Pep Guardiola is keeping his cards close to his chest regarding his future at Manchester City as his cryptic responses raise more questions.
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Guardiola might continue at Man City beyond 2025Had earlier indicated that he was closing in on an exitPost-season break has changed the dynamicsWHAT HAPPENED?
The City manager suggested earlier in May that the upcoming season might be his last, stating he was “closer to leaving than staying.” However, during the pre-season tour in the United States, Guardiola hinted at a potential contract extension, indicating he has not yet made a definitive decision.
AdvertisementGetty WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
“When I’m leaving, I will say I’m leaving, but I didn’t say that,” Guardiola remarked before a friendly match against Milan at New York’s Yankee Stadium. “We will see what happens. But I will not rule it out absolutely to extend my contract. I would love to stay because I would love to stay.”
Guardiola sought to clarify his previous statements made after securing a fourth consecutive Premier League title for Manchester City. He explained that his comments about being “closer to leaving than staying” were a reflection on his eight-year tenure at the club, not an immediate plan to depart. “[I was] saying that I [had] been eight years in Man City. So I’m not here for eight more years. So that’s why I’m closer to leaving than staying. But I didn’t say I’m leaving!”
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Since joining City in 2016, he has secured six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the club’s first Champions League trophy. “I want to be sure it’s the right decision. Not just for me, for the club, for the players,” Guardiola emphasised.
Nonetheless, he remains confident in his players' dedication and effort, noting their continued hard work and competitive spirit that makes them one of the favourites for the Premier League and the Champions League in the next season as well.
“Still they run like they ran for eight years, it doesn’t matter the competition, it doesn’t matter the tournament,” he stated.
"It’s good to refresh, for players and managers," he added. "At the same time, we have had success and are still winning Premier Leagues and we are playing competitions like the Champions League. This is my feeling right now.”
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DID YOU KNOW?
Manchester City have already qualified for the revamped 32-team FIFA Club World Cup next summer, which will be hosted in the United States. When he was about the possibility of returning with the squad next season for the global showpiece event, Guardiola affirmed: "I would love to."
Tottenham are thought to be confident of signing their top attacking target this summer, with talks underway.
Spurs eyeing new striker
Spurs have been busy in the two transfer windows since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival, with Daniel Levy and co bringing in a plethora of new players. Despite this, Postecoglou has admitted that his side still needs time in the market and on the training ground before they are at their best.
"We've got a lot of work to do still on the squad and I don't think we're anywhere near where we want to be. It probably will take a little bit more than three windows to get there, for sure.
"I certainly don't think we're one or two players away from getting to where I want us to be, nowhere near it. Some of that will be natural evolution. Some of it hopefully means we continue to get the improvement we've had this year from some of our players. If that happens over the next 12 months, then we'll be in a great position."
Tottenham ready to offer "important sum" for Serie A star as price tag set
The north Londoners are prepared to spend.
ByEmilio Galantini Mar 28, 2024
You could make an argument that Tottenham are yet to replace Harry Kane, with the likes of Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner playing out wide. Tottenham are more likely than not to make Werner's loan deal permanent in the summer, but a new centre-forward appears to be of interest in north London.
Reports suggest that Tottenham are likely to sign an attacker this summer, and there have been a number of targets mentioned. For example, Union St. Gillosie striker Mohamed Amoura is a reported option for Spurs at a rumoured price of around £17 million, while more well-known names like Brentford star Ivan Toney are said to be in Spurs’ thinking as well.
Another name that has been mentioned is Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez. Spurs were thought to be among the favourites for his signature, and a promising new update has now emerged.
Spurs in intense Santiago Gimenez transfer talks
According to CaughtOffside, Tottenham have already made contact with Gimenez and are planning a summer swoop, with the Mexico international their top target to fill the No.9 position. In fact, it is claimed that Spurs ‘are confident of landing the Feyenoord frontman this summer and talks are intensifying’.
Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez.
The report adds that Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, Lille’s Jonathan David, Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and Toney are alternative options.
Gimenez is still just 22 years of age and made the move to the Netherlands from Mexico outfit CD Cruz Azul in 2022. Since then, the left-footed striker has been on an upward trajectory which has resulted in rumours of a move to Spurs and even Real Madrid. This season, Gimenez has been in impressive form, scoring 24 goals and registering five assists in 35 appearances.
Ajax 0-4 Feyenoord
10/10
Excelsior 2-4 Feyenoord
9.31/10
Feyenoord 6-1 Almere City FC
9.26/10
PEC Zwolle 0-2 Feyenoord
8.55/10
FC Utrecht 1-5 Feyenoord
8.42/10
He has also been hailed by former Liverpool star Dirk Kuyt, who highlighted the player's speed as a specific attribute.
"He’s back here in the middle of the defenders and he’s really fast. Watching the keeper before he shoots, the rest. In my opinion, he is currently the best striker in the Eredivisie."
“Time is the biggest healer,” says batsman in newspaper interview
ESPNcricinfo staff09-May-2020Alex Hales has claimed he has “matured as a player” since his deselection from England’s 2019 World Cup squad after a failed recreational drugs test, and declared that the past six months have been “the best I’ve played in my career” as he presses his case for an international return.Hales has not played for England since it became public in the weeks before the World Cup that he had been serving a 21-day ban due to a second violation of the ECB’s recreational drugs policy, which caused the England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan to publicly lambast his “lack of regard” for his international team-mates, citing a “complete breakdown of trust” for his omission from the World Cup squad.This week, Morgan said that the “door is still open” for Hales, but reiterated that the crucial element would be rebuilding that trust. “I don’t think you can put a time limit on gaining back that trust, and that’s not just with me; that’s with every member of the squad, the backroom staff, the selectors,” he said.ALSO READ: ‘Door not shut’ on Hales, says Morgan in T20 World Cup build-upIn an interview with the , Hales said that he has matured in the last 12 months, but admitted it would be difficult to address his relationship with the rest of the England squad while outside the squad. Since the start of the 2019/20 Big Bash League, Hales has averaged 42.89 in a combined 22 T20 innings for Sydney Thunder and Karachi Kings, and said that he has never played better across his career.”Like Morgs has said, I guess time is the biggest healer,” Hales said. “I just don’t know how long that is going to go on for, that’s the only thing. I honestly have no idea. Obviously, I’d love to get my place back. Playing international cricket is the highlight of any player’s career and I still think I’ve got a lot to offer, particularly in T20.”I certainly feel I have matured, as a player and away from the game, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to show that in the group environment again. It can be tough to rebuild that trust when you are not in the close-knit circles.”This is the best I’ve played in my career. My England career has been pretty good so far in T20 and that’s not even playing to the best of my ability. I’d love to get that chance again. I’ve moved on and grown from the mistakes I’ve made in my private life and, hopefully, people can forgive and forget. Hopefully, I get that chance again because I feel I’m in a good head space.”ALSO READ: Fines doubled but 21-day ban scrapped as ECB update recreational drugs policyThe fact that the reason behind Hales’ ban was kept confidential last year led to a change in the ECB’s recreational drugs policy ahead of the 2020 season, under which Hales’ fine would have been doubled for his second violation, but he would not have had to miss any games. Hales’ absence was explained by Nottinghamshire as a break for “personal reasons”, but the trail was laid for reporters, and the reasons became public after the broke the story.Under the new regulations, which the ECB said took into account “the important consideration of player welfare”, Hales’ fine would have been doubled but he would not have been banned, suggesting that the second failed test would have remained under wraps.Hales said that his involvement in the Bristol incident and the resulting trial and Cricket Disciplinary Commission hearing “took a lot out of me mentally”, and suggested that he had struggled to cope with the public spotlight surrounding the case.”Stuff like that, you maybe don’t appreciate at the time but it took an awful lot out of me mentally,” he said. “I’m not blaming that on some of the mistakes I made off the field, but it certainly didn’t help with how I felt away from the game. It was mentally exhausting. It put me in a really dark place.”I feel on top of everything and the chapter of Bristol and its aftermath is firmly closed now. I am just looking forward to enjoying the next few years of my career and, more importantly, my life, and just see where it takes me. If you speak to any coach I’ve played under in the last 12 months, I feel I’ve matured as a player.”Hales also said that while he never managed to get tested for Covid-19, he was “pretty sure” he had contracted the virus. Hales had told Pakistan Super League officials that he had developed symptoms upon his return to the UK, which led to the tournament’s semi-finals and final being postponed indefinitely.”There was a point when it was 5am and I was lying in bed, drenched with sweat, feeling sorry for myself. But I knew deep down it wasn’t enough to put me in hospital. I never managed to get a test but speaking to a couple of doctors, they were 99 per cent sure it was Covid.”
Gary Lineker has explained how he “got shafted” when it comes to a “sh*t” assessment of England, with the Three Lions now Euro 2024 final-bound.
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Former striker delivered blunt verdictGave honest opinion in role as punditSouthgate's side have shot at gloryWHAT HAPPENED?
The former frontman, who netted 48 goals for his country, courted controversy when offering a rather blunt take on performances from Gareth Southgate’s side during the group stage of another major tournament. His now infamous quip was made on the back of a 1-1 draw with Denmark, with current captain Harry Kane quizzed on the comments as Lineker faced criticism for airing an opinion that was shared by many.
AdvertisementGetty WHAT LINEKER SAID
Lineker has now told of sparking a lively debate that never needed to happen: “I got shafted a bit with that. I never said that either Harry Kane or England were sh*t. I listened back to make sure. I said ‘it’ was sh*t, ‘it’ being the game. But it goes to Harry as ‘Gary Lineker says you were sh*t’, which is a bit naughty. But I think these guys get it. It was the same when I played. They said: ‘Jimmy Greaves says you’re not the same since you had hepatitis.’ It was more that I was getting on a bit and my legs were going. He probably had a point. We’re paid to give our honest opinion; you can’t bullsh*t people. And if it is not very good, then it is not very good. We would love to enthuse about wonderful, expansive England performances but that ain’t easy. We know that.”
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Kane suggested that former players should watch what they say, as most of those – the 1966 World Cup winners aside – never won anything either. Lineker added when asked if he has been in touch with his fellow former Tottenham striker in the wake of an unfortunate incident: “I don’t have Harry’s number. Actually, have I ever met him? I don’t think I have. I don’t think I’ve ever come face to face with him. Alan [Shearer] has his number and might have messaged him.”
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?
England have been able to block out the noise en route to reaching a second successive European Championship final. They are yet to produce their best, with Southgate hoping that has been saved for a showdown with Spain in Berlin that will provide an opportunity to end 58 years of hurt for the Three Lions.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' 2-1 win over Fulham in the Premier League saw them maintain their excellent form of 2024.
Despite losing to Newcastle United the weekend prior, the Old Gold have now only lost three games in all competitions this year so far and Gary O’Neil has his team extremely well-drilled.
The former Bournemouth manager has transformed their fortunes from a team who looked like they were being dragged into a relegation fight last season, to a side who are challenging for a top-half finish in the league this term.
Wolves manager Gary O'Neil celebrates a Premier League win.
Much of this is down to an attacking improvement. Last season, the Molineux side scored just 31 goals in the top flight – the lowest in the entire division – while so far, during 2023/24, they have found the back of the net on 42 occasions, and there are still ten matches to be played.
Hwang Hee-Chan and Matheus Cunha have been O’Neil’s main threats in front of goal, with the duo scoring 11 times each in all competitions and having not one, but two players who are capable of putting matches beyond the opposition have been crucial in their revival.
Another player who has returned to form this term is Pedro Neto, with the Portuguese winger proving to be one of their finest players under O’Neil.
Pedro Neto’s season in numbers for Wolves
Last season, the 23-year-old suffered a serious ankle injury in October which ruled him out of action for five months, meaning he missed the 2022 World Cup.
Across the whole campaign, Neto managed to score once along with grabbing one assist in 21 competitions for the club as they struggled without him.
Goals
2
Assists
9
Key passes per game
2
Big chances created
7
Successful dribbles per game
1.9
Shots on target per game
0.6
Via Sofascore
A solid pre-season ensured he began the current season in the best possible shape. O’Neil was soon rewarded as Neto registered seven assists and a goal in just ten Premier League matches, before suffering a hamstring injury which meant he missed nine league matches.
Since recovering from that setback, the former Lazio gem has scored a further two goals and chipped in with four assists to take his tally to 14 goal contributions – three goals and 11 assists – this season.
It has been a wonderful season for the youngster and his place in Portugal’s Euro 2024 squad must surely be guaranteed.
Wolves forward Pedro Neto in Premier League action.
Not only that, but the winger currently ranks third among his teammates for goals and assists (11) in the top flight, along with ranking second for shots per game (1.8), third for big chances created (7) and first for key passes per game (two), demonstrating how effective he has been in the final third.
Neto, Hwang, and Cunha currently find themselves all injured and could miss several matches. If only there was a striker who the team could currently call on who has outscored Neto this term, yet was sold by Bruno Lage in the summer of 2022. Patrick Cutrone, anyone?
How much Wolves signed Patrick Cutrone for
Following an impressive seventh placed finish in their first full season back in the top flight during the 2018/19 season, Nuno Espírito Santo was on the lookout for players who could vastly improve his squad.
AC Milan striker Patrick Cutrone was earmarked as a main target and Nuno eventually got his man, securing the player for a transfer fee in the region of £23m, a staggering sum.
Former Wolves striker Patrick Cutrone.
27 goals in 90 appearances for Milan was an impressive strike rate, especially for a player so young, and it looked like the move could turn out to be an impressive piece of business.
Patrick Cutrone’s statistics at Wolves
The Italian scored just three times for the Old Gold during the first half of the 2019/20 campaign as he struggled to settle in properly at the club.
He was subsequently sent out on loan to Fiorentina, netting five times, before returning to Wolves in January 2021.
Further loan spells at Valencia and Empoli between then and May 2022 meant Cutrone only played 28 matches for the Old Gold during his three years at Molineux, and when FC Como came calling in the summer of 2022, Lage sold him on in order to get the striker off his wage bill.
Patrick Cutrone
Since returning to Italy, the centre-forward has enjoyed a much better time of things, and he would have eased the Cunha blow O’Neil has suffered recently.
What Patrick Cutrone is doing now
Last season, the 26-year-old scored nine goals in 35 matches for the Serie B outfit – managed by none other than Cesc Fabregas – but he has already improved on this during the current campaign.
Indeed, Cutrone has hit double figures (ten) for goals, having played just 23 times in the league for Como, and he has outscored Neto this season by seven.
While he failed to display his true talents following his move from Milan, Cutrone appears to have found his feet back in his homeland and there is no doubt he has rediscovered his scoring touch.
Cunha is likely to be out until after the international break at the end of this month, leaving O’Neil short of options to lead the line.
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
So far during 2023/24, not only does Cutrone rank first among his teammates for goals and assists in Serie B (12), but the former Wolves' frontman also ranks first for shots per game (3.3) and first for scoring frequency (a goal every 187 minutes), proving his worth in the Italian second tier for Como.
Still only 26, Cutrone has plenty of years left. Did Lage perhaps move him on too swiftly back in 2022? The Old Gold went on to sign Diego Costa and Sasa Kalajdzic following his departure which says they didn't learn from their lessons up top.
Wolves striker Diego Costa.
Kalajdzic did suffer a terrible injury on his first start for the club, while Costa managed to net just once for the Molineux side in 25 matches.
Would Cutrone have done worse had he been given another full season to fully demonstrate his goal-scoring abilities?
The supporters will never know, but at this moment in time, they could do with a player who is finding the net as often as he is to cover Cunha and Hwang, who will miss the next few matches.
Wolves flop was meant to "replace Jimenez", but was worse than Cutrone
Wolves had a player who was going to replace Jimenez but ended up scoring zero goals for the club
Manchester United have struggled for consistency this season, with only an FA Cup and a top-four spot up for grabs.
Although change has been occurring behind the scenes, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen for the squad to push for those goals, with some players and staff jobs under inspection.
However, there are new aims from an off-field perspective, with incoming CEO Omar Berrada being set the challenge of managing player wages.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a player who’s cost the club millions despite barely stepping foot on the pitch.
Tom Heaton’s salary
Tom Heaton joined Man United from Aston Villa on a free transfer after the end of the 2020/21 season, with the experienced shot-stopper signed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as a backup to David De Gea and Dean Henderson.
The England keeper was third choice in between the sticks, and seeing as the position is hardly rotated, his involvement over the years has been far from frequent.
According to Capology, the "outstanding" Heaton, as per creator Liam canning," is currently earning 45k-per-week, which is £5k less than Alejandro Garnacho and just over four times more than young Kobbie Mainoo.
This means that the 37-year-old will have cost the club around £7m in wages over his three year contract, which is set to expire this summer.
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ByTom Lever Feb 29, 2024 What Heaton earns compared to other PL back-up goalkeepers
De Gea had been the number one keeper at Old Trafford for the past decade, but in the summer, United decided to let the Spaniard leave on a free, as Erik ten Hag looked to complete an overhaul of the department.
Due to the exit of De Gea and Henderson moving to Crystal Palace, Heaton enjoyed his best spell in a United shirt, playing four games in pre-season and even captaining the side against Athletic Club.
However, the Dutch boss brought in last season’s Champions League runner-up, Andre Onana, to be the new number one while also signing Altay Bayindir to be his backup, which has meant Heaton hasn't been seen on the pitch since.
The veteran's lack of involvement this season has kept his total competitive appearances to three since 2021, making only two starts, both in the EFL Cup last season. This equates to over £2m earned per appearance and approximately £3.5m per start.
Caoimhin Kelleher
£10k
Djordje Petrovic
£25k
Altay Bayindir
£35k
Tom Heaton
£45k
Stefan Ortega
£55k
As can be seen in the table above, when compared to other second-choice keepers in the Premier League – bearing in mind that Heaton is third-choice – he is far from the highest earner, but he’s also not exactly the lowest either.
Furthermore, the likes of Ortega, Kelleher, and Petrovic all play important roles for their team, with them featuring in nine, 17, and 17 games, respectively. Even Bayindir earns less than Heaton, which could be looked at as a positive due to the fact that United seem to be working on reducing player wages, which is certainly a step forward.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
Overall, Heaton hasn’t really offered much to warrant a £45k-per-week contract, but in fairness, he’s not really been handed an opportunity to prove his worth.
Jesse Lingard looked a little chilly when being forced to undergo a cryotherapy chamber session at FC Seoul that saw temperatures drop to -116°C.
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New challenge embraced in AsiaForm rediscovered as goals flowDoing all he can to stay fit & firingGettyWHAT HAPPENED?
The former Manchester United playmaker is beginning to find his feet in South Korea after making a shock move to Asia in February. Lingard had limited options to consider back then, with several months spent as a free agent on the back of his release by Nottingham Forest.
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It was always going to take a while for Lingard to find his feet in a new division and culture, but he has been warmly embraced by a passionate fan base. An early injury stunted his progress on the field, but a full recovery has been made.
DID YOU KNOW?
Lingard is doing all he can to avoid any further muscle complaints, with the benefits of cryotherapy being embraced after competitive appearances. The 31-year-old did, however, appear a little shocked at quite how cold those pods can be when taking in his latest session.
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WHAT NEXT?
Whatever Lingard has been doing, it is clearly working. After registering his first FC Seoul goal from the penalty spot, he is now up and running in open play. He has made two Teams of the Week and appears to have finally rediscovered a spark at 31 years of age.
The challenge of opening, keeping and captaining is one that few players have managed successfullly
Firdose Moonda10-Mar-2020Quinton de Kock is a man of few words and he had just one when he was appointed South Africa’s permanent white-ball captain and asked if he would consider giving up the wicketkeeping gloves to accommodate the extra responsibility:”No.”It was one of the few times de Kock has been adamant, even aggressive, when answering questions. He usually mumbles and stumbles his way through in that charmingly naive way that people who don’t like to speak in public have when they are forced to. But on the issue of the triple-task of leading the team, opening the batting and keeping wicket, de Kock was unequivocal that he wanted to do it all.It’s a job only three other players have done for more than 10 matches across all formats and one that, if it goes well, could see him involved in every ball of every match. Rather than express concerns about overload, de Kock said it was essential that he does it that way because he regarded glovework as “the one thing that helps me with my captaincy and my batting”. And the early evidence suggests he is not wrong.ESPNcricinfo LtdIn 16 matches in his new super-role, de Kock has a marginally higher-batting average than in the 194 in which he has not been a three-in-one. He has scored a century and seven fifties, has caught everything that has come his way and though he led South Africa to three series defeats, he also oversaw an ODI clean-sweep over Australia – no mean feat in their toughest summer since readmission.But is it sustainable? Andy Flower, who did the same job 13 times between 1993 and 1996, tells ESPNcricinfo that it could be, if it’s cleverly done. “It’s hard work. It’s quite a load which doesn’t mean it’s not doable, but you have to be smart about the way you expend your energy,” Flower said. “One of the key strategies will be how he recovers, rests and re-energises.”Player workload is a much-talked-about subject for all professional cricketers and rotation policies are commonplace in national squads. The trouble is that it’s difficult to rest someone who wears as many hats as de Kock, especially as South Africa are still working on their combinations and could do with the certainty of having three roles taken care of. “You don’t want anything to give,” Flower said. “A player of Quinton de Kock’s quality gives your incredible flexibility on selection. He is a genuine allrounder and allows you to balance your side easily.”Beuran Hendricks and Quinton de Kock celebrate the end of Jason Roy’s knock•Getty ImagesSome of the pressure can be taken off him through a strong core of senior players, something South Africa barely have but are trying to hang onto. That’s one of the reasons Faf du Plessis has travelled with the ODI squad to India. “For any captain, his lieutenants are important, not any more necessarily for a keeping captain.” Flower said. “But for any captain to have a core nucleus of influential players is important.”South Africa are also in the process of building that so, for now, de Kock is the fulcrum around which everything turns. He is likely to continue captaining, keeping and opening the batting for the foreseeable future and Flower has some advice: while captaining and keeping wicket go hand-in-hand, captaining and batting may not.”The physical positioning of being behind the stumps is a wonderful place to assess the game from; it’s the prime place,” Flower said. “From there, you can see if its swinging, reverse-swinging, read the pitch and the bounce. It’s about the skill of compartmentalising after that. It’s about being able to take off the captaincy hat and put on the batting helmet and shifting from leader to batsman. If he can keep his thoughts as simple as that, and be disciplined in making that switch, he will fine.”And yet despite this, if any aspect of the triple role is likely to suffer, it will probably be de Kock’s glovework, as Flower himself experienced when his concentration on the specific role wavered. You don’t want to make any mistakes and I didn’t feel like I could dedicate enough time to it in training and on the field,” Flower said. “Because of the flow of the game, that really close focus on expecting every ball to come your way and taking every sharp chance, can be lost sometimes. Any mistake you make is highlighted and you feel like you are letting everyone down. Maybe it’s a little easier in a fifty-over game.”ALSO READ: South Africa should do “anything” to get de Villiers back for T20 World Cup – RhodesFlower captained and kept wicket for 16 Tests (albeit he didn’t open), averaging a creditable 49.28 with three hundreds. However he gave up the gloves when Tatenda Taibu broke onto the scene and he was only too happy to do so. “It was so much easier to be lolling about on the outfield and I had so much more time and energy,” he remembered.That’s not advice de Kock will want to hear but it’s something for South Africa’s management to keep in mind. Luckily, they have two other wicketkeeper-batsmen in the current squad who could step up if needed. Heinrich Klaasen, who was the leading run-scorer against Australia, is one option while Kyle Verreynne, who impressed in his debut series with scores of 48 and 50 in two of the three games and stunning outfield work, is another. Both of them are relatively new to the international scene and need time to find their feet and secure a spot before any of talk of them taking over from de Kock can be entertained.Meanwhile de Kock has to keep trying to turn South Africa’s fortunes around, after their worst summer since readmission and as they build for major white-ball tournaments. There’s three in the next three years with back-to-back T20 World Cups and the 50-over World Cup in 2023 and the new management staff were appointed with that as their end-goal. South Africa’s obsession with winning a World Cup will only end when (if) they finally succeed, and until then, they will have to deal with every criticism, from team composition to mental fortitude. That will be de Kock’s biggest test of all.”He is very physically talented and looks fit, and he is a beautiful batsman to watch,” Flower said. “But it will also be about how he deals with criticism about himself, and how he deals with that emotionally on behalf of the team.”
Only two Mzansi Super League games have seen a bowling team close out a close game in the final over
Firdose Moonda19-Feb-2020The absence of proper pressure in South Africa’s domestic competitions is leaving bowlers ill-equipped to handle similar situations on the international stage, according to bowling coach Charl Langeveldt.Speaking three days after Mark Boucher assessed his bowlers’ skill levels as not being good enough following South Africa’s failure to defend totals in two out of the three T20 matches in the recently completed England series, Langeveldt said more practice at franchise level is essential for his young pack.ALSO READ: Hamstrung Bavuma out of first T20I”It was disappointing, especially with the scores we had. I thought we could have defended that but in saying that, not a lot of guys get into that position in domestic cricket,” Langeveldt said. “It’s a concern for me. It’s not good enough. In World Cups, you are going to get a lot of games like that. And if I look around the country, domestic cricket, the close games aren’t like it used to be.”The evidence from the Mzansi Super League (MSL), South Africa’s flagship T20 competition, supports Langeveldt’s claim. In 54 completed matches across two editions of the tournament, only three matches have reached their stage where the fielding team needed to defend fewer than 15 runs to win off the last over. On two occasions, they were successful, once in 2018 when Andrew Birch of the Tshwane Spartans ensured they beat the Paarl Rocks and then in 2019, when Sri Lanka’s Isuru Udana gave Paarl Rocks victory over the Cape Town Blitz. While Udana has been in action against India recently, Birch has never played for South Africa despite a strong domestic record.Instead, it is a new crop of quicks that Langeveldt has been tasked with moulding into death bowlers and the one he sees as best-placed to do the job is no longer in the squad. “A guy like [Sisanda] Magala, from seeing him in the nets, he is the most confident,” Langeveldt said. But uncapped Magala was dropped from the squad having spent the England series working to pass a fitness test that would see him debut. He has returned to his franchise, the Warriors, and was named in their team to play a domestic one-day cup match on Tuesday, which was rained off.Magala is due to continue working with South Africa’s fitness trainer to meet the team’s requirements and remains a candidate for the T20 World Cup but for now, Langeveldt is looking at Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo to do the job and the latter, specifically. “has gone a bit backwards.” Phehluwayo’s changes of pace used to be key to South Africa’s ability to contain but he has struggled with his consistency.One of the only ways to improve on that is repetition and Langeveldt is trying to emphasis that. “It’s training. The same way you train bowling length every day, with yorkers you have to train it,” he said. “It’s when to release the ball.”But even then, bowling in the nets is entirely different to pulling it off in a match, when eyes and expectation are on you and that is something Langeveldt can’t teach. “The big thing is to land it under pressure. You can execute it in the nets but it’s when you are in the game, you need to be able to,” he said. “It’s sometimes difficult to coach that to a guy because he needs to figure it out for himself, once he is out in the middle. You can give him the tools, it’s what he does with them.”Dale Steyn celebrates dismissing Jos Buttler•Getty ImagesWhile Langeveldt’s focus is on “mentally preparing” his bowlers, he also hopes the inclusion of experienced players like Dale Steyn and Kagiso Rabada will bring belief into group. Rabada was rested for the white-ball games against England, after being suspended from the final Test, and spent his time at NBA All-Star game in Chicago. He arrived in Johannesburg on Wednesday, “refreshed and ready to get straight back to work,” which is exactly what Langeveldt hoped would happen.”Renewed focus is a good thing. As 24-year-old playing for your country all the time, you’re always under pressure,” Langeveldt said. “He was our leading bowler for a couple of years and probably still is so hopefully he brings that energy back.”One thing that is certain is that Rabada will bring intent, especially against Australia. His most recent history with them involved a shoulder-brush with Steve Smith which almost saw him banned for a match in the 2018 Tests series but he successfully appealed the charge. He has since earned a further demerit point for an aggressive send-off which included screaming at Joe Root and entering his space during the Port Elizabeth Test and has promised to contain his passions for the good of the team in future.But Langeveldt hopes not too much. “KG will always bring that competitiveness. He is competitive by nature. He wants to take wickets and we will definitely use our bumpers,” Langeveldt warned. “But he also needs to control the aggression. Be controlled with your lines, lengths and your bouncer.”
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni has been suspended and fined by CONMEBOL and Copa America after his halftime antics earlier this week.
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Argentina boss Scaloni suspended and finedCopa America crack-down on halftime anticsPeru suffer same fateWHAT HAPPENED?
Argentina's failure to comply with CONMEBOL rules regarding re-entering the pitch in a timely manner after halftime has seen them hit with a hammer blow. Manager Scaloni has been fined and suspended for their final group stage match against Peru Saturday evening.
La Albiceleste were warned by Copa America officials after their first offense in their opening match against Canada, but after they followed-suit with a delay once again against Chile on Tuesday, CONMEBOL put their foot down.
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Canada's Jesse Marsch delivered a damning statement following their loss to La Albiceleste, calling for consequences for their actions that he claims handed Argentina a seemingly unfair advantage.
“When they were waiting, I knew that they were looking at video and they were analyzing how they wanted to play against us,” Marsch said. “Now, I wish again the referees would manage that. If we were five minutes late, we’d get a fine. There’d be a big problem. Let’s see what happens with Argentina. I think they have to be fined.”
Marsch added: "They had that time to prepare how they wanted to play against us in the second half, which if we would have known ahead of time that we could have an extra 10 minutes then we could have prepared some things more. Argentina should be fined. They should be fined for coming out 20 minutes late for the second half.”
CONMEBOL themselves took the criticism seriously it seems, and now La Albiceleste will face the consequences. Their opponent Saturday, Peru, will too suffer the same fate. La Blanquirroja manager Ricardo Gareca will also miss the match for the same double-offense.
WHAT ARGENTINA SAID
Assistant coach Walter Samuel, a former Argentina international himself, will take control of the squad at Hard Rock Stadium Saturday evening.
“Lionel is upset about this,” Samuel told reporters. “We consider ourselves to be staff with a lot of professionalism. We found out today. It was a blow. Sometimes you’re talking about a small detail. We weren’t trying to find an advantage. Now we have to focus on the next match and move forward.”
Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ARGENTINA?
Argentina will round-out their group stage Saturday evening against Peru. With both head coaches suspended, and the defending champions already through to the knockout round, it will be a highly-contested match as Peru look to pull off a shocking result.