Jude Bellingham has been lauded as a "fighter" despite his post-match red card and Real Madrid's defeat to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
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Bellingham's performance hailed
Real lost the game 3-2
Bellingham sent off after final whistle
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Real were beaten 3-2 by Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey on Saturday, as goals from Pedri, Ferran Torres, and Jules Kounde proved decisive. Kounde's winner came in extra time, as the game ended 2-2 after 90 minutes, but there was more drama to come, with Bellingham sent off amid wild Real protestations at full-time. Antonio Rudiger was also red-carded for attempting to throw ice at the referee, while Lucas Vazquez rounded out a trio of sending offs.
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HOW DID THE MEDIA RATE BELLINGHAM'S PERFORMANCE?
gave Bellingham a mighty 9/10 rating, writing: "He was one of Real Madrid's most active players alongside Fede Valverde. He tried to unleash passes to his attacking teammates through the middle, acting as an attacking midfielder, but also working hard defensively to maintain the unity of the unit. After the break, he unleashed his potential and ended up offering his best version: pressing, controlling the game, and being instrumental in constructing attacking plays. He finished the Copa del Rey final completely drained, both physically and on the pitch."
were less effusive but still maintained Bellingham was exceptional, giving him a score of seven and writing: "During Real Madrid's worst moments, he was the only one who maintained his composure, and in the Whites' reaction, he continued to demonstrate his intelligence, both physically and tactically, on the pitch."
gave the England midfielder 6/10, concluding: "Jude Bellingham wasn't the best player because he played too far from the opponent's box, but he was a tireless fighter and the driving force of Madrid. He lacked more accuracy in front of goal."
rate players over the first half and second half, and included points for extra time. They gave him a seven for the first half, eight for the second, and eight overall. They claimed he had "no luck" in the first half, was "the best" in the second half, and "was the team's best player" in extra time.
@SamiRMCF said: "This game proved Bellingham is a much better footballer than Pedri."
@JohnHonesty__ added: "Barca fans spent 3 years saying Jude Bellingham 'hides his stinkers with goals'. Today Jude dogwalked Pedri but because Pedri scored, suddenly goals mean everything again. Hilarious bunch."
@Dansnewgen said: "Jude Bellingham is by far the best midfielder on the planet, Pedri has been nowhere near his level tonight."
@Mxdric concluded: "You managed to get Raphinha and Lamine on a bad day, no Lewandowski, Bellingham 10/10 performance and still couldn’t win. Okay."
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WHAT NEXT?
Real are next in action against Celta Vigo on Sunday before they renew hostilities with Barcelona in La Liga on May 11. They sit four points behind their Clasico rivals with five games to play.
Coming into the January transfer window, Arsenal had one clear goal; to sign a new forward.
Bukayo Saka’s hamstring injury at the back end of 2024 made it likely that a new wide player might be signed but Mikel Arteta’s woes were compounded when Gabriel Jesus was dealt the cruel blow of a lengthy ACL injury.
Still, here we are on the 2nd January, nearly 24 hours out from the end of the winter transfer window and the Gunners are yet to conclude any business.
Whether or not we’ll see a Mesut Ozil or Pierre-Emerick Aubayemang-type move late in the window remains to be seen but it’s becoming more and more unlikely that Arteta is able to add anyone to his squad.
They have at least tried, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins of interest…
Arsenal searching for Ollie Watkins alternatives
Last week the surprise news broke that the Gunners were aiming to bring Watkins to the Emirates Stadium before Monday’s deadline.
Alas, their pursuit is likely to fall flat. A £40m bid was lodged but with fellow Villans striker Jhon Duran packing his bags and heading to Al-Nassr in Saudi, it’s extremely unlikely they will allow another talisman in Watkins to leave.
Jhon Duran
Unai Emery and Co are set to welcome the likes of Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio to Villa Park before the window slams shut at 11pm on Monday but even then, the idea of signing Watkins is difficult to imagine.
So, what could Arsenal do instead? Well, according to TEAMtalk, they are considering this weekend whether to send a bid to Juventus to sign Dusan Vlahovic.
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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
The Serbian powerhouse has been on the club’s radar even before he signed for Juve in January 2022 and he could finally become an Arsenal player this month.
The report states that Vlahovic is one of their top targets and while no offer has been sent yet, they were weighing up the prospect.
Should the Serie A side sign a new striker then it’s thought they could be willing to let him leave for around £54m or lower.
How Dusan Vlahovic compares to Ollie Watkins
Well, the last time Arsenal decided to raid Juventus for a big-money forward, it’s safe to say it went pretty well.
Does the name Thierry Henry ring a bell, anyone? We jest, of course, but Henry made the same move from Turin to London for £11m back in August 1999 and the rest is history.
The great Frenchman is the club’s all-time record goalscorer with 228 goals. Now, there is zero chance of Vlahovic living up to that almighty record but this late in the window, he would be a great alternative to Watkins.
The Villa striker would bring the added bonus of having played in England’s top flight before but spending £60m (the asking price) on a 29-year-old may not be the best from a business point of view.
Watkins would likely hit the ground running quickly but there’s no re-sale value and in the next couple of years his qualities could diminish. Vlahovic, on the other hand, is 25 and approaching his prime, therefore likely guaranteeing you a longer degree of service.
However, this is all ifs, buts and maybes. How do the pair compare statistically? We’ve had a look at their numbers throughout the last couple of seasons.
Goals
44
33
Assists
24
7
Goals per 90
0.50
0.53
Shots on target *
1.31
1.13
Expected goals (xG)
44.8
36.2
Pass success %
73%
70%
Key passes *
1.07
0.95
Progressive passes *
1.22
1.60
Successful take-ons *
0.56
0.58
Progressive carries *
1.62
1.16
Carries *
14.9
16.4
% of aerial duels won *
41%
41%
So, by looking at the data above, it’s clear to see why Watkins is being pursued so strongly by Arsenal. At 29, he’s the finished article and his data shows as much. Not only does he score goals but he’s creative too, notably winning the Premier League’s ‘Playmaker’ award for the most assists in the division during 2023/24.
Comparatively, Vlahovic isn’t yet the finished article but he does rank closely in a number of areas, notably the percentage of aerials won, successful take-ons and pass success rate. Despite Watkins’ creativity, it’s actually the Serb who’s more progressive with his passing too.
That indicates with a bit of coaching, Arteta could craft the Juve forward into a creative hub for his team too.
Perhaps most impressively, though, is that per 90 minutes, Vlahovic is actually the more prolific.
So, signing the “monster” striker – as he was described by the Italian media – could well be a fine alternative should Villa shut up shop and refuse to entertain any offers for their star striker.
The next Aubameyang: Arteta's "nightmare" target is open to joining Arsenal
Arsenal are still in search of a new centre-forward…
With the T20 event imminent, they may want to rest players during the ODIs in India, but that could put their 50-overs qualification at risk
Ashish Pant22-Sep-2022
South Africa are currently in 11th place on the ODI Super League table•Getty Images
South Africa face a dilemma as they head to India for a white-ball tour that comprises three T20Is and three ODIs. With the T20 World Cup barely a month away, most teams have their focus set on the marquee tournament. But South Africa don’t quite have that liberty.They are currently in 11th place on the ODI Super League points table, with just four wins from 13 matches. They also withdrew from the three-game ODI series against Australia that was originally scheduled for January 2023, and will lose all their Super League points from that series. All this effectively hurts their prospects of direct qualification for next year’s ODI World Cup in India, with only the top eight teams on the table eligible for direct entry. The bottom five teams, along with the Associates, will have to play the World Cup Qualifier in a bid to seal the last two spots at the ten-team tournament.Related
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So how do South Africa approach the three-match ODI series in India, which begins on October 6, just 18 days before their first game at the T20 World Cup? Do they put out a full-strength unit days before a crucial tournament and try to secure Super League points, or do they put direct qualification for the ODI World Cup at further risk by not playing their best XI?”I think the one-day series that we are going to play, we want results, and we want to win,” Mark Boucher, the South Africa head coach, said ahead of the team’s departure to India. “But everything with regards to the Indian tour will be bearing in mind that we have got a [T20] World Cup ahead of us.”So if it is resting players or giving opportunities to players… I see the squad that is going with us – maybe 19, 20 players – I don’t see it like a T20 squad or a one-day squad. I look at opportunities throughout 20 individuals that we just need to manage and get them in the best space for the [T20] World Cup.”While South Africa have lost just four of their last 21 completed T20Is, their ODI cricket has suffered over recent months. Boucher attributed this to not having their best players available at various times.”One-day cricket, we have had a bit of a mixed bag because we have lost players at crucial times in series to IPL and all that type of stuff, which is uncontrollable,” he said. “So we haven’t always been able to have our best players playing certain competitions and series and games that we have always needed.”That’s why we are in the situation where we have to manage regarding qualification. This white-ball team has a lot of special players. It’s just the balance on trying to work out how do we get everyone involved and get them ready for a big event, which is the World Cup.”‘I saw an opportunity for my future, for my family going forward, and I took that opportunity’ – Boucher on signing up with Mumbai Indians•Getty Images
India will be South Africa’s last pit stop before they head to Australia for the T20 World Cup. Incidentally, India and South Africa are in the same group in the tournament, and will face-off on October 30, in Perth. Boucher is well aware of this fact.”We have got to be mindful of the conditions that we are going to be playing in,” he said. “It’s more about not getting too many cards out, especially in India because they are in our pool as well, so we are going to meet up with them at some stage,” Boucher said. “There are quite a few games that we play against them, the venues that we are going to, we are not sure what we will get.”Boucher recently announced that he would step away from his role as South Africa head coach to take up a similar position with Mumbai Indians in the IPL. While he was non-committal over the reasons behind his departure, citing “contractual obligations” with CSA and Mumbai, he insisted that he remains “100% committed to the players”.”It was just a situation I was put into, and I saw an opportunity for my future, for my family going forward, and I took that opportunity,” Boucher said. “My decisions from a personal perspective aren’t going to hamper these guys at all. I will continue to give them everything that I have in order to have the best outcome in a World Cup.”It is a massive World Cup for us, and I am really looking forward to it, and I know the players are looking forward to it too. It is a very strong squad as well, and it is a massive opportunity for us, and we have the players to push for a great outcome in the World Cup.”
Em queda livre nas últimas semanas, o Red Bull Bragantino vive o pior momento desde o retorno à elite do futebol nacional.
– VEJA A TABELA DO BRASILEIRÃO
No último domingo, o Massa Bruta foi superado pelo Internacional e chegou a marca de nove jogos sem vencer na junção de Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil e Libertadores.
Com a queda de rendimento, principalmente no Brasileirão, o Massa Bruta despencou na classificação e flerta com a zona de rebaixamento.
Caso a equipe não se recupere diante do Flamengo, o time de Mauricio Barbieri pode cair para o Z-4.
Para isso ocorrer, o Braga precisa torcer contra Ceará, Juventude e Goiás. Veja o cenário abaixo:
14º Bragantino – 10 pts
15º Ceará – 10 pts
16º Juventude – 10 pts
17º Goiás – 9 pts
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Manchester United have already turned their attentions to the summer transfer window and are exploring a move to sign a new star in the making for Ruben Amorim, it has been revealed.
Manchester United signings
It has been a tough month for Manchester United on and off the pitch as they look to rescue their Premier League campaign under Amorim. There have been shoots of recovery in the results, if not the performances, under the new head coach, with the club losing just once in 2025 before they were soundly beaten by Crystal Palace in their most recent outing.
That included an FA Cup penalty shoot out win over Arsenal to set up a fourth round tie against Leicester City and former interim coach Ruud van Nistelrooy, as well as automatic progression into the next round of the Europa League.
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In the Premier League though, they remain marooned in 13th place and even a spot in one of Europe’s lesser competitions next season looks highly unlikely barring a shock turnaround.
In the transfer market, the Red Devils agreed to let both Antony and Marcus Rashford leave on loan to Real Betis and Aston Villa respectively, moves that will save them significant wages for the remainder of the campaign with the pair among the club’s highest earners.
Meanwhile, they added promising Lecce defender Patrick Dorgu to their ranks, as well as youth talent Adyen Heaven from Arsenal, whose progress may now be fast tracked following the news of Lisandro Martínez’s season-ending injury.
Now, attention has already turned to potential summer business at Old Trafford, where Amorim’s overhaul can finally begin to take shape.
Manchester United exploring £30m+ summer move
That comes with The Athletic reporting that Manchester United are already in the process of “exploring” a move to sign Sporting CP teenage talent Geovany Quenda in a move that could cost over £30m despite his tender age.
Quenda is still just 17-years-old but has marked himself out as one of the most exciting players in Portugal, with football analyst Ben Mattinson hailing his “balanced” profile while adding that he is “highly unpredictable”.
Having already played under Amorim during their time in Lisbon together, he could now be set to follow him to Old Trafford on a familiar route once trod by Cristiano Ronaldo.
Geovany Quenda in 24/25
Appearances
20
Goals
1
Assists
3
Yellow Cards
1
As per the report, a deal to bring the teenager to Old Trafford is “being explored at an expected cost of around €40m” [£33.2m] when he turns 18, while the Red Devils are comfortable they can afford his wages too, especially if one or both of Antony or Marcus Rashford were to leave in the summer.
Were he to arrive, he would likely take up the right wing-back role under Amorim as he did at Sporting, which would certainly provide his side with more attacking impetus in wide areas opposite Dorgu, an area in which they have notoriously struggled so far under their new coach. Though Manchester United won’t be the only side chasing him, it seems that at the moment, they lead the way.
Siraj plays key role in restricting South Africa to 278 with tidy death-overs bowling
Firdose Moonda09-Oct-20221:19
Jaffer: Good to see players making selectors’ job difficult
Ishan Kishan’s career-best 93 and Shreyas Iyer’s second ODI century set India up for a series-levelling win on a slow, dry pitch in Ranchi. The pair shared a 161-run stand – the second highest third-wicket partnership for India against South Africa – and aced a challenging chase. In the process, they completed the highest successful chase against South Africa since March 2017 and denied their visitors 10 points on the World Cup Super League table. South Africa remain in 11th place.South Africa’s attack was unable to control India’s scoring rate and struggled with significant dew under lights after choosing to bat first. While Wayne Parnell and Kagiso Rabada made early inroads, Anrich Nortje and Aiden Markram could not find the right lengths, and Keshav Maharaj had a rare off day. Without Lungi Ngidi, who was swapped out of the XI for Nortje, South Africa did not have their best executor of the slower ball at their disposal. One look at India’s bowling card showed how much they missed that.Mohammed Siraj (3 for 38) threatened upfront, made a crucial breakthrough in the middle and was economical at the death as he led India’s effort to contain South Africa. Only Reeza Hendricks and Markram’s run-a-ball stand of 129 gave South Africa some momentum but that partnership was sandwiched between a slow start and finish. South Africa were 40 for 2 in the opening powerplay and only managed 57 runs in the last 10 overs. Siraj delivered four overs upfront (1/24) and four from the 44th over (1/12) to bookend the innings.He was well supported by Avesh Khan, who used the bouncer effectively, and the spin combination of debutant Shahbaz Ahmed and Kuldeep Yadav. In the end, India’s six-man attack was much better balanced than the five-bowler pack they went with in the first ODI, and South Africa, who were without regular captain Temba Bavuma and wrist-spinner Tabraiz Shamsi (both down with mild illness) were no match.The ease with which India reached 280 – with 25 balls to spare – could make South Africa’s total look far off the mark. They lost both openers in the powerplay when Quinton de Kock reached for a wide Siraj delivery but did not move across to meet it and chopped the ball onto his stumps, and Janneman Malan became Shahbaz’s first international wicket: out lbw on review.Markram’s arrival led to Kuldeep being brought on, in the hope that the wristspinner would remove South Africa’s No.4 for the fourth time in sixth matches. He beat Markram with drift and flight and reviewed an lbw shout off the eighth ball he bowled to him. Markram survived on umpire’s call. Kuldeep was taken off after that over, in what appeared to have been a tactical mis-step from the captain Shikhar Dhawan, and Markram doubled his score off the next 12 balls he faced.The Ranchi crowd was on its feet after Shreyas Iyer reached his century•BCCIBy that stage, Hendricks had settled and looked comfortable, especially against the spinners, against whom he used his wrists and feet well. Hendricks’ inclusion in the XI is particularly topical because he could not find a place in the team despite making four successive T20I half-centuries on South Africa’s tour to England in August. He went on to notch up a fifth half-century in six international innings, and fourth in ODIs. He has not played in this format in almost a year, when he was part of the team that took part in a washed-out match in November 2021. Fortunately for South Africa, he was in excellent touch.Hendricks’ fifty came up off 58 balls, after which he struck the first six of the innings when he hit Kuldeep over wide-long on, but Markram almost didn’t join him to the milestone. He was on 49 when he missed a pull and was given caught behind to Avesh. Markram reviewed immediately and UltraEdge confirmed he had not made contact with the ball. He went on to reach fifty off 64 balls.South Africa were 157 for 2 after 30 overs and should have had 300-plus in their sights but Hendricks pulled Siraj to deep midwicket on 71. In-form batter Heinrich Klaasen struck 30 off 26 balls but then mis-hit a Kuldeep googly for Siraj to take running in from long-on, and Markram was out two balls later. That gave David Miller 12.4 overs to marshal the lower order, but he struggled to get going.South Africa scored just 31 runs between the 40th and 45th over with only one boundary. Wayne Parnell tried to hit a Shardul Thakur slower ball over long-off but was too early through the stroke and was caught on the boundary. The only other time South Africa found the rope before the penultimate over was when Siraj shied at the non-striker’s stumps and missed. With no back-up, the ball went for four overthrows despite protests from the Indian fielders that the delivery should have been dead.With eight balls remaining in the innings, Miller hit Thakur for back-to-back boundaries but he could not hold on to strike for most of the final over. Siraj bowled Keshav Maharaj, who struggled to get the ball away throughout his stay at the crease, to finish with the second three-for of his 12-match ODI career.South Africa’s defence started fairly well when, for the second match in succession, Parnell removed Dhawan and Kagiso Rabada got rid of Shubman Gill, though the pair had got India off to a decent start. Dhawan launched Bjorn Fortuin – tasked with opening the bowling with Parnell – over deep midwicket for six before Parnell took out his offstump. Gill hit five confident fours, including three through the covers, before Rabada took a low catch in his followthrough to dismiss him. India were 49 for 2 in the ninth over and 55 for 2 after the powerplay.It was all Kishan and Shreyas from there as they targeted the left-arm spinners. Kishan stayed back in his crease to hit Maharaj over midwicket for two sixes in two overs while Shreyas enjoyed anything short of a length and showed off his cut shot. In perfect harmony, Kishan pierced the on-side and Shreyas the offside to control the chase.Their partnership reached fifty when they brought up India’s 100 with a six from Kishan off Maharaj, and it grew to a century when Kishan smashed Fortuin over mid-off. They also attacked pace: Kishan pulling Rabada through deep square and Shreyas hitting Parnell for back-to-back fours off full deliveries that invited the drive. Nortje bore the brunt when Kishan took on his short ball for a pull through and then over mid-wicket, and when he pitched fuller, Kishan hoicked over the same region for a couple of sixes.Kishan was all set for his first international hundred and was seven runs away when he holed out to deep midwicket off Fortuin. India still needed 70 runs off 15.3 overs and the job was mostly done.Shreyas converted his half-century and brought up a hundred off 103 balls when he made room to a Rabada short ball and lofted it over extra cover. Three overs later, he hit the winning runs, steering Nortje through third for the 15th four of his innings. India sealed the chase with 25 balls remaining and took the series to a decider in Delhi on Tuesday.
Glasgow Rangers may have suffered a late defeat at Old Trafford which hampered their chances of securing a top eight finish in the Europa League, but there were a couple of positives for the Ibrox side.
Manchester United may have scored a late goal, but the match could easily have finished 1-1, as several of the starting XI performed admirably against the Red Devils.
Injury issues hit the Light Blues hard, however, which meant Philippe Clement had to bring in three players aged 21 or younger into the fray during the final 45 minutes of the game.
Leon King, Findlay Curtis, and Bailey Rice have gained some precious game time against the English giants, which will stand them in good stead over the coming months.
One player who didn’t make the pitch was Zak Lovelace, as King was brought on instead during the dying embers to try and see the game out.
Bailey Rice
The Englishman has had his fair share of injury problems since moving to Rangers in the summer of 2022, but if he can remain fit and secure the odd minutes here and there, there is no doubt he can have a bright future at Ibrox.
Why Zak Lovelace can make the grade at Rangers
Aged just 15 years old, Lovelace came off the bench for Millwall during a game against Coventry in December 2021, becoming the second-youngest player in the club’s history.
Manager Gary Rowett even had to get permission from his school to include him in the matchday squad, but even at such a tender age, the potential was there.
A few months later, Giovanni Van Bronckhorst announced that Rangers had secured the signature of Lovelace, who was placed straight into the club’s B team, where he would continue his development.
It didn’t take him long to settle into his new surroundings, going on to score 18 goals for the B team while registering ten assists across all competitions, including four in the UEFA Youth League.
He even made his first team debut for the Gers in August 2022, just weeks after signing, coming off the bench for the final few minutes against Queen of the South in the League Cup.
Due to an injury crisis, Lovelace was given his first senior start against St Mirren in October 2023. He looked lively, creating a couple of chances, and it looked as though the club had an academy talent who had everything in his locker to be a success.
That was until he suffered an injury during the game, ruling him out for the majority of the campaign.
This season, the 19-year-old has made two appearances for the club, one in Europe with the other coming against Fraserburgh in the Scottish Cup recently. During that tie, he looked incredibly bright on the left flank, not scared to take on opposition defenders and make his way into the box.
The goal for Clement now is to give him more minutes on the pitch between now and the end of the season. The Premiership title is out of the club’s hands now, with Celtic establishing a dominant lead in the table. Therefore, blooding youngsters is the way forward.
Rice is another who deserves a chance to showcase his abilities from the start, especially given how well he played against Man Utd on Thursday.
Curtis, however, is a player who could become the next big thing at Ibrox, surpassing even Lovelace potentially.
Findlay Curtis is an exciting talent
Curtis has been with the Gers since he was just six, emerging through every age group with ease. Starting off as a striker, before moving to the wing and then into the heart of the midfield.
He signed a contract extension last summer, discussing his positional versality, saying: “I started as a striker but last year Stevie and Cameron Campbell gave me a chance at left wing against St Mirren then the next week I played in central midfield against Celtic and it was one of the best games I played.
“So I kept playing in that position for the full year and I enjoyed it. I feel comfortable and really enjoy playing in midfield.
“You can do so much more there and are involved all the time so I can play as a 10 or an 8 and I enjoy those positions.”
Being able to play across a multitude of positions could come in handy for Clement, who gave the 18-year-old his senior debut against Fraserburgh last weekend. During his 30 minutes on the pitch, he looked livelier than Ross McCausland, sending out a positive message to the manager.
Scottish content creator Kai Watson hailed Curtis following the 5-0 victory, saying: “Fully understand it’s against Fraserburgh but Findlay Curtis has looked really bright since coming on.”
He also made an appearance against Man Utd on Thursday evening, replacing the injured Vaclav Cerny with just half an hour to go.
During his time on the pitch, Curtis not only won 100% of his ground duels against the Old Trafford side, but he also had a shot on target while making two tackles.
It was evident that the youngster was not overawed by the occasion, giving it everything against players who were worth millions.
With Rice, Lovelace, Mason Munn, and Curtis, Clement has a solid group of players who look ready to finally make an impression in the senior ranks.
Of course, injuries certainly help their cause, gaining opportunities due to the misfortune of others, but sometimes, this is what makes a player.
Leon King benefited a couple of seasons ago, playing six matches in the Champions League while standing in at centre-back.
This group of youngsters must now take the bull by the horns and really kick on under the Belgian. If not, it could be yet another case of wasted talent at Ibrox, something that occurs frequently.
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Arsenal's William Saliba made a mistake against Crystal Palace leading to a goal, but Michael Owen has questions over David Raya's positioning.
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Arsenal draw after Saliba mistakeFrenchman's second mistake in three gamesMichael Owen asks questions of David RayaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Saliba made his second mistake leading to a goal in a week, as he gave away the ball to Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta during Arsenal's 2-2 Premier League draw at the Emirates. The draw has all but dimmed their already dwindling hopes of winning the Premier League title against Liverpool, who are now 12 points clear with a game in hand over the Gunners.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
Saliba's second mistake in the last three games for Arsenal has received a lot of criticism from fans and pundits alike; however, Premier League legend Owen has now questioned goalkeeper Raya's positioning during the incident as he claims that the Spanish goalkeeper did not give Saliba a proper backup option to pass to when he gave away the ball to Mateta.
WHAT OWEN SAID
Speaking to the Premier League Productions, Owen said: "Everybody knows Raya takes big angles. But once the angle is a closed one, once Saliba is about to go wide to Timber, or potentially (back inside), Raya should be sprinting back to make his new angle just in case he comes back.
"He [Raya] was never, ever going to be in the game, and I feel sorry for Saliba because all he does is make one mistake in many ways. If I was Saliba, there I would be going into the dressing room screaming at Raya, screaming at him. Okay, make an angle, that’s fine, help me out sometimes, but if you’re in doubt, just get in a position where I can always pass to you. When I’m in trouble, at least I can go safe."
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
The Gunners have only one chance of winning silverware as they are almost out of the Premier League title battle and will take on Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semi-final next week. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has now claimed that Mikel Arteta's side have taken their eyes off the ball domestically as they battle for European glory. He said: "I think Saliba, if I’m working with him [I am saying], 'don’t switch off. The game they played against Real Madrid, the goalkeeper rolled it out to him just after they scored and it’s as if he hasn’t got a picture, he wasn’t alert.
"It’s twice now that’s happened in successive games – he just needs to sharpen up. I think it’s crept in because of the sloppiness with Arsenal just trying to see out games, tonight was a victory in not getting injuries, because there’s a huge game coming up and I think when you’re just down from 100 per cent, you make mistakes."
Liam Livingstone is likely to arrive at the T20 World Cup in Australia “undercooked” after his ankle injury, but should be fit to play in at least one warm-up game, Moeen Ali has said.Livingstone was ruled out of England’s ongoing T20I series to Pakistan after suffering the injury during the Hundred and has been at Emirates Old Trafford over the past week to step up his rehabilitation.He is expected to travel to Australia next week to link up with the rest of the England squad, who will fly there from Lahore on Monday after the seventh and final T20I against Pakistan. England will then play three matches against Australia and one official warm-up against Pakistan before starting their World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on October 22 in Perth.”I know he’s speaking to Jos and I actually messaged him a couple of days ago to see how he was going,” Moeen said on Tuesday. “He said it’s getting there and he’s on the mend. Hopefully, in Australia, he’ll probably play the last warm-up game or something like that.”When you do your ankle, it’s not easy. I’ve done mine at the IPL and once you’ve rolled it once, apparently it keeps rolling… you keep rolling it throughout your career so you’ve got to be really careful. I’ve done mine twice and I think he’s done his three times now.”We’re hoping that he’s ready. He might be a little bit undercooked but he’ll pick it up quickly and it’s actually not been a bad thing for him to have a bit of a break from cricket.”Chris Jordan, who also missed the Pakistan tour through injury, is expected to be ready to play when he arrives in Australia at the start of next week. Last week, the splint came off the finger that he fractured during the Hundred and he has been training at The Kia Oval to prepare for the World Cup.More immediately, Chris Woakes could make his first England appearance in any format since March on Wednesday night in Lahore after various injuries caused him to miss the home international summer.”There’s a good chance,” Moeen said of Woakes’ prospects, “but we’ve not named a team to the boys so we are just waiting. He’s good. He is really looking forward to playing but he’s also been out for a long time, so he wants to make sure he’s completely ready.Related
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“Until you play, you don’t know if you’re ready. But he is really confident, he’s happy and the medical team is happy with him, so we will definitely see him [in this series]. He is a big player for England… Woakesy is a great guy, great for the team.”Richard Gleeson has also been passed fit for the rest of the series after a niggle restricted him to two overs in the first T20I in Karachi. Gleeson will be one of three travelling reserves for the World Cup, along with Liam Dawson and Tymal Mills.Moeen, who has deputised as captain for the injured Jos Buttler during this series, said that he was happy with how England played in the Karachi leg of the tour, which finished level at 2-2 following Pakistan’s two-run win on Sunday.”I’m just pleased with the way we are playing, with the young guys coming in and performing really well,” he said. “Speaking to Jos, he’s really pleased with the way things are going.”When we lost in the summer, we were playing poorly. You are a bit more down about those results. It was a disappointing result the other night, but it was a great game of cricket. Okay, we lost, but I feel we are playing good cricket. We lost a lot of wickets in the powerplay but we managed to stay in the game until the very end.”
Chelsea are now closing in on a deal to sign an “exciting” midfielder, and they are eager to wrap it up quickly as other clubs are starting to show interest, according to a report.
Blues eyeing more talented youngsters
The Blues have developed a reputation for signing young players, who are often sent out on loan to prove themselves at sister club Strasbourg, and they are continuing to scour the market for talented prospects ahead of the summer transfer window.
Sunderland’s Chris Rigg is the latest young player to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, having now been cleared to leave the Championship side this summer, should a potential suitor be willing to fork out £25m.
However, there is now a feeling the west Londoners’ transfer approach could be deterring young players from joining the club, as revealed when it emerged Arsenal are set to win the race for Santos left-back Joao Victor de Souza.
De Souza and his agent were unimpressed with the Blues’ ideas about his future, which opened the door for a move to the Emirates Stadium.
Chelsea on alert as "wonderful" midfield target cleared to leave for £25m
The Blues are in the race to sign a wonderkid who will be allowed to leave his current club this summer.
ByDominic Lund Feb 9, 2025
According to a report from The Sun, Chelsea could face a similar problem in their pursuit of Sporting CP’s Dario Essugo, although they are now closing in on a deal.
Essugo is only keen to join the Blues if he is going to be a part of the squad, rather than being shipped out on loan to Strasbourg, with the midfielder having reservations about the move.
Despite the 19-year-old’s concerns, however, a deal is now close to completion, with Enzo Maresca’s side eager to agree a fee as quickly as possible, as he has started to attract interest from other clubs, having impressed on loan at Las Palmas.
Benfica's Nicolas Otamendi in action with GD Chaves's DarioEssugo
Essugo is one for the future
The teenager is keen to be a part of the Chelsea squad immediately, and there are some indications he could be capable of making an instant impact at Stamford Bridge, given the level of his defensive performances over the past year.
The Portuguese starlet, who could cost around €25m (£21m) ranks in the 98th percentile for interceptions per 90, the 87th percentile for clearances, and the 81st percentile for tackles, when compared to his positional peers.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has also tipped the central midfielder for future success, having made a solid start to life in La Liga, calling him “one of the most exciting DMs in Europe”.
Having also signed Mathis Amougou in the winter transfer window, Chelsea have a multitude of options in midfield, but if Essugo is able to replicate his performances in La Liga in the Premier League, he could push for a starting spot sooner rather than later.