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An “underrated” £90,000-per-week West Ham United player is growing frustrated and wants out of the London Stadium, according to a report this week, with manager Julen Lopetegui at risk of losing him soon.

West Ham players who could leave in 2025

A quartet of senior squad members in Michail Antonio, Danny Ings, Vladimir Coufal, Aaron Cresswell and Lukasz Fabianski are all out of contract next summer as things stand, so Tim Steidten will have to agree extension deals or let them depart for free.

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Antonio and Ings are part of an aging strike force, with Lopetegui pushing the West Ham hierarchy to sign a striker in January amid concerns over a lack of options. Long-serving shot-stopper Fabianski is now 39-years-old and in the twilight phase of his career, and the same can be said for Cresswell, who’s been at the club for over a decade.

Vladimir Coufal will go down as a fan favourite and key player during the 2020/2021 season under David Moyes, but Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s arrival in the summer has negated the need for him to remain at Rush Green for much longer.

Match

Date

Opponent

Competition

Result

#10

19/10/2024

Tottenham (A)

Premier League

4-1 loss

#9

05/10/2024

Ipswich (H)

Premier League

4-1 win

#8

28/09/2024

Brentford (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#7

25/09/2024

Liverpool (A)

Carabao Cup

5-1 loss

#6

21/09/2024

Chelsea (H)

Premier League

3-0 loss

#5

14/09/2024

Fulham (A)

Premier League

1-1 draw

#4

31/08/2024

Man City (H)

Premier League

3-1 loss

#3

28/08/2024

Bournemouth (H)

Carabao Cup

1-0 win

#2

24/08/2024

Crystal Palace (A)

Premier League

2-0 win

#1

17/08/2024

Aston Villa (H)

Premier League

2-1 loss

Bizarrely, summer signing Niclas Fullkrug has already been tipped to leave West Ham, with an achilles tendon injury blighting his career at the club so far. The 31-year-old’s overall fitness record has been looked into, and it doesn’t make for pretty reading, which has prompted some to question why they struck a deal with Borussia Dortmund in the first place.

“He had a few issues during his time in Germany with his fitness,” said former recruitment chief Mick Brown to Football Insider.

“That, I’ve heard, played a part in the reason Dortmund were keen to let him go. So if that was an issue, and it was known in Germany, you’ve got to ask serious questions about why it was overlooked by West Ham.

“Paying almost £30million for a 31-year-old is always risky, but spending that money on a player with fitness issues at that age is a huge problem.”

A much bigger blow than losing Fullkrug would be having to part company with forward Mohammed Kudus, who is reportedly attracting interest from the likes of Barcelona and clubs in Saudi Arabia.

Kudus growing frustrated at West Ham and taking action to leave

According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool are firmly among the growing list of suitors for him. They add that Kudus is growing increasingly frustrated at West Ham, and has told his agents to explore a possible move to Merseyside. The Ghana international, called “underrated” by some, has stood out as one of Lopetegui’s key attacking players so far this season.

If West Ham’s disappointing start to the season continues, there is every reason reports of this nature could begin to hold weight behind them. The 24-year-old, on a reported £90,000-per-week, was rumoured to have an £85 million release clause in the summer – but it has now expired.

Manchester United’s miserable run of form continued on Sunday afternoon with a controversial 2-1 defeat away to struggling West Ham United.

Erik ten Hag’s side might count themselves unlucky not to come away with a result, but they now find themselves 14th in the Premier League with just 11 points on the board.

United dominated the first 45 minutes but did not manage to find the back of the net. They came close on several occasions, with Diogo Dalot missing one of the easiest chances imaginable, firing over the bar when he had an open net to aim for.

In the second half, the momentum completely swung. After a dominant first period from the Red Devils, it was Julen Lopetegui’s Hammers who were on top.

Their pressure paid off, and Crysencio Summerville gave them the lead in the 74th minute. United fought back, and Casemiro equalised just seven minutes later.

However, with moments left on the clock, the home side were awarded a penalty after Danny Ings was deemed to be kicked over by Matthijs de Ligt. It was a controversial call, but meant West Ham got all three points after Jarrod Bowen slotted home the winner from the spot.

On a disappointing day in East London for United, there were some players who particularly struggled, including Alejandro Garnacho.

Garnacho’s stats vs. West Ham

Making his 100th senior appearance for the famous club, Garnacho had a day to forget at the London Stadium. Although he was involved in the game throughout, he missed some crucial chances and lost the ball for the Hammers’ opener.

The first of those misses came a matter of minutes into the game. Bruno Fernandes won the ball for United and squared it to his Argentine teammate in the penalty box, who proceeded to rattle the crossbar. He also fired a shot wide moments later, which he had looked to bend into the far right corner from the left-hand side of the box.

Indeed, the 20-year-old received a rating of just 5/10 for his performance at the London Stadium. Goal journalist Richard Martin described the youngster’s performance as ‘lively but really wasteful’.

His stats after the game confirmed how frustrating an afternoon it was for United’s number 17. Garnacho had 60 touches of the ball, but lost possession 16 times and missed one big chance. Off the ball, he won just one of his three attempted ground duels.

It was certainly a disappointing day for the young winger, and he was not the only one of the attackers who struggled. Rasmus Hojlund also had a tough day at the office.

Hojlund’s stats vs. West Ham

After being slowly eased back into action following injury by United boss Ten Hag, Hojlund hit the ground running with goals against Porto and Brentford. However, it was a different story at the London Stadium.

The young Danish striker barely got a kick against West Ham. Although United managed to create so many chances, his involvement was few and far between, and the one big chance he did get, which he did well to fashion out in the first place, was well saved by Lukasz Fabianski.

It was not an easy afternoon for United’s number nine, as his post-match stats suggest. Hojlund had just 26 touches, fewer than Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had 40. Hojlund lost the ball six times and won just three of his five duels.

Touches

26

Pass accuracy

88%

Passes completed

15/17

Duels won

3/5

Number of times possession lost

6

Shots on target

2

Following the game, the striker received a rating of just 4/10 from Martin. He explained that the youngster ‘barely got a sniff’ against a West Ham defence who have had their frailties this season, to say the least.

United will be hoping to get Hojlund more involved in his next outing, with the side in desperate need of goals and wins as they look to pick up the momentum following a poor season so far.

Man Utd wasted £72m on "awful" flop who earned 5x more than Garnacho does

Man Utd were made to regret one costly signing

ByRobbie Walls Oct 26, 2024

Markram replaces Malan, Rutherford replaces Bairstow as bubble fatigue, demanding winter prompt English withdrawals

George Dobell11-Sep-2021Several of England’s all-format players have withdrawn from this year’s IPL as a result of bubble fatigue and in anticipation of a long winter.Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes and Dawid Malan have joined Jos Buttler in confirming their withdrawals. Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes had pulled out previously.Malan will be replaced at Punjab Kings for the rest of the season by Aiden Markram. Bairstow’s spot in Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, has been taken up by Sherfane Rutherford.Bairstow (Sunrisers), Woakes (Delhi Capitals), Malan and Buttler (Rajasthan Royals) have all been named in England’s T20 World Cup squad and might expect to be named in England’s Ashes tour party, too. As a result, they face the prospect of more than four months away from home including time in quarantine as they move from country to country. Buttler and Woakes are the fathers of young children, with Buttler having just celebrated the arrival of his second child.It has emerged in recent days that all players heading to the IPL (which resumes on September 19) would be required to undergo six days of quarantine. This may well have been a contributory factor in the abandonment of the Manchester Test.Related

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Moeen Ali, Sam Billings, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, George Garton, Eoin Morgan, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Liam Livingstone and Jason Roy are the England players still expected to participate in the IPL. Some are expected to fly to the UAE today (Saturday) on a commercial flight. One or two others may not depart until after T20 Finals Day (on September 18). From that group of players, only Sam Curran and Moeen are expected to be named in the Ashes touring party, though it would be no surprise at all if Moeen, a father of two young children, withdrew from that.Indeed, the future of that tour looks more precarious than ever after the events at Emirates Old Trafford. A significant number of senior players remain deeply uncomfortable with the prospect of a two-week quarantine at the start of that tour and, even more so, at the prospect of putting their families through the same. As a result, a number of high-profile withdrawals seem inevitable.In relation to the Ashes tour, Tom Harrison, ECB chief executive, told Sky Sports on Friday: “Now that this Test series has come to an early conclusion, that becomes priority number one for us to work through with the players. It’s a conversation which now takes the centre stage, because it’s looming large on the horizon.”While the ECB are adamant the tour will go ahead, the prospect of a second-string England side competing in the Ashes is real. Whether that is deemed to compromise the integrity of the events remains to be seen.A crucial issue for the England players is the uncertainly surrounding travel to Australia at present. While there has been talk of allowing them to serve a relatively soft quarantine – perhaps in a resort hotel on the Gold Coast which would allow them access to golf courses – there are no guarantees. Perhaps more importantly, there are no guarantees such privileges would be extended to traveling family members. There is also the prospect of further quarantine requirements as the tour party moves between states.”We should always have that ambition in mind to go to Australia with our best possible team,” Harrison said. “It’s an iconic Test series to play in, all England players want to be part of it.”I totally understand the players’ perspective on families being present and the conditions under which families are present. I also don’t think there’s anything unreasonable about the way that debate has been positioned.”It’s a conversation we’re having in partnership with Cricket Australia and the Australian government, all trying to get to the right solution for everyone to feel comfortable about going.”What events at Emirates Old Trafford underline, however, is the power of modern players and their refusal to be cajoled into endless tournaments. Not even the IPL or the Ashes are immune to such pressures.

Dermot Gallagher has backed referee Robert Jones' decision not to send off David Brooks for his tussle with Marc Cucurella despite VAR appeal.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Brooks unleashed a heavy challenge on Cucurella
• Referee wasn't convinced that it was "violent conduct"
• Gallagher believes Jones was right not to send off Brooks

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Brooks was involved in two separate tussles with Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella. In one off-the-ball moment, Brooks appeared to take a swipe at Cucurella, prompting VAR officials Graham Scott and Sian Massey-Ellis to intervene and suggest a review for potential violent conduct and a subsequent red card. However, Jones decided not to upgrade the yellow card to a red, marking the first time a Premier League referee refused to overturn an on-field decision after being advised to review it on the monitor.

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• AFP
  

  WHAT GALLAGHER SAID

  Speaking on , former Premier League referee Gallagher, explained his perspective on the decision and suggested that VAR may have initially believed Brooks had pulled Cucurella’s hair. He noted that the replay revealed Brooks grabbing the front of Cucurella’s shirt instead, which likely influenced Jones’ final decision.

  "The VAR recommends a review because he thinks there's a possible act of violent conduct," he said.

  "I wonder if the VAR thought Brooks pulled Cucurella's hair. It looks as though his hair is pulled back. Brooks actually grabs the front of Cucurella's shirt. The referee looked at it for a long time and discussed it.

  "He came to the conclusion that Brooks pulled the top of his shirt which is why you get the clothesline effect. The referee deemed it reckless rather than violent because it was a grab of the shirt. His opinion was it stopped a promising attack. It wasn't violent conduct – he didn't grab his hair or throat."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Gallagher praised Jones for not succumbing to pressure and for thoroughly reviewing the footage before making a measured decision.

  "It's all about has he grabbed him at the top of the shirt or by the throat? The referee has looked and looked. Rob Jones hasn't knee-jerked and given him a red card. He's studied it," he added.

  Whereas, another ex-official, Keith Hackett, argued that Cucurella was lucky to stay on the pitch.

  "Cucurella is beginning to become a serious offender in games, and match officials in their preparations should be aware that he is a player to keep an eye on," he told

  "His act is a blatant unfair impeding offence for which he should have received a yellow card."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Following the controversial match, Chelsea will shift their attention to their next Premier League encounter where they are set to host Wolves on Monday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um começo complicado, dificuldades expostas o tempo inteiro, a sensação de que nada sairia do lugar e, então, uma virada de chave, o crescimento e, por fim, a felicidade da missão cumprida. A trajetória do Botafogo para conquistar o título da Série B do Brasileirão tem um enredo de cinema.

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+ Título da Série B, planejamento para 2022 e superação: diretor do Botafogo abre o jogo; veja o vídeo!

Tudo se inicia ainda no começo de 2020, quando o Botafogo foi rebaixado com a pior campanha da história do clube no Campeonato Brasileiro. Com problemas dentro e fora de campo, a impressão é o que único desfecho possível era a queda.

Nova temporada e velhos problemas. O Botafogo não fez um bom Campeonato Carioca, sequer se classificando para as semifinais da competição, e foi eliminado na segunda fase da Copa do Brasil. O time, à época comandado por Marcelo Chamusca, já chegou para a Série B com a corda no pescoço.

Aí entra o ‘xis’ da questão. O Botafogo teve a noção e reconheceu que a coisa estava andando para um caminho que provavelmente teria um final triste e trouxe uma série de reforços após o fim do Estadual. Muitos desses nomes foram fundamentais para a conquista.

Chegaram, por exemplo, Chay, Diego Gonçalves Barreto, Luís Oyama e Daniel Borges. Cinco jogadores titulares – ou perto disso – em praticamente toda a campanha. A lista ainda aumentou com a contratação de Carlinhos, reforço do Botafogo já na reta final da Série B.

As mudanças, claro, também atingiram fora de campo. Marcelo Chamusca foi demitido após a 11ª rodada e Enderson Moreira, outro personagem principal do acesso, chegou.

O Alvinegro não teve medo de fazer mudanças que considerava como necessárias para o andamento da equipe. A direção entendeu que não passaria pela Série B apenas com tradição e a história, mas sim mostrando trabalho. Ao não subestimar a competição, o Botafogo trouxe um final feliz para o próprio filme.

Limited capacity during pandemic means marquee fixture has been reallocated by hosts

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jun-2021Yorkshire’s County Championship clash with Lancashire has been moved from the iconic outground of Scarborough to Emerald Headingley, in the wake of the UK Government’s delay in the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions.It had been hoped that the Roses fixture, scheduled to begin on July 11, would have attracted daily crowds in excess of 6,000 fans, given the popularity of Scarborough, or “Scarbados”, as it is colloquially known, due to its seaside location and holiday atmosphere.However, the date for the lifting of lockdown measures was recently postponed from June 21 to July 19, due to a surge in new variant cases, and following a review of the current government guidance, Yorkshire have determined that Scarborough’s lay-out, including choke points at entries, exits and toilet facilities, renders it unsuitable even for the hosting of 25 percent capacity crowds.”Firstly we are hugely disappointed to have to make this decision as we truly believed that this fixture would be unaffected,” Mark Arthur, Yorkshire’s chief executive, said.”We were anticipating over 6,000 spectators each day for what would be a fantastic advert for county cricket. Following the extension of the government’s roadmap, we had hoped that social distancing guidelines would have been eased as the data continued to show encouraging signs.”Related

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Although both Yorkshire and Lancashire were both keen for the contest to go ahead as planned, it transpired – following extensive guidance and a professional ECB externally funded investigation – that the capacity would have had to be reduced to significantly below 2,000.Such an attendance would have caused a hit to Yorkshire’s coffers, as well as disappointment for the fans who had hoped to attend the marquee fixture of both team’s Championship campaigns.”After exploring every possible avenue, we had to ensure that as many members as possible could attend the match,” Arthur added. “Staging the match at Scarborough under the current restrictions would leave many of our members disappointed.”Therefore, we believe that the fairest and most pragmatic decision was to host the match at a venue that has satisfied safety requirements and can comfortably cater for Yorkshire members.”We are extremely sorry to those who now have the added complications around accommodation, but we wanted to ensure that as many members could attend as possible.”

Liverpool are reportedly considering making a move for an "unbelievable" 26-year-old winger who is also wanted by French giants PSG.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds are still yet to make a single signing in the summer transfer window, which most supporters would have seen as scarcely believable at the end of last season. A move for Martin Zubimendi fell through, with the Spaniard deciding to stay put at Real Sociedad, and it looks as though an alternative won't come in.

There are still rumours doing the rounds linking Liverpool with new faces between now and the end of the month, however, with Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapie emerging as an option, having been a reported target for some time.

Perhaps the player who looks most likely to move to Anfield currently is Giorgi Mamardashvili, who impressed so much for Georgia during Euro 2024. The Valencia stopper would likely come in officially next summer, though, potentially being loaned out to Bournemouth before eventually replacing Alisson between the sticks in 2026.

Some feel that Liverpool could do with a new left-back, given Andy Robertson's advancing years, and Adrien Truffert has been linked with a summer switch, having represented France at the 2024 Olympics. The 22-year-old plays for Ligue 1 side Rennes and could be a strong long-term addition for Arne Slot.

Liverpool eyeing move for "unbelievable" attacker

According to The Boot Room, Liverpool are considering signing Atalanta winger Ademola Lookman this summer, as the Reds look to "strengthen Slot’s options up top". The report states that the 26-year-old was "left out" of his side's opening Serie A squad of the season due to "speculation over his future", primarily links to PSG.

Lookman would certainly be an intriguing signing for Liverpool, not least because he used to play for Everton, so him moving to the other side of Stanley Park may not go down well with Blues supporters.

The Atalanta ace produced a remarkable performance in last season's Europa League final, scoring a hat-trick in his side's dominant win over Leverkusen, leading to him being described as "unbelievable" by Sead Kolasinac.

Former Reds striker Peter Crouch has also heaped praise on him: "He’s got himself out to Atalanta with a manager that wants to work with him, that seems to be able to get the best out of him. And I think it’s a credit to him to be able to bounce back from quite a few knock-backs and return to a Europa League final and be the difference-maker. It’s an incredible story."

At 26, Lookman is a player who could be coming right into his best years, and he could even prove to be an upgrade on Luis Diaz, considering he outscored him 11 to eight in their respective leagues last season, as well as five to three in the Europa League.

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It could be argued that there are more important areas for Liverpool to strengthen in, however, especially as Diaz has enjoyed a good pre-season, with a new No.6 in the mould of Zubimendi more pressing than a wide player.

MatériaMais Notícias

A temporada 2021 está acabando. Com outubro chegando na sua reta final, o São Paulo tem cinco jogadores com somente dois meses de contrato. São eles:o zagueiro Rodrigo Freitas, o volante William, o meia Benítez e os atacantes Galeano e Rojas. Sendo assim, todos os setores têm atletas em reta final de contrato.

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Entre os cinco, dois têm mais chances de ficar. Segundo apurou o LANCE!, a diretoria do São Paulo tentará prorrogar os empréstimos de Benítez e Galeano. O primeiro está emprestado pelo Independiente-ARG e o atacante tem contrato com o Rúbio Ñú-PAR.

Caso queira ficar com o meia, o Tricolor terá que desembolsar cerca de US$ 3,2 milhões (cerca de R$ 17,6 milhões, na cotação atual). Já Galeano está por empréstimo do Rubio Ñu-PAR. Se o São Paulo quiser continuar com o atleta, precisará pagar 1 milhão de dólares (cerca de R$ 5,5 milhões, no cotação atual).

CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO BRASILEIRÃO DE 2021!

Já o trio Rodrigo Freitas, William e Rojas têm o futuro incerto. Rodrigo, cria da base são-paulina, chegou a ter chances no começo da temporada e marcou até gol na vitória sobre o Ituano, por 3 a 0. Ao todo, ele tem nove jogos nesse ano, somando 702 minutos. Sua última partida foi no dia quatro de agosto, na vitória sobre o Vasco, por 2 a 1, na Copa do Brasil.

William chegou com expectativas do México, mas sofreu com lesão no joelho e passou por artroscopia. Seu último jogo também foi contra o Vasco, no dia quatro de agosto. Depois, passou pela cirurgia no joelho três dias depois e está afastado desde então. Ele soma nove jogos pelo São Paulo, com 234 minutos.

Por fim, o atacante Rojas teve um bom começo de ano, conseguindo boas atuações no Campeonato Paulista. O seu contrato, que ia apenas até maio, foi renovado até o final da temporada depois de dez jogos, com 3 gols marcados e uma assistência no estadual. No entanto, ele não conseguiu repetir o bom desempenho no restante do ano. Na temporada, Rojas tem 30 jogos, com 1160 minutos jogados.

Kumar Sangakkara says agreement with ECB means Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer will play “whole tournament”

Andrew Miller19-Feb-2021Kumar Sangakkara says that Rajasthan Royals are confident of getting first refusal on the availability of England’s trio of star players – Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler – during this year’s IPL, even if their potential involvement in the play-off phase causes them to miss the Lord’s Test against New Zealand.Although the dates of the IPL have yet to be confirmed, it is anticipated that the final rounds will take place in the first week of June, which means that England’s trio stand to miss the visit of New Zealand – the current World No.1 Test team – for at least for the first Test, between June 2-6, and depending on flights and quarantine periods, the second at Edgbaston as well, from June 10-14.Although the ECB’s attitude towards the IPL has softened in recent years, particularly in light of England’s victory at the 2019 World Cup, the notion of the tournament taking precedence over a Test match is a line in the sand that has not previously been crossed in the 12 years since England’s players were first permitted to take part.Sangakkara, however, is in no doubt where the balance of power lies, following what he described as a “tripartite” discussion between the BCCI, the ECB, and the franchises, the results of which were relayed in an email last week which stated clearly that franchises were “requested” to release non-starting players for Test selection, but that no such obligation existed for core team members such as Stokes, Archer and Buttler.Related

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“The feedback we got was that they should be available for the whole tournament and we’ve structured our strategy with that in mind,” Sangakkara said.”We did get Liam Livingstone as cover. He’s had a really good Big Bash. He’s improved in leaps and bounds. His spin-playing ability has increased, he can bat in the middle and at the top of the order and he’s going to have a month in India before the IPL starts with the T20 side.”But in terms of availability, at the moment they’re there for the whole tournament. They’re a crucial core in terms of overseas players and we’ve built our strategy around them.”Speaking in the wake of this year’s IPL auction – in which the South Africa allrounder Chris Morris became the highest-paid member of the Royals squad – Sangakkara stressed that he saw the England trio as the central plank of their strategies for the foreseeable future, even when the tournament undergoes its periodic rejig at next year’s mega-auction.Although the details for the 2022 auction are still to be confirmed, with the prospect of extra teams also being added to the mix, it is thought that franchises may be permitted to retain up to three squad members from their existing lists, as well as have the right to match any bids for further key players.”I have no doubt they’re three of the most valuable players in the world,” Sangakkara said. “They’re three players who know how to deal with pressure, who’ve proven time and time again their excellence out in the middle.”Jos Buttler is extremely adaptable in the way he plays. He’s one of the few I have seen, alongside AB de Villiers, who can do that role. Archer is a superstar. He was the most valuable player in the IPL last season. And Stokes, there’s nothing else you can say about Ben Stokes other than that he’s exactly the type of player any side would want.”We’re very happy to have them as our core. They’ve been with Rajasthan for a while now. There is a big auction next year, but they’ll definitely be part of the core that Rajasthan build their strategy around, not just this year but once the big auction comes, there will be a big focus on them remaining here.”0:40

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Rajasthan’s strategies in the 2020 season varied significantly from match to match, particularly at the top of the order, with Buttler relinquishing his opener’s role to Stokes following the latter’s late arrival at the tournament, a decision that paid off with Stokes’ 59-ball century against Mumbai Indians.And Sangakkara hinted that that approach might continue into the 2021 season, a development that could have knock-on effects for England’s plans leading into the T20 World Cup in November.”Stokes has historically been a player who has been extremely impactful in the middle order and Jos at the top. [But] Buttler is the more adaptable player,” Sangakkara said. “We’re looking at him in the role where he can do either [top or middle] and fit into that core role of being our linchpin batsman around whom we have everyone else.”There is quite a marked difference in terms of strategy and rules when it comes to international cricket, although there are instances where a little move in a franchise might free up a player to do something different,” he added. “But what you need is clarity, in terms of what you’re doing here, and what you’re going to do for England, and enough preparation between the two to get your game in order.”

The Ballon d'Or runner-up failed to make an impact again as Dorival Jr's side dropped more points in Salvador

Vinicius Jr's underwhelming Brazil form continued as the Selecao needed a wonder goal from defensive midfielder Gerson to snatch a point in their 1-1 draw with a well-drilled Uruguay side on Tuesday.

Brazil poked, pried and prodded throughout the first half, but could never carve out a clear opening. Vinicius, as ever, was their most apparent threat, but found himself constantly nullified by the two – or even three – defenders routinely thrown his way. Igor Jesus, Dorival's preferred option at centre-forward, never made his mark, either.

And Uruguay capitalised, as Vinicius' Real Madrid team-mate Valverde curled home a wonderful strike from outside the box after 55 minutes to make it 1-0. The Selecao equaliser was equally impressive, however, as Gerson volleyed into the bottom corner to level things on the hour.

Brazil pushed for a winner, but no clear chances emerged as every Vinicius cut-back from an impossible angle landed at a grateful Uruguayan boot. By full-time, the home side were once again left to rue dropped points having won just three of their last nine World Cup qualifying matches.

GOAL rates Brazil's players from Fonte Nova Arena…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Ederson (6/10):

  Couldn't do anything about Valverede's goal. Was a spectator, otherwise, save for a few well-timed clearances.

  Danilo (5/10):

  Allowed Valverde too much room to smash home the Uruguay opener.

  Marquinhos (5/10):

  A bit loose on his side of the pitch, as he was dragged out of position too often.

  Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10):

  Won his headers, and did a job keeping Nunez quiet in the first half.

  Abner Vinicius (6/10):

  Kept it tight at the back, and ensured that nothing happened down his side.

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  Midfield

  Bruno Guimaraes (6/10):

  Solid, scrappy, aggressive, but beyond frustrating when he had the ball. He just can't pick a pass sometimes.

  Gerson (8/10):

  Blasted home a wonderful equaliser to complete an impressive midfield showing.

  Raphinha (6/10):

  Scarcely involved as Uruguay pretty much crowded him out.

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  Attack

  Savinho (6/10):

  Tried to make things happen, but was closed down before he could produce anything special.

  Igor Jesus (4/10):

  Pretty much anonymous. It's difficult to see what he offers over Endrick.

  Vinicius Jr (7/10):

  Never stopped running at the defence, and picked up all sorts of interesting positions, but his final ball – or moment of magic – was lacking. His Brazil frustrations continue.

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  Subs & Manager

  Lucas Paqueta (6/10):

  A few nice touches, but could never make anything concrete happen.

  Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):

  Stretched the game a bit with his running.

  Andre (N/A):

  Baffling to bring on a defensive midfielder when drawing 1-1.

  Luiz Henrique (N/A):

  No time to make an impact.

  Estevao Willian (N/A):

  No time to make an impact.

  Dorival Jr (4/10):

  Another pretty miserable night. Unclear why he doesn't start Paqueta, and he really can't get a tune out of his best player. Not good.