The batter is still trying to get better and will take it “one tour at a time”

Andrew McGlashan05-Jan-2023

On the day Steven Smith went past Don Bradman with his 30th Test century, he admitted to being uncertain about how long his international career will continue.Smith’s 104 in Sydney was just his second hundred against South Africa in 12 matches – for an opponent he has played more than twice he holds his lowest average against them – yet it ended in frustration as he missed out on “happy hour” by giving Keshav Maharaj a return catch.While there is no doubt Smith will be in Australia’s plans for their upcoming series against India and England during the first half of this year, he said he was taking his career in small stages now.Related

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“I don’t know, we’ll see,” he said when asked about his future. “I’m enjoying it at the moment. I really can’t say how long I’ll play for, I’m not sure. Take it one tour at a time, enjoy it, enjoy training and trying to get better. Whilst I’m doing that I’m happy playing, but don’t know how long it will last.”While personal success remains a major driver for Smith, he is equally motivated to help Australia’s next generation for when he and David Warner are no longer around – which may be sooner rather than later.”It’s [about] trying to get better, help the team win games of cricket,” he said. “Think we’ve played some really good cricket the last 12 months…we’ve got two really big hurdles in front of us with India and the Ashes. For me, it is trying to get better and trying to help some of the other batters coming through.”I still try to help Marnus [Labuschagne] as much as possible, [Travis] Head, Cameron Green, Matty Renshaw, Marcus Harris…try to impart as much knowledge of conditions and ways to go about. If I can say something and you see that lightbulb go on and someone figures something out I get a big thrill out of that. I’ll try and help them as much as I can.”Smith said he was not worried about being beaten on the outside half of the bat and went back and across to balls coming back in•Cricket Australia via Getty Images

Smith’s personal drive to improve has been evident in the last 12 months as he has re-engineered his technique back to an earlier model where he moves less in the crease. This century followed the double he made against West Indies in Perth, although it was not an entirely fluent affair and after 55 balls he had 12 runs.”It’s not going to be perfect every time,” he said. “So when you aren’t feeling as good as you’d like you just try to grind it out, get through that initial period then hopefully things get easier. I didn’t feel great my first 60-70 balls, I reckon, then things started to click and feel a lot better. Pleased I was able to get through that initial period.”Yet, even within the innings itself Smith was making adjustments, reverting to the jump across the crease when facing Marco Jansen’s reverse swing from around the wicket. “Went back to my old set-up, [or] my old, old set-up,” he joked.”I didn’t feel overly threatened on the outside of the bat,” he added. “I was getting back and across just to cover the ball coming back in at me. I’d rather do it out there…rather than come back in the sheds and wonder why I didn’t do that. Felt I could still get my weight back through the ball.”After a cheeky celebration involving a chainsaw aimed at Labuschagne, Smith was ready to reset himself but fell three balls later to a leading edge. Disappointment was writ large over his face which he later explained was the frustration at missing out on a chance to experiment with some more aggressive strokeplay with an eye on the India tour.”I just missed out on happy hour, was time to go playing some shots as Heady just did,” he said. “Was time to have some fun. I was actually going to start practicing a few things, potentially like sweeping and things like that, with our upcoming Indian tour. I know that sounds bad in a way, but felt like it was an opportunity to do that against some good spinners.”For Smith that tour represents one of the pinnacles to reach this year. How much more there is to follow for him, only time will tell.

Kylian Mbappe has matched the goal tally set by Cristiano Ronaldo in his debut season at Real Madrid by netting his 33rd strike of the campaign.

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Ronaldo scored 33 in debut seasonMbappe matches that tallyScored twice against Leganes in 3-2 winFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The France international netted a brace against Leganes as Madrid won 3-2 on Saturday evening. Los Blancos remain in second place in La Liga but are now level on points with Barcelona and, in the process of netting his double, Mbappe has matched the haul Ronaldo reached in his first campaign at the club.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

After moving to Madrid from Manchester United, Ronaldo scored 33 goals throughout the campaign and Mbappe is already level with that tally. The former PSG superstar, though, will have to go some to match the Portugal international's highest-scoring season; in 2014-15, Ronaldo netted 61 goals in all competitions.

Mbappe is now just four goals away from matching Ivan Zamorano's record for the best debut season in Madrid history, having scored 37 in 1992-93.

WHAT MBAPPE SAID

Mbappe told reporters on matching his idol's record: "Very special. I'm sure the most important thing is the things you do with the team, but scoring the same number of goals as Cristiano is always good. We know what he means to Real Madrid and to me. He gives me a lot of advice; he's scored a lot of goals, but we have to win titles here."

DID YOU KNOW?

Mbappe is the leading goalscorer in La Liga for the entirety of 2025, having netted 12 times. His closest rival, Robert Lewandowski at Barcelona, has scored seven.

From You'll Never Walk Alone to Blue Moon, the Premier League is packed with walk-out songs that electrify the crowd and set the stage for kickoff.

Football and music are inseparable, with songs serving as the soundtrack to a club’s identity. Whether it’s terrace chants passed down through generations, stadium DJs setting the mood before kickoff, or tunes adopted by supporters, music plays a crucial role in the matchday experience.

One of the sport's most cherished traditions is the walkout song—a track that sets the stage as the home side and their opponents emerge from the tunnel. More than just a pre-match ritual, the right song fuels the crowd’s passion and sends a message to the opposition. It’s the first thing visiting players hear as they step onto unfamiliar turf, so it needs to make an impact. That’s why clubs stick with signature tracks, ensuring the same charged atmosphere greets every kickoff.

The Premier League is home to some of the most iconic walkout anthems, with clubs like Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Arsenal boasting tracks that resonate through the stands. However, not every team gets it right—some pre-match choices miss the mark.

From Manchester City's "Blue Moon" to Liverpool's "You'll Never Walk Alone," the league is full of songs that define a club's identity. GOAL has compiled a list of the walkout music for all 20 top-flight sides.

• Liverpool | You'll Never Walk Alone | Gerry and the Peacemakers

  One of football’s most legendary walkout songs, Gerry and the Pacemakers' rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone became synonymous with Liverpool in the 1960s. Its influence grew so strong that the club officially incorporated its title into their crest as their motto in 1992.

  Read more about the You'll Never Walk Alone Liverpool FC chant here.

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• Arsenal | The Angel – North London Forever | Louis Dunford

  has emerged as Arsenal’s go-to anthem in recent years. Although tracks like , Fatboy Slim's hits, and Eminem's music have featured in the pre-match buildup at the Emirates, Louis Dunford's tribute to the Gunners has taken center stage since its release in February 2022.

• West Ham | I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles | John Kellette

  Originally released in 1919 by American musician Ben Selvin, this classic tune found its way into West Ham’s identity between the 1920s and 1940s, cementing itself as one of English football’s most recognizable anthems. At the London Stadium, the song sets the stage for kickoff, accompanied by a spectacle of bubbles drifting across the pitch.

  The tradition took hold after former manager Charlie Paynter introduced the song, and it has since become an inseparable part of the club's heritage.

• Chelsea | Liquidator | Harry J Allstars

  Many clubs across English football have adopted the instrumental track by Jamaican band Harry J Allstars for their pre-match walkouts, but Chelsea proudly claim to be the pioneers, having introduced it at Stamford Bridge back in 1969. Over the years, the tune has echoed through various stadiums, with clubs such as Wycombe Wanderers, West Bromwich Albion, Yeovil Town, and St. Johnstone also making it their own. However, it remains most closely associated with the west London giants.

Celtic could be about to see one of their top academy talents walk out the door for nothing in 2025, with reports confirming the Hoops are yet to offer a new deal to a teenager being scouted by several European clubs.

Celtic latest news

Celtic kept alive their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League knockout phases earlier this week with a 0-0 draw against Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion Maksimir. The result means Brendan Rodgers’ side are now undefeated in four games in the competition, and leaves them 21st in the new-look group phase with two games to play.

Teams who finish in the top eight will automatically qualify for the last-16, while those in ninth to 24th enter a round of two-legged play-offs in February, with the winners filling up the remaining eight spots in the round of 16.

Speaking to Celtic TV after the draw against Zagreb, Rodgers described it as a “good point,” but was disappointed his side didn’t take all three.

“I think we missed an opportunity this evening, if I’m being honest, to win the game. We needed to do more in the attacking side of the game,” he explained, adding: “We’d have loved to have given the supporters the victory for making it all the way out here, but they’ve seen the team taking a step closer to that qualification.”

Celtic could lose Cummings

With Celtic also nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, all appears to be grand for Rodgers and his team. One negative for the Bhoys, however, is that they could be about to lose one of their best young players in the form of Daniel Cummings.

According to Scottish journalist Anthony Joseph, Bologna, Club Brugge, and RB Salzburg have all sent officials to watch the striker in action in recent weeks ahead of a potential move. Joseph claims that a number of Premier League clubs are also monitoring the 18-year-old, whose contract at Celtic Park runs out at the end of the season and is yet to be offered a new deal.

Cummings has scored 23 goals in just 22 games for Celtic B this season, including 17 in 15 in the Lowland League – a figure that makes him the division’s second-top scorer. Earlier this year, The Young Team, who scout Scotland’s next top stars, described Cummings as “too good for the Lowland League,” and praised him for his “great runs” and “spectacular strikes”.

Though his future at Celtic Park is up in the air, Rodgers recently suggested that Cummings could soon be given a chance in the club’s first-team.

“In terms of Daniel’s output, his goals in his games, he’s done very well,” Rodgers said. “But there are a lot of factors I consider when bringing in a young player.

“Ability is the first thing I look at, but your attitude and application are just as important. Young players will always get a chance here and there’s always a number of factors why they can or can’t get a chance, but the first one is normally ability. If they’re good enough, they’ll get a chance.”

تمكن منتخب إنجلترا للشباب من التأهل إلى نهائي كأس الأمم الأوروبية “يورو تحت 21 عامًا”، وذلك عقب الفوز بهدفين مقابل هدف أمام منتخب هولندا.

وواجه منتخب هولندا للشباب خصمه الإنجليزي، ضمن منافسات نصف نهائي كأس الأمم الأوروبية تحت 21 عاما، على ملعب “تيهيلنه بوله” بمدينة براتيسلافا عاصمة سلوفاكيا.

اقرأ أيضاً.. موقف مبابي من مباراة ريال مدريد وسالزبورج في كأس العالم للأندية

انتهى الشوط الأول سلبي النتيجة بين المنتخبين، وشهد أفضلية في الاستحواذ والسيطرة لصالح منتخب الأسود الثلاثة.

ونجح هارفي إليوت في تسجيل الهدف الأول للمنتخب الإنجليزي بحلول الدقيقة 62 من عمر المباراة.

فيما تمكن نواه أوهايو من تسجيل هدف التعادل لصالح هولندا بالدقيقة 72، واستطاع هارفي إليوت نجم ليفربول إحراز الهدف الثاني له ولإنجلترا في الدقيقة 86.

بهذا الفوز، يتمكن منتخب إنجلترا من التأهل إلى نهائي كأس الأمم الأوروبية “يورو تحت 21 عامًا”، في انتظار الفائز من مواجهة ألمانيا وفرنسا مساء اليوم في نصف النهائي الآخر.

Both were given year-long contracts in which they will also oversee the 2023 domestic season

Umar Farooq16-Feb-2023

Former Pakistan opener Imran Farhat and fast bowler Naved-ul-Hasan are set to join Afghanistan’s high performance centre in Kabul as batting and bowling coaches respectively. Both were given year-long contracts in which they will also oversee the 2023 domestic season.Since the Taliban took over in the country, Afghanistan cricket has revamped its corporate and domestic cricket structure and invested to upgrade the facilities in Kabul to include a high performance centre. Afghanistan has seven domestic tournaments covering all three formats, that run from February to November and both coaches will also be involved in selecting players for the development programme. The national high performance centre is responsible for picking players from the domestic circuit and setting up a pathway to keep them ready for the national teams.”As part of the ACB’s goals for the players and game development in Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Cricket Board is looking forward to welcoming more renowned individuals to its National High Performance Centre,” the ACB said in a statement.Naved had a prominent career for Pakistan from 2003 to 2010, especially in ODIs. His Test career saw just nine matches for 18 wickets, but his 74 ODIs fetched him 110 wickets and his four T20Is saw him bag five wickets. His domestic career was a lot more prolific, playing 156 first-class, 197 one-dayers and 126 T20s for 1095 wickets combined in all three formats. After his playing days, Naved started his own cricket academy in his native city Sheikhupura, in Punjab, and most recently worked in the Pakistan domestic set-up as an assistant coach with Central Punjab’s second XI and had a short stint as a bowling consultant with UAE as well.Similarly, Farhat had a formidable domestic career with nearly 16,000 first-class runs in 230 games, 7572 in 220 one-day innings, and 1636 runs in 69 T20s. His international career lasted 12 years, from 2001 to 2013, for 40 Tests, 58 ODIs and seven T20I. He has been working as a coach after retiring in 2020 with successful stints with Central Punjab’s second XI to win titles in all formats last season. He has also been working with domestic Under-19 teams and was the batting coach with Bahawalpur Royal – which won the Pakistan Junior League title.This isn’t the first time the ACB has roped in Pakistan coaches. Inzamam-ul-Haq and Rashid Latif had worked with the Afghanistan team as head coaches. Umar Gul recently completed his one-year contract as bowling coach with the national set-up. Kabir Khan had the longest stint with them and played a significant role to uplift Afghanistan cricket in the early days of development in the country, when he helped them qualify for three T20 World Cups in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

Leicester City are now prepared to shell out £2m to secure their next manager after parting ways with Steve Cooper, it has been reported, and he is keen to move to the King Power Stadium.

Leicester part ways with Steve Cooper

Leicester City announced that they had parted ways with Cooper 24 hours after their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea in their most recent Premier League outing, with the news coming as a shock to plenty.

Though they had only won twice all season, the Foxes remained clear of the relegation zone and had faced tough fixtures that included games against Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea in their opening games.

“Leicester City Football Club has parted company with Steve Cooper, who leaves his position as first-team manager with immediate effect”, an official statement read.

“Assistant manager Alan Tate and first-team coach and analyst Steve Rands have also left the club. Steve, Alan and Steve depart with our thanks for their contribution during their time with the club and with our best wishes for the future.

“Men’s first-team training will be overseen by first-team coach Ben Dawson, supported by coaches Danny Alcock and Andy Hughes, as the club begins the process of appointing a new manager, which we hope to conclude as soon as possible.”

There has since been plenty of speculation about who could come in to take the hot seat at the King Power Stadium, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy heavily linked with the vacancy, while the likes of David Moyes and Graham Potter have also been touted as possibilities. Now, though, a new option has emerged.

Leicester ready to pay £2m to secure top choice manager

That comes according to reports in Spain, which insist that the Foxes are continuing to keep close tabs on West Brom boss Carlos Corberan, and are now ready to trigger the £2m release clause in his contract at The Hawthorns.

Corberan has enjoyed a strong spell at West Brom, though he is currently going through something of a slump himself, with the Baggies having won just one of their last 11 outings and having drawn eight of those games.

Nonetheless, he has been labelled an “elite” coach by Football recruitment expert Petar Petrov on X, who claimed that “the job of an elite coach is to push his team to a level above what is expected of that group of players. That’s what Carlos Corberán is doing at West Brom and what he did previously at Huddersfield Town”.

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That would certainly be what he would have to do at Leicester too, with the current Foxes squad awash with Championship talent and few true superstars among their ranks.

As per Marca [via Sport Witness], Leicester City are ready to pay Corberan’s £2m release clause at West Brom, and they believe that he could be the man to steer them away from the drop zone.

Meanwhile, GiveMeSport add that “Corberan would be keen on the job, and he would even be willing to leave West Brom during the middle of the season if he was offered the job in the East Midlands”.

The Baggies boss is “seen as a strong, stylistic fit and Leicester believe that the Spaniard would be able to build upon Maresca’s system”, with the players having shown their desire to return to that sort of football already this season.

Will Corberan be the next man in the Leicester hot-seat?

MatériaMais Notícias

da betobet： Nesta segunda-feira (5), torcedores do São Paulo marcaram presença na frente dos portões do estádio do Morumbi. O protesto começou no início da reunião feita para a votação referente àreforma do estatuto que prevê a autorização da reeleição do presidente Julio Casares.

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Opresidente do Conselho Deliberativo do São Paulo, Olten Ayres de Abreu Júnior, agendou para esta segunda-feira, às 18h30, a reunião do órgão que votará a proposta que permite a reeleição dele e do presidente do clube.

Porém, de acordo cominformações confirmadas pelo LANCE!, o resultado que determinará se a medida será aprovada ou não só será divulgado na terça-feira (6). Isso porque a votação ficará aberta até amanhã (6/9).

Conforme o que já foi revelado pelo L! anteriormente, é o primeiro passo para a medida voltar ao estatuto do Tricolor após sua saída em reforma promovida pelo antecessor Carlos Augusto Barros e Silva, o Leco, em 2017.

Caso o Conselho aprove a volta da reeleição às normas são-paulinas, uma assembleia geral de sócios deverá ser convocada para que a proposta passe pelo crivo dos associados no Morumbi.

Nas redes sociais, de forma antecipada, um grupo de torcedores já havia se organizado para ir ao Morumbi em forma de protesto contra a medida.

Um perfil no Twitter, denominado de ‘Movimento 1930’, informou mais cedo nesta segunda-feira (5) que estaria na frente do portão 17 durante a votação – que acontece de forma online, e como dito antes, só será resolvida na terça-feira (6).

-Enquanto os nobres Conselheiros, presididos pelo Sr. Olten, se reunirão a portas fechadas para aprovar uma mudança estatutária em benefício do grupelho que comanda o clube há 10 anos, estaremos na frente do PORTÃO 17 para lembrá-los de que o SPFC é da torcida – postou o perfil.

O LANCE!apurou que o protesto tinha cerca de 40 pessoas, todos do lado de fora e sem poder entrar no clube de fato. Ainda foi informado ao L! que havia algumas pessoas presentes que não se identificaram como funcionários do São Paulo, mas estavam no local para impedir qualquer situação maior. Sobre a votação, como de costume, feita de portas fechadas.

De acordo com informações levantadas pelo jornalista Giovanni Chacon, da ‘JovemPan’, alguns torcedores presentes na manifestação tentaram entrar de forma pacífica por um portão aberto do estádio em busca de membros envolvidos na votação, porém foram retirados.

O mandato dos dois envolvidos termina no final do próximo ano. A principal justificativa envolta nisso tudo é que três anos de mandato não seriam suficientes para arcar com as demandas do clube do Morumbi.

Também adiantado pelo LANCE!, o entendimento dentro do órgão é que a gestão de Julio Casares está sendo positiva para ‘reconstrução’ que o São Paulo enfrenta – principalmente no quesito financeiro, uma vez que atravessa uma dívida estimada em mais de R$700 milhões.

Tottenham are looking to get ahead of Barcelona in the race to sign a new target for Ange Postecolgou in the January transfer window, according to a fresh report from Spain.

Tottenham draw 2-2 with Wolves

Spurs failed to record a first Premier League win in three on Sunday, drawing 2-2 at home to Wolves. Tottenham came from behind thanks to goals from Rodrigo Bentancur and Brennan Johnson, however, Jorgen Strand Larsen’s late equaliser made it just one point from nine in the last seven days.

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The Australian has been made aware that he could be available next month.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 28, 2024

The result leaves Tottenham in the bottom half at the halfway stage of the season, with the club miles away from challenging for European football next campaign.

Fortunately, with the January transfer window just around the corner, Tottenham will have the chance to strengthen their squad as they look for a better second half of the campaign, with Postecoglou keen to add new blood to his ranks in the next month.

Ahead of the Nottingham Forest defeat, the Australian coach explained: “Like I said a while ago, we’ve been planning. A lot of it was going to be around where we’re at around this time. [It’s] fair to say we’re still a little bit short in a couple of areas and we need to reinforce.”

A defender and a new forward are reportedly on their wishlist, and now they may have found a new option to bolster their backline.

Tottenham in race for defender who could leave in January

Spurs have been linked with moves for the likes of Ben Godfrey and Abdukodir Khusanov already ahead of the January transfer window, but have now been handed another, more unlikely name.

Now, a report from Spain has claimed that Tottenham are now in the mix with Barcelona and several other clubs around Europe to land Rayo Vallecano defender Andrei Ratiu in January, with the defender “very likely to leave” the La Liga side in January.

Though Ratiu is under contract until 2028, the report claims that the defender is set to leave this winter after a string of impressive performances. An international teammate of current Spurs defender Radu Dragusin, Ratiu has a €25m [£20.7m] release clause in his deal in Spain, which the report suggests could be triggered this winter.

Alongside Barcelona and Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma are all named as potential destinations, with Barcelona reportedly having an advantage due to strong agent relations. However, the Catalan club currently have no money to sign new players in January, already struggling to register summer signing Dani Olmo for the second half of the season, leaving them an unlikely destination for the 26-year-old.

Despite that, a move to Tottenham seems equally far-fetched unless there is an exit from north London, with Ratiu’s 16 appearances this season having all come at right back, where Spurs are already well-stocked with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence, while Archie Gray also spent much of his Leeds career at fullback.

Position

Games played

Right Back

143

Right Midfield

9

Right winger

7

Left back

3

Centre back

1

Therefore, though a transfer may be likely for the Romanian defender, it seems unlikely that it will be to north London this January, with a centre-back likely to be far more of a priority for Postecoglou and co given their current situation.

da gbg bet： Liverpool fell behind and Leicester City fostered hopes of scoring an unlikely upset at Anfield, but Arne Slot’s crew knew their jobs and operated like consummate and cultured professionals.

da poker： The campaign is less than a week away from the new year, and the dream of lifting the Premier League title is starting to take a tangible shape. Liverpool have simply been the best club in England this term, so stylish and skilful and single-minded in their drive toward stardom.

Leicester fought their fight and they fought it well, but when an outfit is rooted in such deep conviction and belief, anything feels achievable and the Reds have married such belief with the abundance of talent layered through Anfield’s first team.

Jordan Ayew struck early, but Liverpool’s sharpest attacking points made sure to turn the situation on its head and send the Reds seven points clear.

Liverpool's best performers vs Leicester

There’s a burning passion within this crop of players, desperate to reach the loftiest heights this season. Liverpool faced adversity yet again against the Foxes but stuck to their plan and triumphed.

Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones and Mohamed Salah bagged the goals, all three taking their strikes well as they propelled Liverpool deeper into the driving seat. Even if Arsenal defeat Ipswich Town this evening, the Merseysiders will be six points clear with a game in hand.

Reporter DavidOCKOP said that “it wasn’t as fluid up front as it was at Tottenham but Liverpool found a way.” This is true, but with players borne with as much ball-striking quality as Gakpo and Salah, and with midfielders like Jones blessed with the positional sense to anticipate and guide home following slick sequences, Liverpool are in good hands.

But what about the unsung hero? He didn’t score, but Alexis Mac Allister was perhaps the architect of a well-earned victory, assisting twice and producing an all-encompassing midfield performance to behold.

Alexis Mac Allister was Liverpool's unsung hero

Mac Allister hasn’t stolen the headlines this season, but his tactical intelligence and combative presence have added the steel that Liverpool’s midfield requires alongside the elegant Ryan Gravenberch.

He’s only notched five goal contributions across 24 matches in all competitions this year, but he’s thrived through non-goal-metric parameters, winning possession, controlling play and creating openings from where his attack-minded peers can strike.

Against Leicester, The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle praised Mac Allister, 25, for his technical quality and link-up play, acknowledging the ‘very accomplished’ performance and awarding him an 8/10 match rating.

As per Sofascore, Mac Allister complemented his brace of assists by taking control, seeing 70 touches of the ball, completing 88% of his passes, winning a whopping eight duels and four tackles besides.

With yet another all-encompassing display in the engine room, Liverpool’s Argentina sensation is beginning to look like the second coming of Philippe Coutinho, perhaps even more dynamic and complete than the former Anfield hero, albeit lacking some of the Brazilian’s raw panache and balletic art.

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Liverpool signed Coutinho from Inter Milan for a shrewd £8.5m fee in January 2013 and fashioned him into one of Europe’s eminent playmakers, with his remarkable displays in England’s top flight impelling Barcelona to fork out a staggering £142m fee for his signature in January 2018.

Below are Coutinho’s metrics at Liverpool in the half-season before his move to Spain. He never restored the same giddy heights.

Philippe Coutinho: PL Stats 17/18

Match Stats

#

Matches (starts)

14 (13)

Goals

7

Assists

6

Pass accuracy

79%

Key passes*

2.9

Dribbles*

2.8

Tackles*

1.2

Total duels won*

5.6

Stats via Sofascore (* = per game)

As you can see, Coutinho was a creative “genius”, as he was once described by Klopp, but also made sure to get stuck in; he rarely shirked from his defensive duties and dived in for the duel.

Mac Allister is the latest iteration. He’s different, not so awe-inspiring. Not quite. Instead, Slot has his own perfect version, and while Salah and so on stepped into the limelight with a resounding goalscoring showing, let’s tip our hats to the man in the middle who’s making this absurdly good Liverpool side tick.

Related Now worth more than Trent: Slot hit gold on Liverpool's "coach's dream"

This Liverpool star has been especially important in recent weeks.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Dec 25, 2024