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Allrounder has been crucial to Pakistan’s progress into the Asia Cup final

Shashank Kishore10-Sep-20223:56

Arthur: ‘Shadab’s become far better and is an all-round package’

Shadab Khan had “complicated things” for himself not long ago. He made this candid revelation after the Super 4 game against India at the Asia Cup. He said he was trying too many things as a bowler. As an art, legspin can be demanding at the best of times. It leaves you with minuscule margins for error. And when you try too many things like Shadab felt he had, results are often likely to be met with inconsistency.This is something Shadab has consciously worked on since the start of 2022. He touched upon doing the simple things right. Like hitting the same spot over and over again and varying his pace and trajectory without losing sight of that spot. When he was convinced the consistency in hitting that was back, he weaved the variations back in, such as the googly and the flipper.It was as if he was reconstructing his bowling; one by one piecing back the jigsaw of skills that brought him tremendous success when he broke through as a teenager six years ago.Related

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To Shadab’s credit, even through all that, he made sure his batting didn’t suffer. It’s actually something he takes great pride in, to the point that, two years ago, when he was pulled up by Mickey Arthur for not doing enough, he bet his coach that he’d score three half-centuries in three Tests and he did just that: 55 against Ireland followed by 52 and 56 against England.Shadab brings great flexibility to Pakistan’s T20 line-up, something they have lacked since moving on from Faheem Ashraf. And he likes being the two-in-one guy. Earlier this year, playing for Islamabad United, Shadab picked up 19 wickets in eight innings. This included two four-wicket hauls and a five-for. He also made 268 runs at a strike rate of 162.42. No one in the PSL had made 250 runs and taken 15 wickets. To have done all this while leading Islamabad suggests that responsibility sits well with him.Shadab Khan’s spell was crucial to Pakistan stopping a rampaging India in the Super 4 game•AFP/Getty ImagesOver the past two weeks, we’ve seen Shadab’s brilliance at different times at the Asia Cup. In the game against India, he was single-handedly responsible stalling an innings that was in overdrive. His spell of 2 for 31 in four overs was the reason India finished on 181 instead of the 200-plus they were on track to get.Shadab’s variations that night extended far beyond just a simple wrong’un. He produced subtle changes in length, pace and use of the crease. He struck off his very first ball when KL Rahul didn’t fully get beneath it. It was a classic Shadab wicket. Tempting the batter into a big shot, only to have him drag one to strategically-placed deep fielders. Later on, with Rishabh Pant trying to play funky shots, he drew a mis-hit that was caught at backward point.Shadab’s contribution didn’t end there. Thanks to a deep understanding of match-ups and data, he played a key role in Mohammad Nawaz being pushed up the order to disturb India’s two legspinners. Of course, the benefit of hindsight allows us to label it a masterstroke, as Nawaz’s 20-ball 42 blindsided India.Against Afghanistan, he responded to conceding an early six by prising out the dangerous Najibullah Zadran. It was a clever piece of work, sneaking in a seam-up delivery that the batter toe-ended to long-on. Then, on a low-scoring bunsen, in a game wasn’t sealed before Naseem Shah’s twin-sixes in the final over, Shadab’s 36 off 26 at No. 5 proved invaluable, especially after the top order faltered.The dramatic nature of the finish meant his knock didn’t get the credit it deserved. It had been an exhibition of total control until he was dismissed trying to be a tad too adventurous against Rashid Khan. A game earlier, against Hong Kong, his 4 for 8 had been a wholesome display of his bag of tricks.As a bowler, Shadab doesn’t get expansive turn and bounce. He gets his edge from imparting sidespin and playing around with trajectories. With the bat, he’s calm and calculative. He plays to his strengths, to his match-ups. All of this is why he’s as X-factor as they come. The old verve that made him a teenage sensation is back. The signs are promising, once again.

“The tour will soon become more of a cricket challenge than a health-related challenge”

Nagraj Gollapudi09-Jun-2020How significant is this tour?
I am pretty confident the players and management understand the historic aspect of this tour. They understand it’s a great opportunity for them to play some good cricket in an environment [playing in England] that several of them are not very familiar with. It is also giving players the opportunity to grow their game. I tend to look at these things from a cricket-first perspective, and when all is said and done, this tour will be about good cricket and about defending the Wisden Trophy, which we won in 2019.The world of cricket will be happy to see cricket restarting, but not at all costs. Covid-19 risk had to be addressed and we are confident that the key elements and protocols have been put in place. This is about two cricket boards doing the best they can to get international cricket happening. Is this of financial value to England? Everybody says it is, and I’m sure it must be. For Cricket West Indies it is of cricket value and reputational value.Are West Indies taking a bigger risk by travelling to England?
I don’t think we are taking a bigger risk. The way international cricket commerce is currently structured, we have much less to gain [financially] than England has, but the players [from both teams] will face the same risks. The English players and management are not going to be in a better position than we are under the protocols that have been set up. That is one thing which I made very, very clear as well – that those protocols must apply to all. We have been assured of that by highly qualified medical officials.It is also an opportunity for our major sponsor Sandals to get their brand exposed to the English market. But that’s not why we are going to England. We are going because we are convinced it is going to be safe to do so and because we are committed to make the future tours arrangements work, if possible.Look, just waking up every day is a risk. But the medical people on both sides of the Atlantic – in the UK and the Caribbean – have been engaged in several conferences on risks specific to Covid-19. We were assured that the risk would be minimal, and I believed it could be done. If not we wouldn’t be doing it. It does merit concern, but all of the concerns have been addressed.

“These are young, healthy cricketers. The normal risk with Covid-19 for that category is already relatively low. If you start from that point and then take the risk downwards, you will understand why we got the final approval.”

As the CWI president, what was the one thing you needed assurance of?
We had to have secure and safe travel unencumbered by other non-cricket participants, so the travel arrangements are by private charters. I thought the highest risk was going to be in the travel segments. Once they get into the protected bubble that’s been created, I’ve been assured the squad would be very, very safe.The key thing for me was our medical people saying, “Yes, it’s a go.” Once the medical people said that the risk was no greater than the normal risk living here in the Caribbean and that the environment that was being put together for our squad in the UK was safe… They assured me they had looked at it from all angles.These are young, healthy, enthusiastic cricketers. The normal risk with Covid-19 for that category of individuals is already relatively low. If you start from that point and then take the risk downwards everywhere you can, you will understand why we got to the final point of agreement and approval.The other thing, which was actually one of the first things that the CEO [Johnny Grave] and myself discussed was, in no way any player be arm-twisted into participating and in no way any player be punished for deciding not to go. I was manager of West Indies 18 years ago when there was a civil war in Sri Lanka. And there was a similar situation of assessing risk, but we went on the tour.West Indies cricket is about playing exciting cricket and entertaining fans all over the world. Obviously, safety and security are two pertinent and relevant ongoing issues that always need to be dealt with scientifically, pragmatically and thoroughly, and we think we have done so in this case.And hence it was easy for you to convince the CWI board?
The board discussed it thoroughly and agreed that we should go ahead. This was not a Ricky Skerritt decision. This was a Cricket West Indies decision based on the best possible advice and inputs that we could muster.Have you addressed the squad?
I addressed the 36 players and management who participated in a group call last week on Monday [before the final squad of 25 including reserves was picked]. I basically confirmed to them that the CWI board had only approved the tour once we had received the recommendations from the key medical people. I assured them that if we had felt in any way at all that there was a higher risk than reasonable, we would not have agreed. We saw this tour as a commitment because of the ICC Future Tours Programme and the World Test Championships that is ongoing.I encouraged all of the players to use this as an opportunity to grow their own game and to do what they do best: play positive and exciting cricket. Although the world of cricket is changing dramatically and they are facing an uncertain future because of Covid-19, I congratulated them for being part of history.This is an unprecedented tour in that it would be played in a bio-secure environment. Due to the many unknowns, the mental aspect for players becomes very important. What are the measures being taken to keep the players positive in this bubble that they will be in for seven weeks?
We have put together a management team made up mostly of the best West Indian professionals available to us. It includes a medical doctor accompanying the team, Dr Praimanand Singh, who is from Jamaica and has been on the frontline dealing with Covid-19. He also has a significant sports medicine background, having worked with cricketers for at least the last 20 years. We also have a mental coach in Donald La Guerre along with two physios and two massage therapists.So the management team has been beefed up to be the largest that it has ever been with a West Indies team. And it is not about size, it is about making sure that the players can get the kind of personal, physical, medical and emotional attention they may need. Also, the ECB has assured us that there will be a significant line-up of key medical people available if need be. We are confident that once the players get into the bio-secure environment and develop a sustainable preparation routine, the focus will be more and more on cricket.Do you reckon this tour is a good opportunity for West Indies to do something special?
Exactly. West Indies are defending champions of the Wisden Trophy. Players who are now travelling to England, for no doing of theirs and for no fault of theirs, will find themselves in the middle of history. To me, the psychological concerns about Covid-19 will lessen as the players get settled in. Their bigger pressures would be related to playing their best cricket and getting to a point, within just three weeks to be precise, to be ready to put out their best efforts, having not played any competitive cricket for three months. That is not easy for any cricketer, much less a young cricketer without vast experience. So it will soon become more of a cricket challenge than a health-related challenge, in my opinion. But I know our squad will rise to it.

TORONTO — In the end, the biggest ovation of the night might have come after an out. There had been so much to cheer already as the Blue Jays pecked away at the Dodgers’ lead, their bullpen and their sense of invincibility. Rogers Centre shook after the home runs. It roared at the run-scoring singles. It rocked at the walks and the great plays and the filthy pitches. And in an 11–4 romp over Los Angeles in Canada’s first World Series game in 32 years, there were plenty of those. But it was after Daulton Varsho flied to left field to end the six-hit, nine-run, game-deciding sixth inning that the sellout crowd of 44,353 rose to its feet as one and applauded. 

“The crowd was electric tonight,” said manager John Schneider. “This is a special place to play. Everyone here in this city here, in this building, and across the country, we feel it for sure.”

The fans appreciated what was happening in the first World Series game in Canada since Joe Carter hit the biggest home run in Fall Classic history in 1993, and the first World Series game played by the defending champion since the Phillies tried and failed to make it two straight in 2009. And they appreciated how it was happening, in classic Blue Jays fashion: at-bats that felt like a test of endurance, hard contact up the middle and then devastating slug. No one struck out in the inning (and the Jays were rung up just four times all game). Everyone but Ernie Clement—who drove in the first run of the inning but was erased on a fielder’s choice—scored. Addison Barger added the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history. It marked the most runs scored in a single Fall Classic inning since 1968. Carter is scheduled to throw out the first pitch of Game 2; they should have brought him out early and let him tee off against the Dodgers’ bullpen. 

“I think overall we just played our game,” said Varsho. “We didn’t try to do anything more. Honestly, we just showed everybody what we can do as a lineup.”

Amid sport-wide consternation over whether the Dodgers and their record $329 million payroll are ruining baseball, it was easy to miss just how good a baseball team the Blue Jays are. Sure, the Dodgers’ lineup begins with three Hall of Famers—two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, self-made shortstop Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman. (Ohtani is especially unpopular here because he spurned the Blue Jays and chose the Dodgers. This week Schneider jokingly asked him to return the Blue Jays cap and dog jacket the team had given him during the recruiting process.) But the guy hitting third in Toronto, first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., had six home runs and three strikeouts in the first three weeks of October. DH George Springer hit perhaps the second most famous three-run homer in Blue Jays history last week to help the team capture the pennant. And as a group, no one struck out less this season than Toronto. 

The Blue Jays were also enjoying a return by one of their best players: At second base was Bo Bichette, the two-time All-Star shortstop who had not played since suffering a left knee sprain on Sept. 6 and had not played second since he got eight innings there at Triple A Buffalo in 2019. 

He fought furiously to return in time to contribute to this historic run before his free agency dawns this winter, and finally, on the eve of the World Series, he told Schneider he was ready. But in deference to how well his replacement, defensive wizard Andrés Giménez has played, Bichette offered to man second. 

Asked before the game if he could estimate how close to full health he was, Bichette demurred. “I don’t know about a percentage, but I know I’m good enough to play,” Bichette said. “And I feel good enough to produce. So that’s all that matters to me.” The verdict was in soon enough: He got the green light on a 3–0 pitch in the first and singled; he made a running, spinning grab of a grounder in the fourth; and it was his sixth-inning walk that keyed the rally. 

The pitching was good enough to get them there. The Blue Jays joke about their gray-haired rotation—34-year-old Kevin Gausman, 30-year-old Shane Biever, 41-year-old Max Scherzer, 36-year-old Chris Bassitt and 31-year-old José Berríos combined for 78% of the team’s innings from starters—but on Friday it was the youngest man on the roster who took the ball. Trey Yesavage, a 22-year-old who spent more time this season with the Single A Dunedin Blue Jays than with the big club, entered October with 14 major league innings pitched. Toronto manager John Schneider vaguely remembered a “Hey, nice to meet you, kid. Welcome to the organization,” interaction in spring training; L.A. manager Dave Roberts hadn’t heard of the kid until he blanked the Yankees for 5 ⅓ innings in Game 2 of the ALDS. 

Yesavage allowed five runs in four innings against the Mariners in Game 2 of the ALCS and two in 5 ⅔ in Game 5, but Schneider liked that the Dodgers had never seen him before. Yesavage releases the ball from what feels like somewhere in the second deck—7.1 feet in the air compared to the major league average of 5.8 feet—and previous opponents lamented that it took time to adjust to the strange visual. 

It took the Dodgers an inning. Yesavage set down Ohtani, Betts and Freeman in order in the first, but Smith walked, Teoscar Hernández grounded out and Muncy singled to put runners on the corners. Kiké Hernández, as he so often does at this time of year, came through with a single up the middle to plate the first run. Schneider got the bullpen up, but Yesavage—who was navigating the most listless stuff of his young career—induced Ohtani to ground to first to end the threat. An inning later the Dodgers tacked on another on a Smith single. 

Meanwhile, Dodgers ace Blake Snell was making his own adjustments. After escaping a bases-loaded, two-out jam in the first, he tweaked his posture and filled up the strike zone. But in the fourth, he allowed a leadoff 328-foot single to the slow-footed Alejandro Kirk and a first-pitch blast to center by Daulton Varsho to tie the game. It was the first home run Snell had given up to a left-hander all season. 

It looked like it might set the stage for a classic, the sort of pitchers' duel both teams believe they are positioned to win. Instead Bichette opened the sixth inning with that walk, Kirk followed with a single and Snell hit Varsho with a pitch. Out came Roberts. 

All October, the theory had been that the Dodgers’ bullpen was its weakness. This season, the team got 3.2 WAR (ninth in baseball) from its starting pitchers. From the bullpen it got –6.4 WAR, second-worst. Almost no one tested the premise this postseason, though, because the starters pitched so exceptionally. In the two-game, 18-inning wild card series, Roberts called on his relief corps for only 4 ⅓ innings; in the four-game, 38-inning NLDS, that figure was 14 ⅓ (but five of them in Game 3, when they essentially punted); and in the four-game, 36-inning NLCS, just 7 ⅔. 

On Friday, the Blue Jays found out it was true. They handed Snell his worst outing in two years, and then they demolished everyone else who showed up. Emmet Sheehan got one out and gave up three runs. Anthony Banda got two outs and gave up three runs. Justin Wrobleski and Will Klein, the two lowest-leverage arms in the Los Angeles bullpen, each got through an inning mostly because everyone in Toronto seemed to understand that it was time to go home. Even Ohtani sprinted around the bases when he homered in the seventh. When he batted with two outs in the ninth and the game long decided, the fans serenaded him: "We don't need you."

It was true. Ohtani walked, but Betts struck out. The Dodgers will have to wait another day to ruin baseball. First they have to clean up their ruined bullpen. 

Milwaukee Brewers rookie starting pitcher Jacob Misiorowski’s first trip to the majors has been a whirlwind.

Just over a week ago, Misiorowski pitched five innings without giving up a hit in his MLB debut against the St. Louis Cardinals, walking four batters and striking out five.

Then on Friday, he took things up a notch, carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins, throwing pitches like this one along the way.

The dream ended in the seventh inning, when he gave up a walk and a two-run home run to finally tarnish his professional ERA for the first time.

After the two-run shot, Misiorowski got pulled, receiving a massive ovation from Brewers fans that had made the trip to Target Field for the game as he returned to the dugout.

While his pursuit of perfection was cut short, Misiorowski still made a bit of history with his second stellar start.

He’s the first starting pitcher to begin their career with 11 hitless innings since 1900—and the only pitcher in that timeframe to have more wins (2) than hits allowed (1) in the first two starts of his career.

"I think this is exactly how I ever dreamed of it coming along," Misiorowski said after the game. "It's exciting."

Standing at 6'7'' and carrying a fastball that tops out north of 102 mph, it sure looks like the Brewers have an ace on the rise in Misiorowski.

Afghanistan’s right-arm fast bowler Mohammad Saleem has been ruled out of the upcoming three-match ODI series against Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi due to a groin (adductor) overload.As a result, Saleem will report to the ACB’s High Performance Center for rehabilitation, a release by the Afghanistan Cricket Board said.In Saleem’s place, right-arm medium-pace bowler Bilal Sami will be joining Afghanistan’s squad for the ODIs against Bangladesh.Twenty-three-year-old Saleem has played two ODIs so far, with both of those matches coming against Bangladesh in July 2023. He last played for Afghanistan in his solitary Test, which was against Sri Lanka in Colombo in February 2024.Saleem’s replacement Sami, meanwhile, has played for Afghanistan only once, which was on ODI debut against Zimbabwe in December 2024. Sami, 21, has played 25 List A games, where he has 44 wickets at an average of 25.72. He represented Afghanistan Under-19 at the World Cup in 2022, where he got four wickets in five matches.Sami was recently in action at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament, Afghanistan’s domestic List A competition, which ended in September. There, he was his team Speen Ghar Region’s second-highest wicket-taker with ten wickets at an average of 22.90, and an economy rate of 4.97.Afghanistan’s first ODI against Bangladesh will take place on Wednesday, October 8.

Tottenham are reportedly determined to give Thomas Frank time to succeed at the club despite their 4-1 thumping away to rivals Arsenal. Spurs have lost three of their last five Premier League games and have dropped to ninth in the table following their wretched performance at Emirates Stadium. But the Dane's future at the club is not under threat for now.

Frank apologises for Tottenham drubbing

Head coach Frank admitted he felt confident going into the north London derby but Arsenal dismissed Tottenham with apparent ease, with Spurs mustering an Expected Goals tally of just 0.07 and a paltry three shots on goal. After the loss on Sunday, the former Brentford manager, who joined Spurs on a three-year deal over the summer, apologised to the travelling fans. 

He told Sky Sports: "I think it is extremely painful. I won't talk away from that. It was a bad performance. It was completely the opposite of what the intention was when we came here. We can only apologise to the fans for the performance. I think no matter if both teams wanted to play shirt, they got more out of that and we couldn't get out. When the team went long, we didn't win enough duels. That is exemplified by the 2-0 goal and the 3-0 goal, where a player went through two or three players. Bad performance and we lost. I have seen a lot of character and fight in this team but we didn't win enough duels. We can call that whatever we want but we didn't win enough."

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTottenham to stick with Frank

According to The Telegraph, Tottenham want to give Frank enough time to get things right but there are concerns he is making life hard for himself by chopping and changing too much. The report adds that Spurs believe Frank's numerous rotations have contributed to their inconsistency and creativity problems. Some players are keen for Frank to focus more on his team's strengths, rather than the opposition's, but it is unclear how widespread that feeling is. The club's owners, the Lewis family, are targeting long-term success under the Dane, which suggests that no short-term decisions are being considered. Incidentally, Frank took the number of changes he has made to his starting XI to 29 for the Premier League so far – the third-most in the league after Wolves (39) and Chelsea (31).

Tottenham tactics go awry

Frank also said that he tried to deploy the same tactics Tottenham used in their agonising UEFA Super Cup loss to Paris Saint-Germain in August, but what he got was an "extremely bad" performance. 

He added: "That's an extremely hard defeat to take. We are all emotional and frustrated and need to look at it with calm heads. I was very confident going into the game that we could be competitive and we weren't, which was disappointing. We tried to do something different that was very successful against PSG. Today it wasn't and I always take responsibility for my decisions and then when it doesn't go the way we want it to go, that's on me. We changed it at half-time but I am 1000% sure that no matter what formation you play if you don't win enough duels or are aggressive enough, it doesn't matter what formation you play."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Spurs?

The games don't get any easier for Tottenham as after the loss to table-topping Arsenal, they travel to defending Champions League holders PSG in Europe's elite competition on Wednesday. And one area Frank is eager to fix is their toothless attack. 

He said: "That [lack of creativity] has been an ongoing theme that we are working hard to improve. It doesn't look good today or against Chelsea. We need to keep working on it. There were a lot of things in this game we need to do better. We are four months into it and they are further in their journey as a team and that was very obvious today. Of course there will be noise. We played against our biggest rivals and we lost badly. But we keep noise out and we focus. I know this tam is very competitive. I know this team is competitive and we showed that against Man City and PSG. Of course it looks bad today and it was not good enough."

علق عمرو بسيوني مدير التعاقدات بـ نادي بيراميدز، على فوز الفريق بـ جائزة أفضل لاعب داخل قارة إفريقيا وأفضل ناد عن عام 2025، موضحًا مصير فيستون مايلي وتجديد عقده في الفترة المقبلة.

وقال عمرو بسيوني في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “اون سبورت”: “أهنيء الشعب المصري وكرة القدم بالكامل بفوز بيراميدز بأفضل ناد في إفريقيا، تجربة بيراميدز كتب لها النجاح أخيرًا، وتجربة قابلت صعوبات كثيرة جدًا وناس كثيرون شككوا في التجربة وقللوا من حجم المجهود”.

وأكمل: “تجربة بيراميدز تجربة جديدة على الكرة المصرية، ناد جديد لديه إمكانيات مادية وليس لديه ظهير إعلامي وجماهيري، وليس لديه شخصية يمكن البناء عليها للفوز بالبطولات مثل أندية كبيرة كالأهلي والزمالك والإسماعيلي والمصري، بعد 7 سنوات عمل، الموسم الماضي هو الأنجح لبيراميدز”.

وتابع: “فكرة بيراميدز هي الاستمرارية، أكثر من 5 سنوات متواجد ثاني الدوري وتنافس على البطل حتى آخر لحظة، وتوجد فرق توجت ببطولات ولكن أين هي الآن؟ بيراميدز مختلف، لا يمكن بأي شكل من الأشكال أن تخرجه من المعادلة”.

طالع | ممدوح عيد: بيراميدز قدم شيئًا استثنائيًا.. والجميع في مصر ساندنا

وأشار: “الوصول لدوري أبطال إفريقيا في الكرة ليس إنجازًا أو نجاحًا فقط، في حالتنا كان إعجازًا، وبطولة إفريقيا صعبة جدًا، والأندية التي تفوز بها لها مقومات لم تكتمل في ناد مثل بيراميدز، ولكن قدرنا أن نصل لهذا النجاح”.

وواصل: “الفوز على أهلي جدة في ملعبه ليس سهلاً، والصعوبة الأكبر الحفاظ على النجاح، ما يشغل بالنا في بيراميدز هو الاستمرارية”.

وأردف: “الموسم الحالي آخر موسم في عقد فيستون مايلي، ما لا يعرفه الناس أن وليد الكرتي الموسم الماضي كان آخر موسم في عقده وجدد معنا في شهر مايو الماضي بعد مباراة الذهاب أمام صن داونز، العلاقة بينّا وبين اللاعبين هي فكرة العائلة”.

وزاد: “العامل المادي مهم جدًا، ولكن بجانب ذلك يجب أن أوفر له أو يشعر أنه فرد من العائلة، ولا يقلقنا فكرة التفاوض مع مايلي أو غيره، هو لاعب كبير وقيمة كبيرة جدًا، وتعاقدنا معه مقابل 500 ألف دولار بما يعادل 15 مليون جنيه، وسعره كان أقل من نصف سعر أي مهاجم متواجد في الدوري”.

وأوضح: “مايلي إنسان جيد جدًا ومتواضع جدًا وهادئ ومحب لزملائه، ولو هو يحب أن يتواجد في المكان فنحن مرحّبون به وسنجلس معه”.

واستطرد: “مؤكد أنه يتلقى عروضًا من الخارج والخليج، ولن نقدر أن نجاري الأندية الإماراتية والسعودية والقطرية، ودائمًا نعتمد على رغبة اللاعب في الاستمرار”.

وأتم: “لم نبدأ أي تفاوض مع مايلي، ومؤكد سيأتي الوقت الذي سنتحدث معه، ولكن يجب أن نشعر من اللاعب أنه لديه الرغبة”.

Celtic’s interim manager Martin O’Neill got off to a dream start on Wednesday night with a commanding 4-0 win over Falkirk at Parkhead in front of the home support.

The Hoops had lost their previous two matches in the Scottish Premiership, to Hearts and Dundee, before Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation from his role on Monday night.

O’Neill and his interim coaching team got a brilliant response out of the first-team player against Falkirk, with Johnny Kenny being one of the stars of the night.

Why Johnny Kenny is undroppable for Celtic

The Ireland U21 international has started the last two Premiership matches after Kelechi Iheanacho suffered a hamstring injury early on in the win over Sturm Graz in the Europa League last week.

Kenny failed to make much of an impact against Hearts on Sunday, but he stepped up with two goals from five shots in 66 minutes on the pitch against Falkirk, per Sofascore.

On top of his goalscoring exploits, converting from close range on two occasions, the Irishman won five of his nine duels and won three fouls for the team, per Sofascore, acting as the focal point in the number nine position.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With Iheanacho’s injury and Celtic’s lack of depth in the striker position, Kenny’s impressive performance against Falkirk should mean that he is undroppable for the time being.

The former Shamrock Rovers star is not the only Hoops ace who should be considered undroppable after Wednesday night, though, as Marcelo Saracchi was just as good.

Why Marcelo Saracchi should be undroppable already

The Uruguay international was brought in for experienced left-back Kieran Tierney, and barely put a foot wrong throughout the 90 minutes on the pitch.

Despite assisting Celtic’s goal, Tierney had a difficult afternoon against Hearts last time out. He lost three of his four aerial duels and failed to make a single tackle, per Sofascore, which is why the left-back position may not be guaranteed to him.

Saracchi came in against Falkirk on Wednesday and showed the defensive quality that was lacking from Tierney’s performance against Hearts, as he impressed for O’Neill.

Minutes

90

Tackles won

4

Interceptions

1

Ball recoveries

12

Ground duels won

7/11

Aerial duels won

3/3

Key passes

2

Crosses completed

3/6

As you can see in the table above, the Boca Juniors loanee made four more tackles and won 75% more of his aerial duels than Tierney did in his last outing at left-back.

On top of his impressive defensive work, with ten duels won and 12 ball recoveries, Saracchi also created two chances and had two shots on target, one of which was parried out to Benjamin Nygren for the third goal on the night.

It was a brilliant all-round display from the energetic full-back, who showed that he can contribute at both ends of the pitch. He has the bite, tenacity, and patience to provide quality defending, whilst also having the ability on the ball to make things happen in the final third, which is why he was just as good and influential as Kenny.

Saracchi, who earned an 8/10 player rating from 67HailHail, is now undroppable because his performance was one that the Hoops lacked when Tierney was in the XI against Hearts on Sunday, albeit that was away against the league leaders.

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O’Neill, should he still be in charge next time out, should consider the left-footed star an undroppable part of his team, along with Kenny, because of his sublime showing in and out of possession.

Tottenham Hotspur have seen a shift in their recruitment strategy over the last few years – something which Fabio Paratici no doubt was at the centre of.

The Italian spent two years at the club between 2021 and 2023, subsequently turning the hierarchy’s attention to investing in younger talents for the immediate and long-term future.

In the summer of 2022 alone, the 53-year-old completed deals for full-backs Destiny Udogie and Djed Spence – that’s despite the latter being unwanted by then-boss Antonio Conte.

However, in the present day, both players have become key members of Thomas Frank’s first-team squad, showcasing the impressive work done in the transfer market.

The aforementioned duo will be hoping they achieve more sustained success than one player who demonstrated glimpses of quality during the early days of his career in North London.

The real reason behind Dele’s decline at Spurs

Back in the summer of 2015, Spurs forked out a reported £5m for the signature of attacking midfielder Dele – with many supporters unaware of the youngster.

At just 19, many anticipated the Englishman to join the youth setup in North London, but he would make himself an immediate fan-favourite as a result of his tremendous displays.

For the first three years of his stint at the Lilywhites, he was a regular starter – racking up 146 appearances, scoring on 46 occasions and laying on 35 assists for his teammates.

Such form saw Dele claim the PFA Young Player of the Year two years in a row, becoming just one of five players to achieve such a feat in the history of the Premier League.

However, in a remarkable interview with Gary Neville back in the summer of 2023, the former Lilywhites star opened up on his trauma from his younger years, which no doubt had an effect on his footballing career.

He was often called into question by José Mourinho for his attitude and laziness, also suffering numerous injuries, which plagued his progress in North London.

Dele suffered 11 separate injury setbacks in his seven-year period in North London, with such issues preventing his progress and seeing him miss 44 first-team matches.

His time with the Lilywhites came to a disappointing end back in January 2022, subsequently joining Everton on a free transfer – an unthinkable ending given his previous form.

The Spurs star who’s their best teenage star since Dele

Many supporters questioned Dele’s attitude during his time with Spurs, but after his courage to speak out about his mental health struggles, it’s safe to say many fans empathise with the midfielder.

Such issues have taken a huge toll on his professional career, with the former Lilywhites star now without a club at the age of 29 after leaving Como this summer.

However, there’s no denying he will forever be remembered by the fans for his countless moments of magic that gave everyone involved with the football club memories to last a lifetime.

From Goal of the Season strikes against Crystal Palace, to his memorable double against Chelsea that ended the Blues’ unbeaten 2016/17 record at White Hart Lane.

Such levels are rarely seen from such a young talent, but there’s current generation of supporters has their next remarkable youngster in the form of Lucas Bergvall.

Like Dele, he joined the Lilywhites for less than £10m, arriving as an unknown quantity to the majority of supporters after previously plying his trade for Djurgarden.

However, the Swedish youngster has rapidly developed into one of the club’s best players, a simply remarkable feat given he’s still just 19 years of age.

Despite his tender age, the midfielder has already racked up 56 appearances for the first-team and has subsequently featured in all but one game since Frank took the reins.

Bergvall even netted his first Premier League goal in the win over West Ham United last month, leading to head of scouting Rob Mackenzie labelling him as “a genuine generational talent”.

His underlying stats from 2025/26 highlight that the praise is certainly warranted, with the teenager completing 70% of the dribbles he’s attempted to date, whilst also ranking in the top 12% of all players in the league for assists registered.

However, out of possession, the Swede has been just as impressive, winning 2.6 tackles per 90 and coming out on top in a total of 5.5 duels per 90 – stats which make him the perfect box-to-box option.

Games played

7

Goals & assists

2

Pass accuracy

84%

Dribble success

70%

Tackles won

2.6

Duels won

5.5

Recoveries made

3.8

Shots taken

1.2

Frank and Co will desperately be hoping Bergvall can continue on his current trajectory in North London, with the youngster having all the tools to be a key member of the squad in their hunt for added silverware.

There’s little doubt that he’s the best teenage star they’ve had on their hands since Dele’s emergence, but everyone will be hoping that the end to his story with the Lilywhites is a happier one.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O técnico Bruno Lage deve ter uma novidade à sua disposição para o confronto do Botafogo diante do Flamengo. O centroavante Tiquinho Soares entrou em reta final de recuperação de sua lesão.

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Nesta quinta-feira (31), o camisa 9 conseguiu treinar com a equipe sub-20 do Alvinegro e os jogadores que não foram relacionados para a partida contra o Defensa Y Justicia, na Argentina. No decorrer da atividade, o atleta sinalizou que está recuperado do estiramento no ligamento colateral medial do joelho esquerdo.

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O camisa 9 deve estar no treinamento da sexta-feira (1), data na qual o elenco se reapresenta de olho no clássico diante do Flamengo,  pela 22ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. A expectativa é de que Tiquinho fique à disposição de Bruno Lage, podendo ficar no banco de reservas, dependendo do número de minutos que seu estafe entenda que o atacante possa jogar.

Tiquinho Soares não atua desde 6 de agosto, quando sofreu uma lesão durante o empate em 0 a 0 com o Cruzeiro, pelo Brasileirão. A previsão de sua recuperação era de até cinco semanas.

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Após um período de recuperação intensiva,com três sessões de fisioterapia por dia, o atacante conseguiu ter condições de retornar ao gramado. Tiquinho Soares tem 13 gols em 17 partidas no Brasileirão e é um dos principais artilheiros do futebol brasileiro em 2023, com 25 feitos marcados em 38 jogos.

O Botafogo é líder do Brasileirão, com 51 pontos, 11 a mais que o Palmeiras.