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Is Tim David ready to take the baton from Kieron Pollard for Mumbai Indians?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

After the veteran scratched around, his mind seemingly clouded, Mumbai Indians’ new recruit was all poise and confidence as he fashioned a late flourish

Shashank Kishore06-May-20223:30

Are Pollard’s powers on the wane?

Great sporting teams prepare for a period of transition.Watching proceedings on Friday at the Brabourne Stadium, you wondered if Mumbai Indians were in the middle of one. Kieron Pollard, finisher supreme, white-ball destroyer and bonafide T20 legend, seemed a pale shadow of the big-hitter he once was.Related

  • Big-hitting Tim David proves his worth

  • Sams defends eight in last over after Rohit, David knocks

  • Tilak Varma is a bright spot in Mumbai Indians' dark season

  • 'Hadn't eaten lunch for a year' – The sacrifices of Kumar Kartikeya Singh

Tim David, among their costliest signings at the mega auction, meanwhile stepped up to play the kind of role Pollard has for more than a decade. It made you wonder why he has played just four games. Remember, Mumbai fielded just three overseas players in one match, and two in another.Where Pollard stuttered to 4 off 14, David blasted 44 not out from 21 balls. Where Pollard was diffident against spin – it seemed inevitable that Hardik Pandya would bring on Rashid Khan almost immediately as he came out to bat – David muscled the ball fearlessly despite the knowledge that it was on him to revive a stuttering innings, albeit on a belter of a surface.Pollard vs spin has been a no-contest this season. His overall strike rate of 109.32 this year is his worst since his maiden IPL season in 2010. Against spin, it gets worse: five times, he has been out to the slow stuff, while striking at a touch over 70. When you’re in such a downward spiral, even a half-decent spinner stands a chance of tying you down. Rashid Khan would have been licking his lips.Walking in with Mumbai 111 for 3 in 12 overs, Pollard did have a minute to steady himself – an over each of Pradeep Sangwan and Lockie Ferguson – before Rashid came on. By that point Pollard was on 4 off 9, with Ferguson having mixed up his pace to tie him down. He then tried to see Rashid off. For his part, Rashid stuck to his tried-and-tested mantra of bowling ripping legbreaks from a length. Pollard wasn’t taking any chances.In his pomp, Pollard picked lengths in a jiffy. Here, he didn’t seem sure whether to go forward or to play from the crease. If it was spinning away or sliding in. He also seemed to be playing for the wrong ‘un. When your mind is clouded to this extent, it’s already half the battle lost.Pollard duly got a legbreak that beat the edge. He played down the wrong line and the ball took the top of off. He was gone for 4 off 14. In the 2.5 overs he had been around at the crease, Mumbai managed just eight runs. A projected score that had touched 200 was suddenly toned down to 169.

“Everybody I know in the circle I worked in asked where Tim David was when he wasn’t playing. Mumbai Indians, when they reflect, will have to say we didn’t get it right with some of the selections we made in the first half of the tournament.”Ian Bishop on ESPNcricinfo’s T20 Time Out

“He’s struggling, he really is,” Ian Bishop observed on T20 Time Out, ESPNcricinfo’s analysis show. “He’s trying everything, and there are weaknesses that are coming through every time. Someone holds back a wristspinner of some kind to bowl to him, and it’s not the first time this season.”He’s either got to reinvent his game, because he’s been given a really long time this season by Mumbai. So he’s got to try and reinvent himself. I don’t like the catch-up, but the minimum you have to go at is a run a ball. Four off 14, 14 off 24, that’s too much. You can’t do that.”Even as Pollard cut a forlorn figure, David looked at ease and in the zone right from the outset. It was as if he had been practicing range hitting elsewhere, just before walking in. In the five preceding overs, Mumbai had managed all of 23 runs while losing three wickets. Pressure? There was no sign of it as he calmly shuffled from outside leg, set his base on middle and coolly drilled Mohammed Shami past mid-off to rev up.Next ball, he quickly jumped on a short ball, sending it soaring to the square-leg boundary. Having bowled full earlier, it was a perfect reaction from a snarling fast bowler to pepper the batter with a short one. Except, David was into position in a jiffy. Suddenly, he had broken the shackles with two fours.David then showed his smarts by playing out Rashid’s final over, milking singles with Tilak Varma, before he took on Alzarri Joseph. The arc between long-off and deep midwicket would be his preferred hitting zone as he blasted four sixes off the last 11 balls of his innings.Tim David watches one race away in the closing minutes of Mumbai Indians’ innings•BCCIHis modus operandi was simple and efficient: he set himself a strong base around middle, to be able to access both parts of the ground. Short, he was ready with the pull. Full and wide, he accessed long-off. Full and angling in, he had deep midwicket. It gave Mumbai important runs at the death. From looking good for 200 to suddenly appearing as if they’d get only 165, David had dragged them to 177.”Everybody I know in the circle I worked in asked where Tim David was when he wasn’t playing,” Bishop said. “He’s shown in these two games why he should have been playing. Mumbai Indians, when they reflect, will have to say we didn’t get it right with some of the selections we made in the first half of the tournament.”David said himself he’d love to bat up the order. He’d love the chance to go early and set himself up. He’s young. He is heading towards the prime of his career. Let us not pigeonhole this guy and let him blossom into something dynamic.”The late assault did not surprise Daniel Vettori one bit. “It’s such an impressive innings,” he said as part of the T20 Time Out panel. “It’s Shami, it’s Lockie Ferguson, he made it all look easy. Not one ball did he slog. It’s a big, tall man using his strength and using his ability. Forty-four off 21 when they were under a little bit of pressure. It would be fascinating to understand why a player of his class was left out when they had two available [overseas] slots.”David has done this before in other leagues when he sat out a little bit. He’s putting together this resume where he should be the one who’s first selected. Australia are going to be looking at him with the power that he has. There’s a lot going on to be impressed with. You just don’t see such clean hitting with such pure shot making at the back end of an IPL innings.”It’s safe to assume Mumbai are out of the playoffs race. They have four games left. That means four more opportunities for David to potentially build on his credentials. Potentially four more for Pollard to end a nightmare of a season on a high.If he does – and he’s capable of it, you only need to think back to the 2019 final – Mumbai will gladly take it with both hands. If he doesn’t, David has quietly made all the right moves to take over the baton.

'You've made Australia proud…again!'

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Viv Richards, Australia’s prime minister, Mithali Raj and many more on Australia’s triumph and India’s promise

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Mar-2020A record crowd for a women’s cricket match turned out at the MCG. Hosts and defending champions Australia turned up and bossed the final against India, clinching their fifth T20 World Cup trophy.

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Unbelievable girls!! Amazing effort to win the T20 World Cup after having to face so many challenges. A truly great team, your standards have been world leading and you deserve every bit of success that comes with it!!

A post shared by Aaron Finch (@aaronfinch5) on Mar 8, 2020 at 5:24am PDT

India’s unbeaten run in the tournament came to an end in the final.

Alyssa Healy set the tone in the final with a 30-ball fifty – a record in a World Cup final – en route to a 39-ball 75. In the stands at the MCG was her husband Mitchell Starc, who had played in the 2015 World Cup final at the MCG .

Samson's dismissals on the pull: coincidence, pattern, or problem?

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

You can put it down to his high-risk, high-reward approach – which Gambhir endorses – and you can put it down to the high-pace attack he was facing. But saying Samson has a problem on the pull is quite a leap

Karthik Krishnaswamy03-Feb-20251:27

Should India be worried about Samson?

When does a coincidence become a pattern, and when does a pattern become a problem? Where on that sliding scale does Sanju Samson’s series against England belong? Five innings, five dismissals to Jofra Archer, Saqib Mahmood and Mark Wood, all five times playing the pull shot: coincidence, pattern, or problem?Before we try to answer that question, it’s worth noting Gautam Gambhir’s words from Sunday night, after India had wrapped up the series 4-1 win with a brutal, 150-run win at the Wankhede Stadium. It’s worth noting them in full.”That’s the kind of T20 cricket we want to play. We don’t want to fear losing a game of cricket,” Gambhir told the host broadcaster. “We want to play high-risk, high-reward cricket. And these guys have adopted that ideology, that policy really well. And I think the ideology of this T20 team is based on selflessness and fearlessness. And I think in the last six months, these guys have done it day in, day out.Related

  • Gambhir on India's approach: 'Want to try for 250-260 regularly'

  • Suryakumar: 'I want to have selfless cricketers in my team'

  • Samson of 2024 meets Rohit of 2013

“We want to try and get to 250-260 regularly. And in trying to do that, there’ll be games where we’ll get bundled out for 120-130. And that is what T20 cricket is all about. And unless and until you [play] that high-risk cricket, you won’t get those big rewards as well. Most importantly, I think we’re on the right track. Come those big tournaments, we want to still continue playing this way and we don’t want to fear losing anything.”High risk, high reward. Back in the not-too-distant past, when India hadn’t fully embraced this philosophy, Samson was often held up as a poster boy of high risk, high reward, as the kind of player the team management wasn’t showing enough faith in. Then, over the course of the last two T20I regimes, under Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma and then Gambhir and Suryakumar Yadav, Samson has made his way up the ranks. He was a member of India’s World-Cup-winning squad last year, and has become, since the retirements of Rohit and Virat Kohli, something of a fixture at the top of the order.Vindication came late last year with three hundreds in five innings, one against Bangladesh at home followed by two away in South Africa. Then he ran into England, and Archer and Wood.Samson ended 2024 with 111, 107, 0, 0 and 109*. He has begun 2025 with 26, 5, 3, 1 and 16.1:05

Manjrekar: Talents like Samson should be allowed a long patch of failures

Now this sort of sequence is par for the course in T20, where outcomes exhibit a high degree of variance, particularly among batters who play in a high-risk, high-reward way. Good teams understand and accept this. High risk won’t always bring high reward at an individual level, but collective reward is a likely outcome if a deep, skilful and powerful line-up embraces this approach.Enough T20 has been played, watched and analysed now for the wider commentariat to be able to understand the probablities, but much of the discourse around the format continues to exhibit a curious cognitive dissonance: we want high risk, high reward, and we think we understand the trade-offs involved, but we continue to ask batters to make consistent scores.Samson has spent most of his career battling this dissonance.If there’s a difference between earlier criticisms of Samson and what he’s facing now, it’s that his recent dismissals have all come off the same sort of shot against the same sort of ball – surely there’s an issue here.Is there, though? Samson has never previously had much of an issue with the short ball – it wasn’t that long ago that his ability to put away the short ball formed the crux of media critiques of India selecting Shreyas Iyer ahead of him. In the last three seasons of the IPL, Samson has only been dismissed four times in 55 balls while pulling or hooking fast bowlers, and his strike rate of 272.72 while playing those shots is the sixth-best among the 36 batters who have scored at least 100 runs with those shots.

We want high risk, high reward, and we think we understand the trade-offs involved, but we continue to ask batters to make consistent scores.

On the tour of South Africa in November, Samson attempted nine pulls or hooks against fast bowlers, and hit five of them for six. Those nine balls brought him 35 runs without dismissal.During the England series, those shots brought Samson four dismissals in 12 balls. High risk, high reward, high variance. And any batter who tends to pull from down to up – Rohit is the prime example – goes through periods of hitting everything for six and periods of hitting everything straight to boundary fielders.The eagle-eyed among you will have noted that it’s four dismissals rather than five, and that’s because ESPNcricinfo’s scorers recorded Samson’s dismissal in Rajkot as coming off a slog rather than a pull. It’s all subjective, but there’s a good case for applying the slog label to that shot: he had moved to the leg side to try and create room, and was aiming down the ground rather than square.Samson’s high-risk, high-reward approach has found acceptance under coach Gambhir•PTI This tendency to aim down the ground with a flat bat has got Samson in trouble previously too, when he’s either tried to fetch the ball from well outside his eyeline or found the ball climbing higher than expected. His dismissal off Hardik Pandya in the 2022 IPL final came off a similar sort of shot. Slog or pull? Either way, it’s a shot Samson often attempts, sometimes to his detriment, showing both the level of ability and belief he has and his willingness to take on high risk.And just as a pull can sometimes be a slog, one pull isn’t necessarily the same as another. In the first two T20Is, Samson’s dismissals came when he got himself into an awkward position deep in his crease, still side-on to the ball with his hips closed-off and with little room to deal with Archer’s pace off the pitch.In the fifth T20I, Samson pulled Archer for two sixes in the first over, getting right across his stumps and past the line of the ball. Wood then dismissed him in the next over, and while Samson hadn’t taken that big step across, he had shifted his weight onto the back foot well in time to be able to swivel through the hips. He middled this pull, and might have picked up six more runs if he’d been able to place it a few yards either side of the fielder at deep-backward square leg.It wasn’t his day, though, and it wasn’t his series.It was an outlier of a series in another way too. Few attacks in the world boast the wealth of genuinely quick, hit-the-deck options that England can call upon when Archer and Wood are both fit. If there was ever an attack that could test Samson in this particular way, it was this one. He tried to come up with ways of dealing with this mode of attack as the series went on, and Mumbai suggested he may have found one.Or not – who can say? Another series against this attack may well cause Samson more discomfort. But how often is he going to face an attack like this? How often does any top-level T20 batter come up against an attack that matches up this well against their vulnerabilities? Samson’s series against England was, in all kinds of ways, the perfect storm.Five innings, then, and five dismissals to the pull (or variants thereof). This was probably more pattern than coincidence, but it’s quite a leap to suggest there’s any long-term problem here.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Announces He'll Participate in 2025 Home Run Derby

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Ronald Acuna Jr. is the first player to announce he'll participate in the 2025 Home Run Derby during MLB All-Star festivities.

On Wednesday night, Acuna made the announcement on with host Elle Duncan.

The 2025 MLB All-Star Game will be at Acuna's home park in Atlanta, as Truist Park is set to host the Midsummer Classic. It's fitting that the face of the Braves' franchise will be participating in the most anticipated event of All-Star week.

This will be Acuna's third Home Run Derby appearance. He participated in 2019 and knocked out Josh Bell in the opening round before losing to eventual champion Pete Alonso in the semifinals. He was back in 2022 but lost to Alonso 20-19 in the opening round. Given that history, a rematch with Alonso would be great television.

In 29 games this season, Acuna is slashing .385/.496/.692 with nine home runs and 16 RBIs. He missed the beginning of the season as he recovered from a torn ACL in his left knee.

Tom Moody joins Lucknow Super Giants as global director of cricket

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

He will perform the role that Zaheer Khan did with LSG in IPL 2025

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Nov-2025

Tom Moody is set to returns to the IPL for the first time since 2022•Getty Images

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have appointed former Australia allrounder Tom Moody as their global director of cricket, which will put him in charge of LSG in the IPL, Durban’s Super Giants in SA20, and their Manchester-based franchise in the Hundred. He will join hands with former Western Australia and Australia team-mate Justin Langer, who remains head coach, and Kane Williamson, who was recently appointed the strategic advisor.Moody, who turned 60 in October, is among the most acclaimed coaches in the game, having been in charge of international and franchise teams for over two decades. Earlier this summer in England, as head coach, Moody oversaw Oval Invincibles’ run to the Hundred title for the third successive year. He had also held a similar position at Desert Vipers in the ILT20 and had a successful stint with the franchise finishing runners-up in 2023 and 2025.It is understood that both Surrey and Reliance Industries Limited (RIL), the owners of Mumbai Indians who bought a 49% stake in the Invincibles earlier this year, were keen to retain Moody. However, it is understood Moody opted to take the LSG offer as it gave him a larger role.LSG, owned by RP Sanjiv Goenka Group (RPSG), made Moody’s appointment official via social media on Tuesday. They haven’t yet confirmed the length of his contract.

Oval Invincibles responded to the development with: “Tom has been an integral part of the unprecedented success of the Oval Invincibles, and we are grateful for his outstanding leadership of the franchise team. Together, we have achieved great success, winning three titles in a row and Tom played a crucial role in building this winning culture.”Everyone at the franchise respects Tom’s decision to pursue a new and exciting opportunity. We thank him for his invaluable contributions over the past five years and wish him the very best for the future.”Moody will be returning to the IPL for the first time since leaving Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) after IPL 2022. It was the second time Moody had a coaching role at SRH, after a highly successful first stint between 2013 and 2019 which included a title win in 2016. He returned as director of cricket in 2021 but was moved to head coach the following season after fellow Australian Trevor Bayliss left the franchise.At LSG, Moody will take over the role performed by former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan in IPL 2025. While LSG had appointed Zaheer for two years, the relationship lasted just one season with Zaheer parting ways with the franchise in September.After making the playoffs in their first two IPL seasons in 2022 and 2023, LSG did not reach the knockouts in the previous two seasons. In 2025, they finished seventh with six wins from 14 games. It was a season of contrasting halves: LSG had five wins in their first eight matches but only one in the last six. Of the seven games they played at their home ground, the Ekana Stadium, they won only two.November 4, GMT 1120 The story was updated after LSG confirmed Moody’s appointment.

"I will step aside" – O'Neill says no talks with Celtic board over permanent role

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

Martin O’Neill has now confirmed that he will “step aside” when Celtic find their next manager and revealed that there has not been any talks with the club about taking a permanent role.

O’Neill insists he has no idea whether he will remain at the helm for Celtic’s next match against St Mirren amid reports that the Hoops have stepped up their search for a new permanent manager.

The 73-year-old has been in caretaker charge of the Scottish champions for the last four games since Brendan Rodgers resigned two and a half weeks ago.

It has been reported this week that the Celtic board have been interviewing candidates, with Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy emerging as the new bookmakers’ favourite.

Other names mentioned includes Kieran McKenna at Ipswich Town and Kjetil Knutsen. Whether the Hoops can lure either of those names away from their current positions at Portmand Road and Bodo/Glimt is the question that everyone’s asking.

Reports have claimed that Knutsen wants to at least complete his side’s Champions League campaign, which could end in January in the earliest scenario. Meanwhile, there have been no signs that McKenna will be leaving Ipswich anytime soon.

As Celtic’s search goes on, O’Neill has continued to roll back the years. In his four matches, the 73-year-old – assisted by Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham – has overseen two Scottish Premiership victories, a Europa League defeat by Midtjylland and an extra-time win over 10-man Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup semi-final.

Celtic now tracking Maeda replacement who Jamie Carragher called "special"

The Bhoys are in search of attacking quality.

ByTom Cunningham Nov 14, 2025

The final against St Mirren takes place on December 14 and there are some who would like to see the veteran remain in charge for the Hampden showdown in order to add to his trophy haul from his glittering first spell in charge in the early Noughties.

O'Neill insists no talks with Celtic board

To no surprise, O’Neill has been questioned a number of times about the Celtic job, but his answer remains the same. He will “step aside” as soon as the club no longer need him and, despite rumours, there have been no talks about the permanent job.

The 4-2-3-1 tactician has done a solid job so far and may yet get the chance to continue that job after the international break, but admitted that he’s not bothered whether he’s in charge for the Scottish Cup final in December, saying: “I am a romantic and have been a romantic all my life. I know the history of football and all of those particular things but that doesn’t bother me one jot.”

Celtic hold talks to sign "talented" manager who's like a young O'Neill

Mikel Arteta blasted for 'strange' Sunderland criticism as Arsenal manager told to do his job

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Chris Waddle has slammed Mikel Arteta for his supposed criticism of Sunderland's tactics as the Arsenal manager was told to stick to his own job. The Gunners boss' frustration was palpable after his side let a precious victory slip through their fingers in stoppage time and had to settle for a point instead in Saturday's 2-2 draw.

Brobbey breaks Arsenal hearts

Arsenal’s struggles began 10 minutes before the interval when ex-Gunner Dan Ballard punished his old side. The Sunderland defender latched onto a smart pass from Nordi Mukiele and lashed his finish past Raya from close range. From there, Arsenal had to chase the game, and Arteta’s men came out swinging after the break. Their pressure told early in the second half when Bukayo Saka capitalised on an error from Enzo Le Fee to smash home the equaliser. Moments later, Martin Zubimendi rattled the crossbar before Leandro Trossard, who has been one of Arsenal’s most reliable and clutch players this season, rifled in a spectacular long-range drive to put the visitors 2-1 up. At that point, it looked as though Arsenal’s quality and persistence had won the day. But Brian Brobbey’s late intervention tore up the script. That late strike from the Dutch striker saw Arsenal’s lead at the summit trimmed to just four points after 11 rounds of league fixtures.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportArteta pointed finger at 'disruptive' tactics

After the match, Arteta’s tone was one of frustration. He praised his players for their reaction but couldn’t resist a dig at Sunderland’s defensive approach.

"We have to navigate through a really tough game," he said. "We knew that, it was very disruptive. We have to deal with situations, obviously, that are difficult to deal with. They do it really well and we conceded a goal that is not in our standards. But after that, I think the team reacted really well, showed a lot of personality and courage. They scored the first goal, they scored the second goal and we totally dominated the game.

"You have to rely on defending the box when they start to commit six or seven players there. It can be from a direct play, it can be from a throw-in, it can be from any situation. We can defend the action better, and today we haven't done it; we conceded the goal."

Waddle fires back at Arteta

Waddle was unimpressed by Arteta’s complaints. The former Sunderland man, who had a short spell at the club in 1997, said that managers should focus on overcoming problems rather than criticising opponents for playing smart.

"It’s always strange to criticise your opponent’s tactics, at the end of the day," he told in an interview with . "You know, the whole point of football is to get a result. It’s a game. You have to work out how to get results and win, and at least avoid defeat. You work out how to get the best out of your team and cause problems to the opposition. You come up with a plan, and if it works, then you’ve done your job well, so I wouldn’t criticise Sunderland.

"People could talk about Arsenal, about how they park the bus and rely on set-pieces. Everyone wants to have a dig at everyone else’s tactics, but it’s your job to find the weaknesses and exploit them, or spot a good tactic and use it yourself. This time, Sunderland worked out how to get a point, so the manager got it right. It might make it harder to break down sides if they park the bus, but it’s your job to figure out how to break it down. It’s up to you, and you don’t moan about it. You figure it out and you overcome it, and then you get a little smile on your face that a team sat back and they still couldn’t stop you. Obviously, Arteta wasn’t happy, but Sunderland had their game plan and it worked."

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Getty Images SportLe Bris' cunning pre-match tweak to thwart Arsenal

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris, meanwhile, revealed one cheeky tactical adjustment that helped stifle Arsenal’s usually dangerous long throws. The Frenchman admitted his staff moved the advertising hoardings closer to the touchline before kick-off, reducing the space for Arsenal players to wind up their powerful throws into the box. The tweak was small but effective as Sunderland’s defenders had fewer deep deliveries to deal with and managed to keep the Gunners’ aerial threat to a minimum. Although Arteta did not comment on this tactic, the Spaniard might have a thing or two to say on this sly tactical adjustment. 

Le Bris told when quizzed about the hoardings: "Yeah, we tried to find the details to win the game. They are really strong on set-pieces, and we were good as well. It was absolutely obvious this threat was really important for this game, and in the end, it was balanced."

Celtic have the next Reo Hatate at Parkhead & he's better than Bobby Clark

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Celtic went through a curious couple of days of speculation after it was reported that the club were set to sign central midfielder Bobby Clark for a fee of £6m.

It was claimed that the Hoops were on course to clinch a deal for the 20-year-old RB Salzburg starlet, who is currently on loan at Derby County, in the January transfer window.

However, Brendan Rodgers was quizzed about the link ahead of the clash with Dundee and said: “I wouldn’t normally say anything on anything, but I really don’t know where that has come from at all. Especially in October.”

Whilst it seems like the link to Clark was wide of the mark, it was not a total surprise to see a central midfield link, given that Reo Hatate’s form has tailed off this season.

Why Reo Hatate's form is a concern for Celtic

The Japan international was in influential presence in midfield last season with a return of ten goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created in 37 outings in the Scottish Premiership, per Sofascore.

Hatate provided a consistent threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals, but that has not been the case for him in the 2025/26 campaign so far.

The 27-year-old star has scored one goal, created one ‘big chance’, and failed to register any assists in six appearances in the Premiership, per Sofascore, as Celtic have failed to score in four of their last nine games in all competitions.

Rodgers needs more from his midfielders from an attacking perspective, because of Hatate’s concerning form, but signing Bobby Clark should not be the answer, as Paulo Bernardo is an even better option than him.

Why Celtic should unleash Paulo Bernardo

The Portugal U21 international has the quality to be the club’s next version of Hatate in the middle of the park, as a central midfielder who can score and create goals for the team.

Clark, meanwhile, has no goals and no assists in nine appearances for Derby in the Championship, per Sofascore, after a return of one goal and no assists in 17 matches in the Austrian Bundesliga for Salzburg in the 2024/25 campaign.

These statistics do not suggest that the English starlet would arrive at Parkhead to provide the goals and assists that the Hoops are currently lacking in midfield.

Paulo Bernardo (Premiership)

23/24

24/25

Starts

11

13

Goals

3

2

Conversion rate

10%

8%

Key passes

11

31

Big chances created

4

5

Assists

3

3

Stats via Sofascore

However, as you can see in the table above, Bernardo’s form in his first two full Premiership seasons with the club suggest that he has the potential to deliver quality in the final third.

The Portuguese whiz, who was hailed as “tenacious” by Rodgers, scored five goals and created nine ‘big chances’ in 24 Premiership starts in those two campaigns, which is a fairly impressive haul for a player who did not play week-in-week-out.

His statistics in the Premiership show that he is a better central midfield option than Clark, who has failed to make much of an impact at the top end of the pitch at Salzburg or Derby in the past 18 months, since leaving Liverpool in the summer of 2024.

Unfortunately, though, Rodgers has only handed Bernardo two appearances and one start in the Premiership this season, which means that he has not had many opportunities to showcase his quality in midfield.

Given Hatate’s drop-off in form, the Celtic manager should be looking to unleash the Portuguese talent in the coming weeks because he has the attacking potential to be the club’s next version of the Hatate that they had in the middle of the park last term.

Not just Yang & Scales: 18-touch Celtic dud must be dropped by Rodgers

Celtic suffered their first Premiership defeat of the season at Dundee on Sunday, and one flop, not Liam Scales or Yang Hyun-Jun, must be dropped.

ByBen Gray Oct 20, 2025

Kylian Mbappe told 'only constant improvement will do' at Real Madrid as forward targets further glory after collecting European Golden Shoe award for sensational debut season

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Kylian Mbappe received the European Golden Shoe award on Friday after he scored 31 league goals in just 34 games during his debut season at Real Madrid in 2024-25. Club president Florentino Perez demanded further glory from the Frenchman, who expressed his gratitude to everyone and admitted that he dreams of winning more titles and defending the individual award next year as well.

Mbappe presented with the European Golden Shoe

Mbappe received the European Golden Shoe award on Friday in the presidential box at the Santiago Bernabeu, with all Real Madrid players and coaching staff in attendance – except for the injured Dani Carvajal. The French forward earned the honour after scoring 31 La Liga goals last season.

In his debut campaign with Madrid, Mbappe netted an impressive 44 goals in 59 matches across all competitions. Although Arsenal frontman Viktor Gyokeres scored 39 goals in Liga Portugal with Sporting CP last season, he finished second in the Golden Shoe standings due to the league’s lower coefficient of 1.5 points per goal. Among players from Europe’s top five leagues, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah came closest to challenging Mbappe, with 29 goals that helped propel the Reds to the Premier League title.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPerez makes his demands clear to Mbappe

Madrid president Perez congratulated Mbappe for his achievement and urged the forward to continue on the same path. “Today we are very happy because an award as prestigious as the Golden Boot is given to one of the best players in the world," began Perez. 

"Dear Kylian, congratulations. This is the fruit of your labour, and I want you to know that I, as president of Real Madrid, am very proud to have a player like you. You perfectly represent the values of this club, which is the most decorated club in the world. You will always remember this day. It is your first Golden Boot, but from here you are building your own history. The fans adore you and will always be by your side.

"Last season you won the European Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. You scored 31 goals in La Liga, 44 in all competitions. At Real Madrid, we've had three Golden Boots: Hugo Sanchez, Ronaldo Nazario (who won at Barcelona), and Cristiano [Ronaldo]. In your time here, you've experienced the demands of this badge. Only constant improvement and camaraderie will do. This Golden Boot helps you further enhance the history of Real Madrid. Congratulations to you and your entire family."

Mbappe eyes successive European Golden Shoe wins

During his acceptance speech, the 26-year-old expressed his gratitude to his Real Madrid team-mates and also shared his goals with the team. “It’s a pleasure to receive the Golden Boot! Thank you all so much. This is an important moment for me," said the Madrid No.10. 

"It’s the first time I’ve won it. It means a lot. I have to thank my teammates, who have come here and helped me in every way, to find the best version of Kylian. We have an incredible group and we hope to win many titles this season.

“It’s a tremendous pleasure to play for Real Madrid. Everyone knows it was my childhood dream, and now I’m here. I hope to be here for many years to come. To bring joy to the Madrid fans, who have shown me affection since the first day I arrived, and even before. Today is a great day. I hope we continue like this, because the most important thing is the collective. Without all the people here, it would be impossible to win this award. Thank you to the entire club: doctors, staff, and everyone who helps me on and off the pitch… Without them, you can’t win something like this. I’m very happy and I want to keep making history. It was 31 goals… and I’ve started this year very well, so… Of course I want to win it again next season!”

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GettyMbappe aiming for Ronaldo's milestone this season?

Mbappe has begun the 2025-26 season in breathtaking form, scoring 16 goals in 13 games. He has failed to find the back of the net twice: against Mallorca in La Liga and Juventus in the Champions League. With 11 goals in the league already, he will once again be among the frontrunners to lift the European Golden Shoe next season.

What's more, he could also become the first Real Madrid player since his idol Ronaldo to score 50 goals in a season. The Portuguese legend scored 51 goals in the 2015-16 season, which was also his sixth consecutive season reaching a half-century of goals at club level. Mbappe has never scored 50 goals in a single season, with his tally of 44 being his best-ever tally across a season. However, at this pace, he could comfortably reach the milestone by the end of the season, possibly even aiming for 60 goals. 

Madueke upgrade: Arsenal gem who left for £0 is now "one of the best in the world"

by z3u9t.icu Uncategorized

It would be fair to say that Arsenal had one of the best transfer windows in the Premier League this summer.

Mikel Arteta finally got his hands on a prolific number nine in Viktor Gyokeres, a dangerous left-winger and ten in Eberechi Eze, and the perfect six to anchor the midfield in Martin Zubimendi.

However, one player who didn’t necessarily excite the fans to begin with, but now looks like an excellent addition, is Noni Madueke.

The Englishman could be the perfect player to complement and rival Bukayo Saka on the right-hand side, although had Arsenal kept hold of one of their youngsters years ago, they’d have an even better option today.

Why Madueke can challenge Saka this season

Now, nobody is arguing that Madueke is the better player than Saka here; that would be far too reactionary.

However, from what we saw of him at Chelsea, and more importantly, what we’ve seen from him over the last couple of weeks, it looks like he could challenge the Hale Ender for game time this season.

For example, while he looked better than Gabriel Martinelli when playing off the left in the first two games of the season, it was away to Liverpool when he started on the right-hand side that he looked the most dangerous.

In fact, including the Reds’ frontline, the former Blues ace was probably the best attacker on the pitch, as even though he wasn’t able to score or set up a goal, he was a constant threat on the break.

According to Sofascore, he was successful in 100% of his dribbles, took the Gunners’ only shot on target, and had 29 touches, so the stats support the idea that he was Arteta’s best offensive player.

However, it’s been the 23-year-old’s performances for England over the last five days that have really turned heads.

In the game against Andorra, he helped to open the scoring when his cross was deflected in for an own goal, and then against Serbia, he was near enough unplayable.

In his 76 minutes of action, the Barnet-born winger scored his first senior international goal, completed 20 of 22 passes, completed 100% of his dribbles, won four of five duels, made two tackles and was ultimately a massive problem for the home side.

In all, Madueke currently looks like he’ll be able to challenge Saka for a place in the team when the Hale Ender is back to full fitness.

Although Arsenal would have had an even better option had they kept hold of a former youth player.

The Madueke upgrade Arsenal lost as a youngster

Just like other clubs of their size, Arsenal have let their fair share of incredible talents slip through their fingers, such as Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry and even Eze.

Where Are They Now

However, in this instance, we aren’t talking about someone who’s returned to the club or someone who’s nearing the end of their career; we’re talking about a player approaching the peak of their powers: Michael Olise.

Yes, as a youngster, the outrageously gifted Frenchman spent time in the Gunners’ youth setup before moving to Chelsea, Manchester City and then Reading, where he caught the eye of Crystal Palace.

The South Londoners decided to splash £8m on the then-19-year-old in the summer of 2021, and to say that it worked out for them would be a colossal understatement.

Over the following three years, the game-changing winger would score 16 goals and provide 25 assists in 90 appearances, more than justifying Sky Sports analyst Dougie Critchley’s claim that he is “one of the best players in the world.”

Moreover, the Eagles made a cool £42m profit on the player when they sold him to Bayern Munich for £50m last summer, although based on his performances for the German giants since, we’re sure they’d have gladly paid double that.

For example, he racked up a brilliant haul of 20 goals and 23 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3842 minutes last season, and has already scored four goals in four games this season.

Appearances

55

46

Minutes

3842′

2646′

Goals

20

11

Assists

23

5

Goal Involvements per Match

0.78

0.34

Minutes per Goal Involvement

89.34′

165.37′

Ultimately, while there is every chance Madueke could be a brilliant player for Arsenal and great competition for Saka, it’s clear Olise is comfortably better than the former Chelsea ace.

The heir to Saliba's throne: Arsenal have a centre-back version of Dowman

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