'I feel incredibly safe,' Cummins says as Australia touch down in Pakistan

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Australia captain says “we’re really lucky to be surrounded by so many professionals”

AAP27-Feb-2022Pat Cummins says he feels “incredibly safe” after touching down in Pakistan on Sunday for Australia’s first tour of the country in 24 years.Cummins will captain Australia in an overseas Test match for the first time when they take on the hosts in Rawalpindi next Friday. The Test is the first of three, before a trio of ODIs and one T20I.Related

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Cummins, who will lead a strong Australia side on the back of their successful Ashes campaign, said the players’ concerns had been allayed by a delegation from Cricket Australia ensuring appropriate safety standards were met.”I feel incredibly safe and we’ve been really well looked after by the Pakistan Cricket Board,” Cummins said. “There’s been lots of security upon arrival. We were straight off the plane and straight to the hotel.”We’ve got a pretty good set-up and we’ll be confined to the hotel except for games and training. We’ve travelled to places like India where you don’t leave the hotel too much so we are used to it. It’s comforting and we’re really lucky to be surrounded by so many professionals.A convoy carrying the Australian team is flanked by heavy security in Islamabad•AFP/Getty Images”One of the factors we wanted to be really thorough on before arriving here was not only security but also bio-security. Everyone has done a fantastic job, so we can just concentrate on cricket and really enjoy our first tour here for 24 years.”Australia’s players must isolate for the 24 hours following their arrival but can hit the training ground on Monday provided they do not test positive for Covid-19.Cummins said he felt privileged to play a Test series in Pakistan when so many greats of the game in Australia hadn’t been afforded that opportunity.”We feel lucky to get to come back here after a whole generation didn’t get the chance to play any cricket over here,” Cummins said. “I think it [Pakistan] has slowly had more cricket here. George Bailey, our selector, came and played a couple of games a few years ago.”The Pakistan Super League has also been hugely successful. We’re fortunate that they have come to play us in Australia and it’s great we can return the favour.”Cummins’ side has been boosted by the inclusion of Pakistan-born Australian international Fawad Ahmed as a spin bowling consultant. He has been playing in the PSL with Lahore Qalandars.”He’s got a wealth of experience here and he knows the venues quite well and he’s always great fun for the group,” Cummins said.

Keith Barker ignites Hampshire victory hopes as Harry Brook's run of scores ends

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Yorkshire slump to 101 for 5 in second innings to open door for Division One rivals

ECB Reporters Network14-Jun-2022Yorkshire 428 and 101 for 5 (Duke 17*, Barker 3-22) leadHampshire 225 for 4 (Dawson 61*, Gubbins 58, Brown 52*) by 119 runs Keith Barker gave Hampshire hope of beating Yorkshire at home in the LV= Insurance County Championship for the first time since 2008 with a wicked evening spell of fast bowling.Lancashire-born Barker picked up three for 22 – with Kyle Abbott and Brad Wheal also picking up a wicket a piece – to ignite a match seemingly heading for a draw. Yorkshire slumped to 101 for five, a lead of 119 at the close.Earlier, Hampshire’s last four wickets put on 142 runs, which included a useful 38 from Barker, to frustrate the visitors before they were bowled out for 410. That meant Yorkshire took a slender 18-run first-innings lead, with the teams who started the round in second and third in Division One both picking up six bonus points each.In a juxtaposition of county team-mate Jonny Bairstow’s heroics in the Test match, things appeared to be meandering as Adam Lyth and first-innings centurion George Hill scored 36 in 18 overs. But wickets began to tumble, and trouble followed.Barker picked up Hill pushing to James Vince at a wide first slip and Lyth nicking a classic delivery on a fourth stump line behind. The left-armer then bowled Harry Brook, via a deflection, for 10. It was the first time Brook had been dismissed for a score lower than 41 this season.Will Fraine continued the collapse when Abbott found a patch of exaggerated bounce just back of a length to clip the shoulder of the bat through to keeper Brown.Wheal joined in the carnage when Matthew Waite clipped uppishly to James Fuller at square leg to leave Yorkshire 81 for five before a short rearguard before stumps.At the start of the day, Yorkshire needed to pick up the final six wickets before Hampshire passed the follow-on target, giving hope of repeating 2019’s innings victory here. A new ball 11 overs into the day gave hope of that possibility.Ben Brown and Liam Dawson, who both recorded half-centuries the previous evening, had their 118-run stand ended before the new ball appeared. Dawson was caught at first slip when attempting to drive spinner Dom Bess.Yorkshire’s fielding let them down at various points during the Hampshire first innings. Nick Gubbins had survived a drop and Brown a missed stumping on day two, and that trend continued into day three.Harry Duke fumbled another stumping chance when Brown was on 53 before failing to break the stumps when Brown looked short of his ground. Aneurin Donald was also given two lives by Dominic Drakes and Lyth, which Yorkshire would later rue as they fell a wicket short of a seventh bonus point.Brown departed seven overs into the second new ball when he pushed to first slip. Donald and Barker put on 57 before both fell within three overs; the former lbw to Matthew Revis and the latter bowled while missing a reverse sweep.Fuller and Abbott put on the afterburners to race past 350, the South African flicking the most nonchalant of sixes over mid-wicket before his partner thrice stuck Bess over the ropes. Their 50 partnership came up in just 45 deliveries and eventually reached 74.Jordan Thompson picked up the final two wickets in consecutive overs – Fuller and Abbott both holing out to the short legside boundary – to end up with four for 68.

Cautious optimism, the Chanderpaul way

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Shivnarine Chanderpaul expressed confidence in West Indies’ ability to bounce back, but it did not extend to a point where he thought they could beat the No. 1-ranked South Africa

Firdose Moonda in Port Elizabeth23-Dec-2014His arms hung at his sides, his feet were together and his gaze was at the height of his shoulders. Not quite unusual if he was just a man standing in a queue or waiting to cross the street. But Shivnarine Chanderpaul was standing in goal for his team and he did not seem too interested in protecting it.Twice, he was breached but then he had enough. While the rest of the West Indian squad regrouped on their makeshift football pitch, swapping bibs to decide who was on which team and generally buzzing about, a different Chanderpaul got into goal. He bounced from one foot to the next, his arms sprung up and down as though they had been freshly hinged and his eyes pierced the ground in front. There was no getting past him again.From that moment, Chanderpaul owned the fielding session. He was sharp, alert and took part in drills 40-year olds might prefer to avoid. It was as though he had been caught off guard for a few seconds and was overcompensating.When the observation was made a fellow team member, they answered, “It’s because he does all the things that he doesn’t to do, that he can still keep playing at this level.”Does Chanderpaul himself think that? Does he believe it will keep him in the game much longer than some of his peers, perhaps even long enough to play Test cricket with his son?”I don’t know what’s going to happen. Let’s see.”What Chanderpaul does know is West Indies cricket is hovering a little too close to the doldrums. He acknowledged as “a fact,” that they have blown every which way and as a result have become inconsistent, or as Faf du Plessis put it “they can be a hot and cold side.” But he does not think their temperatures are as extreme as the first Test suggested.”I think we’re a better team than that,” Chanderpaul said. “We’re disappointed after Centurion We just have to put it behind us and take it as a learning experience and do better in this next match.”For West Indies to do that, they need a vastly improved batting performance after they failed to capitalise on starts in the first innings and were annihilated in 80 minutes in the second at Centurion. Chanderpaul believes they have players who can step up, but did not go as far as suggesting they would reach the height to defeat South Africa.”They’re the No.1 team in the world, and to be there you have to have the best bowling attack in the world. It’s been a learning experience for the youngsters, and I’m sure they’ll come out of this stronger,” he said. “The guys we have here are the best in the Caribbean, that’s the reason they’re here. They’ve all scored runs in the past, scored a lot of hundreds in regional cricket. They all have talent and are bright stars for the future.”Apart from Chanderpaul and Marlon Samuels, who was the highest run-scorer on their last tour to South Africa, West Indies have Devon Smith, who was had the third-best aggregate in last season’s regional challenge and was leading the charts in this season’s before embarking on the tour, Jermaine Blackwood, who was last season’s most successful first-class batsman, and Kraigg Brathwaite, who already has a Test double hundred to his name. What they seem to lack is the ability to translate that into something strong enough to compete with a top-ranked Test team on their home turf and even Chanderpaul has accepted that.Not even history – St George’s Park was the place where West Indies achieved their only Test win against South Africa in 2007 – would draw a positive prediction from Chanderpaul.”We had a good match then but some days you play well and some you don’t.”

Mominul's boundaries, and Mushfiqur's landmark

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Stats highlights from Mominul Haque’s 181, and Bangladesh’s strong batting performance on the third day in Chittagong

S Rajesh11-Oct-2013

  • Mominul Haque’s 181 is the third-highest score by a Bangladesh batsman, next to Mushfiqur Rahim’s 200 and Mohammad Ashraful’s 190, both of which came in the same Test – against Sri Lanka in Galle earlier this year. That Test was also Mominul’s debut game, in which he scored 55. Before the start of 2013, the highest by a Bangladesh batsman was Mohammad Ashraful’s unbeaten 158 against India in 2004.
  • The 27 fours he struck in his innings is the highest by a Bangladesh batsman; the previous record was 24 by Ashraful when he scored that unbeaten 158.
  • Unlike most innings, this one started in fifth gear and then went down a few notches as the innings progressed. His first 50 came off just 36 balls, the next 50 off 62, and his last 81 took all of 176 balls. From the team’s point of view, though, this worked perfectly. The innings also showed Mominul can put together long innings: before this knock, he had gone past 20 in each of his five Test innings, but never beyond 64.
  • Mominul’s innings, plus the contributions from Rahim and the others in the lower order, has ensured that Bangladesh have already played 116 overs, the fourth time they’ve gone past 100 overs in a Test innings this year. It equals their record for the most times they’ve gone beyond 100 overs in a calendar year – they’d also achieved this in 2010 and 2001. (Click here for the full list of 29 instances when Bangladesh have played 100 or more overs in a Test innings.)
  • Mominul also got fine support from his captain, Mushfiqur, who scored 67, and during the course of the innings became only the fifth Bangladesh batsman to go past 2000 Test runs. Among those five, Mushfiqur’s average of 32.69 is the third-highest, after those of Tamim Iqbal (36.54) and Shakib Al Hasan (35.76). This was also Mushfiqur’s 14th score of 50 or more in Tests, which puts him level with Ashraful; while Ashraful has played 119 innings, Mushfiqur’s played only 67. Only three Bangladesh batsmen have more 50-plus scores in Tests – Habibul Bashar (27), Tamim (16) and Shakib (15).
  • The 121-run stand between Mominul and Mushfiqur is Bangladesh’s sixth-best for the fifth wicket, and their second-highest against New Zealand.

Harmer's all-round effort makes it South Africa's day

by csb10.top Uncategorized

Bangladesh 98 for 4 (Joy 44*, Shanto 38, Harmer 4-42) trail South Africa 367 (Bavuma 93, Elgar 67, Khaled 4-92, Mehidy 3-94) by 269 runsSimon Harmer marked his return to Test cricket by taking the first four Bangladesh wickets on the second afternoon in Durban. The offspinner, who took 491 wickets between this Test and his last in 2015, pegged away at the visitors. Earlier in the day, his dogged 38 off 73 balls had helped South Africa to 367 after they were 298 for 8 at one point. In reply, Bangladesh ended the day at 98 for 4.Bad light during the afternoon meant that South Africa used their fast bowlers Duanne Olivier and Lizaad Williams for just nine overs. Harmer and Maharaj wheeled away for 20 overs and 19 overs respectively.Harmer first removed Shadman Islam for 9 before tea and then bowled Najmul Hossain Shanto for 38 with a delivery that turned and hit the top of off stump. Arguably, it was Harmer’s best ball on the day – a lovely offbreak that turned past the outside edge and ended a 55-run partnership for the second wicket.In Harmer’s next over, Mominul fell, to Keegan Petersen’s brilliant catch at silly point, for a duck. To compound Bangladesh’s troubles, Harmer also removed Mushfiqur Rahim in the 46th over of the innings, Kyle Verreynne taking a good catch down the leg side.Harmer had earlier played a crucial role in South Africa putting together a competitive total. He added 34 for the ninth wicket with Williams and then 35 for the last wicket with Olivier to frustrate Bangladesh. He stepped up when South Africa needed a contribution from the lower order.The contest was perhaps even when Khaled Ahmed removed Verreynne and Wiaan Mulder off consecutive balls in the morning session. After Verreynne was trapped lbw, Mulder edged Khaled’s next ball to gully where Mahmudul Hasan Joy took the first of his two sharp catches at gully. In the morning session, South Africa lost 4 for 53, but they bounced back strongly later in the day.Temba Bavuma and Maharaj added 53 runs for the seventh wicket before Mehidy Hasan Miraz got one to rip back into Bavuma. The South Africa captain top-scored with 93 off 190 balls. Next ball, Ebadot Hossain bowled Maharaj for 19.Olivier and Harmer batted out 12 overs before Olivier played back to another big-turning offbreak from Mehidy and fell lbw. Khaled finished with 4 for 92 while Mehidy with 3 for 94. Taskin, who was the Player of the Series in the ODIs, went wicketless on Friday although he put in an excellent shift with the ball.

'We are not a top team' – Harry Kane and Bayern Munich handed brutal verdict by Joshua Kimmich after Champions League defeat

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Bayern Munich’s squad is loaded with talent, including Harry Kane, but Joshua Kimmich has delivered a brutal “we are not a top team” verdict.

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Humbling loss suffered at FeyenoordGerman giants struggling for UCL sparkStill have time to turn things aroundFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Germany international’s comments have been made on the back of a shock 3-0 defeat to Feyenoord in the Champions League group stage. Bayern endured a humbling evening to forget when facing Eredivisie opposition on Dutch soil.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT KIMMICH SAID

Vincent Kompany named a strong side for that contest, with 22-goal striker Kane leading the line, but Kimmich told afterwards: “We have to admit that we are not a top team at the moment. But the group is sticking together. That gives me hope.

“In the Champions League, we are in a very bad position, one that we brought upon ourselves. We are making too many mistakes and being punished for them harshly. The feeling after this clear defeat is very negative. But we must not, under any circumstances, doubt ourselves or the group.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kimmich went on to say, with Bayern putting in another sloppy performance: “Once again we created many chances and were wasteful. We also made it too easy for the opponent. We allowed them too much, that already was the case against Wolfsburg. In the Champions League you get punished for that.

“Overall we didn’t deserve to win. We made too many simple mistakes. Now we shouldn’t complain and should work on correcting these mistakes.”

GettyWHAT NEXT?

Defeat against Feyenoord has left Bayern 15th in the Champions League table. They are still in contention to reach the last 16 of that competition, but will likely have to navigate a play-off contest in order to remain in the hunt for European glory.

Just 17 touches: 7/10 Sunderland star was as good as Bellingham vs Derby

by z3u9t.icu Uncategorized

Sunderland shrugged off any doubters that had come to the surface after the 2-1 away defeat to Watford by responding with a routine 2-0 win over Derby County last night.

The comfortable victory has seen Regis Le Bris’ men shoot back up to the top of the Championship table, benefitting also from West Brom falling to a late 1-0 loss to Michael Carrick’s Middlesbrough.

It wasn’t the most spellbinding performance from the Black Cats by any means, but Jobe Bellingham shone for the Wearside outfit regardless, to play his part in Sunderland returning to the top of the division.

Bellingham's performance in numbers

The 19-year-old ace had a quiet afternoon in that defeat to the Hornets, but quickly moved on from that passive display with a fantastic one against the Rams.

The standout number seven was back to his stylish best against Paul Warne’s visitors, only misplacing two of his 24 passes on the night, alongside hammering home this delightful effort to break the deadlock in the first 45 minutes and set his side on their way to a deserved three points.

Now off the mark for the campaign with this strike, Bellingham will aim to push on and get more goals under his belt for Le Bris’ men in league clashes to come, having helped himself to an impressive tally last season of seven.

He could have had more to shout about versus Warne’s Rams in truth, with one more effort attempted on Jacob Widell Zetterstrom’s busy goal, but it was also the teenager’s grit – away from his goalscoring ability – that ensured the three points were ultimately secured.

Winning six duels, alongside completing three tackles, Bellingham very much is the full package for the Black Cats, with their hopes of promotion riding on the fact that their 19-year-old star keeps putting in top-drawer displays.

Many a team’s promotion chances also rest on having a potent striker who can finish off chances in a heartbeat, and Sunderland might well have their desired man up top now in new summer recruit Wilson Isidor.

Isidor's performance in numbers

It’s fair to say the Black Cats were cursed last season when it came to finding a striker who could deliver the goods week in week out, bemoaning the constant lack of a clinical edge coming from the centre-forward department.

Now, however, they could well have stumbled upon the deadly finisher they’ve been craving for so long in Isidor, as the Zenit Saint Petersburg loanee fired home his second league strike in his new red and white colours versus Derby.

Stat

Isidor

Minutes played

85

Goals scored

1

Assists

0

Shots

3

Touches

17

Accurate passes

6/7 (86%)

Total duels won

3/6

The Frenchman’s early second-half goal would ensure the three points were sealed in his new side’s favour, with the fresh 24-year-old in the right place at the right time to tap home after Romaine Mundle’s darting run.

Content with just waiting for his moment in the spotlight before turning into a poacher in an instant, having only amassed 17 touches of the ball all game before being substituted off late on, the brand new Black Cats number 18 will hope too that the goals don’t dry up moving forward after bagging in two Championship clashes on the spin now.

Isidor would be gifted a positive 7/10 match rating after the clash by Roker Report journalist Andy Tomlinson, who praised the 24-year-old for being ‘there when it mattered’ to seal the win after Bellingham’s sumptuous opener.

Le Bris could well have found his main man up top now in the Zenit loanee, and with Eliezer Mayenda edging back to full fitness soon, the options in attack are looking plentiful for the promotion chasers.

Sunderland star who left for £3.5m is now outscoring both Mundle & Mayenda

This former Sunderland striker has transformed into a goal machine.

ByKelan Sarson Sep 24, 2024

Media in £27m Arsenal star’s homeland are saying he’ll leave the Emirates

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Arsenal had somewhat of an exodus in the summer, with no less than 10 players, including Eddie Nkeitah, Emile Smith Rowe, and Aaron Ramsdale, leaving the club. The departures from The Emirates, however, appear not to be finished, with a number of other stars now reported to be on their way out.

Defenders Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior have both reportedly been lined up by clubs in Italy, while Gabriel Jesus is, according to reports from Brazil, wanted by his boyhood club Palmeiras. The injury-prone Brazilian striker, who joined Arsenal from Manchester City in June 2022, is yet to start a Premier League game for the Gunners this term, having lost his place to Kai Havertz.

While Arsenal have dispelled any idea that Jesus could leave the club, it remains unclear whether the player is happy to be manager Mikel Arteta’s second-choice striker, having left City for the same reason two years ago.

Trossard could leave too, say reports in Belgium

Jesus isn’t the only Arsenal forward who is being linked with a move away from North London. On Saturday, Belgium newspaper DH.net reported that an Emirates exit could also be on the cards for Leandro Trossard, who is of course now jetting off for international duty under Domenico Tedesco.

Like Jesus, the Belgian forward has struggled to nail down a starting place for Arsenal this term, with Arteta preferring to play Gabriel Martinelli on the left of his front three. Former Belgian footballer Thomas Chatelle wrote for DH.net that, amid the lack of game time, Trossard may be dreaming of signing elsewhere for regular starts, especially if he wants to continue playing at international level.

“Trossard is at a crossroads in his magnificent career. At 29, he can still dream of moving on,” Chatelle wrote, adding that Trossard is seen as a “luxury” at Arsenal and the press in Belgium seem to expect him to depart in 2025.

Why Trossard may have never joined Arsenal

Trossard joined Arsenal from Brighton for a fee of around £27 million from Brighton in January 2023. Since, he’s scored 20 goals in 77 appearances for the Gunners, including important strikes against FC Porto in the Champions League and Chelsea in the Premier League. He’s also registered 13 assists.

Arsenal's "top signing" left for free, now he's outscoring Saka & Trossard

The talented forward has been on fire this season.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 3, 2024

Arsenal would have gone without Trossard’s contributions, however, if they had their way in the transfer market at the time.

The Gunners had initially wanted to bring in either Mykhailo Mudryk or Joao Felix to bolster their attacking options, but lost out on both players to Chelsea, with the former signing for the Blues for an eye-watering £89 million. Comparing the three players’ outputs since January 2023, it seems Arsenal landed the jackpot.

Trossard’s 20 goals and 13 assists far eclipse Mudryk and Felix’s outputs in the same period. Mudryk has scored just seven goals and produced six assists in 66 games for Chelsea, while Felix has scored 15 and assisted seven in 69 games for both Chelsea and FC Barcelona, with whom he spent last season on-loan.

£162k-per-week star held talks to join Arsenal in the last few days

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

It has been claimed that a star free agent opened talks to join Arsenal over the weekend, all while Mikel Arteta was preparing for the North London derby.

Arteta praises Arsenal after 1-0 win away to Tottenham

Derby bragging rights returned to the Emirates Stadium once again on Sunday, with Arsenal sealing a 1-0 victory away to Tottenham courtesy of defender Gabriel Magalhaes’ only goal of the game.

After Sterling: Arsenal looking to sign another £325k-p/w ex-Man City star

He could be set for a reunion with some of his former teammates at Arsenal.

1

By
Ben Browning

Sep 16, 2024

The home side dominated possession and created a fair few openings, but Ange Postecoglou’s men were ultimately fruitless in their attempts to break down a resolute Arsenal team who were without Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Riccardo Calafiori, Martin Odegaard and Oleksandr Zinchenko for the encounter.

Arsenal then exploited Spurs’ weakness in dealing with set pieces on 64 minutes, as Gabriel leaped the highest to head in a corner from close range, leaving the helpless Guglielmo Vicario stranded just outside his six-yard box.

Most goals by PL centre-backs since Gabriel’s debut

Player

Goal tally

1. Gabriel

15

2. Kurt Zouma

11

3. Lewis Dunk

10

4. Ben Mee

10

5. Virgil van Dijk

9

6. Michael Keane

9

7. Fabin Schar

9

8. John Stones

8

Data via BBC Sport.

It was a crucial, hard-fought Premier League victory for the Gunners – who were forced to showcase resolute defending on a pretty tight afternoon at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Arsenal also broke a record with their win over Spurs, having sealed three consecutive victories away to their rivals for the first time in 35 years.

“Loving the game means that you are able to do things regardless of context,” said a delighted Arteta on Arsenal’s win at Tottenham.

“Jorginho, he loves the game. He doesn’t play it, but he loves winning. I mean, when he’s not playing, he’s training like an animal at his age, after winning everything. So when you ask him to play 90 minutes, like he hasn’t played probably for the last five months, he’s able, even cramping everywhere, managed to do it.

“The same with Jurrien, he’s been a year out, he hasn’t played 90 minutes at all, and he was struggling today, but he managed to do it for the team. And like, all these guys, I don’t know without a pre-season, I don’t know how many minutes he’s played. And he was unbelievable, all of them, but that’s the spirit and the characters that we have, that I love.”

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, while Arsenal were preparing for the clash, they were approached by ex-Juventus and PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot over joining them on a free deal.

Adrien Rabiot held talks to join Arsenal in the last few days

According to their information, Rabiot opened talks to join Arsenal over the weekend, via his representatives. Arteta’s side were apparently contacted and offered the chance to strike a Bosman deal for Rabiot, but the France international has now joined Ligue 1 giants Marseille instead, with Roberto De Zerbi’s side agreeing a move.

Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

Rabiot has agreed a £162,000-per-week contract with Marseille, according to reports, with the 29-year-old finally securing a new home after leaving Juve at the end of his contract. Time will tell whether sporting director Edu Gaspar and the club’s recruitment team regret passing up the chance to sign Rabiot, but those costly wages would’ve immediately put him among Arsenal’s top ten highest-paid players.

Concern for Southampton after "disappointing" injury news on £25k-p/w star

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

As if Russell Martin wasn’t dealt enough of a blow by Leicester City’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory, Southampton already have an injury concern to deal with ahead of the Manchester City game next weekend.

Southampton injury news

It looked as though the Saints finally kicked into gear to get their Premier League campaign going once and for all when Cameron Archer and Joe Aribo put them into a commanding lead after just 28 minutes. That 2-0 lead is where the problems started for Martin’s side, however, who completely capitulated to allow Leicester back into the game.

Southampton take damning step behind the scenes that's bad news for Martin

A concern for the Saints boss…

ByTom Cunningham Oct 10, 2024

Levelling things up courtesy of Facundo Buonanotte and Jamie Vardy in the second-half, summer arrival Jordan Ayew became the hero of the hour when he squeezed his effort beyond Aaron Ramsdale to turn the game on its head in the 98th minute. Beaten and left watching the visitors wheel away in celebration, defeat against Leicester may just be the first nail in the coffin for Martin’s tenure.

The Saints haven’t exactly been handed positive news since that result either, especially on the injury front. As confirmed by Martin, Will Smallbone is an early doubt to face Manchester City next weekend after tweaking his hamstring in his first game back from injury against Leicester. The midfielder came on only to suffer yet another setback.

Martin confirmed the “disappointing” news, telling the Southern Daily Echo: “Will played the last 15 minutes with an injury. It looks like he’s tweaked his hamstring again which is really disappointing for him and for us. He soldiered on and battled through the last 10-15 minutes with that for the team because that’s the kind of guy he is.”

With a trip to face the Premier League champions up next, things couldn’t get much more difficult for a Southampton side desperately in need of a turnaround.

"Gifted" Smallbone adds to Southampton's woes

After missing the last four Premier League games, Smallbone’s return handed Southampton a much-needed boost that they would have been hoping to see play a part in turning a sinking ship around. One game later, however, the midfield is seemingly back on the sidelines to once again add to the woes of those at St Mary’s. As Martin battles for his job, he desperately needs his £25,000-a-week star to make a swift return.

The Saints boss was full of praise for Smallbone after his part in Southampton’s 2-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday last season, telling reporters, as relayed by the Daily Echo: “He’s a really outstanding footballer and his performances so far have justified why I wanted to sign him at Swansea – so we must have got one right.

“He will play in different roles for us as well. He really is a gifted footballer with some good Championship experience after last season. I hope he enjoyed that tonight because I really enjoyed watching him.”

As things stand though, Southampton look likely to square off against Manchester City – of all sides – without their midfielder.