The 10-wicket drubbing by Sri Lanka has served as a wake-up call for Bangladesh, their captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said. He hoped the middle order could do better in the final in the event that both Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan, the two in-form batsmen, fall cheaply again.Between them, Tamim and Shakib had scored five half-centuries in Bangladesh’s first three matches of the tri-nation series. On Thursday, both fell for single-digit scores as Bangladesh collapsed to 82 all out. The middle-order trio of Mahmudullah, Sabbir Rahman and Nasir Hossain made 7, 10 and 3 respectively, and Mashrafe warned his team from relying too much on Shakib, whose promotion to No 3 has opened up opportunities for the rest of the batting line-up.”It is a nice wake-up call,” Mashrafe said. “We have found out how poorly we can play on our bad day. There’s no guarantee of not losing Shakib and Tamim early in the final, so now we have an idea. [Mahmudullah] Riyad has handled these situations in the past. Sabbir played his 50th ODI today. They have the ability.”I think the top-order’s failure today exposed the middle-order but this wasn’t the extent we had expected. There was no need to rush after four wickets fell. Strike-rate of 50 could have been pushed up to 75 or 80 later on. We have to discuss whether this was thought about, in the middle. Shakib has played at No 5 for the last 10-11 years. It is now up to the middle-order to take responsibility. We can’t keep playing around Shakib.”According to Mashrafe, Nasir and Sabbir are perhaps having finding it difficult to curtail their free-scoring approach when the situation demands it. With his side 57 for four in the 17th over, Sabbir charged Thisara Perera and toe-ended an attempted big hit to mid-on. Nasir, meanwhile, tickled a Dushmantha Chameera delivery that was way down the leg-side. His failure in this game left him with only five runs from his last three innings.”Possibly they are not able to absorb the pressure,” Mashrafe said. “Maybe they like to score runs quickly rather than spend time in the middle. In our first-class cricket, they have 100 strike-rate after early wickets. It is possibly beyond our nature to slow down after the fall of few wickets.”I think they are feeling guilty, probably more than me. I would want them to think about it before the final, but they should also remain positive.”Anamul Haque remains a cause for concern as well. He was the first wicket to fall in this game, dragging a wide delivery back onto his stumps, giving him a total of 55 runs in four innings thus far in the series. He hasn’t managed to replicate his domestic form upon his return to international cricket after two years, which has coincided with plenty of social-media clamor calling for his selection.”There has been a lot of talk about [Anamul] Bijoy, that he is scoring runs in all levels,” Mashrafe said. “I think more than us, you have exposed him more, which is true. But we have full faith in him, which is why he is still playing continuously.”
Diferente de outras oportunidades onde o técnico Renato Portaluppi costuma utilizar de ironias e afirmações de exaltação ao elenco do Grêmio, o treinador pareceu profundamente incomodado e usou a entrevista coletiva após a vitória por 1 a 0 no Gre-Nal da última quarta-feira (23) para fazer um verdadeiro desabafo.
Para ele, as análises prévias que foram feitas sobre a tônica do confronto no Beira-Rio pela Libertadores foram unicamente passionais, indicando uma torcida mais favorável ao rival do que necessariamente considerando os anos vitoriosos do plantel.
Renato ainda foi além, dizendo que era necessário respeitar os atletas e que, no que dependesse dele, o Inter seguiria tendo dificuldades em superar o Grêmio, algo que não acontece há 10 encontros consecutivos:
-Quem manda aqui no Rio Grande do Sul é o Grêmio há quatro anos. Agradeço às manchetes para o grupo mostrar o valor dele. Não fiquem com vergonha, repitam. Abram o paletó e mostrem a camisa do Inter por baixo. O sofrimento é grande, vão continuar sofrendo, pode ter certeza disso.
-Algumas pessoas da imprensa do Rio Grande do Sul precisam ser mais educadas. Os jogadores são seres humanos. O Grêmio manda no Estado há quatro anos e parece que é o contrário. Está invicto há 10 Gre-Nais. Não está ótimo, mas não está do jeito que querem colocar. O que falar do rival que está há quatro anos sem ganhar nada?Se sofrem há quatro anos, o problema é de vocês. Agradeço às manchetes que (o Inter) ia amassar, ia atropelar a gente. (Os jornalistas) Têm que colocar a camisa que está amassada no armário. Mais repeito. Temos um grupo vencedor – agregou Renato.
RelacionadasFora de CampoDenilson ironiza Renata Fan com freguesia do Inter para o GrêmioFora de Campo24/09/2020VídeoVÍDEO: Nas redes sociais, Grêmio ironiza tabu com vídeo usando Maicon e desenho animadoVídeo24/09/2020GrêmioPepê frisa ganho de confiança da equipe com vitória no Gre-NalGrêmio23/09/2020
Journalist Fabrizio Romano has named his top five signings of the summer, including Liverpool ace Dominik Szoboszlai in his rankings.
What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?
It's been a busy summer for the Reds who have seen some key players depart as manager Jurgen Klopp looks to rebuild his midfield.
Indeed, Fabinho recently completed a transfer to Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, becoming the second Liverpool player to move to the Middle East after Jordan Henderson’s switch to Al-Ettifaq.
As well as that, other midfielders James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita all also left Anfield, departing after their contracts expired at the start of the summer.
To help fill the void, the Reds went out and signed World Cup-winning Brighton ace Alexis Mac Allister, for an initial fee of around £35m – although that could rise to £55m.
Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…
On top of that, they tried to bring in Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia but both players snubbed Klopp and co in favour of a move to Chelsea.
Instead, they have ended up with Japanese midfielder Wataru Endo who was previously at VfB Stuttgart. However, it is the deal for Szoboszlai that appears to have caught Romano's eye the most.
Indeed, when speaking to 888 Sport (via Sport Bible), the Italian journalist named the player in his top five signings so far in the summer transfer window.
In fifth place, Romano placed AC Milan's move Tijani Rejinders, who arrived from PSV for around €20m (around £17m). And then Szoboszlai was ranked in at fourth.
The Austrian midfielder signed a five-year contract until 2028, after the Reds agreed upon a £60m fee with RB Leipzig earlier in the transfer window.
In third place, Romano named Declan Rice, who joined Arsenal for a British-record transfer fee of £105m from West Ham United – although Romano interestingly told fans to be patient with that particular deal.
Second on the list was the move of former Manchester City star Ilkay Gundogan to Barcelona. He left England following the expiration of his contract but big things are expected of him in Spain with Romano labelling him "one of the most underrated players in the world in the last 10 years".
While first up on the list – ironically enough a big Liverpool target – was Jude Bellingham. The talented youngster of course moved to Real Madrid for just £88m. With so much competition for his signature, Romano called the deal a "masterpiece" from Los Blancos.
Does Dominik Szoboszlai speak English?
Despite having only arrived at Liverpool recently, It appears, Szoboszlai is settling in pretty fast. After all, he has played every minute in the Premier League for the Reds so far – and, across those appearances, has the fourth-best averaged WhoScored match rating (7.00) in the squad.
Perhaps what has helped him settle in is his ability to speak pretty good English. He showed this when he made a bold claim after talking recently to the media.
Indeed, when asked who he thinks will win the league this season, he told Liverpool Echo: "Us."
He added: "I am thinking it. I always think that way. Even if this is hard and there are very good teams in the Premier League, but we are also very good, we have a very good coach and players. We are going to do our best and at the end I want to be first.
"We will see. We have a lot of games. [Manchester City] mainly have a lot of games and we have to play against them as well. I think everybody in the Premier League who has a chance to win, they are going to want to win anyway. We are thinking the same. Like, I am thinking the same but probably the other guys are going to think the same if you ask them.
"I am this type, I like to win, I like to do everything for the team. If they ask me if I want to win the Premier League, of course I want to win it. If I want to win the Europa League and the FA Cup, the same. Everything we can do this year. I want to win everything because nobody is going to ask you how it feels to be second."
“I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to go after a winter of rehab and a bit of hard work. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty tough,” the fast bowler said after his 4 for 55 in Whangarei
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Dec-2017
Getty Images
It didn’t seem like Doug Bracewell, coming off a knee injury and a 100-hour community service sentence following a drink-driving offence, and Todd Astle, who described his ODI debut as a “dream come true”, hadn’t played international cricket for the last year. They found their rhythm from the outset, and combined to take seven wickets in the first ODI, leading New Zealand to a five-wicket win in Whangarei.”The first couple of games I was nervous and I guess anxious at the same time,” Bracewell said after his 4 for 55 in the first ODI. “I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to go after a winter of rehab and a bit of hard work. I’m not going to lie, it was pretty tough. I was quite sore but I managed to get through and now it seems to get better each day.”Since slipping in a domestic match last December, Bracewell said he has been working on improving his knee as well as his batting. “It’s one of those things that we’ve got to manage and monitor,” he said. “But it’s improved a hell of a lot over the last couple of weeks. There’s definitely positive signs there.”It’s (batting) something I’ve been working pretty hard at lately. I’ve been given the opportunity for Central Districts to go out and sort of play with some freedom at six or seven and I’ve managed to have a good start for the season so I’m feeling really good with the bat. I’m hoping I can show I’ve got the ability down at No 8, No 7.”Astle, on the other hand, said his focus was on developing variations with his legspin to improve his repertoire. “Any little bit of doubt you can create, that’s what I’m trying to bring with bowling those variations and wrong ‘uns,” Astle said. “You’re only going to be unknown for a certain period of time. There will now be lots of video footage, so it’s just trying to stay one step ahead.”New Zealand will be without Kane Williamson and Tim Southee, who have been rested, for the remainder of the ODI series. Tom Latham will lead New Zealand in Williamson’s absence. The next ODI is on Saturday in Christchurch.
Chelsea have had a summer to remember when it comes to signing players and it looks like fans could be treated to yet more spending, following a key update from journalist Simon Johnson.
Do Chelsea need more signings?
The Blues have made a disappointing start to life under Mauricio Pochettino, with their Premier League campaign flattering to deceive in the opening two matches.
While the 1-1 draw at home to Liverpool on the opening weekend was an adequate result, Sunday's 3-1 defeat away to West Ham was a shock to the system. Chelsea may have dominated chunks of proceedings, but they didn't create enough opportunities and their finishing wasn't good enough when chances did arrive.
The west Londoners may have spent big this summer, most notably signing the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Jackson, but they still look short of elite quality currently, especially in attacking areas.
There is now less than two weeks of the summer transfer window remaining and failure to bring in one more wide option in the final third could ultimately prove costly.
Will Chelsea sign another attacker?
According to The Athletic's Johnson, Chelsea are still eyeing up another attacking signing this summer, although a new No.9 is out of the question, despite Christopher Nkunku's long-term injury after arriving from Borussia Dortmund:
"With the transfer window closing on September 1, there is still time for the chequebook to be used again. Chelsea have been looking at signing another attacking player anyway, but not a tried and tested No 9 as such.
"A move for Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise broke down last week, while Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson was put on the wish list last month."
While rival fans may balk at Chelsea's need to bring in another attacker, given the money they have already spent since the end of last season, there is no question that they look short of reliable options in that area of the pitch.
Raheem Sterling was superb in a losing cause against West Ham, arguably producing his best performance yet in a Blues shirt, but he has been a disappointing signing so far, and his very best days could possibly be behind him.
Meanwhile, Mykhailo Mudryk continues to experience a torrid time of things, failing to score in 19 Chelsea appearances and missing a glorious opportunity late in the day at West Ham, while Noni Madueke also hasn't had the desired impact.
Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…
A move for Michael Olise has fallen through after he signed a new deal with Crystal Palace, so signing him is out of the question, but someone of a similar ilk could be ideal, in terms of a young wide talent who can combine pace, trickery and a steady flow of end product.
It looks as though Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is a possible option to come in and ease the Blues' woes, and the Belgium international could be a brilliant addition, having scored 12 goals and chipped in with a further ten assists for the Ligue 1 side to date.
The International break couldn’t have come at a better time for Heart of Midlothian, with a strong start to the season slowly being outdone by recent results.
Steven Naismith saw his team secure four points from six after two Premiership games while claiming a memorable aggregate victory over Rosenborg in the Europa Conference League third qualifying round, and it looked as though bright times were just around the corner for the Jambos.
Since then, however, the Gorgie outfit have scored just once in four games, suffering four consecutive defeats in the process and crashing out of Europe following a heavy defeat to Greek side PAOK.
Having made seven new signings during the summer transfer window, luring players such as Alex Lowry, Frankie Kent, and Calem Nieuwenhof to Tynecastle, it was certainly a productive window for the club.
The players will soon need to start showing their worth before too long, however, with Naismith have perhaps left to regret not making another signing which would have transformed their attacking options.
Did Hearts nearly sign Jamie McGrath this summer?
During the embryonic stages of the transfer window, Hearts were slow in doing business, being linked with numerous names but not acting upon their initial interest.
One such name was that of Jamie McGrath, the Irish attacking midfielder. According to The Daily Record, Naismith was looking at bringing the player back north of the border from English side Wigan Athletic and considering he had just a year left on his current contract at the time, it looked as though a knockdown offer could have been launched to secure his signature.
Jamie McGrath
The player had made the move to Wigan in January 2022 from Premiership side St Mirren for a fee in the region of £150k, yet made just four appearances in all competitions.
Why did Hearts not sign Jamie McGrath?
Despite being linked with the Irish international for a few weeks, he terminated his contract with Wigan due to issues with the previous ownership, meaning he was available on a free transfer.
This should have given Naismith even further incentive to make a swoop for the midfielder, knowing that he wouldn’t cost the club a penny in transfer fees, yet they acted too slowly, and it was another Scottish side who beat them to his signature.
Aberdeen began to show interest, eventually snapping him up just a week before the end of the transfer window, and it looks like they have secured themselves a wonderful bargain, and a player Hearts will soon regret having missed out on in the coming months.
How good is Jamie McGrath?
Having shone in Ireland with numerous clubs, the 5 foot 9 dynamo signed for the Paisley outfit in 2020 and emerged as one of their finest players over the next two years.
Across just 79 games, he scored 20 times and grabbed seven assists and this type of form clearly impressed Wigan, as the aforementioned £150k fee proved to be too much for the Scottish side to turn down.
Journalist Josh Bunting lavished the midfielder upon moving to England, saying: “Jamie McGrath is a sensational signing for Wigan Athletic, think that’s one of the best signings of the window , really liked him whilst he was at Dundalk, good on the ball, aggressive and direct and has a very good shot, he’ll score from belters at the DW I’m sure of that.”
Jamie McGrath positions played (All seasons)
Games
Goals
Assists
Attacking midfield
72
14
8
Central midfield
44
12
4
Right-winger
42
2
4
Second striker
41
4
10
Left-winger
33
4
2
Centre forward
21
5
0
Stats via Transfermarkt
An unproductive six-month stint followed, and he joined Dundee United last summer for a season-long loan, with it proving to be an instrumental signing as the player carried on where he left off following his previous spell in Scotland.
Over 37 matches, he scored nine goals and registered three assists, although it couldn’t prevent the Arabs from suffering from relegation and Bunting heaped more praise on the attacking midfielder upon his arrival.
He said: “There’s going to be pressure on Dundee United to perform this season,I really like their squad and I think Jamie McGrath is a quality addition back into the league. He’s been backed heavily Jack Ross can’t say he wasn’t. McGrath is excellent at getting on the ball and carrying it.”
The eight-cap gem eventually finished the season ranked as United’s best performer according to overall Sofascore rating (7.08), while topping the pile for big chances created (five), key passes per game (1.6) and ranking second for successful dribbles per game (0.9), showcasing his vast attacking talents north of the border.
It was a stunning individual season, and it is further evidence that Hearts have missed out on a player who could have easily added ten or more goal contributions to their squad if he was deployed in the correct position.
What is Jamie McGrath doing now?
Although joining the Dons just two weeks ago, he has already played four matches for the club, two in the league and two on the continent.
Across his two league appearances, he has managed to create one big chance, while averaging one key pass per game and recovering six balls per game, suggesting he is beginning to make an impact despite being relatively new to the team.
Jamie McGrath
If given a regular run in the starting XI, he could certainly register some impressive attacking statistics reminiscent to what he achieved last term for United and defences will struggle to handle him, no doubt about it.
What is Jamie McGrath’s market value?
According to Football Transfers, he is currently valued at €1.2m (£1m) and considering Aberdeen paid nothing to sign him in the first place, this could turn out to be a very profitable signing, especially as his value should continue to rise following every good performance.
Hearts have struggled for goals and an attacking spark of late while slipping to four straight defeats, could McGrath have been the answer to their attacking woes?
Judging by his previous form in Scotland, the Irishman could have offered something unique to Naismith and the Jambos as they seek to reclaim third spot in the table that the Dons snatched from them during the dying embers of the 2022/23 campaign.
In truth, it already looks like a transfer howler from Naismith and co.
Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and the rest of the board backed Northern Irish head coach Brendan Rodgers significantly throughout the summer transfer window.
Who did Celtic sign this summer?
The Hoops added nine new additions to the group in an attempt to bolster the playing squad in spite of the treble-winning campaign last season.
Nat Phillips
Loan
Luis Palma
Permanent
Gustaf Lagerbielke
Permanent
Maik Nawrocki
Permanent
Paulo Bernardo
Loan
Odin Thiago Holm
Permanent
Marco Tilio
Permanent
Hyeok-kyu Kwon
Permanent
Hyun-jun Yang
Permanent
Seven players were brought in on permanent deals to improve the side in the long term, with Luis Palma arriving for a reported fee of £3.5m as the final addition in that bracket.
Bernardo has arrived on a season-long loan from Benfica, although the club do have the option to sign him at the end of the campaign, and Phillips has joined from Liverpool until January.
These signings have added further depth to Rodgers' squad and that has resulted in a number of players being surplus to requirements as they have too many people ahead of them in the pecking order to have a realistic chance of getting minutes on the pitch. One of those who fell victim to that is Albian Ajeti.
Why did Celtic sell Ajeti?
Ajeti is one of the players who fell into that aforementioned situation with the Hoops reportedly very keen to move him on before the Turkish transfer window closes on the 15th, amid interest from Gaziantep.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT recently, Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph claimed that the Bhoys were "desperate" to cash in on the Switzerland international.
The reporter also revealed that the Hoops dud had rejected two moves away from Parkhead already and was content to remain at the club on his reported £21k-per-week salary without being a part of the team if the right move did not arise.
Former Celtic forward Albian Ajeti.
However, Gaziantep officially confirmed the signing of Ajeti this week, and the Scottish giants have finally been unable to offload him from their wage bill.
Joseph had stated that the club would sanction an exit for a fee of just £500k this summer, although it is yet to be confirmed exactly how much the Turkish side have spent to secure his signature.
How much did Celtic pay for Ajeti?
Celtic paid a reported fee of £5m to sign the striker from West Ham United in 2020 and you could forgive supporters for having high expectations of a player when they arrive for such a significant amount of money.
Then-manager Neil Lennon described the former Hammers marksman as a "tremendous" player, despite his form for the Premier League side being less-than-impressive.
Former West Ham striker Alban Ajeti.
Ajeti joined the London-based club from Basel in 2019 and struggled badly in England as he ended his time with West Ham without a single goal to his name in 12 competitive appearances. This included zero goals and zero assists in nine outings in the English top-flight.
He averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.46 and lost a staggering 91% of his physical duels across those nine Premier League matches, but that did not put Celtic off in their pursuit of his services.
How many goals did Ajeti score for Celtic?
The Swiss forward ended his career in Scotland with nine goals in 46 competitive games across his three years with the Hoops, which shows that he was far from prolific.
Ajeti failed to break into Lennon's side on a regular basis throughout his debut campaign as he started only ten Scottish Premiership matches in the 2020/21 season.
The 26-year-old, who former Bhoys striker Frank McAvennie described as "lazy" due to his poor work rate, featured in 20 league clashes in total that term and found the back of the net six times, whilst he also provided his teammates with one assist.
His lack of physical strength was an issue as the former Premier League attacker lost 65% of his duels and a whopping 74% of his aerial battles, which may have been a big reason behind his lack of starts as Lennon could not rely on him to occupy opposition defenders.
Former Celtic striker Alban Ajeti.
Teams found it far too easy to dominate him and the Swiss finisher did not make up for it with his quality in possession, failing to create a single 'big chance' and producing 0.6 key passes per game to go along with his six goals.
Lennon moved on from Parkhead at the end of that season and Ange Postecoglou was brought in for the start of the 2021/22 campaign.
The Australian head coach did not take a liking to Ajeti either and only handed him seven league appearances. In that time, the ex-Hoop scored two goals and lost 61% of his duels for the Scottish side to go alongside a rather average Sofascore rating of 6.72.
These statistics show that the ex-Basel star struggled with the physicality of football in Scotland and was unable to earn a regular run of starts due to that and his lack of quality in the final third.
His record in European competitions was also particularly dire. He produced one goal in 14 games across the Europa League and Champions League, including qualifiers, as the misfiring forward failed to make the step up to continental competitions.
Ajeti's dreadful form for the Hoops led to him being sent out on loan to Sturm Graz by Postecoglou for the 2022/23 campaign and he struggled to make an impact in Austria.
Only four goals and one assist fell his way in 23 appearances for the club and, once again, he left a lot to be desired out of possession. He lost 60% of his physical battles and found the back of the net on three occasions in 15 Bundesliga outings for Sturm Graz.
His finishing ability also came into question in Austria as the misfiring dud spurned eight 'big chances' in front of goal in those league matches, which shows that Ajeti struggled on and off the ball throughout the season.
The £5m signing's disappointing loan spell clearly failed to indicate to Rodgers that he was worth handing a chance to at Parkhead this season, which led to his move to Turkey this week.
Celtic certinaly endured a nightmare with the Lennon signing over the course of his three years in Scotland and they will be happy that his chapter at the club has now come to an end.
Khawar Ali triggered a middle-overs collapse and followed it up with his maiden List A century to give Oman a fifth-place finish in the WCL Division Two, with a five-wicket win over Kenya in Windhoek. Khawar’s three wickets reduced Kenya to 148 for 7, before a lower-order surge hauled them to 253. He then offset an early loss in the chase with an unbeaten 112 to steer Oman home with 18 balls to spare.Kenya dominated the early exchanges, with Dhiren Gondaria blasting 68 off 49 balls. But Oman hit back with quick wickets as Kenya moved from 79 for no loss to 88 for 3, before Gondaria became Khawar’s first victim.It took an eighth-wicket partnership between their captain Shem Ngoche (66) and Nehemiah Odhiambo (42) to stem the slide. The two fell in successive overs before Kenya folded with one ball remaining in the innings. Left-arm pacer Bilal Khan was responsible for the bulk of the damage, snaring his second five-for in four matches.Oman lost Jatinder Singh in the ninth ball of the chase, before Khawar put the chase back on track through partnerships of 57 with Zeeshan Maqsood, the captain, and 131 with Vaibhav Wategaonkar (67). He struck his 11th boundary, and the winning runs, off Gondaria in the last ball of the 47th over.
Chelsea's best player so far this season hasn't been Raheem Sterling or Thiago Silva, according to Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson.
The Arsenal icon has instead been left in awe by Enzo Fernandez's spectacular performances for the Blues, believing that he has been the best performer under new manager Mauricio Pochettino so far.
After incredible displays during Argentina’s World Cup success, the 22-year-old earned his £107m move from Benfica to Chelsea in January.
Although, since moving to Chelsea he has only won four Premier League games.
What did Paul Merson say about Enzo Fernandez?
Enzo Fernandez Chelsea
Despite the west Londoners' embarrassing 1-0 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, which has left them 12th in the table, on only four points, Merson was still full of praise for the Argentine midfielder.
He said:
“Mauricio Pochettino will get it right because he’s a good manager, but it’s going to be hard. If they get in the top four then they will be pulling up trees.
“Enzo Fernandez is different class – a cut above the rest.
“There’s not enough guile in the team. You haven’t got players that will put the ball through the eye of a needle.
“They can’t break teams down. It’s like watching Subbuteo football – there’s no movement. Unless Fernandez finds that killer pass, no one else will.
"With Nicolas Jackson and Raheem Sterling’s pace, and Fernandez’s vision, they will cause havoc – like they did at West Ham in the first half.
“But what happened in the second half? West Ham sat deeper because they scored, and Chelsea could still be playing now and they wouldn’t have scored."
Is Merson right about Fernandez?
Soccer Football – FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Final – Argentina v France – Lusail Stadium, Lusail, Qatar – December 18, 2022 Argentina’s Enzo Fernandez poses with his Best Young Player award during the award ceremony after the match REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach
Despite Chelsea struggling for form since Fernandez joined the club, it is hard to disagree with the former centre-back's evaluation of the World Cup winner.
During the 2022 World Cup, four-time Champions League winner Lionel Messi was full of praise for Fernandez.
He said:
"I'm not surprised by Enzo
"I know him and I see him train every day. He deserves [the acclaim] because he's a spectacular player."
After joining last season, Chelsea’s new no.8 ranked as the fourth top performer of the 2022/23 season on Sofascore, with an average rating of 7.17, only behind Thiago Silva (7.26), N’Golo Kante (7.26) and Reece James (7.19).
However, after taking half a season to settle in at his new club, Fernandez has come into his own and now easily ranks as Chelsea’s top performer this season, with an average rating of 7.83, which is 0.23 higher than second-place Raheem Sterling and ahead of Silva (7.33), too.
His stats, per FBref, also back up his outstanding performances, in the last year he has ranked in the top 1% of midfielders in Europe for progressive passes, long passes completed, and passes into the final third, all per 90, highlighting just how crucial he has been in getting his side up the pitch.
Fernandez also ranks in the top 3% of European midfielders for touches, carries, passes blocked, passes completed and passes attempted per 90, proving he can help his side on the attack, control possession in the midfield and help the defence.
This shows that the midfield dynamo is certainly his side's most important player, and has proven himself to be even better than Chelsea's established Premier League players, such as Sterling, Silva and James.
Fifties from Javed Ahmadi and Rahmat Shah, and the all-round brilliance of Rashid Khan, consigned Zimbabwe to a 146-run loss
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2018 Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAFP
Fifties from Javed Ahmadi and Rahmat Shah, and the all-round brilliance of Rashid Khan, powered Afghanistan to a 4-1 series win in Sharjah. Their margin of victory – 146 runs – was their second highest in ODI cricket. Their biggest had come in this series as well, in the first game.After opting to bat, Afghanistan had a steady start with Ahmadi and Rahmat putting on 129 for the second wicket following the early dismissal of Mohammad Shahzad. Their partnership contributed 54% of Afghanistan’s total. Ahmadi was particularly fluent against spin, scoring 55 runs off 53 balls. Rahmat hit Chisoro for 30 runs off 23 balls but Sikandar Raza had him slicing a catch to long-off for 59. Rahmat ended the series as the top-scorer with 272 runs in four innings at an average of 68. Three overs later, Ahmadi was run out for 76 off 87 balls. From 142 for 1, Afghanistan slumped to 177 for 7. Rashid’s 29-ball 43, though, hauled the team to 241 for 9.In reply, Zimbabwe collapsed to 95 all out in 32.1 overs with only two of their batsmen passing 20. Rashid took 3 for 13 to finish as the leading wicket-taker in the series with 16 wickets, at an outstanding average of 7.93.Brendan Taylor (27) and Craig Ervine (34) rebuilt the chase briefly with a 46-run stand, before Zimbabwe imploded. They lost their last eight wickets for 23 runs with 16-year old Mujeeb Zadran, Shapoor Zadran, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Nabi, and Rashid sharing the spoils. Rashid took three wickets in six balls to wrap up the tail.