Arsenal have been left frustrated by Raheem Sterling since his arrival at the Emirates Stadium, it has been reported this week, with the Chelsea loanee yet to impress in red and white.

Sterling yet to excite in Arsenal colours

Raheem Sterling’s deadline day move from Chelsea to Arsenal was seen as something of a coup by some in north London. Joining on loan with Chelsea paying a significant portion of the attacker’s wages, he arrived as an experienced Premier League player who was already used to working under Mikel Arteta from the pair’s time at Manchester City.

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However, it hasn’t worked out for either party as yet, with Sterling starting just two Premier League games and yet to get off the mark for his new side in England’s top tier, though he registered a goal and an assist in a 5-1 thrashing of Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup third round in September.

The lack of minutes is even more concerning for Arsenal when their stuttering start to the season is taken into account, with Sterling not trusted to play a major role in Premier League games despite both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard struggling to find form, while he has also not been trusted to ease the burden on Bukayo Saka despite his ability to play on either flank.

Raheem Sterling’s Arsenal career so far

Appearances

8

Starts

4

Goals

1

Assists

1

Minutes per goal/assist

83

Now, it has been reported that Arsenal are less than happy with the forward.

Arsenal concerned about Sterling

That comes as former scout Mick Brown has claimed that Arsenal are unhappy with Raheem Sterling’s performances in training since his arrival, something that is threatening to derail his loan spell. Speaking to Football Insider, Brown revealed that the Gunners have “some concerns” and that his performances on a day to day basis haven’t been “completely up to scratch”.

“I know there are some concerns about him,” he explained. “It’s an interesting one with Sterling, because they bailed him out of Chelsea when he was set to be cut adrift from the squad there.

“Getting him on loan was seen as a real coup because Chelsea are still paying most of his wages.

“But when they’re looking for results he doesn’t come on. That points to some clear issues behind the scenes, and I’ve heard his training might not be completely up to scratch.

“We know Arteta demands a certain level from his players and isn’t scared to leave them out if they aren’t meeting his expectations. I think it’s a pretty damning sign that, even with their injuries and issues up front, he’s hardly played aside from cup games.

“They’ve been in need of a consistent winger and he still can’t get a game at the moment.”

Arsenal will be hoping that the international break gives both parties the chance to rectify the situation, with the Gunners already nine points adrift of Sterling’s former club Liverpool at the top of the Premier League and in danger of dropping out of the title race entirely.

The fifth Ashes Test will be relocated away from Perth after Cricket Australia confirmed it could not be held in Western Australia due to border restrictions in place.There will also be no change in order of the Test matches – on Sunday the WA sports minister Tony Buti made a last-ditch bid for Perth to switch with Adelaide for the second Test – with the replacement venue to be confirmed in the coming days. Hobart is the narrow favourite behind having a second match at the MCG.It could be that there will now be two day-night matches in the series given that broadcasters will have lost the primetime-friendly west coast slot which allows Test cricket to broadcast in the evening in other major cities.A few weeks ago WA Cricket had been bullish about its chances of staging the Test with chief executive Christina Matthews putting it as a “97%” chance, but that receded quickly in recent days with the WA government insisting on 14 days quarantine for anyone associated with putting on the Test from outside the state including key broadcast personnel along with players’ families.”We acknowledge and appreciate the efforts of the WA Government, relevant agencies and Perth Stadium over recent months,” Nick Hockley, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said.”We are very disappointed that we are unable to stage the fifth men’s Ashes Test at Perth Stadium. We did everything we could in partnership with the WA Government and WA Cricket to make it work under the current border and health arrangements, but unfortunately this was not possible.”We are particularly disappointed for Western Australian cricket fans who were so looking forward to seeing the first ever Ashes Test at the new stadium.”Matthews put a figure of between three and five million dollars on the cost of losing the Test of which WA would hope to recover half through CA. She added the the difficulties of all the broadcast and production crew needed had only become apparent in the last two weeks but denied that had been an oversight.”And not just the broadcasters in Fox and Seven – there’s also Hawkeye, there’s Spidercam and there’s DRS that only have a certain specialist group of people who follow it all around the country,” Matthews said. “They can’t get here any earlier than the players. When they come to do their job, they’ve got to go in and out of the public areas.”So there’s things that can’t be kept away from the public and that wasn’t fully known until about 10 days ago. I don’t think we dropped the ball, but maybe we needed to dig a bit deeper into things Cricket Australia need to tell the government.”I’m really cranky about the fact it’s the second year in a row we’re missing a Test, but there’s really no one to blame which makes it really hard. It’s just circumstances.”There was never any chance of the late suggestion of a Test swap being possible and it was quickly shut down by the South Australian Cricket Association on Monday shortly before the CA announcement.Hobart remains a slight favourite to be the replacement venue ahead of Melbourne, with Cricket Tasmania chief executive Dominic Baker adamant the Tim Paine saga shouldn’t have an impact on any decision.Tasmania, which has not staged a Test since 2016, had been due to host the one-off Test between Australia and Afghanistan last monthBoth the NSW government and Cricket ACT have also stated their desire to host the match, at the SCG and Manuka Oval respectively, if requiredQueensland sports minister Stirling Hinchliffe on Monday threw the Gabba forward as an option to hold a second Test this summer.”We’d love to be able to see more content here at the Gabba,” Hinchcliffe said. “We’d obviously want to continue talking to Cricket Australia about making sure that we provide the best facilities for the great content.”Nick Hockley and I speak regularly and it’d be wonderful to play a part in making sure that the Ashes is the best series possible. We’ve got to see what the terms and what the arrangements will be and the circumstances. [We’re] happy to have that conversation.”WA is slated to host one other international this summer, with an ODI involving New Zealand on January 30. That series-opener would also likely be subject to biosecurity arrangements.It comes after the WACA was due to host the women’s Test between India and Australia in October before it was moved to Queensland. A one-off Test between Afghanistan and Australia was postponed last year due to Covid-19.

Robert Lewandowski joined Lionel Messi on an exclusive list of Barcelona legends after finding the net against Rayo Vallecano in La Liga.

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Barca beat Rayo 1-0 in La LigaLewandowski converted from the spotReached 20 league goals in just 23 matchesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano at Montjuïc, courtesy of a first-half penalty by Lewandowski. It was his 20th strike in the Spanish top-flight this season, which propelled Hansi Flick's men to the top of the table with both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid dropping points over the weekend.

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It turned out to be a milestone goal for Lewandowski as it helped the Polish striker match Barcelona legends Messi, Luis Suarez, and Samuel Eto'o as only the fourth player to reach 20 goals in just 23 games of a La Liga season this century. While Messi reached this mark in 11 consecutive seasons between 2009 and 2020, Suarez accomplished it in three of his six seasons with the club, while Eto'o recorded 23 goals in his first 23 matches during the 2008-09 campaign.

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It has been reported that Lewandowski has already agreed to a contract extension with Barcelona, ensuring his presence until the summer of 2026. Despite now being in his mid-thirties, his performance remains exceptional, with 32 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions this season. Notably, he is also the joint-top scorer in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League, with nine goals to his name.

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Lewandowski's consistent scoring has positioned him as the frontrunner for the Pichichi Trophy, awarded to La Liga's top scorer. His 20 league goals place him three ahead of his closest competitor, Kylian Mbappe of Real Madrid. He will be looking to further add to his tally when Barcelona travel to Las Palmas for their next La Liga fixture on Saturday evening.

Manchester United currently have a plethora of attacking talent on the books at the disposal of new boss Ruben Amorim, with the Sporting CP manager set to take over the Red Devils in the coming days.

The 39-year-old will be looking to fine-tune the group of forwards, with the club struggling to find the back of the net during the early stages of the new campaign.

Under former boss Erik ten Hag, they only managed to notch eight goals in nine matches, with Bruno Fernandes scoring the club’s ninth Premier League goal under Ruud van Nistelrooy during the recent draw with Chelsea.

Players such as Marcus Rashford, Antony and Joshua Zirkee have all failed to impress during 2024/25 – with the aforementioned trio only scoring a combined two league goals so far this season.

The Brazilian cost the Red Devils £85m on his own, now looking to be a huge waste of money, potentially seeing new boss Amorim wish his new outfit had a player similar to a former fans-favourite in his prime.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s stats at Manchester United

Back in the summer of 2003, Portuguese talent Cristiano Ronaldo arrived in Manchester as an unknown quantity to many, but quickly cemented himself as a first-team regular – creating endless moments of magic at Old Trafford.

He would go on to make 277 appearances during his first stint in the Premier League, scoring 112 times – helping United win various trophies alongside his personal success.

Ronaldo would be part of three title-winning squads under Sir Alex Ferguson, also claiming a Champions League triumph back in 2007/08 over fellow English side Chelsea in Moscow.

The league and Champions League double, along with his tally of 42 goals in just 49 matches, saw him claim his first Ballon d’Or – his first of five during his successful career at the top level of European football.

He would only enjoy one more season at Old Trafford before swapping England for Spain in a mega £80m deal to join LaLiga giants Real Madrid- a then world record transfer fee.

Ronaldo would spend 18 months back at the Theatre of Dreams between 2021 and 2023, but a bust-up with former boss Ten Hag would end his dream return with United before he was subsequently shipped off to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia.

Cristiano Ronaldo's record pre Saudi

However, in January, the club could be presented with an opportunity to land a talent who could be their new version of the Portuguese superstar.

Man Utd interested in 17-year-old sensation

According to Manchester Evening News, Man Utd are currently tracking Sporting winger Geovany Quenda ahead of a potential move to Old Trafford.

The 17-year-old, who currently plays for Amorim’s side, has already caught the eye in this campaign, producing a stellar display in the 4-1 victory over Manchester City on Tuesday night.

Quenda has already made 17 appearances for the Liga Portugal outfit during 2024/25, scoring just once, but demonstrating the qualities of a talent way beyond his tender years.

The “unreal” winger, as dubbed by Statman Dave, has created 17 chances in his ten league outings, completing 71% of his dribbles – showcasing his ability to create opportunities in the final third – just as a young Ronaldo did at Sporting before moving to England.

Games played

10

Goals scored

1

Pass accuracy

84%

Chances created

17

Dribbles completed

71%

Duels won

65%

Recoveries made

29

However, Quenda has also won 65% of the duels he’s entered this campaign, making 29 recoveries which makes him the perfect wide option for Amorim in his 3-4-3 system – a huge reason as to why he’s keen on taking the teenager with him to Manchester.

He’s under contract until the summer of 2027 in Lisbon, with the fee for his services currently unknown but likely to be a hefty figure given his recent emergence and talent for the Liga Portugal side.

Whilst it may be an expensive deal, his potential is huge and if he is to even slightly follow in the footsteps of Ronaldo by moving from Portugal to Old Trafford as a teenager, the potential transfer would be worth every penny.

Amorim will want to make a positive impact at United from the get-go, with a deal for Quenda in January potentially boosting his chances of turning the club’s early fortunes around.

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يخوض فريق الكرة بالأهلي مباراة قوية أمام منافسه الهلال السوداني بالمواجهة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

وأسفرت قرعة البطولة عن مواجهة الأهلي، حامل اللقب، لنظيره الهلال السوداني، في ربع النهائي على أن تُقام مباراة الذهاب في القاهرة.

بينما يحتضن ملعب شيخا ولد بيديا في موريتانيا مواجهة الإياب بعد أسبوع.

مدرب الهلال السابق: دوري أبطال إفريقيا أصبح أقوى.. ومواجهة الأهلي صعبة

ويلتقي الفائز من مباراة الأهلي والهلال مع الفائز من لقاء صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي أمام الترجي التونسي في نصف النهائي بدوري أبطال إفريقيا. موعد مباراة الأهلي والهلال في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وتقام مباراة الذهاب بين الأهلي والهلال يوم الثلاثاء 1 أبريل، على استاد القاهرة الدولي، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت مصر، العاشرة بتوقيت السعودية. معلق مباراة الأهلي والهلال في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وقررت شبكة قنوات “بي ان سبورت” تعيين الجزائري حفيظ دراجي للتعليق على أحداث مباراة الأهلي والهلال السوداني في موقعة الذهاب.

Philippe Clement may have breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Nedim Bajrami’s deflected effort had found the back of the net for Glasgow Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday.

The Light Blues came from behind to secure a 2-1 win in the semi-final of the League Cup against Motherwell, having been 1-0 down at half-time in the match.

Goals from Cyriel Dessers and Bajrami in the second half ensured that the Gers will have a chance to defend their crown against Celtic in the final next month.

The League Cup is the only trophy that Clement has won in his tenure at Ibrox so far, lifting the trophy by beating Aberdeen in the final last season, and he is now looking to make it two from two in the competition.

Winning the first trophy of the season could give him a massive boost amid plenty of speculation over his position as the manager of the Scottish giants.

Philippe Clement's position at Rangers

Daily Mail writer Gary Keown recently published an article stating that pressure is growing on the Belgian boss and questioned why the club have not already made the decision to part ways with him.

Of course, it has only been just over two months since the Gers opted to extend his contract until the end of the 2027/28 campaign and they may be reluctant to admit that was a mistake so soon after that decision.

Football Insider, however, recently reported that the former AS Monaco head coach is on the brink of losing his job at Ibrox and that he may be one bad result away from the sack.

That came just before the League Cup clash with Motherwell and suggested that Clement may have lost his job if his side had not completed a turnaround at Hampden.

He has come under pressure after a number of disappointing results this season, starting with an aggregate defeat to Dynamo Kyiv that meant that the Gers fell short of qualifying for the Champions League.

Rangers were also comfortably beaten 3-0 by Celtic in the first Old Firm match of the season, whilst they have lost two of their last three matches in the Scottish Premiership – losing 1-0 to Kilmarnock and 2-1 to Aberdeen.

The Scottish giants have had more success in Europe recently, winning two of their three Europa League games, but still lost 4-1 to Lyon at Ibrox.

Rangers are currently nine points behind both Aberdeen and Celtic in the Premiership table and a title charge, even at this early stage of the season, is already looking unlikely.

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The Gers boss has not been helped by some of the performances from the experienced members of his squad, with captain James Tavernier just one of the players who have failed to step up in the big moments.

James Tavernier's struggles this season

The Light Blues skipper has not been at his best in the 2024/25 campaign and that was summed up best by the manager substituting him on Sunday with the score at 1-1, which turned out to be the right call as the Gers went on to win.

Journalist Mark Guidi recently stated that there are “huge” question marks over the Englishman’s position in the squad and that Clement could help to save his own job by dropping the captain down to the bench in the coming matches.

Tavernier produced 24 goals and 12 assists in all competitions during the 2023/24 campaign, but has only managed one goal and three assists in 17 matches this term.

That return at the top end of the pitch is, simply, not good enough when you consider how much of the team’s attacking play goes through the skipper.

Appearances

10

3

Goals

0

0

Assists

2

0

Shots per game

1.3

0.7

Possession lost per game

20.5

13.7

As you can see in the table above, Tavernier has lost the ball a staggering 246 times across those two competitions and only contributed with zero goals and two assists.

He has been far too wasteful with his use of the ball and Clement now has a decision to make over whether or not he keeps the captain in the starting XI, whilst pundit Chris Sutton believes that it could be his last season at the club.

Tavernier, however, is not the only player whose performances are potentially set to cost the manager his job, as Cyriel Dessers has also had a big part to play in the team’s struggles.

Cyriel Dessers' form this season

The Nigeria international did a sit-down interview with BBC Sport at the end of last season and stated that he felt he was a “scapegoat” at Rangers, being blamed for “everything” on the pitch.

That was after the experienced forward produced 22 goals and nine assists in 54 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues in his first campaign at Ibrox.

Whilst not ‘everything’ is his fault this season, there is no getting away from his disappointing performances in a number of big games for the Light Blues, which has contributed to Clement’s job coming under pressure.

The very first game of the season summed up his issues in a Rangers shirt as the centre-forward missed two ‘big chances’ in a 0-0 draw with Hearts, which meant that the Gers started the campaign on the back foot straight away.

Minutes played

90

71

83

Goals

0

0

0

Shots on target

1

1

0

Assists

0

0

0

Duels won

2/9

0/4

0/7

As you can see in the table above, Dessers has struggled badly in all three of the club’s defeats in the Premiership this season, to go along with his poor display against Hearts in their only draw.

These statistics show that the striker, who has scored three goals and missed six ‘big chances’ in ten games in the division, has let his manager down in the big games and cost Rangers big time.

Therefore, Dessers – along with Tavernier – is costing Clement his job and could play a big role in the Belgian being sacked if his performances against the top teams do not improve in the coming weeks.

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Shakib Al Hasan becomes the fifth bowler to take 400 wickets in T20 cricket

Mohammad Isam24-Jan-2022
How the match played out
Andre Russell was in his element, following up figures of 2 for 27 with an unbeaten 31 off 15 balls, as Minister Group Dhaka beat Fortune Barishal by four wickets in Mirpur. This was Dhaka’s first win in three matches in BPL 2022 and Russell’s first major contribution this season.Chasing 130, Dhaka were in early trouble at 10 for 4 in the third over. Left-arm quick Shafiqul Islam bowled Tamim Iqbal in the first over of their chase before Alzarri Joseph dismissed both Mohammad Naim and Jahurul Islam in the second over. When Shafiqul bowled Mohammad Shahzad in the next over, Dhaka were tottering.Mahmudullah and Shuvagata Hom then steadied things with a 69-run fifth-wicket stand before Russell did what he does best: close out games with his big hits. Shakib Al Hasan, however, gave Barishal a reason to celebrate: he became only the fifth bowler to take 400 T20 wickets.Earlier, Barishal had slipped to 23 for 3 in the powerplay, when they lost Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shykat Ali and Towhid Hridoy. The experienced pair of Shakib (23) and Chris Gayle (36) then added a semblance of respectability to their innings. But neither could convert it into a bigger knock, which left Barishal at 94 for 6 in the 16th over. Dwayne Bravo’s unbeaten 26-ball 33 then dragged the side to 129 for 8.All six of Dhaka’s bowlers were among the wickets, with Isuru Udana and Russell taking two each. Meanwhile, Rubel Hossain, Hom and Hasan Murad all bowled economical spells.Big hit
Russell’s big blows – a four and a six clobbered through square-leg off Joseph – gave Dhaka a huge sigh of relief. It ensured Dhaka were in touch with the asking rate before Russell rushed them to victory with a six and a brace of fours off Taijul Islam in the 17th over.Dhaka captain Mahmudullah provided Russell great support at the other end, scoring a run-a-ball 47. He struck three fours and a six before he became Shakib’s 400th victim in T20 cricket.Barishal made a decent fist of their defence, thanks to Shafiqul who bowled with good pace and a bit of movement with the new ball. He was well-supported by Joseph before Russell lined up his West Indies team-mate.Big miss
Tamim missed out for the first time in three matches, getting out for a second-ball duck in this game. Dhaka’s top four managed only single-digit scores of 0,5,4,0. It could be an alarming sign for Naim and Jahurul who are yet to make a sizeable contribution this season.

Glasgow Rangers are falling further and further away from the title race in the Scottish Premiership after they dropped points yet again on Saturday.

The Light Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Dundee United, who took the lead in the match, at Ibrox and are now a whopping 11 points off first place.

Philippe Clement’s side are third in the division, eight points adrift of Aberdeen and 11 behind Celtic, as they have already drawn two and lost three of their opening 12 games in the top-flight.

Rangers are in the final of the League Cup, which is due to be played at Hampden Park against Celtic next month, and have won two of their four games in the Europa League.

However, their league form simply has not been good enough and Clement, who needs to turn things around to get supporters onside, will know that.

Despite that, some of Rangers’ players have stepped up and shown the fans that they are good enough and willing to fight to bring glory to Ibrox, including summer signing Vaclav Cerny.

Vaclav Cerny's form this season

The Czechia international was signed on a season-long loan from Bundesliga side Wolfsburg in the summer transfer window and has not had the smoothest of starts to life in Glasgow.

In a win over Hibernian in September, some supporters got on his back for not passing the ball forwards and he bit back at them on the pitch, before being substituted shortly after. Cerny has since come out and apologised for his reaction and acknowledged that fans just want to see progressive and forward-playing football.

Since that moment, the left-footed forward has established himself as a fan-favourite and got the supporters back on his side by producing a number of fantastic performances for the Scottish giants.

He has racked up seven goals and five assists in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Light Blues, including two goals and two assists in four outings in the Europa League.

Vs Dundee United

Vaclav Cerny

Minutes

90

Goals

1

Key passes

8

Big chances created

0

Dribbles completed

5/6

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Cerny caught the eye with a strong performance against Dundee United in the 1-1 draw at Ibrox on Saturday, scoring the equaliser in the game.

His eight key passes were impressive but none of them represented a ‘big chance’ for the player taking the shot, which suggests that the quality of chances he created were not particularly high.

Whilst Cerny has provided a burst of attacking quality in recent weeks, as a scorer and a creator, another player has stepped up to be Clement’s main man in the middle of the park – Nicolas Raskin, who has had his struggles in a Gers shirt.

Nicolas Raskin's struggles for Rangers

The Belgian central midfielder joined the Scottish giants from Standard Liege on a permanent deal in the January transfer window in 2023, at the same time as Todd Cantwell.

In his first five months in the Premiership, Raskin failed to hit the ground running with consistently impressive performances for the Light Blues. He registered zero goals and one assist in 12 league appearances and made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game, which shows that he was not exceptional in or out of possession.

The Rangers number 43 then struggled for fitness in his first full season at Ibrox. He missed a whopping 22 matches through injury in the 2023/24 campaign, which meant that the young whiz only made 18 appearances in the Premiership.

23/24 Premiership

Nicolas Raskin

Appearances

18

Goals

1

Assists

1

Tackles + interceptions per game

2.7

Duel success rate

53%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Raskin’s form did not improve too much in comparison to his first five months in Glasgow, as he struggled to stand out on or off the ball for Clement or Michael Beale.

The 23-year-old gem then missed the first nine games of the current season through injury and, because of his stop-start career at Rangers, supporters may not have expected much from him this term.

Nicolas Raskin's emergence as Clement's main man

The Belgian dynamo has emerged as a starter in recent weeks and his exceptional performances on the pitch show that he is becoming the manager’s main man.

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Last year, former Standard Liege boss Luka Elsner hailed the midfielder in an interview with Rangers Review. He said: “Nico is able to bring fire to a game by himself and always gives his best. For me, those are the qualities that stand out and make him some kind of special player.”

Raskin is finally living up to that high praise and is bringing the ‘fire’ to the game with his dynamic and combative displays for Rangers this season.

Despite only starting two of his four appearances, the 23-year-old star is averaging more tackles per game (4.3) than any other Gers player in the Europa League this term, which speaks to his quality out of possession.

He also lead the team in tackles per game (3.1) in the Premiership and this suggests that Raskin is the best player at the club at breaking up play and winning possession back for the side.

24/25 Premiership

Connor Barron

Nicolas Raskin

Appearances

12

9

Pass accuracy

90%

88%

Tackles per game

2.1

3.1

Dribbled past per game

1.2

0.3

Duel success rate

46%

64%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the former Liege maestro has significantly outperformed summer signing Connor Barron as a defensive force in the middle of the park, whilst offering a similar level of reliability in possession with his passing.

The midfield metronome has also completed 1.4 dribbles per game, with a success rate of 72%, and this shows that he can drive the team forward in transition to push the team up the pitch.

Overall, Raskin is impacting games in all phases by being outstanding defensively, reliable in deep possession with his passes, and a threat in transition as a dribbler, which is why he is Clement’s main man right now.

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Posts ByDan Emery Nov 21, 2024

Cerny has made an impact in the final third at times but the Belgian star is putting in fantastic all-round performances week-in-week-out, and long may it continue.

Oh, how sweet victory is. Liverpool turned it around against Brighton & Hove Albion to reclaim the top spot in the Premier League, with Manchester City defeated against Bournemouth on the South Coast at the same time.

An abysmal first half was forgotten about beyond the hour mark, with Liverpool rallying through Cody Gakpo’s somewhat fortuitous opener, cancelling out Ferdi Kadioglu’s fine strike from the opening phase.

Who else but Mohamed Salah? The Reds had tasted blood and, moments after restoring parity, broke the Brighton barrier to send Arne Slot to the top of the division.

Mohamed Salah's done it again

It was a sumptuous strike. Trademark Mo’. The contractual uncertainties engulfing Anfield at the moment have failed to knock Slot’s newly-crafted Liverpool system off-kilter, with Salah performing at a frankly incredible level this season.

The 32-year-old has now scored nine goals and provided seven assists across 15 matches in all competitions this season, proving once again that he is one of the best players in the world and that his absence from the Ballon d’Or top 30 was nothing short of farcical.

He was invariably dangerous from the right, admittedly sluggish early on but growing with his squad after the break, missing a glorious opportunity to make it 1-1 before indeed making amends with his special, special strike.

Mohamed Salah’s Performance vs Brighton
Match Stats	#
Minutes played	89′
Goals	1
Touches	37
Shots (on target)	3 (2)
Accurate passes	13/20 (65%)
Key passes	2
Dribbles (completed)	3 (1)
Total duels (won)	9 (5)
Stats via Sofascore

He came up with the goods yet again, and if Liverpool do find themselves in title contention at the business end of the campaign, Slot and the supporters will owe much to the Egyptian and will need to call upon his potency to get over the line ahead of the likes of City and Arsenal.

Liverpool won’t always be able to turn things around, however – faltering from this quality was the crux of the demise under Jurgen Klopp last term.

The likes of Alexis Mac Allister need to step up their game, and in the Argentine’s case, must be dropped for the next match.

Alexis Mac Allister must now be dropped

Against the Seagulls, he flattered to deceive. Mac Allister was hooked after 66 minutes, having failed to take control of the midfield battle. He lost six duels and ceded possession 15 times, as per Sofascore, finishing with only a 74% pass success rate despite failing to create a single key pass.

The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle handed the South American a 5/10 match rating, though did note that an early knock might have hampered his performance.

The reporter said: ‘Clobbered early on and appeared hampered for much of first half in which he could barely do anything right. Improved a bit second half and forced Verbruggen into save. Booked and subbed.’

Alexis Mac Allister’s PL Stats for Liverpool
Match Stats*	23/24	24/25
Minutes played	33 (31)	10 (9)
Goals	5	0
Assists	5	0
Touches*	74.2	50.9
Accurate passes	88%	86%
Key passes*	1.4	0.9
Dribbles*	0.5	0.2
Ball recoveries*	5.9	4.4
Tackles + interceptions*	4.1	2.8
Duels won*	5.9 (50%)	4.5 (44%)
Stats via Sofascore (* = per game)

He’s regressed across every department, from a statistical standpoint at least, and though Mac Allister brings a mix of control, combativeness and culture to Liverpool’s midfield that’s not so easily defined through metrics, it’s rather patent that he’s struggling to reach the same heights at the moment.

Ryan Gravenberch has been a revelation this season but he’s simply not a defensive midfielder in the typical sense of the word. Instead, the press-resistant, fluid-passing Dutchman operates in a dynamic deep-sat role.

As such, Mac Allister will need to be more consistent in his defensive work while channelling play forward with greater regularity too. The 25-year-old looked exhausted against his former club and questions need to be raised about the amount of football he’s been playing for club and country over the past few years.

Luckily, Liverpool have the likes of Curtis Jones and Wataru Endo who can step in when needed. Both stars made a positive impression off the bench today, and both operate in wildly different midfield parameters.

Mac Allister needs to be dropped, allowed to recuperate. He’s not quite fallen by the wayside, but he’s certainly hanging on after a tiring start to his season.

Liverpool want "electric" £33m star who could become Firmino 2.0

Liverpool have never replaced the Brazilian since his exit from Anfield.

By
Joe Nuttall

Nov 1, 2024

تلقى النادي الأهلي، إخطارًا من الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” بشأن موقف لاعبيه من الانضمام إلى صفوف المنتخبات الوطنية خلال فترة التوقف الدولي في شهر يونيو المقبل، قبل بطولة كأس العالم للأندية.

ويستعد الأهلي للمشاركة في النسخة الأولى من كأس العالم للأندية بالنظام الجديد الذي يقام كل أربع سنوات بمشاركة 32 فريقًا، في نسخة تُعد تاريخية على مستوى الشكل والمضمون، وتُنظمها الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية في صيف 2025.

طالع.. منافس الأهلي | حقيقة رغبة إنتر ميامي في ضم رونالدو من أجل كأس العالم للأندية

وأوضح مصدر لـ بطولات أن الأهلي تلقى تأكيدًا يفيد بإعفاء لاعبي الأندية المشاركة في كأس العالم للأندية 2025 من الانضمام إلى المنتخبات الوطنية خلال فترة الأجندة الدولية لشهر يونيو المقبل.

وأضاف أن تلك المستجدات جاءت خلال ورشة العمل التي نظمها “فيفا” في شهر رمضان الماضي، بمشاركة ممثلين عن الأندية المشاركة في البطولة المرتقبة.

وقد تم خلال الورشة توضيح أن اللاعبين المرتبطين بأنديتهم المشاركة في كأس العالم للأندية لن يكونوا ملزمين بالتواجد في معسكرات منتخباتهم خلال فترة التحضير للبطولة، وذلك بهدف منح الأندية الوقت الكافي للاستعداد بشكل مثالي للحدث العالمي.

ويتواجد الأهلي في المجموعة الأولى إلى جانب فرق إنتر ميامي الأمريكي، وبالميراس البرازيلي، وبورتو البرتغالي.

ومن المنتظر أن يستهل الفريق الأحمر مشواره في البطولة بمواجهة مرتقبة أمام فريق إنتر ميامي، الذي يضم بين صفوفه النجم الأرجنتيني ليونيل ميسي.