Um time equilibrado é aquele que não sofre muitos gols e é eficiente no ataque. Características que compõe exatamente o atual momento do São José (RS). Nos últimos três jogos, a equipe não sofreu gols e ainda venceu duas partidas e segurou o Internacional, atual vice-campeão Brasileiro, em pleno Beira Rio.
> Confira classificação do Campeonato Gaúcho
Um dos responsáveis por esse bom momento, tem nome: Victor Sallinas. O camisa 4 do Zeca foi questionado sobre a mudança de postura e falou também sobre a fase artilheira, já que marcou seu segundo gol na competição, na vitória deste domingo sobre o São Luiz.
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– Mudou a postura da equipe de forma geral, nosso coletivo está funcionando. Acredito que o comprometimento defensivo da equipe também é outro, começando desde lá da frente, o que acaba facilitando para nós lá de trás. Sobre mais um gol não Gauchão, acredito que seja um diferencial meu, poder marcar lá na frente e ajudar a equipe é gratificante – ponderou.
Nesta segunda, às 20h, no Estádio Centenário, Caxias e Juventude se enfrentam, em um jogo que envolve diretamente o São José, já que as duas equipes ainda brigam pela classificação. Questionado sobre quem torcer, Sallinas garantiu que o mais importante é o São José fazer a sua parte, mas não ficou em cima do muro sobre um palpite.
– Eu não vejo uma necessidade de torcida, o empate seria o ideal, segura os dois. Temos mais duas finais, vamos lutar para vencer e torcer pelos os resultados nos favorecerem para alcançarmos a classificação – afirmou.
Para concluir, o defensor falou sobre o novo técnico Hélio Vieira e de que forma ele agregou para a equipe na competição estadual. Restam apenas duas rodadas, e o São José ainda tem chance de classificação. A equipe terá que vencer as suas duas partidas (contra Pelotas e Novo Hamburgo) e torcer por uma combinação de resultados.
– A equipe vem em uma crescente muito boa com o Hélio Vieira, desde de que ele assumiu são sete pontos em três jogos. Ontem conseguimos propor jogo e ficar mais com a bola. Agora temos dez dias para trabalhar e aperfeiçoar, é descansar e depois focar no Pelotas – disse.
O Botafogo jogou praticamente 50 minutos com um jogador a mais, mas mesmo assim tomou pressão e não venceu a Portuguesa. Neste domingo, o Alvinegro e a Lusa empataram em 1 a 1, no Estádio Giulite Coutinho, em partida válida pela 8ª rodada do Campeonato Carioca. Felipe Ferreira marcou para o Glorioso e Chay fez para o time da Ilha do Governador.
CONFIRA A CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CARIOCA
Apesar do empate, o Botafogo chegou ao G4 do Campeonato Carioca. O Alvinegro chegou aos 11 pontos e subiu duas posições, mas ainda pode ser ultrapassado por Madureira e Fluminense, que ainda jogam na rodada. A Portuguesa chegou a 14 pontos e está na 3ª posição.
O Botafogo volta aos gramados no próximo sábado, para enfrentar o Volta Redonda – o Alvinegro será o visitante da partida. A Portuguesa entra em campo no dia seguinte para medir forças com o Bangu. Os horários e locais dos jogos ainda serão definidos pela Ferj.
RELÂMPAGO! Quem perdeu o início do jogo não viu o primeiro gol do Botafogo. Até porque o Alvinegro demorou menos de um minuto para abrir o placar em Mesquita: logo no primeiro ataque da partida, Marcinho fez jogada pelo lado esquerdo e cruzou para Felipe Ferreira, que marcou pela primeira vez com a camisa do Glorioso.
LUSA CRESCE, MAS PAPELÃO AJUDA O BOTAFOGO Apesar do gol do Glorioso, foi a Portuguesa quem teve mais o controle da bola após a bola na rede de Felipe Ferreira. A Lusa pressionava alto, incomodava o Botafogo e roubava a posse sem grandes problemas. No melhor momento da equipe da Ilha na partida, contudo, um baque: o zagueiro Muniz derrubou Rafael Navarro e, por ser o último homem da defesa, foi expulso direto.
Com o cartão vermelho, o ímpeto da Lusa diminuiu e o Botafogo, consequentemente, equilibrou as ações da partida. A atuação do Alvinegro, vale ressaltar, não era das melhores – apesar do gol relâmpago.
RETORNO COM MUDANÇAS Chamusca voltou do intervalo com menos um atacante e mais um volante – Kayque no lugar de Matheus Babi. Com um jogador a mais, parecia loucura, mas o Botafogo, com dificuldade para trocar passes no meio-campo, assustou. E logo atacou com perigo: em uma trama pelo lado direito, o próprio camisa 49 acertou o travessão em um forte chute.
QUEM TEM UM JOGADOR A MAIS? O Botafogo parou nesta finalização de Kayque. A Portuguesa, mesmo com um jogador a menos, dominou as ações do duelo, parecendo até mesmo que ela tinha a superioridade numérica. De tanto pressionar, a Lusa empatou: após rebatida da defesa do Alvinegro, Chay dominou na entrada da área, dominou no peito e finalizou, marcando um golaço.
FICHA TÉCNICA Botafogo 1 x 1 Portuguesa-RJ
Data-Hora: 04/04/2021, às 17h Estádio: Giulite Coutinho, em Mesquita (RJ) Árbitro: Bruno Arleu de Araújo (RJ) Assistentes: Daniel de Oliveira Alves Pereira (RJ) e Marcus Vinícius Machado Araújo Brandão (RJ) Gramado: Bom Cartões amarelos: Paulo Victor, Matheus Babi, Sousa, Jonathan, Marcinho, Marco Antônio e Matheus Frizzo (BOT); Chay (POR) Cartões vermelhos: Muniz (POR)
Gols: Felipe Ferreira (1-0, 1’/1ºT); Chay (1-1, 28’/2ºT)
BOTAFOGO: Douglas Borges; Jonathan, Kanu, Gilvan, Paulo Victor (Sousa/Intervalo); Matheus Frizzo, Ricardinho (Marco Antônio 20’/2ºT); Marcinho (Matheus Nascimento 34’/2ºT), Felipe Ferreira (Ronald 20’/2ºT); Rafael Navarro, Matheus Babi (Kayque/Intervalo). Técnico: Marcelo Chamusca.
PORTUGUESA: Negueti; Watson, Muniz, Pedro, Guerra, Luis Gustavo; Mauro Silva, Cafú (Pernão 16’/2ºT); Chay (Lucas Santos 32’/2ºT), Jhulliam (Emerson Carioca 16’/2ºT), Romarinho. Técnico: Felipe Surian.
Despite going 1-0 down within the opening few minutes, Leeds United managed to make it three wins from three in the Championship for January so far with a 2-1 victory over Preston North End at the weekend.
Junior Firpo continued his mini resurgence in the Whites first team against the visitors from Lancashire, the left-back racing onto a Crysencio Summerville pass to then cross perfectly for Daniel James to head home the equaliser at Elland Road.
Even with Firpo now boasting four assists next to his name for the season, Daniel Farke won't hesitate adding in more reinforcements to the sparse left-back area this transfer window.
Leeds could even attempt to replicate the effectiveness of the Joe Rodon loan deal with this potential buy, Farke's men gaining an adaptable and reliable defender for the rest of the jittery Championship campaign if the move happens.
Leeds going after another Premier League defender
It was revealed by Phil Hay last week when writing for the Athletic, that the main priority for the Championship giants in this window is bolstering the full-back spots at Elland Road with a whole plethora of defenders linked with a switch to West Yorkshire as a result, including Ben Davies.
eric-dier-ben-davies-tottenham-opinion
Football journalist Ben Jacobs, when speaking to GIVEMESPORT recently, confirmed that the Whites are looking at a deal to sign the experienced full-back with his versatility at the back a major standout attribute Farke admires – "Versatile players are going to be given preference. Davies, Ben Johnson and Connor Roberts are the names that Leeds are working on at the moment."
Leeds will hope a move for Davies enables the automatic promotion candidates to have another calm and measured head in the group, giving them a defensive option to fall back upon in the pivotal months to follow as the pressure gets more intense at the top of the Championship.
How Davies slots into the Leeds team
Leeds will hope their strong relationship with Tottenham Hotspur – with the north Londoners presumably delighted with how Rodon is progressing away from the club on loan – means that a deal for Davies to relocate up north to join his fellow countryman is also forthcoming.
The Welsh centre-back has been particularly impressive since moving, notably making the most clearances per game (4.1) in the entire squad and the second-most interceptions per match with 2.1. A move for Davies, therefore, could be a repeat of that magic move.
With Junior Firpo guilty of having notable off-days for the Whites, as was showcased throughout a difficult relegation season for the ex-Barcelona man in the Premier League, the Spurs defender can play the role that Sam Byram also fulfils in the squad as a dependable backup to come in if the Leeds number 3 shows signs of faltering.
Yet, there's an argument that Davies could usurp Firpo over time – the Welshman has been in and around Ange Postecoglou's first team in north London this season, making 16 appearances in all competitions.
Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies.
The 30-year-old defender has averaged an impressive 7.05 Sofascore rating in the Premier League this campaign for Spurs, notably standing out when Tottenham won on their travels away at Nottingham Forest last month.
Accumulating 118 touches across a lively 90 minutes and only misplacing eight of his 102 passes, Davies was also dogged and won ten duels in total at the City Ground to ensure Spurs kept a clean sheet in the 2-0 win.
Minutes played
90
Clearances
6
Tackles
2
Duels won
10/15
Touches
118
Accurate passes
94/102 (94%)
Accurate long balls
7/10
This display in particular saw football pundit Danny Murphy single Davies out for praise on Match of the Day, stating that the 30-year-old is a "very intelligent footballer." Micah Richards is another to single the full-back out for praise, saying his displays of late had been "amazing."
Very rarely dropping a clanger, the safety of having an experienced head in the side could mean Farke feels he can trust Davies over an up-and-down Firpo when wins are a must towards the conclusion of the gruelling second-tier campaign.
Leeds defender Joe Rodon.
Those standout displays this season in the top flight have mainly come from Davies playing in the heart of defence too, where Farke does need more numbers to rely upon with Pascal Struijk still in the treatment room.
Farke will hope Davies excels in his new environment in a similar fashion to Rodon before him, another key component of the Whites squad that can steer the team to an immediate return to the Premier League.
Dimuth Karunaratne has been named captain of Sri Lanka’s World Cup side, meaning Lasith Malinga has been ousted as leader.Although Karunaratne has not played an ODI since the 2015 World Cup, his leadership during the upset Test series win in South Africa had tipped him as a left-field captaincy choice for the World Cup.Sri Lanka’s subsequent 5-0 defeat in the ODIs to South Africa sealed the fate of Malinga’s captaincy, before Karunaratne’s good performances with the bat in the recent Super Four domestic tournament provided some indication that he was a viable choice as a one-day opener. Although fears about Karunaratne’s batting centred around whether he could score runs quickly enough, he mustered a strike-rate of over 90, as he made 165 runs at an average of 55 through the course of that tournament.The news will be a substantial blow to Malinga, whose commitment to his position as captain saw him play a domestic match in Kandy, only 14 hours after finishing an IPL match in Mumbai, earlier this month. Although Malinga had led Sri Lanka to a World T20 trophy in 2014, his one-day captaincy has produced abysmal results – the team losing each of the nine ODIs they have played under his leadership.Malinga was also understood to have had a poor relationship with several key players. Earlier this year, Thisara Perera asked Sri Lanka Cricket to intervene after he and Malinga’s wife had become embroiled in a Facebook squabble.The third major option for the captaincy may in fact have been the selectors’ first choice: Angelo Mathews, who has been Sri Lanka’s ODI captain in two separate stints before. But he is understood to have ruled himself out. His most recent stint at the helm was cut short when he was ousted following Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup exit it September. Mathews’ relationship with coach Chandika Hathurusingha had become incredibly strained following the player’s axing last year.Sri Lanka are yet to name their World Cup squad, but the selectors’ final meeting is expected to take place on Thursday, with the squad likely to be announced over the following 24 hours.Although Karunaratne has not been part of a Sri Lanka ODI squad for years, he is now clearly assured a place. Both Malinga and Mathews are also almost certain to be named.
Just a few minutes after the restart, word got around St. James’ Park that Karim Adeyemi had fired Borussia Dortmund into the lead. With Newcastle United also winning 1-0, the Magpies looked set to progress through to the knockout phase, having been the underdogs from the get-go.
However, disaster struck pretty soon after and by the end of the game, Eddie Howe’s side had fallen to a 2-1 defeat at home against a Milan side that had never really got out of second gear.
In the end, the Geordie outfit limped out of the Champions League despite putting in an excellent shift during the opening 45 minutes. There was one player in particular, though, that struggled throughout the match.
Callum Wilson’s performance in numbers vs PSG
Callum Wilson was back in the lineup for Newcastle on Wednesday night in the Champions League which was his first inclusion in the starting eleven since being taken off at half-time in a 2-0 defeat against Dortmund at the beginning of November with a hamstring problem.
Callum Wilson.
Nevertheless, Wilson struggled to have any real impact on the game despite having numerous chances in and around the penalty area. The ex-Bournemouth man had four attempts on goal, getting two on target which recorded a combined xG of 0.67.
Overall, Newcastle boasted an xG of 2.04 and massively underperformed in front of goal, meaning the experienced frontman contributed towards 33% of his side’s xG. The most glorious opportunity Wilson had came in the 62nd minute. This effort had an xG of 0.45, according to FotMob, and would have put the hosts back in front.
Nevertheless, Wilson wasn’t the worst player on the pitch in a black and white shirt.
Miguel Almiron’s performance in numbers vs PSG
Another player who struggled to have any impact on proceedings was Miguel Almiron. Interestingly, the Paraguayan registered a higher xG than star striker Wilson with 0.76 and missed an incredible 0.59 xG chance in the first half which was blocked by Fikayo Tomori.
After the game, GOAL handed the 29-year-old a 3/10 match rating, the lowest of any Newcastle United player, while labelling him as a 'painfully limited attacker', bemoaning his lack of a right foot in critical situations.
Almiron was somewhat of a hindrance to the team during the match, failing to complete a single dribble past Milan’s resolute defenders and losing possession of the ball 20 times throughout his 90 minutes on the pitch. Additionally, he didn’t create any opportunities for his teammates, nor did he even put an accurate ball into the penalty area, according to Sofascore.
This was one of a triple-header of poor performances by the playmaker over the past week.
The £21m signing put in an equally poor, if not worse display against Everton at Goodison Park last Thursday. The former Atlanta United man earned a 4/10 rating for his showing in Merseyside by The Shields Gazette which was followed up by another 4/10 display at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
With players returning from injury, it may be high time for Howe to remove the South American from the starting lineup for now.
He included his own dismissal among the avoidable ones that he felt had cost Pakistan the chance of getting close to South Africa’s first-innings total
Danyal Rasool at the Wanderers12-Jan-2019Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed cut a strikingly upbeat figure at his post-match press conference despite acknowledging the challenge his team faced to avoid their second successive whitewash in South Africa. It was a day of relative personal success for a man who has been under severe pressure for much of the tour, with Sarfraz stroking a classy half-century and breaking the record for most dismissals by a Pakistan wicketkeeper against South Africa in a Test match. However, Sarfraz also pointed towards several missed opportunities for Pakistan to come away from day two in a better position.”I think if you talk about our day, we had a chance to get to 262 runs but we didn’t get it,” Sarfraz said. “When me and Babar were batting, we were thinking we should play positive cricket. Unfortunately, I couldn’t score more than 50. If I’d scored 50-70 more runs, the position we’d be in would be much better.”He bemoaned a few “bad shots” towards the end of the Pakistan innings, paving the way for the collapse that allowed South Africa to move into a commanding position. Sarfraz and Babar Azam had launched a brilliant counterattack after Pakistan were in dire straits at 91 for 5. The pair added 78 runs in only 10.1 overs, and suddenly Pakistan looked like they had South Africa’s first-innings score in their sights.But from the moment Sarfraz poked at one slightly wide of off stump to the slips, Pakistan slumped once more. Babar Azam lofted one straight into fine leg’s lap four balls later, and before you knew it, the visitors had been bowled out for 185, allowing South Africa a hefty 77-run lead. Sarfraz acknowledged his own responsibility in the collapse, admitting he had played a poor stroke.”I think we played a couple of bad shots. I think my shot was also a bad shot, and Babar’s too. If you see the last five wickets, there were three bad shots. Mine, Babar’s and Faheem [Ashraf’s]. If we hadn’t played those shots, maybe we’d be in a much better position.”The problem of losing too many wickets quickly is one we’ve been facing for the past 10-12 innings. We had the same problem in the first Test match, where Shan [Masood] and Imam [ul-Haq] batted well, and once they got out we lost too many wickets. It was the same in Cape Town, and now the same here. It’s a problem we’re facing and we have to work on this.”Faheem Ashraf celebrates a wicket•AFPEven so, Pakistan’s bowlers helped them storm back into the game in a disciplined hour of bowling with the new ball. Dean Elgar was undone by a beauty from Mohammad Amir that cut him in half and took the edge, before Mohammad Abbas’s discipline and subtle movement saw him draw Aiden Markram’s edge. In the 15th over, Faheem removed Theunis de Bruyn and Zubayr Hamza within three balls to leave South Africa tottering at 45 for 4. That they ended the day having added 90 more runs for the loss of just one more wicket disappointed Sarfraz, who believed the bowlers had taken their foot off the pedal towards the close.”I think our bowling, especially the last 45 minutes, we weren’t up to the mark,” he said. “We bowled really well overall but the last one hour we didn’t bowl well. At the moment, if you talk about our bowling attack, we are only bowling well in patches. If we bowl well consistently throughout an innings, I don’t think South Africa will score as many runs against us.”For a man carrying the weight of a nation’s expectations, there wasn’t much time to enjoy any personal triumphs, but he did say he had made a slight technical adjustment since the Centurion Test match, where he scored a pair.”If you see my first two innings, my feet weren’t moving very much at all. My batting style hasn’t changed. So I worked on my feet movement, so thankfully I’m playing well at the moment. If you want to score here you have to play positive cricket. Because the good ball is never far away. If you see Markram or Hashim [Amla], whenever they see the bad ball they put it away. If you don’t play positive cricket, you will get out at any time.”With South Africa 212 runs ahead with five wickets still in hand, Sarfraz will be hoping for one final burst of positivity from both bowlers and batsmen. While the series may be lost, if Pakistan can pull off the unlikeliest of results here, it would go a massive way to assuaging the negativity pervading the Pakistan camp throughout this tour.
Manchester United’s recent form has led them to near crisis point, as the club have only won once in four Champions League ties, while they occupy sixth spot in the Premier League table.
This has led to Erik ten Hag being placed under a lot of pressure and with a run of crucial fixtures coming up, he cant afford to slip up anymore.
The Old Trafford side play Liverpool, Newcastle United, Chelsea and Bayern Munich all in the coming weeks and if they can get through this tough run unscathed, there might just be hope for the Dutchman yet.
Much will depend on how his side performs, however, as they have struggled to control matches this season, while their faltering attack has failed them in the big matches.
Not only that, but their defence has been bordering on shambolic in spells this term also. The Red Devils have conceded 30 goals in just 18 matches, and it isn’t even December yet.
No wonder they are struggling both domestically and in Europe, as Ten Hag has been let down by players who arguably should have departed the club during the summer transfer window.
Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof are not the defenders that the former Ajax boss requires to take his team to the next level, and they have had to play more than anticipated due to injury problems to others.
Harry Maguire's and Victor Lindelof's numbers this season
The duo earn a combined total of £370k-per-week – 9% of the weekly wage bill – yet their performances on the field simply don’t match up to earning this substantial amount.
The pair currently rank in 15th and 16th spot respectively across the United squad in the league for tackles per game (0.6 and 0.4) along with ranking fourth and 12th for interceptions per game (0.7 and 0.4) and these stats clearly show how little they are influencing the team from a defensive point of view.
Manchester United's Victor Lindelof andCasemirolook dejected after Brighton & Hove Albion's first goal
Lindelof has won just 41% of his ground duels in the league this term, while Maguire has won just 50% of his, indicating that they are struggling in one-on-one battles with opposition players.
The quicker Ten Hag has a fit Lisandro Martínez back the better. Until then, the Dutchman is going to have to use the aforementioned duo, until the January transfer window at least.
With just a few weeks to go until the window opens, it appears the 53-year-old is eyeing a move for a defender or two, and a Frenchman has emerged as a key target…
Maguire and Lindelof's potential replacement
Jean-Clair Todibo was originally a target for the club during the summer transfer window, yet no move ever materialised, but this hasn’t put Ten Hag going back in for the Nice star.
According to The Mirror, the Old Trafford side are prioritising a move for a defender in the upcoming winter window and this means they could be back in for Todibo.
With Sir Jim Ratcliffe close to securing a 25% share in Utd, he also owns Nice, for whom Todibo plays which could potentially play into the hands of the Red Devils during any potential move.
Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo.
Having missed out on him during the summer, Ten Hag will be aiming to avoid a repeat of that in the next few weeks, as he is desperate to improve his options at the back.
He may need to ship a few players on for this to become a reality, however, especially as the manager doesn't quite know what sort of budget he will be working with.
Jean-Clair Todibo’s career statistics
The Frenchman started his career with Toulouse before making a switch to Barcelona in 2019, yet this didn’t exactly go to plan as he made just five appearances during his spell in Spain.
The defender has impressed having joined Nice in 2021, and he hasn’t looked back since, making over 100 appearances for the club whilst even earning two caps for France recently, showing how far he has come over the last couple of years.
Jean-Clair Todibo Ligue 1 stats
2022/23
2023/24
Accurate passes per game
56.7
78.2
Tackles per game
2.2
2
Interceptions per game
1.2
1.4
Clearances per game
3.1
2.8
Total duels won per game
4.4
4.5
Stats via Sofascore
Talent scout Jacek Kulig lavished praise on him at the start of the year, saying: “One of the most underrated CBs in Europe at the moment. Having a really good season despite Nice underachieving quite a lot. Superb build-up and defensive attributes. Complete package.”
United clearly missed a trick not luring him to Manchester, especially with his statistics for the French club in recent times.
Indeed, the 6 foot 2 titan impressed when compared to his positional peers over the last 12 months. According to FBref, he currently ranks in the top 5% for tackles per 90 (2.47), the top 10% for attempted passes per 90 (76.4) and the top 7% for successful take-ons per 90 (0.62), proving he excelled across a wide range of performance metrics.
Jean-Clair Todibo
Not only that, but he also ranks second across the Nice squad for accurate passes per game (78.2) in Ligue 1, along with ranking second for tackles per game (two) and for interceptions per game (1.4), proving that he is one of the better performers in their squad.
The 23-year-old is certainly a massive talent and the next step for him in his career is to secure a move to the Premier League, especially as he can continue his development across the channel.
The youngster has shown that he is ready to make the step up to a club like United and, with their current defensive woes, he would immediately improve their backline.
Maguire and Lindelof surely don’t have much longer left in Manchester. The Swede is out of contract at the end of the current season and it is unlikely that he will secure a new deal.
The Englishman, on the other hand, has a year longer on his contract, yet considering how close he was to joining West Ham United in the summer, he certainly won't be around by then.
This upcoming window could be Ten Hag’s most important yet, although much will depend on whether he is still actually in charge following a tough run of fixtures.
If he is and United are able to sign one or two top-class defenders, their fortunes might just change during the second half of the season.
England allrounder can still be a role model for the sport, says ECB boss, in spite of Bristol incident
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2018Ben Stokes remains “a leader in the England team”, according to the ECB’s chief executive, Tom Harrison, who believes it is time to “forgive and move on” after the player’s involvement in a fight outside a Bristol nightclub last year.Speaking to BBC Sport at the end of an eventful 2018, in which Stokes’s exploits generated numerous headlines on and off the field, Harrison conceded that the Bristol incident had been an “incredibly negative episode”.However, he added that he was “giddy with excitement” about the possibilities that await England in 2019, with the twin peaks of a home World Cup and an Ashes campaign – two competitions in which a fit and focused Stokes could be central to his team’s success.Earlier this month, Stokes was fined £30,000 by the Cricket Disciplinary Commission for his part in the events outside Mbargo nightclub in September 2017. He was retrospectively banned for eight games as well – a punishment that he had already served in missing five months of cricket, including last winter’s Ashes.In August, he was found not guilty of affray after appearing at Bristol Crown Court, but since the end of the court proceedings, Stokes has appeared to redouble his commitment to his England career – he was singled out for particular praise by his coach, Trevor Bayliss, after playing a vital role in England’s 3-0 Test series win in Sri Lanka last month.All of which is music to the ears of the ECB hierarchy, who have gone out of their way since the day of Stokes’ arrest last year to ensure that, as far as possible, his rehabilitation takes place on the field. Harrison, for one, is sure that he can be a role model for the sport going forward.”Ben is a leader in the England team,” Harrison said. “I do think he can [be a role model] – he’s been through a year that will serve as a constant reminder of how quickly things can go wrong if you allow them.”He’s got great people around him, he’s got good support structures and I’m sure he’s learnt a lesson.”Ben Stokes suckered Angelo Mathews with the short ball•Associated PressStokes’ punishment included being stripped of the England vice-captaincy, while his absence from last winter’s Ashes tour is the sort of career highlight that any sportsman would regret missing.But Harrison defended the timing of the CDC judgement on Stokes, as well as the independence of the panel that had been assembled to rule over both his misdemeanours, and those of his team-mate, Alex Hales, whose role in the fight did not lead to a court appearance.”We have an independent body making these judgements, they are qualified people and this has been a proper process,” Harrison said. “The sanctions handed down are serious, this is not something that’s been brushed under the carpet.”Ben is a key part of the Test and ODI team but I don’t think that’s got anything to do with the sanctions which have been handed down – the processes have been separate and deliberately so.”Hales was fined £17,500 for his role in the Bristol incident, £10,000 of which was suspended for 12 months. He was also banned for six white-ball matches, two of which he missed in the immediate aftermath of Stokes’ arrest, and the remaining four are suspended.All of which means that both players have been cleared to play a full part in the tour of the Caribbean in the new year, and after that the World Cup, which England will enter as favourites, with a golden opportunity to end a 44-year wait for a global ODI trophy.”We’ve got huge plans for making sure the Cricket World Cup is a platform on which we grow the game in England and Wales,” Harrison said.”It is an unbelievable opportunity for English cricket, it’s up to us to make sure we take advantage of that. And for the first time you sense we have this gilt-edged opportunity to take people from the white-ball game directly into the Ashes series which immediately follows the World Cup.”It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity. I’m giddy with excitement about 2019.”
Journalist Ben Jacobs has rued news of a "very worrying" and "demoralising" injury setback to one of Mikel Arteta's squad at Arsenal.
Arsenal suffer first Premier League defeat
After the latest round of Premier League fixtures, there are officially no unbeaten teams left in the division. Arsenal's famous invincibles of 2004 are safe for yet another year, but Arteta will take no solace in that fact after his side's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle at St. James' Park on Saturday.
Anthony Gordon's only goal of the game was a controversial one, as the strike could've been ruled out for three seperate offences in the build up – the ball going out, a foul by Joelinton and possible offside. Nonetheless, Eddie Howe's side escaped all three and their goal was allowed to stand.
Arteta, it's safe to say, was vocal in his anger over the officiating afterwards. However, the Spaniard has refused to apologise on his comments since then, explaining to the media that his verdict was more than justified.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
“It is my duty to stand in front of you, to stand in front of the cameras, and give a very clear and honest assessment of what happened in the game," said Arteta on his Newcastle comments.
“And this is what I did, reflect very openly on how I felt that the team played and how the game was conditioned by this results with the decisions that were made. It is the duty.
“My duty is to be defending my players, supporting my players, supporting my club, defending my people in the best possibly way and this is what I am going to time after time. “I do it, not the way I feel, (but) with the evidence and being as clear as possible."
Arsenal must now pick themselves up after a disappointing afternoon in preparation for an all-important Champions League clash against Sevilla on Wednesday. The Gunners travel to Spain with the goal of putting their first league defeat behind them, but one player who won't be playing a part is Emile Smith Rowe.
Smith Rowe injury "worrying" at Arsenal
The Englishman had started his first league game of the season in a 5-0 win over Sheffield United, but didn't feature against West Ham in the EFL Cup soon afterwards. Following up, Arteta admitted he is concerned about Smith Rowe after the revelation it was due to a knee injury.
Commenting on the setback, CBS reporter Jacobs says Smith Rowe's injury is "worrying" and "demoralising".
Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe.
"I think that, over the summer, a lot of clubs looked at Emile Smith Rowe and Arsenal wanted to keep the player," said Jacobs to GiveMeSport.
"He played for the first time as a starter since May and did pretty well against Sheffield United last weekend. He was maybe a little bit anonymous in the first half but, in the second half, he was stronger. He got an assist in the build-up to one of Eddie Nketiah's goals as well.
"But now he has got a knee injury, which is very worrying and demoralising for the player because the Carabao Cup game against West Ham was a chance for likely back-to-back starts and, therefore, an opportunity to impress the manager and get more minutes."
Likes to do lay-offs
Likes to play short passes
Does not dive into tackles
It is unclear when the midfielder, labelled as "special" by Jamie Carragher, could return to action, but there have been suggestions that Smith Rowe may be back in December.
Riley has become something of a forgotten man since being identified as an England spin bowler in the making
Jon Culley31-Aug-2018 ScorecardNews of defeat for Sussex at Lord’s would have reached the Kent dressing room during the tea interval, conveniently enough, to provide them with the immediate incentive of knowing that the prize for victory here is second place in the Division Two table.Whether they can pull it off depends largely on how well, on the final day, Derbyshire can resist Kent’s spinners on a used pitch that is offering both turn and variable bounce. Following on, they have already lost two of their most experienced hands in Billy Godleman and Wayne Madsen, with still work to do level things up let alone build a meaningful lead.Adam Riley, who has become something of a forgotten man since being identified as an England spin bowler in the making when he took 57 first-class wickets in the 2014 season, enjoyed quite literally his best day in years. His off-breaks and Joe Denly’s leggies look key to Kent’s hopes.Riley’s wickets — three in the first innings and another two in the follow-on — were his first in the Championship for almost three years after running into a series of frustrations.For all his difficulties, he remained upbeat about the future, saying: “The aim was always to get back in the first team by performing with the second team and in the last few weeks I’ve taken 20-odd wickets so I got back in on merit.”The success of that 2014 season earned Riley a Lions tour to South Africa and at 22 he seemed to be at the threshold of an outstanding career. Yet he was stopped in his tracks by a muscle tear that stubbornly refused to heal, then struggled to find his form following modifications to his action. It has not helped that so many Division Two pitches are green seamers, making him often simply surplus to requirements.So there was no concealing his delight when he ended his long drought by beating Madsen’s attempted sweep late in the morning session, denying the former Derbyshire captain a hundred and breaking a partnership that was threatening to turn the contest into a stalemate.Madsen and Alex Hughes, who had played the spinners pretty well, had added 130 for the third wicket but, as so often happens, one breakthrough brings another, Riley claiming his second only a couple of overs later as Derbyshire stumbled from 288 for 2 five overs before lunch to 301 for 4.Putting together another partnership thereafter proved beyond the home side, although Sean Ervine drew on his experience to dig in for 30 overs in making 26. But Riley made another incision early in the afternoon session as Matt Critchley took a walk down the pitch and was stumped all too easily.Then Denly was at last rewarded when he found the edge of Harvey Hosein’s bat with one that turned a lot and Kent were so much in charge that the chance to take the new ball was put off until the old one had 111 overs on the clock.When it was taken, Grant Stewart quickly saw off Hardus Viljoen and ended Ervine’s vigil and Matt Henry ran out Tony Palladino with a direct hit after fielding his own bowling.Derbyshire might consider themselves a little unfortunate. The 30 runs that Lockie Ferguson and Hamidullah Qadri added for the last wicket took their total to 400 for only the second time this season, yet Kent’s 561 gave captain Sam Billings the option to enforce the follow-on and he took it, as was to be expected given that pitch already aiding their spinners is unlikely to become less helpful.For spectators who were wondering how rare it is to score 400 and have to follow on the answer, in Derbyshire’s case, is only once before in their history – 117 years ago, to be precise, when Nottinghamshire made 661 on this ground in 1901 (of which Billy Gunn scored 273) and Derbyshire replied with 452 (Levi Wright 193). It was a three-day match and it will hardly come as a surprise that it ended in a draw.To emerge from this with the same outcome, they will first need to remember the regrettably old-fashioned virtue of patience. Riley is already among the wickets again, forcing a misjudgement from Godleman and holding a low return catch to dismiss Madsen for the second time in the day. Tom Lace, the young Middlesex opener who impressed in the first innings on his first-class debut, has looked composed again but the wise head of Ervine, on loan from Hampshire, may be the most important one.