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How good was that innings from Sanju Samson? Big names from around the IPL weigh in

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Apr-2021

Really happy for @IamSanjuSamson great knock. Top class #RRvPBKS

— Jasprit Bumrah (@Jaspritbumrah93) April 12, 2021

تحدث نيكو أوريلي لاعب مانشستر سيتي بعد مساهمته في فوز فريقه على ريال مدريد بهدفين لهدف واحد ضمن منافسات مرحلة الدوري بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقال نيكو أوريلي في تصريحات نشرتها “سيتي إكسترا”: “شعور رائع، ياله من جو رائع، ياله من ملعب، من الصعب اللعب هنا لكننا حصدنا الثلاث نقاط وهذا هو الأهم”.

وأضاف حول هدفه الأول في دوري أبطال أوروبا على ملعب سانتياجو برنابيو: “هدف مميز للغاية، أنا في غاية السعادة وسيبقى هدفًا محفورًا في ذاكرتي ولكن كما قلت الأهم هو النقاط الثلاث وهذا ما حققناه”.

اقرأ أيضاً.. فرص مانشستر سيتي في التأهل لدور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد الفوز على ريال مدريد

وواصل عن دوره مع مانشستر سيتي هذا الموسم: “أستمتع بذلك، أتعامل مع كل شيء بهدوء، كل مباراة على حدة وأعمل بجد في كل جلسة تدريبية وأنا أستمتع بذلك وأحبه”.

واختتم: “اللعب ضد ريال مدريد والفوز عليهم يظهر مدى جودة أدائنا حالياً ومستوانا المميز”.

Liverpool haven’t been very good this season. That’s an understatement, too, with Arne Slot’s side having fallen so far below expectations after so dominantly winning the Premier League last year.

Though the Reds have stopped the rot that was spreading after nine losses from 12 fixtures in all competitions, winning at West Ham before drawing against Sunderland at Anfield, there is still so much to be desired from this group, whose mini-revival is presently built atop a house of cards.

Whether the head coach finds the formula that will shift Liverpool back into a winning outfit is anyone’s guess, but it’s clear that performances and results have been so far below the firmly set standard that it beggars belief, and Slot needs to make changes before he finds himself on borrowed time, with potential successors already being touted in the media.

Liverpool looking at Slot replacement

According to Caught Offside, Liverpool chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are putting serious thought into appointing Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner to replace Slot.

Glasner, 51, has defied the odds at Selhurst Park over the past few years, winning the FA Cup in May and then the Community Shield (against Liverpool) at the start of the current campaign. They are currently fifth in the Premier League.

It’s important to stress that there have not been any talks with Palace or the Austrian’s entourage. FSG remain committed to guiding their Dutch coach through this storm.

However, if it doesn’t abate, sources indicate Glasner is emerging as the preferred candidate to take the Anfield hot seat.

What Oliver Glasner would bring to Liverpool

Glasner has achieved great things with Crystal Palace, and his past Europa League-winning success with Eintracht Frankfurt corroborates the claim that he is a “top-five manager in the world”, as suggested by one English football content creator.

Though appointing Glasner would require something of a tactical transformation on Merseyside, with the Palace boss typically fielding a 3-4-2-1 formation, he is relaxed about the minutiae of his systems, which are interchangeable and open to tweaks. This tactical pliability suggests that he could be an interesting pick from the FSG hierarchy.

Glasner gets it. And, moreover, he speaks with the clarity and intellect to throw down with any top manager in the Premier League, perhaps even having the credentials to wage tactical battle against the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta.

The ever-outspoken Jamie O’Hara has even gone as far as to suggest that Glasner is “a better manager” than Arteta, with his trophy-winning credentials and the instant level-up he has overseen in south London bearing testament to that claim.

O’Hara’s football allegiances may lend themselves to a dislike of the high-flying Gunners project, but there is something to be said of Glasner’s success in taking over a Palace side that had lost their way under Roy Hodgson and have since achieved superstardom, plying their craft in Europe and enjoying new status as multi-trophy holders.

There is an urgency to Palace’s creative play that does not detract from their grace and elegance. They have created more big chances this season than both Arsenal and Liverpool. In fact, Manchester City are the only outfit with a higher count at this stage.

Premier League 25/26 – Most Big Chances Created

Team

Goals

BCC

Man City

35

46

Chelsea

25

41

Brentford

21

41

Crystal Palace

18

41

Arsenal

27

40

Data via FotMob

Palace’s inherent playmaking prowess under Glasner’s wing suggests that he could be the perfect fit for a Liverpool side chock-full of devastating attacking quality.

Things might have gone stale in Slot’s system, but Glasner would prove the likes of O’Hara right by joining the Anfield side and elevating this Reds side back to illustrious heights.

Glasner could be the project manager Liverpool need to rival Arteta and Arsenal and reclaim their place on their perch, should Slot indeed face the axe in the coming months.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Dec 4, 2025

Seemingly eternal Los Angeles Dodgers stalwart Chris Taylor was released by his longtime club on May 18—but the utilityman won't have to go far to find his next team.

The Los Angeles Angels are signing Taylor to a big-league contract, they announced Monday evening. Taylor, 34, is in his 12th season in the major leagues.

He played for the Dodgers from 2016 to '25, quietly witnessing and propelling one of the franchise's most successful eras. A jack-of-all-trades who played seven different positions with the Dodgers, he made the National League All-Star team in 2021 and was the MVP of the 2017 NLCS.

Taylor brings winning savvy an Angels team treading water in a wide-open American League West Division. The fourth-place team trails the first-place Seattle Mariners by four games.

To roster the Virginia product, the Angels—who open a three-game set against the New York Yankees Monday—optioned center fielder and second baseman Kyren Paris to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.

Arsenal have been head and shoulders above the rest of ’em this season, but Mikel Arteta knows that the season is still young, and there are many gruelling months ahead before the Gunners might end their two-decade-long wait for the Premier League title.

Runners-up for three successive years, Arsenal have worked toward dynamising and strengthening across the park, with the likes of Martin Zubimendi, Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze all adding flavour to an outfit already refined and complete.

It’s just silverware that is missing. And while the Emirates side have all the tools to go the distance this term, they will need someone of Gabriel Magalhaes’ character and quality to have avoided a long-term injury while away on international duty with Brazil.

The latest on Gabriel's muscle injury

Gabriel has played every minute of Arsenal’s Premier League campaign this season, but with a north London clash against Tottenham Hotspur looming on the horizon, a muscular injury sustained out with his nation could put a spanner in the works there.

Gabriel pulled up mid-sprint during Brazil’s recent win over Senegal. It has since been revealed by The Athletic’s David Ornstein that there is a worry that he faces an extended spell on the sidelines, more than a month and thus out of action until the new year.

It cannot be understated how integral Gabriel has become. As per FBref, the £150k-per-week talent ranks among the top 5% of positional peers for goal involvements and the top 15% for shot-creating actions per 90. That aside, he has incredibly won 78% of his ground duels, keeping clean sheets in seven separate matches.

In Gabriel and William Saliba, Arsenal have two defenders looking to take their place among the pantheon of great Premier League centre-back partnerships, and if Arteta does lift that elusive trophy at the end of the season, he and his wider squad will be indebted to the composed and flawlessly organised duo at the back.

The likes of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are able replacements, but this could be a big blow, and it’s got us thinking about the 27-year-old’s long-term successor in north London.

There is one Hale End star who might just have what it takes to complete that step up in the future.

The Hale Ender who could replace Gabriel

Under Arteta’s guidance, Arsenal have a feared outfit once again. This is a team capable of tackling and overcoming any opponent across the globe, as last season’s spectacular two-legged win over Real Madrid will tell you.

But this also needs to be a lasting project, and it’s clear that there is an emphasis on this, with Bukayo Saka the talisman and exciting prospects such as Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman filtering through to the first team.

And on the other side of the field, Callan Hamill could find himself succeeding Gabriel when the time comes, with the 16-year-old having made quite the impression at Hale End since joining from St. Johnstone in Scotland this summer.

The Scotland U19 international has swiftly established himself as the captain of Arsenal’s U18 squad, racking up 11 appearances and scoring one goal.

With such impressive performances, he has even been handed a string of outings with the U21s, and during his sole effort in the Premier League 2, Hamill kept a clean sheet across 90 minutes of action.

Analyst Ben Mattinson has remarked that the teenager has “all the tools to become a quality backline leader for club and country”, and while he’s not there yet, Arteta’s decision to throw the youngster into first-team training and guide him toward the fore suggests that it’s only a matter of time before this star emulates the better-known names in front of him and cements a place under Arteta’s wing.

Who knows, given his leadership skills, strong reading of the game and dynamism, Hamill might even have what it takes to succeed Gabriel, when the fateful day of the Brazilian’s departure comes.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 18, 2025

Pakistan were hurt by dot balls while batting and in managing the fifth-bowling options while bowling

Danyal Rasool10-Aug-2025

West Indies overcame Pakistan’s spinners as well as the weather to power home by five wickets to level the ODI series 1-1. In a chase which ebbed and flowed, a blitz from Sherfane Rutherford and a controlled innings at the death by Roston Chase saw them home with ten balls to spare.Their task was made significantly harder than it might have been when Jayden Seales’ standout fast-bowling performance had restricted Pakistan to 171 for 7 in 37 overs. The target was slightly upwards (181 in 35 overs) of what was scored owing to multiple rain delays in the first innings.Pakistan were put in to bat first and played stodgy cricket inconsistent with the decade they were playing in. Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub found the occasional powerplay boundary but interspersed it with strings of dot deliveries; the first ten overs had just five singles taken. When Seales’ extra pace and Shai Hope’s canny field placement extracted an outside edge from Ayub in the ninth over, it was the ninth successive ball the left-hand batter had faced that had not produced a run.Mohammad Rizwan couldn’t make up for a slow start•AFP/Getty Images

Three balls later, Babar Azam was cleaned up by a Seales special that burst through the gate and made a mess of his stumps, and put West Indies firmly on top.It brought Mohammad Rizwan out, but he appeared to have left positivity behind in the dressing room – he scored just 4 off his first 23 deliveries. A shower that delayed play by 90 minutes did not help Pakistan find their rhythm. Jediah Blades took his maiden ODI wicket by drawing an edge from Shafique that ended his battle of an innings the over after play resumed.As run-scoring increasingly became a struggle, West Indies’ bowlers – spinners and seamers alike – kept making inroads. Gudakesh Motie trapped the Pakistan captain in front. Chase got a ball to keep low and produce an under edge off Hussain Talat’s bat to conclude his comparatively brighter innings. Salman Agha struggled to see any scoring area beside the little dab to deep third, and when Shamar Joseph surprised him with the straighter bouncer, a top edge sent him packing.Multiple rain breaks curtailed Pakistan’s innings•AFP/Getty Images

A further rain delay truncated the game to Pakistan’s benefit with the innings winding down, allowing Hasan Nawaz to go for broke in what became seven death overs. Cruelly for Pakistan, though, that stubborn cloud unloaded its contents upon the Brian Lara Stadium once more just as he had begun to get going. That little passage of play saw 32 scored in 3.1 overs, but Pakistan were denied a big finish with their final three overs wiped out.West Indies were set an entirely manageable target, though Hasan Ali’s opening salvo soon cast that expectation into jeopardy. Wickets in each of his first two overs sent the openers back, and the hosts found themselves stuck in the same mire that had dogged Pakistan. Rizwan, sensing an opportunity to strangle, brought the spinners on after six overs, with Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed producing the desired results.The scoring rate briefly slowed to a trickle, particularly as far as Keacy Carty was concerned. His first 26 balls produced just three singles, piling the pressure on his captain at the other end. An intriguing plot point concerned Pakistan’s fifth bowling option; the one over Ayub had bowled leaked 10, and another from Salman shed another 11.Sherfane Rutherford took Shaheen Afridi down in the 17th over•AFP/Getty Images

With a newly arrived Rutherford at the crease and the asking rate over six, Rizwan made the fateful decision of turning to Shaheen Afridi, and the batter picked his moment. Two fours and a six saw him plunder 17 that over, and with Rizwan turning immediately to the part-timer Salman, another 20 were lopped off the target.It bought West Indies the cushion to see off the primary spinners Abrar and Mohammad Nawaz more respectfully, but the pair wasn’t content with containment. Nawaz found extra turn to have Hope stumped before, in what felt like a game-turning moment, he induced Rutherford into a smear that found square leg. It was part of an eight-over period that saw just 17 scored, but just as significantly, Pakistan had bowled out Nawaz.Chase slapped a couple of sixes the following Ayub over to wrench the asking rate below six once more, and it was there that it would stay for the rest of the game.The returning fast bowlers never packed the same threat, and West Indies began to milk them in addition to finding the odd boundary that took the game further out of the visitors’ reach. Justin Greaves had looked uncertain against the turn, but was impressively assured now, a wristy flick over mid-on for six off Hasan perhaps the shot of the innings. By now, the equation was purely mathematical, With Chase’s crisp drive through the off side sealing a topsy-turvy win on a day that promised each outcome at certain points, before settling on the one the Trinidad crowd had come to witness.

Hansi Flick refused to abandon Barcelona’s attacking principles despite a chaotic 3-3 draw with Club Brugge in the Champions League. The German coach insisted his side’s issues stem from lapses in intensity and not tactics after the Catalans came from behind three times to salvage a point on another frustrating European night.

Barcelona's defensive woes resurface in six-goal thriller

Barcelona’s Champions League campaign hit another roadblock as they were held to a 3-3 draw by Club Brugge in Belgium. It is their ninth consecutive game without a clean sheet, making it the club’s worst defensive run since 2013 when they conceded in 13 straight matches.

Flick’s men found themselves chasing the game all night, with the hosts exploiting Barca’s high defensive line to score three times, each time forcing the visitors to claw back. While the comeback spirit was commendable, the fragility without the ball was impossible to ignore. 

The result leaves Barcelona with seven points from four group-stage matches, still well-positioned but increasingly vulnerable. After the match, Flick cut a frustrated figure, hinting at stern words for his squad while brushing off suggestions that his tactical model was to blame.

AdvertisementAFPFlick stands firm on his 'philosophy' despite Brugge setback

Speaking to after the draw, Flick made it clear that while his team’s lack of intensity was unacceptable, he will not compromise on his footballing principles.

"We can defend in the final third, but we'll stick to our philosophy because we can do better," the German said. "When you lack intensity, you have no chance, especially in the Champions League. Club Brugge played very well, as I expected, and I told the players that. Last year's 1-0 goal would have been two meters offside. But we want to play our game. A 3-3 draw isn't the best result for us, but the positive aspect of the match is that we managed to come back after they took the lead three times. We do need to talk about this, though."

He elaborated further on Barca’s problems in key areas of the pitch: “It’s not just about defending in the back line, but also in midfield. We have to be alert when they create chances in one or two touches. It’s not easy, not easy at all. We did create several chances, but the truth is they played very well. They were very aggressive, obviously in a positive way.”

The 60-year-old admitted his side struggled to impose their usual pressing game, a recurring issue in recent weeks. “The truth is that we haven't been able to press the ball effectively; we've lost many duels, especially in midfield, which was crucial against such fast players. For us, it's about intensity when we don't have the ball. Above all, we need to be alert when they create chances with just one or two touches. I'm sure we'll improve on that.”

Injuries, fatigue and focus – Flick defends his model

The ex-Bayern boss was firm in his response to critics calling for tactical changes, stressing that Barcelona’s problems lie in execution, not ideology.

"This is always about the team, he said. "We did well last Sunday, but today, only a few times. We have to work on this. We're the same team. We know it's not our best moment, but I'm going to look at it positively and think that after the break, when Joan Garcia, Raphinha, and Pedri return, and Olmo and Lewandowski are at a different level, we'll improve."

When asked if it was time to rethink the system, Flick replied with conviction: "I'm not going to repeat myself. The solution isn't to change. We are Barca. Our football is about being active, playing with intensity. With and without the ball. We have to work on this. And when everyone returns from injury, we'll see how it goes."

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GettyFocus turns to Celta Vigo amid growing pressure

Barcelona’s draw in Brugge leaves them 11th in the overall Champions League standings, still in contention but struggling for consistency. Flick now faces the challenge of regrouping a weary squad ahead of Sunday’s La Liga trip to Celta Vigo, with the Catalans sitting second, five points behind leaders Real Madrid.

Despite the turbulence, Flick remains steadfast in his belief that intensity and discipline not tactical overhauls will lead the Catalan giants back to form. As the German put it: “We are Barca. We don’t back down we get better.”