Former Arsenal midfielder Miguel Azeez opened up on his time at Emirates Stadium as he accused the club of unfairly tagging him 'aloof'.
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Azeez accused Arsenal coaching staff of unfairly treating himLeft Arsenal in January 2024 Gunners coaching staff misjudged himFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?
Azeez, who graduated from the Gunners' youth system, made his first and only appearance for the club in December 2020 in the Europa League. In the next three seasons, he was sent out on loan to Portsmouth, Ibiza and Wigan Athletic before he left the club permanently in January 2024. Recalling his time at the North London club, the 22-year-old felt that he was 'misjudged' by the coaching staff.
AdvertisementWHAT MIGUEL AZEEZ SAID
Speaking to , the English player said: "I definitely felt, not adversity, but being misjudged. Ask anyone at Arsenal — I was always first into training and last to leave. If I looked like a quintessential footballer they would not have thought anything of it but because of how I looked, the hairstyles, the face, jewellery, whatever it was, they would say, ‘He is trying to be aloof by coming in early to be by himself’.
"I was just trying to improve. “That word ‘aloof’ was used against me at Arsenal. My team-mates were in the changing room on their phones on Snapchat when I was in the gym working, but they would just see me by myself and put two and two together. The players seemed to take to it, which was nice. It was from the coaching side of things. I don’t know if it was an upbringing thing or a hierarchy thing. I took it as people thinking, ‘Who does he think he is? Does he think he is better than me?’. Nah, I’m just being myself."
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Azeez added: "I’m not causing any harm by wearing a pair of heels. There was always this thing representing the badge. I get that, but I think they wanted a different image to what I was giving. I guess there’s a lot of people who would change their personalities just to get to where they felt they needed to be. I’ve always said I’m a person who plays football. When people start to think they are a footballer before they’re a person, that’s when they start to change who they are."
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ARSENAL?
The Gunners, who are currently seven points behind league leaders Liverpool, will be back in action in the Premier League on Saturday as they host West Ham at Emirates Stadium.
Paris Saint-Germain are willing to sell player they recently spent over £50 million on so they can sign an Aston Villa star instead come January, according to a recent report.
The Villans are currently in a tough patch, as they are winless in their last four games in all competitions and now face a tricky trip to Anfield to play Liverpool this weekend. Unai Emery will be keen to end this poor run of form and will be demanding more from his players.
11x ball lost: Emery must now ditch 4/10 Aston Villa star after Brugge
The Aston Villa ace struggled in Belgium
ByJoe Nuttall Nov 7, 2024 Aston Villa transfer news
In the last few transfer windows, Villa have been a very busy side, adding plenty of talent to their squad, and the same could happen again in January as they keep their watchful eye on players from England and across Europe.
Villa are keeping a close eye on the progress of Southampton’s Tyler Dibling and are leading the race to secure his signature at the end of the season, after he has put in some impressive displays in the Premier League.
Sporting Lisbon's Pedro Goncalves.
The Midlands side are also preparing an offer to sign Sporting CP winger Pedro Goncalves. The Villans had a representative in place for Sporting’s game against Manchester City in the Champions League to watch Goncalves, and they are now preparing to make a move in January.
But while Villa have their eye on adding to their squad in January or next summer, they may also have to deal with losing a player, as PSG circle with interest in one of their key performers.
PSG planning to sell £50m+ star to buy Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran
According to reports from Spain relayed by TEAMtalk, PSG are planning to sell Goncalo Ramos in order for them to sign Jhon Duran. Duran joined Villa in January of last year, but it is only recently that he has truly impressed.
Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran
After 10 top flight games in this campaign, he already has four goals to his name. The Colombia international has also bagged goals in the Champions League and EFL Cup this season, as he continues to shine particularly when he comes off the bench.
Duran’s performances for Villa have now caught the attention of big European teams, including PSG. The January transfer window is not far away, and the French side are looking to bring the 20-year-old to France, despite him just signing a new contract at Villa Park.
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PSG are willing to let go of Ramos, who is valued at £54 million, a figure they paid to sign him from Benfica, to sign Duran. Villa will not want to lose the striker, and it was claimed last month that he has a price tag of £75 million on his head after his recent performances, but the player’s head may be turned by the chance to go from super-sub to main man.
Crystal Palace have made a strong start to their Premier League campaign, defeating Sheffield United at Bramall Lane and despite tasting a narrow loss against Arsenal, followed that up with a respectable point at Brentford and a thrilling 3-2 victory over Wolves.
For their strong start to the season, the Eagles have soared up the league table without significantly strengthening in the transfer window compared to their rivals.
Who did Crystal Palace sign this summer?
Making four acquisitions for a combined cost of £32m, it's fair to say that the purse strings have been tight at Selhurst Park this summer having ended the window without a direct replacement for Wilfred Zaha.
Although Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze are more than capable of shouldering the weight of goal contributions in his absence, the lack of ambition shown in this window was underwhelming to say the least.
Palace brought in attacking midfielder Matheus Franca, box-to-box midfielder Jefferson Lerma, goalkeeper Dean Henderson and lastly, centre-back Rob Holding.
Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
For all of his top-flight experience at Arsenal, it was the latter of those signings who raised the most eyebrows and that isn't surprising given his career has gone on a downward spiral recently.
How many games did Rob Holding play for Arsenal?
In his seven-year stay at Arsenal, Holding made 162 appearances and scored five goals but has never really shown the ability to become a regular starter for the Gunners.
He was frozen out for the majority of last season, until star defender William Saliba sustained an injury in April and the Englishman was entrusted into the starting XI, going on to make seven starts in the last month of the season.
Despite scoring a consolation in the 4-1 defeat against Manchester City, Holding has struggled to become the ball-playing defender that Mikel Arteta desires, ultimately leaving him surplus to requirements.
During the Gunner's London derby defeat against Tottenham in May, which was a result that handed Man City the initiative in the title race, Holding's reckless sending off for making two silly fouls cost his team in their biggest match of the season.
After the game, many pundits heavily criticised Holding as Jamie Redknapp made his thoughts known on Sky Sports.
He said: "'That's a silly thing, he's doing judo moves on the football field. Then he gets caught again, and it becomes an accumulation."
With Holding enduring a reckless end to his Arsenal career, a fresh start in the Premier League is what he needed and got, but it still begs the question as to why Palace didn't take up their interest in fellow Gunner Takehiro Tomiyasu, who would have been a huge upgrade on the Englishman.
How good is Takehiro Tomiyasu?
According to a Daily Mail report in late August, Palace were showing an interest in signing Tomiyasu but following the injury to Jurrien Timber, Arsenal were reluctant to sell the Japan international.
Since joining the club from Bologna two years ago, the £55k per-week "warrior" – as he was once lauded by former teammate Mitchell Dijks – has gone on to make 56 appearances under Arteta and during the 21/22 season, Tomiyasu made 20 Premier League starts. He was impressive during that spell, averaging an impressive 1.7 tackles per game, completing 60% of his dribbles and winning 55% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
Takehiro-Tomiyasu-Crystal-Palace
However, after a promising debut season, his second term was hampered by separate knee and calf problems, making only 21 appearances in the top flight with the majority of those coming from the bench.
Despite this, the 33-cap titan has still been highly regarded by many during his time at north London with Martin Keown waxing lyrical about his performance against PSV in the Europa League last season, saying:
“Tomiyasu is probably Arsenal’s best out-and-out defender, in a one-on-one situation. Look at how dominant he is in the air. He’s a big boy actually. They have dealt with that problem [of Gakpo] really well,” he told BT Sport.
Keown's comments are supported by Tomiyasu's defensive and attacking metrics, ranking highly when compared against his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues for the former of those. He places in the top 10% for tackles per 90, top 19% for interceptions per 90 and top 1% for aerial duels won per 90, via FBref.
While his defensive capabilities shine through, his ability to progress the ball up the field is second to none, ranking in the top 8% for passes completed and the best 1% for progressive carries.
Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu reacts after being sent off by refereeDavidCoote
In a Crystal Palace team that has to do a lot of defending, Tomiyasu would excel at both winning possession back and being proactive with it, unlike Holding, who falls well below his former teammate for those aspects of his game.
During the last 365 days, Holding has only recorded one tackle per 90, 0.69 interceptions per 90 while falling lower for progressive passes than Tomiyasu (4.37/7.76) and progressive carries (0.54/2.00).
When being tasked to defend, the 27-year-old has fallen well short in the past year and will find it difficult to dislodge Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, who are forming an indispensable partnership at the heart of the Eagles' defence. Indeed, the former has played so well over the last year that he's now in and around the England squad, even being touted at an eye-watering £50m during the summer window.
Although Holding and Tomiyasu predominantly play different positions across the back line, the defensive solidity and dependability that the Japan international would have brought to Selhurst Park is levels ahead of the declining Englishman. After all, the latter does present you with more versatility too, boasting the ability to play in the centre-back role and on both sides as a full-back.
Cricket South Africa is using the series against India to explore the possibility of playing music in between each delivery of a T20 match
Sidharth Monga in Centurion21-Feb-2018Manish Pandey works Tabraiz Shamsi to deep fine leg for a single. “I’ve Got The Power” plays on the stadium’s PA system. Suresh Raina pushes the next ball straight to cover for a dot. “Here Comes The Hotstepper” blares out. Welcome to the new world of music after every ball in T20 cricket, assuming the paying public cares for it.Yes, songs have been played on a cricket ground in between overs and after boundaries for a while now. But Cricket South Africa is using the T20Is against India to trial the idea of playing music between deliveries. At the end of the series, the ticketholders will be asked to participate in an online survey and the decision to stop or keep going will be made based on the feedback.”Twenty20 is played in festive environment,” a CSA official said. “It is followed by families and kids. We wanted to see if our public wants more of the music and dance. We will of course listen to the people and see what the survey says. If they like it, we might even get a professional DJ at our grounds for T20.”The official said CSA was not taking the lead from what happened in the Trans-Tasman tri-series. Music between deliveries was tried during a game at Eden Park in Auckland last week and it received harsh criticism from the fans, including those on Twitter.
DJ going OTT at Eden Park tonight. We don’t need music every 10 seconds
— Dan News (@dannews) February 16, 2018
As in South Africa, the cricket board in New Zealand is in charge of the music on game day. The negative response to the experiment brought immediate results: the music was reduced in the subsequent matches of the tri-series.
Wait – what's that sound between deliveries tonight?
Aaaaahhhh…..nothing. Bliss.
Well done @BLACKCAPS #NZvENG
— Keith Miller (@keith_miller_nz) February 18, 2018
“NZC is in charge of game day enhancements such as music, and they turned it down as soon as they were informed,” Eden Park tweeted in response to the complaints against the too-frequent music.
Following what has been another turbulent start to the campaign for Manchester United, the days of glorious success under the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson appear no closer to being emulated, with it now over a decade since the Red Devils last tasted Premier League title glory.
It also just over 15 years since the Old Trafford outfit were last crowned kings of Europe after edging past rivals Chelsea in the Champions League final in Moscow back in 2008, with Ferguson having assembled a truly "unbelievable team" that was stuffed full of "world-class" talents, as per club legend Gary Neville.
At the forefront of that iconic side – which also claimed three successive league titles between 2006 and 2009 – was the dynamic duo of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, with the pair having simply tormented defences both domestically and on the continent.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney
As Neville has argued, that pairing was crucial in helping to build arguably the "greatest Manchester United team of all time", with the two men, alongside Argentine workhorse Carlos Tevez, establishing a front three that was simply at a "different level" to anything in the current era.
With the present United now forced to turn to the likes of Anthony Martial and Antony – two figures who scored just ten league goals combined last term – to lead the line in attack, it is easy to see just how far the mighty have fallen.
How many goals did Ronaldo score for Man United?
The name Ronaldo no longer perhaps has the same shine to it at the Theatre of Dreams following the sour end to his second stint at the club, as the veteran marksman was sent packing after publicly calling out manager Erik ten Hag, yet those recent exploits should not too greatly overshadow the genius of his first spell in Manchester.
While it may have been Real Madrid who witnessed the Portuguese icon at his clinical, prolific peak – as he bagged 450 goals in just 438 games all competitions for Los Blancos – those of a United persuasion were afforded the chance to witness a promising teen blossom into a devastating superstar following his arrival from Sporting CP back in 2003.
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The Madeira-born marksman truly came alive following his return from the World Cup in the summer of 2006, helping to end what was then a 'lengthy' four-year wait for the title after plundering 17 league goals, before netting a further 31 times in the top-flight the following season.
A man made for the big occasion, it was the fleet-footed forward who fired his side ahead against the Blues in that European showpiece in '08, leaping superbly at the back post in trademark fashion to open the scoring on the day.
That effort epitomised the world-class performer that Ronaldo had developed into at the time as he was subsequently handed the Ballon d'Or award later that year, before moving to the Bernabeu 12 months later – with his total tally for the Red Devils standing at 145 goals in 346 games, including his recent second spell.
How many goals did Rooney score for Man United?
While Ronaldo may have been the shining, obvious poster boy for Ferguson's golden side, it was Rooney who provided the work-manlike, relentless presence as a vital part of the attacking triumvirate, despite also contributing himself in the final third.
Currently the club's record scorer with 253 goals in all competitions, the former England captain was a true machine when in his pomp, combining beautifully on the counter-attack and in transition, in particular, with his Portuguese teammate.
The two men notably wreaked havoc on rivals Arsenal in the semi-final of the Champions League back in 2009, rounding off a sparkling breakaway that saw United turn defence into attack in an instant, as Ronaldo duly prodded home Rooney's perfectly-placed pull-back.
Such speed and dynamism had also been evident a few years earlier as the lethal pairing ripped Bolton Wanderers to shreds on the counter on home soil, with 'Wazza' that time rounding off a sweeping move following Ronaldo's assist.
Those of a United persuasion likely yearn to see the like of those goals again, yet for all the club's current woes, hope could have presented itself in the form of Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho – two men who could well represent a "dream partnership", according to journalist Dean Jones.
What are Hojlund's strengths?
Despite having thus far only seen the £72m Dane during a brief 20-minute cameo against the Gunners, there was enough there for United supporters to get excited about, with the former Atalanta gem seemingly relishingly the physical battle with opposition defender, Gabriel.
Previously described as "scary quick" by journalist Sacha Pisani during his time in Italy, Hojlund illustrated his explosive speed as he regularly looked to run in behind, having at one stage burst forward in an attempt to get on the end of a pass from Marcus Rashford, only for the Englishman to spurn the opportunity.
It was his involvement in Garnacho's eventual disallowed goal that may have also forced those watching to sit up and notice, with the towering Dane producing a delightful backheeled flick to find Casemiro, who subsequently sent the Argentina international through on goal.
While not a true end-to-end counter like the days of Ronaldo and Rooney, the way in which that attack seemingly sprung to life in an instant will have evoked memories of that iconic duo, with the hope being that Hojlund can provide the attacking thrust through the middle, flanked by the electric Garnacho.
What are Garnacho's strengths?
With Hojlund – who 'put himself about without having much of the ball', in the words of journalist Samuel Luckhurst – potentially offering the selfless, hard-working nature of Rooney in a number nine berth, it is fair to say that Garnacho is the player who has the best chance of emulating his idol Ronaldo, having even been compared to his former teammate by treble winner, Paul Scholes:
"He almost reminded me of a young Cristiano with his skill and taking the ball down with confidence. I was impressed with the way he could attack on both feet and the unpredictability."
Wearing the boots that 'CR7' previously wore against the Gunners back in 2009, the teen speedster showed his ruthless and clinical brilliance following his late arrival against Mikel Arteta's side at the weekend, having only been denied what was a truly sumptuous finish due to the tightest of offside calls.
Alejandro Garnacho
Even so, that surging run and finish past a helpless Aaron Ramsdale emphasised just why Garnacho is a player that "could be in any stadium in the world and he wouldn’t care", as he looks to follow in Ronaldo's footsteps by regularly stealing the limelight – as per youth coach Travis Binnion.
Described as a "full-back’s nightmare" by MUTV pundit Febian Brandy, the former Atletico Madrid ace "can go either side, cut inside, [make] it difficult for defenders all game", again showcasing just why he could be the perfect heir to Ronaldo on the flanks.
With five goals and five assists to his name at first-team level, the future looks incredibly bright for United's new number 17, with the addition of Hojlund set to ensure that Ten Hag has a youthful, attacking partnership that he can build his side around for the long-term.
The two promising forwards – who earn a combined £135k-per-week in wages – are still far from the finished article, yet there are signs that the days of Rooney and Ronaldo could be able to return sooner rather than later.
Mohammad Azim’s six-for helped Mohammedan tie with Prime Doleshwar while Shykat Ali’s century helped Dhanmondi beat Gazi Group
Mohammad Isam02-Mar-2018Prime Bank brought Abahani Limited’s six-match winning streak to an end in the Dhaka Premier League on Friday. It was Shoriful Islam’s timely breakthroughs that helped them prevail over the defending champions BKSP-3 Ground, with the medium pacer taking four wickets and setting up a nine-run victory.Chasing 247 to win, Abahani slipped to 17 for 3 in the sixth over, with Shoriful removing Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Mohammad Mithun. Saif Hassan and captain Nasir Hossain then added 127 runs for the fourth wicket, both batsmen reaching fifties.Nasir made 65 off 88 balls with five fours and a six while Saif lasted till the 42nd over, top scoring with 75. He struck five fours and a six in his 124-ball knock. Shorfiul then removed Nasir and Abahani’s Indian recruit Manpreet Gony, before Yusuf Pathan closed out the game with a tight final over, conceding only nine of the 19 runs required.Earlier, Al-Amin’s 84, and 62 by Zakir Hasan helped Prime Bank to 246 in 49.2 overs. Al-Amin struck seven fours and a six in his 98-ball knock while Zakir hit six fours. Mashrafe Mortaza took four wickets while Gony and Saqlain Sajib took two each.Getty ImagesPace bowler Mohammad Azim defended six runs in the last over to help Mohammedan Sporting Club tie with Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club at the KSOA Stadium in Fatullah. Azim took his fifth and sixth wickets off the first two balls of the over before restricting Arafat Sunny and Mamun Hossain to five runs off the last four as both sides ended up with a total of 286.Azim’s 6 for 67 trumped Liton Das’ second century in this year’s tournament. Liton made 129 off 122 balls with eight fours and two sixes while Azim broke every crucial partnership. He removed Marshall Ayub after he put on 63 for the third wicket with Liton. Then Azim took the wicket of Farhad Hossain, ending his 124-run fourth wicket stand with Liton. Farhad Reza, the captain, who was looking dangerous hitting two sixes in his 10-ball 18, also perished to the pace bowler. Mohammad Arafat and Zohaib Khan were the last two wickets that fell to Azim.Earlier, Shamsur Rahman, Raqibul Hasan and Bipul Sharma struck fifties and added important partnerships to take Mohammedan to 286 in 49.5 overs. Shamsur top scored with 75 off 93 balls while Raqibul made 72, and the pair added 108 runs for the fifth wicket. Sharma struck three sixes and as many fours in his 31-ball 53. Farhad Reza returned figures of 3 for 66.Raton Gomes/BCBShykat Ali’s century and a well-rounded bowling effort gave Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club a 95-run win over Gazi Group Cricketers at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.Left-arm pace bowlers Sajedul Islam and Kazi Kamrul Islam, offspinner Sohag Gazi and left-arm spinner Elias Sunny took two wickets each while offspinner Jalal Saxena and medium-pacer Robiul Haque took the other two as Gazi Group were bowled out for 170 runs in 42.4 overs.Gurkeerat Singh top-scored with 67 off 77 balls, peppered with seven fours.Dhanmondi Club had earlier made 265 for 8 in 50 overs, centered around Shykat’s 115. He had retired hurt in the 43rd over, after having struck six fours and five sixes off 118 balls. He added 86 runs for the first wicket with Hasanuzzaman, and another 72 runs for the fourth wicket with Gazi after they had suffered a mini-collapse. Shykat also put together 59 runs for the fifth wicket with captain Elias Sunny before he left the ground with cramps.
Liverpool supporters will be desperate for a few more incomings before the summer transfer window closes next week, and manager Jurgen Klopp will be assessing his options ahead of that fateful day.
While the Reds missed out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea, the astute if surprising signing of the experienced Wataru Endo at least provides some defensive stability after the acquisitions of creative midfielders Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai earlier in the window.
Bolstering the attack will not have been at the forefront of Liverpool's focus this summer, but following revelations regarding Saudi Arabian interest in Mohamed Salah, the Anfield side look to be searching for an heir.
Who could replace Mo Salah at Liverpool?
According to Calciomercato, Bayern Munich star Leroy Sane is being considered by the Liverpool hierarchy to replace the Egyptian phenom, with Federico Chiesa and Karim Adeyemi also on the shortlist.
Valued at £42m by Football Transfers, Sane has entered the penultimate year of his contract at the Allianz Arena, and Liverpool could look to take advantage by testing Bayern's resolve.
How good is Leroy Sane?
Liverpool will be hoping to produce a more successful season than last time out, as Klopp's side failed to qualify for the Champions League after finishing fifth in the Premier League.
Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…
While they are adamant that Salah is not for sale this summer, the 31-year-old has also entered the final two years of his deal at Anfield and it is possible he would be sold next year to recuperate as much as possible for such a first-class forward.
Sane, who used to play for Manchester City, boasts creativity and incisiveness in abundance, having scored 40 goals and supplied 37 assists from 135 appearances for Bayern, having once been dubbed "incredible" by former Bavarian boss Julian Nagelsmann.
Leroy Sane Chelsea target
Having netted twice in the opening Bundesliga match of the current season against Werder Bremen, the 53-cap Germany international now ranks among the top 5% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals per 90, as per FBref.
Given that he also ranks among the top 10% of peers for pass completion, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90, Sane's ball-playing and dribbling skills are showcased and hence underlining the dynamism he could bring to Klopp's team.
By maintaining his diverse attacking nature, he could find the perfect attacking partner in Cody Gakpo, with the Dutchman's all-encompassing approach on the pitch aligning with wide players such as Sane's skills.
Indeed, Liverpool's £35m January signing has been immense since arriving, and ranks among the top 12% of positional peers across Europe for assists, the top 17% for shot-creating actions, the top 8% for progressive passes, the top 11% for progressive carries and the top 1% for tackles per 90.
Described as "something special" by Fabrizio Romano, Gakpo's selflessness, creativity and movement would allow Sane to weave inside and wreak havoc, and it truly could be the inception of a "world-class" duo – as the 27-year-old Bayern ace has been called by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Liverpool will lose an irreplaceable asset when Salah does exit Anfield for the final time, and while Sane does not boast the prolificness of his £350k-per-week peer – alas, few do – he does offer a superlative range of tricks and skills to cement a starring role under Klopp's stewardship and thrive.
And with Gakpo pulling the strings from the centre, the high-octane energy of Liverpool's frontline might just remain intact.
Ben Laughlin defended three off the last ball against Kieron Pollard as Adelaide Strikers made it to their first ever BBL final
The Report by Alex Malcolm02-Feb-2018 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsJake Weatherald sweeps the ball fine•Getty ImagesConfirmation of the BBL final’s host hung on one delivery. A swing and a miss from Kieron Pollard made Ben Laughlin a hero and delivered Adelaide Strikers their first BBL final berth, while the Melbourne Renegades were denied a chance at a title. Strikers will host Hobart Hurricanes on Sunday at Adelaide Oval, with both sides chasing their first BBL trophy.The game was on a knife’s edge all through the Renegades run chase. Laughlin was asked to keep the Renegades to 12 runs or less in the final over. He gave up 10 off the first five balls including a boundary from Pollard. With three to win off the final delivery Pollard missed a length ball in the slot and a bye wasn’t enough.Strikers’ tried and tested set-and-defend formula worked again. Travis Head cast aside his disappointment of being dropped from Australia’s T20 International side to play a match-winning hand. His unbeaten 85 was pivotal to the Strikers’ imposing total. Jake Weatherald provided superb support.Renegades had looked on track the whole way after a brisk start from Marcus Harris and Tim Ludeman. Tom Cooper and Kieron Pollard appeared set to finish the job but they couldn’t.Dashing DeanThe loss of Alex Carey at the top of the order seemed an impossible hole to fill. Jono Dean couldn’t provide the volume of runs that Carey had but he could provide something different. Carey had been a slow starter in the Powerplay and preferred to accelerate once set.Renegades had hoped to sneak in an over of Cooper’s offspin early to get the Strikers behind the eight-ball. Dean did not allow it. He smashed 13 from the first over and then hit Chris Tremain over the rope off the seventh ball of the innings. He holed out off the eighth. But the rapid start gave Weatherald and Head the chance to settle in. Weatherald was able to do as Carey had done. He was striking at less than run-a-ball, before launching Cooper in the 10th over. He scored 33 runs off his next 16 balls to take the pressure off Head. Their partnership of 104 looked set to blow the game apart.Holland a specialist fielderJon Holland took the catch to remove Weatherald. It was his only contribution for the night. He wasn’t used with the ball despite being selected as Renegades’ only specialist spinner, presumably because he wasn’t the right match-up for the two left-handers that batted deep into the innings. The rate slowed briefly as Colin Ingram and Jonathan Wells came and went. Ingram fell to a stunning one-hander from Tim Ludeman. But Head found a way to accelerate despite losing partners. He only hit one four and one six in the last five overs but ran eight twos to get the total up to 178.Bizarre PowerplayStrikers have buried opponents in the Powerplay when defending totals. But without Billy Stanlake, Renegades bolted out of the blocks in spite of making some bizarre decisions themselves. The top three of Marcus Harris, Matthew Short and Tom Cooper from the last few fixtures was abandoned. Cameron White, who batted at No. 3 with great success before leaving for international duty, opened with Harris and Ludeman batted one-down for the first time in the tournament, while Short was not selected. White holed out early. But Harris continued his fine form and Ludeman cut loose. The key moment came when Rashid Khan was forced to bowl an over in the Powerplay and Renegades took 12 runs from it. The Renegades Powerplay of 1 for 64 was their best in the tournament, and the Strikers’ worst.Nervous Lehmann, nerveless LaughlinHead and Rashid got their own back, removing Harris and Ludeman off consecutive overs. But Renegades needed just 87 runs from the last 60 balls with seven wickets in hand. Cooper and Dwayne Bravo reduced that to 52 from 36 with some cool and calculated batting. The game then appeared to slip through the Strikers’ fingers.Head turned boldly to the part-time legspin of Ingram. He forced a mistake from Bravo, who skied one to long-on, but Lehmann spilled the relatively simple chance running in. Bravo launched the next ball for six over cover. Laughlin removed Bravo and conceded just five runs in the 16th over. Head gambled with Ingram again to Pollard. Again, he forced a skied ball to long-on. Lehmann ran in glancing at midwicket, hoping someone would call him out of the catch. No call came. When he looked back up he realised he had over-run and it fell untouched.The next ball didn’t go for six, but Pollard launched Rashid over the longest boundary next over. The Renegades needed 20 runs from 12 balls with Pollard and Cooper set. But where Head had run twos on mis-hits during his batting innings, Pollard strolled ones. Michael Neser gave up just seven runs in the 19th over to give Laughlin a chance. Despite one incredible strike down the ground and some luck on the final ball, Laughlin held his nerve to get his side home.
No longer are India terrified travellers, but South Africa have home-ground advantage and a chance to avenge a horror 2015 tour. Either way, both teams are planning to have some fun in the coming months
Firdose Moonda in Cape Town04-Jan-20182:29
‘We have a score to settle with India’ – Du Plessis
When all the talk of settling scores, revenge pitches and bullying the bullies is done, let’s remember that cricket is just a game. A lucrative sport, a game that demands so much of its players, but still a game. It’s still supposed to be fun and both South Africa and India are planning on having some over the next few months.”We are looking at this phase as a time we will remember forever for the rest of our lives,” Virat Kohli said on India’s arrival in the country last Saturday. “We want to enjoy playing together. That has been the highlight of this team. The team spirit is the standout feature.”Kohli was not only referring to the next three weeks, when India play South Africa in three Tests, but the next 12 months. India tour three tough overseas destinations in 2018 – after South Africa, they visit England and then Australia – in a true test of their abilities away from home.No longer are they terrified travellers. India, a team with a diverse attack and a classy line-up, they play under a confident captain in Kohli, are motivated by a showboating coach and think they can take some names on the road. “We honestly feel we have the skillset. Now is the opportunity because of the average age of the group and the amount of cricket we are going to play together in the future. We are not putting pressure on ourselves that we have to win in every country,” Kohli said.South Africa have the opposite consideration. Their high-profile match-ups only last for the first three months of this year, hosting India and Australia at home. Instead, their challenge is to dominate at home, something they have not done against stronger sides in recent years. While India have never won a series in South Africa, they’ve kept the hosts on their toes. Though South Africa have a hat-trick of triumphs in Australia since readmission, they don’t have a single one at home.Given that the South African home calendar clears completely from April to July, when they go to Sri Lanka, and that next summer’s incoming tours will include Sri Lanka and Pakistan, the next three months of Test action are the most important of Ottis Gibson’s tenure and of the latter portion of many players’ careers.AFPHashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander are all over 30, and have all suggested the 2019 World Cup will be a swansong. So these next seven Tests could be important end notes on their impressive careers and they know it, even though du Plessis’ sees them as being together for longer.”The next two or three years are going to be very exciting for South African cricket. We are maturing a lot more – both the ODI team and Test team,” du Plessis said. “If you look at the names we have available this series, it’s a very strong team on paper. I’d like to look at it that for the next three years we can push really hard to get to No. 1 and to stay there for quite a bit.”I don’t know when the next Test series against India is, but it’s probably the last time all of us play against India and there’s no better way than playing a series in South Africa. We were disappointed the last time we went there and we’ve got a score to settle, so we’re excited for this series.”South Africa have not been able to put out a squad of this quality for more than two years, since they had their No.1 ranking ripped from them on raging turners in India in late 2015. That they can do it against the same team in vastly differing conditions not only gives them confidence of making up some ground in their quest for the summit, but also means the chances of a more competitive match-up are much higher. And that’s good news for the all those who want series’ between South Africa and India to become icon clashes.Though South Africa were sidelined from the big three in administrative terms, they still consider themselves part of a big four in Test terms and the new FTP all but confirms that. They want to continue to be regarded among the format’s elite, and this summer will go a long way to cementing that status. “It’s good that we can have some importance to this series. Big series are why you play. We don’t have an Ashes, so it’s good to see that India versus South Africa can start becoming a really big series,” du Plessis said. “There are some really high-class players that are going to bash it out over the next few weeks so that’s exciting.”All those players want to win, but they should also want something more. They may do well to remember the attitude Brendon McCullum endorsed during New Zealand’s 2015 World Cup campaign, which he called “the greatest time of our lives”.New Zealand’s cricketers captured their country’s imagination on their road to the final. They weren’t crowned champions at the end but they won the biggest prize: the hearts, the minds and the souls, because they played in the right spirit. Of course, they would not have become fan favourites if they hadn’t won at least a little but it was their manner, more than anything else, that became so celebrated. South Africa and India will want to achieve something similar and make memories over the next few months.
Newcastle United's strength in depth will be put to the test this season as Eddie Howe's side are set to compete across four competitions.
Who have Newcastle signed this summer?
The Magpies have bolstered their options, possibly to combat the extra games that the Champions League provides, by making three new first-team signings so far.
Tino Livramento, Sandro Tonali, and Harvey Barnes have all come through the door on permanent deals to bolster the head coach's roster, whilst Lewis Hall is reportedly poised to join on an initial loan from Chelsea.
Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…
Journalist Craig Hope recently claimed that the club are also eyeing up a new central defender and that Torino star Perr Schuurs, who has been valued at €40m (£34m), is one of a number of players they are interested in.
How good is Perr Schuurs?
The 23-year-old titan is a solid centre-back who enjoyed a good season in the Serie A last term, which means that he could be a shrewd signing for Howe.
Schuurs averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 over 30 league games for Torino and won 55% of his duels on the ground as he displayed his strength in physical contests to win possession for his side.
As previously stated, depth will be important for Newcastle as they compete in two domestic cup competitions, the Premier League, and the Champions League.
This means that Howe needs to have players he can rely on if one of his first-choice options needs to be taken out of the side and Schuurs could arrive as an "outstanding" – as he was once described by journalist Josh Bunting – upgrade on Jamaal Lascelles.
The Magpies skipper is the current back-up to Fabian Schar and Sven Botman and struggled in his limited appearances as he averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.53 and lost 75% of his ground duels across seven Premier League outings.
This came after the ex-Nottingham Forest enforcer averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.73 and lost 57% of his ground battles over 26 top-flight matches during the 2021/22 campaign.
The 29-year-old dud's Sofascore ratings placed him 23rd out of 24 players within the squad last term and 16th during the previous season.
These statistics suggest that Schuurs would come in as a big upgrade on Lascelles in terms of the average level of his performances and his ability to come out on top in physical duels if he can translate his form from Italy over to England.
Former Ajax defender Perr Schuurs.
The Dutch colossus, who the aforementioned Bunting also once dubbed "dominant", could also provide more drive on the ball to push the team up the pitch.
Over the last 365 days, the Torino ace has completed 0.39 successful take-ons per 90, which places him in the top 17% of his positional peers among the top European leagues and competitions.
Lascelles, however, completed 0.04 per 90 during the 2021/22 Premier League campaign and ranked within the bottom 20% of centre-backs in the division.
This suggests that Schuurs could offer more in possession by taking on the opposition's press to gain yards and place his side in better positions to start attacks, which is another reason why he would come in as an upgrade on Lascelles to fill in for Botman or Schar when required.