كوليمور لـ ليفربول: اتركوا محمد صلاح لو أراد الرحيل.. "النادي أهم من اللاعبين"

يرى ستان كوليمور، لاعب نادي ليفربول السابق، أن إدارة الريدز يجب أن توافق على بيع محمد صلاح خلال الفترة المقبلة، حال طلب الدولي المصري ذلك، موضحًا أن النادي أهم من اللاعبين.

محمد صلاح بقى كبديل لثلاث مباريات متتالية وكان آخرها أمام ليدز يونايتد في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز أمس السبت، حيث تعادل الريدز 3-3 ولم يشارك الدولي المصري في ال90 دقيقة.

وانفجر محمد صلاح عقب نهاية المباراة، حيث صرح بأنه ليس سعيدًا بوضعه في الريدز وبأن علاقته مع المدير الفني آرني سلوت قد انهارت تمامًا، كما صرح ابن الـ33 عامًا أن إدارة النادي الإنجليزي لم تنفذ الوعود التي قالتها له.

وتحدث كوليمور عن وضع محمد صلاح مع ليفربول، وذلك عبر منصة “إكس”، حيث قال: “أعتقد أنني أعرف القليل عن ليفربول وجماهيره ونظرتهم إلى ناديهم، تأثرت هذه الفترة بالطبع بشانكلي، ثم بايزلي، وكيني، ويورجن كلوب، والآن سلوت”.

وأضاف: “يبقى شيء واحد ثابت ربما أكثر من أي نادي إنجليزي آخر، وهو أن النادي دائمًا هو الأهم والأخير فاللاعبين والمدربين يضيفون بصماتهم إلى النادي لكن النادي يتفوق على الأشخاص”.

وأوضح: ” الآن، ترك محمد صلاح في أنفيلد إرثًا من الانتصارات، واحتل مكانه بين عظماء النادي”.

وأردف: “لذا، من المثير للاهتمام أن أرى مقابلته تلقي قنبلةً على النادي، لأنني لو كنت أعرف ليفربول وجماهيره أصلًا (أعتقد أنه قد يكون هناك اختلاف في ردود الفعل بين الأجيال فالأصغر سنًا يدعم القنبلة، والأكبر سنًا يهزون رؤوسهم)، فسيكون رد فعلهم الأول”.

وتابع: “النادي، أولًا وقبل كل شيء لا يهمه من يكون، إنه شعار حي ينبض بالحياة، وحتى محمد صلاح سيجد صعوبةً في مواجهته”.

واستكمل: “والآن، هل يمكن أن يكون آرني سلوت أقل ودًا مع اللاعبين من يورجن؟ بالتأكيد، إنه رجل هادئ، مسترخي، ومنعزل بعض الشيء، إن كنت تتذكر لم يعجبه أداء ترينت في بداية الموسم الماضي، وأظهر موقفًا غير مبالي في الموسم الأول تجاه أحد أفراده الذي فاز بكل شيء، أعتقد أن هذا مثير للإعجاب، ولكنه ليس بقدر إبهار الفوز بلقب الدوري في موسمك الأول”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ديلي ميل: رسالة حسام حسن لـ محمد صلاح تدل على شيء هام

وواصل: ”لقد اكتسب سلوت احترامه أيضًا، الفريق يلعب بشكل جيد في الهجمات السريعة وفي الدفاع، وفي اتخاذ القرارات في أوقات أخرى، هذا يشمل الجميع، وإذا سألت 99.9% من اللاعبين عما إذا كانوا يقبلون مباراتين أو ثلاث مباريات بالجلوس على مقاعد البدلاء لعدم تحقيقهم للأهداف، فسيجيبون جميعًا بنعم”.

وقال: ”فقط في جنون كرة القدم الحديثة عام 2025، لن يكتفي أتباع الشخصية المتعالية بالتشكيك في استنتاج منطقي مفاده أنت لا تلعب جيدًا، ها هي فترة على مقاعد البدلاء، بل ربما كاد محمد صلاح أن يخدع نفسه ليرفع نفسه إلى مصاف ميسي أو رونالدو، لاعبين كان بإمكانهم لو شاءوا أن يفعلوا ويقولوا ما يشاؤون حرفيًا في العقد الماضي، محمد صلاح ليس مثلهم، وليفربول، كما ذكرت، ليس هو النادي نفسه”.

وأضاف: “أنا متأكد من أن بعض اللاعبين الشباب سيقولون إنه محق، وسلوت هو المسؤول، ولكن دون أي دليل على أن سلوت قد تعمد ذلك، يحتاج المدربون إلى أداء نجومهم، لا أن يسألوا عنهم في كل مؤتمر صحفي خلال الأشهر الخمسة المقبلة”.

وعن حلول وضع محمد صلاح وليفربول: ”يتحدث اللاعب والمدرب على انفراد، ثم يخبر المدرب اللاعب بما يريده منه ويلتزم اللاعب أو يخبر المدرب برغبته في الرحيل”.

وتابع: ”إذا أراد اللاعب الرحيل فلينفذ ذلك بسرعة، وإلا فاختر اللاعب ودعه يحكم عليه بناءً على أدائه المستمر، إذا كان أداؤه ضعيفًا فلا يمكن للمدرب أن يخسر، إذا كان رائعًا فلا يمكن للمدرب أن يخسر، لذا فإن إشراك سلوت لمحمد صلاح يعد بداية جيدة جدًا، خاصةً مع وجود صفقتين مهمتين لم تجعلا منه لاعبًا أساسيًا”.

واستكمل: “يمكن لآرني سلوت أن يخفف من وطأة صراحته، ويقول ربما لست يورجن لكنني أحب لاعبي، وما كانوا ليفوزوا بلقبٍ رائعٍ الموسم الماضي لولا ردة فعلهم تجاهي وأساليبي، لكنني أسمع تعليقات محمد، ويمكنني أن أخبركم جميعًا الآن أنني أحبه كثيرًا، وهذا التصريح الأنسب تجاه التعامل مع النجوم”.

واستطرد: “لكن من المؤكد أنني لا أعتقد أن هناك لاعبًا من ليفربول سواء كان في الماضي أو الحاضر أو ​​المستقبل، لديه شكاوى مشروعة من شأنها أن تهدد مبدأ أن النادي أولاً وأخيراً، وأنا متأكد من أن أولئك الذين كانت لديهم مخاوف مشروعة قد طرحوها في الوقت المناسب، وليس في مقابلة سريعة عندما تكون المشاعر مشتعلة”.

واختتم: “لقد حقق ليفربول  إنجازات مماثلة لكل لاعب لعب معه، لذا استحقت المؤسسة هذا النقد الخاص لا العام، أيًا كان مصدره”.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. Coped With Yankees' Game 1 Wild-Card Loss in Relatable Fashion

Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was left out of the starting lineup for Game 1 of their wild-card series against the Red Sox, which New York lost 3–1. Manager Aaron Boone chose to instead play Amed Rosario, leaving Chisholm to only substitute in on defense late in the game and take one at-bat.

Chisholm did get the nod to return to the lineup on Wednesday in Game 2 of the series and he came up clutch as he scored the winning run on a hit from Austin Wells. The Yankees won 4–3, and the wild-card series will now extend to a third game.

After the win, Chisholm was asked how he dealt with the disappointment from the night before. He simply replied, “I played and I mercy-ruled someone. That's how I get my stress off."

Chisholm shared that his team is named "New York Aliens" and features him and Ken Griffey Jr. in his lineup. He won 12–1.

Chisholm also clarified after the game that all is good between and Boone after he was left out of the Game 1 lineup.

"There was never a problem between me and Aaron Boone," he said. "He's been my manager all year and I've stood behind him all year. We always have disagreements. I played third base this year and we had a little bit of a disagreement in that, but at the end of the day, I always stand with Boonie because he always understands where I come from. He knows I'm a passionate player and he knows I wear my feelings on my sleeve. He knows that I'm here to compete."

Boone has confirmed that Chisholm will be in the starting lineup for Game 3 of their wild-card series, which takes place on Thursday.

NLCS Game 1 Laid Bare the Biggest Difference Between the Brewers and Dodgers

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. 

Cruzeiro pode acertar com jogador da Seleção da Colômbia nos próximos dias

MatériaMais Notícias

O Cruzeiro já começou a se planejar para a sequência da temporada. Após sondar Kaio Jorge e Matheus Henrique, a bola da vez na Toca da Raposa é o zagueiro Yerry Mina, que jogou a última temporada pelo Cagliari.

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Na Itália, ajudou o time se salvar do rebaixamento. Até o fim de semana, o clube terá uma reunião com o atleta. Aos 29 anos, Mina ainda tem mercado na Europa e tem desejo de permanecer no Velho Continente.

➡️ Siga o Lance! no WhatsApp e acompanhe em tempo real as principais notícias do esporte

Boa relação com Mattos pode ser diferencial para o Cruzeiro

Com a concorrência do futebol europeu e de mais de cinco clubes brasileiros, o Cruzeiro tem em Alexandre Mattos um trunfo. Atual CEO do clube, o dirigente foi o responsável pela contratação de Mina para o Palmeiras, em 2016.

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Mesmo se não for Mina, a Raposa irá contratar mais um zagueiro, com condições de ser titular da equipe, que tem Zé Ivaldo e João Marcelo como titulares. No futebol europeu, o zagueiro ainda atuou por Barcelona, Fiorentina, Everton e, agora, no Cagliari.

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Alexandre MattosCruzeiroFutebol NacionalMina

Ireland let advantage slip as Mehidy, Murad pull game into balance

Bangladesh’s spinners wrested back control from Ireland at stumps on the first day of the Sylhet Test. The visitors lost their way after a strong first session, ending the day on 270 for 8. Mehidy Hasan Miraz took three wickets while Hasan Murad, the debutant left-arm spinner, picked up two wickets.Ireland started losing their way in the middle session as they went from 96 for 1 to 184 for 4. Four more fell in the last session as they ended the first day in a disappointing note. Paul Stirling and debutant Cade Carmichael had given Ireland a bright start with a 96-run second-wicket stand. Stirling, opening for the second time in his career, made 60, with a dominant display through square on the off-side. He struck seven of his nine boundaries through that region.The 22-year-old Carmichael was composed in his first day of Test cricket, batting confidently in his 59. Stirling and Carmichael struck fifties while Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker got out in the forties. Towards the end of the day, the 19-year-old debutant Jordan Neill impressed with his drives in his unbeaten 30.Bangladesh had to wait for about half an hour in the last session to get their first breakthrough. But once they had removed Campher, who struck six boundaries including two sixes in his 94-ball 44, Bangladesh made more headways into the Ireland innings.Campher, who was caught at slip, was Murad’s first Test wicket. It was followed by the wicket of Tucker, who was beaten by Murad’s flight and stumped for 41 off 80 balls. Tucker was looking good and hit three fours and two sixes, but he got sucked into an aggressive false shot by Murad. Mehidy got the big wicket of Andy McBrine, also stumped, for five.Ireland however fought back with the eighth wicket stand between Neill and Barry McCarthy, who added 48 runs till the end of the day. Neill made 30 with three fours and a six before falling on the last ball of the day.Bangladesh could have had a much better start to the day, had they held on to three chances in successive overs in the morning. Stirling was dropped twice, at slip and gully, while Taijul Islam spilled Carmichael’s chance at short square-leg. All of this happened betwen overs 4 and 7.Already a wicket down and with Bangladesh creating regular chances, Stirling and Carmichael rode out the difficult period. They found regular boundaries, particularly Stirling cracking numerous hits through backward point. Carmichael was circumspect during the first session, hitting three boundaries.Ireland started losing their way in the middle session. Nahid Rana removed the well-set Stirling in the first over after lunch, getting caught at second slip. Mehidy Hasan Miraz trapped Harry Tector lbw for one in the next over, before Carmichael reached his fifty off 110 balls. Miraz however removed him for 59. Najmul Hossain Shanto then dropped Lorcan Tucker on 11 late in the second session.

Perry stars in Sydney derby to power Sixers into the top four

The defeat all but ended Sydney Thunder’s qualification hopes

AAP30-Nov-2025An Ellyse Perry masterclass has catapulted the Sydney Sixers back into the WBBL’s top four, with the allrounder leading her side to a crucial win over the Thunder.Chasing 175 for victory on Sunday, Perry scored an unbeaten 77 to take the Sixers to victory with six wickets and five balls to spare.The result all but ends the Thunder’s finals hopes, after a season where they have won just two of their seven completed games.On a crucial day in the WBBL’s finals race, Adelaide Strikers also kept their finals hopes alive with a last-over victory over the winless Brisbane Heat.The victory left them equal on eight points with the Melbourne Renegades and Perth Scorchers, with all three teams having two games to play. The Sixers are one point ahead in third with a game in hand, with the four sides now seemingly battling for the last two spots in the finals.Seemingly down and out when bowled out for 42 against the second-placed Melbourne Stars 10 days ago, the Sixers have not lost since.After Heather Knight (65) and Anika Learoyd (43) rescued the Thunder from 58 for 4 at the end of the 10th over to post 174 for 6, Perry took charge in front of a crowd of 5024.She hit Sam Bates for two big sixes down the ground, including one that landed next to the famous Fig Tree at one end of North Sydney Oval.The veteran also charged quick Shabnim Ismail and hit her over long-on, with Perry rarely looking troubled in her 44-ball 77.Englishwoman Sophia Dunkley also hit 44 up top for the Sixers, while Alyssa Healy provided a quickfire 33 before perishing late.

Rohl must bin Rangers flop who "offers nothing" to unleash Antman in new role

Glasgow Rangers head coach Danny Rohl may still be wondering how his side were unable to see the game out for all three points after they found themselves 1-0 up against ten-man Braga on Thursday night.

The Light Blues are yet to win a match in the Europa League this season and they may not have a better opportunity than the one they had at Ibrox earlier this week.

Whilst Mohamed Diomande was sent off later in the match, the Gers allowed the Portuguese side to equalise whilst they had a man advantage, as Nasser Djiga’s wayward header caught James Tavernier out and allowed Gabriel Martinez to pounce.

The German head coach will be scratching his head and wondering what he could do to turn things around in Europe, as the Light Blues have lost four of their five matches, with two of those losses coming in his three games in the competition.

Attention, for now, will turn back to the Scottish Premiership as Rangers play host to Falkirk at Ibrox, after the reverse game at their stadium led to Russell Martin’s dismissal.

Rohl has won all four of his league games in charge of the club so far, but these league matches present an opportunity to try things out ahead of European games. For example, unleashing Oliver Antman in a new role.

Why Oliver Antman should be unleashed in a new role

You could hardly blame any supporters for getting a bit excited by the signing of the Finland international after he registered 17 assists in all competitions for Go Ahead Eagles in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore.

On top of that, Antman delivered two assists on his debut for the Gers against Viktoria Plzen in the Champions League, crossing for Djeidi Gassama and winning a penalty for Cyriel Dessers to score.

Since that impressive debut, though, the Finnish forward has produced no goals and one assist in 18 appearances in all competitions, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has failed to deliver consistent quality in the final third.

Per Transfermarkt, all 11 of his starts have been on the right flank. With this in mind, it may be time for Rohl to unleash the 24-year-old attacker in a new role in his Rangers career.

RW

69

9 + 13

CM

22

1 + 0

LW

21

5 + 3

CF

18

5 + 0

AM

8

0 + 0

RM

8

1 + 5

As you can see in the table above, Antman has played in other positions throughout his career, on the left and through the middle, which means that the Light Blues can, realistically, use him in other areas of the pitch.

With this in mind, Rohl should unleash the Finland international in a flexible number ten position, which would allow him to drift out to the left or the right when the situation demands.

This would allow him to provide creativity on both flanks and centrally, which could help to support the two wingers whilst also providing the centre-forward, in theory, with more creativity.

In order to make this positional change for Antman against Falkirk, though, the German head coach will have to ditch one of his starters from the 1-1 draw with Braga on Thursday night.

Chalkboard

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

With this in mind, Rohl should ruthlessly ditch Youssef Chermiti from the starting line-up after his dismal showing against Braga, which would allow Danilo or Bojan Miovski to lead the line up front, with the Finnish whiz in behind them in the number ten role.

Why Rangers should drop Youssef Chermiti

Rangers parted company with sporting director Kevin Thelwell at the start of the week, after just one transfer window at Ibrox, and his lasting legacy may be the signing of the Portuguese striker.

The former Gers chief sanctioned an £8m deal to sign the forward from Everton, which made Chermiti the club’s most expensive signing in 25 years, since Tore Andre Flo’s £12m move to Glasgow.

That staggering outlay was made in spite of the fact that the 21-year-old striker failed to score in two seasons at Everton after Thelwell signed him for the Toffees from Sporting.

So far, Chermiti has delivered one goal and one assist in 14 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants this season, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has not lived up to his price tag yet.

The former Everton attacker’s performance against Braga was the latest in an unfortunately long line of underwhelming displays from the £8m summer signing.

Minutes

89

Sofascore

5.9

Shots

3

Shots on target

0

Pass accuracy

52%

Key passes

0

Duels won

6/15

As you can see in the table above, the Portuguese centre-forward failed to offer quality on the ball, as he was particularly poor with his passes, and also lost the majority of his physical duels.

After the match, reporter Jonny McFarlane posted that Chermiti is “mind-blowingly bad” and that the striker “offers nothing”, whilst describing him as a “galling signing”.

As harsh as that is, it is hard to disagree with the sentiment because of how poor the £8m attacker’s performances have been for the Light Blues, with one goal in 14 matches far from enough for the money spent on him.

Of course, Chermiti is not at fault for the transfer fee that Thelwell agreed to pay for him. He is a young player who is clearly trying his best and competing for the Gers, as evidenced by his 15 duels on Thursday night, but the quality is not there, on current evidence.

That is why Rohl must ruthlessly ditch him from the starting line-up for this clash with Falkirk at Ibrox, because he has not shown enough on the pitch to suggest that he should be playing week-in-week-out as the main number nine.

Dropping Chermiti will then provide the manager with an opportunity to unleash Antman in this new role, because Danilo can move into a number nine position or also be dropped for Miovski to start.

"Rotten" Thelwell signing is Rangers' biggest waste of time since Dowell

This summer signing by Kevin Thelwell has been as bad as the deal to bring Kieran Dowell to Rangers.

ByDan Emery Nov 26, 2025

‘That’s going to cost us’ – Chelsea legend John Terry blasts ‘poor’ Leeds defeat as Blues suffer setback in Premier League title race

Chelsea’s “poor” defeat against Leeds United will end up costing them in the Premier League title race, according to club legend John Terry. The Blues icon has bemoaned his former side’s lack of experience as they slipped to a damaging 3-1 loss which leaves them nine points behind leaders Arsenal, who they held to a 1-1 draw in their previous match.

  • Chelsea had been in fine form before surprise Leeds defeat

    After picking up a point following an admirable 10-man performance against Arsenal last Sunday, Chelsea travelled to struggling Leeds just six points behind Mikel Arteta’s Gunners on Wednesday.

    However, while Arsenal got back to winning ways against Brentford on the same night, Chelsea suffered a surprise defeat at Elland Road. Enzo Maresca’s men found themselves 2-0 down at the interval following efforts from defender Jaka Bijol and midfielder Ao Tanaka, before Blues winger Pedro Neto pulled a goal back early in the second half.

    But Chelsea were unable to find an equaliser in an abject performance which was capped off by centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo’s costly mistake in the build up to Leeds’ third goal through striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

    The result was Chelsea’s first loss in their last eight games in all competitions, but the manner in which the defeat was registered has caused frustration amongst a fanbase who are hoping to see their side improve upon last season’s fourth-place finish.

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    Blues legend Terry could not hide anger after final whistle

    Deflated after the final whistle, Chelsea icon Terry could not hide his anger at a display which – in his opinion – will come back to haunt the west Londoners towards the business end of the title race.

    Speaking on TikTok, Terry – who won 15 major trophies including five Premier League titles and one Champions League crown after 19 seasons at Chelsea – said: “What a poor performance that was.

    “Everything I said about Leeds, they were going to be aggressive, fans were going to be up for it, it was going to be a hostile place to go. You either go there and match them or you take the sting out of it completely, and by looks of it we certainly didn’t do that in the first half.

    “We cannot follow up two unbelievable performances with a performance like that, it’s certainly not going to make you title contenders. Unfortunately that’s what’s going to cost us, we are inexperienced and if you can’t go Leeds away and know what to expect then…”

    @johnterry26

    We can’t follow two great performances with that performance tonight. Some tough away games coming up and we need to be better than that tonight. 💙 #chelsea #chelseafc #premierleague #cfc

    ♬ original sound – John Terry

  • Former England captain urges Maresca to end rotation policy

    Still irritated by both the result and the performance, Terry also criticised what he perceived to be a lack of “fight” from Chelsea, urging manager Maresca to end his rotation policy and stick with players who he believes will dig in every week.

    “You need to go there and show the fight, match Leeds in every single way and then earn your right to play,” former England captain Terry added. “After 15, 20 minutes you play your football once you’ve earned that right.

    “Set piece, individual mistakes defensively, clearly not good enough, maybe that’s an opportunity for the manager to look at the squad and go ‘okay rotations not for me moving forward, I know my best 11-14 players and I’ll stick with that and the other players are just going to have to deal with it.”

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    Chelsea head coach expected better performance against Leeds

    Chelsea will look to bounce back when they travel to out-of-form Bournemouth in the league on Saturday afternoon. Maresca’s men then head to Serie A side Atalanta in the Champions League on Tuesday, 9 December.

    Looking ahead to the Bournemouth match, Maresca said after the Leeds game: “I think they [Leeds] were better than us in all the aspects. They deserved to win the game.

    “There’s nothing we can take from the game. The only thing we can do is try to understand the mistakes we’ve made and try to reset. In 48 hours we’ve another game [against Bournemouth].

    “When you play the way we have in the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, you expect a better performance. But for many reasons it’s not going to be possible. We changed players and when you change players the level drops because the reality is they’re important players for us.”

Against India, South Africa will prepare for the worst and hope for the best

South Africa’s Test captain looks back on the Pakistan Test series and ahead to the two-Test series against India in November

Temba Bavuma31-Oct-2025I think it would have been fitting to have had a third Test against Pakistan. I know we are going to have the same argument again about whether more Tests should be played and all that. However, it would have been nice to have had a series decider, because you now see a South Africa Test team close to our best, and you would’ve wanted to give Pakistan another opportunity to rectify their wrongs.After the drawn Test series against Pakistan, we have another two-Test series in the subcontinent coming up against India from mid-November. That series will probably be a bit more challenging than Pakistan, and it will be important for us that we start the preparation now and not when we get to India.From a personal point of view, my preparation will come in the form of playing for the South Africa A side against India A. I will play in the second four-day match as part of my return-to-play programme. I’m looking forward to it, though I will have to find my South Africa A training kit because I haven’t used it since 2017! I welcome any match practice and am looking forward to being out there again. I have seen the squad India A have picked, so it will be competitive and more than just a practice game.Related

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When I talk about preparation, I’m not necessarily speaking about our batters and bowlers getting into the nets, but more from a mental point of view. It comes down to understanding the challenges that we are going to face in Kolkata and Guwahati, and subsequently it’s how we are going to go about dealing with them.After losing the first Test to Pakistan in Lahore, we came back strongly in the second Test in Rawalpindi to win on day four. I think in the grander scheme of things, we probably suffered one of our normal issues of starting slowly in the Test series. If we had played in the first Test like we did in the second, who knows what the end result would have been in terms of the overall series.Given that South Africa’s spinners took 35 of 40 Pakistan wickets – including Simon Harmer’s 13 – they should be well prepped for India’s spinning pitches•Associated PressI think I have to be careful because I’m speaking from the outside here, but the wickets in Pakistan’s Test series against England last year looked a lot more spinner-friendly and a lot more deteriorated. I think these ones in our series were your natural subcontinental ones, where in the first innings guys could bat. The track in Rawalpindi looked a bit slow, so the scoring rates weren’t as quick, but guys looked like they could trust their defences. Even in the first Test, it looked like you could trust your defence and kind of build your game around what the conditions were offering.When it comes to India, we hope that the wickets are on the good side. When I say “good side”, it’s about batters being able to get in in the first innings and set out their stall. Then, in the second innings, the spinners will come into the game.To be honest, I don’t see India being any different in terms of the wickets they will prepare. If you look at the series between India and New Zealand, which the latter won, conditions were a bit spinner-friendly so I guess you always want to prepare for the worst, especially as batters. The mantra we subscribe to as a team is to “prepare for the worst and hope for the best”. It’s about how we counter tactics in extreme conditions and come up on the right side of the result.In our shared Test series against Pakistan I think the playing conditions were fair, but naturally the spinners were the main threat and they took the most wickets. In fact, South Africa’s spinners took 35 of the 40 wickets on offer in the series, which set a new record for the team in a two-Test series. However, I do think there was something in there for the batters, evidenced by the century scored by Tony de Zorzi in the first Test. It was also underlined by the way in which Ricky [Ryan Rickleton] got in in the second innings. As well as a guy like Stubbo [Tristan Stubbs] who scored 76 in the first innings, and even Dewald Brevis. In terms of Brev, he’s a little bit different because of the way he plays. He can kind of make a bad wicket a good one because that is the talent of the boy.In terms of our stand-in Test captain and opening batter, Aiden Markram, he didn’t go on to get big scores across the series, but the way he goes about his batting, he sets a good foundation and platform for the other players to follow. He plays off the front foot and is always looking to take it on. We feed off it as batters when guys at the top play with so much freedom and confidence.

From 69 all out to statement win – South Africa restore World Cup credentials

After the humiliation of 69 all out, South Africa roared back as Tazmin Brits’ record-breaking hundred powered a statement World Cup win over New Zealand

Firdose Moonda06-Oct-2025

Tazmin Brits and Sune Luus’ 159-run stand took South Africa home•ICC/Getty Images

How do you recover from 69 all out?If you’re Marizanne Kapp, you hit Suzie Bates on the pads first ball in her 350th international to dismiss her in the same match where you become the most capped of your country’s women.If you’re Nonkululeko Mlaba, you take the wicket that sparks a collapse of 7 for 44, and finish with your career’s second four-for.If you’re Laura Wolvaardt, you stick your right arm out, and snatch the ball from the sky to claim what could be the catch of the tournament.Related

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If you’re Sune Luus, you share in South Africa’s highest partnership at a World Cup, with your team’s most in-form batter Tazmin Brits.Oh, and if you’re Brits? You do it by becoming the only woman to score five ODI hundreds in a calendar year, and anchoring a successful chase of 232.Good enough? We’d say so.South Africa showed up in their second World Cup match with a strong all-round display that restored their tournament credentials, and left New Zealand with zero points from two games. But it’s the manner in which they did it that will please them most after their abject display in the opener against England. Nineteen wides aside, South Africa barely put a foot wrong as they squeezed New Zealand in the first half of their innings, and then struck big blows in the second to limit them to a modest total. Still, given the inexplicably poor batting performance South Africa put on three days ago, 232 was a long way away.When Wolvaardt was dismissed in the third over, it was even longer. What South Africa needed was a player with form, confidence and belief. Enter Brits.South Africa fashioned a collapse of 7 for 44 for New Zealand•Getty ImagesBefore this match, Brits had already scored four hundreds this year, including back-to-back-to-back against West Indies and Pakistan. Her last was a career-best 171* in Lahore. So being bowled for 5 by Linsey Smith in the opener was so galling to her that it made her lose her appetite.”It didn’t sit well with me. I was actually very (nauseous), and I didn’t even want to eat that night, and I overthought the process completely,” Brits, who smashed 101 off 89 balls against New Zealand, said after the game. “We put that in the past as quickly as possible, and said we’ve got to move on to the next game.”Brits joked that the – it is fried dough soaked in syrup with or without a desiccated coconut covering – is what upped her form this year, but she wouldn’t have found any of that in Indore. Instead, she had to feast on a new scoring area, which has only opened up for her in the last year.She has gone from being a predominantly leg-side player to understanding how to access the off side too. Against New Zealand, she scored more than two-thirds of her runs – 68 – on the off side, including 27 through or over mid-off. In total, she scored 40 runs in the V down the ground. Apart from taking advantage of the width on offer, she created some of it herself by moving around, and used her feet well throughout her innings.3:20

Mlaba, Brits help SA register first World Cup points

“I’ve just tried to expand my shot selection a bit more, and I’ve been working very, very hard on that,” she said.Brits’ ability to strike powerfully and score quickly also meant this hundred, off 87 balls, was her fastest, and South Africa’s fourth-fastest. It also launched her into the record books. Brits now has 749 runs this year, the second-most by a South Africa batter in a calendar year after Wolvaardt’s 882 in 2022. At the rate she is going, Brits could surpass Wolvaardt’s record during this World Cup itself. She also has more centuries in 41 ODI innings than anyone else at the same stage in their career, surpassing Meg Lanning, whose first seven hundreds came in 44 innings.Happily, she also has a distinct reason to remember this century as different from all the others. Not only is it her first at a World Cup – and South Africa’s third overall – but it also came with a special celebration: the archer.Sune Luus’ unbeaten 83 was the perfect foil to Tazmin Brits’ 101•ICC/Getty Images”I always do a ballerina for my dad, so I did that at 50 and then I actually put it out to the fans,” she said. “There were actually two 13-year-old girls that sent me the archer celebration. So I did it for them.”While Brits will grab the headlines, some praise must also be reserved for Luus, who has better numbers at No. 4, where she averages 33.44 and has scored only ODI hundred, than at No. 3. But against New Zealand, Luus played an innings that could make No. 3 hers. Her unbeaten 83 was the perfect support act to Brits, especially as she employed a more conservative approach early on. That gave Brits the freedom to hit out. Between them, they could, and arguably should, even have got South Africa to the target quicker.Though South Africa reached the target inside 41 overs, which has helped their net run-rate, it remains in negative territory, and they may look at overs 30 to 40, where they scored 46 runs, as a handbrake. In a tournament where the weather could still play a significant part and five or six teams could end up fighting over one or two semi-final spots, South Africa don’t want to be too far behind.They have their first points, though, and after the embarrassment of 69 all out, that’s a start. The next step is another day of travel to play the hosts, India, who are unbeaten, in Visakhapatnam, in what could be an important clash in determining the semi-finalists.

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