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The 2-1 win is the sort of result that they’ve rarely achieved in this country

Danyal Rasool10-Nov-2024If someone told you Australia would bat 99.5 overs in this three-match ODI series, one that produced both a nine- and an eight-wicket win, you would have let out a resigned sigh. Pakistan had lost 26 of their last 28 games across formats in this country, had seen a captain and coach resign within the last month, and played no 50-over cricket for a year. Australia fielded a near-full strength side for each of the first two games, and were, as they often tend to be, reigning world champions in this format. Of course these games were going to be one sided; Australia needed to do little more than turn up wearing yellow.Nobody gave Pakistan a chance. This was the land down under, not the land upside down. They don’t do that kind of thing round here.It is remarkable how simple it was after all. Babar Azam had often tried to hide his side’s weaknesses as leader; Mohammad Rizwan wore them like a war wound. Yes, Pakistan had no answer to Adam Zampa. So they didn’t play a spinner at all. Yes, they didn’t have an allrounder they felt they could trust. So they just played four bowlers. Yes, four express seamers would be an issue for the over-rate. So they made sure they bowled Australia out in 40 overs. Yes, they didn’t have much batting depth either. So they made sure to bowl Australia out modestly enough they didn’t have to chase much.Related

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There Pakistan stood, their glaring weaknesses in full view, their soft underbelly exposed for Australia to slice through. But Pakistan have spent much too long on the defensive against Australia, and have the scarring to show how that ends. The recent Test series against England had demonstrated the value of bespoke conditions as a route to victory, and so, on these bouncier, seaming surfaces, they burnt their bridges and unleashed their four-pronged pace attack.There was Shaheen Shah Afridi, a man denuded – of both his captaincy and his pace – looking for arrows to add to his quiver. Experimenting with his wrist position and finding sideways movement both ways, he was arguably the bowler of the series. Australia opened with Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk, two men with T20 strike rates north of 150. Up against them with the field in, Shaheen’s economy of 3.76 was the lowest of any bowler all series, and he would account for three of the six times they fell, combining for 78 runs in 84 balls across the series.Saim Ayub lived up to his potential•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesThere was Naseem Shah, the most proficient at making the ball talk at pace, perfecting the art of bowling beautiful deliveries that don’t get wickets. Arguably Pakistan’s best bowler in the third game, he made up for his relative expense with menace across all phases of play, especially puncturing Australia early on with new-ball wickets in the final two games.Mohammad Hasnain, whose painfully shy exterior belies the fire that burns underneath, didn’t quite get the number of wickets his team-mates did, but snared the one he really wanted. He would toy with Marcus Stoinis, who once accused him of chucking in the Hundred, before bringing his tortured stay at the crease to a close. There was a brief moment when he considered giving the batter an invective-laden send-off before quickly realising it didn’t come naturally to him, and turned his innocent smile back towards the team-mates who rushed to mob him.Polar opposite, of course, is Haris Rauf, the man this series truly belonged to. Perhaps it is his unapologetic extroversion that has seen him do so well in Australia. His record here is well known, but he hadn’t actually played a one-day game in this country until last week. And yet, his main character energy blazed through every pore as he bent Australia to his will. It was exemplified by his takedown of Australia’s flashiest star in this line-up, Glenn Maxwell dismissed three times in nine balls, a microcosm of a mismatch that told the story of this series.There are glimpses of optimism elsewhere, too. Rizwan’s proactive captaincy may signal a tonal shift for a side that has trudged directionless in the shorter formats for several years now. As Fakhar Zaman approaches the home stretch of his career, there is perhaps also the rustle of large shoes beginning to be filled. Saim Ayub’s nerveless displays in two chases that have historical banana-skin potential for Pakistan justify his gradual induction into ODIs; he is already the second-highest Pakistani run-scorer in successful winning chases against Australia in Australia, six runs behind Javed Miandad.The Pakistan players and support staff celebrate after the series win•AFP/Getty ImagesIt is a mark of how dominant Pakistan have been this series that the middle order hasn’t really been tested but there is possibly a sign Babar hasn’t lost his touch in his favourite format. A respectable 37 in the first game was followed by two brief unbeaten cameos replete with that sumptuous shotmaking repertoire that still sees him ranked the best ODI batter in the world.There will be the usual nitpicking from the type of people one tends to weed out of party invitations that this was just one series. That Australia rested a few players in the first two games, and many more in the third. That their eyes are firmly on the Border-Gavaskar prize over the next couple of months, or that Pakistan still have ODI weaknesses they haven’t really demonstrated an ability to address.They’re often the same people who tend to complain about bilateral series having lost their lustre. But bilateral series, like any other competition, only gain their value through teams caring about them, and Pakistan care about wins in Australia perhaps more than anything else in cricket. It is where their brand was birthed in 1992, where scraps of success make up for tidal waves of heartbreak.Maybe Pakistan are building something here, but maybe they’re not. In 2002, when they last beat Australia in an ODI series, they would go on to have disastrous Champions Trophy and World Cup campaigns. For this side, a series win in Australia is a prize that does not need extraneous context. It is a breath of cool air atop a mountain only few get to scale; when you’re at the top you’re not thinking about the next ascent.Within moments of the winning runs being hit, they took laps of honour around the Optus Stadium, their fans thronging the sidelines to sneak a glimpse or snatch an autograph. The players and coaching staff embraced, emotion writ large on their faces. Rizwan threw himself into the arms of the fitness trainer, Shaheen buried his head in Rauf’s shoulders. There was a warm embrace between Rizwan and Babar, the strains of a friendship that has been tested so severely cast off momentarily.Pakistan will always find time to worry about the future, but living in the present is never easier than days like this.

His whole game is centered around his back foot, to the extent he plays some completely unique shots

Karthik Krishnaswamy11-Mar-20232:01

Tait: Shubman Gill has a huge future ahead of him

Cricket is beautiful for an endless list of reasons. One of them is just how differently two batters will play the same ball, from the same bowler, landing on the same spot on the same pitch.Take the fast bowler’s good-length ball aiming to finish near the top of off stump. Some batters might typically play it off the back foot, and some off the front foot. Some might get right behind the line and punch to mid-on, some might stay leg-side of the ball and dab with soft hands towards gully, while some others might shuffle across their stumps and work it to square leg. Some batters can do any of these things, depending on the conditions, the quality of the bowling, and the match situation.Related

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On Saturday, Mitchell Starc bowled one such ball to Shubman Gill, delivering from left-arm around and clocking 139kph. He’d been achieving a bit of reverse-swing from that angle, and he’d largely been attacking the stumps through this spell, bowling a length that was on the fuller side of good. There were two fielders back on the hook, though, so there was always the threat that a bouncer could be on its way.Gill was perhaps shaping for the short ball when Starc delivered this one. It wasn’t short, but perhaps on the shorter side of a good length. On this pitch in Ahmedabad, it was still ending up somewhere near the top of off stump.Other Test-quality batters, facing that same Starc delivery, would have offered other responses to it. Gill played a shot that’s all his own and no one else’s. It wasn’t a pull, and it wasn’t a short-arm jab either. Gill plays the short-arm jab as well as anyone in the game, but that’s an angled-bat shot.No, this was a perfectly straight-bat shot, sort of like a back-foot straight drive finishing with left elbow high. It was a back-foot straight drive in every way other than orientation, because rather than running away down the ground, this shot beat short midwicket to his right and left deep square leg in futile pursuit to his left.Gill moved from 51 to 55, and Starc, walking back to his mark, wore a grin that combined admiration, disbelief and resignation. How on earth do you play a shot like that?In his press conference at the end of the day’s play, Gill explained that he developed this shot as a byproduct of learning to pull and hook fast bowling in his formative years. “I used to practice playing bouncers with a plastic ball on cement, and the balls that were a little fuller, it just kind of developed, because I practiced it over and over and it was more instinctive than anything else.”Set up for the pull, play the straight-bat, wide-of-midwicket drive if it isn’t quite short enough.Shubman Gill’s game is built around his back foot play•BCCIIt’s remarkable how much of Gill’s batting revolves around the pull. He stands tall at the crease, holds his bat up with his hands by his back hip – he holds it incredibly still, without waggling it around like so many others do – and as the bowler releases his bat goes higher still, and wider, in a backlift that often takes his hands away from his body.It’s the perfect position from which to pull, with the bat going from high to low, allowing him to control the shot and hit it along the ground most times. And when the ball is fractionally short outside off stump, he can drop his bat down along the line of the ball and send it scudding through point or cover with minimal follow-through. It’s another hugely fascinating Gill shot, neither a cut nor a punch, with his bat angle somewhere in between the horizontal of the former and the vertical of the latter, and he played it on multiple occasions on both Friday and Saturday in Ahmedabad.Gill’s set-up, basically, is built for attacking back-foot play against fast bowling, and if you’re watching him for the first time you might wonder how he’ll cope against bowling that’s fuller, either in the corridor or attacking his stumps. He’ll surely bring his bat down at an angle, you might think, and play across the line.But if you’ve watched him enough, you’ll know he’s just one of those incredibly gifted players who make unusual methods work, and make it look entirely natural. Part of the secret is just how still his head is, and how good his balance is as a consequence: seldom does his head fall over and cause him problems.Not long after that remarkable shot against Starc, Gill had an opportunity to show off this balance, as Cameron Green searched for lbw with a full ball angling into off and middle. Gill’s bat came down perfectly straight, down the line of the ball, and it simply pinged away off the face of his bat between mid-on and midwicket.

“This is what I told myself again and again, that if I got another opportunity, I’d not put pressure on myself to convert when I got set, but remain free-flowing. It was more mental, and that’s what I mostly focused on.”Shubman Gill

Green’s hands, for seemingly no reason whatsoever, went up towards his head.Gill barely moves – and barely seems to need to – against fast bowling, and sometimes, you wonder if he has the footwork to cope against quality spin. When you watch him from front-on, he doesn’t seem to stride all that much when he defends spin off the front foot.But at one point during his 113-run second-wicket stand with Cheteshwar Pujara, the TV commentators pulled up side-on footage of both batters defending off the front foot. Gill’s stride, which had looked so effortless from front-on that it had seemed like no real stride at all, was massive, so much so that in this particular example he seemed to be over-striding and ending up with his head behind the ball. Pujara’s stride, considerably shorter, put his head on top of the ball.It was just one example of over-striding, of course, and in Ahmedabad, Gill was troubled by neither pace nor spin, to the extent that there were only ten false shots in his 235-ball innings.The day had begun with Gill batting on 18, and on this surface, it felt as though he had a hundred for the taking if he batted through the first hour or so. Such has been his form, across formats, that the sight of good batting conditions immediately raises expectations of a big score. Gill is squarely to blame for this, having come into this series with scores of 116, 208, 40*, 112, 7, 11 and 126* in his last seven international innings.He had to wait his turn, though, with the team management backing KL Rahul through a run of lean scores. Asked about this, Gill said not only that he was fine having to wait, but also that it was fair for India to have given Rahul a long run after he’d found a route back into the side on the back of an injury to Gill.”I think I got out of the team when I got injured in 2021 after the World Test Championship [final] and then obviously KL came in and he did really well for us,” Gill said. “He scored a century in England, and at that period, to be honest with you, I don’t think I had performed as well in Test cricket, up to that point, up to my expectations.1:52

Gill didn’t live up to his own expectations at the start of his Test career

“[I was looking] just to be able to keep trying to get better at certain areas that I wanted to work on. If you’re doing the right things, you’ll get your chance, and then it’s just about performing, and that’s what I was trying to look [at].”One of the areas Gill worked on was his mental approach after he’d failed to convert a series of starts, referring to a period during which he scored 52, 1, 44 and 47 in two Tests against New Zealand at home in late 2021, and then 17 and 4 in the one-off Test in Birmingham in July 2022.”I felt that when I was getting set, I was getting over-defensive, I was getting too cautious, thinking ‘I’m now set, I to convert this [into a big one],’ and putting myself under a lot of pressure. That’s not my game. Once I’m set, I get into a rhythm, and that’s my game.”It was about understanding that I was fine if I got out playing my way rather than playing in a way that wasn’t mine. I was getting set and getting out defending. I felt that I’d accept it if I was set and got out playing a shot – I’d know it was a shot I play well, and that I didn’t execute it – but I got caught up trying to adapt my game into something it wasn’t, and that wasn’t acceptable. This is what I told myself again and again, that if I got another opportunity, I’d not put pressure on myself to convert when I got set, but remain free-flowing. It was more mental, and that’s what I mostly focused on.”It’s not that Gill can’t defend, of course. You don’t reel off hundreds like Gill has done at every level if you don’t have a defence. Gill’s advice to himself was more to do with staying in the moment and being himself.Gill was himself right through his innings of 128 in Ahmedabad. He was himself when he stepped out and launched Nathan Lyon for a towering six in the last over of day two. He was himself while sauntering to his half-century off 90 balls. In the post-lunch session, when Steven Smith got his bowlers to dry up the runs by packing one side of the field, Gill went through a phase when he scored nine runs off 53 balls – he was resolutely himself then as well.And soon enough, Green, bowling to a 6-3 leg-side field and reversing the ball into the stumps, bowled two balls that didn’t quite reverse enough. Gill punched the first one through cover point without having to move his feet, and drove the second gloriously, with a small step forward to transfer his weight into the shot, between extra-cover and mid-off.There is time in Test cricket, and entire days of it on pitches like this one in Ahmedabad. Gill is used to having time, even when it’s just that extra millisecond he seems to have that most others don’t while facing the fastest of bowlers. His batting style is utterly unique, but there’s a timeless, willowy grace to it too, which he often accentuates, like he did in Ahmedabad, by batting in full sleeves.Gill’s batting is all about time, and Test cricket is the natural home for it. In Ahmedabad, a feeling that has gathered momentum over the past few months struck you once again, with even greater force. Gill’s time is the here and the now and the foreseeable future.

Late September and late November are the primary options that the BCCI can explore

Nagraj Gollapudi06-May-2021On Thursday, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly suggested that the 2021 IPL could be completed in a window just prior to the men’s T20 World Cup. That was the first public hint of the windows the BCCI is looking at for the rescheduling.At the moment India remains the host for the global event, scheduled to run from mid-October to November 14. But in the wake of the IPL’s postponement and uncertainty over how the pandemic progresses in India, the ICC could be forced to consider the UAE as the venue for its event.Related

• 'The world stops a little bit' – emotional Tim Seifert recounts Covid-19 experience

• BCCI asks ECB to rejig Test series schedule for IPL window

• The IPL 2021 team of the tournament (so far)

• Sporting pitches, surprise omissions, and Chennai Super Kings' refreshing turnaround

• England counties offer to host remainder of IPL 2021 in September

There are still 31 matches left in the IPL. Three weeks with multiple double-headers across a few venues are likely to be enough. That leaves two realistic options in 2021 in which the BCCI could complete the tournament, either side of the T20 World Cup. ESPNcricinfo examines the pros and cons of each.

Late September window

Where India, UAE or even England could play hosts at this time of the year. Given the course of the pandemic, the UAE remains a favorite, having conducted a largely incident-free IPL in 2020. And if the T20 World Cup is also played in the UAE, it eases the logistical challenges of players moving between bubbles.England could be an option given that India will already be there till mid-September for their five-Test series. Also, there could be a number of overseas players participating in England’s various domestic competitions, including The Hundred.ChallengeThe biggest challenge will be to squeeze the tournament in the limited time between the end of India’s England tour and the T20 World Cup. The fifth Test in Manchester is scheduled to end on September 14. Although the ICC is yet to announce the itinerary for the T20 World Cup, it is expected to start around October 16. Accounting for quarantine periods and warm-up games wherever the tournament is held, teams will be expected to start arriving around the end of September.After a long tour, the Indian players will likely want at least a week-long break. That would then leave just about under two weeks of free time before the teams head to the World Cup, although England’s players – a significant presence in the IPL – are scheduled to be part of tours to Bangladesh and Pakistan in October.Workload will also be a factor for India’s players as they face the prospect of a long Test series, then the IPL, and then the T20 World Cup one after the other.There are still 31 games to go in IPL 2021•BCCI

Late November window

Where India or the UAE will be the two primary contenders at this time, and for the tournament to be played right after the T20 World Cup ends. Although if it is in the UAE, Abu Dhabi will not be available as it is scheduled to host the fifth edition of the T10 league from November 14.Challenge Franchises will be concerned about the unavailability of overseas players especially from Australia and England, who will be involved in the Ashes from late November. Virtually all the countries, including India, are scheduled to play bilateral cricket immediately following the T20 World Cup.India themselves are scheduled to host New Zealand for two Tests and three T20Is between November-December. Bangladesh, meanwhile, will host Pakistan for a series comprising two Tests and three T20s. Afghanistan will be in Zimbabwe from late November for a one-off Test, three ODIs, and three T20Is. South Africa and West Indies, though, will be free during that time.If India can defer the New Zealand series and manage to find replacements for absent Australian and England players, the November window might look a better fit for the BCCI.

MatériaMais Notícias

No dia 11 de de dezembro de 2023, o Vasco SAF anunciava Alexandre Mattos como novo diretor de futebol do clube. A chegada era tratada com grande entusiasmo por parte dos torcedores, que enxergavam em Mattos, um nome consagrado no futebol brasileiro, um sinal de positividade por conta de seus trabalhos vitoriosos em Palmeiras e Atlético Mineiro. Desde então, tudo foi por água abaixo.

Com exatos 100 dias de clube, o diretor de futebol foi demitido após ter soltado informações internas do para um torcedor numa rede social. O fato caiu como uma bomba no Vasco, já que o clube vinha lidando com insatisfações internas por parte da comissão técnica e dos jogadores sobre o trabalho de Mattos. Com isso tornou-se insustentável a manutenção do mineiro no cargo e assim foi encerrada a passagem do executivo em São Januário. Ao todo, foram 9 contratações no valor R$120 milhões gastos, e a venda dos crias da base Gabriel Pec e Marlon Gomes.

continua após a publicidade<br>Desde então, o Vasco está no mercado em busca de um novo executivo para assumir o cargo de Diretor de Futebol. Visando concluir o trabalho de montagem do elenco e jogar o primeiro turno do campeonato brasileiro com tranquilidade, o clube espera ter a contratação definida antes do dia 14. Apesar disso, até agora apenas rumores rolaram e nada de concreto aconteceu.<br><br><img class="wp-image-11206175" style="width: 600px;" src="https://cms.lancecorp.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/53601413852_6d5552caff_o-scaled.jpg" alt="CEO do Vasco SAF, Lúcio Barbosa, em coletiva de imprensa"><br><br>Até o momento, os nomes especulados para chegar em São Januário foram os de Juninho Paulista, Alessandro Nunes, Rui Costa e também o de Admar Lopes, atual diretor do Bordeaux.

Adson

26,7

Em definitivo

Juan Sforza

24,8

Em definitivo

Clayton Silva

18,8

Em definitivo

Lucas Piton

5,3

direitos econômicos

Paulo Henrique

4,8

Em definitivo

Robert Rojas

3,2

Empréstimo

Mateus Cocão

2

Em definitivo

Galdames

1,3

Em definitivo

Praxedes

1,3

Renovação de empréstimo

David

–

Empréstimo

Keiller

–

Empréstimo

Victor Luis

–

De graça

Newcastle United have now reportedly set their sights on signing a Ligue midfielder if they fail in their pursuit to welcome young star Kees Smit in 2026.

Newcastle set to make Kees Smit move

It’s a fairly open secret that Newcastle are after a midfield reinforcement in 2026. The trio of Joelinton, Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali is undoubtedly impressive, but as Joelinton continues to struggle, Eddie Howe could certainly do with some quality in depth to make a change.

Names like Alex Toth have emerged on the Magpies’ radar in recent months as a result, though it seems like Smit remains top of their midfield shortlist.

Reports have even claimed that Newcastle are set to make their move to sign the AZ Alkmaar star, despite competition from the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Such interest could hand those at St James’ Park some fresh Déjà vu after missing out on several big names in the summer. It’s only now that Howe is beginning to get his full squad together following the chaos of the summer window and instant injury to Yoane Wissa.

The Newcastle boss welcomed his forward into the squad for the first time on Saturday, telling reporters: “He’s got a lot more work to do to get to the very best level that he can. We hope to keep him available by managing correctly.

He once cost £38.5m: Newcastle plot concrete move to sign "brilliant" PL star

He desperately needs a move.

ByTom Cunningham Dec 7, 2025

With Wissa back, the Magpies and their manager can turn their full attention towards avoiding a repeat of the summer chaos even if they miss out on Smit.

Newcastle eyeing move to sign Kevin Danois

According to the Daily Mail’s Craig Hope, Newcastle have now set their sights on signing Kevin Danois if they fail to sign Smit in 2026. The AJ Auxerre midfielder has emerged as an ideal alternative as the Tyneside club continue to plan ahead.

Compared to Joao Neves and dubbed “intelligent” by Como scout Ben Mattinson, Newcastle would be wise to instantly move for Danois if they miss out on their Smit next year.

The Magpies have seemingly learned from last summer and have identified a cheaper alternative who is yet to attract the same intense interest as their main target. Whether they’re forced to turn towards the Ligue 1 star remains to be seen, however.

Newcastle star was entering Obertan territory, now he's their "best player"

Manny Machado was not happy with Mike Estabrook and we have the video footage to prove it.

During Monday night's extra innings battle between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers, Machado was rung up on an awful call in a key spot. He turned to argue and, lucky for us, Estabrook was wearing a camera, so the whole thing was filmed.

The Dodgers led the Padres 8-6 in the bottom of the 10th inning. Luis Arraez was on second base as Machado led off the frame. He worked a 3-2 count on L.A. closer Tanner Scott, then took a slider that clearly missed the plate outside. As he began to walk toward first base, Estabrook called it a strike. Machado was incensed.

Video is below.

We need more of that camera angle.

Machado had a legitimate gripe, and Estabrook deserved to get chewed out. The fact that he didn't eject the Padres' third baseman leads me to believe he knew he made a bad call. Usually anyone arguing balls and strikes is immediately tossed, but Estabrook allowed Machado to have his say.

It turned out to be a big moment. Machado should have walked, which would have given San Diego runners on first and second with no one out. Jackson Merrill doubled in the next at-bat, scoring Arraez. It's possible Machado would have scored as well, or at least been at third base with no one out.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras terá um motivo especial para enfrentar a Inter de Limeira nesta quarta-feira (24), no Allianz Parque, em jogo que marca a estreia do Verdão jogando ao lado de sua torcida nesta temporada.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasCom a volta de dois titulares, Palmeiras inicia preparação para estreia no Allianz Parque em 2024Palmeiras22/01/2024DicasPalmeiras x Inter de Limeira: estatísticas e informações para apostar no jogo da 2ª rodada do PaulistaDicas22/01/2024PalmeirasRaphael Veiga brilha no Palmeiras e se aproxima de centésimo gol na carreiraPalmeiras22/01/2024

➡️ Tudo sobre o Verdão agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! Palmeiras

A partida válida pela segunda rodada do Paulistão deve marcar um reencontro da equipe treinada por Abel Ferreira com o zagueiro Emerson Santos, “herói” do título da Libertadores 2020.

O zagueiro, que teve duas passagens pelo Palmeiras, chegou a ser muito importante no início de trabalho de Abel Ferreira e salvou o Verdão em um lance que jamais vai sair da memória do torcedor. Na semifinal da Libertadores de 2020, diante do River Plate-ARG, no Allianz Parque, Emerson Santos salvou bola em cima da linha do gol em um lance de escanteio para o time argentino.

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Mesmo com a jogada anulada por impedimento, sua participação foi importante. Isso porque houve erro na marcação do bandeirinha, e o lance não era de fato irregular. O VAR poderia validar o gol caso o zagueiro não estivesse na linha do gol. Com a ampliação do placar, o River Plate garantia a classificação para a final do torneio continental.

+Palmeiras deve ter retorno de dois titulares diante da Inter de Limeira!

Emerson Santos ganhou mais algumas chances de Abel Ferreira e chegou a atuar como primeiro volante, encerrando sua passagem pelo clube com 24 jogos e um gol marcado. Ele chegou à Inter de Limeira neste mês e já está à disposição do técnico Júnior Rocha, que vai decidir se o zagueiro enfrenta o Verdão no Allianz Parque ou não.

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Tudo sobre

PalmeirasPaulistão

Former U.S. international Stuart Holden believes Matt Turner’s 2026 World Cup hopes could be in jeopardy after the goalkeeper was left out of Mauricio Pochettino’s USMNT roster for November 2025. Holden pointed to Turner’s lack of competitive minutes as a growing concern, warning it may be damaging his standing within the national team setup.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Turner's omission raises concern

  Holden pointed out that Turner, currently with the New England Revolution, faces a challenging situation as he is unlikely to feature in a competitive match until February or March if he remains with the club. The American is currently on loan with the MLS side from Olympique Lyon. 

  “More concerning, I think for Matt Turner is that there was a recent article in which said that he's training with Crystal Palace currently,” Holden said on the . “A team that he was under contract with before….And it said he was training to get fit and to stay sharp, to be a part of this November window.

  “And then the roster comes out and Matt Turner is not on that roster. If he's going to stay through the next season with the New England Revolution, which is part of the the deal, he's not going to play a competitive game now until late. February or March? That's a long. Time for a goalkeeper who, by the way, has not played a lot of minutes over the past two years.”

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• 'I don't know what he can do'

  From Holden’s perspective, Turner is presently on the periphery of the USMNT, both in terms of securing the starting goalkeeper role and even earning a spot on the roster. 

  “So as far as I'm concerned, Matt Turner is not only on the outside looking in at a starting position, he's on the outside looking in at a roster position, which is cause for concern for him,” Holden said. “And I don't know what he can do other than play a great start of the season in the spring to put himself back in that position.”

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Turner’s 2025 numbers

  Turner returned to the New England Revolution on loan from Olympique Lyonnais in August 2025, a move intended to secure him regular minutes. Since his arrival in August, Turner played 10 matches and allowed 16 goals. He kept two clean sheets for a struggling team that failed to make the playoffs. 

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  The current USMNT group

  Pochettino called up NYCFC's Matt Freese along with Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati), Jonathan Klinsmann (Cesena), and Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew). 

Wayne Rooney has admitted he was “sceptical” about one Manchester United star, who has since been “by far” the best player and proven him wrong.

Man Utd end nine-year wait for victory at Anfield

Despite Liverpool’s poor form, few would have predicted Man United going to Anfield and picking up all three points, but that is exactly what they managed to do, with Harry Maguire’s late header ending a nine-year wait for a win at the home of their major rivals.

Maguire scoring a late winner was a fitting end to the game, given that the defender missed a golden chance to bag all three points for United at Anfield last season, and Ruben Amorim will be hoping his side can now kick on, after a turbulent start to the season.

The manager spent heavily to strengthen his squad in the summer, and a number of new signings have caught the eye, with goalkeeper Senne Lammens impressing on his debut against Sunderland, before going on to make four saves from inside the box against Liverpool.

However, Rooney has now claimed that a different new arrival has been the Red Devils’ most impressive player in the early stages of the campaign, singling out Bryan Mbeumo for high praise on his BBC Sport podcast.

The former striker said: “I’ll be honest, I was a bit sceptical when Manchester United signed him. I didn’t know whether he had the ability to come and play for Man United but he’s proven me wrong, and I think he’s been a great addition to the team, and by far Man United’s best player this season.”

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Mbeumo opened the scoring at Anfield after just 62 seconds, albeit in controversial fashion, with debate arising about whether the goal should have stood, given that Alexis Mac Allister was down due to a head injury.

The 26-year-old’s second Premier League goal wasn’t his only contribution either, having also created one big chance, which helped him earn a 7.6 SofaScore match rating, the highest of any Man United player.

The £150k-a-week star has been a shining light for United, amid a slow start to the campaign, chipping in with an assist against Sunderland, as well as his side’s second goal in the 3-2 victory against Burnley at the end of August.

With no European or EFL Cup football to contend with, the Red Devils have a golden opportunity to mount a push for the Champions League this season, and Mbeumo is likely to be key to their success.

Crystal Palace are now rivalling Tottenham Hotspur for the signature of a former Real Madrid player, who “never puts a foot wrong.”

Palace keen on new centre-back with Guehi set for exit

Marc Guehi was hardly short of suitors before the international break, with the centre-back’s move to Liverpool falling through on deadline day, but the Englishman has once again put himself in the shop window courtesy of his performance against Wales.

The Three Lions haven’t conceded a single goal in World Cup qualifying, with Guehi helping his side continue their fantastic defensive record against Wales last week, while also assisting England’s opening two goals.

The 25-year-old has remained a consummate professional, having not downed tools in order to force through a move, but it appears as though an exit is inevitable, given that the Palace captain was left very unhappy with his move to Anfield breaking down.

Consequently, Crystal Palace have now started looking at potential replacements for the defender, and they have now joined the race for Lazio defender Mario Gila, who is also being targeted by Tottenham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Everton.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states all the aforementioned Premier League clubs are keeping close tabs on Gila, who could command a huge transfer fee.

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The Italian club are only willing to listen to offers in the region of €45m – €50m (£39m – £43m), which is regarded as an affordable fee for Spurs, but would be a club-record signing for Palace, eclipsing the £32m spent on Christian Benteke back in 2016.

Gila could be exciting replacement for Guehi

Of course, no Crystal Palace fan will want their FA Cup-winning captain to leave, but given that he has shown no interest in signing a new contract, it is wise to start thinking about potential replacements.

Moreover, the Lazio defender could be an exciting option, given that he is experienced in Europe, having featured in the Conference League, Europa League and Champions League with Lazio.

The ex-Real Madrid man has also received plaudits from Lazio sporting director Igli Tare, who seemed to suggest he is destined for the top level, saying: “He is fast, intelligent and never puts a foot wrong. He can become one of the top 3-4 defenders in the world and it wouldn’t surprise me if Real wanted him back.”

As such, it would be a real coup if Palace were able to sign Gila, but the capture of Yeremy Pino in the summer showed that Selhurst Park is now becoming an attractive destination for top players.