Many Liverpool fans have been angered on Twitter, following news that their defender Andrew Robertson started on the right-hand side of defence for Scotland in their World Cup qualifying match against Denmark [BBC].

Walking into the game with no natural right-back figure due to COVID-19 related issues, former Reds assistant manager now Scotland head-coach Steve Clarke made the surprise decision to start Robertson at right wing-back in Copenhagen over Kieran Tierney [BBC].

Not proving to be a success and achieving a match rating of just 5/10 in The Daily Record newspaper, the 27-year-old was restored to his more natural berth at left-wing back for the second half.

Upon seeing this unusual turn of events, no wonder loads of diehard Liverpool fans took to Twitter to vent their frustration at the occurrence.

Liverpool FC fans react:

Replying to popular Liverpool FC fan outlet This is Anfield on Twitter, here is what some fans had to say about Robertson filling in on the right:

“Ye bit weird, taking away a big part of Robertson’s game not being able to bomb down the line and whip it in, think Tierney would be alright at RB and just sit and do a solid job defensively”

Credit: @2110lfc

“So we have got cover for Trent then …”

Credit: @kevhLFC”Stinking the place out unsurprisingly”Credit: @Kieran_Reid99″We’re giving FSG ideas”Credit: @KazzyLFC”Don’t tell Klopp”Credit: @mgksuarez”Klopp seeing this and now thinking that he can be the cover for Trent if needed”Credit: @alibaggedagainIn other news, Liverpool weighed up a move for a Premier League ace in the transfer window. Find out more here.

Aston Villa suffered an agonising defeat in the third round of the Carabao Cup as Chelsea knocked them out on penalties.

Dean Smith’s side fell behind early in the second-half thanks to a strike from Timo Werner, before academy graduate, Cameron Archer, had the away end rocking with an equaliser just ten minutes later.

And while a penalty shoot-out was always going to be a lottery, one man who missed, and endured a nightmare display at Stamford Bridge, was Ashley Young.

The veteran of course arrived in the summer on a free transfer to help add a bit of vital cover in the full-back areas and provide Smith with some experience in the dressing room.

But against Chelsea on Wednesday night, he showed nothing of the necessary footballing ability to suggest he could still be a reliable performer for Villa going forward.

As per Sofascore, he lost every single one of the five duels that he was involved in on the night, the worst record by far of any player on the pitch in west London.

Add to that the fact he had just 40 touches of the ball – even goalkeeper Jed Steer had more – lost possession eight times, and committed four fouls as he tried to keep up with Chelsea’s pacy forwards.

The fact he ended up missing in the shoot-out essentially captured what was a difficult night on the whole for Young.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for 7500 To Holte, Cole Pettem gave him a five, saying: “Struggled to make an impression on Wednesday evening, with a number of misplaced balls and failed to provide much positive link-up play with Anwar El Ghazi.”

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece was a lot kinder, however, noting: “Skippered Villa’s second string here and did well up against the jet-heeled Hudson-Odoi. It was an experienced showing from the 36-year-old as he dished out orders to the likes of El Ghazi, Archer and others to keep Villa focused out of possession knowing Chelsea could break at any moment.

“Tired a little as the game went on as Hudson-Odoi got some joy out of him but it was a good shift from the Villa captain. Booked and missed a crucial Villa penalty as he cracked the crossbar.”

While Preece was a bit more lenient in his assessment of Young’s performance, the 36-year-old simply didn’t show Smith why he would be a genuinely viable option at full-back to cover for the likes of Matty Cash or Matt Targett at Premier League level.

It was a performance that really let Smith down.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa have another exciting academy starlet in this teenager…

Journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast that Wolves are the likeliest of the Midlands clubs to be involved in some Transfer Deadline Day drama.

Aston Villa have already splashed out on Emiliano Buendia, Danny Ings and Leon Bailey following Jack Grealish’s £100m move to Manchester City, whilst West Brom have made some shrewd signings under Valerien Ismael, although three loan deals and free transfers apiece mean the Baggies are yet to spend a penny.

Meanwhile, Wolves have made seven additions under Bruno Lage, but have started the season with three straight Premier league defeats following 1-0 losses to Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United respectively, and are in desperate need of some firepower in attack.

Adama Traore now looks set to stay despite recent links with Tottenham with Wolves keen to keep him according to Spurs journalist Alasdair Gold, but Hatfield still reckons that the Midlands club could be busy before the window closes at 11pm on Tuesday, with a loan move for Renato Sanches of Lille mooted.

When asked what he expects from the Molineux outfit on deadline day, Hatfield told FFC:

“I think Wolves are the most likely to make a big signing or a player leave for big money, that’s the most likely because Wolves need to get some business done. But Wolves are most likely to make a splash.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O capitão do Inter Andrés D’alessandro concedeu entrevista coletiva na tarde desta quinta-feira. Forte e direto, o camisa 10 garantiu que o elenco está comprometido em tirara equipe dessa fase ruim que vive na Série B. D’ale chegou a dizer, cem citar nomes, que quem não estava comprometido já deixou o clube.

– Está todo mundo comprometido. Teve várias situações de jogadores que saíram neste ano. Várias situações, que fique claro. Quem não estava comprometido, saiu. Quem não quis ficar para essa situação de jogar a Série B, saiu – afirmou.

Ainda, segundo o meia, tiveram casos de jogadores que deixaram o clube por sentirem a pressão da torcida.

– Foram diferentes situações. Situações que sentiram que tinha que sair porque o individual era complicado aqui. Outros que decidiram sair por questão pessoal. Quem está aqui está querendo reverter a situação – complementou.

Depois, o jogador admitiu que o Inter está devendo na competição. Para ele, o clube deveria ter mais quatro ou cinco pontos, mas que não mereceu conquistá-los.

– Claro que o torcedor acharia que estaríamos a essa altura no G4 com folga. A gente achava que iria estar no G4, mas não com folga. A situação que podemos nos cobrar é não estar no G4, ter uns quatro ou cinco pontos a mais. Temos consciência de que não merecemos ter esses pontos a mais – reconheceu.

Para o jogo de sábado, contra o Criciúma, D’alessandro confirmou que a equipe entrará em campo com a obrigação de vencer para subir na tabela.

– Sabemos que estamos devendo. Está faltando algo para entrar no G4 e não sair. Fora de casa temos jogado bem, sido inteligentes em alguns jogos, mas dentro não. Está todo mundo comprometido para conseguir esse resultado dentro de casa. Estamos procurando isso. Tem que ser agora. Não adianta jogar bem e não ganhar. Nós temos que ganhar sábado – completou o camisa 10.

Internacional e Criciúma se enfrentam neste sábado, às 16h30, no Beira Rio. O Colorado está atualmente na quinta posição na tabela da Série B, com 17 pontos, dois a menos que o quarto colocado, Vila Nova e cinco a menos que o líder, Guarani.

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Nepal beat Malaysia by ten wickets in front of 8000 spectators to win the ACC Under-17 Elite Cup

Cricinfo staff14-Feb-2009
Nepal celebrate after their victory in the final © Asian Cricket Council
Nepal beat Malaysia by ten wickets in front of 8000 spectators to win the ACC Under-17 Elite Cup.Malaysia were always second best in front of a passionate home crowd and were bowled out for 124 in 37.1 overs. Nepal cruised to victory in 23.3 overs, Sagar Pun scoring 65 and Aakash Pariyar 53.”We just couldn’t cope with the pressure,” said Malaysia’s captain Keithan Goonasageran. “Playing in front of a crowd like this for the first time shook a few of our players but really it was the spot-spot-spot bowling of Nepal’s spinners that hurt us.”Organisers have been delighted with excellent crowds throughout the competition, and strict checking of all teams ensured there were none of the embarrassing rows over the age of players which have marred recent events.That spared Nepal, who, it is reported, had 16 of their original 30-man squad outside the stipulated age qualifications.

The Afghanistan players are expecting a huge reception back home in Kabul after winning the World Cricket League Division 3 in Argentina. The team left Buenos Aires on Sunday night and will arrive in Afghanistan on Tuesday, and fast bowler Hamid Hassan was anticipating a large crowd turning out to greet them.”I am very excited about seeing them,” he said. “When we won Division 4 in Tanzania there were lots of people at the airport. So as we have won Division 3, there will be even more people there, blocking the roads and celebrating by banging drums.”I really enjoy the celebrations as we have such great fans. The people in Afghanistan pray for us and are waiting for the trophy to come home so we can all celebrate together.”However, the players also know they have plenty of hard work to put in if they are to realise their dream of playing in the 2011 World Cup, and once the party is over it will be straight back to work, preparing for the World Cup Qualifiers beginning April 1.Hamid, himself, will be off to play first-class cricket in Pakistan after a couple of days’ rest in Peshawar, and the team is expected to get together either in India or Pakistan in early March for a training camp ahead of the qualifiers.The joy was writ large on wicketkeeper Karim Khan’s face as well. “I am very, very happy,” he said. “We won Division 5, we won Division 4, now we have won Division 3 and if we all work hard we will get to the World Cup. This is our country’s dream and this is my dream, and the Afghan people are very happy.”I have seen the Afghan websites, I have seen the newspapers and people have said they will be coming to the airport to meet us. Even the president may be coming to see us at the airport.”However, he said the players would need to lift their game if they were to take the final step, though he believed they had the ability to perform well at that level.”Hopefully, we can beat the likes of Kenya, Bermuda and UAE and get to the World Cup in 2011,” said Karim. “It is my dream to play ODIs and face the likes of Pakistan, Australia, England and India. I have faced Shoaib Akhtar from Pakistan, India’s Irfan Pathan and Australia’s Mitchell Johnson in the nets, and I want to play them in a real match.”Karim will be back in training with former Pakistan wicketkeeper Rashid Latif, who acted as his personal coach in the build-up to the event in Argentina, and helped him improve his game.”I sent an email to Rashid Latif to thank him for all his hard work with me,” said Karim. “I used to be an offspinner but now I am a very good wicketkeeper. Rashid has invited me for more training in Karachi in 15 days’ time so I am going for more hard work on my wicketkeeping and my batting.”

Middle-order batsman Raees Ahmadzai also believed that Afghanistan would need to raise their game to do well at the qualifiers. “I am very happy that I am going to play for my country in the World Cup Qualifier but we need to work on our game and avoid the mistakes we made against Uganda, and in the first match against the Cayman Islands,” said Raees.”Our first priority is to qualify for the top six – that will be our first target so that we can play ODIs for the next four years. We want to get through to the second stage of the competition and try and get in the top four, as that would be a real gift for the Afghan people. It would be amazing to come from the refugee camps and play cricket with the big nations and try and beat a Test-playing country. That would be the greatest achievement of our lives,” he said.The top four sides from the qualifiers will go on to feature in the 2011 World Cup, while a top-six finish will secure ODI status for the next four years, as well as automatic qualification for the Intercontinental Cup.Afghanistan progressed as the first qualifier and will be placed in Group B alongside Kenya, The Netherlands, Bermuda, UAE and Denmark. Uganda will be up against Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Oman and Namibia in Group A.The fixtures for the qualifiers in South Africa from April 1-19 will be released shortly.

Arsenal could sign their next Robert Pires in Club Brugge starlet Noa Lang amid a recent transfer update on his future.

What’s the story?

According to Dutch publication Voetbal24, the winger is interested in a move to the Emirates in the upcoming transfer windows amid speculation linking him with a move away from Belgium.

The report adds that Mikel Arteta’s side are firmly in the race to sign Lang, with Serie A giants Milan also said to be in the running too, but that he prefers a move to north London.

Arsenal’s new Pires

After a superb season last year with the Belgian side – the 22-year-old netted an impressive 17 times across all competitions – it’s no surprise that Arsenal have entered the race to sign him.

Dubbed a “phenomenon” by Belgian sports journalist Peter Vandenbempt, Lang made history when he became the first player in more than a half century to mark his Ajax debut by scoring a hat-trick – something that left manager Erik ten Hag raving about him after the game.

The Amsterdam club’s manager said: “He showed (his talent) today and I am very happy with that. Noa shows (his ability) it during training and during the reserve matches. And today he has also clearly shown it at the highest level too.”

In his pomp at Highbury, Pires was similarly prolific, scoring 15 goals in the Premier League alone in the 2002/2003 campaign, before netting 14 times in back-to-back campaigns the following two years.

Just like Pires, Lang also operates from the left, and it appears not only does he have an eye for goal, but he also Pires’ craft and vision to boot too.

After a fine performance against KRC Genk, Belgian analyst Filip Joos, said: “He is currently the best player in the league, I think. That‘s really pure class. He sees it, makes eye contact with Mechele who finishes it fine. Fantastic goal, because that pass is also ideal. He is constantly moving, he swings across the field, he likes to dribble, but he will always play it at the right time.”

Given that ability to score and create goals from out wide, there’s certainly a lot to like about how similar the 5 foot 10 speedster is to Pires.

Meanwhile, Arsenal are eyeing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s successor in this star…

Sri Lanka’s itinerary for a three-match trip to Pakistan has been revised once again, at the request of the Sri Lankan cricket board.The three ODIs will now be played in Karachi and Lahore, with the port city hosting the first two ODIs back-to-back. “We have received a request from SLC for the change and it has been agreed upon,” Salim Altaf, chief operating officer PCB, told Cricinfo.In the new schedule, Sri Lanka arrive in Karachi as planned on January 18. Karachi’s National Stadium then hosts the first two ODIs on January 20 and 21. The third ODI will be played in Lahore on January 24 before the visitors return home a day later, to complete a quickfire week-long trip. Faisalabad – or Multan – thus miss out as a venue.Altaf gave no reason for the latest change but it is likely that the confirmation of a five-match ODI series between Sri Lanka and India has been factored in. The two agreed yesterday to India’s tour, which will include a Twenty20 international as well.Sri Lanka will return after the Indian series to play two Tests in Pakistan, likely to be towards the end of February.

MatériaMais Notícias

Rangers assistant manager Gary McAllister has revealed that Ianis Hagi is in contention to face Livingston tonight after returning from a viral infection.

What’s the latest?

The winger has been ruled out since the last international break, but McAllister has confirmed that the 22-year-old has looked sharp in training, whilst giving an overall injury update.

He told the Glasgow Times: “Ianis is back and trained, he looked pretty sharp. Ryan Kent will be missing. Patterson has had an ankle issue recently but he trained and looked sharp today.

“Ryan Jack is still missing and working hard to get back to full fitness.”

Fans will be buzzing

Rangers fans will be buzzing with this update as it suggests that Hagi could be in with a shot at starting, or at least featuring, against Livingston tonight. His last appearance for the club came at the end of August in a 4-2 win over Ross County, with supporters potentially excited to see him back in action after a month out.

The Romania international has two goals and one assist in six competitive appearances this term, having managed seven goals and 11 assists in the Premiership last season. This shows that he has the quality to score and set up goals on a regular basis, which could provide Rangers with the spark they have been missing of late.

His manager Steven Gerrard, who previously dubbed Hagi an “outstanding talent”, has seen his side score just once in their last two outings. This suggests that they have been lacking in the final third, which is where the 22-year-old could come in and solve a glaring problem for the Gers. He has proven that he can contribute in key moments since the start of last season and could provide that quality now that he has returned to fitness. 

Fans will surely be buzzing to see the mercurial gem back in the starting XI and gaining some valuable minutes against Livingston in the League Cup. That could then allow him to get fully match-fit ahead of a return to Premiership action at the weekend against Dundee.

AND in other news, Gerrard must unleash £14k-p/w Rangers powerhouse tomorrow, he’s a brick wall…