Celtic were saved by their captain yet again on Saturday night when they were heading for a drab 0-0 draw away at St Mirren before Callum McGregor stepped up with seconds remaining.

The Hoops skipper picked the ball up from range in the 95th minute and unleashed a screamer of a shot that nestled in the top corner to secure all three points for the visitors.

Up until that point, Martin O’Neill’s side had struggled to show much in the way of quality against St Mirren, despite holding 73% of the possession, per Sofascore, which is why the game was tied with seconds remaining.

The hosts even created a ‘big chance’ from one of their 13 shots on goal, but, thankfully, they were unable to convert any of the opportunities that they created on the night.

Celtic, meanwhile, did not create a single ‘big chance’ from their 16 efforts against St Mirren, per Sofascore, which is why they needed a long-range strike from their captain to win the match.

Whilst McGregor’s sensational strike from distance bailed the club out in general, the skipper also bailed out several of his underperforming teammates on the night.

Celtic's worst performers against St Mirren

It would be remiss of us to speak about the worst performers on the night without starting with the player who was withdrawn from the match after 45 minutes, Johnny Kenny.

The Ireland international, who scored four goals in four matches for Celtic before Saturday’s game, won just one duel and lost possession six times from 17 touches in the first half, per Sofascore, as he failed to provide a focal point up front.

Kenny’s withdrawal meant that Daizen Maeda moved into the centre-forward role, after starting out wide. However, he ended the 90 minutes with two out of seven duels won, no key passes, and no shots on target, per Sofascore, which illustrates his ineffectiveness in the final third.

Minutes

67

90

Shots on target

0

0

Key passes

1

0

Big chances created

0

0

Dribbles completed

2/6

1/2

Duels won

3/11

2/7

Possession lost

14x

12x

As you can see in the table above, Sebastian Tounekti and Maeda both struggled out wide, and the latter up front in the second 45, throughout the game against St Mirren.

These statistics show that all three of the forwards who started on Saturday night failed to do enough to suggest that O’Neill should keep them in place for the club’s trip to play Feyenoord in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

Tounekti, Maeda, and Kenny were not the only underperforming Celtic players who failed to provide enough quality on the pitch against the Saints, though, as one Hoops flop is now looking like the new Luis Palma.

Chalkboard

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

Supporters will likely remember Palma, who is currently on loan at Lech Poznan, as a player who made a fast start to life in Glasgow before falling off and eventually being deemed surplus to requirements.

The Honduras international produced seven goals and nine assists, with 14 ‘big chances’ created, in 28 Scottish Premiership games during the 2023/24 campaign for the club, per Sofascore.

Unfortunately, though, the winger followed that up with a return of zero goals and zero assists in eight league matches the following season before being sent out on loan to Olympiacos for the second half of the campaign.

Whilst his fall-off this term may not be quite as drastic as Palma’s was, Celtic central midfielder Reo Hatate appears to be heading in the same direction.

Why Reo Hatate should be dropped by Celtic

The Japan international was a sensation in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants in the 2024/25 campaign with a return of nine goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created in 37 outings in the Premiership, per Sofascore.

Hatate provided regular quality at the top end of the pitch with his ability to make a difference as both a scorer and a creator of goals, as evidenced by his statistics, and that made him a vital player for Brendan Rodgers.

This season, however, the 28-year-old star has failed to deliver consistent quality in midfield for Celtic, with the clash against St Mirren being his latest underwhelming performance, which is why he should be ruthlessly dropped by O’Neill.

The Japanese midfielder, who was described as “sloppy” by ex-Hoops boss Neil Lennon during the game against Sturm Graz in the Europa League, ended the night with no shots on target, no ‘big chances’ created, and a duel success rate of 20% (1/5), per Sofascore.

This shows that his performance was lacking in both quality and physicality, as he lost 80% of his physical tussles without providing any moments of genuine quality on the ball, and that has not been a rare occurrence for him this season.

Appearances

37

10

Goals

9

1

Minutes per goal

241

708

Conversion rate

14%

10%

Big chances created

14

2

Assists

4

1

Dribble success rate

70%

57%

As you can see in the table above, Hatate’s performances have dropped off since the end of last season, as he is scoring and creating goals far less frequently for the Premiership champions.

The Japan international’s last league goal for the club came against Aberdeen on the 10th August, and he has only produced two goals – including one penalty – and one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions this term, per Transfermarkt.

His concerning drop-off in form this season suggests that he may be on the road to becoming the next Palma, as a once supreme talent who now looks too inconsistent to be reliable to the Celtic manager.

Therefore, O’Neill should ruthlessly drop the central midfielder from the starting line-up to face Feyenoord away from home, as the Hoops may need quality and physicality to beat their Dutch opponents, and Hatate did not show either against St Mirren.

Nancy can forget Maeda by making £325k-per-week star his 1st Celtic signing

Celtic’s potential new manager could forget about Daizen Maeda by signing this reported transfer target.

ByDan Emery Nov 18, 2025

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras encara o Vitória neste domingo (14), no Barradão, em jogo que abre a campanha do atual bicampeão brasileiro na luta pelo inédito tri.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Palmeiras no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Verdão

O jogo marca um encontro inédito do Verdão diante de uma Cria da Academia que é campeã da Libertadores com Abel Ferreira.

Trata-se de Lucas Esteves, lateral-esquerdo que foi negociado em definitivo com o Vitória no início de 2024.

O jogador que teve poucas oportunidades como titular do Palmeiras, comentou sobre o primeiro encontro diante do Verdão na sua carreira.

– Passei uma parte importante e alegre da minha vida no Palmeiras. Tive oportunidades na base e no profissional, conquistei títulos expressivos e aproveitei da melhor maneira possível. Serei sempre grato por tudo o que fizeram por mim enquanto estive lá. Jogar contra será uma emoção especial. Ainda tenho muitos amigos no Palmeiras, mas deixarei todo esse sentimento de lado no domingo. Hoje, defendo as cores do Vitória e farei de de tudo para que a gente estreie vencendo no Brasileiro – afirmou Esteves.

➡️ Matador! Com R$50 no Lance! Betting, você leva R$151 se Flaco López balançar as redes do Vitória a qualquer momento

Além de Lucas Esteves, o Vitória conta com outro jogador muito conhecido da torcida do Palmeiras em seu elenco, trata-se de Luiz Adriano, atacante que foi bicampeão da América vestindo o manto alviverde.

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The New York Yankees have been in a prolonged slump and the team didn't get off to a hot start in the month of August, either. Following Sunday's 7–3 defeat at loanDepot Park, the Yankees were swept by the Marlins for the first time ever.

New York has not only seen its comfortable AL East lead slip, but they've even fallen into third place in the division behind the rival Red Sox. They're currently clinging onto a wild card spot by two games as teams continue to close the cap.

Following the humbling sweep in Miami, Aaron Boone spoke to reporters and addressed the team's current woes. He used three words to describe the situation, telling reporters it's "gut check time" for the Yankees as they embark on the final two months of the campaign, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.

As Hoch noted, the Yankees are 25-32 since the end of May and have been swept three times during that span, including twice against division rivals in Boston and Toronto. As the season continues to crumble, Boone is hoping his team can find the mindset needed to overcome their struggles and turn things around down the stretch.

The injury to Aaron Judge certainly makes things more difficult, but there's plenty to criticize about this Yankees team, in particular their lack of focus on defense and on the base paths. If they can't clean up their sloppy play, things may continue to get worse in the Bronx.

عقد هانز فليك مدرب برشلونة مؤتمرًا صحفيًا للحديث عن آخر استعدادات فريقه لمواجهة ريال بيتيس غداً ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم.

وقال فليك عن لقاء ريال بيتيس في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “المباراة صعبة دائماً، لديهم فريق رائع وعلينا أن نكرر ما فعلناه ضد أتلتيكو، نحقق سلسلة نتائج جيدة، فوز الثلاثاء يمنحنا الثقة”.

وأضاف فليك عن موقف فيرمين لوبيز من المشاركة: “هو قادر على اللعب لكنني لست متأكداً من مشاركته أساسياً، سيحصل على دقائق لعب وهذا مؤكد، أما ما حدث لداني أولمو فهو لاعب مهم وكان يلعب بشكل جيد لكن هذه الأمور واردة وعلينا التعامل معها”.

وعلق فليك على تجديد عقد إريك جارسيا: “هو لاعب ممتاز بمستواه الحالي، يعرف النادي جيداً ويستحق تجديد عقده، هو لاعب مهم جداً في غرفة الملابس وقد يكون قائد للفريق في المستقبل، يبذل قصارى جهده من أجل هذا النادي”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. هانز فليك يستقبل أنباء سارة في تدريبات برشلونة قبل مباراة ريال بيتيس

وأكمل عن جارسيا: “رأينا إمكانياته منذ بداية الموسم الماضي، عانى من الإصابات وتبعاتها، هو لاعب محترف ويركز دائماً على لعب كرة القدم، عندما تريد أن يكون قائداً فهذا مهم أيضاً، هو منضبط ويهتم بالآخرين، لا يهم إن كان ظهير أو قلب دفاع أو بديل، تجديد عقده أخبار سارة له وللنادي والجميع”.

وواصل عن رضاه عما يقدمه برشلونة في الفترة الحالية: “نحن سعداء جداً باللعب على هذا المستوى، أثق بفريقي، لقد اتخذنا خطوة للأمام وأثبتنا عندما نكون مترابطين جيداً وعندما نلعب كفريق واحد، تسير الأمور على ما يرام، علينا أن نلعب من أجل بعضنا البعض كفريق واحد”.

وأشاد فليك بعلاقته بلاعبه رافينها: “علاقتنا ممتازة، رافا لاعب مهم جداً وقد أثبت ذلك لأنه دائماً ما يبادر بالضغط، يساهم بشكل كبير ووجوده متاحاً أمر رائع بالنسبة لي”.

وأثنى فليك على جيرارد مارتن: “يلعب بشكل ممتاز، أنت تعلم ما سيقدمه لك عندما يكون في الملعب، إنه منضبط دفاعياً وهجومياً، كونه لاعب أيسر يمنحنا خيارات دفاعية وهذا ما نتوقعه منه ولهذا السبب يلعب”.

وذكر عن تحديات المدرب في تشكيل المباراة: “هذه وظيفتي، لا يمكن أن يبدأ إلا 11 لاعباً، أحياناً لا يكونوا سعداء ولكن عندما يشعرون بالإحباط، لا يبذلون قصارى جهدهم، إذا كان لدينا تشكيل أساسي فإني أتحدث مع من لن يلعبوا، بعض المواقف يجب إدارتها لكنها تعتمد على كل لاعب، أريد أن يفكر اللاعبون بإيجابية ويبذلون قصارى جهدهم، بذل البدلاء كل ما في وسعهم ضد أتلتيكو وهذا ما نبحث عنه”.

وسئل فليك عن جافي: “هو بخير، كان يحتفل مع بقية الفريق على أرض الملعب يوم الثلاثاء، إنه منضبط وسيعود أقوى من ذي قبل”.

وأشار فليك للقطة احتفال الفريق بعد الفوز على أتلتيكو مدريد: “هذا ما أظهرناه الموسم الماضي، كانت أفضل لحظاتنا ضد أتلتيكو مدريد، أنا سعيد جداً لما رأيته أيضاً بعد المباراة”.

وسئل فليك عن دي يونج: “أنا لا أعلم بالتأكيد، هو تدرب بشكل جيد وقد يلعب غداً”.

واختتم عن لامين يامال: “نتحدث دائماً عن اللاعبين في كلا الدورين الدفاعي والهجومي، هو يقدم أداء جيد ويضغط بقوة ضد أتلتيتكو، لقد تحسن بشكل ملحوظ هجومياً ودفاعياً، أحب رؤيته وتواجده في برشلونة بهذا المستوى، هو دائماً يسعى للتطور، هو ليس من أولئك اللاعبين الذين ينهارون في المواجهات الفردية، إنه يريد الاستمرار والتغلب على الخصم التالي”.

The series between the Colorado Rockies and San Francisco Giants has been absolute mayhem, and if anything, has served as the perfect precursor to the upcoming 2025 NFL season.

After tempers flared resulting in a benches-clearing brawl during Tuesday's game, Wednesday night featured a different type of fireworks. During the fifth inning, Hunter Goodman hit a single through the infield and Tyler Freeman attempted to score from second.

The throw from the outfield was a bit up the line, and Giants catcher Patrick Bailey found himself right in the middle of the base path as he attempted to catch the ball. Unfortunately for him, Tyler Freeman didn't hit the brakes one bit, and he steamrolled right through Bailey, at the expense of both players.

Freeman, clearly in some pain, slowly reached out and touched home plate after the collision, before trainers from both teams rushed onto the field to tend to their players.

Freeman was ruled safe at the plate and Heliot Ramos was charged with a throwing error for his poor throw to the plate.

Both Bailey and Freeman were able to remain in the game after being checked out by trainers.

Former Barcelona star Kevin-Prince Boateng revealed how Lionel Messi "had the power" to block his shock transfer to the Catalan club. The Blaugrana signed the striker from Sassuolo in January 2019, initially on loan with an €8 million option to buy. Now, speaking on the YouTube podcast Unscripted, Boateng has revealed that the transfer only went ahead after Messi gave his blessing.

• Under scrutiny at Barcelona

  When Boateng arrived in Spain, he was already under the scanner. Old quotes resurfaced suggesting he had grown up admiring Real Madrid, and had even said years earlier that he could have played for Los Blancos had he applied himself more diligently. However, he quickly brushed those aside during his first press conference. 

  "I am a Barcelona player and Lionel Messi is the best player in this world and every world," the Germany-born former Ghana international told reporters. "Why are you laughing? That's the truth, he has shown that with all that he has won in the last 10 years. It's a great honour [to be at Barcelona] because Messi is the best player in the world, and Luis Suarez the best striker in the world. They play amazingly and being able to play by their side is a great gift."

  He added: "At my age, the number nine role is perfect for me, but for a coach, I think a player like me is a plus because I can play in different positions, but I feel very good as a number nine. I have not talked to the coach [Ernesto Valverde], but I know I have not come to play in the starting line because there are incredible players in this team. I'm here because of my experience and to help. I'm here to play well and sign on for more years here, that's my goal."

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  "If Messi said no, it was over"

  Now, Boateng has described in vivid detail the moment the near-finalised transfer was abruptly paused. All the principal decision-makers at the club, president Josep Maria Bartomeu, manager Ernesto Valverde, and both sporting directors, including Eric Abidal, had given full approval. Everything appeared ready for Boateng to put pen to paper. But then came the shock.

  "If Messi had said no, the transfer wouldn't have happened," he asserted on the YouTube podcast . "At the time, there were two sporting directors. One of them was Eric Abidal, and he said, 'Yes, we want you.' The other sporting director said, 'We want you'. The president (Bartomeu) wanted me, the coach (Valverde) too, so I said, 'Perfect, let's sign tomorrow!' They replied, 'No, we have to talk to Leo first.' He had that power. I went to sleep hoping Messi would approve my signing. If he had refused, I wouldn't have signed for Barcelona." 

• The Real Madrid "lie" and a carefully managed image

  Speaking later to Rio Ferdinand on , Boateng revealed that Real Madrid had been his favourite club growing up, but insisted that saying so upon arriving in Catalonia would have been impossible.

  On being asked which was his favourite club, he said: "I supported Hertha Berlin, where I grew up and then, sorry, Blaugrana…Barcelona fans gonna hate me now, but Real Madrid. I couldn't say that in the press conference [when I signed for Barcelona]. They told me I could never say that. Because otherwise we can't play you."

  He added: "Two years before, when I was at Las Palmas, they asked me in a press conference who was the best player in the world and I said 'in this world Ronaldo, in the galaxy Messi' and then they asked me my favourite club and I said 'Real Madrid'. Then, the first question was who is your favourite club, I said ‘Barcelona’. I think anyone would have done the same, I wanted to pull on that shirt one time at Camp Nou. It's one of the biggest lies I've ever told."

  Ferdinand, himself no stranger to football politics, responded: "Footballers lie…we lie all the time, man."

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  Short spell but a big achievement

  Boateng’s on-field impact for Barcelona was limited to just four appearances, none of them particularly memorable. But he did finish the season with a La Liga winners’ medal. For a player who had journeyed through Las Palmas, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Sassuolo, it was an extraordinary late-career chapter.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) have qualified for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, after defeating Japan on Thursday by eight wickets in the Asia-EAP Qualifier tournament in Al Amerat.Haider Ali’s 3 for 20 and and an opening partnership of 70 between openers Alishan Sharafu and Muhammad Waseem helped them comfortably chase 117 against Japan. UAE now join Nepal and Oman as the last three teams to secure their World Cup spot in next year’s edition.Apart from hosts India and Sri Lanka, the other teams with automatic qualification into the tournament are the top-seven teams from the 2024 T20 World Cup – Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, United States of America and West Indies. The three teams that qualified on basis of their T20I rankings were New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland.Canada comfortably took the lone Americas Qualifier position. Italy, first time T20 World Cup participants, and Netherlands qualified from the five-team tournament in Europe. Namibia and Zimbabwe grabbed the two spots from the eight-team Africa qualifier before Nepal, Oman and UAE wrapped up the list this week in the nine-team Asia-EAP round.The 2026 tournament will follow the same format as the previous edition – the 20 teams will be split into four groups of five each, with every team playing the others once in a round-robin format. The top two teams from every group will progress to the Super 8 stage, where they will be placed into two groups of four according to pre-tournament seedings for another round-robin phase. The top two sides from each Super 8 group will then qualify for the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-final will meet in the final.

Former England women’s head coach returns to home county in newly created role

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2025Jon Lewis has joined his old county Gloucestershire in a newly-created director of cricket role which will cover both men’s and women’s cricket, after losing his job as England women’s head coach earlier this year.Lewis, who won 16 England caps across formats as a swing bowler, spent the vast majority of his playing career at Gloucestershire and has worked at the ECB in various coaching roles since, including as Under-19s head coach and fast-bowling coach in the men’s game. “It feels like I’m coming home,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.He took over as England women’s coach in late 2022 but paid the price for their disastrous 16-0 Ashes defeat in Australia last winter, which saw him replaced in the role by Charlotte Edwards. Lewis also spent three years at UP Warriorz in the WPL, and will oversee Gloucestershire’s push towards a fully professional women’s set-up in the years to come.Lewis will work closely with Mark Alleyne, Gloucestershire men’s head coach, who won the T20 Blast in his first season in charge but oversaw a disappointing 2024 campaign. His arrival will belatedly fill the vacancy left by Steve Snell’s removal as performance director midway through the 2023 summer.”It’s a big job. There’s a lot to do,” Lewis said. “I’m excited to be back at a place that has a really special meaning for me. It created a lot of opportunities for me to be better as a player, and hopefully I can give people opportunities to do the same things that I did here.”Ajeet Singh Dale is among several seamers leaving Gloucestershire•Dan Istitene/Getty ImagesLewis said that a long-term priority will be to bring through more players from the local area. “We haven’t had a really strong production line of cricketers coming from Gloucestershire and Bristol. That’s a high priority for us here at the club, to make sure that we put the processes in place that are able to produce Gloucestershire cricketers from Gloucestershire.”Gloucestershire’s men have already lost a swathe of seamers ahead of next season, with Archie Bailey (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Lancashire), Zaman Akhter (Essex), Josh Shaw (Somerset), Dom Goodman and Tom Price (both Sussex) all leaving the club. Craig Miles (Warwickshire) and Will Williams (Lancashire) will both join, but Lewis wants further reinforcements.”It’s important that we try to work out how to replace those players, whether it’s from within the squad or also from outside, or from overseas,” he said. “We’ve got some real thinking to do in that space to make sure that the club becomes really competitive across all formats next year.”Gloucestershire’s women play in Tier Two of the ECB’s new domestic set-up, but Lewis hopes that will change in the long term: “That’d be a big goal for us here at the club… I’m hoping that this becomes a place where players become really fond of playing, and they feel like they’re able to grow, to learn, and to get a lot better at playing cricket.”Stevens returns to Kent for 2026Darren Stevens was a fan favourite in his playing career for Kent•Nathan Stirk/ECB/Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Kent have announced that club legend Darren Stevens will work in Adam Hollioake’s coaching staff as a bowling consultant in 2026. Stevens left the county three years ago when, at 46, he was not offered a new contract and has since worked in coaching roles for South East Stars and Essex women.He will work alongside Kent’s newly-appointed bowling coach Sam Faulkner, who has progressed through the club’s backroom staff and will replace Robbie Joseph in the role. Jaahid Ali, a former Pakistan A player, has replaced Toby Radford as batting coach.”Stevo coming back to Kent to join our bowling coaching provision will undoubtedly by popular with our members and supporters,” Simon Cook, the club’s director of cricket, said. “His experience and coaching skills will be invaluable to our first-team bowlers as we head into a new season under Adam Hollioake.”With Sam and Jaahid, there will be clear guidance and mentoring for our young talent at first-team, Academy and Pathway level to make any transition to a higher level more seamless from a playing perspective. Both Sam and Jaahid have worked closely with our Talent Pathway for a number of years now and are both held in high regard by our Pathway players and staff.”

Despite registering an assist against Nottingham Forest, Leeds United attacker Brenden Aaronson has struggled to find his best form this season. Indeed, that strike he set up at the City Ground was only the second time in 2025/26 he’s chipped in with a goal or assist, despite playing 11 Premier League games.

It might not be a surprise to see the United States international struggling for form in the Premier League. Despite a dominant season in the Championship last term, former Leeds man Jon Newsome told BBC Radio Leeds that he doesn’t think he is “good enough to play in the Leeds United team.”

With Aaronson’s poor form continuing, it might lead Daniel Farke to look at alternative options on the right wing against Aston Villa.

Farke's options to replace Aaronson

One candidate to replace the American international against Villa is Wilfried Gnonto. The 22-year-old Italian is on the cusp of returning from a calf injury which has kept him out for most of the season, but Farke confirmed pre-match that his side have “not one player injured” this weekend.

Assuming the former Inter winger is back, he could get some involvement this weekend. Last term, Gnonto was excellent, scoring nine goals and assisting six in 43 second-tier games, and his direct nature could offer a new threat for Leeds.

However, given his recent fitness issues, this game may have come too soon for him to start.

An alternative option could be Jack Harrison. The 29-year-old Englishman has had a bit-part role this season in the Premier League, playing ten games, but featuring for just 262 minutes in total.

He is a player who certainly splits opinion at Elland Road. The former Everton loanee returned to the club this season after two years on Merseyside. He was not given a warm reception upon that return, though, and was booed by fans in preseason.

With Gnonto’s lack of game time and Harrison’s lack of form, there could be an ideal alternative to replace Aaronson.

Farke’s perfect Aaronson replacement

It would certainly be a fair call if Farke were to drop Aaronson from the side against Villa. He has struggled to have a real impact on the Leeds side this season, and has left a little to be desired creatively.

If the American were to be dropped from the side against the Villans, the man who could replace him is Daniel James. The Wales international has also not been fully fit this season, having racked up just eight Premier League appearances.

Yet, he played an hour for Wales over the last week as they beat Liechtenstein, a game in which he grabbed an assist, and North Macedonia, against whom he scored.

He is back fit and firing and in good form, which is a huge positive for Farke and Leeds.

Despite a lack of involvement this term, the former Manchester United star has previously impressed for the West Yorkshire side. In their Championship title win last term, he chipped in with a strong tally of 12 goals and nine assists in just 36 appearances.

He averaged 0.72 goal involvements per 90 minutes, which ranked him in the top 2% of Championship attackers.

James – 24/25 Championship stats
Stat (per 90)	Number	Percentile
Goals and assists	0.72	98th
Passes into penalty area	2.17	97th
Crosses into penalty area	0.9	96th
Goal-creating actions	0.52	90th
Progressive carries	4.04	87th
Stats from FBref

The Welsh international could hurt Villa in transition, too. It is no secret that he is lightning fast, with a top speed of 31kph, according to Speeds Database. Well, if Leeds decide to sit in a low block and hit Unai Emery’s side on the counterattack, James could be imperative to executing those fast transitional moments.

Statman Dave once described the 28-year-old as someone who is “unstoppable on the break.” If Leeds do decide their best way of winning is to try and hit the Villans on the counter, his pace and recent form in the final third could be pivotal.

It would be a bold call for Farke to drop one of his most trusted lieutenants in Aaronson, but James has the skillset to really hurt Villa and help his side pick up a huge win in dire circumstances.

Leeds flop is turning into an even bigger waste of money than Illan Meslier

Leeds United now have a bigger waste of money than Illan Meslier in this £28.5m flop.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 20, 2025

He is the youngest to score a T20I century for South Africa, and also made the highest T20I score against Australia

Namooh Shah12-Aug-2025

Dewald Brevis’ 41-ball century was the second-fastest by a South African in T20Is•AFP/Getty Images

218 for 7 – South Africa’s total in the second T20I against Australia in Darwin is their highest against Australia, going past 204 for 7 in Johannesburg in 2016.125* – Dewald Brevis’ score in Darwin is the highest for South Africa in T20Is, bettering Faf du Plessis’ 119 against West Indies in Johannesburg in 2015.Brevis’ performance is also the highest in a T20I in Australia; the previous best was Shane Watson’s 124 against India in Sydney in 2016.22y 105d – Brevis’ age, making him the youngest South African to score a century in T20Is. Richard Levi was 24 years and 36 days old when he scored a hundred against New Zealand in 2012.Dewald Brevis has the highest score by a South Africa batter in T20Is•ESPNcricinfo Ltd41 – Number of balls Brevis took to reach his hundred, the second fastest for South Africa in T20Is. David Miller scored a 35-ball hundred against Bangladesh in 2017.Brevis is the first batter to score a T20I hundred against Australia in Australia. He also has the highest T20I score against Australia, a record previously held by Ruturaj Gaikwad.161 – Runs added by South Africa after the fall of the third wicket, the most they have added in a T20I. Brevis and Tristan Stubbs added 126 runs for the fourth wicket against Australia in Darwin, with Brevis scoring 91 of those runs.1 for 56 – Josh Hazlewood’s figures in the second T20I against South Africa; his most expensive in T20Is.