Rana Dutta’s six-wicket haul, which included a hat-trick, put Tripura on track for an innings victory against Himachal Pradesh in Kalyani. Resuming the third day at 50 for 1, Himachal Pradesh were bowled out for 311. They lost their last five wickets for only 30 runs, with Dutta dismissing Rishi Dhawan, Sumeet Verma and Mayank Dagar in the 88th over. Having gained a lead of 238, Tripura enforced the follow-on and in the 2.2 overs possible before stumps got a wicket too, that of Pankaj Jaiswal, who had batted at No. 9 in Himachal’s first innings.Three-wicket hauls from left-arm spinnerShadab Jakati and right-arm seamer Felix Alemao, who was playing only his second first-class game, strengthened Goa‘s grip over Services in Cuttack.In reply to Goa’s 606, which was built on Sagun Kamat’s record triple-century, Services slumped to 228 for 7. Ravi Chauhan was the first to go on the third day when he was bowled by Alemao for 47 off 49 balls. Alemao then had Nakul Verma and Shamsher Yadav caught behind.Captain Soumik Chatterjee resisted with 12 off 77 balls before becoming Jakati’s first victim. Rahul Singh, coming in at No.6, supplied more fight with 89 off 180 balls before Jakati struck in the 92nd over. Services got through the remaining 11 overs with the eighth-wicket pair of Muzzaffaruddin Khalid and Diwesh Pathania at the crease, but they still trail Goa by a whopping 339 runs.After declaring their first innings at 517 for 9, Kerala made deep inroads into the Hyderabad line-up on the third day in Bhubaneswar. Seamer Sandeep Warrier, offspinning allrounder Jalaj Saxena, and left-arm spinner K Monish returned two wickets each to reduce Hyderabad to 212 for 7. B Sandeep was the only batsmen to make a half-century and were it not for some handy contributions from the lower order – Akash Bhandari made 40 and Mehdi Hasan, an unbeaten 26, Hyderabad would have struggled even more.Left-arm spinner Aamir Aziz’s maiden five-wicket haul bowled Andhra out for 255 and gave Jammu & Kashmir a first-innings lead of 79 at Brabourne Stadium. They eventually stretched it past 100, for the loss of two wickets late in the day.Having started the day at 72 for 2, Andhra stumbled to 90 for 5 and then 156 for 6. Dwaraka Ravi Teja and Ashwin Hebbar then mounted a fightback, putting on 94 for the seventh wicket. Ravi Teja top-scored with 81 off 194 balls, including nine fours. Once he fell, the tail was wiped out, the last four wickets tumbling for only five runs.Haryana captain Mohit Sharma took three wickets and left Chhattisgarh at 50 for 6 in a chase of 279 in Guwhati. Earlier Harynana were propped up by fifties from Himanshu Rana and Rajat Paliwal in their second innings. They were ultimately dismissed for 289 from an overnight 121 for 3. Seamer Pankaj Rao, who was playing only his second first-class game, did the bulk of the damage for Chhattisgarh, claiming 5 for 74. His new-ball partner Pratik Sinha, meanwhile, took 2 for 84.
Sam Allardyce is no stranger to bringing a team up in to the Premier League and then establishing them as a solid top-flight team under his watch.
He did it with Bolton between 1999 and 2007 and is now in a similar position with West Ham, having led them back to the Premier League after just one season in the Championship. But just how far can he take the Hammers?
The early signs have been impressive in the Premier League for West Ham, despite their style of football being increasingly criticised by rivals fans and the media. But his so-called ‘long-ball’ or ‘direct’ style of play sees West Ham sit eighth in the league after collecting 19 points from their opening 13 games.
Those that have watched West Ham regularly this season will have also noticed that they like to play on the floor, too. The likes of Mark Noble, Kevin Nolan and Mohamed Diame in the centre of midfield allow them to play slick, passing football whenever they need to, while the towering presence of Andy Carroll up front gives them the option of direct, route one football as well.
It is this type of versatility in Allardyce’s tactical approach that can see West Ham become an established top-flight team once more. Record signing Matt Jarvis and the currently injured Ricardo Vaz Te add width to West Ham’s attacks, and will both cause defenders arial problems with their crossing ability throughout the season.
The most notable mark he has already made at West Ham is the tightness of West Ham’s defence. Under Avram Grant, in the season they went down, West Ham conceded a whopping 70 goals and finished the campaign with the division’s worst goal difference of -27. They kept just five clean sheets all season and shipped, on average, 1.84 goals a game.
Thirteen games into this season and the Hammers have already kept five clean sheets and have shipped an average of 1.15 goals a game, which is a significant difference after just one season out of the top flight.
The one thing Allardyce will see that needs improvement is his strike force. Andy Carroll is doing a fantastic job up top on his own, but with just one goal in his first nine appearances for the club, West Ham clearly need more of an out-and-out goal scorer to aid Carroll, who’s role at the moment involves more holding the ball up for the likes of Nolan to run out to from midfield.
With the January transfer window fast approaching, we can expect Allardyce to bring in the type of striker they need in helping the midfield and defence in scoring the goals that will ultimately see them win games. They have been a tough side to beat so far this season, which is evident from their win away at Newcastle and their goalless draw at home to champions City. But with just three of their 16 league goals coming from strikers so far, they’ll be looking for some extra help up top to re-enforce their attacking capabilities.
That brings me on to Allardyce’s shrewdness in the transfer market. The ability to prize Kevin Nolan away from Newcastle into the Championship for a reported £4 million has to be one of the best bits of business the club has seen in recent years. Additionally, players like Ricardo Vaz Te, Joey O’Brien and George McCartney have all admitted that they owe a lot of their recent good form to Allardyce’s faith in them after their careers had initially looked to have hit brick walls.
Furthermore, Allardyce seems to be getting the best out of Andy Carroll after he clearly struggled with life at Liverpool and he saw him as the perfect fit into his team, especially with his best mate and captain Kevin Nolan already making a big influence at the club.
This is where West Ham have uncovered a gem in Sam Allardyce. His ability to identify players he feels can slot seamlessly in to his team and then get the best out of them is second to none. The relationship he has with his players is unrivaled and that has been rewarded with the evident high confidence within the camp thus far. Several players have recently told the press there is a good vibe within the dressing room at the moment and that has a lot to do with the way Allardyce runs things.
Beyond this season, depending on where West Ham end up by the end of the campaign, West Ham can expect much of the same. Shrewd transfer dealings, confident players and a mixture of route one and slick, passing football is Allardyce’s recipe for success and, so far, it is working at Upton Park.
Also, if the Hammers are handed the keys to the Olympic Stadium, that will give Allardyce even more scope for West Ham to become more than just an established top 10 Premier League side.
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Having said that, he eventually took Bolton into Europe in his fifth season at the Reebok without much of a budget, and that was after seeing his side narrowly avoid relegation for two successive seasons before then.
The world is Allardyce’s oyster at West Ham at the moment and, although West Ham fans should not expect instant success, he has everything at his disposal to ensure West Ham will not suffer another relegation battle in the near future and begin their quest to be an established top-flight club once again.
And that is why I think Sam Allardyce is West Ham’s best managerial appointment since Harry Redknapp. It’s a bold statement, I know, but we’ve done a lot worse sine Redknapp. Do I really need to name names?
With a bit of patience and with the fans behind him, he and West Ham can go places.
As reported by The Mirror, Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is growing disillusioned with his lack of game time under Jose Mourinho this season and it’s a situation that could come to a head during the summer transfer window.
What’s the story?
Rashford has found starting opportunities hard to come by recently, making Mourinho’s starting eleven just five times in the club’s last 15 matches in all competitions.
Making 43 appearances in total this season, nearly half of them have come from the bench and it’s a situation that is troubling the 20-year-old.
That’s according to The Mirror, who say that he may not even be at the club next season if Jose Mourinho is still in charge, such is the player’s desire to play from the start of matches regularly.
Rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, is his future best served elsewhere or should he concentrate on convincing his manager he is worth a regular game?
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A learning process
With 12 goals and 9 assists so far this season, Rashford has certainly still contributed a fair amount to United’s season, even with limited minutes on the pitch.
In the first half of the season he was particularly impressive before finding his action limited more and more to substitute appearances with the arrival of Alexis Sanchez.
At 20 years old though, the amount of football he is getting at a massive club like the Red Devils is still quite impressive and he is likely learning and improving all the time under the guidance of Mourinho.
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He has plenty of time to leave a legacy at the club and although being impatient to play is a good sign, there’s little point in looking for a move away when there is so much to achieve at Old Trafford.
His performance against Liverpool last month demonstrated he can still be deadly when given the chance that’s unlikely something to be forgotten by the United boss next term.
Crystal Palace made no mistake in securing a win in their latest Premier League fixture with a 4-1 victory over Watford at Vicarage Road in midweek.
Having opened the scoring after 15 minutes through Jean-Philippe Mateta, Patrick Vieira’s side then conceded shortly after with midfielder Moussa Sissoko grabbing an equaliser just a few minutes later.
Shortly before halftime, Palace midfielder Conor Gallagher put the visitors back ahead before two late goals from Wilfried Zaha secured the three points for the Eagles.
Aside from the three goalscorers, there was one other player, in particular, that was rather impressive in the game as well.
Playing the full 90 minutes in the left-back position, Tyrick Mitchell managed to have a total of 73 touches of the ball and complete 41 accurate passes with one of them setting up Gallagher’s goal.
In addition to that, the 22-year-old also showed what an impressive defender he is by racking up four tackles, one interception and one clearance as well as winning an eye-catching 75% of his duels.
This overall performance ultimately earned the Englishman a particularly exciting overall match rating of 7.6/10, making him the second-highest rated player in a Palace shirt on the day according to SofaScore, higher than goalscorers Gallagher and Mateta.
Football.London also picked up on the defender’s impressive display by saying that he was “comfortable on the ball thereafter helping push the visitors forward.”
Labelled as a “silent assassin” by his U16s coach Anthony Hayes, Mitchell has played more minutes in the league than any other Eagles player this season, proving just how important he is for Vieira.
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Taking into account his performance against the Hornets, it seems likely that he will continue to rack up regular minutes in the team throughout the remainder of the season, especially if he can keep being solid at the back and provide an attacking threat going forward as he did last night.
Having failed to win any of their six previous league games prior to the Watford clash, everyone at Selhurst Park will undoubtedly be hoping that this latest result can kickstart a good run of form and positive results that can get the side into the top half of the league table.
In other news: Big concern: Vieira drops worrying Palace injury update that’ll have fans sweating – opinion
Wolves are not in the best run of form at the moment, having lost three of their last five Premier League games.
Looking ahead to the next few weeks and months, it seems as though the Midlands club will also have to make do without one prominent figure for the time being.
What’s the news?
In a recent tweet from journalist John Percy, Nelson Semedo is set to be out of action for four to eight weeks after picking up a hamstring injury during Wolves’ recent 2-1 defeat against Arsenal.
Described as being a “big blow for Bruno Lage”, the journalist also added that the defender’s earliest return could be in April after the international break, following scans this week.
Having started 23 of the Old Gold’s 26 league games so far this season, it’s safe to say that the Portuguese defender has been a pivotal figure for the team, explaining why Percy thinks his absence will be a big setback for his manager.
In addition to his constant presence in the team, the 28-year-old has also shown with his performances how important he is for the club. WhoScored list him as the fifth-highest rated outfield player currently in Lage’s squad to has started more than two league games this season, with an overall rating of 6.8/10.
As a result of Semedo’s injury, Lage chose to play Ki-Jana Hoever in their previous league game against West Ham United, which they lost 1-0.
During the match at the London Stadium, the 20-year-old full-back lost possession of the ball 20 times and only won four of his 10 duels, ultimately earning himself an underwhelming overall match rating of 6.3/10 from SofaScore.
Taking into account how long the former Barcelona defender is going to be out of action, Hoever will need to improve his performances if he wants to stay in the team moving forward and show his manager that he has what it takes to fill in for his injured team-mate for the next few weeks.
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Lage and everyone at Molineux will undoubtedly be hoping that Semedo can make a speedy recovery and get back out on the pitch as soon as possible to help them try and secure European football for next season.
In other news – Fosun masterclass: £74k-p/w “weak link” has seen his value drop 40% after Wolves exit
According to The Sun, it appears yet another Tottenham Hotspur signing by Fabio Paratici in Emerson Royal could now leave amid rumours of goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini’s certain return to Atalanta.
The Lowdown: Tottenham decisions made?
Reports by Corriere della Sera (via Sport Witness) and Goal both claim that loanee shot stopper Gollini is all but certain to leave Spurs in June with the Lilywhites opting not to trigger his option-to-buy clause.
As manager Antonio Conte seeks to rebuild the club, Tottenham’s summer window may well be a crucial period for the club as Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy aim to back him with proven quality.
Spurs, whilst needing to make signings, also need to decide who could leave at the end of this season.
While reports suggest Gollini’s future is sealed, a new report has now surfaced involving Royal.
The Latest: Tottenham open to sale…
The Sun believe Tottenham’s Brazilian ‘could be heading out the door’ less than a year after joining as the Lilywhites are ‘believed’ to be open to offers for Royal this summer.
As Spurs could now green-light his exit, it is claimed that Paratici and co are already eyeing his potential replacement in Middlesbrough full-back Djed Spence – who is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.
The Verdict: Right call?
Described as a ‘relentless’, ‘perfect’ and ‘all action’ full-back by La Liga expert and former Arsenal striker Kevin Campbell, his performances have been up and down recently.
Despite some occasional good displays, Conte now appears to favour Matt Doherty in the wing-back role with the Republic of Ireland international hugely impressing as of late.
Emerson’s energy has reportedly been revered by those within Spurs as reliable correspondent Alasdair Gold claimed that they were blown away by fitness levels.
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However, having registered just one assist all campaign, it is also understandable why the club could green-light his exit in favour of a possible move for Spence – with Alan Hutton calling the latter man ‘incredible’.
Conte will need financial backing to move for Spence and selling the Brazilian could go a long way.
In other news: Tottenham official sent to club as Conte now eyes ‘monster’ player who wanted to join in 2020, find out more here.
West Ham advanced to the quarter-finals of the Europa League last night,beating Sevilla 2-0 after extra time thanks to a Tomas Soucek header and a tap-in from perhaps the most popular player in London Stadium right now in Andriy Yarmolenko.
David Moyes’ side had to make do without key attacker Jarrod Bowen, while Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio were fast-tracked back to fitness after picking up knocks at the weekend, and they both put in an excellent shift.
However, perhaps the most impressive performance came from star midfielder Declan Rice, who achieved the joint highest match-rating according to SofaScore with 7.7 alongside his midfield partner Soucek.
The England midfielder said after the match last night: “I said this after the FA Cup win against Leeds, I’ll take anyone and I think the lads will take anyone as well.“There’s no-one to fear. Sevilla were probably the favourites. When the draw came out, people thought we had the hardest draw and we were going to get knocked out… and we’ve knocked them out.“So, look, we can go away anywhere and get a result and teams coming here know they’re in for a game when they step into this stadium with our fans, so I’m ready to take anyone.”The England international completed an impressive 90% of his passes as West Ham controlled the game, looking comfortable in possession after the winning goal went in. Rice was a huge part of that, having also completed three dribbles and being unlucky not to pull off a fourth after fatigue kicked in and the ball trickled out of play uncontested.On top of that, he accurately delivered six of his eight long ball attempts, including a number of excellent cross-field switches to get the wide men involved, and also into Antonio, who bullied Jules Kounde and Nemanja Gudelj all night long.Rice also was excellent on the defensive end of his remit, winning seven of his duels and making three critical interceptions and tackles each, along with one clearance to relieve the danger for the Irons.A reported transfer target for Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea this summer, last night showed that the 23-year-old remains as focused and determined as ever for West Ham, who will surely now believe they can go on to lift the Europa League trophy.In other news: West Ham can repeat Bowen masterclass as Moyes eyes bid for “exceptional” £10m brute
According to a report from Spanish newspaper Sport (via Sport Witness), Liverpool have already made an offer to sign Leeds United winger Raphinha.
The lowdown: Superb start
Since arriving in England from French Ligue 1 club Rennes for an initial £17million in October 2020 (BBC), the Brazilian forward has been a revelation at Leeds.
The 25-year old has scored 15 times and provided a further 12 assists in 59 outings for the Yorkshire club, earning senior international recognition with Brazil in the process.
Of course, this has led to links with a move away, particularly this season as the Whites flirt with relegation, and Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth has even confirmed an exit is very possible this summer with Barcelona lying in wait.
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The latest: Offers in
As per the latest report from Sport, as translated by SW, Liverpool, Barcelona and Chelsea are all attentive to the ace’s situation and he will definitely not sign a new contract in Yorkshire.
It’s claimed that the agent of the seven-cap Brazilian, Deco, is already in talks with the two Premier League clubs, ‘handling offers’ from both Anfield and Stamford Bridge.
The verdict: A Salah replacement?
Whilst it’s nigh on impossible to emulate the goal return of Mohamed Salah, as the Egyptian’s ongoing contract saga rumbles on, the need for a long-term successor appears to grow ever stronger.
Having taken to life in the Premier League like a duck to water, the man hailed as ‘tremendous’ by former red Danny Murphy following a stunning strike against Everton would fit the bill on Merseyside.
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This season, Raphinha has netted nine goals and registered three assists in 27 league outings, some way short of Salah’s return, but impressive given the struggles at Leeds this term.
Valued at £36million and under contract at Elland Road until 2024 (Transfermarkt), Liverpool may well be praying Leeds go down so they can swoop in and offer a lower fee.
In other news, Liverpool have been linked with an exciting EPL attacking signing. Read more here.
Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas has told the club that he wants to leave over the summer, The Daily Record have reported.
The Lowdown: Parkhead source reveal
Labelled as ‘horrendous’ by pundit Tam McManus, the Greece international doesn’t seem to be in Ange Postecoglou’s Parkhead plans, making just two appearances in 2021/22.
He hasn’t been seen in a Premiership matchday squad in 2022, with his last matchday involvement coming against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup in mid-February.
The most expensive goalkeeper in Celtic’s history is now free to leave Parkhead in the summer, according to a Hoops source.
The Latest: Barkas’ demands
The Daily Record relayed reports from Greek outlet Onlarissa, who suggested that Barkas has ‘demanded’ to leave Celtic Park in the summer.
The 27-year-old has “already begun the countdown to his departure” after failing to secure a loan move to either Sheffield United or IFK Gothenburg in January.
The Verdict: Just go…
As mentioned, Barkas had the chance to leave the club in the New Year, with prospectives moves to Sheffield and Gothenburg falling through due to salary demands.
Some Celtic fans may well be getting fed up with stories over the outcast shot-stopper, especially this one where he has reportedly ‘demanded’ to leave Glasgow.
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He looks set to follow youngster Ben Doak out the Parkhead exit door over the coming months, but we have no sympathy for the Greek goalkeeper as there were offers on the table for him to depart just two months ago.
In other news: ‘Unfortunately…’ – Journalist gutted ‘for Celtic’ as more exit news emerges from Parkhead
Liverpool are interested in signing RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Christopher Nkunku and the Bundesliga club could listen to summer offers, according to a fresh update.
The Lowdown: Nkunku shining at Leipzig
The 24-year-old has matured into one of the most potent attackers in the German top flight in recent years, catching the eye with his performances for Leipzig, with now Leeds boss Jesse Marsch once saying he ‘has no weaknesses’ as a player.
Nkunku has scored 15 goals and chipped in with nine assists in the league this season, as well as scoring an incredible seven times in just six Champions League outings.
The Frenchman’s current deal expires in 2024 but Leipzig could find it difficult to keep hold of him this summer.
The Latest: Liverpool keen on move
According to ESPN, Liverpool are one of several clubs who are ‘monitoring’ Nkunku’s current situation, with Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Arsenal all mentioned in the report.
It is believed that Leipzig could be willing to sell him if their €75million (£63m) asking price is met.
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The Verdict: Long-term signing
Nkunku’s is a superb player who could be a perfect summer signing by Liverpool, coming in as an immediate key figure but also representing someone who may not peak for another few years.
At 24, he is in and and around the same age that the likes of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz were when they joined the Reds, so he would fit into the transfer model now being carried out by Julian Ward.
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Nkunku’s end product this season speaks for itself, and with midfield sometimes an area lacking guile at Anfield, he could add a sprinkling of stardust in a No.10 role, depending on how Jurgen Klopp chooses to use him.
He has also played as a forward for chunks of this season, so he could even be viewed as a replacement for Mane or Roberto Firmino, should either leave at the end of the season.
In other news, a ‘behind the scenes’ Liverpool claim has emerged regarding one player. Read more here.