Newcastle United say they are "disappointed" with Alexander Isak's claims that the club "broke promises" in his bid to force a Liverpool transfer.
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Tom Brady and Birmingham saw their fingers burned by Wayne Rooney, but will the Blues seek another managerial “name” at some point?
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The Catalan coach brought ball-playing goalkeepers back into fashion, yet the gigantic Italian can help him solve a huge problem
Victor Valdes will never forget his first conversation with Pep Guardiola. He had been Barcelona's goalkeeper for years and had already won a Champions League and a couple of La Liga titles, but the new, rookie coach immediately challenged everything Valdes thought he knew about football.
The legendary Barca goalkeeper told the documentary 'Take the ball, pass the ball': "He [Guardiola] had a tactics board with two small magnets on either side of the goal, just outside of the box. He said 'Do you know which players these two are? These are your centre-backs.' I had no idea what he was talking about; it sounded like he was talking Chinese. And he said 'When you’ve got the ball, this is where I want them to be. You’ll pass to them, and it’s from here that we’ll build the play'. I thought he was crazy.'"
Valdes put Guardiola's play-out-from-the-back ideas into practice and even when it led to him conceding costly goals against Real Madrid, he kept doing it, earning praise from Xavi Hernandez for "not forgetting our philosophy". Valdes' inferior shot-stopping qualities meant he never overhauled Iker Casillas as Spain's No.1, but he helped Guardiola conquer the world with Barcelona. When the coach left for Bayern Munich, he took the same approach with Manuel Neuer, who was even better with his feet as well as being a more reliable shot-stopper than Valdes.
When Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016, he was so convinced he needed a ball-playing goalkeeper that he rooted out club legend and fan favourite Joe Hart, at first with disastrous consequences as his replacement, Claudio Bravo, flopped, but then for the better when Guardiola landed Ederson.
The Brazil international is now set to leave the Etihad Stadium after eight seasons and with six Premier League winners medals around his neck, but Guardiola's choice to replace Ederson with Gianluigi Donnarumma has turned heads across football, with many observers wondering whether the coach has abandoned his principles.
Ex-Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof is about to make a swift return to English football with Aston Villa after spending the summer without a club.
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South Africa’s Test battles with Australia have been reliably hard-fought. But an overdue victory on home soil is important to the hosts for numerous reasons
Daniel Brettig in Durban28-Feb-20182:19
Why do Australia win so often in South Africa?
One of the first things that strikes the eye about Kingsmead in Durban is how little the ground has changed over the past 25 years.Players walk the same path to and from the middle as they did back in the day, meaning that at some stage Steven Smith will follow literally in the footsteps of Allan Border after his final Test innings in 1994. Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc will attempt to mimic the spells of Peter Siddle and Mitchell Johnson in 2009 with more or less identical approaches and breezes off the Indian Ocean, and David Warner would doubtless love to hammer sixes to the same grass bank as Phillip Hughes in his twin hundreds in that same match.Inside the stands, the walls are adorned with fading pictures of past great players and moments: Jonty Rhodes’ dive to demolish the stumps and run out Inzamam ul-Haq at the 1992 World Cup; the vicious, wrong-footed action of Mike Procter, and the keen followthrough of Malcolm Marshall. A mural of the ground under lights for a 2016 ODI between South Africa and Australia could have been taken at any one of the eight matches played between the two countries here since 1994, so little changed is the venue.More broadly, the contest between South Africa and Australia brings with it a sense of continuity and shared history. These two sides were most evenly matched in a drawn series in 1994 that carried many of the same variables as this time around – two top quality pace attacks, high standards of fielding, and a level of on-field hostility summed up by the Wanderers outbursts of Shane Warne and Merv Hughes that brought heavy fines for the pair.Moreover it is possible when South Africa and Australia play one another to simply sit back and enjoy the contest unfolding in the middle, without worries about schedules, pitches, cultural differences or the creeping barrage of Twenty20 and its attendant financial rewards. Put simply, these two teams routinely serve up the best that Test cricket has to offer, helped in no small part by the fact that the conditional differences between Australia and South Africa are so minimal as to make this the game’s most even playing field.As Faf du Plessis, South Afirca’s captain, put it: “I would say its the most competitive series that you play. We’re both very passionate, competitive cricketing nations and we try and leave it all out on the field. So it’s certainly great entertainment for the people watching, so we’re all raring to go and I’m sure the Australian cricket team is excited to start this series as well.”In many ways, the competitiveness of South Africa against Australia is one of the game’s great wonders. Cricket in South Africa is a comparatively small business when lined up against Cricket Australia’s participatory and financial heft – no South African, however much they love cricket, would think it plausible to adopt CA’s goal to make the game “Australia’s favourite sport”. A reminder of this can be found on the journey into Durban, which takes drivers past the mighty Moses Mabhida football stadium (capacity: 62,760) and the cacophonous Kings Park stadium (52,000) before turning right towards Kingsmead’s more homely ground, with room for 25,000.Where CA has been able to push boisterously for ever larger audiences and television rights fees, South Africa’s administrators have had to strike a careful balance between the demands of transformation, the realities of a changing nation and the typical conservatism of the players. For this reason, none of the four Tests of this series will be played under lights, despite the third Test of the preceding encounter between the sides down under taking place with a pink Kookaburra ball at a packed Adelaide Oval.That leads to another element of the game in South Africa that remains unchanged – Test cricket’s place as an acquired, niche taste for small audiences rather than the mainstream entertainment it has managed to become in Australia. Given the quality of the cricket itself, sparsely attended Test matches in this part of the world have been a source of mystification for many, not least the former Australian selection chairman Rod Marsh, who devoted a significant portion of his 2015 MCC Cowdrey lecture to the topic.”How can the Test match crowds in South Africa be so poor?” Marsh asked. “They have a magnificent team with arguably the best fast bowler in the world and possibly the best batsman in the world. Yet no one goes to watch them play at home. Come on you guys, get active, there will be a time when your product isn’t that good and you’ll struggle to exist.”As captain of Australia, Smith has become well acquainted with his dual requirements to win Test matches for his country and also to entertain, even if his tactical instincts are not quite so cavalier as those of his predecessor, Michael Clarke. When asked about how he viewed the health of Test cricket and his team’s responsibility to grow it, Smith spoke pointedly of the day/night variant, about which the Australians overcame early reticence and have now played four such fixtures.”We try and entertain as much as possible, that’s for sure,” Smith said. “I think there’s been some terrific innovations in Test cricket, the pink-ball games that we’ve played, the crowds have been unbelievable, the television ratings have been unbelievable and just the product’s been terrific, so we’re always trying to improve the game as much as we can to keep Test cricket as relevant as possible. I feel like it’s going quite strong at the moment and I hope it continues to do so.”The one occasion South Africa did experiment with a floodlit Test against Zimbabwe, the match was over in less than two days and no-one turned up. An unsuccessful outcome to that experiment seems to have left the long game in a holding pattern, much as the postponement of plans for a new franchise-based South African T20 tournament have caused a similar sense of inertia about the shorter format. What goes on all the while is the movement of players out of the Test side, from Kyle Abbott last year and Morne Morkel this week to AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla in the near future.This series is, therefore, a kind of valedictory event for many in the current South African team, both for those unlikely to face Australia again and also the rest knowing they will never again share quite the same dressing room. Much as Graeme Smith had hoped in 2014, du Plessis’ team are eager to overturn another tradition of these encounters – Australia having never lost a series in South Africa since readmission. An Australian bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon is a formidable obstacle to that goal, as is Smith’s undisputed place as the world’s leading Test batsman.Holes in the South African team are slowly being filled by the burgeoning pool of black talent coming through the system, including Temba Bavuma (injured this week), Kagiso Rabada and the Durban product Lungi Ngidi. It is hoped, ultimately, that a team more reflective of the demography of the nation will finally bring cricket the South African audience that it deserves. A World Cup win after so many near-misses would not go astray either, and the looming Test Championship will also help bring a sense of wider purpose.But the unchanging visage of Kingsmead stands largely to remind visitors that the pace of change is slower than required. All the while this brings South African cricket closer to a dangerous phase in which the current well of talent runs dry due to outside forces, before it can be replenished by the good works being done within the game. World cricket has already lost one great Test team in the form of the West Indies due to shifting cultural and economic tides – to lose another would be damaging to all concerned.So it is that the history and familiarity of walking in the footsteps of Border, Warne, Hughes and Johnson is a great one for Smith’s team, yet the comfortable nostalgia of Australia’s meetings with the Proteas would do well to be swept away in the future by the emergence of a team for all South Africans. A team capable not only of regularly filling Kingsmead, but Moses Mabhida too.
Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has issued an apology after sharing a social media post but some BBC staff are fuming he has not been sacked.
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Apart from a seam quartet, the squad also includes five spin-bowling options, including the ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis
Madushka Balasuriya12-Feb-2024Sri Lanka have brought in left-arm fast bowler Binura Fernando in place of the injured Dushmantha Chameera for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Afghanistan. The 16-member squad is otherwise unchanged from the one that faced Zimbabwe last month.Chameera has been out of action since injuring his left quadricep in the first ODI against Afghanistan, which Sri Lanka had won by 42 runs. At 6ft 7in, his replacement Binura is a rare breed as far as quick bowlers go, but his time with the Sri Lankan national side has been punctuated too by injury lay-offs.Binura had last played for Sri Lanka in the T20 World Cup game against Australia in October 2022, but was forced off after just five deliveries with a hamstring injury. But since regaining fitness, he has made a significant impression on the franchise circuit during stints with Jaffna Kings and Dambulla Aura in the Lanka Premier League and the Abu Dhabi T10, respectively.Related
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Binura will be part of a seam quartet that also includes Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana. The spin-bowling department, meanwhile, will be led by Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, with Akila Dananjaya as back-up. The ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis, and the offspinner Dhananjaya de Silva, are also available as spin options.The batting unit, though, takes on a familiar flavour, with Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews and Dasun Shanaka all included in the squad.The three-match T20I series gets underway on February 17, with the second and third games scheduled to be played on February 19 and 21, respectively. All matches will be staged in Dambulla.Sri Lanka T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (capt), Charith Asalanka (vice-capt), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara, Akila Dananjaya, Kamindu Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama
With the 2026 World Cup less than a year away, GOAL looks at the state of the outside backs in the U.S. pool
Less than a year out from the World Cup, the U.S. Men's national team still has so many questions to answer. Can Mauricio Pochettino shape the culture to his liking? Can they actually compete at the World Cup?
The fullback position, however, isn't a question; it's one of the few that should be set in stone. There are two obvious starters here, two players that the U.S. can lean on in games at the highest level. The only issue has been availability and that, admittedly, has been a significant concern for the USMNT over the last year.
Antonee Robinson and Sergino Dest haven't always been there. Robinson dealt with injury issues over the second half of Fulham's season. Dest, on the other hand, had a long recovery from an ACL tear, one that kept him out of the Copa America, the Nations League and, despite nearly being fully fit, the Gold Cup.
Theoretically, both are in a good place heading into their European seasons. They'll need to stay that way for the U.S. to be anywhere near full strength next summer.
That said, there are some interesting players in the player pool around them, those that can either plug gaps right now or down the line. These contenders almost certainly won't catch the two starters, but big picture, there are some good fullbacks in the pipeline.
Post-Gold Cup, GOAL is looking at the state of the USMNT, analyzing the positional battles that will ultimately define next summer's team. Next up: fullbacks.
With Mitchell injured, Josh Clarkson is set to make his T20I debut in the three-match home series against Australia
Deivarayan Muthu13-Feb-2024Trent Boult is back in New Zealand’s squad as they prepare for the T20 World Cup with a three-match T20I series at home against Australia, which begins on February 21 in Wellington.The left-arm seamer, though, has been picked for only the second and third T20Is. He is currently with MI Emirates in UAE’s ILT20 league, where his franchise has made it to the knockouts. Should MI Emirates make Saturday’s final, Boult will only have a six-day break before he lines up for New Zealand in the second T20I in Auckland.Boult has not played for New Zealand since the 2023 ODI World Cup semi-final in Mumbai, where New Zealand lost to India. He then linked up with Deccan Gladiators for the Abu Dhabi T10 league before joining MI Emirates. This will be his first T20I appearance since New Zealand’s T20 World Cup semi-final defeat against Pakistan in November 2022.Boult’s return is a significant boost to a New Zealand side that will be without its regular captain Kane Williamson, who is on paternity leave, and premier allrounder Daryl Mitchell, who is undergoing rehab for a long-term foot injury. Mitchell has been carrying the injury for around six to seven months and is giving himself the best chance of recovering for the two-match Test series against Australia, which begins on February 29, also in Wellington.Related
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Mitchell’s injury-enforced absence opens up a potential debut for Central Districts’ big-hitting allrounder Josh Clarkson. Clarkson has played three ODIs for New Zealand so far, but is uncapped in T20Is. Since 2020, Clarkson has had a strike rate of 160.07 in the Super Smash, New Zealand’s premier domestic T20 tournament, the highest among all batters who have played more than 30 innings during this period.Clarkson, 27, hurt his shoulder during the most recent Super Smash, but the injury wasn’t as serious as initially feared and he returned to action for Central Districts in the 50-over Ford Trophy, where he also pitched in with the ball.”It’s been pretty crazy really,” Clarkson said, reacting to his T20I call-up. “Pretty crazy to be called up for the Bangladesh series and then now [for] the T20I series against the Aussies…it’s a pretty special feeling.”Growing up, Aussies are usually the pinnacle and the way they go about their game is sort of something that I try to imitate in my game. But yeah, pretty special feeling for myself and my family as well. I rang the old man yesterday and he’s in shock. He’s already booked his flight.”New Zealand selection manager Sam Wells was also impressed by Clarkson’s bowling in the ODIs against Bangladesh in December. On his international debut in a rain-hit game in Dunedin, Clarkson came away with 2 for 24 in his four overs.”Josh hits the ball as long and as hard as anyone and we were encouraged by his performances with the ball in his maiden ODI series against Bangladesh before Christmas,” Wells said.Josh Clarkson is in line for a T20I debut•Getty Images
Jimmy Neesham, who is currently with Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and Michael Bracewell, who is recovering from a finger injury, were unavailable for selection. Mitchell Santner, who will captain the team in place of Williamson, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips are the spin-bowling allrounders in the squad.Tim Southee has been picked for only for the opening T20I as New Zealand manage his workload between the South Africa and Australia Test series. Lockie Ferguson, who missed the Super Smash final for Auckland with injury, is fit again, so he replaces young tearaway Ben Sears.Ferguson will have a chance to prove his fitness and form when he turns out for Auckland in the Ford Trophy this Sunday before he joins the New Zealand set-up on Monday in Wellington. Matt Henry retained his place in the side after impressing against Pakistan in January.Wells said that that the T20I series against a strong Australia team will tune New Zealand up for the World Cup, which begins in June in the USA and the West Indies.”Facing Australia is always special for a New Zealand side and even more so when it’s at home in front of a big Kiwi crowd,” he said. “Australia has named a strong squad which is packed with power and match-winners, so it promises to be an entertaining series. With a T20 World Cup just around the corner in June, the series should provide a good gauge of where the sides are at.”The first T20I will be played at Sky Stadium in Wellington before Australia and New Zealand will move to Eden Park in Auckland for the last two games.
Mitchell Santner (capt), Finn Allen, Trent Boult (second and third T20Is), Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee (first T20I only)
The Indians were subjected to further misery on the third day of the Karachi Test by a batsman who was returning to Test cricket after three years in the wilderness
On the Ball with S Rajesh31-Jan-2006After suffering yet again at the hands of Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf, the Indians were subjected to further misery on the third day of the Karachi Test by a batsman who was returning to Test cricket after three years in the wilderness. Faisal Iqbal had shown plenty of promise when he first came into the Pakistan side, starting off with 42, 52 not out and 63 in his first three Test innings, and then cracking a thoroughly impressive 83 and 39 in a low-scoring game against the Australians. Since then, he lost his way quite alarmingly, adding 80 in his next eight innings. (Click here for Iqbal’s innings-by-innings stats.)Coming back into the team due to Inzamam-ul-Haq’s back injury, Iqbal ensured that Pakistan didn’t lose out on any of the solidity that Inzamam usually provides. On a pitch getting increasingly easy for batting, Iqbal hardly gave the Indian bowlers a chance, managing an incredible in-control percentage of 94 – that is, he edged, mistimed or was beaten by only 12 out of 191 deliveries. He was fluent on both sides of the wicket, with the cover and midwicket regions fetching him the maximum runs.Iqbal’s 84-run partnership with Shahid Afridi for the fifth wicket also showed he possesses a fine temperament for Test cricket. Afridi did his usual thing, blasting the ball to all parts, but that didn’t tempt Iqbal to change his game. He contributed just 22 to the stand despite facing 23 more deliveries than Afridi did, but throughout, he played his own game, and at the end of the day, he was standing tall with a knock that could make him a regular in the Pakistan Test squad.