UAE were bowled out for 110 in the first match of their maiden ODI tour of a Full Member nation
The Report by Peter Della Penna10-Apr-2019
Tendai Chatara and Kyle Jarvis celebrate a wicket•Associated Press
Zimbabwe drew first blood in UAE’s historic maiden ODI tour of a Full Member nation, notching a seven-wicket win over the visitors at Harare Sports Club after sending them in and wiping them out for 110.UAE were struggling from the start, ending the Powerplay at 19 for 3 as Kyle Jarvis and eventual Man of the Match Tendai Chatara struck a series of early blows. The biggest was Jarvis claiming Ashfaq Ahmed for just 2 to start the third over after the opening batsman entered the day on the back of an unbeaten 131 in UAE’s win over a Zimbabwe Chairman’s XI to start the tour.Chatara and Donald Tiripano each claimed two wickets as UAE slipped to 42 for 6 by the end of the 23rd over. Mohammad Boota top-scored with 36 at No. 7, helping his side past 100 by the time he was dismissed. Boota teamed up with Imran Haider for a 29-run seventh-wicket stand, the largest of the day for UAE, before Chatara returned in a late spell to have Haider caught behind for his third wicket.Zimbabwe suffered a brief setback early in the chase when Solomon Mire fell leg before to Qadeer Ahmed for 11. But Regis Chakabva and Craig Ervine produced an 80-run partnership for the second wicket before Chakabva fell to Haider with victory in sight.Ervine entered the match in sizzling form, having scored four half-centuries in his last five innings during Zimbabwe’s domestic T20 competition while his last three List A innings for Tuskers in the Zimbabwe Pro50 Championship totaled 310 runs while being dismissed just once. The 33-year-old racked up a 40-ball half-century before he was dismissed by Rohan Mustafa with Zimbabwe one shot away from victory.Timycen Maruma and Sean Williams knocked off the remaining four runs for the win, which came with 26.5 overs to spare.The two sides square off again in the second ODI of the four-match series on Friday.
Aston Villa are slowly making strides in the transfer window and now look close to announcing their first signing of the month after a fresh development, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.
Aston Villa's transfer activity so far
January can be a laborious window for many teams looking to do early business as clubs around the world look to keep hold of their star players at the mid-way point in the campaign, although some countries may run to an alternative schedule to that of the Premier League. This month has yet to ignite regarding big top flight arrivals and Aston Villa aren't exempt from that fact, which is reflected in the reality that Unai Emery's men have yet to announce any new signings.
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The Villans are known to be in the market for additional bodies though and FootballTransfers claim that Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Giovanni Reyna has emerged as a target in the West Midlands. Jadon Sancho's arrival at Signal Iduna Park has cast doubt on his future in Germany. Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastien Kehl has already acknowledged that the United States international may be dissatisfied with his current situation at the club.
He stated: "Gio had a difficult time and was often injured. It's not easy because of the line-up we have in the middle. I can understand that he may be dissatisfied at the moment. But it's also important for him to step on the gas."
England Under-21 forward Jonathan Rowe, who plies his trade at Norwich City, is believed to be on Emery's transfer wishlist and is also being tracked by West Ham United. Now, white smoke has arisen and Aston Villa are close to completing their first acquisition of the January window, according to transfer guru Romano.
Aston Villa close to signing Kosta Nedeljkovic
Previously, reports suggested that Aston Villa were close to signing Red Star Belgrade full-back Kosta Nedeljkovic for a fee of just under €9 million after tracking the 18-year-old for a considerable period of time.
Kosta Nedeljkovic key statistics in 2023/24 – Mozzart Bet Superliga (Sofascore)
Tackles per game
1.5
Accurate passes per game
30.4 (86%)
Interceptions per game
0.9
Clearances per game
0.8
Errors leading to goal
0
Average match rating
7.04/10
Romano has now provided an exciting update on his prospective arrival and has given the Serbian defender the famous "here we go" treatment, signalling that he will indeed put pen to paper to join the Villans after his medical is completed, before returning to his homeland to see out the rest of the campaign.
Kosta Nedeljkovic.
The Italian journalist stated in full: "Kosta Nedeljković to Aston Villa, here we go! 2005 born right back will join the club from Crvena Zvezda! Medical tests will take place in the next days, travelling on Friday. He’s expected to stay at Serbian club until end of the season."
Labelled "aggressive" by Serbian Football Scout, the Serbia Under-19 international has made 26 appearances in all competitions this campaign, notching three assists (Nedeljkovic statistics – Transfermarkt).
Emery clearly has one eye on the future at Villa Park and NSWE now look to have got their man in an exciting transfer for all involved with the club.
Afghanistan recovered from 74 for 5 on the back of Najibullah Zadran’s maiden ODI hundred to post 256 for 8 but as it panned out, it wasn’t enough
The Report by Hemant Brar05-Mar-2019A brilliant hundred from Andy Balbirnie steered Ireland to a four-wicket win over Afghanistan in the third ODI in Dehradun. The convincing victory meant Ireland levelled the five-match series 1-1 after the second game was washed out.Chasing 257 on a sluggish wicket, Balbirnie smashed eight fours and as many sixes during his unbeaten 136-ball 145 to take his side home with one over to spare. Earlier, Afghanistan recovered from 74 for 5 on the back of Najibullah Zadran’s maiden ODI hundred and a composed 75 by captain Asghar Afghan to post 256 for 8. But as it panned out, it wasn’t enough.Ireland didn’t have a great start to their chase, though, losing William Porterfield to Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the third over before Dawlat Zadran dismissed Paul Stirling and Simi Singh in the eighth over to reduce the visitors to 29 for 3. Balbirnie and Kevin O’Brien took the side to 73 before O’Brien mistimed a juicy full toss from Samiullah Shinwari to Asghar at mid-on, and it looked like Afghanistan were cruising towards yet another win.Balbrinie and George Dockrell had other plans, though. The duo batted sensibly – Balbirnie doing most of the scoring, while Dockrell concentrating on rotating the strike – to put that chase back on track. Playing with only four frontline bowlers didn’t help Afghanistan’s cause either. While Shinwari picked up a wicket, his ten overs cost 60 when Ireland were on the back foot.Balbirnie used the sweep shot to good effect against the Afghanistan spinners, hitting 93 of his runs on the leg side. While the required rate kept increasing slowly during the partnership, it never really got out of the hands with Balbirnie finding boundaries at regular intervals.The 143-run stand came to an end when Mohammad Nabi got Dockrell stumped for 54 in the 43rd over. Ireland still needed 41 from the last seven overs, four of those overs belonging to Rashid Khan.Rashid conceded three and four respectively off the 44th and 46th over but with 16 needed off 16, Balbirnie swept the legspinner over deep midwicket for his eighth six of the match to dash any hopes of an Afghanistan comeback. In the next over, he crunched Dawlat through extra cover to level the scores before slicing him over short third man to take his side home.Earlier, the Ireland bowlers had Afghanistan in all sorts of trouble. While Mohammad Shahzad fell lbw to Murtagh, the incoming batsmen couldn’t adjust to the slow nature of the wicket. A big offbreak from Andy McBrine trapped Rahmat Shah in front, Hashmatullah Shahidi chopped Cameron-Dow onto his stumps, and Any Balbirnie took a brilliant hand-handed catch low to his right at first slip off Geroge Dockrell to send Samiullah Shinwari back. In between Hazratullah Zazai was run-out courtesy a direct hit from Murtagh.With score 74 for 5, Asghar stretched out to a James Cameron-Dow delivery, only to be beaten by the turn but Stuart Poynter fumbled behind the stumps and missed an easy stumping. Asghar was on 18 then.That proved to be the only chance Ireland would get in the next 25 overs as Asghar and Najibullah not only stabilised the innings but also set the base for a strong finish. Asghar who started slowly got to his fifty off 82 balls before hitting offspinner Simi for back-to-back sixes.Boyd Rankin eventually broke the 117-run stand in the 44th over when he dismissed Asghar for 75 but Najibullah’s fireworks ensured Afghanistan finished with a flourish. Najibullah was on 52 off 75 when Afghanistan lost their seventh wicket at the score of 193. But the left-hand batsman smashed three fours and four sixes in the next 23 balls to double his score and finished unbeaten on 104 off 98.The shift in momentum started with Najibullah reverse-pulling Simi Singh for a six off the last ball of the 45th over. In the next two overs, he heaved Boyd Rankin over square leg for another six while Tim Murtagh’s successive full tosses were smoked for a four and a six.Najibullah’s efforts, though, ended in vain as Balbirnie dissected the chase with surgical precision.
O Corinthians anunciou nesta quarta-feira (27) que dez jogadores do seu elenco profissional foram contaminados com o novo coronavírus: os goleiros Walter e Guilherme Castellani, os zagueiros Danilo Avelar, Léo Santos e Ruan Oliveira, os meias Mantuan e Ramiro e os atacantes Everaldo, Luan e Matheus Davó.
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Todos eles não apresentam sintomas, mas foram colocados em isolamento, que será respeitado por, no mínimo, dez dias, de acordo com as recomendações sanitárias em prevenção e tratamento à Covid-19, e já não participaram do treinamento comandado pelo técnico Vagner Mancini nesta manhã.
Os atletas contaminados estão fora do duelo contra o Bahia, confronto atrasado da 30ª rodada do Brasileirão, nesta quinta-feira (28), às 19h, no estádio da Fonte Nova, em Salvador, assim como da partida diante do Ceará, na próxima quarta-feira (3), contra o Ceará, na Neo Química Arena, pela 34ª rodada da competição nacional.
Dos diagnosticados, apenas Ramiro vinha sendo escalado regularmente como titular. Xavier, Cantillo e Camacho brigarão pela posição do camisa 8 nos próximos jogos.
> Veja a classificação do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos
كشف أحمد سالم المتحدث الرسمي باسم نادي الزمالك، حقيقة بيع أحمد سيد زيزو، نجم الفريق الأول، وضم أشرف بن شرقي، ومصطفى فتحي نجم بيراميدز.
وقال أحمد سالم في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس” عن حقيقة بيع زيزو واستقدام بن شرقي أو مصطفى فتحي: “لا نستطيع أن نقول إنه أمر مطروح على الطاولة، لأن الإدارة لم تعرض زيزو للبيع من الأصل، كل ما في الموضوع إنه وصل عرض من نادي نيوم السعودي لـ زيزو، أي أحد سيقول أمر غير ذلك فهو اجتهادات، لكن اللاعب لم يُعرض للبيع، وكنا ننتظر لما بعد الأولمبياد لعقد جلسة مع زيزو ووالده للتفاوض على تجديد التعاقد والأمور معهما دائمًا تُدار بثقة بينهما والإدارة”.
وأضاف: “العرض المالي المقدم من نيوم السعودي محل بحث وليس تفاوض، حتى الآن لا يوجد قرار برحيل زيزو”.
طالع أيضاً.. خاص.. الزمالك يوضح موقفه النهائي من بيع زيزو
وبسؤاله هل بيع زيزو سيحل مشاكل الزمالك؟، أجاب: “الأمر لا يُحسب من هذه الناحية، بالتأكيد الوضع المالي صعب جدًا لأن الغرامات المالية التي دفعها النادي استهلكت موارد كثيرة، بالإضافة إلى مستحقات اللاعبين السابقة لها أولوية قصوى، بالتأكيد النادي يحتاج إلى سيولة خاصة ونحن سندخل فترة التعاقدات وفك القيد والتزامات كثيرة، لكن هذا ليس له علاقة بفكرة عرض زيزو للبيع”.
ماذا طلب جوميز من الإدارة؟ أفاد: “حتى الآن لم يجلس المدرب مع الإدارة، فقط الحديث معه كان عن أمور بعينها مثلًا سؤاله عن موتيابا أو عن احتياجات الفريق للاعب معين من أجل التجديد، لكن جوميز سيقدم تقريرًا بعد يوم 17 وسيكتب احتياجاته وبناءً عليه المجلس سيتحرك”.
هل تم استطلاع رأيه في ضم بن شرقي؟ أوضح: “لا يوجد ناد لا يتمنى ضم لاعب مثله، جماهيريًا وفنيًا، بالتأكيد سيحدث استطلاع لرأي المدرب”.
وأشار: “جوميز لديه ميزة وهي التعامل وفقًا للمتاح ويتكيف مع أي ظروف، وهذه ميزة تجعله يكتشف وجوهًا جديدة من الناشئين”.
هل التبرعات ديون مؤجلة أم لا؟ أجاب: “هل نحن نعلم عندما يتم التبرع للأندية المنافسة؟، هل أحد يجرؤ على معرفة حجم التبرعات أو من دفع كم أو هل سيتم إعادتها أم لا؟! ما كان يحدث سلفًا بسبب مشاكل بين الإدارة السابقة وممدوح عباس، لكنها أمور إدارية، هناك أمور ليس شرط أن تُعرض على الإعلام، الإدارة الحالية هدفها الحالي تسديد ما سبق وعدم تحمل النادي أعباء مالية مستقبلية”.
واختتم بالحديث عن محمد عواد حارس الزمالك: “حتى الآن الموقف معلق ولا يوجد جديد، هناك عرض مُقدم لـ محمد عواد لو وافق عليه أهلًا وسهلًا به، وإذا لم يوافق سنستطلع رأي جوميز هل يحتاج إلى حارس خبرة أم يستكمل بالشناوي وصبحي، لأن هناك حارس ثالث اسمه عمر عبد العزيز لا يقل عن مستوى الشناوي، والأمر سيكون خاضعًا للمدرب”.
تعادل إبراهيم عادل لاعب منتخب مصر، للفراعنة أمام باراجواي في اللقاء الذي يقام بينهما حاليًا ضمن منافسات أولمبياد باريس 2024.
ويلعب منتخب مصر مع باراجواي، في ربع نهائي منافسات كرة القدم لـ أولمبياد باريس.
طالع | مباشر بالفيديو.. مباراة مصر وباراجواي في دور ربع نهائي أولمبياد باريس
واستطاع إبراهيم عادل أن يسجل هدف منتخب مصر الأول والتعادل أمام باراجواي في الدقيقة 88 برأسية من داخل منطقة الجزاء عقب عرضية رائعة من أحمد سيد زيزو. هدف مصر الأول أمام باراجواي في أولمبياد باريس
وكان لاعب منتخب باراجواي دييجو جوميز تقدم بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة 71 من تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء سكنت مرمى حمزة علاء.
منتخب مصر كان قد تأهل إلى دور ربع النهائي بعدما تصدر مجموعته بالفوز في مباراتي أوزبكستان وإسبانيا 1-0 و2-1 على الترتيب، بينما تعادل سلبيًا مع الدومينيكان.
وعلى الجانب الآخر، كان منتخب باراجواي صعد إلى دور ربع النهائي، كوصيف للمجموعة الرابعة بعدما جمع 6 نقاط من فوزين وخسارة.
ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الفائز من مباراة مصر وباراجواي مع المتأهل من مباراة فرنسا والأرجنتين في دور نصف نهائي أولمبياد باريس.
Days after he was removed from the limited-overs captaincy, Angelo Mathews has been dropped from Sri Lanka’s ODI squad, possibly over fitness concerns. Mathews has responded almost immediately, demanding the selectors allow him to take a fitness test.The ODI squad for the forthcoming series against England has not yet been released, but it has been named and sent to the sports ministry for the minister’s mandatory approval. As the squad is not official yet, there is a small chance Mathews could find his way back into it. For now, however, he is in a standoff with the selectors.It is understood that concerns over Mathews’ fitness were a central feature of the meeting between him, coach Chandika Hathurusingha, and the selectors, which took place on Friday – the same meeting in which Mathews was asked to step down from the captaincy. ESPNcricinfo also understands Mathews was one of at least two players asked by Hathurusingha not to undergo a yo-yo test ahead of the Asia Cup, the reasoning being Mathews had played every one of the eight matches during South Africa’s tour of Sri Lanka, and the risk of injury was thus high.Mathews has also had recurring injuries in his legs, but it is his match fitness that has been called into question on this occasion. In the Asia Cup, he had been sluggish between the wickets, and had played a role in the run-outs of two batting partners.But although he has stopped bowling in order to prevent further injury, Mathews has been consistent with the bat in ODIs. Since the start of 2017, Mathews has made 888 ODI runs at an average of 59.20, across 22 innings, albeit with a modest strike rate of 76.35. In Sri Lanka’s most recent bilateral series, against South Africa, Mathews was in fact the highest scorer across the five matches, having scored 235 runs at 78.33, with a strike rate of 83.62. Since the start of 2017, no other Sri Lanka batsman with over 500 ODI runs averages more than 45.Mathews has already hit back at the selectors’ decision to remove him from the captaincy by sending a letter to SLC CEO Ashley de Silva, in which he said he resented being made the “scapegoat” for Sri Lanka’s failure at the Asia Cup. The same selection committee, along with coach Hathurusingha, had asked him to take up the limited-overs captaincy in January, six months after he had resigned as captain last year, ending a five-year tenure.Sri Lanka’s five-match ODI series against England begins on October 10.
The Ballon d’Or is the pinnacle of individual honours in football – for those who care, anyway.
For years, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo had an unshakeable grip on the golden ball, before Luka Modric disrupted things in 2018, becoming the first different winner since 2007.
With that in mind, the last few winners of the prestigious award may have been forgotten. Here, we have a look back on the last 10 individuals to win the award.
Ballon d'Or past winners: The best XI of former champions
Probably the only time you’ll ever see Messi and Ronaldo in the same team.
1 ByBarney Lane Oct 23, 2024 1 Rodri Winner: 2024
Rodri
Manchester City midfielder Rodri was a deserved winner in 2024 – depending on who you ask. Ahead of the ceremony, it was widely believed that Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior – a La Liga and Champions League winner in 2023/24 – was set to receive the top prize.
However, reports circulated that he was set to be snubbed, and finish second to City star Rodri, who had guided his club side to another Premier League title and been an integral part of Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph.
It was at least nice to have some mystery over the winner, even if trophies appeared to dictate the destiny of the frontrunners once again.
Why Rodri won the 2024 Ballon d'Or
Not even a season-ending injury could stop Manchester City’s Rodri from claiming football’s biggest individual prize.
ByBarney Lane Oct 28, 2024 2 Lionel Messi Winner: 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2023
Before Messi won his first, the record for most wins was three. Michel Platini, Johan Cruyff and Marco van Basten had all achieved that improbable feat. The fact that Messi has more than doubled that record is simply ridiculous.
But then, we’d never seen a footballer like Messi before. No one in the history of the game has been this good for this long – even three years at the very top was near-impossible. You can make it look even crazier by introducing the fact that after that win, he had only failed to make the top three in 2018 and 2022 since 2006.
Messi collected his eighth Ballon d’Or at the 2023 ceremony, with the World Cup triumph perhaps the deciding factor over the runner-up, Erling Haaland.
After all, he did score an astounding seven goals in Qatar whilst laying on three assists.
3 Karim Benzema Winner: 2022
Karim Benzema won the 2022 award in dominant fashion. He had over 350 votes more than second-placed Sadio Mané, making it one of the most dominant wins we’ve seen for the award.
And it was deserved. Real Madrid were sensational in 2022, winning La Liga and the Champions League. Benzema was their star performer with 44 goals in all competitions – a season that saw him finally take his place as the team’s main man after so many years in a supporting role.
Benzema was able to use the award to write his name into history – something very few players of his generation have managed.
4 Luka Modric Winner: 2018
Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric.
Luka Modric’s Ballon d’Or came after another incredible Real Madrid season in which they secured a third consecutive Champions League trophy, as well as La Liga. On top of that, the Croatian led his country as captain to the World Cup final.
For a nation the size of Croatia, that is simply amazing as they went one better than their legendary 1998 team. It cemented Modric as the greatest to ever wear the shirt – and that will be true for a very long time.
Of course, this win was also notable as it was the first time that neither Lionel Messi nor Cristiano Ronaldo won the Ballon d’Or since 2007. It ended a streak that we’d never seen before and will almost certainly never see again.
5 Cristiano Ronaldo Winner: 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017
Ronaldo sits second all-time for the Ballon d’Or, three behind Messi and two ahead of anyone else. Yet seeing those dates there undersells just how incredible the Portuguese superstar has been.
For if it wasn’t for Messi, Ronaldo would likely win in 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2015. Now, you can argue that the pair pushed one another to reach those heights and consistency but really, they’ve gotten in each other’s way.
Ronaldo almost certainly never wins another Ballon d’Or, but his haul of five likely stands unthreatened for a very long time to come. What he and Messi have achieved since 2008 has been utterly ridiculous.
6 Kaká Winner: 2007
It’s quite incredible that we’re five names in here and have already jumped all the way back to 2007. This was a time when the Ballon d’Or winner changed year-on-year, and we need to get back to 2002 before seeing a repeat winner again.
2007 saw Kaká get his turn, though, as his playmaking led Milan to the Champions League trophy. The Brazilian just had it all going forward that season – fast, strong, elite passing, finishing, and a touch as good as any you’ll see.
10 goals in that Champions League campaign sealed the deal – no other player managed more than six. It was unquestionably Kaká’s year.
7 Fabio Cannavaro Winner: 2006
This one does have a little bit of controversy to it, if we’re being honest. Cannavaro was a worthy winner, given Italy won the World Cup that year based primarily on their incredible defence. Nothing shows that better than their goalkeeper, Gianluigi Buffon, coming second in the voting.
Cannavaro, as Italy’s captain and star defender, earned the plaudits and he was arguably the best defender on the planet at the time. He was also the first defender to win the award since Matthias Sammer in 1996, while no defender has won it since.
But we do have to mention that while Juventus and Cannavaro did win Serie A that year, they would be stripped of the trophy after the Calciopoli scandal. The centre-back did have the World Cup to fall back on – and he likely did deserve it anyway – but it was a blight on that year of Italian football.
8 Ronaldinho Winner: 2005
It feels strange to write one year next to Ronaldinho’s name as he really did deserve to win more than one Ballon d’Or. The Brazilian was the player of his generation and essentially defined this era of football.
What Ronaldinho did with Barcelona in the middle part of the decade was extraordinary. Of course, his numbers look fairly pedestrian by today’s standards but it’s impossible to truly get across what made him special without watching him.
There’s a good argument that he should have won in 2006, too, given he was probably even better as Barcelona won La Liga and the Champions League. Brazil’s lacklustre World Cup campaign robbed him of that chance, though. Still, no one thinks back on this era without thinking about Ronaldinho.
9 Andriy Shevchenko Winner: 2004
Shevchenko was a goalscoring powerhouse for around 10 years – and 2004 might have been him at his best. He scored 29 goals in all competitions which was a fantastic amount in Serie A at that time, not to mention that two-striker formations were far more common at the time.
AC Milan won the title that year on the back of Shevchenko’s scoring, helping to boost his standing for the award. But we do need to mention that a bizarre year of football made picking a winner extraordinarily difficult.
Porto won the Champions League under José Mourinho, though few of their players were really good enough to win the Ballon d’Or (Deco did finish second). Even more bizarre was Greece winning Euro 2004 – one of the maddest things to ever happen in football. There’s no question that they didn’t have a player capable of winning.
Thus, Shevchenko found himself at the top of the pile.
10 Pavel Nedved Winner: 2003
Nedved is, if we’re being honest, probably the player on this list with the lowest reputation. Arsenal fans will argue all day long that Thierry Henry should have won this award – a player with a mountain of votes to his name over the years, but no Ballon d’Or.
But Nedved was the outstanding player for Juventus as they won Serie A (legitimately, even) and reached the Champions League final, losing on penalties to Milan. World Soccer also named him their Player of the Year, UEFA named him Midfielder of the Year, and Serie A – the strongest league of the time – considered him their best player, too.
Still, this one carries a little controversy, despite Nedved winning with 190 votes to Henry’s 128. We think he did deserve it but 20 years later, it remains up for debate.
Phil Parkinson admits it was “very frustrating” to see Wrexham only hit the target with four of the 25 shots that they fired in against Tranmere.
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Red Dragons dominated against TranmereUnable to hit the back of the netPrecious points dropped in promotion bidWHAT HAPPENED?
Despite dominating proceedings against local rivals at SToK Racecourse, the Red Dragons found themselves on the wrong end of a 1-0 scoreline. Struggles in the final third contributed to that disappointing defeat, with the likes of Paul Mullin, Steven Fletcher, Sam Dalby and Ollie Palmer unable to hit the back of the net.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT PARKINSON SAID
Parkinson said afterwards of seeing his side draw a blank in back-to-back games, with a 0-0 draw with Harrogate played out in midweek: “If you look around the country and the results, and to have 25 attempts on goal, I don't think many teams would have had that but only four on target is not enough for the quality we have got. We needed to work the goalkeeper more. We have had some great moments, as we know football is all about taking them and we weren't able to do that. It was very frustrating for us. The lads have given their all again, I don't think there is any doubt about that, but we just couldn't quite find the moment.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Luke Norris’ eighth-minute effort proved to be the difference against Tranmere, with Parkinson adding on a performance from his side that lacked any kind of cutting edge: “It is very frustrating. We dominated the first half in particular and one moment has cost us. It was a quick free-kick and we ended up one-v-one at the back and we got punished for that. But we still had so much play in the first-half to have got back in the game. The balance between playing at an intensity and speeding the game up, at times we were a bit frantic in our decision making and the clarity in those decisions in the final third wasn't where it needed to be to make the most of our dominance. We practically pinned them in for the whole 45 minutes but couldn't get the goal back. Second half, they changed their shape and we changed ours to a back-four and it became too open; the game became like they could score on the counter, and we still had some great moments where we needed to do better. We didn't have the control in the second half like we had in the first period, and we have got to look that.”
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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?
Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney will be as frustrated as anybody at seeing Wrexham drop more points at a crucial stage of the season, but they remain inside the League Two automatic promotion places and have eight games left in which to wrap up a top-three finish.
A big week for Arsenal started in captivating fashion on Saturday afternoon as the Gunners swept aside Bournemouth with pure ease.
It was as comfortable an away performance as you could ever ask for as Mikel Arteta's men ran away from the south coast with a 4-0 victory.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring with a header from close range before two penalties – one from Martin Odegaard and another from Kai Havertz (yes, he actually scored) – saw the game put beyond all doubt.
There was even room for Ben White to pop up with a rare goal, heading home from a late free-kick.
After Manchester City's remarkable loss to Wolves, Arsenal have moved to within a point of the league-leading Citizens, who they face in a crunch match at the Emirates next Sunday.
That match is sandwiched by the return of the Champions League, with the Londoners set to face French opposition in Lens on Tuesday night.
With City to come, a degree of rotation is likely to be afforded in a few day's time, with William Saliba one player who could sit out.
What's the latest on William Saliba's fitness?
The Frenchman missed the League Cup win over Brentford in midweek due to a niggle, with Arteta refusing to take any risk on his star centre-back.
Last season, a back problem curtailed the £190k-per-week defender's season, and indeed ended any hopes Arsenal had of winning a first Premier League title since 2004. Rob Holding ended up being his deputy and we all know how that turned out.
Speaking after the 1-0 win over the Bees, Arteta said: "He has a knock… Let’s see how everybody is today. They weren’t selected for a reason. We need to assess them today….They weren’t fit enough to be in the squad [against Brentford], that’s it."
Saliba returned to the squad against Bournemouth and kept a clean sheet, with it proving to be the type of game where he even had fewer touches than David Raya. However, he could well sit out again for the trip to Lens.
Should Saliba play against Lens?
If Arteta has any sense this is surely the ideal match to rest the France international.
The international break may be around the corner but the fact of the matter is that Arsenal cannot afford any injuries to their star men heading into such a critical encounter with Man City in seven days from now.
If Saliba was to get injured then either Ben White or Takehiro Tomiyasu could deputise in central defence, but no one quite offers the "world-class" qualities – as dubbed by journalist Jason Soutar – that the club's number 2 provides.
Saliba doesn't rank particularly highly in a number of defensive metrics this season when compared to positionally similar players in the top flight, largely because Arsenal haven't had a huge amount of defending to do, but his composure and ability to play out from the back is second to very few.
The 22-year-old sits in the top 12% of centre-backs in the Premier League this season for pass completion, the best 23% for progressive passes and the top 20% for carries, via FBref.
Remarkably, he is yet to be dribbled past once in the league this season, boasting a 100% success rate when it comes to dribblers tackled. An irremovable force, he is one of few defenders in the world that you'd fancy getting any change from Erling Haaland.
An injury, therefore, would be disastrous and he simply has to be benched for the club's forthcoming Champions League tie.