Worcestershire have signed Martin Guptill and Callum Ferguson as overseas players for the Blast T20 competition.Worcestershire, who have never reached Finals Day and finished eighth in the North Group in 2017, have already signed Australian Travis Head as their primary overseas player in the 2018 season. The addition of Guptill, who will be available to play in all formats from June 20 to July 29 (Head is expected to be absent on international duty) and Ferguson, who will take over in the Blast once Guptill departs, provides further batting strength to a team that will also include the England Lion Joe Clarke and six-hit specialist Ross Whiteley.Add the by no means unrealistic prospect that Moeen Ali might not hold his place in the England side, and so be available for at least some of the Blast season, and Worcestershire’s top order could be among the most dangerous in the competitionGuptill, the New Zealand opening batsman, is currently No. 5 in the ICC’s T20 rankings and has been (in 2012) as high as No. 2. He has made two international T20 centuries and, in 2015, plundered an unbeaten 237 against West Indies in an ODI. It is the second highest ODI score of all time.A vastly experienced international player – he has played 47 Tests, 159 ODIs and 75 T20Is – he has also had previous spells in county cricket with Derbyshire and Lancashire. He is expected to be available for eight Blast games before departing for the Caribbean Premier League.While less experienced at international level, Ferguson is a veteran of Australian domestic cricket. If the T20 record – he averages 22.34 and has a strike-rate of 119.43 – looks modest, it should be remembered he bats in the middle-order.”Martin is a world class player,” Worcestershire’s new head coach, Kevin Sharp, said. “With Martin and Travis and the rest of our batting line-up, it will be quite a scary prospect for some opposition sides to think what might happen.”It is exciting for us to sign someone of his quality and I’m sure he is someone all the Rapids supporters will look forward to watching. In white ball, he is a destructive batsman – and his record proves that – and for him to be available for the first eight T20 games is excellent. But he also has a good record in red ball cricket and will also be able to play the two Championship matches in June when Travis is on international duty.”

Yorkshire’s Martyn Moxon will chair the meeting at Edgbaston aimed at considering how to fight back against the lure of sundry worldwide Twenty20 leagues

David Hopps02-Apr-2018County cricket’s leading coaches will gather at Edgbaston next week in a crisis meeting to consider how to fight back against the lure of sundry worldwide Twenty20 leagues to the top limited-overs players in the country.The growing feeling within the counties is that they are paying reliable, long-term contracts to players – many of whom they have developed since childhood – who then rarely take the field.As cricket has no transfer system, or worldwide compensation agreement, the complaint is that English counties are running extensive coaching networks and nurturing players from an early age without adequate rewards for their efforts.A record number of England players are taking part in this season’s IPL, causing them to miss virtually half the Championship season, but at least when it comes to India’s T20 competition the counties can anticipate some levels of compensation.One proposal on the agenda is that county players contracted for an entire year must pass on a percentage of their earnings from winter tournaments like the Bangladesh Premier League, Australia’s Big Bash and the Pakistan Super League – so putting those tournaments on roughly the same level as the IPL.Others contend that overseas T20 leagues should pay loan fees, similar to the methodology used in football. If they can reach common accord, many counties believe they can prevent players switching from county to county in search of a softer deal.Former England coaches Ashley Giles and Peter Moores are expected at the meeting, as well as ex-England internationals such as Alec Stewart and Paul Allott.Representatives from 15 county clubs are confirmed to attend and such is the level of anxiety about county cricket’s plight that the only surprise is that three counties don’t see fit to be there.A prime fear is that more players will follow the example of Alex Hales and Adil Rashid in seeking a white-ball only future, which might suit England’s needs as they plan for the 2019 World Cup on home soil but could, if the habit became widespread, put the survival of England’s first-class game at risk.But the growing sense of dismay goes deeper than that. Equally disturbing for the counties are the players who will profess their loyalty in all forms of the game, but who then top up their salaries with several close-season T20 leagues, and as a result are either injured, fatigued or must undertake enforced rest periods imposed by England, during the county season.Players, for their part, contend that an impossible overcrowded fixture list, with international and club cricket battling for supremacy, leaves them with the sort of divided loyalties that they would rather not face as they seek to maximise their earnings.Yorkshire’s director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, will chair the meeting on April 10, which will seek solutions at a time when the ECB seems merely content to let cricket’s shifting sands move in whatever direction they wish.Moxon, who has developed into one of the county game’s more serious thinkers, is well placed to pass on concerns, also being on the ECB’s cricket committee, and well respected by the ECB chairman Colin Graves.Central to their concerns are the white-ball only contracts introduced by the managing director of England cricket, Andrew Strauss. These were introduced in September 2016 as a supplement to county contracts – roughly doubling their pay – but the counties now feel that England are getting their one-day specialists on the cheap.The situation is more equable in Test cricket where the ECB contracts the player exclusively – although even that makes it difficult for a county to make financial plans when a player suddenly loses that contract and is added to the county payroll.The ECB claims it wishes to protect the 18-team county system – the most successful professional club league in world cricket despite predictions of its demise for more than half a century – but the harsh fact is that counties barely see some of their top white-ball players in spite of most of them earning salaries above GBP100,000 a year.That situation is seen as unsustainable. Parasitical T20 leagues can ultimately destroy the host. The counties are seeking something more symbiotic – a form of mutual advantage – and, as the cricketing calendar seems to be the harshest form of economic free-for-all, they believe that time is running out to achieve it.

County executives assured there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further

George Dobell08-Mar-2018

ECB chairman Colin Graves has sought to ease the concerns of anxious county executives by assuring them there will be no more compensation payments to Test-hosting counties until the issue has been discussed further.In a chief executives’ meeting on Thursday, Graves insisted that plans for such payments had only been at draft stage and would have to have been ratified by the board before implementation. As a result of concerns raised by the counties – and most notably by the resignation from the board of Andy Nash – those plans will now be reviewed.While the mood among the counties does appear to be somewhat appeased – there is no serious talk of a vote of no confidence – there are still some awkward questions to answer. At least one club would appear to have already received a payment from the ECB, while at least two more have budgeted for it.Meanwhile, those counties concerned that the suggested compensation payments might signal a change in the long-term policy of the ECB were further alarmed by the news that the new County Partnership Agreements (the successor to Memorandums of Understanding) are likely to be bespoke to each club. While the aim of that is largely to reflect the differing needs of clubs in different parts of the country, it might also be interpreted as providing potential for a further divide between Test-hosting clubs and the rest. In the past, the ECB’s funds have been largely split on an equitable basis (with some room for performance-related bonus payments) among the counties.It has also been revealed that, at some stage in the last couple of years, Sport England expressed some concern over Graves’ position of chairman of the ECB’s new nominations committee.While the ECB has made much of the fact that its board will shortly be mostly made up of independent members, the nominations committee effectively has the opportunity to vet every prospective applicant. All other board members with affiliations to counties – the likes of Richard Thompson, the Surrey chairman, or Peter Wright, the Nottinghamshire Cricket Board chairman – are obliged to step down in May when they will be replaced by independent board members. Giles Clarke, the ECB president, is also expected to step down in May. Alan Leighton is expected, at some stage, to take over as chairman of the nominations committee.Furthermore, it has emerged that in March 2016 the ECB provided an assurance that Graves would abstain from “any vote or decision which could be deemed a conflict of duty… as is his statutory duty”.Although Graves, who was previously chairman of Yorkshire, did excuse himself from the room when the recent allocation of major matches was validated by the board, questions remain as to whether he did so on other occasions; notably when the decision to strip Durham of their Test status was approved. Graves no longer has any direct financial link to Yorkshire, though family trusts set up by him but run independently are owed £20m by the club.

أعلن نادي كريستال بالاس الإنجليزي في بيان رسمي اليوم الجمعة، تعاقده مع المغربي الدولي شادي رياض بعقد طويل الأمد.

وانضم شادي رياض إلى كريستال بالاس، وهي الصفقة الأولى للنادي الإنجليزي هذا الصيف.

المدافع البالغ من العمر 20 عامًا وقع على عقد مع كريستال بالاس حتى يونيو 2029.

شادي رياض بدأ مسيرته مع نادي مايوركا قبل أن ينتقل إلى برشلونة، حيث تخرج من أكاديمية لا ماسيا.

وقضى اللاعب المغربي الدولي موسمًا مثيرًا للإعجاب على سبيل الإعارة في ريال بيتيس، وشارك في 30 مباراة في جميع المسابقات ولعب دورًا أساسيًا في فريق مانويل بيليجريني.

اقرأ أيضًا | أرقام قياسية تنتظر كريستيانو رونالدو في يورو 2024

وقال رئيس النادي ستيف باريش: “باعتباره لاعبًا دوليًا يبلغ من العمر 20 عامًا فقط، فإن شادي لاعب شاب مثير ويسعدنا أن نتمكن من الترحيب به في النادي”.

وأضاف: “وصوله يضيف الجودة إلى فريق مليء بالفعل بالمواهب والإمكانات، وأنا أتطلع إلى رؤيته يساهم في الفريق هذا الموسم وما بعده”.

وأضاف رياض: “أنا سعيد حقًا بالانضمام إلى كريستال بالاس، لقد كنت مهتمًا بالمجيء إلى هنا بسبب تاريخ النادي والدوري الذي يلعب فيه، لقد أخبروني كيف لعبوا هذا العام وأعتقد أن هذا يكمل الطريقة التي ألعب بها تمامًا”.

Scottish champions Celtic took a significant stride in the defence of their title with a narrow 1-0 victory in the Old Firm derby at the weekend, with a typically clinical finish from talisman Kyogo Furuhashi ensuring it proved a welcome return to the fixture for manager, Brendan Rodgers.

That triumph was not without its controversy, however, with Rangers feeling rather aggrieved as Kemar Roofe saw his first-half effort ruled out after Cyriel Dessers was deemed to have fouled Gustaf Lagerbielke in the build-up, with the latter man likely to have been particularly relieved when the goal was overturned.

While there was seemingly clear contact from Dessers on the Swedish centre-back, it is hard to deny that the 23-year-old was somewhat fortunate to have not been punished for his sluggish play, with that hardly the type of performance that will have endeared the defender to his new supporters.

How did Lagerbielke perform vs Rangers?

As journalist Josh Bunting noted, it was arguably "dreadful defending" from the £3m addition as he simply dawdled on the ball inside his own half, with even his manager admitting post-match that he has "got to look to get his passes away quicker".

Such a worrying moment epitomised what was an all-round difficult afternoon for the former Elfsborg man as he 'looked a bag of nerves all day', according to the Daily Record's Michael Gannon, with it having been a tricky first trip to Ibrox for the summer signing.

That was also evidenced by the fact that the Stockholm native – who was brought in to ease the loss of compatriot, Carl Starfelt – notably lost possession on 13 occasions on the day, having also completed just one of his six attempted long balls as a sign of his panic.

Of course, it is far too early to completely judge the 6 foot 3 brute as he was perhaps prematurely thrust into the fray amid the injuries to the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Maik Nawrocki, although Rodgers may well have been concerned by what he saw from his recent arrival.

Such a shaky showing will also spark questions over whether the Parkhead giants acquired the right centre-back target, having also shown a strong interest in FC Volendam sensation, Xavier Mbuyamba throughout the summer window.

Why didn't Celtic sign Xavier Mbuyamba?

Reports as far back as May had indicated that the Hoops – alongside Championship side Watford – were keeping a close eye on the former Barcelona and Chelsea youngster, with Sky Sports noting that the 6 foot 5 sensation has even been likened to former club hero Virgil van Dijk such is his exciting potential.

Journalist Anthony Joseph then revealed early last month that the Scottish Premiership outfit had made an enquiry regarding the possibility of signing the 21-year-old, at the same time as having made contact over a deal for Lagerbielke.

As Joseph noted at the time, negotiations for the latter man were said to be "further down the line", with Rodgers and co ultimately ending up with the Swede to bolster their defensive ranks, rather than the towering Dutchman.

That decision not to sign the former Netherlands youth international – who is valued at €5m (£4m), according to CIES Football Observatory – could come back to bite those at Celtic Park if Lagerbielke's early woes continue, with the Bhoys having arguably passed up the chance to sign a truly exciting sensation.

How good is Xavier Mbuyamba?

As noted above, the Maastricht-born titan has regularly been the subject of comparisons to his compatriot, Van Dijk, with that seemingly boding well for the impact that he could have made in Glasgow by switching the Eredivisie for the Premiership.

In the case of the current Liverpool colossus, the 32-year-old enjoyed a particularly fruitful two-year spell in Scottish football after signing from Dutch outfit Groningen back in 2013, going on to rack up 115 appearances in all competitions in that time.

As former boss Neil Lennon noted, the immense ace – who is also 6 foot 5 – truly "had everything", such were his stellar string of attributes:

“Pace, great physicality, technique and superb in the air in both boxes".

That latter praise is evidenced by the fact that the one-time Southampton man recorded a respectable haul of 15 goals during his time at the club, with young Mbuyamba also a true threat in an attacking sense, after scoring five goals in just 33 games for his current side.

Such dominance has also been showcased in a defensive sense as Van Dijk currently ranks in the top 9% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for aerial duels won, at an average of 3.10 per 90, with Mbuyamba enjoying a similar record after averaging 3.33 in that regard.

To think that Celtic could well have spurned the chance to have Van Dijk 2.0 on their hands with the addition of the youngster will likely be of real frustration, particularly should Lagerbielke continue to prove rather uninspiring.

Is Mbuyamba better than Lagerbielke?

When looking closely at the duo's performances for their respective clubs last season, it appears an even greater head-scratcher that Mbuyamba was not the favoured option, with the Dutchman having arguably outperformed his counterpart across the board.

That is evidenced by the fact that in the Netherlands last term the towering figure notably averaged 3.5 tackles and interceptions per game from his 28 league appearances, while Lagerbielke, by contrast, averaged just 2.6 in that regard in 16 appearances in his native Sweden in 2023.

That ability to sniff out the danger is also illustrated by the fact that Mbuyamba averaged 5.4 clearances per game in contrast to just 2.8 for that same metric for the current Celtic man, while his tally of four league goals was also ahead of Lagerbielke's two goals in the Allsvenskan.

Mbuyamba's quality has also been apparent in relation to his European peers as he ranks in the top 4% for tackles, the top 7% for clearances and the top 8% for blocks made per 90, indicating just what a standout performer he truly is.

Of course, Lagerbielke could well quash any early doubts by going on to thrive over the coming months and years at Paradise, although it is hard to ignore a player who could seemingly have been the next Van Dijk for the Hoops.

The summer transfer window may have closed in England, but one Newcastle United player looks to move to a foreign league, according to a new update from journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

Will Newcastle still lose players?

The Magpies' incoming transfer business looks to be done for another year, following a productive time of things since the end of last season. There was a clear need to kick on after a year of major progress at St James' Park and they have done just that, signing the likes of Sandro Tonali and Harvey Barnes, among others.

In truth, it has been an underwhelming start to the new Premier League campaign for Newcastle, who have now lost three matches in a row in the competition, having started out with a stunning 5-1 victory at home to Aston Villa last month.

There is no need to panic, however, especially as the Magpies opening fixtures have been difficult, with the losses against Manchester City, Liverpool and Brighton all representing real challenges.

In terms of potential outgoing business, there is still time for Newcastle to sell player who have been deemed surplus requirements, with some non-English transfer windows still open for the time being.

One player who has looked certain to move on throughout the summer is Isaac Hayden, who is now way down the midfield pecking and won't be playing a key part in Eddie Howe's plans moving forward.

Is Isaac Hayden set to leave Newcastle?

Taking to X on Sunday, Tavolieri claimed that Hayden is set to complete a loan move to Belgian side Standard Liege, with their transfer window still open until next week, with the agreement that has been reached not including an option to buy.

"DONE DEAL. It’s Isaac Hayden to Standard Liege Signing Day! NUFC midfielder will finally be loaned to #RSCL without an option to buy confirmed. Been told the Englishman already very committed to the contribution he can make to the team."

This makes complete sense for all parties, with Hayden a solid footballer who has done a decent job for Newcastle in the past, but no longer being of the required standard.

The Magpies are now a Champions League-playing side again, with the likes of Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Joelinton in the middle of the park, so Hayden could see it hard to player regularly under Howe, instead heading to be a Liege player, where he could thrive.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

The 28-year-old should be remembered for being a dependable servant for Newcastle down the years, making 171 appearances in total and doing an understated job in the midfield, once being described as "brilliant" by former Arsenal striker and current pundit Ian Wright.

This is the perfect time for him to move on and enjoy a fresh challenge – he spent last season on loan at Norwich City, further showing how far down the pecking order he is – and the hope may well be that his loan move to Belgium will become a permanent switch next summer, should he do enough to earn a long-term transfer to Liege and officially leave the Magpies.

Getty Images

West Indies, looking to finish top of their World Cup Qualifier group and carry maximum points into the Super six stage, ran into some trouble against Ireland, falling to 83 for 5 after being sent in to bat. Enter Rovman Powell. After a cautious and at times edgy beginning – he was 9 off 34 balls at one stage and enjoyed some luck – he exploded to compile a run-a-ball hundred and lift his side to 257 for 8.That proved beyond Ireland’s reach, despite a controlled half-century from Ed Joyce, who put on useful stands with the O’Brien brothers and kept them in the game for a significant period.There was a sense of Ireland building up a proper head of steam too. The stand of 64 between Joyce and Niall O’Brien came at a run rate of 4.46, as the fourth-wicket pair rebuilt after their team had slipped to 32 for 3; Joyce and Kevin O’Brien then added 70 off 69 balls. At one stage, Ireland needed 92 off 83 balls with six wickets in hand.Kemar Roach, however, dismissed both Joyce and the younger O’Brien in the same over, dealing a body blow to Ireland’s hopes. They were eventually bowled out for 205 in the 47th over of their innings. Roach, who also took the key wickets of Paul Stirling and Andy Balbirnie early on, finished with figures of 4 for 27. There were four wickets for Kesrick Williams as well, and two for the captain Jason Holder.Powell’s was the first instance of a century coming from No. 7 or lower for West Indies in ODIs. He was ably assisted by his captain Jason Holder, who made his second-successive 50-plus score of the tournament.Ireland made excellent use of bowling first in conditions that suited their fast bowlers early on. There had been overnight rain in Harare and the pitch retained a tinge of green when the West Indian openers walked out to bat. Chris Gayle was repeatedly beaten on the outside edge before it was eventually taken. Evin Lewis was surprised by extra bounce, spooning a catch to point. Marlon Samuels got a jaffa that angled into him and straightened to flick his glove through to the keeper.The man doing much of the damage was Tim Murtagh, the 36-year-old seamer whose control more than made up for his lack of pace. And, in any case, it was Boyd Rankin’s job to hustle the batsmen, his 6’7″ frame coming in more than handy as he banged the ball into the pitch.The spinners Andy McBrine and George Dockrell took over in the middle overs, assisted by a pitch that revealed itself to be a slow turner once the early moisture dissipated. Holder and Powell battled hard to keep West Indies afloat; their 86-run partnership almost exclusively comprised of singles between the 18th and 26th overs before the West Indies captain began dictating terms.Holder finished with 54 off 71 balls, the landmark achieved with a monstrous six over wide long-on. He could, however, have been dismissed for 17 if Paul Stirling had held on to a return catch generated by his part-time offbreaks. Eleven runs later, he survived a run-out chance with his partner indulging in a last-minute change of mind about a single to square leg.Powell enjoyed a couple of lives as well: he was on 18 when a leading edge off the bowling of Dockrell was shelled by Gary Wilson running back and to his left from mid-off. On 39, he top-edged a pull that went straight up but the keeper was unable to catch up with the ball, which landed harmlessly near the middle of the pitch.Powell needed to take such risks, though, with time running out. He pulled Rankin down the ground with stinging disdain and later hit him over the top. West Indies lost a lot of firepower when Carlos Brathwaite ran himself out in the 45th over but Powell persisted until the end, doing exactly what his team needed off him.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، عن موقف الإيطالي دافيدي أنشيلوتي، المدرب المساعد لفريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ريال مدريد الإسباني.

مساعد ونجل كارلو أنشيلوتي في ريال مدريد، يُنظر له على أنه العقل المدبر في النادي الملكي، ويقدم المساعدة بشكل كبير لـ والده، وهو من يطّور بشكل كبير أداء اللاعبين.

صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، أكدت بأن صاحب الـ34 عامًا، لديه عروض من أندية أوروبية وكذلك في الدوري السعودي، ولكنه رفض أن يكون الرجل الأول في الوقت الحالي.

دافيدي يعمل مع كارلو أنشيلوتي منذ عام 2016، ومن بين الأندية التي عمل بها كان نادي إيفرتون الإنجليزي، الذي يرغب في التعاقد معه بداية من الموسم المقبل، لكنه يرفض ذلك.

طالع أيضًا | بينهما مبابي.. أنشيلوتي يواجه تحديين في الموسم الجديد مع ريال مدريد

الإيطالي الشاب، لديه عروض من إشبيلية الإسباني، وكذلك أندية إيطالية وإنجليزية، طرقت باب وكيله فرانك تريمبولي، الذي يتولى أعمال والده أيضًا.

وأخبر دافيدي وكيله بألا يستمع للعروض في الوقت الحالي، لأنه يفكر في البقاء مع ريال مدريد لمساعده والده لمدة موسم آخر، ومن ثم ينظر للعروض.

أغلق أنشيلوتي الصغير الباب في الوقت الحالي، حيث أن عقده ينتهي في صيف 2025، ومن ثم يعيد تقييم الوضع، لأنه يريد التعلّم بشكل أكبر قبل أن يصبح مديرًا فنيًا ويكون هو الرجل الأول.

العمل الذي قام به دافيدي أنشيلوتي في الموسم الماضي، أتت ثماره في الفوز على بايرن ميونخ عندما اقترح دخول خوسيلو الذي سجل الهدفين في نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، وكذلك التعليمات التي حصل عليها كارفاخال بالتواجد في منطقة الجزاء أثناء الركنية وسجل هدف ريال مدريد الأول ضد بوروسيا دورتموند بالمباراة النهائية.

ويرافق دافيدي والده كمدرب مساعد منذ أن تواجد أنشيلوتي في بايرن ميونخ في عام 2016، ثم انتقل معه إلى نابولي مرورًا بـ إيفرتون، وعندما عاد كارلو إلى ريال مدريد اصطحبه معه، كما أنه يتحدث 5 لغات، وحصل على رخصة التدريب UEFA A، من الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم.

Liverpool made hard work of it, but on Saturday lunchtime they secured their fourth successive victory of the season, producing a comeback against Wolverhampton Wanderers after falling behind in what was a sluggish and disjointed first period.

Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring within seven minutes, dispatching a wicked Pedro Neto delivery. From there, the hosts were in the driving seat, pressuring the Reds high up the field and causing them all sorts of problems on the counterattack. Indeed, Matheus Cunha should have added a second from a fine Neto cross.

The Reds failed to win any of their six Premier League matches in this time slot last season and after conceding early on, this trend showed little sign of being put to bed as the Old Gold showcased a slickness in possession, energy in their press and directness on the counter.

But Gary O'Neil's side were to be punished for their missed opportunities, as a second-half comeback, spearheaded by the relentless Mohamed Salah and some impactful Jurgen Klopp substitutions, saw Liverpool turn the deficit around and record a 3-1 victory.

Who impressed for Liverpool against Wolves?

While Salah received most of the plaudits for laying on two assists in the second period, it was their "Duracell bunny" of Andy Robertson, who led their charge down the left and marked his 200th appearance for the club by netting a late-winner.

The Scotsman was filling in for the suspended Virgil van Dijk as captain, and he filled that role to perfection, popping up in the box and calmly slotting the ball past the frame of Jose Sa after playing a one-two with Salah.

Robertson's goal was a reward for the intent that the visitors showed in the second half as the introduction of Luis Diaz saw the left-back unleashed higher up the field, reminding Klopp of his qualities going forward that saw him subsequently labelled as an "attacking machine" by a Liverpool journalist Sean.

As per Sofascore, Robertson would become a thorn down Wolves' right flank with seven crosses, one shot on target, making 103 touches and placing 92% of his passes accurately, crucial in preventing the hosts from building a head of steam in the second period and driving his side up the field with his powerful running style.

Although the Scot put in a performance that was synonymous with years gone by, Klopp must consider dropping fellow defender Joel Matip after he was "miles off it", as James Pearce noted, on Saturday afternoon.

How did Joel Matip perform against Wolves?

Liverpool were scrutinised for their distinct lack of defensive organisation throughout last season and in the absence of Virgil van Dijk, they were all over the shop once more as Wolves flew out of the blocks and caught their opponents off guard.

The skill, confidence and ambition of Neto led the charge as the Portuguese provided a telling end product to go with his sparkling build-up play.

With Wolves producing an onslaught of attacks, the Reds needed an experienced head at the heart of their defence to inject a bit of calmness into proceedings and although Matip is so often associated with achieving this, the Cameroonian was one of the players at fault for Liverpool's first half implosion.

The 32-year-old was supposed to be setting an example for the debuting 20-year-old Jarell Quansah but instead of leading from the back with his experience, Matip allowed the Molineux crowd to swallow him up, enduring a nightmare display.

Despite their apparent defensive struggles in the first period, Quansah was a stand-out performer at the back, winning three out of four of his ground duels, recording 96% pass completion, making three tackles and accurately placing his two attempted long balls, as per Sofascore.

While the youngster led by example, the senior Matip buckled under the weight of expectation, gifting possession to the opposition on 11 occasions, winning just one of his three ground duels, making one tackle and misplacing five of his six attempted long balls.

Following this performance, Matip's place in the team could be under threat and with van Dijk returning ahead of their home fixture against West Ham, the £100k-per-week earner could be the one who makes way.

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Indicado por Mano Menezes, o volante Elias é uma das novidades do Bahia neste Campeonato Brasileiro. Porém, mesmo considerado um jogador de qualidade, o meio-campista não conseguiu ajudar o Tricolor a finalizar com essa oscilação dentro de campo.

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Na coletiva de imprensa desta quarta-feira, o meio-campista conversou sobre o tema e acredita que essa irregularidade é normal dentro torneio.

‘Acho que é normal pela chegada do Mano, vem dando mais consistência defensiva. Se for analisar, nos últimos jogos, a gente sofreu só gol de bola parada. Contra o Sport, foram dois, um de pênalti, agora contra o Fluminense um gol de pênalti. Normal. Requer tempo de trabalho para que possa conhecer totalmente o grupo, e a gente possa conseguir uma sequência de triunfos. A meu ver, o trabalho é bem feito, conheço, tenho total confiança nele. Sei que a gente vai sair dessa situação o mais rápido possível’, analisou.

A próxima chance para sair de campo com os três pontos é na sexta-feira, quando o Esquadrão de Aço encara o Goiás, fora de casa.