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ECB chief executive says the sport cannot rely on its traditional audience forever

Andrew Miller14-Jan-2019The future of cricket in England and Wales depends on its ability to reach out to people and communities that have never previously considered the sport was for them, according to Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, at the unveiling of the board’s strategic plan for 2020-24.Speaking at the launch of “Inspiring Generations”, a 35-page document that places youth participation and a diversification of the sport’s traditional fanbase at the heart of the ECB’s strategy for the coming five years, Harrison also insisted that it was a “myth” that The Hundred, the proposed new competition and the source of significant disquiet among cricket’s traditionalists, has been designed solely with that new audience in mind.”The new competition is designed to appeal to cricket fans,” Harrison said, an assertion that sought to reframe the ECB’s message of the past 12 months – in the wake of statements from the likes of Andrew Strauss, the former director of England cricket, who had said it was aimed at “mums and kids”, and Eoin Morgan, England’s one-day captain, who claimed that the point of the product was to “upset people that already come to a game”.Mistakes had been made in the ECB’s unveiling of the new competition, said Harrison, but he believes that now was the time for the game to “come together” for the greater good.”[The competition] addresses three key principles: time, complexity and the perceptions of cricket that are out there,” he said. “It is designed to do a certain job for a certain period of the season. The bottom line is that growth over the next few years is fundamentally important to us as a game. You cannot keep relying on the same audience … the world is changing quickly. Success in five years’ time will be people saying ‘cricket is a game for me’.”A huge amount of the ECB’s strategy remains to be finalised in the coming 12 months, not least the sign-off for The Hundred itself, which is expected to be sent out to the 18 first-class counties in the coming days.As yet, there are no confirmed teams or sponsors for the competition either, and while Harrison remains adamant that the best players in the world will be attracted to take part when it is finally launched, India’s captain, Virat Kohli, is already a notable sceptic.Harrison, however, was at pains to point out that, in the scope of the ECB’s five-year plan, the new competition forms just one of 26 activities across six priorities for growth – ranging from a greater focus on women’s and girls’ cricket to the use of the 39 existing county teams (first-class and minor alike) as “delivery networks” to improve the links between the professional and recreational game.Tom Harrison•Getty Images”It’s a strategy with six key focuses, it sets a clear ambition for the game,” said Harrison. “We want cricket to grow, but we want to rely on our existing infrastructures, on existing assets. The new competition is just one of those tactical approaches. But so is digital investment. So is our women’s and girls’ strategy. These are the areas we can make a difference and grow.”The Hundred’s greatest significance, however, may lie in what Harrison believes it has already achieved for the sport – namely luring the BBC back to the table as free-to-air broadcast partners, and persuading Sky Sports to part with the bulk of the £1.1 billion of the last rights deal – a sum of money which transformed the relationship between board and broadcaster from merely transactional to a full-blown strategic partnership.”Before a ball is bowled, The Hundred is a profitable venture,” said Harrison, who confirmed an operational budget for the tournament of £180 million across five years. “We would not be on free-to-air TV without the new competition. We would not have the premium in the new rights process if The Hundred hadn’t been there. It’s not an afterthought.”It’s really, really important that we demonstrate as a major sport in this country that we have the capacity to grow, and the intention to grow, and the ambition. It’s also good for business. We think we can do that, Sky agree with us, and they are helping us with that because ultimately it’s good for their business too. And the same goes for BBC. In terms of scale and reach, it’s a powerful combination that we haven’t been able to talk about before.”The full details of how Sky’s involvement will manifest itself from 2020 onwards will be revealed in due course. However, having spoken in the past of the transformative effects of the Sky Ride programme on participation in cycling, Harrison added that the broadcaster had committed a sum of £50 million to attracting a new audience and perpetuating the value of their investment. One benefit that is already in the offing is the distribution of free subscriptions to registered cricket clubs, potentially in time for this year’s World Cup.Another key priority for the coming five years is to shed the perception that cricket is a sport for the moneyed middle classes. The vast majority of England’s current Test team were privately educated, while the ECB’s extensive research – dotted throughout “Inspiring Generations” – shows that more than 80% of the sport’s current spectators are white and male, with an average age of 50.”There’s a lot more that we can do to make cricket more open to communities that haven’t felt part of it in the past,” Harrison said. “We need to shed that tag of elitism and privilege that we carry around with us. We don’t believe it’s good enough, for example, for us to be in only 22% of schools. We’ve got to do more.”The alternative to embracing a vision of concerted collective action, says Harrison, is unpalatable.”If we didn’t do all of that, I think we might be managing decline,” he said. “I fundamentally believe we can mean more to more people. And I fundamentally believe in the power of cricket to do amazing things. A powerful sport in terms of what it can mean to people. It connects communities, inspires people, and it can change your life. That’s the purpose statement that sits behind the whole strategy.”

George Dobell in St Lucia02-Mar-2019It looked like a goodbye. And, as Chris Gayle reflected on his remarkable ODI series against England, it started to sound like one as well.Gayle had just rounded off his incredible series – 424 runs in four innings at a strike-rate of 134.17 – with an innings of 77 in 27 balls that included the fastest half-century (19 deliveries) by a West Indies batsman in the history of this format. He hit 39 sixes from the 316 balls he faced in the series – a record in either series or tournaments of any length – meaning he hit, incredible though it sounds, every 8.10 balls he faced for six.And while he said, only days ago, he could yet be persuaded to extend his career beyond the World Cup, as he walked off here – turning to salute all corners of the ground – it looked pretty clear that he would not be back.”This is my last ODI series in the Caribbean,” he said. “So I was giving the fans a nice wave. Right through the tournament they have been superb from both sides: West Indies and England sides. It would be nice if it was in Jamaica, but the crowds have been fantastic.”It’s been an honour to wear the crest and entertain the people around the Caribbean. West Indies is No. 1. This is the best achievement you can have in the Caribbean as a cricketer. This is the best thing, to be honest with you.”It hasn’t always seemed that way. When he flew into London from the IPL 48 hours ahead of the Test series against England in 2009 – he was captain at the time – it seemed representing the region’s team was getting in the way of his T20 career. Equally, when he was alleged to have been seen in the party stand not long his side had been defeated by England in 2004, when he was embroiled in a long-running stand-off with the board, or castigating the selectors for their failure to pick Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard for the 2015 World Cup it didn’t always appear that West Indies was his top priority. But, he might argue, it was partly because he cared so much that he felt the need to push back against the administrators. If he didn’t care about West Indies, why would he argue for Bravo and Pollard? If he didn’t care about West Indies, why would his omission from the team to play Pakistan in two ODIs in 2011 have rankled so long?And, if he didn’t care, how has he played until he was 39 and when, at times, he has clearly been struggling with injury? And, if it sometimes seemed he had an eye on the T20 dollar, well, why shouldn’t he? The history of cricket is full of episodes when players have been chastised for trying to increase their earning opportunities. On nearly every occasion – the rebel tours perhaps offering the greatest exception – history has vindicated them. Gayle has played 100 Tests and nearly 300 ODIs. He could have limited himself to the T20 circuit years ago if he wasn’t committed to West Indies cricket.While Gayle rebuffed the suggestion he is in the form of his life – “My better ODI form was in India when Carl Hooper was captain,” he says, “I made three centuries in that series and I made two here” – he accepted he might never have played better in a home series.”I’m thankful for the form,” he said. “I wasn’t getting any runs in the T20 tournaments I was playing. When you get a chance to score runs, make sure you score heavy. But it’s the best [I’ve played] in my home conditions and I’m happy and grateful for that.”I’m not surprised by how well I’ve done. Or the number of sixes. Sixes come along. It’s just natural, to be honest. In T20s I score a lot of sixes as well, but this is the first time in an ODI series. To hit 39 sixes aged 39: it’s fantastic from a personal point of view.”But my mindset is that, even when I’m 60, I’ll still think I can do it. I’ll still think I can score runs against the best bowlers in the world. That will never change. It’s just the body which is always the worrying part for me.”It sounds as if he still enjoys it, doesn’t it? And you can tell, it’ll be a wrench to leave. And maybe, just maybe, he is keeping the door open a crack.”You’ll just have to wait and see,” he says. “There’s still a long way to go. Let’s just carry on with life.”West Indies cricket will miss Chris Gayle. World cricket, even. And, it seems, he’ll miss it a little more than it sometimes appeared.

South Africa’s veteran spinner will be hoping to kickstart their World Cup against Bangladesh, whether he opens the bowling or not

Andrew Miller at The Oval01-Jun-2019Imran Tahir’s solipsistic wicket rampages are not everybody’s cup of tea. Some might argue, with justification, that in a team sport such as cricket, the direction of travel in that moment of exquisite release after the snaring of an opposition batsman ought to be towards one’s team-mates (including the chap who has often just held a catch for you) rather than towards the most sparsely populated corner of the outfield.But then Tahir’s career has been uniquely reliant on his own sense of direction – whether that means emigrating from his native Pakistan for the love of a good woman (as he did in the wake of the 1998 Under-19 World Cup in South Africa), or making his international debut for that newly adopted country at the age of 31, and at the 2011 World Cup in India to boot.So you could forgive him his glee on Thursday morning, when he conjured up South Africa’s undoubted highlight of an otherwise chastening tournament opener against England. Not content with becoming the first spinner (the first non-right-arm seamer, in fact) to bowl the opening delivery of a World Cup, he followed that up, one ball later, by stopping the previously rampant Jonny Bairstow dead in his tracks for a first-ball duck.ALSO READ: Kagiso Rabada TCM interviewAnd so, while the wider focus for South Africa has to be on those inevitable early frissons of anxiety that only World Cup campaigns can cause, Tahir could be excused for taking a moment on the eve of the game to pause, to take stock, and to reflect on the prospect, unthinkable a decade ago, of playing in his 100th ODI.”It feels really special,” Tahir said. “It’s been an amazing journey. I always dreamt that, but I never thought I will be here one day playing my 100th game for South Africa. It’s an absolute honour and privilege, being given the opportunity by the lovely people from South Africa.”I’m just really grateful to everybody, and I hope that from myself, that I give everything that I could for the country.”While he has clearly been living the dream for the past decade (and a pretty wild one at that, given that it began with him providing for his siblings by packing bags in a retail store in Lahore), Tahir knows that he is nearer the end than the beginning.He turned 40 back in March, and at some stage in the course of the ten fixtures still available to South Africa in this tournament, he will call time on the 50-over leg of his international career at the very least. The World T20 in 2020 remains a plausible postscript for a player who will be returning to The Oval immediately after the World Cup to play for Surrey (his eighth county) in the T20 Blast.”Obviously, if I look back, I’m really proud of myself,” he said. “I’m the guy who come through a lot of hard patches, I’ve seen a lot of hardships. I lost my parents without them seeing me play international cricket. So these things are really special to me, and for my family.”I have not seen my brothers or sisters in the last two years, so this country that I’m representing and every game I’m playing for is really important to me, and I’m really proud. I’m just really grateful to my family. They understand that, you know, I’m away from them, but there is an important reason for that.”Indeed there is. For all the talk of how the round-robin format of the 2019 World Cup can be forgiving to sides who make a slow start to the tournament, South Africa’s itinerary is proof that there will be jeopardy at every step of the group stages. Defeat against Bangladesh – Champions Trophy semi-finalists and recent tri-series winners in Ireland – would leave them excruciatingly placed going into India’s opening match in Southampton on Wednesday.”Look, there is always a pressure if you play every game and especially when you are representing your country,” said Tahir. “But you can take the pressure positively or negatively, and we are very positive. We have been beaten by a very good England team who has been dominating world cricket for a year or so, but we are going to learn from our mistakes.”Imran Tahir celebrates Jonny Bairstow’s dismissal•AFPThose mistakes, for the most part, were made by the batsmen whom Tahir admitted had allowed themselves to be rushed in the run-chase. Broadly speaking, their bowlers and fielders were exonerated after limiting England to a daunting but obtainable 311 for 9 – and Tahir was a key factor in that performance, thanks to that initial impact and the overall energy of his two-wicket display.”I am the kind of guy who likes challenges and I like to think that my captain [Faf du Plessis] can give me a ball in any situation and I will be the first guy to say yes,” he said. “It was a plan which I had been working on for the last year or so, so I think we knew that it was going to be pretty much a shock for everybody.”It was a great challenge, bowling against two top players in world cricket who have been in form, and we were really pleased as a team with the way it came out.”The same strip will be in use for the Bangladesh match, which may tempt South Africa into a repeat performance (not that the man himself would be drawn). But whenever he enters the fray, you can be sure that further crucial breakthroughs will cause his team-mates to gravitate towards him once again … wherever in the outfield his cavorting may carry him.”I always look for one thing, and that’s hard work and to never give up,” Tahir said. “I know I’m the oldest guy on the team, which I’m really proud of, because playing on this team, you need to be very fit.”I’m really enjoying my cricket. I’m enjoying my team-mates. I just hope as a team we have a great World Cup, like how we thought before we came to England.”

St Lucia Zouks picked up their first points in three games after persistent rain washed out their contest against Trinbago Knight Riders

The Report by Varun Shetty22-Sep-2019No result
St Lucia Zouks picked up their first points in three games after persistent rain washed out their match against Trinbago Knight Riders. The venue had copped heavy rain before the match, and, although the game started on time and in good conditions, one spell of rain 12.2 overs into the Zouks innings put a stop to proceedings. Zouks now have three points in six games, and continue to be fifth on the table with four games to go. Immediately above them are Barbados Tridents with four points in four matches.Knight Riders had put Zouks in and dismissed both their openers inside the Powerplay. Andre Fletcher had a leg-side delivery stop on him as he flicked aerially to deep square leg. John Campbell, who came into the XI and replaced Rahkeem Cornwall in the opening slot, looked patchy until he drove uppishly against Jimmy Neesham, who plucked a one-handed reaction catch to his right in his follow-through.The experience of Colin Ingram and Colin de Grandhomme brought stability – and flair – to the innings, with both batsmen getting themselves in during a 51-run stand. Ingram, in particular, was impressive, gauging the pace of the pitch early in his innings and barely offering a chance as he got to 52 off 34. He was unbeaten when Cornwall top-edged to short third man a minute before the covers came on.

The proposed plan involves a total of 22 matches, with a maximum of five overseas players in each XI

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Oct-2022The long-awaited women’s IPL is set to become a reality next year with the BCCI planning a five-team tournament for March 2023, immediately after the Women’s T20 World Cup ends in South Africa on February 26.The BCCI’s proposed plan involves a total of 22 matches, with each squad comprising 18 players with a maximum of six from overseas. No more than five overseas players can feature in a playing XI, with four from Full Member countries and one from an Associate nation.As per the plan, which the BCCI sent on Thursday to state associations and which has been seen by ESPNcricinfo, each team will play the others twice during the league phase (20 matches), with the league topper heading straight to the final. The second finalist will be decided via an Eliminator between the second and third-ranked teams from the league phase. The BCCI is yet to finalise the schedule of the WIPL, but it will be wrapped up before the men’s IPL begins, which is likely to be at the end of March.Whether the March window has been pencilled in for the long term remains to be seen, but the BCCI said in a paper on the WIPL that it has identified a “clear 25 days Women’s IPL window in the FTP cycle”. The inaugural WIPL is likely to clash with the inaugural season of the Women’s Pakistan Super League.”It will be a challenge to play the WIPL in the home and away format, because with five to six teams it is not possible to have a match every day,” the BCCI said in its paper on the WIPL, which was sent to the states as part of the wider agenda for the board’s annual general meeting scheduled in Mumbai on October 18. “It is suggested that the tournament can be played in caravan style, where after finishing ten matches at one venue, the next ten matches to be played at the next venue. Therefore, ten matches each to be played across two venues in the 2023 WIPL season, ten each in the next two venues in the 2024 season, and for the 2025 season ten matches in the remaining one venue and the remaining ten in one of the venues from 2023 season.”Where will the teams be from?
Unlike the Women’s T20 challenge, the precursor to the WIPL, where the teams were assembled randomly, the BCCI will sell the five franchises. However, unlike the men’s IPL, where franchises bid for teams in a particular city, the BCCI has chalked out two plans for the WIPL. The first one comprises selling teams across six zones spanning the country. A set of cities in each zone has been shortlisted and comprises: Dharamsala/Jammu (North zone), Pune/Rajkot (West), Indore/Nagpur/Raipur (Central), Ranchi/Cuttack (East), Kochi/Visakhapatnam (South) and Guwahati (North-East).The second plan involves teams being sold but without a solid home base, with matches to be played at six shortlisted IPL venues: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Kolkata and Mumbai.The BCCI will present the WIPL plan at the AGM next week but a final decision will be taken by the IPL Governing Council chairman – who that is will be decided at the upcoming AGM – along with the BCCI office bearers.Exponential growth in participation – the reason behind WIPL
Women’s cricket in India became a big talking point ever since they reached the final of the ODI World Cup in 2017 at Lord’s, where they lost to England in front of a full house. In 2018, the BCCI launched the Women’s T20 Challenge, but it was restricted to just one match. Over the next three years, it expanded to a three-team competition. Voices across women’s cricket, both in India and globally, were critical of BCCI’s reluctance to launch a women’s IPL at the time.The board and several state associations were originally concerned by the shallow player pool in women’s cricket, but those reservations have gradually receded now.”With the rise in popularity of women’s cricket in the country mainly due to prominent performances by the Indian Senior Cricket team on world stage by qualifying for semi-finals in 2018 T20 World Cup, finals in 2020 T20 World Cup, securing silver medal in recently held 2022 Commonwealth games in Birmingham, we intend to conduct the Women’s IPL on similar lines with the Indian Premier League,” the BCCI said in its paper on WIPL.The growth on the domestic front was massive with the paper listing “an overall increase of 111% in participation of players along various categories” in the eight-year period between 2014-22. A further breakdown listed the number increasing by 129% in the senior women’s category and a 92% increase in the Under-19 category.The WIPL – and the proposed WPSL – will join the FairBreak Invitational, the Women’s Hundred, WCPL and WBBL as T20 leagues that bolster the popularity and growth of women’s cricket globally. The WIPL paper also noted that the BCCI had studied both the WBBL and the Women’s Hundred models before finalising its plan.

It’s understood his vision did not align with that of head coach Justin Langer and team owner Sanjeev Goenka

Nagraj Gollapudi18-Sep-20256:17

‘Zaheer’s vision wasn’t bought by LSG leadership group’

Lucknow Super Giants’ team mentor Zaheer Khan has parted ways with the franchise after just one season. ESPNcricinfo has learned Zaheer informed LSG of his decision on Thursday.It is understood that the primary reason for Zaheer quitting is that his vision for the franchise did not align with that of head coach Justin Langer and team owner Sanjeev Goenka. While Zaheer’s relationship with captain Rishabh Pant remained strong, he was affected by the thought process that played a role in LSG sliding down the points table in the second half of IPL 2025.Zaheer had joined LSG in August 2024, filling the vacancy left by Gautam Gambhir’s exit after IPL 2023. Zaheer had been with Mumbai Indians from 2018 to 2022 and agreed to a two-year contract with LSG, taking charge of scouting, planning and strategy.Related

Zaheer: Looked like it was Punjab curator at our home game

Bharat Arun named LSG bowling coach

After making the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons in 2022 and 2023, LSG did not reach the knockouts in the last two seasons. In 2025, they finished seventh with six wins from 14 games. It was a season of contrasting halves: LSG had five wins in their first eight matches but only one in the last six. Of the eight games they played at their home ground, the Ekana Stadium, they won only two.LSG had made headlines at last year’s mega auction when they bought Pant for INR 27 crore (USD 3.2 million approx.), making him the most expensive player ever in the IPL. The team was built around him, but Zaheer put in place building blocks he felt were needed to grow stronger every season. Despite there being a lot of chatter about Pant opening the batting, Zaheer spoke to the wicketkeeper-batter early on and told him that the better strategy would be for Mitchell Marsh to open with Aiden Markram. That strategy, Zaheer impressed on both Pant and the leadership group, would reduce the burden on their best batter, Nicholas Pooran, who was the No. 3.The role clarity allowed the batters to play with freedom and perform consistently. Markram had never opened in the IPL before, while Marsh, despite having been in the IPL for more than a decade, had never made a major impact. The move worked: Marsh was the fifth highest run-getter in IPL 2025 with 627 runs at a strike rate of 163.70, Pooran made 524 runs at 196.25, and Markram 445 at 148.82.

Nottingham Forest are at the beginning of life under Ange Postecoglou, but results haven’t gone to plan since the Australian boss arrived at the City Ground.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s departure paved the way for Postecoglou to enter the hotseat in the East Midlands, though it is fair to say his tenure has yielded mixed reviews as he awaits a first victory in charge.

Back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Swansea City were followed by consecutive draws against Burnley and Real Betis, before Forest endured a frustrating loss against Sunderland last weekend despite creating a host of chances.

Urging patience, Postecoglou shared frustration at his side not being able to dispose of the Black Cats, albeit he did acknowledge his side were more than a match for their opponents in terms of their performance.

He stated: “Frustrating. Disappointing. It’s another game we have allowed to get away from us, where really we should be very comfortably overcoming (Sunderland). I didn’t think there was anything in it (free-kick decision). Irrespective, even if the referee has made an absolute high howler, we can still deal with the free-kick better. What we did after that is more of a concern to me than the decision.”

While Nottingham Forest’s frustration at the officials was reflected by Neco Williams, they do have plenty to build on; it isn’t as if they’ve been blown away by their opposition in any of their last four matches, excluding their defeat at Arsenal.

Ange Postecoglou’s frustrating start

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Swansea City 3-2 Nottingham Forest

Burnley 1-1 Nottingham Forest

Real Betis 2-2 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest 0-1 Sunderland

Either way, people will already begin to form judgements, with many still fresh from memories of Postecoglou’s rollercoaster season with Tottenham Hotspur last term, ending the year with the Europa League trophy and a 17th-placed Premier League finish.

Tim Howard launches scathing Postecoglou verdict

Speaking to Premier League Productions, former United States and Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has hit out at Postecoglou, claiming his methods lack pragmatism even if they are easy on the eye.

He stated: “I’m so sick and tired of these coaches saying, ‘This is the way I play, and I’ll lose my job, but I’ll play this way.’ No, you have to be pragmatic. You have to dig in. Yes, they use the football well and yes, they play well. But did you see that (Sunderland) performance? They were willing to dig in, every single one of them. That’s how you get results, and it shows.”

Collymore believes Nottingham Forest star is "finally" living up to the hype

One Nottingham Forest star found himself at the centre of Stan Collymore’s praise.

ByTom Cunningham Sep 25, 2025

Truthfully, there are two contexts to view Nottingham Forest’s situation in. On one hand, they have been unlucky not to claim more from their first five matches under Postecoglou, but a soft underbelly has no place in a side trying to claim Premier League points.

The Australian is known for his firebrand style of football, so fans will have to be encouraged by the flashes of what they’ve seen – particularly in Seville – and simply buckle up and enjoy the ride.

Germany needed only to avoid defeat to guarantee their 2026 World Cup spot when they faced Slovakia at the Red Bull Arena on Monday night. Following a sub-par campaign, which included a 2-0 loss in Slovakia back in September, Die Mannschaft booked their trip stateside in fine fashion as Julian Nagelsmann's side slaughtered the Falcons, easing to a 6-0 victory.

AFPTell me more

Germany looked to settle early nerves and it was the home side who forged the first half-chance with just three minutes on the clock, with Florian Wirtz's cross headed over Serge Gnabry. Wirtz himself then fired over from inside the Slovakia box, before the dominant hosts found the breakthrough in the 18th minute as in-form Newcastle striker Nick Woltemade headed Germany.

Midway through the first half, and Germany were two goals to the good through Gnabry, latching onto a perfectly weighted Leon Goretzka pass. And the match as a contest was settled 10 minutes before the break as Leroy Sane scored his first and Germany's third – Wirtz played a superb ball over the high Slovakia defensive line for Sane. Wirtz and Sane linked up again for Germany's fourth as the former picked out the latter at the back post in a rampant opening 45 minutes.

The hosts added a fifth midway through the second half. Ridle Baku replaced captain Kimmich in the 64th minute and made no mistake from close range having been teed up by Gnabry to score his second international goal of his career. Dubravka did all he could to keep the scoreline somewhat respectable as he palmed away a low Goretzka drive in the 73rd minute. But he failed to keep out Assan Ouedraogo's deflected effort as the teenager became the second youngest scorer for the Germany national team a little over a minute after his second half introduction.

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Having struggled at club level and come in for criticism for a series of sub-par displays following his Liverpool move, Florian Wirtz showcased just why the Reds spent big to secure his services over the summer. Wirtz was a creative force in Leipzig as he tore the Slovakia backline to shreds, linking up superbly with Leroy Sane on the opposite flank. Liverpool fans will be hoping he can transfer this flying Germany form to club level when domestic duties return this weekend.

The big loser

The experienced head in the Slovakia backline, Milan Skriniar looked anything but. The 30-year-old won't want to remember Monday's showing in Leipzig in a hurry. Indeed, Skriniar was at fault for Leroy Sane's second and Germany's fourth in a pitiful performance from the former Inter and PSG man.

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Getty Images SportMatch rating (out of five): ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is pleased to 'put pressure' on their arch-rivals Real Madrid after a dominant win against Celta Vigo, featuring a strong yet explosive performance of Robert Lewandowski's hat-trick. However, Flick bemoans the "incredible" suspension of key Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who will miss the next fixture against Athletic Club after the international break.

Barcelona's character shines in Balaidos victory

Celebrating his 50th La Liga game in charge, Flick's side demonstrated a potent attacking display as they ran out 4-2 winners to cut the gap on league leaders Madrid to three points. The match saw three goals from Lewandowski and one more from Pedri for Barcelona, while Celta threatened with strikes from Iago Aspas and Jorgen Strand Larsen.

The win, which came with eight shots on target from 20 attempts, showcased Barcelona's attacking prowess, contrasting with Celta's four shots on target from six attempts. Despite conceding two goals, Barcelona's control in the second period was evident, maintaining 63% possession and achieving 95% pass accuracy.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFlick's focus on continued pressure on Real Madrid

Speaking after the match, Flick said: "Yes, of course, I'm happy. I think we made more mistakes in the first half than in the second. In the first half we were very good with the ball, and in the second half the team knew how to control the game.

"In football, the previous match doesn't matter, you always have to look ahead to the next one, but it's good to put pressure on the team above us. The second half gives us confidence. I'm happy for the team."

The Barcelona coach highlighted the strategic significance of the result, especially heading into the international break. "Pushing pressure on the opponent is good, we did it and I’m happy. Winning before the international break is also very good. I feel happy. We had to look out for ourselves and we applied the pressure well today." 

This result positions Barcelona on 28 points, three behind Real Madrid's 31, with both teams having played 12 matches.

Lewandowski's hat-trick sparks goalscoring resurgence

The undeniable star of the evening was veteran striker Lewandowski, who netted a hat-trick to take his La Liga tally to seven goals. The Polish international, in his fifth start, demonstrated his enduring quality despite being 37 years old. Flick expressed confidence in Lewandowski's form, avoiding speculation about his future beyond the current season.

"It’s too early to talk about Lewandowski’s next season. I can say that after his injury, I saw a different Robert, positive, confident. It’s very important for us that he scored three goals," Flick commented, acknowledging the striker's strong return to form. This performance is a significant boost for Barcelona's title aspirations, providing the cutting edge in attack they need to challenge Real Madrid.

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De Jong suspension a blow for Barcelona

While celebrating the victory, Flick voiced regret over the suspension of key midfielder Frenkie de Jong. The Dutchman received two yellow cards during the match, resulting in a red card in the fifth minute of stoppage time, and will now miss Barcelona's next league fixture against Athletic Club. De Jong's absence will be keenly felt, given his crucial role.

"I think De Jong controlled the game and is very important for us," Flick noted. "He’s playing at an incredible level. It’s not good that he’ll miss the next game because he’s important for us, but we’ll have to manage it. When we return from the break, I hope to have Pedri, Raphinha, and Joan [Garcia] available. We’ll see."

De Jong’s influence on possession and pass accuracy is considerable, and his ability to dictate the tempo of games is vital for Barcelona. His suspension comes at a challenging time, especially with the team striving to maintain pressure on the league leaders.

A free agent who has already proven himself in the Premier League earlier in his career could now be willing to make the move to Everton.

Garner reveals Everton's change in mentality

The Blues have won three of their opening three league games this season, with the early signs suggesting that positive times lie ahead under David Moyes.

Midfielder James Garner has impressed in the opening weeks of the campaign, scoring in the 2-0 win at home to Brighton, and he has spoken about a shift in mentality that has taken place at Everton under their manager.

“He said to us on day one that he’s not come here to take over a team that’s fighting against relegation – he said it again on day one of pre-season. He sets high standards and we know where we want to be.

“We’ve got a few more faces in over the summer and with the quality we have in the squad now, we all agree with the manager – if you want to achieve big things, then you’ve got to set your standards and your goals high. I think you can see it in us. There is a mentality shift. We’re playing with more confidence, going into games thinking how we are going to take all three points, it’s not just surviving.

“We’ve done that in these first few games. Obviously, the first game [against Leeds] felt like a blip, I don’t think we played well, but we’ve responded and now the aim is to keep building momentum. We want to keep winning and keep that winning mentality – that was the message in the changing room amongst all of us after the Wolves game.”

While Everton’s improvements this season are clear, it is also important that further quality is added to the squad, and they have now been linked with a move for a free agent.

"Brilliant" free agent could be keen on joining Everton

Speaking to Goodison News, former Toffees scout Bryan King talked up the idea of Everton signing left-back Sergio Reguilon on a free transfer, who could be “willing” to move to Merseyside.

“He’s a free transfer, so it would certainly be an option to look at. They’re a bit stretched across the whole defence at the moment, with Branthwaite’s injury concerns. I would imagine that Reguilon would be more than willing to go and join a club like Everton. It seems like Everton are moving in a forward direction, instead of being in a relegation fight.”

Reguilon could be a shrewd signing for Everton, especially with Vitalii Mykolenko picking up an injury prior to the international break, with the 28-year-old an experienced player.

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The Spaniard actually scored against the Blues for Tottenham in a 5-0 win back in 2021/22, and he has 81 Premier League appearances to his name.

Reguilon was once hailed as “brilliant” by Noel Whelan, and he could bring a good mix of defensive solidity and attacking thrust to Everton’s team, with a return to English football potentially appealing to him as he searches for a new club.