Southampton will welcome Leicester City to the south coast in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon, and manager Ruben Selles will be desperate for a positive result to narrow the four-point gulf from safety.
Indeed, Saints are currently bottom of the league table after 24 matches with just 18 points, and a win could place the outfit just one point behind Leeds United in 17th, who face Chelsea away from home this weekend.
Despite winning at Stamford Bridge themselves two weeks ago – in Selles’ first outing in the dugout since Nathan Jones’ dismissal – the Hampshire-based club have lost ten of their past 12 league encounters, and further woes against the Foxes could prove to be the hammer blow that eradicates any ounce of confidence in rectifying the sombre situation.
And given that League Two outfit Grimsby Town defeated Saints on their own ground in the FA Cup fifth round a matter of days prior, the importance of a positive response has not been so profound for some time for the club.
With this in mind, this is how Football FanCast expects Southampton to field their eleven against Leicester, seeking to attain an invaluable victory…
Southampton’s Spanish boss could make as many as six changes to the side that were dismally felled by the Mariners in midweek.
Gavin Bazunu will deputise between the sticks once again, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles could replace Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back; Jan Bednarek and Armel Bella-Kotchap will unite in central defence once again, having kept a clean sheet at Chelsea before shipping just once against the Whites.
In midfield, the impressive Romeo Lavia will retain his robust role, while the “elite” – as dubbed by Ian Wright – captain James Ward-Prowse will return to the fold after making an impact off the bench in the FA Cup, providing two key passes and one assist in that second-half cameo.
On the wide flanks, Joe Aribo and Norwegian star Mohamed Elyounoussi will hope to bring a dynamic dimension to the fold, with the former, a £10m signing from Rangers in the summer, making his first league start of 2023.
Imposing forward and wily young winger Kamaldeen Sulemana will form an offensive partnership once more, hoping to finally break the oppositions resistance and bear fruit for their new outfit, with the “disappointing” – as branded by Jacob Tanswell – Adam Armstrong pushed back to the bench after failing to impress against Grimsby.
To say that Ange Postecoglou has hit the ground running at Tottenham Hotspur would be an understatement. The former Celtic boss has breathed new life into the Lilywhites, who are now finally blossoming once again in the early stages of the campaign.
When Spurs lost Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, without really replacing him, some may have been quick to worry about Spurs' ability to keep up with the rest of the Premier League's top six. With four games gone, however, only Manchester City have earned more points than Postecoglou's side, who have already defeated Manchester United this season.
Spurs deserve credit for replacing Kane's goals through other sources, sharing the goals round. And, now, a forgotten man could finally play his part, with Alasdair Gold suggesting that he'd slot in well in the current system.
What did Alasdair Gold say?
In his latest Q&A, Gold spoke about the options at Postecoglou's disposal, including those who are yet to play. Of course, with no European football this season, opportunities may be hard to come by for fringe players, but Gold believes that certain players can put themselves in contention.
Among those that Gold spoke about was Bryan Gil, who enjoyed an impressive loan spell with Sevilla last season, starting in the La Liga side's Europa League final victory over AS Roma but is yet to feature this season.
Speaking about Gil, Gold said, via Football London:
“Gil can play on either flank. I’m fascinated to see whether he can force his way into Postecoglou’s thinking.
“There’s a lot of competition now for those wide spots but the little Spaniard will fit nicely into the way the Australian wants his players to play. It’s all about whether he gets the minutes to show it though.”
The winger, himself, suggested on social media that he is ready to kickstart his Spurs career, posting a picture in the Spurs gym, with the caption saying, soon. With that said, it will certainly be interesting to see whether he can force his way into Postecoglou's plans after the international break.
Given Dejan Kulusevski's slow start to the season, scoring just once in five games in all competitions, it could be a more than warranted decision by Postecoglou to hand Gil a chance over the coming months.
Statistically speaking, if the Spaniard took his Sevilla form to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, then the Lilywhites would have themselves an excellent attacking option. Gil's biggest asset could come through his ability to win the ball back, given Postecoglou's need for players who are able to press high up the pitch.
As per FBref, Gil is in the top 94 percentile for interceptions per 90, with 0.94, whilst also sitting in the top 85 percentile for tackles, making 1.93 per 90. So, it's clear that the winger can, in fact, slot straight into the system that is currently having so much success at Spurs, giving Postecoglou plenty to think about.
Looking to kickstart his Lilywhites career, Gil may well be desperately hoping to receive plenty of opportunities in the Premier League under Postecoglou this season, so he could be a player to keep an eye on.
With player feedback calling for no compromise on other formats, and travel and training requirements to be factored in, ACA’s chief executive calls CA’s home-and-away proposal a “significant change over a short space of time”
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2018With an increasingly cramped playing schedule, the Australia Cricketers’ Association (ACA) has called for a careful approach to Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland’s proposal to expand the Big Bash League season. Should Sutherland and the CA board have their way, the Big Bash will evolve into a full home-and-away league in 2018-19. More significantly, this would mean teams would play 14 games each instead of the existing 10. Also, the semi-finals and final would be moved to the middle of February so as to give the tournament more breathing space and greater play as far as airtime is concerned.The ACA, however, felt such changes needed to find the right balance to ensure all stakeholders are happy. ACA chief executive Alistair Nicholson pointed out that the BBL was an eight-round competition as early as in 2016-17, and that these changes were “significant over a short space of time.” He also cautioned against favouring one format of the game over the others. “The players love playing Big Bash cricket, and it’s great for the sport,” he said in a statement responding to Sutherland’s proposal. “It’s one of the best examples of the partnership between CA and the players working well, and highlights how the players have driven innovation and the growth of cricket.”Our feedback from the players is moving from the current 10-round season to an expanded competition must consider the potential impact on other aspects of the schedule,” Nicholson said. “One format of the game shouldn’t compromise another is a clear message from the players. And the 2018/19 summer is going to be a tough schedule to balance. But, with both a 50-over World Cup and an away Ashes series in mid-2019, it is vital all formats are taken in to consideration.”In January, Sutherland had told ESPNcricinfo that the BBL hadn’t reached a “proper climax” in the past, and was as such sandwiched between ODI cricket and T20s that are played during the end of the month. In 2016-17, for example, Australia played Pakistan in an ODI in Sydney on January 22. The two BBL semi-finals were played on January 24 and 25. Another ODI took place on January 26, and then the BBL final was held in Perth on January 28. With a new cycle of television rights coming up, Sutherland reckoned that stretching the tournament to the first two weeks of February would create greater interest around the knockout games.”We’ve seen clearly that the BBL and international cricket can co-exist and do at this time of year, particularly through the peak summer period, and then in February as we go into touring in other parts of the world. I think the climax of the BBL season can come through the first couple of weeks of February. Ultimately, we’ll play more games, it may well mean we play more double-headers. We certainly don’t want to be, by having more rounds, extending the season by a month. That’s not the intention. It’s about finding that balance.”Nicholson, though, felt that apart from balancing the three formats, the players’ welfare, training and travel requirements, existing schedule, and the fans’ appetite for the competition needed to be factored in. The players’ feedback, according to the ACA, includes the desire to retain the Sheffield Shield final in March in the long term. It also highlighted the reluctance of a majority of the players to play BBL or WBBL cricket on Christmas Day.Nicholson also batted for an increase in the number of games in the 50-over Women’s National League from the existing six games-a-side format, while also making a case for more longer-form games after a successful women’s Ashes Test. “Australian domestic cricket continues to produce the best high-performance environment for our elite players,” Nicholson said. “Our women’s domestic competition is the best in the world, and it produces an outstanding national team. Women’s cricket continues to break new ground and this should be across all formats of the game. The female players simply want to play more 50-over cricket to complement the ongoing success of the WBBL.”
Despite landing in New Zealand before some 50-over team-mates, Stokes won’t feature in the remaining T20s and is unlikely for the opening ODI too. The England coach wants to ensure the allrounder is back “up to speed” first
Adam Collins14-Feb-2018It is not quite Brisbane in November on the opening day of an Ashes series, but Ben Stokes’ antipodean tour is finally likely to kick off. He will, however, have to wait his turn with the second ODI against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui shaping as his earliest return.That’s the message from Trevor Bayliss, speaking after his allrounder received the green light to travel south after fronting court to plead not guilty on Tuesday. Despite landing in the country a couple of days before his 50-over colleagues, Stokes won’t return to the side for their remaining T20s and it is highly improbable he’ll be in the XI for the opening ODI.”He hasn’t played for a while so it is not as if we can bring him straight back for these T20s,” Bayliss said in Wellington, the morning after England’s latest short-form defeat.England’s opening ODI is in Hamilton on February 25, but Bayliss will be waiting until he has seen evidence with his own eyes that Stokes is ready. “I’d have to say it’s unlikely,” he said of Stokes’ participation in that particular ODI. “It’s just up and in the air. We’ll have to wait and see how he is travelling, with the practice. We have got to get him up to speed and hopefully during this one-day series we can get him back into the team.”Before Christmas, Stokes – who has not played for England since September – participated in six white-ball fixtures in the domestic New Zealand competition, but that is not going to make much difference on this visit. Bayliss instead will make a “judgement call” on the 26-year-old’s outdoor net form; he has been restricted to indoor training only over the last six weeks.”It’ll just be something we have to keep an eye on as the practice days go,” he said. “In the past, he’s been out with injuries and coming back sooner than we think. That’s the type of character he is and it doesn’t take him long at all to get back up to speed.”The reality is that Stokes is never surplus to requirements, even after the ODI side thrashed Australia in Australia 4-1 in January. “One of the biggest things we’ve missed over the summer has been the combinations we’ve been able to play,” Bayliss said. “Especially in the one-dayers and T20s. We’ve been able to have six bowlers [before], which gives the captain plenty of different options. We’ve been down to just the five bowlers.”Of course, the frustration remains that the incident has so dominated this tour. Bayliss freely admits he was “sick of it from the first day” nearly five months ago. But the latest legal development – especially that Stokes will be initially available for Test duty in March – means that plans could be getting back on track for the England management.”He’s looking forward to getting back doing what he does best and I’m looking forward to catching up with him,” Bayliss said. As far as the playing group is concerned, the coach says Stokes will be welcomed back warmly. “Don’t forget he wasn’t the only one who was out that night. There were a few others. They all can’t wait for him to come back. He’s a very popular member of the squad, one of the leaders of the squad and there won’t be any problems whatsoever.”As for Stokes’ state of mind in the lead up to his more substantial days in court, Bayliss believes this series is the best possible distraction. “There have been players in the past who’ve had off-field issues and been able to put that aside and concentrate on cricket,” he said of the “relief” Stokes will experience in playing again. “I’ve got a feeling he will be one of the guys who can put it aside and perform.”
The long list submitted to the eight franchises contains 1122 players and is set to be pruned further once the teams submit their wishlists to the IPL
Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jan-2018
Getty Images
Still waiting for his disciplinary or legal charges for the Bristol incident in September, Ben Stokes is among the 36 players who have listed their base price at the maximum of INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx) ahead of the IPL auction on January 27 and 28.The most notable names among the 13 Indian and 23 overseas players in the highest-price band were Mitchell Starc, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane, Brendon McCullum, Rashid Khan, Chris Gayle and Eoin Morgan.Players with top base prices
INR 2 crore (USD 315,000 approx.): Indian players: R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, Gautam Gambhir, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, KL Rahul, Karn Sharma, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Robin Uthappa. Overseas players: Rashid Khan, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Starc, Cameron White, Eoin Morgan, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, David Willey, Chris Woakes, Corey Anderson, Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, Colin Ingram, Angelo Mathews, Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard. INR 1.5 crore (USD 235,000 approx.): Aaron Finch, Amit Mishra, David Miller, Evin Lewis, Faf du Plessis, Harry Gurney, Hashim Amla, Jason Holder, Jason Roy, Jaydev Unadkat, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Kagiso Rabada, Kane Williamson, Kuldeep Yadav, Kyle Abbott, Lendl Simmons, Mark Wood, Michael Klinger, Moeen Ali, Mohit Sharma, Moises Henriques, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Lyon, Peter Handscomb, Ravi Bopara, Shaun Marsh, Steven Finn, Travis Head, Trent Boult, Washington Sundar. INR 1 crore (USD 160,000 approx.): Adam Zampa, Alex Hales, Andrew Tye, Ben Cutting, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Jordan, Dale Steyn, Daniel Christian, Dwayne Smith, Jason Behrendorff, JP Duminy, Lasith Malinga, Manish Pandey, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Imran Tahir, Mustafizur Rahman, Parthiv Patel, Piyush Chawla, Sam Billings, Samuel Badree, Sanju Samson, Shakib Al Hasan, Shane Watson, Tim Southee, Tom Curran, Tymal Mills, Umesh Yadav, Vinay Kumar, Wriddhiman Saha
On Friday, the IPL sent the long list of 1122 players to the eight franchises which includes 281 capped players and 838 uncapped players, including 778 Indians and three players from the Associate nations. A final auction pool would be prepared by the end of next week once the franchises submit their wishlists to the IPL.As the franchises get ready for the mega two-day auction, one name at the top of their wishlist would be Stokes. The allrounder became the most expensive overseas player bought at an IPL auction when Rising Pune Supergiant paid INR 14.5 crore (USD 2.16 million approx in 2017). Stokes lived up to the hype by helping Pune to the final, which they lost to Mumbai Indians, as he earned the Player-of-the-Tournament award in his maiden IPL.Stokes scored 316 runs at a strike rate of 142.98 including an unbeaten century while chasing down 162 against Gujarat Lions. He also picked 12 wickets with an economy rate of 7.18 from the 12 matches he played, missing the final because of national duties.Stokes has not played for England since his arrest on September 26 but represented Canterbury in three one-dayers and as many T20s in December, including a 47-ball 93 in a T20 against Otago. Last week, Stokes was named in the England squad for the two Tests in New Zealand starting in February, although his involvement is subject to any relevant legal or disciplinary developments.Fast bowler Tymal Mills listed his base price at INR 1 crore (USD 160,000 approx.). Last IPL auction, Mills not just set a new record price for a specialist bowler but was also the second-most expensive sale at the tenth auction when Royal Challengers Bangalore paid INR 12 crore (USD 1.8 million approx in 2017) for him. Mills’ returns were five wickets at an economy rate of 8.57 from five matches.Another international name that is likely to attract huge interest is Starc. Fresh after his Ashes heroics, Starc remains an attractive buy with his ability to deliver the ball at a fiery pace, dart in toe-crushing yorkers and also deceive batsmen with a change of pace. There was hardly any surprise when Royal Challengers paid INR 5 crore (USD 833,000) in 2014, although Starc could only play for them for two seasons; in 2016 he was injured while last year he parted ways with the franchise wanting to balance his workload.The most overseas entries in the auction came from Australia – 58 names. South Africa were close with 57, and Sri Lanka and West Indies had 39 each. There were 23 players from England and 13 from Afghanistan.Although most of the top names kept their base prices high, there were some exceptions. India fast bowler Ishant Sharma listed his base price at INR 75 lakhs (USD 118,000 approx). Incidentally, Ishant went unsold at the 2017 auction having listed his base price then at INR 2 crore. His disappointment was soon washed away after he replaced the injured M Vijay for Kings XI Punjab.Manish Pandey, one of the contenders to lead Kolkata Knight Riders, has pegged his base price at INR 1 crore. Pandey is likely to be retained by Knight Riders through the right-to-match card option at the auction.Mohammed Siraj, one of the success stories last IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, listed his base price at INR 1 cr, too. Siraj, who has played two T20Is for India since last year’s IPL, was bought by Sunrisers for INR 2.6 cr last year (USD 3,88,000 then). Young Indian offspinner Washington Sundar, who also made his international debut recently, set his base price at INR 1.5 crore (USD 235,000 approx.). Sundar was one of the go-to bowlers for Pune last year and along with Rahul Tripathi, he was instrumental in the team ending as runners-up.In contrast to the high base prices of Siraj and Sundar, some of the uncapped top performers of last IPL set their price much lower. While Tripathi listed his base price at the minimum – INR 20 lakhs (USD 31,500 approx), Basil Thampi and Krunal Pandya listed theirs at INR 30 lakhs (USD 50,000) and 40 lakhs (USD 63,000) respectively. Thampi was bought by Gujarat Lions for INR 85 lakhs (USD 126,000) last year and was their second-highest wicket-taker in his maiden IPL with 11 wickets, but with an expensive economy rate of 9.49.Krunal superseded senior bowler Harbhajan Singh with his wickets tally for Mumbai Indians who won the IPL for a third time last year. Krunal scored 243 runs at 34.71 and struck them at 135.75 alongside his 10 wickets and an economy rate of under seven per over. Incidentally, Mumbai were keen on retaining Krunal, but eventually picked his younger brother Hardik. With two right-to-match cards in hand, Mumbai are likely to retain Krunal at the auction.Assam’s 16-year old batsman Riyan Parag was the youngest player on the auction list while Mumbai legspinner Pravin Tambe, 46, was the oldest.
Chelsea are on the hunt for midfield reinforcements this summer and now a fresh update has emerged on a potential transfer target who could be the perfect alternative to Moises Caicedo.
What's the latest on Chelsea's interest in Tyler Adams?
According to The Times (as relayed by The Daily Mail), the Blues are now interested in signing Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams this summer.
As per the report, the London giants have added Adams to their shortlist of alternatives should they be unable to secure the signature of the Brighton and Hove Albion star this summer, with Mauricio Pochettino intent on bringing in new additions to bolster the midfield presence at Stamford Bridge.
Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…
How good is Tyler Adams?
The departures of Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and N'Golo Kante this summer have significantly weakened the experience and quality in midfield ahead of the upcoming Premier League season, so bringing in much-needed reinforcements will likely be the top priority for the new Chelsea boss.
The West London club couldn't maintain their high expectations over last season, finishing 12th in the Premier League, struggling to make an impact on the European stage and failing to qualify for Champions League football, meaning there is a real opportunity for Pochettino to focus on domestic competition and the squad rebuild.
As a result, the signing of Adams could be a great piece of business for Chelsea this summer and would present a much cheaper alternative to their top target Caicedo who has an ever-rising £100m price tag, whereas the Leeds star is believed to have a much cheaper £20m relegation release clause, according to The Athletic.
Despite being relegated with the west Yorkshire outfit last season, Adams was a stand-out performer in the Leeds squad executing a hard-working attitude, sound leadership skills and outstanding defensive strengths in the centre of the pitch, all of which will be attractive attributes to Pochettino in his search for the right midfield additions.
As per FBref, the USMNT captain ranked in the top 17% of his positional peers in the Premier League per 90 minutes for tackles won, percentage of dribblers tackled, blocks, interceptions, ball recoveries and percentage of aerial duels won, proving that he is a valuable asset in the deep defensive midfield role.
Not only that, when comparing the 24-year-old's output to Caicedo's last season, the pair came close in a number of key attributes including pass completion (82.5% v 88.5%), progressive passes (5.68 v 6.28), tackles (3.27 v 2.87), interceptions (1.46 v 1.61) and aerial duels won (1.04 v 1.06), per 90 minutes played.
Adams has been the recipient of high praise over his first season in the English top-flight due to his positive performances in the disjointed team at Elland Road, with TEAMtalk journalist James Marshment outlining the midfielder's leadership qualities:
"Tyler Adams – a lion on the pitch; a dignified, intelligent, humble and politically savvy person off it. He'll go a long way that lad."
With that being said, if Pochettino is looking to bolster Chelsea's defensive presence on a stricter budget, there is no doubt that Adams would be a worthy alternative to Caicedo this summer.
Holes in England’s batting leave Joe Root facing “the biggest challenge an England captain will ever have” in attempting to win the Ashes in Australia, according to Andrew Strauss.Strauss, the last England captain to lead his country to success in Australia in 2010-11 and currently director of England cricket, believes Root has “a great chance” but accepts that question marks over the top-order batting leave “some vulnerabilities”.As a result, he feels it is essential England start the tour well, and says it is vital that the more inexperienced players are fully aware of the challenges – on and off the pitch – that await them.”It’s the biggest challenge an England captain will ever have,” Strauss said. “That is why, if you are able to win, certainly for me it was my greatest moment as an England captain.
Strauss on:
The England bowling coach: “We have our coaches in place for the Ashes. When we announce the Ashes touring team we will announce the coaching staff that surrounds them.” A pre-Ashes bonding camp: “In 2010-11 it was really important, but in 2013-14 it didn’t feel like the right thing to do. This team is already in a good place. So there will be no camps in the month off. It’s been an incredibly long summer and we have an incredibly long winter ahead of us, so we want them to get away from cricket for a bit and spend some time with family.” The next pay deal: “The current deal ends in September 2019. My intention is to ensure English cricketers are well paid, so that people will look up to those big names and say, ‘I want to play cricket as opposed to another sport’. I don’t anticipate it being a hugely antagonistic negotiation.”
“A lot of the challenges are off-field. You are living in this incredible bubble for a long period of time. Everything is directed towards you as England captain in terms of being responsible for what’s happening on the pitch.”The preparation work both before you arrive in Australia and in that first month in Australia is absolutely crucial. We need players arriving there who have done all the hard yards off the pitch, prepared themselves in terms of what is to come with short bowling, in terms of conditions in different parts of Australia and physically they are in a good place. That’s crucial in those hot conditions.”The reality is there are two teams with really strong assets and some vulnerabilities. Our challenge is to start the tour well. If we start well, hit the ground running and some of those guys who have not played a lot of Test cricket get an early score, then I think we are in a great position to win.”Strauss’s reservations over England’s prospects are founded on their failure to establish a settled batting line-up. Not only have England struggled to find a new opening partner for Alastair Cook since Strauss’s own retirement in 2012, but there are two other places unfilled in the top five.”The concerns I have are the concerns most people have, which is we haven’t been able to establish a team where 11 players are fully established,” Strauss said. “There are two or three places up for grabs, which is never ideal, and our consistency hasn’t been what we want.”I’d be lying if I said we were going to Australia with absolute clarity on what our best XI is. We’re just not in that position at the moment.”While Strauss defended the selection of the side over recent months, he accepted that, in several cases, players’ form had declined after a decent start in the England team. Keaton Jennings, Sam Robson and Adam Lyth all made centuries in their first two Tests, for example, while Gary Ballance enjoyed a prolific start to his Test career before running into difficulties.”There has been a bit of a trend with a lot of those players,” he said. “They have proved they are capable of playing at that level and can score runs but the issue for a lot of them is that their form has dropped off after an initial high. We have to ask ourselves why is that the case?”Maybe it is technical, maybe it is mental. So can we do more to prepare them for the off-field stuff around Test cricket, such as the attention, expectation, media and pressure because that plays a part in this as well.Andrew Strauss’s victory in Australia in 2010-11 was his greatest achievement as England captain•PA Photos
“I would resist any narrative that says we have been chopping and changing. Most of these guys had a good length in the team and would hold their hand up and say it wasn’t a bad decision to remove them for a bit. I think the reality is that the secret to a long England career is not how good you are, it is how consistent you are and those guys have not been consistent enough.”Strauss also revealed that, over the next 12 months, England will use international T20 games as an opportunity to take a look at more fringe players.”Part of our long-term planning for the 2019 World is to use the next 12 months as a way of introducing some more people into that team environment,” Strauss said. “We don’t just want the same 14 or 15 to be playing cricket for England over the next two years.”Given that there is no T20 World Cup, we see T20s as a way of introducing more people into that environment. In the South Africa T20s you will have noticed Tom Curran, Mason Crane, Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone came in. We will probably be doing something similar over the next 12 months.”He also hinted that England players will once again be released to play in the IPL and reiterated his view that, if players such as Jos Buttler decide to pursue a future as white-ball specialists, it was “not an unhealthy thing”.”We have to accept the IPL is a unique case,” Strauss said. “The potential pitfalls of not allowing our players to play in it are big. We have to accept that is going to be a constant moving forward and there is huge benefit in our players going out there and playing as well.”There are advantages to having specialist players for formats. The international schedule makes life difficult for players playing all formats and we overcome that by having more specialist players. So, from our point of view, the separation between the teams is not an unhealthy thing.”From an individual player’s point of view it is 100 percent their own decision what they want to do with their career and the last thing we would ever say to a Jos Buttler or Alex Hales, or anyone, is ‘there’s no chance of you playing Test cricket again’.”That’s a choice they have to make and we will select our teams based on who we think are the best 13, 14 or 15 players for that format. What we are not going to do is select a Jos Buttler on an Ashes tour just to prevent him becoming a one-day specialist. That would be the wrong way to think about that.”Strauss maintained that England “have to be happy” with their progress in white-ball cricket, but admitted that failing to win the Champions Trophy was “a missed opportunity”.”In terms of white-ball cricket we have to be happy with the progress made,” he said. “We’ve moved from an average of losing more white-ball games than we win to winning over 70 percent of our ODIs over the last 12 months.”But I do think the Champions Trophy was a missed opportunity because the confidence that comes from winning a global event is massive. We headed into that semi-final with every reason to expect to win that event. We shouldn’t take anything away from the way Pakistan played that day: they outplayed us, and there are some lessons for us to learn about knock-out cricket.”
West Ham United's interest in Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha is "definitely real", according to journalist Dean Jones.
What is the latest news regarding Joao Palhinha?
The Hammers are reportedly interested in bringing the 27-year-old to the London Stadium as they look to replace their departing club captain Declan Rice, who is set to join Arsenal for a record £105m fee.
declan-rice-west-ham
They aren't the only side with interest in the Portuguese defensive midfielder, with Football Insider reporting that Premier League sides Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa have all explored the possibility of bringing the player to their respective club. However, a number of these sides have since "cooled their interest" and are focusing on other targets for the position.
Fulham are believed to be intent on keeping one of their stars this summer and have placed a £90m pricetag on the former Sporting man, according to reports, in an attempt to dissuade potential suitors.
The report states that the Cottagers have used the record fee received for Rice as a benchmark, with the club believing the pair perform at a similar level. This position of strength with negotiations is also helped by the fact that the Portugal international has four more years remaining on his contract.
Palhinha isn't the only option the Irons are considering, with Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria and Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez also making the shortlist. ExWHUEmployee told The West Ham Way podcast that the club are set to begin opening approaches for all three targets soon.
Speaking on The Football Terrace's Done Deal show, transfer insider Jones, who is a Fulham fan, revealed that the threat of West Ham swooping in for the midfielder is real, whilst the Hammers also have another name on their shortlist to potentially partner the 27-year-old:
"As a Fulham fan, I'd be happy if we just got the squad we had from last season going into the new one, because the threat around Palhinha is definitely real from West Ham. I just hope, and I think that he'll end up staying with us rather than going to West Ham.
"West Ham is obviously one that is going to get interesting in the next few days. They're going for Denis Zakaria, looking at a loan with a view to an option to sign him further down the line but they are also looking at Palhinha as a signing that would happen alongside him."
How good is Joao Palhinha?
Palhinha enjoyed a fantastic debut campaign with the Cottagers last season, winning the club's Player of the Season award as they finished in the top half of the Premier League for the first time in over a decade.
Referred to as "the master destroyer" by The Athletic's Peter Rutzler, the 27-year-old led the division across a key defensive category following his now bargain £20m move from Portugal.
Joao-Palhinha
The midfielder led the league in tackles made quite comfortably with 147. That was ahead of second-placed Moises Caicedo who could only manage 100 last campaign, showcasing why so sides maintain an interest in the midfielder.
WhoScored ranked Palhinha as the fifth-best player for his club last campaign, and the sixth-best defensive midfielder in the Premier League last season with an average rating of 6.93.
An intangible factor that will also make his side desperate to keep him is his availability, with the midfielder missing zero games through injury last season and making 40 appearances across all competitions for the London side.
A player who has received praise from managers in the past, including former coach Ruben Amorim who described him as a "special" talent, it's clear to see why David Moyes is so desperate to bring the Cottagers Player of the Year to the London Stadium
Emi Martinez threatened to "beat the sh*t" out of Cristian Romero for his rash tackles in the World Cup final after fouling France's Kylian Mbappe.
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Martinez reveals half-time Romero threat
Tottenham star had fouled Mbappe
Argentina beat France in World Cup final
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Tottenham defender Romero flew into a challenge with France star Mbappe in the first half of the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar last December. The South American side won the game on penalties after a 3-3 draw but at half time, Villa keeper Martinez pulled his fellow countryman aside to warn him about his reckless challenges in an effort to stop him getting sent off.
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WHAT EMI MARTINEZ SAID
He told : "I know Cuti's (Romero) weakness, I remember in the final against France he went with both feet against Mbappe. He grabbed the ball, everything. And at half-time I grabbed him by the shirt and told him, 'If you get kicked out, I'll beat the sh*t out of you after the game'.
"I have to tell Cuti 'Please, stop hitting'. Cuti plays like that, on the edge of a red card, and I'm always catching him in that sense. But he's impressive."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Argentina won their third World Cup crown in one of the greatest finals of the tournament's history. Lionel Messi also finally achieved his dream to win this great trophy after many years of trying. Argentina got the win without having any players sent off, so maybe Martinez's chat with Romero did the trick…
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WHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA?
Argentina duo Martinez and Romero may cross paths again when they return to international action in the Copa America in June of next year.
Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Khephren Thuram this summer and now a new update has emerged from a reliable source on the club's progress in getting a deal done.
What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Khephren Thuram?
According to CBS journalist Ben Jacobs, the Merseyside giants could be handed the opportunity to sign the OGC Nice midfielder, despite the French club being keen to hold onto him.
Jacobs revealed on The Football Terrace YouTube channel: "I still think Khephren Thuram is the one to watch now in terms of Liverpool.
"It seems like there is less now in terms of Kone, who is another player who Liverpool have looked at. There are reports Nice wants to keep the player but the feeling is that Nice are going to have to sell some of their assets, so there is an opportunity there for Liverpool."
Will Liverpool sign another midfielder this summer?
The Reds have already secured the signing of World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister this summer in an attempt to add more quality and youth to the centre of the pitch.
A midfield rebuild has been long overdue at Anfield with the former Brighton and Hove Albion star becoming the first permanent midfielder signing since the arrival of Thiago Alcantara from Bayern Munich three years ago.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita and James Milner have all been moved on upon the expiry of their contracts this summer and Thuram could be the dream replacement for the latter who will be joining Brighton this summer.
Milner has played a huge part in Liverpool's success over the last half a decade with the 37-year-old playing a number of midfield roles, and his versatility is something that the centre of the pitch has sorely missed as he has reached the latter stages of his career and seen less game time.
Now Klopp can replace that unrivalled work ethic and diversity in skill by landing a deal for Thuram who is renowned for his wide range of capabilities and has no trouble gliding from a deeper role in midfield to break the lines of attack.
Over 35 Ligue One appearances last season, the Frenchman offered a potent attacking threat with two goals scored, four assists registered and nine big chances created, as well as averaging 1.1 shots on goal, 1.1 key passes and 1.3 successful dribbles per game.
Not only that, Thuram has not sacrificed his consistency in his defensive responsibilities as the Nice star averaged 1.1 interceptions, 3.8 duels won and 1.5 tackles per game, according to SofaScore.
For context, no Liverpool central midfielder provided more goal contributions in the Premier League, whilst only three players in the squad averaged more key passes. Meanwhile, defensively, he managed more tackles per outing than the likes of Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson, Virgil Van Dijk and Joel Matip, via WhoScored.
Milner, meanwhile, could only average 0.8 tackles and 0.4 interceptions per game with 0.4 key passes to show for his efforts. Thuram, therefore, would represent a colossal upgrade at Anfield.
Possessing a reported €40m (£34m) price tag – he has been attracting a lot of attention and earning high praise over his short career so far, with U23 scout and football journalist Antonio Mango outlining the Frenchman's super capabilities:
"At a staggering 6'4ft, Khéphren's presence can't go unnoticed as he stands out above most players on the field. Khéphren excels in his defensive duties, ball-carrying & retention. Khéphren is big, strong, physical, athletic and brilliant in possession, a true diamond, right?"
With that being said, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool will add more depth to the centre of the pitch this summer but Thuram is looking like the one to watch and could be a huge presence in midfield if a deal is done ahead of next season.