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Mohammad Amir opens up on his strategy against Australia that fetched him his maiden career ODI five-wicket haul

Danyal Rasool13-Jun-2019Mohammad Amir’s spell against Australia was one of the few bright moments on a day that, for Pakistan fans, proved grey in more ways than one.Under overcast conditions at Taunton, Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed looked especially pleased to have won the toss and put Australia in; Pakistan had left out their ace spinner Shadab Khan specifically for this eventuality. The joy would soon evaporate, however, as Australia put on 146 for the first wicket in 22 overs, looking well on track for a total above 350 on a pitch where the par score was at least 75 runs below that.That they didn’t manage to get there was thanks almost solely to one man, Amir needing to come up with career-best figures – including a first ever five-wicket haul in ODI cricket – to bowl Australia out for 307 in 49 overs. Given the impregnable position they had been in less than two hours earlier, it was an impressive passage of play for Pakistan, and a reminder of why Sarfaraz had opted to bowl first – this was what Pakistan had hoped would transpire for all 50 overs, not just the second half.That Amir would need to fight something of a lone hand was evident in the first five overs, where despite the left-armer having conceded just three runs in his first three, Australia had raced to 27 in the opening 5. Shaheen Afridi, playing in place of Shadab, hadn’t made the selectors look too bright with an opening two overs where he was much too short, far too predictable, and way too inaccurate to complement his colleague at the other end. Perhaps he, or indeed Hasan Ali who followed him, hadn’t figured out the best strategy for the pitch – something Amir said he had sussed out as early as the first over.”As soon as I bowled the first over, I got the idea it wasn’t swinging, it was seaming,” he told the PCB’s official website. “So I was just floating the ball and making sure I put it in the right area instead of putting too much work onto it at the point of release. And the movement it generated came off the seam. It was just a matter of hitting the right areas on this wicket and I did that effectively.”There’s no doubt Australia batted well, but in the first 10-15 overs, we weren’t able to pitch the ball up as consistently as we needed to. I think that might have been the difference between a score of 250-260, and the 300 plus they ended up getting.”The five-wicket haul means Amir is now the leading wicket-taker at the World Cup (10), a remarkable turnaround in form from just a few weeks ago. In the initial squad, named on April 18, Amir had been left out by Pakistan because his ability to strike at the top of the innings had deserted him. Before the first game of the World Cup, he had managed just five ODI wickets in the two years since the end of the 2017 Champions Trophy, and none in the first Powerplay for 17 months – 12 consecutive ODIs. It was his uncanny ability to keep the runscoring down at all stages of an innings, however, that saw him get the nod at the end. At Taunton, he was impressive by both metrics, conceding just thirty runs in ten overs even as Australia ran up a total of 307.Even so, he acknowledged his personal glee was tempered significantly by the 41-run defeat, which leaves Pakistan precious little margin for error if they are to make it to the semi-finals.”It would have been a lot more satiating if we’d won, of course,” Amir admitted. “We have to win every single game now. We can’t lose even one. We have to go into each match with a positive mindset, because pressure exists for every team, not just Pakistan. If we continue to play the positive cricket we played for parts of the Australia game, I’m sure we can win.”

Christian Pulisic has revealed the secret weapon behind his awesome debut season at AC Milan: team-mate Rafael Leao.

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Pulisic has enjoyed excellent seasonStar reflects on his 'secret' weaponWill compete at Copa America with USMNTWHAT HAPPENED?

Pulisic scored a career-best 12 league goals and registered seven assists to help Milan secure a second-place finish in Serie A, while he also scored three and set up one more in European competition. The United States international has received much praise for his performances since joining the Rossoneri from Chelsea last summer, with coach Stefano Pioli expressing his admiration on more than one occasion.

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USMNT supporters will be hoping that the ex-Borussia Dortmund star can bring his excellent form back home when Gregg Berhalter's team host the Copa America this summer. Sadly, however, Pulisic will be without the one factor that he says has helped inspire his improvement – Portuguese sensation Leao.

WHAT PULISIC SAID

"The truth is that I’ve become accustomed to playing on the right, and I’ve been scoring goals thanks to a little secret: it’s called Rafael Leao," he told . "I’ve studied and understood how he moves. Usually, he attracts two or three opponents, so the defense is not so covered on the opposite side. Therefore, I can move towards the middle of the box and I am sure I will receive a perfectly timed pass."

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC?

Pulisic will hope to add more goal contributions to his tally when he and his Milan team-mates come up against Serie A's bottom side Salernitana in their last game of the season on Saturday. Afterwards, he will head back to his homeland to start preparing for the Copa America.

Yuvraj Singh talks about his relationship with his father, his favourite captains, and about how he spurned the offer of a farewell match

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Jun-20192:34

I have made peace with the sport – Yuvraj

On making peace with his father, the former India fast bowler Yograj Singh, with whom he has had a fraught relationshipI think I actually made peace a couple of days ago when I was talking to my father. So I spoke to him and all the demons inside as a younger kid came out. That conversation happened and he said his side of the story. It was a very peaceful moment for me to have that closure and have that chat with him, because I’ve never had that chat with him in the last 20 years. He’s always been like a dragon to me… I think me and my father both have a very different relationship now. We both have grown up. Well I have grown up, I don’t know about him! All his life he has taken off on me in the media, now it’s my time.But yes, I’ve had closure with him. He never appreciated me playing any other sport. He only appreciated if I played cricket. So I said, “So be it.” And luckily for me, later on in my career I started enjoying it and made something good out of it.I think it was a very beautiful moment talking to my father and talking to my mom about my journey and I was looking for closure.On why he wasn’t able to do as well in Test cricket:Yes, definitely, that will always be a regret. I think I played at a time when it was very difficult to get a spot. Played with [VVS] Laxman, [Sourav] Ganguly who was captain, Sachin [Tendulkar], Rahul [Dravid], Viru [Virender Sehwag] started opening… it was very hard to find space in the middle order. And that time we used to get one or two Test matches [to prove ourselves] compared to guys today who get 10 to 15 Test matches to play all the time.So I never really got that spot. Every time I failed, I would lose my spot because it was just me, or Sourav or Laxman… Over seven years I think I sat out of 40 Test matches. And then when Sourav retired, that one year I was actually playing Test cricket. I finally got my spot, but then I got diagnosed with cancer, so… I don’t know what to say. It’s been unfortunate. If you look at the whole journey it’s been great, but unfortunate not to play… another 40 Test matches would have been awesome.I was batting at No. 6, I averaged about 34-35, which is not great. I would have loved to average 40. But for me, at the end of the day, it’s about winning games, and every time I scored runs I’m sure it helped win the game for India. It’s a regret, definitely, but I’ve given my all.On whether he regrets not scoring 10,000 ODI runs:No… Scoring 8000, 9000, whatever, definitely you can look at the books and say, “Oh he scored 10,000 runs.” But winning the World Cup… I’d rather have winning the World Cup than scoring 10,000 runs. I never thought about 10,000 runs, I always thought about winning the World Cup. 10,000 would be very special, but I think winning the World Cup is far more special.Yuvraj Singh never quite cracked the code of being a successful Test batsman•Getty ImagesOn his biggest high and his defining moment on the field:I think the biggest moment in my career would definitely be winning the World Cup in 2011 and being Man of the Series. And we won it in India as well, and after 28 years. There cannot be a bigger high.Defining moment in my career, I think it would be when I batted for the first time in my career and scored 84 against Australia. First game, and you score 84 against the best team in the world… It was quite a dream. Because of that, I came and failed in a lot of games. But because I had started so well I always got an opportunity.On his family’s reactions when he told them:I’d been talking to my wife and mother since two years, that I want to retire and go on with my life. But mentally I was not happy. Because after playing international cricket for so many years, going back and playing domestic cricket was a bit of a struggle.I spoke to my father recently and when I had told him I want to speak to him he was expecting that I would tell him I’m going to retire. He was also saying that, “It’s been enough. Almost 19 years and about 25 years of playing cricket.” I think he was very happy I was retiring, and he hugged me. He was very satisfied with the journey because he lived his dreams through me. He was very happy with my career and told me that when Kapil Dev had lifted the World Cup [in 1983], he had the regret that he wasn’t in that team, but he felt happy when I lifted the World Cup. He was very content with what I had achieved.On whether he would have wanted a farewell match:I didn’t tell anyone in BCCI that I want to play a last match. If I was good enough and had potential, I would have gone to the ground. I don’t like to play cricket in that fashion, that “I want a [farewell] match.” I had been told that if I can’t pass the yo-yo test, I can play a retirement match. I said then that I don’t want a retirement match. If I don’t pass the yo-yo test, I’ll go home quietly.On whether the yo-yo test is needed in a bat-ball game:See, I’m sure in life I will have a lot of time now to discuss these things. I will have a lot to say. I’m not saying it right now because India is playing the World Cup, and I don’t want any controversies around the players. Because I want the players to be in the best phase possible to win the last four. I’m sure my time will come to speak. I don’t want to be in that space where I retired during the World Cup time and whatever… I just retired because I want to move on with my life, and I’m sure my time will come to talk about these things.On which current player reminds him of himself:Not exactly myself, I think he has the potential to be better. Rishabh Pant, he’s already scored two Test hundreds away, in Australia and England. I think that boy has great potential to be a very attacking, match-winning left-hander. I’m looking forward to seeing him in the next few years.On mentorship or coaching in the future:Not now, I’ve just retired! I’ll enjoy myself for a year or two. After that I’ll think about it. Right now I’m going to take some time off. I definitely want to give something back to cricket, and hopefully do some work in the future with the younger generation.Yuvraj Singh gets aerial as he unleashes a throw•AFPOn the captains who had the most impact on him:I think Sourav Ganguly, under whom I started. He supported me a lot. And with MS Dhoni, I’ve won a lot of major championships, so definitely these two captains.Ganguly was very authoritative when it came to fighting for his players. He wanted certain players in the team, like myself, Ashish [Nehra], Bhajju [Harbhajan Singh], Zaheer Khan, [Virender] Sehwag. I think he built us guys together.Dhoni was very composed under pressure. He had a very good mind behind the stumps for how the game was going.On his thoughts before the first time he batted in international cricket:The previous night, Sourav Ganguly told me I have to open. Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and [Glenn] McGrath were the bowlers. I remember it was a night of a lot of anxiety. But I got up in the morning all ready to open and Sourav said, “No no, I was just joking, playing a prank on you.” I told him that “Hopefully I will be able to repay the prank some day!”I think there’s less pressure when you’re actually going in to bat. There’s more pressure outside, I’ve always felt it. And the moment I was in the zone, it was just like me and the ball.On how he took revenge on Ganguly:Gave it back to Sourav? Nicely, after a couple of years, against Pakistan. Bhajji and me made a false newspaper cutting of him accusing his own players. And Sourav got all red on the field and he said, “I don’t want to captain this team anymore.” And then we said, “April fool, .”On the toughest bowlers he’s faced and his favourite overseas cricketers:You’re asking me this now?! (laughter)I think Muttiah Muralitharan would be the toughest I’ve faced. The other would be Glenn McGrath. The overseas cricketers I admire… Ricky Ponting is someone I really admire as a batsman. AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle… I think these guys were serious powerhouses when I played against them.On playing under pressure:Under the sword, under pressure, I always play my best cricket. I used to enjoy the challenge when we were three or four down. When Kaif and me won that Natwest final, a lot of belief came from that situation, that if I can do this now at such a young age, I can do more in the future.I felt the pressure a lot when I came back after cancer. I was not that fit, I went to France for training. When I came back in the team, Duncan [Fletcher] was the coach. And I felt there was a lot of pressure just to perform at that time. Everything had changed. Because everybody thinks I’ve come back from cancer and I’m not the same player anymore. That added up a lot of pressure on me, but that’s how life is.

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford14-May-2019
There was the unmistakable smack of modernity about the cricket at Old Trafford on the first day of this game – yet there was also a pleasing air of timelessness. For all that Northamptonshire’s side contained two loan signings and Lancashire’s its third Australian debutant of the season, the cosmopolitan make-up of the teams could not quite silence echoes from say, the 1960s, when the first-class season comprised nothing more than a knockout competition and the three-day County Championship.Though so much has changed, today’s county professionals still know what their predecessors faced. Both these teams have over two months of red-ball games ahead of them and whatever the transient gaiety of the Blast might yield, even white-ball specialists like Luke Wright insist that it is upon championship performances that most cricketers are still judged.So Richard Gleeson will be a contented man this Tuesday evening. Injured at the start of the season and left out of Lancashire’s side for the Royal London Cup, Gleeson made good use of a lively first-day pitch to take 5 for 63 against the county to whom he owes so much for helping him revive his career. By sticking to a tight line, he justified Dane Vilas’s decision to bat first, a choice whose merit was not lessened by the dismissal five overs before the close of Haseeb Hameed, caught behind for 7 when he pushed forward to a good ball from Ben Sanderson.That wicket was a setback for Lancashire but it hardly diminished the achievement of their quartet of seamers in dismissing Northamptonshire for 230 on a wicket which, if true to form, should get better. Despite a fine fifty by Luke Wood and a typically determined 48 from Luke Procter on a ground he knows well, Alex Wakely’s batsmen had been restricted by Lancashire’s four pace bowlers operating in impressive harness. At the day’s end Gleeson correctly pointed out that both Tom Bailey and Saqib Mahmood had done all that could be asked yet it was he and Graham Onions who had taken nine of the wickets.Yet to sharpen that distinction even further it was Gleeson who dismissed four of the top five in Northamptonshire’s order after the game had begun in what some may now label the traditional fashion with a tossed coin. Surprisingly to some, Lancashire asked Northants to bat, which is logically what the visitors wanted to do, but the first session neither justified nor mocked Vilas’s tactic. The accumulation of 80 runs was balanced by the dismissals of both Ricardo Vasconcelos and Wakely, both of whom were caught behind by Lancashire’s wicketkeeper-captain off Gleeson.Northamptonshire’s problems were compounded when Rob Newton went down with a groin problem – a beguiling euphemism covering a multitude of agonies – and required a runner for the rest of his innings. Having displayed chivalry a few moments earlier – more of that later – Vasconcelos now added selflessness to his virtues by agreeing to do the job.That problem, though, was minor when set beside the disasters that befell the visitors in the first hour after lunch. On the resumption Blackpool-born Gleeson returned to the attack and removed both Newton for 32 and Rob Keogh for 3, both courtesy of leg-before decisions. That left the visitors on 101 for 4 but worse was to follow in the next over when Rob Jones dived to take a superb gully catch off Bailey and send Josh Cobb on his way on his way for nought. Onions may then have been fortunate to get a leg-before decision against Temba Bavuma but the South African debutant’s dismissal for 39 left his side on 119 for 6.Almost all the rest of the session, however, was dominated by a shrewd partnership between Procter, who worked the ball around well, and the Nottinghamshire loanee, Wood who cut the Lancashire bowlers with impressive ease whenever they strayed. Just before the close of an absorbing session Procter was caught at slip by Keaton Jennings for 48 when driving at Gleeson, thus giving the bowler his maiden five-wicket haul for Lancashire in what was his first game of the season and also his home debut. That wicket ended Procter’s useful 70-run stand for the seventh wicket with Wood and it was also the prelude to Onions taking the last three wickets in the hour after tea.Wood perhaps deserves more than to be sent on loan so frequently yet Worcestershire and Northamptonshire’s keenness to take him reflects well on his professionalism. He was eventually out for 66 when Bailey got under a mighty hook at long leg and dived to take an excellent catch.That piece of athleticism and judgement was rightly applauded yet maybe the best moment of the day – and one which recalled the game’s ethos – had occurred five hours earlier when Vasconcelos needed only Vilas’ assurance that a very low catch off Gleeson had carried before making his way back to the pavilion. It rather recalled the time in another fixture between these sides when Ken Higgs was enraged by David Steele’s failure to walk after what the bowler considered an obvious edge.Those were the days when Steele and Higgs caught the same train to Old Trafford for such games from their homes in the Potteries. But that evening, when he saw the Northamptonshire batsman waiting on the platform, Higgs spurned even the possibility of travelling in the next carriage to someone he believed guilty of sharp practice; instead, he plonked his vast arse on a seat in Piccadilly station and awaited the next departure to Stoke.

Fenerbahce presidential candidate Aziz Yildirim has vowed to bring Jose Mourinho to the club if he is voted into power.

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Presidential candidate wants MourinhoHeld talks with manager's agentLast managed Roma in JanuaryWHAT HAPPENED?

The Fenerbahce presidential aspirant claimed that he was recently in touch with the former Chelsea, Manchester United and Real Madrid boss and vowed to bring him to Turkey if he becomes the club chief.

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Mourinho has been without a job since the start of the year when Roma unceremoniously sacked the veteran coach. He has been linked with multiple clubs including English sides. It was also reported that the 61-year-old wants to return to Old Trafford for a second chance.

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

Speaking to reporters, Yildirim said: "I met Jose Mourinho face to face last week. I told him: 'Fenerbahce needs you and you need Fenerbahce.' He listened to me sincerely. My friends are talking to his agents. If we win, I will bring Jose Mourinho."

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FENERBAHCE?

With only two games to go into the season, Fenerbahce currently find themselves six points behind league leaders Galatasaray whom they next face in the Turkish Super Lig.

Price’s first challenge will be to try and take USA to the T20 World Cup qualifiers in Scotland in August

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Mar-2019Former Australia international Julia Price has been appointed the head coach of the USA women’s team. Price was part of the Australia women’s World Cup-winning team in 1997 and 2005. The appointment follows a process that ended with interviews of three candidates, with Price emerging the winner.USA are looking to qualify for the women’s T20 World Cup, to be held in Australia next year, and Price’s first task will be to identify a squad of 14 players – the selection process will take place on March 23 and 24 in California.Her first assignment will be a three-match Americas qualifying tournament against Canada in May, with the winners progressing to the eight-team T20 World Cup qualifier to be held in Scotland in August.”I’m absolutely thrilled to have been appointed as head coach for the USA Cricket women’s national team,” Price was quoted as saying in a press release. “I believe that the potential for growth of cricket in America, particularly in the women’s game, is quite phenomenal. We have a huge year coming up so I can’t wait to get going with the squad and hit the ground running from this weekend.”Price was until last month the head coach of WBBL franchise Hobart Hurricanes. In the past, apart from coaching the Australia women’s team, she has served as a consultant with USA Cricket Combines, a partnership between USA Cricket and Cricket Australia.

Harry Kane looked devastated as he hung his head and hid his face behind a seat in the dug out after Bayern Munich were knocked out of Europe.

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Bayern went down 2-1 to Real MadridKane was taken off when Bayern led the matchStriker watched in disbelief as Madrid sailed over the lineWHAT HAPPENED?

In a scene that spoke volumes of anguish and disappointment, Kane couldn't hide his frustration as he witnessed his team's European dreams shattered at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday evening. Bayern Munich, despite leading 1-0 through Alphonso Davies, succumbed to a late double by Joselu, ultimately crashing out of the tournament with a 4-3 aggregate loss.

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Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting replaced Kane in the dying minutes of the game as the striker could not continue due to a back injury, as clarified by Thomas Tuchel after the match.
The agony of defeat was compounded by the stark reality that Kane is yet to claim a piece of silverware in his illustrious career, despite amassing an impressive tally of over 400 goals for both club and country.

When Kane made the high-profile switch from Tottenham Hotspur to Bayern Munich for a staggering £100 million last summer, he had envisaged lifting trophies and etching his name in footballing history. However, the reality has been far different from his aspirations as Bayern have surrendered their Bundesliga title to Bayer Leverkusen and were knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the second round.

(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KANE?

Kane has been simply sensational on an individual level with Bayern and boasts of having 44 goals and 12 assists in 45 appearances across competitions. An impressive 36 of the 44 goals have come in the Bundesliga and he could potentially surpass former Bayern star Robert Lewandowski's remarkable feat of 41 goals in a single season during the 2020-21 campaign if he manages to score six more in the final two games of the Bundesliga season against Wolfsburg and Hoffenheim respectively.

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti says rising star Arda Guler will stay at the club next season despite transfer links with AC Milan, among others.

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Guler impressing for Real MadridScores winner at Real SociedadAncelotti says he is going nowhereWHAT HAPPENED?

Los Blancos signed the Turkish talent from Fenerbahce last summer for a reported £25.4 million ($32m) but the 19-year-old has found game time hard to come by. However, after scoring on his first La Liga start in a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad on Friday, manager Ancelotti says the attacking midfielder isn't going anywhere.

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He told reporters on Friday: "There's no doubt he'll [Guler] stay here next year. I think they did very well. They've performed well on the pitch. He's battled, he's fought. He's staying next year, there's no doubt about it. He is very young. Little by little he will have his role. It's quite clear that he has scored more goals than minutes played. That's the gift he has."

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Guler, who has been nicknamed the 'Turkish Messi', has made just eight appearances in all competitions for Madrid and his lack of minutes led to links with Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen. Despite that, the youngster, whose contract expires in 2029, is more than content to be at the Spanish giants. He told Madrid's website on Friday: "This is the best club in the world and scoring is one of the best feelings. I'm very happy to be here and to have scored. I'd like to thank everyone."

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Guler, who helped Madrid inch closer to a La Liga title with his goal against La Real, will hope to feature more in their last five league games of the season. Los Blancos need just four more points to claim the title.

Ravi Thodge, a retired lieutenant general, joins Rai and Edulji, while Justice DK Jain takes over as board’s final adjudicating authority

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Feb-2019The Committee of Administrators (CoA), which is currently overseeing the functioning of the BCCI, has a new third member: Ravi Thodge, a retired lieutenant general of the Indian army. The Supreme Court made the appointment on Thursday, during a hearing of various issues related to the Justice Lodha Committee’s recommendations.Thodge’s appointment comes after months of heated and public disagreement over several issues between the two existing members of the CoA: Vinod Rai, the former Comptroller and Auditor General of India, and Diana Edulji, the former India women captain.During the hearing, Justice SA Bobde expressed his displeasure at Rai and Edulji airing their differences in public, and asked the amicus curiae PS Narasimha to instruct them not to do so. Narasimha suggested that reconstituting the CoA to an odd number could help solve potential deadlocks, and Bobde wondered aloud if there should be five members. In the end, the court settled on three, making its decision in chambers.It is not yet known if Thodge will be part of the BCCI meeting on Friday, where top-level officials including Rai and Edulji are set to discuss – among other issues – whether to send the ICC a draft letter asking for Pakistan to be banned from the upcoming World Cup.The court has also appointed Justice DK Jain, a retired Supreme Court judge, as the BCCI’s ombudsman, the board’s final adjudicating authority under its new constitution.The post had been vacant since Justice AP Shah finished his term in late 2016 and the Committee of Administrators (CoA) had been asking the court for directions on a new appointment since Justice Shah’s departure.One of the first issues Justice Jain is likely to deal with is the recent suspension of Indian players Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul. The pair had been suspended pending an inquiry into their offensive comments on an television chat show, which the CoA concluded had violated the Code of Conduct. The players were eventually allowed to continue playing, subject to the case reaching its conclusion upon the appointment and adjudication of an ombudsman.When Justice Bodbe asked the amicus what the hurry was to appoint an ombudsman, Narasimha replied that the ombudsman was the dispute resolution mechanism, and there were quite a few issues where he could help. When the judge asked for an example, the amicus pointed to the alleged misconduct of the CEO Rahul Johri, an issue that was settled after an independent panel cleared him of sexual harassment allegations by 2-1 majority.It was a contentious verdict, with Edulji and two of the three BCCI office bearers disagreeing with it. It is likely that Justice Jain would need to study the final report of the independent panel before taking any fresh step.

Thomas Tuchel named two Arsenal players who could prove to be dangerous for Bayern Munich in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final.

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Tuchel pinpoints Arsenal's strengthsFirst leg ended in a 2-2 drawOdegaard picked up an injury against Aston VillaWHAT HAPPENED?

The Bayern Munich boss identified two Arsenal players who are capable of posing maximum threat to his side in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg last week, the Gunners are set to face the Bundesliga giants at Allianz Arena on Wednesday.

AdvertisementWHAT THOMAS TUCHEL SAID

Speaking to reporters ahead of the game, the German coach said, "I think with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard they always attack on the right, at least the beginning of an attack. They try to create an overlap there to get through or to switch sides. We didn’t learn anything new from the league game on Sunday [when Arsenal lost to Aston Villa].

"It’s all very flexible, the transitions are very fluid. Most of the time everything happens, they’re not a team that commits to one formation. You can recognise a lot of automatic, but also free-running moves."

He added: "We played very attentively in the first leg. They play a very attractive style. They play at the highest level. We did well in the first leg, but it’s only half-time. We need everything again and hope that the home game will be the deciding factor."

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Odegaard was forced to leave the pitch during the club's 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa during the weekend due to a leg injury. However, reported that the captain was seen on the training pitch on Tuesday and is expected to start against the Bavarian club.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?

After meeting Tuchel's side in Europe, Mikel Arteta's men will be next seen in action in the Premier League on Sunday as they take on Wolves in a vital encounter.