أوضح بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي، موقفه من إمكانية إبرام النادي لتعاقدات جديدة، خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفي الجاري.
وكان مانشستر سيتي تعاقد مع ريان شرقي وريان آيت نوري وتيجاني ريندرز هذا الصيف، بعد التعاقد مع عمر مرموش ونيكو جونزاليس وعبد القادر خوسانوف وفيتور ريس في انتقالات يناير الماضي.
وفي تصريحات نشرها موقع مانشستر سيتي الرسمي، قال جوارديولا: “سوق الانتقالات يشهد تغييرات كبيرة، وستحدث أمور كثيرة”.
وأضاف مدرب مانشستر سيتي: “سنرى، ما سيحدث سيحدث، وسنتعامل معه بأفضل طريقة ممكنة”.
اقرأ أيضًا | جوارديولا يوضح حالة فودين ورودري وموقفهما من مباراة مانشستر سيتي الأولى في الدوري الإنجليزي
وتابع: “أنت تعرف رأيي، لا أحب كثرة اللاعبين، أحد أسباب انتقال فيتور ريس إلى جيرونا، على سبيل المثال”.
وأتم: “أحب فيتور كثيرًا، لديه مستقبل باهر، لكنني لا أريده أن يبقى في المنزل كل عطلة نهاية أسبوع”.
وكان مانشستر سيتي أعلن انتقال فيتور ريس على سبيل الإعارة لمدة موسم واحد (موسم 2025-2026).
ويأتي ذلك بعد أشهر من انضمامه لمانشستر سيتي قادمًا من بالميراس البرازيلي بعقد لمدة 4 سنوات ونصف، حتى صيف 2029.
Brighton & Hove Albion take on Chelsea in the FA Cup on Saturday evening, with the two Premier League sides looking to book a spot in the last 16.
The Seagulls, who have never won the famous cup competition, host the Blues, who have lifted the trophy on eight occasions.
FA Cup 2024/25: Cup final details, results, TV picks & more
Find all the latest and key FA Cup info here ahead of the weekend’s final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.
1 ByRoss Kilvington May 12, 2025
Both clubs will fancy their chances of making it to Wembley come May, with this meeting a welcome distraction from the pressures of the Premier League.
Brighton v Chelsea team news Brighton
The Seagulls have a long injury list with Mats Wieffer, Jason Steele, James Milner, Solly March, Ferdi Kadioglu, Carlos Baleba, Yasin Ayari, Igor and Pervis Estupinan all missing last time out against Nottingham Forest.
Fabian Hürzeler has revealed that Wieffer is back in training and March is making good progress, however, none of the players are set to return this weekend.
Chelsea
Chelsea’s absentees last time out were Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile, and Omari Kellyman. All of them look set to miss the match against Brighton.
Marc Guiu has also suffered a ‘bad’ injury, as revealed by Enzo Maresca, whereas Nicolas Jackson is also a doubt for the trip to south coast.
Where to watch Brighton v Chelsea on TV
The fixture between Brighton and Chelsea was selected to be shown live by ITV. Scheduled to kick-off at 8pm (GMT) on Saturday 8, February, ITV4 will broadcast the match live, whereas viewers can also stream the game on ITVX.
In the USA, the match will be streamed on ESPN+, and in Canada, live on TV with channel Sportsnet.
Brighton v Chelsea referee and is there VAR?
Despite the match being played by two Premier League clubs, there will be no VAR for the fourth-round tie, with the FA deciding to introduce Video Assistant Referees from the fifth round.
Therefore, the man with all the power will be referee Jarred Gillett. The Australian will be assisted by Darren Cann and Sam Lewis, with the fourth official being Stephen Martin. Gillett, 38, has taken charge of eight Chelsea games and seven for Brighton in the past.
Games
7
8
Record
4W, 0D, 3L
3W, 4D, 1L
Cards received
9 Yellow, 0 Red
15 Yellow, 1 Red
Cards to opponents
10 Yellow, 0 Red
11 Yellow, 0 Red
Penalties for/against
3/2
3/0
Brighton v Chelsea form Brighton
A few weeks ago, Brighton were on course to be coming into this FA Cup clash in fine form and full of confidence. However, back-to-back defeats in the Premier League to Everton and Nottingham Forest have changed that.
Hürzeler’s side lost 1-0 to Everton then shipped seven against Forest last time out, leaving them 10th in the Premier League.
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
Sat 1st Feb
Nottingham Forest (a)
Premier League
L 7-0
Sat 25th Jan
Everton (h)
Premier League
L 0-1
Sun 19th Jan
Man Utd (a)
Premier League
W 1-3
Thu 16th Jan
Ipswich (a)
Premier League
W 0-2
Sat 11th Jan
Norwich (a)
FA Cup
W 0-4
Chelsea
Meanwhile, Chelsea, who ended 2024 with successive defeats against Fulham and Ipswich Town, have also struggled for consistency which has seen them drift away from the title race.
A defeat to Manchester City last time on their travels, Maresca’s Blues did manage to come from behind to beat West Ham last time out to keep them in the top four.
Date
Opponent
Competition
Result
Mon 3rd Feb
West Ham (h)
Premier League
W 2-1
Sat 25th Jan
Man City (a)
Premier League
L 3-1
Mon 20th Jan
Wolves (h)
Premier League
W 3-1
Tue 14th Jan
Bournemouth (h)
Premier League
D 2-2
Sat 11th Jan
Morecambe (h)
FA Cup
W 5-0
Brighton v Chelsea head-to-head
Before Brighton’s promotion to the Premier League in 2017, the two sides only met on a handful of occasions, with all four of their first games coming in the FA Cup.
The sides met in 1933, twice in 1967 and again in 1973 and overall, it is Chelsea who have the better record between the two sides.
da doce： Defender o seu país, dentro de campo, é aquela oportunidade que poucos atletas possuem em um cenário cada vez mais competitivo no futebol. Porém, o jovem Juan Mario, atleta do sub-20 do São Caetano, está entre esses privilegiados.
Há quatro meses no Brasil, o jogador de nacionalidade boliviana foi pré-convocado para a seleção sub-20 do seu país. Motivo de grande satisfação, principalmente para quem ainda está iniciando uma história no esporte mais popular do mundo.
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da pinup bet： – Ser convocado é motivo de felicidade, pois tenho orgulho em representar meu país – disse o jovem, de 17 anos, que pode atuar tanto na lateral esquerda ou mais avançado como um extremo, dependendo da vontade do treinador.
Ao longo do tempo, não é novidade os jovens de outras nacionalidades se aventurarem no futebol brasileiro. No entanto, esse desafio já demonstrou ser de grande importância pelo desenvolvimento daqueles que buscam se destacar atuando no país pentacampeão mundial.
Diante disso, Juan Mario ressalta como jogar e viver o dia a dia no Brasil está sendo crucial pelo seu crescimento como atleta.
– Jogar pelo sub-20 do São Caetano está ajudando no meu desenvolvimento como jogador, primeiro por jogar com nomes três, dois ou um ano mais velhos do que eu. Além disso, também está ajudando a deixar o meu futebol mais dinâmico, pois posso utilizar constantemente as minhas habilidades – explicou.
Esse caso de Juan Mario não é o primeiro na base do São Caetano. Outro jogador sul-americano que estava no clube acabou defendendo a sua seleção. No passado, o goleiro colombiano Alvaro Montero, hoje no Millonarios-COL, repetiu os mesmos passos.
da doce： O Atlético-MG segue em busca da contratação de Patrick. O negócio é considerado complicado e chegou a esfriar, já que o São Paulo fez mudanças nas tratativas iniciais, mas as partes prometem nova reunião nesta semana para definir o futuro do jogador. As informações são do “GE” e foram confirmadas pelo LANCE!.
+Vaivém do LANCE!: confira as transferências dos clubes brasileiros no Mercado da Bola
O momento é de muita cautela por parte do Atlético-MG, que não quer sair do planejamento financeiro para realizar a contratação. A oferta inicial do Galo havia sido aceita pelo São Paulo, mas a diretoria do clube paulista optou por fazer mudanças nos trâmites e afastou a equipe mineira. Agora, as partes tentam chegar em um denominador comum.
+Diálogo, irritação e Ceni de olho no Galo: entenda os bastidores entre as diretorias de Atlético-MG e São Paulo
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da dobrowin： Vale destacar que o Atlético-MG trabalha com duas ‘cartas na manga’ para tentar fechar a contratação de Patrick. Como o jogador tem contrato com o São Paulo até dezembro de 2023, ele poderia assinar um pré-contrato a partir de julho, mas dependeria de liberação antecipada do Tricolor para entrar em campo pelo Galo neste ano.
+Alvo do Flamengo, Quintero abre o jogo sobre negociação: ‘Espero que dê certo. Estou ansioso’
Patrick também tem vontade de vestir a camisa do Atlético-MG e reeditar a dupla com Edenílson, mas depende das negociações entre cartolas mineiros e paulistas. O meia foi um dos destaques de 2022 no São Paulo, tendo marcado nove gols e distribuído sete assistências em 54 jogos disputados.
Also says India need to play fearless cricket to overcome pressure of home World Cup
PTI and ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2023AB de Villiers feels that India batter Suryakumar Yadav, the world’s No. 1 T20I batter, needs a slight tweak in his mindset in order to replicate his success in the 50-over format.Suryakumar, who has managed to hold onto his spot in India’s squad for the upcoming World Cup, averages only 24.33 in ODIs, with only two half-centuries in 24 innings with a strike-rate of 101.38. Suryakumar himself has referred to these numbers as “really bad”.Related
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“You guys know I’m a big fan (of Surya). He plays in a similar manner to how I used to play, but in ODIs, he hasn’t cracked it yet,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel. “It is a tiny little mind switch that he’s got to make, and he’s got all the ability and capabilities that he needs to do that.”I am very relieved to see SKY in the World Cup squad, I’m very happy about it. I hope he gets this opportunity in this World Cup. Looking at the balance of the Indian squad, he might not start, but a World Cup is a long tournament. So let’s see what happens then.”
‘Home pressure will be India’s big obstacle’
De Villiers also said that the best way for Rohit Sharma’s team to approach the World Cup is to “go fearless” in their bid to replicate their 2011 home ODI World Cup win.”I think India’s squad is incredible, really, really strong,” he said. “The only worry I have for India is playing at home. They played in India, they won. There will be huge pressure. That’s the only big obstacle in my opinion.”But if they can get rid of that and just free themselves up, I see no problem for India. Control what you can control. But go fearless. Fearless is the word I’m looking for the Indian squad. If they can do that, they’ll go a long way and most probably lift that trophy.”Asked about Sanju Samson’s exclusion from the World Cup squad, De Villiers said: “I don’t have to say much about him. We know what he’s capable of.”I’ve been on the receiving end for Royal Challengers Bangalore, watching him score 92 not out at the Chinnaswamy. The ball was flying all over the place. He’s also got the conventional cricket game and technique where he plays with a straight bat, plays the ball nicely. He’s got a good pull and hook shot.”He’s got everything in his bag. It’s all in the mind and it’s a matter of adapting to ODI and game plans and the World Cup and the pressure thereof. So yes, two great players.”
Bas de Leede put in an all-round performance for the ages as Netherlands stunned Scotland to book their ticket to the 2023 men’s ODI World Cup in India. First, de Leede’s maiden five-wicket haul helped Netherlands restrict Scotland to 277 for 9. Netherlands needed to chase that down inside 44 overs to trump Scotland on net run-rate. Around the halfway mark, they looked all but out of the contest, before de Leede smashed 123 off 92 balls, his first ODI century, to power them over the line in 42.5 overs, with four wickets to spare.This will be Netherlands’ fifth appearance in the men’s ODI World Cup. They last featured in the 2011 edition. De Leede, meanwhile, became only the fourth player to score a hundred and take five wickets in a men’s ODI, reducing Brandon McMullen’s equally outstanding hundred for Scotland to a footnote.In the morning, Scott Edwards opted to bowl citing help for seamers in the first hour, and Logan van Beek duly sent Matthew Cross’ off stump cartwheeling in the opening over of the match. Christopher McBride and McMullen ensured Scotland didn’t lose another wicket in the first ten overs. While McBride struggled with timing, McMullen looked at ease. He used his feet well, often coming down the track to try to disrupt the Netherlands seamers’ lengths.McBride chipped in with two successive fours off left-arm spinner Clayton Floyd in the tenth over but fell to de Leede in the next when he pulled straight to short midwicket. De Leede picked up his second wicket when George Munsey gloved a pull that was caught down the leg side.That left Scotland 64 for 3 in the 15th over, but McMullen was looking more and more comfortable by now.Through a perfect alchemy of timing and power, he put up an exhibition of eye-catching strokes. In the 11th over, he timed offspinner Aryan Dutt over long-off for his first six. A few overs later, he went down the pitch to a short ball from de Leede and smashed it over mid-on. To bring up his fifty – off 63 balls – he lofted Ryan Klein over wide long-off for another six, and then chipped Floyd over extra cover for back-to-back fours.Brandon McMullen scored his second ODI century•ICC/Getty Images
McMullen reached his hundred off 106 balls, with a punched four through extra-cover off van Beek. He and Richie Berrington added 137 off 135 balls for the fourth wicket, and took the side past 200 in the 38th over. Scotland were eyeing a total in excess of 300, but the late strikes from Klein and de Leede reined them in. Klein first had McMullen caught behind and then left Michael Leask’s stumps in disarray to make it 207 for 5.Berrington held one end up and brought up his half-century but couldn’t provide the impetus. He was on 64 when de Leede uprooted his middle stump. Shortly afterwards, de Leede sent back Chris Greaves and Mark Watt off consecutive deliveries to complete his five-for. All that meant Scotland could score only 74 in the last 12 overs.Max O’Dowd and Vikramjit Singh gave Netherlands a steady start of 65 in 12.4 overs before Michael Leask trapped both lbw in successive overs. The loss of Wesley Barresi and Teja Nidamanuru in a short interval further dented Netherlands’ chances, leaving them needing 170 in 20 overs to qualify.De Leede was on 19 off 30 at that stage. He and Edwards revived the chase by hitting four fours in four balls, across the 25th and 26th overs. The pair added 55 in 44 balls before Edwards failed to connect with a sweep against Watt and was lbw.Even at this point, Scotland were the favourites; Netherlands needed 115 in 13.1 overs with half their side back in the pavilion. And when the next three overs produced just 12 runs, it became 102 required from ten overs.With Netherlands’ backs against the wall, de Leede went on an all-out attack. He started by hitting Watt for a six before picking up two fours off Safyaan Sharif a couple of overs later. Saqib Zulfiqar too found the occasional boundary to keep Netherlands abreast with the required rate.With 45 needed in four overs, it was even-stevens. That’s when de Leede went into overdrive, hitting four sixes in a space of ten balls that also included a maximum from Zulfiqar. One of those hits took de Leede to his hundred, off just 85 balls. By the team he was run out, Netherlands needed just two from 11 balls. They got them in singles.
Manchester City conceded two late goals as Real Madrid came from behind to win 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie, courtesy of match-winner Jude Bellingham.
55%
Posession
45%
11
Shots
20
4
On target
8
9
Fouls
6
6
Corners
5
Man City player ratings Ederson – 5
Was on course for a fine evening of work before gifting Real Madrid and former Blue Brahim Diaz their second by uncharacteristically conceding possession late on.
Josko Gvardiol – 7
Once again the defender was at the heart of all of City’s impressive work going forward and even got an assist to his name for Haaland’s opening goal.
Nathan Ake – 6.5
Faced a difficult time up against Vinicius and didn’t always have things his own way, but Ake stood firm for the majority of his time on the pitch before he was replaced by Mateo Kovacic.
Ruben Dias – 7
City have missed their commanding defender and even as injuries fell around him, Dias often remained solid despite shipping what were frustrating goals.
Manuel Akanji – 7
Summing up their injury issues, Akanji became the second City player forced off with injury at the break to add to Pep Guardiola’s woes. Prior to that, however, the Swiss – to his credit – did well up against an energetic Vinicius Junior.
John Stones – 8
In the defensive midfield role as Guardiola’s latest attempt to replace Rodri, Stones’ performance puts him in good stead to once again feature in what could provide a crucial solution for Man City at the heart of their midfield.
Savio – 5
The Brazilian endured a frustratingly quiet game for his standards, struggling to get on the ball and make the desired impact as Real Madrid pushed him back with offensive outlets of their own.
Kevin de Bruyne – 6.5
For all his hard work when he got himself on the ball, De Bruyne struggled to do exactly that one too many times. In the end, his lack of influence proved costly on a big night for his side.
Bernardo Silva – 6
A midfielder who’s struggled to maintain his standards at times this season, Silva once again performed below what he is capable of just when Guardiola needs his most experienced men to step up.
Jack Grealish – 7
Forced off after just 30 minutes, Grealish didn’t need beyond the half hour mark to make his mark on Real Madrid having played Gvardiol in behind in the build-up to Erling Haaland’s opener.
Erling Haaland – 9
In truth, there wasn’t a lot more that Haaland could do. Finding the opening effort in routine fashion, the forward then stepped up to take responsibility from the penalty spot and score what many believed would be the winner.
Substitutes: Phil Foden – 7, Rico Lewis – 6.5, Mateo Kovavic – 6.5
Real Madrid player ratings Thibaut Courtois – 7
Although it was a rarity, the goalkeeper did well – as ever – to keep out the majority of Manchester City danger. Up against Haaland, the Belgian could do nothing to stand in the way of both goals.
Federico Valverde – 7
You wouldn’t know that Federico Valverde was out of position based on his performance up against the Premier League champions – albeit the hurt champions – with the midfielder enjoying an impressive display.
Aurelien Tchouameni – 7
Like Valverde, Tchouameni performed well out-of-position and highlighted how Madrid have been doing well to solve problems of their own in recent weeks.
Raul Asencio – 6.5
A young defender alongside an out-of-position midfielder, not many will have any complaints about Asencio’s performance at The Etihad as he largely kept Manchester City at arm’s length.
Ferland Mendy – 6
Whilst he didn’t struggle defensively, Mendy was guilty of spurning a chance that should have been converted in the opening period which Carlo Ancelotti would have wanted to fall to almost anyone else.
Rodrygo – 7
Mbappe and Bellingham will get the credit, but Rodrygo stood out in his own right throughout a frantic affair.
Eduardo Camavinga – 7
As the old guard in Real Madrid’s midfield bow out, Camavinga has stepped up on the biggest stage to make his mark in their place.
Dani Ceballos – 6.5
Back on English soil, Ceballos loses marks for conceding the penalty on what was otherwise an well-rounded evening from the former Arsenal man.
Jude Bellingham – 7.5
The match winner to turn a quiet game into an electric evening, Bellingham was always likely to have his say at The Etihad and that he did.
Vinicius Junior – 7
In front of fans who were quick to remind him about his recent failures, Vinicius was among the stars of the show as he laid down a marker in front of an on-watching Rodri.
Kylian Mbappe – 7
Although wasteful at times, Mbappe still made his mark with a well-timed equaliser in somewhat scrappy fashion.
Substitutes: Luka Modric – 6, Brahim Diaz – 8, Fran Garcia – 7
Six-wicket haul follows century as Middlesex are made to suffer by Hampshire
ECB Reporters Network26-Jun-2023Liam Dawson forcefully put forward his case to play a part in this summer’s Ashes series with a century and six wickets as Hampshire set up a rout on Middlesex in the LV= Insurance County Championship.Spinning all-rounder Dawson was overlooked by England for the previously retired Moeen Ali when Jack Leach suffered a lower back stress fracture for the first Test against Australia, before teenager Rehan Ahmed jumped ahead of him for the upcoming second Test.But having been decisive in his 141 with the bat, he tore through Middlesex with his left-arm spin to claim six for 38 – and leave Middlesex 142 for eight at close.Earlier, Hampshire had been bowled out for 419 with Josh de Caires picking up career-best figures of seven for 144.Dawson had shrugged off being slighted by England the previous evening, saying: “It doesn’t really affect me. I’ve not expected to play Test cricket for a long time. To me if it happens then brilliant, if not then it doesn’t bother me.”The clamour behind Dawson has been backed by a strong start to the season with both facets of his game and a deep level of experience.His 16 wickets is the most for any Championship spinner who is English-qualified and fit – only Leach and South African Simon Harmer have more – while his 384 runs is in the top 30 in the top tier. Add to that 13 Vitality Blast wickets and his finisher runs coming at a 176 strike rate.He was introduced in the 12th over, after Mohammad Abbas had already nicked off Mark Stoneman, and immediately started with a double wicket maiden.Pieter Malan was hit on the back pad before Max Holden stumbled in front of a turner.Sam Robson tried to hang around with 38 off 81 but dangled behind to leave Middlesex in a troubling 66 for four.After a period of regular lbw shouts and tightness from both ends, Dawson’s bowling took another aspect; he added exaggerated bounce to his turn.Ryan Higgins was the first to be surprised when he edged behind, two balls later John Simpson fended to short leg and then Luke Hollman stepped back to be pinned in front of his stumped. For Dawson it was three wickets in six balls.It also handed him his second sixth wicket haul in successive home matches, and left the visitors 88 for seven.De Caires and Toby Roland-Jones scored 48 swiftly before the latter swung Felix Organ to Dawson at midwicket. De Caires ended a personally successful day unbeaten on 24, but his side in danger of being asked to follow on.Dawson had begun his day with bat in hand continuing his mammoth fifth wicket stand with Nick Gubbins, with all eyes on the former Middlesex man’s quest to reach three figures.It eventually came with a steer down the third after 14 more dots to add to his 277-ball vigil – by far the slowest of his 15 first-class centuries.He eventually fell for a 318-ball 120 when de Caires had him caught at backward point on the reverse sweep, with Dawson caught at slip playing the same shot soon after.There were scores of 40 for James Fuller and Felix Organ as Hampshire slowly pushed over 400 but other than Hollman having Fuller stumped, it was de Caires’ moment.De Caires has been seen primarily as a batter growing up but the 21-year-old took the lead with his off-spin – with each wicket celebrated with genuine glee.His 47.3 overs during the innings was more than the 46 overs combined he had previously managed during his embryonic first-class career, for a single wicket. Keith Barker was lbw to one which stayed low, Kyle Abbott was caught swinging to first slip and Organ holed out to deep midwicket.His seven-for better his father, former England captain, Michael Atherton’s leg-spinning best of six for 78 – and was the seventh-best away Championship bowling figures at the Ageas Bowl.
Liverpool took a huge step towards claiming the Premier League title this afternoon, beating defending champions Manchester City 2-0 at the Etihad.
Goals from Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai secured all three points for Arne Slot’s side, claiming their first victory against the Citizens on their home turf in a decade.
The victory moves the Reds 11 points clear of second-placed Arsenal, with just 11 games remaining, looking in a superb place to secure a first title in five years.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot on the touchline against Lille
It would be a phenomenal achievement by the Dutchman after taking the reins in the summer, providing the perfect transition after Jürgen Klopp stepped away from the role.
Numerous players impressed in Manchester during the victory, playing a pivotal role in moving the side one step closer to bringing the title back to Anfield.
Liverpool’s star performers against Man City
Egyptian winger Salah provided the goods for Liverpool once again this afternoon, getting himself on the scoresheet for the 25th time in just 27 matches.
The 32-year-old also registered an assist for their second goal, making it the 11th game in the league throughout 2024/25 in which he had achieved such a feat.
In a game where Slot’s men only had 34% of the ball, it was pivotal that the backline resisted the pressure from the hosts, something which played perfectly into the hands of Virgil van Dijk.
The Dutchman made nine clearances, eight of which were with his head, winning 75% of the ground duels he entered – maintaining a clean sheet for the 11th time this campaign.
However, despite the performances of the aforementioned duo, one other first-team star produced a magnificent display in the North West, massively boosting their title credentials.
Performance in Numbers
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The Liverpool player who may have just won them the title
For the clash against Pep Guardiola’s side, Slot produced a tactical masterclass that saw the Reds switch to a 4-2-4 system, operating without a recognised striker despite having Darwin Núñez and Cody Gakpo on the bench.
It allowed for two false nines to drop into a deeper role along with the two central midfielders, creating a four-man box system in the middle – subsequently outnumbering the hosts in the centre of the park.
Curtis Jones was one of the players who operated in the aforementioned role, along with Szoboszlai – with the latter producing a performance to remember at the Etihad.
Despite the slightly unfamiliar role, the Hungarian international starred throughout, registering a goal and an assist during the victory, linking up excellently with Salah in the final third.
However, his underlying stats were just as impressive, with his numbers undoubtedly edging the side ever closer to ending their five-season wait for a Premier League title.
The 24-year-old, whose display was dubbed “sensational” by journalist Lewis Steele, registered 37 touches during the victory, four of which came in the opposition box, including his strike to double the lead.
Minutes played
90
Touches
37
Goals & assists
2
Dribbles completed
1/1 (100%)
Shots taken
3
Tackles won
2/2 (100%)
Recoveries made
3
Szoboszlai completed 100% of the dribbles he attempted, registering two other efforts on goal, in what was an all-around quality performance within attacking areas.
However, despite his impressive attacking display, he also produced some phenomenal defensive numbers, winning 100% of the tackles he entered, making three recoveries and excelling in the false nine role.
As a result of his showing, Szoboszlai was handed an 8/10 match rating by The Express’ Archie Griggs, further highlighting his impressive showing against the defending champions.
It was a phenomenal showing from the Reds, one that could well prove to be the clincher in their title ambitions come the end of the season.
Salah and Szoboszlai were undoubtedly the two stars at the Etihad, inflicting yet more pain on Guardiola, whilst further showcasing what a superb side Slot has built in a short period of time.
Signed by Klopp: Liverpool hit gold on “world-class” star worth 4900% more
This rising talent could be a future superstar for Arne Slot’s side.
Former first-class cricketer and chair of the NZCPA Scott Weenink takes over from David White
ESPNcricinfo staff30-Aug-2023
Scott Weenink: “New Zealand have to be flexible in contracting to retain their best players”•ICC via Getty
Prioritising Test cricket and ensuring that New Zealand’s best players want to keep playing for the country are on top of the agenda for NZC’s new chief executive Scott Weenink, who took over from David White on August 30.Weenink, 50, is a businessman and a former first-class cricketer from Wellington, and he was the chair of the New Zealand Cricket Players Association (NCPA), a position from which he will now step down.”It was a great honour to be offered the position,” he said. “I love sport and cricket in particular, and I also love the business of sport – so this seemed like an ideal role. There’s a finely balanced, symbiotic relationship between community and high performance cricket in New Zealand and one of my key responsibilities is to ensure that’s maintained and sustained into the future.”Weenink will formally begin duties on Friday and said at a press conference in Auckland that he recognised the need to strike a balance between Test cricket and the increasingly-crowded T20 calendar.”I’m a Test cricket romantic but also I see Test cricket as being key to keeping players playing for New Zealand,” Weenink said. “I think if we didn’t have Test cricket, it’d be much harder to keep them interested in that. They’d simply, you know, come back and play an ICC [event]. So absolutely, I’ll be looking to try and promote Test cricket while balancing the fact that we do need to play the higher revenue parts of the game as well.”It is that difficult balance of recognising that Test Cricket doesn’t make money, but it’s very important for the fans and very important for the players. I think the Test Championship has been a great addition. And that’s certainly going to keep the interest. It’s really just trying to balance out that revenue generation part of it while, you know, generally trying to play as much Test cricket as possible.”Weenink takes over at a time when players all around the world are being made to choose between prioritising playing for their country, or pursing lucrative T20 league contracts. New Zealand have had Trent Boult, Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme go down the freelance route over the last year. Weenink said that the key to keeping players in the New Zealand cricket ecosystem is flexibility.”I think one of the strengths of New Zealand cricket is the flexibility it has around the contracting,” he said. “We need to recognise that players want to generate as much earnings for themselves during what is a short term contract, while also wanting to play cricket for New Zealand. And it’s all evolving, so we need to try and keep on top of that, make sure that we’re giving players flexibility, but also really encouraging them to stay and play for New Zealand.”New Zealand Cricket Board chair Martin Snedden said that to retain players, sometimes they needed to be allowed to “chase the money.””We are in a battle for the retention of players and therefore we have to ensure that the players see real value in staying available for New Zealand for as often as possible … If it’s important to players that they’re regarded as great players, players that have succeeded, they have to play at the international level to get that reputation. So we’ve just got to be able to continue offering them an environment they want to be part of, whilst demonstrating to them we understand that from time to time they need the flexibility to chase the money.”Snedden said that the new NZC chief executive Weenink has “a great deal to offer in all the key areas, plus some special experiences that specifically suited the skillset needed in this position”.”He understands the relationship between community and high performance sport; he’s very familiar with world cricket affairs and current issues, and he’s spent a significant time running organisations and projects within Asia, obviously a major region of importance for NZC,” Snedden said. “Scott understands cricket. He understands its context in New Zealand; where it’s come from, where it is now, and where it should be going.”