MacGregor stars again with the ball in tight victory over Bears at Chelmsford
ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2025
Sterre Kalis resisted for Bears but couldn’t overcome Essex•ECB via Getty Images
Essex’s batters came to the party as they overcame the weather and a late Sterre Kalis blitz to beat Warwickshire by 19 runs under the Duckworth Lewis Stern method at Chelmsford in the Vitality Blast women’s competition.Issy Macleod (44), Grace Scrivens (36) and an explosive 27 from Maddie Penna lifted the hosts to 154 for 4 in a game reduced to 14 overs-a-side by rain.Kalis plundered 52 in 23 balls in reply, but her pyrotechnics came too late as Esmae MacGregor (3 for 32) and Sophia Smale (2 for 13) helped restrict the visitors to 139 for 8.Scrivens survived a huge lbw shout first ball from Issy Wong, replays suggesting the England Lions’ captain from last winter was lucky to escape the dreaded umpire’s finger.The Essex skipper made good use of the reprieve, driving and sweeping forcefully to clock up eight boundaries in quick time, At the other end Lauren Winfield-Hill’s sumptuous straight drive helped raise the 50-partnerhip in 31 balls.Charis Pavely ended the fun, luring Scrivens down the pitch to be stumped by Abi Freeborn. The batter hadn’t reached the pavilion before a cloudburst drove the players from the field.When play resumed 80 minutes later, Winfield-Hill perished caught at square leg off Millie Taylor, but Penna caught the mood launching the night’s first six over the mid-wicket stand and adding four fours in a brutal 12-ball effort.Even when she fell to Katie George’s boundary catch, Macleod smote five fours as 57 came off the last four overs.Davina Perrin, fresh from her 87 against Durham on Sunday, set the tone for the chase, pulling the first ball for four, and plundering three more boundaries from the next over bowled by Scriven.One shot too many saw her hole out at mid-on off Kate Coppack, but Essex missed out on a second scalp in the powerplay when Wong, promoted up the order was reprieved on 11, a skier dropped at mid-off by Scrivens. The drop didn’t prove expensive with the England all-rounder caught soon afterwards from the bowling of the in-form MacGregor who scattered the stumps of the dangerous Laura Harris later in the same over.Sterre Kalis played the knock of the night, twice clearing the ropes as she raced to 50 with five fours and two sixes, but by the time she became one of two late wickets for Sophia Smale from the game’s penultimate ball, the cause was lost.
تحدث الدولي البرازيلي روبرتو فيرمينو، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي السد القطري الحالي وليفربول السابق عن فينيسيوس جونيور وأهمية كارلو أنشيلوتي لمنتخب البرازيل وأفضلية محمد صلاح عن لاعب ريال مدريد.
ومن المقرر أن يواجه ليفربول نظيره ريال مدريد مساء اليوم، الثلاثاء، في إطار مافسات الجولة الثالثة من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.
ويستضيف ملعب آنفيلد مباراة ليفربول وريال مدريد مساء اليوم في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة الحادية عشر بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.
وأجرت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية حوارًا مع الدولي البرازيلي روبرتو فيرمينو على خلفية قمة هذه الجولة متحدثًا عن النهائيين السابقيين بين الفريقين والذي فشل ليفربول في الفوز بهما (للمزيد من التفاصيل اضغط هنا).
وحينما سُئل فيرمينو عن الأفضلية بين كيليان مبابي وألكسندر إيزاك اختار الأول، وعند المقارنة بين بيلينجهام ومحمد صلاح اختار قائد منتخب مصر.
وقال فيرمينو، عن الأفضلية بين فينيسيوس جونيور ولويس دياز: “من الصعب جدًا الاختيار بهذه البساطة والسهولة بينهما لكن سأختار فيني”.
وعن رأيه في فينيسيوس جونيور: “فينيسيوس لاعب رائع، أتيحت لي فرصة اللعب معه في المنتخب الوطني ولعبت ضده أمام ريال مدريد، شخصيًا هو لاعب رائع حقًا”.
وأكمل: “أعتقد أنه من الطبيعي أن يضغط عليه جمهور الفرق المنافسة لكن ما لا يعجبني هو حديثهم عن العنصرية، لو كنت مكانه لحاولت ألا أستمع كثيرًا لما يُقال خارج الملعب وسأركز على كرة القدم بغض النظر عما يقوله الناس، أتمنى له كل التوفيق له، أنا من مشجعي فينيسيوس وأحبه كلاعب كرة قدم”.
وعن رأيه في قيادة كارلو أنشيلوتي منتخب البرازيل وقدرته على حل المشاكل: ” نعم أعتقد أن منتخبنا الوطني كان بحاجة لمدرب مثله، بخبرته الأوروبية، إنه مدرب ممتاز وقد أثبت ذلك خلال فترة تدريبه لريال مدريد، أعتقد أنه سيحل المشاكل”.
وأتم عن لاعبه الإسباني المفضل: “أعتقد أندريس إنييستا، أو تشافي، أعجبني ديفيد فيا، بيكيه، كاسياس من ذلك الجيل، هناك الكثير من اللاعبين المميزين في هذه الحقبة الحقيقة”.
Antes do duelo na semifinal da Copa Sul-Americana, Fortaleza e Corinthians se enfrentam nesta quinta-feira (14), às 19h, na Arena Castelão, em duelo válido pela 23ª rodada do Brasileirão.
continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasFluminenseFluminense goleia o Corinthians e encaminha vaga às semifinais da Copa do Brasil sub-20Fluminense13/09/2023CorinthiansDe volta ao Corinthians, Moscardo revela momentos de tensão durante terremoto no MarrocosCorinthians13/09/2023NotíciasBrasileirão: como foram os últimos jogos entre Fortaleza e Corinthians?Notícias13/09/2023
+ Renove o seu estoque de camisas do Timão com o cupom LANCEFUT 10% OFF
+ Vem faturar na Lance! Betting com essa partida! Aposte R$10 e fature mais de R$75 em Fortaleza x Corinthians no Castelão!
O Leão do Pici quer se recuperar após a derrota contra o Fluminense e conta com o bom momento na temporada para se aproximar do G6. A equipe de Vojvoda venceu cinco dos últimos seis jogos. A grande novidade no lado da equipe cearense é o retorno do atacante Marinho, que cumpriu suspensão na última rodada.
Já o Timão quer se distanciar do Z4 e melhorar o aproveitamento como visitante, já que o clube alvinegro não vence fora há quase dois meses. Para o confronto, Vanderlei Luxemburgo não poderá contar com Maycon, suspenso, além de Fagner, Fábio Santos, Fausto Vera, Renato Augusto e Rojas, poupados. O Corinthians é o 13° colocado, com 26 pontos na tabela.
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FORTALEZA X CORINTHIANS-BRASILEIRÃO – 23ª RODADA
Local:Arena Castelão, Fortaleza (CE) Data e hora:quinta-feira, 14 de setembro de 2023, às 19h (horário de Brasília) Árbitro:Rodrigo Jose Pereira de Lima (PE) Assistentes:Luanderson Lima dos Santos (FIFA-BA) e Michael Stanislau (RS) Árbitro de vídeo:Igor Junio Benevenuto de Oliveira (VAR-MG) Onde assistir:Premiere e no tempo real noLance!
FORTALEZA João Ricardo; Tinga, Britez, Titi, Bruno Pacheco; Zé Welison, Caio Alexandre, Marinho, Tomás Pochettino e Guilherme; Lucero.Técnico:Juan Pablo Vojvoda
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Desfalques:Hércules e Pedro Rocha (lesionados) Pendurados:João Ricardo, Benevenuto, Ceballos, Gonzalo Escobar, Bruno Pacheco, Zé Welison, Calebe, Lucas Sasha, Yago Pikachu, Silvio Romero e Lucero
CORINTHIANS Cássio; Bruno Méndez, Lucas Veríssimo, Gil e Fábio Santos; Gabriel Moscardo, Ruan Oliveira e Giuliano; Pedro, Yuri Alberto e Wesley.. Técnico: Vanderlei Luxemburgo
Desfalques:Maycon (suspenso) Rojas (problemas de logística) e Paulinho (ligamento joelho) Pendurados:Cássio, Gil, Caetano, Veríssimo, Fagner, Bruno Méndez, Matheus Bidu, Roni, Moscardo, Fausto Vera, Ruan Oliveira, Biro e Yuri Alberto
Manchester United are looking to plan for the long-term under Ruben Amorim and Fabrizio Romano has now delivered a key update on the future of one of their stars.
Matheus Cunha excited for what's to come at Man Utd
Admittedly, the Red Devils have had a mixed start to the season, and it will take time to get things right as they aim to climb the Premier League table, albeit Matheus Cunha has been impressive since his summer transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Opening up on his settling in period, the Brazil international has laid out his plans to continue improving at Old Trafford, claiming that he is enjoying the challenge of helping Manchester United to get back to their best.
He said via the People’s Person: “What I was searching for as a person more than anything else, I’m slowly finding. You constantly want to improve; that’s innate in human nature, but I can’t help but stop and enjoy this moment.
“Feeling privileged to wear the jersey of the greatest national team in the world, one of the greatest clubs in the world… It’s a spectacular personal moment. I have an incredible family, another little girl now, everyone is doing well and healthy. I’m enjoying all of this in a positive way.”
While the Red Devils look to rectify results on the field, club officials are ready to push for Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton despite Real Madrid also holding an interest in the England international.
Man Utd have a "£100m + footballer" who's becoming their new McTominay
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However, bringing new talent into the building isn’t their only priority, with an update now emerging on the future of one of their key stars whose next steps have now become clearer.
Fabrizio Romano delivers Harry Maguire contract update
According to Romano in his GIVEMESPORT column, Manchester United star Harry Maguire is in talks over a contract extension, but he won’t be set for a pay rise if he does end up putting pen to paper at Old Trafford.
He said: “No [he won’t be receiving a pay rise]. It would have to be a different salary structure for Maguire in order to make it happen, talks are taking place.”
Harry Maguire at Manchester United
Appearances
253
Goals
16
Assists
9
Trophies
EFL Cup x1, FA Cup x1
Reported to be earning £190,000 per week at Old Trafford, the England international is famously one of Manchester United’s most expensive ever signings following his £80 million move to the club in 2019 from Leicester City.
Throughout highs and lows, Maguire’s leadership qualities and consistent level of performance have always shone through, and he is worthy of an extended stay at Old Trafford while Amorim tries to navigate a transitional period for the club.
Of course, he is likely to garner interest in the transfer market. However, Manchester United fans will hope a new contract can be sorted out for one of their most dependable assets.
أعلن سامي الطرابلسي، المدير الفني لمنتخب تونس، التشكيل الرسمي الذي سيخوض به مواجهة غينيا الاستوائية، ضمن الجولة الثامنة من تصفيات إفريقيا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026، والتي تقام على ملعب مالابو.
ويدخل منتخب تونس اللقاء متصدر المجموعة الثامنة برصيد 19 نقطة، بعد الفوز الكبير في الجولة الماضية على ليبيريا بثلاثية نظيفة، ويأمل نسور قرطاج في حصد النقاط الثلاث لحسم تأهله رسميًا إلى المونديال المقبل المقرر إقامته في الولايات المتحدة وكندا والمكسيك.
ويعتمد الطرابلسي في التشكيل الأساسي على الثلاثي فرجاني ساسي، السخيري والمجبري في وسط الملعب، بينما يقود الهجوم إلياس عشوري بجانب أسامة السعدي وهيثم المساوري.
وشهدت قائمة البدلاء تواجد محمد علي بن رمضان لاعب الأهلي، حيث فضل الجهاز الفني إبقائه على دكة الاحتياطية في بداية اللقاء.
طالع أيضًا | حازم إمام يُدافع عن تريزيجيه: كان أفضل من محمد صلاح.. والهجوم ضده مبالغ فيه تشكيل منتخب تونس أمام غينيا الاستوائية في تصفيات كأس العالم
في حراسة المرمى: دحمان
خط الدفاع: بن وناس – منتصر الطالبي – ديلان برون – ياسين فاليري
خط الوسط: فرجاني ساسي – السخيري – المجبري
خط الهجوم: إلياس عشوري – أسامة السعدي – هيثم المساوري بدلاء تونس أمام غينيا الاستوائية في تصفيات كأس العالم
فاروق فرحاتي، بلال السعيد، محمد الهادي محمود، نعيم سليتي، فخر الدين الشواشي، ياسين مرياح، معتز بالله بن حميدة، علي الغرام، محمد علي بن رمضان، سيف الدين التونكتي، أيمن الغربي، مكرم النفاتي.
He was the wrecker-in-chief with the big wickets of Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Glenn Maxwell and Pat Cummins
ESPNcricinfo staff23-Jun-2024
Gulbadin Naib celebrates after having Marcus Stoinis caught behind•ICC/Getty Images
10.3 to MP Stoinis, top edge and Gurbaz calls for it with two more fielders congregating! Naib brings out his guns to celebrate and the short ball does the trick against Stoinis. Extra bounce, got big on Stoinis, and all it needed thereafter was the three Afghanistan fielders not colliding behind the batter.12.2 to TH David, trapped him in front? Umpire Ahsan Raza raises his finger late. David reviews after a chat. This was a back of a length ball on off that jagged into his pads while . David missed his flick, and he was hit on the knee-roll. No bat involved… and it’s clipping the outside of leg stump! The decision says and Australia are 85/514.4 to GJ Maxwell, BIG BIG WICKET! Noor Ahmad may not have bowled much, but he may have taken the most important catch of his life! Maxwell slices at this length ball outside off, and Noor at backward point dives diagonally forward to take a dipping catch!16.3 to PJ Cummins, slower ball deceives Cummins, that’s Naib’s four! Full ball on off and this doesn’t bunce much. Cummins tries to play across the line but misses. He’s bowled and Naib is off in celebration. However he then takes a tumble, has he hurt himself in glee?
Liverpool will surely need to make some sales this summer to balance the books for all their incomings.
The Reds have splashed the cash already this summer, signing Jeremie Frimpong and lining up some more expensive moves, including a deal to sign Florian Wirtz for what Fabrizio Romano reports as £128m.
To make room and raise funds for other signings, FSG may well have to sell a couple of key first-team players. One man who has recently been linked with a move is Cody Gakpo, who Sky Germany’s Florian Plettenberg said is on the list for Bayern Munich, a club looking for a new winger.
Liverpool's Cody Gakpo wins the Premier League
Selling someone like Gakpo could free up funds, and means they’d need to sign a new winger to replace him.
Liverpool's new left-winger target
It would be a huge move for the Reds if Gakpo departed Anfield. It certainly seems as though his potential move to the German champions is one to keep an eye on, although it is not a guarantee, as there are a few targets in their sights.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
However, if Arne Slot’s side are to lose Gakpo this summer, then it seems like they are already lining up his replacement.
According to a report from DaveOCKOP, Liverpool are ‘in active contact’ to sign Anthony Gordon this summer. He was a player they chased in 2024, but a move never materialised.
Anthony Gordon celebrates for Newcastle
Liverpool’s ‘interest in the England international has persisted’ this summer, and they could now spend the £80m fee to sign him. At least, that is how much TEAMtalk suggested he is worth back in May. It seems likely that is how much he would cost the Reds.
Why Gordon would be a good signing
If the Reds were to bring Gordon to the club this summer, he would be joining on the back of some fine form for Newcastle in 2024/25. He impressed last season, described as an “exceptional” player by football scout Antonio Mango.
Anthony Gordon
Last term for the Magpies, the England international played 42 games across all competitions, scoring nine goals and grabbing seven assists. In the Premier League, he bagged six goals and created the same amount, featuring in 34 games.
Who can forget his contributions for the Magpies in the Carabao Cup? Gordon assisted in the quarter final and scored in both legs of the semi-final against Arsenal to send Eddie Howe’s side to Wembley. That was a game they won, beating Liverpool 2-1, but the winger was suspended after picking up a red card in the Premier League.
It seems as though Gordon would be a direct replacement for Gakpo if he were to depart Anfield for the Allianz Arena this summer. He certainly impressed under Slot last term, helping Liverpool win their second Premier League title.
The Eindhoven-born winger, who joined the Reds from PSV, played 35 top-flight games and contributed ten goals and five assists in their title-winning season. Three of those goal involvements came at Anfield against Ipswich Town in a 4-1 win.
So, whilst Gakpo had a strong campaign in the 2024/25 season, there are stats, via FBref, to suggest that Gordon could be an upgrade on the Dutchman.
For example, the Magpies’ star averaged 1.89 key passes and 4.48 progressive carries per 90 minutes, compared to 1.77 key passes and 2.74 progressive carries each game from Gakpo.
Gordon and Gakpo key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Gordon
Gakpo
Key passes
1.89
1.77
Progressive passes
3.63
2.42
Goal-creating actions
0.44
0.37
Progressive carries
4.48
2.74
Ball recoveries
3.59
3.58
Stats from FBref
Those numbers suggest that Gordon will add much more of a creative influence than the Liverpool number 18, and more dynamism and forward thinking when carrying the ball. He will add a whole new dynamic to an already deadly attack.
The £80m fee is an expensive one, but the Reds would need a replacement for Gakpo if he departs. Thus, signing Gordon could be the perfect move, a huge upgrade in many ways.
He'd be elite alongside Wirtz: £130m star is now Liverpool's no.1 target
Liverpool may not be done with their big spending yet
Tottenham Hotspur may end up waving goodbye to another fan-favourite star before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.
At the start of June, The Telegraph reported that club captain Heung-min Son could move on from London after leading the team to the Europa League trophy this season.
Tottenham Hotspur'sSonHeung-minreacts
The outlet claimed that the South Korea international could be sold by Spurs in order to generate funds to bolster the squad ahead of their return to the Champions League, amid interest from teams in the Saudi Pro League.
Son has racked up an eye-catching haul of 173 goals and 101 assists in 454 appearances in all competitions for the club since signing from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2015.
The experienced forward’s departure this summer would mean that all three of Mauricio Pochettino’s iconic attacking line-up will have moved on, following Dele Alli and Harry Kane’s exits from the club in recent years.
All three stars were key players for the former Spurs head coach at the top end of the pitch, and Alli’s contributions should not be overlooked.
Why Dele Alli was a star for Spurs
The London-based club reportedly splashed out a fee of £5m to sign the attacking midfielder from League One outfit MK Dons in 2015, and Pochettino brought him into the first-team squad for the 2015/16 campaign.
Alli hit the ground running in the Premier League, bypassing the Championship, with a return of ten goals and eight assists in 33 top-flight games in his first season with Spurs.
The England international went on to plunder 67 goals and 59 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Tottenham before his move away from the club in 2022.
These statistics show that the former MK Dons talent provided plenty of quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Spurs during his time in London, whilst he also offered Pochettino a lot of flexibility in the way that he could be deployed within the starting line-up.
Dele Alli’s positional flexibility for Spurs
Position
Appearances
Goals
Assists
Attacking midfield
158
42
40
Central midfield
48
9
5
Left midfield
36
14
8
Centre-forward
8
2
1
Defensive midfield
2
0
2
Stats via Transfermarkt
As you can see in the table above, Alli was deployed in several different positions for Tottenham, mainly playing as a central or attacking midfielder, or off the left flank.
The 29-year-old midfielder, who now plays for Como in Italy, was a star for Spurs due to both the quality he provided at the top end of the pitch and the versatility he offered the manager.
Spurs may now be about to unearth their next version of Alli, who was a key member of the attack that included Son and Kane under Pochettino, as they are expected to sign a Premier League star.
Spurs expected to sign Premier League midfielder
West Ham United outlet HammersNews reports that the Premier League side expect Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jacob Ramsey to sign for Tottenham this summer.
The Hammers are interested in a deal to sign the former England U21 international to bolster their own squad this summer, but the club believe that the 24-year-old talent is on his way to another team in London.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Speaking to HammersNews, the ‘top spokesman’ for the West Ham owners said: “I think the player (Ramsey) is going to Spurs.”
Spurs were recently linked with an interest in the Villans starlet, who could be on his way out of Villa Park this summer, and this latest update suggests that they are set to win the race for his signature.
Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey
Earlier this year, The Boot Room reported that Manchester City are also interested in the attacking midfielder, who is valued at a fee of around £50m by Aston Villa.
However, it remains to be seen exactly how much Spurs will end up paying for the English talent if they do end up signing him, as West Ham expect.
Why Spurs should sign Jacob Ramsey
The Lilywhites should push ahead with a deal to sign the 24-year-old star in the coming weeks because he could arrive at the club as Thomas Frank’s own version of Dele Alli.
Ramsey may not seem like an obvious signing for Spurs, given that he has only scored two Premier League goals since the start of the 2023/24 campaign, but his form in the past for Villa suggests that there is a quality player who could be unearthed.
The Villans maestro’s performances in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns suggest that he has the potential to develop into a top performer for Tottenham if Frank can get the best out of him.
Ramsey, who was once dubbed “sensational” by Seb Stafford-Bloor, plundered 12 goals and eight assists in those two seasons, and was particularly impressive in front of goal in the 2022/23 campaign, with six goals and seven assists to his name that term.
22/23 Premier League
Jacob Ramsey per 90
Percentile rank vs midfielders
Non-penalty xG
0.20
Top 16%
Non-penalty xG
0.17
Top 14%
xAG
0.17
Top 14%
Assists
0.24
Top 6%
Shot-creating actions
2.77
Top 40%
Progressive carries
3.21
Top 9%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, the English star caught the eye as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the Villans, ranking highly among midfielders in the Premier League in several key attacking metrics.
Like Alli, Ramsey’s top three most played positions are central midfield, attacking midfield, and left midfield, which means that he can offer Frank the same positional flexibility that the former Spurs star did for Pochettino, as a playmaker who can play centrally or come in off the left.
Jacob Ramsey in Premier League action for Aston Villa.
His form in the 2022/23 season also suggests that he has the potential to provide an impressive threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals from those three positions, which is exactly what Alli did throughout his time in North London.
Therefore, Frank could unearth his own version of the former England international by securing a deal for Ramsey, before helping him to get back to the kind of form he displayed at the start of his Villa career.
A bigger talent than Eze: Spurs make enquiry for "sensational" £40m star
Tottenham Hotspur appear to be making a move for another Premier League talent.
The India quick says the bowlers had to be smart to prevent “the wind to come into play” in St Lucia
ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-20241:20
Arshdeep: We are now used to windy conditions
If Rohit Sharma, the Player of the Match for his 41-ball 92 in India’s 24-run win over Australia in T20 World Cup 2024, had to “open up all sides of the field” to counter the breeze in Gros Islet, Arshdeep Singh said the bowlers had to prevent “the wind to come into play” to not let the Australia batters take advantage of it. Arshdeep finished with 3 for 37, removing David Warner in the first over and then getting the wickets of big-hitters Tim David and Matthew Wade in the death overs.”As a player and as a team, our motto is to adapt as well as we can to the conditions,” Arshdeep said after the match. “As for the wind factor, when we bowled from the end opposite to the pavilion, we got a lot of swing. From the other end, bowling against the wind… the batters were going to use the wind since the ball was travelling. So we had to look for defensive options there and not allow the wind to come into play.”Josh Hazlewood, the most economical bowler of the day with 1 for 14 from four overs, said that 180 or thereabouts would have been a par score in those conditions; India ended with 25 more than that. Rohit was the main reason for that, but Suryakumar Yadav (31 off 16 balls) and later Hardik Pandya (27* off 17) contributed to the cause too.Related
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“From one end, it was very hard for the bowlers to even pitch the ball, and the ball was flying to the boundary,” Arshdeep said. “So having the cushion of extra 15-20 runs always helps, gives you the extra freedom of going for wickets.”With his three wickets, Arshdeep reached the top of the pile for the tournament, joint with Afghanistan’s Fazalhaq Farooqi. But he was quick to accept that a lot of his success was down to Jasprit Bumrah being Jasprit Bumrah at the other end, who dismissed Head in the 17th over to put India ahead.”I guess a lot of credit goes to Jassi because he puts a lot of pressure on the batters – he gives, what, three or four runs in an over – so batters are coming hard against me, and I just have to try and bowl my best ball and there are a lot of chances of getting wickets there,” Arshdeep said. “On the other end they see the runs are not coming and the asking rate is going high, so they take more risks against me. [There’s a] chance always of getting a wicket there. So a lot of credit for my wickets goes to Jassi .”Head took the lead in Australia’a chase by slamming 76 in 43 balls, with a spot in the semi-finals at stake. At the start of the 14th over, when Australia were 128 for 2, Kuldeep Yadav got rid of Glenn Maxwell, and Axar Patel removed Marcus Stoinis in the next over, and Australia were suddenly 135 for 4 with 71 to get in just under six overs.”The thought [process] was clear. Our batters also batted on the same wicket, and early on it was easy to score runs, the ball was coming on nicely. But afterwards, it became tough to hit boundaries,” Arshdeep said. “We knew if we took a couple of wickets, it will be tough for the new batters coming in to hit boundaries at will. That was the plan. A couple of nice overs from the spinners in the middle overs helped us.”
For so many years, winning the Premier League was the great white whale for Liverpool, elusive and unattainable, always falling short in the race for England’s biggest prize.
Then Jurgen Klopp came along, and everything changed. The German restored Anfield to its former standing as a global superpower. Now he’s gone, and Liverpool are champions once again.
Jurgen Klopp lifts the Champions League
Arne Slot has proved the perfect successor, and he did it all without any proper first-team investment. That owes largely to Klopp’s midfield rebuild, and indeed his work with Michael Edwards and co over so many years, piecing together lasting stars who will continue to shine through the 2025/26 campaign.
But now, the signings are flowing through in cascades, with a deal wrapped up for Bayer Leverkusen right-sider Jeremie Frimpong and an agreement finally reached for his teammate, Florian Wirtz, who will become the most expensive player in British history.
It’s a lot of money for a 22-year-old playmaker, so how exactly is Wirtz going to improve Liverpool?
Why Liverpool have signed Wirtz
Liverpool have broken the bank to sign Wirtz, but sometimes, securing such a marquee deal is worth it. Having won the Premier League last season, the Reds are now consolidating their position at the top.
And Wirtz, having conquered his homeland, is ready to make the move to English football, where he could take Kevin De Bruyne’s vacated spot as the country’s foremost number ten.
Florian Wirtz
As per FBref, the playmaker ranked among the top 2% of positional peers in the Bundesliga last year for assists, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 1% for passes attempted and the top 5% for both progressive passes and progressive carries per 90.
Where Dominik Szoboszlai is industrious, Wirtz is incisive and influential to a different degree. Former Werkself striker Patrick Helmes has even gone as far as to say he’s “probably the best midfielder in the world.”
With Trent Alexander-Arnold gone, Liverpool will need to find new ways to maintain their peerless creativity; sparking chance after chance has been the foundation of their success in the Premier League across these recent successful years.
Premier League – Most Big Chances Created
Season
Team
BCC
24/25
Liverpool
112
23/24
Liverpool
102
22/23
Liverpool & Man City
103
21/22
Liverpool
97
20/21
Liverpool
82
Data via Premier League
Curious that Trent created fewer big chances (15) than across any of Liverpool’s past four top-flight campaigns. Wirtz will fix all that, and if FSG secure a talented new striker, Liverpool may just reach a whole ‘nother level.
Liverpool interested in signing LaLiga striker
As per Diego Simeone, Liverpool are among the clubs interested in signing Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez this summer.
Transfer Focus
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The renowned manager was responding to a journalist’s comments on Atletico’s striker being one of the hottest commodities on the market, and Simeone said he was flattered, name-checking Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain too.
Simeone stated: “Every club wants to sign Julián Álvarez. It’s logical. I can’t imagine it any other way. Of course every top club wants him—Barcelona, PSG, Arsenal, Liverpool… all of them. And for us, for Atlético fans, it should be a point of pride that everyone wants him. Why? Because he’s ours. And since he’s ours, we need to protect him. We have to make sure he feels happy. And how will he feel happy? By winning. And to get there, we all need to give 110%.”
Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez
The 25-year-old Alvarez has only been in the Spanish capital for a year, but he’s enjoyed a world-class campaign and boasts dynamic attacking properties that suggest he’d be tailor-made for Slot’s system.
However, Los Colchoneros would reportedly be seeking a figure as high as €170m (£142m) to part with their star man.
What Julian Alvarez would bring to Liverpool
Alvarez enjoyed his time at Manchester City, posting 55 goal contributions across 103 matches before earning Simeone’s attention. Atletico would then sign the silky forward for £81.5m.
This sparked derision from some, but Alvarez has since proved the doubters wrong, scoring 29 goals and supplying seven assists across 54 matches in all competitions.
He’s settled into his throne as the free-scoring frontman, but he’s far more than just a goalscorer, ranked among the top 4% of strikers across Europe last season for passes attempted, shot-creating actions and progressive carries, the top 8% for progressive passes and the top 12% for successful take-ons per 90, according to FBref.
You can only imagine how he would perform in Slot’s Liverpool system, with Wirtz pulling the strings behind him. Journalist Roy Nemer actually hailed Alvarez as “the best striker in the world” for his performances across the past year, not just striking true but working hard to outfox defenders and create space for teammates.
Moreover, he’s demonstrated a propensity to do it on the biggest stage, scoring a stunning goal against Real Madrid in Atletico’s controversial Champions League quarter-final defeat in March.
Considering Alvarez has a wealth of trophy-laden Premier League experience in Pep Guardiola’s system, Liverpool might just find themselves hitting even loftier targets next year,
As per Sofascore, the Argentina superstar only missed seven big chances across the 2024/25 La Liga campaign, converting 17 strikes. Given that he created 11 big chances and averaged 34.9 touches per game too (which is high for a centre-forward), Alvarez’s dynamic approach has been underscored.
Truly, he’s one of the deadliest and most multi-faceted forwards on the market, with exceptional off-the-ball movement that Slot could use to an emphatic effect, with Wirtz and Mohamed Salah making things happen around him.
Liverpool’s new playmaker created 17 big chances in the Bundesliga last season after winning the division’s Player of the Season award one year prior. Clearly, he’s got the world at his feet, and Alvarez would be the grateful recipient of his production if signed by Liverpool this summer.
Whether Liverpool have the financial means to bring Alvarez back to England remains to be seen. Certainly, FSG won’t green-light a deal in the ballpark of £142m.
However, if something more agreeable can be found, Liverpool have got to pounce on this one, for he would be the perfect fit for Slot’s set-up.
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