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Disorganized Miami wasted a two-goal lead as their big names were rested after a midweek loss in the CONCACAF Champions Cup

Inter Miami collapsed at home without their big names Sunday, turning a 3-1 lead to a 4-3 defeat at the hands of FC Dallas – all while Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez watched from the sidelines.

Manager Javier Mascherano elected to leave his Catalan quartet out, with an eye on a CONCACAF Champions Cup tie midweek And although things looked good through an hour, the Herons collapsed late as they fell from the ranks of the undefeated in MLS.

Things started poorly for Miami, who struggled to find a foothold without their big names. And Dallas took advantage. Shaq Moore grabbed the goal, smashing into the bottom corner after eight minutes.

Then the Herons woke up. Moore handed them an equalizer, the defender turning Ian Fray's teasing cross into his own net from close range. Allen Obando – in for the rested Luis Suarez – gave them the lead, getting on the end of another Fray cross to poke home.

Hector Martinez thought he had given Miami daylight with a fine finish. But Dallas responded in style. Osaze Urhoghide got the first, swinging a leg at a loose ball in the box that looped over a stranded Drake Callender to cut the Herons' lead to 3-2. Anderson Julio leveled things, latching onto a fine lofted ball before tucking it into the bottom corner.

The winner was always coming. Pedrinho, brought off the bench to great effect, provided it, a calm finish from inside the box to cap off a well constructed counter-attack. Miami pushed for an equalizer, but aside from a Tadeo Allende free kick that sailed narrowly over in stoppage time, created little. The undefeated streak is over – and the Herons have plenty of questions to answer over a leaky defense.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium.

Goalkeeper & Defense

Drake Callender (4/10):

Made an important save at 3-1 which might have wrapped it up, but could do nothing about the remaining three (!!)

Hector Martinez (6/10):

Casually elected not to defend to give Dallas the opener, rather redeemed himself with a lovely strike to give Miami their third.

Maxi Falcon (4/10):

Failed to deal with a corner, effectively gifting the visitors an equalizing goal.

Gonzalo Lujan (5/10):

Fine on the ball, but got his body position all wrong to allow Julio to run through for the third.

Tomas Aviles (6/10):

Won all of his tackles, and stepped out at the right times to cover Lucho Acosta. The only one of three center-backs to equip himself well on the day.

Ian Fray (7/10):

Effective on the right, with two of his crosses leading to Miami goals. He has impressed this season.

AdvertisementIMAGNMidfield

Leo Afonso (4/10):

A poor audition from the Brazilian, who completed just eight passes in 65 minutes of work.

Yannick Bright (6/10):

Not quite the same without Sergio Busquets alongside him. Won plenty of challenges in midfield, but isn't at his best when asked to dribble.

Benjamin Cremaschi (5/10):

Charged with a creative role that didn't quite suit him, but his energy couldn't be faulted.

Fafa Picault (7/10):

Got on the scoresheet, and stretched the game with his pace out wide.

GettyAttack

Allen Obando (7/10):

Found the net for the first time in MLS in his first start. Made some neat runs, but his link up play wasn't the best. Needs more support in the attack.

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GettySubs & Manager

Noah Allen (5/10):

Extra legs at the back. Didn't do much to shore things up.

Federico Redondo (5/10):

Scrappy – without offering much in the way of quality – in midfield areas.

Tadeo Allende (7/10):

A lively 15 minutes. Could have done with being introduced a bit earlier.

Telasco Segovia (5/10):

Not much of an impact in 15 drab minutes.

Javier Mascherano (5/10):

Rested all of his big names with an eye on the CONCACAF Champions Cup tie midweek. Seemed to be going well for an hour, but his team collapsed – which isn't promising considering they have a 2-0 deficit to overturn against Vancouver.

To conduct an open trial in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Gilgit, and offer 22 women a one-year developmental contract

Umar Farooq15-Oct-2022Lahore Qalandars has expanded its Player Development Programme (PDP) to include women cricketers, in a bid to expand the playing base in Pakistan. The franchise is set to launch an open trial on October 18 in Lahore, with stints in Rawalpindi, Abbottabad and Gilgit as well, to pick a team of 22 women who will be offered a year-long contract with the aim of nurturing their talent.The model is similar to Qalandars’ men’s PDP, which has been in place since 2016, and has helped to create a production line of players for the PSL and the national circuit, with fast bowler Haris Rauf its biggest success story. For the women’s programme, the Sports Board of Punjab will work in partnership with Qalandars, providing boarding and lodging for the women based in Lahore.Related

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The non-Lahore venues for the trials have been picked specifically to tap into areas beyond the big cities, and areas where women might not easily be able to venture to another city for trials because of the often conservative cultural backgrounds they come from. Gilgit is known for producing Diana Baig a double-international, capped in both cricket and football for Pakistan.The players who are selected will get a one-year scholarship with access to Qalandars’ high-performance programme that takes in physical fitness, nutrition, and awareness of their rights, besides developing cricketing skills. Qalandars have a partnership with Australia’s Big Bash League that sees players who develop well enough through to the league, apart from helping build a player base for Pakistan’s own women’s league which will be inaugurated next March.The women’s game in Pakistan remains by and large in the developmental phase, although over the last few years a few more colleges and universities with grounds have started to play women’s teams. Acceptance for women cricketers has grown in the bigger cities like Lahore and Karachi, but in general there is a still a wider reluctance to let women play the game professionally.For women, the pathway to Pakistan’s senior women’s team had till recently now been unclear, with no lines going down to the grassroots level, meaning a pool of only 30-35 competitive cricketers at the senior level. Women cricketers had two tournaments: three teams each playing the National T20 and ODI Challenge Cups. But the PCB recently launched and conducted a successful Under-19 tournament, with an on the inaugural Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in South Africa next year.

Manchester United are set to lose their longest-serving employee amid the ongoing redundancy strategy being pushed by INEOS and Sir Jim Ractliffe.

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Brutal Man Utd job cuts continueLatest redundancies affect most loyal stafferWorkforce being whittled down to 700Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

UEFA and Premier League liaison Marie Marron will no longer have a job at Old Trafford beyond the end of the season, has reported. Since the passing of beloved receptionist Kath Phipps in December, Marron's 47 years with United – since 1978 – has made her the club's longest-serving employee. It is said that she has been informed in a face to face meeting she is "expected to leave" when the campaign finishes and is "devastated" by the news. Marron fulfilled her liaison duties ahead of last week's Europa League meeting with Athletic Club, after being her job is being cut, and will continue to do so for the next few weeks.

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Under the leadership of Ractliffe, United have been cutting jobs since last summer in a bid to reduce costs. The first wave brought 250 redundancies, with a second wave of up to 200 being identified and processed now. Overall, report added that the intention is to reduce the workforce to around 700 people, 550 fewer than the 1,250 when the INEOS regime assumed control. Long-serving and loyal staff, as well as the most senior, have not been shielded from the harsh realities that the new co-owner has insisted are necessary to protect the club's financial future.

WHAT SIR JIM RATCLIFFE SAID

Speaking to in March, Ratcliffe had warned: "The costs had got out of control. If you think of it in really simple terms, you've got the operating costs, which are all the staff and the fixed costs of running the business. And then you've got all the squad costs, player salaries and player purchases. In super simple terms, the club has been spending more money than it’s been earning now for the last seven years, and it ends in a very difficult place. And for Manchester United, that place ended at the end of this year, the end of 2025, with the club running out of cash."

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

United are aiming to reduce costs and raise income to steady the finances after a challenging few years. The best and most immediate of bringing more cash in, is to win the Europa League to reaps the lucrative rewards of Champions League qualification. If the Red Devils don't wind up lifting that trophy at the end of this month, there will be no European football at all in 2025-26. They hold a commanding 3-0 semi-final aggregate lead over Athletic Club and could face Tottenham, who lead Bodo/Glimt 3-1, in the final in Bilbao.

Shahbaz, Sen called up as replacements; Jadeja’s participation in Test series still unclear

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2022Allrounder Ravindra Jadeja will not be available for the upcoming three-match ODI series in Bangladesh, as he is yet to fully recover from a knee surgery that he underwent in September.Related

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Shahbaz Ahmed, the Bengal allrounder, has been named as Jadeja’s replacement in the ODI squad that begins on December 4 in Mirpur. There’s one other change, with Uttar Pradesh left-arm seamer Yash Dayal ruled out due to a lower back issue. He will be replaced by Madhya Pradesh fast bowler Kuldeep Sen.Both Sen and Shahbaz were supposed to travel to New Zealand for the three-match ODI series beginning in Auckland on Friday. Now, they will miss that series and travel to Bangladesh instead.Shahbaz has been in prolific form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, picking up 11 wickets in six matches at an economy of 4.87 across 51.2 overs. He has also contributed two half-centuries lower down the order with the bat. Sen, meanwhile, is the highest wicket-taker in the competition until the group stages, having picked up 18 wickets in six games, with a best of 5 for 36 against Punjab.Jadeja’s inclusion had been subject to fitness at the time of the squad announcement. If he isn’t ready to line up for the two-Test series that follows, it’s likely Uttar Pradesh left-arm spinner Saurabh Kumar could be included in the tour party.Saurabh has been on the fringes of the national team since February last year, following excellent returns since the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy. He was more recently part of the India A squad against New Zealand, where he picked up nine wickets in the series to help the hosts to a 1-0 win. Prior to that, he played a key part in UP’s run to the Ranji Trophy semi-final.In all, across 12 Ranji Trophy games from two completed seasons, Saurabh has an impressive tally of 58 wickets. One of Saurabh’s USPs, according to a member of the outgoing selection committee, is his ability to wheel away tirelessly and bowl long spells.Jadeja, 33, had to leave India’s Asia Cup campaign after the group stages to undergo surgery because of a long-standing knee injury. While India head coach Rahul Dravid initially hoped Jadeja might recover in time to play a part in India’s T20 World Cup campaign, he ultimately missed the entire tournament.It was not the first time Jadeja has been troubled by his right knee, as an injury to the same joint had forced him to miss the ODI leg of India’s tour of the West Indies in July. He has since been undergoing rehab at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.Jadeja was eventually named in both the ODI as well as Test squads for the tour of Bangladesh, but will now miss at least the limited-over games, scheduled for December 4, 7 and 10.Updated India squad: Rohit Sharma (capt), KL Rahul (vice-capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Shreyas Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Sen

Manchester United are ready to trigger a “world-class” player’s release clause in the summer if Alejandro Garnacho leaves the club, according to a recent report.

Man Utd suffer Kobbie Mainoo blow

The Red Devils will be looking to get back to winning ways on Saturday, as they travel to Goodison Park for the final time to play Everton. There isn’t much for United to achieve in the Premier League now, given the gap to the European places, but Ruben Amorim will be aware that his side need to start winning games simply for mentality and pride’s sake.

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One player who will definitely be out of the game against the Toffees is midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, as he picked up an injury during training in the lead up to the game against Tottenham. It has been reported that Mainoo could be out of action for United until after the March international break, meaning he could miss United’s next seven matches, with one being against Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Amorim was asked about Mainoo’s fitness both before and after the defeat to Tottenham over the weekend. He revealed before the game that Mainoo “felt something during training“, which led to the midfielder being unavailable last weekend. Then, after the game, Amorim was asked how long he expected Mainoo to be out for. “Let’s see, I think weeks,” Amorim told reporters.

Man Utd ready to trigger £62.5m star's release clause

Away from injury news, according to Give Me Sport, Man United are ready to trigger Matheus Cunha’s release clause if Garnacho leaves the club in the summer transfer window.

The Red Devils have made Cunha a transfer target and are ready to act, but only if Garnacho leaves, as he was heavily linked with a move to Napoli during the January transfer window. The report states that there is confidence that Cunha, whose release clause in his new contract is worth £62.5 million, would be interested in a move to Old Trafford.

United are long-term admirers of the Brazil international and, given how well he has done for a struggling Wolves side this season, they believe he has the experience and style to make a big impact at Old Trafford and help transform their attack.

Meanwhile, United could be open to selling Garnacho in the summer, as doubts remain about whether he fits into Amorim’s style, and he would be a player who would bring in a lot of pure profit on the PSR front.

Apps

24

Starts

22

Goals

12

xG

5.67

Chance conversion

16%

Shots per game

3.2

Assists

4

xAG

4.11

Big chances created

12

Key passes per game

1.7

Cunha, who has been dubbed “world-class” by football writer George Larkin, would be an excellent signing for United – the 25-year-old has 12 goals in 24 Premier League games this season and his ability to play as a number nine or 10 means he would offer options to Amorim that he doesn’t really have now.

If United decide to sell Garnacho for the £70 odd million they want and pay £62.5 million to sign Cunha, it could be a transormational piece of business,

The Las Vegas celebrations continue for Wrexham’s promotion-winning squad, with pool parties and bucking bronco rides being enjoyed.

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Red Dragons living it up in NevadaTrip funded by Hollywood co-ownersHistory made with three promotionsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have funded another all-expenses-paid trip to Sin City for the Red Dragons. It is the third year in a row that the Welsh outfit have headed to Nevada.

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That is because they have made EFL history by becoming the first side to go back-to-back-to-back on the promotion front. Phil Parkinson is readying his side for life in the Championship.

InstagramTHE GOSSIP

Plans for next season have been put on hold for now, with the Wrexham squad letting off serious steam in the United States. They have enjoyed some wild nights out, with James McClean taking to riding a mechanical rodeo bull during one of those.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Pool parties have also been taken in while soaking up the sunshine, with Elliot Lee among those to have posed in a Wrexham t-shirt with drink in hand. The plan is to enjoy every minute of the lavish excursion.

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In a move which would see them get one over on their London rivals, Chelsea have now reportedly been offered the chance to sign a Champions League-winning midfielder this summer.

Chelsea transfer news

After flying out the blocks and even putting their name in contention for the Premier League title race, Chelsea have gradually struggled to maintain their form more and more throughout the current campaign and now sit outside of the top four. With just 11 games remaining, the Blues must rediscover their best form if they are to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2022/23 season.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League is unlikely to stand in the way of Chelsea’s spending, as has often been the case during Todd Boehly’s time at the club. But this time, the American may not even need to splash the cash to land an instant upgrade.

According to The Boot Room, Chelsea have now been offered the chance to sign Joshua Kimmich ahead of Arsenal, who have reportedly already held talks over securing the German’s signature.

BlueCo ready to finalise Chelsea deal to sign new £12m South American gem

He’s one for the future…

1 ByTom Cunningham Mar 1, 2025

In what would be quite the hijack, the Blues could land the bargain of the summer with Kimmich’s current Bayern Munich deal set to expire at the end of the season, making him a free agent.

A versatile Champions League and World Cup winner, Kimmich will certainly have his pick of suitors this summer and Chelsea could yet be among those. In a squad full of youthful exuberance, the London giants could add vital experience at the heart of their midfield.

"Clever" Kimmich could partner Caicedo

When Romeo Lavia was fit and firing next to Moises Caicedo at the start of the season, it came as little surprise that Chelsea’s midfield was thriving more than it has done in previous years. They had finally found their partnership. The issue, however, is that Lavia has once again struggled on the injury front to undo all of the good work that the Blues were doing at the heart of Enzo Maresca’s side.

His struggles beg the question as to whether Maresca should aim for reinforcements in that role and Kimmich’s availability should hand those at Stamford Bridge a clear answer.

Starts

23

8

Progressive Passes

10.8

2.88

Tackles Won

1.02

1.69

Ball Recoveries

6.13

4.75

Eight Premier League starts all season tells the story of Lavia’s season once again at Chelsea, whilst Kimmich has remained as reliable as ever at Bayern Munich.

Dubbed “clever” by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, attracting Kimmich could prove to be a tough task without Champions League football to offer, adding to the importance of Chelsea’s pursuit of a top four finish in the Premier League this season.

Two late wickets allowed South Africa to claw back but they still face the prospect of conceding a significant lead

Firdose Moonda17-Dec-2022Stumps Australia have almost edged ahead in the first Test against South Africa after a 15-wicket opening day at the Gabba. On a green pitch, South Africa were bowled out for under 200 in a fifth successive Test, in two sessions. Only two batters scored more than ten runs and there was only one partnership worth more than 15. In response, Australia were shaky at 27 for 3 before a 117-run fourth-wicket stand between Steven Smith and Travis Head put them within sight of the lead. Two late wickets allowed South Africa to claw back but they still face the prospect of conceding a significant lead.The end-of-day scoreboard was a more accurate reflection of the difference between the two sides than the current World Test Championship table. While Australia’s performance, especially in the field, underlined their authority at the top of the table, South Africa’s batting belied their second place and revealed a familiar set of concerns in their line-up. Only Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma have previous Test experience in Australia and neither has scored a century in this cycle of the WTC. Two others, Sarel Erwee and Kyle Verreynne, have hundreds in this edition of the WTC but the overall lack of confidence and application is glaring even against an Australia attack that was not at its best.Australia’s opening bowlers were wayward upfront, often bowling too short and unable to maintain a consistent line, but they still got rewards. Mitchell Starc strangled Elgar down the leg side with a 140kph rib-high delivery before Pat Cummins forced Rassie van der Dussen to play a delivery in the channel and got him to nick off.Scott Boland’s double-strike rocked the South Africa top order•Getty ImagesBut it was Scott Boland, who really rocked South Africa. He had Erwee caught low down by Cameron Green in the gully and in the same over had Khaya Zondo lbw to a delivery that hit him on the back pad. Zondo reviewed but was out on umpire’s call. South Africa were reduced to 27 for 4 with the last of the specialist batters at the crease.All eyes turned to Bavuma, who has not batted in a competitive game since the T20 World Cup, and Verreynne. The two were frenetic at first and offered two run-out chances but ended up being the ones who lent the innings some respectability. Their 98-run stand was built on Verreynne’s aggression against the short ball and Bavuma’s patience. But that ended when Starc returned for a third spell and Bavuma inside-edged a delivery that moved off the seam on to his stumps. Verreynne had brought up his fifty by then but no-one in the lower order hung around long enough to support him.South Africa went on to lose five wickets for 20 runs in 52 balls, including three to Nathan Lyon. He removed Marco Jansen, who stepped out to hit him over long-on but top-edged to a running Green, Verreynne, who played for turn and edged a straight one behind, and Anrich Nortje, who was done for bounce and lobbed the ball to silly mid-off. In between, Starc picked up his 299th Test wicket when he set Keshav Maharaj up with a bouncer and then had him caught at slip off a full ball.Kagiso Rabada goes up in celebration after dismissing David Warner•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesAs has so often been the case in the last two years, South Africa’s bowlers kept them in the contest with statement opening spells. Kagiso Rabada started with a snorter of a short ball to David Warner, who jumped to ride the bounce and was caught one-handed by a leaping Zondo at short leg. Lungi Ngidi struggled for rhythm but Jansen also struck with his first ball and had Marnus Labuschagne stuck in the crease and caught at second slip. In the next over, Nortje’s first, Usman Khawaja was caught on the back foot and edged to Simon Harmer, substituting at third slip.Australia were exactly where South Africa had been and could have sunk into a similar collapse when Nortje thought he had Head for two. He nicked a back-of-a-length ball to second slip, where Elgar was unsure he had picked it up cleanly. A soft signal of not out was confirmed by the third umpire’s office, where replays showed the ball bounced before reaching Elgar.The momentum shifted from that point as Head returned to his natural fast-scoring game and raced to a 48-ball fifty. He was particularly severe on Ngidi and took 14 runs off his fifth over, including a flick over deep square that went for six and brought up his half-century. Smith was more circumspect and regularly practiced his stance at both ends but provided steady support before he was bowled by Nortje with less than five minutes to the close.Boland was sent in as nightwatcher and lasted only four deliveries before he edged Rabada to Verreynne, and the late incisions kept the tension in the contest at the end of a highly entertaining day. A record 29,306 people were at the Gabba, the biggest first-day crowd for a non-Ashes Test at the venue.

Enzo Maresca had a great start to life at Chelsea, taking them to second in the Premier League before Christmas. However, since then, the Blues have struggled for consistency. Despite still producing fairly good underlying metrics, the results haven’t always followed.

Chelsea are averaging 58.2% possession per game which is the second highest in the division, taking 16.1 shots per game – the third highest in the league and have scored 52 goals in 27 games, making the fourth highest scorers.

Cole Palmer

14

Nicolas Jackson

9

Noni Madueke

7

Enzo Fernández

4

Marc Cucurella

3

Pedro Neto

3

Christopher Nkunku

3

Jadon Sancho

2

Moises Caicedo

1

Reece James

1

However, in recent months, the Blues have struggled more in front of goal, showing inconsistency in finding the back of the net and therefore costing them some valuable results and points.

But, this isn’t a new feature for the Blues, as one man in particular was known for this in his Chelsea career.

How Timo Werner struggled at Chelsea

Timo Werner joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig back in 2020 for a fee of around £48m. In his 89 appearances for the club, the German scored 23 goals, provided 17 assists and totalled 6,051 minutes.

Despite still scoring some important goals and playing a big part in Chelsea’s Champions League winning campaign under Thomas Tuchel in 2021, Werner was often criticised for his inconsistency in front of goal, missing some huge chances in his time for the Blues.

Tuchel still rated him, however, notably jumping to the German’s defence in a press conference, saying: “It’s an easy solution to point the finger at Timo, which I cannot fully understand and I will not accept.”

In 2025, Chelsea may have found their next Werner, also coming from the Bundesliga and beginning to show the same level of inconsistency for the Blues.

Chalkboard

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

Chelsea's "new" Timo Werner

It’s safe to say that since the days of Didier Drogba and Diego Costa, the Londoners have struggled to find a consistent and reliable number 9.

That has stretched into the current iteration of this Chelsea side with a certain Christopher Nkunku now the scapegoat.

Signed from RB Leipzig back in 2023, joining the Blues for a fee of around £52m, the Frenchman has struggled with injury, only making 48 appearances, scoring 17 goals and providing five assists, totalling 2,092 minutes played.

Much like Werner, Nkunku has still shown his capability to score goals, having some big moments of quality and netting 14 times this season in his 34 appearances in all competitions. However, many of these goals have come in cup competitions, with only three being scored in the Premier League.

Goals

0.71

0.34

Assists

0.27

0.28

xG

0.56

0.48

xAG

0.25

0.19

Progressive Carries

1.77

3.54

Progressive Passes

2.66

2.37

Shots Total

2.80

2.73

Goals/Shot

0.22

0.10

Key Passes

1.65

1.11

Shot-Creating Actions

3.67

2.77

When you compare the metrics between Nkunku’s 24/25 season and Werner’s 20/21 season, you can see Nkunku’s numbers are actually far better, showing higher levels of output, clinical finishing and creativity.

However, a key difference between the two players is their work rate, as Werner may not provide the same on-ball value and numbers, but he did work much harder off the ball.

Nkunku was once labelled a “monster” in the making by Jacek Kulig, having shown his quality for Leipzig in the Bundesliga after joining from PSG, but like Werner, the 28-year-old has struggled to find his best form at Chelsea, often playing out of position and lacking consistency.

Whilst it may not have reached true Werner levels yet, he has shown signs of inconsistency, with Chelsea fans growing frustrated with his body language at times on the pitch.

Both players have struggled to fully show their best coming from Germany to England, and Nkunku could find himself elsewhere next season if he doesn’t finish this campaign in strong form.

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They have an experienced squad and all eyes will be on whether Ricky Ponting’s planning brings success

Alex Malcolm15-Dec-2022Captain Matthew Wade
Coach Jeff VaughanSquad Asif Ali (Pakistan), Faheem Ashraf (Pakistan), Iain Carlisle, Zak Crawley (England), Tim David, Paddy Dooley, Nathan Ellis, Caleb Jewell, Shadab Khan (Pakistan), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Jimmy Neesham (New Zealand), Mitch Owen, Joel Paris, Wil Parker, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Chris Tremain, Matthew Wade, Mac WrightIn Asif Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Zak Crawley, Paddy Dooley, Shadan Khan, Jimmy Neesham, Billy Stanlake, Chris Tremain
Out Peter Handscomb, Sandeep Lamicchane, Tom Rogers, Scott Boland, Jordan Thompson, Harry Brook, Tom LammonbyRelated

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BBL: Jimmy Neesham signs with Hobart Hurricanes

Ponting appointed head of strategy at Hobart Hurricanes

What happened in the draft New Hurricanes head of strategy Ricky Ponting wanted a Pakistan flavour in his picks. Shadab Khan was number one priority for Hurricanes and they were delighted to nab him as a Platinum Player. Asif Ali and Faheem Ashraf were more left-field picks. Ponting wanted to make the transition easier for the Pakistan trio and was also hoping for full availability from all three. But Shadab has Pakistan limited overs duties in January while Faheem is currently playing in the Test series against England. Zak Crawley and James Neesham have been signed as cover.Last season: 5th Hurricanes had high hopes last year having assembled a strong squad. But they lost three of their first four and won just seven home and away games to scrape into fifth spot to play in the Eliminator and were beaten soundly by Adelaide Strikers. Ben McDermott had an outstanding season with the bat scoring two centuries but he got very little support from the rest of the order with Tim David chronically underused. The attack looked strong on paper but they struggled to get on the park with Nathan Ellis playing just eight games while Riley Meredith played only 11. Overseas duo of Sandeep Lamichhane and Jordan Thompson also struggled with the ball.International impact Hurricanes prioritised full availability in their overseas selections but Pakistan’s international schedule and usual selection merry-go-round has required some replacement players. Shadab is available for the early part of the tournament but will leave in January for Pakistan’s limited-over series with New Zealand. Faheem’s shock call-up to Pakistan’s Test side has meant Hurricanes have had to add Neesham for the early part of the tournament, with Crawley coming in later post the England series. Crawley’s arrival will be interesting given the local top-order quality that Hurricanes already have.Key player Ponting thinks D’Arcy Short is going to be a key player for Hurricanes but given the batting depth, it is the bowling that will need to stand up.Nathan Ellis has the chance to really stake a claim as one of Australia’s premier T20 bowlers and put himself squarely in the frame for national selection as Australia’s T20 squad is likely to be reshaped ahead of the 2024 World Cup. Ellis will be the go-to bowler to bowl all of the tough overs in the Surge and at the death given they have a lot new ball specialists in the squad with Meredith, Billy Stanlake, Chris Tremain and Joel Paris all part of Hurricanes plans. If Ellis has a good season, Hurricanes will be right in the title mix.Young player to watch Hurricanes have an incredibly experienced squad and it will be hard for young players to break into the XI. But given Shadab is unlikely to be available in January there is an opportunity for a young spinner to come in with Paddy Dooley likely to be the best option. The left-arm spinner with an unorthodox action made a name for himself last year playing as a Covid replacement player for Brisbane Heat. He has since played in the Abu Dhabi T10 and took wickets in four of the five games he played, including the scalps of Alex Hales and James Vince.