Bruno Guimaraes and Alexander Isak could be sold off as Eddie Howe braces up for a "difficult summer" and hints at key player sales.
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The last two years has seen the resurgence of one of English football's truly great clubs, Newcastle United.
The Magpies used to be a side that challenged for the top honours, dazzled fans with brilliant football and fielded some of the best in the game, and following their takeover in 2021, they look to be back on that path once more.
The halcyon days of Andy Cole, Les Ferdinand, Malcolm Macdonald and Alan Shearer could be just around the corner.
With that in mind, Football FanCast has created a list of the very best number nines to don the famous black and white stripes of the Toon.
Papiss Cisse
Right, so we're kicking off with a player that might raise a few eyebrows given the Toon's extensive history of brilliant nines, but hear us out.
Papiss Cisse was signed from Bundesliga side Freiburg in January 2012 for a fee in the region of £10m, and for those first six months, he was nigh unstoppable in the league.
He would go on to score 13 goals and provide two assists in just 14 Premier League games in that first six months, a streak of red-hot form that included that incredible goal against Chelsea.
In all, he scored 44 goals in 131 games for the club, which might not be outstanding, but he is still a firm fan favourite to this day, and we don't think anyone is going to have quite as good a sixth-month spell as he did for some time.
Callum Wilson
Coming in as the ninth-best number nine in Newcastle United history is the club's current number nine, Callum Wilson.
Now, this one might be an easier sell than Papiss Cisse, but there might still be a few people outside of the Newcastle fan base surprised by Wilson's inclusion, such is the extent to which he is underrated.
The former Bournemouth man joined the club in January 2020 in a deal worth around £20m, and ever since then, he has been an essential member of the Toon team.
Since his arrival, the England international has scored 42 goals and provided ten assists in just 90 appearances for the club, giving his a goal involvement every 1.7 games – more than every other game.
This would be incredibly impressive in isolation, but the fact that he has achieved numbers like these while also dealing with consistent injuries is genuinely outstanding.
The arrival of Alexander Isak might mean that Wilson won't be the player to lead them to domestic or Continental glory, but his contribution should not be overlooked.
Kevin Keegan
We're going back to the 1980s for this one, and it is none other than two-time Ballon d'Or winner and England great Kevin Keegan.
Now, Keegan only played for the Toon for two seasons between 1982 and 1984 and only wore the number nine for part of the 1983/84 season, but for our money, that makes him eligible for this list.
In his 85 games as a Magpies player, Keegan scored 49 goals and provided one assist, giving him a goal involvement more than every 1.7 games. However, more important than just his goalscoring, he played an essential role in taking the Toon back into the First Division and giving the fans some tremendously exciting football to watch once again.
It may have only been a short moment in the grander scheme of football, but Keegan more than made his mark and would be welcomed back with open arms when he took over the team as manager in 1992.
Malcolm Macdonald
We're going even further back in time for this one, back to the early 1970s.
Newcastle United broke their club record transfer fee when they signed Malcolm Macdonald in 1971, but there was never any doubt from those who wanted him whether he was worth the money or not.
In all, the London-born dynamo scored 138 goals in just 258 appearances for the Toon. He was a dazzling player to watch and was a firm fan favourite at the time.
While he didn't win anything in the northeast he did help the club reach the 1974 FA Cup final after his brace knocked Burnley out in the semi-final.
He was sold to Arsenal in 1976, much to the dismay of the Toon faithful.
Hughie Gallacher
Once again, we are heading even further back in time for the next Newcastle great on our list, 98 years back, to be specific.
In December 1925, the Magpies desperately needed a new number nine, so they looked north of the border, to Airdrieonians to be exact, and signed their star striker, Hughie Gallacher.
The Scotsman made an immediate impact and ended his first season with 23 league goals as the team's top scorer despite only joining the side halfway through the campaign.
In all, the Toon legend scored 463 goals in his career and captained the Magpies to the First Division title in 1927.
There was also an evident love between fan and player as when he joined Gateshead in 1938, Gallacher said: "My heart has been here ever since I left United eight years ago. I intend to spend the rest of my life with my adopted folk in Gateshead."
Andy Cole
We're jumping back into the Premier League era once again here, and to one of the best strikers the top flight has ever seen, Andy Cole.
The Nottingham-born talisman signed for the Toon in February 1993 when the club paid Bristol City a club-record-fee of £1.75m to secure his services.
Cole would partner Peter Beardsley in attack and tear Premier League defences apart for fun. In Newcastle's first season back in the Premier League, Cole would score 41 goals in 46 games across all competitions.
He would end his time at St James' Park with 68 goals in 84 matches, and the only reason he isn't higher on this list is because he left too soon.
Les Ferdinand
Coming in at number four is another '90s Toon icon, Les Ferdinand.
He was signed from Queens Park Rangers for £6m in the summer of 1995, and while a price tag such as that would've been pressure enough for most players, Ferdinand also had to deal with the pressure of being Andy Cole's replacement.
Somehow, he coped with both and spent two fantastic years terrifying the league's best defences while donning the famous black and white stripes. He helped the club to two second-placed finishes in the league and scored 50 goals in just 84 appearances across all competitions.
Len White
We're into the top three now, and the bronze medalist on this list is actually Newcastle's third-highest goalscorer of all time, Len White.
White joined the Toon in 1953 after a two-year spell with Rotherham United, and while he made an instant impact on Tyneside, he wasn't given the coveted number nine shirt until Jackie Milburn left the club.
Once he pulled on that shirt, his goalscoring went from remarkable to unbelievable, and he ended his career with a staggering 153 goals over nine years at the club.
Jackie Milburn
The runner-up on our list is, without doubt, not just one of the best forwards in Newcastle history, but one of the best forwards in English football history.
Born in 1924, Jackie Milburn would start his footballing career with Newcastle in 1943 and stay at the club for 14 years, until eventually moving on to play for Linfield in Northern Ireland.
During his time with the Toon, he would play across the front line, but it was in the post-war years, when he was played as a traditional number nine, that he helped transform the club into perennial winners.
In all, Milburn helped the club win three FA Cups during his time there and scored a mind-boggling 200 goals in 397 appearances. At the time, he was the club's all-time leading goalscorer until another man came along four decades later.
Alan Shearer
Come on, really, who else could it have possibly been?
When you ask the average football fan to name an iconic Premier League striker, the chances are that Alan Shearer will almost certainly pop up among a swath of names. However, if you ask someone to name an iconic Newcastle United forward, there is no chance they will name anyone before they name Shearer.
Few football players are as loved by their fans as Shearer; almost two decades on and a failed stint in the dugout, he is still revered to an almost religious degree by the St James' Park faithful.
The Newcastle-born phenom joined his boyhood club in 1996 for a then-world-record fee of £15m, and to say he lived up to the price tag would be a colossal understatement.
He may have ultimately left his boyhood club without a team honour, but he retired as the Premier League's all-time top scorer with 260 and as the Toon's all-time leading scorer with 206.
Newcastle may never see a player quite like him again, and we reckon the fans are probably okay with that.
Since losing Wilfred Zaha following the expiry of his contract, Crystal Palace have done well to remain on course for another solid mid-table finish under Roy Hodgson. They are still lacking an attacking spark at times, however, with just seven goals in eight games representing their struggles. Putting that number into context, only Sheffield United, Burnley, and Luton Town have scored less so far in the Premier League so far this season.
The next two transfer windows could help solve their problem, however, with one particular Championship star linked with a move to Selhurst Park, and he would certainly provide Hodgson's side with a boost going forward.
Zaha's exit stole the headlines during the summer transfer window regarding Crystal Palace, but the Eagles still welcomed some exciting new faces. The likes of Dean Henderson and Matheus Franca came through the door hoping to ensure that Palace once again secure their top flight status with relative ease, and also inject some long-term potential into what was once an ageing squad.
Palace are screaming out for some excitement at Selhurst Park to replace Zaha's flair, and that's where one potential January reinforcement could come into play. The latest Jonathan Rowe transfer news has claimed that Palace are among the clubs interested in making a move for the Norwich City winger – an added bonus in any possible negotiations is the fact that Rowe's agent is the same as Sam Johnstone and Jeffrey Schlupp.
If Palace are to land the 20-year-old's signature, they will have to fight off reported interest from Brentford, Aston Villa, Burnley, and Sheffield United, in what is becoming a busy race. Norwich, meanwhile, are reportedly keen to secure Rowe's future at Carrow Road, keeping hold of one of their star men in the process. When both the January transfer window and summer transfer windows arrive, the young wide player certainly looks like one to keep an eye on.
At just 20-years-old, Rowe's goals this season are helping him to become the main man for the Canaries, who will be desperate to keep hold of their red-hot goalscorer. In total, the winger has scored seven times and provided a further two in just 13 games in all competitions. If he was at Palace this season, then he would be their top goalscorer, proving just how fast he has got going in the current campaign.
His performances have resulted in deserved praise, including from Norwich manager David Wagner, who spoke about Rowe's England U21 call-up, saying, in part, via The Eastern Daily Press: “But he's a good character, he knows that he deserves the praise which he gets, but he knows as well that he had to work very hard for it and the most important thing is he knows if he only continues what he has done so far, this will not be enough for the future.
"He now has to have the moments where you have to invest more and he will do so. Hopefully he stays healthy. We can be very, very happy that he is in our team."
Everton are back in Premier League action once again today, as they welcome Luton Town to Goodison Park for the first time since 2006.
Sean Dyche will be hoping to capitalise on the returning feel-good factor instigated by their back-to-back away victories, and claim a first of the season on home soil.
For once, the former Burnley boss seems like he will enjoy a relatively clean bill of health for today's clash, which will not be as easy as the league table suggests.
The newly-promoted side sit 18th, having picked up their first and only point of the term last weekend against Wolverhampton Wanderers. However, as a solid and hard-working side, it will take some doing to unlock what will be a very defensive outfit.
|
Everton's last 5 meetings with Luton Town via 11v11 |
Result |
|---|---|
|
31/10/07 – Luton Town vs Everton |
1-0 W |
|
24/10/06 – Everton vs Luton Town |
4-0 W |
|
14/03/1992 – Everton vs Luton Town |
1-1 D |
|
02/11/91 – Luton Town vs Everton |
1-0 W |
|
04/05/91 – Everton vs Luton Town |
1-0 W |
Jack Harrison impressed on his midweek debut at Villa Park, with a tireless display that also boasted two key passes, whilst Dominic Calvert-Lewin continued his return to form with a second goal in as many games to finish off the cup tie.
Meanwhile, the new 5-2-3 formation clearly paid dividends on the road, and poses a key tactical decision that Dyche will have to make going into this match.
However, one thing he certainly must do is recall Dwight McNeil, with the winger now well-rested and ready to provide the killer blow that could place another nail into the Hatters' coffin.
Having suffered through an injury-hit start to the season, the 23-year-old returned to his old ways with a key assist last weekend as the travelling Toffees toppled Brentford.
It marked the first goal contribution of the term for the winger, who will seek to better his fine tally of seven goals and three assists in the league from last campaign, which made him the club's top scorer.
Given the firepower he is set to enjoy throughout the coming year, in which hopefully the club will have a fully fit Calvert-Lewin and the newly-acquired Beto to aim at, there is every chance of boosting those creative numbers.
Especially if Dyche is to deploy them both, which there have been murmurs about. In fact, the 52-year-old manager was asked about the possibility, and replied positively:
"I've always liked playing with two strikers when possible but it's got to suit the rest of the team as well".
Then, the former Blades marksman weighed in on such a notion:
"He’s [Beto] a physical presence and I’ve really enjoyed training with him. We’ve had a few conversations between ourselves about us being on the pitch at the same time and how that will look, and how we can make that work".
It seems they are gearing towards a potential strike partnership, with there no better time to trial such an attack-minded move than at home to a side completely bereft of confidence.
Beto scored ten goals last season in the Serie A and has already opened his Everton account with a fine finish against Doncaster Rovers in the cup.
His work rate and physicality promises to endear him to Evertonians with ease, and to see his 6 foot 4 frame lining up beside the 6 foot 2 Calvert-Lewin would be a frightening prospect for the opposition.
Especially given McNeil, who during the 2021/22 campaign ranked second for most successful dribbles (90) and third for most crosses (199), has form of firing in wicked deliveries which could cause havoc.
It should come as no surprise that the £20m maverick has been lauded as a "special player" in the past by journalist Andy Jones.
They will seldom get a better opportunity to trial a system that the fans would love to see, and so Beto must start alongside the tricky winger, both earning recalls.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has an issue of trust with one first-team player who could now exit the club in January, according to a report.
Manchester City updates: Liverpool clash twist, Kroos on radar, Vermeeren latest
As per The Daily Mail, Manchester City's upcoming Premier League clash against Liverpool on November 25th has been moved from a 5:30 pm start to a 12:30 pm kick-off due to potential fan trouble at the Etihad Stadium.
Arsenal were originally scheduled to face Brentford at 12:30 pm; however, both fixtures will now effectively swap times and prevent the chances of trouble in and around the ground between rival supporters.
In a shock Manchester City transfer update emerging out of Spain, Real Madrid veteran Toni Kroos is believed to be a target for the Citizens once his contract expires at the Santiago Bernabeu next summer.
The report states that the Germany international could receive around double his wages at Manchester City if he was to move to England in 2024. During the summer transfer window, Kroos rejected advances from the Saudi Pro League and Major League Soccer to pen a 12-month extension to his deal at La Liga giants Real Madrid. Nevertheless, Guardiola and his recruitment team are now said to be leading the chase for the former Bayern Munich star.
Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren is claimed to be attracting attention from Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur alongside a host of clubs in mainland Europe as he continues to make waves in his homeland this campaign.
Manchester City top scorers 2023/24
Player
Appearances
Goals
Erling Haaland
12
8
Julian Alvarez
13
6
Rodri
10
3
Jeremy Doku
8
2
Phil Foden
8
2
Manchester City transfer news – Kalvin Phillips potential exit
According to a Manchester City transfer update on Kalvin Phillips from Football Insider, it is believed that the England international is likely to leave the Etihad Stadium in 2024 after falling out of favour under Citizens boss Guardiola this term. The report states that Phillips now finds himself essentially frozen out at Manchester City due to the summer arrivals of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes.
Guardiola left Phillips out of his side's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend at the Emirates Stadium, instead opting to utilise Rico Lewis and Bernardo Silva in a double pivot, which the outlet indicates is a sign that the former Barcelona boss doesn't trust Phillips to perform and could now pave the way for his eventual departure.
Since joining Manchester City from Leeds United for a fee in the region of £43 million in 2022, Phillips has gone on to make just 26 appearances in total for his current employers and is yet to register a single goal or assist (Phillips statistics – Transfermarkt).
Despite being hailed as "superb" by Barcelona manager Xavi back in 2021, it is hard to see a way back for Phillips at the Etihad and he may now have to seek a new challenge in the near future to avoid a prolonged career stagnation.
Wolverhampton Wanderers have made some questionable signings over the years, with some talents proving to be big hits, and others being quickly forgettable.
This summer sparked change to the familiar squad at Molineux, with players needing to be offloaded and sold in order to balance the books with reference to the Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions in place.
Players such as club captain Ruben Neves and last summer’s blockbuster signing Matheus Nunes were sold to generate funds during the break, with the two sales accumulating £100m – £47m and £53m respectively.
While it was pivotal that business was efficient during the break due to tight financial pressures, transfers haven’t always been as smart for Wolves, as visible in the current members of the squad. Goncalo Guedes is one of the primary examples.
How much did Wolves sign Goncalo Guedes for?
Signed last summer from Valencia, winger Guedes made the £27.5m move to Molineux to join a host of Portuguese talent already in the Midlands.
At the time of his arrival, chairman Jeff Shi described the player as being “well suited to the Premier League”, insisting that the club had “been patient” to ensure they got the “right player."
Just over a year down the line and the 26-year-old has made only 18 appearances for the Old Gold, scoring on two occasions during his time associated with the club so far. It's safe to say that Fosun and Co picked the wrong player here.
What happened to Goncalo Guedes?
Earning £90k-per-week, Shi’s claims that the winger was ready to play in the Premier League proved to be false, with the former La Liga forward wasting his time at Wolves away.
Signed in August 2022, Guedes was shipped on loan to Benfica by January, and is yet to make another appearance for the side with his future looking to be far away from Molineux.
Former manager Julen Lopetegui explained that the £27.5m man was “not happy” at Wolves after his loan move to the Eagles, as he returned to the Lisbon-based club this summer on a season-long loan spell.
After just 18 appearances, it would be assumed that the attacker’s time is over in the Premier League, with him failing to adapt and wanting away from England as he continues to seek sanctuary in Portugal.
Journalist Nathan Judah didn’t hold back on his opinion of the winger, saying he has “zero interest in rotten apples” following his second loan move to Benfica last month.
While the disappointment of the transfer is understandable considering the price paid to obtain his services just a year ago, the 26-year-old was poor in Portugal, scoring just once in the league during his half-season loan with the Eagles.
Wolves have dodged a bullet by loaning the dud, however considering their recent financial problems, the money spent to sign the want-away has proven to be a complete waste of funds.
It’s likely that the Old Gold will permanently offload the forward in the near future as Gary O’Neil continues to build his favoured squad, although his dip in form will be damaging to the Midlands side, who are unlikely to make a profit in the instance of his sale.
As per CIES Football Observatory, the Portuguese international is valued at €20m (£17m), showing a dip of almost £10m in relation to the price the Premier League side paid for him just last year.
There remains hope that the 26-year-old can rediscover his form in Portugal to bolster his value, however, circumstances won't change the fact that the market move was a low for Wolves.
The captain says there was not much wrong done on Bangladesh’s part, but still wonders whether it’s “nerves or luck” that kicks in to thwart them in tournament finals
Mohammad Isam18-Mar-2018
Associated Press
Shakib Al Hasan told Soumya Sarkar to stay calm and take his time before bowling the last ball, off which India required five runs. What happened next, Shakib feels, was sheer brilliance from Dinesh Karthik, who spanked a flat six over the covers to win his side a heart-stopping final.”I didn’t tell [Soumya] anything in particular,” Shakib said. “It is better not to tell a bowler [too much]. I just told him to take his time. Sometimes you can rush into a delivery and then miss your length. I think he bowled very well for three overs and in fact I can’t really blame anyone; we just had two bad overs. I am not blaming anyone. I am really proud of the team’s bowling and fielding effort.”Shakib isn’t known to dwell on regrets and it was no different this time. But there was still the lingering feeling of “what could have been”, particularly over Rubel Hossain’s woeful 19th over; Karthik belted him for two sixes and as many fours in a 22-run over, bringing India back into the game.If there was an element of surprise in seeing Rubel come on for the penultimate over rather than being saved for the often high-pressure final over, Shakib had an explanation: “When Mustafizur [Rahman] bowled that brilliant over [the 18th, featuring one wicket and just one leg bye], India were left needing [34] off the last two overs. Rubel was our best bowler today after the way he bowled his first three overs. I believed in him. I thought even if he bowled badly, he would go for 15 runs.”I would have 20 runs to play with [in the final over], which would have given Soumya some cushion. This was why I brought Rubel for the 19th over.”Shakib said that very few batsmen in the world could have timed the ball as well as Karthik did. He felt that Rubel didn’t stray too far from his usual length. “He didn’t miss [his lengths] by much. I don’t know many batsmen who can hit a six off the first ball, and then keep hitting the boundaries.”There are very few instances in history. There was something other-worldly about it. Rubel got a bit nervous after going for 10 runs off the first two balls. I still feel that I will back him the next time such a situation comes.”Shakib did wonder, however, about what happens to the Bangladesh team when they are in a final; they have now lost five tournament finals in the limited-overs formats, including a similarly tight last-over defeat against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup final. On that occasion, Bangladesh couldn’t take nine runs off the last over.”I don’t know if it is nerves or luck. Ten [12, which India needed] runs in one over isn’t a lot but then you end up defending five runs off the last ball… You would back a bowling team when they are defending 35 [34] off the last two overs. It just didn’t happen for us. The bowlers tried their best.”Bangladesh can reflect on an encouraging performance in the Nidahas Trophy. They didn’t quite win a lot of hearts in Sri Lanka with their antics, but they won two gritty encounters and nearly won the trophy itself. But, Shakib said, that’s where the main difference lay. “It is like the difference between scoring 99 and 100. Being trophy-less is pretty much the same thing.”
Sikandar Raza’s 26-ball 40 was not good enough as Zimbabwe lost for the second night in a row in Sharjah
ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2018A smiling Mohammad Nabi walks back after steering Afghanistan to victory•AFP
Afghanistan completed a 2-0 series win in Sharjah after beating Zimbabwe – for the second time in two nights – by 17 runs. Mohammad Nabi’s second straight forty-plus score (which also translated to a second straight Man-of-the-Match award), together with useful twenties from Karim Sadiq (30-ball 28), Asghar Stanikzai (14-ball 27) and Najibullah Zadran (18-ball 24) helped Afghanistan post 158 for 9. Thereafter, regular wickets from Mujeeb Zadran and Rashid Khan ensured that Zimbabwe could only finish on 141 for 5 in their chase.At one stage Afghanistan looked set to post a much bigger total, but a collapse across their last two overs held them back. Stanikzai and Sadiq began Afghanistan’s charge early on with a 56-run second-wicket stand, which was followed up by Nabi and Najibullah’s 51-run stand for the fourth wicket. With Afghanistan eyeing the 180-run mark with two overs to go, however, they lost five wickets in the space of ten balls. Tendai Chatara and Kyle Jarvis (2 for 22) were the successful bowlers at the death, sharing five wickets between them as Afghanistan managed to get only three runs off their last 12 balls.In their chase, Zimbabwe lost opener Solomon Mire for 2, but Hamilton Masakadza with a 29-ball 30 and Brendan Taylor (16-ball 15) looked like settling in. Masakadza, however, perished to Mujeeb Zadran’s spin in the seventh over, while Taylor – snagged by Nabi – joined him back in the pavilion not long after. With Zimbabwe needing 100 runs off the final ten overs, Sikandar Raza took over, smacking five fours and a six in a 53-run fourth-wicket stand with Ryan Burl (run-a-ball 30) but was trapped lbw to Rashid Khan in the 17th over. The score read 111 for 4 at that stage, with Zimbabwe needing another 48 runs to win; the task was too much for their middle order.
The duo combined to stroke decisive knocks to lead India past 250 before Bangladesh were bowled out in 42.1 overs
The report by Shashank Kishore in Queenstown26-Jan-2018Shubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma – state mates at Punjab from Under-14s, room-mates on tour and best friends off the field – combined to make decisive half-centuries in India’s 131-run win in the quarter-final against Bangladesh in Queenstown. This meant a semi-final showdown with Pakistan in Christchurch on January 30.Gill top-scored with 86, but India’s batting depth was tested for the first time in the tournament. A middle-order implosion in the face of some tight bowling – from overs 20-40 where India scored just three boundaries – was then somewhat covered up by Abhishek’s industrious 49-ball 50 that propelled them to 265 in the final over.Bangladesh came out looking to first dig in and set up a solid base. In the process, they ate up too many deliveries. As the asking rate mounted and spinners tightened the screws, they turned towards cheeky singles to keep the scorecard chugging along. This resulted in two of their main batsmen – Towhid Hridoy and Aminul Islam – being run out. Those dismissals turned the game around in a jiffy as Bangladesh couldn’t quite recover from 85 fof 5. They were eventually bowled out for 134 in the 43rd over.As well as they bowled, India’s fielding, particularly inside the 30-yard circle, was noteworthy. In the Powerplay, the packed off-side ring cut off easy singles to build pressure. Then their two most athletic fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti got into the act after bowling their hearts out in a fiery opening spell.Mavi swooped in from cover point to effect a direct hit via an underarm flick to dismiss Hridoy while Nagarkoti moved swiftly to his right at backward square leg to fire a throw to wicketkeeper Harvik Desai who did the rest even as Aminul tried to dive full stretch. These two wickets in the space of 10 deliveries effectively broke Bangladesh’s back.That Bangladesh weren’t allowed to blaze away was thanks largely to Ishan Porel, who troubled them during the course of an incisive opening spell of 5-2-8-0. Porel, playing just his second game in the tournament after recovering from a heel injury on his left foot, went through considerable amount of work before the game to be ready, and proved that the time spent on him by the support staff was fully worth it. Without bowling full tilt, he kept up the pressure by combining accuracy and bounce on a deck that offered some help for the faster bowlers if they were willing to bend their backs.Mavi benefited from this pressure the most as Mohammad Naim holed out to Prithvi Shaw at mid-on. If Bangladesh thought Porel and Mavi’s burst had been weathered, they had Nagarkoti just warming up. With some needle in the contest courtesy some words and glances exchanged between both sides – something that had been building up from early in the game – Nagarkoti had captain Saif Hassan nick to Abhishek, who took an excellent catch diving to his left at slip. That was to be the start of Bangladesh’s slide.India’s start was much different though. They lost Manjot Kalra early, but Gill powered them to 71 for 1 after the first 10 overs, bringing in a touch of unorthodoxy by flat-batting a pull early in his innings, and doing the early running even as Shaw wasn’t allowed to break free initially.Shaw eventually broke the struggle by picking up his first boundary – a punch through point – off the seventh over. He would then get a release in the same over courtesy a free-hit that he biffed over mid-on to get going. Far from fluent, Shaw played within himself and would fall to a Qazi Onik delivery that would straighten from around the stumps and have him bowled for 40. Desai pushed and prodded for 34, but in doing so, put a lot of pressure on Gill, who was looking to accelerate. As well as he tried to milk the singles and bring out the cheeky dabs and tucks to the leg side, their dismissals in the space of 13 deliveries after a 74-run stand put the pressure on India’s middle order.Riyan Parag, having his first hit of the tournament, took eight balls to get off the mark and struggled for rhythm. Nagarkoti and Mavi tried to swing their way, only to fall. This made Abhishek’s pugnacious contribution all the more vital in the context of the game. Happy to tick over runs initially, he opened up to deliver some muscular blows towards the end of the innings before being the ninth batsman out. By then, he had lifted India out of a tangle and put them firmly ahead.Then with the ball, Abhishek would top up his batting with two wickets. The end was quite fittingly a Nagarkoti thunderbolt that sent Nayeem Hasan’s off stump cartwheeling to delirious celebration in the Indian camp. He would finish with 3 for 18 in a win that looked far too easy than it could have been at one stage.
تحدث ماوريسيو بوتشيتينو المدير الفني لفريق تشيلسي الإنجليزي عن مستقبله وإمكانية مغادرة منصبه بنهاية الموسم الجاري.
وتعرض بوتشيتينو لانتقادات واسعة بسبب النتائج السيئة للفريق وابتعاده عن المنافسة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وملاحقته بصعوبة للمراكز المؤهلة للمشاركة في المنافسات الأوروبية.
ويتبقى لبوتشيتينو عامًا في عقده مع تشيلسي، مع خيار التمديد لعام إضافي، وتحدث المدرب في مؤتمر صحفي قبل مواجهة نوتينجهام غدًا بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
وقال بوتشيتينو في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم الجمعة: “هذا ليس هامًا، ما يهم هو الاستمرارية، مواصلة العمل إذا كان الجميع سعداء، ليس فقط الملاك، أو نحن فقط، بل المؤسسة بأكملها”.
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وأضاف: “إذا كنا جميعًا سعداء فهذا مثالي، لكن لا يتعلق الأمر بسعادة ملاك النادي فقط، بسعادة المدير الرياضي، بإذا كنا نحن سعداء (طاقم التدريب)، عليك أن تسألنا لأنه ربما نقول إننا لسنا سعداء ونحن نقبل الموقف ونحن نريد الانفصال”.
وأكمل: “لن تكون تلك المرة الأولى التي يقرر فيها الطاقم الفني عدم الاستمرارية بنهاية الموسم، لكن دومًا يكون الوضع معكوسا، يكون دومًا القرار للملاك أو المدير الرياضي”.
وأشار: “بإمكانهم قول ذلك غدًا، وربما أنا من سيقول أريد الرحيل، القرار يتعلق بطرفين، لأنه قد يكون تشيلسي غير سعيد، المدير الرياضي غير سعيد”.
وأفاد بوتشيتينو: “أو قد أكون أنا غير سعيد لأننا وصلنا إلى هنا للقيام بمهمة، وفي النهاية لم يحدث الأمر كما توقعنا، وأنا لا أقول إنني لست سعيدًا، لكن الأمر دائمًا يتعلق بجانب واحد وربما نحتاج إلى النظر إلى الجانب الآخر”.