Both players were off the field for large portions of the second innings against Sri Lanka

Shashank Kishore26-Sep-20252:05

Is captaincy affecting SKY’s form?

Morne Morkel, India’s bowling coach, has allayed concerns around the fitness of Hardik Pandya and Abhishek Sharma leading into Sunday’s Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai.Hardik held his left hamstring and walked off the field after bowling the first over of Sri Lanka’s innings on Friday, in which he dismissed Kusal Mendis for a first-ball duck. Hardik didn’t return to take the field for the remainder of the innings.”Hardik had cramps, he will be assessed tonight and tomorrow morning, we’ll then take a call on that,” Morkel said at the post-match press conference. India’s bowling coach was merely reiterating what India captain Suryakumar Yadav said at the post-match presentation.Meanwhile, Abhishek too spent the entire second half of Sri Lanka’s innings off the field. Abhishek showed signs of discomfort in the ninth over, when he clutched onto his right thigh while running. He eventually left the field in the 10th over, just before a Pathum Nissanka six was signalled dead ball because he hadn’t left the field before Varun Chakravarthy began to run in to bowl.Like Hardik, Abhishek too spent the rest of the innings being iced and treated with pickle juice to ease cramps. Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube and Jitesh Sharma came on as substitute fielders at different points. At one point, even Tilak Varma was briefly off the field, but he soon returned after a hydration break.With the Sri Lanka game stretching way beyond its scheduled close due to the Super Over finish, India are left with an even shorter turnaround time before they take the field on Sunday. Morkel stressed on the need for the players to recover, and stay away from training on Saturday.”The key for the boys is to rest,” he said. “They’re in an ice bath already. The recovery started straight after the match. The best way to recover is sleep and stay off your feet. Hopefully they can get a good night’s sleep.”There will be individual pool sessions for the guys organised. Then some massages before they get mentally ready for the big battle on Sunday. It’s a quick turnaround, and playing smart is going to be the key. There will certainly be no training.”‘Arshdeep, Harshit are X-factors’Morkel also touched upon the challenges players like Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana face when being called upon to deliver at a crucial stage in the competition. On Friday against Sri Lanka, the pair returned combined figures of 2 for 100 of eight overs in India’s defence of 202, before a nerveless Arshdeep delivered in the Super Over to seal victory.”In our environment we want to move away from an excuse culture,” he said. “The effort they put in at training, we expect them to go out there and deliver. Yes, sometimes lack of game time is a factor. You can bowl as many overs as you like in the nets, but nothing beats game time.”The quality of work we put in, we expect the guys to deliver. At the moment, things aren’t happening for them but the team is winning, they’re all X-factor players and real match winners.”

Southampton decided to part ways with head coach Will Still after the former Lens boss only won two of his 13 matches in charge of the club in the Championship.

Interim manager Tonda Eckert has won both of his league games in the dugout so far, including a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday last time out, but it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.

Irrespective of what happens now, Eckert has delivered back-to-back wins that were much-needed after a dismal start to the campaign, which led to Still’s dismissal.

Why Will Still was unfortunate to be sacked by Southampton

The Belgian-born tactician won two of his 13 league matches and averaged 0.92 points per game, per Transfermarkt, which is why it was not a surprise to see him lose his job.

However, per FotMob, Southampton rank sixth in the table for xPTS and are currently 11 places lower in the division than they would be if every game was decided by who created the higher-quality chances.

Of course, football is not played on paper and it is, ultimately, a results-based business, but these statistics suggest that performances from individuals let him down, as the Saints have underperformed their xG and conceded more than their xGA suggests that they should have.

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Whilst it is hard to know what goes on behind the scenes, perhaps Still was unable to motivate a team to win consistently, as he finished between 11th and 8th in his three seasons as a manager in France, which means that he is not used to competing at the very top of a league.

This is why Southampton could find a major upgrade on the former Lens boss by hiring reported target Brendan Rodgers as their new manager during the break.

Why Southampton should hire Brendan Rodgers

The Northern Irish manager resigned from the Celtic job last month and he could be the dream appointment for the Saints if they can convince him to drop down to the Championship.

Rodgers, who was once dubbed “world-class” by Gabriel Agbonlahor, may have the perfect track record for the situation that Southampton find themselves in, because he has experience in the Championship, the Premier League, and the Premiership.

The 52-year-old coach won promotion via the play-offs with Swansea in the 2010/11 campaign, which is relevant for where the club is now, and helped them to stay up with an 11th-placed finish in the Premier League the following season, which should be Southampton’s long-term goal.

Brendan Rodgers’ league career as a manager

League

Games managed

Points per game

Premier League

312

1.56

Premiership

173

2.43

Premiership top six split

15

2.20

Championship

94

1.49

Championship play-offs

3

2.33

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is a proven Premier League manager who has excelled at Swansea, Liverpool, and Leicester City in the top-flight, which is why he would be the perfect appointment for now and in the future.

On top of that, the Northern Irishman is also a proven winner. Per Transfermarkt, he won four Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish League Cups, and four SFA Cups with Celtic, along with an FA Cup and a Community Shield with Leicester.

This means that Rodgers has won a whopping 13 trophies in his career as a manager, whilst Southampton have not won a major trophy since the FA Cup success in 1976.

Overall, the former Celtic manager would be a major upgrade on Still, who has only managed midtable success and has no trophies under his belt, because of his career record, his history in the Championship and the Premier League, and his proven track record of winning trophies.

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If they can convince him to take the job, Rodgers could be the ideal candidate to get the Saints out of the Championship, as well as to establish them in the Premier League.

For a long time, one of Arsenal’s most significant problems was finding a proper backup for Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End icon is undoubtedly Mikel Arteta’s best player, and his time on the sidelines last season showed just how much the team were in desperate need of someone who could cover and compete with him on the right.

Fortunately, the North Londoners signed Noni Madueke in the summer, and while his arrival wasn’t met with universal excitement, his performances over the first five Premier League games suggested he may well be the player the club have needed for so long.

Therefore, supporters should be excited about recent reports linking Arsenal to an international ace who has been compared to both Saka and Madueke.

Arsenal target Saka & Madueke hybrid

It’s not even December, but Arsenal are already being linked with a host of exciting players across Europe and beyond.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

For example, Levante’s Etta Eyong, who has already racked up nine goal involvements, has been touted for a move to the Emirates, as has Nottingham Forest’s incredible Elliot Anderson.

However, as talented as they are, neither of them could be described as being a hybrid of Saka and Madueke, unlike Karim Adeyemi.

Yes, according to a recent report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal are one of a few top sides interested in signing the Borussia Dortmund star.

More than that, the report has revealed that while the German international’s representatives have spoken to Manchester United, he would favour a move to the Gunners.

A potential price is not mentioned in the story, but other reports from Germany claim that Dortmund value their attacker at around £70m.

It could be a complicated and costly deal to get over the line, but given Adeyemi’s ability and potential, one worth pursuing, especially as he’s been compared to both Saka and Madueke.

How Adeyemi compares to Saka & Madueke

Even though it feels like it has been around for some time now, Adeyemi is still just 23 years old.

The Munich-born “monster,” as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has been a key player for Dortmund for a few years, ending last season with an excellent tally of 12 goals and 11 assists in just 41 appearances.

He appears on track to match that tally this year as well, as in 14 appearances, totalling just 817 minutes, he has already racked up six goal involvements.

However, while his output is seriously impressive, the comparisons to Saka and Madueke primarily come from elsewhere, from FBref.

They have compared him to every attacking midfielder and winger across Europe’s top five leagues and have determined that the Hale Enders is the second most similar, and the former Chelsea star is the fourth.

You can gain a better understanding of how these comparisons were made by examining the underlying numbers in which the German dynamo has ranked closely to the two internationals.

In the case of the Gunners’ talisman, these metrics include expected goals plus assists, progressive passes, shot-creating actions, shots on target, and more, all per 90.

Expected Goals + Assists

0.57

0.58

Progressive Passes

2.14

2.24

Shots on Target

0.89

0.93

Passing Accuracy

71.4%

72.4%

Shot-Creating Actions

4.47

4.23

Fouls Drawn

2.68

2.50

Then, for the former Blues star, the underlying numbers include metrics such as goal-creating actions, expected assists, and most interestingly, carries, also all per 90.

In other words, the former RB Salzburg gem seems to possess some of the creativity and goal threat of the North Londoners’ number seven, as well as the carrying ability of their summer signing, which helps explain why Mattinson called him a “serious transitional threat.”

Expected Assists

0.29

0.24

Goal-Creating Actions

0.54

0.59

Carries

28.2

25.9

Successful Take-On %

43.3%

41.2%

Ball Recoveries

2.86

2.94

Ultimately, it would be a costly and challenging transfer to get over the line, but given Adeyemi’s skillset, positional versatility and output, it is one Arsenal should pursue.

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The two wristspinners got together on the sidelines to discuss their art before CSK take on DC

Deivarayan Muthu04-Apr-20252:19

Kuldeep Yadav 2.0 – DC’s trump card

Wristspin or mystery spin used to be a bit of novelty in T20 cricket, but it has become a must-have now. Each of the ten teams in IPL 2025 has at least one bowler of this variety in their squad. Kuldeep Yadav and Noor Ahmad, two of the best in the business, got together off the field on Thursday night in Chennai, and will go up against each other on the field on Saturday.On the eve of the game, the two left-arm wristspinners provided a teaser to the mouth-watering contest. After his press conference, Kuldeep was among the first set of bowlers to bowl to the hard-hitting Jake Fraser-McGurk. The Australia batter had already warmed up by launching a Matheesha Pathirana clone into the stands beyond midwicket. That blow even had some cameramen ducking for cover. When Kuldeep was up against Fraser-McGurk, however, he kept threatening or hitting both the edges. When McGurk tried to pick him off the pitch and play him off the back foot, Kuldeep rushed him with his fizz.After Kuldeep finished his shift, Noor turned up at the adjacent net and created the same fizz at higher speeds. No Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter wanted to face him. The keeper (not MS Dhoni this time) couldn’t read which way Noor was turning the ball. In CSK’s season-opener against Mumbai Indians (MI), Noor had even beaten Dhoni with his left-arm legbreak at breakneck speed. Mystery spin at such speed is hard because batters who can’t pick the turn can’t even adjust to it off the pitch.Related

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That’s why wristspinners or mystery spinners are in such demand in T20 cricket. That’s why Noor holds the purple cap. That’s also why Kuldeep is the most economical bowler this season (for a minimum of 24 balls bowled).When Kuldeep burst onto the international scene in 2017, the slowness of his wristspin made it difficult for batters to line him up. Three years later, batters evolved and held their shape for long enough to put him away. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) leaned towards Varun Chakravarthy’s quicker mystery spin.After moving to Delhi Capitals (DC), Kuldeep has evolved with T20 cricket. He was always an attacking wristspinner, tossing the ball up and beating batters in the air. Now he’s also good at the defensive skills, the increase in his average speed corresponding to a decrease in scoring opportunities. Oppositions still try to take him down but that’s now easier said than done. Forty of Kuldeep’s 52 wickets since IPL 2022 have come when batters have attempted aggressive shots against him.”It has become a trend now, playing with a wristspinner,” Kuldeep on Friday. “Yeah, you have to stay relevant in every game and you have to practice each and every day. And just to keep working on reading the batters, what they are doing, especially on game day. And that’s what I am doing. I am just trying to read the batter, what they are doing, and sticking with my strength and yeah, simple as that.”I’m focusing on length. Length is very important, and it’s been like fourth year with DC, so nothing changes. You mature after playing so many games and understand what your strength is and obviously, spinning the ball is my strength and just keeping it very simple and just focusing on the length and we have been talking about that.”

“Obviously, he has a lovely wrong ‘un and with that kind of a pace, it’s very difficult for a batter to pick and especially when you play in Chennai, it’s always very difficult to score against any wristspinner”Kuldeep Yadav on Noor Ahmad

DC have always been on big on wristspin – Amit Mishra is still the leading wicket-taker for the Delhi franchise. This season, they have gone bigger by pairing rookie legspinner Vipraj Nigam up with Kuldeep. And among the reserves, they have a left-arm fingerspinner who can also bowl left-arm wristspin.CSK, on the other hand, have been a more conventional team. Barring the period between 2018 and 2021 when they had Imran Tahir playing for them, CSK have usually lacked a wristspinner of pedigree. Even they have gone unconventional by outlaying INR 10 crore for Noor’s left-arm wristspin this time.Stephen Fleming became a meme when he held up all his ten fingers at the auctioneer to take the bid for Noor up to INR 10 crore. “We’ve been watching him pretty closely for a few years now,” Mike Hussey, CSK’s batting coach, said of Noor. “But I think in the last probably 12 to 18 months, his improvement has just been through the roof. And I’m sure Stephen Fleming has been watching him closely through the other leagues that he’s been playing, through South Africa (SA20), through the American League (MLC) as well.”2:35

Bishop explains what makes Noor special

While CSK have gone on record about the apparent tension with the curators at Chepauk, Noor has taken the pitches out of equation and has emerged this IPL’s highest wicket-taker. He has, on average, taken a wicket once every eight balls.CSK had originally picked Noor as a middle-overs operator, but he can also do the job in the powerplay and end overs, given his exceptional skills. “I just like the look of him,” Hussey said. “I mean, he’s a good guy to have in the team. He’s an attacking spinner. Not many batsmen around the world read him very well. So, he becomes a real attacking option for us. I know Fleming in particular was very keen to get hold of him in the auction and was delighted when we were able to get him. And yeah, he started the season fantastically well.”Kuldeep, too, is impressed by Noor. “I was sitting with him, and we had a chat about how to go about the legspin,” Kuldeep said. “Obviously, he has a lovely wrong ‘un and with that kind of a pace, it’s very difficult for a batter to pick and especially when you play in Chennai, it’s always very difficult to score against any wristspinner.”The blockbuster battle between the two left-arm wristspinners could decide which way the game turns on Saturday.

The wicketkeeper-batter is capable of unbelievable things when he’s at the crease but hasn’t stayed there for long enough on this tour

Alagappan Muthu25-Dec-20244:16

Will leaving Reddy out give India better balance?

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then the ones with Rishabh Pant in them would start with “what the…” There is one depicting his reverse scoop to Scott Boland in the second innings of the Adelaide Test. He’s leaning back, away from the ball. His bat is flipped, and the maker’s name is facing the wrong way. A short-of-a-length delivery that would otherwise have cramped a left-hand batter gets tossed out to the boundary and there is disbelief all around.Pant, by now, is on the floor. He had premeditated the shot. There was a touch of extra bounce. The pink ball was up where his chest would have been had he stayed still. But since he hadn’t, he had a bit of distance to make up. So he increased his bat speed, went down to up and swung so hard and so fast that along with making contact with the ball, he knocked himself clean off his feet. Sprawled on his hands and knees, he watched his score tick over from 7 off 8 to 11 off 9.The principles that used to govern batting have but a tenuous grasp of it right now. With every innings he plays, Pant is making it harder for them to hold on. He wasn’t set. His team was trailing. He targeted the bowler who had picked up two of the three Indian wickets to fall, including Virat Kohli. His instinctive, imaginative strokeplay exists outside of match situations and its pull can be so powerful that sometimes what he does ends up deciding the match result.Related

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Pant’s second-innings hundred in Ahmedabad three years ago had that kind of effect. India were 146 for 6 in response to England’s first-innings 205 on a pitch taking a lot of spin. He took them to 364. That innings included a reverse scoop too.India, and even Australia, were expecting something similar from Pant on this tour. It hasn’t come. He has 96 runs at an average of 19.20.There have been moments, like the second innings in Adelaide. He made 28 off 31 with 20 of those runs coming in boundaries. That night he almost seemed desperate to do what he does naturally. A packed crowd had taken great offence to Mohammed Siraj sending off the local boy Travis Head.Pant was one of several team-mates who rallied around Siraj, running down to the bowler from his spot behind the wicket to put an arm around him. The way he batted, certainly that first ball where he charged down the track and smacked Boland for four over cover, felt like he just didn’t like what was happening to India in that Test and was going to go do something about it. Pant’s rage lasted less than an hour.”Our job here is to explain things to them again and again. We talk to them about small things like match awareness and match situation,” Rohit Sharma said as he explained how he and his support staff manage their maverick wicketkeeper-batter. “We talk to them about all these things. I don’t think it’s necessary to complicate their plans and thought process. Rishabh knows what his expectations are. He has a lot of expectations from himself. He’s working hard in his game. I think he’ll do well in these two matches.”Rishabh Pant combined child’s play with mastery in a moment of scooping brilliance•Getty ImagesIn Brisbane, Pant fell five balls after resuming from a rain break, which was his first ball after that rain break and three balls before what turned out to be the next rain break. Essentially not a great time to lose a wicket. Pat Cummins was the one who took him out. There’s a little head-to-head developing there in BGT 2024: 21 runs, 41 balls, three dismissals, an average of 7. Australia’s captain, who began the series looking rusty, has got on top of India’s difference-maker. It’s helped that they’ve been able to drag him to the crease while the ball is new.Where Travis Head, a batter quite similar to Pant, has been protected by his top order, coming in when the Kookaburra has aged 35 overs, which seems to be the point where it starts to lose some of its sting but not its hardness, making it easier to play shots, Pant has had to deal with its mischief in four out of five innings. He came in during the 17th over in the first innings in Perth, the 20th and the 15th overs in Adelaide and the eighth over in Brisbane. If India could help delay Pant’s arrival to a more amenable time, they might be able to get the best out of him.”He has played only two or three Test matches here,” Rohit said. “He’s in good form recently. He has made good runs in India. He has a good record in Australia. After two or three Test matches, it’s not right to judge him. He knows what he has to do.”At the Gabba in 2021, with a squad that was being held together by bandages and loose string, Pant had the audacity to have a go at Australia, both from behind the stumps – eight of the current squad pulled his name up when they were asked by which Indian player sledges/banters the most – and in front of it.That was a miracle and by definition those are quite rare, except Ahmedabad happened in less than two months, then Cape Town in less than a year. In September 2024, his first Test since the car crash that threatened to take his life, Pant walked in and scored a century. He’s made people believe in miracles. One more in front of 90,000 on Boxing Day at the MCG would do quite nicely for India.

Conor Gallagher arrived at Atletico Madrid as one of the club’s most expensive midfield signings, a high-energy Premier League standout expected to thrive under Diego Simeone. But a year later, the England international has opened up about his frustration over limited minutes, his fading World Cup hopes, and growing links to a January move to Manchester United, admitting he is “not satisfied” with his current situation.

• Gallagher's promising move now shadowed by uncertainty

  When Atletico secured Gallagher from Chelsea in the summer of 2024, it felt like the beginning of a long and productive chapter for both player and club. Gallagher had just come off several standout seasons in England, rising through Chelsea’s academy, shining during his loan spell at Crystal Palace, and completing 136 Premier League appearances filled with intensity, pressing, and late bursts into the box. His €40 million (£35m/$46m) transfer fee reflected not only his reputation but also Atletico’s confidence that he could become a central figure in Simeone’s midfield.

  He wasted no time making an impression in Spain. Gallagher became the first Englishman in 101 years to score for Atletico, immediately displaying the tenacity, forward drive, and tireless work rate that had earned him admiration in England. His early performances suggested he was tailor-made for Simeone’s relentless style, often finishing matches completely exhausted after covering ground in every phase of play.

  Yet as the season progressed, the momentum stalled. Gallagher’s role became inconsistent, and minutes gradually slipped away. By early 2025, he had logged only 339 league minutes and completed just one full match since September. With established figures like Koke, Pablo Barrios, and Alex Baena fitting Simeone’s tactical structure more precisely, Gallagher found himself more frequently rotated, often used for energy rather than entrusted with a regular starting place. What began as a career-defining move slowly transformed into a frustrating waiting game.

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• Getty Images
  

  Gallagher breaks his silence: "I'm not satisfied"

  The growing speculation about his future eventually reached Gallagher, who chose to address it openly. In recent weeks, he has been strongly linked with United, who are considering him as a January reinforcement should he become available. His honesty regarding his current role made clear that he is wrestling with mixed emotions.

  “I’m not satisfied. I don’t think anyone will be if they don’t play as much as they would like, but I will continue to work very hard to, whenever I have the opportunity, help the team and hopefully more opportunities will come to be a starter,” he said in an interview with AS, acknowledging his frustration with the lack of consistent minutes.

  At the same time, Gallagher rejected the idea that he is searching for a way out. He spoke with genuine appreciation for Atletico and a strong desire to succeed in Spain. “I’m very happy here. My goal is to win titles with Atleti and I want to have a bigger role in the team. And, as I said, I’m going to continue working to the maximum to play more minutes and be able to help the team.”

  Gallagher remains committed, ambitious, and respectful of Simeone’s decisions, but he cannot ignore the impact his restricted playing time is having, not only on his club career but also on his international prospects.

• The World Cup clock is ticking and time is running out

  For Gallagher, the consequences of limited playing time extend well beyond Madrid. With the 2026 World Cup approaching, he knows that irregular minutes could jeopardise his place in England’s squad. His opportunities have already shrunk in recent international windows, and he recognises the significance of the challenge ahead.

  “That’s one of my goals. I have spoken to Thomas Tuchel and he has told me what he needs from me and what I have to do to return to the team. And it seems that, right now, it’s very difficult for me to get to that point. But, as I said before, I will continue to do my best to get more minutes and, hopefully, return to the national team,” he admitted. His response underscored both his desire to represent England and his awareness of the reality he faces: national-team football requires rhythm, consistency, and trust—conditions that have been hard for him to find in Simeone’s structured system.

  The competition around him at Atletico is relentless. Koke’s leadership, Baena’s creativity, and Barrios’ defensive discipline align seamlessly with Atletico’s tactical identity. Gallagher’s high-energy, box-to-box profile remains valuable, but Simeone’s preference for positional control and experience has kept him on the periphery. As links with the Red Devils grow louder, the midfielder faces a difficult crossroads. 

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• Getty Images
  

  The road ahead for Gallagher

  Gallagher’s situation now enters a decisive period as Atletico approach January with a player who is fully committed but undeniably underused. He respects Simeone, speaks with admiration for the club, and genuinely wants to win trophies in Madrid. But ambition alone cannot replace the minutes he needs, and the coming weeks will force Atletico to confront a critical question: is Gallagher a long-term piece of the project, or is the timing right to let him pursue a more prominent role elsewhere?

  From Gallagher’s perspective, his approach remains professional and patient. He has not demanded an exit and continues to push for more responsibility in training. Yet he is fully aware that his career cannot afford another prolonged period on the margins.

  The next chapter will depend on how Simeone sees him fitting into a midfield. If Gallagher’s opportunities grow, he will stay and fight for his place. If not, the January window may offer a path toward the minutes he needs and the international future he continues to chase.

Long gone are the days when Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah would tear the Premier League to shreds at Liverpool.

Staggeringly, from 197 games together at Anfield, the long-feared trio would combine for a devastating 338 goals, with Virgil Van Dijk once describing them together in action as a “scary” prospect to defend against.

Now, it’s very much a work in progress in attack for Arne Slot’s men, with both Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz remaining goalless in Premier League action since joining.

On top of that, fellow summer recruit Hugo Ekitike has largely blown hot and cold on Merseyside, with no league strikes next to his name from his last five clashes.

Last summer also saw a lot of change in attack in outgoings, with the wasteful Darwin Nunez finally put out of his Anfield misery. But, away from the heavily scapegoated South American, the Reds also waved goodbye to loyal servant Luis Diaz, who is now excelling at Bayern Munich, to Liverpool’s ongoing distaste.

Diaz's electric form at Bayern

Next to the memorable frustrations regularly served up by Nunez, Diaz’s starring role at Liverpool when he was still there could be viewed as slipping under the radar, somewhat.

Yet, Diaz was still labelled as a “very special” talent at Anfield by Jurgen Klopp for good reason, with the one-time Premier League title winner collecting a standout 41 goals and 23 assists from 148 appearances at Anfield.

Before he was moved on to the Bundesliga, he also chipped in with his most fruitful top-flight season in England, tallying up 13 goals.

That same clinical edge has clearly followed him to Bavaria, with Diaz already up to a bumper 11 goals and five assists in his new shade of red from just 17 clashes.

Worryingly, Isak, Wirtz, and Ekitike only have 11 goal contributions between them back in England, with the Colombian winger proving to be a stroke of genius signing for Vincent Kompany’s men at the £65.5m range.

To add insult to injury, all three of those Liverpool underperformers mentioned cost far more to obtain, with the 28-year-old already being hailed as a star who “delivers week in, week out” by his new manager.

Thankfully, Slot and Co could be brewing a homegrown iteration of their former attacker.

Liverpool's homegrown Luis Diaz

One of Diaz’s strong points when still situated at Anfield was his ability to line up all along the forward positions, with the malleable Colombian managing to bag eight strikes from 16 appearances as an out-and-out centre-forward, away from regularly completing his duties as a left winger.

The Reds have plenty of exciting young stars in their academy right now, chiefly fellow winger Rio Ngumoha but he’s not the focus this time around.

Indeed, another teenager by the name of Keyrol Figueroa is now beginning to make a strong impression on the youth staff.

Like Diaz, he has interchanged between wing and striker duties for Liverpool U21s this season effortlessly, with his “instinctive” nature in front of goal – as it was described by Liverpool academy reporter Lewis Bower – also seeing him score goals and pick up assists aplenty.

CF

20

8 + 3

RW

6

3 + 2

LW

2

1 + 0

RM

1

0

While he has predominantly found most of his joy on youth pitches comes from leading the line, with a clinical eight goals powered home from 20 games in that role, Figueroa has also not looked out of place whatsoever on either flank, much like Diaz in his Anfield prime. To put those numbers into perspective, it’s more goals than Ngumoha has bagged at the same level, having beaten the goalkeeper on just two occasions in nine U21 fixtures.

He will also want to give a disappointing Isak a run for his money down the line, with a deadly hat-trick bagged against Everton U21s last month no doubt making him an even more popular figure in youth circles in the red half of Merseyside, away from being an adaptable figure.

It would be wild to throw Figueroa into the first team imminently, considering he is just 19 years of age and is only used to the comforts of youth football.

But, if he continues as he is now, it will surely only be a matter of time before he is unleashed, having also been described as a “ruthless” finisher of chances by his U21 boss in Rob Page.

Sky Sports’ Jamie Redknapp also hailed Diaz as having a similarly impressive “eye for goal” during his Liverpool playing days, as Slot and Co now hope Figueroa can be as lively in the first team picture as the Colombian down the line.

New Trent: Liverpool star is "one of the most underrated players in England"

Slot could find a shrewd solution to Liverpool’s problems in this talent.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 17, 2025

Rawalpindi will host two games and Lahore will host five, including the final

Danyal Rasool07-Sep-2025Pakistan will host a T20I tri-series involving Sri Lanka and Afghanistan in November. The series will begin on 17 November, with all teams playing each other twice. The first two games will game place in Rawalpindi, with the other five, including the final on 29 November, in Lahore.This is the second time this season that a bilateral T20I series Pakistan were scheduled to host has ended up being a tri-series. Afghanistan were scheduled to play a three-match T20I series in August, which was later converted into a tri-series involving the UAE, the final of which takes place later today.Similarly, Sri Lanka were scheduled to play a three-ODI, three-T20I bilateral series in Pakistan, but the T20I series has now been replaced by yet another tri-series. ESPNcricinfo understands those bilateral T20Is will no longer happen, though a three-match ODI series is still scheduled to go ahead, with a schedule expected in due course.

Schedule

17 Nov – Pak v Afg
19 Nov – SL vs Afg
22 Nov – Pak vs SL
23 Nov – Pak vs Afg
25 Nov – SL vs Afg
27 Nov – Pak v SL
29 Nov – Final

This is set to be the first time Afghanistan play Pakistan in Pakistan. Afghanistan have played in Pakistan before in 2023, when they competed in two matches of the Asia Cup, as well as earlier this year for the Champions Trophy. However, they did not face Pakistan on either of those occasions, and this series comes amidst a general deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two countries.The series begins nine days after the conclusion of South Africa’s all-format tour of Pakistan. Pakistan have made no secret of their desire to play as much T20I cricket as possible ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with Pakistan playing all their games in Sri Lanka.”We look forward to hosting Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for Pakistan’s maiden T20I tri-series, PCB COO Sumair Ahmed said in a statement on the PCB website. “This event will not only offer excellent preparation for next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, but also present fans with exciting cricket across venues.”

Next week, the Cubs will play their first postseason series since 2020—and for that series, they will utilize the services of one of their best players.

Chicago is activating right fielder and designated hitter Kyle Tucker from the injured list and he is in the lineup Friday against the Cardinals, Tucker told Jesse Rogers of ESPN Friday morning. The 28-year-old has not played since Sept. 2 with a calf injury.

When healthy, Tucker has been a force for the Cubs this season. He's slashed .270/.381/.472 with 22 home runs and 73 RBIs during his first year on the North Side.

That's despite a slump believed to have been caused by a lingering finger injury; he hit .218 and slugged .295 in a July to forget before rebounding modestly in August.

Chicago is scheduled to play the Padres next week, though the venue is still to be determined. It will be the two teams' first playoff meeting since 1984.

كشف منتخب مصر الثاني، المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب، عن تعرض واحد من اللاعبين للإصابة، خلال الساعات الماضية.

وسقط منتخب مصر، في فخ التعادل الإيجابي بهدف لكل فريق أمام منتخب الكويت، في اللقاء الذي أقيم في الجولة الأولى.

طالع | ترتيب مجموعة مصر في كأس العرب 2025 بعد التعادل مع الكويت ويقع منتخب مصر في المجموعة الثالثة التي تضم الإمارات والكويت والأردن، ضمن البطولة المقامة في قطر خلال الفترة من 1 حتى 18 ديسمبر.​

وأوضح مصدر خاص لـ”بطولات”: “كريم فؤاد تعرض لكدمة وسيخضع لآشعة غدًا الخميس؛ لكن حالته مطمنئة”.

ويواصل منتخب مصر مبارياته في بطولة كأس العرب، بمواجهة هامة أمام الإمارات، باللقاء الذي يجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من مرحلة المجموعات للبطولة الدولية.