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A number of Liverpool supporters are concerned after Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out of the meeting with Porto through injury.

The Reds are back in Champions League action on Tuesday night, heading to Portugal for another important game in Group B.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are top of their group after one matchday, having beaten AC Milan 3-2 at Anfield, but they cannot afford to rest on their laurels.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

It looked as though Liverpool were only going to be without injured pair Thiago and Harvey Elliott, but now more injury problems have arisen late in the day.

Reported by the Liverpool Echo [via Paul Gorst on Twitter], Alexander-Arnold trained on Monday but has not been deemed fit enough to travel with the squad.

He now faces a race against time to be fit for Sunday’s crucial Premier League clash with Manchester City.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news-5/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans react to Trent injury news

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to bemoan the news.

“Another day, another injury”

Credit: @Prop__Chris

“This is concerning. He played 90 mins on Saturday and trained today but now isn’t involved. He wasn’t very good on Saturday so could still have been feeling the illness. I don’t know”

Credit: @FPL7min

“Sake”

Credit: @OwenPainting15

“Imagine a day where Liverpool don’t get an injury”

Credit: @JackManningOF

“Oh my”

Credit: @uzair208

“Trouble. Big trouble”

Credit: @KrisGourlay01

In other news, some Liverpool fans are happy about one player’s fitness update. Find out who it is here.

Leicester City slumped to their second Premier League loss of the season after reigning champions Manchester City left the King Power Stadium with a 1-0 victory on Saturday.

The Foxes had already defeated the Cityzens this season, securing the Community Shield in the opening fixture of 2021/22, but they couldn’t repeat the trick this time around.

It was an exciting, evenly contested game, though, and Brendan Rodgers will have come away thinking about what could have been had his side taken one of their big chances.

Winger Harvey Barnes came closest to finding the back on the net, having one effort well saved by Ederson before clipping the top of the bar with a late effort.

However, it was arguably another one of Leicester’s first-team regulars who really let Rodgers down against Manchester City.

As per SofaScore, Youri Tielemans received a match rating of just 6.2 out of 10, the lowest tally for any player on the pitch, and when taking a closer inspection at his underlying numbers, it’s clear to see why.

The Belgium international midfielder was suffocated in the centre of the pitch and was unable to get on the ball regularly or find his teammates with penetrative passes on the rare occasions that he was in possession.

As a result, the technically gifted maestro achieved a passing accuracy of just 79%, failed to make any key passes and had only 55 touches of the ball, 10 fewer than goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel managed.

Tielemans also lost possession 15 times during the 90 minutes and struggled physically, winning just four of his 11 duels in Leicester’s engine room.

The 24-year-old’s inability to win the midfield battle significantly hampered his side’s chances of securing a positive result over the champions, and Rodgers has every right to feel let down by one of his side’s star men.

And, in other news…Get it done: Leicester make contact over £30m wizard, he’s a “great talent”

Ajantha Mendis has not had an impact in the first two ODIs against India but his lack of success is “not a huge concern” for his captain Mahela Jayawardene

Cricinfo staff01-Feb-2009
Ajantha Mendis has not caused India many problems in the first two ODIs © AFP
Ajantha Mendis, the Sri Lankan spinner, has not had an impact in the first two ODIs against India but his lack of success is “not a huge concern” for his captain Mahela Jayawardene.Mendis was the fastest to 50 wickets in ODIs, reaching the landmark in his 19th match, and had success in his initial duels with India, taking19 wickets in his first six ODIs against them. However, he’s managed only two tail-end wickets in this series and conceded 91 runs in 20 overs.”We cannot ask a 23-year-old to pick four wickets in every game. I am sure Ajantha will bounce back,” Jayawardene said. “Right now, they [India] are playing him well. The batsmen also adjust themselves and then the bowlers try to change what they want to do and that’s how they learn.”He is still bowling well and creating opportunities. He is probably not picking wickets because the batsmen are not taking too many risks against him.”It is not only Mendis the Indians have countered effectively to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. Muttiah Muralitharan took only 1 for 52 in Dambulla, went wicketless for 32 in Colombo. He is two wickets away from breaking Wasim Akram’s record of 502 ODI wickets.Mahendra Singh Dhoni, however, did not overplay his batsmen’s success. “I won’t say that our batsmen have got the better of the Sri Lankan spinners,” he said. “They are not getting wickets, but at the same time they are not giving away too many runs. We are cautious and targeting other bowlers. We are happy that we are not giving wickets to the spinners.”Sri Lanka and India will play the third ODI – another day-night contest – at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 3. The venue will continue to host the remaining ODIs following a change in the schedule. The SSC will not be able to host the fifth ODI, due to security reasons. The fourth match is a day-night affair while the fifth is a day game.

An update has emerged on Leicester City transfer target David Neres, regarding his future at Ajax.

What’s the talk?

Ajax chief Marc Overmars has admitted that Leicester City target Neres has a strong chance of leaving the Dutch club before the end of the transfer window.

The Foxes are reportedly interested in signing the Brazilian forward and Overmars has issued an interesting statement on his future. He told ESPN, via Leicester Mercury: 

“The chance that Neres will stay here is small.”

Excitement

These comments from Overmars are sure to leave Leicester fans excited as they leave the door wide open for a deal to be done in the next 36 hours or so.

Brendan Rodgers’ squad lacks depth in the wide areas and the arrival of Neres could provide serious competition at the top end of the pitch. Marc Albrighton, Harvey Barnes and Ayoze Perez are the club’s natural wide players, although James Maddison, Kelechi Iheanacho, and Patson Daka could be deployed there if required.

Albrighton, despite scoring against Norwich at the weekend, has not been able to consistently deliver goals and assists in recent seasons. The versatile veteran managed one goal in 31 Premier League appearances (17 starts) last season for the Foxes, having failed to score in 20 games in the previous campaign.

The arrival of Neres, if Leicester are now able to get a deal over the line, could allow Albrighton to take a backseat and be used as a dependable backup option. £24.3m-rated Neres, meanwhile, provided six goals and six assists for Ajax in all competitions last season.

This was after 10 goals and 10 assists in the 2019/20 campaign and 17 goals and 12 assists the year before that for the Dutch giants. Therefore, he has the potential to come in and provide an attacking threat from out wide with goals and assists.

At the age of 24, Neres is also a player with potential who could grow alongside Leicester as a club. Rodgers could take him in and coach him into becoming a top-class winger, which fans could enjoy seeing in the Premier League – alongside the other young players at the club like Youri Tielemans, James Maddison, Harvey Barnes and Wilfred Ndidi.

Supporters could be excited about Neres’ potential, along with the statistics he has already produced for Ajax. This is why the comments from Overmars will be music to their ears ahead of Tuesday’s transfer deadline, but it is now down to Rodgers and co to get a deal over the line.

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Okay Yokuslu back to The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports (via Football League World), who claim that, despite having a loan offer knocked back for the Celta Vigo central midfielder, Watford are in continued talks with the LaLiga side regarding a deal for the 27-year-old.

Previous reports had claimed that West Brom were also in discussions with the Spanish side over a deal for the Turkey international, with Yokuslu thought to be open to a switch to the Championship if no Premier League sides were interested in his services.

Ismael will be gutted

With the recent departure of Romaine Sawyers leaving Valerien Ismael extremely short of options in the middle of the park, the fact that a deal to bring Yokuslu back to West Bromwich this summer now looks to be out of the question is sure to have left the Frenchman gutted.

Indeed, not only would the 27-year-old have plugged a gap for the Baggies, considering just how impressive he was in the Premier League last season, the Turk’s arrival would have provided Albion’s promotion hopes with a significant boost.

Over his 16 Premier League appearances last term, the £6.75m-rated man provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.2 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, two clearances and winning a whopping 7.9 duels per game.

These metrics saw the man Kyle Bartley dubbed a “tenacious” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as the club’s fourth-best performer in the league.

As such, with Yokuslu clearly having the ability to play for a Premier League side, should Ismael have managed to convince the £31k-per-week midfielder to join his Championship outfit, it would not seem to be an overstatement to claim that the 27-year-old would have gone on to be one of the best players in the division come the end of the season.

However, with Watford appearing the closer of the two sides to getting a deal for the Celta Vigo man done, Ismael will now have to turn his attention in what remains of the summer transfer window elsewhere.

In other news: Key West Brom figure drops update on “magnificent” £28k-p/w gem, it’d be a major boost

After securing three points on the opening day of the new Premier League season, Leicester City will be hoping to make it back-to-back victories when they take on West Ham United this evening.

A well-taken Jamie Vardy goal was the difference between the Foxes and Wolves last weekend, but the Midlands outfit were arguably fortunate to come away with the win.

While Brendan Rodgers’ charges could only muster nine attempts at the King Power Stadium, the visitors let fly a whopping 17 times, highlighting Leicester’s relative struggles in the final third.

However, the solution could be a rather simple one for the current FA Cup holders. In their first two fixtures of the current campaign in all competitions, Ayoze Perez has started on the right-hand side of a three-man forward line.

The Spaniard has been disappointing on both occasions, though. Receiving a SofaScore match rating of just 6.4 out of 10 for his underwhelming showing in the Community Shield and then a 6.6 in the Wolves encounter.

After being substituted on both occasions, it’s time for Perez to take a place on the bench from the first whistle in the first Monday Night Football showdown of the season.

And in his place, Rodgers must unleash £18m-rated Kelechi Iheanacho. The Nigeria international was Leicester’s top scorer last term, bagging 19 goals and providing seven assists in 39 appearances, which partly explains why his manager called him ‘incredible’ just a few months ago.

His heroics in the second half of 2020/21 saw the 24-year-old find the back of the net on 11 occasions in the final 13 Premier League games of the campaign, and he’s already carried that form into this season, scoring the winning goal in the Community Shield.

With Leicester set to take on a West Ham side who looked shaky at the back against Newcastle United, Iheanacho could be in for a fruitful night if Rodgers selects him from the off.

And, in other news…Leicester confirm major update that will leave fans absolutely buzzing 

Newcastle United journalist Liam Kennedy insists that Steve Bruce’s job at the club is safe despite pundits suggesting that he could come under pressure this season.

The Magpies endured a mixed season last term, going through a number of peaks and troughs, and ultimately ended the season in mid-table.

John Terry has been suggested as a potential replacement for Bruce but Kennedy insists that the former Aston Villa coach, who left the club at the end of the season, is not likely to have a vacancy to fill at St James’ Park.

Newcastle began their season with a 4-2 defeat to West Ham United, despite twice taking the lead at home.

The Hammers enjoyed an electric second half, with Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio handing David Moyes’ side all three points.

But Kennedy claims that Bruce’s job is safe for the time being.

He said: “John Terry ever going to Newcastle as manager? Why not? But what I would say is I think Steve Bruce is safe in his job.

“There’s a lot of people who think the fans will probably get him sacked and things like that, but I think, no, while he remains keeping Newcastle United relatively safe, then I think Steve Bruce is pretty safe in his role.”

Newcastle are next in action against Aston Villa this weekend before taking on Burnley in the EFL Cup.

As per an LUFC Fan Zone source, Leeds United target Josip Brekalo is closing in on a move to Lazio from current club Wolfsburg.

The Lowdown: Leeds want Brekalo

Leeds United have been linked with a move for Brekalo, who represented Croatia at the European Championships this summer.

However, Lazio were also in the race, and now an update has been provided on the future of the forward.

The Latest: Brekalo closes in on Lazio

According to a claim from a source to LUFC Fan Zone, Brekalo will sign for the Serie A outfit next week.

The source said:

“Leeds have pushed all the way, but next week Josip will sign for Lazio.

“We have been in contact with Leeds every day, but Sarri really wants the player.

“Next week the transfer will be completed”.

The Verdict: Disappointment

This will no doubt be a disappointment for Marcelo Bielsa and co, and Brekalo is clearly a player they were very eager to capture. In 120 games for Wolfsburg, he has managed 21 goals and 16 assists, with seven strikes coming last term – he has 25 goals throughout his career (Transfermarkt).

Wolfsburg sporting director Jorg Schmadtke even called him “integral” to the side (via pressfrom.info).

He also has 27 caps for his country, scoring four times. While he has not yet reached his full potential, he still has plenty of time left ahead of him to improve, and it is therefore a blow to Leeds that they appear to unable to capture the services of this young and versatile winger.

In other news, Leeds wants to sign this Real Madrid ace.

MatériaMais Notícias

Confirmado na última sexta-feira como diretor executivo de futebol do São Paulo, Vinicius Pinotti assume um dos cargos mais cobiçados do clube tendo a confiança do presidente Carlos Augusto de Barros e Silva e do técnico Rogério Ceni, de quem é próximo. E de cara ele terá decisões importantes para tomar, que partem desde a redução do elenco para o segundo semestre, planejamento estratégico e a renovação ou não do contrato do ídolo Diego Lugano.

O contrato de Lugano vence no dia 30 de junho e o São Paulo já avisou que discutirá o assunto quando estiver próximo de tomar uma decisão. O desejo do jogador é permanecer. Pinotti terá papel importante na condução da situação. Para a maior parte da torcida, é necessário prolongar o contrato do ídolo, que disputou apenas seis jogos neste ano. A decisão não é simples. Rogério Ceni também parece favorável.

Outra questão importante é a montagem do elenco para as disputas do Campeonato Brasileiro e da Copa Sul-Americana. Rogério Ceni já avisou que espera contar com um grupo mais enxuto. De 34 atletas atualmente, ele espera reduzir para 29. Portanto, será preciso liberar jogadores, além de João Schmidt e Chavez, que são saídas confirmadas.

Rogério também gostaria de ter pelo menos dois jogadores com condições de brigar para serem titulares. Dar mais protagonismo ao grupo. Um meia e um atacante de lado, de preferência. A diretoria de futebol fará algum investimento para atender aos desejos do comandante?

Pinotti tem por característica colocar a autonomia como condição para trabalhar no clube. Recebeu no marketing e ganhou respaldo para ir ao futebol, a menina dos olhos do clube. Quer trabalhar em sintonia com o Conselho de Administração, mas ciente de que o órgão é regulatório e não de execução. A responsabilidade estará com ele.

Uma vantagem importante para o ex-diretor de marketing do clube é a boa relação com Rogério Ceni. Foi Pinotti quem organizou toda a festa de despedida do ídolo, no fim de 2015, evento que entrou para a história do clube. Ele foi figura importante na volta de Ceni como treinador e é um dos poucos dirigentes no clube que têm trânsito livre com o ex-goleiro. É um dos argumentos apontados no São Paulo para rebater aqueles que temem pelo surgimento de um novo Adalberto Baptista, que também saiu do marketing para assumir o futebol e entrou em atrito com o ídolo maior. Adalberto deixou o futebol em 2013, sem deixar saudade na torcida.

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Ricky Ponting expressed his relief in reversing his recent slump with the bat and returning to Test cricket after a gap of nearly four months

Cricinfo staff23-May-2008
‘I’ve been working pretty hard at my game and felt really good in the nets going into the game, in the practice game last week felt some things coming back again’ © Getty Images
After playing a captain’s innings for Australia on the opening day, Ricky Ponting expressed his relief in reversing his recent slump with the bat. Ponting scored 158 off 224 balls to take Australia to a commanding 301 for 4 after opting to bat first at Sabina Park.Though Ponting managed a century in his last Test appearance, against India in Adelaide in January, he struggled through the tri-series that followed, scoring 191 in ten games at an average just under 20, and wasn’t at his best in the Indian Premier League either. Reflecting on his innings, Ponting said he had the luxury of time to build an innings and play himself into form.”It’s nice to know you have six hours to go out and build an innings,” Ponting said at a news conference. “In (Twenty20) sometimes you have got six balls or six minutes.”The start of a Test summer for me is always exciting. Our last overseas Test was nearly two years ago, we haven’t played a lot of Test cricket. I’ve been looking forward to putting on the whites again and the baggy green and spending some time in the middle. I got that today. The last Test innings I had was a hundred but I struggled through the one-day series and never felt that comfortable and today felt comfortable again.”I didn’t feel like I did much wrong at all today to tell the truth, I’ve been working pretty hard at my game and felt really good in the nets going into the game. In the practice game last week I felt some things coming back again. Last time, I had a really good tour to the Caribbean, and I have gotten off to a good start this time. It’s just funny. Sometimes you go to places that you enjoy playing and you have a lot of success.”Ponting said he was happy with his team’s showing on the first day and praised his batsmen for adjusting well on a pitch where scoring got tougher as the day progressed.”It was hard work, it was hot, when the hardness went out of the ball it was hard to score runs, I think all the batsmen had to work hard. It’s important that we don’t let today’s work slip tomorrow. It’s about putting two good days together and then we will really be in the box seat.”