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Perfect for Wirtz: Liverpool could hire the “best young manager in Europe”

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Liverpool manager Arne Slot’s future at Anfield has come into question after his team dropped points in their 3-3 draw with Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday.

The Dutchman, who won the title in his first season, has lost ten of his 23 matches in all competitions, including six in the top-flight, this term.

On top of that, Mohamed Salah has claimed that his relationship with the manager has broken down after being on the bench for the third straight game against Leeds.

The Salah situation and the poor results this season have put pressure on the former Feyenoord tactician, with the club reportedly looking at potential replacements.

Liverpool have admiration for national team manager

Dave OCKOP reports that Steven Gerrard has been sounded out as a potential interim to come in and steady the ship if FSG decide to part ways with Slot in the coming days or weeks.

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The report claims that Liverpool are also admirers of Germany national team head coach Julian Nagelsmann, previously of Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim.

It adds that the 38-year-old manager is expected to lead his country to the World Cup in America, Canada, and Mexico next summer, though, which means that he will not be available immediately.

Bayern's Julian Nagelsmann

Dave OCKOP suggests that the German tactician may be available after the World Cup, though, which is where Gerrard stepping in as an interim option could make sense.

If Liverpool were to eventually bring Nagelsmann in as their long-term replacement for Slot, he would be the perfect appointment to get the best out of Florian Wirtz.

Why Nagelsmann would be perfect for Wirtz

To say that Wirtz has not lived up to expectations in a Liverpool shirt so far would probably be an understatement, as he has yet to deliver a single goal or assist in the Premier League, per Sofascore.

The Reds splashed out £116m to sign the attacking midfielder from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer transfer window, and he has racked up no goals and three assists in 19 appearances in all competitions.

Slot has simply been unable to get the best out of the huge-money signing, who produced 16 goals and 14 assists for Leverkusen last term (Sofascore), but Nagelsmann could come in to get him flying at Anfield.

Wirtz’s form for Germany at international level is proof that he could shine for the Reds if Nagelsmann replaces Slot in the dugout, because he has proven that he can perform in that system.

Caps

27

3rd

Goals

8

1st

Assists

6

2nd

Goals + assists

14

1st

As you can see in the table above, the Liverpool attacking midfielder has been the most impactful attacker of the manager’s reign with the national team, providing more goals and assists combined than any other player.

For further context, Wirtz scored no goals and provided three assists in his first ten caps for Germany before Nagelsmann took the job, which shows that the ex-Bayern boss can get the best out of him.

The 38-year-old boss was once described as the “best young coach in Europe” by reporter Josh Bunting in 2022, and it is still hard to argue with that assessment in the present day.

Mikel Arteta, 43, and Xabi Alonso, 44, are two of the brightest young coaches in the game, managing Arsenal and Real Madrid, yet they have won as many league titles combined (one) as Nagelsmann has, having won the Bundesliga with Bayern, and he is five and six years younger than them.

The German boss won 2.31 points per game during his time with Bayern, per Transfermarkt, whilst Slot has won 2.00 points per game across 79 matches with Liverpool to date.

This suggests that Nagelsmann could come in as an upgrade on the Dutchman as an all-round manager, whilst also being the perfect appointment to get the best out of Wirtz at Anfield.

As bad as Konate: Slot must axe 6/10 Liverpool star who made 0 tackles

Liverpool blew a two-goal lead to draw 3-3 against Leeds United at Elland Road.

ByAngus Sinclair 5 days ago

Therefore, it could be a good move for FSG to bring Gerrard in as an interim appointment with a view to landing Nagelsmann next summer, if they decide that parting ways with Slot is the route that they want to go down in the coming weeks.

Healy: 'It hasn't been my day of late, but it was my day today'

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

“If you’ve been watching me in the nets, it’s been a frustrating experience because I feel like I’ve had no rhythm whatsoever,” Alyssa Healy says of her patchy form of late

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Oct-2025

Alyssa Healy compiled an 84-ball century•Getty Images

Chasing 331 to win. In a World Cup game. With the stands full of noisy opposition supporters. Not the easiest job, unless you are Alyssa Healy. Or Ellyse Perry, for that matter. It required a record-breaking effort with the bat, and Australia did it with a whole over in hand. “That’s a really cool stat”, Healy said afterwards, and will give the batters “a heap of confidence” for the rest of the tournament.The innings Healy played – 142 in 107 balls – was the bedrock of that chase. Her sixth ODI century, but her first since April 2022. She has missed a fair bit of cricket in the interim period but it’s still a gap of 25 innings between centuries, and only her second fifty-plus score of the calendar year. Talk about good timing.”I think I was just trying to contribute. I think it needed somebody to make a hundred to chase down that total. Obviously you’d probably like two to make hundreds just to make it easy, but somebody needed to, if they got set, to cash in and have a good day,” Healy said at the press conference afterwards. “So, yeah, it was probably… it was my day in the end. It hasn’t been my day of late, but it was my day today, which was really cool.Related

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“And to get ourselves, obviously I would have liked to be there a little bit longer and probably see it home a little bit more, but I think to get ourselves in a winning position at that point in time was really cool, and I’ll probably reflect on that a little bit later and be a little bit happy.”N Shree Charani and Deepti Sharma returned excellent economy rates of 4.10 and 5.20 respectively, but the other three frontline bowlers – Amanjot Kaur, Kranti Gaud and Sneh Rana – were expensive. Particularly impressive was Healy’s takedown of the quicks, Amanjot and Gaud, each time she faced them.”It wasn’t a distinct plan as such. Charani was getting actually quite a bit of spin; she was kind of the pick of the bowlers today,” Healy said. “We identified that really well and thought if we can capitalise on some of the pace bowlers, that would be handy knowing that they really have [only] five bowlers in their attack. So, yeah, we thought if we could attack that it’d be great. But it wasn’t really a plan as such, it just panned out that way on the day and I think with the wicket sliding on it probably enabled us to do that.”Coming into the game with scores of 19 (against New Zealand) and 20 (against Pakistan), Healy wasn’t in rhythm, as she confessed. But where rhythm was missing, competitive instincts did the job, especially against Gaud, who had Healy’s number in each of the three ODIs in the bilateral series prior to the World Cup.2:24

Healy: ‘It was my day today’

“If you’ve been watching me in the nets, it’s been a frustrating experience because I feel like I’ve had no rhythm whatsoever, been struggling to find it, and I didn’t really know where it went before I came into the World Cup,” she said. “But I think once you step out on the field, your competitive instincts kick in and you kind of just lock-in to getting in the contest. Obviously aware that Kranti had got me out a fair bit throughout the ODI series, so an opportunity to go out there and lock in a contest with her and just sort of, I don’t know, have a bit of fun in that regard, I think sort of got me going and that was really a really enjoyable experience. And like I said, it was my day today, and hopefully it continues but if not, I’m sure it’ll be someone else’s, which is cool.”That Australia were chasing 331, “just” 331, was thanks in large measure to Annabel Sutherland, whose 5 for 40 from 9.5 overs took out the middle order and stopped India slightly short of where they might have been after being 192 after 30 overs.”Bellsy’s spell, I think, we got our length right in that department. We bowled a little bit poorly at times and probably gave India an opportunity to cash in whether that be at the start of the over or the end of the over, and I think we couldn’t really create a lot of pressure,” Healy said. “But Alana King and Annabel Sutherland actually created a little bit of a partnership there, created some pressure, created some opportunities. And then Bellsy sort of cashed in at her end. So that was really cool.”And I thought the bowling unit as a whole really hung in there, hung tough and created a whole heap [of pressure] in that back ten to, like I said, restrict them in a way to 330, which is a little bit daunting, but I think did a great job at the back end, which was cool.”

Wellington shows 'em how it's done in English season opener

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

With 31 needed off 10 balls, calm Aussie sets up Somerset’s thrilling win over Surrey

Andrew Miller24-Apr-2025Was this proof of concept in a single thrilling tussle? To be at Beckenham on a historic day for women’s county cricket was to be privy to a host of competing, often conflicting, narratives … more of which shortly. However, the day’s events ended up being governed by one over-arching, all-conquering truth.As Gary Lineker didn’t quite say: Women’s cricket is played by 22 players over the course of an afternoon, and in the end, the Australian wins it.Though she’s still only 27, Amanda-Jade Wellington has not played a match for Australia for three years and counting. And yet, when she strode to the middle with two overs of Somerset’s spirited but stiff run-chase remaining, she did so with precisely the conviction that English women’s cricket is deemed to have been lacking throughout a winter of deep and lasting discontent.Which is not to say that it’s her nationality wot won it, but when you face your first ball with 31 runs still needed from 10 deliveries, and duly help yourself to six fours in seven balls to set up a last-ball burglary, it’s hard not to assume that correlation and causation are one and the same.Related

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Rebooted women's county game seeks the pros of progress

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“Naah, never!” Wellington declared afterwards, when asked if she feared that Somerset’s hopes were already dead and buried, by the time she took strike for that first delivery from Ryana MacDonald-Gay.Wellington’s finesse was remarkable to behold. There was a stillness to her decision-making from first ball to last – an early movement around the crease, but invariably a late decision to engage, as she waited for the ball to arrive then dinked it across a lush and rapid outfield. Four times she stroked MacDonald-Gay through the arc between cover and deep third, with not even a switch to round the wicket disturbing her thought process.Then, after repeating the dose against Alice Davidson-Richards, Wellington changed her tack at the sixth time of asking, walking across to the off-side to flick her sixth consecutive four through fine leg and bring the requirement down to two off two.”I just played my game,” she said. “I know it really well. I saw an opportunity where there was a massive gap. I know I’m not the strongest player, so I’m not going to hit sixes everywhere. I have to find a way to try and manipulate the field, and use the pace on the ball. That’s something I’m known for, and it worked today.”A scrambled leg-bye drew the scores level, but even with her direct role in the contest over, Wellington’s positivity shone through for Fran Wilson’s winning moment.”Naaah, there was no doubt when the field went up,” Wellington said. “I just said to Fran, if it’s a slower ball, go for it, because there’s no-one out there, and if you miss it, we’re running anyway. I back Fran Wilson every day of the week and she got us over the line.”It clearly wasn’t a one-woman show – even if Wellington was also the star turn with the ball, claiming 3 for 42 with her legspin, including two of the three England regulars in a star-studded Surrey top-order, Danni Wyatt-Hodge and Alice Capsey.Amanda-Jade Wellington’s composed innings took Somerset to the brink of victory•Andrew MillerThere was also the small matter of Heather Knight’s return to competition, three months on from another Australia-dominated tussle in the Ashes. “We call her spring chicken … golden arm!” Wellington joked, after Knight picked off Sophia Dunkley with her second ball of the match, then embarked on a tangibly determined knock of 64 from 54 balls to give Somerset’s run-chase the ideal tempo.A comeback hundred wasn’t to be, but as she stamped her mark on an opening partnership of 122 with Emma Corney, Knight’s performance – in only her third domestic List A match since 2021 – underlined the value of England’s senior players being placed front and centre of this rebooted county competition.”It’s very important for the England players to be playing domestic cricket,” Johann Myburgh, Surrey’s head coach, said. “It’s great to see on both sides. Having them around is great for us as a group, but it’s also great for them as cricket players, in terms of having consistency and understanding how they want to play their cricket.”If you came down and watched the game today, you’d have seen a very high standard of cricket,” he added. “The game in the last five years has been evolving and getting better. The professionalisation of the game means players can spend more hours on their craft, they can enhance themselves physically and mentally, and this is just another step in that process.”It is, however, a process that will need some fine-tuning as the season unfolds. For all the fine words about the unification of the men’s and women’s games, there was something jarring about Surrey choosing Kent’s second home, Beckenham, as their venue for this historic relaunch.The logic was sound, so far as it went. For four years, this was the regular base for the now defunct South-East Stars, the regional set-up whose logo remains painted on the wall of the indoor school, so there was at least a degree of continuity for the many players who have transferred their allegiance to the Three Feathers.And yet, amid the bold talk of new men’s and women’s changing-rooms in a soon-to-be-refitted Kia Oval, it was a bit odd, at the very least, not to launch the new era on the same stage that has welcomed the men since 1845. And while the morning rain did little to lure the good folk of Bromley along to witness history, at no stage in the day did the main stand number more than 15 people.The logic for the snub was fair enough, if you’re being generous. Despite its vast proportions, the pressure on The Oval’s playing surfaces is already intense, not least due to the need to use its outer strips for net practice. Plus, there was no expense spared on Surrey’s live stream, a market-leading production in itself, with close to 3000 people tuning into its six-camera production for the finale.Things will be different when the T20 Blast takes centre stage in May, including four double-headers slated for The Oval in June and July. Then again, such exclusionary scheduling is part of the reason why the women’s game is currently playing such urgent catch-up. It’s not a distinction that the other Tier 1 clubs have felt the need to make.Instead, looming over the contest was the livery of Kent – grumpily consigned to Tier 2 of the new competition, from where their remit may well be to keep pumping their best players across the Medway, at least until they are permitted to bid for professional status from 2029 onwards.Surrey made a token effort to counter this anomaly, with two temporary signs and a further drape on the main gate, strategically positioned to blot out some of their rivals’ branding. They couldn’t do much about the vast prancing horse logo on the roof of the indoor school, however, which tends to give the complex the curious vibe of a disused Ferrari factory.Still, Myburgh wasn’t fazed by the circumstances of this launch event – “it’s been an absolute pleasure to be a part of the Surrey family,” he said – while Wellington was also happy enough with her first taste of the county grind.”It’s cold, but it’s a lovely ground,” she said. “It’s very picturesque and very English, and I think it’s very homely. It was great to see a good little crowd coming out and supporting not only Surrey but also Somerset as well, and I was very honoured to be a part of it. To put on a game like that for all the fans and everyone watching on the live stream, I couldn’t be prouder.”

Gurjapneet brings pace to Tamil Nadu, via Ludhiana and Ambala

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

The tall left-arm quick moved from north India as a teenager, and he bagged the prize scalp of Pujara for a duck on first-class debut

Deivarayan Muthu17-Oct-2024″Tamil Nadu fast bowler” is almost an oxymoron.While the team has always had a surfeit of spin options at their disposal, they have lacked fast bowlers who could give their attack a point of difference. This is why the emergence of Gurjapneet Singh gives Tamil Nadu hope.A 6’3″ left-arm seamer who was born in Ludhiana (Punjab) and grew up in Ambala (Haryana), Gurjapneet moved to Chennai when he was about 17. Seven years later, on his Ranji Trophy debut against former champions Saurashtra, he bagged 6 for 22, the best figures in a first-class innings by a TN fast bowler at home since 2005-06.Gurjapneet’s record haul included the prize scalp of Cheteshwar Pujara for a duck, which helped TN beat the clock and the Coimbatore weather for an innings victory. Four weeks before trapping Pujara, Gurjapneet had bowled Virat Kohli at the Chepauk nets in the lead-up to the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai. A tip from Kohli, Gurjapneet says, played a role in Pujara’s dismissal.”When I spoke to Kohli, he gave me some points, which gave me more confidence,” Gurjapneet tells ESPNcricinfo. “I was mentally prepared to bowl to Pujara, who is a legend in red-ball cricket in India. Against right-handers, he [Kohli] suggested me to come around the stumps also and told I can keep changing the angles to make it uncomfortable for the batsmen. I came around the stumps to Pujara first ball and with that angle I got him lbw. If I bowl over the stumps, there is less chance of getting lbw.”Pujara’s wicket made Gurjapneet believe he could cut it at the higher level. When he was a teenager, Gurjapneet had not made it to many age-group teams back home, and upon the advice of his coach Anil Mashi, he shifted to Chennai, which has a more robust cricketing structure, in 2017-18.Having enrolled himself into Guru Nanak College, a home base for India Cements’ league teams, he bowled at the college nets and steadily moved up the ranks to play for their third division and then first-division sides. He then broke into the TNPL in 2021, playing for R Ashwin’s Dindigul Dragons. There he worked closely with Yo Mahesh, who incidentally is the only other TN fast bowler to have taken a first-class six-for at home since 2005-06.

“It was my first season in the TNPL and Yomi [Yo Mahesh] <bhai taught me small points and in the nets, he helped me bowl yorkers and slower ones and mix it up,” Gurjapneet recalls. “He kept telling me to work on my strengths and trust it when I bowl. T20 cricket is a bit different from red-ball cricket and you have to execute all the plans and bowl according to the fields set. So, my mindset was getting better day by day and I was learning so much with Yomi and Ashwin .”Having spotted Gurjapneet’s ability to bowl yorkers and slower variations, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) brought him in as their net bowler. At the CSK nets, Gurjapneet sharpened his skills even further and tested them in the end-over scenarios against the likes of MS Dhoni.”When you bowl to top-class batsmen, you keep learning and you know where you stand,” Gurjapneet says. “At CSK, it’s very difficult to bowl to someone like Dhoni, especially in death overs. Because if you make any mistake and don’t execute yorkers, you will be punished. So, you will have to build your mindset as well [to bowl at the death] and make sure you don’t get nervous at that time. If you get hit also, you learn about how to come back and improve your skills.”Sometimes, when you get nervous you don’t get any option to think about what’s next and you don’t choose the right option under pressure. So, your mind should be clear as to what to bowl the next ball after being hit. So, even after getting hit for a six, I try to come back with my strength: slower one or yorker.”

However, just when Gurjapneet was on the verge of breaking into Tamil Nadu’s teams, a lower-back injury set his career back. He needed surgery and was on the sidelines for most of 2022.He then returned to action in the TNPL in 2023, for a different team, Madurai Panthers, and also steadily built up his bowling load in league cricket. After also going through the grind of the Buchi Babu Tournament over the last two seasons, Gurjapneet finally broke into the Tamil Nadu Ranji team. In the injury-enforced absence of Sandeep Warrier, Gurjapneet stepped up and bowled Tamil Nadu to victory against Saurashtra.Success, though belated, was sweet for Gurjapneet. It was even sweeter for his parents who were hooked to the scorecard when he was running through Saurashtra.”If you leave home and go to another state, it can be challenging,” Gurjapneet says. “My dad and my family – they always supported me and helped me out whenever I needed help. Whatever the situation is – whether it’s comfortable or uncomfortable – I was ready to face it and just wanted to play cricket.”After the match finished, I immediately got a call from dad – he was very happy and he congratulated me on the six-wicket haul – and my mom as well. It took me six-seven years to play for Tamil Nadu, but he always told me to be patient and was confident that I would definitely get a chance to play for Tamil Nadu. It’s a proud feeling to take six wickets on debut for Tamil Nadu.”Though these are still early days in this domestic season, Tamil Nadu, under L Balaji, are veering away from their usual spin-to-win template and are building a pace pack that can be effective at home and away. Right-arm quick R Sonu Yadav, who made his debut along with Gurjapneet, also came away with a match haul of six wickets against Saurashtra.”Bowling alongside Sonu and Momi [M Mohammed] has been helpful,” Gurjapneet says. “Momi has played a lot of cricket in Tamil Nadu and on the field he speaks to me telling ‘Japneet you can do this, Japneet you can do that’. When Sonu gets a wicket, I have to keep it tight at the other end. We are learning to bowl in partnerships. If you do the job and don’t get a wicket, the bowler at the other end will get the wicket. It’s a good environment and I’m enjoying bowling with Sonu and Momi .”Gurjapneet – and Sonu – could well be the missing pieces in TN’s jigsaw as they aim to lift their first Ranji title since 1987-88.

Motie, Hope and Pretorius combine to keep Royals winless

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Barbados Royals continued their winless run in CPL 2025, sliding to their fourth defeat in five games thanks to Shai Hope and Dwaine Pretorius in the main, as Guyana Amazon Warriors bounced back from successive losses to register their third win in five games in a rain-hit contest in Bridgetown.Asked to bat at home, Royals didn’t have a great start, losing Quinton de Kock in the fourth over and Kadeem Alleyne in the seventh, but Brandon King ensured they had a decent powerplay on the whole, reaching 43. But he was gone by the eighth over for a 27-ball 39, and then it was over to Rassie van der Dussen to keep things on course with Eathan Bosch and Sherfane Rutherford following King back to the dugout quickly.Royals needed a partnership, and got it from van der Dussen and captain Rovman Powell.

Van der Dussen, unfortunately, could never quite speed up, finishing with a 37-ball 45, but Powell did, smashing an unbeaten 28-ball 50 with six sixes, which pushed Royals to a competitive 165. Gudakesh Motie, with the wickets of Alleyne and Bosch, was the standout Amazon Warriors bowler, returning 2 for 16 from his four overs.Amazon Warriors’ chase started terribly, raising fears of a third successive loss, as they slid to 30 for 4 inside the fifth over. Ben McDermott, Moeen Ali, Shimron Hetmyer and Hassan Khan were all gone, Bosch and Ramon Simmonds picking up two wickets apiece at the start.But that’s where Royals’ fight ended. Hope, who had opened the innings, was still there, and Pretorius joined ranks with him from No. 6, and the two put on an 89-run stand in 60 balls amid the rain – which was a near-constant presence – to put Amazon Warriors on top.They were separated when Pretorius fell for a 34-ball 53 to Chris Green, and the target was still some distance away with the scoreboard reading 119 for 5. Hope and Quentin Sampson ensured that there were no further hiccups, getting to the target with a six and with two balls remaining.

ذا أثلتيك تضع حلًا لأزمة محمد صلاح مع ليفربول

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

كشف ديفيد أورنستين، الصحفي الشهير بموقع “ذا أثلتيك” البريطاني حل أزمة محمد صلاح مع ليفربول عقب تصريحاته الأخيرة.

كان صلاح قد خرج بعد انتهاء مباراة ليدز يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي وتحدث لوسائل الإعلام وفتح النار على الجميع، وعلى رأسهم مدربه آرني سلوت، بسبب جلوسه على دكة البدلاء لثلاث مباريات متتالية.

بعد تلك التصريحات، انهالت على صلاح تعليقات اللاعبين القدامى والمحللين الإنجليز وانتقدوا حديثه بشدة وعلى رأسهم جيمي كاراجر.

وقال أورنستين: “الانطباع السائد هو أن صلاح أدلى بتصريحاته النارية إما لأنه يريد فعلًا الضغط على النادي للرحيل أو لأنه يريد الضغط على سلوت الذي كان منصبه بالفعل موضع تساؤل بسبب نتائج ليفربول السيئة في حملته للدفاع عن لقب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز”.

اقرأ أيضًا | “أصبح عدوًا لزملائه”.. ميرور توضح أزمة محمد صلاح مع فيرتز في ليفربول

وأكمل: “موقف ليفربول هو أنهم لا يريدون بيعه وقد أشار مسؤولون كبار في النادي إلى أن صلاح مرتبط بعقد حتى صيف 2027، وأن غيابه الأخير عن التشكيلة الأساسية كان يُعتبر إجراءً مؤقتًا”.

وأضاف: “إنهم في حيرة من سرعة تدهور الأمور ولكن هناك أيضًا شعور بأن الكرة في ملعب صلاح وأنه بحاجة إلى إخبار النادي بنواياه”.

وأتم: “إذا كان يريد الرحيل، فعليه أن يوضح كيف يمكن أن يحدث ذلك، وعندها يمكن لليفربول أن يتصرف ومع ذلك، هناك إدراك أيضًا أنه إذا ظل موقف صلاح متشددًا في رأيه ولم يتم التوصل إلى حل، فإن الوضع سيصبح لا يُطاق”.

Their next Caicedo: BlueCo have signed a "world-beater" for Chelsea

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

They have made more than their fair share of poor signings over the last few years, but Chelsea have also got their hands on some incredible players.

One of those who falls into the latter category has to be Moises Caicedo, who has gone from up-and-coming gem to arguably the best six in the Premier League.

The Ecuadorian monster is almost unmatched when it comes to breaking up play, and with every passing game, seems to get better and better in attacking phases of play.

Therefore, Chelsea fans should be delighted about their most recent signing, as the youngster could well be their next Caicedo.

The exciting youngsters set to join up with Chelsea

Chelsea already have a squad full of exciting talents, and they are set to add even more talented youngsters in the summer.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

For example, Brazilian left-back Denner put pen to paper on a contract with the club back in March, but due to rules regarding under-18s, he must wait until the summer to join the senior squad.

He looks like a player worth waiting for, though, as, on top of being more than capable at the defensive side of the game, he is also a “marauding LB with so much quality in the final third,” per respected analyst Ben Mattinson.

Further up the pitch, someone who could cause havoc on the opposite flank for the Blues is Portuguese wonderkid Geovany Quenda.

The Sporting CP gem cost around £44m in March, and while that is an enormous sum of money, it looks like he will be more than worth it.

For example, despite still being just 18 years old, the Bissau-born dynamo has scored four goals and provided six assists, with two of those goal involvements coming against Kaira Almaty in the Champions League.

Speaking of the Kazakh side, their most exciting prospect, Dastan Satpayev, will make his way to Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Described as “a future Ballon d’Or winner” and “a future rival to Lamine Yamal” by one analyst, to say there is some hype around the 17-year-old would be an understatement.

It’s easy to see why, though, as in 29 first-team appearances last season, totalling 2081 minutes, he scored 15 goals and provided seven assists.

Satpaev’s 24/25

Appearances

29

Starts

21

Minutes

2081

Goals

15

Assists

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.75

Minutes per Goal Involvement

94.59′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

On top of that, he also became the youngest player to score a senior goal for the Kazakh national team last week, scoring the side’s only goal in their 1-1 draw with Belgium.

With all that said, potentially the most exciting prospect of them all isn’t going to join Chelsea next year, but could still be their next Caicedo.

Chelsea's next Caicedo

What makes Caicedo such an incredible player? Most would agree that it is a combination of his excellent reading of the game, anticipation and technique.

These three things make him exceptional at shielding the back four and brilliant at kick-starting attacking moves.

Fortunately, based on the sentiment of those in the know, those appear to be traits shared by Deinner Ordonez, who just signed a pre-agreement with the Blues.

For example, Como scout Felix Johnstone has described the youngster as “an absolute alien of a talent” who is “physically top, so good in the air” and capable of producing “excellent carries.”

Likewise, Mattinson has described him as a “pacy aggressive defender off the ball who’s able to defend big spaces with a level of dominance rare for his age.”

He’s not just a defensive powerhouse, though, as Mattinson also points out his “outstanding range of passing” and the fact that he is “completely both-footed.”

With all that, it’s not hard to see why Johnston has dubbed the teenager a future “world-beater,” nor is it hard to see the technical traits he shares with Caicedo.

In addition to these physical and technical similarities, the youngster is also Ecuadorian, becoming the youngest player to represent the side at the South American U-20 Championship earlier this year.

Moreover, while he is yet to make a first-team appearance, he is also at the midfielder’s old club, Independiente del Valle.

Ultimately, he might play in a different position, but Ordonez shares plenty of traits with Caicedo and is certainly looked at as someone who could become as important for Chelsea in the future.

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Not Martinez or Konsa: Aston Villa star is now "among the best in the league"

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

There were concerns that Aston Villa would wane under Unai Emery’s management after a frustrating and turbulent summer transfer window that left the club with more questions than answers.

But the emphatic 4-0 win over Bournemouth before the November international break sealed Villa’s fifth win from six Premier League matches, lifting them up to sixth in the standings, just two points off third-place Chelsea.

That Anfield defeat stands as the one dot on the recent copybook, rather than a new and wider concern for Emery as his side lose their form and verve once again.

This team is ready to challenge for a Champions League spot and compete for silverware, domestically and abroad. The stars are rising to the occasion – again. Two of the club’s most important players stepped up big time against the Cherries.

The Villa stars who are stepping up

Aston Villa smashed Bournemouth on Sunday and four different Villans got themselves on the scoresheet. But it was the defensive third that arguably shone brightest, limiting the visitors to just 0.23 xG (expected goals) from open play.

Credit to Ezri Konsa – again. The 28-year-old has grown into one of the finest defenders in the country since joining Villa Park from Bristol City in July 2019.

Now, maturing as a leader, Konsa’s completeness at the rear has led Sky Sports’ Dan Bardell to claim he “gets into every Premier League team” apart from table-toppers Arsenal.

And, again, we must draw praise toward Emi Martinez, whose stormy summer on an individual level saw him come close to joining Manchester United. He wanted this move and left Villa Park at the end of the 2024/25 campaign with tearful eyes and grateful gesticulations toward the fans.

But the Argentina goalkeeper has been as strong as ever this year, and his penalty save against Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo proved significant in snuffing out danger and capitalising.

There was another star away from the offensive action at the weekend who continued his rise in form. Indeed, this defender has shaped into one of the Premier League’s finest in one regard.

The Villa star now "among the best in the league"

Continuity. At times, an underrated facet in football. Aston Villa’s backline have developed together over three campaigns, largely unaltered. This has drawbacks, because the football is always evolving and it never stops, but the intuitiveness across the back four and Martinez too emphasises the strength of Emery’s tactics.

He makes players better, and Matty Cash is a perfect example of this. The right-back joined Villa from Nottingham Forest for £16m in 2020, and he has since played 195 matches for the Midlands outfit, posting 12 goals and 12 assists apiece.

Now, the 28-year-old is considered a core part of the side, having started all 11 matches in the Premier League this season.

With such energy and gusto to blend attacking and defensive sides of the right-back game, Cash has made headway after an up-and-down 2024/25 season, thus negating the chinks in the right-side armour.

This was showcased perfectly against Andoni Iraola’s south coast side. So dangerous are Bournemouth on the counter, their forwards as electric as they come. But they left with neither points nor consolation strikes last weekend, and Cash was instrumental in that.

Matty Cash vs Bournemouth

Match Stats

#

Minutes played

90′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Touches

53

Accurate passes

19/27 (70%)

Shots (on target)

1 (1)

Tackles won

1/2

Clearances

2

Ground duels won

3/7

Data via Sofascore

Up against it, Cash kept the Cherries’ threatening forwards at bay while contributing offensively, enjoying the first chance of the game and providing a dynamic outlet down the right channel. For this, Birmingham Live’s John Townley awarded him an 8/10 match rating.

This was corroborated by The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, in fact, who marvelled at the full-back’s display and hailed him as being “among the best in the league” when it comes to defending, aggression and mentality.

All told, Cash is a perfect example of a player who has embraced a manager’s tactics and worked tooth and nail toward an influential role. Villa are looking to go all the way in the Europa League, but also fight for the ascendancy in the Premier League and continue a journey which has gripped the fanbase since returning to the big time.

He has been one of the defining elements of this story, and he’s now one of the best in the division.

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MLB Twins Tyler, Taylor Rogers Both Traded on the Same Day Ahead of Deadline

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

There's been plenty of MLB trades, with plenty more to come, ahead of Thursday's deadline. While it's common for pitchers to be dealt in trades, especially relievers, a first-time instance (according to Sportsnet) happened on Wednesday when twins Tyler and Taylor Rogers were both traded from their respective teams.

Tyler was dealt to the Mets from the Giants in what was deemed an uneven trade between the two teams. In return for Rogers, the Giants received the team's No. 10 prospect pitcher Blade Tidwell and No. 12 prospect outfielder Drew Gilbert, as well as veteran reliever Jose Butto.

Taylor was sent to the Pirates from the Reds along with infielder Sammy Stafura and cash considerations. The Reds received third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes on the other side of the deal.

The Rogers twins will be much closer in distance to each other now, as Tyler will be in New York and Taylor will be in Pittsburgh.

The twins are not scheduled to face each other for the rest of the MLB season, but they already did play against each other back in April when the Reds and Giants played at Oracle Park. They both pitched for the Giants from 2023-24 when Taylor was on the squad. Tyler spent his entire career since 2019 in San Francisco until he was traded on Wednesday.

Gardner 104*, Sutherland 98* star as Australia lay marker for knock-outs

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

England thrive in powerplays but pay price for timid mid-innings batting with Alana King instrumental

Valkerie Baynes22-Oct-2025

Annabel Sutherland and Ash Gardner ripped the contest from England’s grasp•Getty Images

Australia 248 for 4 (Gardner 104*, Sutherland 98*) beat England 244 for 9 (Beaumont 78, Sutherland 3-60) by six wicketsIndomitable Australia were at it again, this time with an unbroken 180-run stand between Annabel Sutherland and Ash Gardner which dug them out of early trouble and put them back into top spot on the World Cup table with a six-wicket win against England.It almost feels misguided to use the word “trouble” when it comes to an Australian side packed with so many gifted allrounders and boasting such depth that someone, anyone, in their XI can always get the job done.On Wednesday in Indore, where Australia lurched to 24 for 3 then 68 for 4, it was Sutherland and Gardner, who proved so dominant in their pursuit of 245 that they inadvertently turned the closing stages into a battle over who would reach a century first.Gardner did it, rocking back with intent to steer a Lauren Bell delivery to the boundary through deep third. She’d romped there from 69 balls, yet three dot balls followed to give Sutherland the strike, with four runs needed for victory and five for her ton.Sutherland attempted a six off Sophie Ecclestone and miscued high over cover where Heather Knight spilled the chance. Though she got back on strike with a two, a subsequent single left her at the non-striker’s end on 98, with Gardner hitting the winning boundary as Australia cruised to victory with 57 balls to spare.Both had played their part with the ball too in restricting England to 244 for 9. Sutherland claimed three wickets and Gardner two while legspinner Alana King was instrumental in smothering England through the middle overs with a miserly eight-over spell. She yielded just 13 runs while claiming the big wicket of Nat Sciver-Brunt for just 7. King finished with 1 for 20 from 10.Tammy Beaumont found form with the bat but, without her half-century and a late charge by seventh-wicket pair Alice Capsey and Charlie Dean, England would have been worse off than defending a total that still looked sub-par against a side as strong as Australia.Australia celebrate the DRS review that sent Heather Knight on her way•Getty Images

So it proved as Australia – missing injured captain, wicketkeeper and in-form batter Alyssa Healy – consigned England to their first defeat of the tournament.After a best score of 32 from five innings at this World Cup, Beaumont stood up for England with 78, sharing a 55-run opening stand with Amy Jones. Capsey was the only member of England’s struggling middle-order to make a significant contribution with 38 off 32 balls, while Dean provided another helpful cameo from No.8, this time worth 26 from 27 as the pair put on 61 runs together.It looked briefly like their efforts might have been good enough when new-ball duo Lauren Bell and Linsey Smith sent Australia reeling.Bell’s third ball was a gem which moved away from left-hander Phoebe Litchfield, whizzed past the outside edge and took out off stump. It was the first time in 33 ODI innings that Litchfield had been dismissed in the first over.Healy pursed her lips and shook her head in the dug-out as she watched a replay of her batting replacement, Georgia Voll, bottom-edging a slog-sweep off Smith onto off stump, losing her balance and toppling onto the ground into a backward somersault to complete the indignity.Smith claimed her second with a simple return catch off Ellyse Perry’s leading edge as she backed away from a shorter delivery, while stand-in skipper Beth Mooney was left chewing her top lip after she spooned Sophie Ecclestone to midwicket, where Sciver-Brunt took a sharp catch dive-rolling to her left.Sutherland looked scratchy early in her rescue mission but she settled into a rhythm, moving into the 40s with a powerful slog-sweep off Smith and clearing the covers off Dean for four to bring up her fifty. She then skipped down the pitch to Bell and steered another boundary expertly between extra cover and mid-off.Linsey Smith struck in her second over as Georgia Voll played on•ICC/Getty Images

Gardner raised her half-century with a glorious pulled four off Sciver-Brunt but didn’t stop there, adding two more straight away, a carbon copy of the first followed by a lofted drive down the ground.From there the Australian duo made their task look easy, Gardner becoming particularly aggressive with three consecutive fours off Capsey and three more off Ecclestone’s ninth over to move ahead of Sutherland.Earlier, Kim Garth, who replaced fellow seamer Darcie Brown in the Australian side, and Megan Schutt were wayward with their lines and lengths and the England openers capitalised. England reached 55 for 0 in eight overs, which was already their highest powerplay total of the tournament.But Sutherland’s introduction to the attack delivered instant rewards with a wicket maiden as she plucked out Jones, playing inside the line of a perfect ball on the top of off stump, and when Garth closed out the powerplay with her own maiden to Beaumont, Australia’s mid-innings fightback was underway.After a wise Australia review removed Knight, lbw to Sophie Molineux, King backed up the excellent economy of her player-of-the-match performance against Bangladesh and was rewarded with the wicket of Sciver-Brunt, lured down the pitch and skewing the ball to Sutherland at mid-off.King extracted prolific turn and bounce, her initial spell coinciding with a period between the 20th and 30th overs in which England added just 26 runs. Australia, by contrast, would rack up 77 for 0 in the same spell of their reply.A cool-headed catch by Voll, playing her first World Cup match, removed Beaumont. Feeling the need to pick up England’s tempo, Beaumont took on Sutherland’s slower ball as Voll ran backwards at long-on, parried the ball back into play as she toppled over the boundary rope, and stepped calmly back inside to complete the catch.It was a back-of-the-hand slower ball from Sutherland which extended Emma Lamb’s wretched tournament when she was bowled off her pads for 7, and after struggling for rhythm in her 22 from 48 balls, Sophia Dunkley misread a Gardner delivery, advancing and heaving towards the leg side as the ball spun past the outside edge. Mooney whipped off the bails as she tried in vain to make her ground.Capsey defied her lean run at No. 7 with back-to-back fours off Sutherland, taking her past her previous best of 20 for this tournament. But when she was pinned on the pad by Molineux and Dean chipped Gardner to cover two balls later, Australia wrested back control.

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