Everton could secure their third straight Premier League victory by defeating Chelsea at Goodison Park this afternoon, and it would represent the perfect week for Sean Dyche.

The 3-0 win over Newcastle United in midweek proved that the Toffees don’t want to be anywhere near a relegation battle, and it was a wonderful performance.

The Blues are certainly there for the taking too, as they have won just once in their previous five league matches and Dyche will be hoping for a repeat performance from the win over the Magpies.

Everton team news

Speaking to the press before the Chelsea tie, Dyche gave an update on several players – most notably Seamus Coleman.

The experienced stalwart was substituted in midweek after suffering a foot injury in what was his first start in seven months.

Dyche said: “We’ll check on Seamus tomorrow. He has a minor situation, we think, which is unfortunate but that can happen. He has been out a long time. It's great to have him back, he wore the armband with pride like he does.”

The £55k-per-week defender was making his 353rd appearance in the Premier League for the Toffees – a club record.

Dyche may choose not to risk him against the Stamford Bridge side this afternoon, therefore, opening the door for Nathan Patterson to be unleashed in the starting XI.

Nathan Patterson’s season in numbers

The Scot joined Everton in January 2022 from Glasgow Rangers for £16m and while it took him a while to hit the ground running, this season has seen some consistent progress.

Patterson made 19 league appearances during the whole of the 2022/23 season, but he looks set to eclipse that this term as he is currently sitting on 13 appearances, having missed just two matches.

The former Ibrox gem has taken advantage of Coleman’s injury woes and established himself as the main choice at right back and the 22-year-old has even chipped in with a couple of assists this term, showcasing his attacking abilities.

Hailed as a “diamond” by former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy in 2022, the more Patterson plays, the better he will become and Dyche is clearly realising this.

Related Everton could unleash Young in new role by starting £73k-p/w "warrior"

Everton could have a new role for Young by starting £73k-per-week “warrior” over Jack Harrison.

Posts ByAdam Scully Dec 7, 2023

The defender currently ranks second in the squad for assists (two) in the top flight this season, while also ranking seventh for accurate long balls per game (1.3) and in the top ten for tackles (1.5) and interceptions (0.5) per game, indicating that he has been a solid performer for the club.

It remains to be seen how long the Irish defender will be out for, yet with games coming thick and fast over the festive period, Dyche won't be risking any player who isn’t quite 100%, especially Coleman.

This will give Patterson the chance to continue improving and demonstrating his worth to the former Burnley manager.

A tie against Chelsea today will be an ideal opportunity for the Scottish right-back to further showcase his skills on the right side of the defence and if he plays like he has done so far this term, Dyche will have nothing to worry about.

Wanting to test their batting on a moist Wellington surface, what India found out was not all pretty, but immensely satisfying as they recovered from 18 for 4 to reach 252 and win the final ODI of the series by 35 runs. Under pressure, Ambati Rayudu led the revival with a 90 that featured sparkling stroke-play after an early struggle. Two allrounders played their part with 45s, Vijay Shankar off 64 balls to help rescue India and Hardik Pandya off 22 at the death. Given a target to defend, the bowlers responded with aplomb, again taking two wickets in the Powerplay and again keeping the pressure up with wickets in the middle overs.

Watch the match LIVE on ESPN+

Readers from the US can watch the fifth ODI between New Zealand and India on ESPN+, by clicking here.

The first part of the challenge from the stand-in captain Rohit Sharma was for himself and Shikhar Dhawan. Rohit and MS Dhoni were undone by excellent deliveries, but Dhawan and Shubhman Gill played a couple of soft shots. Dhawan upper-cut Boult straight to third man, and Gill chipped one to square cover. However, it can be tricky to judge these passages of play because while you want to be watchful you don’t want to stop scoring at all.Be that as it may, a repeat of the 92 all out couldn’t have been ruled out at this point, but things were different here. The movement began to die unlike in Hamilton, but more importantly, India had selected well for this match. Not only had they played Shankar, an allrounder known to be more solid than spectacular with the bat, but they also promoted him to show exactly that.Shankar looked the best equipped of the Indian batsmen to negotiate the tough conditions. He let the ball move, played it late, and had the wherewithal to pick up risk-free singles. In the early stages of this 98-run partnership, Rayudu hardly scored. He is that kind of a batsman: not always free-flowing but capable of hitting at unusual times in unusual areas. Rayudu was 5 off 32 when he wafted at a Colin de Grandhomme delivery and missed, but that didn’t stop him from looking to hit in the air again in a short while. This six took him to 24 off 50, and India to 78 for 4 in 23 overs. At the other end, in what is a big credit to him, Shankar had inconspicuously scored 27 off 42.Just as the partnership began to assume dangerous proportions, with New Zealand having left the spinners too late, Shankar was run out. He hit towards long-on, Rayudu shouted no and waited for the ball to cross short midwicket, Shankar stood in the middle of the pitch, and then Rayudu made a belated surge towards the striker’s end. Shankar had no choice but to sacrifice himself, and Rayudu ensured it wasn’t in vain with some imperious stroke-play later.Rayudu was 44 off 81 when Shankar was run out in the 32nd over, but he now capitalised on some hard work done. New Zealand had to bowl some of the lesser bowlers to keep Boult and Henry for the end, and he cashed in, hitting de Grandhomme and Colin Munro to take 46 off the last 31 balls he faced. A critical moment was when Boult dropped him running in from long-on; India would have been 145 for 6 had he held on.After Rayudu missed out on what would have been the first century of the series, and after Kedar Jadhav fell to a Henry slower ball, the acquired depth in batting shone through. Pandya first ruined Todd Astle’s figures after he had done a stupendous job bowling at the death. Before Pandya hit a hat-trick of sixes – the fifth time in his international career – Astle had bowled cleverly and conceded just 17 in 4.1 overs. Pandya, though, unleashed mayhem, hitting five sixes and two fours in all to give India the big finish.Colin de Grandhomme walks back after being trapped in front•Getty Images

Brought back because of an injury to Martin Guptill, Munro decided to hit his way out of the rut he was in. He would have needed a lot of luck for it to come off on a difficult pitch. He ran out of it 19 balls into his innings, playing on an attempted cut. Before that, makeshift opener Henry Nicholls had pulled Mohammed Shami straight to short midwicket.There were clear signs it was going to be difficult to time the ball especially when you were just in. Ross Taylor hadn’t even got in when Pandya got one to seam back in for an lbw. Replays showed the ball would have sailed over the stumps, but Kane Williamson advised Taylor to not review.It would be harsh to judge Williamson on his umpiring skills, especially when India had been bowling so well at him that he had been under consistent pressure. Eventually, with his score at 39 off 72, Williamson had a go at a long hop from Jadhav, but the ball came so slowly to him he struggled to get power into the shot and was caught at deep midwicket. This ended a 67-run partnership; at 105 for 4, New Zealand needed something special to get home.Tom Latham and James Neesham threatened precisely that, especially with the ball skidding nicely onto the bat now. In that regard India truly had chosen to test themselves in the worse of the conditions for both batting and bowling. Again, the quality shone through with Yuzevndra Chahal getting Latham and de Grandhomme lbw.New Zealand contributed to their own demise when Jadhav went into a big lbw appeal against Neesham, who was hit clearly outside the line of off. Neesham, who was connecting well in 44 off 31 until then, ambled out of the crease when the ball had hardly gone out of Dhoni’s reach. Dhoni never lost sight of the ball as he appealed. He in fact took two quiet steps towards it even as he appealed. And then he ran Neesham out.There is no explanation for that brain fade. If Neesham had stood his ground, the equation would have been: 77 runs, 82 balls, four wickets in hand. From being evenly poised, the game went India’s way decisively.

MatériaMais Notícias

O torcedor do Grêmio vai dormir de cabeça inchada nesta quinta-feira. Após abrir vantagem com Diego Souza, o Tricolor foi amplamente dominado pelo Flamengo e saiu de campo com uma dura derrota por 4 a 2.

+ TABELA DE CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

RelacionadasGrêmioMatheus Henrique lamenta atuação do Grêmio na etapa finalGrêmio28/01/2021FlamengoApós virada sobre o Grêmio, Arrascaeta crava Flamengo na briga pelo título: ‘Saímos fortalecidos’Flamengo28/01/2021Flamengo‘É mais do que uma simples vitória. É a alegria de tanta gente humilde’, diz Ceni após virada do FlamengoFlamengo28/01/2021

Além do revés ter sentenciado definitivamente as chances do time de brigar pelo título do Campeonato Brasileiro, o Grêmio fica ameaçado de sair do G6, já que possui 51 pontos, um a menos que o Fluminense, primeiro time fora da zona da Libertadores.

A queda de rendimento também liga o sinal de alerta dentro do Tricolor pelo simples fato do time chegar a marca de cinco partidas sem vencer. O último triunfo aconteceu diante do Bahia, no dia 6 de janeiro, por 2 a 1. Desde a data citada acima, o Grêmio coleciona três empates e duas derrotas. O ataque marcou quatro gols e levou oito tentos.

The India coach also says his target is to try and build a team that can win consistently in overseas conditions

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jan-20194:01

Agarkar: Dhoni believes if he’s there at the end, he can win the match

MS Dhoni cannot be replaced, feels India head coach Ravi Shastri.”You can’t,” Shastri told Michael Vaughan in an interview published in the , when asked about the plans once Dhoni, now 37, retires. “Such players only come once in 30 or 40 years. That is what I tell Indians – enjoy it while it lasts. When he goes, you will see a void that will be very hard to fill. I know there is Rishabh Pant, but to be an ambassador for the sport for so long is amazing.”Dhoni is the oldest player in the India squad and, for the past year or so, his position in the team has been hotly debated with the explosive finishes that made him one of the most feared limited-overs batsmen drying up.Shastri picks his World Cup favourites

Although he did not nominate one team as a standout favourite, Shastri indicated that three to four teams, including India and England, had a good chance.
“There will be three or four teams that can do it and it is how you start. If we gain momentum early then India are very dangerous because we have got a lot of crowd support and things backing us,” he said.
According to Shastri, England have an upper-hand not because they are the hosts, but because Eoin Morgan’s team has the depth in batting and is stacked with several allrounders.
“Absolutely,” Shastri agreed with Vaughan, who checked if England are covered in all facets of the ODI game. “This is the best England team I have seen. They have been focussed in picking players who are good in that format of the game and will take their chances from ball one to dictate terms to the opposition.
“You also have balance. We saw England last year in England and they had depth in batting and a lot of players who are multifaceted. They have five or six guys who can be called upon at any time to bowl and that is what you want.”

The Indian team management, however, has continued to back Dhoni, and in the third ODI against Australia on Friday, the batsman repaid the faith with a second successive match-winning half-century to help clinch the series 2-1.Dhoni is likely to travel to the World Cup in England and Wales later this year as India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, and according to Shastri, his contribution from behind the wicket has been vital to the team’s success. “That is because he has the best angle. He sees things. He is great with the guys, they all worship him. This entire team has been built by him because he was captain for ten years. To have that kind of respect in the dressing room and experience is massive,” Shastri said.ALSO READ: Chopra: What is Dhoni’s role in the India ODI side?Even when he isn’t in the team, Dhoni remains ever-present, Shastri said, giving the example of Pant, who was in constant touch with the senior man during the preceding Test series in Australia.”His [Pant] hero is MS. Every day he is on the phone to MS. I think during the Test series, he must have spoken more to MS than anyone else. It is great when you have that mutual respect. Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, the respect they have for each other is unbelievable, so it makes my job in the dressing room so much easier.”MS Dhoni plays a pull•Getty ImagesAsked to describe his role as head coach, Shastri said he preferred tinkering with mindsets rather than techniques. “I am more into fine-tuning, mindsets, and how you play the game. Very rarely will I go and tinker with a player unless I think it is needed,” he said. “Yes, I will bang him on the head if I think he is a p**** or afraid of something. That is when I am at my nastiest. Then I’m not a coach, I am something else.”You have to be fearless if you want to play for this team. Fearless means trusting your instincts and clarity of thought. Once you have made up your mind, don’t be scared of what if. You would rather get out testing your instincts than being in two minds.”ALSO READ: Happy to bat anywhere in the middle order – DhoniShastri had earlier served as team director between 2014 and 2016. He returned as head coach in 2017 and has been a part of some heady wins, none bigger than the recent Test series win in Australia – the first Asian team to achieve the feat in 71 years.Shastri reiterated that for him, the triumph was bigger than India winning the World Cup in 1983, when he was one of the squad members. “Winning the World Cup in 1983 was big and also 1985, when we beat Pakistan in the final of the Benson & Hedges World Championship here in Melbourne. But this was the biggest I have been involved in because, for me, Test cricket is the purest format of the game. For 71 years, Asian teams have come here with great spinners and batsmen, and not won. So to do it after 71 years is something special.”As far as he is concerned, Shastri is clear about his target: build a successful unit of match-winners that will help India win overseas consistently.”It is about making a team culture. When I took this job, I knew India had brilliant individual players. But how often when we have toured overseas have we looked like a team? You are not here to fill in your own numbers. You have to think how are we going to win this Test,” Shastri said.”Who are the guys we are going to back who will play in that fashion for their country? Who is going to be like Australians, who play hard for their country? Be prepared for the battle out there in the middle. My coaching is on those lines.”

During Nuno Espirito Santo's time at Molineux, Wolverhampton Wanderers were one of the most difficult teams to play against. In fact, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City picked up merely three wins from six outings against the Midlands club throughout Nuno's tenure and lost back-to-back games against Wolves during the 2019/20 campaign by a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.

The Portuguese coach guided Wolves to the Europa League in his first season and had a strong core of players, with the team built on defensive solidity and rapid transitions.

However, the majority of this side have moved on, including the likes of Ruben Neves, Joao Moutinho, Leander Dendoncker, Diogo Jota, Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio, who all went to new pastures.

Nevertheless, there is one other player who was part of Nuno's side who has had a horrendous time of it since leaving during the summer.

Adama Traore's time at Wolves

After achieving promotion to the Premier League in 2018, Wolves broke the club's transfer record by matching Middlesbrough's £18m release clause for winger Adama Traore. The Spaniard had made 37 appearances in England's top flight with Boro and Aston Villa prior to his arrival at Molineux but had failed to score a single goal in the league, registering merely three assists in the process.

Paying such a hefty fee was a risk for a newly-promoted club but one which paid off. Traore went on to play 194 times for the Old Gold, scoring 14 goals and recording 20 assists in all competitions, including 25 goal contributions in the Premier League.

At one point under Nuno, the Spain international was even linked with a move to Liverpool and the Reds' head coach Jurgen Klopp even called Traore "undefendable" after his side scraped a 1-0 victory at Molineux back in March 2021.

Traore's minutes for Wolves significantly dipped after Nuno left at the end of the 2020/21 season to take up the vacant position at Tottenham Hotspur and the player had lost his importance in the side.

2018/19

1,255

2019/20

3,834

2020/21

2,850

2021/22

1,182

2022/23

1,852

Stats via FBref

Traore was even sent out on loan to Barcelona midway through the 2021/22 campaign before eventually leaving Wolves on a free transfer at the end of last season, joining ex-teammate and Wolves legend Jimenez at Fulham.

Adama Traore's stats at Fulham

Upon moving to Craven Cottage in the summer, club chief Tony Khan admitted he was delighted to add the 27-year-old to the squad, labelling Traore as "explosive". Traore also revealed that Jimenez was one of the driving forces behind his decision to play for Fulham. However, the attacker's time in London hasn't gone as well as he'd hoped.

Since joining the Cottagers, the winger has made just four Premier League appearances and featured once in the EFL Cup, playing merely 101 minutes of football in total. Furthermore, Traore has yet to start for the club in England's top tier this term.

Having picked up a hamstring injury during the September international break, Traore has missed the last nine matches but returned in Fulham's recent outing in a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa, coming off the bench for nine minutes.

Jimenez's spell at Craven Cottage has been quite disastrous this season too but the Mexican has still managed to outperform his former teammate at Molineux.

Goals

0

0.13

Expected Goals

0.42

0.23

Assists

0

0

Expected Assists

0

0.05

Successful Take-Ons %

66.7

50

Key Passes

0

0.79

Stats via FBref

Despite sitting on £63k-per-week at Fulham, the forward has contributed little to nothing since moving to the club during the summer and has been a disastrous signing thus far with one-third of the season gone.

Tottenham have reportedly "set their sights" on a "dominant" centre-back for next month, coming after his agent shared "almost weekly" talks with Spurs.

The centre-backs wanted by Spurs in January

Spurs are said to be prioritising the signing of a new left-sided centre-back in January, coming after an injury to Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero's recent suspension exposed some real lack of depth in the position.

Backed by new sporting director Johan Lange, who is set to assist chairman Daniel Levy in identifying transfer targets, there have apparently been Spurs recruitment meetings behind-the-scenes over who they should target (The Mail).

Sky Sports say Tottenham really want "complete" defender likened to van de Ven

He’s been phenomenal this season.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 8, 2023

Uruguay defender Sebastian Caceres, Everton's Ben Godfrey, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, Genoa star Radu Dragusin, Union Saint-Gilloise's Koki Machida, Benfica ace Morato, Sporting Lisbon's Goncalo Inacio and English starlet Jarrad Branthwaite are all rumoured defender targets for Spurs from the last few months alone.

Dragusin in particular is a very intriguing option, as the Romanian has been in excellent form for Genoa this season. The player's agent, Florin Manea, also said in November that Dragusin could cost just £26 million.

Manea, speaking to Fanatik last month, shared that he's held "almost weekly" conversations with Spurs over Dragusin and even meetings in London – as well as other interested sides.

“The people from Genoa know (that he will soon leave),” Manea explained.

“I have been in London for some time and have almost weekly meetings with important teams. We are getting closer. I spoke with Newcastle, with Arsenal, with Tottenham. I also have the messages with them, conversations. There are teams that ask.

“I want to say that, 100 per cent by next summer, Radu will play for a very strong club. One in the top 10 in the world. He wants to be in the Premier League, but I know that Milan like him a lot. I talked to the people there.”

Tottenham "set their sights" on Dragusin

Now, according to Football Transfers, Tottenham have "set their sights" on Dragusin as one of their top January transfer targets for the centre-back area.

Spurs' scouting team are said to be impressed with the 21-year-old's commanding performances in Italy, so much so that they now have a very genuine interest, as backed by his agent.

Dragusin appears to have floated higher up Lange and Levy's list of preferred defensive additions, and it's hardly a surprise given his form this season.

According to WhoScored, the Romania international is an indispensable member of Alberto Gilardino's starting eleven. Both Dragusin and goalkeeper Morten Frendrup stand out as Genoa's most regularly-selected players, starting 15 matches this term and failing to miss a single Serie A encounter so far.

Tackles per game – 0.8

Interceptions per game – 1.1

Aerial duels won per game – 3

Passing accuracy – 83%

Clearances per game – 4.5

Imperious at the back, Dragusin has also made more clearances per 90 and won more aerial duels on average than any other Genoa player in Italy's top flight (WhoScored). He's also been called a "dominant" defender by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.

ظهر جود بيلينجهام، لاعب فريق ريال مدريد في مقطع فيديو وهو غير راضِ عن أداء زملائه كيليان مبابي واثنين آخرين، خلال مباراة الأحد ضد ريال مايوركا.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2024/25، حيث تعادلا بهدف لمثله.

ولم يتمكن ريال مدريد من الاستفادة من فرصه الهجومية المتعددة، خاصة مع الظهور الأول لـ كيليان مبابي في الليجا رفقة ريال مدريد.

ونشرت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، نقلًا عن شبكة “موفيستار”، تفاصيل حديث دار بين بيلينجهام وزملائه مبابي وفينيسيوس جونيور ورودريجو، قبل التوجه إلى أرض الملعب بعد الاستراحة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ترتيب الدوري الإسباني 2024/25 بعد نهاية الجولة الأولى

وظهر مبابي وهو يقول: “أعتقد أنه عندما نتبادل مراكزنا لا يتوقعون وجودنا هناك، ويمكنك تمرير الكرة إلى الجانب الآخر بسرعة”.

ثم قال بيلينجهام: “أنتم الثلاثة، عليكم إنهاء الهجمات، الركض للخلف أمر صعب للغاية (لفظ نابِ)”.

ويبدو أن مبابي اتفق مع ما قاله الإنجليزي، حيث قال: “هذا ما أقوله، علينا أن ننهى شيئًا ما”، ليرد بيلينجهام: “حاول، حاول، حاول، اصنع مساحة وسدد”.

“You three need to finish, because the running back, it’s f***ing tiring.”

Tough first day at the office for Jude Bellingham in the new look #RealMadrid 😅pic.twitter.com/eb9CO1vMeo — Football España (@footballespana_) August 19, 2024

 

The striker is attracting attention from some of the Premier League's top teams as he has yet to commit his future to the Rossoneri

There were seven minutes remaining in AC Milan's Serie A clash with Fiorentina on November 25, 2023 when Stefano Pioli decided to make a substitution of colossal significance. "Off goes Luka Jovic and," the stadium announcer said, pausing for dramatic effect. "For the first time…" he continued, his voice rising along with the excitement inside the Giuseppe Meazza, "NUMBER 73! FRANCESCO CAMARDA!"

The crowd at San Siro erupted, the Curva Sud chanting his name while Camarda's mother burst into tears in the stands. As for her son, he simply puffed out his cheeks and smiled. It was, Camarda admitted afterwards, "something unique that I will never forget".

Nobody will, in fairness, because this was a little bit of history; Camarda was just 15 years and 260 days old at the time, making him the youngest player ever to feature in a Serie A match. A combination of injury and suspension may have forced Pioli's hand, but nobody was in the least bit surprised that the Rossoneri coach had turned to Camarda to strengthen a depleted attack. He was being tipped for greatness even before he made his first appearance for the Primavera (Under-19s) earlier this season.

Indeed, the feeling at San Siro has long been that Milan have already found their next great goal-scorer…

Where it all began

Camarda was born in Milan and began playing organised football with Afforese, a small but famous club located in the north-west of the city. Despite being just six when he joined, his incredible potential was immediately obvious to Piero Colangelo, who was responsible for the lowest age groups at the time.

"He was three years younger than some of the kids but he was doing the training exercises better than anyone," he told . "Let me be clear: I don't want to take any credit. Everything Francesco has done is exclusively thanks to him.

"The first time I saw him, I was shocked: he already looked like a miniature footballer. So, his case is absolutely unique. I have never met boys with his qualities since. He scored loads of goals even with the older players; there was no way to stop him.

"He already had a powerful physique, he played forward or as a winger and was clearly superior to everyone: he was a hurricane, a pain for all his opponents."

Unsurprisingly, his exploits at Afforese attracted the attention of Milan, whom he joined in 2015.

AdvertisementThe big break

There was no containing Camarda at Milan, either. The 'hurricane' laid waste to every defence that had the misfortune to be placed in his path, obliterating one record after another, averaging five goals a game as he progressed from one under-age team to another.

He struck 22 times in 25 appearances for Milan's U15 Italian champions, including the winner in the Scudetto final against Fiorentina. By that stage, the hype surrounding Camarda was already building and he inevitably began to attract the attention of rival clubs, particularly as Milan were not in a position to tie him down to a long-term professional contract until he turned 16.

However, in one of his last moves before being ruthlessly sacked by Milan, Paolo Maldini went out of his way to assure Camarda and his family that his future would be best served by staying at San Siro, revealing that he would be added to the Primavera squad for the 2023-24 season. Unsurprisingly, it proved an inspired call by the Rossoneri's grossly mistreated former technical director.

On his UEFA Youth League debut, Camarda scored two goals and created another in a 4-0 rout of Newcastle. In doing so, he became the second-youngest player ever to bag a brace in the club game's most prestigious Under-19 tournament. On November 7, meanwhile, he helped Milan to a 3-2 win over Paris Saint-Germain with a stunning scissors-kick.

So, when Pioli found himself shorn of the services of Olivier Giroud (suspension), Rafael Leao and Noah Okafor (both injured) for the game against Fiorentina later that month, he decided to call up Camarda.

Milan required special clearance from the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to field a minor in a competitive fixture, but Camarda had already trained with the senior squad several times, even featuring in a pre-season friendly against Trento. Consequently, Pioli had no doubts that the teenager was ready to make the step up. "Talent has no age," the coach told reporters on the eve of the match at San Siro, "and Francesco undoubtedly has it."

How it's going

Camarda made his second appearance for Milan just a week after his first, coming on for the final five minutes in a 3-1 win over Frosinone at San Siro. He hasn't featured for the senior side since – primarily because Milan's injury issues quickly eased – but he has continued to shine at U19 level.

Camarda started in every round of the knockout stage as the Rossoneri reached the final of the UEFA Youth League, beating Real Madrid along the way. Unfortunately for Camarda & Co., they were beaten in the tournament decider by Olympiacos, on Monday, but that defeat has done nothing to quell the mounting excitement – and speculation- surrounding the centre-forward.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Biggest strengths

Camarda is considered a complete No.9, an all-action, all-round attacker blessed with excellent technique who is strong in the air and boasts a fearsome strike. However, what really stands out is his competitive character. He says himself that while he considers himself "fun" off the field, he is fiercely "determined" on it.

Famously, in a match against Bayern Munich in 2018, he was forced off with an ankle injury after 15 minutes, only to ask his coach to be sent back on (which is allowed in the lower age groups) with 10 minutes remaining because Milan were trailing by two goals. Despite still being in serious pain, Camarada was directly involved in three goals, scoring two himself, as the Rossoneri came from behind to win.

It is that will to win, mixed with his obvious prodigious talent, that has got Camarda to this point in his professional career at such a ridiculously young age. As Pioli said, the forward is "very mature" – which is why the coach had no qualms about giving him his debut at 15.

Dhoni registered India’s second-lowest strike rate for an innings of at least 35 balls on his way to an unbeaten 29 off 37

Varun Shetty in Visakhapatnam25-Feb-20193:01

Tait: I don’t think India did a whole lot wrong with the ball

MS Dhoni’s unbeaten 29 off 37 balls in the wake of India’s middle-overs collapse was “probably fair” according to Australia’s Glenn Maxwell, and found support in fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah as well, who said it had given India something to fight with.Dhoni had come in at the start of the 11th over following Rishabh Pant’s run-out, which was the start of a collapse that had India fall from 80 for 2 to 109 for 7 in just under seven overs. India managed only one boundary shot – a six from Dhoni in the final over – in their last 11 overs and made a total of 46 runs in the final ten.”We were trying our best,” Bumrah said. “He was just trying to take the game deep and trying to get us to a safe total. I think we were short by 15-20 runs but still, we had something that we could fight [with]. So I think that was the plan which he was trying to execute.”ALSO READ: Maxwell’s relief in game Australia ‘probably should have lost’Dhoni faced the majority of deliveries after KL Rahul’s dismissal, racking up India’s second-lowest strike rate for an innings of at least 35 balls, often refusing singles at the end in the company of India’s long tail, and toiling unsuccessfully to find boundaries as Australia switched to shorter lengths. The batsmen below him in the order made a combined 4 off 17 balls.”It [farming the strike] was probably fair enough,” Maxwell said, “with the way the wicket was – being difficult to score for any batter, let alone a guy who is not known for his power-hitting in Chahal. MS is obviously a world-class finisher and even he was finding it hard to hit the middle of the bat. So, I think it was right of him to try and farm the strike. He hit a six in the last over and I think that’s the sign – he hit one six and they only got seven of the over. Shows you how difficult it is. If you hold MS to one boundary in the last few overs, it’s a pretty big effort.”MS Dhoni struggled for timing•Getty ImagesIndia had made a brisk start after being put in. Despite losing Rohit Sharma early, they’d found a 55-run stand between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli that had made strokeplay appear fairly easy. But their wickets, on either side of the sensational run-out of Pant by Jason Behrendorff, began a slide that India could not deal with in the face of tight bowling.”I think as soon as you give width to any team, they can hurt you,” Maxwell said. “Once we went straight and once the Powerplay was done, we saw Virat come down the pitch trying to create something off Zampa, who’s known for his accuracy, known for hitting the stumps a lot. We created [a situation of] India taking a risk rather than us trying something.”So I think it was just us being patient a bit longer with the ball. And then, KL Rahul’s dismissal. We probed away. He hadn’t really gotten where he could take the game away from us, and then he tried to go over mid-off and we were able to create that wicket. I suppose India wouldn’t have known what was a par score on that wicket and we certainly didn’t know either. And only once we batted on it did we realised how difficult it was.”

Leeds United failed to put pressure on Ipswich Town ahead of their game with Leicester City as they were beaten 2-1 by Preston North End on Boxing Day in the Championship.

The Whites lost to a fine header from Alan Browne, shortly after goalkeeper Illan Meslier was handed a straight red card for violent conduct, and a stunning finish from Liam Miller either side of a Pascal Struijk equaliser from the spot.

It was a day to forget for Daniel Farke's side and his shot-stopper's bad temper did little to help the team to pick anything up from Deepdale.

However, he was not the only player who struggled in Lancashire as teenage right-back Archie Gray endured a rough afternoon and let the head coach down with a poor display.

Why Illan Meslier was sent off against Preston

The Whites shot-stopper inexcusably decided to push the face of Milutin Osmajic with his glove and was instantly, and rightfully, handed a red card by the referee, as the Preston forward rolled around on the floor next to him.

Whilst the Deepdale attacker made the most of the incident, there is no hiding away from the fact that a player cannot shove an opponent in the face in that manner and expect to remain on the pitch.

What made it worse was that Meslier instigated the initial bust-up as he caught a wayward cross with ease and then decided to bump into, and seemingly say something to, Ben Whiteman when there was no need to.

Osmajic then arrived on the scene to bump into the goalkeeper and that caused the French giant to raise his hand towards the centre-forward.

Archie Gray's performance against Preston in numbers

The 17-year-old defender showed his inexperience as Millar was able to get the better of him far too often and it could be argued that the manager should have withdrawn him way before the winger scored the winning goal.

It was a learning experience for Gray as the talented former Liverpool prospect used his quick feet and silky skills to constantly get past him.

Millar completed three of his five attempted dribbles and won nine of his 13 ground duels in total as he came out on top of the England U19 international in the physical battle.

The winger cut inside away from Gray, and past Daniel James, to whip in a stunning cross for Browne for the first goal and then whizzed past the full-back with ease before unleashing a terrific strike into the top corner for the winner.

Gray was a lightweight at Leeds for the back as he lost eight of his ten ground battles and one of his two aerial duels throughout the 90 minutes – nine of 12 in total.

The academy graduate, who completed 76% of his attempted passes, only completed two tackles and failed to make a single clearance, interception, or block, whilst he was also dribbled past twice.

These statistics show that the young full-back struggled throughout the match as Millar ran rings around him to win the match for Preston.

Gray and Meslier, for very different reasons, both let Farke down badly against Preston and the German tactician will be hoping for far better from the English talent next time out.