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Tottenham Hotspur’s top-four chances were blown in tatters after they were demolished by Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon.

Under the guidance of interim boss Cristian Stellini, the north London outfit put in a shambolic display, likely their worst of the entire 2022/23 Premier League campaign as the Magpies hit them for six, with Harry Kane only mustering a mere second-half consolation goal.

It marks another sad page in Spurs’ sorry season, with the struggling side opting for a four-back system, in which Cristian Romero partnered Eric Dier and neither could register a rating above 5.6, per Sofascore figures.

The former was particularly disappointing, even more so than goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who was hooked at the break with a suspected injury.

How did Cristian Romero play against Newcastle?

Having played a three-back all season, it was clear that the Argentine could not adapt to the system at such short notice and he was severely punished as Eddie Howe’s men stuck five goals past the trio by the 21st minute.

Across the 90 or so minutes he was on the pitch, the £50m aggressor won just one of his five duels (20%), was dribbled past on three occasions, including for Joelinton’s sumptuous strike – a moment that Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville lambasted as “shocking” on Twitter – and the renowned “liability” – as once described by Jamie O’Hara – also recorded one error leading to a shot.

In addition to that, within eight minutes of coming on, Romero was booked for scything down Callum Wilson, who had bagged the Magpies’ sixth and final goal with practically his first touch.

BBC contributor Oli Prince-Bates also claimed the £165k-per-week defender was “the most overrated player” in the Premier League, whilst the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick was equally unimpressed by the World Cup winner as he wrote in his post-match column: ‘A World Cup winner in a back four but just as poor as the rest, and all at sea for at least three of the goals.’

Elsewhere, Romero failed to register a single interception or tackle, which are usually two key facets of his aggressive game and only further highlights just how much of a difficult afternoon he had up against the likes of Alexander Isak and Josh Murphy, who both bagged themselves the easiest brace of their careers.

All in all, you could pick fault in any of Spurs’ backline as they are not equipped to be deploying a four-at-the-back system and whilst Lloris may get scapegoated, given his persistent errors, Romero should have done far better as arguably the Lilywhites’ best centre-back.

On the eve of a critical contest that will make or break England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the World T20, Joe Root has said that the side are yet to play their best cricket in the tournament

Andrew Miller in Delhi25-Mar-2016On the eve of a critical contest that will make or break England’s hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the World T20, Joe Root took a momentary break from the high-octane, foot-to-the-floor attitude that has propelled his team’s campaign, and opted, along with a handful of his team-mates, to take the slow road to Agra for a visit to the Taj Mahal.The three-hour journey time was more or less the same as it will take for England and Sri Lanka to face off in Delhi on Saturday, by which time the showdown between West Indies and South Africa will have given both teams a clearer idea of what exactly they need to reach the semi-finals.However, after the frantic, error-strewn batting display that so nearly wrecked England’s tournament against Afghanistan, a day of quiet contemplation in the passenger seat was doubtless time well spent – especially for a batsman such as Root, whose calm under fire was the defining feature of England’s most outstanding effort in the competition so far.”With the schedule being so busy, having the opportunity to do something like that, being only three hours away in a car, it was a no-brainer for me,” Root said. “Getting to experience a bit of India and obviously one of the wonders of the world, so it was a really enjoyable day and something I’m really glad I did.”With two wins out of three in the tournament so far, England remain firmly on the road to the knockouts, albeit with their souped-up auto-rickshaw skidding uncomfortably through one or two of the tighter bends along the way.The contrast in demeanour between England’s serene pursuit of 230 against South Africa and their near-catastrophic loss of six wickets in the space of ten overs against Afghanistan was particularly stark, and Root admitted that a degree of expertise was still lacking in their approach to each game.”We’ve obviously not performed at our best through the whole competition yet, which, in a way, is quite exciting because that is still to come,” he said. “The really pleasing thing for me is we are winning games of cricket, which is really important in this format of the game, so as long as we continue to do that, that is all we can worry about, getting that win tomorrow to give us the best chance of qualifying.”Sri Lanka haven’t exactly brought their A game to the competition either. They too were walloped by West Indies and run close by Afghanistan, but at the Feroz Shah Kotla, where Afghanistan fielded four spinners against England and so nearly reaped their rewards, the likelihood is that England will need to repel a similar line of attack with a much greater degree of expertise. A team with the experience of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Angelo Mathews, to name but two, will be primed to strike if England dare to falter again.Jos Buttler, David Willey, Joe Root and Liam Plunkett took time out to visit the Taj Mahal•Getty Images

“It’s about adapting to conditions a bit better than we did in the previous game,” Root said. “We obviously didn’t do that very well – and not having too many preconceived ideas. We saw how the pitch played there, it might be slightly different again, so when we get out there it is about making sure that we make those assessments and are very clear on how we approach the 20 overs.”What constitutes clarity in the current England approach, however? Eoin Morgan, their captain, was adamant to the point of obstinacy on Wednesday afternoon, defending his team’s “no-fear” attitude against Afghanistan, despite the lemming-like end-game that such an approach can invite.”Everyone has their own way of playing it, there’s no right or wrong way,” Root said. “But for me it is about trying to face as few dot-balls as possible and trying to cash in with the boundaries when they are available.”You never want to lose wickets but you always have to look to put a score on the board,” he added. “That is what we tried to do and, obviously, our approach might have been slightly wrong in the last game and that is something we want to put right leading in to tomorrow.”Every surface is different so it is about giving yourself the best chance on that particular pitch. Sometimes you might need to take a few extra balls to get accustomed to it but ultimately it is about playing the situation in front of you, reading the pitch and score if you are chasing and making sure you are working with your partner to whittle that down and take the game away from the opposition.”It sounds simple when expressed with the sort of quiet authority that Root has brought to his England performances in all three formats this year. However, his crass run-out against Afghanistan denied him the chance to apply similar wisdom to Wednesday’s erratic game plan, and he couldn’t deny that the errors have continued to stack up for his team.”If we’re being honest we probably haven’t done one part of our game consistently well,” he said. “There have been times when we’ve bowled extremely well and times when we’ve obviously batted extremely well. The exciting thing for me is that if that comes together and we can consistently do that, we’ll be a hard team to beat.”In the meantime, England will settle back to watch how their qualification rivals fare in Nagpur, then hope that prior knowledge of the Delhi pitch can work in their favour, just as they came good at the second time of asking at the Wankhede last week.”There’s always pressure to perform, we know it’s a must-win game but it’s been like that since we got here,” Root said. “You can only really afford to lose one game and even then you can crash out of the competition.”It’s T20, it’s a complete knockout from here on in if we want to win it. The pressure is no more than it has been since that second game, it’s about getting over the line tomorrow.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has received an early Team News boost as he has confirmed that Fabio Vieira is OK to play Sporting after illness.

The Lowdown: Sore throat…

Vieira has been suffering with a sore throat recently, and subsequently was not able to take the planned presser ahead of the game on Wednesday evening.

This comes after Kieran Tierney was ruled out of the squad through illness, sparking fears that Vieira could face the same fate.

The Latest: Vieira OK

Speaking to the media in his pre-game press conference ahead of the UEFA Europa League first leg clash, Arteta has since confirmed that Vieira is ‘OK’ to play after the initial scare:

“Fabio is OK, yes.”

The Verdict: Boost

The news that Vieira is OK after illness will come as a boost to Arteta, considering that he is dealing with a number of first-team absentees in his squad.

Along with Tierney, both Leandro Trossard and Eddie Nketiah have also been ruled out of the game through injury, leaving Arsenal somewhat short in numbers, especially in attacking areas with Gabriel Jesus’ lingering injury on top of that.

When Vieira has stepped in, he has generally done well, with two goals and five assists in 25 appearances in total over all competitions so far this season (hailed him as a ‘tremendous player’ who gives him ‘big headaches’ in terms of team selection.

Moreover, the Spaniard also praised the inside knowledge that Vieira has given him and his team on Sporting from his time playing for FC Porto in Portugal, which could prove useful in gaining an advantage ahead of the second leg at the Emirates Stadium.

Nottingham Forest seem set to lose one of their talismanic attackers, Anthony Elanga, in the coming days.

It appears that the Sweden star will sign for Newcastle United in the coming days for £55m, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the winger has completed his medical with the North Eastern side.

As a result, Forest need a new winger to don Garibaldi Red next season. Sky Sports suggested that they ‘are interested in a deal’ to sign PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko and they are thought to have made an approach to the Dutch outfit to enquire about his availability this summer.

However, Bakayoko is not the only player on the list to replace Elanga, with Forest linked with a few more options out wide.

Nottingham Forest target new winger

It is certainly a frustrating situation that Forest find themselves in, having to replace Elanga this summer. However, the fee they are receiving is substantial, and allows them to sign a suitable replacement. Bakyoko is certainly not their only option.

In fact, according to journalist Greame Bailey, one of the players who Forest are considering to replace their number 21 is Ipswich Town star Omari Hutchinson.

Bailey explains that there is a ‘whole host of options out there’, but confirms that Hutchinson is one player the East Midlands side are considering.

At this stage, a price for the England U21 star has not been confirmed. However, given he cost the Tractor Boys £20m from Chelsea last summer, they would surely look to break even on the attacker, at the very least.

Why Hutchinson would be a good signing for Forest

At just 21 years of age, Hutchinson impressed in his first full season as a Premier League footballer. Once described as an “outstanding” player by football scout Antonio Mango, he would be an investment for both the present and future of Forest.

Last season, the versatile attacker, who has played for both Arsenal and Chelsea’s academies, played 31 times in the top flight for Ipswich. He bagged three goals and two assists, all of which came against some big sides, including both Chelsea and Manchester United.

Hutchinson was also a key member of England’s U21 European Championship-winning side last month under Lee Carsley. He played in all six games, including 98 minutes in the final against Germany, where he scored as England won 3-2 in extra time.

As a replacement for Elanga, there is no doubt that the Ipswich star would have a lot of work to do to match his numbers. The Sweden international managed six goals and 11 assists in 38 Premier League games last season.

However, there are similarities between the players, and Bakayoko, too, who managed 15 goals and assists last term.

Elanga and Hutchinson, in particular, are versatile and can play either flank or as a number 10. Bakayoko, too, is naturally a right winger.

The 21-year-old is naturally a left-footed player, and likes to cut inside on his strong foot when playing on the right-hand side. Just look at this goal he scored against Man United, picking up the ball in the right half-space, driving inside and firing home.

Indeed, the stats on FBref stack up well for Hutchinson against the other two players. For example, the Ipswich star stands out when looking at progressive numbers. Last season, he was averaging 1.57 passes into the final third per 90 minutes, more than Elanga’s 1.15 and Bakayoko’s 1.37 each game.

Key passes

1.08

1.80

2.60

Passes into final third

1.57

1.15

1.37

Progressive passes

2.61

2.27

3.60

Take-ons completed

1.78

0.90

2.69

Ball recoveries

3.83

3.20

2.49

Even though a price is not clear at this stage, a deal for Hutchinson could be a snart move for Forest. He has shown elite potential and versatility, and is already comparing well against Elanga and another of their targets in Bakayoko.

As far as an Elanga replacement goes, this could be a dream move for Forest this summer, and help them build for the present and the future.

Forget Fofana: Nottingham Forest could land instant Elanga upgrade for £34m

Nottingham Forest could replace Anthony Elanga with a current Premier League star

ByRoss Kilvington Jul 5, 2025

Aston Villa are back in action in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, as Unai Emery’s side welcome Fulham to Villa Park on match day 12 of the 2023/24 season.

The Villans will be desperate to get back to winning ways in the league, and after securing three valuable points in the Europa Conference League on Thursday night, the Midlands club will bid to get their form rolling once more.

Emery made four changes to the squad that lost to Nottingham Forest in the league to face AZ Alkmaar in the Conference League, with a similar rotation expected ahead of Sunday’s clash.

Here is Villa's predicted lineup vs Fulham and those three alterations from the midweek triumph…

1 GK – Emiliano Martinez

Holder of the 2023 Yashin Trophy, World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez will remain between the sticks for Villa against Fulham. The 31-year-old had a shaky performance during the defeat to Forest, however his quality outside of the mishap is irreplaceable.

2 LB – Lucas Digne

Despite the return of Alex Moreno from injury, Lucas Digne started against AZ and was a continual threat down the left side thanks to his dynamic progressive ability.

Although the Frenchman displays his defensive frailties due to his direct nature when getting forward at full-back, highlighted by him losing possession 20 times vs Forest, his presence down the flank is hard to replace.

No player in the Villa squad averages a higher rate of key passes per game than Digne this season, with the former Everton ace recording an average of two per game in the 2023/24 Premier League, via WhoScored.

3 CB – Pau Torres

Summer capture Pau Torres will almost certainly reclaim his spot in central defence following the rotation mid-week. The Spaniard was forced into action in the dying embers against AZ to replace Diego Carlos.

The Brazilian was forced to withdraw due to a minor injury, making Torres' claim to start against Fulham undeniable.

4 CB – Ezri Konsa

Against AZ, Ezri Konsa assumed the right-back position in place of Matty Cash, and is likely to rejoin forces with Torres in central defence as he has done in the Premier League this term.

With an average pass completion rate of 93.3% per game, only Tyrone Mings – who has played just 31 minutes of the season – tops the charts at Villa in that area, reinforcing Konsa’s reliability at the back.

Clement Lenglet will be the player to make way for Konsa’s return to central defence, after starting against AZ alongside Carlos on Thursday.

5 RB – Matty Cash

During his pre-match press conference ahead of the AZ clash, Emery revealed that Cash had recovered from a small injury he sustained against Forest last weekend.

The 26-year-old is expected to be restored to the starting XI after starting on the bench in midweek, adding a host of attacking threat to the final third at right-back.

6 CM – Douglas Luiz

Douglas Luiz also started on the bench in midweek, yet the reported Arsenal target will seemingly make his return to the XI to face Fulham.

The £75k-per-week Brazilian was lauded for his “magic” moment to assist Ollie Watkins’ winning goal vs AZ on Thursday by journalist John Townley, with his place in the squad irreplaceable as his magnificent form continues.

7 CM – Youri Tielemans

Pairing Luiz is typically Boubacar Kamara, yet the latter man did not enjoy his best outing in Europe this week, notably missing a gilt-edged chance to score and losing possession on ten occasions.

As such, Youri Tielemans could well keep his place in the centre of the park following an 'encouraging display' last time out, as per BirminghamLive's Townley, with the aim now for the summer signing to cement his place in the side moving forward.

8 RW – John McGinn

One of the most reliable players in Emery’s side is club captain, John McGinn, who will continue to occupy the left side in the Spaniard’s free-flowing midfield four.

To portray his consistency of high performances, the Scotsman hasn’t received a Sofascore match rating lower than 7.1 in the Premier League since September, cementing himself as a well-rounded player in the squad.

With two goals and two assists to his name already this season, the 29-year-old could be one to watch against the Cottagers due to his ability to cover significant ground and pop up in unexpected areas to help his team.

9 LW – Leon Bailey

Leon Bailey’s assist against AZ this week took his contribution to goals to five in his last five games for Villa, surely warranting him a starting spot in the Premier League over Nicolo Zaniolo.

The Jamaican has only started two league games so far this campaign, scoring three goals and claiming two assists, with the Italian still waiting to contribute in the final third to strengthen Bailey’s claim to start against Marco Silva's side.

10 ST – Moussa Diaby

Making up one-half of the strike partnership is Moussa Diaby, who started his first Conference League game of the season against AZ.

The forward has impressed since arriving in the Midlands from Bayer Leverkusen during the summer transfer window, forming an electrifying partnership with Watkins to see his playmaking and clinical streak in front of goal exploited.

With three goals and three assists so far in the league, the Frenchman will be one for Fulham to revise thoroughly, with only Digne averaging more key passes than the 24-year-old with 1.9 per game, via WhoScored.

Manchester United and astute transfer dealings are two things that don't appear to belong in the same sentence, with the Red Devils having erratically splashed the cash over the last decade or so.

With Erik ten Hag currently in charge of the most expensively assembled squad in Europe – totalling almost £1bn – the Old Trafford outfit look little closer to closing the gap on treble-winning rivals, Manchester City, with it now ten years since the club last tasted Premier League title glory.

What has perhaps been even more frustrating than the scattergun nature of United's transfer business is the fact that there also a number of figures who the club's hierarchy passed up the chance to sign, only to be forced to watch them blossom elsewhere.

The most blatant example of that fact was the failure to land Erling Haaland for a fee of just £4m during his time at Molde, with the Norwegian powerhouse now spearheading Pep Guardiola's City side to devastating effect, after hitting 52 goals in his debut season last time out.

Those woes were also laid bare with regard to fellow striker, Benjamin Sesko, with United having reportedly deemed the Slovenian's £2.5m fee as 'excessive' back in 2019, albeit with the 20-year-old having only recently sealed a £55m move to RB Leipzig.

Those two cases will likely have supporters tearing their hair out, although perhaps the most infuriating example of a player who got away is World Cup-winning superstar, Kylian Mbappe, with the Red Devils having failed to strike while the iron was out in the recent past.

Did Man United want to sign Kylian Mbappe?

While some reports may at times need to be taken with a pinch of salt, in the case of the dazzling Frenchman it would appear that there was genuine interest from those at the Theatre of Dreams, amid his promising career beginning at AS Monaco.

According to club legend Ryan Giggs, the Welshman had seemingly recommended that United make a move for the the-teenager – as well as current Arsenal man Gabriel Jesus – with the pair likely to have cost just £5m apiece at the time.

As per the Times, the 13-time title winner revealed: "I watched Mbappe play. I was watching him and Gabriel Jesus with the chief scout and it was a no-brainer. It was just like, Get them. It would have cost £5million or something – get them, loan them back and that's where the recruitment could have been better.

"I know what a Manchester United player looks like."

At a time when United notably splashed out an initial £36m on Anthony Martial from the Ligue 1 outfit back in 2016, to have fluffed the potential opportunity to sign the striker's compatriot is a blunder that the Premier League giants will likely never be able to recover from.

Why didn't Man United sign Mbappe?

United's failure to get snap up the promising forward for such a lowly fee was made even more apparent in the summer of 2017, with The Guardian reporting at the time that Jose Mourinho and co had launched a £72m bid in an attempt to prise the then-18-year-old from Stade Louis II.

That ultimately unsuccessful offer had coming following a breakthrough 2016/17 campaign which saw the Paris native score 15 times and register 11 assists in just 29 Ligue 1 outings as Monaco claimed the title.

It was on the European stage that a young Mbappe truly announced himself, however, after scoring six goals in just nine appearances in that season's Champions League, memorably running Man City ragged with a goal both home and away against Guardiola's men in the last-16 stage.

That lightning start to his senior career had ensured that Monaco were able to easily fend off the £72m approach from those in Manchester, with the selling club having been holding out for more than £100m at the time.

As it proved, the fleet-footed speedster did eventually depart in that same window on an initial loan move, joining rivals Paris Saint-Germain on a deal that included an option to make the switch permanent for an eyewatering £165m fee – blowing any rival interest out of the water.

What is Mbappe worth now?

What has followed since that move to the Parc des Princes has been glittering success for the 24-year-old, with the seemingly "unstoppable" talent – as described by compatriot Rio Mavuba – now boasting a haul of 219 goals and 98 assists in just 264 games for his current side.

Arguably the "best player in the world" when in full flow, according to Mavuba, the 5 foot 10 whiz has been a dominant force both domestically and on the international front, despite still longing for that elusive Champions League crown.

2015/16

1

5

2016/17

15

5

2017/18

13

7

2018/19

33

10

2019/20

18

17

2020/21

27

11

2021/22

28

4

2022/23

29

17

2023/24*

7

1

Total

171

77

Now the captain of his country despite his relative youth, the one-time Bondy youth asset already has 40 goals in just 71 appearances for Les Bleus to date, having previously been integral to his nation reaching the final of the last two World Cups.

In 2018 in Russia, the explosive wideman became the youngest player to net in the tournament's showpiece since Brazilian great, Pele back in 1958, memorably scoring in the 4-2 thrashing of Croatia.

The PSG talisman then hit even bigger heights in Qatar last year after scoring eight times in the competition in total, including a breathtaking hat-trick in the final against Lionel Messi's Argentina side to help take the game to extra-time.

While it was ultimately the South American outfit who emerged victorious during the subsequent penalty shoot-out, Mbappe yet again illustrated why he is a possible successor to the likes of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo at football's top table.

Such a talent is thus worthy of a sizeable valuation, with the player having only recently been the subject of a £259m offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal – a stunning increase of 5080% in relation the reported £5m fee that United could have signed him for years prior.

While Ten Hag's side may still have lingering hopes of snapping up the £1.1m-per-week asset next summer when his current contract reaches its expiry, a move to Real Madrid looks to be the most obvious scenario, ensuring that Mbappe is likely to remain 'one that got away' for the Red Devils.

Manchester United have been linked with a shock swoop to sign Ross Barkley from Luton this summer, in a pursuit spearheaded by Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

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• Barkley signed by Ratcliffe at Nice
• In fine form for relegation-threatened Luton
• United need midfield reinforcements

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barkley has been linked with a shock move to United by The Sun, having previously impressed new owner Ratcliffe during his time at Nice. When he was with the French club, reports suggested that Ratcliffe actually pushed manager Lucien Favre to play him more often for the Ligue 1 club.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The report suggests that United are looking to reinforce their midfield as they are willing to sell Casemiro and send Sofyan Amrabat back to Fiorentina. Barkley would not be a prohibitively expensive target, as Luton may well need to sell if they are relegated.

• Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Barkley has made 20 appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring three goals and registering three assists. He is spearheading Luton's attempt to avoid relegation, with the club currently 18th, one point behind Everton, although another points deduction would dramatically alter the complexion of the survival race.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BARKLEY?

  Luton play Manchester City in the fifth round of the FA Cup in midweek. They will return to Premier League action next weekend against Aston Villa.

The top-order batsman said that T20 is not played with only power shots, and that his role was to “play the anchor while the team plays around me”

Umar Farooq in Karachi03-Apr-2018

Babar Azam celebrates his half-century•AFP

Babar Azam has made a name for himself in the last couple of years with his strokeplay and consistent scores. A batting average of 53.15 in T20Is is compelling. He endured an underwhelming start to his career in 2015 but is now seen as a level-headed batsman in Pakistan’s top order. Even though his strike rate in T20s has been a talking point in recent times, he scored an unbeaten 97 off 58 balls against West Indies in the second T20I in Karachi, but regretted missing out on a century in front of a home crowd.Azam was on strike on 89 when Pakistan’s last over started, but he managed only eight runs off the five balls he faced from Kesrick Williams.”I went with a hundred in sight. That’s why I took a chance, but I wasn’t able to utilise a couple of balls, which is why I missed it,” he said after the match. “I had an experienced man – Shoaib Malik – at the other end, and was coordinating with him if I should take a chance or go for a single or double. I think that is where I lapsed, and I didn’t read a few balls that slowed things down. This is unfortunate for me, but only I am responsible for it. But I have another game tomorrow, and hopefully I can score a century this time.”Azam recently scored 402 runs in the Pakistan Super League, with the help of five half-centuries, and was the third-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He was promoted in this series to open in place of Ahmed Shehzad, and he pounced on it by smacking 13 fours and a six on Monday night, after scoring 17 in the opening T20. He was often criticised for his slowness and inability to shift gears with the pace of the match, as his strike rate of 122.18 showed in the PSL.”Runs are runs, even if they are coming off playing cut shots or in front, but it’s not like T20 can only be played with big shots,” he said. “It is not my role to go out and do the power hitting, my job is to play my natural game. There is always a plan, and that is very simple – to lead the game till the end, and my role is to play the anchor while the team plays around me. I know I shift gears, and when power hitting is required, I do it, but mostly, I just try to be myself and play my natural game.”Azam made it sound simple, but his innings during the second PSL eliminator, against Peshawar Zalmi in Lahore last month, was a major talking point. He had the composure but lacked the acceleration in the end overs. His knock of 63 off 45 balls at No. 3 for Karachi Kings went in vain as they fell short in their chase of 171 by 13 runs despite having eight wickets in hand.”I do not pay any heed to the negative thoughts, I just go with the plan my team gives me,” he said. “People do talk, but my job is to play cricket with 100% commitment. I also have no concern if I play as an opener or one-down, it’s all about what my team requires and I go with that. There is no pressure as such on me because I have a very strong belief in myself. I know if I have to play all three formats, I have to be fully fit with a positive mindset. Being a batsman, runs are always on my mind, otherwise the tension starts to mount. Playing all three formats is very demanding, and I know I can only do this by keeping myself fit.”Karachi is hosting international cricket after nine years, and even though Pakistan have clinched the T20I series with a 2-0 lead against a depleted West Indies side, Azam said winning was still important to boost their confidence.”Wining the series is always very important because it brings a lot confidence in you for the next tour,” he said. “We don’t consider them a weak opponent. They are the world champions, but we are given our plans, and we are just sticking to it and executing them accordingly.”No doubt, when you play in front of home crowd, it gives you immense confidence. You understand the home conditions very well and have the knowledge about playing at home in domestic cricket which helps you a lot for international games.”

Vinicius Junior has trolled Almeria following his 'handball' goal for Real Madrid, with the Brazilian claiming to have used Copacabana beach tactics.

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• Brazilian grew up playing on sand
• Put that schooling to go use with Los Blancos
• Helped Ancelotti's side to dramatic win

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Samba star helped his La Liga employers to recover from falling two goals down at Santiago Bernabeu to their rock-bottom opponents. His effort, which came after Jude Bellingham had converted from the penalty spot, helped to level matters on the day.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Dani Carvajal snatched a 99th-minute winner for Real – making club history in the process – but it is Vinicius’ goal that has sparked the most controversy. Almeria claim that the South American bundled home with his arm – meaning that said effort should have been ruled out.

• WHAT VINICIUS SAID

  Vinicius is not having that and has shared a video of his own, in which the ball appears to come off his shoulder. He says that is a trick he picked up when playing on the beaches of Brazil, with every part of the body used to keep the ball off the ground and hit the target. He has said: “Great goal!!! This is how I always did it on Copacabana beach.”

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• WHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

  Vinicius, who is now fully recovered from the injury that he picked up back in November, has registered four goals through his last three appearances for Real. He bagged a hat-trick against Barcelona in the Spanish Supercopa final and has helped them to cement their standing one point behind Girona in La Liga – while still boasting a game in hand.

Football clubs are some of the biggest brands in the world these days, and GOAL brings you the top 10 most searched football clubs in 2021.

The year 2023 was monumental in football due to several iconic events. Cristiano Ronaldo broke ties with Manchester United to join Al-Nassr and kick off a Saudi Pro League "All-Stars" frenzy, eight-time Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi surprised everyone by moving to David Beckham's Major League Soccer franchise Inter Miami on the back of lifting the 2022 World Cup and solidifying his GOAT status, Manchester City winning the treble and more.

Needless to say, football teams were googled heavily across the calendar year. People across the globe search for football teams to keep track of their results, position in respective league tables, and the high-profile transfers in the football world.

If you're anything crazy like us, you might have wondered which clubs occupy football fans’ search engines the most. If yes, then you are in the right place to find it out. Here at GOAL, we present you with the list of the top 10 searched football clubs on Google.

• LaLiga
  

  Real Madrid | 44.5 million average monthly searches

  With Real Madrid winning the Champions League, La Liga, and the Spanish Super Cup in 2021-22, the bar was set extremely high for the 2022-23 campaign.

  Although they ended the season with three trophies, securing the Copa del Rey, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, it wasn't quite the campaign that Carlo Ancelotti's side would have hoped for, finishing second in the La Liga table, second in the Spanish Super Cup and were eliminated in the semi-finals of the Champions League.

  However, they have bounced back impressively in the new season, and there is no reason why they cannot again be major contenders for the biggest prizes despite enduring a full-blown injury crisis in the defensive department.

  In what was supposed to be a difficult season for Los Blancos, with Karim Benzema gone and no Kylian Mbappe to replace him, summer recruit Jude Bellingham has stepped up, and taken the football world by storm, while Vinicius Jr. has continued his fine form.

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• Getty Images
  

  Manchester United | 33.8 million average monthly searches

  The Red Devils showed great promise in the first season of Erik ten Hag’s leadership, finishing third in the Premier League, winning the Carabao Cup (their first piece of silverware in more than half a decade), whilst also reaching the FA Cup final.

  But the 2023/24 campaign has so far proved a major step backwards, with Manchester United seemingly lurching from one crisis to another and seeing a number of their top stars failing to perform. They look like a team lacking identity, while eyebrows have been raised about Ten Hag's questionable man management and transfer policy.

  Now with the club’s new investor – the British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – taking over the charge of all operations, including transfer dealings at Old Trafford, it seems the club are gearing up for a complete top-to-bottom overhaul in the next year.

• getty images
  

  Galatasaray | 32.4 million average monthly searches

  Back-to-back Süper Lig titles in 2018 and 2019 saw Galatasaray return to the top of Turkish football after a three-season title drought. However, another three years without a title followed, and the second most successful club in Turkish football history fell off dramatically, with their 13th place finish in 2021-22 their lowest ever across any Turkish top-flight campaign.

  Enter, Okan Buruk. And the man has well-and-truly transformed their fortunes. They went onto have an absolutely incredible season in 2022-23 and managed to win the league title against all odds.

  Gala supporters love nothing more than witnessing eye-catching dribbles, free-flowing football, and sensational goals. Recent seasons had been short on this, however. In that respect, 2023 is a return to form for the entire league, with flashy, silky players such as Wilfried Zaha, Hakim Ziyech, and goal-machine Mauro Icardi arriving at the club.

  The Turkish giants are also notorious for their hostile treatment of visitors to RAMS Park, and a return to European football has been a treat to watch. Their Ultras never disappoint with their atmosphere, and Tifos, which have another level of popularity all over the world; you might have come across the huge "Welcome To Hell" sign on the internet ahead of their Champions League clash against Man United.

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  Manchester City | 29.3 million average monthly searches

  Manchester City were the centre of attention of the football world in 2023, and for good reason— they enjoyed the most successful season in their history. They won the Premier League. They won the FA Cup. They, at last, won the Champions League.

  It finally all came together for the Citizens, who for long stretches of the season looked as if they wouldn't add anything to their trophy cabinet racked up in recent years. Talismanic striker Erling Haaland steamrolled his way through English football, and broke all sorts of goal-scoring records to power Pep Guardiola's side to a historic treble.

  But there was another tale of the medal around the necks at the Etihad. The Premier League champions were hit with 115 charges of breaching financial rules, and refused to cooperate with the investigations.

  They weren't just dominating the pitch; they were ruling the bank. They topped the Deloitte Football Money League, claiming the title of the football club with the most revenue worldwide, with a staggering $808.1 million (€731m) in the treasury. Forbes also chipped in, ranking them to be the world's sixth-most valuable club, at $4.500 billion (€4bn).

  Although they have looked a tad bid complacent at the start of the 2023-24 season, expect them to storm back into contention for nearly every club-level top honour by the end of the campaign.