The Premier League watched with bated breath. Surely, this was to be the game that would unravel the Arne Slot revolution at Liverpool, who would collapse against the first test of significance?

Chelsea were impressive and their fans should be excited by the promise that has hatched from Enzo Maresca’s tactical implementation, but Slot has trumped the Italian at this stage, shaping Anfield into a force to be reckoned with.

Curtis Jones gave birth to a new level of quality and control as he scored and won both of Liverpool’s awarded penalties, albeit the latter being overturned by VAR.

The 23-year-old’s performance showcases Liverpool’s strength of depth and comments on Slot’s chances of winning silverware this season.

It wasn’t a perfect performance: Chelsea had plenty of success in midfield and succeeded in taking a foothold across portions of the Anfield clash. Dominik Szoboszlai produced an indifferent performance once more and must be sweating over his starting berth going forward.

Dominik Szoboszlai's performance vs Chelsea

Alexis Mac Allister lost his place in the starting line-up for this one, with Slot wary of overexerting his South American coterie, who had only days before returned from their home continent after the October international break.

It meant Jones was handed the opportunity to impress, and he took his chance superbly. Szoboszlai, however, has done little to shake off his detractors after leaving plenty to be desired with the technical facets displayed against the Blues.

Aside from squandering a promising chance in the first half, the 2023 recruit from RB Leipzig also failed to move away from anonymity, with his metrics from the afternoon depicting a bland, colourless canvas.

Dominik Szoboszlai: Match Stats vs Chelsea
Match Stats	#
Minutes played	90′
Goals	0
Assists	0
Touches	49
Shots (on target)	1 (1)
Accurate passes	31/38 (82%)
Key passes	0
Dribbles (completed)	0 (0)
Tackles	0
Total duels (won)	7 (0)
Dribbled past	3x
Stats via Sofascore

Not great. It’s pretty damning that Liverpool’s thrusting midfielder failed to win any of his seven contested duels or even win a tackle, while also unable to attempt, let alone complete, a dribble, despite all his running. And moreover, his 49 touches yielded not one key pass.

His movement and presence did help to wrest control from Chelsea in moments, but it wasn’t enough to colour his performance in a positive light.

Luckily, Jones’ wonderful effort allowed Liverpool to grab the three points. Maybe on another day, Liverpool wouldn’t have seen the affair sway in the way it did, and Slot might be tempted to bench Szoboszlai for the next one.

Why Dominik Szoboszlai must be dropped

Szoboszlai’s high-class ability is indisputable, but it’s safe to say that he’s not applying himself correctly in crucial moments, appearing hesitant, and circumspect. Fans can likely draw several instances from 2024/25 alone when the Hungary captain should have thumped the ball against the netting.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

With Jones thriving, perhaps it’s time to relegate Szoboszlai to the bench for a couple of matches, probing him to harness that abundant talent and bring it together to give Liverpool the goals that they need from deep. Mohamed Salah and his forwards are excellent, but there will be a time when another dimension is needed to secure the points.

Against Chelsea, the 23-year-old certainly caught onlookers’ attention, with inews writing of Szoboszlai’s shortcomings in their post-match ratings: ‘Didn’t do well enough with a great chance on 37 minutes and was otherwise anonymous.’

Szoboszlai is a tireless runner but sometimes to a fault. His endless gas tank provides Slot’s engine with the energy it needs to outwork opponents, create space, maintain fluidity within passing passages.

It meant that he was handed a 4/10 match rating, and with Alexis Mac Allister starting from the bench after jetting halfway across the world, you worry about his starting place going forward.

Not least because Jones was so brilliant, so confident, so dynamic. Against Arsenal at the Emirates next weekend, perhaps Slot will value Szoboszlai’s energy and athleticism. But Jones’ movement and silencing of Cole Palmer suggest his form must be preserved. The former Leipzig man needs to be dropped.

80% duels lost, 6/10 rating: Liverpool man was saved by Jones & Salah

Liverpool just about did enough to beat Chelsea 2-1 back in Premier League action.

1

By
Kelan Sarson

Oct 20, 2024

Bumrah named vice-captain as most of the regulars who missed the Sri Lanka tour in July return

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-20211:18

Chetan Sharma: ‘KL Rahul has proved his leadership qualities’

Rohit Sharma has failed to recover from the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Test series in South Africa. In his absence, KL Rahul will lead India in the three-match ODI series in South Africa. Jasprit Bumrah has been named the vice-captain of the squad.This was supposed to be India’s first ODI assignment since Rohit was named full-time captain for the format, but Rohit’s recurring hamstring injury has emerged as a bit of a concern. Chairman of selectors Chetan Sharma said the decision to not send Rohit to South Africa was taken keeping that frequent injury and important events in mind, including the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup in the coming two years.”This is the only reason why we have decided to let him work on his rehab, work on his fitness, work on his muscles,” Chetan said. “Nobody gets injured on purpose. This is precisely why we didn’t send him to South Africa because we want him to go back to 100% fitness because there are important events and World Cups coming. That is the reason why he is not going to South Africa, and KL Rahul is the captain.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

India’s 18-man squad welcomed back R Ashwin, who last played an ODI in 2017 but made his comeback into the T20I side earlier in 2021. Venkatesh Iyer received a maiden ODI call-up. As with T20Is, Venkatesh might bat in the middle order and bowl a few overs, a vacancy created by Hardik Pandya’s inability to bowl because of fitness issues.The other allrounder in the squad is Washington Sundar, who missed the T20 World Cup with injury but proved his fitness in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy. Also coming back from injury was Shreyas Iyer, who has since made a successful Test debut too. The other potential allrounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, are yet to recover from injuries sustained during the Test series against New Zealand.That Rahul would lead in Rohit’s absence was expected, seeing that he is the ODI vice-captain, but Chetan said that Rahul was being groomed as a future leader. “We are looking at KL Rahul as a three-format player, and he has got good experience of captaincy,” he said in an online press interaction. “He has proved his leadership qualities. That is what all selectors think. When Rohit is not fit, we thought KL is the best one to handle the side. We have good confidence in him, and we are grooming him.”From India’s last full-strength ODI squad that played England in March, the selectors omitted Kuldeep Yadav, the Pandya brothers Hardik and Krunal, T Natarajan (injured) and Shubman Gill. Deepak Chahar and Ishan Kishan found their way in.KL Rahul has been handed the reins of the ODI squad•Getty Images

Between the England series and this one, India played an ODI series in Sri Lanka too, but it was a second-string side because the main squad was in England to play the World Test Championship final and the Test series against England. Shikhar Dhawan captained that side in Sri Lanka and retained his place, but Prithvi Shaw didn’t. Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was part of that squad but didn’t get to play, was retained for the South Africa series.”He’s getting the chance at the right time,” Chetan said of Gaikwad. “He was picked in the T20s and now he’s in ODI squad. Wherever this is space for him, he’s getting picked and selectors are hoping he will do wonders for the country. We have selected him, now it’s up to the management when he plays in the XI and when he’s required in the combinations. He’s doing well and he’s been rewarded for that.”On some of the major names missing, Chetan said, “Mohammed Shami, we are resting him looking at the load management of our faster bowlers. He will definitely be playing the coming series. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, both are not fit, that’s the reason they are not in South Africa.”Also discussed in the selection meeting, Chetan said, were Ravi Bishnoi, Rishi Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan, Harshal Patel and Avesh Khan: “These guys will definitely get their chances in coming times.”ODI squad: KL Rahul (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah (vice-capt), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj

Chelsea and Enzo Maresca are concerned one of their rising stars is on the brink of injury having been picked to represent his country in the upcoming international break.

Palmer sparks Chelsea concern

Mercurial midfielder Cole Palmer sparked widespread concern among the Chelsea fanbase in the build up to their 1-1 draw with Arsenal after suffering a knee injury in their win over Manchester United the week before.

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The Englishman, who is key to the Blues’ early season success, was caught on the knee by a reckless Lisandro Martinez challenge and was a major doubt for Chelsea’s home tie with the Gunners. However, he was named in the starting XI and played the full 90 minutes as his side held their out-of-form London rivals to a 1-1 draw courtesy of a stunning effort from Pedro Neto.

But that concern returned after the final whistle, when Palmer was spotted limping out of Stamford Bridge, casting doubt on his availability for Lee Carsley’s England squad, though Maresca moved fast to allay those fears.

“He is painful now but it doesn’t look something important,” the Blues boss explained.

Now, there is another member of the Chelsea squad that is causing Maresca concern ahead of the international break.

Chelsea defender set for tests

That comes as a report from France suggests that Maresca and Chelsea were concerned that Wesley Fofana would pick up another injury should he head on international duty with France, as he looks to keep his prize defender fit amid injury concerns. Fofana suffered consecutive knee issues upon his arrival at Chelsea from Leicester City, but has managed to leave that behind him this season, and has emerged as a key part of Chelsea’s backline.

Nonetheless, Maresca has been careful with the defender, leaving him out of the Conference League squad and minimising his gametime as much as possible, with reports suggesting he has agreed to play him just once a week until 2025.

Wesley Fofana so far this season

Appearances

10

Goals

0

Yellow Cards

6

Despite this, it has been claimed that Fofana, who played 90 minutes against Arsenal, ended the game with “knee inflammation”, which has rung alarm bells in west London.

Indeed, “Enzo Maresca’s side want the player to undergo tests this morning [Monday] in London”, and it has now been confirmed that Fofana will play no part in France’s upcoming internationals, with Inter defender Benjamin Pavard called up as his replacement.

Of course, this will come as good news for Chelsea fans, provided that it is indeed only inflammation, and they will be keen to see Fofana avoid any further unnecessary injuries after such a long spell on the sidelines.

He will have plenty of time to recover, with Chelsea’s next game not for almost two weeks when they visit his former side Leicester City, a reunion which he will be hoping to be fit for.

It’s November, and Liverpool are entering the final international break of 2024 atop both the Premier League and Champions League tables. Arne Slot, it’s fair to say, is enjoying life on Merseyside.

Rivals no doubt anticipated the Dutch tactician being jettisoned from the Anfield dugout in short time, with the weight of succeeding Jurgen Klopp supposed to be too much to bear.

That hasn’t been the case, with all cylinders firing – though none more potently than Mohamed Salah, who is cementing himself in greatness.

Mohamed Salah's Liverpool future

Salah is approaching the end of his contract, in case you didn’t know. The Egypt superstar is rightly entering some pretty exciting conversations as he reaches this late critical juncture in his career, and he – and his outfit – have a big decision to make. And they need to make it soon.

In just over seven weeks, Salah is free to chat away with suitors overseas, and there are sure to be plenty willing to pay a king’s ransom to get this remarkable talent, who has posted ten goals and ten assists across 17 matches in all competitions for the Reds this season.

This won’t do. How aligned Liverpool and the 32-year-old are in regard to pay and the various bits and bobs that come into play when deciding upon a new deal is something that will not escape into the public discourse.

Salah is already the highest-paid player in the club’s existence, and FSG are notoriously circumspect when dishing out lucrative deals to those on the wrong side of 30. This once-in-a-lifetime forward, however, is something of an anomaly.

Liverpool’s Highest-paid Players

Rank

Player

Salary

1.

Mohamed Salah

£350k-per-week

2.

Virgil van Dijk

£220k-per-week

3.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

£180k-per-week

4.

Andy Robertson

£160k-per-week

5.

Alexis Mac Allister

£150k-per-week

5=

Alisson Becker

£150k-per-week

5=

Ryan Gravenberch

£150k-per-week

5=

Federico Chiesa

£150k-per-week

Sourced via Capology

Liverpool will of course hope to extend the contract of one of their greatest forwards ever. Ah, but there are variables at play. Who knows how it will pan out? FSG, to be sure, are drawing up a success plan.

Liverpool looking at Salah replacement

As per Football Insider, Liverpool are in the running to sign Eintracht Frankfurt’s Omar Marmoush, though Manchester City also have a vested interest in the forward.

Marmoush, 25, has been one of the most in-form players in Europe this season, and his German club are happy to field bids totalling £60m, which is of course no small sum.

It’s understood that the Egypt international would only leave if he was guaranteed a nailed-down starting berth, thus putting City, who enforce regular rotation, at a disadvantage.

Liverpool must make their move if Salah leaves. Marmoush is potent enough to succeed his countryman and, moreover, plays a bit like Darwin Nunez.

Transfer Focus

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

Expand Collapse How Omar Marmoush compares to Darwin Nunez

Marmoush is just like Nunez, though there’s one glaring polarity when comparing the two skill sets: The Frankfurt star is one of the most clinical forwards in Europe right now.

Most G/A across Europe’s Top-5 Leagues (24/25)

Rank

Player

Apps

Goals

Assists

G/A

1.

Harry Kane

10

11

7

18

1=

Omar Marmoush

10

11

7

18

3.

Robert Lewandowski

13

14

2

16

4.

Raphinha

13

7

8

15

5.

Mateo Retegui

12

11

3

14

5=

Vinicius Junior

12

8

6

14

5=

Mohamed Salah

11

8

6

14

Stats via Transfermarkt

Level with Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane as the most prolific player across Europe’s top five leagues this season (league statistics only), there’s just cause for Liverpool’s interest.

Indeed, hailed for his “ridiculous” performances by sports media professional Cristian Nyari, Marmoush is proving to be Egypt’s greatest new talent, equipped with the skills and the confidence to effectively replace Salah – perhaps he can do it at Liverpool too.

After all, the 25-year-old operates within the same parameters as Nunez. According to FBref’s player-comparing database, Liverpool’s centre-forward is one of Marmoush’s most comparable players, and given that Nunez has made gains under Slot this season, it might be that the Frankfurt star could hit the ground running, should he indeed sign.

Marmoush loves a goal, but he’s also among the most creative and dynamic in the game right now, ranking among the top 1% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 3% for shot-creating actions, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per90, as per FBref.

This does run nicely against Nunez’s style of play. The Uruguayan, while only chalking up three goals and two assists across his 14 Reds appearances this term, started only seven of those.

But he’s made headway under Slot’s wing, and this is down to his underlying parts. The 25-year-old ranks among the top 17% of positional peers for shot-creating actions, the top 16% for progressive carries and the top 8% for tackles per 90.

His tenacity is pretty much overpowering the absence of a clinical-edged attacking sense, but in Marmoush, Liverpool could land a player of similar proportions but one that is borne with a potency that may indeed see him successfully replace Salah.

For £60m, it wouldn’t be a cheap deal to pull off. But even so, should Salah leave, this would be the perfect player to bring into the fold.

Related The next Diaz: Liverpool keen on signing "exciting" £84m star

Liverpool could have this exciting signing up their sleeve.

Posts ByKelan Sarson Nov 10, 2024

Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard has revealed that his 'chilled' ex-coach Jose Mourinho used to call him from his hotel room.

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Lingard reveals FaceTimes with Mourinho'Chilled' Mourinho gave him a lot of confidenceFinding form again in Korea with FC SeoulFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Lingard played under Mourinho at United between the summer of 2016 and December 2018, with the England international making 107 appearances under the Portuguese coach. The midfielder, now playing with FC Seoul in Korea, has now revealed that Mourinho was very 'chilled' and FaceTimed him multiple times, which indirectly boosted his confidence on the field. He also talked about being trusted by Gareth Southgate in the 2018 World Cup for England.

AdvertisementAFPWHAT LINGARD SAID

Speaking to The Independent, Lingard said: “Mourinho was so chilled sometimes. He used to FaceTime me from his room in the Lowry [hotel], ask me what I’m doing. I thought that was a real confidence boost.

“During that season, leading up to the 2018 World Cup, Jose played me most games… it was a big season. And you know, going to the World Cup, you’re not expecting to start. But Gareth Southgate had a lot of faith in me from a young age, and I played every game.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Lingard's future beyond Mourinho's departure from Manchester United failed to bear a lot of fruit as the England international struggled under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer before being sent out on loan to West Ham. After his contract with the Red Devils ran out, he joined Nottingham Forest but lasted just one season. Lingard then joined FC Seoul after half a season out of the game.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR LINGARD?

The former England wonderkid has failed to live up to the hype, although he has found his best form since his time with United at FC Seoul. Lingard added: "Even though I’m far away from my family and my daughter, last year I had a blast,” he says. “My daughter and family came out. It was good. Sometimes it’s good to just get away and have a little bit of change. I’m still happy playing football, no matter where I am."

England boss Sarina Wiegman is 'very proud' at the strides made in the women's game but believes more progress should be aimed for.

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• Wiegman proud of progress in women's football
• England boss still wants more
• Face Portugal in Nations League on Friday

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Lionesses will take on Portugal in the Nations League on Friday evening at a sold out Estadio Municipal de Portimao, as they aim to tune up ahead of their European Championship defence this summer. Wiegman believes that stadiums being filled around Europe is a huge step in the right direction but does not want the game to stop pushing for more.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Wiegman has overseen a remarkable few years for England, who won Euro 2022 and are now supported in huge numbers wherever they play. She is pleased to see other nations are following a similar path ahead of this summer's tournament.

• WHAT WIEGMAN SAID

  Wiegman said at a press conference: "We talk about development a lot of course and we have taken a lot of steps forward but we also need to take a lot more steps forward. I think that countries are all in different stages of their development. Portugal are in another stage of their development. A good thing is that we sold out the stadium quite quickly, which is going to be full tomorrow, and hopefully that helps this country when we play a good game and they can move forward, which is exciting as a whole for women's football."

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• AFP
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND AND WIEGMAN?

  England have six Nations League fixtures against Portugal, Spain and Belgium to come this spring before the European Championship kicks off in July. They play Spain at Wembley on Wednesday after their Portugal clash.

Leeds United picked up their seventh clean sheet in 12 Championship matches on Saturday as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

The Whites have only conceded eight goals in the division so far, the fourth-best defensive record in the league, whilst also scoring the third-most goals (19).

This comes after Daniel Farke’s side ended the 2023/24 campaign with the second-best defensive record in the Championship, letting in 43 goals in 46 outings.

Despite their impressive defensive statistics this season in the second tier, summer signing Joe Rodon has not enjoyed an easy start to the campaign.

Joe Rodon's form for Leeds this season

The Wales international joined from Tottenham Hotspur on a permanent deal in the summer, after his loan spell at Elland Road last term, and has struggled at times in the 2024/25 campaign.

Rodon featured in 43 of the club’s 46 games during the regular season during his time on loan and did not make a single error that led to a shot, goal, or penalty for the opposition, whilst he also won 68% of his duels.

Appearances

12

Error led to shot

1

Error led to goal

1

Penalties committed

1

Ground duel success rate

48%

Aerial duel success rate

50%

As you can see in the table above, the Welsh defender has already made more errors and given away more penalties than he managed in the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign.

He has also lost 52% of his ground duels in the division so far, after winning 68% of his battles last term, and this suggests that opposition players are getting the better of him too often.

Farke will be hoping that Rodon can rediscover his best form in the weeks and months to come, but he does have a player emerging in the academy who could be the next version of the ex-Swansea star.

Leeds' emerging defensive talent

Alfie Cresswell, the younger brother of Charlie, only turned 17 in the summer and has already been promoted to the academy’s U21 team this season.

In The Pipeline

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

The teenage sensation made 30 appearances for the U18 team and provided three assists in 21 U18 Premier League games for the Whites last term, earning him a U18 Player of the Season award for his efforts as a centre-back.

Leeds’ coaches have recognised his terrific performances and promoted him to the U21s, with six starts in seven appearances in the Premier League 2 so far.

He has played four times at right-back this season but his main position throughout his time at Thorp Arch to date has been at centre-back, which may be where his future is.

This means that Farke could already have his eventual heir to Rodon at the heart of the defence as the right-footed defender has already emerged as a quality U21 option at the age of 17, whilst displaying positional versatility and winning a Player of the Season award for his performances.

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It is now down to Cresswell to continue to develop and show the German head coach that he has what it takes to eventually make it in the first-team at Elland Road.

Adam Hollioake added to coaching staff after Covid-19 isolation rules hit tourists

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Dec-2021England’s batters have been given a “wake-up call” and an “education” by Australia’s bowling attack in the first three Ashes Tests. That is the view of Graham Thorpe, their assistant coach, who will stand in for the self-isolating Chris Silverwood in next week’s fourth Test at the SCG.The stats from the first three Ashes Tests make grim reading for England’s batters. Their highest team total is 297 and there have been no individual hundreds, while Dawid Malan and Joe Root are the only players to have made half-centuries, or to average more than 30 in the series. The three batters that England have used who are under the age of 30 – Haseeb Hameed, Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley – have made 130 runs between them across 12 innings.Related

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Thorpe said that the lack of Lions tours and training camps over the last 21 months due to the pandemic meant that England’s young batters were learning “the basic skills” of Test cricket on the job, and suggested that county cricket was not providing adequate preparation.”With some players it’s a wake-up call,” Thorpe said. “It could actually kick-start their careers because they’ve started training in a very, very different way. They actually start to train smart. They don’t waste time hitting half-volleys.”I don’t mean that in a bad way but they actually deal with the actual nitty gritty side of international cricket, playing high-quality spin, high-quality pace bowling and learning how to put pressure back on. If a guy’s bowling well, [they have to] get through it for six, seven or eight overs.”County cricket is what it is. You’ve got to lift players out of there, then educate them into international cricket. There have been no Lions tours and no training camps for our younger players to actually learn the basic skills of the game as well. They’re trying to learn it in county cricket, but the truth is when they come out of county cricket, they have to learn it again, because Test cricket is 10 times harder.”We are still trying to educate some of the younger guys into the rhythm of Test match batting: playing situations in the game and doing it for long periods of time. Some of them haven’t been able to do it yet. Some of our young players are getting an education and if they didn’t know before, they understand how tough Test cricket is now.”Thorpe has been working extensively with Rory Burns, who was dropped for the third Test after making 51 runs across four innings on the tour – including being bowled round his legs by the first ball of the series. After 31 Tests, Burns averages 30.92 with the bat and his idiosyncratic technique has come under scrutiny in Australia.”I told him: ‘you’ve played 30 Test matches and you average 30, so we want you to be doing more, to be better than that as a player,'” Thorpe said. “So we’ve had discussions with him – does he need a major overhaul of his technique or just to tinker with things?”He needs to do the simple things better. So can he calm things down with his movements and everything? We’ve been talking him through that. It’s tough in competition. Everyone says do you work with them? Yes you do, but you can’t pick away at people’s brains too much walking into Test matches. Sometimes they have to come out and then you can reset a little bit.”When players get a little bit of success they then think, ‘My way is the right way’. And there’s a balance to it. You can see certain things. I said to him, ‘The best bowlers in the world are going to analyse your technique and the right-hand column is going to tell you whether you’re getting it right or not’.”We’ve seen he’s got a good fighting character, so I know that. But at the same time you need a technique and temperament at the highest level. I think he can come back again and play for England definitely but he’s very clear those little adjustments are going to help him to stay at the crease longer.”Thorpe is one of only three England coaches available to take training, alongside Ant Botha and James Foster, with Silverwood, Jeetan Patel and Jon Lewis all self-isolating. As a result, they have asked Adam Hollioake – the former England one-day captain and a team-mate of Thorpe’s at Surrey – to travel to Sydney from his home on the Gold Coast to support their coaching staff, though under Cricket Australia’s Covid protocols he is only allowed to work with the players outdoors.

West Ham United have set their sights on a defender who is “technically very strong” ahead of the January transfer window, according to a report.

West Ham's slow start under Lopetegui

It is fair to say that Julen Lopetegui has fallen short of expectations since being appointed as the new West Ham boss in the summer, with the pressure now building on the manager after Saturday’s drab 0-0 draw at home to Everton.

The former Real Madrid man’s record in the Irons dugout now makes for pretty grim reading, averaging by far the fewest points per game of any job in his managerial career up to this point:

Julen Lopetegui’s managerial career

Matches

Points per game

Real Madrid Castilla

38

1.66

FC Porto

78

2.24

Spain

20

2.40

Real Madrid

14

1.43

Sevilla

170

1.85

Wolves

27

1.30

West Ham United

13

1.15

Home form has proven to be an issue for the Hammers, having won just two of their opening six Premier League games at the London Stadium, and yesterday’s result drew widespread criticism from members of the media.

Former Arsenal man Martin Keown even suggested Lopetegui’s players aren’t listening to his instructions, saying: “It’s like Lopetegui has lost the players a little bit, he is shouting from the sidelines but some of his players are walking around. It looks a stroll in the park for Everton at the moment and that is a real worry for West Ham.”

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Julen Lopetegui has made a slow start to the season.

2 ByDominic Lund Nov 9, 2024

As such, should the Spaniard survive until the January transfer window, he may need to bring in some reinforcements, and The Boot Room are now reporting that West Ham are vying for the signature of Gent left-back Archie Brown.

There is set to be stiff competition for the 22-year-old’s signature, however, with a number of other Premier League clubs also being named as potential suitors, including Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

The Hammers have been watching Brown closely so far this season and are keen on bringing him to the London Stadium, but it appears as though they are yet to make any moves to put themselves at the front of the queue.

Archie Brown making a name for himself at Gent

The Birmingham-born left-back, who is also capable of playing on the wing and at centre-back, has followed in the footsteps of the likes of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho by trying to make a name for himself abroad.

During his time with Gent it would be fair to say the Englishman has done just that, particularly impressing on the front foot, averaging 0.16 assists per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 83rd percentile compared to other full-backs.

Upon signing for his current club, former head of recruitment Samuel Cardenas lauded the former Derby County man as “technically very strong with dynamism and attacking impulses.”

With Aaron Cresswell now in the final year of his contract, it is time West Ham brought in a long-term replacement at left-back, and Brown could fit the bill.

Everton once had a talent, and his name was Ross Barkley. He was the very embodiment of Goodison Park, a homegrown hero with quality to fit.

Barkley has led a wandering career with plenty of peaks and valleys, but his time on Merseyside will always be remembered fondly, even if he did leave to join Premier League rivals Chelsea in a deal worth £15m plus add-ons.

Ross Barkley: Senior Career by Club
Club	Apps	Goals	Assists
Everton	179	27	25
Chelsea	100	12	11
Luton Town	37	5	6
Aston Villa	36	4	2
OGC Nice	28	4	2
Sheffield Wednesday	13	4	0
Leeds United	4	0	1
Stats via Transfermarkt

So began the interminable years of inconsistency and fallen expectations. The England international’s move to Stamford Bridge did not go to plan, but he left in 2022 to try his hand in France with OGC Nice, before moving back to his homeland and making quite the impression with newly-promoted Luton Town.

So began the resurgence.

Ross Barkley's return to English football

Luton might have fallen straight back into the second tier last season but they gave a very good account of themselves, and Barkley was the centrepiece, even said to be “not far off player of the season” by Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.

He started 30 Premier League fixtures for the Hatters and made quite the impression, with his metrics highlighting the robust and dynamic nature of the craft.

Indeed, as per Sofascore, Barkley averaged 1.5 tackles, 2.1 dribbles, 6.3 ball recoveries 6.1 successful duels and 1.4 key passes per game.

Looking at his performance level from another angle, the nomadic player also ranked among the top 6% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals scored, the top 16% for assists, the top 15% for shot-creating actions and the top 2% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Now, the 30-year-old is back at Villa Park, and this time for good. An industrious and multi-faceted midfield star, he’d be just what Sean Dyche’s side need at present, battling as they are against relegation.

Oh, how Everton must wish they could have enticed him back to his home city, and how they must regret failing to nurture the perfect successor, with Kieran Dowell looking like the next version of Barkley at one stage.

Everton fumbled their next version of Ross Barkley

Everton have suffered their fair share of transfer mishaps over the years, but efforts were exhausted in eking out Dowell’s talents and sadly, he simply wasn’t able to bring about the requisite level for a nailed-down role in the Merseysiders’ first-team squad.

Now plying his trade for Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, the 27-year-old Dowell has enjoyed a good career; he hasn’t fallen by the wayside. Still, success at Everton was not something that he achieved, even though the attacking midfielder had once been viewed among the club’s prized talents.

Dowell joined Everton in 2005 when he was a youth seeking to go beyond that nascent level of football and realise a dream carried by incalculable children across the globe.

And he succeeded in reaching the top, breaking into Everton’s senior system and starring during pre-season preparations, learning across several loan spells designed to inculcate within him the many facets needed to become a first-class player.

Dowell actually played five competitive matches for the Toffees, though this does stand as the fewest appearances for any side that he has performed for across the duration of his career so far.

His ability to collect and turn, weave into space and rifle a strike beyond a hopeless goalkeeper had led to a measure of fanfare, with his short-term stint with Nottingham Forest across the 2017/18 campaign particularly eye-catching, as was the strike you can see just above.

This expectation was heightened – though, in hindsight, more apt wording would be ‘compounded’ – through previous claims, via talkSPORT in this instance, that Dowell was set to be Everton’s latest version of Barkley, for they operated across similar parameters and both carried dribbling prowess and excellent ball-shooting skills.

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Such potential was echoed through former Tricky Trees boss Aitor Karanka, who said that he was “sure that he will be an amazing player in the future because he has everything. He is powerful, he has technique, he is a good kid.”

Indeed, Dowell’s successful stint with Forest proved to be his most productive, which is hardly beneficial when considering it was the first of four terms away with other sides.

In 2020, having stepped out of the maiden stage of his career, it was patent that Dowell was not going to find a role of any significance at Goodison Park, and so he was sold to Norwich City in a deal worth only £1.5m.

This was two-and-a-half years after Barkley had left for Chelsea, and so Dowell truly had plenty of time to prove himself worthy as the Blues home hero’s successor.

For a player who was tipped to follow Barkley and Rooney to the limelight at Everton, Dowell must look back on his time with the club ruefully. The ability was certainly there, but perhaps he was a fortune of the chequered fortunes that can breed from numerous loan spells that make it difficult at a young age to form a flowing line of consistency.

Presently, Everton await the next top-talented forward to emerge from their academy. It could have been Dowell, but ultimately, it’s one that fans will have turned their emotions away from for much time by now.

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