يعتقد ديدي هامان لاعب ليفربول السابق أن الشراكة المرتقبة بين ألكسندر إيزاك وهوجو إيكتيكي ستعتمد على مستوى محمد صلاح هذا الموسم.
وقد يكون إيزاك جاهزاً للظهور لأول مرة مع ليفربول ضد بيرنلي غداً الأحد، بعد أن دخل بديلاً مع السويد ضد كوسوفو في تصفيات كأس العالم خلال فترة التوقف الدولي.
ويضع التعاقد مع إيزاك مدربه آرني سلوت في مأزق هجومي صعب نظراً لمستوى إيكتيكي القوي في بداية الموسم، بينما سجل صلاح هدفا وصنع آخر ولايزال أساسياً في الجانب الأيمن.
أقرأ أيضاً.. سلوت يوضح السبب وراء إنفاق ليفربول القياسي في سوق الانتقالات
وقال هامان في تصريحات لـ”سبورتس مول” البريطانية: “ربما يتعين على أحدهما (إيزاك وإيكتيكي) اللعب على الأطراف، أعتقد أن كلاهما الأفضل أيضاً في العمق”.
وأضاف :”ثم عليك أن ترى أداء صلاح لأنه وجد صعوبة في تسجيل الأهداف من اللعب المفتوح في النصف الثاني من الموسم الماضي”.
وواصل هامان: “مرة أخرى، هذا العام تغيرت ديناميكيات اللعب مع فلوريان فيرتز في الفريق، سنرى لكن من الواضح أنه من الجيد وجود خيارات أمامك وكلاهما استثنائيان”.
وأتم: “ربما يمكنهما اللعب والعمل معاً، لكني أعتقد أنه فقط إذا لعب أحدهما عل الأطراف، لا أستطيع أن أرى كلاهما يلعبان في العمق، لذلك سيكون من المثير للاهتمام رؤية كيف يعتمد عليهما سلوت”.
Aston Villa are planning talks to complete the signing of a “fantastic” player with a huge future, with Donyell Malen potentially part of the deal.
Aston Villa want Douglas Luiz reunion
The Villans continue to work hard on new signings ahead of the upcoming Premier League season, as they look to push on and get back into the Champions League.
Arguably the most intriguing current Villa-related transfer story has seen them linked with a move for former midfielder Douglas Luiz, with the Brazilian seemingly allowed to leave Juventus this summer.
Luiz was a popular figure during his first stint at Villa Park, bagging 46 goal contributions in 204 appearances from the middle of the park, and Unai Emery described him as a “very important” figure. For that reason, he could love the idea of bringing him back to the club this summer.
Elsewhere, Barcelona forward Ferran Torres has been linked with a move to Villa before next season gets started, with the Spaniard not a key man at the Camp Nou. He has Premier League experience from his time at Manchester City, and he could add much-needed firepower, potentially even replacing Ollie Watkins at the heart of Emery’s attack.
Aston Villa ready talks for "fantastic" £18m forward
According to a new report from Aksam [via Sport Witness], Aston Villa are interested in signing Besiktas star Semih Kilicsoy this summer, with talks planned over a possible move to the club. The likes of Newcastle United and Leeds United have also been mentioned as suitors for the 19-year-old recently, who could be on the move for around £18m.
It is also claimed that Malen could head in the opposite direction as part of a swap deal, with the Dutchman falling out of favour at Villa Park.
Kilicsoy is a player with a big future in the game, having already achieved plenty at the age of 19, becoming an important figure for Besiktas.
The young centre forward has 16 goals in 85 appearances at senior level for his current side – he netted an impressive 42 times in 64 outings for the Under-19s – and football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described him as “fantastic” in the past.
While Kilicsoy isn’t yet the finished article, given his tender years, he could be a great squad signing for Villa from the off, before maturing into more of a star figure as the years pass.
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If the Villans were able to sign him and a more experienced striker this summer, it will stand them in good stead moving forward, especially if Watkins moves on to pastures new.
He also wants to see Tamim Iqbal return to international cricket
Mohammad Isam22-Aug-2024
New BCB president Faruque Ahmed addresses the media•Tahmid Amit/Jamuna TV
In his first press conference as the BCB president, Faruque Ahmed has reiterated that Chandika Hathurusinghe should no longer continue as Bangladesh’s head coach. He had expressed the same view earlier this week as well, before taking up the BCB job.”I am yet to find out about Chandika Hathurusinghe’s contract. I have to see some stuff officially but I have not moved from my previous stance,” Faruque said on Wednesday. “I have to speak to my colleague over the next two or three days, and see if we can find someone better than him. We have to prepare a shortlist, and see who wants to join us.”Faruque had resigned as the chief selector in 2016 after then-BCB president Nazmul Hassan put a two-tier selection panel, reportedly at Hathurusinghe’s request. Hathurusinghe’s current contract as the head coach runs till the end of February 2025, when the Champions Trophy is also scheduled to get over.Related
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“His credibility and background of what he has done on and off the field, there’s no reason for him to stay [as Bangladesh’s coach],” he said on the YouTube show . “You will lose some money [if you sack him], but there will be greater damage by his presence. I had noticed that it is impossible to work in the environment he wants to work in.”When Hathurusinghe was brought back for a second stint in 2023, Faruque was one of those who had questioned his return. Despite the BCB showing confidence in Hathurusinghe, Bangladesh didn’t continue the upswing of Steve Rhodes and Russell Domingo.Within a few months of Hathurusinghe’s appointment, there was instability in the dressing room, with Tamim Iqbal retiring and Shakib Al Hasan lashing out at Tamim in the media. Allan Donald soon left his role as fast-bowling coach. Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup performance was also sub-par, with many questioning Hathurusinghe’s decision-making in the Super Eight game against Afghanistan.”It was a real blunder to bring back Hathurusinghe for a second stint,” Faruque said. “He had left us in trouble the last time he left the job [in 2017]. Bangladesh was a stepping stone for him. He went back to his country, became their head coach. I couldn’t believe that a 25-member board of directors, including the president, could make such a decision. I hope they are realising their mistake.”Those who brought him back thought that he was a magician. They thought that only Hathurusinghe created this bubble of success. Cricket is not about magic. Bangladesh’s success is due to a combination of players, coaches, selection committee and even board officials.”Faruque: Would like to see Tamim playing for Bangladesh againIn his long press conference at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka, Faruque also said that he wanted to understand if Shakib was willing to play in Bangladesh this year. Shakib was an Awami League member of parliament until the government fell on August 5. Several ministers and MPs have been arrested since then while others have gone into hiding. They were also targets of violence in the aftermath of Awami League’s exit.”We will give a lot of importance to understanding whether Shakib can play while staying outside Bangladesh. We have two home Tests coming up [in October], so I will discuss with my directors what the policy should be about Shakib. It should have been a policy matter even before [he became an MP] that he won’t be allowed to do politics.”Faruque, however, was hopeful of Tamim’s return to international cricket. Tamim had briefly retired from international cricket last year before making a U-turn on his decision and also opted out of the central contacts. He last played for Bangladesh in September 2023, after which he played in the BPL and DPL.”The relevant board department will see what he has to do to play [for Bangladesh],” Faruque said. “I would like to see Tamim Iqbal play for two or three years more. Maybe ODI is his best format now. I think Tamim can tell you better whether he can play the longer format.”I want to speak to Tamim about his future plans. He is a former captain so he definitely has leadership qualities. If he doesn’t want to play, I will be happy to see him get involved with the board. He can serve us well in the board.”
تحدث روبن أموريم، مدرب مانشستر يونايتد، بعد فوز فريقه أمام تشيلسي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مساء السبت.
وحقق مانشستر يونايتد فوزًا بهدفين لهدف أمام تشيلسي، في مباراة شهدت طرد حارس الخصم روبرت سانشيز، والبرازيلي كاسيميرو.
وقال أموريم في تصريحاته لـ”بي بي سي سبورت”: “كل فوز، وخاصةً في هذه اللحظة، هو فوز مهم ضد خصم قوي”.
وأضاف: “بدأنا المباراة بالطريقة الصحيحة، كنا عدوانيين للغاية، ساعدتنا البطاقة الحمراء على السيطرة على المباراة، لكننا كنا جاهزين لها بالفعل”.
وتابع: “سجلنا هدفين، ثم حاولنا تعقيد مباراتنا مرةً أخرى، دائمًا ما يكون الأمر معقدًا بالنسبة لنا، كان ينبغي أن تكون الأمور مختلفةً هذه المباراة”.
اقرأ أيضًا | ماريسكا: البطاقات الحمراء غيرت مباراة مانشستر يونايتد.. واستبدلت بالمر مبكرًا لهذا السبب
وعن كاسيميرو، أردف: “إنه يشعر بشعورٍ أسوأ مني، لقد فزنا، لذا سأنسى الأمر قليلًا، وسيعاني هو لأنه لاعب محترف من الطراز الرفيع، إنه يفهم ما فعله، لديه خبرة كافية، لذا لا ينبغي أن تُلعب هذه المباراة بهذه الطريقة، إنه يهتم كثيرًا”.
وأكد: “لقد عانينا في النهاية، لكننا استحقينا الفوز، جمهورنا وجماهيرنا من السهل إرضاؤهم، إذا بذلنا قصارى جهدنا، فسيكونون حاضرين، هذا أمر يجب أن يفهمه لاعبونا، لكي نحظى بدعم الجمهور، علينا فقط أن نركض ونقاتل ونُنافس”.
وأتم: “مع هذا الفوز، علينا أن ننسى شعور الفوز الجميل ونستعيد شعورنا بضرورة الفوز بالمباراة القادمة”.
India’s T20I captain expected the Gwalior pitch for the first T20I to be conducive to run-scoring
Hemant Brar05-Oct-20242:03
Suryakumar Yadav ‘enjoying’ his role as captain
India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav is aware of the impact Mayank Yadav can create with his express pace but he says it is important to “manage him well”.Mayank took everyone by storm with his 155kph pace during IPL 2024. Playing for Lucknow Super Giants, he picked up the Player-of-the-Match award in his first two games but was ruled out of the tournament soon after with an abdominal injury. He has not played any cricket since then but Suryakumar said he was back to full fitness.”He definitely has the X factor – it was evident when he played franchise cricket,” Suryakumar said ahead of the first T20I against Bangladesh in Gwalior. “He has that extra pace. I didn’t face him in the nets; our net plan was such that someone else faced him. But I have seen what potential he has and what difference he can make for the team. From that point of view, I feel he is a good addition to the Indian team and I am hoping he will do well.Related
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“It’s important to manage him well because of the amount of cricket being played. Everyone is playing for their state too. There was the Duleep Trophy recently. So it is important to pay proper attention and the BCCI is doing that.”Sunday’s match will be the first international at the Shrimant Madhavrao Scindia Cricket Stadium. In fact, the venue has not hosted any domestic cricket either. So there is an element of surprise about the conditions.While Bangladesh batter Towhid Hridoy expected the pitch to be “slow and low” with not much chances of a high-scoring game, Suryakumar Yadav had different views.”As you saw in Sri Lanka, Riyan [Parag] bowled four overs. If someone says he can bowl in the pressure situation, then why not”•Associated Press
“The pitch looks good,” he said. “We practised on the centre wicket, just two pitches away. We didn’t find it that low and slow – we practised all three days. So it [the match pitch] should not be much different.”For T20 cricket, these are good wickets. There will be good competition [between the bat and ball] but at the same time it looks good [for run-scoring]. The rest we will get to know tomorrow.”Yes, it’s a new ground but having practised here for three days, we know what the conditions are, how the pitch is, how the outfield is, what the wind factor is like, whether the dew settles in or not. We will like to play the way we did in the last T20I series. And if everyone does their job, you will get the desired results.”Until recently, India had the problem of their batters not chipping in with the ball in white-ball cricket. But that seems to be changing now, with India’s T20I squad including a plethora of allrounders and part-time bowling options.”It’s good if your batters can bowl an over or two,” Suryakumar said. “I think there is hardly anyone in this squad who doesn’t bowl. That gives you more bowling options on the ground. As you saw in Sri Lanka, Riyan [Parag] bowled four overs. If someone says he can bowl in the pressure situation, then why not.”
New Barcelona signing Marcus Rashford once called a Real Madrid icon the best he’s ever played against ahead of Nou Camp legend Lionel Messi.
Marcus Rashford signs for Barcelona from Man Utd
The forward has officially competed a season-long loan move to the Nou Camp from Manchester United, with Barca also having the option to buy Rashford in 2026 for an initial £26m next summer.
Rashford becomes the first Englishman to sign for Barcelona since Gary Lineker, who did so back in 1986. Taking the number 14 shirt number with the Catalan giants, Rashford has been quick to praise current Barcelona star Lamine Yamal, calling the Ballon d’or contender “one of the leading players in the world”.
“He is a very special talent, and for me, I feel definitely last season, he is one of the leading players in the world, if not the best. Everyone wants to play with the best, and there is a lot of talent in this squad. I am happy and eager to play with them on the pitch. Maybe I can help them, and for sure, they can help me. It is going to be exciting.”
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Rashford will also come up against England teammates Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jude Bellingham in the El Clasico in 2025/26, with Barca looking to retain their La Liga title under Hansi Flick.
Marcus Rashford’s Man Utd stats
Games
426
Goals
138
Assists
77
Red cards
2
Trophies
6
Rashford calls Cristiano Ronaldo best he’s played against
Back in 2017 when talking to ESPN, relayed by Football 365, Rashford was asked for the best player he has played with or against.
Still just two years into his professional career, the attacker said Cristiano Ronaldo was the best he had came up against during his time at the Bernabeu. However, he also name-checked former Red Devils teammate Wayne Rooney, Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Brazilian star Neymar.
Former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Brazil striker Ronaldo also got a mention from Rashford, highlighting his World Cup displays.
“Brazilian Ronaldo has had the biggest World Cup performances, I’d say. And his were among the most enjoyable to watch. There were a lot of top players who performed in the World Cup and went to another level.”
أعلن الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لفريق بيراميدز، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة زد، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري.
طالع.. حكم مباراة بيراميدز وزد في الدوري المصري
ويدخل بيراميدز، اللقاء بمعنويات مرتفعة بعد الفوز على الأهلي بهدفين نظيفين في آخر ظهور محلي، والانتصار على أوكلاند بثلاثية نظيفة في كأس القارات “إنتركونتينتتال”.
ويحتل بيراميدز المركز التاسع في جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري برصيد 8 نقاط من فوزين وتعادلين وخسارة.
ويخوض بيراميدز مباراته أمام زد، اليوم الخميس في تمام الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة والسعودية على أرضية استاد الدفاع الجوي في الجولة السابعة من بطولة الدوري. تشكيل بيراميدز أمام زد
حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي
خط الدفاع: أحمد سامي – أسامة جلال – محمد الشيبي – محمد حمدي
خط الوسط: مهند لاشين – أحمد عاطف قطة – عبد الرحمن مجدي – إيفرتون داسيلفا – وليد الكرتي
خط الهجوم: مروان حمدي بدلاء بيراميدز اليوم أمام زدمحمود جاد – علي جبر – كريم حافظ – محمود دونجا – مصطفى زيكو – محمد رضا بوبو – محمود زلاكة – فيستون ماييلي – يوسف أوباما
Newcastle United are believed to be “gathering information” regarding a special young player, as they look to beat other top clubs to his signature this summer.
Isak set for showdown talks with Newcastle
The Magpies’ summer has been rocked by Alexander Isak wanting to leave the club, with the Swede strongly linked with a move to Premier League champions Liverpool. While no bid has been tabled for the 25-year-old yet, it looks as though one could be imminent this week, should the Newcastle star tell the owners that he wants to depart in face-to-face talks.
Should Isak move on from the Magpies this summer, it would be bitterly disappointing for anyone associated with the club, but they could at least receive a British record transfer fee for his services.
If that happens, an elite striker needs to come in as a direct replacement for the Sweden international, but also other top players across several areas of the pitch.
Newcastle "gathering information" on Italian defender
According to Corriere dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are “gathering information” on Parma centre-back Giovanni Leoni, seeing him as a top-quality prospect to bring in this summer.
Liverpool, Tottenham and Inter Milan are also said to be in the mix to sign the 18-year-old, and he is keen on the idea of playing in the Champions League, although the press in Italy believe he will reject the likes of Liverpool in favour of a move to Inter.
Romelu Lukaku in action with Parma'sGiovanniLeoni
Given his age, Leoni wouldn’t arrive at Newcastle as an immediate starter, but the strides he has already made in his career suggests it may not be long until that is the case.
The Italian made 14 starts in Serie A last season, showing that he is already capable of looking at home in one of Europe’s top five leagues, and scout Jacek Kulig has described him as a “complete” player.
Newcastle have to be targeting younger centre-back moving forward, with the current ranks both ageing and injury-prone, and Leoni looks like a perfect option to come in.
Giovanni Leoni’s 2024/25 Serie A stats
Total
Appearances
17
Starts
14
Minutes played
1204
Clearances per game
3.6
Aerial duel wins per game
1.0
Interceptions per game
0.9
Pass completion rate
88.7%
Goals
1
Assists
0
He could arrive as a squad player to begin with, learning from more senior colleagues, before maturing into a key starter for Eddie Howe, becoming a genuinely top-class defender if he reaches his potential.
He will re-unite with Dravid, not long after they lifted the T20 World Cup this year
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2024
Rahul Dravid and Vikram Rathour are back together•BCCI
Vikram Rathour, the former India batting coach, will once again team up with Rahul Dravid as he joins the support staff at Rajasthan Royals in a similar capacity. Dravid was named the RR head coach earlier this month.Rathour’s association comes on the back of a five-year stint with the Indian team, where he worked alongside Ravi Shastri and later Dravid. In June, Rathour’s contract ended soon after India’s triumph at the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.”Having worked closely with Vikram for many years, I can confidently say that his technical expertise, calm demeanor, and deep understanding of Indian conditions make him a perfect fit for the Royals,” Dravid said in a statement.Related
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“Together, we’ve built a strong rapport, guiding India to key successes, and I’m thrilled to reunite with him. His ability to nurture young talent and elevate players’ potential will be invaluable as we aim to further strengthen our squad and continue building a world-class team here at Rajasthan Royals.”This will be Rathour’s second IPL stint, having earlier been part of the coaching set up at Punjab Kings. He has also been the director of cricket at Himachal Pradesh previously.Earlier this month, Rathour was part of New Zealand’s coaching set-up as batting consultant in Greater Noida, as part of their preparation for six Tests they were to play in Asia.”The opportunity to work again with Rahul, and now with a talented group of young cricketers, is hugely exciting,” Rathour said. “I look forward to contributing to the team’s vision and working toward our goal of developing top-class players for the Royals and for India which can help in winning championships.”Back in the day, Rathour was a prolific scorer for Punjab, scoring a majority of his 11,473 first-class runs for them. His international career was very brief; he played six Tests and seven ODIs between 1996 and 1997.
“It is probably the toughest conditions I have played under in terms of heat and humidity”
Mohammad Isam22-Oct-2024
Kyle Verreynne is all smiles after getting to his second Test century•AFP/Getty Images
Kyle Verreynne believes his 114 against Bangladesh is the best innings of his short career. He said that handling spin in the heat and humidity of Dhaka, particularly with South Africa under pressure when he came to the crease, made it a special occasion.Verreynne spent just over four hours to get his second Test century after South Africa had slipped to 99 for 5 in reply to Bangladesh’s 106 all out. The visitors ended the first day on 140 for 6 before Verreynne added 119 runs with Wiaan Mulder, who made 54. By the time he was dismissed on the second afternoon, South Africa were ahead by 202 runs, a big lead on the Shere Bangla National Stadium wicket.Verreynne said that since his maiden Test century in New Zealand came in conditions he is familiar with, he rated his Dhaka knock slightly higher.”It is definitely the best innings of my Test career,” Verreynne said. “It is probably the toughest conditions I have played under in terms of heat and humidity. Back home we don’t face long periods of spin bowling. Around 90% of that innings was just against spin. Things happen quickly. You don’t have much time to reset from a concentration point of view. This was certainly my most rewarding innings.Related
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“This (century) felt like better just in terms of the context of the game and the conditions. I think New Zealand is a lot similar to our conditions back home. To do in the continent in quite a tough wicket and tough circumstances, it is probably a better innings. The impact will hopefully be bigger than the first (century). I am really happy with it. It has been a long time since the one in NZ, so it is nice to get in another one.”Verreynne was particularly strong on the sweep. According to ESPNcricinfo’s stats, he got 49 runs off the 29 sweep shots he attempted which included the slog sweep. He struck five fours and a six in that region. The Bangladesh spinners, usually very good in Dhaka, didn’t have much of an answer against Verreynne.He said that a discussion on the second morning with batting coach Ashley Prince really helped him get a perspective of what to do for the rest of the day. “Wiaan Mulder and I, and the batters chatted this morning. We spoke to batting coach Ashy P (Ashwell Prince) about how we are going to try to go about things. There was no specific emphasis put on playing the sweep.”It was more just about how we back our options. Make sure we try to score and not go into our shells. We tried to play positively, get into better positions. We spoke to Ashy P about batting with the tail. It gave me a lot of clarity when I was batting with (Dane) Piedt and KG (Kagiso Rabada).”Verreynne said that he usually plays the sweep shot against spin so he just implemented it regularly in this game but other batters have different styles of scoring runs in their side.”I don’t think there’s been any extra emphasis (on the sweep shot). It is something that I have worked on quite a bit against spinners. It is not really a subcontinent specific thing. I would play it back home against spin as much as possible. I faced a lot of spin out there today so it is kind of what I am trying to do.”A lot of guys have different ways of going about playing it. For me, this is something that I worked on. You saw Wiaan (Mulder), (Tony) de Zorzi and Ryan (Rickelton) scored runs through other areas. It is one of my strengths so I want to stick to it.”Verreynne said that the pitch played better in the morning session but expects it to deteriorate further in the game.”I think this morning (the pitch) played better than yesterday morning. I don’t know if it dried out or there wasn’t as much moisture. It seems to be getting tough as the day has gone on, so tomorrow and going further in the Test, (the pitch) will get tougher and tougher.”