“I felt feverish from Monday, and then it got to 102 degrees.”
Mohammad Isam12-Nov-2020Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain and current national selector, has tested positive for Covid-19. The news comes soon after Test captain Mominul Haque and allrounder Mahmudullah had also tested positive earlier this week in a spate of infections among the regulars to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka.Bashar is isolated at home, but hoping to return to work in time for the Bangabandhu T20 Cup scheduled for later this month.”I was really careful, but still I got infected,” Bashar told . “There’s nothing we can do. The virus won’t let go of anyone. I felt feverish from Monday, and then it got to 102 degrees. It continued into Tuesday, so I tested on Wednesday morning and received the result in the evening.”Bashar is one of two senior selectors employed by the BCB, and has been a constant during training and matches at the ground over the last few months.In recent weeks, Abu Jayed, Saif Hassan and Mashrafe Mortaza, as well as a few cricketers and coaching staff from the Under-19 camp have all tested positive.According to the official figures, there have been 425,353 Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh, with over 6000 deaths.
Kylian Mbappe has been defended by France World Cup winner Emmanuel Petit after a nightmare Clasico performance for Real Madrid against Barcelona.
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Mbappe flopped in El ClasicoBarcelona romped to 4-0 Bernabeu winFrench star defended by PetitFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Mbappe's debut Clasico did not go to plan with the Real Madrid superstar failing to find the back of the net as Barcelona ran out 4-0 winners at the Santiago Bernabeu. The France star actually had a night to forget, being caught offside eight times in the famous fixture, as Hansi Flick's side got their tactics spot on. Mbappe has now been caught offside 17 times in La Liga, more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues, a record he certainly will not want in his collection.
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Mbappe has been in the spotlight since his move from Paris Saint-Germain and is yet to consistently produce the kind of form Madrid fans would have expected from the forward. Mbappe has scored six goals in La Liga but he is well below Robert Lewandowski in the Pichichi standings, as the Barcelona striker already has 14 to his name. Yet Mbappe has been defended by compatriot Petit who has explained why he thinks that even Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland would have struggled in El Clasico.
WHAT HAS BEEN SAID
Petit told : "I'm surprised the linesman was not replaced with a shoulder injury with the number of times he had to raise his flag for Kylian Mbappe. I don't think Erling Haaland scores the chances Mbappe has in the El Clasico, because the problems came from the midfield of Real Madrid. Every time Luke Modric comes on the pitch, you see a difference. I am not convinced by Aurelien Tchouameni, he can't run the midfield like Modric has and can. There is a huge gap between the attackers and midfield at Real Madrid."
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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE
Mbappe and Real Madrid must wait to try and bounce back from a dismal Clasico defeat. Their La Liga clash with Valencia has been postponed, due to the devastating floods caused by DANA, meaning Carlo Ancelotti's side must wait until Tuesday after a Champions League fixture with AC Milan to return to action.
Leeds United failed to earn promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking as they lost in the Championship play-off final in May.
Daniel Farke was backed with a number of signings in the summer transfer window last year and, ultimately, failed to achieve the goal of returning to the top-flight.
However, that does not mean that all of the additions made ahead of the 2023/24 campaign were poor pieces of business, as the Whites were able to bring in a few very good players.
One star they hit the jackpot with was the signing of Ethan Ampadu on a permanent deal from Chelsea, as his value has soared over the last 12 months.
Ethan Ampadu's soaring market value
The Whites reportedly paid an initial fee of £7m to snap up the Wales international from the Premier League side last year, with £3m in potential add-ons that could take the overall package to £10m.
Signed as a defensive midfielder, the 23-year-old enforcer spent the first half of the season in his natural role in the middle of the park alongside the likes of Glen Kamara and Ilia Gruev.
However, an injury to Pascal Struijk meant that the Welshman was required to partner Joe Rodon at the heart of the defence, playing as the left-sided centre-back in the last five months of the campaign.
Leeds midfielder Ethan Ampadu.
Ampadu went on to start all 46 of the club's league matches and his market value soared as a result of his strong performances on the pitch, with Transfermarkt currently valuing him at €16m (£13.5m).
This shows that the Whites hit the jackpot when they spent an initial fee of £7m to sign the Chelsea prospect as his value has soared to almost double that in just one season at Elland Road.
Ethan Ampadu is worth more than Leeds target
Earlier this month, GIVEMESPORT reported that Leeds are interested in a deal to sign defensive midfielder Oliver Skipp from Spurs after their swoop for Joe Rodon on a permanent deal from the Premier League side.
The West Yorkshire side, however, already have a number six who is more valuable and could offer similar qualities in the middle of the park in the form of Ampadu.
Skipp is valued at €15m (£12.6m) by Transfermarkt and this means that Leeds' Welsh battler is currently worth €1m more, whilst their respective statistics at Championship level suggest the valuations are fair.
Appearances
46
45
Big chances created
6
3
Tackles + interceptions per game
2.9
3.3
Pass accuracy
89%
88%
Ground duel success rate
57%
62%
Aerial duel success rate
63%
42%
As you can see in the table above, both players provide similar qualities as defensive midfielders based on their most recent seasons in the second tier, with Skipp's coming under Farke at Norwich in the 2020/21 campaign.
Both players are reliable passers who can win the ball back through tackles and interceptions multiple times per game. However, Ampadu appears to be more dominant in duels, as he can win the majority of his battles on the deck and in the air.
Leeds could ease Gray blow by signing a star who "loves a scrap"
The Whites lost their talented academy graduate to the Premier League earlier this month.
ByDan Emery Jul 8, 2024
Therefore, Leeds may not need to dip into the market to splash the cash on Skipp if they can move the ex-Chelsea man, who they hit the jackpot with, back into a midfield role on a full-time basis.
The incumbent Test opener has just 62 runs in nine innings this season
Andrew McGlashan12-Dec-2020Another failure for Joe Burns has left Australia’s opening-batting plans in tatters just days before the opening Test in Adelaide after he fell for just 1 on the final day of the pink-ball warm-up at the SCG.Burns never looked comfortable in his stay at the crease against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami before being trapped lbw by the latter when he walked across his crease to a full delivery.Moments after Burns trudged off the television cameras panned to Trevor Hohns, the national selector, on his phone in the stand.Marcus Harris, who was drafted into the Test squad yesterday as a replacement for the concussed Will Pucovski, also failed when he was caught at leg slip.Related
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Concussion rules Will Pucovski out of Adelaide Test; Marcus Harris named replacement
Heading into the final day of the game the situation was particularly acute for Burns who now has just 62 runs in nine innings. As it stands he remains in the Test squad for Adelaide, but another failure in Sydney will leave the selectors with a big decision to make.”There is some pressure on him, no doubt,” Chris Rogers, part of the Australia A coaching staff, said after the second day’s play. “He’s not stupid. So he has to make the most of this opportunity, that’s pretty important, and then it’s up to the selectors.”Rogers encouraged Burns, who has been backed by the selectors, captain, coach and team-mates during a lean start to the season, to cut out the noise surrounding his position. He is the senior opener in the absence of David Warner, who may also struggle to be fit for the second Test in Melbourne, while Harris has recalled after Pucovski was ruled out with concussion.”From my point of view, you can get to this point where you’re just putting so much pressure on yourself,” Rogers said. “You think you’re doing everything you can and it just doesn’t seem to be going your way.”You make one little mistake and all of a sudden you’re back sitting in the pavilion. A lot of the time it’s just about letting go, what will be will be and just go out and do your processes, do your routines and just try and stay in the moment and watch the ball as I know our Australian coach says.Joe Burns fell for a duck in the pink-ball warm-up game•Getty Images”So it’s a pretty simple message. There’s probably a lot of noise in their heads at the moment but the best thing they can do is just go out and worry about the next ball.”The Indians were far enough in front that they could have declared on the second evening and put Australia’s potential Test opening pair back in against the pink ball under lights. Rogers was a little surprised they did not take the chance to ramp up the pressure, but also understood what they were aiming to get out of the match.”They’re probably pretty relieved they didn’t get stuck under lights there,” he said. “That would have been a challenging little period.”They [India] are looking to get different things out of the game and batting under lights was probably gold for them as well, the experience they get.”Maybe on another day they might have thought ‘we’ll declare and have a crack at two potential opening batsmen for Australia in challenging conditions. But that was their decision.”But I know as an opening batsman I definitely would not have liked to be out there batting tonight.”
India are playing the Brisbane Test with their most inexperienced bowling attack since 1933
Sidharth Monga15-Jan-2021India’s desperate luck with injuries continued, as Navdeep Saini walked off with a groin strain after bowling just 7.5 overs on the first day of the Gabba Test. He was taken for scans in the afternoon.With four Test caps between them, Saini, Mohammed Siraj, Shardul Thakur, and the two debutants T Natarajan and Washington Sundar anyway made up India’s least experienced Test attack since 1933. From the Sydney Test, where they were already depleted, India lost Jasprit Bumrah to an abdominal strain, R Ashwin to back spasms, and Ravindra Jadeja to a broken thumb, taking out the only survivors from India’s first-choice attack.In hindsight, there was consolation in India’s team selection: they had picked five bowlers, including four quicks. In the morning, India made the unusual move of giving a Test debut to a reserve spinner, Washington Sundar, who was held back for help in the nets, ahead of the specialist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who has been with the squad all along. It was perhaps done to shorten the tail, but at the same time, four fast bowlers covered for their inexperience.So when Saini did go off, India did still have four bowlers to operate with.India’s absentee list now reads: Ishant Sharma, Virat Kohli, Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul, Jadeja, Hanuma Vihari, Umesh Yadav, Bumrah and Ashwin, with an update on Saini awaited.
The Gunners looked back to their best as they enjoyed a memorable night in Europe with a 4-0 win over the Serie A leaders.
Arsenal boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification on Tuesday with a comprehensive win over Juventus thanks to goals from Frida Maanum, Stina Blackstenius, Mariona Caldentey and Caitlin Foord.
The Gunners dominated the first half and had chances through Alessia Russo, Emily Fox and Katie McCabe before taking the lead in some style. A well-worked move ended with Foord laying the ball off to Maanum to slot past goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin.
More chances flowed after the break, as Fox hit the woodwork, before the floodgates opened in the final 15 minutes. Blackstenius doubled Arsenal's lead with a superb solo goal, while fellow substitute Caldentey smashed home a third five minutes later. Foord then grabbed a goal her impressive performance merited in the closing stages to make it a great night for Renee Slegers' Gunners.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Italy…
Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence
Daphne van Domselaar (7/10):
A confident showing from the stopper. Dealt with everything comfortably.
Emily Fox (8/10):
Looked to get forward at every opportunity. A lively presence for the Gunners, almost made it 2-0 earlier in the second half but was denied by the woodwork.
Leah Williamson (7/10):
Also involved in the opening goal and went close with a couple of headers in the second half.
Steph Catley (6/10):
Solid showing at the back for Arsenal. Booked for pulling back Amalie Vangsgaard.
Katie McCabe (7/10):
Was a real threat from set-pieces. Almost scored a free-kick and another delivery nearly yielded a second for Arsenal.
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Beth Mead (7/10):
Had a good battle up against Delphine Cascarino and was lively on the right. Replaced on the hour.
Lia Walti (6/10):
A little sloppy in possession at times.
Kim Little (7/10):
The skipper played a key role in the opening goal with a gorgeous through-ball.
Caitlin Foord (8/10):
Caused Juventus all sort of problems down the left. Grabbed an assist for the opener with a nice lay-off and scored the fourth late on.
Getty Images SportAttack
Frida Maanum (7/10):
Finished off a well-worked move for the opening goal. Replaced on the hour.
Alessia Russo (7/10):
Went close in the first half with some decent efforts but couldn't find the back of the net.
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Stina Blackstenius (8/10):
Effectively sealed the win with a fine solo goal.
Mariona Caldentey (8/10):
Posed a threat after coming on. Smashed home the third.
Lina Hurtig (7/10):
Came on and grabbed an assist for Caldentey.
Kyra Cooney-Cross (7/10)
A late sub but also bagged an assist.
Renee Slegers (8/10):
Another good result for Slegers who saw her team cruise to an important victory. Good use of substitutes too as Blackstenius and Caldentey finished off Juventus.
Hoping to land their third permanent arrival of the summer transfer window, Everton are now reportedly one step away from signing a midfield reinforcement for Sean Dyche.
Everton transfer news
It's been a fairly busy summer at Goodison Park so far, with three fresh faces arriving in the form of Iliman Ndiaye, Tim Iroegbunam and Jack Harrison on loan from Leeds United once again. But it's not all been good news. Recent reports suggest that the Toffees are set to lose Amadou Onana after several rumours have seemingly culminated in a summer switch to Aston Villa.
However, whilst the Belgian's exit will leave a gaping hole in Everton's midfield, it will at least add to the Toffees' summer budget and send them back into the transfer market in search of a midfield reinforcement.
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ByTom Coates Jul 18, 2024
According to Corriere dello Sport via Goodison News, Everton are now one step away from signing Jesper Lindstrom on loan with an option to buy worth a reported £21m. The Napoli midfielder will take up another one of Everton's loan slots alongside Harrison and will arrive hoping to add an extra creative spark to Dyche's midfield ahead of next season.
Jesper Lindstrom
A third permanent arrival of the summer, Dyche will hope that Lindstrom's arrival will be enough to balance out his side in pursuit of pushing beyond relegation battles once and for all. With just one month until the Premier League campaign gets underway, they'll hope to officially welcome Lindstrom sooner rather than later.
"Outstanding" Lindstrom should boost Calvert-Lewin
If Everton do want to push beyond relegation battles, then getting the best out of Dominic Calvert-Lewin again should be the key. The England international is an out-and-out goalscorer when firing on all cylinders and Newcastle United's reported interest proves that he's still got plenty more to offer in England's top flight. But it's Lindstrom who could unlock his best form.
Progressive Carries per 90
3.16
Progressive Passes per 90
2.98
Key Passes per 90
2.28
Ball Recoveries per 90
2.98
Minutes Total
513
It's no real surprise that Lindstrom is on the move after playing just 513 minutes and starting three times for Napoli last season, as the Italian club endured a title defence to forget in Serie A. Even without significant game time, however, the Dane managed some impressive numbers, with his passing numbers particularly standing out.
When handed the chance in the past at clubs like Eintracht Frankfurt, the 24-year-old has certainly impressed too. Frankfurt shot-stopper Kevin Trapp said via the official Bundesliga website: "Jesper has already made significant steps forward… you can see that he's an outstanding footballer and has very good technique."
Fans have piled on Barcelona winger Ansu Fati following the news that he has suffered another injury blow in the latest setback to his career.
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Ansu out with hamstring injuryWinger sidelined for a monthFans say his Barca career is overFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Ansu was tipped to become a hero at Barcelona after he graduated from the club's youth academy, breaking records as the team's youngest-ever scorer in La Liga at the age of 16. However, he missed almost the entirety of the 2020-21 season with an injury and has not been able to secure a place as a regular starter for the Spanish giants. He was sent out on loan to Brighton last season, where he started in just three of his 19 Premier League appearances.
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Ansu's return to Barcelona has not gone to plan as he missed the first few weeks of the season with an injury and has been largely used as a substitute since, starting one La Liga match under Hansi Flick. The situation grew worse on Wednesday when the club confirmed he faces another four weeks out after sustaining a hamstring injury, prompting negative reactions from some.
WHAT FANS ARE SAYING
One social media user demanded Ansu be given a new shirt number, having inherited his from club icon Lionel Messi, saying: "Strip him off the number 10 ASAP."
"His career is over already," @mideszn029 wrote. "Time to wrap it up." Another supporter predicted: "This is probably his last ever season at Barca."
Gunnerssociety chimed in with: "Barcelona should let Ansu Fati leave the club immediately", and Kushy Blake added: "He should leave the football before the football leaves him. Calling him washed at this point is a disrespect to soap and water!"
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The 22-year-old, who had failed to live up to his billing as 'the next Messi', will begin his recovery from the latest setback and will hope to be back fighting for a place in Flick's team before long.
With their transfer window sparking to life courtesy of Riccardo Calafiori, Arsenal are now reportedly prepared to submit an offer worth £42m to sign an attacking reinforcement this summer.
Arsenal transfer news
It now seems just a matter of time before Calafiori is officially presented as an Arsenal player, with the Gunners reportedly finally getting their man. He arrives off the back of an outstanding season for Bologna, who shocked the Serie A by qualifying for the Champions League and then followed that up with a soid performance in an otherwise poor Italian side at Euro 2024.
Calafiori's arrival could just be the start of a late flurry from Arsenal. The north London side have just over a month left to complete further incomings and could now use Nico Williams' reported move to Barcelona to land a long-term target.
According to Mundo Deportivo via Sport Witness, sporting director Edu Gaspar is on the case and Arsenal are prepared to submit a €50m (£42m) bid to sign Barcelona winger Raphinha this summer. The Gunners aren't the only club interested, however, with Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal reportedly submitting a bid worth €65m (£55m) for the Brazilian.
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He’s a man in demand…
ByTom Cunningham Jul 27, 2024
That said, it is reportedly believed that Barcelona would be willing to accept an offer worth €60m (£51m) if Arsenal were to push for a deal in the next month, in what could be seen as a major boost for those at the Emirates. Raphinha is likely to fall down the pecking order at the Nou Camp if Williams arrives this summer, opening the door for his potential exit.
"Wise" Raphinha can offer Saka backup
When taking a detailed look at Arsenal's squad, it's easy to tick boxes for depth in central defence, in the frontline and on the left-hand side. What Mikel Arteta arguably does not have, however, is adequate backup for star man Bukayo Saka, which is where Raphinha could come in.
Barcelona winger Raphinha.
The current Arsenal winger is at risk of burning out throughout the campaign if the Gunners place the responsibility on him to be the match-winner week in, week out. By signing Raphinha, Arsenal could ease that pressure significantly and only add to the longevity of Saka's place among the very best for years to come.
Goals
6
16
Assists
9
9
Key passes P90
2.70
2.81
Ball Recoveries P90
4.87
4.78
Minutes
1,368
2,919
A player who is able to create to a similar level as Saka, Raphinha previously earned the praise of former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa, who described his interpretation of the game as "wise" via the Yorkshire Evening Post: "Physically, he is the best, technically he is at the level of the best and the interpretation that he has of the game is very good, very wise.
"He is within the group of such a powerful nation as Brazil. He shines in the Premier League and he has the attention of all the big clubs in the world."
Decision keeping in mind life for all-format players in bio-secure bubbles and workloads in a year of non-stop cricket
ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2021Jasprit Bumrah has been released from India’s squad for the fourth and final Test against England in Ahmedabad, starting March 4, because of “personal reasons”, with the BCCI saying that there will be no replacements sent across. This now pegs the squad strength at 17. Bumrah had earlier been left out of the squad for the series of five T20Is and three ODIs that will follow the Tests.ESPNcricinfo understands that Bumrah has been allowed to rest as part of the team’s plan for managing the players as well as their workloads. This is keeping in mind (a) life in the bio-secure bubbles during the Covid-19 pandemic, and (b) the packed schedule for the rest of the year, starting with the white-ball segment of the England series, the IPL, a possible World Test Championship final in June, followed by five Tests in England from July, and then the T20 World Cup in October-November.Coping with life in a bubble was one of the key challenges highlighted by the Indian team management during the recent tour of Australia, where players were forced to stay inside team hotels because of strict regulations imposed on them by the various state governments.Bumrah played in front of his home crowd at Motera for the first time in the recently-concluded third Test that finished on Thursday. India wrapped up the game inside two days to take a 2-1 lead in the series, which strengthened their chances of making the WTC final against New Zealand at Lord’s.This series marked Bumrah’s first appearance in a Test on home soil when he featured in the series opener in Chennai, where he picked up four wickets in India’s 227-run loss. He was then rested for the second Chennai Test. Earlier this week, he didn’t have much of a role in the third game too, bowling just six wicketless overs in England’s first innings in a ten-wicket Indian win scripted by their spinners.After the game, India captain Virat Kohli jokingly told Murali Kartik on the official broadcast: “Bumrah said that ‘I am getting workload management while playing the game’, and Ishi [Ishant Sharma] said ‘it’s my 100th game and I’m not getting to bowl’. I said, ‘you have to blame this guy [Axar Patel, the Player of the Match with 11 wickets] who is just coming in and bowling in areas that is making life so much more difficult for the batters’, and, yeah, the spinners were outstanding in this game and there was just no room for anyone else to do anything; the game was so fast and it all happened so quickly, that it was just not possible to bring anyone into the game.”Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Siraj are the other two pacers India can call upon in Bumrah’s absence. Yadav was added to the squad ahead of the third Test after recovering from a calf injury he sustained on the tour of Australia.If the team management chooses to play an extra spinner or an allrounder, then Kuldeep Yadav or Hardik Pandya could come into the fray.India’s squad for the fourth Test: Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Shubman Gill, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-capt), KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), R Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav