All posts by n8rngtd.top

India’s batting fragility has been exposed at a crucial time, just before their tour of Australia

Ian Chappell03-Nov-2024It’s never good to experience batting failures but India’s capitulation against New Zealand’s pace and spin bowling came at the worst possible time.With a demanding tour against a very strong Australian bowling attack looming, India needed to exude strength not fragility.Of India’s two deflating losses, the second in Pune on a pitch favouring spin was the worst. They were bowled out for a paltry 46 on a seaming pitch in Bengaluru but they’ve recovered from a previous rout. In Australia in 2020 they collapsed for an abysmal 36 but fought back tenaciously to claim a series victory.Related

• Why rank turners actually reduce India's home advantage

• 'No excuses' says Brendon McCullum as England succumb to Pakistan's spin cycle

• Sajid and Noman revel in the moment as Pakistan's plans come together

• India need Kohli and Rohit to regain their old aura

• Nothing's changed, India say, but the evidence suggests otherwise

However the loss in Pune was on India’s favoured surface – one that assists spin – and they failed dismally. Amazingly, India had been undefeated on home surfaces for 18 series – an incredible span of 12 years.Not only did India lose at Pune, they were palpably outbowled and outbatted by a resourceful New Zealand. Undoubtedly the worst feature of India’s loss was their extremely poor batting on a surface that spun.This should have been a time for India to shine rather than capitulate.To then read about the response to those two monumental failures was nonsensical. Apparently India practised in Mumbai with lines drawn on the pitches and a serious focus placed on the sweep shot.Some of England’s batting of late on surfaces that spin has been laughable. The Indian reaction to their two deflating defeats is in a similar category.Top-class batters don’t need lines on a pitch. They already know how to bat, along with which balls to play and those to leave alone. The question should have been, why was there such a disturbing lack of decisive footwork from India’s premier batters in Pune?England’s infatuation with the different varieties of the sweep shot is ludicrous. Have a look where it got them: consecutive drubbings against Pakistan’s spin duo, who captured an amazing 39 wickets out of 40 to fall.Those figures are a painful reminder of England’s Jim Laker capturing an incredible 19 out of 20 Australian wickets on a crumbling Old Trafford pitch in 1956. Debacles are humiliating.

The reverse sweep in Tests can be a dangerous shot because it’s premeditated. Precise footwork on the other hand is tailored to the actual length of the delivery

Regarding the supposedly all-important sweep shot, who is the insensitive coach who preached that the reverse sweep is safer to play in Test cricket rather than employing decisive footwork? The danger of the reverse sweep in Tests was adequately revealed with the senseless dismissal of Yashasvi Jaiswal in the Mumbai Test.The reverse sweep in Tests can be a dangerous shot because it’s premeditated. Precise footwork on the other hand is tailored to the actual length of the delivery. The odd player is very good at all types of sweep shots but the majority should rely heavily on decisive footwork to negate good spin bowling.And while we’re on the reverse sweep – the shot where the batter changes the order of his hands or feet should be deemed illegal. A batter who employs these methods is doing so mainly to disrupt the field placings, which are set for an opposite-handed player.The reverse sweep, when it’s adopted by a person who changes batting style in mid-delivery, might be spectacular and also skilful, but it’s not fair. Fairness should be a consideration in framing the laws and playing conditions.New Zealand’s superiority in Pune was embodied by left-arm slow bowler Mitchell Santner. He’s a solid white-ball bowler but not one who should capture 13 wickets in a Test.Star batter Virat Kohli’s first-innings dismissal was the perfect example of India’s lack of decisive footwork. Kohli was clean bowled by a delivery from Santner that if the batter had taken even a small pace out of his crease he could have hit on the full. However, instead of Kohli’s lack of decisive footwork being the culprit, his shot selection was questioned.Calamitous displays against New Zealand exposed weaknesses in India’s batting. There’s no good time for batting fragility but on the eve of a tough tour of Australia it’s asking for trouble.

The Chicago Cubs are tied atop the NL Central with the Milwaukee Brewers, with both teams tied for the best record in Major League Baseball. In such a tight a race, every out becomes a little more important. With that, players want to make sure they make every routine play they can in the field.

Well, that's not what Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki did in the first inning of Wednesday afternoon's tilt against the Royals at Wrigley Field. Instead, he looked like a Little Leaguer while dropping what should have been an easy first out of the inning.

What made this mistake even better was that a hot mic caught a fan in the crowd gleefully yelling, "Seiaya all you, baby! Yup, can of corn!" as the ball sailed toward Suzuki. A can of corn, of course means that it's an easy catch to make and one that should be handled as such by a professional baseball player.

Narrator: It wasn't a can of corn.

Not great!

Making things worse for Suzuki was that the Royals scored two runs after that to take an early lead right of the gate. They are currently up 2–1 in what looks like a beautiful day for baseball in Chicago.

Jeremy Doku ripped Liverpool to shreds in one of the great individual displays this fixture has seen as Manchester City outclassed their rivals in a dominant 3-0 win. The Belgian winger gave Conor Bradley a living nightmare throughout the time he was on the pitch but no Liverpool player was safe from him and after monstering the Reds he topped his performance off with a fittingly brilliant goal.

Doku's trickery earned City a penalty when he was fouled by Giorgi Mamardashvili although the goalkeeper got his own back by denying Erling Haaland from the spot. Haaland would not be denied though and powered City into the lead with a header. Liverpool thought they had levelled against the run of play when Virgil van Dijk scored a header from a corner but Andy Robertson was interfering with play from an offside position.

It was a warning to City and they responded by doubling their advantage right before half-time with a deflected effort from Nico Gonzalez. Liverpool improved in the second half and gave the hosts a few scares but Doku had the final say, scoring with an incredible curling strike which ended the contest there and then.

GOAL rates Man City's players from the Etihad Stadium…

• Goalkeeper & Defence

  Gianluigi Donnarumma (6/10):

  Some good, some bad. Risked a red card with a headless charge from his area to face down Mohamed Salah and was saved by Dias. He did make a good save from Dominik Szoboszlai's long-range hit and was quick to push a loose ball away from the feet of Van Dijk.

  Matheus Nunes (7/10):

  One of his best displays in a City shirt and against a top opponent. Provided the perfect cross for Haaland to open the scoring and was comfortable in defence, a key challenge on Andy Robertson among his many contributions.

  Ruben Dias (8/10):

  A masterful performance from the back. Made countless interventions, from cutting out an inviting pass from Salah, beating Szoboszlai to the ball and above all saving Donnarumma's blushes by tackling Salah.

  Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

  Made a worrying amount of mistakes in the second half which gave Liverpool encouragement.

  Nico O'Reilly (7/10):

  Worked his socks off throughout, which was particularly impressive after going down with an apparent injury in the first half. Caused Bradley plenty of bother, making for a fearsome double act down the left flank with Doku.

Advertisement

• Midfield

  Bernardo Silva (8/10):

  Produced a big-game performance, controlling proceedings with his precise passing and vision.

  Nico Gonzalez (8/10):

  He has been learning the trade of a Man City midfielder in the last year and today he delivered his first-class thesis. Showed brilliant awareness throughout, making numerous key blocks and interceptions while also bolting forward to support the attack. His goal may have been a little lucky but he showed the belief to shoot from range and was rewarded.

  Phil Foden (6/10):

  Was perhaps a little worn out after his Champions League heroics as he took a beat seat role in creativity although he did chip in with some important defensive work.

• Attack

  Rayan Cherki (5/10):

  A comedown from his excellent display against Bournemouth. Spooned a shot over the bar, had another blocked and overall failed to sparkle, leading to him being withdrawn for Savinho early in the second half.

  Erling Haaland (7/10):

  Responded perfectly to the setback of having his penalty saved by finding the breakthrough goal, beating Konate in the air with an athletic leap and getting a whole load of power on the cross. Linked the play well by giving his team-mates wall passes from which to launch quick breaks. 

  Jeremy Doku (10/10):

  A truly phenomenal display from start to finish. Began playing all over the attack but was most dangerous down the left. Tore Conor Bradley apart from start to finish, earned the penalty, fuelled countless attacks with his dribbles and then adorned his performance with a magnificent strike.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Subs & Manager

  Savinho (5/10):

  Should have done more after replacing Cherki in the 52nd minute and his introduction initially led to Liverpool getting a grip on the play.

  Omar Marmoush (6/10):

  Looked keen to add to the goal rout but still looks a little rusty after his injury lay-off.

  Pep Guardiola (9/10):

  A near-perfect display from his team on his 1000th game. Got his selection spot on and knew exactly how to cause Liverpool harm. Only made two substitutions as there was very little he needed to change.

From 25 for 3, James Rew and Tom Abell set a new Somerset record for the fourth wicket

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay29-Jul-2025Somerset 338 for 4 (Rew 162*, Abell 156, Abbas 3-49) vs Nottinghamshire Centuries from James Rew and Tom Abell in a county record partnership enabled Somerset to take an opening-day advantage over Nottinghamshire in the clash between second and third in Division One of the Rothesay County Championship, closing on 338 for four.Rew (162 not out) and Abell, who fell for a career-best 156 moments before the close, added 313 in 81 overs, overtaking the 310 shared by Peter Denning and Ian Botham against Gloucestershire at Taunton in 1980 as Somerset’s biggest fourth-wicket stand.It was all the more impressive for Somerset having been two wickets down in three overs without a run on the board when Rew walked to the crease, and 25 for 3 when he was joined by Abell.Pakistan seamer Mohammad Abbas – who reached the milestone of 800 first-class victims – took all three wickets in a difficult first hour for the visitors after losing the toss but they were the only successes for the Nottinghamshire attack until the final minutes of the day.Rew earned a call-up to the England squad for the one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May after two centuries in the first month of the season. The 21-year-old did not make the cut on that occasion but senior international recognition must surely come in time.Nottinghamshire began this round of matches – the 11th of 14 – a point behind leaders and defending champions Surrey, with Somerset third after their victory over Durham last week.Somerset’s painful beginning to the day saw Abbas remove Lewis Gregory and Tom Lammonby in his first and second overs, the captain leg before offering no shot to a delivery he clearly judged would slide harmlessly past his off stump before Lammonby, with only defensive intent, nicked to second slip.Under heavy cloud cover after a damp early morning, conditions looked ideal for the veteran Abbas. Haseeb Hameed, the Nottinghamshire captain, duly gave him an extended spell while the Kookaburra ball retained its hardness.He was rewarded again, finding the outside edge of Josh Davey’s straight bat. With this dismissal, Abbas totalled 800 first-class wickets, 284 of them in the English county game.Somerset were in some trouble, but Rew had already shown a glimpse of his class when he drove Abbas to the cover boundary and pulled him for four in the same over with two high-quality strokes. More would follow.As batting became easier, Abell began to look as assured as his partner, the two adding 65 in what remained of the opening session, which proved to be a platform from which they dominated the afternoon.Rew, who reached 51 from 75 balls with his first scoring shot of the afternoon, lofting left-arm spinner Liam Patterson-White clear of the straight boundary in front of the currently shrouded pavilion, went to a century – his third of the season – from 138, adding two more sixes to the shorter side of the playing area off Calvin Harrison, the leg spinner. Other than an edge off Patterson-White on 92, the ball looping out of even the tall Harrison’s reach at slip, he had looked in complete control.By tea, Abell having completed his first hundred of the year, Somerset had added 137 for no loss to be 227 for 3 and Nottinghamshire, though there had been signs of turn, needed some inspiration.Thereafter, Rew’s touch seemed a little less sure, both batters comparatively quiet as the Nottinghamshire spinners gained some control.They attacked the second new ball with some success, although Rew, cutting vigorously, survived a half-chance to second slip off Brett Hutton on 148 before going to 150 from 239 balls.Abell in turn reached 151 from 245 balls, setting the partnership record with two into the offside off Dillon Pennington, before falling to a top-edged pull off the same bowler, after which only two more deliveries were possible before failing light forced the players off 15 balls before the scheduled close.

Celtic are considering appointing Nicky Hayen as their next manager and a new update has now emerged regarding their pursuit of the Belgian.

Hayen has been mentioned as one of the leading contenders to replace Brendan Rodgers at Parkhead, with the Northern Irishman departing last week. The 45-year-old has been very open about potentially leaving his role in charge of Brugge, hinting that he would be keen on coming in as the new Celtic boss.

Hayen is far from the only option for Celtic, however, with Martin O’Neill thought to be open to the idea of staying in charge of the Hoops for the remainder of the 2025/26 season, should the club’s owners like that idea.

The likes of Lee Carsley, Kieran McKenna and Damien Duff have all been linked with the job, too, as the Scottish Premiership champions look to nail their appointment and claw back the deficit on Hearts in the title race.

Celtic willing to offer Hayen big wages

According to Voetbal Nieuws [via Sport Witness], Celtic will try to “lure” Hayen away from Brugge with a high salary, and have knocked on his door. The Hoops are trying to use “money, prestige, and the lure of Glasgow” to bring him to Parkhead, with his current club hesitant to allow him to leave without receiving plenty of compensation.

It is easy to see why Hayen is a leading contender to be Celtic’s next manager, with the Belgian averaging 2.03 points per game across 80 matches in charge of Brugge. He also won the league title with them in 2023/24, and the Belgian Cup last season, showing that the Hoops would be bringing in a manager who knows how to win trophies.

Hayen’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation isn’t dissimilar to Rodgers’ 4-3-3 system, meaning Celtic’s players shouldn’t find it too difficult to make the adjustment, and at 45, he is still a young manager who would bring vibrancy to Parkhead.

Postecoglou 2.0: Celtic looking at hiring "box-office" McKenna alternative

With Ange Postecoglou unlikely to return to Celtic, should the Hoops appoint a “box office” title-winning manager instead of Kieran McKenna?

By
Ben Gray

Nov 1, 2025

There may be a temptation to give O’Neill the job until the end of the season, but if Hayen makes himself available very soon, he should be looked at as a great option.

Celtic are looking at hiring "box-office" alternative to Nicky Hayen

Leeds United fans will be fearing the worst regarding their lowly team when you glance at the slog of Premier League fixtures coming the Whites’ way across the rest of November and December.

Indeed, November ends with two tough contests versus Aston Villa and Manchester City, with Daniel Farke’s men needing to make home advantage count against the Villans, before travelling to the Etihad to take on the Erling Haaland-led Citizens.

December then throws up clashes with Chelsea and Liverpool, with Farke’s precarious position in the Elland Road dug-out no doubt on even shakier foundations if the losses continue, and Leeds slip into the bottom three in the league.

The pain of poor results across these winter months can always be somewhat remedied by the January transfer window opening, as Leeds attempt to turn around their fortunes with a big signing or two…

Where Leeds can bolster their forward line in January

Based on current rumours coming out of West Yorkshire, it’s clear that a new striker addition is a priority.

In recent days, Leeds have been tipped to make some statement moves, with an audacious swoop for Ivan Toney alleged. Moreover, FC Midtjylland centre-forward Franculino has been on their radar as Farke attempts to move away from solely relying on Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha.

On top of talk of Toney and Franculino, Leeds are also chasing after the services of AZ Alkmaar goal machine Troy Parrott, who is very much in the limelight now for his Republic of Ireland heroics.

A report from Dutch outlet Voetbal Neuws, which has been relayed by Sport Witness, states that Leeds have entered discussions to sign the clinical 23-year-old, after being interested in the Dublin-born striker’s signature since the summer.

Now, with a hat-trick under his belt for his nation against Hungary, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur wonderkid is a hot commodity once more, with a bid in the region of £26m expected to be enough to prize him away from the clutches of his Eredivisie employers.

How Parrott can be Leeds' next Rutter

Splashing out such a big amount on an attacker could see Leeds pick up their next iteration of Georginio Rutter, with Rutter eventually going down as a fan’s favourite at Elland Road, after departing Hoffenheim for some lavish bucks.

After a wobbly start mid-way through the 2022/23 season, arriving in a whopping £35.5m deal, Rutter would find his feet under Farke during the following season.

In total, the attacker scored eight goals and tallied up a bumper 18 assists for the Whites, before leaving the building for a Premier League opportunity at Brighton and Hove Albion for £40m. Despite only being around for 66 matches, the skilful Frenchman is still very much fondly remembered, with pundit Jeff Stelling labelling him as a “class act” to watch in West Yorkshire.

Much like Rutter made everything look effortless and smooth donning Leeds white, Parrott has made goalscoring look like clockwork lining up for AZ Alkmaar.

He has netted a ludicrous 13 goals this season in all competitions from only 14 outings, meaning the Irishman is very much living up to his billing of being a “natural goalscorer”, which was handed to him by one of his former coaches in Darragh O’Riley, way back in 2019.

The hope would just be that Parrott would be able to enter the English game and be a hit from the first second he entered the Elland Road turf, with Leeds’ survival chances perhaps resting on the 23-year-old’s lethal instincts getting Farke and Co out of some sticky situations.

If he can be a reliable source of goals towards the foot of the difficult division, he will easily be able to reach the same fan favourite status as Rutter before him, with a mighty 97 career goals next to his name at the time of writing.

Parrott could well hit a century of goals in West Yorkshire; therefore, with his former international manager, Stephen Kenny, also noting that the in-demand centre-forward can “elevate” himself to that next level with ease, which could stand him in good stead to become a feared Premier League marksman.

Leeds would have to put their money where their mouth is in landing Parrott, but if the tale of Rutter is anything to go by, it could be worth splashing the big bucks in January as a new fan favourite is potentially unearthed.

Leeds can forget signing Ivan Toney by unleashing 17-year-old goal machine

Leeds United can forget about pursuing a move for Ivan Toney by unleashing one of their homegrown youngsters into the first team mix.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 17, 2025

He was rewarded for being aggressive yet conventional in a match-turning spell against SRH

Matt Roller17-Apr-20251:02

How Jacks’ part-time offspin found success

The old art of orthodox right-arm offspin is on its deathbed in the IPL. R Ashwin, once its standard-bearer, was dropped by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this week after spending six games predominantly bowling carrom balls, and Washington Sundar can hardly get a game for Gujarat Titans (GT). Sunil Narine and Maheesh Theekshana? They are better categorised as mystery spinners. Glenn Maxwell is still going, but tends to spear in darts rather than looking to turn the ball.But on Thursday night at the Wankhede, an improbable saviour emerged. Will Jacks’ spell of 2 for 14 from three overs ensured that Mumbai Indians (MI) hardly missed the legspin of Karn Sharma when he went off injured, and put the brakes on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) just as they looked to accelerate. Perhaps there is a pulse after all: reports of offspin’s demise in the T20 format were an exaggeration.Harbhajan Singh is one of the all-time great offspinners, and a four-time IPL champion. On the eve of this season, he bemoaned what he perceives to be the defensive approach of the modern offspinner: “They are scared of getting hit for sixes… [They] are more interested in conceding less runs than taking wickets. The reason for specialist offspinners disappearing is this mindset.”Related

• How Mumbai Indians' quicks kept Travishek on a leash

• MI's bowling tricks on slow pitch get them second straight win

Yet Jacks is unlike most occasional spinners in that he actively looks to turn the ball: he has a classical action, tries to get flight and dip, and at 6ft 2in, his height unlocks extra bounce. He only bowls an average of one over per match in T20s, but Surrey have used him as a frontline spinner in the County Championship and he even has a Test-match six-for to his name.Jacks came into this game sweating on his place, after a quiet start to the season with his new franchise. But he was told at training on Wednesday that he should expect to bowl early on against SRH’s left-handed top three: he came on for the seventh over, with Abhishek Sharma – whom he had dropped first ball at slip – and Travis Head riding their luck early on.At last year’s T20 World Cup, England threw Jacks the ball for the second over against Australia in Barbados, and he disappeared for 22 runs as Head ruthlessly targeted a short square boundary, helped by a stiff crosswind. His third ball, tossed up and crunched back down the ground, must have brought back bad memories: “We’ve had a few good battles,” Jacks said after Thursday’s match, grimacing.But it proved to be the only boundary that he conceded, and his second over featured the ball of the night: a slow, flighted offbreak which had Ishan Kishan charging down the pitch and spun sharply – 5.4 degrees – to beat his outside edge. By the time that Ryan Rickelton had whipped the bails off, Jacks was halfway towards Hardik Pandya at mid-off in celebration.0:55

Bangar: Hardik was spot-on with his captaincy

Hardik’s decision to bring Jacks back ahead of his frontline overseas spinner, Mitchell Santner, was immediately vindicated at the start of his third over: Head charged down and picked out long-off, bringing an uncharacteristically sluggish innings to a tame end. Jacks then proved that he can bowl to right-hand batters too, with five precious dots (and a wide) to Heinrich Klaasen.”If you bowl tentatively to people like that, it’s only going to end one way,” Jacks said. “Originally, I thought I was going to bowl in the powerplay; I didn’t, so I had a bit more protection. I knew I could bowl with confidence and use my skills: I’m a tall bowler, I get good turn and bounce, so that’s what I was trying to do.”Jacks is an unlikely candidate to keep the right-arm offspinner relevant, but his words must be heartening for Harbhajan to hear. “Sometimes, I feel like I can be too defensive instead of using what I’m good at,” he said. “It’s very easy to focus on the batters, but you’ve got to remember that you have your skill as well – and you’re there to get them out.”I knew there was going to be a bit of spin assistance, so as long as I wasn’t floating the ball up there and bowling aggressively… That’s what I was trying to do, looking to get them out. As an offspinner to two left-handers, I’m always looking to take wickets and be aggressive: I know they’re always going to come after me as well, being the sixth bowler.”Jacks is a quick offspinner, and bowled between 90.7-100.9kph throughout his spell. But his combination of bounce, drop and turn was match-turning. “He came up against our three left-handers,” Daniel Vettori, the SRH head coach, said. “All those batsmen said it was hard to get down [the pitch] to him, and when he did drop short, it sat in the wicket and was difficult to hit.”His runs with the bat – 36 off 26 from No. 3, after an early reprieve from Head at cover – ensured that he will have plenty more opportunities to bowl his offbreaks this season. In doing so, he has the chance to prove that there is still a role for his secondary skill in this league – and this format.

William Saliba will not play for Arsenal against Chelsea in a top of the table clash on Sunday afternoon. The defender picked up a knock in training and will not be fit enough to play for the Gunners at Stamford Bridge. With Gabriel also out injured, Mikel Arteta has entrusted Pierro Hincapie and Christhian Mosquera as his centre-half pairing for the London derby.

• Gunners lose key defender

  The injury to the Frenchman is a bitter blow for Arteta, who will have to play without one of Saliba or Gabriel in the middle of his defence for only the second time in the Premier League since Saliba made his debut at the start of the 2022-23 season. It represents a key test to Hincapie and Mosquera, both new signings in the summer, who play in the Premier League together for the first time. Hincapie impressed last week for the Gunners in their 4-1 thrashing of Tottenham Hotspur, but Chelsea will provide a different test to the young defender on loan from Bayer Leverkusen.

  On Saliba's absence, Arteta said: "He was uncomfortable yesterday, so we need to explore a little bit more what happened.

  "I don’t think it’s something major, but enough not to be involved in the game."

  There is some good news for the Spanish coach however, with Gabriel Jesus and Viktor Gyokeres returning to the Arsenal squad and taking their place on the substitutes' bench. Jesus has hardly played for the Gunners in 2025 having sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in January. The Brazilian’s return is a huge boost for Arteta, who will be hoping the former Manchester City man will provide something different to his existing options.

  Gyokeres will also be hoping to get back onto the field and could provide an impact off of the bench for the Gunners, who have been relying on Mikel Merino to lead the line in recent weeks. The Spaniard has chipped in with a couple of assists, against Sunderland and Spurs, but Arteta will be relieved to have the Swedish goal machine back from the medical table.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Huge six pointer at top of Premier League

  Sunday’s clash represents a huge chance for the Gunners to pull yet further away at the top of the Premier League. They will go seven points clear of second-place Manchester City with victory over the Blues, but will have been frustrated to see Phil Foden steal a late winner against Leeds on Sunday. Had Pep Guardiola’s team drawn against the Yorkshire side, Arsenal could have been as many as nine points clear by the end of the weekend.

  Arsenal also know that defeat in west London could bring them back down into the thick of a title race. Chelsea can move within just three points of the league leaders and will be desperate to show their city rivals and the rest of the division that they are a genuine challenger for the title. The Blues are also uplifted by the return of an injured star, with Cole Palmer back as an option off the bench for Enzo Maresca.

• Madueke returns to west London

  Arsenal will also be without Leandro Trossard, who limped off the field against Bayern Munich on Wednesday. The Gunners do have reinforcements to call upon however, with Gabriel Martinelli getting the nod to start on the left-wing.

  Noni Madueke returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time since joining Arsenal in the summer, but is only named amongst the substitutes. The English winger was on hand to grab his first goal as a Gunner in the 3-1 win over the German champions and will be relishing the chance to show his former side what they are missing.

  Meanwhile, Martin Odegaard could make his first appearance in the Premier League in almost two months having sustained an injury to his knee against West Ham on 4 October. The Arsenal captain will hope to get some more minutes under his belt, but might struggle to dislodge Eberechi Eze in the Gunners' midfield.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images
  

  Chelsea look to stop rampant Gunners

  Enzo Maresca's Chelsea side will be desperate to put a stop to a superb Arsenal, who have been one of the best sides in Europe this season. The Blues will hope their home support, as well as a weakened Gunners defence, can halt their opponent's title charge.

The tournament is not perfect, but it’s not the disaster England have often tried to paint it as being

Matt Roller19-Jun-2025The World Test Championship might be fundamentally flawed but after three missed attempts to reach the final on home soil, it is time for England to take it seriously. Ben Stokes believes it is “utterly confusing” but he must have looked on with envy as Temba Bavuma lifted the golden mace at Lord’s last week, capping a comeback victory that was celebrated throughout South Africa.The third WTC final was the best yet, one that underlined the significance of a concept that has added plenty to Test cricket despite its flaws. The quality of cricket was incredibly high, embodied in the performances of Pat Cummins, Aiden Markram and Kagiso Rabada, and the occasion was clearly enhanced by the jeopardy created by a one-off final.But England’s attitude towards the WTC has been ambivalent. The ECB’s managing director of men’s cricket believes it is “hard to understand”, the chairman has called for it to be “fairer and more competitive”, and the chief executive said last week that it is “not the be-all and end-all” when compared to the results of five-Test series against India and Australia.Related

• Pope must seek selfishness to end the Bethell debate

• Carse to take new ball in untried England seam attack

• Gill says India will go all out to take 20 wickets: 'You could maybe see four proper bowlers'

• Stokes: 'We want to play exciting cricket, but it's all about winning'

• Markram: Playing two-Test series throughout WTC cycle could help us in the final

These are not just sour grapes from a team that has finished fourth, fourth and fifth in the first three cycles. Even the WTC’s most vocal proponents would accept that it is a long way from perfect: no sporting league with any competitive integrity should be superimposed onto a fixture list decided between individual boards, as this one effectively is.The uneven, unequal fixture list has been a clear frustration for England: the percentage-point system effectively penalises them for playing longer series against high-quality opponents. Still, Australia and India have overcome similar scheduling to reach two finals each out of three; England, by contrast, have never come close.But the reality is that for all its flaws, the WTC has been a success: it has created a showpiece final for the Test format, which in turn has provided context and incentives that did not previously exist for smaller nations. For New Zealand’s and South Africa’s players, winning the WTC was a bigger achievement than any single series win of their careers.England must accept that they will have to adapt accordingly. The ECB has made the case that the over-rate penalties they have faced have been outsized, considering that they have only drawn one of their last 36 Tests, but every other team has been able to get through their overs more quickly. Their complaints will be taken more seriously from a position of strength.They have also developed a bad habit of ending series poorly: in four of their last five series, they have won the first Test but lost the last. Stokes has attributed that to mental and physical fatigue, but there have been hints of complacency too, not least against Sri Lanka at The Oval last year.England have been the perfect hosts for the first three WTC finals, but as a team they have been ambivalent towards the tournament•Gareth Copley / GettyIt was a series that England needed to win 3-0 to retain realistic ambitions of reaching the final, but their performance suggested a team who considered the match to be a dead rubber: they handed a debut to an incredibly raw fast bowler, and were bowled out in 34 overs in a frenetic second innings. It was anything but ruthless.The great curiosity of England’s position is that they appear to have taken a sudden interest in the ICC’s Test rankings, despite the WTC rendering them almost irrelevant. Stokes texted Brendon McCullum and Rob Key to say, “One more place to go,” when England briefly rose to second last month, and Key has publicly targeted the No. 1 spot.It is a strange focus as a new WTC cycle starts, akin to an international football team talking about the FIFA rankings at the start of a World Cup. England’s public stance is that they focus on winning every Test match they play in, and that winning enough will get them into the final: “As a group, we’re probably not looking that far ahead,” Brydon Carse said on Wednesday.England’s fixture list in the 2025-27 cycle is frontloaded. If they emerge from their next ten Tests – five against India, five in Australia – with a winning record, then they should be well positioned for their four remaining series: three Tests apiece against Pakistan and New Zealand at home, three in South Africa, and two in Bangladesh.The ECB is keen to retain hosting rights for the WTC final, and the indications are that it will do so at next month’s ICC conference in Singapore. If that happens, it will provide their side with yet another prime opportunity to reach the final in home conditions; to do so, they must engage with the WTC’s oddities rather than fighting against them.

The Brewers take away the ball on the ground and at the wall, so in the sixth inning, Freddie Freeman lined a four-seamer to the only place they couldn’t get to it: the stands. 

The home run gave the Dodgers a lead they would hold to win Game 1 of the National League Championship Series, 2–1. It gave them cushion as their bullpen faltered in the ninth inning. It gave the Brewers the kind of fits they are used to when it comes to that player. “Freddie Freeman has been a Brewer killer for a while,” lamented Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy. “So hopefully he’ll oversleep tomorrow or something.”

It also rendered moot one of the wildest plays in recorded memory: With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, Max Muncy drove a would-be grand slam 404 feet to center, where center fielder Sal Frelick leapt for—and bobbled—then caught—the ball. He fired it to shortstop Joey Ortiz, who relayed home. On the base paths, the runners broke into chaos, darting forward as if for a double, then back as if for a sacrifice fly. Teoscar Hernández barreled home from third just as the throw reached the plate. Amid the chaos, catcher William Contreras raced to third. For a moment, it seemed no one was quite sure what was happening. After a three-minute replay review, the word came down from New York: It was the first 8–6–2U double play in postseason history. 

(If Frelick had caught it clean, that would have been the second out and it would have been a tag play at the plate for the third, which Hernández beat, so it would have been bases loaded, two out. But because the ball hit the wall before Frelick got hold of it, the ball was live and it was a force play at home for the second out, and then a force play at third for the third.)

The 97-win Brewers, best in the sport, have spent much of the run-up to this series casting themselves as scrappy underdogs who win games with grit and the power of friendship. They keep the competition off balance, playing tight defense and running the bases aggressively; no other team forced its opponents to make more errors this season. Their $108 million payroll this season ranked No. 24 in the sport and is less than a third of what the Dodgers spent on players: $329 million. 

“I’m sure that most Dodgers players can’t name eight guys on our roster,” Murphy said before Game 1, having already discarded his last bit: calling his players the Average Joes and then complaining that people were calling them average Joes. The Dodgers rolled their eyes at this routine—“We know the act,” said Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts—but there is something to be said for paying superstars to play like superstars. Freeman, the first baseman (who is making $162 million over six years), and shortstop Mookie Betts ($365 million, 12 years) provided the offense; lefty Blake Snell (whom the Dodgers signed this offseason for $182 million over five years) offered just about everything else. 

He threw eight sparkling, one-hit, no-walk innings, striking out 10. He did not throw a fastball in the seventh. He allowed a total of two balls to the outfield, none after the second inning. He picked off the only hitter who reached base against him. 

In his 10 years in Milwaukee, Murphy said, “I think it’s the most dominant performance against us.”

The Brewers’ collection of “misfit toys,” as Murphy insists on calling them, nearly matched him: Opener Aaron Ashby, a fourth-round draft pick chosen for this task essentially because he is left-handed and therefore has a chance to shut down two-way star Shohei Ohtani, walked Ohtani but otherwise survived the first inning. In came Quinn Priester, who did not make the Red Sox’ rotation out of spring training and whom the Brewers acquired for two minor leaguers and a draft pick; he got through the next four. Chad Patrick, who came to Milwaukee in a trade with the A’s for utilityman Abraham Toro, allowed that Freeman home run. Jared Koenig, who was released by the Padres in 2023, got five outs. Closer Trevor Megill, who was waived in ’21 and then traded for a player to be named later and cash to the Brewers in ’23, got three more. 

Only Abner Uribe, who signed as an 18-year-old out of his native Dominican Republic for $85,000 in ’18, made more than one mistake. He walked Muncy to open the ninth, then allowed a single to Kiké Hernández. After a sacrifice bunt moved them to second and third, he intentionally walked Ohtani, then very unintentionally walked Betts to bring in a crucial insurance run. 

This became relevant only minutes later, when the Dodgers’ only weakness—their bullpen—struck. Roki Sasaki, the flamethrowing starter who flamed out in the majors and spent much of the season rediscovering himself in the minors before being converted to postseason closer, struggled with his command, walking the first hitter he saw, then allowing a ground-rule double and a sacrifice fly to bring the game back within a run. After another walk, Roberts summoned erstwhile closer Blake Treinen, who walked the bases loaded before getting away with a fastball a foot above the zone for a whiff. 

“It’s not going to come easy,” said Roberts. “This is going to be a grind. It’s going to be tough.”

The Average Joes can still win this series. They just have a smaller margin for error. And unfortunately for them, the next Joe Millionaire awaits: the guy who starts Game 2 for the Dodgers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is the highest-paid pitcher of all time.