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Naseem Shah was denied a first Test wicket by the calling of a no ball after the fact, but he had consolation in a generous assessment by David Warner, who made the most of the second chance to bat through day two of the Gabba Test for Australia.”He’s quite skiddy, got a nice fluent action, but he won’t get a harder Test debut than out there and bowl at the Gabba,” Warner said of 16-year-old Naseem. “To keep coming back in, having to back up the overs, that heat. You ask any Test fast bowler who’s played here and had to keep coming back, it’s very challenging out there, and our job as batsmen is to try and keep them coming back. I think he kept his speed up quite a lot throughout the whole day. The back end he cramped up a little bit, but that’s obviously going to happen.”He charged in, and there’s a superstar there. Like when Mohammad Amir came on the scene, the first time, he was rapid and had us all in a pickle. He was a world class bowler, and if you add him to the Test lineup as well, their depth is ridiculous, and having these other young guys like Musa and Hasnain as well, who I faced in the T20s. If Waqar Younis can get a hold of them and get their lines and lengths and their engines going, they’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in the future.”Naseem Shah sends down his first delivery in international cricket•Getty Images

Those words of encouragement were as good as it got for Pakistan on an otherwise barren day, as Warner, Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne were so supreme as to prevent the Ashes dominating Steven Smith from even getting a bat. Yasir Shah, who continued his own personal battle to try to find the right way to bowl in Australia, was blunt in assessing how the pace bowlers had used the new ball in the absence of Mohammad Abbas.”The wicket played very differently to the way it did on day one. The kind of moisture we saw wasn’t there,” he said. “We bowled badly with the new-ball. We didn’t use it well. That allowed them to get set and they played well.”We’ll have to see how tomorrow goes. There was a little bit of help later on. I didn’t get too many breakthroughs but there was quite a bit of bounce on offer. Our bowlers have used the second new-ball well. So I hope that we come back tomorrow and bowl well.”Yasir, who may have been close to losing his place for the match, explained how he had tried to experiment with pace and line to find a way past Warner. “I changed and mixed my pace around quite a bit today,” he said. “I bowled slow and also at times a bit fast. You have to do that on these pitches. Your ball can skid with the faster one and bring you a wicket. I tried my best to bowl at one spot, which I’ve done in the past and they played me well.”Today I did the same, but also with some variations and they played me well again. There wasn’t much support from the wicket. It’s just the second day of the Test. You just need to find the right spot from where you can get the ball to jump and get you wickets at short-leg and at close-in positions. And if the ball breaks even a bit off the pitch, there’s a chance of getting an edge to slip.”That’s what I tried but without much success since there wasn’t much turn off the wicket. But I’ll try to do the same tomorrow morning and hopefully it’ll work out.”

The 2023/24 season has been a real mixed bag for Arsenal so far as they flew through their Champions League group with ease and topped the Premier League table on Christmas Day, but three losses on the bounce have seen them fall to fourth and crash out of the FA Cup.

While there are many reasons for this drop in form, the most significant is the frontline's poor finishing, as they scored just a single goal from 63 shots in their last three games.

With a statistic such as that, it's no surprise that Mikel Arteta's side have been linked with a number of quality number nines this month, including French superstar Karim Benzema. However, based on recent developments, they look set to go in for someone else.

Arsenal look to the Premier League to solve striker woes

According to TEAMtalk, Arsenal are on the lookout for a new number nine in 2024, and while several players have caught their attention, they have narrowed the field and are 'ready to pounce' for Brentford's Ivan Toney.

The Englishman has been courting attention from the Gunners and fellow London side Chelsea for quite some time now, but the report has revealed that with the Blues hoping to land Napoli's Victor Osimhen in the summer, the Gunners have leapt ahead in the race for Toney.

While there is still a chance that a deal could be agreed this month, TEAMtalk has also reported that the Bees are confident of agreeing a new contract with their star striker that will include a release clause worth around £80m.

So, Edu and Co can either wait a few months and activate this supposed clause or move earlier and potentially pay more. Whatever they do, signing Toney would be a better long-term option than signing Benzema.

How Ivan Toney compares to Karim Benzema

Now, some people may be convinced that signing the Frenchman is obviously the best idea for Arsenal, given the club's desperation for a proven goalscorer, and while that line of thinking makes perfect sense, it does not consider the reality of the situation.

The first thing to note is that both strikers had very impressive goalscoring seasons last year, with the Brentford "monster" as described by his manager, Thomas Frank, ending the season with 20 goals and four assists in the league, while Benzema finished his campaign with 19 goals and three assists.

However, where Toney overperformed his expected goals figure of 18.7, his French competitor underperformed his figure of 21.5, and worse still, his nine goals for Al-Ittihad this season is a slight underperformance on his expected goals figure of 9.83.

While a differential of 0.83 wouldn't usually be too much to worry about, the fact that it has come in a comparatively weak league, a year after the far more severe gulf in La Liga, is a slight cause for concern, especially as, at 36 years old, he is firmly in the twilight of his career.

Arsenal could poach "special" £50m Man Utd target who's like Raphinha

The Gunners could swipe the 22-year-old from the grasp of the Red Devils.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 18, 2024

Moreover, as things stand, the second top scorer in the Saudi Pro League is ex-Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic with 17 goals, and there probably won't be too many fans or pundits clamouring for Arsenal to sign him.

1

Al-Nassr

Cristiano Ronaldo

20

20.52

2

Al-Hilal

Aleksandar Mitrovic

17

17.49

3

Damak

Georges-Kévin Nkoudou

14

6.44

4

Al-Nassr

Talisca

11

6.83

5

Al-Ittihad

Abderrazzaq Hamed Allah

10

9.11

Ultimately, while a player of Benzema's prestige will always get fans excited – and rightly so – if the Gunners were going to sign him, it should have been when they were first linked almost a decade ago.

Toney is younger, accustomed to the league and looks to be on an upward trajectory at the moment, and none of those things can be said of the former Real star.

Abdur Razzak has climbed to a new height among Bangladeshi cricketers by becoming the first bowler to reach 600 first-class wickets. Razzak, the veteran left-arm spinner, completed the milestone during Khulna Division’s NCL match at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Razzak began the match on 594 wickets, and swept past the milestone while bagging figures of 7 for 69 in Rangpur’s first innings. Six of Razzak’s wickets came in an unbroken spell of 18.1 overs, during the course of which Rangpur collapsed from 139 for 3 to 224 all out. The 600th wicket was that of Robiul Haque, the No. 9 batsman out bowled.Razzak, who had reached the landmark of 500 first-class wickets in January 2018, said the new milestone delighted him, and reckoned it would take a while before another Bangladeshi bowler reaches it.”I am happy with my achievement,” Razzak said. “Six hundred wickets is not a matter of joke. It is a big number in our context. There have been bigger milestones reached in other countries but nobody has done it here, and [the next bowler] will probably take time to reach this number.”I have never imagined reaching this stage of 500 or 600 wickets. It is a big thing in a Bangladeshi context. We don’t have a lot of people with 200 or 300 wickets. I am sure someone will go past me but I am glad that I am the first one.”Abdur Razzak has become the first Bangladeshi bowler to pick up 600 first-class wickets•Saif Hasnat

The milestone is also a tribute to Razzak’s fitness, particularly after the BCB called for higher fitness levels shortly before the 2019-20 season began in October. It had put the spotlight on Razzak and other senior players, but he managed to pull through.The seven-wicket haul has put Razzak on top of the NCL’s wicket charts for the season.”I am fortunate these records are coming from me,” Razzak said. “Someone would have achieved them. You need skills to reach this level and I don’t know if I am that skillful. I try hard. I think not giving up is my skill. I am still passionate about playing when I am out in the middle. I can’t think of anything else.”Razzak’s first-class performances over the previous five years earned him a Test recall last year, after four years out of the side, but despite his performance against Sri Lanka in Dhaka – he took five wickets, including a first-innings four-for – he wasn’t retained in the side for their next series. Still, he says, the fire continues to burn within.”I can’t really say where I see myself, or where I can reach,” Razzak said. “I also don’t know when I will finish. As long as my fitness and desire is there, I will keep playing.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da apostaganha： A festa seria pelos 500 jogos de jogos de Cássio pelo Corinthians, mas quem comemorou mesmo foi o Bahia, que bateu o adversário por 2 a 1, na Fonte Nova, nesta quinta-feira, pela 30ª rodada do Brasileirão-2020. Com gols de Gilberto e Índio Ramírez, os mandantes saíram da zona de rebaixamento, já os visitantes que marcaram com Gabriel, ficaram estagnados na briga pelo G6.

TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

GALERIA
>Confira os clubes que já estão garantidos na Copa Libertadores 2021

Timão joga melhor, mas é o Tricolor baiano que fica em vantagem no placar

Não demorou muito para o Alvinegro mostrar que imporia seu jogo desde o início. Com um minuto, Araos cruzou da direita e a bola sobrou para Mosquito finalizar e exigir grande defesa de Douglas Friedrich. O time da casa tentava equilibrar as ações, mas pouco fazia para chegar ao ataque. Enquanto isso a partida era prejudicada pelas intensas paralisações provocadas pelo árbitro.

Entre os 20 e os 30 minutos, o Corinthians pressionou ainda mais e chegou duas vezes: novamente com Mosquito, chutando cruzado para fora do gol, e com Jô, que recebeu bela bola de Araos, e finalizou, mas parou em outra boa intervenção de Douglas. Naquele momento, parecia que o tento corintiano seria questão de tempo, tamanha a superioridade imposta no duelo.

RelacionadasCorinthiansATUAÇÕES: Defesa vai mal, ataque abusa de perder gols e Timão perde para o Bahia; veja notasCorinthians28/01/2021CorinthiansCássio lamenta derrota no jogo 500 pelo Corinthians: ‘Faltou colocar a bola para dentro’Corinthians28/01/2021BahiaErnando vibra com triunfo: ‘O importante era sair com os três pontos’Bahia28/01/2021

da blaze casino： Mas o futebol é traiçoeiro… Aos 30 minutos, Rossi bateu falta lateral, e Cássio tentou afastar, mas ela sobra na entrada da área para Ronaldo, que chuta e encontra Gilberto livre para completar para o gol, abrindo o placar na Fonte Nova. O Timão, que sentiu o baque após estar melhor no jogo, chegou a marcar com Araos aos 38 minutos, mas o impedimento foi marcado.

O Bahia ainda aprontaria mais uma antes de ir para o intervalo. Os baianos aproveitaram o mau momento do adversário, saíram em um contra-ataque aos 49 minutos após erro de passe de Fábio Santos. Thiago Andrade arrancou e tocou para Índio Ramírez, que driblou Gil, Cantillo e o próprio Fábio Santos antes de tocar por baixo de Cássio e marcar um golaço: 2 a 0 para o Tricolor.

Bahia leva gol, mas administra o resultado e garante a vitória

Mesmo com a vantagem no placar, o Bahia voltou com mais apetite e logo aos dois minutos da segunda etapa criou uma ótima chance, quando Rossi cruzou rasteiro para a área e achou Thiago Andrade no segundo pau, mas Cássio fez uma grande defesa na finalização e salvou o Corinthians do terceiro gol.

Em seguida, o Timão tentou responder com um cruzamento de Fagner, que foi interceptado pela zaga baiana e colocado para escanteio. Mas dali para frente, além de enfrentar o tempo, os visitantes enfrentaram as demasiadas paradas do árbitro. O jogo, que já era travado, ficou ainda pior. Em meio a isso, Gabriel e Mateus Vital arriscaram chutes, mas ambos por cima do gol de Douglas.

Até que aos 25 minutos, o Corinthians deu nova vida para a partida quando Gabriel Pereira, que saiu do banco, fez grande jogada e deixou Gabriel na cara do gol, o volante não perdoou e diminuiu o placar logo depois de o Bahia perder uma chance incrível em contra-ataque. As modificações de Mancini, o recuo do time da casa e a vantagem menor intensificaram as ações do Timão.

Mas isso não durou muito tempo. O Bahia conseguiu equilibrar o ímpeto corintiano e permaneceu tentando sair em contra-ataques. As alterações seguintes de Mancini também não funcionaram, principalmente no setor ofensivo e provocaram uma enorme queda técnica no time, que não conseguiu impedir a derrota. O time mandante, por sua vez, administrou bem até o fim.

E agora?

Com a vitória, o Bahia vai a 35 pontos e deixa a zona de rebaixamento do Brasileirão. No próximo domingo, o Tricolor baiano enfrenta o Vasco, em São Januário, pela 33ª rodada do Brasileirão. Já o Corinthians permanece na nona posição, com 45 pontos e volta a campo na próxima quarta-feira, quando recebe o Ceará, na Neo Química Arena, pela 34ª rodada da competição.

FICHA TÉCNICA
BAHIA 2 X 1 CORINTHIANS
Local: Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador (BA)
Data-Hora: 28/1/2021 – 19h
Árbitro: Ricardo Marques Ribeiro (MG)
Assistentes: Guilherme Dias Camilo (MG) e Celso Luiz da Silva (MG)
VAR: Igor Junio Benevenuto de Oliveira (MG)
Público/renda: Portões Fechados
Cartões amarelos:Ramon, Gregore e Índio Ramírez (BAH), Jô (COR)
Cartões vermelhos: –
Gols: Gilberto (30’/1ºT) (1-0), Índio Ramírez (49’/1ºT) (2-0), Gabriel (25’/2ºT) (2-1)

BAHIA: Douglas Friedrich; Nino Paraíba, Ernando, Lucas Fonseca (Juninho, aos 12’/2ºT) e Matheus Bahia (Juninho Cpaixaba, aos 20’/2ºT); Gregore, Ronaldo e Índio Ramírez (Ramon, aos 20’/2ºT); Rossi (João Pedro, aos 34’/2ºT), Thiago Andrade e Gilberto (Alesson, aos 34’/2ºT). Técnico: Dado Cavalcanti.

CORINTHIANS: Cássio; Fagner, Bruno Méndez, Gil e Fábio Santos (Raul Gustavo, aos 25’/2ºT); Gabriel e Cantillo (Camacho, aos 36’/2ºT); Gustavo Silva (Gabriel Pereira, aos 16’/2ºT), Araos (Jonathan Cafú, aos 25’/2ºT) e Mateus Vital (Éderson, aos 36’/2ºT); Jô. Técnico: Vagner Mancini.

Manchester City have seen numerous players join the club since Pep Guardiola was appointed as their manager back in 2016.

One of Guardiola’s earliest recruits for the Manchester club was midfielder Ilkay Gundogan, who joined the side from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of £20m in the summer of 2016.

Since then, the German has gone on to make 249 appearances in a City shirt across all competitions.

In those appearances, the midfielder has scored 47 goals and delivered 33 assists along the way.

To further highlight how prominent the World Cup winner has been for City over the past few years, only Raheem Sterling (288) and Kevin De Bruyne (260) have made more appearances for the club under Guardiola than Gundogan (248).

With the 31-year-old’s current contract at the Etihad Stadium set to expire in the summer of 2023, the midfielder has already spoken about his potential next career step, with a move to America or Turkey in mind.

Taking this into account, the upcoming summer transfer window could give the Citizens an ideal opportunity to bring in a potential long-term replacement for their German midfield star.

Having been recently linked with a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, he could well be the right figure to come in and fill Gundogan’s boots once he calls time on his spell with City.

Since joining the Spanish club back in 2019 from Ajax for a fee of £65m, the Dutchman has gone on to make 137 appearances, scoring 13 goals and delivering 17 assists in the process.

Labelled as a “dynamic” player in the past by his current manager Xavi, the La Liga giants have reportedly put a price tag of £58m on their midfield talent.

To compare him with Gundogan from their individual domestic seasons, while De Jong may not have as many attempts on goal as the City star, he has a higher percentage of shots on target (41.2%) than him (31.9%), meaning he is more clinical in front of goal.

In terms of his passing, the Dutchman also trumps Gundogan with a higher percentage of passes completed.

While De Jong has five more league games under his belt than the German, from a defensive point of view, he’s made more tackles, pressures, blocks, interceptions and clearances this term.

Taking all of this into account, not only could City and Guardiola find their ideal heir for Gundogan with the 24-year-old, but they may also blow the Etihad faithful away by securing the Barcelona star’s signature this summer.

In other news: Pep can seal dream MCFC move with £100m “freak” who “can do anything”, he’s Ferna 2.0

Mayank Agarwal and Shubman Gill stroke fifties as Indians stretch lead to 472

Sidharth Monga12-Dec-2020

India’s batsmen capped off their preparations for the Adelaide Test with a sedate hundred for Hanuma Vihari and a swashbuckling one for Rishabh Pant. Also featuring were fifties for Mayank Agarwal and Shubhman Gill, which took the Indians’ lead to 472 at the end of the second day of their last tour match. Significantly, parts of Vihari and Pant’s innings were played in the night session, which is traditionally the most difficult time to bat in day-night Tests in Australia. However, a considerable chunk of this time was spent waiting for the new ball, facing harmless spin, which is understandable given how Australia are seemingly losing one bowler a day to injury.The reason the Indians kept batting into the final session had to be to stretch both their batsmen and bowlers. Not only did it mean the batsmen got a bit of a test under lights, but also that their bowlers will have to work harder – at least in theory – than they had to when they bowled Australia A out in just 32.2 overs in the night session on day one.Before that, though, Indians began the day looking for some signs of form from their top order. Prithvi Shaw might have failed again trying to hit on the up and away from the body, but Gill showed continued improvement and Agarwal applied himself to turn a hesitant start into a half-century.In two of his three previous innings on tour, Gill had shown good striking form, but this half-century was more about getting more into long-form mode. It is hard to tell if it was a higher bat speed or hard hands in his earlier knocks, but he looked more in control in this innings. The cover-drive and the pulls were present in earlier innings too, but this one had more in-control shots. Eventually, he fell to what seemed a rough call for a catch at the wicket, but these matches can’t have DRS.With his 65 off 78, Gill, who plays as an opener in domestic cricket, presented a case to partner Agarwal in the first Test. It may well happen given Shaw’s lack of runs unless the team management has designs on using Gill as Kohli’s replacement once the India captain goes on paternity leave after the first Test. The other lock for the opener role, Agarwal, got valuable time out in the middle after he nicked off early in the first innings. Agarwal maintained a nice even temp in the innings, but he will be unhappy with the break in concentration that brought about his dismissal on 61. He played an absent-minded aerial square drive straight to deep point, just the kind of mental error you’d hate during a Test match.The Indians had enough on the board by then, but they wanted to have a bat under the lights not having played too much pink-ball cricket. And the tradition held with even the old ball starting to wobble in the final innings, which resulted in the wicket of Ajinkya Rahane, who will be displeased with a second nibble away from the body in this match.Vihari negotiated the conditions well. He has had starts in each of his innings, which all included his picture-perfect on-drive, but he converted this one into three figures. Pant showed how dominant he can be given a front-runner’s position, hitting boundaries with even seven men out on the fence. His last long-form outing brought Pant a hundred, and for some time it seemed he might fall tantalisingly short of another one here. He began the last over on 81 not out, and was hit in the midriff first ball. However, he followed it with 4, 4, 6, 4, 4 to end up with an unbeaten 103 off 73 balls.

The allrounder’s effort put to shade a serene 148 from Williamson, brilliant spells from Cottrell, Boult and Ferguson, and a rousing half-century from Gayle

The Report by Karthik Krishnaswamy22-Jun-2019
As it happenedWe’ve had Sri Lanka, the No. 9-ranked team that came to the World Cup in utter disarray, stunning No. 1 side England. We’ve had Afghanistan coming within a couple of hits of upsetting India.Neither of those results, however, will live on as the defining memory of these last two days.West Indies, chasing 292 against New Zealand at Old Trafford, were 164 for 7. Then 211 for 8. And 245 for 9. But Carlos Brathwaite wouldn’t be defeated. He saw off the tenth overs of Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson, New Zealand’s best and most dangerous bowlers on the day, with a bit of help from the No. 11 Oshane Thomas.Then, with 33 needed off the last three overs, he tore into Matt Henry. There was a sweet, baseball-style swat over long-on, a mighty drive high over extra-cover. There was a fortuitous slice wide of third man and a top-edge over the keeper too, but no one – perhaps not even the New Zealanders – will have begrudged him a bit of luck: 2, 6, 6, 6, 4, and an all-important last-ball single to keep the strike, smartly steered to third man. Brathwaite ended the over on 99, with West Indies eight runs from victory.New Zealand had used up their main bowling options, so they went with their fifth bowler, James Neesham, for the 49th.Fifth bowler against one of the game’s most dangerous hitters, a man with the winds of an otherworldly performance in his sails, a man with the winds of history in his sails. Remember the name?But Neesham’s slower ball kept him on tenterhooks. Two swipes and misses. Then a pulled double to bring up three figures. Only six needed. One hit.Last ball of the 49th was in Brathwaite’s arc: a touch short of a length, angling into him but not so much that he doesn’t have swinging room. Big swing, and a pretty sweet connection.But not sweet enough, not far enough to the right of Trent Boult, sprinting from long-on. He was leaning over the boundary rope when he caught the ball, his feet inches away from it. Inches. That’s how close it ended up.Take away Brathwaite, however, and the gap between the two sides was much wider – the width of the gap between ODI cricket and T20. Already once in this tournament, against Australia, West Indies lost from a position of strength thanks to the spirit of T20 creeping too far into their ODI game.It happened again on Saturday. Chasing 292, West Indies were 142 for 2 after 22 overs, with a pair of half-centurions at the crease. New Zealand had been erratic with the ball; too short, too wasteful. They had missed vital chances in the outfield.Kane Williamson plays one of his trademark dabs down to third man on his way to a century•Getty Images

For West Indies, the cold, hard ODI approach would have been to keep New Zealand on the ropes, and give them no opening. The fields were defensive by necessity, and singles were available if the batsmen wanted them. But Shimron Hetmyer and Chris Gayle kept taking the high-risk option. That approach had brought them the bulk of their runs, but it had also kept them on the edge: Gayle had only just been dropped twice in an over. But they kept swinging, even though a top-order batsman, Evin Lewis, was nursing a hamstring injury and hadn’t batted yet, and couldn’t be expected to contribute too much. They kept swinging, opened the door for Ferguson’s clever changes of pace, and 142 for 2 became 164 for 7.The first two-thirds of Brathwaite’s innings, spent mostly in the company of Kemar Roach and Sheldon Cottrell, was all about smart, sensible ODI batting: he watched the ball, read the field settings, assessed the risks, and rebuked his team-mates with the ease of his run-scoring in excellent batting conditions. In the end, he had to reach into his T20 kitbag, but, unlike his team-mates, only out of necessity.The first half of the match was far less dramatic, but that’s because Kane Williamson doesn’t do drama. Sheldon Cottrell, bowling full and swinging the ball dangerously, took out both openers, and that set the tone for the early part of Williamson’s innings, in the company of Ross Taylor. They ensured New Zealand saw off the new balls without further loss, and the score inched to 36 for 2 in 12 overs before the strokes began to flow around the ground.There were trademark Taylor pulls with a whip of the bottom wrist, trademark Williamson drives between mid-off and extra-cover, and a contest between the two as to who could play the prettier straight drive. At the 30-over mark, New Zealand were 144 for 2.From there on, the old ODI adage of doubling your 30-over score if you have wickets in hand worked a charm. Taylor fell for 69, failing to clear mid-off, but Williamson, who came into this game with scores of 79 not out and 106 not out in his last two innings, stretched his run of un-dismissed run-scoring to 333, off 390 balls, before he top-edged Cottrell in the 47th over. There was lower-order biffing from Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme and Mitchell Santner too, and New Zealand ended up with what looked, at that point, like an anyone’s-game kind of total.For the first third of West Indies’ chase, it seemed hardly adequate. Then it looked more than enough. And then, Carlos Brathwaite happened.

Competition is fierce for places on the plane to Paris, so which 18 players will the new coach select this summer?

The Emma Hayes era has officially begun, and it's one that promises massive changes for the U.S. women's national team. After a disappointing 2023 World Cup, the USWNT have hit the reset button, with Hayes now tasked with rebuilding this team into a juggernaut.

The U.S. is still very, very good, to be fair, but this team is no longer the dominant force it once was. The rise of teams all over Europe has coincided with a slight dip from the USWNT, and that dip has made all the difference.

As a result, the U.S. heads into this summer's Olympics undergoing something of a rebuild. Hayes has just joined the team after concluding her Chelsea duties, and she won't have much time to put her stamp on things before heading to France.

It'll be a tough turnaround, but this team has the talent. The USWNT is loaded with attacking stars that, on any given day, give this group a chance to win.

Can they pull it off this summer? Will this team be able to claim gold? That's always the aim with the USWNT and, even during this rebuilding phase, expectations are sky high.

But who will make the USWNT's 18-player Olympic roster? GOAL takes a look…

• Getty Images
  

  GOALKEEPERS

  Alyssa Naeher is the incumbent and could very well start in Paris, though recent injury issues could yet rob the 36-year-old veteran of one last tournament.

  The U.S. has options behind her, including long-standing backup Casey Murphy and NWSL Goalkeeper of the Year Jane Campbell. Hayes will have some decisions to make, particularly with her No.1 goalkeeping spot once Naeher is healthy.

  Name	Club
  Jane Campbell	Houston Dash
  Aubrey Kingsbury	Washington Spirit
  Casey Murphy	North Carolina Courage
  Alyssa Naeher	Chicago Red Stars

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• Getty
  

  DEFENDERS

  There are two starting XI locks in this group: Naomi Girma and Emily Fox. Outside of that, it's all a bit up in the air.

  The search for Girma's best defensive partner goes on, while there's a fierce competition at left-back, particularly with Crystal Dunn now being listed as a forward, suggesting her playing at left-back is not something Hayes foresees happening.

  The group has a good mix of youth and experience, though, which gives Hayes plenty of options to choose from when selecting a roster.

  Name	Club
  Alana Cook	Seattle Reign FC
  Abby Dahlkemper	San Diego Wave
  Tierna Davidson	Gotham FC
  Emily Fox	Arsenal
  Eva Gaetino	PSG
  Naomi Girma	San Diego Wave
  Casey Krueger	Washington Spirit
  Jenna Nighswonger	Gotham FC
  Becky Sauerbrunn	Portland Thorns
  Emily Sonnett	Gotham FC
  Sam Staab	Chicago Red Stars
  Kate Wiesner	Washington Spirit

• Getty Images
  

  MIDFIELDERS

  The midfield struggled at times at the World Cup due to injuries and form, but there are some star players here. Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle lead the charge, while newcomers Sam Coffey and Korbin Albert are also in the mix for starting spots.

  And then you have a new generation, with the likes of Hal Hershfelt, Lily Yohannes and Olivia Moultrie waiting for their opportunities, which could come post-Olympics simply due to the limited roster spots.

  Name	Club
  Korbin Albert	PSG
  Croix Bethune	Washington Spirit
  Sam Coffey	Portland Thorns
  Savannah DeMelo	Racing Louisville
  Hal Hershfelt	Washington Spirit
  Lindsey Horan	Lyon
  Rose Lavelle	Gotham FC
  Olivia Moultrie	Portland Thorns
  Lily Yohannes	Ajax

• Getty Images
  

  FORWARDS

  Good luck sorting this one out, Emma…

  It's a champagne problem, but a problem nonetheless: the USWNT is loaded in the attack. From rising stars in Jaedyn Shaw and Trinity Rodman to veterans like Alex Morgan and Mallory Swanson, there are so many options. Add in the returning Catarina Macario, a true unicorn, too.

  There's no right answer here, but there also may not be a wrong one for Hayes given the talent of those involved.

  Name	Club
  Crystal Dunn	Gotham FC
  Catarina Macario	Chelsea
  Alex Morgan	San Diego Wave
  Trinity Rodman	Washington Spirit
  Jaedyn Shaw	San Diego Wave
  Sophia Smith	Portland Thorns
  Mallory Swanson	Chicago Red Stars
  Alyssa Thompson	Angel City FC
  Lynn Williams	Gotham FC

The legendary midfielder is sticking around for one more season, but there remain a number of unresolved issues in Catalunya

Xavi has decided to stay at Barcelona. Less than three full months after promising – repeatedly – in no uncertain terms, that he would leave the club at the end of the season, he has performed quite a dramatic U-turn, vowing to remain in charge until the end of his contract in 2025.

In the week since his announcement, the vibes around the club have been good. A Champions League-winning club legend is sticking around to try and win a second La Liga title in three years. It matters little to a section of supporters that Xavi is limited as a manager, or that Barca are still in a deep financial crisis. The man they wanted to stay in charge will remain at the helm.

At some point, though, reality has to hit. Xavi may have sworn to see out his contract, but the job is far from done. In fact, the manager has tunnelled further into an uncomfortable situation. And although he has the backing of the board, the grace of a portion of a fanbase, and apparent support from the dressing room, this is not merely a question of letting the good times roll.

This is, in fact, a very difficult job that will likely only get harder over the next 12 months, and Xavi will resume his Barca tenure with fires to put out everywhere. As such, GOAL has taken a look at some of the most difficult tasks at hand…

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  Win over the doubters

  The original fan reaction to Xavi's decision to leave was one of indifference. The Blaugrana faithful had taken in a team that looked void of ideas for the first five months of the season, as the manager's methods – ones that had been enough to win them the league in May 2023 – had broken down.

  The goodwill fostered by a club legend running the team seemed to be waning. Xavi's time was seemingly up.

  Things have since turned around, of course, with fans heard chanting his name during Barca's win over Valencia on Monday. Still, that does little to change the fact that this is a fanbase who are both disgruntled and confused.

  The Blaugrana are a shadow of their former selves as an institution, lacking in Catalan identity and devoid of big La Masia stars – at least those with any experience – that carried them through so many years of success.

  It doesn't help, either, that noisy neighbours Girona are ever-improving, while Real Madrid are on the rise once more. Barca fans need something to be excited about; Xavi has to bring that about.

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  Solve the injury crisis

  Jurgen Klopp once claimed that, in the midst of a Liverpool injury crisis, he thought there was a "witch in the building" at the Reds' training ground. The litany of fitness issues was, of course, more likely due to a combination of bad luck and poor squad management than supernatural activity, but Xavi might just share a similar feeling.

  Barca's fitness woes have been crippling at times this season, with the Blaugrana losing a number of key players due to a range of issues. Gavi has missed most of the season after tearing his ACL in November; Alejandro Balder has been out of action since January after undergoing hamstring surgery; Frenkie de Jong's ankle issues are becoming a real concern; Pedri still can't be trusted to play 90 minutes.

  There is such a thing as bad luck, but, more broadly, Xavi might simply have to be more shrewd with how he manages this squad. Barca have shouldered youngsters with heavy minutes for years, while some of the older heads have simply looked too tired. Xavi can have complaints about squad depth and fixture congestion, but more simply, he will have to be careful about managing minutes.

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  Embrace Laporta's outbursts

  Unsurprisingly, the Barcelona manager cannot control the voice of the man who employs him – and could just as easily fire him. But Joan Laporta has been on a PR tear of late, picking fights with everyone in the Spanish football landscape. In the past 12 months alone, he has gone to war with La Liga president Javier Tebas, released a video condemning Real Madrid and attacked referees in the press.

  He seems to make headlines every week for a new piece of drama, or novel offence. Barca is a massive media circus, and Laporta is at the centre of it all. Xavi, try as he might, cannot seriously affect the stream of consciousness ramblings of an avid Culer, but he will certainly have to learn how to ally himself with the club structure – especially given the fact they have so readily backed him when he perhaps should be out of a job.

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  Work within a tight budget

  In news that will shock almost nobody by now, Barca have financial woes to worry about. Laporta may have pulled every lever in existence, but Barca still find themselves in immense debt, and will likely have to continue to cut costs to stay afloat.

  How, exactly, that presents itself on the pitch remains to be seen, but it does seem that there isn't much room for investment in the squad right now. Barca struggled to register new signing Vitor Roque in January – only completing the deal once money was freed up thanks to a La Liga loophole after injured Gavi was ruled out for the rest of the season. That doesn't offer much hope if the Blaugrana are looking to piece together a summer of spending.

  They might, in fact, have to sell in order to revamp things, and there are options on that front. Raphinha, who can fetch a handsome return, does seem likely to depart. There is even talk that one of Gavi or Pedri could be let go to increase the budget. It seems unlikely, too, that loan duo Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix can be bought permanently. Xavi, therefore, might be working with a weaker squad next term.

Saurashtra stutter to 58 for 5 in their second innings, still 148 runs away from the target

The Report by Shamya Dasgupta06-Feb-2019Last ball of the ninth over of the Saurashtra second innings. Cheteshwar Pujara leans forward to defend a flighted delivery from Aditya Sarwate on off and middle. He plays for the turn from the left-arm spinner, but there isn’t any, and he is trapped plumb in front for a five-ball duck.Sarwate sets off, his team-mates in hot pursuit while also high-fiving each other, before he stops and lets out a roar. It is, after all, the big moment, and Sarwate has done it two times in two innings.He has done much more than that, actually. After picking up five wickets in the Saurashtra first innings, Sarwate winkled out three top Saurashtra batsmen inside nine overs, leaving them 22 for three in a chase of 206. First-innings centurion Snell Patel – check. Harvik Desai – check. And Pujara, the big fish – check. Not ideal from Saurashtra’s point of view as they looked to avoid making it three final losses in seven seasons, but perfect for Vidarbha, the defending champions.It got worse for Saurashtra as Arpit Vasavada was done in by Umesh Yadav’s pace, sending a regulation catch behind the stumps. Then Sheldon Jackson, very early in his innings, stepped out to Akshay Wakhare and attempted to send the ball out of Jamtha. The ball kept low, and snaked it to hit the stumps.Vishvaraj Jadeja, composed but not overly cautious so far in his innings, went to stumps unbeaten on 23, and had for company Kamlesh Makvana on two.Dharmendrasinh Jadeja completed a six-wicket haul•PTI Earlier, after they started on 55 for two, Vidarbha batted two sessions, added 145 runs, and lost their eight remaining wickets, four of them to Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, who completed a six-for in the process.Ganesh Satish and Wasim Jaffer were in the middle when proceedings began, but Dharmendrasinh found Jaffer’s edge in the eighth over of the morning with one that didn’t bounce much, and substitute wicketkeeper Avi Barot pouched the catch.The scoreboard read 71 for three at that stage, and it was 73 for five in almost no time as Dharmendrasinh trapped Satish in front for 35 and Jaydev Unadkat got a full-pitched delivery to straighten and go past Akshay Wadkar’s defensive prod and hit timber.Vidarbha needed a fightback, and they got a bit of it from Mohit Kale and Akshay Karnewar, the two adding 32 runs before Makvana caught Karnewar’s edge on the drive and Desai clung on at slip.Kale battled on to make a valuable 38 on a pitch that was turning big by that stage, but the big contribution came from Sarwate, who top-scored in the innings with 49 before becoming the last wicket to fall, having given himself and his bowling mates more to bowl at than looked likely at one stage.Umesh also chipped in with a 12-ball 15 as the last three Vidarbha wickets added 66 runs – it has been a trend in the game, the last three wickets had put up 116 in Vidarbha’s first dig and 123 in Saurashtra’s reply. Saurashtra will hope Vishvaraj and Makvana, and next-man Prerak Mankad, don’t leave the tail with too much to do, but it might well be the case if Sarwate & Co. have it their way on the fifth morning.