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Everton are keen to bring in some fresh blood during the January window and could now be lining up a multi-layered deal to acquire a former star at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

Everton left frustrated after heavy defeat against Newcastle United

Despite holding home advantage, Everton were beaten convincingly by Newcastle United at Goodison Park on Saturday and will feel a sense of frustration at their poor defensive display, a rarity under the stewardship of David Moyes.

After a joyous victory away at Manchester United on Monday, despite having ten men for much of the affair, the Toffees failed to show the same resilience against Eddie Howe’s men and paid the price under the lights at their new stadium.

Speaking post-match, the Scot had no excuses for his side being unable to trouble the Geordies and made it clear that their European experience was a factor that helped shape a difficult night for the hosts.

He said: “We were beaten by a far better team. We go again, you move on but Newcastle were much better than us. You can see the experience they are gaining from playing in European games. They were just much more powerful than us all night.”

Even with a decent start to the Premier League campaign under their belt, Everton are building for January and could target FC Midtjylland forward Franculino Dju to try and arrest Thierno Barry’s goal drought since arriving on Merseyside.

Everton line up January move for England international who Alan Shearer called "world class"

The Toffees have spotted a low-cost opportunity.

ByHenry Jackson Nov 22, 2025

Celtic’s Daizen Maeda is also a wanted man and may be attainable, though they could also be willing to strengthen further back on the left-hand side if recent developments were to come to fruition.

Everton could look to re-sign Antonee Robinson

According to Alan Nixon on Patreon, Everton are keen to re-sign Fulham captain Antonee Robinson and believe £25m could be enough to secure his signature in January.

Armed with several formulas to potentially complete a deal, Vitaly Mykolenko has been mentioned as a potential swap option, with the Toffees unlikely to meet the Cottagers’ £40m valuation of the United States international.

Lauded by Sky Sports’ Dougie Critchley last season as being “one of the best left-backs in the world”, Robinson has made just four appearances for Fulham this term and has struggled with knee problems, which have seen him miss six Premier League matches in a row as he looks to get back to fitness.

Having come through the youth system at Everton before joining Wigan Athletic and then going on to move to West London, he is acutely aware of the club’s culture and would be a seamless fit, though it remains to be seen if the Blues can push a deal over the line.

If Daniel Farke is relieved of his duties soon by the 49ers regime, how will he be remembered among the die-hard Leeds United fanbase?

First and foremost, there will likely always be some fondness towards the German from the Elland Road faithful for being the manager who delivered a promotion back up to the Premier League, having collected the Championship title on a mighty 100 points.

But, in the here and now, that title success – and the subsequent parade that merrily went through Leeds city centre – feels like a lifetime ago, with the ex-Norwich City boss continuing to struggle in the Premier League as a head coach.

A change could soon come then, with the Whites now five defeats from their last six league games and stuck in 18th spot.

Unfortunately, though, Leeds haven’t always got it right when getting right of celebrated promotion winners in the past, with Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement coming in the form of Jesse Marsch, who could only muster up a weak 11 wins from the pressurised dug out.

On top of that, his track record in the transfer department left a lot to be desired when he was situated in West Yorkshire, with all of his hits, followed by a large list of poor misses.

Ranking Marsch's signings at Leeds

Amazingly, Marsch would sign off on Leeds’ two most expensive captures of all time during his whirlwind 12-month stint in England.

Georginio Rutter never really kicked into gear at the Whites under the unpopular American’s management, but considering he managed to put away eight goals and 18 assists in the end, largely under Farke, he is definitely seen as a success story, having also banked Leeds £40m when he moved to Brighton and Hove Albion.

Another standout success story from Marsch’s spending is Wilfried Gnonto, even if he is not now a regular under the current regime.

Landing the tricky Italian for just £3.8m continues to stand out to his day as an almighty bargain, with the ex-FC Zurich attacker even managing to star under Marsch, when collecting three goals from just 12 games under his methods, which included this fierce effort being thumped home.

Unfortunately for Marsch, this is where his positives in the transfer department begin to dry up, with a vast majority of the ten other signings made under his short-lived tenure no longer at the club.

Luis Sinisterra would at least manage to bag a promising five league goals at Elland Road, to somewhat justify the lavish £21m dropped on his services, but much like Tyler Adams, Rasmus Kristensen, and Marc Roca who all joined the Leeds ranks together at the same time, this wave of disappointing pick-ups couldn’t leave the building any faster after relegation was confirmed.

Weston McKennie has also left a bad taste in the mouth up to the present as a failed loanee under Marsch, with the American midfielder registering just one forgettable assist from 20 appearances, which led to the ex-Juventus man labelling the short stint as one of the “lowest” points of his varied career.

The elephant in the room now is, of course, the fact that the current Canada boss was the figure who first brought Brenden Aaronson to English shores, with the former £28.5m purchase a constant source of frustration.

Marsch couldn’t quite get a tune out of the ex-Union Berlin man, despite working closely alongside him at RB Leipzig, with just one sorry goal all he could muster up, before his fellow compatriot’s dismissal.

Thankfully, Farke has managed to get the best out of the 25-year-old in flashes, particularly in the Championship. Yet, with just one goal and one assist all he wrote this season in the Premier League so far, the consensus will be that Leeds overpaid back in 2022 when securing the hit-and-miss playmaker’s services for £28.5m.

Still, Aaronson does have his nine strikes to fall back on during Leeds’ phenomenal promotion journey.

Whereas this summer recruit has little to cling onto, as he already looks to be an even bigger waste of money than Aaronson’s much-talked-about arrival.

Leeds have made a bigger error than Aaronson

Much like the West Yorkshire giants showed off during Marsch’s reign, significant wads of cash were also dropped in the off-season to try and prepare Leeds for the gigantic leap up to the Premier League.

A position that was in dire need of upgrading was definitely in between the sticks, with Illan Meslier overstaying his welcome as Leeds’ number one goalkeeper by the time a top-flight return was officially clinched, having become error-prone during the Whites’ vital promotion run-in.

Therefore, Leeds must have thought they’d hit the jackpot when they secured the services of Lucas Perri for a substantial £13.9m, with the Brazilian ‘stopper previously being tipped to be one of the “best in the world” in his position by his former manager Paulo Fonseca.

However, the top-flight newcomers have yet to see the calm and assured version of Perri that regularly shone for Lyon – with ten clean sheets falling into his lap last season in Ligue 1 – with the South American receiving plenty of pelters, instead, particularly when he conceded this Morgan Rogers free-kick last time out, as he bizarrely remained rooted to his spot.

Off the back of leaking this effort from Rogers, Perri has now given up a costly eight goals across his string of depressing clashes in November, with the underlying numbers overall – away from just goals conceded – also pointing in the direction of the number one being a colossal waste of cash.

Indeed, it’s unclear now if Leeds have even upgraded on a wobbly Meslier, with Meslier arguably a better option at this point, with his 21 clean sheets in the tough division to date an impressive tally, weighed up next to Perri’s two so far.

The drop-off from his standout Ligue 1 campaign last season is also extremely worrying, with Perri averaging a 74% pass accuracy in the French top division, compared to him now regularly mis-hitting passes, at a far lesser average of 57%.

Of course, the defenders do have to share their load of the blame here for the recent porous displays, but the backline cannot be confident whatsoever, having a ropey Perri behind them, with ex-Leeds player Jon Newsome rightly suggesting that Farke and the 49ers had “wasted funds” after the demoralising 3-1 defeat at the City Ground.

In another reality, Leeds might well have been better sticking with what they had over splashing £13.9m on Perri, with Aaronson at least putting in bright performances here and there this season, while the new ‘keeper has routinely suffered.

Indeed, one Leeds content creator would even hail his showing against West Ham United as “his best in a Leeds shirt”, with eight duels won against the Hammers, standing him in good stead for any relegation scrap that comes, away from also firing an effort home.

The relegation-threatened side would have hoped they’d moved past notable blunders in the transfer department when Marsch left the building, but it looks as if Perri could now be seen in the same light as failed faces such as Sinisterra and Adams down the line, particularly if relegation is grimly served up and the Whites struggle to offload him.

Leeds in one of the biggest transfer battles of all time for England midfielder

He could add so much quality and bite to the midfield.

By
Henry Jackson

Nov 25, 2025

The Boston Red Sox are heading to the postseason.

After trailing 3-1 heading into the seventh inning in the first contest of the regular season's final three-game set at Fenway Park against the Tigers, Boston scored a run in the seventh, eighth, and finally in the bottom of the ninth, when centerfielder Ceddanne Rafaela drove a Tommy Kahnle fastball off the top of the centerfield wall, scoring Romy Gonzalez from first base and sending the Red Sox to the playoffs.

Boston's magic number has been one since Wednesday, when the Red Sox beat the Blue Jays and the Astros lost to the Athletics. But it took until Friday for Boston to officially punch its ticket to the postseason after the Red Sox lost to the Blue Jays on Thursday and the Astros beat the A's.

The Tigers, Astros and Guardians are now battling for the final two playoff spots in the American League playoff picture with two games to go.

Adam Lallana would be “interested” in becoming the next manager of Southampton.

Since winning the 2024 Championship play-off final, it has hardly been the future that Southampton would have anticipated. Russell Martin, who guided them back to the Premier League, was replaced by Ivan Juric mid-season, following a turgid start to the 2024/25 campaign.

Juric was unable to turn around Southampton’s misfortune, as they became the first club to be relegated from the English top flight with as many as seven games remaining.

Will Still, who made a reputation for himself with Reims and Lens, joined in the summer. Despite his promise and an influx of summer signings, though, Still also struggled for form. After just two Championship wins in 13 matches and a three-game losing streak, Southampton parted ways with Still and have since been on the hunt for a new manager.

Now, it would appear that an unlikely candidate would happily take on the role were he offered the job.

Lallana to replace Still?

Following the 2024/25 season, Adam Lallana called time on his 19-year playing career. The midfielder, who came through the ranks at Southampton, played for the Saints for eight years until joining Liverpool in 2014. Six years later, Lallana moved to Brighton before returning to St. Mary’s, for a single season, in 2024.

As per Sky Sports, Lallana, who currently works as a first-team coach with the Saints, would be “interested in becoming a head coach”.

Across his playing career, Lallana played with some incredible managers, including Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool and Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton. Lallana has been outspoken about his “love” for De Zerbi, who now manages Ligue 1 side Marseille. No doubt then that he would look to draw from the Italian for inspiration in his own coaching career.

Despite his enthusiasm however, it appears that he is “an unlikely option at this time, given his lack of experience in the role”.

Southampton are aiming for a swift return to the English top flight, though their start to the 2025/26 season suggests that they may fall short of the mark they were aiming for.

Lallana could, no doubt, start his career as a first-team head coach in the coming years. With Southampton, however, it could well be too much, too soon for the former midfielder. He would be inheriting a club that desperately need lifting from the slump they find themselves in and a more-experienced option may better benefit the Saints at this time.

Southampton consider short-term deal for new manager

Gill was stretchered from the stadium to a private hospital at the end of the second day

Sreshth Shah15-Nov-20251:27

‘Brave call to make’: Morkel on Sundar at No.3

Shubman Gill’s participation in the remainder of the Kolkata Test is in doubt after he was hospitalised as a precautionary measure with neck spasm. Gill was stretchered from the stadium to a private hospital for scans at the end of the second day. He was spotted wearing a neck brace and was accompanied by the team doctor and a security liaison officer out of the stadium.Gill felt discomfort three balls into his innings after unfurling a sweep to get off the mark with a boundary off Simon Harmer, and immediately called for the physio as he clutched the back of his neck.Gill was quick to leave the field, retired hurt, and didn’t return to bat as India were bowled out for 189.”Shubman Gill has a neck spasm and is being monitored by the BCCI medical team,” the BCCI said after the first session.Related

Shubman Gill retires hurt with neck injury

India smell victory after 15-wicket day on a tough pitch

Harmer demonstrates decade-long evolution

Before the day’s play, Gill was spotted by the broadcasters doing neck exercises in front of the coaching staff and a member of the medical team. In October 2024, too, he missed a Test against New Zealand due to neck stiffness.Terming the injury as “unfortunate”, India bowling coach Morne Morkel ruled out major concerns when asked about Gill’s workload and participation.”Gill is a very fit guy, he looks after himself very well,” Morkel said. “So, it’s just unfortunate this morning that he woke up with a stiff neck and that carried him into the day, which was crucial for us. Another sort of partnership with him batting around was going to be needed for us at the time and… just bad timing.”If he returns to bat in the Test, it may not be at No. 4 since it wasn’t an external injury.Gill’s injury scare comes at a time when his workload has been under constant monitoring. He has played non-stop cricket across formats since IPL 2025 and was among four Test players who flew to Kolkata straight from Australia after the T20I series.In Gill’s absence, Rishabh Pant captained the side during South Africa’s second innings. Ravindra Jadeja’s 4 for 29 put a leash on them, reducing the visitors to 93 for 7 by stumps, ahead by only 63 runs.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has heaped praise upon Mason Mount after the English midfielder's stunning effort earned all three points for the Red Devils at Crystal Palace. The former Chelsea player has struggled since moving to Old Trafford, but will be hopeful that Sunday's performance can be the start of a turnaround in form at United.

• United recover to earn precious victory

  The writing looked on the wall for United when they fell behind in south London courtesy of a Jean-Phillipe Mateta penalty. The Eagles have an impressive record against the Red Devils and would have assumed that they were on for another victory when they opened the scoring. The flat performance of the visitors in the first half did little to suggest much to the contrary either, with another disappointing trip back up to the northwest of England beckoning for Ruben Amorim and his players.

  Yet, after the half-time interval, the United midfield helped turn around the display and the result. Fernandes was integral to the victory, registering two assists for Joshua Zirkzee and Mount and earning the Player of the Match award. United fans will have been worried when their skipper appeared to fall down injured late in the game, but Amorim has insisted the Portuguese maestro is not too badly hurt.

  After the game, Fernandes was highly complimentary of Mount. The pair had combined for the winner – Fernandes nudging the ball to Mount from a free-kick before the midfielder struck low into the net – and demonstrated signs of a partnership developing.

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• Getty Images
  

  Mount centre of praise for Fernandes and Amorim

  Speaking to , Fernandes described Mount as a "great player" and was delighted to see his team-mate back amongst the goals.

  "Mason is a great player," Fernandes said. "His quality was never in doubt with his team-mates. Sometimes he struggled a bit for goals and assists and also with injuries, but when he gets his fitness, he is important."

  The words of Fernandes echoed those of his coach. Before the game, Amorim had said the 26-year-old is "really smart" and offers a goal threat that not many others in his squad possess.

  The ex-Sporting CP manager was proven right by his number seven.

• Milestone for Mount

  It was not only an important goal for Mount against Crystal Palace, but the midfielder also reached a long-awaited milestone. He played the full 90 minutes of a Premier League game for the first time in almost three years, with his last completed fixture coming in a Chelsea shirt, also against Crystal Palace in January 2023.

  It represents a huge step in the right direction for the United man, who has been plagued by a series of injuries throughout his time at Old Trafford. Mount’s time at Chelsea faltered and ended in a disappointing exit out the back door after a number of setbacks reduced him to a mere squad player.

  Mount exploded onto the scene as a youngster and quickly established himself as a key player in the Chelsea midfield. The Cobham graduate would go on to provide the match-winning assist for Kai Havertz in the Champions League final in his career highlight, but has not reached those heights again since.

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  Up next for United: West Ham at home

  With Mount seemingly beginning to put his injury woes behind him, Amorim can look forward to using the immensely talented player more often. Capable of playing as one of the two central midfielders or anywhere across the front-line of Amorim’s 3-4-3 formation, Mount can offer something slightly different to any of United’s other options.

  Should Amorim be able to revitalise Mount and restore him to the player he was when he first took the Premier League by storm, United will start to think they struck gold with a player shunted out of Stamford Bridge.

  There is still a long way to go before Mount eclipses the levels he reached at the Blues, but his goal and 90 minutes at Selhurst Park is a start. He has a chance to build on Sunday’s performance with a game against West Ham at Old Trafford on Thursday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Cássio voltou a ser criticado por falhar na derrota do Corinthians para o Argentinos Juniors, nesta terça-feira (23), pela Sul-Americana, e desabafou sobre sua situação no clube. O goleiro, inclusive, falou em deixar o Timão.

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➡️ Siga o Lance! Corinthians no WhatsApp e acompanhe todas as notícias do Timão

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Ele deixou claro que está cansado de ser considerado um dos principais culpados pelo momento ruim da equipe treinada por António Oliveira. Cássio não se eximiu das falhas, mas afirmou que a cobrança passou dos limites.

– A cobrança faz parte. Mas passam dos limites das coisas, da falta de respeito. Esse ano saíram um monte de jogadores, mais velhos. Eu fiquei, um dos mais velhos, sabia que a cobrança seria grande. Errei em alguns gols? Errei sim. Mas é isso, tudo de errado do Corinthians parece que é minha culpa. Eu sou o culpado de tudo. Se eu sou o culpado, de repente é melhor eu sair e seguir meu caminho – disse, em entrevista à Espn.

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Cássio quer que o início de temporada ruim do Corinthians sirva de aprendizado para a temporada e explicou que, para ele, também está difícil a situação atual. O goleiro também reforçou o cansaço de ser considerado o culpado pelo momento delicado do Timão.

➡️ Raul Gustavo é expulso por agressão a bandeirinha; VEJA

– Eu vou estar aí, sou o capitão do time. Não me eximo de erros. O treinador e o presidente decidem, se eu tiver atrapalhando o Corinthians, se não estiver agradando… Para mim está muito difícil também. Na verdade, tudo de mal que acontece com o Corinthians sempre sobra para mim. Time não faz gol, é culpa do Cássio. Time não joga bem, é culpa do Cássio. Tenho humildade em saber quando eu erro. É um momento difícil. Tem muita coisa pela frente, esse começo de temporada tem que servir de aprendizado. Estamos nessa situação e temos que tentar sair – concluiu.

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O Corinthians, de Cássio, perdeu a liderança do grupo na Sul-Americana, após a derrota por 1 a 0 para os reservas do Argentinos Juniors. Agora, o Timão jogará no domingo (28), contra o Fluminense.

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Cássio Roberto RamosCorinthians

Weatherald thinks he is ready for a Test call-up if it comes after posting 183 for Australia A while Peake, 18, impressed with his maturity making 92 against Sri Lanka A

Alex Malcolm24-Jul-2025

Veteran Tasmania opener Jake Weatherald thinks he’s ready to go if a Test call-up comes his way for the Ashes later this year while excitement is building around eighteen-year-old Victoria batter Oliver Peake after another impressive showing in his maiden red-ball appearance for Australia A.The pair starred for Australia A alongside skipper Jason Sangha as the home side racked up 558 for 4 declared in a batting dominated draw in the second four-day match against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.Their performances will come with the obvious caveat that runs were very easy to make at Marrara Cricket Ground with Sangha posting a career-best unbeaten 202 while Weatherald also made 183 and Peake posted 92 in just his second first-class game as only ten wickets fell across four full days of cricket. Sri Lanka A batters Nuwanidu Fernando and Pavan Rathnayake also scored centuries while four other half-centuries were scored in the game.Related

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Weatherald pushes Ashes case with 183 for Australia A

Jason Sangha pushes Test credentials with unbeaten double

Weatherald believes he is ready to play Test cricket if called upon by the selectors for the Ashes series later this year after continuing his outstanding form across the last 12 months. Having been the leading runscorer in the Shield last year with 905 runs at an average of 50.33 with three massive centuries, he added 54 and 183 in his two innings for Australia A in this series.”If you keep making runs, of course you’re going to get noticed more – and I’ve done that,” Weatherald said on Tuesday in Darwin after his innings of 183. “Obviously there’s some great candidates there as well, and they’ve earned their right to be there.”So to be amongst them is a pretty proud moment.”But I’m batting well, and I think I’m ready to go if it comes to that moment.”Weatherald, 30, has long been one of the most talented ball-strikers in Australian domestic cricket but this is the first time he has averaged more than 41 over a 12-month stretch in his decade-long career. He said his cumulative experience is the reason for his consistent run.”Just age, getting used to what I’m doing, understanding my game, understanding what I need to do to make runs and bat [for] long periods of time,” Weatherald said.”And just being confident I can do it in any conditions, just believing that I’ve got the right method and sticking to it throughout my innings and not being taken away by the wicket or the situation.”Just being able to lock in and do my thing.”Sangha, 25, was impressed by Weatherald’s preparation and mindset after playing with him for the first time in this series.”He just looks so clear when he’s batting,” Sangha said after the match on Wednesday. “He’s obviously been a strong player and a very talented player for a long time.”He’s well renowned as a guy who really pounces on width and picks up length quite early, and it just looks like he’s made his strengths even stronger, and he’s able to rectify maybe some areas in his game that maybe would have cost him a few more dismissals.”He’s been great to share the change room with and talk about what he’s been doing the last 12 months, and how he’s been going about it. And I think for young guys like an Ollie Peake and even myself, who are always striving for that consistency, to see how diligent he is with his routines, how diligent he is with his preparation.”He just seems like he’s in a really clear space and knows his game so well, and it’s been a pleasure to watch him go about his business this week.”Oliver Peake made his mark in the 50-over and four-day games for Australia A•Getty Images

Meanwhile, there is some excitement building around Peake given he was playing just his second first-class match after making 52 on debut for Victoria in March. He also made 55 not out off 38 balls on List A debut for Australia A in the first 50-over match of Sri Lanka A’s tour in Darwin.Sangha, who himself has experienced the challenge of transitioning from being an Under-19 prodigy to becoming a consistent first-class player, marveled at how well Peake handled himself.”He played really well,” Sangha said after the match. “He’s got so much maturity for a young player, and even just talking to him out in the middle about his plans and how he was approaching his innings, he’s such an exciting talent, and he’s got a really good head on his shoulders.”I think even just off the field, just the way he sort of carries himself, credit to him.”I look back when I was 18, and I was probably nowhere near as emotionally intelligent or mature as he is.”It’s a really, really cool thing to see, and he’s obviously got some really good support around him, and such a down to earth, humble kid.”Peake’s selection for Australia A alongside a group of batters who had earned their call-up through outstanding Shield performances last summer is proof of how highly he is rated by Australia’s selectors. Peake was also taken on the recent Test tour of Sri Lanka as a development player to train with the Test squad.He looms as a likely tourist on Australia A’s tour of India later this year as Australia looks to give some younger players experience in spinning conditions with an eye towards the 2027 Test tour.

Stubbs, who scored 49 from No. 3 on the opening day, says he prefers to bat there “more than anywhere else”

Firdose Moonda22-Nov-20252:42

Is extreme seam movement as difficult to face as extreme spin?

On a day when the shortest Ashes Test in more than a century was completed in Perth, we know that Test cricket can still be a slow burn. Guwahati showed us that.We also know now that the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, which is hosting its first Test, can prepare a pitch worthy of the occasion. Unlike Eden Gardens, where bounce was variable from the outset, this surface has something for everyone and, in particular, seems good for batting.And we know that South Africa did not take full advantage of that. For the first time in Test history, each of the top four scored at least 35 without anyone going on to make 50. Tristan Stubbs, back at No. 3, came closest with 49. Even though he didn’t manage a milestone, we know now that he is batting in the spot he “prefers more than anywhere else”, as he told the broadcasters afterwards. Of all the things we know from today, that could be South Africa’s most significant.Related

• 'Big, strong, strapping' Stubbs to be South Africa's new Test No. 3

• Kuldeep three-for gives India edge on flat pitch

Over his 14-match Test career, Stubbs has been shifted around South Africa’s line-up from No. 3 to No. 7, which he described as “not the easiest” situation to navigate. Even though he was officially given the No. 3 spot last August, he was only there for four and half Tests before it became something of a rotating door with the likes of Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder and Tony de Zorzi all batting there. We know that was necessitated by South Africa having strong top-order batters and that Stubbs’ reputation as a white-ball finisher means he could be moved around. What we didn’t know was how he felt about that. Now we do and we also know that he worked hard to try and make the spot his own.”It’s not the easiest moving around, but whatever the coach asks [I’ll do]. I’m just happy to be in the team,” he said at the post-match press conference. “I’ve worked a lot on my defence. I had to, coming in as a white-ball player and then being asked No. 3, so I grafted hard on the defence. I find that at No. 3 you can afford to be a little bit more defensive, whereas at No. 5 and 6, you have to come in and take the game on a bit earlier.”

“I’ve worked a lot on my defence. I had to, coming in as a white-ball player and then being asked No. 3, so I grafted hard on the defence”

Stubbs described the adjustment he had to make as “not so much technical, but more mental” and said he looked at “tightening my game plan, especially if it’s doing a bit up front and reining in your scoring options.”That explains why Stubbs has been ultra-cautious in the way he has played. Against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, for example, he scored 13 runs off the first 60 balls before going on to finish with 76 off 205. Here, against a more challenging attack, he was 13 off 37 before he trusted his footwork enough to take on Kuldeep Yadav and hit him down the ground for six. That was one of six attacking shots he played in an innings that was characterised by conservativeness.Stubbs spent a lot of time getting on the front foot to block Kuldeep and later on Jasprit Bumrah, whom he kept at bay successfully. In total, 25 of the 32 balls Stubbs faced from Bumrah were dots and only one of them actually beat him. Stubbs was compact, left no gap between bat and pad, and used his feet well. What he didn’t do as much as he might have liked was look for more run-scoring opportunities, partly because India made it too difficult but also because he is still learning about the tempo of a Test innings and he knows that.”You can bat time, but you look up and the scoreboard’s sort of gone nowhere,” Stubbs said. “They bowled quite well, their seamers especially, just kept bowling a straight line to attack the stumps.”Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs added 84 together•AFP/Getty ImagesStill, his 84-run stand with Temba Bavuma is the highest of the series, albeit the slowest of the match, with a run rate of 2.77. But it showed the kind of guidance Stubbs can thrive under if he can bat more with the top order. Bavuma was more proactive than usual, was scoring quicker than Stubbs, and pushed him for singles. At one point, Bavuma called Stubbs through and ran to the danger end himself as he tried to inject energy into the innings. Stubbs has only played 30 first-class matches, almost half of them Tests, so he has not had many opportunities to build big partnerships with someone of the experience of Bavuma, who has 178 first-class caps to his name.Though Stubbs was ultimately frustrated because neither he nor Bavuma could kick on, what he would have learnt in their time together in this match could be both valuable for his development and instructional for South Africa in how they use him going forward. It’s worth saying that South Africa didn’t play another Test for almost 11 months after this and it also can’t be known if Stubbs will still feel the same way about where he wants to bat. So plans could change but this innings feels important for what it showed about Stubbs’ ability.For now, what’s more pressing is what South Africa do with the four days they have left in this series, given that they ceded some of the early advantage. With five of the top six dismissed by a build-up pressure leading to poor shots, Stubbs owned their errors. “All of us had opportunities and no one kicked on, so we can take that on ourselves,” he said. “When you get in, you don’t want to give it away ever and four or five guys got starts. Ideally, you want one, maybe two, to go on to make big hundreds and then at the end of play, we would maybe have been three down. If you ask any of the batters, they’ll take that on themselves. It’s not nice to score 30 or 40.”All South Africa’s specialist batters have been dismissed, all of the XI can contribute with the bat and the current pair, Senuran Muthusamy and Kyle Verreynne, have had success in the subcontinent. Muthusamy has a career-best 89 not out in Pakistan and Verreynne a century in Bangladesh, and Stubbs suspects South Africa will need something significant from them because on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate, as he said, “first innings runs are gold”.

تحدث تشابي ألونسو، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد عن مباراة فريقه أمام نظيره سيلتا فيجو ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

ومن المقرر أن يخوض ريال مدريد مباراته أمام سيلتا فيجو مساء غدٍ، الأحد، ضمن منافسات الجولة الـ 15 من بطولة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.

ويستضيف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة ريال مدريد وسيلتا فيجو في تمام الساعة العاشرة مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة، الحادية عشر بتوقيت مكة المكرمة.

وقال ألونسو في المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بالمباراة والذي نقلته صحيفة “آس”: “أداء ريال مدريد كان جيدًا أمام بلباو، مباراة متكاملة، نأمل أن نجد أنفسنا بمشاعر إيجابية مع استمرار أداء بلباو، هذا ما تحدثنا عنه وعملنا عليه”.

وأكمل: “فالفيردي ظهير أيمن؟ علينا تقييم القرار الذي سنتخذه ولكن هناك خيارات أخرى، فيدي يضع دائمًا احتياجات الفريق في المقام الأول ولطالما لعب بمستوى عالي في هذا المركز ولكن قد تكون هناك خيارات أخرى، سنرى غدًا”.

وتابع: “أتذكر مباريات كان فيها مُتميزًا للغاية، برشلونة، يوفنتوس، نعرف مكانته جيدًا لكنه يُضحي من أجل الفريق جدًا، يُريد مساعدة الفريق والشعار، هو يجسد قيم النادي تمامًا ووجوده شرف حقيقي”.

وأردف: “مباراة بلباو نقطة تحول؟ لقد كانت مباراة جيدة، كما قلت مباراة متكاملة والآن نريد البناء على ذلك، الفوز بمزيد من المباريات والوصول إلى أعلى مركز ممكن في جدول الترتيب لأننا في أبريل ومايو نحتاج إلى أن نكون في المكان المناسب”.

وأوضح: “فينيسيوس؟ إنه في حالة رائعة على الصعيد الشخصي والمهني، يبدو سعيدًا للغاية، من المؤسف أنه لم يسجل أمام أولمبياكوس أو بلباو، لكن عندما تراه يبتسم، فهذا يُنعش الفريق حقًا، من الضروري أن يكون في هذه الحالة الذهنية، نأمل أن يكمل هذه المشاعر بهدف غدًا”.

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واستطرد: “مقارنة مبابي وكريستيانو؟ كيليان في طريقه لصنع التاريخ مع ريال مدريد تمامًا كما فعل كريستيانو، طموحه وأرقامه دليل على ذلك، إنه استثنائي، العمل معه يوميًا رائع، رغبته في التأثير على الآخرين، وطاقته الذي ينشرها بين زملائه، أمور مشتركة بينه وبين كريستيانو، هنا أرى أوجه التشابه بينهما”.

وبسؤاله حول الاختيار بينهما أجاب: “كريستيانو هو كريستيانو، وكيليان هو كيليان، كلاهما استثنائي، نحن محظوظون جدًا بوجود كيليان، وعلينا أن نستغل ذلك على أكمل وجه”.

وعن الإصابات استكمل: “نعمل جاهدين على إعادة تأهيل العديد منهم في أسرع وقت ممكن، ستكون هناك أخبار سارة على المدى القريب، هذه مراحل علينا التعايش معها، هدفنا هو عكس هذا الوضع بأسرع وقت ممكن ومنافسة ما لدينا”.

وعن جولر كشف: “يتمتع بالقدرة على اللعب في مستويات مختلفة، وممارسة درجات متفاوتة من التأثير حسب احتياجات الفريق، يجيد تنظيم اللعب وتمرير التمريرات الحاسمة بل ويصل حتى إلى منطقة الجزاء متأخرًا، يتكيف مع الظروف المحيطة به، هذه الموهبة تعطي مرونة على تكتيكات الفريق لكنه يتطور بسرعة وعلينا الاستثمار فيه كما ذكرت في كأس العالم لأنه استثنائي”.

واسترسل: “مفتاح تحسن الفريق؟ خضنا ثلاث مباريات دون فوز ولم نكن فيها على المستوى المطلوب، سواءً بالكرة أو بدونها لكن الثبات هو الفارق، بغض النظر عن أسلوب الخصم”.

وأكد: “مستقبلي؟ أنا بخير، شكرًا لك (للصحفي) أعرف وضعي جيدًا وأعرف متطلبات النادي، وأنني بحاجة إلى الهدوء اللازم للتركيز على ما هو أساسي، أن أكون ناقدًا لنفسي ولكن دون أن ألوم نفسي”.

وأتم حول لعب ميليتاو في مركز الظهير الأيمن: “إنه خيار من ضمن الخيارات المتاحة، علينا أن نرى ما لدينا في قلب الدفاع، أعتقد أنه كان ضد السنغال لعب كظهير أيمن مع البرازيل وقدم أداءً رائعًا، لديه هذه الموهبة، يُذكرني قليلًا بـ بيبي، كان تنافسيًا وكنت تعلم أنه أينما لعب، سيكون تنافسيًا، أينما كانت هناك حاجة لميليتاو، سيكون حاضرًا”.