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Okay, okay, it wasn't the perfect start to the season, but Tottenham Hotspur also drew their curtain-raiser in the Premier League last year, away to Brentford, before charging toward a streak of nine victories and one draw (at the Emirates) across ten fixtures.

Then the setbacks came, stabbing down at the team like erratic lashes of lightning, and therein lies the problem that Ange Postecoglou is hoping to bed away, with some exciting signings brought in to go one step further this year.

Tottenham lost control against Leicester City after the break, wasting a catalogue of chances and paying the price upon the evergreen Jamie Vardy's strike, his ninth goal against Spurs, who failed to rally and had to make do with shared spoils.

Now, Everton await as Tottenham play host for the first time this term, and after being thrashed 3-0 against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend, an air of expectation has hung in north London.

Spurs team news vs Everton

The major sticking point heading into this afternoon's affair is undoubtedly the ankle injury that Dominic Solanke sustained in training this week, ruling him out of contention.

Solanke completed a move from Bournemouth for about £65m earlier in August after a remarkable campaign on the South Coast, and despite featuring in every top-flight fixture for the Cherries last term, he has been ruled out one game into the 2024/25 campaign.

Yves Bissouma is in contention to feature after missing the trip to Leicester due to a club-imposed ban for disciplinary reasons, though Archie Gray could start in the sitting midfield position, with Rodrigo Bentancur ruled out due to the league's concussion protocols.

Wilson Odobert is in line for a debut, while Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison will be eyeing their first starting berths of the season. Ange has a lot on his plate, though his most pressing concern will surely be determining who to stick at the front of the ship.

Who Ange could replace Solanke with

Richarlison is one of the most obvious options to replace Solanke with, for the Brazilian is fully fit and featured prominently at centre-forward last season.

He rid himself of the woes of the previous year, scoring just once over 27 games in the Premier League after transferring from Everton for some £60m in 2022, but there's still much to be desired.

Indeed, Richarlison enjoyed a brilliant purple patch last year, scoring nine goals across eight wintry matches in the top flight, but then suffered an injury-hit end to the season.

The Athletic's Charlie Eccleshare commented on how much Tottenham had "missed his physical presence" toward the end of the campaign, and that quality could be an interesting thing to throw into the mix against his former outfit, having bagged twice against them in an emphatic display last year.

However, Richarlison's cameo last weekend proved that he has much to do before he is polished and effective to the degree that Postecoglou demands to provide him with regular appearances from the opening whistle, introduced before eight crucial minutes of injury time and missing a glorious chance to get his side off to a winning start.

Richarlison: Cameo vs Leicester

Stats

#

Minutes played

8'

Touches

7

Shots taken

1

Big chances missed

1

Accurate passes

3/5 (60%)

Key passes

0

Duels won

0

Stats via Sofascore

Despite only being on the field for a few moments, he produced a wayward header, unmarked, after a wonderful free-kick from Lucas Bergvall.

Starting Richarlison simply might not be the answer this time, not when Heung-min Son is ready to continue his emphatic form as Tottenham's central striker.

Why Heung-min Son must return to no. 9

Skipper Son featured in his natural left-flanking role against Leicester, but he was outfoxed by a dogged defence, unleashing just the one blocked shot and creating one key pass for his teammates, fading after a delightful whipped delivery for the sidelined Solanke early on.

Look, Son's brilliant, and any notion that his ship has sailed must be laughed out of the room. Last term, he bagged 17 goals and ten assists in the Premier League, alternating between the left and a centre-forward deployment, and indeed his "world-class" quality, as praised by Postecoglou, and leadership presence emphasise the importance of playing him.

After all, he's hardly one dimensional, able to mix his goalscoring his elite-level creativity, and ranks among the top 7% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year and the top 10% for shot-creating actions per 90 anyway, as per FBref.

He also created 17 big chances in the division last year, with Dejan Kulusevski the next-most creative Lilywhite on that list with 14 big chances created.

He might not have clicked right into gear straight away but the South Korea international will be desperate to influence proceedings today and might find that he can make the best impact in front of a dynamic supporting cast.

James Maddison claimed an assist against Leicester and will hope to recapture that imperious pre-injury form from last year. The Englishman's vision and defence-splitting ballwork is something that no other player in the squad can replicate to the same degree.

Premier League: Top 5 Active Goalscorers

Rank

Player

Apps

Goals (per game)

1.

Mohamed Salah

264

158 (0.60)

2.

Jamie Vardy

308

137 (0.44)

3.

Raheem Sterling

379

123 (0.32)

4.

Heung-min Son

304

120 (0.39)

5.

Callum Wilson

221

88 (0.40)

Stats via Premier League

Moreover, Kulusevski could make a difference if provided with a starting role, bringing the energy and intensity to effectively supplement Son, pushing forward and stretching the lines.

All told, there's nothing to worry about regarding Solanke's injury, with the 27-year-old expected back shortly and Postecoglou not exactly starved of alternative ways to piece his team together.

But starting Richarlison would be a mistake, for Son must return to the spearhead.

Related Scouts sent: Spurs target £15kp/w "engine" who has shades of Mousa Dembele

The special youngster has a very bright future.

Posts 1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 24, 2024

تحدث آرني سلوت، المدير الفني لفريق ليفربول، عن فوزهم في مباراة الأمس على ليل في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، موسم 2024/25.

واستضاف ملعب “الأنفيلد” مباراة الفريقين في الجولة السابعة من دوري أبطال أوروبا، مرحلة الدوري، حيث فاز ليفربول بهدفين لهدف.

وعزز ليفربول صدارته لجدول دوري أبطال أوروبا، بالعلامة الكلامة 21 نقطة، مع العلم أنه حسم تأهله إلى دور الـ16 منذ الجولة الماضية.

وقال سلوت، في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “نحن سعداء لتواجدنا في المراكز الثمانية الأولى، لا يخبرك جدول الدوري هذا بأي شيء، ربما يكون الرقم 24 أفضل من 16 لكن 16 كان لديه قرعة سهلة، نريد أن نكون في الصدارة لكن علينا أن ننتظر ونرى ما إذا كان ذلك ميزة”.

وأضاف: “كمدرب، أنا أكثر إعجابًا بذلك الفوز مقارنة بالجماهير أو أولئك الذين يشاهدون التلفزيون، كنت أعلم أنهم لم يهزموا في 21 مباراة لكنهم فازوا على ريال مدريد وأتلتيكو مدريد وفعلوا ذلك بدون أفضل اللاعبين في العالم، أكن احترامًًا كبيرًا لهم، لم أكن سعيدًا باستقبال شباكنا لهدف من فرصة واحدة للخصم”.

واسترسل: “ميزة تدريب ليفربول أن لديك أكثر من 11 لاعبًا جيدًا، أنت تعرف مدى صعوبة تلك المنافسة والدوري الإنجليزي، الأمر متروك للاعبين من أجل الاستعداد حال حصولهم على فرصة، كان إليوت محظوظًا في هدفه، ولكن أدائه كان جيدًا”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. محمد صلاح بعد إنجازه التاريخي أمام ليل: أتمنى ألا أكون الوحيد.. وأنا موجود لمساعدة لاعب ليفربول

وفيما إذا كان يمكن اعتبار ليفربول أفضل فريق في العالم، قال: “لا، أعتقد أننا نمتلك الكثير من الجودة واللاعبين يعملون بجد حقًا، إذا قال توماس فرانك ذلك (مدرب برينتفورد بعد مباراة السبت الماضي)، فهذا يعني شيئًا ما، لقد كان في الدوري الإنجليزي منذ فترة طويلة ولا يمتلك الكثير من الإمكانيات، إذا قدم مثل تلك المجاملات، فهذا جيد، يمكنني أن أقترح خمسة أو ستة فرق جيدة جدًا أيضًا”.

وأوضح: “في كل مرة نفوز فيها، يكون بفارق ضئيل، لدينا عمل صعب علينا القيام به من أجل الفوز، أعتقد أننا نستطيع التحسن، عندما يفوز فريق بيب جوارديولا، كان سيقول إنهم يستطيعون التحسن، الكمال غير ممكن، نحن نحاول كل يوم، ربما لن نحقق 10 من 10”.

وأكد: “كانت مباراة مانشستر سيتي هي أفضل مباراة لعبناها حتى الآن (فاز ليفروبل بهدفين دون رد)”.

وفيما يخص التعاقدات في موسم الانتقالات الشتوي، قال ساخرًا: “يمكنك دائمًا المحاولة، ربما كان بإمكانك أن تسأل مو أو فيرجيل أو ترينت!”، في إشارة منه إلى تكرار الأسئلة الموجهة له فيما يخص مستقبل الثلاثي محمد صلاح وفان دايك وأرنولد.

وكشف سلوت خبرًا مقلقًا بشأن كورتيس جونز، حيث أشار إلى إنه عانى من كدمة جعلته غير قادر على مواصلة اللعب، ليتم استبداله بين الشوطين.

وأوضح: “كانت هناك لحظة في المباراة حيث شعر بشيء ما، وقال إنه يريد اللعب لمدة خمس دقائق أخرى ثم نرى كيف ستكون الحالة، ولكن بعد ذلك قال إنه يجب أن يخرج”.

 

 

Africa has provided the world with some of football's finest players this century, but who have been the best of the best?

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African football has reached another level since the turn of the millennium. You can find players from the continent scattered all over the world's best and most competitive teams.

The stars of Africa have also given the game some of its defining, iconic moments. Roger Milla and George Weah kick-started the revolution in the 1990s, and their legacies are in good hands even today.

But who are the best African players? Who are the ones most deserving of the world's adoration? As we reach the quarter-mark of the 21st century, GOAL has ranked the top 25 to this point:

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFP25Asamoah Gyan

Asamoah Gyan isn't the best African player of the 21st century, but he may very well be among the most important. His heroics during Ghana's run to the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals inspired the entire continent and ought to have ended with the Black Stars becoming the first African team to ever advance to the semi-finals had Luis Suarez not got himself involved.

At club level, Gyan enjoyed fruitful spells in Italy, France and England, before playing out the second half of his career largely in Asia, with time in Turkey and his homeland scattered in between.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport24Youssef En-Nesyri

In 20 years, people are going to look back at Morocco's 2022 World Cup run while watching compilations of Youssef En-Nesyri and decree that he was a one-of-a-kind striker. He jumped over nine feet in the air to score the goal which knocked out Portugal in the quarter-finals that winter, for crying out loud.

As is the case with every storied striker, En-Nesyri spent a good chunk of time at Sevilla and won a couple of Europa Leagues for his troubles. Nowadays, he's trying to relight the fire of Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, though somehow goals seemed to come easier to him in Spain.

Getty Images Sport23Sulley Muntari

Imagine playing so well for prime-Barclays era Portsmouth that after one season, Jose Mourinho wants to sign you for an Inter team that would eventually win the treble. That just so happened to one of Ghana's finest ever, Sulley Muntari.

His energy and physicality made Muntari a typical Mourinho player, someone who wasn't afraid to dig in deep and do the dirty work when necessary in the name of victory. He was dependable, despite his penchant for picking up a needless booking here and there. That rarely mattered to Muntari's teams, nonetheless.

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Getty Images Sport22Yassine Bounou

You can take all of Yassine Bounou's accomplishments, all his accolades, and all his medals regardless of their colour and make a compelling case that he is the best African goalkeeper of all time.

The bottom line is very, very few men from Bounou's home continent have been considered among the world's best the way he was in his pomp at Sevilla and with the Morocco national team. It's that simple. He was and is a fantastic goalie, no questions asked.

India’s batting innings was hurt by three run-outs on day three

Varun Shetty08-Jan-2021Australia ended the third day 197 ahead, with eight wickets in hand, and both Marnus Labuschagne and Steven Smith looking at their pristine best as they picked apart India’s insipid – and temporarily depleted – bowling attack in the final session. India’s day didn’t end too far from where it had begun in terms of the deficit, but a collapse of 6 for 49 at the end of their innings and the ease of Australia’s scoring in the final session pushed them decidedly behind in the match. The relentlessness of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood was responsible for that, as they were bowled out for 244, 94 short of Australia’s first-innings score, while also losing the immediate services of Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja who were both hit on their hands by bouncers and missed the end of the day as they went away for scans.Coming into the day – the sunniest of all so far – at 96 for 2, it was clear that India’s senior-most batsmen had to both be among the runs if they were to set up a fighting chance for their inexperienced bowling line-up. But both Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane were met with the exact diligence and consistency that they faced in the last hour of the second day; they had made nine in the last ten overs in that period, and on the morning of the third they got only 11 off seven overs in the opening half hour. Rahane countered the short-pitched bowling with compulsive hooks and attacking shots briefly, but uneven bounce had already shown up early in the day. Eventually, he chopped a late cut on as the ball stayed lower than he expected when he leapt to execute the shot.Pat Cummins leaps up in joy after getting rid of Cheteshwar Pujara with a jaffa•Getty Images

That brought Hanuma Vihari to the crease and another extended period of tight bowling – into the body mostly, by both spinner and fast bowlers – that seemed to produce chances every couple of overs. Pujara looked to find an escape off Nathan Lyon’s bowling, but before he could manage to get the strategy going properly, he had been dropped by Mathew Wade at short leg. Vihari had his share of misses and inside-edges and reprieves close-in as well, as he got wrapped tighter and tighter into a shell. At 4 off 37, he looked to steal a single to Hazlewood’s right at mid-off, only for the bowler to adjust his lunge such that he could throw the ball at the stumps immediately. Executing to perfection, he hit the non-striker’s stumps directly to catch Vihari short.Australia had India 142 for 4 at that point and were only a wicket away from exposing the lower order. Enter Pant who, once again, came out attacking and briefly swayed the momentum India’s way. Against predominantly short bowling, he occasionally fended, occasionally ducked, and often cut or pulled to pick up quick boundaries early in his innings. He was also struck on the elbow by Cummins during that phase, the blow that later kept him out as Wriddhiman Saha came in to keep wicket in Australia’s second innings.Pant’s stand with Pujara settled down after the early bluster, and stretched past 50 with runs coming a lot easier than in any previous stand. But after negotiating the second new ball together for close to eight overs, both Pant and Pujara fell six balls apart. Hazlewood had Pant nicking to first slip from around the wicket, and Cummins – for the fourth time in five innings – got Pujara to edge behind with one that straightened in the channel. Just like that 195 for 4 turned to 195 for 6, and from there it was a rather dramatic, humbling collapse.Only Jadeja’s forced counterattack in the last-wicket stand looked anything like competitiveness as R Ashwin, first, and then Jasprit Bumrah were run out to lift the innings’ tally of those caught short of their ground to three. Between them was Navdeep Saini’s attempt at standing up to Mitchell Starc, whom he had peppered with bouncers and a beamer on day two; in turn, he was softened by three bouncers and patted the fourth to short cover who was brought in that very ball. Starc also got Jadeja’s left thumb with a bouncer in the middle of all this, before Cummins wrapped the innings up and finished with 4 for 29 in 21.4 overs.India managed to dismiss both openers fairly early, starting with Mohammed Siraj finding Will Pucovski’s outside edge just as the debutant had begun to look confident. David Warner then missed a slog-sweep against Ashwin to be lbw, and it looked like India had a way back in. While the first session had balls kicking up at batsmen, Bumrah and Ashwin both got a few to keep low in the final session. With the uneven bounce going both upwards and down, India might have enjoyed more control had Jadeja been available.Instead, it was mostly rock-solid batting from Labuschagne and Smith that dominated the rest of the session. They had both picked up the pace of the pitch fairly early on, and appeared more than ready for India’s leg-trap strategy – loading up the leg side infield and slanting it into the stumps. The strategy that had worked so well all series till now as a restrictive tool, came apart for India. In fact, it proved to have the opposite effect here, as Labuschagne picked up four boundaries square on the leg side. Rahane attempted a brief rotation of his bowlers, in order to have as much of Bumrah on as possible. But little control came from the other end as no-balls, boundary balls and touches of genius driving from Smith kept pegging India back. By stumps, the third-wicket pair had added 68 without once looking like getting out.

Left-arm seamer Beuran Hendricks, who has played one Test for South Africa, has been added to their squad for the New Year’s Test at the Wanderers. Hendricks was part of the original 15-man squad that was announced on December 11 but had to be withdrawn for reasons related to Covid-19.Although CSA does not disclose the names of infected players, because of doctor-patient confidentiality, coach Mark Boucher indicated Hendricks had been affected by the virus and was undergoing tests to determine if he could enter the bio-bubble and rejoin the group. “Beuran is going through medical protocols to come into the bubble. He has needed to have one or two Covid tests as well as checking what his antibody tests are,” Boucher said at the conclusion of the Boxing Day Test.Related

• Kagiso Rabada returns to South Africa Test squad

• South Africa savour victory over Sri Lanka like one of their best

• Mulder, Sipamla impress as South Africa bowlers seal innings win

Hendricks’ inclusion comes after Migael Pretorius, who was called up to the Test as cover on December 16, had to be released because of a shoulder injury. Glenton Stuurman has also been released from the squad after suffering a left quadriceps strain. It still leaves South Africa with at least seven pace-bowling options for the second Test: the four selected for the first Test – Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Lutho Sipamla and Wiaan Mulder – as well as Kagiso Rabada, Dwaine Pretorius and Hendricks.Although it may appear South Africa are stocking up on seamers to go all pace on what is expected to be a spicy track, Boucher said he was “not a fan” of going into a Test without a spinner, which should leave Keshav Maharaj’s place secure. Meanwhile, Rabada, who was added to the squad during the Centurion Test after recovering from a groin injury, is not a certain starter as South Africa look to monitor his workload.The same can be said of Stuurman, who was expected to debut at SuperSport Park but missed out because of a niggle.That means Hendricks may come into contention to earn his second Test cap at his home ground. Hendricks debuted at the Bullring in January against England and took six wickets in the match, including 5 for 64 in the second innings.

سجل الدولي الكولومبي، لويس دياز لاعب فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ليفربول هدف التقدم في مباراة وست هام، ضمن الجولة 19 من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

الهدف جاء في الدقيقة 30 من الشوط الأول، عن طريق الكولومبي لويس دياز بعد تمريرة من ترينت الكسندر أرنولد.

طالع أيضًا | وسط اهتمام برشلونة وباريس سان جيرمان.. ليفربول يتخذ قراراً حاسماً بشأن مستقبل لويس دياز

استلم دياز الكرة من ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، وانطلق إلى منطقة الجزاء، وحاول التمرير لـ محمد صلاح، لكن دفاع وست هام اعترض الكرة، ولحسن حظ الكولومبي عادت له من جديد ليسدد في شباك الحارس ألفونسو أريولا.

تلك النتيجة تجعل ليفربول يرفع رصيده إلى 45 نقطة في صدارة ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، بينما وست هام في المركز الثالث عشر برصيد 23 نقطة. هدف ليفربول الأول أمام وست هام يونايتد

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly been approached by the FA about becoming England's next manager.

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• Guardiola considered 'standout' option
• 53-year-old to decide future in coming weeks
• City want Catalan to remain at Etihad

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to The Times, the FA made informal contact with Guardiola at the start of the season as they attempt to identify Gareth Southgate's permanent replacement. The governing body are considering other candidates as well, but the City boss would be the "standout option" should he decide to leave the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires at the end of this season.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager hasn't replied to the FA about the role, but he's expected to make a decision regarding his future in the next few weeks. City, unsurprisingly, are keen for Guardiola to stay and enter a 10th season with the club.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Guardiola certainly meets the criteria outlined by the FA in their job advertisement for the role. A manager with "significant experience of English football, with a strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions" is desired, along with someone "experienced in successfully identifying, managing and developing English-qualified players".

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• WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID

  Guardiola discussed his future on Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa on Sunday, saying: "Leaving City? It's not true, I haven't decided yet. And it is not even true that I will be the next England coach. If I had decided I would say it… I don't know either, anything can happen."

The Frenchman, who was named interim manager in June, is in pole position to retain the job on a full-time basis

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Luccin promoted from assistant to interim head coachNico Estevez fired in June after winning three of first 16 matchesDallas five points out of the playoffs with four games remainingWHAT HAPPENED?

After impressing as interim manager for two months, Peter Luccin is well positioned to retain the Dallas job on a full-time basis, according to 's Tom Bogert. The Frenchman, who has served as an assistant manager at the Texas club since 2019, is a the front-runner to be named full time head coach – although nothing has been agreed between the two parties.

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Luccin has turned Dallas' fortunes around after a forgettable start to the season. Estevez, who had been in charge since 2022, led Dallas to a 3-8-5 opening to the campaign and was relieved of his duties before Copa America on June 9. Luccin has dragged Dallas back into the playoff picture, and have the western conference side within striking distance of a playoff spot as the season enters its final month.

DID YOU KNOW?

Luccin has made Dallas a far better attacking side in his two months in charge. Before he was promoted, they were averaging just 1.2 goals per game. In his 14 games leading the side, they are scoring 2.2.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LUCCIN?

The interim manager seems to be well-placed to take on his first full-time head coaching job. He will lead Dallas into a crucial last month of the season, starting with a home clash against Orlando this Saturday.

The wicketkeeper-batter lost her NZC central contract earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jun-2020

Rachel Priest’s international career spanned 13 years•AFP

New Zealand wicketkeeper Rachel Priest has announced her retirement from international cricket and has signed to play for Tasmania in Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL).Priest was dropped from New Zealand’s central contracts list earlier this month having been part of the T20 World Cup squad. Overall she played 87 ODIs – including a top score of 157 against Sri Lanka in 2015 during which she scored both her one-day hundreds in the space of four days – and 75 T20Is in a career spanning 13 years.She had returned to the New Zealand set-up in late 2019 after a gap of more than two years.”Having been involved in the White Ferns environment for 13 years, most of it enjoyable, it is with much consideration that I have decided to retire from international cricket,” Priest said. “I am really looking forward to the next chapter of my cricketing journey with Cricket Tasmania and the Tigers program and feel very fortunate to be given the opportunity.”Speaking to the website, she added: “I’m in a position where I’ve played a fair amount of cricket at the age that I’m at around the world, so I’m certainly hoping to add some of that experience and bring a bit of the mongrel that [coach Salliann Briggs] spoke to me about.””Experience is massive but it’s also about trying to bring a positive belief into the team, where the girls can be whoever they want to be and back themselves when they perform.”Priest follows Heather Graham (Western Australia) and Naomi Stalenberg (New South Wales) in moving to Tasmania ahead of the 2020-21 season.Meanwhile, pace bowler Sammy Jo-Johnson has switched to New South Wales after nine years with Queensland. She was part of the Australia A set-up last season and also a key component of the Brisbane Heat’s second consecutive WBBL title. Her WBBL future remains undecided with her currently out of contract but the embargo period remains in place.”The [NSW] Breakers have lost some talented Australia players lately and have an exciting young squad so I hope my experience can help them on their journey,” she said. “I harbour an ambition to play for Australia and believe the Breakers can help me achieve that goal by playing a key role for them.”Cricket Australia confirmed yesterday that the women’s domestic competitions would retain their current format and number of matches having previously been considered under threat from cuts amid cost-savings forced by Covid-19.

Cristiano Ronaldo has rejected claims Real Madrid are "lucky" and says he considers Los Blancos to be the best club in the history of football.

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Ronaldo hails Real as world's best clubWon a host of titles with Spanish giantsExplains secrets to club's continued successWHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid won La Liga and the Champions League last season and went on to strengthen their squad in the summer by adding French superstar Kylian Mbappe and Brazilian wonderkid Endrick to an already talented squad. Carlo Ancelotti's side will therefore be looking for more trophies in 2024-25 and to continue their European dominance after having lifted the Champions League in six of the last 10 years.

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Madrid have often been described as "lucky" over the years after making a habit of pulling off last-gasp wins and coming from behind in games when they appear to have no hope. Ronaldo, who won a host of titles during his time at the club, has explained why it's not luck that sees the Spanish giants continue to add trophies to their cabinet on a regular basis.

WHAT RONALDO SAID

Ronaldo told Rio Ferdinand on his YouTube channel: "Real Madrid are looking very good. It's the kind of team, they don't rush under pressure. This is why they most of the people say they are lucky. No they are not lucky. They prepare for this kind of moment. The Bernabeu has a different aura, the energy is different. When the big teams go there, they score a goal after 85 minutes, 90 minutes, the pressure is a lot. For me it's the best club ever in the history of football.

"I always say Madrid are going to be better. We don't know, let's see. Mbappe is there now. I think Madrid will keep strong but I don't know if they will be better than last year. Let's see. They have a fantastic team, fantastic players. I believe they will be one of the best teams in the world."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Ronaldo is Real Madrid's all-time top scorer after bagging 450 goals for Los Blancos. He also scored his 900th career strike recently, netting for Portugal in a Nations League triumph over Croatia.