All posts by n8rngtd.top

After two campaigns of coming incredibly close but just falling short, next season feels like it could finally be the year for Arsenal to topple Manchester City in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta's side came within two points of doing so last year, and while they produced a far better defence than the eventual champions, they scored five fewer goals than them, which is an area that can be improved.

Fortunately, over the last week or so, the Gunners have been linked with several talented forwards, and according to recent reports, they are interested in Bournemouth's inform poacher, Dominic Solanke.

However, while the Englishman proved his goalscoring ability last season, there is a feeling that he might not be of the level required to win the league, which cannot be said of another striker recently touted for a move to the Emirates.

Arsenal's striker search

According to a recent report from Italian journalist Gianluca DiMarzio, Arsenal are back in the picture regarding Napoli's Victor Osimhen.

DiMarzio has revealed that the Nigerian's potential move to Chelsea, which has been grabbing headlines in recent days, is now not going to happen and that while Paris Saint-Germain 'remain on the trail' of the superstar, 'Arsenal could also get back into the game'.

The journalist does not mention how much the experienced international might cost the North Londoners. However, reports from last week suggest that Napoli could still demand clubs pay his €130m release clause, which converts to about £109m.

It would be a seriously significant investment from Arsenal, but given Osimhen's quality, it might prove worth it, and he'd be a better signing than Solanke.

How Osimhen compares to Solanke

Now, given how well Arsenal played last season, the one thing they need their new striker to do above all else is put the ball in the back of the net or, at the very least, provide the pass for a teammate to do so. But out of Solanke and Osimhen, who comes out on top in this regard?

Well, while the Englishman scored more goals last season, it's the Serie A winner who unsurprisingly comes out on top over the last five years, and by quite some margin at that.

For example, since the start of the 2019/20 campaign, the "world-class" marksman, as dubbed by José Mourinho, has scored 94 goals and provided 24 assists in 171 appearances, which equates to a seriously impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.44 games.

In contrast, the former Chelsea prospect has scored 77 goals and provided 30 assists in 206 appearances, equating to an average of a goal involvement every 1.92 games, a significant portion of which were in the Championship.

However, it's not just in raw output that the former LOSC Lille ace beats out the Cherries star, as when you compare the pair's underlying numbers, he comes out ahead.

For example, in every relevant metric bar progressive passes and aerial duels won, the Lagos-born dynamo comes out on top, including non-penalty expected goals plus assists, actual non-penalty goals plus assists, goal and shot-creating actions, shots and shots on target, and progressive carries, all per 90.

Ultimately, while Solanke proved he was a Premier League-level striker last season, it's clear from his underlying numbers and long-term output that he just isn't comparable to Osimhen. Therefore, if Arsenal find themselves with the opportunity to sign the Nigerian international this summer, they have to take it – he could win them the league.

Arsenal target Merino alternative who'd be unreal next to Rice & Odegaard

The “world-class” midfielder would be an excellent signing.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Aug 6, 2024

Fast bowler backed after injury setbacks, and will stay with club at least until 2023

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jan-2022Toby Roland-Jones will stay with Middlesex at least until the end of 2023, after signing a contract extension that will take him into his 13th year with the club.Roland-Jones has endured an injury-plagued few years, including a knee cartilage injury that took four months out of his 2021 season, following back and shoulder problems that had limited his involvement since 2018.However, he reaffirmed his importance to Middlesex with a five-wicket haul against Derbyshire on his first-class comeback in September, and with Richard Johnson having been appointed as the club’s new head coach, Roland-Jones will remain a key part of their plans for the coming seasons.”I am absolutely delighted to commit to Middlesex Cricket for the next two years,” Roland-Jones said. “I feel hugely fortunate that my passion for the club and the game continues to grow, as it has since the day I joined, back in 2010.”The excitement and potential in this squad gives us every opportunity to return this club to the level it should be at, and I look forward to playing any part I can to make that happen.”With the appointment of Richard Johnson as First Team Coach yesterday, we have a high-quality coach returning to the club, and someone who has previously worked with and helped so many of our players in the earlier parts of their careers. I know the players can’t wait to get started under him, and I’m sure he returns as eager as we all are to bring the club success.”Related

• Richard Johnson returns to Middlesex as Stuart Law successor

• Middlesex chairman criticised after claiming football 'is more attractive' to Black people

• Stuart Law sacked as Middlesex head coach

• Alan Coleman takes on top coaching role at Middlesex

• Shaheen Shah Afridi joins Middlesex for 2022 season

Roland-Jones has made a total of 224 appearances for Middlesex across all three formats of the game, with a total of 545 wickets. His debut for the club came in 2010, when he picked up two five-wicket hauls in eight appearances, and in 2015, he made his maiden first-class hundred against Yorkshire at Lord’s.His place in club folklore was secured in the final match of the 2016 season, when he claimed a hat-trick against Yorkshire to secure the County Championship title. His final wicket completed a ten-wicket haul, and took his tally for the season to 54 at 28.22.The following year, Roland-Jones made the first of his four Test appearances, claiming five wickets on debut against South Africa at The Oval, but his hopes of starring in that winter’s Ashes were curtailed by the diagnosis of a stress fracture in his back.Alan Coleman, Middlesex’s head of Men’s Performance, said: “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to agree this extension to Toby’s contract. He is a huge character in our dressing room, a great influence to the rest of our group, and a key player for us on the field.”We saw at the back end of last season what he is capable of as a player, just like we have witnessed for many seasons beforehand, and I am certain that we’ll be seeing much more of that over the next two seasons.”

Lucy Bronze could not take to the field as a substitute in the Lionesses' friendly win over Switzerland due to a "human mistake".

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• Wiegman wanted Bronze to come on for final 10 minutes
• However, she was told to go back to the dugout
• Jess Carter was instead given a run

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 33-year-old right-back, who was poised to join the action in the final ten minutes at Bramall Lane, had to retreat to the bench despite being fully prepared in her full England kit. With Bronze unable to enter the field, defender Jess Carter was called upon as a substitute instead.

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  WHAT SARINA WIEGMAN SAID

  England manager Sarina Wiegman later explained that Bronze was excluded because her name was mistakenly omitted from the official team sheet, making her ineligible to participate.

  Speaking to after her team's 1-0 victory, Wiegman stated: "Yes, that was a moment where she was not on the list. So there had been a mistake, unfortunately, a human mistake, and we found out there. We still wanted to bring her on the pitch but unfortunately, she couldn't go (on) so that was really frustrating — of course the most for herself — but we couldn’t change it.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The International Football Association Board's (IFAB) regulations state that only players listed on the official team sheet may participate in the game. Any individual not included is considered an "outside agent," disqualifying them from taking part.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The friendly against Switzerland saw England field a relatively inexperienced lineup, with Wiegman making wholesale changes to the squad that had drawn 0-0 against the United States Women's National Team just days prior at Wembley. Grace Clinton scored the game's only goal in the first half, securing the Lionesses' victory. The match also marked the senior debuts of Ruby Mace and Laura Blindkilde Brown, as Wiegman used the opportunity to test new players and the squad depth.

Faf du Plessis displayed maturity and patience in his knock of 78, and seems to be the right man to take a South African middle-order spot

Firdose Moonda at Adelaide Oval24-Nov-2012When Faf du Plessis scored his first runs in Test cricket with a crisply energetic drive through midwicket, he did not look anything like a man who was on the verge of being timed out a few seconds earlier.”I had an absolute shocker going down the stairs. My boot clipped one of the stairs and my whole foot came out. I had to kneel in front of the whole crowd while they were abusing me from both sides. My shoelaces were tied and my pad was in the way and I couldn’t get my foot back in. I was thinking I was going to get timed here,” he said later.His anxiety only deepened as he tried to negotiate getting his boot back on. “My foot slipped three-quarters of the way down and I thought I would have to run on like that and sort it out when I get there. Then my first step forward hit another step and I almost tripped. When I got on the field I thought it can’t go worse than that.”He was right. It went much better. Two balls later, he sent a low full toss to the boundary. The ball deserved it but to see du Plessis time it with such confidence and poise was a small sign that even if he couldn’t take steps down, he was on his way to taking one up.For the rest of South Africa’s time at the crease, du Plessis showed class and composure in a tough situation. Soon after he had arrived, South Africa were in trouble. AB de Villiers had been dismissed, Jacques Kallis was not ready to bat and the lower order was exposed. With that pressure on his shoulders, du Plessis did not look tentative and showed why he said as early as last week that he was ready for Test cricket.He knew, when he took over JP Duminy’s role at No. 7, that he would have to be a bridge between the top-order batsmen and the rest, something he had done for Titans before he was moved up the order last season. It would require a fine balance between protecting the vulnerable and adding enough to the total.For the first period, he concentrated only on the former. “I knew it was just for me to hang around with the tail,” he said. “For us it was just a case of being in the middle, it didn’t really matter about the runs, we had to occupy the crease.”A nervy ten overs could have du Plessis thinking he wouldn’t be able to manage that. Dale Steyn and Rory Kleinveldt did not prove able partners, though du Plessis looked capable of holding his own. Panic could so easily have set in and a few edges hinted at it, but largely, it stayed away.The sight of Kallis walking in at No. 9 almost shunned it because du Plessis knew he would have the opportunity to build a reasonable stand. “When Jacques came in the nice thing for me was to have his experience. I had a few questions that I threw his way and he was really good about helping me,” du Plessis said.Still, it would be the kind of partnership that would require a completely different gameplan for him. Kallis’ injury meant he was inhibited in running between the wickets. Du Plessis is the kind of batsman who would tire most partners and always looks for snappy singles which he then tries to turn into twos. Today, he had to rein that instinct in. In the 40 minutes before lunch, du Plessis and Kallis ran only four singles and Kallis sent du Plessis back three times. Overall, 17% of their 93-run stand came in singles.”I couldn’t just get singles because I really thought of his injury,” du Plessis explained. “It felt like we would either have to get a dot ball or a boundary but after a couple of overs, we settled in and got used to it. It was actually quite nice, because we could just stroll through the wickets. Usually I am always trying to sprint.”He was particularly impressive on the drive, but what could prove most significant about this du Plessis innings was a display of temperament. When Kallis departed, when he was hit on the hand by Siddle, when he was dropped at mid-wicket, he fought it out and rode his luck. When he could sense that the end of the innings was near, and there was only one wicket left, he launched a few to get South Africa as close as he could.His was an innings that stood in stark contrast to the one of Jacques Rudolph’s earlier. Though Rudolph had taken South Africa to safety on the second evening, he did not last too long on the third morning.Rudolph showed a distinct lack of awareness when he drove Nathan Lyon three times in three overs, twice at great risk. The first time, he moved well to the pitch of the ball and got a four through extra cover. The second time he survived hitting it in the air. The third time, he didn’t. That made it the sixth time in the last seven innings that Rudolph has been dismissed by an offspinner, a worrying trend.With AB de Villiers yet to make a meaningful contribution with the bat as he continues to don the wicket-keeping gloves , South Africa look a little suspect beyond their top four in the line-up. The sensible tactic would be to relieve de Villiers of the extra burden, bring in a specialist keeper and revert back to a six batsmen strategy. At the moment, they only have five in form although they are fielding seven.Although Kallis’ injury could delay such a change, it seems inevitable that it will happen. When that day comes, it will mean one of Rudolph or du Plessis may have to go. After the first innings in Adelaide, it seems clear which one that should be.

West Ham's summer transfer window looks like it is about to heat up, as new manager Julen Lopetegui looks to bolster his side ahead of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign, in an attempt to return to those European places.

After the signings of Max Kilman from Wolves, who previously played under Lopetegui, and Brazilian youngster Luis Guilherme, West Ham still have a number of positions they are looking to improve, such as a right back, left-winger, and a striker.

One of the names being touted for the striker position is Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran. The 20-year-old has been linked to West Ham, Chelsea and Newcastle in recent weeks, with Duran wanting a move to play more first-team football, currently waiting in the shadows of Ollie Watkins.

West Ham transfer news

According to reports from GIVEMESPORT, West Ham are set to attempt a move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney, as Tottenham Hotspur are also keen, and preparing a "lowball offer" for the 28-year-old.

The reports suggest Brentford have slashed their demands for the striker, now looking for under £50m, as the English forward enters the last 12 months of his deal.

It seems West Ham and Tottenham are the last remaining parties interested, after initial interest had been reported from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Toney vs Duran comparison

Thomas Frank has praised Toney, calling the forward "remarkable" back in 2023, after he scored his 20th Premier League goal of the season against Nottingham Forest.

Toney made 17 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring four goals, and providing two assists in 1,449 minutes. However, the season prior, Toney posted an outstanding term, scoring 20 Premier League goals in 33 games, and providing four assists.

So, whilst Duran actually had more G/A involvement in fewer minutes than Toney last season (scoring eight goals, in 1,103 minutes in all competitions), Toney still has the pedigree to fall back on, having scored 20 Premier League goals the season before, which is a highly sought after commodity.

Toney has shown, throughout his time at Brentford, his ability to consistently post goals and assists, managing to translate that exceptional 41 G/A Championship season into back-to-back double-digit G/A seasons in the Premier League.

This is something that could significantly improve West Ham, as the majority of their goals currently come from wide areas, with Jarrod Bowen scoring 16, and Mohammed Kudus scoring eight in the top-flight. Recognised strikers at the club, Michail Antonio and Danny Ings only contributed with seven Premier League strikes, and two assists between them.

Duran is more of a gamble. West Ham would be buying him based on his metrics produced from limited minutes, and the raw ball-striking ability he possesses. His 3.79 shots per 90 on average, 0.95 non-penalty goals per 90, and 3.79 aerials won per 90, all rank above Toney.

However, whilst Duran offers extremely high potential, and excellent performance in key metrics for a striker, Toney offers the experience of doing it consistently at Premier League level. That will be key during Lopetegui's first year at the wheel.

Imagine him & Summerville: West Ham 'close' in on exciting new signing

West Ham looking to add firepower along with Summerville in attack

By
Connor Holden

Jul 23, 2024

Reece James has been subjected to cruel insults by fans after Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca confirmed his latest injury setback.

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• James sidelined with hamstring injury
• Has played just four times this season
• Fans urge James to hang boots up

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Maresca has revealed that James will miss this weekend's clash against Leicester after sustaining a hamstring issue in training. As a result, the ex-Foxes boss says that he is unwilling to risk the right-back, who has only made four appearances this season. He was initially suspended for the first three fixtures of the campaign but was also battling a hamstring injury, and only returned in October. Last season, he made just 11 appearances as he again struggled with hamstring issues, and was forced to undergo surgery.

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  WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

  @EiiScanty said: "It's sad. Great talent gone."

  @Iamhbozz added: "He needs to retire."

  @LullabyWeb3 said: "At this point, he should just retire, he won't be able to walk."

  @TheMahleek added: "Nah, he's so done. This is sad."

  @WillReyner joked: "He'll be back in April 2025 then. Seen this a million times."

  @Half_cast01 concluded: "Bro might be made of glass."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Since the 2019-20 season, James has spent a remarkable amount of time in the treatment room, missing 129 games across the last six seasons. Now, that tally is set to reach at least 130.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  After facing Leicester, Chelsea play Heidenheim in the Europa Conference League and then meet Aston Villa in the Premier League. It remains to be seen if James will be able to play in either of those fixtures.

Fast bowler has been with the squad for four years and is their leading wicket-taker as well

Umar Farooq20-Dec-2021Lahore Qalandars have named Shaheen Shah Afridi as captain for the upcoming PSL season. He replaces Sohail Akhtar, who led the team for the last two seasons. This will the fast bowler’s first time in charge of a team at senior level but he isn’t coming into the job completely cold. He was captain of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas Under-16s at the PCB’s Cricket Stars tournament in 2016.Over the last two years, Afridi has become one of the best players in the world. He has represented Pakistan in 21 Tests, 28 ODIs and 39 T20Is and has been with the Qalandars squad since 2018. In that time, he’s picked up 50 wickets from 37 games, which is a record for the franchise.”Shaheen is our asset and has stuck with us through thick and thin,” Sameen Rana, Qalandars owner and manager, told ESPNcricinfo. “I still remember the day when a young, 18-year-old boy came to Lahore Qalandars for the first time in 2018 and over the years he has developed as one of the finest fast bowlers in the world. He grew with us and helped the franchise to become stronger. He is Pakistan’s top-notch bowler at the moment and over the last three years he gained all the necessary experience playing in all formats of the game. I think this is the best time to give him a chance to show his leadership qualities.”One thing that impressed us all is that he is an excellent learner and I have absolutely no doubt that he will come good as captain. With his performances he has earned enormous respect. It’s a remarkable journey for Shaheen becoming the premium fast bowler and we are extremely happy to be a part of his development first as a player and now allow him to thrive as captain. I wish him very good luck.”As for Afridi, he is relishing the additional responsibility for the forthcoming season. “I am very excited and honoured to accept the role as captain,” Afridi said. “I hope I can give my best as captain. This is a big responsibility and I am happy that they trusted me with this leadership role. Leading a side is the highest role in cricket and equally a privilege for a cricketer. I am grateful to the Lahore Qalandars management and looking forward to the new season next month.”In isolation, Qalandars qualified for the final in 2020, but overall they have struggled to make a mark in the PSL. They have tried various captains in the past, starting with Azhar Ali who was removed from the leadership role in 2016. With most other teams retaining their local core across the first three seasons of the league, Qalandars didn’t have enough options to choose their captain. As a result, they turned to an overseas option in Brendon McCullum before Fakhar Zaman took over as captain.Akhtar, who is uncapped in international cricket, then stepped up as captain over the past two seasons. Under his leadership, Qalandars won the 2018 Abu Dhabi T20 trophy and finished runners-up in the PSL in 2020, but lost their way last year when they finished fifth in the six-team league earlier this year.Akhtar, however, is still an integral part of Qalandars’ core group having been retained by the franchise ahead of the draft.

Graham Ford knows his players won’t have enough preparation time on the tour of Australia, but he is confident of the talent and determination they will bring to the field

Interview by Andrew Fernando26-Nov-2012You came on board after a period of tumult for the team. What was the mood like in the dressing room when you came in?
We went off to Australia [for the 2012 CB Series] as soon as I got started, and possibly there was a bit of uncertainty and instability, but that was hard for me to really gauge. I can only say good things about the group of players I had with me, as to how they applied themselves and stuck together as a group. If anyone had brought in any problems from the past, it might have had a detrimental effect, but no one did.Maybe it was a good thing that we were touring away from Sri Lanka and the group had to stick together. I was very fortunate in that the senior group of players were highly knowledgeable, and knowledgeable of Australian conditions. They passed on lots of advice and they all took it on themselves to contribute.The assistant coaches helped a great deal as well, in making my sudden arrival to a very important tour a smooth one.Has your coaching style changed over the years?
When you first start coaching, you’ve kind of got your own one style. As you get involved with more and more teams and coach at different levels, you adapt your style to the group that you’re working with. A group with a lot of older players requires a different approach to a young team.It’s the first time that I’ve ever coached with a full support staff – batting coach, bowling coach, fielding coach, etc. That’s made the role a bit different but it’s allowed us to give the players the ideal back-up that they require. The language barrier comes up from time to time. Some of the guys understand English better than others, and that’s where the assistant coaches are valuable.I don’t think there has been a huge change to my style of coaching. I’ve always shown huge respect to the players and their ability. I’ve not only passed on knowledge but I’ve learnt a great deal from the players along the way.When you coached South Africa, you had a few older players in the team and you were bringing in younger players with an eye to the future. Has that experience helped you coach Sri Lanka, who are in a similar place?
It’s a good situation to be in, to have that senior core and to have the younger guys learn off them. As coaches we can use those senior guys to help pass on certain messages and reinforce certain messages. And the senior guys are also able to make us aware of the difficulties in a certain situation. For any young guy in a pressure-cooker situation, to have an experienced guy batting with him or next to him when he’s bowling, makes a huge difference. The learning happens that much quicker.Have you found that Sri Lankan cricketers require a different approach?
Not really. It’s just a group of cricketers coming together to perform as well as they can, and that’s what you’ll find anywhere around the world. What I do find with Sri Lankan cricketers is that they have an incredible amount of fight on the playing field. No matter how tough the situation gets, or how badly the chips are down, they are always in for the fight. I’ve seen some magnificent fights out there, when the game has been really hard and they’ve fought and showed character and turned the match. That comes through to me as a special feature of Sri Lankan cricket.What have you made of the cricket philosophy in Sri Lanka, where uniqueness is encouraged and over-coaching is strongly avoided?
I’d like to see a bit more of that. I just think that is one of the great strengths of Sri Lankan cricket. Players have found slightly unorthodox and slightly different ways to do things and they’ve proved to be huge weapons. There’s a wonderful amount of talent within the country, and we’ve got to make sure that those natural players are developed and they use whatever it is that’s slightly different to give us the edge.The team is going through a shift in leadership at the moment and Angelo Mathews is at the centre of that. What would you like to see from him in the immediate future?
He’s a very natural leader, and we saw that in the Sri Lankan Premier League. He’ll gradually get the chance to take over the leadership reins. Mahela [Jayawardene] is brilliant at passing on captaincy advice to him. [Mathews] is already quite a way down the line to being a captain because he is a natural leader.

“I’m told that a lot of the pitches in the domestic competition are still pretty much the traditional Sri Lankan wickets. I don’t think at the moment it’s going to assist the development of slightly different players that we would like to have”

He has quite often shown himself to be a very mature cricketer and has a very cool head. He seems to be the guy for the big pressure situations, which is a huge asset. You’re looking for a captain to be a guy who leads from the front all the time. He does that with bat and ball. He has huge respect from the younger guys, which is also a crucial element to leadership.He’s quite young for a Sri Lankan captain. Is he being phased in at the right time? Are there concerns the captaincy could hinder his development?
I think there has been a lot of consideration of that. Yes, he is young, which, on one hand, is quite exciting. But on the other hand, if you look at the amount of cricket he has played, not just international cricket but with IPLs and the other things going on, he’s played a lot, swapped thoughts and ideas with a lot of huge international stars, so he’s well down the line in terms of acquiring knowledge and experience and probably has a much wiser and more experienced head than his age suggests. I don’t think that’s a problem, and I certainly don’t think he’s the kind of guy that will let captaincy affect his own performances.Dinesh Chandimal has played very well in England, South Africa and Australia, but not so well at home. Is there a reason for that?
He has performed superbly, and some of the good performances away have maybe raised expectations back home. He is a young guy developing his game. Marvan Atapattu works very closely with him in developing his game. It is a tough world out there and he’s not always going to be successful. Sometimes the 20-over cricket and the 50-over cricket does depend on the kind of opportunity you get, and you can’t get everyone a perfect opportunity. He’s maybe missed out once or twice in getting a decent go where he might have been able to build an innings. But he understands and the coaching staff believes he has the credentials to become a batsman who can play in all formats of the game and play for Sri Lanka for a long time.Sri Lanka have now lost four World Cup and World Twenty20 finals. Do you see a common theme in those losses?
The one thing that’s going to be hard for Sri Lankan cricket is that the passion for cricket and the passion for winning is so great and what comes with that is massive disappointment when success is not achieved. The whole nation felt those losses very heavily. With that happening, the pressure does mount up. If I think back to when Sri Lanka won the World Cup for the first time, the expectations weren’t nearly as high. Just getting to the final was seen as a major achievement. Now the expectation is very real. If we get into a final again, that’s going to be something that is addressed.Other teams have sports psychologists. Is there any merit to Sri Lanka following suit?
I don’t know whether it’s required for a long-term involvement, but I think for specific little projects, such as a final, where we know now that there is this real pressure, and major drama when the success doesn’t come, it might be worth addressing some of those issues and talking about them.Sri Lanka hurts more than most other countries in the world do when success doesn’t come. Going down this road isn’t necessarily going to win you the game. You’ve still got to go out onto the field and play. If you look at what did happen – Marlon Samuels had an absolute blinder [in the World Twenty20 final] and turned the match on its head. You can prepare and have someone working with the emotions of the team, etc. but that’s not going to guarantee victory. But it should clear some of the pressure from the minds of players.”You’re looking for a captain to be a guy who leads from the front all the time. Angelo does that with bat and ball”•ICC/GettyThe international pitches in Sri Lanka have changed over the last 18 months, and there are a few tracks around now with a bit of pace and bounce. Do you see this helping produce different kinds of cricketers than those Sri Lanka have had in the past?
I think the concern at the moment is that we need those sorts of pitches at the first-class level. I haven’t been around the domestic situation to assess it, but I’m told that a lot of the pitches in the domestic competition are still pretty much the traditional Sri Lankan wicket. I don’t think at the moment it’s going to assist the development of slightly different players that we would like to have. I do know that the board is very aware of the importance of quality pitches at first-class level and I think they’re putting plans in place to try and improve those pitches to help bring on players of various disciplines.With a tour of Australia on the horizon, fast bowling becomes important. Sri Lanka’s pace attack has been in some flux. What are they missing at the moment?
Unfortunately what we’ve had are injury problems, and we haven’t had a settled unit. We’ll go into these Tests hoping to try and develop a settled unit – one that can bowl with good discipline. We’re probably not going to blow sides away with express pace. If we bowl with good discipline and with the tactical awareness provided by Mahela’s captaincy, we can surprise sides, and it doesn’t have to be in home conditions.What does Sri Lanka need to do in the longer term to develop fast bowlers who are a threat in the faster, bouncier conditions?
I think the importance of developing good fast bowlers has become even more crucial now in limited-overs cricket, with the two new balls and the two bouncers coming in. The tighter fielding restrictions will make it more difficult for spinners as well. It gets back to getting some decent surfaces in our first-class cricket to ensure fast bowlers get a decent workload in first-class cricket and are of real value there. If they perform well, that’s also going to sharpen up our batsmen travelling abroad.The fast-bowling coaches and the board are very aware of the challenges of bringing on fast bowlers and there are a few plans in place to start trying to set up some emerging player programmes which would focus on the types of skills we need.Sri Lanka only play one warm-up match in Australia after having played at home for a while. How difficult will it be to adjust to the conditions?
Ideally, if you’re going to Australia, you’d like to have a month or so – perhaps even longer – of preparation, set up some camps and some conditions that are going to be similar, and really work on what’s going to be required. Unfortunately modern itineraries don’t allow for that. Once we get there we’re going to have to work very, very hard. The coaches have been keeping an eye on certain skills and techniques that are going to be important in Australia, and we’re touching up on those as we go along. But the schedule that we’ve got is not ideal, and we’re well aware of that.

Manchester City made history when they won the club's first treble in the 2022/23 campaign by securing the Premier League title, the FA Cup, and the Champions League.

It was also the first Champions League trophy for the Cityzens as Pep Guardiola and his men ran riot on all fronts to showcase their dominance domestically and in Europe.

Despite their incredible season, City opted to dip into the transfer market to splash the cash on new signings to bolster the manager's squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku, Mateo Kovacic, and Matheus Nunes were all brought in, whilst Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, and Cole Palmer were allowed to depart.

Whilst Gvardiol, who started 26 Premier League matches, and Kovacic, who played in 30 of the club's 38 league games, played important roles in the club's title success, Nunes did not enjoy as successful a debut season at The Etihad.

Guardiola could now land an upgrade on the former Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielders by securing a deal to sign one of the club's reported transfer targets.

Man City's interest in Premier League star

According to TEAMtalk, Manchester City are one of the teams interested in a potential deal to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle United this summer.

The report claims that the Brazil international had a release clause in his contract that would have allowed him to move on for a fee of £100m before the end of June.

That clause has now expired and any club wanting to sign the former Lyon starlet would need to negotiate a fee with the Magpies for his services.

TEAMtalk states that there is confidence from City sources that they would be able to secure an agreement with Newcastle for a fee in the region of £80m, £20m less than his expired release clause.

It adds that fellow Premier League title challengers Arsenal are also interested in the Brazilian maestro and also believe that they could sign Guimaraes for £80m.

However, the outlet reveals that the right-footed gem, who was signed from Lyon for £40m in January 2022, is currently happy at St. James' Park and is in no rush to seal an exit from Tyneside.

TEAMtalk reports that both Arsenal and City do believe that he would be interested in playing for them, though, and that a move to The Etihad is the most likely option for him if he does decide to call time on his spell with Newcastle.

If Guardiola can convince the talented whiz to join his squad before the end of the summer then he could come in as a big upgrade on Nunes in midfield.

Matheus Nunes' underwhelming season

The Cityzens reportedly splashed out a mega fee of £53m to sign the Portugal international from fellow Premier League side Wolves last summer.

Instead of hitting the ground running as a key first-team player for the Spanish boss, Nunes struggled to prove that he was ready to be a regular in the team.

The 25-year-old midfielder should be in the prime years of his career, as he is not a young player in the early years of his senior journey, but did not show enough to suggest that he is going to be crucial for City next term.

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese flop only started nine of the club's 38 league matches and only featured in 19 in total – missing out on getting on the pitch in the other 19 games.

He only contributed with two goal involvements – two assists – in those 19 matches, which shows that the former Wolves ace struggled to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch.

His lack of physicality out of possession was also evident with a duel success rate of just 49%. This shows that opposition players found it too easy to get the better of him in physical contests, on the deck and in the air.

That may have contributed to Guardiola opting not to use him week-in-week-out in the Premier League, as he could not be relied upon in duels or to contribute in the final third.

Why Man City should sign Bruno Guimaraes

The Cityzens should now swoop to sign Guimaraes from Newcastle on a permanent deal for £80m this summer as he is a proven performer who could come in and hit the ground running at The Etihad.

He has been a fantastic player in the middle of the park for the Magpies in recent seasons and played a crucial role in their qualification for the Champions League in the 2022/23 campaign.

The Brazilian star produced four goals and five assists in 32 Premier League starts that term to help them to finish fourth in the division, sealing a place in Europe's premier cup competition.

Guimaraes followed that up with a string of outstanding displays in midfield for Eddie Howe's side last season, albeit they failed to finish inside the top four for a second season in succession.

As you can see in the table above, the Magpies sensation offered far more to his team in and out of possession than Nunes did for City in his first year with the club.

The Newcastle ace, who was described as "special" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, proved himself to carry a big threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, which is something the Portuguese flop failed to do.

He also showcased his ability out of possession with 2.2 more tackles and interceptions combined per match and a higher success rate in his physical duels.

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By
Tom Cunningham

Jul 10, 2024

These statistics suggest that Guimaraes would come in as an immediate upgrade on Nunes, as he is a better player who offers more on and off the ball in a central midfield role, and that is why City should swoop to sign him.

County responds to allegations from former players, in wake of chairman’s resignation

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Nov-2021Essex have become the second county club after Yorkshire to set up an investigation into historic allegations of racism, with the appointment of Katharine Newton QC to oversee proceedings.Newton is described in a statement from the club as “an experienced and highly regarded practitioner who appears regularly in the employment tribunal, High Court and the appellate courts, including the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court”.”Ms Newton has over 20 years’ practice in employment law and notably led the investigation into the allegations of race discrimination and bullying against the manager of the England Women football team in 2017,” the statement continues.”Essex Cricket reiterated that the club has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and any form of discrimination. The appointment of such an eminent legal figure underscores the club’s determination that all allegations, regardless of when they took place, will be investigated thoroughly and independently.”The club’s move follows the recent resignation of chairman John Faragher, who was accused of using racist language during a board meeting – a charge he denies.Two former players have since spoken out about their treatment at Essex, with the Jamaica-born fast bowler Maurice Chambers telling the Cricketer that he was repeatedly abused by two players and a senior coach, and taunted with bananas.Zoheb Sharif, a former batter, told Sky News he had been nicknamed “the Bomber” after making his debut in the wake of the September 11 attacks in 2001, and told he would never be picked for the first XI.In a statement issued in response to Chambers’ allegation, Essex chief executive John Stephenson said he was “extremely disappointed to hear of further historic racial allegations” which made “distressing reading”. None of the individuals were still involved with the club, he added.In keeping with other clubs in the wake of Azeem Rafiq’s revelations, Essex has set up a reporting channel for anyone who wishes to talk about their experiences with the club.Anyone concerned can contact the club, anonymously if they wish, by emailing [email protected].