Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini suggested he's ready to quit after receiving furious backlash for "worst penalty taker" dig at Ademola Lookman.
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Lookman missed from the spot against Brugge
Gasperini openly criticised the striker's penalty skills
Manager says comments were not meant to offend
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The penalty incident occurred during Atalanta’s 3-1 second-leg Champions League play-off defeat to Club Brugge. Lookman, who had just pulled a goal back for his team after coming on as a second-half substitute, had the opportunity to further close the gap from 12 yards but his effort was denied by former Liverpool and Sunderland goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, extinguishing any hopes of a dramatic comeback.
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In his post-match comments, Gasperini did not hold back in his criticism of the Nigerian international, making it clear that Lookman had no business taking the crucial spot-kick.
"Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I've ever seen," the Italian manager told reporters.
"He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them. Retegui and De Ketelaere were there, but Lookman in a moment of enthusiasm after scoring decided to take the ball and that was a gesture I did not appreciate at all."
Following Gasperini’s remarks, Lookman took to Instagram to express his disappointment, describing the criticism as both "deeply disrespectful" and personally hurtful. His response resonated with fans and pundits alike, many of whom questioned why the manager chose to publicly attack his player instead of addressing the issue internally.
WHAT GASPERINI SAID
As the controversy continued to dominate headlines, Gasperini addressed the situation in a press conference on Saturday. While he acknowledged the impact of his words, he insisted that his intention was not to insult Lookman.
"It had an extraordinary impact, everything that came afterwards… mine was not meant to be an offensive sentence," Gasperini said.
"Yesterday in Udinese-Lecce we had what could have been a drama, luckily there were guys who let it go. I would have liked a strong player like Lookman to have made a gesture towards [Charles] De Ketelaere saying: 'Come on keep the ball, put it in'.
"He can become a penalty taker, that would be an additional goal-scoring ability… I always speak in front of the whole team, it has never touched the club. He felt offended, I didn't want to offend anyone."
Getty Images Sport
WHAT NEXT FOR ATALANTA?
Amid his efforts to downplay the controversy, Gasperini has been busy preparing his troops for a crucial match against Empoli on Sunday. They remain in contention for the Serie A title, sitting third in the league table, just five points behind leaders Napoli and another victory over the weekend will be a major boost to keep their championship ambitions alive.
Celtic head into the final international break of the year on a high after they beat Kilmarnock 2-0 away from home in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.
The Hoops needed to claim all three points to move back to the top of the table, after Aberdeen’s win over Dundee on Saturday, and that is exactly what they did.
Callum McGregor opened the scoring for the away side in the first half when his attempted cross evaded everyone, including Robby McCrorie, and found the bottom corner.
Nicolas Kuhn then made it 2-0 in the second half with a burst down the right flank that resulted in him being able to confidently place the ball into the back of the net from a tight angle on his left foot.
The German forward has already recorded a double-double for goals and assists in all competitions this season, with ten goals and 11 assists in 17 appearances for Celtic.
He has emerged as a superstar within Brendan Rodgers’ team and came up with another big moment against Kilmarnock to seal all three points on Sunday.
One player who did struggle at the weekend at times, however, was central defender Liam Scales, who came in for the injured Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Liam Scales' performance in numbers
The Ireland international was drafted back into the team after an injury to the American defender and played alongside Auston Trusty, who was shifted over to the right centre-back role, at the back for Celtic.
Scales was partially at fault for the huge early chance that was missed by Kilmarnock forward Marley Watkins, after he stepped out of defence to get tight to his man, only for Watkins to run into the space that he left behind to go one-on-one with Kasper Schmeichel.
Thankfully, for Celtic and the Irish defender, the former Norwich City and Bristol City marksman could only fire his shot off the post and wide, instead of taking advantage of the opportunity that was created by the centre-back’s poor decision.
Liam Scales in action for Celtic.
Scales, who made another error that directly led to a shot, did not do enough to protect his goalkeeper, who had to make six saves to preserve his clean sheet.
The left-footed dud did win ten of his 12 aerial duels throughout the match, which shows that he was dominant in the air, but did not get close enough to Kilmarnock’s attackers on the deck, winning just one ground duel as the hosts had 18 shots and created two ‘big chances’.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
He was far from the only poor performer on the pitch for the Scottish giants, however, as centre-forward Adam Idah was even worse than the former Aberdeen loanee.
Adam Idah's performance against Kilmarnock in numbers
The 6 foot 3 striker was handed just his third start in the Premiership this season and it was a huge opportunity for him to show Rodgers that he deserves more minutes on the pitch moving forward.
Kyogo Furuhashi has missed a whopping 12 ‘big chances’ and only scored four goals in 11 appearances in the division this term, which shows that the Japanese forward can lose his place in the starting XI.
However, Idah needs to step up when chances to impress come his way and that was not the case in a poor showing against Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Playing on an artificial pitch is never ideal, of course, but the summer signing from Norwich City did not adjust to it and struggled badly throughout the game.
Minutes played
63
Shots
2
Big chances missed
1
Pass accuracy
71%
Duels lost
8/11 (73%)
As you can see in the table above, Idah was loose with his passing and failed to hold his own in physical duels against the Kilmarnock defenders.
The 23-year-old lightweight also missed a ‘big chance’ to open the scoring early on, when he could not sort his feet out in time to get a clean connection on a cross from Daizen Maeda from close range.
Idah also failed to connect with two brilliant crosses into the box, from Kuhn and McGregor, although the second one went all the way in anyway from the skipper.
The ex-Canaries ace, who lost possession a whopping 18 times from 41 touches, did create a ‘big chance’ for Kuhn that did not register in an assist but his all-round play, with his struggles in front of goal and in duels, was even worse than Scales’.
Why Adam Idah should be dropped
Rodgers must now instantly bin the Ireland international from the starting XI when the Hoops come back on the other side of the international break, as he did not do enough to justify his continued selection in the team.
In fact, Idah has not done enough throughout the 2024/25 campaign to justify the huge price that the Scottish giants reportedly paid to sign him on a permanent basis.
Sky Sports reported that Celtic agreed an initial fee of £8.5m to sign the striker and that it could rise to £9.5m with add-ons, which made it a potential club-record deal at the time, with Odsonne Edouard’s £9m move from PSG holding the record at the time.
Arne Engels was then brought in for £11m from Augsburg but that still means that Idah could end up being the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history.
At the age of 23, the Irishman does have plenty of time to come good and prove that he was worth the money spent on him, but the early signs have not been overly promising.
Appearances
15
8
Goals
8
2
Big chances missed
7
4
Minutes per goal
76
136
Assists
2
0
As you can see in the table above, Idah’s performances have declined since his initial spell on loan from Norwich in the second half of the 2023/24 campaign.
He has scored less frequently, missed ‘big chances’ more consistently, and failed to provide any assists so far, albeit only in a sample size of eight games.
There is no need to label the Irish marksman a flop yet but Rodgers will need to see better performances than the one he produced against Kilmarnock to be able to trust him to start week-in-week-out over Kyogo.
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Jose Mourinho became ‘The Sleepy One’ after Fenerbahce’s defeat to Rangers, with the Portuguese boss dozing off during a journalist’s long question.
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Gers secured 3-1 victory in TurkeyFener have it all to do at IbroxCoach hoping to dream up a planFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The former Chelsea and Manchester United boss was not in the best of moods after seeing his side suffer a Europa League loss on home soil. Fener did restore parity against Rangers on the half-hour mark, but went on to lose the game in question 3-1.
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Mourinho’s men now have a continental mountain to climb ahead of a trip to Ibrox next week. Their hopes of booking a quarter-final berth are hanging by a thread, with there much for their manager to mull over. That process will have already begun.
(C)Getty ImagesWHAT JOSE MOURINHO SAID
With that in mind, Mourinho was eager to complete press duties as quickly as possible after coming unstuck against the Gers. One member of the media did, however, have an epic question up his sleeve, which led to Mourinho jokingly falling asleep before saying: “This is too much for my head. I’m tired, man. Ninety minutes, not to listen to all of this, I’m too tired for that.”
Neither Graeme Smith or Michael Clarke have been flush with runs in the Test series, but have had a fair bit to say about each other’s teams
Firdose Moonda26-Feb-2014Unlike the two teams they lead, Graeme Smith and Michael Clarke have been doing their talking the way us normal folks do: with their mouths. Both leaders are short on form – with 37 runs for Smith and 60 for Clarke across four innings each – so they have to assert their authority by taking gentle at jabs at each other while leaving the rest of their XI to do the real roughing up.”There’s always a game being played within a game,” Smith admitted after the second Test in Port Elizabeth. On that occasion it was a game Smith had won, despite Clarke hinting the South African captain was too conservative in his tactics.When Clarke was asked when he thought the Australians would find themselves chasing, given the gloomy forecast for the fifth day and South Africa needing a victory to keep the series alive, the glint in his eye twinkled with mischief. “I’d have had five overs tonight,” he said, to a room that swelled with laughter. Really? Of course not.Then again, maybe he was not simply taking a dig. Clarke proved his penchant for not batting on regardless when he declared after 3.2 overs on the fourth morning at Centurion Park, with only two runs added to the Australian total. With a lead of 481 and having seen “enough in the pitch,” to know the variable bounce would give South Africa no chance, Clarke sent Smith’s team in and victory was promptly wrapped up in the final session.Smith prefers to err on the side of caution. South Africa’s overnight lead in Port Elizabeth after three days was 369. Most thought it was already enough, especially with the time left in the match because of the looming rain and the brittle Australian top order. Smith did not. He kept Hashim Amla at the crease for 90 minutes the following morning, until the advantage swelled to 447. Morne Morkel had predicted the evening before that 450 was the “magical number.”That gave South Africa just over five sessions to bowl Australia out but, with play looking likely to be washed out on the final day, it meant a likely two and a bit sessions. South Africa used every last minute of those, including the extra half hour awarded by the umpires, but managed to finish the match in time. In the end, they need not have worried. The rain only arrived at lunch time in Port Elizabeth on the scheduled final day so South Africa had the time they needed and Smith did not need five overs late on the third evening to win.As it turned out, Smith said he always knew that. “The disappointing thing is that a lot of you fell for it,” he joked, to the media. “The truth is that as a captain, you know what you want to do and how to get the best out of your guys.”That much is true for both. Clarke knows how to use Mitchell Johnson in short bursts and how to set fields the photographers can have fun snapping. The four short-midwickets he had for AB de Villiers was one example, and he only reduced them to three when de Villiers made a mockery of it and hit Peter Siddle for six over all of them. Smith has become astute in managing his bowlers, especially Dale Steyn, and coped well without the fourth seamer in Port Elizabeth. He also experimented with fielders, using close catchers at short cover more than in recent times.”Graeme has learnt a lot from when he first started and you can see he is more adventurous with field placings,” Peter Kirsten, the former South Africa batsman, told ESPNcricinfo. “On a slow wicket we saw him use two short covers, two short mid-wickets and that kind of thing.”One of those short covers was in place when Clarke drove loosely in the first innings in Port Elizabeth. That shot got him into trouble in the second innings, too, and extended his run of innings without passing 25 to 11. Smith is in an equally barren stretch, with four scores under 15 and seven innings since his last half-century. Clarke has set Johnson on him with success in three of the four innings in this series so far.Smith may regard the left-armers hold over him as nothing more than “bull dot dot dot”, which is also what he called a lot of Australia’s big-talk before the series. Some of that included Peter Siddle saying Australia would target South Africa from the top-down, by going after the leader first. Australia have remained true to that promise and, perhaps subconsciously, have influenced South Africa to do the same thing to Clarke.Overall, Kirsten said it seems the captains have the measure of each other in just about every way. “They’re both strong personalities and have good strength of character. When you do as well as they’ve both done as leaders, it gives you a lot of confidence,” Kirsten said. “It’s all a bit of cat and mouse now but it’s good to have some Jose Mourinho-style talk around cricket.”Which one of Smith or Clarke is really the special one may be decided after the Newlands Test.
Head coach Walsh believes that the tour will give West Indies an opportunity to test their depth ahead of the 2023 T20 World Cup
ESPNcricinfo staff17-Aug-2022West Indies Women are set to host New Zealand Women for the first time in eight years, for three ODIs and five T20Is in September-October. All the games will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua.”I am very happy that we will be hosting New Zealand in the West Indies,” Courtney Walsh, West Indies head coach, said in a CWI release. “They are a very competitive team, and this will make for a great series for our team. As it comes just after we’ve had the Women’s regional tournaments and the Women’s CPL, it will be a great fillip for our players.
Fixtures (all games in Antigua)
1st ODI: September 16 2nd ODI: September 19 3rd ODI: September 22
1st T20I: September 26 2nd T20I: September 28 3rd T20I: October 1 4th T20I: October 4 5th T20I: October 6
“We will also have an eye on the T20 World Cup [to be played in South Africa in February] around the corner. So, this will give the squad a chance to showcase all their skills, and also give us, the coaching staff, a chance to look at what depth we have.”West Indies are currently holding a specialist camp that includes some new players. There will be another camp in Antigua after the Women’s CPL.”In addition, the lead selector was with the West Indies U-19 Women’s team for their series in Florida and has identified some exciting prospects to consider,” Walsh said. “So, we should have enough cricket before the New Zealand series starts.”The last time New Zealand toured the West Indies was in 2014. The visitors lost the ODI series 4-0 before bouncing back to clinch the T20I series 2-1, winning the final game in Super Over.
Leeds United have been handed a major boost on the injury front ahead of their clash with Sheffield United as they look to continue their strong start to the Championship season.
Leeds injury updates and team news
Daniel Farke’s side welcome Sheffield United to Elland Road on Friday night, looking to be the first side this season to beat the Blades and move closer to the top of the Championship table. Currently fifth after a tough start to the campaign, Leeds have drawn their last two games including against top of the table Sunderland, where they threw away all three points with a late Illan Meslier blunder.
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They are heading into their Yorkshire derby with some concerns over personnel though; Brenden Aaronson, who has started seven of their first nine games, played 90 minutes for the USA on Wednesday morning (UK time) and is unlikely to be able to start against the Blades, while Ao Tanaka is in a similar position having played 90 minutes for Japan on Tuesday afternoon.
It will put stress on a Leeds squad already stretched thin by injuries, but Farke had a promising update on that front, revealing that two of his forwards should be back in contention to feature against Sheffield United in the shape of Dan James and summer addition Manor Solomon.
“Good news”, he revealed. “Daniel and Manor are since late last week back in team training. Major parts of team training.” And there was more good news from the Leeds boss.
"Leader" ahead of schedule on injury
That comes as Leeds battle a trio of knee injuries, with all of Ethan Ampadu, Ilia Gruev and Max Wober sidelined with problems in the early part of the season. And while both Ampadu and Gruev are expected to miss the rest of 2024 and perhaps the beginning of 2025, there is better news on Wober, with Farke revealing that he is ahead of schedule.
The centre-back, whom former boss Jesse Marsch described as a “leader” during his time at Elland Road, is yet to feature for Farke’s side this season due to injuries, but Farke revealed that he was “ahead of schedule” and that he “may be back before the next [international] break”, which comes in just under a month’s time.
And his return could have major implications, as it could allow Farke to push Pascal Struijk into midfield when required as he looks to battle the injury crisis in the heart of the Leeds engine room. Though the Leeds boss is yet to ask Struijk to do so, the Dutch defender has played there for Leeds previously in both the Premier League and Championship to mixed effect.
Pascal Struijk’s position for Leeds
Position
Games played
Centre-back
80
Left-back
27
Defensive midfield
14
Though hardly a perfect solution, it could be one that is trialled if Leeds are unable to get another body through the door after a deal for Cheikhou Kouyate fell through, and Wober’s return could be key to that tactical shift.
Liverpool’s transfer business throughout the summer was underwhelming, to say the least, as Arne Slot waited until the last minute to sign goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and winger Federico Chiesa just before the window shut.
It is clear that Slot signed Chiesa as a long-term heir to Mohamed Salah, who turned 32 in the summer, yet the former Juventus man has endured a tough time of it in the previous few years.
Federico Cheisa’s Juventus statistics
The winger was a key part of the Italian side which won Euro 2020, scoring twice during the tournament.
In the subsequent three years following the tournament, the Italian has missed 80 matches due to a succession of injury problems during his spell with Juventus.
Federico Chiesa in Italy training
Despite this, the 26-year-old has managed to score 18 times for the Old Lady, while also chipping in with 13 assists, showing that he can be effective when the winger is fit and healthy.
Unfortunately, these injuries have made consistency a problem, something which Salah has exuded during his time at Anfield.
Indeed, the Egyptian star has registered a stunning 303 goal contributions – 213 goals and 90 assists – across 351 matches for Liverpool, a figure which Slot will surely find difficult to replace once Salah does leave Merseyside.
Is Chiesa the answer? Judging by his recent record, perhaps not. Might the Dutchman have signed a far greater alternative this summer instead? As Pedro Neto was linked with a move to the club.
Liverpool missed out on dream Chiesa alternative this summer
At the start of the month, rumours were rife that Liverpool were keen on signing Neto from Wolverhampton Wanderers before the window closed.
The winger was valued at £60m and this looked like a figure out of what Slot was willing to spend. Neto joined Chelsea instead a few weeks ago, and it looks like an opportunity missed by the club.
The Portuguese gem was hailed as a “pace monster” by analyst Ben Mattinson, with this trait allowing him to regularly beat his opposition man with ease, creating chances galore for his teammates.
Indeed, last season in the Premier League, Neto may have only scored two goals in 20 matches for the Old Gold, but he managed to register nine assists, create seven big chances while averaging 1.9 key passes and 1.9 successful dribbles per game, indicating that his lack of goals wouldn’t have been a problem given his other skills.
Pedro Neto in the PL for Wolves last season
Goals
2
Assists
9
Key passes per game
1.9
Shots on target per game
0.6
Successful dribbles per game
1.9
Total duels won per game
3.5
Big chances created
7
Via Sofascore
When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Neto ranked in the top 1% for assists (0.61) and in the top 6% for progressive carries (5.78) per 90 over the previous 365 days.
Plenty of evidence to suggest the former Wolves star would have been a solid acquisition for Slot ahead of the current season, especially given his success in the Premier League already, unlike Chiesa.
With Neto also potentially better suited to filling Salah's shoes on the right flank, as a natural left-footer, will Slot regret not making a more concrete move for the winger? Only time will tell.
Liverpool hit gold on Klopp signing worth nearly 5x more than Chiesa
He’s had his detractors but he sure is the real deal…
After a campaign full of ups and downs last year, Tottenham Hotspur are in for a massive season.
Ange Postecoglou will want to ensure the Lilywhites make it back into the Champions League after just missing out last year, and while his team have endured a mixed start to 24/25, they have shown real glimpses of brilliance.
The Australian will need his team to be firing on all cylinders to get them over the line come May, although another season like the last from club captain Son Heung-min should be enough to cover for any underperformers.
Spurs striker Heung-min Son
The South Korean was incredible in the league last year and proved that, even at 32, he's one of the best attackers in the country, although interestingly, one of his teammates, who former coach Antonio Conte signed, is actually worth more than him.
Son's recent form
As mentioned above, the 23/24 campaign was an odd one for Tottenham, as they looked unplayable at times and alarmingly easy to play at others.
However, while many of his teammates endured quite dramatic shifts in form throughout the year, Son remained a reliable figure in the team, and his incredible output shows as much.
In his 36 games for the Lilywhites, the South Korean phenom scored 17 goals and provided ten assists, meaning that he managed to maintain an average of a goal involvement once every 1.33 games.
Appearances
36
Minutes
2967'
Goals
17
Assists
10
Goal Involvements per Match
0.75
Minutes per Goal Involvement
109.88'
What makes this even more impressive is that he was constantly shifted from left-wing to centre-forward during the season, and at 32, he is well past what The Athletic consider to be the peak age for a winger in top-flight football.
However, for as outrageously effective as he was last year, Football Transfers has valued him at just €28m, or about £24m, which is considerably less than one of his fellow wingers is worth.
Dejan Kulusevski's valuation in 2024
The winger in question is, of course, Dejan Kulusevski, who first joined the club on an £8.3m 18-month loan deal under former manager Conte in January 2022.
Tottenham star Dejan Kulusevski celebrates
The Swedish international's move was then made permanent in July for around £26m, which was supposedly slightly less than the initial option to buy included in the loan deal, per the Standard.
Now, it would be fair to say that in his time with the Lilywhites, the former Juventus star has both amazed and frustrated fans, although the reason he occasionally does the latter is that he's clearly an immensely talented footballer who, on his day, can give any defence a run for their money.
Appearances
99
Goals
15
Assists
20
Goal Involvements per Match
0.35
For example, in his 99 appearances for the club, the "special" talent, as dubbed by Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir, has found the back of the net on 15 occasions and provided 20 assists for good measure, equating to a reasonable average of a goal involvement once every 2.82 games.
This undeniable quality has seen his valuation remain high since joining the North Londoners, and according to Football Transfers, he is currently worth around €57m, which converts to about £48m, or at least double that of Son's valuation.
Now, this drastic disparity is likely down to two things. The first is age; at 32, the South Korean is approaching the end of his career, while at 24, the Stockholm-born dynamo should be approaching his peak years.
The second reason is probably down to their contracts, as the £190k-per-week deal the North Londoners captain is on is set to expire next summer, while the Swede's £110k-per-week contract is set to run for another four years.
Ultimately, both Son and Kulusevski are incredibly talented footballers and could be incredibly important for Tottenham this season. Still, due to the aforementioned reasons, it seems likely that the former's valuation will continue to come down over the coming years, and the latter's will continue to rise, especially if he hits his potential.
Poch sold Spurs flop for £4.5m in 2019, now he's outscoring Richarlison
The reason English viewers aren’t all that interested is not because the IPL is Indian
Andy Zaltzman25-Feb-2013Kevin Pietersen clobbered his first Twenty20 hundred yesterday, clinching the match for the Delhi Daredevils, and passing three figures with a characteristic six. It was a startling innings by a startling player, although startling things happen so often in the IPL that their startle capacity is less startling than you might expect of cricket so startlingly startling.Last week Pietersen, who is admirably open, passionate and forthright in his media utterances, bemoaned the lack of English interest in the IPL, and the sometimes negative publicity it receives in the press here, attributing some of these problems to “jealousy”. From the selected quotes reported, it is hard to know who is supposed to be being jealous of the IPL – ex-players in the media who missed out on its glamour and financial bounty, or supporters who feel it takes the sun-kissed multi-million-dollar glitz and glory away from the April skirmishes in the County Championship, or the prime minister, who secretly wishes he was an IPL dancing girl.However, the reason for any lack of English interest in the IPL is simple. It is not because the “I” stands for Indian. The same would be true if it was the Icelandic Premier League or the Idaho Premier League. More so, probably. Idaho has no business muscling in on cricket. They have snowmobiles and processed cheese. They should leave cricket well alone.Nor does this relative lack of interest have anything to do with the format of the cricket and England’s general national preference for the longer game. Nor does it reflect on the quality of play, which although variable (as in any league in any sport), is often spectacular and dramatic. Nor even is it because the rampant hype and commercial insistence of the IPL might grate with a sport-watching public unaccustomed to having branded excitement blasted into their faces with the relentless determination of a child who has just discovered the joys of banging an upside-down cereal bowl with a spoon.It is simply that, in an already saturated sports-watching market, the IPL does not, and I would argue cannot, offer enough for the English fan to actively support.As a sports fan, you cannot force an instant emotional attachment to and investment in a team with which you have no geographical or familial link, and which has little history or identity with which to entice you. A Mongolian football fan might support Barcelona, or a Tanzanian baseball nut could develop a passion for the New York Yankees, for what those clubs are, what they have achieved, and what they stand for, and be drawn into their historic rivalries that have evolved over 100 years or more; but an English cricket fan is, as yet, unlikely to find the same bond of attraction to the five-year-old Chennai Super Kings. Supporting sport requires more than guaranteed entertainment and being able to watch great players competing.Perhaps, in time, this will develop. The process was probably not helped by the franchise teams being largely disbanded and reconstituted before the 2011 season, so that any identity that had been built in the first three IPL seasons was fractured or destroyed.It is also not helped by the fact that the star players might represent three or four different T20 franchises, and a country if time allows, over the course of a year. What if I love the Barisal Burners but am non-committal about the Sydney Thunder, scared of the Matabeleland Tuskers, unable to forgive Somerset for a three-hour traffic jam I sat in on the M5 ten years ago, and absolutely viscerally hate the Royal Challengers Bangalore (how dare they challenge our Royals, in Jubilee year especially) (despite any lingering historical quibbles)? What am I supposed to think about Chris Gayle? Is he hero or villain?English cricket fans, even if sceptical or ambivalent about Twenty20, can admire the range of skills on display, appreciate how the format is expanding human comprehension of what mankind can and will do to small round things with flat bits of wood, and relish the high-pitched drama and tension of the endgames. They can simply enjoy seeing dancers jiggle their jiggly bits for no obvious reason, and be moved and uplifted by the sensation that unbridled commercialism is slowly destroying everything pure about sport and the world.But, without teams and identities for which English supporters can root, and thus the emotional commitment that makes supporting sport such an infinitely rewarding experience, the IPL will continue to struggle to find active support in England. Not that the IPL, or Pietersen, or any of its other players and protagonists, should give two shakes or Billy Bowden’s finger about that.I’d be interested to know your views on this, from English, Indian and other perspectives. I love cricket. I think I have probably made that abundantly clear in the three and a half years I have been writing this blog, and in the 30 years I have been boring my friends and, latterly, wife about it. I have tried watching the IPL, I have enjoyed some of it, but it just does not excite me. Am I normal, or should I see a shrink?● At the opposite end of the scoring-rate see-saw, a curious but increasingly intriguing Test match in Trinidad found itself donning its Wellington boots and staring forlornly at a dark and soggy ending. Not for the first time in its annoying history, The Weather intervened to spoil a potentially thrilling Test match denouement.Much of the cricket had been on the stodgy side of gloopy, and the seemingly endless behavioural idiosyncrasies of the DRS continued to irritate more than resolve, but another trademark jaunty Michael Clarke declaration had set the West Indies 215 to win in 61 overs. The stage was perfectly set for Chris Gayle. Or Dwayne Bravo. Or, at a stretch, Marlon Samuels.They were, regrettably for Test Match fans, otherwise engaged. A full-strength West Indies would not be world-conquering, but they might at least conquer the occasional Test match. Selectors, schedules and squabbles look set to conspire to ensure that the world waits an extremely long time to see a full-strength West Indies Test XI again.In the absence of proven hitters, Darren Sammy, the West Indies captain, after a largely ineffective match in which he had raised further questions about his suitability as prong four of a four-pronged bowling attack, promoted himself from 8 to 3 in an effort to kickstart the chase. Many things have been written about Sammy as a cricketer, but the words “reliable batsman” are not amongst them. At least, not unless preceded by the words “no one’s idea of a”. He is, however, a potent thwacker of a cricket ball, and knew that, on a pitch that had been a connoisseur of slow-scoring’s dream, a swift blast from him could potentially enable the eternally crafty and virtually impregnable Chanderpaul to shepherd the rest of his fragile team to victory.Sammy promptly clonked a rapid 30 before the gloom intervened. Victory was still distant, but had become possible, and it was refreshing to see both captains striving to concoct a positive result from a somnolent surface.● If Clarke’s declaration was enterprising, his team’s batting had lacked the positivity that had become its trademark in the early part of the millennium. The Baggy Greens plinked their runs at 2.39 per over – their slowest batting match since the Galle Test of 1999. In their 147 Tests since then, Australia had averaged 3.59 per over. Their first innings of 311 in 135 overs was their slowest score of 300 or more since 1989. During it, four different West Indies bowlers bowled more than 15 overs for less than two runs per over – the first time any team had done this against Australia since 1961. Watson’s 56 off 172 and Hussey’s 73 off 207 were respectively the second-slowest 50-plus and 70-plus scores by Australians in Tests this millennium.The pitch was awkward and the bowling admirably disciplined, but Australia plodding along at under 2.5 runs per over is further proof that the apocalypse is nigh ‒ alongside economic collapse in Europe, political upheavals around the world, the unstoppable rise of reality television, the branding of time-outs in the IPL, anything to do with Silvio Berlusconi, Vernon Philander’s Test bowling average, and the current state of the world cricket calendar.
da imperador bet： Herói do título Carioca, Germán Cano tem encantado a torcida do Fluminense em pouco tempo com raça, bom posicionamento e faro de gol. Em coletiva de imprensa, o argentino projetou a estreia na Copa Sul-Americana contra o Oriente Petrolero, na próxima quarta-feira, às 19h15, no Maracanã. Ele ressaltou que a equipe deve aprender com os erros da derrota para o Olímpia e buscar o título continental.
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da bet7： -Acho que o Fluminense pode chegar muito longe. O time está trabalhando para continuar ganhando. Hoje a gente tem treino à tarde para analisar, montar o time para essa quarta-feira. Agora que ganhamos essa taça é muito importante para nós, sobretudo pela confiança dentro de campo. Algo que tínhamos perdido quando perdemos para o Olimpia na Libertadores, fora de casa. Esse jogo serviu de experiência para não fazer o mesmo na Copa Sul-Americana. O time está com muita confiança que o Fluminense vai brigar muito pela Sul-Americana porque queremos ser campeões – pontuou o atacante.
+ Confira e simule a tabela da Copa Sul-Americana
O argentino destacou que o título do Estadual resgatou a confiança do grupo para a sequência da temporada. No entanto, o foco agora é total na Sul-Americana e no Brasileirão para dar alegrias à torcida tricolcor na sequência da temporada.
– Acho que o jogador nunca pode perder essa alegria. Estou muito feliz neste momento, levantar a taça com meus companheiros para mim é muito importante. Agora temos que ficar ligados no próximo jogo. O Carioca já passou, já comemoramos. É trabalhar, pois não temos tempo e temos que ficar ligados para o próximo jogo para fazer o melhor pelo time – disse o argentino
Ao ser perguntado sobre a famosa comemoração do “L” em homenagem ao filho Lorenzo, ele disse que é algo inexplicável e agradeceu o apoio dos companheiros e da direção tricolor. Ele também falou sobre ter entrado em uma seleta lista de atacantes que marcaram gols decisivos contra o Flamengo com a camisa do Fluminense.
+ Evolução! Trajetória do Fluminense no Carioca indica novas ideias e time base para a temporada
– Cada vez que faço o L é um momento único, inexplicável. Estou muito feliz por continuar fazendo. Trabalhar para mim e para o time neste momento especial. Agora, o ambiente aqui com meus companheiros, presidente, diretoria, é muito especial. O apoio que temos deles é muito importante. Independente se o time perde, eles sempre estão apoiando. Isso é muito importante. É especial, eu não tenho que falar disso, pois as imagens falam por si só. O momento é único, especial e nem sempre se vive isso e agora levantar essa taça é muito importante. Continuar fazendo isso no Fluminense, pois estou muito feliz – ressaltou.
– Ainda não sei o que está acontecendo (entrar no grupo seleto de atacantes que fizeram gols em Fla-Flus decisivos). Acho que com o passar dos anos eu vou entender melhor o que estou fazendo agora em tão pouco tempo. Poder fazer gol em clássico contra o Flamengo. Se você acredita no seu trabalho, as coisas acontecem dentro de campo. O momento é único, muito bom para mim e para minha carreira. E ser campeão no Maracanã para mim também é muito gratificante – finalizou.