As Tottenham Hotspur sporting director Fabio Paratici's plots potential replacements for compatriot Antonio Conte at N17, one name that has cropped up in recent times is Sporting CP boss, Ruben Amorim.

Reports in Portugal earlier this month suggested that the Lilywhites are 'at the head' of the list of suitors in the race to secure the 38-year-old's signature, with Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain also believed to be in the running.

The up-and-coming coach – who has been in charge of the Primeira Liga side since 2020 – is said to now be "ready" to make the move to English football, according to Football Insider, despite having a contract in his current post that runs until 2026.

The former Braga boss has been hailed as a "special manager" by writer Zach Lowy as a result of the early success he has enjoyed in his managerial career to date, notably winning the league and cup double during the 2020/21 campaign with Sporting.

With the Lisbon native likely to have decades ahead of him in the dugout, it is no surprise that Paratici and co are seemingly looking closely at him as a potential successor to Conte, as the highly-coveted coach only recently laid bare his credentials after knocking out Arsenal in the Europa League.

That recent triumph has already put Amorim in the good books of Tottenham supporters, with that positive feeling only set to be enhanced if he can also aid the club in bringing current Sporting starlet Marcus Edwards back to north London.

Will Spurs sign Edwards?

The diminutive forward – who left the Premier League side back in 2019 after rising up through the youth ranks – has been touted for a Spurs homecoming in recent times, with the Daily Mail previously suggesting that Paratici was eyeing a double January swoop involving the Englishman and Pedro Porro.

Despite the latter man eventually making his way to London, in the case of Edwards – who is said to have a £52m release clause in his contract – the 24-year-old stayed put at the Jose Alvalade Stadium, having been in sparkling form of late in Portugal.

Once likened to Lionel Messi by former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, the 5 foot 6 dynamo has left his previous employers ruing their decision to allow him to depart, having scored 13 goals and registered 14 assists in just 55 games for his current side.

The former Vitoria Guimaraes ace has proven himself a truly "dangerous" attacking presence, as per Statman Dave, with it no surprise that there is such a clamour to see him return to his former home, as even the player himself would "give serious consideration" to the move – according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The hope will be that Edwards' connection to Amorim can help to spark that long-awaited switch, provided the exciting coach does himself agree to a move, with the Portuguese visionary having hailed the former England youth gem as a "very talented player", while also tipping him for senior international recognition from the Three Lions in the future.

Although at the moment that double move does appear someway off, it would represent a notable coup as far as Spurs are concerned if the top-four hopefuls can pull it off.

Frank Lampard hasn’t exactly enjoyed the best of starts in his second stint as Chelsea manager, losing to Wolverhampton Wanderers and then to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final in midweek.

A home tie against in-form Brighton and Hove Albion arguably comes at the wrong time for the interim boss, with the south coast side enjoying a wonderful season as they head into the weekend in seventh place in the Premier League table, four spaces above the Blues.

Madrid were dominant against the Stamford Bridge outfit and Lampard will almost certainly make changes ahead of the match today.

Centre-back Kalidou Koulialy will miss the next two matches due to injury and this means Lampard could revert his side from playing three at the back as he did against Madrid, to the four that he deployed against Wolves.

We at Football FanCast predict the Chelsea starting XI that will be looking to secure a crucial three points at Stamford Bridge.

What will Chelsea’s starting XI look like against Brighton?

4-3-3 – Kepa; James, Fofana, Badiashile, Chilwell; Fernandez, Mount, Kovacic; Sterling, Havertz, Felix

Kepa will retain his spot in the Chelsea goal and will be looking to keep his first clean sheet since the 0-0 draw against Liverpool.

Lampard will change the formation and utilise a back four against Brighton today due to Koulibaly’s absence. Reece James and Ben Chilwell will operate off the flanks, and Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile will form the partnership in the heart of the defence.

Despite N’Golo Kante returning in recent weeks, the “world-class” star – as dubbed by Lampard – will be given a rest this afternoon in the hope he can return against Madrid, with Mason Mount coming in for the Frenchman. The £80k-per-week star came off the bench against the La Liga side in midweek and having been dubbed a “mad player” by Rio Ferdinand, he will be hoping to impress from the start. Mateo Kovacic will complete the midfield trio.

Raheem Sterling will start on the right wing and Joao Felix will operate on the left as they will both be looking to add to their meagre tallies so far this term. Kai Havertz will once again be deployed through the middle, and having gone three league matches without a goal, today would be the perfect time to score the first goal of Lampard’s second spell.

Getting three points is a necessity for Chelsea, and Brighton will be sure to provide an extremely tough challenge.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson and have recently scouted the forward.

Will Brennan Johnson stay at Nottingham Forest this summer?

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that Forest "will do everything" to keep Johnson for at least another year, however, it may be difficult to hold onto the forward, given that interest is growing from a number of Premier League clubs.

Transfer expert Steve Kay has reported Manchester City are eyeing a move for the 21-year-old, sending scouts to watch him on multiple occasions, as Pep Guardiola views him as a long-term replacement for Riyad Mahrez.

Newcastle United have also been named as potential suitors for the youngster, so Forest have a real battle on their hands trying to tempt him to stay, with numerous clubs that are likely to be playing in Europe next season making their interest clear.

Tottenham have now joined the race for the Wales international, according to a report from Football Insider, with a senior scout said to have watched him score in an impressive display against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend.

The north London club are monitoring the availability of the attacker as they weigh up a potential move, but seeing as his contract with Forest is not set to expire until 2026, they may have to shell out a sizeable fee to secure his signature.

Should Tottenham sign Brennan Johnson?

Former Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi previously lauded the Welshman as "unbelievable" back in 2019, and he has come on leaps and bounds since then, proving himself as a top-quality Premier League player.

The versatile forward added to his impressive goal tally at the weekend, scoring against Wolves to reach eight league goals for the season, while he has also weighed in with two assists.

Spurs aready have a plethora of attacking options to choose from, with Dejan Kulusevski still set to sign permanently despite Antonio Conte's exit, and Heung-min Son is still contracted until 2025.

As such, a new defender could be a better priority for the Lilywhites this summer, particularly because of their very poor record at the back, conceding 40 goals prior to the trip to Merseyside, the same amount as relegation-threatened Everton and Crystal Palace.

That said, Johnson is a fantastic prospect who may only get better, and his ability to play out wide and through the middle could make him a very good option for whoever takes over as manager.

Journalist Beren Cross has slammed Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca for his "poor performance" in the club's disappointing recent defeat.

What's the latest on Marc Roca and Leeds?

The Whites have now lost three Premier League games in a row as they edge worryingly closer to the relegation zone with just six games left to save them.

Indeed, after losing 5-1 and then 6-1 at home to Crystal Palace and Liverpool, Javi Gracia and his team were away against Fulham this weekend.

In the end, despite a late consultation from Patrick Bamford (that may well be an own goal from Joao Palhinha), goals from Harry Wilson and Andreas Pereira saw the home side win 2-1.

Understandably, few players truly impressed in a Leeds shirt but it seems as though Roca may well have been the worst on the pitch.

Cross certainly didn't hold back in his player ratings for LeedsLive as he handed the Spaniard a 4/10 – the joint-worst in the team – and called him "clumsy".

He wrote: "A poor performance neatly summed up by the four consecutive corners he failed to get beyond the first man in the second half. Looked overrun as the sole pivot. Tackles were clumsy or non-existent."

How poor was Marc Roca against Fulham?

Interestingly enough, Graham Smyth also gave Roca a 4/10 in the Yorkshire Evening Post player ratings and wrote: "Couldn't get to grips with the game, gave away free-kicks, gave the ball away ahead of the second."

While these two journalists concurred, the stats also go some way to outlining just how poor the £50k-per-week midfielder played on the day.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, Roca lost the ball 20 times and made four fouls (only Max Wober was poorer than him in both categories). He also was dribbled past once, while he failed with his only dribble attempt and made just one tackle – which shows why Cross calls his defensive work in the middle of the park "non-existent".

This certainly doesn't reflect well on Roca who was slammed by Cross in his LeedsLive player ratings just last week after the Liverpool defeat, handing him a 3/10 and writing: "Dire in possession when Leeds were in half-decent positions. Bypassed too easily at points."

Following that same game, One Leeds Fan Channel host Conor McGilligan said (via Football FanCast): "I've said multiple times, I'm a big fan of Roca. He is embarrassing at the minute, embarrassing."

All in all, it's been a terrible few weeks for both club and player and it could soon get worse if they can't fix things in the near future with the threat of relegation now looming large.

Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has hailed Jonny Bairstow for the improvement in his wicketkeeping since the tour of South Africa

George Dobell22-May-2016Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, has hailed Jonny Bairstow for the improvement in his wicketkeeping since the tour of South Africa and pinpointed work he did with Newcastle United football club.Bairstow was awarded the Man-of-the-Match award after the first Investec Test for a performance that included the only century of the game and nine catches behind the stumps. It was the second time in three Tests that Bairstow has claimed nine catches.But there were also several drops during the series in South Africa and Bairstow went into the Test against Sri Lanka with questions to answer about his suitability for the gloves. While one chance still went down on the third day, it was a performance that greatly encouraged Farbrace, a former wicketkeeper with Kent and Middlesex.Specifically, Farbrace felt Bairstow’s balance behind the stumps was much improved and credited England’s wicketkeeping coach, Bruce French, and a session spent with Newcastle learning tips from their goalkeepers for the progression.”The challenge we set him after South Africa was that you will play the Sri Lanka series and you will have the gloves, but we want a consistent wicketkeeper,” Farbrace said. “The wicketkeeper is picked first and foremost to take his catches and any run he scores is a bonus. The keeper sets the trend and the fielding level so if he is taking his catches everyone else takes confidence from that.”In South Africa he looked unbalanced. Predominantly he stood a fraction too wide and therefore, as the ball was delivered into the line of off stump and took the outside edge, his first movement was on to his left foot.”If you get a nick from there you’re off balance. You are diving backwards and the shape of your hand is almost behind you. When set still you can dive forwards and sideways and then your full hand is facing the ball. The only chance he dropped in this game he got done by the angle of the ball. The rest of the game, I thought he kept incredibly well.”I honestly think in the two months he has been away from South Africa he has worked hard on his game. He looked balanced and he looked very strong in his movements.”He and Bruce French have worked hard and that has really helped him. It is much easier to concentrate if you think you are going to get a nick every ball, as opposed to one coming past the bat every 25 minutes.”And he had a session with the goalkeeping coaches at Newcastle on balance and shape of the body. He really enjoyed that and got a lot from it. Simon Smith, who is their goalkeeping coach, and their keepers, Karl Darlow and Rob Elliot, had a session with him. They had a really good day making sure he was balanced before moving one way or another.”Farbrace confirmed that the England management have discussed moving Bairstow up to No. 5 in the batting line-up and have considered playing both him and Jos Buttler in the same side. With Bairstow now assured of the gloves for the foreseeable future, though, Buttler would need to score heavily in first-class cricket to win a recall as a specialist batsman. That seems unlikely, with his decision to play in the IPL excluding him from the first part of the Championship season and his involvement with the England limited-overs squads likely to rule him out of much of the rest of it.”We have had a lot of discussions with our top order talking about getting the balance right,” Farbrace said. “If you can get Bairstow and Buttler in the same side that would be very exciting.”We have talked about whether Jonny should bat at five. It is a bit like Root: when they are playing that well where do you bat them? Generally your best players bat at three. But he is playing out of his boots at four so maybe leave him reasonably happy with that.”It is more likely that the pair could feature together in limited-overs cricket. Certainly Bairstow’s form with the bat is making a strong case for his inclusion in all formats, with Farbrace admitting he has “every chance” for forcing his way in.”You could argue he should be in all forms of our game,” Farbrace said. “If he keeps playing like that then he gives himself a great chance.”He is like most cricketers in that he thrives on confidence. He is loving the big occasion. There was a bit of pressure here. He talked about how he wanted to score a hundred at Headingley and in his first few runs you thought ‘crikey, he is going to get a hundred’.”The big thing is to play your own way. We are not trying to complicate it. With Jonny it is: “good luck, go and play.” It must be a brilliant place for him. Let’s hope he keeps going for a number of years.”Farbrace also had warm praise for Alex Hales and words of encouragement for Nick Compton. Hales made a patient 86 in the first Test, showing much improved discipline outside off stump, while Compton fell for a duck.”I have read all the stuff about Nick’s intense personality,” Farbrace said. “But I have yet to meet a batman at the top level who is not intense about the way they prepare. He is passionate to score runs for England and I think a couple of scores back to back and he will be off and running. I would say his state of mind has been very good.”He is not a difficult bloke. He is an easy bloke to work with and he is passionate about scoring runs. He has everything you need from a top quality batter.”We felt in South Africa he showed enough to suggest he can score runs in international cricket. He did not necessarily cement his position but we showed him faith by picking him.”If Nick bats for a long period there are enough people around him who score quickly. You can’t have seven batsmen all looking to hit the ball. You have to have someone to hold the innings together. What gets pushed at players in red or white ball cricket is “play your game”. Don’t get picked to play for England and change the way you play. There is no pressure from us to put his foot down and start whacking it.”It was an important innings for Alex, too. I think we saw in South Africa enough signs to show he can play Test cricket. This innings will convince him he can.”There has been a lot of talk about him being a free scoring batsman but I don’t think he is. He is an accumulator. When he scores hundreds, he takes his time getting in.”England will name their team for the second Test at around 9am on Monday morning. Ben Stokes underwent a scan on his sore left knee on Sunday afternoon and the selectors wanted to assess that before making a decision on who to bring into the squad.

Liverpool are in desperate need of reinforcements this summer following a tumultuous season that has seen their once-successful squad turn stale in recent months.

The Reds have been knocked out of every opportunity to win a trophy this season and are currently ten points adrift of the Champions League qualifying spots inside the Premier League top four ahead of their clash with Arsenal this weekend.

Indeed, reinvestment into the forward line seems to have been the priority for FSG over the last two seasons, with Luis Diaz, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo all making the move to Merseyside to compete for a spot in the club's infamous front three.

However, this focus on forwards has left other areas of the pitch to decline, with several key players reaching the latter stages of their careers – including Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Thiago Alcantara, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip, who are all well into their 30s at this point.

As a result, it will be absolutely imperative that the Anfield powerbrokers utilise the summer transfer window to spark a youth revolution by adding young and hungry talents into the centre of the pitch and defensive setup ahead of next season.

One player who has recently been linked to a Liverpool move is PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, a player who could not only be a cheaper alternative to fellow transfer target Matheus Nunes, but be a better all-round player than the Wolverhampton Wanderers ace.

Will Liverpool sign Ibrahima Sangare?

Liverpool have failed to permanently sign a midfielder since Thiago joined from Bayern Munich back in 2020, so new additions to the midfield personnel will surely be warmly welcomed by the Anfield faithful.

Not only that, but Naby Keita, Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are all set to make an exit this summer due to their contracts expiring, which only adds more pressure to the Liverpool hierarchy's efforts to identify and secure the services of quality midfielders who can add depth to the heart of the team.

There is no doubt that the signing of Sangare would be a major coup for the Merseyside giants this summer and would be a much better addition than long-term Liverpool target Nunes.

When comparing his positional peer's outputs this season, the PSV star has outperformed Nunes comfortably in several attacking areas, including goals scored (4 v 1), pass completion rate (84.3% v 80.2%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.52 v 2.29) and progressive passes completed (158 v 73).

Meanwhile, Sangare has provided a much better defensive output with a better rate of successful take-ons (75% v 52.3%), more tackles and interceptions won (79 v 63), more ball recoveries (208 v 116) and a better success rate in aerial duels (62.7% v 45.9%) – as per FBref.

It is clear that Sangare – hailed "dangerous" by analyst Aad de Mos – is much more of a prolific and complete all-rounder in the centre of the pitch compared to the Portuguese ace, and would even cost Liverpool £5m less to sign with a price tag of £45m compared to the £50m fee reported for Nunes.

With that being said, it seems like it would be a no-brainer to snap up Sangare this summer, and if Liverpool could strike a good deal it could save the club millions to invest into other key roles that need addressing.

How Chelsea could have done with a forward of Armando Broja's abilities in front of goal as their offensive woes continued on Saturday after falling to a disappointing 2-0 home defeat against Aston Villa.

What are Armando Broja's statistics?

The Blues mustered 27 shots on goal but failed to find the back of the net once again, with a lack of clinical finishing a significant factor behind their bottom half standing in the Premier League.

Therefore, It is unfortunate that young forward Armando Broja suffered a season-ending injury during the World Cup break, as he could have been a big player for the west London outfit in the remainder of the campaign.

However, there is no doubt that the Albania international could be influential again under a new manager if he can rediscover the form that he showed out on loan at Southampton in the 2021/22 season, where he managed eight goals in all competitions.

Although he managed just one goal for the Blues in the first half of the campaign, he is still only 21 and looks set for a bright future, whether that be at Stamford Bridge or elsewhere.

Fortunately for Todd Boehly, if he ever opts to cash in on the young striker, he looks certain to make a significant profit, as the young striker, who earns £40k-per-week, would join the club at U9 level.

How much is Armando Broja worth now?

Unsurprisingly, Broja's impressive form out on loan in his first taste of senior football in England, as well as the new long-term contract that he signed earlier this season, have seen his market value shoot up in recent years.

According to Football Transfers, the former Vitesse loanee is now valued at €33.9m (£30m), which represents an impressive rise given he was valued at less than €10m (£9m) only a year ago.

The disappointing form of Kai Havertz, which has returned just seven league goals this season, as well as the ostracisation of Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, suggests that any new appointment could still look towards Broja as the long-term goalscoring solution in the side when he returns from injury.

The young forward was notably praised by Albanian coach Sergio Porrini last season, saying:

"He's grown a lot since last year and he's exploded at Southampton. His greatest qualities are in his progression, especially ball and chain.

"With the necessary comparisons, he's somewhat reminiscent of [Rafael] Leao in how unstoppable he becomes if he stretches the ball into space On the other hand, he is less good with his back to goal, in the construction of the action, but in the spaces he is devastating."

Thus, if he can live up to his obvious potential at Stamford Bridge, then his market value will only continue to rocket, which emphasises that the club well and truly struck gold by unearthing such a promising young player from their academy.

ScorecardJack Taylor made his third first-class hundred (file photo)•PA Photos

Moeen Ali struck an unbeaten century to guide Worcestershire to a draw on the final day of their County Championship match with Gloucestershire in Bristol. The England all-rounder came to the rescue with his side in trouble at 49 for 3, chasing an unlikely 352 to win in 63 overs, hitting a fluent 136 from 144 balls in a quality knock that featured just one chance.Earlier, Jack Taylor had lashed 13 fours and two sixes in an explosive 105, his second fifty coming off just 27 balls, to help Gloucestershire from a perilous 217 for 6 overnight to 382 for 7 declared. Chris Dent was unbeaten on 138, having shared a seventh-wicket stand of 162 with Taylor. It was Dent’s second hundred of the season and took his run tally in five Championship innings to 402 at an average of 101.75.The early loss of openers Brett D’Oliveira and Daryl Mitchell, both to Liam Norwell, left Worcestershire batting to salvage a draw but they closed on 210 for 4. Gloucestershire took 12 points from the second game at Bristol this season to be dominated by the bat and Worcestershire 13 points.Dent and Taylor batted the home side out of trouble in the morning session, which began with them leading by only 186. The seventh-wicket pair stayed together until after lunch, overcoming the second new ball and adding 140 in attractive style.Dent reached a rock-solid hundred off 225 balls, with 13 fours, having begun the day on 81, and never gave a semblance of a chance. But he was eclipsed by the big-hitting Taylor, who cut loose after reaching a half-century off 69 balls. He took 17 off an over from Moeen, which cost 21 runs, and a second six off the England man in the last over before lunch took him to three figures.At lunch Taylor was unbeaten on 101, while Dent was 122 not out. The declaration came soon after the interval, Tom Kohler-Cadmore having taken an excellent diving catch over his shoulder running back at mid-on to dismiss Taylor off Ed Barnard.Norwell then briefly raised Gloucestershire hopes of victory with a five-over opening spell from the Ashley Down Road End that saw him claim 2 for 16. The seamer bowled D’Oliveira for 4 and then clipped Mitchell’s off stump on 8 as the Worcestershire captain shouldered arms to a ball that nipped back.When first-innings centurion Joe Clarke was bowled by Josh Shaw, also for 8, Worcestershire were 49 for 3 and in a spot of bother. But Kohler-Cadmore helped steady things and Moeen looked in little trouble, his two moments of anxiety coming when he pulled a short delivery from Norwell for six, the ball just clearing Hamish Marshall at fine leg, and a sharp caught-and-bowled chance to Shaw on 54.Having brought up his hundred from 106 balls, there was even time for Moeen to launch two big sixes in succession off Taylor in the closing overs. Sweet revenge for what had happened earlier.

Lancashire take satisfaction in a hard-fought batting performance against a Nottinghamshire seam attack which included three international bowlers

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford18-Apr-2016
ScorecardLiam Livingstone’s half-century took Lancashire into a first-innings lead•Getty ImagesLancashire’s two previous First Division campaigns included only a scattering of days as encouraging as this one. In 2014, the county secured just four first-innings leads in 16 attempts and an inability to bat long in the first half of matches cost them their status. So the satisfaction gained from the four half-century stands shared by Steven Croft’s batsmen against a Nottinghamshire seam attack which included three international bowlers must be considerable indeed.No one enjoyed themselves more than Alex Davies, for whom a tough cricket match seems almost a natural environment, and Liam Livingstone, who marked his first-class debut with a composed, unruffled innings of 63 not out. Stuart Broad may have gained a little personal kudos from having his England team-mate James Anderson caught behind for 6 but he found Lancashire’s freshman a far tougher opponent. Livingstone hit Broad for five boundaries and took 25 off the 24 balls he faced from him. He played the ball, not the bowler.Nottinghamshire’s cricketers applied themselves in the best Trent Bridge tradition; Steven Mullaney’s tight eight-over spell after lunch was typical of their approach. But Mick Newell, Peter Moores and their players were left regretting the inability of their batsmen to post a total greater than 242 on a flat pitch where simple application is often all that is required.All of which offered some sort of warmth to the home fans on a chill Mancunian day when spring was an intermittent visitor and the sun gulled the unwary into venturing out without their coats. The blue skies belied the strength of a bitter westerly wind and the cricketers needed to steel themselves for their task. Bowlers were happy to bowl because it kept them warm; batsmen were content to bat because they could do so in a couple of fleeces; the poor old fielders were left half-hoping that the ball did not come to them. The sanctuary of the dressing-room and the teapot must have been tempting indeed.Each session followed a roughly similar pattern. The first was characterised by watchful defence in its first hour but a little more aggression in its second. Lancashire added 83 runs in 29 overs, 32 of them scored in the 15 overs before Luke Procter and Haseeb Hameed were dismissed by Harry Gurney and Jake Ball in the space of four balls. A more sprightly 51 were added in the 14 overs faced by Alviro Petersen and Steven Croft. But the difference seemed greater than that. Petersen immediately batted fluently, clipping Gurney twice through the leg side before driving Ball to the boundary off the back foot.Nevertheless, a foundation had been laid by Procter, whose only first-team appearance in 2015 was a T20 match, and by Hameed, who was playing his first innings at the top level of English cricket. The rhythm of the innings had also been set and it was never lost in the remainder of the day. Although Croft was caught at the wicket by Read off Mullaney for 15, Davies immediately settled to his work and even the loss of Petersen, caught and bowled by Broad off the leading edge for 48, did not disturb him.Instead Lancashire’s wicketkeeper-batsman shared in a remarkably mature 72-run stand for the sixth wicket with Livingstone and they had taken the score to 228 for 5 before the new ball, which had been taken just after tea, brought Nottinghamshire their best period of the day. Davies was lbw to Ball and Broad then removed both Anderson and Neil Wagner in quick succession. At that point, with more than 22 overs left in the day, it seemed that Nottinghamshire would be batting again on Monday evening, but Kyle Jarvis joined Livingstone in an unbroken 62-run stand for the ninth wicket which extended their side’s lead from the modest through the healthy to the substantial. Jarvis’s unbeaten 36 showed what could be done on this wicket but Read’s batsmen will still have to play well for at least an hour or so before they are in credit.

Despite Royal Challengers Bangalore losing their sixth game of the season, batsman KL Rahul has said the team was peaking as the 2016 IPL approached its business end

Deivarayan Muthu in Bangalore12-May-20161:22

Road ahead for us is very clear – Rahul

Despite Royal Challengers Bangalore losing their sixth game of the season, and needing to win their remaining four to possibly make the playoffs, batsman KL Rahul has said the team was peaking as the 2016 IPL approached its business end. RCB were sixth in the standings after their six-wicket defeat to Mumbai Indians at home on Wednesday.”The plans are clear, we need to win all our games,” Rahul said. “I honestly believe that the team is peaking – the batting has come together, we’re fielding well, we’re taking some good catches, the bowling is getting better and better with each game. We need to win four out of four. We’re going to go out there and play fearless cricket.”Rahul was pushed down the order against Mumbai, in spite of enjoying success as an opener in previous games, to accommodate the returning Chris Gayle, who was out for 5. Gayle has been dismissed for less than ten in all seven innings since his century against England in the World T20, but Rahul urged support for the West Indies batsman.”Chris is dangerous up the order and we all know if he fires he can get us to 200-250 on any wicket, on any ground,” Rahul said. “You back a guy like Chris Gayle to go out there and give his best for the team. You can’t always expect him to deliver; sometimes it doesn’t happen.”The ball did not come onto the bat on Wednesday night, as it usually does at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, forcing the batsmen to manufacture shots. After Virat Kohli stabbed Mitchell McClenaghan to fly slip and Gayle toe-ended Tim Southee to mid-off, left-arm spinning allrounder Krunal Pandya suffocated RCB further with the joint-second best spell – in terms of economy (3.75) – by a spinner bowling a full quota at this venue.”After losing Virat and Chris early, we had to obviously change plans,” Rahul said. “The wicket was sticky, it was a bit damp, and it wasn’t easy to start hitting the ball right away. That’s what me and AB discussed – to take our time initially and if we batted out ten overs, then we could look at a target after that.”Rahul had come in to bat at the fall of Gayle’s wicket in the fourth over and went on to make his fourth half-century – and best score – of the season: 68 off 53 balls. He and de Villiers added 43 in 6.3 overs for the third wicket before Krunal dismissed de Villiers for 24 off 27 balls. Rahul also overcame an ankle niggle to ramp up the pace in the end overs, leading RCB to 151, which he thought was an “ideal score”.”After the loss of the first two wickets, we decided to get around 140-150, which was an ideal score,” Rahul said. “150 was what we discussed during the strategic time-out. We were happy with what we got. In the second innings it got easier to bat.”Mumbai’s chase boiled down to them needing 55 off the last five overs and then they lost Ambati Rayudu for 44 off 47 balls. Kieron Pollard and Jos Buttler, however, ran down the target with eight balls to spare.The RCB captain Virat Kohli, who had been dismissed for his first single-digit score of the season, said his team had been about 20 runs short, and that he would relish the pressure of the remaining matches. “We will literally play knockouts now and I love this situation,” he said.