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The sun has set on Mumbai Indians’ IPL 2022 campaign. And there are far too many questions than answers at present.Did they spend wisely at the auction? In breaking the bank for Jofra Archer, who wasn’t going to be fit this season, did they shoot themselves in the foot? Having put the kind of exorbitant bid for Tim David, why haven’t shown faith in him? Is there a solution for Ishan Kishan’s form slump? Is his auction price – a humongous INR 15.25 crore – hampering him mentally?And then there’s an entirely different issue – the curious case of Rohit Sharma. What has happened to his form? Is Kishan’s poor form affecting his style of play at the other end? How long does he back a misfiring Kieron Pollard, a bonafide legend for the franchise.Addressing some of these questions over the next three weeks could be a good start building towards next year.Related

• IPL 2022: Mumbai Indians sign Kumar Kartikeya for injured Arshad Khan

Cricket-wise, there is little that bothers the Rajasthan Royals currently. Until last week, everyone wondered how they’d fare without Jos Buttler’s contributions. Well, they did just fine, and managed to beat Royal Challengers Bangalore too, courtesy a fine hand from Riyan Parag, one they’ve backed through thick and thin. It doesn’t appear to be much of a concern that they’re regularly playing just six specialist batters.The bowling attack has looked as threatening as they come, and they’ve fired in unison to make them look strong contenders to go all the way. A win on Saturday will keep them in the top two, maybe even first with a bit of luck.The first time they met, Buttler hit IPL 2022’s first century•BCCI

In the news

For the Royals, the match is significant in a different way. They will wear specially tailored kits in memory of Shane Warne, “the first Royal”. This is to celebrate the life and times of their captain, mentor and guide who masterminded their first-ever IPL triumph fourteen years ago.Mumbai Indians have signed left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya as a replacement for another uncapped player Arshad Khan. Kartikeya has so far featured in eight T20s for Madhya Pradesh.

Likely XIs

Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Dewald Brevis, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Daniel Sams, 8 Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Hrithik Shokeen, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Riley MeredithRajasthan Royals: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Sanju Samson (capt, wk), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Daryl Mitchell/Navdeep Saini, 6 Riyan Parag, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult/Jimmy Neesham, 9 Prasidh Krishna, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Kuldeep Sen

Strategy punt

• How do you stop Buttler? Maybe the trick is in giving Bumrah the extra over upfront to play on his mind? In eight meetings, Buttler, the season’s orange cap holder, has been out to him four times, while only striking at 89.
• After a roaring start to the season – seven wickets in four games at an economy of 7.3 – Boult is amid a form slump. He has gone wicketless in the last three games, with an economy of 10.5. Among 20 bowlers to have bowled more than seven overs between overs 15-20, Boult’s economy of 13.6 is the second worst. Could they then try to strengthen their batting a bit more by bringing in the all-round James Neesham, who can also send down a few overs? That could also mean they consider Navdeep Saini or Karun Nair over Daryl Mitchell to balance out the XI.
  

  Stats that matter

  • Six of Prasidh’s nine wickets in IPL 2022 have been in the Powerplay. That’s more than how many he has taken in this phase in the past four seasons combined.
  • Royals’ average of 15.7 per wicket with spin is by far the best this season. No spin attack has taken more wickets than them.
  • Rohit Sharma has been out five times out of eight inside the powerplay, the most in a single IPL season.
  • His streak of 16 innings and counting without an IPL fifty is also his longest ever since joining Mumbai Indians in 2011.

A pundit has claimed that one member of the Tottenham Hotspur squad won’t be happy with the treatment he’s had from some supporters, and it could be “bugging him” behind-the-scenes at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham face Bournemouth after disappointing 1-1 draw against Fulham

Ange Postecoglou cut a frustrated figure on the touchline after his side dropped points at home to mid-table Fulham over the weekend, with their disappointing 1-1 draw following up their very impressive 4-0 win away to Premier League champions Man City.

New target: Spurs now want to sign £25m defender for Postecoglou in January

He would help fix a major problem area in north London.

ByBen Browning Dec 2, 2024

This has been a reoccurring theme of Spurs’ season so far – wins against elite opposition overshadowed by poor results against teams they’re favourites to beat – with Postecoglou gifting both Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town their first victories of 2024/2025.

Alongside those poor outings, the Lilywhites beat Man United 3-0 at Old Trafford, knocked City out of the Carabao Cup, demolished London rivals West Ham and beat top four rivals Aston Villa 4-1.

Bournemouth vs Tottenham

December 5

Tottenham vs Chelsea

December 8

Southampton vs Tottenham

December 15

Tottenham vs Liverpool

December 22

Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham

December 26

Tottenham are blowing very hot and cold, with Postecoglou not helped by a plethora of injuries to key players, including number one goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and a domestic ban for mainstay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

Spurs take on Bournemouth next week, off the back of this questionable run, but one very bright spark of their season so far has been Wales international winger Brennan Johnson.

The £70,000-per-week forward has scored 10 goals in all competitions, standing out as one of their star players, after he was forced to delete his social media accounts due to abuse from a section of critics online.

Johnson’s bagged seven goals in his last nine league games, whilst also playing a major role in their Europa League campaign with three goals in five matches against Ferencvaros, Qarabag and Roma.

He’s a real Postecoglou success story, and it is safe to say that the £47 million signing is proving all of his doubters wrong with some prolific performances on the field. Johnson is also impressing for Wales at international level, and right now, the sky appears the limit for Spurs’ rejuvenated 23-year-old.

Pundit claims Brennan Johnson remains unhappy with Tottenham fans

However, speaking to Tottenham News, pundit and former Spurs scout Bryan King says that Johnson could still be unhappy with a section of Tottenham fans for the abuse he received online – specifically after what he spotted the winger do against Fulham.

“We saw Johnson’s reaction when he scored,” King said.

“He is obviously still not happy with Tottenham fans and comments that have been made about him on social media because he didn’t exactly go into a jubilant celebration when he scored. He made sure people knew how he felt about the way he has been treated by the supporters.

“I thought he had moved past that. However, it still seems to be bugging him.”

Johnson has a chance to prove his worth yet again when Spurs take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday, and he could continue to be a key talking point campaign.

Chelsea's victory over Leicester was reportedly a "very important" marker as Enzo Maresca's men pursue Champions League qualification.

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• Chelsea are desperately seeking a top-four finish
• Win over Foxes fired them into fourth
• Had aimed to reach 49 points with 10 games to go

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Marc Cucurella's decisive goal ensured that Maresca’s side collected all three points to climb up to fourth place in the Premier League standings. They are now two points clear of Manchester City and Newcastle in the race for European football. However, the battle remains tight, with just six points separating third from eighth, making every remaining fixture crucial in the final stretch of the season.

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• Getty Images/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  's Matt Law has now revealed Chelsea’s analytics team has been working on data modelling to determine the minimum number of points required before the international break to remain on course for a top-four finish. Having missed out on Europe's elite competition for two consecutive seasons, Chelsea are eager to reclaim a spot among the continent’s best and they are tracking every detail to help them achieve their target. Fifth place could be enough to secure a Champions League place due to English clubs' performance in this year's edition.

• WHAT LAW SAID

  Speaking on the , Law revealed: "I know internally at Chelsea they have been doing a little bit of data modelling over the last few weeks and the data modelling they came up with suggested that they needed to finish before the international break with at least 49 points.

  "So the Leicester win, albeit not convincing and not particularly impressive in many respects, has been viewed as very important internally because they’ve hit what their data modelling suggested at bare minimum they needed to be on going into that international break to really give them a good chance of Champions League qualification, so that win was viewed as a big win."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  With the win over Leicester behind them, Chelsea must now shift their focus to European competition as they are set to face Copenhagen in the second leg of their Conference League round of 16 tie, hoping to secure passage to the quarter-finals. Following their midweek assignment, Chelsea will prepare for a high-stakes Premier League showdown against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Fast bowler Sonny Baker has been ruled out of England’s Under-19 World Cup campaign after being diagnosed with a back stress injury. Ben Cliff, who was among the travelling reserves, has been added to the squad.Baker, the Somerset quick who was expected to lead England’s attack in the Caribbean, experienced discomfort while bowling in a warm-up fixture and was subsequently sent for an MRI scan that revealed bone stress in his lumbar spine. He will now return to his county for rehabilitation work.Yorkshire right-armer Cliff, who picked up four wickets at 23.25 on England’s tour of Sri Lanka in December, will come in as Baker’s replacement. England started their campaign by bowling out Bangladesh for 97 in St Kitts on Sunday.Baker’s addition was approved by the ICC technical committee and is available for England before their game against Canada.

His wife is expected to give birth in early January, which could potentially rule him out of the second and third Tests

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2021

Given the biosecure regulations around the series, Quinton de Kock may not be able to return for the third Test if he leaves South Africa’s bubble before the second Test•PCB

Quinton de Kock will miss at least the third Test between South Africa and India as he awaits the birth of his first child. De Kock’s wife Sasha is expected to give birth in early January, which could rule him out of both the second and third Tests, especially given bio-bubble conditions.South Africa’s selection convener Victor Mpitsang confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that he expects de Kock “to miss the last Test”, which will leave the team without their wicketkeeper and key lower-middle-order batter. Should de Kock need to leave the bubble earlier than the last Test, for example during the second Test, it is unlikely he will be able to return to the biosecure environment in time for the final Test. One of Kyle Verreynne and Ryan Rickelton will play in de Kock’s place.Verreynne made his debut on South Africa’s tour of West Indies in June in the absence of vice-captain Temba Bavuma, who was injured. He scored 39 runs in three innings. He has since played three first-class matches for Western Province and scored one half-century. Rickelton, who is uncapped, has had a better recent run. He is 10th on the first-class batting charts this season, and has scored two centuries in his last three games as well as led the Lions to the top of the points table.The last time de Kock sat out a South Africa game was at the T20 World Cup, where he opted out of the second group-stage match after refusing to comply with a CSA board directive to take the knee. De Kock subsequently took a knee in the remaining three matches. CSA has since confirmed that the national team will take a knee throughout the summer. This Test series will be the first time South Africa’s red-ball team collectively takes a knee after the board gave players the choice to take a knee, raise a fist, or stand to attention on their tour of the West Indies.

Glasgow Rangers fell further away from the top two teams in the Scottish Premiership last time out as they succumbed to a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock.

Marley Watkins scored a late winner for the home side to seal a second defeat of the season already for the Light Blues, who are already six points behind their rivals.

Aberdeen and Celtic have won seven and drawn one of their opening eight games each and the title race already appears to be slipping away from the Gers.

The Ibrox giants, who only finished three points adrift of the Hoops in the title race last term, need a major uplift in form and have to hope that their two biggest rivals in the league, at the moment, start to drop more points to close the gap.

With the January transfer window still over two months away from opening for business, the board may be considering their short-term options to change things on the pitch.

It has been just over a year since the club opted to appoint Philippe Clement as the successor to Michael Beale, who had failed to win a single trophy during his time in Glasgow as the head coach, and they are now weighing up another change.

The latest on Philippe Clement's future

According to Football Insider, Rangers are preparing to sack Clement if results do not improve over the coming weeks, as the start to the season has been less than ideal.

The report claims that results have fallen below the expectations of the Gers board and that the Belgian head coach’s position is no longer secure, despite recently putting pen to paper on a contract extension at Ibrox.

It states that a decision on his future is not imminent, as in before the clash with FCSB on Thursday, but that they are preparing to pull the trigger on him if the poor results continue.

Rangers have already, as aforementioned, lost two games in the Premiership and drifted six points off their rivals, whilst they also failed to reach the League Phase of the Champions League, losing to Dynamo Kyiv over two legs in their play-off clash.

Football Insider reports that the pressure is growing on Clement to turn things around, or risk losing his job, and this means that the ex-Monaco boss needs to try new things to get his team firing again.

The Rangers head coach may wish that he had a player like Alfredo Morelos to fire his team up the table, as the last Gers boss to win a title – Steven Gerrard – had.

Alfredo Morelos' Rangers goal record

The Colombian marksman, who left the club on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, enjoyed an incredibly prolific spell with Rangers under several managers.

Morelos racked up 124 goals and 57 assists in 269 appearances in all competitions for Rangers, playing under the likes of Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, and Beale.

The impressive centre-forward hit double figures for goals in the Premiership in all six of his seasons at Ibrox, which shows that he was a consistent and lethal striker for the club for many years.

In the 2020/21 title-winning campaign, Morelos produced an eye-catching 17 goals and 13 assists in 44 appearances in all competitions for the Gers – including 12 goals and five assists in the Premiership.

These statistics show that the Colombian sensation was a quality scorer and creator of goals from a centre-forward position for Gerrard that term.

His return of 12 goals, with only ten ‘big chances’ missed, in the Premiership also shows that he was an efficient finisher to help them to win the title.

Cyriel Dessers	23/24 Premiership	24/25 Premiership
Appearances	35	8
Goals	16	3
Big chances created	27	6
Conversion rate	16%	19%
Assists	4	1
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Clement has not had a reliable finisher or a creative player in the number nine position since he arrived just over a year ago.

Cyriel Dessers has missed a staggering 33 ‘big chances’ and only scored 19 goals in the Premiership since the start of last season, assisting just five goals in that time.

Clement could now save his job and get Rangers firing again by brutally dropping the Nigerian dud and unleashing a Morelos-like talent in Hamza Igamane.

Why Hamza Igamane could save Clement's job

The summer signing is in his first season away from his home country, Morocco, and has needed time to adapt and adjust to life in Scotland, which may be why he has not featured much so far.

Igamane has only started one of his six appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants and this maens that he has not had a chance to find his feet and gain confidence with a run of matches under his belt.

Former Dundee United goalkeeper Trevor Carson recently claimed on the Open Goal Podcast that there is “a wee bit of Morelos about him” in the way that he controls the ball with his chest and uses his powerful frame to push into the final third.

Ex-Rangers striker Kenny Miller also wrote for the Daily Record that the signing of Igamane reminded him of the move to sign Morelos from an obscure league, in Finland.

At the age of 21, the Moroccan youngster still has plenty of development left to go through and playing games will only help him to gain experience and improve as a player.

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In the 2023/24 campaign, he started 16 matches in the Botola Pro for FAR Rabat and contributed with seven goals and six assists, which shows that he can provide quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

The young whiz, who scored six goals in 18 matches in the Botola Pro as a teenager in the previous season, has created one ‘big chance’ in one Premiership start so far this term, but is yet to score his first goal for Rangers.

More valuable than Butland: Rangers hit gold with star whose value's soared

Rangers hit the jackpot when they swooped to sign the defender for nothing.

By
Dan Emery

Oct 18, 2024

It is now down to Clement to make the bold decision to drop the wasteful Dessers from the starting line-up to unleash Igamane on a regular basis, as the Morelos-like star appears to have the potential to develop into a lethal forward who can score and assist goals – improving the team’s attack and, ultimately, helping to save the manager’s job.

Bayern Munich star Harry Kane was a happy man after scoring his 54th and 55th league goals for the club on his 50th Bundesliga appearance.

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Kane scores twice in Bayern Munich winMakes Bundesliga history with goalsCredits team-mates for his new recordFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane bagged a double on Saturday as Bayern beat struggling Holstein Kiel to extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga table to nine points. The game marked Kane's 50th Bundesliga outing and he celebrated the occasion by scoring twice and making more history. No player has scored as many goals in their first 50 Bundesliga games as the England captain.

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Kane now has 19 goals in 18 Bundesliga appearances this season and will be hoping he can continue his prolific form and end the season with some silverware. The striker has famously failed to lift a major trophy so far in his career but will be hoping that 2025 is the year his trophy curse is finally lifted.

WHAT KANE SAID

He told reporters: "It means I'm doing something right. It's always expected from a striker to score goals, I've been doing it all my career, but I wouldn't be able to do so without my teammates. Hopefully more to come."

He added on Bayern's upcoming fixtures: "We have a lot of tough games: Celtic, Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Frankfurt. We have to be ready and we need the whole squad. There's a lot to play for. We had a good month [January], except Feyenoord. We have to keep going."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR KANE

Kane will be hoping to add to his goal tally on Friday when Bayern return to Bundesliga action at home to Werder Bremen.

غادر لاعب نادي الزمالك، التونسي أحمد الجفالي، مباراة فريقه أمام إنبي، في اللقاء الذي يُلعب الآن، بين الفريقين، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويلتقي الزمالك مع إنبي، في إطار مواجهات الجولة 17 من عمر مباريات بطولة الدوري المصري، على ملعب استاد المقاولون العرب.

وعند الدقيقة 26، سقط أحمد الجفالي على أرضية الملعب ولم يستطع استكمال اللقاء، ليخرج متأثرًا بإصابة في العضلة الخلفية ودخل محمد حمدي بدلًا منه في الدقيقة 28.

إصابة أحمد الجفالي في مباراة الزمالك وإنبي بالدوري المصري

طالع | أيمن يونس يوجه طلبا إلى بيسيرو.. ويصرح: نجم الزمالك حاليًا لاعب واحد فقط

ويخوض فريق الزمالك، المباراة وهو في المركز الثالث بترتيب جدول الدوري المصري الممتاز، برصيد 29 نقطة، بعد 16 جولة، حقق خلالها 8 انتصارات و5 تعادلات وتعرض للهزيمة في 3 مباريات.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، فريق إنبي يتواجد في المركز السابع عشر (قبل الأخير) في ترتيب جدول الدوري، برصيد 12 نقطة، حيث فاز في مباراتين وتعادل في 6 وخسر 8 مواجهات.

أكد مهاجم مانشستر سيتي إيرلينج هالاند أنه لا يهتم بالأرقام القياسية بقدر ما يهتم بفوز فريقه، متحدثًا بعد الفوز أمام توتنهام.

وقاد هالاند فريقه مانشستر سيتي للفوز أمام توتنهام بهدف دون رد ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وقال هالاند في مقابلة بعد المباراة، بحسب ما نشر موقع مانشستر سيتي الرسمي: “سعيد بالعودة وبالفوز، إنها ثلاث نقاط مهمة، وهذا ما نحتاجه، إن الحفاظ على نظافة شباكنا والفوز بالمباراة أمر رائع، لذا فنحن جميعًا سعداء”.

وأردف: “من الجيد أن أعود، أشعر أنني بحالة جيدة، بالطبع كانت الأسابيع القليلة الماضية صعبة ولكن هذه هي الحياة، عليك أن تتطلع إلى الأمام، وعليك الاستمرار، وعليك أن تظل إيجابيًا لأننا لا نزال قادرين على القيام بالأشياء”.

وأصر هالاند: “كان يجب أن نسجل المزيد من الأهداف وأعتقد أنه كان يجب أن نحسم المباراة (مبكرًا)، لكن هذا ما يحدث، في النهاية إنها مباراة صعبة لكننا تمكنا من الفوز وهذا مهم حقًا”.

وأضاف: “أعتقد أن جيرمي دوكو قدم مباراة جيدة حقًا وكان ينبغي أن يحصل على المزيد من التمريرات الحاسمة اليوم، لقد كان هدفًا رائعًا وكان من الجيد الحصول على الكرة من جيرمي”.

اقرأ أيضًا | جوارديولا: عمر مرموش ما زال يفتقد لشيء هام.. وتوتنهام فريق لا يحتمل

وأستطرد: “ليس من السهل معرفة متى تحصل على الكرة، لقد كنت محظوظًا أيضًا في تغيير اتجاه الكرة هناك”.

أصبح هالاند ثاني لاعب في تاريخ الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز يسجل أكثر من 10 أهداف في المباريات التي خاضها على أرضه وخارجها في ثلاثة مواسم منفصلة.

وعلّق: “بالطبع من الجيد سماع ذلك الآن، ولكن مرة أخرى، عندما تكون في اللحظة لا تفكر في الأمر حقًا”.

وأشار: “في موسمي الأول مع مانشستر سيتي كان الحديث يدور حول تسجيل أكبر عدد من الأهداف في الموسم، ولكن لم أفكر في ذلك لأن كل ما أردته هو الفوز بالمباريات والفوز بالدوري، لذا فمن الجيد بالطبع سماع ذلك بعد ذلك، ولكن هذا ليس محور اهتمامي”.

وأصر هالاند: “أركز على مساعدة الفريق على الفوز، أعلم أن الأمر ممل لكنه حقيقي، بالطبع، من الرائع تسجيل الأهداف، نحن نفوز وهذا هو ما يهم حقًا”.

وعن هدفه الثاني الملغي بعد العودة للفار، علّق هالاند في تصريحاته إلى “بي بي سي”: هذا لأن الحكم اتخذ القرار على أرض الملعب، بأنها ركلة حرة، لا أعتقد ذلك، من الواضح أنه خطأ كبير، لكننا بشر، نرتكب أخطاء، إنه هدف رائع ولا أعتقد أنه لمسة يد ولكن ماذا يمكننا أن نفعل، لقد فزنا، أنا سعيد”.

وأتم بشأن تصديات زميله حارس المرمى إيدرسون: “إيدرسون غير معقول، كان هذا التصدي في النهاية مهمًا للغاية. أعتقد أن حراس المرمى لدينا يحبون اللعب هنا!”.

MatériaMais Notícias

A Independente, principal torcida organizada do São Paulo, não poupou críticas ao desempenho do Tricolor na derrota por 3 a 0 para o Grêmio, na Arena, na noite desta quinta-feira, pela 35ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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Presente no estádio, a torcida usou as redes sociais para protestar após a derrota apática, que deixou o time ainda alerta com a zona de rebaixamento. Atualmente, o São Paulo é o 12º colocado do Brasileirão, com 45 pontos, cinco a mais que o Bahia, primeira equipe na degola.

-O rebaixamento moral já veio.Vocês não são dignos de vestir a nossa camisa. Provamos que no pior momento estaríamos juntos e vocês não foram capazes. Serão 1.200 km até a capital. Ódio e revolta. Covardes – escreveu a torcida.

> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão-2021 clicando aqui

O rebaixamento moral já veio 👈
Vocês não são digno de vestir a nossa camisa.
Provamos que no pior momento estaríamos juntos e vocês não foram capazes.

Serão 1.200 km até a capital
Ódio e revolta

Covardes pic.twitter.com/L4wLegvl0e

— TORCIDA INDEPENDENTE (@T_Independente) December 3, 2021

O São Paulo volta a campo na próxima segunda-feira (06), quando enfrenta o Juventude, às 19h, no Morumbi, em duelo direto.