Lamine Yamal is not allowed to play in extra time should the Euro 2024 final head there.
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Endrick has been given some advice after looking “nervous” in a Clasico clash with Barcelona following his transfer to Real Madrid.
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Trey Yesavage made history during the Blue Jays’ win in Game 5 of the World Series against the Dodgers. The rookie, who only made his first MLB start in September and started the year at Single-A, dominated on the road in Los Angeles, striking out 12 batters across a seven-inning outing.
No one was more fired up for the 22-year-old than veteran starting pitcher Max Scherzer. After a big double play got Toronto out of the seventh inning, Scherzer could be seen on the bench going ballistic. The 41-year-old was smacking the railing inside the dugout and proceeded to throw his sunflower seeds in excitement.
Have a look:
Scherzer could then be seen speaking to Yesavage in the dugout, clearly still amped by his impressive performance.
When you have a three-time Cy Young winner and two-time World Series champion acting like that in the dugout, you know you’re putting on a show. And that’s exactly what Yesavage did on the mound Wednesday night.
The rookie had all three of his signature pitches working to perfection. His combination of his fastball, slider and splitter, mixed with his unique release point, was a puzzle the Dodgers’ lineup was simply unable to solve.
Scherzer was loving every minute of it from his viewing point in the dugout, and he couldn’t contain his excitement after the inning-ending double play.
In the games that followed Chelsea's defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Christmas Eve, Mauricio Pochettino appeared as if he was starting to steady the ship and to give him credit, winning five of seven games and securing the Blues a place in the League Cup final was genuinely impressive.
However, the Pensioners' previous two Premier League games have utterly eviscerated any feeling of goodwill starting to spring up around Stamford Bridge.
The first saw the Blues fall to a 4-1 defeat away to Anfield that could, and maybe should, have been worse, and then on Sunday, Pochettino oversaw his side lose 4-2 at home to Wolves.
With the fans now chanting the name of former owner Roman Abramovich at home games and the results being what they are, it is starting to feel like the Argentine is on borrowed time in west London. Still, with an FA Cup Fourth Round replay up next, he has a slim chance of earning more time.
With so much resting on this meeting with Aston Villa, the former Tottenham Hotspur manager is unlikely to make too many drastic changes to his starting XI, with at most two personnel and one positional change to the side that lost on the weekend.
GK – Đorđe Petrović
The man between the sticks for Chelsea on Wednesday night will be Đorđe Petrović.
The Serbian international was given a chance following Robert Sanchez's injury against Everton in December and has been rather impressive ever since.
The only other fit shot stoppers in the squad are Marcus Bettinelli and Lucas Bergstrom, and it feels unlikely that they would be given a chance in such an important game.
RB – Alfie Gilchrist
The first change comes at right-back, as the performance of Malo Gusto on Sunday was so dreadful that Pochettino simply has to drop him for Villa.
The former Lyon man gave away a penalty and was given a 3/10 for his performance by The Standard's Nizaar Kinsella as he 'kept putting Chelsea in danger with his passing.'
After performing admirably against Villa in the FA Cup last month, Alfie Gilchrist also deserves another start in the team.
Plus, if club legend John Terry thinks he's "unbelievable", he must have something about him.
CB – Axel Disasi
Keeping his place in the side at right centre-back is former AS Monaco man Axel Disasi.
However, this decision is more down to a lack of quality alternatives than anything else.
The Frenchman wasn't great on Sunday, but Levi Colwill is still out, and the performance of Benoît Badiashile against Liverpool was genuinely shambolic, with pundit Gabby Agbonlahor particularly scathing of the Frenchman's performance on The Sports Breakfast (via GOAL), saying: "Badiashile, the centre half, he gave probably the worst centre-half performance I've seen in the Premier League in the last two seasons."
CB – Thiago Silva
Another defensive survivor from Sunday's massacre at the Bridge is Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star got on the scoresheet and is still one of Pochettino's more reliable players.
Considering he has started 91% of the team's league games, it would be shocking if he were rested for a match as important as this.
LB – Ben Chilwell
With no Colwill or Marc Cucurella to call upon, it's Ben Chilwell who'll likely be given the nod to start at left-back.
The former Leicester City man has only started 26% of the team's league games this season, but that is more down to his poor injury record than anything to do with how Pochettino rates him.
DM – Moises Caicedo
Now, this could be a controversial choice given his abysmal showing on Sunday, but Moises Caicedo is still likely to start in midfield on Wednesday evening.
The Ecuadorian may have picked up an assist against Wolves, but The Standard's Kinsella gave him a 3/10 for his performance, citing that he 'was caught in possession multiple times, including for Cunha's equaliser.'
Ultimately, there aren't many other options to pick instead of the 22-year-old and with his label as the most expensive Premier League signing ever hanging over his head, he needs to play himself back into form.
DM – Enzo Fernández
Unsurprisingly, Enzo Fernández will form the pairing at the heart of Chelsea's midfield against Villa.
The World Cup winner struggled like the rest of his side on Sunday, but considering his importance to the team and the fact that he has started 100% of FA Cup games thus far and 78% of Premier League games, it would be shocking not to see him involved from the first whistle at Villa Park.
CAM – Conor Gallagher
Disappointing on Sunday, but a firm fan favourite nonetheless and a tireless runner for Pochettino, Conor Gallagher keeps his place as the side's primary attacking midfielder on Wednesday.
However, he'll have to do a lot better in possession than he did against Wolves, as his clumsiness is why Kinsella could only give him a 4/10.
RM – Cole Palmer
If there is a Chelsea player who'll likely come out of this season with a better reputation than they started it with, it's Cole Palmer.
The former Manchester City youngster joined the Blues in the summer and has arguably been the one bright spot in their season – registering 21 goals and assists in all competitions.
He was on the scoresheet again on Sunday, so it would be utterly perplexing if he didn't start on the right-hand side again at Villa Park.
LM – Christopher Nkunku
The second significant change to the starting line-up will come on the left-hand side, as Christopher Nkunku replaces Raheem Sterling.
The Englishman had a shocker against Wolves on Sunday and missed a golden opportunity to pull the Blues level in the game, something Kinsella noted when giving him a 4/10.
Nkunku didn't have the best of times up front either, but he needs time to adapt to the Premier League, and with plenty of experience playing on the left wing in the past, he seems like the logical replacement for Sterling.
The two-tier system, of six franchise teams and 15 provincial affiliates, will remain in place with fewer matches
Firdose Moonda25-Mar-2020South African domestic cricket will face a slightly shorter 2020-21 season with a reduction of fixtures for the franchise competition as Cricket South Africa seeks to cut costs following a tough 12 months. The organisation is forecasting losses of millions of Rands after sponsor withdrawal, an inability to sell two editions’ worth of broadcast rights for the Mzansi Super League (MSL) and loss-making incoming tours in the 2018-19 summer and the pinch is being felt in the local game, which depends on CSA finances to operate.The two-tier system, of six franchise teams and 15 provincial affiliates, will remain in place with fewer matches and discussions on a possible restructure ahead of the 2021-22 season are ongoing while flagship T20 competition, the MSL is likely to continue, but may also see a curtailed fixture list.CSA, while still under suspended CEO Thabang Moroe, had initially planned to eliminate the franchise set-up for the 2020-21 season and create a domestic system of 12 teams. The South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) challenged that motion in court, claiming they were not consulted about the changes and that around 70 players would lose their jobs.The matter dragged on for several months during which time Moroe was temporarily succeeded by Dr Jacques Faul, who was able to re-engage SACA. On agreement that the domestic structure would be retained for the coming summer, SCA withdrew legal action against CSA and the two parties remain in discussions about the best way to structure domestic cricket.For the 2020-21 season, the status quo largely remains. The six franchise will play a four-day first-class and fifty-over competition while the provincial teams will play three-day cricket, which will also be classified as first-class for all teams apart from Mpumalanga and Limpopo, and a fifty-over one-day competition.However, instead of each franchise playing 10 first-class and 10 fifty-over matches per season (home and away games against each of the other five teams) as was the case in previous seasons, they will be divided into two groups of three and will play seven matches each. This will include home and away matches against each of the teams in their own group, for a total of four matches, and only one match against the three teams in the other group.Both competitions will be decided by a playoff match between the top two teams in each group to decide the title. Previously, the first-class competition trophy was awarded to the team at the top of the points’ table after all 10 rounds of competition, or eight in the case of this season, with the final two rounds suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic. The reduction of fixtures will enable CSA to save money on transport and accommodation costs, which is particularly important in the case of the first-class competition that has been without a sponsor for two seasons.The provincial teams remain divided into two groups of eight and seven teams and will play a single round of fixtures. They will also feature in a new 40-over knockout competition which will include the 15 provinces and the South African under-19 side. While there is no T20 competition at the provincial level, CSA will introduce a Super Club T20 competition which will be contested by the top six university teams and three teams from the community cup.South Africa’s domestic season is expected to start in September and squad and fixture lists are currently being planned. Although all cricket in the country was put on hold for 60 days last week as a response to Covid-19, CSA is hopeful that play will be possible when the summer starts, in about six months’ time. There have already been some significant player signings with Cobras’ quick Thando Ntini moving upcountry to the Titans and white-ball international Lutho Sipamla leaving the Warriors for the Lions. Final squads are expected to be released by the end of the month.
David Moyes may not have been everyone’s cup of tea at West Ham United, but no one can deny how much he transformed them during his spell, notably steering the club to European glory in 2023.
With Julen Lopetegui under some pressure, was moving Moyes on perhaps a tad hasty? Of course, feelings are mixed regarding the former manager, especially with some of his final few signings in charge.
James Ward-Prowse cost the club £30m last summer from Southampton but failed to live up to this fee at the London Stadium and was loaned to Nottingham Forest ahead of the current campaign.
Kalvin Phillips joined in January 2024 on a loan deal from Manchester City, with the Irons paying a loan fee and covering his wages during this temporary spell. The Englishman made just ten appearances for the club in what was a disastrous signing by Moyes.
One of his worst pieces of transfer business, especially in terms of value for money, was spending £15m to sign Danny Ings from Aston Villa.
Ings was fairly critical of his time at Villa Park, dubbing his maiden season in the Midlands as “underwhelming” after scoring just seven goals in 30 appearances for the club.
Although Moyes needed some more attacking reinforcements when he signed Ings nearly two years ago, the English striker was hardly going to be prolific under him.
|
Danny Ings’ stats in the Premier League for West Ham – 2024/25 |
|
|---|---|
|
Goals |
1 |
|
Minutes |
55 |
|
Total shots per game |
0.8 |
|
Total duels won per game |
2.8 |
|
Possession lost per game |
1.5 |
|
Key passes per game |
0.3 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
Indeed, during his first six months, the former Liverpool centre-forward managed to score just two Premier League goals across 17 matches.
The 2023/24 campaign – his first full season at West Ham – was somehow even worse. Ings started only three times in the top flight, scoring a solitary goal against Burnley, a team who would be relegated.
It is clear that his time in London has been dismal. Ings was arguably one of Moyes’ worst-ever signings for the Irons, especially over his final 18 months in charge.
The Englishman’s market value has, unsurprisingly, dropped drastically since he moved to the club in January 2023.
Paying £15m for a striker who was clearly past their best was a terrible error of judgement by Moyes and the club are now paying for this move.
Indeed, according to Football Transfers, Ings is currently worth just €1.8m (£1.5m), which represents a major dip from the fee the club shelled out for him a little over 18 months ago.
His contract expires at the end of the season, but will West Ham be able to sell him in January? Especially considering how low his value is at this moment in time.
If not, he will likely be released next summer, with the club wasting money on paying his wages even though he is failing to contribute.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
The 33-year-old has scored just once this term from six appearances, starting only one of those games as Lopetegui prefers the likes of Michail Antonio to be unleashed in the starting XI.
There is no doubt Ings has been one of the worst signings the club has made recently, costing them a fortune in the process.
West Ham eyeing Lopetegui upgrade with "one of the best styles" in Europe
West Ham could make a managerial change should they lose in the Premier League this weekend.
By
Ethan Lamb
Nov 8, 2024
Jhye Richardson faces a fitness race but Sydney Sixers will have Steven Smith available
Tristan Lavalette23-Jan-2023Spinner Ashton Agar will not be available for the BBL finals series as he prepares for Australia’s upcoming Test tour of India, while injured quick Jhye Richardson remains in doubt for the blockbuster qualifying final between arch-rivals Perth Scorchers and Sydney Sixers.Defending champions Scorchers locked up top spot on the BBL ladder with a dramatic 10-run victory over Melbourne Renegades at Optus Stadium.The result secured Scorchers a home qualifying final against Sixers on Saturday with a bumper crowd of around 45,000 expected. The winner will host the grand final on February 4.Sixers will have Steven Smith available for the qualifier with CA releasing 11 of the tour squad for the first week of the finals.Frontline spinner Agar was a curious omission from Scorchers’ line-up against Renegades in such a high stakes contest, but his unavailability for the finals series swayed the team’s hierarchy to select 19-year-old spinning allrounder Cooper Connolly. Agar is required to attend a pre-tour camp in Sydney before the squad flies to India.Related
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Connolly, a former Australia Under-19 captain, did not bowl against a surging Renegades, who almost mowed down a huge target of 213, with captain Ashton Turner shouldering the bulk of the spin bowling load. Peter Hatzoglou was later a concussion replacement for Matthew Kelly.”Once we got confirmation that Ash wasn’t going to be available for our final here on Saturday, we felt now was the opportunity for him to start his prep for the Test tour,” Scorchers coach Adam Voges said.”We’ve talked a lot with Ash through the back half of this campaign about how we can help keep preparing him for what’s coming up as well as what’s in front of him at the moment.We wouldn’t have done that without his blessing. I fully understand how important this upcoming tour of India is for him and him wanting to get the best possible preparation. It wasn’t really an issue at all.”
David Warner: Eliminator and Knockout
Usman Khawaja: Eliminator and Knockout
Marnus Labuschagne: Eliminator and Knockout
Steven Smith: Qualifier
Travis Head: Eliminator and Knockout
Matt Renshaw: Eliminator and Knockout
Peter Handscomb: Eliminator (Knockout only if hosted by Thunder)
Alex Carey: Eliminator and Knockout
Ashton Agar: Unavailable
Nathan Lyon: Qualifier
Todd Murphy: Unavailable
Mitchell Swepson: Eliminator (Knockout only if hosted by Thunder)
Lance Morris: Qualifier
Richardson had been earmarked to return from a hamstring injury in time for the finals series, but will need to prove his fitness.Prior to his latest setback suffered against Sydney Thunder on January 4, Richardson had been in hot form with 15 wickets in seven games marked by rapid bowling nudging 150kph.A nagging heel injury consigned him to the sidelines for an extended period ahead of the BBL season.”He hasn’t got the final tick off yet,” Voges said. “We’re all really hopeful he’ll be available for Saturday. Once he is declared fit then I”ve got no issues with bringing him back in. But he’s still got a bit to do.”Speedster Lance Morris could also bolster Scorchers’ attack after missing the Renegades clash due to illness. Unlike Agar, Morris is available for selection against Sixers before he departs for Australia’s tour of India.A spot in Scorchers’ attack might open up after Kelly suffered a nasty blow to his face in a bizarre fielding mishap and he had to be substituted out of the match under concussion rules.”I’m sure he’ll go through those [concussion] protocols,” Voges said. “Hopefully he’ll be available for Saturday, but we’ll just wait and see.”Scorchers will give Jhye Richardson every chance to prove his fitness•Getty Images
It’s been a season of resilience for a ravaged Scorchers, who finished on top of the ladder with 11 wins despite instability.English recruits Tymal Mills, Phil Salt and Laurie Evans did not play a single match for various reasons, and so too star allrounders Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green due to injuries.Having memorably clinched last season’s title after playing just one home match due to strict Covid-19 border controls in Western Australia, Scorchers are eyeing another triumph under adversity.”Proud is a really good word,” said Voges, who described how he felt about his team. “You lose your three international players that you pick up in the draft, you lose Mitch Marsh on the eve of the tournament. To be honest, going in, I wasn’t entirely sure how we were going to go.”He paid tribute to the team’s remarkable depth and identified the emergence of top-order batters Aaron Hardie and Cameron Bancroft, who were fringe players in previous seasons, as key to Scorchers maintaining their status as a competition powerhouse alongside Sixers.”We’ve had guys step up, we’ve had guys contribute in different games,” Voges said. “We’ve always prided ourselves on our depth within our squad and we’ve certainly had to utilise it within this tournament. It’s great to get over the line and earn a home final.”
Footage from Barcelona’s Camp Nou construction site shows that stadium renovation plans remain way behind schedule.
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The Men’s IPL, meanwhile, is likely to begin on April 1
Nagraj Gollapudi09-Dec-2022IPL 2023 is likely to begin on April 1, while the inaugural season of the Women’s IPL is likely to be played from March 3 to 26 with both tournaments to be played in India. While the BCCI is yet to formalise the dates, it has earmarked a window for the WIPL with the tournament set to start a week after the 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup final, which is scheduled to be played on February 26 in Cape Town.As for the IPL, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the BCCI is working out the availability of overseas players before it finalises the end date for the 10-team tournament, which will return to the home-and-away format that was shelved due to constraints imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is likely that the BCCI would want to wrap up the IPL by the end of May since England are scheduled to play Ireland in a one-off Test at Lord’s from June 1 to 4. A few days later, The Oval will host the second ICC World Test Championship final – which India have a chance of contesting – while the Ashes begin from June 16.Related
Women's IPL – All you need to know about the bidding process and auction
Healy – 'Women's IPL is going to change women's cricket for the better'
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Women's IPL franchises to be unveiled on January 25
BCCI set to launch five-team women's IPL in March 2023
On Friday the BCCI announced the media-rights tender for the first five seasons of the WIPL, 2023 to 2027. While the last date for picking up the tender is December 31, 2022, it is learned that the bids will be opened around January 8. The BCCI has decided to adopt the closed-bid process instead of an e-auction. While further details will emerge once the bidders pick up the tender document it is learned the BCCI has not set any base price for each of the three categories for which rights will be sold: television, digital, and a combination of the two.In October this year the BCCI shared with its members – the state associations – a plan for the WIPL, which was ratified at the board’s Annual General Meeting.According to the plan, the league will be contested by five franchise teams playing a total of 22 matches. Each squad can have up to 18 players, with a maximum of six overseas players, and each playing XI can include five overseas players (four from Full Member countries and one from an Associate nation).In the league phase of the WIPL, each team will play the other twice (a total of 20 matches), and the table topper will progress straight to the final. The teams that finish second and third in the league will play an Eliminator to determine the second finalist.According to the BCCI’s timelines, the next step would be inviting bids for the five franchises. Unlike the men’s IPL, where franchises bid for teams in a particular city, the BCCI had drafted two initial plans for the WIPL. The first one was to sell teams across six zones spanning the country. A set of cities in each zone has been shortlisted and comprises: Dharamsala/Jammu (North zone), Pune/Rajkot (West), Indore/Nagpur/Raipur (Central), Ranchi/Cuttack (East), Kochi/Visakhapatnam (South) and Guwahati (North-East).The second plan involves teams being sold but without a solid home base, with matches to be played at six shortlisted IPL venues: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.The final leg of the process involves the assembling of squads and the BCCI is yet to finalise whether this will be done via an auction or a draft. Player availability will remain a concern considering the WIPL could clash with the inaugural season of the Women’s Pakistan Super League (WPSL). While the PCB is yet to release a final plan for the tournament, March 18 has been earmarked as the date of the WPSL final.
Everton had to sell a few players during the summer transfer window in order to comply with the Premier League’s financial fair play regulations.
This saw the likes of Amadou Onana, Lewis Dobbin and Ben Godfrey all leave Goodison Park, allowing Sean Dyche to balance the books.
Onana in particular has been a big miss, particularly with the Belgian beginning to showcase his talents for Aston Villa over the first few months of the season.
The Belgian has played 14 games for his new club, scoring three goals already, becoming a key member of Unai Emery’s starting XI.
Onana has notably been a shining light in the Champions League, starring on the biggest continental stage of all. As well as scoring once, he has averaged a pass success rate of 95%, winning 65% of his total duels per game and completing 100% of his dribble attempts.
His transition from the Premier League to Europe has been seamless and, despite securing a fee of around £50m, Dyche will regret letting him leave.
|
Onana league stats at Aston Villa |
|
|---|---|
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Big chances created |
0 |
|
Pass success rate per game |
90% |
|
Total duels won per game |
5.4 |
|
Touches per game |
44.1 |
|
Possession lost per game |
4.8 |
|
Via Sofascore |
|
That said, he isn’t the only former Toffee at Villa Park who the Merseyside outfit should regret seeing leave through the exit door.
The club must also rue selling a defender under Rafa Benitez who is now undergoing a resurgence in recent months – Lucas Digne.
The Frenchman joined the Toffees in 2018, arriving from Barcelona, and over the next three and half seasons, he would go on to make 127 appearances for the club in the process.
In January 2022, however, Benitez was looking to raise some funds for future signings, which meant a player or two had to be sold.
Just days before the manager was sacked, Villa duly spent £25m to sign the French defender nearly three years ago, rescuing him from Benitez. Now, this season, the former Barcelona star has undergone somewhat of a resurgence.
In the Premier League this term for the Midlands side, Digne has not only scored twice but has also created eight big chances, averaging 1.3 key passes per game and averaged 0.5 shots per game, proving his worth going forward.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
Having a left-back Emery can trust has made a huge difference to the Frenchman’s confidence, which has seen his performances improve from those of last term.
He was even called up to the France squad for the latest Nations League matches, playing a starring role against Italy.
The former Everton defender played the entire 90 minutes as he registered two assists, made four tackles, made two key passes and even hit the woodwork during the 3-1 victory over the Italians.
This led to praise from Villa journalist John Townley, who said: “When Unai Emery joined Aston Villa two years ago, he wanted “more in everything” from Digne. Now he’s probably in the form of his life.”
While £25m at the time was a reasonable fee for Digne, Everton must now rue selling the defender who has been excellent for club and country this season.
10 duels lost: Everton's 20-touch star had a shocker for his country
Everton players have performed well during international duty, aside from one…
By
Ross Kilvington
Nov 16, 2024