“I would put all my eggs in Test basket for the moment,” he said while outlining his schedule management
PTI22-May-2024
Travis Head is currently with Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL•BCCI
Travis Head might have taken this year’s IPL by storm, but he would like to limit his participation in T20 leagues to just two events per year and prioritise Test cricket.”This has been the first year in IPL for me in quite a while (since 2017),” Head told PTI. “I would put all my eggs in Test basket for the moment, I will continue to do that.”Head, who has enjoyed an incredible last ten months, has been a nemesis for India with centuries in both the World Test Championship final and the ODI World Cup final. Currently, he has piled on 533 runs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2024, forging a fabulous opening partnership with uncapped Indian Abhishek Sharma.Related
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Despite becoming a sought-after T20 star, the 30-year-old looks to be selective with how he slots in franchise-league commitments in his schedule, while putting Tests first.”After Tests, I will pick formats, and see in which different ways I am available for selection,” Head said. “At this stage, I would like to be back here in [the] IPL next year. Like I will play Major League Cricket [in the USA] this year right after the World T20 [T20 World Cup] but next year might just look a lot different.”Each year, you prioritise what you can and can’t do. Next year, Test cricket is around, we tour the West Indies and probably I will not feature in many other franchises.””Look, in few years when I am finished with Test cricket, then probably there will be few more opportunities to play a bit more franchise cricket. But at this time, I would try to limit it to a couple of franchise[s] maybe, and [focus on] Test cricket.”Despite coming off a hectic ten months where he had to overcome a hand injury that threatened his place in the ODI World Cup and the short lead-in to the T20 World Cup following the IPL, Head doesn’t want to make a big deal about workload management.”I will be home in a couple of days’ time once we are done with IPL. Be home for two-three days and make the trip to the West Indies with family and start all over again.”Look, we are very fortunate to do what we do and I am not going to do it forever. So [we] try and make the most of it as we can, we are lucky that we are well looked after.””I know in a few years, I can retire and do nothing, I will have plenty of time to look back and wish I was back on tour, I would like to be in the moment, keep batting through and stay in the moment, enjoying the moment.”
Football’s back for those of a Liverpool persuasion, and it’s a big one at that.
Having sat out last weekend due to an early exit from the FA Cup, Arne Slot’s Liverpool return to action in the Premier League as they host resurgent Everton.
The international break is typically a gruelling thing, stunting progress and halting anticipation as teams fight for their respective goals. Liverpool, however, may have found the sojourn to have been a blessing, falling in the Champions League before losing the Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot
Ah well, there’s always next season – for those honours, anyway. Liverpool are still hunting down the Premier League title, 12 points clear of second-place Arsenal with nine matches to play.
Everton have been reborn under David Moyes’ wing, the Scotsman replacing Sean Dyche in January and crafting a nine-match unbeaten run after losing his league opener to Aston Villa at Goodison Park.
24/25
Goodison Park
2-2 draw
23/24
Goodison Park
2-0 loss
23/24
Anfield
2-0 win
22/23
Anfield
2-0 win
22/23
Goodison Park
0-0 draw
Everton’s patch of Merseyside was left giddy, exalted, after James Tarkowski hit parity in the dying embers last month, but Slot will hope for a different outcome here as his side look to end their dip in form across recent matches.
Liverpool team news
Trent Alexander-Arnold, who looks set to join Real Madrid when his contract expires this summer, is still sidelined after injuring his ankle against Paris Saint-Germain.
Compounding the issue, Conor Bradley is not quite ready to return to the starting line-up after his period of convalescence; with Joe Gomez also out, Slot is likely to pick Jarell Quansah to deputise at right-back once again.
Ryan Gravenberch and Alisson Becker, however, are both expected to be fit following respective scares for their nations over the past two weeks.
Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch
This is all well and good, but Liverpool’s recent issues derive from a dried-up pool of attacking fluency. Indeed, Liverpool have been a day late and a dollar short of late, and fans online have been murmuring about freshening things up with a tactical tweak to the frontline.
However, Federico Chiesa may not be the answer for this one, not in Slot’s mind.
Slot must unleash Liverpool's "special" forward
Liverpool struggled to get going at Wembley, but it was substitute Chiesa who latched onto Harvey Elliott’s tidy through ball in stoppage time to spark fleeting hopes of a comeback.
But Liverpool failed to stage the desired response; time had been exhausted. Chiesa, however, did show off a glimpse of the quality that prompted the Anfield side to pay Juventus for him back in August, a quality that is illuminated given the ongoing profligacy of Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
Federico Chiesa scores for Liverpool
The international break will hopefully have served as a reset button for the wasteful bunch, but it more importantly means a fully-fit Cody Gakpo is ready to return from Netherlands duty brim-full, having only just returned from injury before the break and indeed last starting a Premier League fixture in mid-February.
It’s been a big blow for the Merseysiders, for Gakpo has been in fine fettle this season, scoring 16 goals and providing six assists across all competitions. The 25-year-old is currently level with last term’s haul, but he’s matched it in over 800 fewer minutes across all fronts.
Gakpo has to start against Everton, his clinical shooting giving rise to the success of his frontal peers. Diaz’s makeshift dynamism in a central striking role, for example, is heightened by the Dutchman’s presence, easing the goalscoring burden on Salah.
1.
Mohamed Salah
15
2.
Cody Gakpo
12
3.
Luis Diaz
7
4.
Diogo Jota
4
5.
Darwin Nunez
3
5=
Dominik Szoboszlai
3
5=
Alexis Mac Allister
3
The table above makes for somewhat grim reading, with Liverpool’s lopsided frontline clear through the shooting success clinched on home turf.
However, it does highlight Gakpo’s confidence on home soil, scoring three-quarters of his strikes this year at Anfield. Indeed, the Netherlands star has actually bagged in each of his past eight starts at Liverpool’s home ground.
His quality has been streamlined by Slot’s decision to field him in a more structured role off the left flank, as opposed to Jurgen Klopp’s choice of deploying across myriad points of the pitch.
This, of course, has meant Diaz’s qualities have been required in a more central position, but since Gakpo is now fit and ready to fire once more, would it really be wise to unleash Chiesa from the outset in an important derby fixture?
The stakes are high. With Arsenal narrowing the gap after beating Fulham, Liverpool cannot afford to fumble at this stage. The need for Chiesa’s finishing is effectively neutered by Gakpo’s return as he restores the balance and balance of potency up top.
The £120k-per-week Gakpo, after all, ranks among the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Premier League this term for goals scored per 90 (0.51), as per FBref. It’s no wonder he’s been praised by Fabrizio Romano for “flying for Liverpool this season.”
Conversely, Chiesa has struggled to buy a game. Though he’s posted two goals and two assists apiece across 11 matches in all competitions – just three starts – Slot has thus far been unwilling to hand him any starting roles in the Premier League, and that’s not going to change in an important league fixture against heated rivals Everton, who are in hot form at that.
While we’d all like to see Liverpool’s nifty Italian earn some more action, it doesn’t feel probable that he will play from the opening bell in this one.
That said, if Gakpo can work toward establishing a healthy lead for Slot’s team, Chiesa could surely enter the fray in the second half – and with a point to prove.
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Oliver Glasner’s Crystal Palace have largely been in excellent form since the start of 2025, only losing three times in their last 11 Premier League matches, keeping eight clean sheets in all competitions this calendar year and earning themselves a spot in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley.
The Eagles didn’t start the campaign at 100mph. After losing the likes of Michael Olise and Joachim Anderson in the summer, Palace had to reassemble their tools, find ways to recruit and replace those players and then begin to build.
After the first ten matches of the season, Palace found themselves 17th, only picking up seven points in that time.
But due to their excellent form since then, Palace now find themselves in mid-table in the Premier League, with the top seven not too far out of reach.
So why did it take a while at the start of the season, and how much did Glasner’s side miss Olise?
Michael Olise's creative burden
Olise was sold to Bayern Munich in the summer, joining the German giants for a fee of around £50m. Since joining Bayern, Olise has been in sublime form, making 43 appearances, scoring 13 goals, and providing 16 assists.
Crystal Palace star Michael Olise
But, the Frenchman was key in his time at Palace, making 90 appearances in his three years at the club, netting 16 times, providing 25 assists and totaling 5,782 minutes played.
Having Olise on the right and Eberechi Eze on the left made it tough for teams to contain the Eagles, with the duo often combining to create chances out of nothing.
With Olise gone, more focus being solely on Eze and a right-hand side that had to be re-invented, it was always going to take some time to find the best way to replace the French wingers’ presence.
That being said, Glasner has certainly found a way to do it.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Glasner's "spectacular" duo have replaced Olise
Crystal Palace signed Ismaila Sarr from Marseille in the summer, joining for a fee of around £12.6m. The 27-year-old was the clear signing destined to take the spot of Olise on that right-hand side, but the difference in overall quality is clear, and therefore, a new dynamic on that side would be needed.
Daniel Munoz, working in tandem with Sarr on the right, has been Glasner’s key weapon to replacing Olise’s output, with both players proving to be very direct, making clever runs in behind and stretching play for their teammates. This right side has proven to be a key outlet for Palace this season.
Goals
0.17
0.29
Assists
0.14
0.11
xG
0.15
0.33
xAG
0.14
0.26
Progressive Carries
1.51
2.52
Progressive Passes
2.44
2.91
Shots Total
1.04
1.93
Key Passes
1.22
1.41
Passes into Pen Area
0.72
1.41
Shot-Creating Actions
2.29
3.85
Successful Take-Ons
0.61
0.60
When looking at the pair’s underlying metrics this season, you can see how their combined effort has helped to replace the French star, both getting forward and getting shots off, both putting balls into the box, chipping in with output and contributing in build up.
Munoz was described as “spectacular” by Jefferson Lerma and that is certainly one way to describe the pair down that right-hand side, working in tandem to attack in a direct fashion and create chances for the team.
Whilst Olise will never fully be replaceable, losing a world-class talent is always tough to replace, even more so when you are a mid-table Premier League side.
Therefore, Palace fans must be fairly happy with their right-side rebrand, with Glasner proving he can make it work.
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The reason for Amad Diallo giving fans the middle finger during Manchester United’s post-season trip to Malaysia has been revealed.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Red Devils playing friendlies in the Far East
Suffered shock defeat in the first of those
Players subjected to abuse by those in crowd
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Devils, on the back of a forgettable Premier League campaign that delivered a 15th-place finish, endured more misery when suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to the ASEAN All-Star team after arriving in the Far East.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
Frustrated players and coaches were not in the mood to deal with supporters – some of whom had jeered them from the stands – when making their way back to the team bus. Amad cut a seriously frustrated figure.
WHAT A SOURCE SAID
He was caught on camera aiming a middle-fingered salute towards a person in the crowd, with the claiming that the Ivorian winger was responding to “serious personal abuse”.
Instagram
DID YOU KNOW?
The Mail say that while “the exact nature of the exchange has not come to light”, Red Devils star Amad “was left very upset”. He did not have a smile on his face when fans captured a photo of United players in an elevator, with Alejandro Garnacho delivering the same gesture as Amad – although his actions were slightly more jovial.
Katie Mack and Tahlia McGrath made light work of a low target in batting-friendly conditions as Adelaide Strikers comfortably beat embattled Sydney Sixers at an oppressive WACA ground.The rematch of last season’s WBBL final was an anti-climax with a disciplined Strikers attack restricting Sixers to an underwhelming total of 111 for 6.Mack and McGrath had no such difficulty with a commanding 77-run second-wicket partnership as Strikers cruised to the target in the 18th over. A slew of late wickets, including Mack and McGrath, flattered Sixers who were convincingly outplayed throughout the contest.They desperately needed early wickets, but started raggedly with a misfield from captain Ellyse Perry gifting Mack a boundary in the first over. Sixers’ confidence temporarily lifted when a cracking in-swinger from left-arm quick Lauren Cheatle’s first delivery bowled opener Laura Wolvaardt.Sixers’ hopes were quickly dashed by Mack and McGrath as Perry reverted to a defensive field. Seemingly going through the motions, Sixers lacked inspiration and the microscope will be on the glamour franchise anchored to the bottom of the ladder.With the temperature hovering at an unseasonal 35 degrees Celsius, Strikers elected to bowl on a hard surface promising lots of runs even though the pitch had a green-tinge.Sixers were under pressure having won just once from five games and losing star wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy to a season-ending injury after she was accidentally bitten by her dog.Without Healy, Sixers have increasingly relied on Perry who has tried to hold together a stuttering top-order. She looked well on her way after a trademark drive through the covers off quick Megan Schutt then a dismissive flick for six in the third over.Perry attempted to replicate the flick against seamer Danielle Gibson, but was undone by an inswinger and her stumps were rattled in a rarity of a dismissal for her.The pressure was on opener Suzie Bates to end her form woes having only made 42 runs from five previous innings. She continued to look sluggish, including failing to connect on an attempted scoop.Bates finally middled legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, but straight to Jemma Barsby who held onto a rocket at mid-on.Sixers kept losing wickets at inopportune moments and were never able to build rhythm. Ashleigh Gardner appeared the likeliest to get Sixers back on track, but on 27 she hit legspinner Anesu Mushangwe to midwicket in a disappointing dismissal.Sixers were shackled in the middle of their innings by Wellington and Mushangwe, who produced turn on a surface renowned as a spinning graveyard.Not even the power surge could ignite Sixers with Maitlan Brown and Mathilda Carmichael managing just three runs across the 17th and 18th overs.It was the equal fewest runs off a power surge in WBBL history as Sixers crawled to a mediocre total that was nowhere near enough.
The head-to-head, of course, has India leading 7-0. Pakistan will be very keen to end that jinx
Shashank Kishore13-Oct-20235:28
Why has Bumrah stood out? What’s ailing Shaheen?
Big Picture – Can the teams shut out the noise?There was thunder and lightning. Rain that began as a passing shower turned into a deluge, sending people scurrying for cover to preserve – guess what? – their physical match ticket so that they could return the next day to watch a game of cricket, the IPL final no less.It turned out to be the match of the tournament, and perhaps for many of the fans, their lives. As people made a beeline for the exit at 3am, more than 30 hours after the match was scheduled to have begun, several were still revelling in the festivities that followed that emotional roller-coaster of a final.Ahmedabad was the epicentre of Indian cricket that night, and the promise of a similar occasion, perhaps even grander, later in the year for a match they were all sure would be held in Ahmedabad, excited them.That grand occasion is nearly here.Related
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'All streaks are meant to be broken' – Babar turns down the noise about Pakistan's 0-7 run against India
On Saturday, Ahmedabad won’t just be the epicentre of Indian cricket, but world cricket, with 132,000 people – a decent chunk being celebrities, industrialists, politicians, friends of politicians and, of course, cricket administrators – congregating at what they say is the world’s biggest cricket stadium to witness a match that makes the cricket economy – bilateral non-relations notwithstanding.Welcome to instalment eight of India vs Pakistan at men’s 50-over World Cups. Depending on whether you plan to sport blue or green on the day, you probably feel like gloating over that unmatched record or need no reminding of the duck you hope will become . In literal terms, that means “together” – like administrators from both sides who spar at boardrooms and in the media will be – but in this cricketing context, it refers to the scoreline that Pakistani fans, and the players, will hope for at the end of the night: 1-7.5:40
‘Once the first ball is bowled, everything is back to normal’
Pakistan have spent two weeks in Hyderabad, and are among the teams that will travel the least at this World Cup. Whether by design or accident, that should be a blessing in disguise, for a game of this magnitude will need plenty of recovering from anyway. And in a twisted sort of way, perhaps, the Pakistan players will have it a tad easier, in that at least they won’t need to be juggling match passes for long lists of friends and family – due to all the visa issues.It’s the kind of game that can take up mind space for days, if not longer. Sachin Tendulkar, for example, revealed that Centurion, and nothing else, was on his mind for over a month, until the sides met on that memorable day in March 2003, because he was reminded of it wherever he went and by whomever he met – from those on room-service duty to the fans to the media. MS Dhoni, whose hotel room was apparently never shut while on tour, decided he needed to make an exception ahead of the 2011 Mohali semi-final.In a nutshell that’s the essence of India vs Pakistan.Form guideIndia WWLWW (last five completed ODIs, most recent first) Pakistan WWLWWJasprit Bumrah was menacing with the new ball and wily with the old against Afghanistan•ICC/Getty ImagesIn the spotlight: Jasprit Bumrah and Abdullah ShafiqueJasprit Bumrah will be playing a World Cup game on his home ground, but seems immune to all the pressure. When the inevitable question on playing Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium came up at a press interaction, he quipped he was more keen to first make a quick dash home to visit his mum. And if he’s got his head in the right place, form is on his side too: Bumrah heads into the game on the back of a stellar show against Afghanistan, a four-wicket haul that would have won him the match honours on most nights but was overshadowed by a Rohit Sharma special that time.Abdullah Shafique would not have been playing had Fakhar Zaman shown a semblance of form in the lead-up to the tournament. But, on World Cup debut, his century and his partnership with Mohammad Rizwan helped put together a record chase against Sri Lanka. Expectations are bound to rise, but he seems level-headed enough to deal with the attention that may come his way. Saturday will be a test of that.Team news: Shubman Gill very much in the pictureShubman Gill, who missed India’s first two games with dengue, has recovered well enough to have a 99% chance of playing the game. He had had a net session immediately upon arrival in Ahmedabad, where he joined up with the rest of the team after a spell away to recover. If that 1% comes into play and Gill doesn’t feature on Saturday, it’s likely Ishan Kishan will continue to open. Only last month, Kishan counter-punched to make an 81-ball 82 against Pakistan in Pallekele, so there’s enough recent evidence of his being quite ready to face an attack of this quality.It can also be quite tempting to play Mohammed Shami, given his IPL record here. Also, pacers have bowled a bigger percentage of overs than spinners (59.8% versus 40.2%) and have more wickets (38 to spin’s 23) in ODIs here since 2021. But the team management leans towards having some batting cushion at No. 8, which none of their frontline pacers provide. So, for now, it could be another opportunity for Shardul Thakur.India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan/Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 KL Rahul (wk), 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Mohammed SirajAbdullah Shafique’s century would have Pakistan feeling good about their opening combination•ICC via Getty ImagesPakistan have little reason to change a combination that worked wonders for them against Sri Lanka. There’s just a one small concern. While Hasan Ali picked up four wickets, he did get taken for plenty. If they are looking for a change, there’s Mohammad Wasim waiting in the wings.Pakistan: 1 Abdullah Shafique, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Saud Shakeel, 6 Ifthikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Hasan Ali/Mohammad Wasim, 11 Haris RaufPitch and conditionsHot and dry on the weather front. There could be some dew later in the evening, which will also mean the team batting first will want to go hard. It’s a black soil surface, next to the one that played host to the tournament opener where New Zealand’s top order made merry. As such, it should be a belter of a surface for the organisers want to make it a spectacle in every sense.Stats and trivia Rohit Sharma has been out five times in 13 innings against left-arm pace in the powerplay since 2021. It’s all then set up for another exciting round of Rohit vs Shaheen Shah Afridi. India’s bowling strike rate of 32.5 in the powerplay is the best among all teams in ODIs since 2022. In this phase, Siraj has taken most wickets for India (32). The 67 innings Imam-ul-Haq took to get past 3000 runs in the previous game makes him the second-fastest behind Hashim Amla to get there in ODIs. The glaring concern, though, will be his five dismissals in seven innings this year against short-pitched bowling, including in the opener against Netherlands. This is something India’s pace attack may want to exploit first up. Babar Azam has hit just 71 runs in five innings since his 150* in the Asia Cup opener against Nepal. This is his joint-longest streak of not scoring 30 or more in an ODI innings.Quotes”I don’t focus too much on what has happened in the past and focus on what’s coming ahead. These records are made to be broken and we will try to break it.” “All the guys are quite used to playing in front of big crowds. It can only work in your favour. It cannot work against you. A lot of the guys in the team love a big crowd, the cheers, the noise in the ground. The boys really enjoy it.”
Glasgow Rangers were in the market to sign a new central defender in the recent January transfer window to bolster their depth in that position.
Philippe Clement and Nils Koppen eyed up a player in that role, due to injuries to the likes of John Souttar, Dujon Sterling, and Leon Balogun, and eventually brought in Rafael Fernandes on loan from Lille.
He has been an unused substitute three times and his only start so far came in the embarrassing 1-0 defeat to second tier outfit Queen’s Park in the SFA Cup.
Another player who was linked with a move to Ibrox in the January window was former Rangers defender Nikola Katic, who went on to sign for Plymouth Argyle instead.
Niko Katic's current market value
The Bosnia international joined the Championship team on loan from FC Zurich and is currently valued at just €1.5m (£1.2m) by Transfermarkt.
Despite his unimpressive market value, Katic, who made 59 appearances for Rangers, has caught the eye with some impressive performances for the Pilgrims.
The former Gers titan made a whopping 17 clearances and won five of his six duels in a historic 1-0 win over Premier League giants Liverpool in the FA Cup.
Katic has also won 65% of his duels across five appearances in the Championship for Plymouth, showing that he has hit the ground running as a dominant defender.
Rangers, however, have already hit the jackpot on their own dominant, 28-year-old, centre-back in the form of Scotland international John Souttar.
Rangers hit the jackpot with John Souttar
The Light Blues signed the Scottish defender on a free transfer from Hearts in the summer of 2022, and he was valued at £1.2m by Transfermarkt at the time of that move.
Market Movers
Souttar endured a frustrating debut campaign at Ibrox as he missed 50 games for club and country with an ankle injury, which caused his value to drop to £1m. He did not allow that setback to put him down, however, and has bounced back to become an incredibly valuable member of the squad.
July 2022
£1.2m
July 2023
£1m
March 2024
£2m
May 2024
£2.5m
October 2024
£2.9m
December 2024 – present
£3.7m
As you can see in the table above, his value has since soared by millions to the point where he is now worth more than three times as much as Katic, who is the same age as the Rangers star.
In the Scottish Premiership this season, Souttar has started 16 games for the Gers and caught the eye with his dominant defensive work – winning 69% of his ground duels and 63% of his aerial battles.
John Souttar
The 28-year-old colossus, who was hailed as “unbelievable” by international teammate Andy Robertson, has also won a staggering 87% of his duels across seven appearances in the Europa League so far this term.
This shows that Souttar has been a rock at the heart of the Rangers defence, rarely allowing opposition players to get the better of him, which is why the club hit the jackpot when they signed him back in 2022.
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Not only did they sign an excellent defender who has performed well on the pitch, but they also signed a valuable asset whose market valuation has soared in recent years.
da 888casino： Diferentemente do que ocorreu com Maycon e Yuri Alberto, o Corinthians não terá pressa para tentar manter o zagueiro Fabián Balbuena. O atleta está emprestado ao Timão pelo Dínamo de Moscou, da Rússia, até o dia 30 de junho, e o clube alvinegro ainda não buscou alternativas para a manutenção do jogador. A situação do paraguaio é diferente da dos brasileiros pelos seguintes aspectos: modelo de negócio e desempenho esportivo.
Balbuena é o único entre os jogadores que chegaram ao Parque São Jorge no ano passado em que o Time do Povo utilizou a’cláusula da guerra’. Durante a última temporada, a Fifa autorizou que atletas que atuassem na Rússia ou Ucrânia suspendessem os seus contratos e firmassem acordos com outras equipes. Inicialmente, o prazo para isso foi até junho do ano passado, mas depois foi estendido para junho deste ano. Assim, o defensor, que pertence ao Dínamo de Moscou, clube russo, pôde firmar a vínculo com o Coringão.
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Como o conflito no leste europeu segue, existe a chance da Fifa ampliar a ‘cláusula da guerra’. Se isso acontecer, facilitará a possibilidade do Timão ampliar o contrato de empréstimo de Balbuena. O acordo atual do zagueiro com o Dínamo de Moscou tem duração até junho de 2026. O Coringão não teria condições financeiras de comprar o jogador em definitivo no momento.
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Como o contrato de Balbuena vai até o meio do ano, a direção corintiana não tratou a manutenção do atleta com a mesma prioridade do que teve com a que se movimentou para a manter Maycon e Yuri Alberto. A situação do volante era a mais ‘desesperadora’, já que o empréstimo com o Shakhtar Donetsk, da Ucrânia, terminava no fim de 2022. Depois de conversas entre as partes, a equipe ucraniana liberou o meio-campista, que é revelado pelo Timão, para atuar por mais uma temporada com a camisa alvinegra. Já no caso de Yuri, o movimento no mercado foi para ter em definitivo um atleta que estava emprestado. foi bem pelo Corinthians no segundo semestre do ano passado e que é visto internamente como um ativo de grande potencial de mercado, principalmente por conta da juventude – ele tem 21 anos. A opinião do presidente Duílio Monteiro Alves é que Yuri Alberto será o atacante da Seleção Brasileira nos próximos anos e poderá render ao Corinthians tanto esportivamente, quanto financeiramente, no futuro.
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Outro fator que pesa para que a direção do Corinthians tenha maior cautela para começar a discutir a aquisição definitiva ou a ampliação de empréstimo de Balbuena são as atuações do defensor no ano passado. Algumas partidas no fim da última temporada colocaram em xeque o potencial físico e técnico do paraguaio. Assim, o departamento de futebol corintiano apostará nas avaliações que serão feitas durante o Campeonato Paulista, que terminará no dia 9 de abril. A partir daí, o clube alvinegro terá cerca de dois meses para discutir a compra ou extensão da cessão do zagueiro, caso entenda ser necessário. Se não for, o atleta será devolvido ao Dínamo de Moscou.
Enquanto não se decidiu se tentará a permanência de Balbuena, o Corinthians não entrará em contato com o Dínamo de Moscou que, enquanto isso, esperará o retorno do defensor paraguaio ao território russo já no próximo dia 1º de julho.
O sistema defensivo corintiano foi enxugado na atual janela de transferências. Raul Gustavo foi emprestado ao Bahia, e Robert Renan vendido ao Zenit, da Rússia, no negócio que envolveu a aquisição de Yuri Alberto pelo Corinthians. Hoje, além de Balbuena, o Timão tem Bruno Méndez, Caetano e Gil como opções para o sistema defensivo. Após o fim da disputa da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior, a tendência é que o garoto Murillo seja integrado ao elenco profissional do Coringão – o atleta, no entanto, possui um impasse contratual que precisará ser resolvido.
Stuart Broad believes England ended the second day in a “really positive” position on an Edgbaston pitch that he described as one of the slowest he has encountered in his 94 Test matches on home soil and a “nightmare” for a fast bowler.Ben Stokes, England’s captain, publicly requested “fast, flat wickets” for this summer’s Ashes series but the Edgbaston pitch has been on the slow side across the first two days. “Hopefully it’s not a trend for the whole series,” Broad said at stumps, speaking to broadcasters.”How can I be polite? It’s a very slow, low surface that saps the energy out of the ball, would be the nice way to put it,” Broad added. “It’s been pretty characterless so far – a bit soulless. But ultimately you can only judge it towards the end of a Test match and see how it develops.”It’s certainly one of the slowest pitches I can remember bowling on in England. I think there was a stat that, for the Aussies in the first 10 overs, it moved the least-ever recorded. It has certainly been hard work for the seamers.”Ultimately, we’re looking to entertain and have fun and get the crowd jumping, and it’s quite a difficult pitch to get plays-and-misses on and nicks to slip and stuff… these sorts of pitches are your worst nightmare when Steve Smith walks to the crease, to be honest.”Australia reached stumps trailing by 82 runs with five first-innings wickets remaining after Usman Khawaja batted through the day for an unbeaten hundred. But with Pat Cummins – who has averaged 11.71 in his last 40 innings – due in at No. 8, Broad believes England’s toil resulted in “a really good day”.”The game is nicely poised: we’re one or two wickets away from the tail,” Broad told the BBC’s . “It’s been a hard, gruelling day on a pitch that’s offered very little so far, but for us, being 90-odd ahead with five wickets to get, and trying to get in a position where we’re not batting last on that pitch is a really positive place to be.”He added to Sky Sports: “To still be 82 runs ahead of Australia with Pat Cummins and the tail next, we’re pretty happy. Things could happen pretty quickly for us in the first hour tomorrow… to pick up their key batters relatively cheaply, we’re pretty happy.”Australia have scored at 3.30 runs an over in their first innings compared to England’s scoring rate of 5.03, and Broad believes that the “clash in styles” will make for an intriguing series.”I think that’s the nature of the pitch slightly, to be honest,” he said. “It certainly doesn’t feel like the sort of pitch you’d have eight slips and gully, and the sort of pitch that you can play really extravagantly on.”I think the great thing about this series is both teams have got quite a clear style of play and both teams will stay true to how they’re going to play that. So I think they [the teams] probably clash in styles, but that will make for exciting cricket.”