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Myles Lewis-Skelly was in awe after meeting England team-mate Dan Burn, not because of his personality but for their stark difference in height.

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Lewis-Skelly meets Burn on England dutyArsenal starlet surprised on first meetingMajor height differenceFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Despite being 5'10, the 18-year-old Arsenal talent is no stranger to the physical demands of top-flight football. However, standing next to Burn, who measures at 6'7, was a whole new experience. The Newcastle man towers over most players, and Lewis-Skelly was no exception when they crossed paths at St George’s Park.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT LEWIS-SKELLY SAID

Struggling to contain his amusement, Lewis-Skelly exclaimed: "Nah, this is too much! Oh my goodness. This is a joke."

Burn, who is accustomed to such reactions, responded in a lighthearted manner, saying: "Everyone gets it, mate."

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Burn is fresh off an unforgettable weekend, having scored the opening goal in Newcastle's 2-1 Carabao Cup final triumph over Liverpool on Sunday.

Neymar is set to miss Santos' 2025 Brazilian Serie A opener against Vasco da Gama this weekend as he continues to recover from a thigh injury.

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Neymar out of Santos' league openerYet to recover from thigh injuryPulled out of Brazil squad earlier this monthFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Brazil icon had to pull out of Dorival Junior's Selecao squad for their World Cup qualifying matches this month after he sustained a thigh injury. Neymar, who rekindled his love for football following his move from Al-Hilal to Santos in January, was all set to represent the Selecao for the first time since September 2023, however, his return to the national team was delayed following a fresh injury setback.

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in Brazil now reports that the 33-year-old has been ruled out of Santos' Serie A opener against Vasco da Gama on Sunday as he is not yet fully fit. The news comes as a huge blow for Santos, who were looking forward to having Neymar on the pitch on their return to the top division.

Getty Images SportDID YOU KNOW?

The Brazil national team did feel Neymar's absence as they helplessly surrendered in front of the world champions and arch-rivals Argentina in their latest World Cup qualifying game on Tuesday. Julian Alvarez, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister and Giuliano Simeone were all on target as La Albiceleste picked up a thumping 4-1 win.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR?

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star will aim to regain fitness before April 4 when Santos face Bahia in their second league game.

Mumbai lost their last eight wickets for 44 runs and suffered their ninth loss in 11 games

Andrew Miller09-May-20222:06

Should KKR have played with this bowling combination earlier?

It’s a rare old funk that Mumbai Indians find themselves in this season. Not even a performance for the ages from Jasprit Bumrah could extend their dead-cat bounce of a return to form, as Kolkata Knight Riders responded with a ferocious bowling display of their own – backed up by excellent fielding including two game-sealing run-outs in as many balls – to keep alive their own fading play-off hopes with an improbably comprehensive 52-run win.Related

As it happened: KKR vs Mumbai, DY Patil Stadium

Forearm injury puts Suryakumar out of remainder of IPL 2022

Stats – Bumrah's 5-10 the second-best returns in a losing cause in IPL history

Such is the runaway nature of this year’s top four that KKR still need favours from the teams around them to get back into full title contention. But at least, with 10 points now from 12 games, they haven’t been condemned permanently to also-ran status just yet, thanks to a brace of hard-hitting 43s from Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana that proved sufficient to post a passable total of 165 for 9.That score, however, was roughly 30 runs less than might have been anticipated once Bumrah had finished his rampage. In the space of nine balls, he dynamited five wickets for four runs – doubling his tally for the season in the process, having managed just five all told in his first ten outings of Mumbai’s non-starter of a season.However, that effort was later matched in tag-team fashion by KKR’s own heavyweights, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins. The former was used like a bite of reality with a wicket apiece in each of his first two overs, before he presided over a chaotic denouement in his uncompleted third; the latter purred into the endgame with a burst to rival Bumrah’s intervention – three in his third over as an uncomfortable chase became an impossible one. It’s been that sort of a season for the IPL’s most storied champions.Jasprit Bumrah cut a swathe through the Knight Riders middle order in a sensational spell•BCCIBumrah blitzes KKR’s lower orderThere are match-ups, and then there are match-ups. Bumrah to Russell, in the 15th over of a well-established first innings, is very much of the latter variety.Bumrah had bowled a solitary over up until his re-introduction, conceding five runs in the process including a sweetly timed boundary first-ball. He returned with KKR ominously placed on 136 for 3, and with Russell already swinging from the hip with a monstrous second-ball six to his name. What came next was simply dynamite viewing.Bumrah’s opening gambit was a howling yorker, as pinpoint accurate as such things are possible to be. Russell did exceptionally to dig it out from under his toes with the straightest blade of his career. But it was just a one-ball reprieve. Bumrah went hard into the pitch next ball, luring a wild swipe across the line as Kieron Pollard steadied himself to swallow a vital chance at long-on.Three balls later, and a well-set Rana drifted into Bumrah’s sights – he’d picked up his own tempo with four sixes in eight balls, driving Pollard to distraction in the process to reach 43 from 25. But Bumrah had the answer for Rana’s skittish footwork – a grille-seeking bouncer, gloved uneasily through to Kishan, whose conviction in the appeal was upheld by UltraEdge. It was game-changing stuff from Mumbai’s mightiest weapon, and he was only just getting started.After a break to switch ends, the first ball of Bumrah’s third over was fast and fierce, skidding yet still rising into Sheldon Jackson’s flighty pull to deep midwicket, where Daniel Sams made a tricky chance look simple with a well-timed swoop to his left. He then greeted Pat Cummins – remember him? – with a fizzing bouncer that the new man did well to duck, but then sent him on his way one ball later with another rock-hard length – even a man with a 15-ball 56 to his name couldn’t manage more than a cramped scuff to square leg.Bumrah’s coup de grace was an utter snorter. Round the wicket, as completely at Sunil Narine as it could possibly have been, as Narine reared back into his crease to ride the bounce but managed only to splice a looping chance through to the bowler as he charged by in his followthrough. As performances go, it deserved distinctly better than a 5/10. But, to judge by Mumbai’s run-chase, it needed to have been 10/10 to give his team a chance.Cummins takes his cue Hard lengths you say? Cummins may not have enjoyed his own evening in the firing line, but KKR’s most thoroughbred fast bowler was clearly taking notes while Bumrah was busy scalping him. In a reintroduction that had uncanny parallels to that of his opposite number, Cummins returned in the 15th over with a match-up of his own in mind.Ishan Kishan had eased along to a 41-ball half-century, showing unflustered accumulation after the controversial first-over demise of his captain and opening partner Rohit Sharma, who was adamant he hadn’t nicked the nipbacker from Tim Southee that offered up a range of white noise on UltraEdge.Pat Cummins and Sheldon Jackson celebrate after combining to remove Daniel Sams•BCCIBut there was no controversy about the ball that blasted Kishan from the crease – a body-cramping bouncer that Rinku Singh at square leg did wonderfully to claw in as it swirled out of the floodlights. It was the fourth time in 21 balls that Cummins had got his quarry, and at a cost of 22 runs all told, and at 100 for 5, it was a destabilising blow to KKR’s hopes.Five balls and two more wickets later, the chase had been diverted off a cliff. An exchange of singles was all Sams could muster in his time at the crease, as Cummins targeted his helmet and picked off the feathered top-edge. And though Murugan Ashwin had the right idea as he shaped inside the line for an uppercut, third man had merely to hop on the edge of the rope to drag down the third wicket of the over, and leave Pollard with too much to do.Iyer fires to give KKR their chanceVenkatesh has had an underwhelming IPL to date – and his absence from the side for the last two matches had been symptomatic of a side that has churned through 20 players in 11 games, more than any other outfit, and with even now no real sense of what their best XI looks like. Mind you, his only previous score of note, an unbeaten 50 from 41, had also come against Mumbai in their first meeting of the campaign. And perhaps emboldened by what he witnessed from the non-striker’s end on that occasion – namely, Cummins’ aforementioned match-swiping – Iyer resolved to be more forthright on his return to the top of the order at the expense of Baba Indrajith.It may not have seemed likely at the time, but it was the powerplay that won it for KKR – and with each of his 43 runs from 24 balls coming while the field was up, Iyer’s onslaught was pivotal. His opening gambit was a flat-batted pull for six off the legspinner Ashwin, whom he also drove through the covers in his first over, before he turned his attentions to the pace of Riley Meredith, including with a stunning ramp – more of a full-blooded uppercut to be fair – high over fine leg for another six.Sams and Kartikeya Singh were launched for Iyer’s third and fourth six to keep his innings galloping along, before the two men combined to curtail his onslaught with a top-edge to cover. But Rana got the memo with a second-ball drive for four to set up his own key performance, and put the seal on a six-over total of 64 for 1 – KKR’s best start of the competition. As it transpired, Mumbai barely managed twice that total in the whole of another faltering display.

Chelsea fell further behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title on Sunday after they failed to secure all three points against Everton at Goodison Park.

The Blues are now four points behind the Reds, who have a game in hand, at the top of the table after they beat Tottenham Hotspur 6-3 later in the day.

Enzo Maresca’s men will rue missed chances in their draw with Everton on Sunday, as they failed to make the most of the chances that they created.

The Blues had 75% of the possession on Merseyside and created three ‘big chances’ in the game, but failed to find the back of the net with those opportunities.

Nicolas Jackson missed two of those big chances and has only scored one goal in his last three Premier League outings, missing three ‘big chances’ in that time.

Chelsea wanted to sign another natural centre-forward to come in and compete with the Senegal international in the summer transfer window, but they ultimately failed to bring in another senior option in that position before it slammed shut.

Chelsea's pursuit of Samu Omorodion

One player who was a target for the Blues in the summer was Atletico Madrid striker Samu Omorodion, now going by Samu Aghehowa, and they had agreed a deal for him in August.

Sky Sports reported that Chelsea agreed a £34.5m deal to sign the young attacker from the Spanish giants, before a contractual dispute caused the move to fall through.

The Premier League side did not opt to find a solution to that dispute and the Spain U21 international eventually completed a move to Portuguese giants Porto instead, and his form this season may make the Blues regret their decision.

Aghehowa, 20, has plundered an outstanding 16 goals in 20 appearances in all competitions for his new club, including two goals in one game against Manchester United in the Europa League.

This impressive form comes off the back of his return of eight goals in LaLiga on loan with Alaves from Atletico Madrid in the 2023/24 campaign, which shows that he has taken great strides in his development since making the move to Portugal.

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As you can see in the table above, the Spanish marksman has been in prolific form in the Portuguese top-flight, with a staggering 11 goals from just 5.45 xG.

Jackson has missed as many ‘big chances’ in his last three appearances in the Premier League as Aghehowa has in the entire league season so far, which suggests that the Blues may have missed out on having a more clinical centre-forward option to select.

Whilst they have already squandered their chance to bring the former Atletico Madrid starlet to Stamford Bridge, Maresca could find his own version of Omorodion, now Aghehowa, by signing one of the club’s reported targets ahead of the January transfer window.

Chelsea eyeing up Premier League forward

TEAMtalk recently reported that Chelsea want to sign a new number nine to come in and compete with Jackson for the starting spot ahead of the second half of the season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The outlet added that Ipswich Town marksman Liam Delap, who only joined the Tractor Boys from Manchester City for £20m in the summer, is high up on their list of potential recruits.

It stated that the club have held talks with the striker’s representatives to discuss a possible move to Stamford Bridge for the England U21 international, whose agents are thinking about his long-term future at the top level amid a relegation battle for his current side.

TEAMtalk revealed that Ipswich are keen to keep hold of their star striker in the January transfer window, but Delap is interested in a move to Chelsea and would be open to the switch if a fee is agreed between the two teams.

It also claimed that Manchester City have a buy-back clause, after selling him in the summer, but that they are unlikely to exercise it in January, which could give the Blues a clear run at the 21-year-old star.

Why Chelsea should sign Liam Delap

Maresca must, now, push the board to secure a deal for the £20m-rated centre-forward because Chelsea could finally land their own version of Aghehowa by swooping for the Englishman.

The Spanish marksman was not an outstanding goalscorer on loan at Alaves, scoring eight league goals, in LaLiga last season, prior to the club’s interest in him, but has now burst into life on the big stage with Porto.

Similarly, Delap is a young striker who has not produced Erling Haaland or Viktor Gyokeres-esque goalscoring levels, but he has shown plenty of promising signs in a struggling Ipswich side.

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4.41

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Big chances created

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As you can see in the table above, the Ipswich sensation has been efficient with the chances that have come his way in the Premier League this term, scoring six times from just 4.41 xG in a team that is battling against relegation from the division.

Delap, who was described as a “battering ram” by Opta Analyst on X, also has the ability to create opportunities for himself, as shown in the clip below.

The 21-year-old’s form at youth level for Manchester City suggests that the potential is there for him to explode in a similar way to Aghehowa, if he joins a big team that can consistently put him in good positions to make things happen in the final third.

He scored a staggering 11 goals in 17 games at U18 level and 35 goals in 36 matches for their U21 side, combining for a return of 47 goals in 53 appearances overall.

Delap is now starting to realise some of that potential at first-team level, outperforming his xG in the Premier League, and Chelsea should look to offer him the chance to join a top side that can create chances for him on a consistent basis.

European giants want him: Chelsea heading for awful De Bruyne repeat

The Chelsea star might be on his way out of the club

ByJoe Nuttall Dec 24, 2024

The 21-year-old could, then, be Maresca’s own version of Aghehowa as another supremely talented, and powerful, young centre-forward who could develop into a monster for the Blues in the years to come.

Liverpool’s season is going just fine. Arne Slot has taken to the Premier League seamlessly, taken it by storm, and will be confident in his first-placed side’s chances of lifting the title come May.

Of course, rivals will be looking to improve both internally and with an eye on the 2025 windows. Arsenal, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest are snapping at the Reds’ heels from afar but Slot will want to maintain Liverpool’s position over the coming years.

Manchester City’s dismal form will improve at some stage, and they will be back in the title picture. While FSG will be looking for ways to improve the squad in the transfer market, there’s also a growing cluster of academy products looking to break onto the senior stage.

In the years to come, picking out the next Steven Gerrard might be crucial for Anfield’s sustained success.

Liverpool's best youth players

Liverpool have operated with a quality-over-quantity tint to their youth system over the past few decades, giving rise to some exhilarating journeys with some top players.

Gerrard is the cream of the crop and perhaps always will be, but Trent Alexander-Arnold is a homemade sensation with a similar standing at the moment, Slot’s vice-captain and Liverpool’s main creative force.

Coming through the ranks at the moment: many, many youngsters. It’s a new era of teenage talent production on Merseyside, Alexander-Arnold joined by Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott, Conor Bradley and Jarell Quansah in establishing roles in the first team across the past several years, each making their breakthrough at different times.

Rio Ngumoha was poached from Chelsea in the summer and looks like he could be a real prodigy, while Stefan Bajcetic and Ben Doak are both making headway on respective loan moves – both players will fancy themselves apt for first-team inclusion in the years to come.

Some top talent, but it’s Trey Nyoni who might just be the pick of the bunch.

Trey Nyoni could be the best thing since Trent

Still only 17, Nyoni has already made 35 appearances for Liverpool’s respective development sides, notching seven goals and two assists and invariably catching the eye.

He’s a “star in the making” alright, as scout Antonio Mango has said, and might just be Liverpool’s biggest talent since Alexander-Arnold, who has featured 333 times for Liverpool since breaking from the academy ranks. Widely regarded as one of the best full-backs in the world, the 26-year-old is a playmaking genius.

Alexander-Arnold is the Red poster boy on Merseyside, Liverpool’s golden child, the best homegrown player since Gerrard strut his stuff, wrote his name into the history books with indelible ink.

But Nyoni could be next. Oh sure, he’s a product of Leicester City’s youth academy, signing for Liverpool in the summer of 2023, but the 2007-born talent is fostering his raw qualities at Kirkby and Liverpool have every intention of reaping all the benefits.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

Praised for his “exceptional” progress with the Reds by reporter Neil Jones, Nyoni’s age-belying inclusions by Jurgen Klopp and now Slot suggest that he has all the skills to succeed in the big time and the temperament to match.

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As you can see, he’s usually placed in the centre of the park for the U21s, though seems to have something of a Midas touch in front of goal on those occasions where he is placed in a looser, more attacking role.

Gerrard, anyone? Nyoni might not be a carbon copy of Liverpool’s most iconic player of all time, but he does have the properties to thrive as an all-encompassing midfield powerhouse, with analyst Ben Mattinson claiming that he carries “so much resemblance to former Manchester United star Paul Pogba, who, for all the controversy, was an incredibly gifted footballer.

Having taken steps into the senior Liverpool set-up already, Nyoni is ready to explode at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Alexander-Arnold may be leaving in 2025; he may not be. Whatever happens there, Liverpool have a prodigy with the potential to go right to the top in Trey Nyoni.

Man City want him: Liverpool keen on "magical" £149m Gakpo upgrade

Arne Slot’s Liverpool will need to strengthen over the next few transfer windows.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 29, 2024

“I’ve changed my mindset over the winter and since Hobart,” says senior seamer headed for hometown Test

Valkerie Baynes06-Jun-2022If Stuart Broad learned one thing from his dramatic post-Ashes axing, it was to not look too far beyond his next match.The old “one game at a time” phrase couldn’t be more yawn-inducing but Broad’s approach is much more nuanced than that. So, like his wise words to the England team mid-Ashes drubbing about focusing on the present rather than a future that might not come, Broad’s advice to himself about not viewing this week’s clash with New Zealand at Trent Bridge as potentially his last home-ground Test rings true.As things stand, there is no Test scheduled for his native Nottingham next year but, with England looking to take an unassailable 2-0 lead after their stirring win at Lord’s, Broad is revelling in being back in the action alongside fellow seam-bowling veteran James Anderson after both were controversially dumped for the fateful tour of the Caribbean in March.”I’ve changed my mindset over the winter and since Hobart,” Broad said. “It’s not looking too far ahead, it’s just enjoying each week for what it is, give everything, and then reset for the next week.”Jimmy turns 40 this year, four years ago was he thinking 2018 might be his last at Old Trafford? Probably not. That just takes your mind away from enjoying the week.”I started this season not knowing if I’d pull on the England shirt again, I was just enjoying every day for what it was. I wear the Notts shirt with the same pride as the England badge and I’ll attack this week with the same mindset: walk out on that first day, look around the stands, and know how lucky I am to be there.”Related

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Joe Root ascends snow-capped peaks of greatness, carrying his team on his shoulders

England’s five-wicket victory over New Zealand on Sunday’s fourth morning was their first in 10 matches played since they beat India at Headingley last August and heralded a new era under captain Ben Stokes and Test head coach Brendon McCullum.”It’s been one of the most fun weeks we’ve had as a team,” Broad said, “just the relaxed environment, the way we’re talking as a team. It’s not too structured, it’s just a case of what do you need to do to make you feel you’re 10-foot tall?”To see the way we’ve attacked that target shows that mindset. Things went our way – that no-ball makes it a different game – but it’s no mean feat chasing a score like that. That’s a mindset thing.”The no-ball referred to was Colin de Grandomme’s overstep which would have seen Stokes bowled for just 1. Stokes, who took over from former skipper Joe Root ahead of the New Zealand series, went on to make a valuable 54, sharing a significant stand with Root, who struck the winning runs in an unbeaten century the following day after joining forces with Ben Foakes to guide England past their target of 277.The match was Broad’s first under Stokes as captain – he was memorably dropped when Stokes stood in for Root against West Indies in 2020 – and he gave a positive appraisal of the new leadership.”It’s noticeable from Stokesy and Baz that it’s all about taking wickets,” Broad said. “To start the Stokes-McCullum era with a win is huge for us. To chase 277 is awesome for us as a group.”I don’t think anyone who has come to Lord’s can argue it’s not been fun, the style of cricket, edge-of-the-seat at times, the crowd has got involved and it’s something we want to take to Trent Bridge.”And Broad reiterated that his relationship with Root remained strong, despite hints of tension during the Ashes and Root being part of the selection panel which left him out for the subsequent West Indies tour.”Joe and I spoke at length when he stood down as captain and I said to him how much he’s meant to me as a captain, and what a privilege it was playing under him,” Broad said. “I told him I hope he really enjoys the next few years, all that pressure has gone now, he’s already a legend of the game, so he can just go out there and enjoy it.”Joe and I are great friends and I’ve always been someone who can distinguish between business and pleasure. I can’t fall out with someone because they don’t pick me in a team, that would be a bit pathetic.”Broad took two wickets in three balls in a trademark burst•AFP/Getty ImagesBroad, who turns 36 this month, would not have been the most left-field option as captain following Root’s decision to step down – had his place in the side been secure at the time – given his experience and the ease with which he fronts the media.But he played a leadership role on and off the field during the first New Zealand Test, buying into England’s succession planning by joining Anderson and impressive debutant seamer Matthew Potts on a pre-match round of golf. Broad also helped whip the Lord’s crowd into a frenzy in the middle of an extraordinary three-ball turning point during the third day when he dismissed centurion Daryl Mitchell and bowled Kyle Jamieson for a duck either side of de Grandhomme’s bizarre run-out while Broad was belting out an unsuccessful appeal for lbw.”Yesterday was probably using my experience, thinking the team needs something here,” Broad said. “It adds a different pressure though. If you whip the crowd up, then bowl a half-volley and go for four you look daft. But I quite like that pressure. You’ll see this summer, when I feel we need that extra lift and momentum, I’ll do it again.”People say Trent Bridge and Edgbaston are the best Test match atmospheres in the country and after what was a really interesting win at Lord’s, it should see people who are heading to Trent Bridge have a lot of excitement about what is to come.”

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim is determined to keep Real Madrid target Bruno Fernandes, but the club could go against his wishes.

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Fernandes linked with £90m Real Madrid moveAmorim determined to keep talismanClub could overrule himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Spanish giants have been watching Fernandes at "virtually every match", according to the , and view him as a potential replacement for Luka Modric. Amorim is desperate to keep the Portugal international at Old Trafford, but the club may be forced to cash in to fix their financial issues.

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Fernandes has been a talismanic figure for United this season, producing 16 goals and 16 assists in all competitions, with none of his team-mates reaching double figures for either. However it is possible he would fancy a move to Real, who compete for La Liga and the Champions League on a regular basis.

WHAT AMORIM SAID

Speaking after Fernandes' hat-trick sealed United's place in the Europa League quarter-finals earlier this month, Amorim said: "When we need it, he's always there. In the set-pieces, he can change position, he can bring the ball forward, he can score goals, he can make transitions."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently opened up on the club's financial issues and the sale of Fernandes could be sanctioned in order to make more signings possible this summer. Amorim looks set to be backed to turn the club's fortunes around, despite them suffering their worst-ever Premier League season.

Barcelona's Raphinha shoved his team-mate Marc-Andre ter Stegen away after the German intervened between the Brazilian and the assistant referee.

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Barca draw 1-1 with BetisRaphinha frustrated after drawCaught on camera shoving Ter StegenFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona allowed the chance to move six points clear of title rivals Real Madrid to slip through their fingers as they stumbled to a 1-1 with Betis. After the full-time whistle, Raphinha was incensed and claimed that the assistant referee had told him to 'shut up'. The Brazilian had to be restrained by his head coach Hansi Flick after the full-time before the injured Ter Stegen went to speak to him and was shoved away.

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Raphinha, who was rested from the start of the game, has just returned from a difficult international break with Brazil. He was the target of fan ridicule as part of the side that was dismantled by Argentina and had to be held by his team-mates before he became too riled up. Barcelona will be hopeful that their winger, who is vying for the Ballon d'Or with Mohamed Salah, will be able to return to his usual measure and form ahead of their Champions League quarter-final clash with Borussia Dortmund.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RAPHINHA?

Barcelona sit four points clear of Real Madrid in the hunt for La Liga glory but will rue the chance to have stretched the lead further. Despite this, they will still be hopeful of winning yet more silverware this season. Should the club be successful in the league and win the Champions League, Raphinha's stake in the Ballon d'Or rankings may well be unassailable.

Allrounder flew home before T20I leg of multi-format series in England for family reasons

Valkerie Baynes26-Jul-2022Marizanne Kapp, South Africa’s in-form allrounder, has been ruled out of the Commonwealth Games after cutting short her participation in the tour of England for family reasons.Kapp returned home before the first of three T20Is last Thursday after her brother-in-law suffered serious injuries in an accident which left him in intensive care.At the time, Cricket South Africa said her availability for the Games, starting in Birmingham later this week, was yet to be confirmed and, as expected, head coach Hilton Moreeng confirmed that she would not return to England for the tournament immediately after the hosts had won the third T20I in Derby on Monday night to win that leg 3-0 and seal a 14-points-to-two victory in their multi-format series.Kapp’s absence is another blow on a difficult tour for South Africa, whose only points from the series came in the rain-affected drawn Test last month, when Kapp scored 150 and 43 not out to keep her side in the contest. She also posted half-centuries in two of the three ODIs, with England also sweeping that leg of the series 3-0.After the Test, South Africa lost explosive batter Lizelle Lee, who stunned the side by announcing her international retirement amid a spat over the granting of an NOC for her to play in the Hundred. Shabnim Ismail, their key pace bowler, took just two wickets for the entire series, one in each of the last two ODIs, after missing the Test with a calf-muscle injury, not playing in the first ODI and then going wicketless in the first two T20Is before sitting out Monday night’s 38-run defeat with a back problem.Sune Luus, South Africa’s captain, also missed the final match in Derby through illness, and she hasn’t bowled since two warm-up games against England Women A in the first week of July – between the Test and the ODIs – because of a finger injury.Moreeng said that Luus and Ismail would be fit to bowl when South Africa open their Commonwealth Games campaign against New Zealand on Saturday.”It’s a precaution from medical to make sure they are 100 per cent for that game and ready for the first game,” Moreeng said. “Yes, they’ll be 100 per cent.”She’s recovering very well, Sune, and she definitely will be able to bowl, yes. Regarding Marizanne, she will be out of the Commonwealth [Games].”Related

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Marizanne Kapp leaves England tour for family reasons, in doubt for Commonwealth Games

Sophie Ecclestone shows the way for youthful England in 3-0 series sweep

Moreeng denied that the absence of several senior players during the course of the tour had been a disruption to the rest of the squad.”It’s sport,” he said. “These kinds of things happen. Sometimes you have plans as a team, as coaches, as an organisation and then players feel that on certain days they’ve had enough.”You have to respect and celebrate the times that they had with you because they were incredible cricketers and these kinds of things happen because when you look at where they are in their lives, the different stages of their lives, they have to make at times decisions that are good for them, as people first, before they can worry about anything else.”So we respect their decisions but at the end of the day it gave opportunities to youngsters to be able to put up their hands. We’re very excited by what we’re seeing. Yes, the results aren’t there yet but we’re taking a lot of things, a lot of homework to be done, because bilateral tours like this give you an indication of where you are as a squad.”We also are a squad in transition, we’re not going to lose sight of that. If you look at our bowlers, the ages they’re at, youngsters are going to start coming in. They’ve given us good years.”Tazmin Brits, the 31-year-old top-order batter who was called up to the squad following Kapp’s departure and into the team to replace Luus when she fell ill ahead of the final T20I against England, top-scored with 59 off 57 balls, her third-highest score in 24 matches in the format. Meanwhile, Nonkululeko Mlaba, the 22-year-old left-arm spinner playing her 19th T20I took career-best figures of 3 for 22.But there was a sense from the tour of England that the current South Africa squad had peaked at the ODI World Cup in New Zealand earlier this year, where they defeated England by three wickets in the group stage, only to lose their semi-final against the same opponents by 137 runs.On this tour, England have looked a cut above, and the sides will once again be pitted against each other at the Commonwealth Games in Group B along with New Zealand and Sri Lanka. England open their campaign against Sri Lanka, also on Saturday after favourites Australia kick off the tournament against India, followed by Pakistan versus Barbados on Friday.

Liverpool were out of sorts as they drew against struggling Manchester United at Anfield for the second season running, but Arne Slot’s side remain in a noble position at the top of the Premier League.

Six points clear of Arsenal and Nottingham Forest in joint-second (with a game in hand), the Reds know that they will only have themselves to blame if they fail in their quest for the prize.

Off-field contract distractions felt like they seeped onto the pitch as Ruben Amorim’s United called upon long-lost fluency to impress as they claimed a point off their arch-rivals, Trent Alexander-Arnold bearing the brunt of Merseyside’s reprovals.

Regardless of how these issues resolve themselves, Liverpool will need to strengthen in 2025. Hopefully, FSG succeed in tying Trent, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk down, keeping the club’s key framework in place and allowing for investment in other areas.

Liverpool targeting a new winger

As per TEAMtalk, Liverpool are keeping a close eye on Napoli superstar Khvicha Kvaratskhelia with hopes of securing a deal this year. That said, so are Manchester United.

The report claims that Slot’s side showed interest last August but ultimately kept the faith in Cody Gakpo and Luis Diaz, the latter being linked with moves to Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.

Kvaratskhelia earns ‘peanuts’ in Naples at £32k-per-week, and though his club are seeking to extend his stay on bumper new terms, there is an opportunity there for Liverpool to strike.

Diaz, 28 in less than a week, is contracted until 2027 but could be sold for the right price, should a new deal fail to materialise. Kvaratskhelia would be the ultimate replacement, though Napoli have placed a £90m price tag on his name, meaning Liverpool would need to break their transfer record.

What Kvaratskhelia could bring to Anfield

Described as a “phenomenon” by Italian football pundit Mina Rzouki, Kvaratskhelia is the jewel in Napoli’s crown, the poster boy now that Victor Osimhen has fled to Galatasaray on loan as he waits for a permanent transfer away.

Still only 23, the balletic winger notably ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for total shots taken, the top 9% for progressive carries and the top 18% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

His fleet-footedness blends perfectly with clinical offensive qualities and an authoritative aura that stems, perhaps, from being the main man for his nation.

Georgia dazzled at Euro 2024 as they reached the knockout phases and lost valiantly against eventual winners Spain, and Kvaratskhelia “lived up to his reputation” – said analyst John Walker – as the team’s talisman.

The caveat to Liverpool’s interest is of course that Diaz would need to leave for him to be welcomed to Anfield’s pitch, but given that FBref records the Colombian to be one of his most tactically similar players, there’s a good chance that he would hit the ground running under Slot’s wing.

But the Napoli sensation might actually prove to be an upgrade on the thriving Gakpo, who has been incisive in recent weeks and has four goals and an assist from his past five Premier League fixtures.

Matches (starts)

19 (11)

17 (15)

Goals

6

5

Assists

2

3

Shots (on target)*

1.7 (0.6)

2.9 (1.0)

Big chances missed

4

2

Pass completion

84%

83%

Key passes*

1.0

1.7

Dribbles*

1.1

1.1

Total duels won*

3.1

4.2

Focus your attention on Kvaratskhelia’s keen clinical edge, having missed just two big chances in Serie A this season. In fact, the 23-year-old has only missed 16 big chances since joining Napoli at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, as per Sofascore, scoring 28 goals in total.

That’s a ball-striking quality to rival Gakpo’s while bringing a more electric and dynamic approach, as far as his overall play goes. He might even be Liverpool’s best left winger since the halcyon days of Sadio Mane.

Mohamed Salah might have unbelievable potency, but Mane was every bit as deadly in one of the Premier League’s all-time great frontlines, with Jurgen Klopp even hailing his maverick as a “world-class” player. It’s something that was echoed across all of Merseyside and beyond.

Like Kvaradona, Mane boasted blistering speed and deft, artful dribbling, with an innate striker’s sense that saw him bag so many goals due to his expert movements. Moreover, he was deadly when striking on goal, only missing 13 big chances during his final Premier League campaign with the Reds, clinching 16 goals as Liverpool narrowly missed out on the title.

Across 269 Liverpool appearances, Mane, now 33 and plying his trade for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, scored 120 goals and supplied 42 assists, though the magnitude of his brilliance under Klopp’s wing was something not so easily defined through goal numbers, through metrics.

Kvaratskhelia could be Slot’s own version of the Senegal legend. He’s got his prime years ahead of him and has demonstrated over the past few years that he has the pace, power and potency to excel on English soil.

Liverpool have long enjoyed the fruits of high-class wingers, and though Gakpo and Diaz have been immense this season, signing Kvaratskhelia would take FSG’s project to a whole ‘nother level.

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