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One Chelsea star has been critiqued for his performance in their game against Wolverhampton Wanderers, with Robert Sanchez having more touches than him at Stamford Bridge.

In what was Chelsea’s final Premier League game ahead of the November international break, the Blues played host to a Wolves side who, after 10 games, were still without a win in the top flight.

Enzo Maresca’s side struggled to do much with the chances they generated in the first half against Wolves, frustrating the home support at Stamford Bridge. Soon after the half-time break, however, the Blues broke the deadlock.

Malo Gusto opened the scoring with what was his first-ever senior goal just minutes into the second half. This lead was doubled just after the hour mark when Joao Pedro smashed a deflected Estevao cross beyond Wolves goalkeeper Sam Johnstone.

The game was put beyond any doubt when, with less than 20 minutes to go, Pedro Neto scored against his former club. The win moved Chelsea to second in the table. However, one Blues player was slammed for his performance against the relegation-threatened side.

Delap failed to make mark against Wolves

Signed in the summer from Ipswich Town, Liam Delap has endured a tough start to life at Chelsea. An injury saw him sidelined for weeks to open the 2025/26 campaign, missing almost two months. Upon his return, against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, Delap was sent off for accumulating two yellow cards after coming off the bench.

Delap, who reportedly signed a contract worth £100,000 per week, made his first start for Chelsea since returning from injury against the Old Gold, but failed to make an impact. Simon Johnson, who works for The Athletic, was critical of what the striker produced, noting that he did not appear at match fitness and said he was “struggling”.

As per SofaScore, within 64 minutes of football, Delap had just one shot on target. He was dispossessed on three occasions and by having just 15 touches in the game, had less time on the ball than Sanchez.

Delap is still a young player, one coming back from a relatively long set-back no less. His performance against Wolves, though, can simply not be the level that he consistently operates at going forward.

Chelsea weighing up move for England international

Temba Bavuma will be back to lead South Africa’s ODI side as they seek to square the series in India but has not confirmed where he will bat while the team continues to tinker with top-order combinations.Bavuma missed the opening match with illness, where South Africa stuck to their new(ish) combination of Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton, with Quinton de Kock at No.3. With the series on the line, they may look to return to the more successful and experienced combination of de Kock and Bavuma at the top, especially given their record. While Markram and Rickelton have opened together in just seven innings, and scored 306 runs at 43.71, de Kock and Bavuma have been South Africa’s second-most prolific opening pair since 2016 with over 1,000 runs together from 19 innings at 56.42, and would appear the better choice.On the eve of match two, Bavuma was non-committal about where he stood in the line-up. “Where I fit in, generally being in that top three, I’m easy whichever way is best for the team, as long as I’m still contributing,” Bavuma said in Raipur, where he also had a long net session, confirming his return to health. “At the moment, it’s about creating depth. There is versatility in that guys who generally bat at the top of their order have used in the middle. In this team, a guy like Matthew Breetzke, who generally sees himself at the top in one-day cricket, but he’s doing that job more than well now at No.4 A guy like Tony (de Zorzi) – he’s getting that opportunity to bat at five.”Related

• South Africa hope to cross the line in Raipur after Ranchi thriller

• South Africa find reason for ODI optimism despite top-order tangles

In the absence of Heinrich Klaasen (retired), Tristan Stubbs (dropped) and David Miller (not in this ODI squad), South Africa have effectively created a top five out of five different opening batters with Dewald Brevis in at six. The only reserve batter is Rubin Hermann (also a top three batter for the bulk of his List A career) and Bavuma explained their reasoning for stacking the squad with top-order players.”Going back to South Africa, there’s always that element of batsmanship that you need. I know there’s a big craze about guys hitting sixes in the middle order, but you need a little bit of batsmanship. A guy like Tony, he has the characteristics.,” Bavuma said. “I guess now it’s just to keep putting on the performances to justify why he should do that.”De Zorzi has played 21 ODIs for South Africa, scored 688 runs and averages 36.21. He has a strike-rate below 100 and though he is strong against spin, is seen more as someone who can build an innings and rotate strike rather than a big-hitter. It’s that type of player South Africa think they will need, not only in the subcontinent but as they build their resources for the home ODI World Cup in 2027.The tournament is just less than two years away but South Africa will only play, according to the FTP, nine ODIs after this series, all at home. That could change especially as the FTP only runs to April 2027 and the World Cup will be held in October but the time to experiment is now, which is exactly what South Africa are doing.”Every game we play now is a big lead up opportunity. It’s about filling in the gaps with guys who have left,” Bavuma said. “Especially from a resource point of view, we want to make sure if we do have a situation where one of our main bowlers is out that we do have young guys to step in. We’re seeing guys like Nandre Burger, they are putting up their hands. So creating depth and then seeing where guys can be filling in those roles.”Bavuma feels Matthew Breetzke is pulling his weight and more at No.4•BCCI

With Kagiso Rabada out of the series. Burger led the attack in the first match with support from three other seamers: Ottneil Baartman, Corbin Bosch and Marco Jansen. South Africa also have Lungi Ngidi, who is certain to play a role at some stage, in the squad, but for now, seem to be leaning more towards allrounders. Bosch and Jansen were both crucial in South Africa’s attempt to chase 350 in Ranchi and could keep their places as the series goes on. Jansen, in particular, has had a coming of age tour of India, and has made himself central to South Africa’s XI in all formats. Expect to see much more of him in this series.”I don’t know where the rankings sit but I’m sure Marco Jansen in any one of those formats will definitely be in the top 10. His contributions with the bat, with the ball, sometimes even both, have been immense to our success. Marco is still a young guy but he’s had a lot of international cricket that is under his belt and he’s only growing into his own and he’s becoming a lot more comfortable in his skin.”Currently, Jansen, who scored 93 and took seven wickets in the Guwahati Test, is sixth on the ICC’s Test allrounder rankings but 35th on the ODI list. His returns in Ranchi, where he scored a 39-ball 70 and took 2 for 76, could be the start of his climb up the charts.

The NZ allrounder followed figures of 2 for 16 with 46 off 24 balls

AAP27-Nov-2025

Sophie Devine sparkled with both ball and bat•Getty Images

Alice Capsey’s four wickets – including three in an over – were not enough as Sophie Devine led Perth Scorchers to a WBBL win over Melbourne Renegades.Scorchers survived a dramatic collapse to beat Renegades by four wickets and deny the home side a share of top spot on the WBBL ladder.Chasing 150 on Thursday at Junction Oval, Scorchers were cruising at 116 for 2 in the 13th over.After taking two wickets, Sophie Devine had been promoted to open and her blazing innings had put Scorchers in what appeared to be an impregnable position.But first Georgia Wareham bowled Maddy Darke for 15 and two balls later, Alice Capsey had opener Beth Mooney stumped for 41. The English spinner stunningly snared another two wickets in the same over to leave the Scorchers in major strife at 118 for 6.But Freya Kemp (18 not out) and Lilly Mills (15 not out) stopped the rot, guiding Perth to 151 for 6 with eight balls left.Capsey snared 4 for 14 from her three excellent overs of offspin.Earlier, Devine had taken the key wicket of Renegades No.3 Sophie Molineux for only 5 before Renegades were all out on the last ball of their 20 overs.The New Zealand star then moved up the order and belted the Renegades attack around Junction Oval, hitting six fours and two sixes in her knock of 46 from just 24 balls that ultimately proved the difference.The Renegades would have joined Hobart Hurricanes at the top of the ladder with a win. Instead, they stayed third ahead of Saturday’s big local derby against the second-placed Melbourne Stars.Chloe Ainsworth claimed two wickets in the 13th over of the Renegades’ innings and they were struggling at 94 for 7.Nicola Faltum and Sarah Coyte then had a quickfire stand of 46 for the eighth wicket that meant the home side posted a competitive score.Coyte was run-out for 24 from 18 balls and Fulton top-scored with an unbeaten 41 off 28 deliveries, with six fours.Ainsworth returned a miserly 2 for 17 from her four overs and Amy Edgar also claimed two wickets.

Another day, another opportunity for Shohei Ohtani to find more ways to amaze us all.

The two-way superstar toed the rubber at Dodger Stadium Friday as L.A. tries to close the door on the Brewers to make their second World Series appearance in a row. Ohtani walked Milwaukee leadoff man Brice Turang to start the game, but he quickly bounced back by striking out Jackson Chourio, Christian Yelich and William Contreras to end the inning.

He had to quickly get off the mound to make it in time for his second job, hitting leadoff for the Dodgers. In his first at-bat of the day, he took Brewers starter José Quintana to a full count before he saw a breaking ball low and in the zone. Ohtani took the pitch 446 feet over the right-field wall and nearly out of Dodger Stadium to give himself the lead.

According to MLB's Sarah Langs, Ohtani's solo shot was the first leadoff homer by a pitcher in MLB history, which counts the regular season and playoffs. It was also the first homer by a Dodgers pitcher ever in the playoffs and the first by any pitcher since 2018, also according to Langs.

He started a three-run first for the Dodgers as they aim to sweep the Brewers. Ohtani then went out in the second inning and retired the side in 10 pitches. In the fourth, he remarkably hit a ball even further, crushing an 89-mph cutter a whopping 469 feet for his second homer of the night. As if he needed to drop any more jaws, he sent this ball up and out of Dodger Stadium to give L.A. a 4–0 lead.

But wait, there's more. He smacked another homer, his third of the night, in the seventh. This time he sent the ball 427 feet over the center-field fence to make an even bigger statement on his truly historic night.

Per ESPN Insights, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit two home runs in a postseason game as a pitcher. And he hit three of them. His night on the mound ended after six scoreless innings, striking out 10 batters and letting up three walks on 100 pitches.

Friday's Game 4 of the National League Championship Series marked Ohtani's second start of the playoffs. He threw six innings and recorded the win in L.A.'s Game 1 victory over the Phillies in the NL Division Series. At the plate, he now has three homers over the playoffs, adding onto the 55 he hit over the regular season.

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O Botafogo aplicou o conceito de estratégia para vencer o clássico contra o Flamengo, pelo Brasileirão. Isso fez com que os alvinegros fossem à loucura. Os torcedores votaram e elegeram o grande responsável pela vitória. A enquete foi realizada no canal do WhatsApp do Lance! Botafogo.

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➡️ Tudo sobre o Fogão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso canal Lance! Botafogo

A torcida do Fogão escolheu o técnico Artur Jorge, que recebeu 89% dos votos (2 mil votos). Na sequência, Luiz Henrique foi o segundo colocado na enquete com 7% dos votos (154 votos). Por último, Savarino com 4% dos votos (104 votos).

Além das enquetes e muita interação, a torcida do Fogão pode acompanhar muito conteúdo e informação no canal do Lance! Botafogo no WhatsApp.

Como faço para participar? Clique aqui para entrar no canal Lance! Botafogo no WhatsApp, a casa da torcida do Fogão.

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سلطت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية الضوء على وقائع مباراة الأهلي والجيش الملكي المغربي ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وحل الأهلي المصري ضيفًا على الجيش الملكي المغربي أمس الجمعة، في إطار مباريات الجولة الثانية لدور المجموعات بدوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وشهدت المواجهة مشادات قوية بين لاعبي الفريقين، إلى جانب أعمال شغب جماهيري من قبل جماهير الجيش الملكي، أسفرت عن إصابة محمود حسن تريزيجيه، بسبب إلقاء آلة حادة نحو لاعب الأهلي.

واشبتك لاعبو الجيش الملكي معه للحصول عليها قبل أن يراها الحكم، وتدخل وليد صلاح الدين، مدير الكرة بالأهلي، لمنحها لحكم المباراة.

كما ألقت جماهير الجيش الملكي عدد لا يُحصى من الزجاجات الذي غمر أرضية الملعب، خلال المباراة التي انتهت بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله.

اقرأ أيضًا | الأهلي يُعلن عن إصابة 5 لاعبين بعد معركة الجيش الملكي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ورصدت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية تقريرًا عن تلك الأحداث بعنوان: “مُخزٍ! تريزيجيه يتعرّض لهجوم بسكين أثناء مباراة، والمنافسون يحاولون إخفاء الأمر”.

وافتتحت الصحيفة تقريرها موضحة: “شهدت الجولة الثانية من دوري أبطال أفريقيا، يوم الجمعة، مشهدًا أشبه بفيلم سينمائي، خلال مباراة الأهلي المصري والجيش الملكي الرباطي، في منتصف المباراة، ألقى أحد مشجعي الفريق المغربي سكينًا على تريزيجيه”.

واختتمت: “الأسوأ من ذلك أنه عندما حاول لاعب خط الوسط وزملاؤه إظهار السكين للحكم، حاول خصومهم إيقافهم بأي ثمن، حتى أنك ترى أحدهم – مرتديًا قميص اللاعب البديل – يضع السكين في سرواله، مشهدٌ مُخزٍ للغاية”.

It wouldn’t be hyperbolic to say that Tottenham Hotspur’s season is going off the rails, and fast.

Thomas Frank’s side look a million miles from the one that made a positive start back in August, and following their loss to Fulham on Saturday night, sit tenth in the Premier League.

The North Londoners have become utterly toothless in attack and porous at the back, and they are showing no signs of improving.

Fortunately, reports are now linking Spurs with a player who might be able to help improve the side in both halves of the pitch, someone who’d be a significant upgrade on the increasingly disappointing Rodrigo Bentancur.

Spurs target Bentancur upgrade

While he is far from the only one, Bentancur has been seriously disappointing for Spurs this season, and a million miles from the player fans were excited to watch every week a few years ago.

Transfer Focus

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

For example, in the club’s recent derbies against Chelsea and Arsenal, he looked completely off the pace.

For the first game, respected Spurs writer Alasdair Gold awarded him a rather generous 5/10 match rating. Then, for the latter, he awarded him a 3/10 rating for his inability to gain a foothold in the game.

In short, if it wasn’t already clear last year, this season has made it clear that the Lilywhites need a new midfielder who can help the defence, but also has the power to lend a hand to the attack at times.

Fortunately, it would appear that the club are well aware of this and are looking at a Premier League star who could do just that.

At least that is according to a recent report from Caught Offside, which claims Spurs are now interested in Carlos Baleba.

In fact, the report goes further than that, revealing that the North Londoners have now entered the race for the Brighton & Hove Albion star, who is also a key target for Manchester United.

However, on top of the potential competition, the Cameroonian’s price tag could be a hurdle, with the report stating that the Seagulls still value him at €100m, which is about £88m.

Yet, even though this would be a costly and complicated transfer to get over the line, Baleba’s ability and potential make it one Spurs should pursue, especially as he’d be a huge upgrade on Bentancur.

How Baleba compares to Bentancur

Now, the first thing to say is that, yes, so far this season, Baleba’s form has dropped somewhat.

However, that could be due in part to the transfer saga he went through in the summer, the inconsistent form of Brighton overall, or the simple fact that he is still just 21 years old.

However, even so, the Cameroon international was sensational last season, and a slight dip in form does not take away from the fact that when he is on song, he is incredible to watch.

Moreover, when comparing his underlying numbers to Bentancur’s from last season, even though he is so much younger, he still comes out ahead in most metrics.

For example, when it comes to the attacking side of the game, the Douala-born gem does better in metrics like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, key passes, successful take-ons, carries into the final third and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.15

0.10

Shots

1.49

1.20

Shots on Target

0.37

0.27

Passing Accuracy

87.4%

87.9%

Key Passes

0.71

0.55

Passes into the Penalty Area

0.78

0.71

Goal-Creating Actions

0.14

0.16

Tackles Won

1.55

1.20

Blocks

1.59

1.37

Errors Leading to a Shot

0.03

0.05

Successful Take-Ons

1.11

0.49

Carries into the Final Third

1.52

1.31

Ball Recoveries

6.66

6.61

% of Aerial Duels Won

60.0%

54.5%

Impressively, despite tending to start a little deeper than the Uruguayan, the Seagulls star also ranked incredibly closely for goal-creating actions.

Unsurprisingly, he also blows the 28-year-old away when it comes to the defensive side of things, winning more tackles, making more blocks, recovering the ball more often and winning more of his aerial duels, despite being shorter.

With numbers such as these, it’s not hard to see why respected analyst Ben Mattinson described the former LOSC Lille star as “one of the best midfielders in the league” last year.

Finally, on top of clearly outperforming the Lilywhites midfielder when it comes to underlying numbers, another reason Baleba would be an excellent upgrade is that he’s happy playing in central or defensive midfield.

Therefore, he’d be a perfect option for a double pivot, as he could interchange with someone like Lucas Bergvall and, in turn, make life for opposition midfielders far harder.

Ultimately, while it would be an expensive transfer to get over the line, Spurs should do what they can to bring the Brighton ace to N17, as he’d be an excellent addition to the team and an instant upgrade on Bentancur.

New Soldado: Frank must bin Spurs flop who had fewer touches than Vicario

Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank must drop this flop who is becoming the new Roberto Soldado.

ByDan Emery Nov 30, 2025

Stokes himself was culpable too, not only for England’s needlessly negative fields to Starc but for his obstinate refusal to change the pace of the game

Matt Roller06-Dec-20255:03

‘Neser has justified his selection ahead of Lyon’

Frankie’s Smokehouse on Stanley Street offers a pre-match barbecue before day-night Tests in Brisbane, and for three-and-a-half hours on Saturday, England’s bowlers were left to slow-cook on the Gabba grill. In 30-degree Celsius heat and 70% humidity, they were gradually charred and smoked in the second Test by Australia’s lower order and tail until ready to be served with a side of coleslaw.It was the ultimate demonstration of the hard-nosed pragmatism that has served Australia so well. Across 44.3 painstaking overs, their lower order and tail ground England down with a series of blocks, ducks and leaves that left their bowlers and fielders utterly deflated, and highlighted the stark contrast between the approaches of these two teams.Australia did not “run towards the danger”, as Brendon McCullum might have implored, but approached this third day in the knowledge that every over they spent at the crease increased the impending jeopardy that would arrive at nightfall. It was a familiar feeling for England in this country, their decision-making falling victim to long hours spent melting in the afternoon sun.Related

• Neser five-for trumps England's belated resistance as Australia take 2-0 lead

• Pope runs out of rope as Bazball's poster-boy turns fall-guy

• Trescothick insists England will 'stick to principles' as Ashes disaster looms

• Starc's all-round show leaves England facing humiliation at the Gabba

The telling moment came towards the end of a ninth-wicket stand between Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland that spanned 27.2 overs, the longest partnership of the series. Pat Cummins joined Fox’s commentary with a smile so broad that it could be heard without being seen: “Really intelligent batting,” he purred, as Starc staunchly blocked his 117th ball.Cummins – who also confirmed that he “should be right” for the third Test in Adelaide after injury – revealed that Australia’s lower-order batters have often discussed in meetings with management the target of facing 30 balls as a KPI [Key Performance Indicator]. “If our four bowlers can face 30 balls [each],” Cummins said, “we thought that was a big tick.”This was a huge one: their Nos. 8 to 11 managed to soak up 275 balls between them, with Starc (141) accounting for more than half of them. It was hardly edge-of-the-seat viewing, with Australia adding 133 for 4 to their overnight score at a shade under three runs per over, but Cummins, Steven Smith and Andrew McDonald could not have cared less as they watched England toil.It begged the question of how England’s lower order would have approached the same situation. In this series, they have swung from the hip with some success: their Nos. 8-11 have cumulatively scored at a strike rate of 95.03, with Gus Atkinson (37 off 32 in Perth) and Jofra Archer (38 off 36 in Brisbane) both contributing useful cameos.But only three lower-order batters have lasted 30 balls – Australia’s target – and none have reached 40, let alone Starc’s 141. England’s management hates team meetings, which Harry Brook memorably described as “the most over-rated things ever,” earlier this year; most of their players probably think KPI is the man who used to bat in their middle order.Mitchell Starc left Ben Stokes exasperated•CA/Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesEngland struck twice in the first hour on Saturday, Neser edging the old ball behind and Alex Carey the new one. But Starc’s partnership with Boland exposed their tactics as predictable: Ben Stokes abandoned any hope of getting Starc out, spreading the field and letting him leave on length, then watched Boland get in line and defend resolutely for at most two balls per over.Starc’s 77 was his third-highest Test score, and was a classic lower-order innings. He identified two main scoring areas – down the ground and through cover – and stuck to them resolutely, passing Stuart Broad to become the most prolific No. 9 in Test history in the process. It was measured, mature, and mightily effective: this is quickly becoming Starc’s Ashes.”The message was obviously to try to keep them out as long as possible because we knew the later we went into the night session with that harder ball was going to benefit us,” Neser said. “It actually went perfectly: the way Starcy went about it, scored runs and batted time, put us in a great position to bowl under the lights with that new pink ball.”It also meant more back-breaking work for England’s fast bowlers whose inexperience has been laid bare: among their four seamers, who shared 96 of the first 97 overs between them, Stokes is the only one to have played more than 20 Tests or even 60 first-class games.”Being a Gabba local, I know how hard it is bowling under the heat,” Neser said. “It seems just to radiate through the Gabba.” As England are quickly learning, charging in to bowl 87mph/140kph in the heat one day is one thing, but doing so two days in a row is another entirely.After arriving at the Gabba clutching a pillow, Jofra Archer spent the first session looking half-asleep, to his team-mates’ obvious frustration. Archer’s failure to turn Starc’s top-edge into a catching chance at mid-off was met by double-teapots all round, and Stokes berated him for a flat-footed effort at cover which allowed Boland to take a single off the first ball of an over.But Stokes himself was culpable too, not only for England’s needlessly negative fields to Starc but for his obstinate refusal to change the pace of the game by introducing his spinner. Will Jacks’ first ball after tea turned and bounced sharply, and he regularly threatened Boland and Brendan Doggett’s outside edge during an encouraging spell: why not try him sooner?Australia had the game-awareness to realise that time, not runs, had become the most important currency – though their eventual first-innings lead of 177 meant they had plenty of both. Batting time ensured that they would have a hard, new ball to use under lights, when most of the damage has been done: 14 of the 26 wickets in this Test have fallen in the final session.It was an obvious, simple gameplan, which Australia executed to perfection, totally at odds with England’s bullheaded conviction in their singular method. England arrived with the weight of history stacked against them in this series, and it is turning into the same old story.

Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez has claimed he did not set out to hurt anyone by singing a controversial song aiming at the France team during Argentina's Copa America celebrations in 2024. The midfielder issued a public apology after footage emerged of several Argentina players singing a song that questioned the heritage of France's black and mixed race players.

Fernandez came under fire for France song

Fernandez came under scrutiny after filming himself and several of his Copa America-winning team-mates singing a song that was deemed "racist and discriminatory" as part of celebrations after the Albiceleste picked up another trophy. Wesley Fofana, who is one of a host of France stars in the Chelsea dressing room, hit out and called the song "uninhibited racism", while Chelsea reacted by opening up disciplinary proceedings. Fernandez ultimately escaped disciplinary action, although he did subsequently post a public apology and admitted the song used "highly offensive language." The Chelsea star has now spoken about how he was not trying to hurt anyone and revealed the lengths he went to in an effort to try and apologise for his actions to his team-mates.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport'Part of football folklore'

Fernandez told Givemesport: "I remember that period. What happened is not typical of who I am. It was a really hard time for me personally and I suffered during it. I’ve always understood my teammates’ position, so the first thing I did was to phone them and tell them I wasn’t going to go on holiday because I wanted to travel back to speak to them in person to tell them what sort of guy I am and about my values. They understood that and now we all get on well. It all fizzled out and there’s now very good harmony in the dressing room.

“It was a euphoric moment in which I didn’t want to hurt anyone. It was just a song that we sing in Argentina as part of ‘football folklore’, which is what we call it. It was a really difficult time for me, and I tried to apologise to the squad to show my teammates that I’m not the type to discriminate or judge others. They understood my message and that’s where it all ended

"Originally, I called them while I was away. And then I cut short my holiday and travelled to where the team was for pre-season in America. The first thing I did when I arrived was to go and speak with them to apologise in person.”

Enzo grateful for support from Chelsea

Fernandez also says he enjoys a great relationship with the France stars in the Chelsea squad and hailed the support he received from Chelsea during what was a difficult time.

“I have a very good relationship with them,” he added. “We often eat together and do things outside of the dressing room. When we have team dinners or are in the dressing room, everything is normal. Nothing else happened because they know what I’m like as a person.

“The club has always shown faith in me and I’m grateful for that because I was given the captain’s armband at a tough time. But that shows a lot about me and what I mean to the club and my teammates who showed faith in me from the start. The support was unwavering, so I’m ever so grateful to them for that.”

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GettyChelsea set to continue title push

Chelsea and Fernandez are currently enjoying a strong season and sit in third place in the Premier League table, six points behind leaders Arsenal. Fernandez has been a driving force for the Blues so far in 2025-26, scoring five goals in all competitions for Enzo Maresca's side. Both teams are back in action in midweek, with Chelsea up against Leeds at Elland Road and Arsenal taking on Brentford at the Emirates.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on international breaks. Any Scotland-supporting Glasgow Rangers fans may be loving them at this moment in time, after Scotland beat Denmark 4-2 to qualify for next year’s World Cup.

However, some supporters may not like the break from club football or may not be happy with watching their country play, for whatever reason that may be.

Another reason as to why someone, and possibly Danny Rohl, may not enjoy international breaks is that it means that Rangers stars can pick up injuries without playing for their club.

For example, the German head coach will currently be sweating over the availability of central defender John Souttar, after he was forced out of the starting line-up against Denmark during the warm-up.

The Scotland international picked up an unknown injury before kick-off, after initially being named in the starting line-up, and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be available this weekend.

On the same night, Derek Cornelius was forced off after just 30 minutes for Canada in their clash with Venezuela, with what is suspected to be a thigh injury, which makes him a doubt for the clash with Livingston at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership.

Ranking Rangers centre-backs this season

Losing both Souttar and Cornelius would be a blow for Rohl ahead of Saturday’s match because they were the starting centre-back pairing in the 3-0 win over Dundee at Dens Park last time out.

The Canadian centre-back, who is on loan from Marseille, missing the match would be a significant blow because he has been in impressive form for the Gers this season, particularly since Rohl came through the door.

Cornelius has started all three of the new manager’s league matches and won 21 of his 32 duels, per Sofascore, in those matches, helping Rangers to keep two clean sheets and concede just one goal.

The Marseille loanee, with those dominant displays, has been the top-performing centre-back at the club this season, whilst Souttar has started all 11 of the club’s league matches, under Russell Martin, Stevie Smith, and Rohl, per Sofascore.

Ranking Rangers’ best centre-backs this season
Rank	Player
1	Derek Cornelius
2	John Souttar
3	James Tavernier
4	Emmanuel Fernandez
5	Nasser Djiga
6	Clinton Nsiala

As you can see in the table above, we have placed James Tavernier in third place because he has filled in at centre-back, most recently against Kilmarnock and Roma, and done a reliable job.

Emmanuel Fernandez has started two matches for Rangers since his move from Peterborough. He scored in his start against Alloa Athletic and won 12 of his 15 duels, per Sofascore, in his only Premiership start against St Mirren, which makes it hard to put him too high or too low, as he has impressed in limited game time.

Nasser Djiga, meanwhile, ranks below him in fifth because the Wolves loanee has played 17 times for Rangers this season and was recently described as “rotten” by Heart & Hand content creator David Edgar.

The Burkina Faso international has made several costly errors, including a red card against Dundee in August and an inexplicable mistake, letting his man race clear through on goal, against Club Brugge in the Champions League play-off tie.

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Finally, Clinton Nsiala has to rank sixth out of the six first-team centre-back options, including Tavernier, simply because he has not played a single minute of football for the Gers this season.

However, if Souttar and Cornelius are both unavailable for selection against Livingston on Saturday because of the injuries that they picked up on international duty, it could finally be time to unleash the left-footed star.

Why Rangers should finally unleash Clinton Nsiala

The former AC Milan centre-back was seemingly not in Russell Martin’s plans at Ibrox, as he did not feature in a single matchday squad, but Rohl has the chance to change that this weekend.

As aforementioned, Djiga has not had the best of starts to life at Ibrox, hence why Edgar dubbed him “rotten”, and his mistakes for the Gers suggest that another player should be given an opportunity to shine.

If Souttar and Cornelius are both unavailable, Fernandez could come in to replace the former as the right-sided centre-back, after his dominant display last time out in the Premiership against St Mirren earlier this season.

That would leave Rohl in need of replacing Cornelius against Livingston and Nsiala could be the ideal player to step in for the Canada international, as he is the only other left-footed senior centre-back option in the squad.

The 21-year-old centre-back played 11 times in the Premiership under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson in the 2024/25 campaign, and rarely let the Light Blues down with his performances.

Clinton Nsiala’s Premiership appearances for Rangers
Opposition	Result
Dundee	1-1 draw
St Johnstone	3-1 win
Aberdeen	3-0 win
Dundee United	3-1 win
Ross County	4-0 win
Hearts	3-1 win
St Mirren	2-0 loss
Kilmarnock	4-2 win
Celtic	3-2 win
Aberdeen	2-2 draw
St Mirren	2-2 draw
Per Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, the Scottish giants only lost one of those 11 matches in the division, which shows that he was far from a disaster in the senior team.

In fact, former teammate Ross McCausland admitted that he and some of the other players in the squad had described him as “a left-footed Van Dijk” when watching his performances on the pitch for the first-team.

Nsiala, though, has not been given a chance to build on that respectable start to his senior career with the Light Blues, as he has not played a single minute this season.

That is why Rohl should finally unleash the left-footed defender against Livingston if Cornelius is unavailable for selection, as he is a left-footed defender who has proven that he can perform in the Premiership.

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The 21-year-old, given these new injury blows and Djiga’s disappointing form, deserves an opportunity to show that he can play a role for Rohl moving forward, starting with the game on Saturday.