It has been all change recently for Wolverhampton Wanderers. They ended what was a poor 2024 by sacking former manager Gary O’Neil, and replaced him with the experienced Vitor Pereira.

The Portuguese boss has made a great start to life at Molineux, winning two, drawing one and losing one of his first four games in charge. On the whole, he has made a positive start and the Old Gold are now out of the relegation zone.

As is often the case under a new manager, there have been changes in the squad, with certain players falling out of favour. That has certainly been the situation for Mario Lemina under Pereira.

Lemina’s 2024/25 season

When speaking of all change for Wolves in the last few weeks, perhaps no player can relate to that more than Lemina. It has been a hectic time for the Gabonese midfielder, starting with his dismissal as captain when O’Neil was manager.

A scuffle between Lemina and Bowen broke out at full time of the Old Gold’s defeat away to West Ham in December which “sparked the conversation” for a change in captaincy, according to O’Neil.

With the new manager in place, things got off to a slow start for the former Wolves skipper. A calf strain kept him out of Pereira’s first three games in charge, and he could only make a fleeting appearance off the bench against Nottingham Forest in the 3-0 defeat at Molineux.

That was a huge chance to impress, although Birmingham Live journalist Charlie Haffenden did not seem to think Lemina played too well. He gave the Wolves midfielder a 4/10 for his efforts, explaining that he ‘couldn’t have defended much worse’ for Taiwo Awoniyi’s goal which was Forest’s third of the night.

All of the things to have happened over the past few months might leave Lemina – who is reportedly keen to move on – in an interesting position at Wolves, and he is certainly not a guaranteed starter. His role in the squad might become even more under question with the Old Gold targeting a new midfielder.

Wolves could land perfect Lemina upgrade

The player in question here is Colombian international Richard Rios. According to a report from Brazilian news outlet RTI – which emerged over the weekend – the Old Gold are interested in signing the midfielder, who is highly rated by Pereira.

A price is not clear, but Manchester United were reportedly set to bid £17m for the 24-year-old Palmeiras man over the summer. Should Wolves decide to pursue a move, they could face competition from Fulham who are also interested.

The Colombia star has been key for Palmeiras over the past season. He has played 49 games across competitions, scoring four times and grabbing five assists. He also played a key role in his country’s run to to 2024 Copa America final, where he started all six of their games.

Like Lemina, Rios is a hard-working midfielder who is a tough tackler. Yet, his biggest strengths lie on the ball. The Colombian is elegant with the ball at his feet and is also a progressive and creative midfielder.

According to the statistics on FBref, he would certainly be an upgrade on the former Wolves skipper. For example, the 24-year-old averages 1.39 progressive carries and 5.31 progressive passes per game, compared to Lemina’s 0.59 progressive carries and 3.22 progressive passes.

Without the ball, they are statistically closer, yet Rios averages more ball recoveries per 90 minutes than the Gabon international. Specifically, he makes 6.55 compared to 4.8 for the Wolves man.

Stat (per 90)

Rios

Lemina

Progressive carries

1.39

0.59

Progressive passes

5.31

3.22

Key passes

0.88

0.66

Ball recoveries

6.55

4.8

Tackles and interceptions

4.54

5.13

A deal to bring Rios to Molineux does not seem like it would break the bank for Wolves. At just £17m or so, it is an affordable price to upgrade their midfield by signing a 24-year-old who has a “huge amount of talent”, as football analyst Ben Mattinson has said.

If this is a deal the Old Gold manage to get over the line, it will certainly boost Pereira’s side and increase their chances of survival.

Pereira must axe 5/10 Wolves man who won 0 duels vs Forest

The Wolves star struggled against Forest

ByJoe Nuttall Jan 7, 2025

Joining the county that had finished bottom of Division Two for three successive seasons was always going to be a gamble but Neil Dexter’s confidence in the future has been rewarded

Jon Culley30-Jun-2016Neil Dexter’s decision to leave a county that finished runners-up in Division One last season to join the one that had finished bottom of Division Two for three seasons in a row might have seemed somewhat perverse looking from the outside.At 31, he could not afford to make the wrong choice, but he says he felt confident from the outset and after half a season in his new surroundings nothing has happened to make him question his wisdom. His contribution already includes two centuries, the second against Gloucestershire this week.Leicestershire’s tight grip on the wooden spoon did not loosen despite the euphoria last June of ending their extraordinary 37-match winless streak in four-day cricket, but they have metamorphosed this season into potential promotion contenders – 15 points off the top with a game in hand and a bedraggled season still to take shape.”It was a hard decision to leave Middlesex,” Dexter admitted. “Things were always good at Middlesex. I enjoyed my time there working with good people.”But I wanted to bat higher up the order than I had been doing with Middlesex and when I sat down with Wasim Khan and Andrew McDonald to discuss coming here they were very clear in their plans and about what they wanted to achieve.”It is a club with clear direction and I was confident that it was going to be a good move. And so far I’ve enjoyed every minute of it here.”Khan and McDonald sold their vision, too, to Essex’s Mark Pettini and Lancashire’s Paul Horton as they moved to add quality, experience and a vital winning mentality to the squad. All three have had a positive impact on the dressing room environment.”We are quite a tight knit bunch already,” Dexter said. “In terms of where we are heading and what we are trying to achieve over the next few years we are already on the right lines.”If anything we have got to where we are as a team and a club a bit quicker than I thought.”There are times when things are tough. The T20 has tested us a team but it shows how strong we are the way the team is bouncing back in the four-day stuff on the back of disappointment.”In cricketing terms, then, it has been a good move. Where Middlesex felt they could make no guarantees of a regular first-team place – even though managing director of cricket Angus Fraser was willing to talk about a new contract – Leicestershire see him as just the right fit.For Dexter, moreover, there has been an unexpected bonus in moving out of the hustle and bustle of live in London. It has reminded how much he appreciates a less frenetic way of life.”I won’t lie, I struggled at times with living in London,” he said. “I think it is a hard place, so busy from the moment you walk out of your front door and until you get out of it again you don’t realise how tough a place it is to live.”Maybe it is the way I’ve been brought up. And I started in Kent, too, where the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed.”I’ve got a young family now and having a bit more of a relaxed life and a bit more family time, time when you can get away and it actually feels like you are away from cricket – it’s really good.”What’s more, he says, Grace Road feels like a proper home ground, something that Lord’s, for all its history and its status as the ‘home of cricket’, can never really be for a Middlesex player.At Grace Road, unlike Lord’s, Dexter feels he has a permanent home•PA Photos”Don’t get me wrong, I loved my time at Middlesex and to play at Lord’s every other week is a privilege I will never forget,” he said. “But Lord’s never really felt like home. When you don’t own your own ground, you can’t ever really call it home.”Here, when you leave the ground you can leave stuff in the dressing room but at Lord’s, although the Middlesex players have lockers, you had to appreciate that the dressing rooms had to be cleaned, maybe for a charity match or something involving other teams and you couldn’t just leave your gear behind.”Inevitably, too, because the area around Lord’s isn’t the cheapest, the players live some distance away, so if you needed something at short notice you couldn’t just nip back to the ground to get it.”And you didn’t know from one day to the next where you were going to be training. Lord’s and MCC have worked really hard over the last few years to try to get the players more time in the Lord’s nets so we didn’t have to go elsewhere but it was always going to happen that you sometimes had to.”You have to accept that, though, and there are many advantages. The people at Lord’s and the Middlesex members were great to me. I left on very good terms, I still follow them closely and I wish them well.”They remember him with affection, too, as the captain of the side that won promotion as Division Two champions in 2011, which is something on his CV, along with more than 6000 runs and over 100 wickets in his first-class career, that commands respect at Grace Road, where he is only too willing to share the benefits of his experience.”People ask me about coaching and I’m not sure,” he said. “I feel I have more to contribute as a player first. But I like working one-to-one with the younger guys, just chatting to them. I love being able to pass on some experience and knowledge and it would be great if I can help them move on to the next level because they are the future of the club.”Leicestershire remain third, with the top two, Essex and Kent, about to meet at Chelmsford. Does he think their recovery can be so pronounced that in a season in which only the winners of Division Two go up they have a serious chance of promotion?”When I was at captain at Middlesex I was never one to make predictions,” he said. “You can look too far ahead sometimes. You can talk but you’ve got to back it up with actions.”All we can do is play good cricket and there are a lot of games to come. I wouldn’t like to say we can’t get promotion but I’m not going to say we will.”What is good is that as well as the matches we have won, we have been competitive most of the time and in the rain-affected games we have won a lot of sessions.”It is what happens now that counts, at the business end of the season. If you can go on a winning streak at the right time you can be away.”

The Ashes are regained, but England have been horribly poor at The Oval not least in their playing of Nathan Lyon which does not bode well for challenges ahead

George Dobell at The Oval22-Aug-2015Leonard Cohen almost certainly wasn’t thinking about England’s tour of the UAE when he wrote “I’ve seen the future, brother: it is murder” but he might as well have been.To see England’s batsmen grope and prod at the offspin of Nathan Lyon at The Oval was to be filled with trepidation for how England will manage when they take on Pakistan in a couple of months. They were criticised for urinating on the pitch the last time they celebrated winning the Ashes here in 2013; you could make a strong argument to suggest they did something far more unpleasant on it this time.Lyon is a fine bowler. He is the best Australian offspinner since Tim May, at least, and perhaps the best for some time before that. But he is a traditional offspinner – the sort that England players used to be brought up against – and this Oval surface is what old timers might have described as a slow turner. The surfaces in the UAE will turn and skid far more.In Pakistan’s legspinner Yasir Shah they will also come up against a bowler with far more weapons than Lyon or Steven Smith, the part-time legspinner who dismissed Alastair Cook here. Bearing in mind that England lost 3-0 the last time they played Tests in the UAE, at the start of 2012 after they had just risen to No. 1 in the world rankings, it is hard to be wildly optimistic over how they will fare this time. Mahela Jayawardene, who will be with the team as a batting coach for the first couple of weeks of the UAE tour, may feel he has to be an alchemist.England have long had a poor reputation against spin bowling. While they may have consoled themselves, at times, in the belief that it was only against wrist spin or mystery spin that they have struggled, there have been enough days against the likes of Rangana Herath and Abdur Rehman – pretty conventional spinners – to suggest the problem goes someway deeper.The evidence has been clear to see in this match. England batsmen have been dismissed in ways that betray basic failures against basic spin bowling. That is not to say the bowling was anything other than good; but that it was often clear what Lyon was trying to achieve and England’s batsmen really should have had the ability to counter it a bit more effectively.Take the example of Ben Stokes on the third day. Stokes was drawn into a drive by a beautifully flighted off-break delivered from round the wicket that turned, perhaps out of the rough, took the outside edge and carried to slip. Easy.Or take the example of Jonny Bairstow. Pushing half forward with hard hands to one from over the wicket, he turned a catch into the hand of short-leg as obliginglyas if he had been organising catching practice. Horribly simple.Or take the example of Jos Buttler in the first innings. With Lyon bowing round the wicket, Buttler was drawn into driving – with his front foot having moved perhaps an inch – and was bowled through a gate so large you could place stone lions on either side.On each occasion, the batsman made a basic error. On each occasion, the batsman was too timid to leave their crease, yet pushing for the ball in a vaguely aggressive manner. On each occasion they were unable to reach the pitch of the ball and pushed with hard hands. Perhaps because they have so little faith in their defence against spin bowling, they seek to attack instead. Against good bowlers in helpful conditions at Test level, it is a method that is destined to fail.Cook showed – as he did in India in 2012 – how it could be done. Learning from his first innings dismissal, when he was bowled playing half forward to a fine delivery that turned and beat his outside edge, he made a noticeable effort to reach further forward in the second innings to smother the spin. And when Lyon compensated by pulling back his length, Cook deployed his trademark cut shot. He did not attempt to push for the ball – only four runs in his innings came in the V between mid-on and mid-off – and while he finally fell – failing to get to the pitch of a leg-break from Smith – he had given his side an outside chance of salvaging a draw if the weather intervenes on days four and five.England should not allow that to mask the obvious deficiencies they have shown here, though. They need to examine why they are producing so few spin bowlers and why they are so poor at playing it. They need to ask questions of those charged with developing the skills and put in place mechanisms to correct the shortfalls.Part of the problem is the lack of quality spin bowling that developing England players face in county cricket. With much of the County Championship programme squeezed into the opening weeks of the season – weeks when the pitches offer little assistance to spinners – there is less reason for counties to invest in spinners with red ball skills.Instead, there has been an emphasis on slow bowlers – and the distinction between slow bowlers and spinners is relevant – with white ball skills. England have a plethora of men who can bowl a tight couple of overs in a T20; they have almost nobody who can bowl in the attacking manner Lyon has managed in this series.The problem is exacerbated by the policy of financially incentivising counties to select young players. It has purged the game of mature performers; not necessarily international-quality players, but experienced performers who added to the quality of the domestic game and the knowledge in domestic dressing rooms.But the ECB meddling does not stop there. They have also had a habit of penalising counties who prepare pitches that offer ‘excessive’ turn, while pitches which offer excessive assistance to English-style seamers are usually tolerated. There was an obvious example at Hampshire a couple of seasons ago when, despite the game going into the fourth day (albeit the first was washed out), the club were harshly penalised.As a consequence, some of the skill has gone out of the game. There are a few old-timers left – the likes of Gareth Batty and James Tredwell – but they are the wrong side of 30 (quite a way the wrong side in Batty’s case) – while Nottinghamshire picked 40-year-old Gary Keedy earlier this season.Men from a previous age – the likes of Vic Marks, John Mortimore, Eddie Hemmings, Don Shepherd, Rodney Ontong, Norman Gifford and Brian Langford – who all played little or no Test cricket, would all soar in the current playing age.There will be calls to recall Monty Panesar ahead of the UAE trip. But while he bowled nicely there on the last tour and it is pleasing to see his personal problems have eased sufficiently for him to return to the professional game, it would be a major surprise if they have improved sufficiently to render him able to tour.Instead, alongside offspinner Moeen Ali and legspinner Adil Rashid, England may look at the left-arm spin of Zafar Ansari to the UAE. Not only has Ansari claimed 39 first-class wickets this season – he is missing Surrey’s current Championship game due to a hamstring injury – but he has, at times, opened the batting. His batting average is only 30.18 but he is young – 23 – bright and his talent and temperament are rated highly.It would be a big ask for a young man and a reminder that, despite the Ashes win, England are at the early stages of their development. There is a long, long way to go.

أكد وائل القباني، مدير الكرة السابق في نادي الزمالك، أنه كان يوجد مقترح في القلعة البيضاء لمشاركة زيزو في نهائي كأس مصر، مُشيراً إلى أنه لم يكشف أي أسرار داخل النادي، وذلك بعد رحيله.

وقال وائل القباني في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “وجهت لي دعوة من قبل نادي الزمالك بشأن تكريم الجهاز الفني والطبي، وهشام نصر تحدث معي ولكن كان عندي ظروف وكنت غير قادر على حضور التكريم”.

وتابع: “شعرت أن الناس كانت سعيدة بأنني لم يتم تكريمي، الفترة الماضية كان يوجد هجوم علي بعدما أدليت بتصريحات وقيل إنني أقول أسرار الفريق، شعرت بهجوم غريب وما قلته ليس أسرارًا”.

طالع أيضاً.. وائل القباني يعتذر لـ أيمن الرمادي.. ويؤكد: لم أكشف أسرار الزمالك

وواصل: “لم أحصل على مكافأة كأس مصر، وأبلغوني في الزمالك أنني سأحصل عليها، ما علمته الذي حصل على المكافأة هو أيمن الرمادي فقط”.

من اقترح أن يلعب زيزو نهائي كأس مصر ومن الذي اعترض؟ أجاب: “الذي أقترح أيمن الرمادي أمام الجهاز الفني وعضو مجلس الإدارة وأنا كنت متواجدًا، كان يوجد رد قاطع من هذا العضو برفض هذا الاقتراح تمامًا”.

وأوضح: “زيزو لم يكن مؤهلاً للعب مباراة نهائي كأس والوضع كان صعبًا، لأنه كان موقع للأهلي، علاقة زيزو بالجماهير كانت غير جيدة فكيف نقوم بمشاركته في مباراة نهائي كأس مصر وفي حضور الجماهير”.

وأفاد: “زيزو ظل لفترة طويلة بعيدًا ولم يشارك في المباريات، لا نأتي به في آخر مباراة ويلعب، متى نقول هو محترف ويمكن أن يلعب لو كان شارك في المباريات السابقة، لو كان لعب منذ البداية كان يشارك في النهائي، نحن أتينا على هذا الوضع وزيزو لا يشارك”.

وأردف: “زيزو لاعب مهم وكبير وعلى أعلى مستوى، لكننا توجنا بكأس مصر بدونه، عملنا في هذه الفترة على الجماعية”.

وهل حدثت مشادة بين عضو مجلس إدارة ونجم في الفريق؟ وسببها؟ أتم: “الموضوع لم يأخذ أكثر من 10 ثواني يوجد شيء وصل خطأ وتم حله فوراً”.

Leeds United are back in action in the Championship for the second time in 2025 this afternoon as they travel away from West Yorkshire to take on Hull City.

The Whites head into this match off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw at Elland Road against Blackburn Rovers on New Year’s Day on Wednesday.

Daniel Farke’s side appeared to be on course for all three points after Pascal Struijk’s 88th-minute penalty, only for Danny Batth to equalise for the away team just 90 seconds later.

The German head coach, with this game coming just three days later, may decide to make some changes to his starting XI, and one player who should come back in is Ethan Ampadu.

Why Ethan Ampadu should start

Firstly, the Wales international, who only recently returned from a lengthy absence with a knee injury, is the club captain and this suggests that he brings quality leadership on the pitch that will be needed if Leeds are to mount a successful promotion push.

Also, Ampadu brings energy and strength to the middle of the park, which is something that Joe Rothwell did not provide with his performance last time out.

The English midfielder, who started next to Ao Tanaka, ended the game with zero duels won, zero tackles, zero interceptions, and only one duel contested.

Ampadu, meanwhile, has averaged 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won 5.4 duels per match, at a success rate of 69%, which suggests that he could offer significantly more to the team out of possession.

The former Chelsea man is not the only player who should be drafted into the starting line-up, as Farke should also bring Largie Ramazani back into the fold.

Why Largie Ramazani should start

The Belgian forward was an unused substitute against Blackburn after he struggled in his start against Derby, which was his first start since returning from an ankle injury.

Ramazani missed a ‘big chance’ to open the scoring and only created one chance in his time on the pitch, before being substituted for Manor Solomon.

The Leeds whiz, who was described as “explosive” and a counter-attack “weapon” by Jacek Kulig, has shown plenty of signs of quality in a Leeds shirt this season, particularly prior to his injury, though, and should be given another chance to build up his match sharpness.

Appearances

15

Starts

7

xG

2.59

Goals

3

Assists

1

Dribbles completed

14

As you can see in the table above, Ramazani has scored three goals and provided one assist this season, and all of those contributions came in his first eight appearances and six starts.

This shows that the potential is there for the 23-year-old whiz to be an excellent option for Farke in the final third, but he needs game time to build himself back up and that is why he should be unleashed against Hull today.

Big Rodon upgrade: Farke considering Leeds bid for "incredible" £10m star

Leeds United are reportedly keen to add a new central defender to their squad this month.

ByDan Emery Jan 1, 2025

Solomon started on the left and offered little against Blackburn, with zero shots and zero ‘big chances’ created, and should be dropped from the team to make way for the former Manchester United academy starlet.

Hetmyer continues to miss out; the squad for UAE series includes four uncapped players

ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2023West Indies have named allrounder Keemo Paul and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie in the squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe as well as the three-match series against UAE before that. Both Paul and Motie last played an ODI in July 2022 and were forced to miss the subsequent New Zealand series with injuries.Shimron Hetmyer, meanwhile, did not find a place in either squad.The roster for the UAE series, which will form part of the preparations for the qualifiers and will be played in Sharjah, also includes four uncapped players – left-hand batter Alick Athanaze, as well as allrounders Kavem Hodge, Dominic Drakes and Akeem Jordan.Paul had recently returned to domestic cricket, scoring 53 runs and taking five wickets for Guyana against Trinidad & Tobago in the four-day West Indies Championship in March. He is currently with Lucknow Super Giants as a net bowler in the IPL.”Paul is a three-dimensional player, who can bowl the new ball effectively, he is dynamic in the outfield and he can also make vital runs,” lead selector Desmond Haynes said. “He is now fully recovered from injury and with his skill set, we see him as a potential match-winner for us.”Motie was excellent in the Test matches in Zimbabwe earlier this year, where he took 19 wickets, and we anticipate similar conditions for the qualifiers. We believe he will again relish the chance to bowl in those conditions. He is also a capable batsman and good in the outfield.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Shai Hope will lead the side in both assignments. Brandon King will be his deputy for the UAE series, with Rovman Powell, who is currently playing in the IPL for Delhi Capitals, taking over for the World Cup Qualifier.Apart from Powell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd and Paul are the others from West Indies’ IPL contingent who are part of the World Cup Qualifier squad. All of them have been given permission to return to the Caribbean for a short break before arriving in Zimbabwe.”We see this as a crucial tournament as we look to secure one of the two places left in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India,” Haynes said. “Therefore, we have selected a balanced team which we believe is well-equipped to get the job done in the conditions we anticipate in Zimbabwe. It will be a challenging tournament, it will be intense and competitive, there is no doubt about that. In speaking to the players, they are fully aware of the job at hand. We are happy with the preparations and the mindset of the players, and everyone is clear about their roles in the squad.”For the matches against the UAE in Sharjah, this presents a chance for some other players who are not in the squad for the qualifiers to get an opportunity at the international level as we look to expose more players.”Squad for UAE series: Shai Hope (capt), Brandon King (vice-capt), Alick Athanaze, Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Dominic Drakes, Kavem Hodge, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith, Devon ThomasSquad for World Cup Qualifier: Shai Hope (capt), Rovman Powell (vice-capt), Shamarh Brooks, Yannic Cariah, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Keemo Paul, Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd

Jude Bellingham confirmed he was involved in a training ground bust-up with Real Madrid team-mate ahead of Arsenal game.

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Bellingham confirmed bust-up with Rudiger Rudiger tackled Bellingham in Madrid training Los Blancos face Arsenal on Wednesday Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The reigning champions are aiming for a historic comeback against Arsenal in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final fixture at Santiago Bernabeu after they went down 3-0 at Emirates Stadium last week. Declan Rice's two free kick goals and a strike from Mikel Merino helped the Gunners register a thumping win in North London.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ahead of the crucial encounter, reported that Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham was involved in a training ground bust-up with Antonio Rudiger after the German defender caught him with a harsh tackle. The Englishman reportedly angrily confronted his colleague on the training pitch, and the duo "had to be separated" by other Los Blancos stars.

WHAT JUDE BELLINGHAM SAID

In the pre-match press conference, the 21-year-old confirmed the training ground incident as he said: "It's football, it's normal on the pitch that emotions get high. You communicate with teammates louder than you'd communicate with your mum and dad.

"For every negative interaction you see, there are 20 positive interactions. That will get lost in the media, which is fine, as long as the team respects each other to have those honest conversations."

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

After facing the Premier League giants this Wednesday, Carlo Ancelotti's side will be back in action in La Liga on April 20 as they take on Athletic Club at home.

Let no one influence you into believing this was a choke.Truth be told, this was a game of high-intensity cricket, fitting of a grand finale. The pressure was immense, and Australia, more skilled and adept at handling big-match temperament – this was their seventh straight final – came up triumphs to clinch their sixth T20 World Cup title and their third in a row.If anyone needed more validation that this is the best women’s cricket team in the planet, it couldn’t have been delivered at a bigger stage. Australia made 156 seem like 180, before their bowlers stood tall on the face of a late assault from Laura Wolvaardt that threatened to take the game away.South Africa needed 59 off 30 balls, with Wolvaardt pumping a packed Newlands crowd with some of the most aesthetically-pleasing shots. Then, much to their agony, she swiped across the line to a full delivery from Megan Schutt and was trapped lbw. South African hearts sank, a teary Wolvaardt trudged off slowly, and boisterous applause gave way to stunned silence.Australia believed and Australia delivered.For South Africa, it was a case of being so near, yet so far. However, even in defeat, Sune Luus & co had done what no other South African senior team – men or women – had done: compete in a world final. This was as bittersweet as it could get.

Dangerous Healy falls early

Four overs in, this seemed a proper arm-wrestle with neither side catching the game by the scruff of its neck. The first signs of drama, that wouldn’t abate for the rest of the evening, came in the fifth over when Alyssa Healy bludgeoned a boundary down the ground, and then saw Marizanne Kapp roar with her wicket to finish the over. That wicket – brought about by spongy bounce that had Healy slicing an attempted cut to cover – laid down a marker: that hit-the-deck stuff was going to be harder to hit than fuller deliveries. Shabnim Ismail then closed off the first six overs with a maiden to have Australia 36 for 1, their slowest powerplay of the tournament.Marizanne Kapp dismissed Alyssa Healy•ICC/Getty Images

Ashleigh Gardner revs up

Sent in ahead of Meg Lanning, Ashleigh Gardner offset any pressure there may have been on Australia with a fierce counterattack. Two back-to-back fours off left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba were followed by back-to-back sixes off Nadine de Klerk, shots that were possible courtesy outstanding footwork and a solid hitting base that allowed her to get underneath proper length deliveries. The attack put the pressure right back on South Africa. And just when Australia were beginning to exert their dominance, Chloe Tryon deceived Gardner in flight to have her caught at long-off for a rampaging 21-ball 29. At 82 for 2 in the 12th, Australia were still in control.

Mooney keeps calm, bats through

It didn’t take long for Beth Mooney to recalibrate her approach. This wasn’t a surface where she could fearlessly belt the ball. Manufacturing shots wasn’t easy due to the slowness; this was the same deck on which both semi-finals were played. But she quietly slipped into the role of an accumulator, allowing the others to take charge, without allowing dot-ball pressure to creep up. As her innings progressed, Mooney manipulated the fields expertly. Traps set for the scoop at short fine leg were just traps, as Mooney reverse-scooped over vacant short third in picking crucial boundaries to ensure Australia didn’t lose momentum.Ellyse Perry, Grace Harris and Lanning fed off this confidence, knowing they had insurance in the form of Mooney, to play their shots. While Ismail returned to pick up two wickets in the final over and concede just two off her last four deliveries, Australia had put up a formidable score. Mooney finished with an unbeaten 53-ball 74, her second straight half-century in a world tournament final.

South Africa’s slow powerplay

South Africa needed a big powerplay to allay some of their nerves that had been a constant feature, and understandably so, right through the game. They limped to 22 for the loss of Tazmin Brits in the powerplay, and allowed stage fright to gnaw at them slowly. It was a bizarre passage too. South Africa had an lbw reprieve, and there were mis-hits, tight bowling and uncharacteristic misfields. The asking rate jumped past 10 and the heat was on.Chloe Tryon celebrates with the crowd after taking a low-catch to remove Meg Lanning•AFP/Getty Images

The run-out that shouldn’t have been

Boundaries had been a rarity in the first six overs, but Wolvaardt’s first two were delightful. The hit down the ground off Darcie Brown as she erred on the fuller side was an on-drive out of the top drawer, as was her skip down the pitch while moving leg side of the ball to wallop an inside-out six off Jess Jonassen. But just when South Africa appeared to be wresting back some momentum, they lost Kapp to a slog and Luus to a run-out, with both her and Wolvaardt nearly stranded at the bowler’s end. At 54 for 3 in the 11th over, their target seemed many moons away.

South Africa believe through Wolvaardt

Wolvaardt had to now put behind her the run out gaffe, and she did so admirably. Without playing a shot in anger, she kept reeling off boundaries, brought up her half-century off 43 balls with one of the most pleasing cover drives, and brought South Africa to within 59 runs of victory with 30 balls left. In Tryon, she had a batter who could bash the ball. The pair put together 55 in 37 balls to keep South Africa’s hopes alive, before they both fell in successive overs to all but extinguish their hopes.

Southampton are rock bottom of the Premier League currently and look to be sinking straight back to the Championship in a sorry fashion.

Indeed, the depressed Saints find themselves on just five points at the very foot of the difficult division with only one win next to their name and an alarming 12 defeats tallied up.

Looking back, Russell Martin must wonder if the transfer window in the summer could have been approached differently, with various new faces at St. Mary’s failing to settle.

Southampton's 2024 summer transfer window

Not every purchase can be written off as an outright failure, with the likes of Aaron Ramsdale and Taylor Harwood-Bellis standing out in defence for their side, even in spite of their lowly position in the league standings.

Ramsdale has been calm and collected when playing out from the back while Harwood-Bellis’ form has been rewarded with an England debut, a match he just so happened to score in too.

Moreover, the relegation-threatened Saints bringing in the likes of foreign imports Mateus Fernandes and Yukinari Sugawara as transfer gambles have worked somewhat too, with the promising Portuguese midfielder in particular standing out, who is now up to 14 first-team appearances in the Premier League.

Of course, other risks such as bringing in Ben Brereton-Diaz haven’t paid off at all, as the ex-Blackburn Rovers star continues to misfire up top in his new kit with zero goals registered from ten top-flight appearances.

There have also been buys that have underwhelmed to date, with Flynn Downes falling into his category after penning a permanent Saints deal in the summer.

The former West Ham United face was key in the centre of the park for Martin’s men during their unbelievable promotion journey – having been a silky operator with a stunning 93% pass accuracy averaged per Championship clash – but he hasn’t been as noticeably bright for his South Coast side as they battle against the drop.

It likely hasn’t helped the 25-year-old’s situation that he has lacked a consistent partner centrally, with Southampton now left to just curse the fact one ex-Saints star isn’t around to line up next to Downes to give the basement club a sterner figure in the middle.

Former Southampton star perfect for Downes

Southampton supporters would have been rightfully aggrieved when Oriel Romeu walked away from St. Mary’s in the summer of 2022, having been a loyal servant to the Saints for seven whole years after signing for £5m.

In that time, Romeu would notch up a mightily impressive 256 appearances in total, with eight goals and six assists coming his way, alongside praise from ex-Southampton boss Claude Puel in 2017 that boldly compared his game as a holding midfielder to that of Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.

Alongside always putting in above-average performances – much like the Frenchman was renowned for at Stamford Bridge – Romeu was also capable of firing home a stunning strike from nothing like the one below against West Bromwich Albion.

Southampton would grow to rely on their “fantastic” number 6, as he was once labelled by Ralph Hassenhuttl when he was manager on the South Coast, to deliver top displays week in week out, with his exit two years ago then understandably hurting.

Romeu during his final Saints season
Stat (* = per game)	Romeu
Games played	36
Goals scored	2
Assists	2
Big chances created	4
Touches*	58.6
Accurate passes*	38.1 (82%)
Total duels won*	5.5
Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the above table from his swansong season in England, it’s evident that Romeu would complement the likes of Downes well if he was still on the books, with the Spaniard equally as calm and composed on the ball as the ex-West Ham man whilst also offering more grit and bite with 5.5 duels won on average.

He hasn’t relented since leaving Southampton either, with Romeu going on to be a hit in his native country for Girona with 11 first-team appearances under his belt this season in La Liga, after also donning a Barcelona strip briefly.

Whilst Romeu gets to enjoy the glitz and glamour of the Champions League with his current employers, Downes will be hoping he can guide his team to safety somehow, with that task looking more and more tricky as defeats begin to stack up.

Archer axed for £25m signing in Southampton's dream XI after January

Southampton could well be busy this January transfer window as Russell Martin adds in a whole host of new players.

By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 23, 2024

Sixers win their fourth straight match and remain locked in a battle with Scorchers for the top position

Tristan Lavalette17-Jan-2023Steve Smith smashed his first BBL century to power in-form Sydney Sixers to a comfortable 59-run victory over Adelaide Strikers in Coffs Harbour.After Sixers were sent in, Smith starred at the top of the order and relished the short boundaries in a blistering knock of 101 off 56 balls.He dominated a 149-run second-wicket partnership with Kurtis Patterson in the highest stand this BBL season, as Sixers finished with a huge total that proved well beyond Strikers.Sixers won their fourth straight match and remain locked in a battle with arch-rival Perth Scorchers for the BBL’s top position, while Strikers are mired mid-table.Smith cashes in on good fortuneIn his much-anticipated BBL return against Scorchers, Smith showed glimpses of his best at the top of the order before falling for 36.Against Strikers, in typically fidgety fashion, Smith lived dangerously early in his innings and was lucky to have survived on two.Attempting to defend a length delivery from quick Harry Conway, the ball rolled back and hit the stumps but failed to dislodge the bails much to the exasperation of the bowler.Conway’s mood soured further when Smith on the next delivery smashed a six. It was clearly going to be Smith’s night after he edged a delivery from quick Henry Thornton that bounced in front of wicketkeeper Alex Carey.Smith then cashed in with furious big-hitting that went against his type and motored past his previous highest BBL score of 66.He also unleashed ramps and reverse sweeps, as Smith reached his ton in style with his seventh six.But he was run out in the next over after losing his footing scrambling back to his crease following skipper Moises Henriques’ refusal for a second run.Smith became the first-ever centurion for Sixers to end a long-time jinx for the three-time BBL champions.His only previous T20 ton was in the IPL in 2016, as Smith continued to showcase his greater freedom following his much-discussed technical refinement.It was also a statement to national selectors after Smith was on the outer during the recent T20 World Cup.Thornton’s tough run continuesAfter such a blistering start to the season, marked by a remarkable 5 for 3 against Sydney Thunder, Thornton has thudded back to earth and been in and out of the line-up recently.He was recalled with veteran quick Peter Siddle sidelined with a back injury as Thornton eyed an improved performance. He started well in the third over by conjuring swing to revive memories of his early season heroics.But it was downhill from there, with Thornton leaking 13 runs in the 18th over to finish with 0 for 28 from three overs.It was perhaps instructive that Thornton did not bowl his full four overs with confidence in him seemingly wavering as he struggled to carve out a permanent position in the team.Todd Murphy celebrates after taking a wicket•Getty ImagesMurphy shines with career-best haul There has been a lot of interest in emerging offspinner Todd Murphy, who was a bolter in Australia’s Test squad for their upcoming tour of India.He opened the bowling and faced a tough task against Travis Head and BBL leading scorer Matt Short, who smashed a six on the fourth delivery.Renowned for his competitiveness and maturity belying his age, Murphy bounced back when he returned in the seventh over with the key wicket of Short.He also claimed the wickets of Adam Hose and Ben Manenti – aided by a terrific diving catch from Henriques – to finish with BBL career-best figures of 3 for 35 from four overs.Carey hits crisp half-century in vainWith wickets falling regularly, Strikers’ faint chances rested on Carey, who made just two against Brisbane Heat in his BBL season debut.Carey looked in crisp touch and was particularly savage on short-pitched bowling. With Strikers’ required run-rate escalating, he put the foot down during the power surge with a calculated leg-side assault on quick Sean Abbott.Carey reached an impressive half-century off just 32 balls, but was shortly after bowled by seamer Ben Dwarshuis to effectively end Strikers’ chances.