Man Utd ‘working on deal’ to appoint Ruben Amorim as manager – with Sporting CP boss ‘open’ to replacing Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford

Manchester United have settled on Sporting CP coach Ruben Amorim as the man they want to replace Erik ten Hag following the Dutchman's sacking.

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Man Utd in talks with Sporting CPRed Devils willing to trigger release clauseAmorim open to Old Trafford moveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ten Hag was sacked by the Old Trafford club on Monday following his team's 2-1 loss at West Ham in the Premier League the previous day, leaving them 14th in the table and with just four wins in all competitions so far this season. Ruud van Nistelrooy, Ten Hag's recently-hired assistant, has taken over on an interim basis, but the club are aiming to appoint a new permanent successor.

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Amorim has already been selected as the preferred candidate to take over, reports, as the club are already working on a deal to bring the Portuguese coach to England. The report says Amorim is open to making the move and that United, who are already in talks with Sporting, are prepared to pay the €10 million (£8m/$11m) release clause in his contract to ensure they land him.

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Amorim was a reported candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool before they opted to hire Arne Slot instead, while Manchester City are said to be eyeing him as a possible replacement for Pep Guardiola, especially after they convinced Hugo Viana to leave his role as a director at Sporting to join the Premier League champions next year.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

With the Red Devils stuck in the bottom half of the Premier League table and without a win in the Europa League, United will hope to bring in Amorim as soon as possible as they look to salvage their season.

BBL clubs face juggling act around quarantined England players

A significant number of the England players signed for the BBL are unlikely to be available to their clubs until after Christmas due to quarantine requirements following their tour of South Africa.Jason Roy and Liam Livingstone (Perth Scorchers), Dawid Malan (Hobart Hurricanes), Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) and Tom Banton and Lewis Gregory (Brisbane Heat) were all named in the squads for the limited-overs trip to South Africa.However, Malan was only included in the T20 group so it may be possible for him to leave the tour ahead of the others.The final match of the series will be played on December 9, so depending on flight timings and the route taken they would be likely to arrive in Australia on December 11 when they would start their 14 days of hotel quarantine.The BBL fixtures confirmed on Thursday have all the teams playing three matches before Christmas, except the Hobart Hurricanes who will play four in Tasmania in that period.It would appear the earliest that players arriving from South Africa would be able to play would be Boxing Day, but with them unable to practice or train outside during their quarantine (under current regulations they will only have access to gym equipment provided in their rooms) that may be too short of a turnaround for them to be ready.The ECB is also able to hold back a contracted player from playing too soon after quarantine, as they did with Katherine Brunt in the WBBL for the Melbourne Stars, to reduce the risk of injury.A number of other English players not involved in the South Africa tour have been linked as replacements, including Will Jacks, Dan Lawrence and Joe Clarke as reported by ESPNcricinfo.”It’s been on the radar for a while, since that tour was earmarked, so our clubs have been planning around that,” Alistair Dobson, the head of the BBL, said. “Whether they are able to bring in another international for that specific window, it’s probably not as easy as a normal year.”Our clubs are expert list managers and have been planning for some of those players to not be available in that early window. We are also working really hard to make sure we can get those players from that tour into the BBL as quickly as possible.”Dobson added that the league was “hands on” in helping organise travel arrangements and that a chartered flight from South Africa was a possibility depending on the commercial options available.”We had great success with the WBBL [and we are] working really hard with relevant government authorities and the Australian Border Force to get overseas players in,” he said. “We are on track, but at the same time the landscape changes pretty regularly.”Most overseas players arriving into Australia for the tournament will have to quarantine, but currently it is only the England names that are impacted by a tour beforehand. Imran Tahir, the South Africa legspinner who has signed with Melbourne Renegades, retired from ODIs after the 2019 World Cup and while he never officially did the same in T20Is has not played since March 2019.There has been talk of making use of the Trans-Tasman travel bubble that exists between New Zealand and some states in Australia to bring in West Indies players who will be touring there without the need to quarantine although currently none of them have signed.However, the Sydney Thunder have signed New Zealand quick Adam Milne who may be able to take advantage of the arrangement.The tournament is likely to be without a number of big-name Australian players throughout. Earlier this week Steven Smith ruled out taking part due to the demands of moving from one bubble to another while it is expected that David Warner, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will also sit out the BBL.However, it is hoped that Australia’s limited-overs players who will be involved in the ODIs and T20Is against India – including those who have come from the IPL – would be available for the start of the BBL and with various restrictions loosening around the country players may be able to have more freedom rather than being in a tight bubble.”We are certainly hoping they can get into the BBL and play those first few games,” Dobson said. “We are working closely with the national team division as to how we make that as logistically smooth as possible.””One thing we are working really hard on is that as the competition moves across the country, where medical and safety advice allows we want to give the players as many freedoms to enjoy the local environment [as we can].”The way things are trending at the moment we’d like to make sure it can feel as much like a normal BBL for the players as possible, albeit a different travel pattern. That said it’s incumbent on the league and CA to make sure players and the public are as safe as possible.”

Didier Deschamps reacts to Kylian Mbappe's nightclub visit as Real Madrid star heads to Sweden during France absence

France boss Didier Deschamps has played down the idea of a split between himself and his captain, Kylian Mbappe.

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Deschamps denies riftMbappe had been allowed to restStar spotted in Swedish clubFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Deschamps denied that there was any animosity between him and Mbappe despite the star being spotted in a Swedish nightclub on the same night as France's clash with Israel. Mbappe had been excluded from the French squad to recover from injury but drew attention with his appearance in the nightclub. Deschamps claims he was not aware Mbappe was away in Sweden.

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Deschamps said: "I don’t follow the news of players who are not here, Kylian is following a programme with Real Madrid, I don’t know if he was away or not. Like any player for his club, he follows a programme. If players have days off, they are free to do what they want."

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Mbappe was sidelined with a thigh injury after sustaining it in Madrid's 3-2 win over Alaves in La Liga. The forward was expected to be out of action for a couple of weeks, although he returned ahead of schedule to play against Villarreal, and was left out of France's squad. The rumours of a rift come amid reports that Mbappe only wanted to play in 'important' international fixtures as he prioritises his efforts to win the Ballon d'Or.

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Mbappe will continue to rest during the international break. He'll be hoping to take part when Real Madrid take on Celta Vigo on October 19, before they take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League three days later.

The watching and waiting goes on as the Edgbaston drizzle endures

Paul Edwards witnesses a plague of Egypt descend on Birmingham’s big day out

Paul Edwards04-Oct-2020Click here for drip-by-drip updates from day two of the Vitality Blast Finals WeekendSaturday’s cricket was finally knocked on the head around six o’clock. The phrase was a colleague’s but a metaphor linked to putting a nearly dead fish out of its misery seemed perfectly appropriate. However, the ECB had a surprise for us all. If no cricket whatever is possible today we will not go straight to three bowl-outs but will foregather for another of these delightful Eisteddfods on Wednesday. For the avoidance of doubt, that is Wednesday, October 7.”Groundhog Day” said the chap from the ECB. It seemed a reasonable assessment, albeit somewhat lacking in originality. Those of us who envisioned a succession of Vitality Blast Finals Days being scheduled deep into the autumn and were already of a sadly irreverent bent were reminded of the Book of Hebrews, Chapter 13 Verse 8: “Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today and for evermore”.Yesterday I arrived at Edgbaston for the last day of the season, presented my credentials, had my temperature checked and was admitted to the ground. Today, ditto. Wednesday? These exceptional days make people doubt themselves. One remembers the 1945 portmanteau horror film which begins and ends with an architect played by Mervyn Johns arriving at a house and discovering he has met all the guests in a dream. That Ealing Studios movie is rightly regarded a classic and features a blood-freezing portrayal of a schizophrenic ventriloquist by Michael Redgrave. “The merging of dreaming and reality is what becomes truly terrifying,” wrote Philip French in (Connoisseurs of great writing and another classic may note that the Redgrave portrayal is, I think, referenced by Russell Lewis in “Neverland”, the last episode of season two of .)ALSO READ: Musings on an under-dressed statue on a Birmingham city-centre roundaboutEnough of this, you might observe, and you are probably right. But you can surely imagine my relief as I watch the Edgbaston groundstaff shifting the covers that surround the square and beginning the preparations for some sort of Finals Day. No one has a clue what sort of event will be possible. The umpire Mike Burns has said they won’t start unless they can get three games in. Fair enough, of course, but the length of such games has yet to be negotiated. One would have thought that two eight-over semi-finals and a 20-over final would be an exceptional outcome given that Birmingham has been visited by one of the plagues of Egypt this weekend.Of course, one of the hallmarks of great ghost stories is their ability to suggest the return of calm only to inflict more terror on the reader. I say this only because there was a light shower a few minutes ago, although it was not sufficient to force the fat-chewing coaches from the outfield. But any suggestion of further dampness currently brings on the ab-dabs. The rain’s stopped now. My guess is that we will get a Finals Day in today and that the affair will not be resolved by a bowl-out. Edgbaston is beginning to resemble a cricket ground once again. Then again, maybe I am just taking refuge in optimism. Anything to stop me thinking about Michael Redgrave and that bloody doll.It’s started raining again.

Marcus Stoinis and Marnus Labuschagne long shots for place in Australia's T20I XI

Marnus Labuschagne and Marcus Stoinis would appear unlikely to be able to force their way into Australia’s first-choice T20I XI for the start of the series against England despite making a strong impact in the intersquad warm-up matches at the Ageas Bowl.Labuschagne, who only has 10 T20 matches at domestic level under his belt, rattled off a 50-ball century in the second of two matches on Tuesday while Stoinis struck 68 off 37 balls to add to the 87 he made in the 50-over practice game at the weekend.Few would bet against Labuschagne eventually earning a T20I berth given his last 12 months at the international level – coach Justin Langer spoke of the “acceleration of his improvement” – but both he and Stoinis, who had a prolific Big Bash last season opening the batting for the Melbourne Stars, won’t be dislodging the current top three of David Warner, Aaron Finch and Steven Smith.”We’ve had a pretty settled T20 side over the last 12 months or so and all we can ask for is that guys bang so hard they are putting pressure on the guys in there,” Langer said. “So, whether Marnus plays this series or not, or certainly the first game on Friday night, time will tell. We haven’t decided that yet. But he’s certainly done, as has always been the way since coming into international cricket, everything he possibly could. He was hitting Pat Cummins, the world’s best, over point for six.”Marcus Stoinis had an impressive showing in the warm-ups•Getty Images

One option for Stoinis, who has not played for Australia since last year’s World Cup, would be to return in the middle order. He also provides a solid bowling option with his medium pace, but Langer believes his best position in the format is opening and labelled the Warner-Finch pairing as the best white-ball first-wicket combination in the world.”He certainly won’t displace them at the moment,” Langer said. “I think he is an outstanding top-order player, it gives him a lot more time, he’s got incredible power. We also know that he is an adaptable player, and he can play anywhere but I feel he is [best] in the top order. When an opportunity comes time will tell. He is doing everything in his powers to be knocking on the door for selection.”While knowing that Australia will lack some match “hardness” heading into the series having not played since March – against an England side that has been in action for two months – Langer was comfortable with the lead-in the squad had managed. However, he acknowledged the challenge the home side will pose, particularly having brought back some first-choice players who had been on Test duty.The T20I series will pitch the top two-ranked sides together, but in ODIs there is a considerable gap from England in top spot to Australia in fifth.”Dangerous, that’s what I made of England,” Langer said having followed the T20Is against Pakistan. “I’ve watched the way Eoin Morgan plays, it’s exciting to watch, he just comes out and smacks it from ball one. They’ve got some good young players, we’ve seen the squad, they’ve brought some of their more experienced players back. They’ve been the best one-day team in the world for a few years now. We know what to expect.”

'Now sign some real players' – Liverpool fans give mixed reviews as Reds complete Giorgi Mamardashvili deal with club urged to bring in Federico Chiesa and Jarrad Branthwaite next

Liverpool fans have called for more signings after the Reds finally completed a deal for Giorgi Mamardashvili.

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  • Liverpool have had a quiet transfer window
  • Mamardashvili signed for next season
  • Fans grow restless as deadline day draws close
  • WHAT HAPPENED?

    The Merseyside club have agreed to shell out £29 million (€34m/$38m) for Mamardashvili, who will set sail for English shores next summer to provide competition to Alisson Becker. However, barring this deal, it has otherwise been a quiet window for Liverpool and the fans are clamouring for more incomings before the window slams shut on Friday.

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    WHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

    An X User, @MrBDK_YT wrote: "WE HAVE SIGNED SOMEONE, CHIESA NEXT PLEASE."

    Meanwhile, @Lyvinston wrote: "Now sign some real players."

    Whereas, @mahfxz_ demanded: "Sign branthwaite if you’re bad."

    @LFCUNLOCKED went a step ahead and wrote: "Finally now can we try some first team signings PLEASE 🙏 and whilst your at it draft up the 3 contracts to 3 of our most important players thank you 😊."

    And another fan, @GongR1ght opined: "Finally a signing but not the one required."

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    Liverpool are reported to be working to sign Chiesa before deadline day. Juventus are ready to offload the Italian for around €15 million (£13m/$17m) and the Reds are determined to make the most of the opportunity.

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    WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

    Liverpool have won their first two Premier League matches under Arne Slot against Ipswich Town and Brentford. However, their first real test of the season comes next weekend when they travel to Old Trafford to lock horns with Manchester United.

Mohammad Hafeez, five others return negative results in PCB Covid-19 retests

Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Hasnain the others to clear their tests

Danyal Rasool27-Jun-2020Six of the ten Pakistani cricketers who had earlier tested positive for Covid-19 – Mohammad Hafeez, Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Hasnain – have returned negative results when tested again, Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, announced on Saturday. He added that Kashif Bhatti, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali and Imran Khan had tested positive again, as had team masseur Malang Ali. All the players and support staffers who had tested negative earlier were also retested, and there was no change in their status.However, given players’ need to return two negative tests before being able to enter the UK, the six previously positive players will not be on the ECB-arranged charter plane that takes the rest of the travelling party to Manchester on Sunday. The PCB announced they will be sent as soon as they returned that second negative test.ALSO READ: Pakistan prepare to fly to England without 10 Covid-positive playersThere will be 20 players in the advance group: the 18 who have returned two negative tests, as well as two of the reserve players called up as cover earlier this week, wicketkeeper Rohail Nazir and fast bowler Musa Khan. One of the reserves, Imran Butt, returned a positive result. In addition, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar, who is already in the UK, will join the side and only be involved in pre-match preparations.Wasim said that Hafeez and Riaz had sought out tests from private laboratories independent of the PCB in the wake of them returning positive results. And though the retest came back negative, the board will not be considering them.”The private test they decided to have carried out was outside the PCB testing process,” Wasim said. “So while they have now had two negative tests, they will have to get tested again to get two negative tests in a row that are in accordance with PCB’s testing process and the protocols we have set up.”Once the 20 players and 11 members of the support staff arrive in Manchester, they will be transported to Worcestershire, where everyone will be tested once more in accordance with the ECB guidelines and testing processes. They will then begin a 14-day quarantine period, during which they will be permitted access to training and practice facilities. Following that, the squad will move to Derbyshire. Although it wasn’t set in stone, an earlier plan would have seen the Pakistan squad quarantined in Derby first.Bowling coach Waqar Younis, who has been in Australia, was tested there and returned a negative result. He will join the squad directly. Shoaib Malik, who was granted leave to spend time with his family and join the team later, will travel to England on July 24.The PCB had briefly entertained the idea of sending players who tested negative once after an earlier positive test, but that idea was swiftly put to bed, as an ECB press release on Friday confirmed that the ten players who had tested positive would not be traveling on Sunday.”The ECB contacted us at first and said since the positive tests were carried out on the 21st, seven days will have lapsed and there may be an opportunity for players to travel on the 28th,” Wasim said. “Because in nine of the 10 players, we found antibodies, which suggested they were coming to the end of it. But we changed it because the ECB have now told us that based on UK regulations, anybody to have tested positive will need to provide evidence that they have had two negative tests before they can travel. We went on the advice they were giving us earlier, but since they told us the regulations had changed, we followed their protocol.”The tour comprises three Test matches and three T20Is in August and September. All six games will be played behind closed doors.

Cricket Australia sought clarification over semi-final reserve day

Tournament playing conditions won’t be changed leaving Australia and England hoping the weather clears on Thursday

Andrew McGlashan04-Mar-2020

The covers were on ahead of the T20 World Cup semi-finals•Getty Images

Cricket Australia sought clarification from ICC about whether it was possible to have a reserve day for the T20 World Cup semi-final with the weather threatening to ruin the day, which would send Australia and England out, but were told it was not possible to alter the tournament playing conditions.Kevin Roberts, the CA CEO, revealed the question had been asked but understood why any changes were not possible but added that is an area of the tournament that could be reconsidered in the future.A minimum of 10 overs per side is needed to make each semi-final a match – up from the usual five-over minimum for T20s – meaning that the weather will need to allow 40 overs for the two games to be completed. If either or both semis are abandoned, the teams that topped the group – India and South Africa – would progress to the final. Australia will play the second game of the day against South Africa and there is a suggestion that the weather may have improved a little by then, following the India-England semi in the afternoon.ALSO READ: Explainer: What happens if the semi-finals are washed out?”We’ve asked the question and it’s not part of the playing conditions,” Roberts told SEN Radio. “I respect that because we’ve said the same thing in tournaments that we run in Australia.”It gives you cause to reflect on how you might improve things in the future absolutely, but going into a tournament with a given set of playing conditions and rules I don’t think it’s time to tinker with that as much as with an Australian hat on I might love that.”Earlier this season it was thought there was virtually no chance of staging the Big Bash final at the SCG amid a horrendous forecast, but the weather cleared for long enough to play a 12-over match”We’re optimistic based on the drainage of the SCG, combined with a weather forecast that’s not perfect but not terrible either,” Roberts said. “We’re really hopeful and planning for different scenarios tomorrow night. It reminds me of the lead up to the BBL final a few weeks ago and by way of some miracle we got a 12-over match in. So I think with the drainage of the SCG there’s every chance Australia and South Africa will be playing that semi-final tomorrow night.”It’d be disappointing for any team for that matter, you want the game to be won and lost inside the ropes rather than won or lost based on the weather don’t you.”England captain Heather Knight believes that the ICC will be under pressure to add reserve days for future events – there isn’t one for the men’s T20 World Cup either, although there were for the 50-over semi-finals last year which was needed for the India-New Zealand match at Old Trafford – but conceded that the position they are in was largely of their own making after the loss to South Africa at the start of the competition.”It’s the same for the men’s T20, we did check that this morning, it is strange,” she said. “It will be a shame if it does happen and I’m sure they’ll be a lot of pressure to change that.”It’s frustrating…it would be nice if we could play in Melbourne. It is what it is, there’s nothing we can do about it. The reserve day would be useful in this situation and it’s a shame for the tournament in general because it’s been great and if both semi-finals are lost it will be a sad time for the tournament. We’d be gutted if that did happen but guess it’s our own fault for losing that game against South Africa. We didn’t top our group and only have ourselves to blame.”Australia captain Meg Lanning kept a matter-of-attitude to something which is out of their control despite the fact it could be the weather that prevents them from reaching a home World Cup final.”That’s not the way you want to finish a tournament if that was the way it was to go,” she said. “But they said it was going to rain all day today and it’s sunny out there. Forecasts change all the time. The fact they got a Big Bash game on the other day when it was supposed to rain all day gives us a lot of confidence.”There’s no doubt been a lot of talk about that but that’s not within our control, we need to focus on what we are doing and prepare to play a full game and prepare for a shorter game as well. We need to be ready for whatever is thrown at us, we are not putting a hell of a lot of thought into because we can’t have a lot of control over it.”The captains of the two sides who would progress with washouts – Harmanpreet Kaur and Dane van Niekerk – were firm in their views that there should be reserve days.”Yes, it works in our favour, 100%, but if I was on the other end I’d probably be really upset,” van Niekerk said. “Everybody works really hard to get here, so to lose out with weather is not ideal. It shouldn’t be like that, so I think for semi-finals and finals there should be reserve days.”Kaur said: “As a team I think there should be [a reserve day] because every team is here to play cricket and if we get a reserve day that will be a great idea.”An ICC spokesperson said: “The ICC T20 World Cups are short sharp events where reserve days are factored in for the final. Allowing for any other reserve days would have extended the length of the event, which isn’t feasible. There is a clear and fair alternative should there be no play In any of the semi-finals with the winner of the group progressing.”

'Have to perform' – Jude Bellingham issued Lionel Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo 'advertisements' warning as Real Madrid star is told to focus on football

Jude Bellingham has been issued a Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo “advertisements” warning, with the Real Madrid star needing to focus on football.

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  • England international starring for club & country
  • Boasts unwavering belief in his ability
  • Needs to avoid distractions in order to join greats
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    WHAT HAPPENED?

    Serious potential has been unlocked in the midfielder’s game, allowing him to tread a career path from Birmingham to Madrid via Borussia Dortmund. Bellingham, at just 21 years of age, has also become a talismanic presence for England – while claiming La Liga, Champions League, Kopa Trophy and Golden Boy titles.

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  • WHAT MILLS SAID

    Unwavering self-belief and confidence has carried Bellingham to the top, but has also led to arrogance claims being levelled at him. Former England international Danny Mills – speaking in association with – has told GOAL when asked about any potential attitude issues: “It’s not a bad thing. He obviously has supreme confidence and self belief, which you need to get to that level – especially at his age, and what he’s done is magnificent. You do have to be careful not to overstep that line at times. You can do anything you like if you are putting in the performances. I know he scored an amazing overhead kick [at Euro 2024]. Actually, I thought the first goal that he scored in the tournament [against Serbia] was a better goal. The overhead kick is a freak goal, it’s something that happens once in a blue moon. The header that he scores is brave, he’s determined, his desire to get across the defender to get that in the back of the net, that’s a proper midfielder running from deep. That’s what Steven Gerrard used to do, knocking the defender out of the way.”

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    Mills added on the need to avoid off-field distractions in order to rub shoulders with greats of the game: “I think you have to be careful. By all accounts he is a very grounded lad, but the media have hyped him up to be a Ballon d’Or winner and be magnificent. He has still got improvements to make in his game. Is he as technically good as Phil Foden? Not quite. Foden is technically a better footballer than him at the moment. He has other attributes – his strength, his power, his desire, his ability to get in the box and score goals. He is a very young man, he still has a lot of room for improvement. He just needs to make sure that football comes first. All the adverts and all the sponsorship deals will come as secondary. First and foremost, be a great footballer. Just concentrate on that and worry about everything else afterwards. If not, it will be thrown at him. Ronaldo had it, Messi has had it at times. If you are a top player and you are courting the media and the press and the advertisements, you have to perform.”

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  • DID YOU KNOW?

    While the odd question has been asked of Bellingham’s character on the field, the likes of Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have become poster boys for what can be achieved when refusing to listen to outside noise. Mills added on that mindset: “All of those got there and stayed there and performed. Ronaldo performed in tournaments. Zlatan performed. Jude at this tournament [Euro 2024] scored a couple of goals, but probably hasn’t seen the performances that he expected and everyone else expected from him. When you talk about the greatest of players, first of all you talk about their football performances. I don’t think we are talking about Jude for his football performances in general after this tournament.”

Abu Dhabi T10 may feature a version of Super Over for league games next season

The tournament has already undergone revamps in its first three years, and there are more changes afoot

Barny Read22-Nov-2019In just its third edition of its existence, it is fair to say the Abu Dhabi T10 is still a work in progress. As a result, there are still tweaks to be made, issues to be ironed out and a lot of trials to be carried out.From being a four-day, round-robin format played out between six franchises in its inaugural edition, the tournament went from 13 matches to 29 the following season as it welcomed two new teams into the fold. That second season stretched the competition to 12 days and while the same structure was retained this year, it has found a ten-day slot in its new home in the UAE capital.The Super League stage has remained in place, but with every team playing each other bar their opposite number in the other group (for example, Deccan Gladiators and Maratha Arabians avoided each other in the Super League stage having topped Group A and B respectively and so on), there is little jeopardy as the tournament moves into its second stage.And this existing league structure is something Abu Dhabi T10 owner-cum-chairman Shaji ul Mulk says he and his team plan to address after Sunday’s final.”It’s possible [that the tournament format changes],” Shaji told ESPNcricinfo. “Because we have eight teams, we could be doing seven games a team so that we have a full round-robin. That would probably need us to increase the duration by another two days.”Delhi Bulls captain Eoin Morgan, who has been involved with the tournament since its inception, also sees the potential for adjustments. “There are a couple of things but I don’t have a solution for them yet,” Morgan said. “We’re only in our third year, things will continue to evolve, maybe even more teams still in a shorter space of time.”The group stage has also become a topic for conversation over its lack of tie-breakers, such as a Super Over, to ensure results in every match. They are in place for the knockout matches that begin on Saturday but after two ties this year, their absence has been notable.When you throw in Wednesday’s rain that produced one farce and two no results, the difference between shared points and full points is something that cannot be ignored. And while the rain cannot be helped, other things can be.”We’ve seen two ties already and I think all coaches agree we need to see a result, whatever form that’s in whether it’s a Super Over or how that’s determined,” Team Abu Dhabi coach Trevor Bayliss, whose side was hit by both abandonment and T10’s first-ever tie, told ESPNcricinfo. “A result in every match would be good for everyone involved, not just the players but obviously the fans and the viewers at home as well.”Morgan, like Bayliss, knows the finality of a Super Over more than most after this year’s ODI World Cup final and he would rather a ten-over game had a conclusion. “If we played in a tied game and we ended up a point short the argument is: would you rather have a result than one point each and I’d always err on the side of having a result,” Morgan said.Shaji puts the fast turnaround of games as a reason behind the lack of Super Overs until the qualifiers and final, his argument based on the fact that one of T10’s greatest USP is its 90-minute game-time. When you factor in slots on TV schedules and advertising space, it is no easy thing to balance.”We will be looking at it from next season onwards,” Shaji said. “Now that we’ve had two ties, we will probably consider changing those playing conditions. We want something innovative like two bowlers, three balls each.”One thing the Abu Dhabi T10 will be hoping to sustain is the strong crowds that have turned out so far. The UAE is a notoriously difficult place to pull in supporters despite a cricket-mad diaspora. To combat it this year, organisers invested in buses from across the emirates to provide transport for people that otherwise would have found it difficult to source.The result has been remarkable as evidenced by Friday’s enormous crowd-swell, and Morgan hopes that, in future, the showpiece events are scheduled to tie-in with what is a non-working day for the majority of the country.”You look at the crowd today given that it’s the weekend here and that’s fantastic to see. Probably one of the things would be having the final on a weekend [Friday or Saturday] as opposed to [Sunday]. But it’s still great to see crowds like that today.”

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