Australia’s stand-in T20 captain David Warner is going to rely on enterprising leadership as an answer to Eden Park’s short boundaries for the tri-series final against New Zealand on Wednesday. Warner, who is filling in for Steven Smith, is eyeing a series win that will thrust Australia from No. 2 to No. 1 in a format they have historically struggled in. After stunning New Zealand with a world-record T20 chase in their last match also played at the same venue, Warner called for the need to be able to think on the fly.”It’s probably one of those grounds where you should be able to have five [fielders] out straight away, as it doesn’t really matter,” he said. “It’s a challenge. As a captain or as a bowler, we talk about setting fields, and I think you have to have obscure fields. You might have a deep fly slip instead of a third man. They’re bizarre little catching spots, where you might get a catch.”In Australia, you set fields for certain players where they’re going to hit. Here, [in] those fields, generally they can hit it for six. Where’s a mistimed pull shot going to go? Over the top for six? You might have one just behind the keeper. You might have, for the spinners, everyone on the straight boundary and no one there (square of the wicket), and make them try to hit a reverse sweep and maybe get a wicket. You’ve just got to think on your feet when you’re out there. You’ve just got to find a way to get one or two wickets in the first six [overs]; it’s as simple as that.”Australia have fared well under Warner’s leadership. They were the first team to book their spot in the final. However, Warner preferred to leave the full-time captaincy question with Smith. “At the end of the day, it’s up to Steve. If he thinks his workloads are too high and he doesn’t feel like he can do that, I’m sure he’ll put his hand up and step aside. We spoke about one of us in the leadership group staying back and leading the [T20] team, and obviously, I put my hand up for that.”It’s been fantastic. A few of us were mentally cooked after the Test series, and it’s just great for those guys to go over to South Africa and inject a lot of younger guys and guys who are in form [into the T20 side].”The final is set to be played on a slightly worn surface – the same one that was used for Friday’s slugfest. Providing the weather holds up – Auckland experienced heavy showers on match eve due to Cyclone Gita – that could pave the way for the re-entry of Adam Zampa, with Warner open to the option of playing two spinners. Since playing the tri-series opener, Zampa has been overlooked in favour of the left-arm spinner Ashton Agar.”The other day, it looked a little bit drier than game day,” Warner said. “There’s obviously a bit of weather around. We’ll probably get a look at it tonight, hopefully, if the weather holds off.”With New Zealand coach Mike Hesson having said on Monday that left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner was expected to recover from a minor knee injury, captain Kane Williamson, too, didn’t rule out the possibility of a spinner-centric attack. “Hopefully, it starts to take a little bit more turn and offers a little more assistance to the bowlers to create that balance between bat and ball,” he said. “If that’s the case, spin will come into it a little bit more as an attacking option.”Friday’s run fest raised eyebrows at Eden Park’s notoriously short boundaries. And an overall high-scoring second half of the tri-series led to England coach Trevor Bayliss calling for T20s to be scrapped altogether at the international level after England failed to make the final. However, Williamson leaned more towards his coach, Hesson, who had spoken highly of Eden Park, which he called a “great cricket venue”.”We’ve had some of the most fantastic games of cricket there,” Williamson said. “This last game’s been the first time really that we’ve seen it exposed as a really small ground, because a lot of the scores have been on the lower side.”For one reason or another, we’ve seen so many really close games, which has created some of the best atmospheres that I’ve been involved in in any cricket game in the world. It’s provided some amazing moments for New Zealand cricket and the teams that we’ve been involved in, and when you throw that into the mix, it does make it enjoyable.”

India’s Under-19 coach has called for “even bigger praise” for the backroom staff who had to manage injuries to as many as five key players and made sure there was no knock-on effect on the team’s run to the title

Shashank Kishore in Mount Maunganui04-Feb-20182:16

India’s journey to the Under-19 title

Rahul Dravid, India’s Under-19 coach, has called for “even bigger praise” for the backroom staff who had to manage injuries to as many as five key players and made sure there was no knock-on effect on the team’s run to the title.”We have had a few injuries right through the year,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The way they’ve managed these injuries and handled players has been thoroughly professional. I’ve been around for a long time and seen how professional athletes are managed. These under-19 boys got the best professional help from the current team of physios and trainers here and at the NCA.”Among those who were under an injury cloud in the two months leading into the World Cup were the fast bowling pair of Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi. Both men regularly clocked in excess of 140kph and impressed most with their ability to hustle batsmen with pace and get the ball to swing both ways. Nagarkoti had a shoulder injury while Mavi had suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (knee) injury.The pair spent three weeks at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru under Anand Date, the strength and conditioning trainer, and Yogesh, the physio, before being declared fit. It helped that Date and Yogesh were also part of the support staff group that travelled to New Zealand for the Under-19 World Cup.Dravid also acknowledged the importance of the “much-maligned” NCA and the support system he had at his disposal for helping overcome difficult challenges in injury management and player development.”It’s much-maligned unfortunately, but when you see Nagarkoti or Mavi bowl, when we congratulate ourselves, we should raise a glass to the NCA,” he said. “All these boys had over the course of a year have been managed very carefully. They had a couple of injuries, but the trainers and physios worked hard with them. Lot of this is team effort, it’s not just what I do, it’s also my support staff here, the backing of the NCA too.”Rahul Dravid and Prithvi Shaw share some ideas•IDI/Getty Images

Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy has a history of injuries and a stress-related issue with his ankle made him miss the Under-19 Challenger Trophy which was meant to help the selectors pick the 15 for the World Cup. He was in danger of not making the squad, and “was scared” but the team management put him at ease and backed him to be on the plane to New Zealand.Riyan Parag, the highest run-getter in the Challenger Trophy, injured his finger in India’s final tour game before the World Cup. He was the youngest member of the squad at age 16, and after an excellent tour of England in 2017, he was among those earmarked as a finisher. The team management persisted with him, giving him every chance to soak in the “moment they had worked for.””Their health and well-being came first. We wanted them to be a part of this experience and play the World Cup,” Dravid said. “For them to have the confidence that we genuinely wanted them to do it and will go out of our way to make it possible to ensure that they played this World Cup was important.””Riyan was batting so well and then broke his finger in our last practice game in Napier. We could have easily sent him home, but we took the gamble of keeping him here and managing that injury because we knew we had a bit of time and the physio was confident that he could get him right. The easiest thing for us would have been to send some of them home, but we chose to back them and support them. We chose to take those risks, huge credit to Anand Date (the trainer) and Yogesh (they physio).”Dravid then cited the case of Ishan Porel, the tall fast bowler, who injured his left heel during the opening game against Australia. Porel did not have a great run in the build-up to the World Cup, but Dravid and his staff saw something in his ability to generate steep bounce and push the batsmen back. In the nets too, he would be among the pick of the bowlers. And when it came down to the “50-50″ decision of sending him home, they decided to wait.For three hours every training day, even as Dravid, bowling coach Paras Mhambrey and fielding coach Abhay Sharma would work with the rest of the team, Date and Yogesh would monitor Porel’s drills and slowly ease him back despite the risk of the injury recurring. They took the risk, and in the semi-final, Porel justified his selection with a four-wicket haul that bundled Pakistan out for their lowest score in all Under-19 World Cups.”I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Ishan yet,” Dravid said. “In the first game, he was unfortunately injured. I’m confident he too would’ve touched 140kph otherwise. It hasn’t quite worked for him, but he’s got a long road ahead. Again, the physios asked for time and were confident of working extra to have him ready.”He was distraught but giving him confidence and telling him ‘we want to help you’ made him feel great. The BCCI too gave us the confidence by flying in Aditya Thakare, who was also part of our plans during the preparation for the tournament. Knowing we’d be able to pick him in case Ishan’s injury didn’t heal helped. He spent two weeks at the back end, so this planning and injury management went a long way in helping us deliver results on the field. It’s not just about what we do on the match day, but also in the build-up to the games, I can say this was one of the best support groups to be a part of.”

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is now looking to bring in several reinforcements before the transfer window closes, according to latest reports.

What's the latest news involving Celtic?

The Hoops are in the midst of an injury crisis in central defense and may need to enter the market to add another body to their rearguard following injuries to Maik Nawrocki, Stephen Welsh and Cameron Carter-Vickers, who will all be out for up to two months with various concerns, as per BBC Sport.

Cited by the outlet, Celtic boss Rodgers has confirmed that he may enter the market to bring another centre-back into the fold at Parkhead, stating: "It's an area we're light in. We have to look at it, no doubt. Obviously [it's] disappointing for us. Stephen Welsh had an operation just the other day so he's come through that well. The other two, we hoped they'd be back sooner."

Speaking to The Herald, Rodgers has also confirmed that Canada international right-back Alistair Johnston is now available to play after escaping the shackles of an injury complaint, saying: “He will be available for the squad Ally, he’s looked good over the last 11 or 12 days. We didn’t involve him on the Astro [at Kilmarnock], but he’s had another good week this week so he will be available, which is really good news for us."

Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos has indicated that Aris Thessaloniki winger Luis Palma will miss his side's clash on Sunday against Lamia amid speculation surrounding his future at the club. Celtic are favourites to land the Honduras international and he also has two offers on the table from outside of Europe.

Celtic winger Sead Haksabanovic has grown frustrated by his lack of involvement at the club and may seek an exit between now and the transfer deadline, with clubs around Europe believed to be willing to offer him a Parkhead escape route, as per Football Insider.

Who else could Celtic sign?

According to a separate report from Football Insider, Celtic want to wrap up a whopping five more signings in an end of window 'blizzard' of incomings at Parkhead.

Bringing in a goalkeeper, left-back, central defender and striker are believed to be areas of priority for Celtic as they seek to bolster the ranks to help maintain their Scottish Premiership crown.

Cited by The Daily Record, Celtic boss Rodgers issued a plea for signings following the Hoops' 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock in the Viaplay Cup last weekend, stating in an interview: "You can see we need that quality and we have had quality go out the building. So we definitely need that quality in but we will work very hard to get the players in that can improve us and make us better and that is something we will do over the period of time now between now and the close of the window."

Given the injury list at Parkhead, the Hoops look to have no intention of letting their star players go this window and have rejected a bid for Denmark Under-21 international Matt O'Riley from Serie A outfit Bologna, according to The Scottish Sun.

Looking ahead, Celtic fans will be expecting an exciting end to the transfer window and plenty of incomings could be afoot in the east end of Glasgow.

Leeds United have endured many outstanding problems over the last few years, with the culmination of their failure to address them being last season's relegation.

However, there could finally be a surprise answer to one of those issues at left-back, should Daniel Farke seek to continue his experiment.

Who is Leeds United's left-back?

Whilst most teams would be able to tell you who their first-choice left-back is with ease, for the Whites it has marked a truly tumultuous role that few have managed to fill ever since the departure of Ezgjan Alioski.

Having joined from Swiss side Lugano, he swiftly became a mainstay under Marcelo Bielsa as part of his backline that seldom stuck to their defensive positions. Tasked with mirroring their opposite winger with immense precision, he also boasted a keen attacking impetus that helped him to thrive in English football, where the full-backs are evolving in importance with every campaign it seems.

The North Macedonia international enjoyed four successful years in Yorkshire, with the pinnacle arguably coming during the 2018/19 term, where they marched into the playoffs only to be dumped out by Derby County.

2020/21 (Premier League)

2

3

2019/20 (Championship)

5

5

2018/19 (Championship)

7

5

2017/18 (Championship)

7

5

All stats via Transfermarkt

Despite that, his Championship performances were truly exceptional, as he maintained a 7.03 average rating buoyed by his seven goals, five assists, 1.9 key passes and 2.2 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

However, it must be noted that the season following he was also a key player in their title crusade, scoring some integral goals as he posted another admirable eight goal contributions from left-back, all while retaining his quite bonkers personality.

Whilst the 31-year-old still held his own within the Premier League, a failure to reach an agreement with the club over a new deal saw him depart for Saudi Arabia, thus creating a vacancy in a position he had made his own over the years.

For Bielsa to stride into Barcelona and snag Junior Firpo marked an initial masterclass at first, as it seemed like the legendary Argentinian tactician had produced one of the great coups in their recent history to secure a successor.

Just £12.8m was expended to bring the 27-year-old to Elland Road, with the Dominican Republic international billed as an all-action attacking full-back perfect for the football on display in Yorkshire.

However, he quickly garnered a reputation as a defensive "liability", as noted by journalist David Anderson, with his two years in the English top flight meriting a 6.55 and 6.60 average rating, via Sofascore.

Pascal Struijk, a natural centre-back, was even enlisted to play in his place at times during last year's miserable campaign.

It's fair to say he has hardly staked a strong claim for the position, which still remains there for the taking. So, step forward an alternative. Jamie Shackleton, anyone?

How good is Jamie Shackleton?

One man who could step up is Shackleton, who despite being an attacking midfielder by trade has started this campaign by showcasing his immense versatility and quality in a number of roles.

Just last game saw him stand out in their 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday, as a keen creative threat from left-back with the athleticism to retain solidity too.

Having been handed a 7.6 rating, his 99 touches, 89% pass accuracy and three key passes help to emphasise his continued involvement in the play, via Sofascore. Not to mention he managed to also post two tackles, one clearance and six duels won too.

The £1m-rated dynamo seems set for a run of first-team games after this showing, as he slowly grows into his role following a fine term last year on loan with Millwall. Farke even outlined him for praise, recently noting:

"I really love Jamie. So I think he's sometimes really underrated because he can play all positions wherever he plays, he's always reliable, always solid, always a good teammate, gives us everything."

It seems that Shackleton is gearing up to finally fix that problem position once and for all, with the outstanding traits of the 23-year-old suggesting he too could be the next creative defender to emulate the success of Alioski.

تحدث هاني بكري محامي محمد الشيبي لاعب بيراميدز، عن آخر تطورات أزمته مع لاعب الأهلي حسين الشحات، مؤكداً أنه سيتقدم بشكوى للفيفا بشأن إيقاف الشيبي 6 مباريات وتغريمه 100 ألف جنيه.

وكانت أزمة قد اندلعت بين لاعب الأهلي حسين الشحات ومحمد الشيبي بعد مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز بالدوري في الموسم الماضي، بسبب اشتباكهما لفظيًا وصفع الشحات للشيبي.

وقال هاني بكري في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر 2” عن إيقاف الشيبي: “بالنسبة لرد فعلنا سنتخذ كل الإجراءات القانونية في كل الاتجاهات لكي أجلب حق محمد الشيبي، اللاعب تعرض للظُلم بدل المرة 3، الأولى في مباراة السوبر بين الأهلي وبيراميدز، مجموعة من لاعبي الأحمر ضربوه في الملعب، واللاعب تقدم بشكوى في الاتحاد، ولكن الأخير (طنش) ولم يأخذ اللاعب حقه”.

طالع أيضاً.. تفاصيل جديدة في أزمة حسين الشحات ومحمد الشيبي بعد قرارات الإيقاف

وأوضح: “الظُلم الثاني، الشيبي تعرض للسباب والضرب أمام المصريين والعرب والعالم كله سمع صوت (القلم)، ويلوموه لأنه لجأ للقضاء المدني”.

وأكمل: “المرة الثالثة أمس، بعد صدور حكم ضد حسين الشحات، نتفاجأ بقرار من اتحاد الكرة بـ 6 مباريات إيقاف للشيبي وتغريم 100 ألف جنيه”.

واستكمل: “سنقوم بتصعيد الأمر وسنلجأ للقنوات الشرعية ولو وصل الأمر إلى الذهاب للفيفا لكي أجلب حق اللاعب، لأنه لم يُخطئ بلجوئه للقضاء”.

وأردف: “سنستأنف على القرار وسنلجأ للفيفا لكي أجلب حقه، لا يصح أن يتعرض لهذا الإيقاف من جهة غير منوطة بمعاقبة اللاعب”.

واستطرد: “لم يكن هناك مساعي للصلح، ومنذ متى نرى اتحاد الكرة يُتدخل للصلح بين اثنين لاعبين، لم أر ذلك في حياتي، لم يحدث أي تصالح مع اللاعب نهائيًا”.

هل ترفضوا أي مساعي للصلح؟: “الولد كرامته غالية عليه وشعر بإهانة أمام العرب وزوجته وأبنائه وعائلته وأبناء بلده، ويرفض كل مساعي الصلح”.

وأضاف: “كيف يتم إحالة اللاعب للجنة الانضباط وهي لجنة غير مختصة، ليس من اختصاص اتحاد الكرة أن يصدر عقوبة، وعلامة استفهام أن تصدر عقوبة ضد اللاعب بعد الحكم ضد حسين الشحات، هو إجراء غير قانوني، وتغول على سلطة قضائية وهي لجنة الانضباط برئاسة محمد شرين فهمي الذي حقق مع اللاعب، وتقدمنا له بكل ما يدل على أن اللاعب لم يُخالف اللائحة، ومع ذلك يصدر قرار ضد اللاعب”.

واختتم: “سأتقدم بشكوى للجهات المختصة المنوط بها، ومستعد لتصعيد الأمر إلى فيفا، ولو سألنا أي أحد وقلنا له هل الشيبي خالف اللوائح؟ سيقول لا”.

The hosts need another win to keep the series alive. Both teams might also want to keep an eye on the weather, with showers forecast for the afternoon in Port Elizabeth

The Preview by Firdose Moonda12-Feb-20184:16

Cullinan: Will be surprised if SA play an all-pace attack

Big pictureSuddenly South Africa have something to play for.After three matches of one-way traffic and few answers to India’s wristspinners, South Africa were staring at 6-0. But a change of outfit was as good as a new gameplan for them. In pink, at the Wanderers, South Africa chased a target of 202 inside 28 overs, which required them to score at more than seven runs to the over. They took more than half those runs off Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, giving the pair only three wickets. That will have boosted the hosts’ confidence ahead of two must-win games to share the trophy.Crucially, South Africa’s runs did not come from one person and most of them came from the two people who had a lot to prove. David Miller showed much-needed big-match temperament, Heinrich Klaasen justified his selection and Andile Phehlukwayo put on another fine finishing effort. South Africa’s next challenge will be to prove it was not a one-off. Can they pull back India’s line-up again? And can they tame India’s spinners once again?India were slightly guilty of taking their foot off the gas with the knowledge they cannot lose the series. After Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli gave the team a strong start, the rest of the line-up all but fell away and lost five wickets for 76 runs. They will want more from their middle-order as they aim to close out the series before they get to the final fixture in Centurion.Form guide(last five completed matches, most recent first)
South Africa: WLLLW
India: LWWWWIn the spotlightThe focus on South Africa’s middle-order and India’s spinners has taken some attention off the opening partnership, but Hashim Amla and Aiden Markram will only have two more opportunities to show what they can do together. Neither has managed a score higher than 33 but together shared a stand of 43 in Johannesburg and will want to work towards giving the hosts a more solid platform to launch from. Markram may also want to seek Amla’s advice about a few other things, like how to stay within the stipulated time to meet the over-rate, because another offence will see him suspended.The honours have gone to the India’s spinners who have taken their combined wicket-tally on this tour to 24. Jasprit Bumrah follows them on that list. He has five wickets to his name, one more than Kagiso Rabada and more than double that of any of his non-spinning team-mates. Bumrah has set the tone well and has had the better of Amla twice in the four matches so far. Who will win the head-to-head continues on Tuesday?AFPTeam newsA spinner is likely to be brought back into the South Africa XI and the toss-up will be between Imran Tahir and Tabraiz Shamsi. Though Tahir may get in on seniority, South Africa might want to check on his mindset after the incident he had with spectators at the Wanderers, which is being investigated for racial abuse. David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen have done enough to leave Farhaan Behardien fighting for a spot against one of the allrounders.South Africa (probable): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Aiden Markram (capt), 3 JP Duminy, 4 AB de Villiers, 5 David Miller, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 Farhaan Behardien/Chris Morris, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir/Tabraiz ShamsiIndia attended an optional practice session on the eve of the ODI. Shreyas Iyer is set to retain his spot given Kedar Jadhav’s hamstring niggle is unlikely to have healed.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Shreyas Iyer/Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalPitch and conditionsKnown for being one of South Africa’s slower surfaces, St George’s Park should suit India’s attack. The average score over the last five matches – batting first – has been 227, and a warm and humid day is forecast in Port Elizabeth. There is also a highly probability of afternoon showers.Stats and trivia MS Dhoni has spent the series inching towards 10,000 ODI runs and he is now just 46 away. Results at St George’s Park have been marginally in favour of the chasing team, with 17 of the 32 ODIs won by the team that fields first.Quotes”The guys have been specific about their training. They have been doing good analysis and have good game plans. Obviously the conditions were different. So it’s a game plan that we have had in our change room, to be really positive and look to score and get into good positions.”

An upbeat West Indies coach Stuart Law was full of praise for both teams after a hard-fought battle with Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club. Law singled out Brendan Taylor for particular praise, while also calling Jason Holder’s 4 for 35 “outstanding”, bigging up his middle order, and even finding time to tip his hat to the ground staff for producing a good pitch.”First of all, hats off to Andy Atkinson and his staff to get a pitch up that made cricket a great spectacle today,” Law said. “The boys certainly enjoyed playing on a surface that gave something to everybody. It had pace and bounce, it had a bit of spin, and it was very good to bat on.”West Indies took early wickets after Zimbabwe chose to bat, but Taylor’s 138 put the visitors under pressure in the field and at one stage it seemed Zimbabwe would pass 300. “That’s one of the best one-day hundreds I’ve seen,” Law said of Taylor’s knock. “Total control, very calm. He put the bad ball away and he put the good ball away for ones and twos. Zimbabwe had great fight, as we expected. We had to play well to beat them.”Zimbabwe were well placed for a final push at 226 for 4 after 40 overs, but Holder then removed Sikandar Raza and Solomon Mire, returning to bat at the death after retiring injured earlier in the day, with pinpoint yorkers. With Taylor falling to Kemar Roach, Zimbabwe managed just 63 runs from the last ten overs, losing six wickets.”Jason Holder, for the whole game, was outstanding,” Law said . “To only go for 35 runs in his 10, with a total of 290, is outstanding. And also picking up four wickets. At one stage, with Brendan Taylor there, Zimbabwe looked like getting 320, 330, 340. Our fielding was very good as well. The energy we showed was outstanding.”West Indies lost Chris Gayle early in their chase, but Shai Hope and Evin Lewis ensured no further wobbles with a 72-run stand. When Lewis fell for 64, Hope was joined by Marlon Samuels, and they put West Indies well on top with a 135-run partnership. Zimbabwe surged once more in the closing moments of the match, taking four wickets in 12 deliveries, but Rovman Powell ended their fightback with a vital six in the second last over.”Our plan was not to lose too many wickets up front, and to have wickets at the back end so we could attack,” Law said. “Marlon Samuels and Shai Hope played a brilliant partnership. It would have been nice if one of them had been there at the end to cap off a great day. We lost a few wickets towards the back end, which was a bit of kamikaze cricket at times. If it comes off it looks great. We were lucky to have two cool heads at the end there, Rovman Powell and Ashley Nurse, to see us over the line.”West Indies’ victory means they still have a strong chance of making Sunday’s final. A win over Scotland on Wednesday would guarantee their spot, but Law also suggested that Associate nations such as Scotland are no longer the pushovers they may once have been.”We can’t take anyone lightly in this competition, I think everyone sees that. People sitting on the outside expecting teams to just roll over and die, those days are gone. If you take Marlon and Chris Gayle out of our team, we’re probably one of the most inexperienced sides here, in terms of number of games. Our guys are young and they’re still learning. We’ve got a little bit to work on.”

Tottenham Hotspur's start to the Premier League season has been completely unprecedented, with nobody expecting Ange Postecoglou to hit the ground running with such immediacy.

However, the Australian is good value for their fine form, having instantly cultivated a feel-good atmosphere around an outfit that has been severely lacking positivity in recent years.

The football is free-flowing and all-action, yet remains methodical and exciting. With no European matches to burden them either, it remains to be seen just how high this season's ceiling could be.

What makes such a stellar start to the term even more impressive is that, whilst he did delve into the market, the former Celtic boss hardly overhauled the entire squad. Wisely trimming it down by pushing out the dead wood, whilst acting shrewdly to bolster in key areas, the bulk of his first team is still made up of stars from previous regimes.

From the side that beat Sheffield United last weekend, four of the starting XI were signed during the last window, whilst the rest had been brought in by Antonio Conte aside from one other. Given their performances throughout last season, the difference in play style and results is stark.

However, there has arguably been one standout player from those latter seven starters, who has made the most surprising resurgence after just five Premier League games. Although James Maddison is stealing every headline, whilst Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero continue to excel at the back, Yves Bissouma has been undeniably bossing it in the engine room.

How good is Yves Bissouma?

Having signed for just £25m in the summer of 2022, this acquisition turned heads with the splendid bargain they had seemingly achieved after the 27-year-old had starred for Brighton and Hove Albion.

As a combative midfield general with the ability to pick a pass or pull out a piledriver from long range, it was expected that the Mali international would uphold Conte's midfield with power and poise.

However, for whatever reason the Italian seemingly lost all faith in the ability of his new signing, and he would make just ten league starts all season. In September he did note: "The only player that is struggling a bit with the tactical aspect is Bissouma, but also he is improving a lot in every aspect."

The £55k-per-week star would see little increase in game time though despite his tactical knowledge surely growing, with his 6.68 average Sofascore rating a truly disappointing figure for someone who promised so much.

As is often the way with a new managerial appointment though, Postecoglou's clean slate has allowed the 6-foot enforcer to recapture, and even surpass the form that saw him lauded on the South Coast.

After all, his 7.56 average rating makes him Spurs' fourth-highest-rated player for this current league term, buoyed by a 90% pass accuracy, one key pass, 2.4 interceptions, 3.4 tackles and 7.2 ball recoveries per game, via Sofascore.

Such exploits simply had to be lauded, as Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville led the praise after their opening-day draw with Brentford: "Bissouma is my player of the match. He has been brave, gone past people, broke play up. An all-round performance."

Sitting at the base of the midfield, screening the back four with a creativity and calmness not seen since Mousa Dembele, Bissouma is integral to the way Postecoglou wants to play by offering the defensive foundation and a metronome all-in-one.

However, there is a star of the past, a certain Luka Modric who would arguably occupy this role better if hypothetically, were he to return in his prime, given that such a period saw the star in question named as the best player in the world.

Why did Luka Modric leave Spurs?

Although his period in north London did not even come close to the heights he would reach elsewhere, Modric still remained a classy presence with the potential to do great things under Harry Redknapp.

After all, in his final season in England, the Croatia international clearly did enough to warrant the £30m fee paid to secure his services; a figure that looked even better after the now 38-year-old was voted the worst signing of the season in Spain.

The story behind his Lilywhites exit is an interesting one too, as it was Chelsea who he first pushed to join in 2011 after a string of bids from the Blues were turned down by Daniel Levy. Unsurprisingly unwilling to sell to a rival, when the Santiago Bernabeu came calling, he saw his prayers answered.

Despite that, the 5 foot 8 trickster remained full of regret regarding the manner of his departure: "My one regret is that I didn’t win a trophy with Tottenham, despite us being a strong team who played good, attractive football. I’m sorry for the way I left. I wish we had parted in a nicer way. I hope fans understand that I followed my dreams."

Luka Modric Trophies Won, via Transfermarkt

League Titles

6

Champions Leagues

5

Domestic Cups

8

Ballon d'Or's

1

The silky maestro would quickly put such foolishness behind him with years of fine performances though, with age seemingly having no bearing on the quality the Croat delivers.

It would be hard to argue against the notion that Modric reached his peak during the 2017/18 season, as his stellar domestic displays fed into a sensational World Cup run, which led to the creative hero ending Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi's Ballon d'Or monopoly by winning the award in 2018.

Journalist Liam Canning would offer his praise to the Los Blancos ace, supporting his secondary award of winning the World Cup's Player of the Tournament: "Luka Modrić is the rightful player of the tournament. Makes football look so easy. World-class."

His showings in La Liga that year help to outline exactly what made that such a special year for the former Dinamo Zagreb superstar, as his 7.34 average rating was buoyed by a 90% pass accuracy and six assists, alongside 1.5 key passes, 1.2 interceptions and 1.3 tackles per game, via Sofascore.

As the best in his role during these prime years, it seems that Bissouma would understandably never be able to compete with the levels of the man capable of dictating the pace of any game due to his immense talent. Admittedly, there are few in history who even come close.

Modric will forever remain a legendary figure who was given the platform for his initial success by Spurs, and for that, the club should be proud.

Whilst their current squad will go about their business with incision as they seek to maintain their fine form, it must be noted that swapping Bissouma out for the 168-cap wizard would likely take them from a plucky, overperforming outfit to genuine challengers for the elite honours. What they would give for that.

كشف قاسم المسكين المنسق الإعلامي لنادي الخليج السعودي، حقيقة ما يتردد بشأن نية الفريق في الاستغناء عن المهاجم المصري محمد شريف.

وكانت صحيفة اليوم السعودية الإلكترونية، قد أكدت أن إدارة نادي الخليج ترغب في تسويق محمد شريف تمهيدًا لبيعه خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية.

وقال قاسم المسكين في تصريحات عبر قناة “الحياة”: “ملتزمون بعقد محمد شريف وكل ما يتردد عن رحيله عن الفريق لا صحة له”.

طالع أيضاً.. تقارير سعودية تكشف نية الخليج في بيع محمد شريف

وبسؤاله “هل النادي تلقى عروضا بشأن اللاعب؟”، أجاب: “لم نفتح الباب لرحيله، عقده لمدة موسمين مع نادي الخليج ومتبقي موسم آخر في عقده”.

وانضم محمد شريف إلى صفوف نادي الخليج قادمًا من الأهلي المصري، الموسم الماضي بعقد يمتد لمدة موسمين.

جدير بالذكر أن محمد شريف ساهم مع فريقه الخليج في تسجيل 8 أهداف، إذ أحرز 6 أهداف، وصنع هدفين على مدار الموسم.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após ver o Palmeiras sofrer a sua primeira derrota para o São Paulo na história do Allianz Parque, Luxemburgo também viu a paciência da torcida do Verdão com o seu trabalho chegar no limite. Antes de Leandro Vuaden apitar o final de partida, a #FORALUXEMBURGO já dominava o Twitter no Brasil.

​A hashtag já é a segunda mais comentada no país e diversos torcedores desabafaram nas redes sociais com mais uma criticada atuação do alviverde no Brasileirão 2020.

No embalo da derrota, o ex-presidente da torcida Mancha Alviverde, conselheiro do Palmeiras e líder da Escola de Samba Mancha Verde, Paulo Serdan se manifestou contra a atuação da equipe e pediu que o treinador Vanderlei Luxemburgo deixe o comando técnico do Verdão.

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Em seu perfil no Instagram, Serdan afirmou:

– Acreditei sim, pois não torço contra. Mas infelizmente nosso time não tem padrão nenhum, cada jogo uma formação, nossa saída de bola é horrível. Não temos jogadas de linha de fundo ,etc. Essa é a parte que cabe ao Luxemburgo. Obrigado pelo titulo em cima deles, mas ja deu.. Pega seu boné e abraço. Já era. Não da pra tolerar mais e acho que boa parte de nossa torcida foi bem tolerante.

A mensagem ainda continuou com ataques diretos a alguns atletas e parte da torcida que vem alegando uma exagerada parcimônia da organizada em favor de Luxemburgo. Dos organizados, passando por parte da crítica especializada e até nos torcedores ‘comuns’, a noite foi de muitas críticas ao treinador do Verdão.