Tag Futebol

In one of my earlier columns, I had opined that the Indians had agood chance of giving their fans an encore of the glorious WestIndies tour of 1971

Erapalli Prasanna23-May-2002In one of my earlier columns, I had opined that the Indians had agood chance of giving their fans an encore of the glorious WestIndies tour of 1971. When they won the Test at Port of Spain, theteam looked good to fulfill my prediction, raising hopes of anaway series win. But India surrendered the early advantage bylosing the Barbados Test and allowing the West Indies to levelthe series.Both teams had everything to play for in Jamaica, but if I had toput my money on one of them, it would have been the West Indies,simply because of the home advantage.The toss was very crucial; it was important that the team winningthe toss bowled first to make use of an unusually grassy Kingstonwicket. India failed to make use of that advantage and thusallowed the hosts to wrest control of the match right from thefirst day. I am sure that the West Indian bowlers would haveextracted more bounce and pace than the Indians managed on thefirst day. The Caribbean pace battery is physically strong, afacet that sets them apart from the Indian seamers and allowsthem to generate more speed off the pitch.
© CricInfoHarbhajan Singh, however, brought India back into the game afterthe West Indies looked to dominate the first two days. I mustcongratulate the off-spinner for picking up his 100th Testwicket. The spongy nature of the track helped Harbhajan extractconsiderable bounce and turn, but that did not stop the WestIndies from racking up a first-innings total of 422 – one thatdid not show the Indian fast bowlers in good light.Their Caribbean counterparts, however, made the most of thepitch. The unpredictable bounce also helped to no uncertainextent, playing on the minds of the Indian batsmen and causingthem to play with uncertainty. Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxmanalone looked comfortable. Ganguly was very confident and battedbeautifully, while Laxman seems to have finally come to termswith the reputation of being a class player. The Hyderabadi hasbeen much more watchful in this series, selling his wicketdearly.After having conceded a 210-run first-innings lead, JavagalSrinath & Co. bowled well to restrict the West Indies batsmen to197 in their second innings. The subsequent target of 408 was astiff one, but with a strong batting line-up, India were alwaysin with a chance of pulling off a record win. Those chances onlygot better when Sachin Tendulkar, after the early exit of theopeners, began to play with a determination unseen in hisprevious innings in the series.Tendulkar had been playing mostly off his front foot for theseries up to that point; in Jamaica, though, he was conscious ofthat fact and appeared keen to get onto his back foot. It wasthis pre-determined approach that Pedro Collins exploited,sneaking one through to shatter the stumps. I think thatTendulkar picked neither the line nor the movement off thewicket.Collins, incidentally, should be proud of his achievements inthis series. Not often do you find one bowler, especially aninexperienced one, having so much success against the world’sbest batsman.
© CricInfoAt Sabina Park, the West Indies seemed a much more committed sidethan India. Two outstanding pieces of work in the field by MervDillon and Cameron Cuffy stand out; mind you, both of thesebowlers must have been tired after bowling long spells. Thewonderful catch that Dillon took, running backwards, to dismissLaxman, and Cuffy’s brilliant work to dismiss Harbhajan Singh saya lot about the attitude and approach that the West Indiesbrought with them into the decider.India were also hindered by going into the final Test with justone spinner, a miscalculation in the bowling department thatallowed the West Indies to score 287 runs on the first day afterasking them to have a bat.The Indian pace attack looks good to bowl only the first 15 oversand, given this fact, the team management’s decision to bowlfirst must be seen as a defensive one. Even if it was made toallow the track to slow down and help the batsmen, the eventsnarrate a different story. The Indian batting was sub-standard ona track that had already been used for a day and a half.Not that India did not have their chances. In the second innings,the West Indies were on the mat at 120 for six, but they werethen allowed to go on to make 197 and set a target of 408. Thatwas the final nail to be hammered into the coffin.What sets apart a great team from a good team is how they convertthe half-chances and slender opportunities into gloriousvictories. For the Indians, this was not to be; they surrenderedmeekly, exposing the limitations of both their batting and theirbowling resources.There cannot be any doubt regarding the talent and stature of afew individuals in the Indian team. But then again, the overallstrength of the Indian team does not pose a threat to theopponents, and that, I think, is the biggest drawback of thisIndian side.

Football Insider pundit Paul Robinson thinks Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke would be a good signing for Celtic, amid recent links.

The Lowdown: Celtic’s interest

The Hoops were credited with an interest in the 28-year-old last month, while former Celtic man Mark Wilson claimed the club were keen on bringing the forward to Parkhead.

Sunderland have since been knocked out of the League One playoffs by Lincoln City, with the Black Cats set for a fourth consecutive season in the third tier.

Wyke, whose contract actually expires next month, was a shining light at the Stadium of Light, scoring 30 goals in 53 appearances.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-4/” title=”Celtic updates” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Latest: Sunderland’s talks, Robinson reacts

Sunderland revealed on their official website on Tuesday that they are in talks with Wyke over his future at the club.

Following that development, Robinson, 41, was asked by Football Insider if Wyke would be a good addition at Celtic Park:

“Charlie Wyke would definitely be a risk-free signing.

“I think he would be (a) great addition to the squad but he is certainly not the man to replace Edouard. He is not on that level.

“Celtic need to have a big summer this season and replacing Edouard will be one of the biggest challenges.”

The Verdict: A smart signing?

In our opinion, bringing Wyke to Celtic Park on a potential free transfer could be a shrewd piece of business by the Hoops.

Odsonne Edouard wants to leave the club this summer, so he’ll need replacing. Meanwhile, Leigh Griffiths’ future is up in the air and winger Mohamed Elyounoussi will return to Southampton, so Celtic may lose a lot of their firepower in front of goal.

Wyke has shown, albeit in League One, that he can find the back of the net with ease, so he could be a handy player to have around for the 2021/22 season.

Of course, the Hoops will need more attacking additions, but starting with the arrival of Wyke could be a solid starting point in a cut-price deal.

In other news: Alan Nixon provides 6-word update on Celtic’s Eddie Howe move, find out more here. 

If finals are deigned to be more exciting, more tense and more competitive affairs than most of the games which precede them, then today’s opening bout of theCarlton Series deciders between Australia and West Indies didn’t necessarily fail the test

John Polack07-Feb-2001If finals are deigned to be more exciting, more tense and more competitive affairs than most of the games which precede them, then today’s opening bout of theCarlton Series deciders between Australia and West Indies didn’t necessarily fail the test. At least not initially. By the end, though, Australia’s 134 run victory waslooking far from the stuff of which a cricket enthusiast’s dreams are made.In short, this match rapidly tailed away into another comprehensive drubbing. Initiated by a respectable performance from the Australians with the bat that allowedthem to reach 9/253, it was sealed with a bowling effort that ensured that only Brian Lara (35) and Marlon Samuels (24) were able to mount any sort of defiance amida wreckage-ridden reply of 119. Which all leaves the tourists now requiring the rather improbable matter of two wins in succession over the course of the next fourdays if they are to claim this series.But, while the result ultimately still managed to fall within the realms of the eminently predictable, there was a good deal to recommend this game through its earlystages. For all of about sixty-five overs, in fact.West Indies’ captain Jimmy Adams had taken what looked like a gamble at the beginning of the afternoon when he invited the Australians to bat first. It has been justunder thirteen months since a team batting second last won a one-day international at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and as many as seven of the last nine one-dayinternationals at the venue have been claimed by the team which batted first. Also potentially looming as a significant factor was the memory of Australia’s compilationof the record score of 7/337 in the corresponding match last season.It soon proved to be a heady decision, nonetheless. Sydney has been affected by poor weather for much of the last fortnight and the pitch responded accordingly.There was zip, there was bounce, there was pace, and a hint of sideways movement on offer too. Strokemaking was difficult enough in the conditions, but the touristsaccentuated the fact with a disciplined, accurate display with the ball.New ball bowlers Nixon McLean (1/47 from ten overs) and Cameron Cuffy (2/45 off ten) set the tone well and, for once this summer – against Australia at least – thefielders and the remainder of the attack chimed in. Mark Waugh (10) fell to an edge to slip in just the tenth over to ensure that the home team produced only itssecond sub-fifty opening stand of the series and there was nothing earth-shattering to follow in the way of the conception of sizeable partnerships. Australia’s final totalassumed healthy rather than imposing proportions.Only Adam Gilchrist (44), Steve Waugh (38), Ricky Ponting (33) and – in the dying stages – Ian Harvey (47*) looked genuinely capable of producing an authoritativeindividual hand. As things transpired, it was a measure of the extent of pressure applied by the West Indians that, of those four, only the freewheeling Harvey was ableto see things through to a satisfying conclusion.In an explosive cameo from Lara, the West Indians continued to find a method of fighting the Australians’ fire with some of their own. With their enigmatic left handerin scintillating touch and with their score at 2/58 in the fifteenth over, the assumption that the West Indians might have been able to conjure an exciting struggle did not lookunreasonable. Lara even gave the impression that he was in the mood to make the Australians pay a high price for a stream of invective that appeared to befired by Michael Bevan from mid on after the second delivery that he faced smashed into his helmet.But it all unravelled rapidly from the moment that Lara sent a thick outside edge flying hard to Gilchrist’s right as he drove at Damien Fleming (2/34 off seven overs).Gilchrist’s spectacular diving, one-handed interception – an absolute stunner – ushered in a horror period for the tourists, from which they were simply unable torecover.Yet another procession ensued. Adams (9) looked like a man with his mind elsewhere as he wafted at a Harvey (2/5 from six overs) delivery without moving his feet. Samuels (24)was needlessly run out as Bevan pounced athletically from square leg to effect a direct hit that ensured that the youngster’s mix-up with Ricardo Powell (3) was fatal.Powell himself fell after wildly playing across the line at a straight ball from man of the match Harvey. All-rounder Laurie Williams (1) hookedambitiously at McGrath; Mahendra Nagamootoo (8) tried to swing an Andrew Symonds (2/18 from five overs) off break out of the ground; and McLean (0) failed toclear mid off with another slog at Symonds. A patient Sylvester Joseph (18) was the last man to go, holing out when he lofted a Shane Warne (1/28 off 9.2) leg breakhigh into the air to allow the Australian to compensate for a mistake he had made in trying to complete a similar caught and bowled in his previous over.The West Indians had genuine cause to be annoyed about Umpire Simon Taufel’s highly dubious lbw decision to which opener Daren Ganga (0) lost his wicket.Television replays clearly suggested that the offending Glenn McGrath (2/25 off ten overs) delivery had also traversed a thick inside edge en route to Ganga’s frontpad. Of the complete collapse of their middle and lower order, no such misfortune could be proclaimed.The tourists had made it through to this phase of the series by combining a mixture of instinct and knowhow in three crucial encounters with Zimbabwe. But tonight’sresult continued to underline the inescapable truth that has haunted them all summer – that they fail to produce anywhere near acceptable results against Australia inpressure situations. They need to find a way of upsetting home team’s applecart, its rhythm and its suffocating aura of superiority. They have precisely one match left inwhich to do it.

England legend Ashley Cole has suggested that Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips is a limited player in terms of his creativity in the middle of the park.

The Lowdown: Phillips shines for Leeds

Few players, if any, have been more influential for Leeds during the Marcelo Bielsa era, with the 25-year-old playing exceptionally in a deep-lying role.

Phillips’ form has seen him called into England’s squad for Euro 2020 this summer, with manager Gareth Southgate hailing him as ‘fabulous’ in the past. The Whites ace could even start the Three Lions’ opener against Croatia on Sunday, especially if Jordan Henderson isn’t deemed fit enough.

[freshpress-quiz id=“355458″]

The Latest: Cole casts doubt over Whites hero

Speaking on ITV [via MOT Leeds News] after England’s 1-0 win over Romania on Sunday, in which Phillips started, Cole claimed that he and Declan Rice lacked the vision of Henderson, saying: “That’s his strength [Henderson], that ability to play a bit longer which I don’t think the other two have in their locker.”

The 2012 Champions League winner later took to Twitter to defend his comments after a Leeds fan page, vexed by the criticism of Phillips, sent the 40-year-old a video of the Whites player executing an inch-perfect long pass.

Cole retorted: “Now show me where he’s doing that in and around the halfway line to put someone in or create a goal-scoring opportunity? Another question, does Kalvin Phillips play the same or similar role when playing for Leeds as he does for England?”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-copy/” title=”Latest Leeds United news! (Copy)” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Hugely unfair criticism

This is hugely unjust criticism from Cole, even if Phillips doesn’t always spray the amount of long-range passes Henderson does.

One pinpoint ball found Jadon Sancho in the first half against Romania, prior to the Borussia Dortmund winger firing over the bar, and he has shown numerous times for Leeds how good he is in possession.

As a comparison, Henderson played an average of 0.7 key passes per game in the Premier League last season, whereas Phillips averaged 1.2, suggesting he is actually the more inventive of the two on the ball.

In other news, a former Leeds player is keen for the Whites to bring in a Premier League attacker this summer. Find out who it is here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Carlton Palmer has urged Manchester United youngster Brandon Williams to get out on loan next season.

The 20-year-old was a regular in the first team at Old Trafford last term, but the outstanding form of Luke Shaw and signing of Alex Telles has seen Williams restricted to just 12 outings, only two of which came in the Premier League.

He was strongly linked with a move to Southampton and West Ham in January, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was reluctant to let him leave.

But having made just four further substitute appearances since the window closed, one of which came in Rome last Thursday, the Saints are set to revisit their interest in Williams, who’s desperate for regular senior football having been forced to turn out for United’s Under-23s on five occasions this season.

And Palmer believes that a Premier League loan moves is exactly what the United Academy graduate needs right now.

He told Football FanCast:

“I don’t think he’s going to leave Manchester United, but it certainly works for him to get out on loan and play.

“Maybe a loan deal to get out for a season and play. He needs to play in the first team, and it can only benefit him playing in the Premier League against top quality opposition week in, week out. He’s only going to improve as a football player.”

Henry Winter has dropped a Wolves managerial update by giving news on some of the candidates who could replace Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Nuno leaving

It has been confirmed by the Midlands club that Nuno will leave after he took charge of his final game against Manchester United at Molineux as the Premier League season drew to a close this afternoon.

Interestingly, it has been reported that Fosun initiated the end of his reign and moved to take action after what has been a highly disappointing season overall for Wolves.

It is understood that the Chinese ownership thought that the 47-year-old leaving was the way forward after months of tension behind the scenes, as they were left frustrated by some poor displays and results, while there have also been arguments over the transfer policy and Nuno’s communication.

The Latest: Winter on manager candidates

Winter has since dropped a manager update, as The Times journalist tweeted that both Rui Faria and Sergio Conceicao are ‘not in the frame’, while Bruno Lage is Nuno’s ‘likely successor’.

All three managers are Portuguese and duly fit in with the club’s current model, as they will be expected to announce their new manager in due course.

The Verdict: Lage not ideal

Faria and Lage are both currently without a club and so would perhaps be the easiest coaches for Wolves to approach, but according to Winter, it does not seem as if Jose Mourinho’s long-time assistant is being considered at this moment in time.

Conceicao would have been a viable option, having guided FC Porto to a commendable second-placed finish in the Portuguese top flight this term while also taking them far in the Champions League, knocking out Serie A giants Juventus before eventually being beaten by finalists Chelsea over two legs in the quarter-finals.

Lage’s preferred formation is a 4-4-2, which was not a system that Nuno preferred to play, so if the 45-year-old were to become the next manager, some players may struggle to adapt to his tactics and philosophy.

With no prior experience of managing in the Premier League either, the former Benfica coach may struggle to adapt to this league, and the English top flight is a whole different animal to the Primeira Liga.

Nonetheless, with the summer transfer window not open yet, Wolves can afford to wait a little before making such a big decision.

In other news, find out who else is a leading contender to replace Nuno!

Danny Mills has dropped a big claim on the potential takeover of Newcastle United as an update emerged involving Mike Ashley.

The Lowdown: Ashley releases statement

The Guardian have recently reported that Ashley released a powerful statement this week after HMRC quietly discontinued a long-running investigation into the tax affairs of the St James’ Park club.

As per the Shields Gazette, Newcastle and its chief executive have also accused the Premier League of what they believe to be anti-competitive behaviour in their decision-making process on the proposed deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

They are looking to take the Premier League to court over the matter and have also taken on an anti-competition case given to them by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Limited (NCSL), with the EPL given fresh legal papers as Ashley looks to force them to wave through the bid.

The Latest: Mills reacts to Ashley activity

Mills, who is now a pundit after playing for the likes of Leeds United and Manchester City in his career, has since given his thoughts to Football Insider on Ashley’s latest activity, and his view on the potential takeover on Tyneside:

“It’s a case of Mike Ashley being desperate to sell and doing everything he can to get his money.

“But I think he’s right, it does need to be investigated as to why.

“There is the golf super league with Saudi Arabia, we’ve seen all the boxing going on over there as well and other sports.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a reason why they weren’t allowed to take over.

“There’s no better time with all the issues surrounding the so-called ‘big six’ and those smaller clubs can say ‘Hang on a minute, how can you allow this to happen to these other clubs and let them spend what they want but you’re not letting us compete?’

“It isn’t really fair. It’s almost like it’s a monopoly on who can do what they want and spend what they want.”

The Verdict: Ashley seems desperate

Given that there is already an arbitration hearing to take place between Newcastle and the Premier League, it seems as if Ashley is already starting to feel desperate by taking them to another legal battle to try and claim damages.

What the result of the arbitration case would be remains unclear, but the report that the businessman is trying to at least get some compensation from the failed takeover bid suggests that he may not be confident about getting a positive outcome from the saga.

In other news, find out what big claim another pundit has made on the potential takeover!

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are delighted following the outcome of the Scottish Cup fourth round draw.

The Gers progressed to the next round of the competition on Sunday after a comfortable victory over Cove Rangers. The 55-time Scottish champions prevailed 4-0 thanks to a brace from Kemar Roofe and a goal apiece from Nathan Patterson and Jermain Defoe. Their quest to win the domestic double remains on track.

Their reward for making the next stage is a home tie against fierce city rivals Celtic. The Gers have had a good record against the Bhoys so far this campaign, winning twice, drawing once and conceding just one goal along the way (Sky Sports), as well as dethroning their rivals as league champions. However, an Old Firm derby is always a tense affair and could go either way.

The news was shared on Twitter by the Gers’ official Twitter account, and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one supporter describing the cup draw as “glorious”.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Glorious”

Credit: @King_Kamara18

“Class”

Credit: @Declan_1872_

“Take the cup off them and the total meltdown will be a joy to behold.”

Credit: @thenextday13

“Let’s make their season even more miserable”

Credit: @stephdavis32

“You beauty, get in”

Credit: @macmacgill1

“Ruin their season completely”

Credit: @EwanMcElroy

In other news, Rangers have been urged to sign this striker.

Leicester City have made a number of hugely profitable transfer sales in recent years.

The names of Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, Danny Drinkwater and Ben Chilwell immediately spring to mind with the East-Midlanders having accumulated approximately £220m in transfer fees from their departures to Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea respectively.

However, one shrewd move that appears to fall under the radar is the jettisoning of former record signing Ahmed Musa before the 2018/19.

Signed by Claudio Ranieri following Leicester’s miraculous title success from Russian outfit CSKA Moscow, the Nigerian arrived with a big reputation and a costly transfer fee of £16m.

It was thought that he could have “played with” Jamie Vardy, according to the Italian title winner but it did not play out that way.

The 87-cap forward had a disastrous time at the King Power Stadium as he scored just five goals in 33 appearances in all competitions.

Just 18 months after he had signed, Musa left the club albeit temporarily for former employers CSKA Moscow in a loan deal that saw him score seven goals in 16 games.

He had no future at the club upon his return though and just as though it looked like the Foxes were going to sustain a huge loss on him, Saudi outfit Al-Nassr swooped for Musa for an officially undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £15m.

To only make a minimal loss on a player that was dreadful in his spell at the club was a masterstroke by the Foxes and that decision looks even better a couple of years down the line.

After two years with Al-Nassr, Musa, now rated at just £5.4m, is without a club after a move to relegation-bound West Bromwich Albion fell through.

It’s a dramatic fall from grace for the Nigerian but Leicester will be hugely thankful that they cashed in on him when they did.

AND in more news, take a closer look at some of the Foxes’ woeful signings…

Mohamed Elyounoussi has endured a torrid run of form with Celtic recently, which suggests that he won’t be capable of making an impact at Southampton next season, so manager Ralph Hasenhuttl should consider axing him in the summer.

The Norwegian joined the Scottish Premiership side on loan for the second successive season during the summer but after a promising start, the 26-year-old’s form has dropped significantly and he now finds himself on the fringes of the first-team squad.

The winger has 13 goals in all competitions for the Bhoys this season but has now failed to score in any of his last 10 appearances, having found himself relegated to the bench for six of those following a 2-1 home defeat against St Mirren, before being restored to the starting line up for the 0-0 draw with Dundee United at the weekend – a result which saw Rangers secure the title.

Therefore, it is difficult to see the 26-year-old returning to Southampton and forcing his way into Hasenhuttl’s plans, as since signing for the South Coast club from FC Basel in 2018, he has managed no goals and no assists in 19 appearances.

Although his confidence might have been boosted earlier in the season when he was scoring goals fairly regularly, this latest run of form suggests that his goalscoring fortunes are unlikely to turn around anytime soon.

Considering Hasenhuttl has the likes of Moussa Djenepo, Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong available as wingers in his squad, as well as Nathan Tella coming through, it is difficult to see where Elyonoussi would fit in.

Unfortunately for Southampton, his contract there is set to expire in 2023, so they should look to cash in on him rather than keeping him on their books for another two seasons.

The Austrian manager wasn’t really backed to make signings in the winter transfer window, perhaps as a result of the financial impact of the current viral outbreak, and therefore, if he wants to rebuild his squad this summer, then he may need to axe some of the deadwood in his squad.

Elyounoussi is valued at £10.8 million by Tranfsermarkt so holds some decent value, and therefore, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he is one of the first players out of the door during the off-season, as unfortunately, he has been a flop for Southampton in his time with the club.

And, in other news… Southampton signing £36m-rated beast would be shades of Graziano Pelle