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Rangers and the 49ers Enterprises could sell an Ibrox star for a huge profit after receiving enquiries, according to a new update.

Rangers preparing for Athletic Club second leg after Aberdeen draw

The Gers and Barry Ferguson are preparing to head to Spain to take on Athletic Club in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final this week. The first leg at Ibrox was a stalemate as 10-man Rangers held the La Liga side, with Liam Kelly saving a penalty late on.

It is all to play for on Thursday, and Ferguson’s side go into the game off the back of a 2-2 Scottish Premiership draw with Aberdeen, where they once again played large parts with 10 men.

Ross McCausland received two yellow cards in the first half at Pittodrie, however, second half goals from Hamza Igamane and Ianis Hagi ensured the points were shared.

Talking after the draw with Aberdeen, Ferguson said: “After going down to 10 men and 2-0 down, you’ve got to be pretty happy with coming back into the game and getting a point. [Character] is one thing I’ve tried to drill into them. They’ll dig deep for me. They never give in. They kept going until the end. But we don’t help ourselves.”

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Igamane starred over the weekend and looks set to play a big role for Rangers against Athletic Club, however, a worrying transfer update has emerged on the 22-year-old.

Rangers could sell Igamane for £20m as Marseille make serious move

According to a new transfer report from TEAMtalk, a number of clubs have been making enquires to sign Rangers star Igamane.

Ligue 1 side Marseille, under Roberto De Zerbi, have made ‘serious moves’ to sign Igamane, whereas Everton, Tottenham, Bayer Leverkusen, Nice and Rennes, are also credited with an interest.

It is added that Rangers want £20m to sell the forward, a fee which would represent a 700% profit on the £2.5m they paid for Igamane last summer.

Games

41

Goals

15

Assists

3

Minutes played

2,373

The Morocco international has enjoyed a brilliant first season in Scotland, with five of his 18 goal contributions coming in the Europa League.

Back in December, Derek Ferguson, brother of Barry, hailed the attacker, saying: “Igamane is a real breath of fresh air, the young man. The manager said he was trying to get him up to speed, but in the last few games he has been nothing short of brilliant. He is off the cuff and he had three or four nutmegs this afternoon – and took his goal brilliantly. I don’t know if you remember Ted McMinn, but Igamane’s got that unpredictability.”

Andre Onana has spectacularly responded to former Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic after the Serbian took issue with the goalkeeper’s recent comments.

What did Andre Onana say?

Ahead of Man Utd’s Europa League tie with Lyon, Onana was in a defiant mood as he talked up his team’s chances of making the semi-finals.

He said: “We all know the importance of this game, we will go there with the winning mentality. We have to go there and show who we are. If we are focused, stay compact and together and follow the gameplan, we will be winning the game.

“Of course, it’s not going to be easy, but I think we are way better than them.”

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Matic, who spent five years at Old Trafford before leaving for Roma, blasted Onana’s claim that United were “way better” than their midweek opponents, claiming that the Cameroonian is “one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history”.

Andre Onana v Nemanja Matic at Man Utd

Onana

Matic

Appearances

93

189

Finals

1

3

Trophies

1

0

Best league finish

8th (2023/24)

2nd (2017/18, 2020/21)

The midfielder quipped: “If you’re one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s history, then you need to take care of what you are talking about.

“If David De Gea, Peter Schmeichel or Edwin van der Sar said that, I would question myself, but if you are statistically one of the worst goalkeepers in Manchester United’s modern history, he needs to show that before he says it.”

Now, Onana has issued a response – while appearing to aim another dig at Matic.

Posting on X, he wrote: “I would never be disrespectful to another club. We know that tomorrow will be a difficult game against a strong opponent.

“We focus on preparing a performance to make our fans proud. At least I’ve lifted trophies with the greatest club in the world. Some can’t say the same.”

The post was accompanied by Onana kissing the FA Cup after last year’s final, which Man Utd won after beating Manchester City at Wembley last May.

In contrast, Matic didn’t win any major honours during his time at Old Trafford, despite appearing in three finals and finishing as a Premier League runner-up twice.

It appears unlikely that Onana’s latest comments will end the feud between the pair, but whether sparks will continue to fly after kick-off on Thursday remains to be seen.

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There were some positives, but the form of their pacers and their batting against spin have left India with plenty to ponder

Shashank Kishore08-Aug-20245:05

Rohit breaks down his batting method in the powerplay

:

Washington, Parag show bowling spark

The sample size is small, but there are signs India are veering towards multi-skilled cricketers. In all three ODIs, India’s top six had at least one bowling option. They also lengthened their batting to play at least eight batters.Among them, Washington Sundar perhaps made the biggest gain, picking up five wickets in 27 overs across three games at an economy rate of 3.88. With the bat, his defiance against Sri Lanka’s spinners to revive their flagging hopes in the second ODI was impressive. In the third ODI, he counter-attacked to make a 25-ball 30 after the middle order was sent on a tailspin. That Washington was able to build on the gains he made from the T20Is in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, where he was Player of the Series, will greatly encourage the team management.Related

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Riyan Parag is another middle-order batter who proved he can be more than a handful with the ball. With the ability to bowl both offbreaks and legbreaks, Parag delivered nine overs on ODI debut, returning with 3 for 54. His lone intent-laden knock against the turning ball yielded 15 runs. Parag also impressed with the ball in the T20I series, the slow pace and liberal flight of his deliveries harking back to the good old days.Shivam Dube, however, missed out on a chance to make an impact in Hardik Pandya’s absence. In the first ODI, he had the opportunity to see off the game. In the second and third, he was out cheaply to Jeffrey Vandersay’s ripping legbreaks.5:39

India’s batting (except Rohit’s) against spin a sign of concern

Arshdeep, Siraj go off the boil

If the team management was looking for fast-bowling options to back up the rested Jasprit Bumrah and the recuperating Mohammed Shami, they would’ve left Sri Lanka a bit disappointed.On surfaces where 240 was above par, with the ball gripping and turning, India’s seamers struggled for rhythm and consistency. In the decider, they went in with one specialist fast bowler in Mohammed Siraj, with Dube sharing the new ball. With no swing on offer, Siraj lacked his usual bite and was carted for 78 in nine overs in the third ODI. Arshdeep Singh’s nine wicketless overs in the second ODI cost 58 runs. Harshit Rana and Khaleel Ahmed didn’t get a look-in.

No clear winner in Rahul vs Pant

This was to be one of the key decisions facing the Indian team management in ODI cricket. KL Rahul started the series, but found himself out of the final ODI after scores of 31 and 0. Rishabh Pant, who replaced him to play his first ODI since a career-threatening car accident in December 2022, managed just 6 while also having an off day with the gloves.Virat Kohli was out to spin in all three ODIs•AFP/Getty Images

India’s spin struggle

Virat Kohli was out lbw to spin all three times. On each occasion, he reviewed but DRS would only confirm the obvious. Rahul too struggled, bowled for a two-ball duck, attempting to drive after being done in by the drift by Vandersay in the second ODI. Shreyas Iyer, like Kohli, was out playing down the wrong line. In the third ODI, Axar Patel shaped to cut, only to realise he had erred in judgment, as the ball spun back in to crash into the stumps.Barring the odd occasion, like in the second ODI when Shubman Gill was out driving to a magnificent catch in the slips, or on Wednesday when Rohit top-edged a slog, India’s batters were largely out defending. In Parag’s case, he offered no shot and was bowled by a delivery that skidded through and didn’t turn like he had anticipated. India lost 27 wickets to spin overall, the most a team has lost against this variety in a bilateral series. Rohit felt the team’s application and shot selection could’ve been better.Among those who missed out is Iyer. After beginning with a run-a-ball 23, he was out twice to sharp turn. With India slated to play 10 Tests and three T20Is over the next few months, Iyer is now looking at a six-month hiatus from international cricket, unless he breaks back into the squad in those formats. It’s likely domestic form for Mumbai could dictate his standing in the scheme of things, when India play ODIs next in January.

At a tricky juncture on the fourth day, everything about the way he batted was spot on

Sidharth Monga25-Dec-2022″If Shreyas was not the Player of the Series, I would have definitely shared this award with him, but he is, so I will take this home,” R Ashwin said in the post-match presentation after India’s three-wicket win, pointing to his Player-of-the-Match trophy.Now either Ashwin had been informed and there was a last-second change or he was nudging the adjudicators to do the right thing because Shreyas Iyer was the deserving Player of the Series. Ashwin himself was the top-scorer in a tense chase of 145 after he joined Iyer at 74 for 7, but Ashwin knew Iyer had played the better innings, one that calmed everyone down.Related

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Iyer did come to bat after the 28th over, which means India were near the time when the ball would go soft and misbehave slowly than it did earlier, but still he offered false responses to only four of the 46 balls he faced. Nobody came close to that batting efficiency in the whole Test. Ashwin, batting with him, faltered 12 times in 62. Everything about the way Iyer batted was spot on: judging the length, playing either right forward or right back, always on the lookout for runs, but not taking outrageous risks.It was not just on the outside. Captain KL Rahul spoke of how the panic in the dressing room settled down once Iyer started batting. “When someone’s performing consistently for you, it is very heartening, and Shreyas has been around the team for a long time and he had to really wait for his opportunities,” Rahul said. “And so happy to see that when he has got the opportunities he is really grabbing them with both hands, and he is doing the job for the team.”The way he batted today was phenomenal. He made it look really easy. There was a lot of pressure, there was a little bit of panic in the dressing room, but it didn’t look like there was any panic when we were watching Shreyas bat. He had a really good partnership with Ashwin.”

“He is someone who has been doing really well for 15 months to two years, but unfortunately he had the injury and he went away from the game for a little bit. He has been really patient through all of this. Obviously his journey has not been easy..”KL Rahul

It shouldn’t really come as a surprise because Iyer has been showing how good he is against spin from the time he debuted last year in Kanpur and rescued India from 106 for 3 and 51 for 5. He averages 68.67 against spin and 42.40 against pace. He has played just one match outside Asia, so we should reserve the verdict, but against spin in helpful conditions, he and Rishabh Pant have been India’s best batters since his debut.”He is someone who has been doing really well for 15 months to two years, but unfortunately he had the injury and he went away from the game for a little bit,” Rahul said. “Then he had to wait his turn again. He has been really patient through all of this. Obviously his journey has not been easy, no one’s journey has been easy in the team. The way he is batting is phenomenal, hope that he can continue to do this and keep getting better.”What Rahul said is also acknowledgment of the work Iyer had to do in domestic cricket to get his Test debut. He came into Test cricket with over 4000 runs at an average of over 50 and a strike rate of over 80. Since ESPNcricinfo has been keeping ball-by-ball records, no batter has managed that. And most of those runs came in Ranji Trophy where you have to face a lot of spin.In a series that spin dominated, Iyer made false responses to only 24 balls out of the 244 balls he faced from spinners. In the three innings that Iyer played, his points of entry were 112 for 4, 94 for 4 and 71 for 6. It is in keeping with Iyer’s career: only 54 false responses in 592 balls of spin.A good visual measure of how well you are batting against spin is how often you get neither forward nor back, giving the ball chance to misbehave and not giving yourself any chance to recover if it does. Iyer hardly ever does that.The next indicator is how a batter manages to score relatively risk-free runs off good balls. The one trait that has shone through Iyer’s batting so far is the classic trick against spin, especially on pitches keeping low: look to be pressing forward, but be quick to pounce on anything marginally short of a length. Those two shots, one each in both innings, will resonate for long: on both occasions, right back to a slightly short ball and pulling a left-arm spinner over midwicket. In the second innings, that shot signalled end of panic.Iyer might not have got the Player-of-the-Series award that Ashwin thought he would be, or should be, getting, but there can be no better tribute than that he calmed the panic down in the dressing room with his assured batting.

Given the circumstances – a turning pitch and very little support – he played a very calculated innings

Sidharth Monga06-Nov-20201:21

Gautam Gambhir: You want someone like Kane Williamson in such tricky chases

Twenty20 cricket will probably evolve to a form one day where many sides will look like Mumbai Indians. A side whose batsmen will never let the bowlers get on top. Many sides will one day have enough efficient power hitters to just keep going. In the here and now, though, we have sides in the IPL reaching the playoffs with no back-up for their two or three big hopes. Once the game gets down to them, it is either AB de Villiers or bust. Or Kane Williamson or bust. That is why they can’t play with the freedom of a Suryakumar Yadav or an Ishan Kishan.Add to it memories of two blown chases. Against these same opponents, in their first match of this IPL, Williamson’s side sat pretty at 121 for 2 chasing 164. They lost by 10 runs. On another night, chasing just 127, they lost by 12 runs to Kings XI Punjab.Add to it the pressure of a knockout. Not just any knockout, but a knockout that you have entered on the back of three wins in three must-win matches against the three top sides in the tournament. Add to it an injury to one of your few good batsmen. Add to it a dodgy DRS call to send back the other.Most importantly, add to it a slow pitch with appreciable turn and four international spinners in the opposition. The choke is well and truly on. Williamson is part of that choke, crawling and spluttering. When he was joined by Jason Holder, the last 49 balls had brought just 24 runs and three wickets.There are two ways of dealing with such a situation: counterattack and break the back of the chase, which is 65 off 49 now or absorb the pressure and be calculating. If you are Mumbai, you probably take the first option, knowing there is Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya behind you to do the job. You probably don’t even let it get to this stage. If you are Williamson and the Sunrisers, though, you know you are not winning this before the 19th or the 20th over.Kane Williamson drives down the ground•BCCIWilliamson’s biggest enemy was the conditions and the big boundaries. Any attempt to hit a boundary had to be precise and to a ball was that either too short or too full. Anything else was not an option. And while the format takes its time to evolve, Williamson is the best man conceivable for these calculations.Before he got to the fast bowlers, Williamson only just tried to hit two boundaries. The spinners were not giving him anything short so he had to wait for something too full so he could attack it before it could misbehave. It is easy to say perhaps live time that pressure got too much and Williamson took two calculated risks, but go back and look at the pitch maps. When he first slog-swept Washington Sundar for a six with the requirement 59 off 38, it was the only full ball of the over. So all that while when pushing singles down the ground, Williamson had been on the prowl, waiting to launch into an error in length. And this ball was not that full either, just fuller than the usual Sundar cluster that you see. One half error, and he jumped onto it.With Yuzvendra Chahal, whom Williamson slog-swept for the second six, it was a matter of line. This was the last ball of Chahal’s spell – his figures 3.5-0-18-1 till then and with 41 still required off 25 – and this is the most leg-side he ever got to Williamson. Everything else had been off, off and middle, but this one allowed him to open the front leg up. Just the two attempted big shots, both nailed, and Sunrisers needed just nine an over with pace on the ball in the last four overs.Even then Williamson didn’t take any extravagant risks. He drove Shivam Dube along the ground, and then looked to repeat the delicate late-cut he played off another slow medium bowler, Andile Phehlukwayo, in the World Cup match at Edgbaston. In a way these are similar chases. The pitch was slow, the bowlers were making it tough, and you couldn’t trust a new batsman to get going immediately. He finally managed that dab and that boundary off the pacier Navdeep Saini.Given the resources, this was a perfectly paced chase for a side used to messing these chases up. If the future will have place for Williamson or not, if Williamson will adapt enough to fit himself in the future or not, here and now is the time to revel in the efficiency and the calm of Williamson, without whom Sunrisers probably would have been out of the tournament.

As Major League Baseball's trade deadline quickly approaches, emotions are running high across the league.

Play doesn't stop as each team's front office works behind the scenes to discuss and execute deals that help bolster a postseason push or build for the future. As the Cleveland Guardians sit at .500 and three games back from the American League's final wild card, outfielder Steven Kwan has heard his name in trade rumors.

He was in the lineup Wednesday evening as the Guardians defeated the Colorado Rockies 5-0 at home. And just in case it was his last game wearing Guardians' colors at Progressive Field, he made sure to send a sweet gesture to fans sitting in left field. As he ran in from the outfield, he turned around and sent a wave in case anything changes before Cleveland's next home game Friday.

Early Wednesday afternoon, MLB insider Mark Feinsand reported the Guardians are "trying to move" Kwan and pitcher Shane Bieber. Kwan remains under club control through the end of the 2027 season. He has slashed .286/.350/.408 with nine home runs and 38 RBIs this season. He had a great postseason last year as the Guardians made a run to the American League Championship Series with a monster .382 batting average over 42 at-bats in the playoffs.

With less than 24 hours remaining before the July 31 deadline hits at 6 p.m. ET, Kwan remains in Cleveland. Should he be involved in a deal, though, he made sure to say goodbye to the fans he has played in front of for the entirety of his four-year MLB career.

South Africa were the second team to qualify for the semi-final of the Women’s World Cup 2025, and did so with two league games still to play. They have been on a remarkable run in ICC tournaments in recent years – reaching the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup in 2017 and 2022, and of the T20 World Cup in 2020 and 2023. They were also runners-up at the T20 World Cup last year.Batter Anneke Bosch felt that the recent experience of making the knockouts puts South Africa in good stead to make their maiden ODI World Cup final. They will play their last league game of the competition against Australia at the Holkar Stadium on Saturday. The winner will head to Navi Mumbai for the semi-final against India, while the losing team will face England in Guwahati in the first semi-final.”We’ve been really good at being consistent in big tournaments, and different players doing well at different stages of the tournament,” Bosch said. “It’s just something that works for us when we get to tournaments like these and motivates us to do well. Reaching a couple of semi-finals in the [recent] past just gives us more confidence.Related

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“But now obviously we want to take it one step further because in the ODI World Cup, we haven’t [reached the final] before. So, it would mean a lot to us – and that’s what you compete for and what you’re here for – to make it to the final and, hopefully, lift the trophy. The fact that we have participated in a couple of semifinals now just helps us to deal with that pressure.”What has helped South Africa continue to perform well is a settled core. Twelve players in the current World Cup squad have been part of the T20 World Cup squads in 2023 and 2024. Bowlers Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Tumi Sekhukhune and Nonkululeko Mlaba have been consistent fixtures in the national side since the 2022 ODI World Cup.And it’s not just the senior women who have enjoyed success at World Cups. The men’s team reached the final of the T20 World Cup last year and the semi-final of the Champions Trophy earlier this year. The Under-19 women’s side were runners-up at their T20 World Cup earlier this year, while the men’s Under-19 team made the semi-finals in 2024.”It’s a combination of a lot of things,” Bosch said of the winning culture. “We are a massive sporting nation and we love to play for the country, and make the country and the people back at home proud. [A key factor is] our resilience and the way we come together as a country in big tournaments like these. We play for each other and we play for people back at home.”South Africa’s road to a first Women’s ODI World Cup title starts with a tough assignment against Australia in their final group-stage match. They have beaten Australia just once in 18 ODI meetings. With a solid core and the belief to go where they never have before, they’ll be aiming for a second ODI win against the defending champions.

Defending champions Liverpool moved up to eighth in the Premier League table after a 2-0 win over West Ham United at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Goals from Alexander Isak, who netted his first league goal for the club, and Cody Gakpo secured all three points for the Reds for the first time since the 1st November against Aston Villa.

Arne Slot will surely be pleased with the win and the clean sheet to end a run of three successive losses in all competitions, whilst the Dutch boss will also be buzzing with the performances of several of his players.

Ranking Liverpool's top performers against West Ham

When ranking the team’s top performers against the Hammers, it is hard to look past Gakpo as the standout star because he was directly involved in both of the goals, with a goal and an assist.

Ibrahima Konate also deserves credit for his colossal display at the heart of the defence, winning 100% (5/5) of his aerial duels and making a team-high ten clearances, per Sofascore.

Both the France international and captain Virgil van Dijk kept Alisson quiet with their dominant performances, but Konate was the standout centre-back with four more clearances and three more aerial duels won than his skipper.

1

Cody Gakpo

2

Florian Wirtz

3

Ibrahima Konate

4

Virgil van Dijk

5

Alexander Isak

As you can see in the table above, Isak also has to be in the top five performers on the pitch for the Premier League champions, as he netted his first league goal for the club with a brilliant first-time finish into the bottom corner.

You will also notice that £115m signing Florian Wirtz ranks in second place, just behind Gakpo, after he caught the eye whilst playing in a central position for the Reds.

The Liverpool star who could be their new Thiago Alcantara

Recruitment analyst Jan Riha stated that the “incredible” Wirtz made him “feel about football the same way Thiago Alcantara” did at Liverpool, after his performance against the Hammers.

It is hard to argue with that assessment because his metronomic display at the London Stadium was incredibly impressive, even if it lacked the punch of a goal or an assist to add some extra flavour to his season.

Thiago ended his playing days with a 90% pass accuracy, per WhoScored, and Reds supporters got to enjoy his midfield majesty for three seasons, with plenty of exceptional raking passes and cultured through balls, as shown in the clips below against Man United in 2022.

Wirtz may not play in a deep-lying midfield role like Thiago did, but his technical ability is comparable to the Spaniard’s, and he showed it off plenty of times in the win over West Ham.

The Germany international has failed to deliver a goal or an assist in the Premier League this season since his big-money move from Bayer Leverkusen, but his display on Sunday was a step in the right direction because it was his best of the campaign.

Sofascore rating

6.51

6.9

Passes completed

25

42

Pass accuracy

82%

93%

Passes completed in oppo half

18

32

Passes accuracy in oppo half

76%

91%

Passes accuracy in own half

86%

100%

As you can see in the statistics above, Wirtz’s use of the ball on Sunday was on another level to what he has previously shown in the top-flight for Liverpool.

Playing centrally, rather than being out wide on the left or the right, allowed him to float around and knit play together with his technical brilliance, much like Thiago used to do further back on the pitch during his time at Anfield.

Slot must continue to play the German star in the middle of the park, rather than out wide, because he could flourish as a metronomic number ten who is able to buzz around the pitch and control the tempo of the match.

The hope, then, would be that the goals and assists naturally follow as he becomes more comfortable and confident on the pitch in the Premier League.

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Whilst there will be understandable disappointment that a £115m attacking midfielder is yet to provide a direct goal contribution in the top-flight, Wirtz’s performance against the Hammers was his best of the season and he appears to be on the right track to become a success at Anfield.

Barcelona have been handed both relief and pain ahead of their crucial Champions League tie against Chelsea. On one hand, they have Manchester United loanee Marcus Rashford back in the squad, but they will yet again miss the services of their talismanic midfielder Pedri, who has been sidelined since late October.

Rashford's presence is important against Chelsea

Rashford, after a decent outing with England in the November international break, missed Barcelona's 4-0 win against Athletic Club at Camp Nou due to illness. However, he has now recovered from the flu and has been included in Barca's squad that will travel to London to face Enzo Maresca's Chelsea. Rashford, who enjoyed a dismal last few days at United, is currently a menace to Barca's opponents. Ever since his loan move in the summer, he has secured six goals and nine assists across La Liga and the Champions League. In the latter, he has been in ecstatic form, nailing four goals and two assists in the four outings. His involvement against Chelsea will be crucial, and Flick will be dependent on him for goals, as he has already scored six times against the Stamford Bridge-based side. Adding to that, his five assists against the Blues will be a great statistic to keep Maresca's men on their toes.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportPedri remains a concern for Flick

Pedri, who is not only admired by the Barca faithful but also by opposition managers, will be sidelined for this fixture too. He sustained a tear in the distal femoral biceps of his left leg in late October, and the Clasico was the last time he featured. He is a vital cog in Flick's machinery, as he has hardly missed games under the German coach. The femoral biceps are part of the hamstring group at the back portion of the thigh, and this is not the first time he has succumbed to such an injury. Previously, in September 2021, he suffered a hamstring injury, which kept him out for three months. However, he is said to be recovering well and, as per , has entered the final stage of his recovery.

Maresca hails Pedri and Flick before continental tie

Maresca, a Spaniard himself, has been an admirer of Pedri, who is often treated as one of the finest midfielders of his generation. The Chelsea boss, before the Barca game, spoke highly about Pedri and also of Flick's Barca. 

"It’s not only a loss for Barcelona, it’s a loss for football because he has incredible quality," he said. "Flick’s Barca looks spectacular to me. Whenever I watch them, you can always learn something. Last year, they won La Liga and reached the Champions League semifinals. They do many things well, and they are a team that always wants to take the initiative. We will try to do the same."

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Getty Images SportTwo other crucial members reintegrated into the squad

Club captain Frenkie de Jong, who has been one of Flick's most trusted personnel, served his suspension against Athletic Club and is set to make a return for the Chelsea game. Full-back Alejandro Balde, who received a blow to his head last week and was taken off at the lemon break, has travelled with the team to London.

In stark contrast to this time last month, the mood around Chelsea at the moment is a good one.

Enzo Maresca has overseen three wins on the bounce, including an incredible result at home to defending Premier League champions Liverpool.

However, while the team has generally been performing well, there are a few players who continue to underwhelm.

One of those is undoubtedly Alejandro Garnacho, and therefore he should be dropped for someone previously compared to a young Callum Hudson Odoi.

Garnacho's slow start to life at Chelsea

It would be fair to say that the signing of Garnacho was not universally welcomed by the Chelsea support.

After all, while he’s an undeniably talented footballer, he doesn’t have the best of reputations and left Manchester United on poor terms.

Unfortunately, while there have been glimpses of the talent who racked up 21 goal involvements for a terrible Red Devils side last season, they have been nothing more than that, glimpses.

Garnacho in 24/25
Appearances	58
Minutes	3568′
Goals	11
Assists	10
Goal Involvements per Match	0.36
Minutes per Goal Involvements	169.90′
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Overall, the Argentine international has been somewhat disappointing, as in his six appearances thus far, totalling 273 minutes, he has produced a grand total of zero goals and zero assists.

Worse yet, while some of the games have been against top opposition, he also failed to turn up in the EFL Cup game against Lincoln City and offered very little against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

In fact, he was so underwhelming against the Tricky Trees, that he was taken off at half-time with a combined expected goal and assist figure of just 0.01, no key passes, just seven accurate passes, zero shots and a match rating of 3/10 from the Standard’s Dom Smith, who wrote that he ‘ran down blind alleys and failed to produce anything dangerous.

In short, Garnacho is showing no sign of improving, and therefore, Maresca should take him out of the team for the game against Ajax.

The player who should replace Garnacho

Two names might stand out as potential replacements for Garancho against Ajax: Jamie Gittens and Estevao.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

However, the former has arguably been just as disappointing so far this season, and the latter is primarily a right-sided player and deserves another start in his favoured position.

Therefore, Maresca should do what he did against Benfica and bring Tyrique George in from the start, but instead of playing him up top, put him out on the left.

Now, it would be fair to say that the young Englishman hasn’t exactly blown anyone away this year, but it’s equally true that he has shown more in his limited minutes than the former United star.

For example, he was the one who saved the club from a massively embarrassing defeat to Lincoln by scoring and assisting a goal.

On top of that, he has also simply looked more engaged and threatening in games, which could be down to him being an academy graduate or him having a better attitude.

Moreover, despite being just 18 years old at the start of last season, the academy gem, who respected analyst Ben Mattinson once described as a “young Hudson-Odoi,” was able to amass a tally of three goal involvements in 12 Conference League appearances.

Finally, while Ajax are not going to be pushovers, they are also going to be one of the easier Champions League opponents the West Londoners face this season, so it makes sense to give youth players a run-out in these fixtures.

Ultimately, George might not end up being a better player than Garnacho, but at the moment, he is offering far more, and therefore, MarEsca should start him against the Dutch giants.

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By
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