Thiago Motta's Juventus finally saw their unbeaten Serie A run end on Saturday, falling to Napoli after several months without a loss.
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أدلى أحمد حسام ميدو، نجم الزمالك السابق وعضو لجنة التخطيط بالقلعة البيضاء، بتصريحات مثيرة حول أزمة ظهور محمد أبو تريكة في إعلان استاد الأهلي، مشيرًا إلى أن النادي الأحمر تكبد خسائر بسبب هذا الأمر، ومؤكدًا أن عودته إلى مصر ليست سهلة.
وقال ميدو في تصريحات عبر قناة الرابعة الرياضية العراقية: “كل شخص له توجهاته وقناعاته، لكن أنا رجل وطني لا أدعم غير جيش وحكومة بلدي، ولو مائة مرة النظام المصري طلب مني أترك أي مكان من أجل سياسات الدولة، لن أتأخر أبدًا”.
وتابع: “أرى إن النادي الأهلي تضرر بشكل كبير جدًا من تواجد أبو تريكة في إعلان استاد الأهلي، والضرر الذي سيقع على النادي الأهلي في المستقبل سيكون أكبر من الضرر الذي حدث على المدى القصير، هناك كثير من مشجعي النادي منزعجين من ظهوره في الإعلان”.
وبسؤاله، هل تعتبر ما فعله الأهلي تُعتبر رسالة معارضة للحكومة، أو أنه حكومة داخل حكومة؟، أجاب ميدو: “لا، ليس عندنا في مصر حكومة داخل حكومة، أنت بذلك لا تعرف مصر، إعلان الأهلي بعد 48 ساعة تم حذفه.. إذًا من الذي خسر؟”.
طالع أيضًا | فيديو | لن تعلموني حب مصر.. تصريحات نارية من أبو تريكة ردًا على منتقدي مشاركته في إعلان استاد الأهلي
وواصل ميدو: “عندما تُعد إعلان وتصرف ملايين، ثم تضطر تغيير الخطة التي وضعتها، بالتأكيد أنت خسرت، ما فعله أبو تريكة موقف تاريخي لن ينساه أحد”.
واستكمل: “أبو تريكة يُحاول العودة إلى مصر منذ سنوات، لكنه لا يعرف، أبو تريكة طوال عمره يُحاول كسب العواطف، منذ أن كان لاعبًا هدفه الأول والأخير اللعب على عواطف الجماهير، هو لاعب كبير جيد، لكنه رجل على قوائم الأرهــــ اب في مصر، رجول موًل الإرهـــــ اب في مصر، وأعتقد أن عودته لن تكون سهلة”.
وأردف: “لا أريد أن أقول أن الإعلان سذاجة من الأهلي، لكن لو عاد بهم الزمن لن يضعوا أبو تريكة في الإعلان، خطأ كبير لن ينساه التاريخ، الوطنية ليس بها شماتة حتى لو الغريم أخطأ، الوطنية فيها مبادئ”.
واختتم: “الأسطورة بالنسبة لي هو الرجل الذي صنع تاريخ لناديه ومنتخب بلده ورجل وطني، إذا لم تتوفر أيًا من الثلاث فهو ليس أسطورة، الوطنية أهم من التاريخ مع النادي والمنتخب”.
Chelsea are expected to address the centre-back position with a new signing in that area “very soon”, with the club’s transfer chiefs also setting their sights on an intriguing Brazilian target.
New head coach Enzo Maresca has been widely praised for his start to life in the Stamford Bridge dugout, having transformed the mood around west London as Chelsea make a fine start to the 2024/2025 campaign.
£200,000-per-week star deemed surplus by Maresca and likely to quit Chelsea
The Italian has already made a decision ahead of January.
By
Emilio Galantini
Oct 1, 2024
The Blues boast four wins from their opening six Premier League matches so far, and have scored more goals than any other side in the division, including Man City. Maresca’s arrival to replace Mauricio Pochettino caused a stir at first, especially considering the latter ended last campaign with just one loss in 15 top-flight games.
|
Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Nottingham Forest (home) |
October 6 |
|
Liverpool (away) |
October 20 |
|
Newcastle (home) |
October 27 |
|
Man United (away) |
November 3 |
|
Arsenal (home) |
November 10 |
However, it now appears Todd Boehly and BlueCo are being rewarded for their decision to bring in Pep Guardiola’s former understudy, who was backed in the summer transfer window with a £200 million spending spree on 13 new signings.
“I’m really happy with my form so far this season and I put a lot of that down to the gaffer,” said Chelsea defender Levi Colwill in praise of Maresca.
“He’s given me a lot of confidence, and he’s put a lot of trust in me to play my football. He wants me to start attacks from the back and having that trust makes me feel a big part of how we want to play.
“I want to thank him for giving me the opportunities to play and for allowing me to play my football in the way I feel I’m good at. He’s always pushing me, and I’m really enjoy working under him.”
Colwill has impressed Chelsea chiefs with his performances under Maresca so far. The Englishman has formed a solid understanding with Wesley Fofana at the heart of their backline, but according to reports, a new central defender could still come in.
Writing vis his Substack this week, journalist Simon Phillips has revealed the numerous targets on their shortlist, and one of them is Zenit St. Petersburg defender Robert Renan.
The Brazilian has a £22 million release clause in his Zenit deal but is currently out on loan at Saudi Pro League side Al-Shabab, where he’s made three league appearances so far.
It is believed Chelsea are eyeing Renan as a transfer option, with Phillips adding in the subheading of his piece that the centre-back area is “expected to be addressed very soon” as the recruitment team eye up South American solutions.
Renan was linked with a move to Arsenal in 2022, so it appears elite Premier League sides have long noticed the 20-year-old’s ability.
“Observation made here from the lawn of the Neo Química Arena: Robert Renan has a lot of potential,” said Brazilian journalist Rodrigo Fragoso two years ago.
“I really liked the posture of the Corinthians left-footed defender. He anticipates well, he’s cold in the moves. Looks like he’s going to make a very quality defender in the professional.”
The last few seasons have seen Arsenal go from fighting for a place in the Champions League to fighting for the Premier League title.
It’s true that Mikel Arteta’s side haven’t been able to get over the final hurdle just yet, but aside from an injury-induced mini-crisis at present, it would be hard to deny that the team have steadily improved over the last few years.
William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have become some of the best centre-backs in Europe, Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard are sensational in the midfield, and Bukayo Saka continues to lead the attack with an ever-improving Kai Havertz down the middle.
However, while most of the team are playing better than they did two years ago, some players have struggled to kick on, such as Gabriel Martinelli, and based on recent reports, the Brazilian’s place in the team could soon be under threat from an exceptional winger on the continent.
Arsenal transfer news
According to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, Arsenal are one of several clubs keen on Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
The report claims that the Gunners are set to battle fellow Premier League side Liverpool for the Georgian international next year, as were he to leave Italy for England, his preference would be a move to the Emirates or Anfield, despite interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur.
While the winger’s desire to join the North Londoners over some of their rivals is undoubtedly a positive development, there is still the small matter of the potential transfer fee needed to get him out of Naples, which Bailey claims would stand at a whopping £100m if he were to agree to a new deal this season.
It would be an exceptionally costly transfer to get over the line, but given Kvaratskhelia’s incredible ability, it is one well worth pursuing, even if it could spell real trouble for Martinelli’s place in the starting lineup.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
How Kvaratskhelia compares to Martinelli
Now, while Kvaratskhelia has played in a few positions across his career, the vast majority of his games have come out on the left.
So, if he was to join Arsenal at some point next year, his biggest competitor for a long-term place in the starting lineup would be Martinelli, so how do the pair stack up against one another?
Well, when it comes to the most important metric of all for an attacking winger, their raw output, there is no competition, as even with his brilliant form in the 22/23 season, the Gunners’ number 11 doesn’t come close to the Georgian over the last few years.
For example, in his 102 games since the start of that campaign, the former Ituano gem has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, equating to a goal involvement once every 2.61 games.
Martinelli vs Kvaratskhelia
22/23
Martinelli
Kvaratskhelia
Appearances
46
43
Goals
15
14
Assists
6
17
Goal Involvements per Match
0.46
0.72
23/24
Martinelli
Kvaratskhelia
Appearances
44
45
Goals
8
11
Assists
5
9
Goal Involvements per Match
0.29
0.44
24/25
Martinelli
Kvaratskhelia
Appearances
12
10
Goals
2
4
Assists
3
2
Goal Involvements per Match
0.41
0.60
All Stats via Transfermarkt
In contrast, the “unstoppable” Napoli star, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has scored 29 goals and provided 28 assists in 98 games, which equates to a goal involvement on average every 1.71 games, which is made all the more impressive considering how poorly the team performed as a whole last season.
Ultimately, Martinelli is an undeniably talented winger and has shown signs of getting back to his best in recent weeks, but Kvaratskhelia has been exemplary for a few seasons now and looks like he could become one of the best attackers in world football, so if Arsenal have the chance to sign him next year, they should take it.
Contact made: Arsenal keen on signing amazing £75m Trossard upgrade
Arsenal could take their attack to the next level with the sensational forward.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 23, 2024
Isn’t it funny to think that were it not for Nottingham Forest, Liverpool would boast a flawless record across three competitions heading into the third month of the 2024/25 campaign?
Liverpool have won their opening game in the Champions League, against AC Milan at the San Siro, while also thumping West Ham United at Anfield in the Carabao Cup second round.
Losing on Merseyside against Forest in the Premier League was a shock, like being thrown into a blizzard having lounged on a Caribbean beach. Still, Arne Slot’s Reds are flying, and have won all five of their other top-flight matches, thus perching atop the table six games in.
Now, Bologna travel to Liverpool in the second game of the Champions League. The Italians drew 0-0 against Shakhtar Donetsk in their opener but will face a different beast later today.
Let’s not forget that Liverpool lost their last home fixture in European competition – and against Serie A opposition too. Slot will need to be wary.
Despite this, he should probably consider dropping Luis Diaz, imperious as he has been this season.
Why Slot should drop Luis Diaz
Liverpool resisted caving into the sugar rush that would have come with signing Anthony Gordon this summer, offered as they were to sign the Newcastle United star amid PSR concerns.
What would be the point? Diaz might not have hit the degree of goalscoring success desired last season but he certainly produced excellent performances.
Moreover, he looks to be a factory-build fit for a ‘Slot system’, ranking among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref, emphasising his technical skill.
As the table below shows you, though his goalscoring numbers have shot up, he’s not really raised the underlying metrics, which speaks volumes of his importance within the starting line-up.
Matches (starts)
37 (32)
6 (6)
Goals
8
5
Assists
5
1
Touches*
43.8
41.8
Shots (on target)
2.5 (0.9)
2.3 (1.3)
Pass completion
85%
89%
Key passes*
1.8
1.5
Ball recoveries*
3.4
3.7
Dribbles (completed)*
1.8
1.7
Tackles + interceptions*
1.0
1.5
Total Duels won*
4.6
4.0
He’s scored five goals from six Premier League matches, which is quite a thing given that Diaz only bagged eight across the entirety of last season, 37 fixtures played. He’s been more effective with his time, more economical in his offensive movements.
He didn’t, however, produce his finest performance against Wolves last time out, blanking and failing to offer all that much in attack for Slot’s side, which failed to really get going but still managed to claim a much-needed victory.
Indeed, as per Sofascore, the 27-year-old lost 84% of his contested duels, ceded possession ten times and failed to complete his one attempted dribble, also being dribbled past twice and taking just one blocked shot.
It was a performance that sat on more middling ground, with The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle awarding the Colombian a 6/10 match rating, acknowledging his threat on the left flank but admitting that he ’caused panic’ for the travelling side after a couple of iffy moments in the defensive third.
Diaz has spoken of his adoration of his new head coach and is showcasing his new-found love on the pitch. However, he must not be unleashed across every single one of Liverpool’s matches, lest he suffer a damaging injury.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
The best replacement for Diaz at Liverpool
Luckily, Liverpool aren’t overly reliant on Diaz, who has been one of the club’s best players over the first few months but, thankfully, competes with the brilliant Cody Gakpo for a starting berth.
Slot’s found a neat way of doing things on the left side of his frontline. It’s quite simple, really: Diaz operates on Premier League days, while Gakpo takes the reins during midweek competitions.
That’s how things have been carried out thus far, and though it won’t remain that way throughout the campaign and beyond, Liverpool are reaping the rewards of owning two talented wingers jostling for top spot.
Diaz has started every Premier League match, whereas Gakpo – who was kailed for his “special skill set” by Klopp’s former assistant manager Pep Lijnders – has yet to play from the outset in the top flight and has instead done so against West Ham and Milan. He’s been one of the best players on the pitch on both occasions and now deserves another shot.
The Netherlands international differs from Diaz in that he’s a little more dynamic and less of a touchline winger than Diaz, who, albeit, is proving that claim wrong by performing with a high goal output this year. It’s a testament to Slot’s system and its implementation that both players have hit the ground running.
Klopp, with no disrespect, didn’t figure out the best way to use Gakpo, who is so clearly, in hindsight, an out-and-out wide forward, where his pace and power and potency meld together to the greatest effect. Last term, he featured on the left across just 12 of his 53 outings, which points toward a degree of positional mismanagement.
The synergy must continue to be built up, and that’s talking about the Liverpool squad as a whole, not just Slot’s preferred 11 in the Premier League.
Diaz is in red-hot form and thus is unlikely to lose his starting berth any time soon, but the games come thick and fast for Liverpool and rotation is necessary across different competitions.
Slot’s already found a formula that’s bearing fruits for his team, and with Diaz placed on the bench for this one, Gakpo will have his chance to shine and deepen the bond that’s blossoming over on Merseyside.
Slot could finally drop Szoboszlai by unleashing "special" Liverpool ace
The Hungary star is leaving fans wanting…
1 ByAngus Sinclair Sep 30, 2024
A few weeks ago it looked as though Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea had turned a corner. Long gone were the messy days of Mauricio Pochettino, the turbulent times of Graham Potter. No, Todd Boehly had finally found his man. The good times were returning.
Well, perhaps we better pause for a second. The Blues had won five games on the spin in all competitions before they were halted in their tracks by Nottingham Forest prior to the international break.
They then suffered their first Premier League defeat since the opening weekend against Arne Slot’s Liverpool.
It wasn’t a great afternoon for the Londoners. Tosin was perhaps fortuitous not to see red in the first half, Robert Sanchez was suspect again and Cole Palmer was not at his fluid best.
An interesting statement was made before the game too by Maresca who left Mykhailo Mudryk out of the entire squad.
Why Mudryk missed out against Liverpool
Since moving to English football in January 2023 it has not been plain sailing for the Ukrainian winger. Far from it in fact.
Brought to the club in a mega £88.5m deal, he has thrilled supporters with his incredible speed but he is such a raw talent who currently lacks the tools to register consistent goal contributions.
Mudryk has scored just seven times in 66 games for Chelsea and is struggling big-time. There was no injury this time around. Maresca just left him out.
Their squad is still sizeable but the Italian boss clearly felt the likes of Joao Felix, Christopher Nkunku and Pedro Neto were better options on the bench.
It should be a rather large worry for the attacker who could well be considering his future at the Bridge ahead of January. How he must wish he’d joined fellow suitors Arsenal instead.
Unfortunately, things could get even harder in 2025 due to the arrival of a Ballon d’Or winner in waiting.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Chelsea's future Ballon d'Or winner
Back in June Chelsea confirmed the arrival of Estevao Willian from Palmeiras. However, he won’t officially join up with the first-team squad until he turns 18.
He’ll be registered next summer and will finally take part in training, moving from Brazil where he has been a sensation.
Still only 17 years of age, the winger has been staggering in his homeland, registering 15 goals and ten assists during the 2024 season to date.
You can see why he’s being admired by many from afar but it’s Chelsea who will get to enjoy the fruits of his labour from next campaign.
Hailed as a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by analyst Ben Mattinson, the incredible teenager is already held in extremely high regard. Mattinson has declared that he boasts the ‘same level of talent to early Santos Neymar’ and that he is a ‘better prospect than Endrick’, the Real Madrid superstar who also moved to Europe from Brazil.
So, there’s a great song and a dance being made about him, but why? Well, Estevao is already proving himself to the one of the most dangerous wingers in the world.
Although a right winger by trade, you sense that he will eventually learn to play off both flanks and why not? This is a player who when compared to players in 14 leagues similar to the Brazilian Serie A, ranks inside the top 8% of wingers for progressive carries and the best 4% for successful take-ons per 90 minutes.
On that evidence, he is an exceptional dribbler and manipulator of the ball. Unlike Mudryk, he’s also got the end product at the end of it all to back up his talents.
For context, while Estevao has 25 goal involvements for Palmeiras in 2024, at the same age, Endrick had just 15 contributions in his final full season with Palmeiras.
As for Neymar, he was amassing some totally ridiculous numbers, scoring 44 goals and assisting 17 throughout 49 matches in his final full year with Santos.
Games
225
Goals
136
Assists
64
Minutes played
18,138
Brazilian Cup
Won in 2010
Copa Libertadores
Won in 2011
Estevao may not be touching those sorts of figures yet but he’s somewhere in the middle of both Endrick and Neymar. That’s certainly not bad company, is it?
Chelsea are already blessed with a number of high-quality players on the flanks but the Brazilian could well be their most exciting yet. While the likes of Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho will back themselves to fight off the competition, you can’t imagine Mudryk having a similar level of confidence.
Perhaps once the Brazilian wonderkid does arrive, the former Shakhtar star will find himself on the scrap heap.
Chelsea nearly signed PL ace who's now worth £100m, they got Mudryk instead
The Blues may have missed a trick with one failed
ByConnor Holden Oct 12, 2024
Allrounder made 28 off 23 in warm-up win over New Zealand, but did not bowl despite Australia only picking four bowlers
Alex Malcolm19-Oct-2021
Marcus Stoinis is building back to full fitness•ICC/Getty Images
Allrounder Marcus Stoinis believes he is back to full fitness and will be available to bowl in Australia’s next T20 World Cup warm-up game on Wednesday against India after playing as a batter only in the three-wicket win during their first warm-up match against New Zealand on Monday night. He is confident he could bowl against India if needed on Wednesday, with Australia’s World Cup opener against South Africa just three days later.”[My] hammy is good. I didn’t bowl tonight, but it’s tracking pretty well,” Stoinis said. “It feels like it’s on the right track and it’s ready to go. I guess I’ll probably bowl in that next game.”Stoinis made 28 off 23 as Australia scraped home with just one ball to spare. It was just his second match back from a hamstring injury he suffered while bowling the first match of the second leg of the IPL on September 22.Related
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Stoinis played in Delhi Capitals’ IPL Qualifier loss to Kolkata Knight Riders, but again just as a batter. Although he has been running and bowling in the nets, he is still working his hamstring back to full strength and running power. Stoinis also suffered a minor back injury while training in Perth prior to flying to the UAE for the resumption of the IPL.Stoinis’ bowling will be needed if Australia opt for a four-man bowling attack as they did against New Zealand. One of the major debates within the Australia camp ahead of the World Cup is whether to pick five specialist bowlers, as they did during their run to world No.1 on the ICC T20I rankings in 2019-20, or whether they play four specialist bowlers only and use Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh as the fifth bowler.Marsh was used as the fifth bowling option against New Zealand but was slaughtered, conceding 53 runs in four overs, including 25 in his first over inside the powerplay. The other knock-on effect of Australia’s four-bowler strategy is it forces the spinners to bowl in the powerplay although Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa bowled very well with two men out, conceding just ten runs from their combined two overs, with Zampa picking up the wicket of Martin Guptill.Australia showed their hand with the bat with Marsh batting at No. 3 and Steven Smith slotting in at No. 4 ahead of Stoinis, while Maxwell was rested. Matthew Wade came in at No. 6 and kept wicket, with Australia’s reserve keeper Josh Inglis playing as a specialist bat but demoted to No.9 in order to give Agar and Starc some practice in a chasing scenario.Smith and Stoinis combined for a 48-run stand from 39 balls to control the middle of the chase. However, Australia lost 3 for 1 and needed Agar, Starc and Inglis to see them home. But Stoinis was pleased with his own form and the team’s performance despite the obvious rust.”I think it’s a good start,” Stoinis said. “We obviously haven’t played together for a while, so that was nice to firstly get a win, but two, to try a few new things and give a few people a crack.”I felt all right. It was nice to spend some time in the middle. I’ve spent a lot of time in the nets lately, so it was nice to get in the middle and just build a little partnership and do what is required for the team.”I think the way we were scoring was fine. I think ideally, we wouldn’t have lost those three wickets for not many, but I think the scoring rate was fine. We had it in control. Ash and Starcy got it over at the end, and Ingo actually.”
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa)
One of the most fluent stroke-makers in the game – especially with a cover drive that often goes viral – Wolvaardt returns to Strikers after being comfortably their leading run-scorer last season with 347 at 26.69. She arrives on the back of an impressive tour of West Indies where there were signs that she will be able to lift last-season’s strike-rate of 104.83. In the second T20I she finished the innings with four consecutive sixes.Dane van Niekerk (South Africa)
Wolvaardt will be joined by her international captain with allrounder van Niekerk making the switch from Sydney Sixers as they refreshed their list. She enjoyed a productive tour with the ball in West Indies which followed on from her being Oval Invincibles’ top scorer in the Hundred with 259 runs at 43.16, alongside eight wickets, which earned her the Player of the Tournament.
Anneke Bosch (South Africa)
The allrounder missed the tour of West Indies due to injury having made a promising return earlier in the year. This will be her first experience of the WBBL.Nadine de Klerk (South Africa)
De Klerk, who made her mark in the T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia, returns for her second season at the Heat and can expect more work with the ball having bowled just 16 overs in nine matches last year.Poonam Yadav (India)
The legspinner who blew open last year’s T20 World Cup with her 4 for 19 in the opening game against Australia became the final overseas player signed for this edition, filling the vacancy created by Amelia Kerr’s absence. She could form a formidable duo with Jess Jonassen.Richa Ghosh could pack a punch in Hobart Hurricanes’ middle order•Albert Perez/Getty Images
Richa Ghosh (India)
The 18-year-old wicketkeeper-batter impressed in the recent ODI series against Australia, where she made her debut in the format, bringing power to India’s middle-order. Her glovework remains a work in progress.Rachel Priest (New Zealand)
Priest stood head and shoulders above a poor Hurricanes batting line-up last season with 354 runs at 35.40 – nearly 200 more than the next best – and a strike-rate of 118. Overall, her spell in the Hundred with Trent Rockets was less successful although she did hit 76 off 42 balls against London Spirit.Mignon du Preez (South Africa)
It’s a switch from the green of Melbourne Stars to the purple of Hurricanes for the experienced batter who scored 380 runs last season. She did not have a prolific Hundred but finished the recent tour of West Indies strongly.
Kim Garth (Ireland)
Garth is now settled in Australia but remains classed as an overseas player and returns to the WBBL having not been part of it last season. Earlier this year she was named Ireland’s female player of the decade (2011-2020).Maia Bouchier (England)
With England initially having a tour of Pakistan overlapping with the WBBL their senior names won’t appear this season. Bouchier made her debut against New Zealand having shown promise for Southern Brave in the Hundred. She made 25 off 24 balls on her international debut.Linsey Smith (England)
The left-arm spinner has not played for England since 2019 but comes off a strong domestic season which included nine wickets in the Hundred – with an economy rate of just 5.54 – 10 wickets in the Charlotte Edwards Cup with an even better economy of 4.87 and 12 wickets in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.Melbourne Renegades will hope that Harmanpreet Kaur helps turn around their fortunes•AFP/Getty Images
Harmanpreet Kaur (India)
India’s T20I captain returns to the WBBL having previously represented Sydney Thunder across three seasons where she averaged 35.65. Was struggling with a thumb injury during the current multi-format series which saw her miss the ODIs and Test but has now recovered.Jemimah Rodrigues (India)
Rodrigues had an impressive Hundred for Northern Superchargers where she finished as the competition’s second-highest run-scorer with 249 runs in just seven innings with a stand-out strike-rate of 150.90. She is a livewire in the field and keep an eye on her social media.Eve Jones (England)
The uncapped English player has enjoyed a breakout domestic season and is, perhaps, an early indication of the impact of the Hundred in creating more visibility. She was named the PCA’s Women’s Player of the Year. For Central Sparks, Jones was the leading run-scorer in the Charlotte Edwards Cup with 276 runs at an average of 55.20 and third-highest on the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy charts with 299 runs at 42.71
Sophie Devine (New Zealand)
The New Zealand captain has claimed back-to-back Player of the Tournament titles, the first with Strikers and then having moved to Scorchers who reached the semi-finals last season. Across the last two campaigns, she has made 1229 runs and struck one of the two individual centuries made in the 2020-21 competition.Marizanne Kapp (South Africa)
The allrounder, who has moved from Sydney Sixers, will bolster both departments. Last year she was Sixers’ leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps and an economy rate of 6.14. She capped off the Hundred with 26 off 14 balls and figures of 4 for 9 to lead Oval Invincibles to the title.Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka)
Although Athapaththu’s previous returns for Renegades have been underwhelming, she has a superb international record in Australia where she has scored two of her six centuries: 113 off 66 balls at North Sydney Oval in 2019 which was followed by an ODI 103 in Brisbane.Smriti Mandhana will head into the tournament on the back of significant runs•Albert Perez/Getty Images
Shafali Verma (India)
Verma could form one of the most exciting opening partnerships in WBBL history alongside Alyssa Healy, which would mean breaking up the long-standing top-order pairing with Ellyse Perry as Sixers aim to revive themselves after two disappointing seasons. Her fielding, which is a noticeable weak point, could come under pressure in a tournament that generally has high standards.Radha Yadav (India)
The 21-year-old left-arm spinner, who has played 40 T20Is, will bring a different dynamic to the Sixers’ attack and help fill the hole created by the departure of van Niekerk. Her career-best 4 for 23 came in Melbourne, against Sri Lanka, in the 2020 T20 World Cup.
Smriti Mandhana (India)
Mandhana, who has previously played for Heat and Hurricanes, is enjoying a superb tour of Australia which was so far included 86 in the third T20I and the magnificent 127 in the day-night Test. She will have a critical role to play in Thunder’s title defence, especially during the first part of the tournament where they are expected to be without captain Rachael Haynes.Deepti Sharma (India)
The allrounder will be key in balancing Thunder’s side and her offspin will help fill the overs that were previously taken by Heather Knight. She was London Spirit’s leading wicket-taker in the Hundred and has shown promising batting form during the series against Australia. One of her strong options is the slog-sweep against the spinners.Issy Wong (England)
Although still uncapped, Wong is among the fastest bowlers in the English game – tipped as someone who could break the 80mph/128kph mark – and has been signed to fill the significant absence of Shabnim Ismail who was a central figure in the title success last season.
The towering midfielder comes alive in the small spaces and City believe he can fill the hole in their midfield and salvage their faltering season
While many clubs have opted for a low profile in the January transfer window, Manchester City have been acting as if it's the last-ever opportunity to buy players. Having previously talked down the importance of the winter window, Pep Guardiola has been making up for lost time in a bid to save his side's terrible campaign, and initially splashed out £130 million ($156m) on Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov and Omar Marmoush.
And yet despite blowing every other club in Europe out of the water in terms of spending, Sunday's humbling 5-1 thrashing by Arsenal made it plainly obvious that City's squad still had a gaping hole in midfield. Searching for a new No.6 has been troubling for City as they know that Rodri, whose long absence after knee surgery has been the main factor in their shambolic season, will be back for the start of next season – if not before – and will immediately retake his place in Guardiola's line-up.
But the harrowing beating City took at the Emirates Stadium underlined that they will need some back-up for Rodri even when he returns, and that the current crop of players are not up to covering when he isn't there. And that is why City made an audacious and eye-catching late swoop to sign Nico Gonzalez from Porto for £50m ($62m), announcing the deal bang on Monday's 11pm deadline.
Gonzalez comes from a prestigious football family and has already played for three huge clubs in their own right, but he is about to face the toughest challenge of his career: deputising for the reigning Ballon d'Or winner at the crunch stage of the season for a City side that are still in crisis.
GOAL explains, then, why City believe the Spaniard can save their flagging campaign…
Getty Where it all began
Nico is the son of legendary Deportivo La Coruna midfielder Fran, who spent 17 years at the club and was part of the much-loved side known as 'SuperDepor' which conquered La Liga in 1999-2000 and pulled off some memorable Champions League results in the early 21st century. Fran most notably played a pivotal role in Depor's epic quarter-final comeback against AC Milan in 2004, scoring the decisive goal as the Spanish side came from 4-1 down to knock out the defending European champions 5-4 on aggregate.
Despite being born into such a prestigious football family, Nico initially showed little enthusiasm for the sport. "Nico didn't want to play football at first," Fran recalled. "When he was six years old, he had no interest. I was still playing and maybe he was tired of going from place to place. But then one day arrived and, I don't know why, but he just started to play."
Nico was blessed to have a small football pitch at his home to hone his skills and a former Spain international to show him the ropes. By the age of 10, he was playing for the Under-13s at his local club, Montaneros, in Galacia, and turned on the style for a tournament that also featured Barcelona and Real Madrid, scoring a brace against the Catalans.
Both Spanish giants showed a major interest in signing him, and despite Madrid offering more money, Nico and his mother preferred the idea of moving to Barcelona. He joined the Catalan club's famed La Masia academy in 2013 and made steady progress, becoming a regular in the reserve side by the 2020-21 season.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportThe big break
The summer of 2021 was a painful one for Barcelona as they had to part ways with Lionel Messi due to their crippling financial crisis. But their inability to make major signings presented a huge opportunity for their talented youngsters, such as Nico, Abde Ezzalzouli, Alejandro Balde, Ferran Jutgla and Gavi.
Nico made his debut off the bench in the opening game of the 2021-22 season against Real Sociedad and soon became a regular starter. He really made his mark on the team during a dream week in December when he scored for the first time in a 2-2 draw at Osasuna, controlling a pass from Gavi to fire in the opening goal. Seven days later, he rescued Barca from embarrassment in front of their own fans, as the Catalans had surrendered a 2-0 lead against struggling Elche, only for Nico to pop up late in the game to again meet a pass from Gavi, bring it under control and smash in the winner.
Gonzalez's huge 6'2" (188cm) frame drew comparisons with Sergio Busquets in his early days, and then-Barca youth coach Francisco Xavier Garcia Pimienta told GOAL in 2021: "If we seek excellence at Barcelona, Nico will be the replacement for Busquets for many years."
GettyHow it's going
Nico's fine start at Barca began to slow down, however, as Gavi and Pedri locked down their places under Xavi Hernandez, and he was therefore limited to substitute appearances. He went on loan to Valencia for the 2022-23 season, but did not have the best time at Mestalla, as he struggled for regular football under Gennaro Gattuso and then broke his foot in December, knocking him out of action for three months. He came back stronger, though, and his solid finish to the season was enough for Porto to sign him for €8.5m (£7m/$9m).
He was not an instant hit in Portugal, however, and coach Sergio Conceicao admitted Nico had made "a difficult transition". Yet slowly but surely he got to grips with the coach's demands and became a regular starter from January 2024 onwards.
"Sergio Conceicao demands a lot from all of us and this is very important for me. I'm very young, at 20 and 21 years old I already had a lot of experience in the first division, but his demands made me progress. I've grown a lot, today I'm a better player than a year ago", he said at the end of the season.
Conceicao's departure from Porto over the summer brought instability and they have had a torrid season thus far, sacking manager Vitor Bruno in January. Nico, though, has been the one positives of the wretched campaign, as he started 17 of Porto's 19 league games before joining City, scoring five goals and two assists. He has also made the difference in the Europa League, providing assists against Anderlecht and Hoffenheim while playing a through ball which led to Samu Omorodion scoring against Manchester United. He then scored the only goal in their decisive final League Phase game against Maccabi Tel Aviv which sent Porto into the play-offs.
Nico's latest displays convinced City to make a last-ditch move to sign a midfielder before the January transfer window shut, and he described the move as "the perfect opportunity for me at this stage of my career", while City's sporting director Txiki Begiristain called him "a very talented young midfielder" and "an ideal acquisition for Manchester City".
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Getty Biggest strengths
Having grown up at La Masia, Gonzalez naturally has outstanding ball control and short-passing ability, which make him a natural fit into Guardiola's midfield. He explained: "The Barca school teaches you from a young age that the most effective way is the simple way, playing one or two touches and quickly."
Former Porto coach Vitor Bruno, meanwhile, said Gonzalez has "an unparalleled ability to break lines with the ball and read the game from the front". He can operate as a No.6, anchoring the midfield, or as a probing, attacking No.8. He has excelled in the latter role this season, scoring seven goals in all competitions.
Board confirms they don’t have enough players who can pass covid tests required for international travel
ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2021Papua New Guinea have been “forced to withdraw” from the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe this month after a slew of Covid-19 infections in the camp.PNG were forced into quarantine on October 30 for their planned departure on November 6, but when multiple PCR tests on squad members failed to return a negative, they were left with no option but to withdraw because of “not having enough players for the tour who can pass the covid tests required for flying.””We have also over the weekend worked with the ICC on later flight options to give the team more time to still be able to tour. Unfortunately, all the extra efforts to get the team to travel have been unsuccessful,” read a Cricket PNG media release.”We do not have enough players for the tour who can pass the Covid test required for flying internationally leaving the Cricket PNG Board no option other than to withdraw the team from the tour today.”PNG were set to travel early to acclimatise to Zimbabwean conditions after nearly two years of no cricket due to the pandemic. PNG were going to compete with West Indies, Netherlands, Ireland, and Sri Lanka in the group phase of the World Cup Qualifiers. In all, two teams from this tournament will enter the tournament proper.”Unfortunately, despite everyone in Cricket PNG being fully vaccinated, Covid has robbed us of the opportunity to play international cricket once again,” the release went on to say. “The board, management, staff and players are all devastated at this turn of events.”Months of hard work have gone into this tour, and to be robbed by Covid before we could leave is hard to accept. Covid is in the community in PNG and despite putting in best practices, including vaccinations and quarantining players seven days early, it wasn’t enough on this occasion.Our only comfort is that all the players and support staff who have tested positive, due to being vaccinated, have had only mild or no symptoms.”