Tri-series finals, must-win games, losing-streak-enders. India cover all bases when it comes to batting collapses against Sri Lanka. Which of these was the worst?
ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2017
Chelsea have seen a huge improvement defensively in recent weeks, keeping five clean sheets in their last seven games, only conceding two goals and 16 shots on target across those seven games.
However, the attacking prowess does seem to have tailed off, with the Blues only scoring nine in their last seven games, with four of those goals coming against bottom of the Premier League, Southampton.
Enzo Maresca will be keen to add some extra firepower to his forward line this summer, with a new striker high on the wish list, alongside a new winger who suits the Italian’s system.
Chelsea battling for £64m "cheat code"
The Blues have been linked with a number of forwards over recent months, from Newcastle superstar Alexander Isak to Ipswich forward Liam Delap.
However, they’re not just casting their net across the Premier League but across European football, too.
Indeed, according to reports from TBR Football, Chelsea are interested in signing AC Milan’s £150m-rated winger, Rafael Leao. The player’s camp are currently assessing the player’s options ahead of the summer.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
That being said, the Blues could face competition from London rivals Arsenal, who are also now emerging as an option for the Portuguese winger.
Both Chelsea and Arsenal are keen to add a right-footed left-winger who offers a direct goal threat, speed in transition and creative qualities to unlock a game through their individual brilliance.
Leao has made 43 appearances for the Italian outfit this season, scoring ten goals, providing nine assists and totaling 2,997 minutes.
Chelsea are also reportedly in the race to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens, so just how do the pair compare?
How Leao compares to Gittens this season
Dortmund’s Gittens is another target emerging for Maresca’s side and it’s easy to see why.
The 20-year-old sensation – who is seen as the future of English football – has made 42 appearances for the German outfit this season, netting 12 goals and providing four assists.
He notably shone in the Champions League, scoring against Real Madrid, and would be a superb signing. Still, he’s not quite as good as Leao.
Both players fit the bill of a Maresca winger, looking to get into plenty of 1v1 isolations with the opposition fullback, capable of going both inside and outside and having the directness to drive towards the box themselves.
One factor that could be slightly more worrying surrounding Leao compared to Gittens is work rate, with Maresca often asking his wide players to work hard defensively.
Goals
0.28
0.43
Assists
0.26
0.11
xG
0.28
0.20
xAG
0.27
0.13
Progressive Carries
4.86
5.74
Progressive Passes
3.67
2.08
Shots Total
2.30
2.59
Key Passes
2.09
1.09
Shot-Creating Actions
4.37
3.77
Successful Take-Ons
2.99
3.81
Whilst Gittens has a slightly higher shot volume, manages more progressive carries and successful take-ons, Leao offers more through creative passing, with more key passes, more shot-creating actions and higher assist numbers.
Described as one of football’s “cheat codes” by analyst Raj Chohan, Milan’s Portuguese star has blistering pace, the persistence to be direct and attack the opposition full-backs. He always forces them into uncomfortable scenarios and has the ability to create something out of nothing in a split second.
Both players would be excellent signings for Chelsea, but with the Blues already having such a young and inexperienced side, an addition like Leao could provide more of an instant boost, with a big-name signing to raise morale and ready to play a significant part in a title challenge.
Uzbekistan have qualified for their first ever World Cup following a goalless draw with United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
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Since taking the job almost two years ago now, Ange Postecoglou has completely changed Tottenham Hotspur.
On the pitch, the results might not have improved massively, but unlike under the previous few managers, the team is no longer boring the fans senseless.
However, where the Australian has made the most significant changes is the makeup of the squad, as he’s seen several stars leave and plenty of exciting talents come in.
In fact, the Premier League seems to be full of tremendously promising prospects this season, and Spurs might just have their answer to recent England debutant, Myles Lewis-Skelly.
The Premier League's most promising prospects
So, let’s start close to home with one of Tottenham’s breakout stars from what has been a pretty dismal year: Lucas Bergvall.
The Swede, who was signed from Djurgårdens for around £8.5m last winter, has become more and more important to the first team as the season has gone on.
Indeed, 13 of his 19 starts coming since Christmas, and when you watch him play, it’s easy to understand why Postecoglou wants to give him more responsibility.
The 19-year-old “generational” talent, as dubbed by journalist Mitch Fretton, is seemingly able to do it all from the middle of the park, be that break-up play with a well-timed block or kickstart attacks with a gut-busting run through the middle of the park or a perfectly timed pass.
Another of the Lilywhites’ most exciting youngsters this season has been Mikey Moore, who, at just 17 years old and in 632 minutes of first-team football, has scored once and provided two assists, while also being compared to Neymar Jr by James Maddison.
Moving over to the red side of North London now, and while Spurs’ fans won’t like to hear it, understandably so, Arsenal’s Ethan Nwaneri has also stepped up in a big way this season, scoring eight goals and providing one assist in just 1087 first-team minutes.
It’s not just the traditional ‘big six’ who have unearthed some sensational young talents this year either, as 19-year-old Spanish defender Dean Huijsen has been one of the stars of Bournemouth’s brilliant campaign thus far.
The former Juventus gem has managed to bag two goals for himself, and according to FBref, sits in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions, the top 4% for shot-creating actions and clearances, the top 5% for non-penalty expected goals plus assists and more, all per 90.
However, when it comes to the teenage talent most in the spotlight, it has to be the Gunners’ own Lewis-Skelly, although there is no need for the Spurs faithful to be jealous, as they appear to have their own version of the 18-year-old.
Spurs' own Lewis-Skelly
There has been rife debate among Spurs fans of late that Djed Spence should have been in the England squad at the expense of the Arsenal wonderkid. However, he’s not the closest thing to Myles Lewis-Skelly. Instead, that honour is handed to Archie Gray.
There are a few key reasons why the incredible talent who joined the club last summer for around £30m could be their version of the Arsenal man, the most important being how he’s been utilised this season.
Like the Hale Ender, the former Leeds United gem is first and foremost a central midfielder, but due to the incredible amount of defensive injuries the team have had to deal with this year, he’s played in the backline more than anywhere else.
Centre-Back
19
Right-Back
7
Left-Back
5
Defensive Midfield
3
Other
3
For example, across all competitions this season, the Durham-born star has made 19 appearances at centre-back, seven at right-back, five at left-back and just three in defensive midfield.
Similarly, the Gunners’ young star has made 23 appearances as a left-back and just two in defensive midfield.
On top of being used in similar ways by their respective managers, both are incredibly highly rated for their age, with the Arsenal star already winning a senior England cap and the Tottenham prospect being described as a “future £100m” star by respected football analyst Ben Mattinson.
Ultimately, Lewis-Skelly certainly looks to be the real deal and someone who will have a sensational career, but the same thing could and should be said about Gray, and given their trajectories, we would not be surprised to see them lining up together for England in the future.
Cost £10m, sold for 750% more: Spurs hit gold on "once in a lifetime" star
The incredible international remains Spurs’ best-ever sale.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 25, 2025
As the international break slowly comes to an end, managers and supporters will be praying their players return healthy, but that may not be the case for Nottingham Forest after Chris Wood limped off the pitch in the early hours of Monday morning.
How Forest players are getting along on international duty
Given how the season has gone for the Reds so far, it is no surprise to see a lot of their key players away on international duty representing their national teams.
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BySean Markus Clifford Mar 23, 2025
Forest captain and talisman Morgan Gibbs-White is the only player from the City Ground to be representing England during this break after he was called up to the squad as a replacement for Cole Palmer. Gibbs-White was not named in the 23-man squad for England’s game against Albania on Friday but has been recalled to the squad for their game against Latvia.
Meanwhile, defenders Murillo, Nikola Milenkovic and Ola Aina are away representing Brazil, Serbia and Nigeria respectively. Milenkovic left the Serbian media impressed after his defensive display in a 1-1 draw in Austria, which he followed up with a clean sheet in a 2-0 win in the return leg on Sunday.
“He had his moments of hesitation, especially at the start of the game in the 9th minute when he came forward and left a gap for Strahinja Pavlović, but he did his job very well until the end, showing that he is one of the best stoppers in the Premier League this season for a reason.
“He also tried his head, and it seems that he was very happy when he saw Arnautović as a new task. He successfully stopped him as well as Grilič.”
Willy Boly and Ibrahim Sangare are both representing the Ivory Coast as they play their final game on Monday evening against Gambia – the defender was an unused substitute in their 1-0 win in Burundi while Sangare got some minutes off the bench.
Neco Williams, Anthony Elanga, Matz Sels, Elliot Anderson and Wood are all away representing their respective countries, and while Williams produced a fabulous display in a 3-1 Wales win over Kazakhstan, there is serious concern for Wood, who limped out of New Zealand’s 3-0 win against New Caledonia on Monday.
Darren Bazeley shares update on Chris Wood injury
New Zealand manager Darren Bazeley spoke to the press on Monday and confirmed Wood has picked up an injury but was hesitant to provide too many details. He did, however, state the issue is “not ideal”.
New Zealand became the second nation to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after a 3-0 win over New Caledonia, but theirs and Forest’s talisman had to be replaced 54 minutes into the game with what appeared to be a hip injury.
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Assists
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The 33-year-old, who has 18 goals to his name in the Premier League this season, bagged a hat-trick in New Zealand’s win over Fiji on Friday night, making it back-to-back hat-tricks for his country in the World Cup qualification campaign before blanking against New Caledonia.
Forest and their fans will now be sweating as they await the results of any further tests and scans before they face Brighton in the FA Cup on Saturday, with a huge Premier League game against Manchester United then looming on Tuesday.
They were without their most irreplaceable player in a top-of-the-table clash against a New Zealand side that’s had the wood over them in recent global-tournament meetings, and this New Zealand side put them under severe pressure on multiple occasions. But in the end, India continued to typify the 2023 World Cup equivalent of Gary Lineker’s famous quote on a superteam from a different sport: “Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and in the end, the Germans always win.”We’re still only halfway through the league stage, and knockouts are knockouts, but India have looked so hard to beat that even this game, their most intense tussle yet in this tournament, ended with Virat Kohli trying to repeat what he did against Bangladesh on Thursday, and refuse singles with India in sight of victory in order to try and reach his hundred.It didn’t quite happen this time, with the attempted winning six on 95 ending up as a catch on the midwicket boundary, but India sauntered home nonetheless, with Ravindra Jadeja pulling Matt Henry for four to complete the job with two overs to spare. Jadeja made an unbeaten 39, a vital innings given that he came in at No. 7 with India still 83 away from victory.With Hardik Pandya out injured, India replaced him with two players, a specialist batter in Suryakumar Yadav and a specialist fast bowler in Mohammed Shami, which meant India’s batting effectively ended with Jadeja at No. 7.The lack of batting depth was counterbalanced, however, by the increased menace of India’s pace attack, who played a starring role in bowling New Zealand out for 273 after they had been 178 for 2 at one stage. Shami, playing his first game of the tournament, led the way with his second five-wicket haul in World Cups, his bullying of New Zealand’s lower order the centerpiece of a superlative effort by India in the last 10 overs, where they took six wickets while conceding just 54.Particularly impressive was India’s shackling of Daryl Mitchell, New Zealand’s top scorer. Mitchell had put on 159 for the third wicket with Rachin Ravindra, and reached an exactly run-a-ball hundred in the 41st over, but India kept him to just 30 off his last 27 balls. He was ninth out in the final over, caught on the wide long-on boundary to give Shami his fifth wicket.Daryl Mitchell brought up ODI century No. 5•ICC/Getty Images
Each of Shami’s wickets seemed to come with a question attached to it: “You’re keeping on the bench?” He struck first ball after coming on as first change, getting Will Young to play on with a typically upright-seamed inducker. Then he broke the Mitchell-Ravindra stand with an offcutter into the pitch. And he ended New Zealand’s hopes of getting near or past 300, effectively, by splattering the stumps of Mitchell Santner and Henry with consecutive balls in the 48th over.Chasing a significantly smaller target than they may have envisaged at one stage, India began in typically ominous fashion, with Rohit Sharma hitting four sixes in a 40-ball 46 that dominated an opening stand of 71 with Shubman Gill. During this partnership, India extracted a strange sort of revenge for the Old Trafford semi-final of 2019, where their fast bowlers had caused as much trouble with the new ball as New Zealand’s quicks but ended up with significantly fewer early wickets. This time Henry beat both openers’ bats repeatedly – including Gill three times in a row – and Trent Boult saw an edge from Rohit fall short of slip, but there were no wickets in the first powerplay.Thereafter it was all about Kohli, even though he typically did most of his work in the shadows – literally for a while when a spectral fog enveloped the ground, eventually stopping play for around 15 minutes. Kohli was the less-dominant partner in half-century stands for the third and fourth wickets, but where Shreyas Iyer fell to another short ball and KL Rahul played down the wrong line against Santner to be dismissed for the first time in the tournament, he endured, as he always does in run-chases.Ever so often, Kohli imposed himself on the game with an incandescent shot: an on-the-up square drive off Lockie Ferguson to get off the mark; a charging, flourishing extra-cover drive off Henry to get to 40; and in between an inside-out loft for six off Ravindra to release whatever pressure New Zealand had put on him by keeping him to 28 off his first 47 balls.From that point, Kohli scored 67 off 57 balls. A significant hiccup arrived when he got into a mix-up that sent back Suryakumar Yadav, but once Jadeja eased India’s fears over their lack of batting depth, the result became a formality.Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja operated at full intensity•Associated Press
New Zealand would have been disappointed at this because they had put themselves in a commanding position at one stage after India had sent them in. Ravindra and Mitchell had fought extremely hard to get them into that position, coming together after Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj and Shami had combined to reduce them to 19 for 2 in the ninth over.Along the way, the two of them demonstrated to all other sides a method to combat India’s attack. Mitchell exemplified this with his calculated risk-taking, particularly at the start of overs. He mixed up his pre-ball movements against the fast bowlers, sometimes shuffling across his stumps and out of his crease, at other times stepping back towards his off stump, and manipulating line and length in this manner. Most telling, though, was his calculated assault on Kuldeep Yadav, to whom he used his feet multiple times to launch him down the ground. In all, he scored 43 runs off Kuldeep – the most any batter has scored against the left-arm wristspinner in an ODI innings – off just 28 balls.Kuldeep conceded 48 in his first five overs, which would have worried India considerably, given that they didn’t have a sixth bowler. But the measure of Kuldeep’s skill and self-confidence came over his next five overs, in which he had Mitchell dropped at long-off, took two vital wickets – Tom Latham deceived by a flatter skidder and trapped plumb in front, Glenn Phillips caught off a miscue against the wrong’un – and conceded just 25.Kuldeep’s display was an encapsulation of India’s day. They were put under intense pressure by a formidable opponent, but they trusted their methods and came out unscathed. This India side can be rattled, but for any side to beat them over the next four weeks will likely take a special effort of sustained excellence.
Rockets skipper strikes four sixes in a row to overcome 125 target with 14 balls to spare
ECB Reporters Network12-Aug-2023Trent Rockets skipper Nat Sciver-Brunt smashed an unbeaten 81 from 41 balls to lead her side to their first victory of the Women’s Hundred as they overcame London Spirit by five wickets at Lord’s.Sciver-Brunt’s brutal hitting was too much for the home bowlers as she racked up nine fours and four sixes, including two successive maximums off Danielle Gibson, to clinch the win with 13 balls to spare.The visitors’ spinners had bowled well to restrict Spirit – who remain without a win in the tournament – to 124 for four, with Kirstie Gordon taking two for 19. But Rockets were in some difficulty themselves at 29 for three before the captain took control of the game, sharing a partnership of 51 from 34 with Fran Wilson to get her side back on track.Having won the toss, Rockets put the hosts in and opened with left-arm seam pair Alexa Stonehouse and Naomi Dattani, who concentrated on bowling a line that protected the short boundary on the grandstand side. However, it was spin that broke the opening stand of 27, with Gordon’s second delivery tempting Grace Harris to cut straight into the hands of the point fielder.Gibson continued to thrive, crunching a series of boundaries that included a sweet straight drive off Alana King to reach 36 from 27 before she was also undone by Gordon, miscuing one to the off side. Spirit struggled to get the slow bowlers away, with Heather Knight skying King to deep square leg as both the Australian all-rounder and Bryony Smith went for less than a run a ball.Richa Ghosh batted shrewdly for her 20 from 18 and, following a quiet start, Amelia Kerr picked up some momentum during the penultimate set of five as she scooped Stonehouse for three boundaries to finish unbeaten on 36.Rockets suffered an early blow in reply as the big-hitting Lizelle Lee – having dispatched Gibson to the leg-side fence – tried to repeat the shot three balls later and speared it to mid-on instead. Sciver-Brunt was soon up and running, though, punching Charlie Dean off the back foot for four as the visitors progressed to 21 for one from 20 balls before a sudden downpour held up play.The game resumed after a 25-minute delay and Spirit’s spinners seized their opportunity, with Dean pinning Smith in front before Glenn produced another ball that skidded on to remove Harmanpreet Kaur in the same fashion.That left Rockets in trouble, but the captain counter-attacked as she drove Glenn twice to the fence and took 13 off five balls from Kerr before hitting Lauren Filer for back-to-back boundaries to bring up her half-century from 32.Despite losing two quick wickets, Jo Gardner kept Sciver-Brunt company with an unbeaten 17 from 11 and the pair plundered 23 from Grace Scrivens’ set of five – including three sixes – to propel their side across the line.
Talks are progressing between Liverpool and one of their star men over a new contract, with a deal now said to be ‘close’, according to a recent report.
Liverpool's summer transfer plans
Arne Slot and co. still have so much of their attention on the pitch as they look to wrap up the Premier League title, with the Reds also into the last 16 of the Champions League and among the favourites to win that competition as well, with a League Cup final to play next month too.
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This Champions League winner has been in fine fettle this season.
ByAngus Sinclair Feb 25, 2025
But as the season progresses it means the summer transfer window is getting ever closer and those high up at Anfield must already have their eyes there, as they have some big decisions to make over key players.
One player whose future is up in the air is of course Mohamed Salah, and Liverpool are being linked with a move for Lamine Yamal, which would be quite a shock but possible due to Barcelona’s financial difficulties, which will force them to sell at least one or two key men this summer.
It’s been reported that Liverpool are “above all” the other Premier League teams in the race to sign Yamal, but face competition from Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, who are also watching on.
The Reds are among the teams who are dreaming of signing the 17-year-old at the end of the season, but Barcelona have no plans to sell their superstar if they don’t absolutely have to.
In defence, with questions over the future of Virgil van Dijk, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Liverpool are prioritising signing a centre-back in the summer transfer window in order to add more depth whether the Dutchman stays or gos.
Talks progressing over new contract for Liverpool superstar
While the Premier League leaders begin the search for a new centre-back, according to a report from Spain, Liverpool are now close to agreeing a new contract with Van Dijk after talks progressed in recent weeks.
The report states that the Reds’ intentions are clear – they want the Netherlands international to remain at the club. Talks between the player and the club have now ‘progressed’ to a point that it is being reported that a deal is ‘close’ to being agreed, with the captain ‘considering’ the latest offer.
It is reported that Liverpool believes their captain still has a lot to offer at the age of 33, and his leadership and experience mean he can remain a key figure in the team. They consider the renewal of Van Dijk’s contract a priority as they try to maintain stability in the defence during a summer where there could be a lot of change. For Van Dijk, while he has offers from elsewhere, he feels comfortable at Liverpool and hasn’t ruled out staying for another season.
Apps
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The Dutchman currently earns £11,440,000 a year at Anfield, making him the second-highest earner at the club behind Salah. Despite being at the latter end of his career, Van Dijk still remains a key player for Liverpool and Slot, and with new arrivals expected in defence over the summer, keeping Van Dijk makes more sense for the new signings, as he can help them settle in with his experience and defensive qualities.
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is set to leave the Werkself this summer as he nears a free-agency move to Real Madrid, thanks to a special clause.
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Roy Keane heaped praise on Marcus Rashford after the Manchester United loanee scored a goal for Aston Villa against Manchester City.
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