his time managing Wolves last season, where he saved the club from relegation. Over the 27 games that he was in charge of, Lopetegui won ten, drew five, and lost 12. However, he was sacked prior to the 2023/24 season starting.

Despite managing plenty of top teams, including Sevilla, Real Madrid, Spain, and Porto, he has only won three trophies in his career, with two of those being consecutive European Championships with Spain’s U19 and U21 in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

His most recent and biggest trophy was the UEFA Europa League with Sevilla in 2020.

Wolves

27

10

Sevilla

170

90

Real Madrid

14

6

Spain

20

14

Porto

78

53

Julen Lopetegui’s style of play

Lopetegui often opts for an attacking 4-3-3 formation that focuses on attacking full-backs, creative wingers, and a midfielder who has the freedom to roam and join the attack. This 4-3-3 is flexible, however, and depending on the personnel, it can become a 4-4-2 or even a 4-2-3-1 within the same game.

If Lopetegui was to be appointed as the Eagles manager, the 4-3-3 formation would remain as it has provided him with success over the years, particularly at Sevilla.

The current Palace squad has some similarities to the one that the 57-year-old won the Europa League with, which means his system would fit the side quickly and with ease. Lopetegui demands that his two centre-backs are comfortable in possession, can progress the play, and have athleticism, which Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen have in abundance.

Tyrick Mitchell at left-back will look to bomb forward at any opportunity, and so will Joel Ward at right-back, however, the latter doesn’t exactly match the profiles of Nelson Semedo and Jesus Navas, and a right-back may be on the Spaniard’s wish list for January if he does join.

Eberechi Eze is simply an unbelievable technician who can win a match on his own. The number ten thrives when drifting to the left of the midfield, and he will use his creativity, dribbling, and ball-carrying to get his side up the field. Eze is arguably a mixture of Matheus Nunes and Ivan Rakitic, and he would play in their role.

The ex-Real Madrid manager prefers his wingers to have pace, a solid defensive work rate, and provide a threat by testing the opposition goalkeeper. He also expects them to link up with the number nine, who has typically been a target man, with Jean-Phillipe Mateta potentially becoming the next Luuk de Jong.

Overall, Lopetegui would instantly improve Crystal Palace, who have run out of ideas with Hodgson at the helm. If the Spaniard did join, you would expect Palace to stay up comfortably with the aforementioned fluidity to his play style set to be a breath of fresh air at Selhurst Park.

Chelsea have extremely high hopes for a young star in their ranks, and they even believe he is "the future" of his current position.

Pochettino's plethora of exciting starlets

Todd Boehly's policy of buying young was laid bare in the summer transfer window, with Chelsea sealing deals for some of the Premier League's most exciting young talents. Romeo Lavia, who was praised for his performances for relegated Southampton last season, was snapped up from the south coast for around £53 million.

Meanwhile, Chelsea also sought to sign winger Cole Palmer from treble winners Man City, and the English starlet has already made a fine start to life at Stamford Bridge.

Chipping in with some key contributions, Palmer was outstanding against his former club in Chelsea's last game – a thrilling 4-4 draw with City in west London. The 21-year-old cooly slotted an equalising penalty in the dying minutes, and showcased to everybody why Mauricio Pochettino was so eager to do a deal for him.

Chelsea star could now be set for return in boost for Pochettino

He’s expected back very soon.

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“Cole Palmer has been doing great," said former right-back Glen Johnson.

"He’s obviously got a great mentality stepping up for penalties and performing against his old team.

“He looks calm on the ball, looks like he’s enjoying his football and it’s good to see, I think he’s the real deal. He’s the sort of player strikers love to play with, but I don’t think that he’s the kind of player a full-back hates to play against one on one. He’s intelligent and can play through the lines in the middle, and that’s where he should play with Chelsea.”

Brazilian youngsters Deivid Washington and Angelo are seen as two highly promising talents from South America too, and it is believed Boehly isn't done there as Chelsea wish to sign Club Brugge rising star Antonio Nusa.

However, another young star they appear to rate very much is actually under fire 2023 January signing Mykhalo Mudryk.

Chelsea think Mudryk is "the future"

The Ukrainian starlet, who cost around £88.5 million to prise away from Shakhtar Donetsk earlier this year, arrived at the Bridge with a glowing reputation. However, Mudryk has come under criticism at points for not quite delivering the goals and assists expected after a significant investment.

Despite his patchy form, though, reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Chelsea still believe Mudryk is "the future". When commenting on links to Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Romano told his Daily Briefing (via CaughtOffside):

Likes to shoot from distance

Likes to tackle

“The key point with Chelsea, however, is that they still believe Mykhaylo Mudryk will be the future in that position, so nothing has been decided in terms of investing big money there for another player after they fought hard to sign Mudryk ahead of Arsenal in that tense battle last January.

“Also with Napoli there is the reality that they could be forced to sell Victor Osimhen in the summer – I’ve reported on interest in him several times recently, and there’s been no progress on a new contract with Napoli, so they will hope to keep Kvaratskhelia if they lose another of their important players."

England have to be “open-minded” about their selection policy ahead of the World Cup, according to captain Eoin Morgan

Alan Gardner21-Jan-2019England have to be “open-minded” about their selection policy ahead of the World Cup, according to the ODI captain, Eoin Morgan, who said he would not rule out the likes of Jofra Archer or Sam Curran making it into the final 15-man squad.Neither player will be involved in the upcoming limited-overs series in the West Indies – Archer will have to wait until March to even become eligible – and Morgan is happy with the current group, but he stressed the importance of having back-up available, “particularly in the fast-bowling department”.Recent changes to the ECB’s regulations on qualifying to represent England have led to increased speculation that Archer, who represented West Indies Under-19s but is a British passport holder, could be fast-tracked into the one-day side for the World Cup. Although Morgan suggested last year it might be too late for Archer to be considered, speaking at a Chance to Shine event in London he said the allrounder’s name was likely to enter selection discussions when he becomes available.”We are probably as close as we can be at the moment,” Morgan said of England’s World Cup 15. “We have to be open-minded in adjustments that need to be made, particularly in the fast-bowling department. Fast bowlers get injured, they pick up niggles. So the games in the West Indies, even to the extent that when we announce the squad, when we play games after that we’re still going to have to have replacements who are like-for-like. I’m happy with where we’re at.”Jofra’s quite close to qualifying. I’ve played against him a lot, he’s in demand around the world and I think that’s justified because of the talent that he is and his performances, not only at Sussex, the IPL, Big Bash, he’s done some brilliant things. So again, we are open-minded to things. We’ll make a decision once he’s actually available.”England have already taken a hit to their pace stocks, after Olly Stone, who made his ODI debut on the tour of Sri Lanka last year, returned home from the Caribbean with a back stress injury. Mark Wood, Stone’s replacement who is currently in the one-day squad as well, has battled ankle problems since his debut in 2015, while David Willey, the left-armer currently ahead of Curran, sat out a Big Bash game at the weekend with a sore shoulder.On Curran’s chances of selection, Morgan said: “I don’t think you can rule him out. Olly Stone was just mentioned, David Willey missed a game the other day, as well. Guys pick up niggles.”While England’s ODI group is largely settled, another player who is eyeing a surprise shot at the World Cup is batsman-turned-legspinning allrounder Joe Denly. The 32-year-old’s last ODI appearance came a decade ago, at the 2009 Champions Trophy, but he will hope to push his case for a recall in the Caribbean, with Morgan enthusiastic about the contribution he could make.”I think that’s brilliant, because a lot of county cricketers, when they come out of a cycle of being dropped from the England team, say under the age of 26, never get another look in. Whereas other countries bring in players, 34, 35, 36, use their vast experience, realise they’ve learned from past mistakes and actually value that. So I think Joe being rewarded for countless performances in a Kent shirt is great. If he comes in I’ve no doubt he’ll do well.”The start of the World Cup is little more than four months away, with the ECB hoping this can be a transformative year for the game in England. With the men’s ODI team ranked No. 1 in the world, the chance to lift the trophy for the first time, while also hitting the participation and engagement sweet spot, is tantalising.Eoin Morgan takes part in a Chance to Shine World Cup event•Getty ImagesMorgan braved the January temperatures to take part in an outdoor session at a school in Islington as part of a drive to get a greater number of children taking an interest in cricket. While admitting “it’s going to be awesome” to open the tournament against South Africa on May 30, he said England were confident of rising to meet expectations given their sustained run of success.”I think it’s quite cool that we have the opportunity to do that [inspire the next generation]. It would add to the pressure if we come off the back of hit-and-miss results, we were unsure about our team, our squad, or method in which we were playing. I think everything’s becoming more clear the more that we play. We still need to tinker here and there but that’s fine-tuning. But the opportunity to inspire, that’s huge.”That’s one of the huge roles that the World Cup plays when it rolls into any country, growing the game. The Cricket World Cup and ECB are showing initiative in trying to get 1million kids involved in cricket that aren’t necessarily involved at the moment. The power of any world competition has that. It’s important to be able to engage, like today, in local schools, raising awareness of the nationalities and cultures of the teams that are coming. It’s all part of raising awareness.”Morgan will meet with Ashley Giles on Tuesday, in order to catch up with England’s new director of cricket. Much has changed since they last worked together when Giles was England’s limited-overs coach in 2013 and 2014 – most strikingly the one-day blueprint set out by Andrew Strauss, Giles’ predecessor, in the wake of a disastrous 2015 World Cup.That nadir for England, even when stacked up against a miserable World Cup record that includes going out at the group stage of the 1999 tournament at home, could well be the starting point for their finest hour.”That World Cup played quite a significant part in us – myself, the selectors, the coach – in saying, we need to change where our priorities lie,” Morgan said. “We need to change the way that we play, we need to change the way that we select teams. So I think if we’d have limped to the quarter-final, that might not have happened. As much as it was one of the worst times of my career, I have to look back and be grateful that I’ve learned from it and I came through and Straussy still made me captain.”

Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has pointed out the hypocrisy behind how his tactics were criticised compared to Mikel Arteta's defensive approach.

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• Mourinho talks about Arteta defensive tactics
• Disappointed with hypocrisy by fans and pundits
• Believes he was mistreated for the same tactics

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Last month, Arteta's Arsenal side held Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to a goalless draw at the Etihad Stadium. After the match, Arteta was given plaudits for his set-up of the Gunners against the free-flowing and attack-dominant side of Guardiola. However, there was also some criticism that Arteta played the match not to win but to avoid a loss.

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• WHAT MOURINHO SAID

  Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph: "I am happy because I like the kid [Arteta]. And I am happy everything goes for him. But the way they [Arsenal] played to get that point – and the way the media spoke about a magic strategy.

  "In my time, it was not a magic strategy, and I won at Manchester City a few times. But it was not an amazing strategy. It was a defensive game. Park the bus. Park the double bus. It was a different perspective."

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Throughout his career, Mourinho often received backhanded compliments for how he sets up his sides defensively. He led sides like Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid to some of their best seasons during his prime, however, always remained criticised for 'parking the bus' in big games. Arteta, on the other hand, has been heavily praised for his ability to man-manage his squad as they went through somewhat of a transformation.

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• WHAT NEXT FOR MOUNRINHO?

  The Portuguese legend is currently out of a job after he was sacked earlier this year by Roma after the club had entered a downward spiral. He is still in search of a new club, however, in the interview, he also revealed that he would only accept a club if they set realistic targets for him and his tenure at the club.