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It's been a wild seven days for Chelsea Football Club, seven days that have seen the team fall to an embarrassing 2-2 draw with a ten-man Burnley side and then win 4-3 against Manchester United in one of the best games of the season.

Mauricio Pochettino still looks as lost as ever in the hot seat, but Cole Palmer's sheer brilliance was enough to carry his team through Thursday night's game.

That said, there were still a number of dreadful performances from those in Blue, such as Moises Caicedo, and it looks like the club could already be looking for his replacement based on reports this week.

Chelsea transfer news

According to reports from Spain earlier this week (via Caught Offside), Chelsea could launch a 'surprise raid' for Real Madrid's supremely gifted midfielder, Aurélien Tchouaméni.

The report has revealed that while even though there have been talks of financial fair play complications surrounding the club in recent months, Todd Boehly and Co are still keen on signing 'elite' players and would even be willing to sell Conor Gallagher to free up funds for such a move.

No price has been mentioned yet, but considering Real paid an initial €80m – £69m – to get their man in June 2022, it will likely cost a lot more than that, especially as the CIES Football Observatory currently values him at €100m, which is about £86m.

It would certainly be difficult and costly to complete, but if Chelsea can convince the Frenchman to join the club, it could seriously improve their midfield, although it might not be so good for Caicedo's long-term future.

How Tchouameni compares to Caicedo

Now, it might seem absurd to think that Chelsea are already looking to replace their £115m summer signing, but after a debut season in which he has made several high-profile mistakes, such as giving the ball to Alejandro Garnacho for his opening goal on Thursday night, it might not be.

The Blues may be under different ownership these days, but with the pressure continuing to mount on Boehly and Co on a weekly basis, they might do something drastic, and with Tchouameni favouring the defensive midfield role the Ecuadorian plays, it feels ominous.

With that said, which midfielder is superior? Well, the first thing to consider is their respective experience, which, unfortunately for the former Brighton & Hove Albion ace, is an area he can't win.

In all, he has made just 91 appearances for a top-flight European side, 53 of which were for the Seagulls. In comparison, the Real ace has made 37 appearances for Bordeaux, 95 for AS Monaco, and 82 for Los Blancos, in which he has won a Spanish Cup, Spanish Super Cup, UEFA Super Cup, and Club World Cup.

Furthermore, he has won 31 caps for the French national team, including seven at the 2022 World Cup, where he played the full 120 minutes of the final.

Okay, so what about their underlying numbers? Is the comparison one-sided there? Well, it's more bad news for the Chelsea man, as in the vast majority of relevant metrics, he is second, and in some areas, by quite some way.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists

0.09

0.08

Non-Penalty Goals

0.10

0.00

Assists

0.05

0.04

Progressive Carries

1.15

0.52

Progressive Passes

5.29

5.11

Shots on Target

0.21

0.04

Passing Accuracy

90.8%

91.2%

Shot-Creating Actions

1.36

1.86

Goal-Creating Actions

0.47

0.35

Tackles Won

1.62

2.60

Interceptions

1.31

1.04

Clearances

2.20

1.39

Errors Leading to a Goal

0.05

0.13

Ball Recoveries

4.29

6.02

Aerial Duels Won

2.36

1.04

For example, Real's "one-man war machine," as talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, produces far better attacking and goalscoring numbers, wins significantly more aerial duels, makes more interceptions and clearances, makes fewer errors that lead to a goal, and completes far more progressive passes and carries per 90.

Poch must axe 5/10 Chelsea man who was saved by Palmer vs Man Utd

The Blues ace was bailed out by the young superstar.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 5, 2024

Ultimately, if Chelsea can get their hands on Tchouaméni this summer, even for £86m plus, they should. However, that could very much spell the end of Caicedo's Blues career before it ever really got the chance to begin.

Coach urges players to guard against complacency as Windies target rare overseas series win

Andrew Miller14-Jul-2020

Phil Simmons, West Indies’ coach, has challenged his players to consign the events of the first Test at the Ageas Bowl to “history”, as they look to guard against complacency and close out their first overseas series win against a leading Test nation in more than a quarter of a century.Speaking after his team’s return to Emirates Old Trafford ahead of Thursday’s Test, Simmons praised the resolve of his players in Sunday’s four-wicket win in Southampton – in particular Jermaine Blackwood for his decisive 95 on the final day of the contest, and Shannon Gabriel, whose haul of nine wickets across the two innings demonstrated his return to full fitness following ankle surgery.The result means that West Indies have now won four of last six Tests against England – dating back to their famous run-chase at Headingley in 2017, and encompassing their 2-1 series win in the Caribbean in early 2019. However, they have not won a series in England since 1988, and Simmons acknowledged that it would be their duty to start from scratch in the coming days.”For me it was a great win because I think that it signified a lot of hard work being done by the players over the last four or five weeks,” he said. “But you don’t come to England and just win a Test match. It was a top-class Test match, with good cricket played by both teams, and even coming down to the last hour, it could have gone either way.”To come out on top. It’s been great for us, and it was important because you don’t want to have to chase England in England. So the chasing is from their point of view now. But you guard against complacency by just trying to do the same things you did before the first Test. Right now that Test match is history. We’ve got to be thinking about what we do from Thursday to Monday.”West Indies successfully backed up their first-Test victory in Barbados last year with an equally impressive win in Antigua, but the challenge of replicating that form in an overseas campaign is rather harder.Leaving aside their tours of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, they have only taken the lead in the first Test of an away series on three occasions since 1995. In that year’s tour of England, they were pegged back to a 2-2 draw after a crushing win at Headingley, and were then overturned 3-1 on their next visit to England in 2000, and 2-1 in South Africa in 2007-08.ALSO READ: ‘When he crosses the line he gives his all’ – Holder on BlackwoodHowever, the circumstances of the current England tour are different in a number of key respects – firstly, the absence of a home crowd, which England arguably noticed during a flat day in the field in West Indies’ first innings, but perhaps more significantly, the extended preparation period, which may have been forced on the tourists by the Covid-19 outbreak, but which Simmons said harked back to his own playing days in the 1980s and 1990s.”I think that has been the biggest influence on the performance,” he said. “I think the fact that we’ve been here for that period of time, we’ve had quality bowling in the nets because we’ve had nearly 11 seamers here, you can’t put a price on that.”I think that’s something that we have to look at. I don’t like to go back into my [playing] days, but we would come to England and play something like three or four proper warm-up games before the first Test, and we would also have three-day or four-day games in between the Test matches. So I think that period of training goes a long way to how we performed in that first Test.”One of the key beneficiaries of the lead-up time was Gabriel, who had not originally been named in West Indies’ first-choice 14, but was added to the squad after proving his fitness in both the nets and the intra-squad contests at Old Trafford. His hostility in both England innings echoed his crucial contributions to the win in the Caribbean last year, and Simmons took particular pleasure in his two-wicket burst on the pivotal fourth evening of the match.”The hardest time for bowlers, after bowling from the morning, is that last session,” Simmons said. “To see him and Alzarri [Joseph] come up trumps in that session is so pleasing to us. With him coming back from that ankle surgery and working as hard he has worked since we’ve been here, it was a joy to see him successful in that period.”Blackwood also proved his mettle, and not for the first time against England, against whom he now averages 55.00 in seven Tests. He withstood intense pressure on the final day – both from the scoreboard, which read 27 for 3 with John Campbell retired hurt, and from England’s fielders, with Ben Stokes in his ear from the outset as they attempted to goad him into a rush of blood.”I think he must be commended because he has worked very hard on trying to get that temperament right for each part of his innings,” Simmons said. “As we saw in the first innings, it was still there a bit, but in the second he controlled it a lot better. And that helped him to bring home the game for us.”Blackwood himself conceded that England’s words were “nothing bad, just cricket” and Simmons accepted that it was all part and parcel of the Test match battle.”It’s what I would have done too,” he said. “Try to get him irrational, but I think he held his own. He looked at the situation and played it as well as he could have. So that shows that his mindset is improving, and that’s all you can ask for.”

But for Kolpaks and injury, South Africa could and should have fought fire with fire at the Wanderers

Firdose Moonda at the Wanderers26-Jan-2020When you imagine a dream South African attack to operate at the Wanderers, the home of fast bowling since Australian pitches died, who do you picture running in? Is it Dane Paterson? Or Dwaine Pretorius? Or Beuran Hendricks?Let’s be honest, given what we’ve seen from this Test, it’s probably none of them. Which begs the question: What, without Kolpak, without injury, without anything, would South Africa’s dream attack be right now?For this exercise, we’re not harking back to the glory days of Allan Donald or Makhaya Ntini or even the more recent firestarters like Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. We’re only going to consider players who are active on the current circuit and see if we can come up with a better bowling group than the one playing in this match.We’ll start with the pick of the existing lot, Anrich Nortje, who has tirelessly and single-handedly ensured South Africa have salvaged some pride from this series. Nortje has all the qualities of an old-fashioned South African quick: he is fast and aggressive, his stock ball is short and he has stamina. Nortje has been the seam-bowler putting in the heaviest workloads with more overs than any of his colleagues, and he is also having the most success.His 18 wickets include those that have come late in an innings or the day, like the ones of Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler – both caught behind playing nothing shots to back-of-a-length balls – which created a small opening for South Africa. Nortje left England on 160 for 6. Had the lead not already ballooned to 377, it would have been a handy position for the hosts to be in. All he needs is someone else in the team to put their hand up at the same time.Imagine if Kagiso Rabada had not been suspended for this match and could have bowled alongside Nortje. South Africa would have been able to apply pressure through pace from both ends, the way England did. That said, Rabada is an automatic pick for the dream attack, even if he hasn’t come up with ways to channel his emotions when celebrating better. Hopefully with a more potent pack around him, Rabada’s frustrations will not build to the point where he needs to release them as recklessly as he did at St George’s Park.The question now is who will open the bowling with Rabada. Nortje is one option but it would be difficult to look past Kyle Abbott, who has taken 182 wickets in three seasons in the County Championship, at an average of 18.62. Abbott’s ability to move the ball, through the air and off the seam, would offer a Vernon Philander-esque partner to Rabada.This series, SuperSport Park aside, has not been the best example of how Rabada and Philander can work in tandem, but we can still consider the theory of it. On one end, batsmen would be rushed by Rabada, on the other, contained and tested by Philander and/or Abbott. It would mean they would face contrasting challenges as their innings began and on a Wanderers pitch, it would make it difficult for them to settle. It’s also likely that Abbott would not be as much of a green-track bully as Philander has been accused of, because he has the skillset for other surfaces. Abbott could enhance South Africa’s attack significantly and if there is a way to bring him back, it should be on top of acting director of cricket, Graeme Smith’s to-do list.Kyle Abbott walks off after taking nine wickets•Getty Images

A similar argument could be made for the inclusion of Simon Harmer, whose 212 wickets in three county seasons have come at an average of 20.25. Harmer would present some interesting problems for the selectors, who have anointed Keshav Maharaj the first-choice spinner, with good reason. Until his omission at the Wanderers, Maharaj had done South Africa’s dirty work throughout this series, and before, often holding up an end for an entire day. He is disciplined and occasionally dangerous, which is exactly how South Africa like their spinners. If Harmer was to return immediately, given some of the things he has said about the South African system, it’s more likely he would be an understudy with Maharaj worthy of his retention in this dream attack.That leaves space for an allrounder, a position to which South Africa have committed themselves by blooding Dwaine Pretorius in this series and including Andile Phehlukwayo in the squad. Neither of them offers anything more than medium-pace so South Africa may want to cast the net wider. Wiaan Mulder is the option that would turn the quality attack we have now into a dream. Mulder is young and talented with a first-class batting average that sits just under 40 and a first-class bowling average that is a shave over 23. He is a genuine two-in-one-player and, at 21, has time on his side. Why isn’t he in the squad now, you may ask?ALSO READ: Philander suffers hamstring tear, nine balls into final Test inningsWell, he has spent the last six weeks recovering from a lower-back stress fracture and is due to bowl for the first time tomorrow. If there’s one warning that comes with Mulder, it’s the injury one. He has already struggled with an ankle problem and an Achilles injury and would need to be monitored and managed if he was to play regularly.So there we have our dream attack: Rabada, Abbott, Nortje, Mulder and Maharaj.But we still need some back-ups. If fit, Lungi Ngidi would immediately come into consideration for his pace and bounce. So would Duanne Olivier, another Kolpak player who left when he was excelling. Olivier was the leading wicket-taker against Pakistan early last year where he used barrages of short balls to set South Africa up for a series win. Olivier’s departure opened the door for Nortje, so you could argue that he should be considered ahead of Nortje, but we’ll send him to the back of the queue if he returns. Other names that would come into contention are Lutho Sipamla, who is fourth on the first-class wickets charts and Gerald Coetzee, South Africa’s tearaway at the Under-19 World Cup.So when you are faced with the situation in South African cricket right now, and you’re struggling to find anything in what looks like an empty cupboard, come back to this little exercise. Picture this dream attack on this Wanderers pitch and think about how differently things could have been. And then wake up.

Earlier, Lasith Embuldeniya picked up 4 for 182 as the hosts could add only 54 to their overnight total of 352 for 6

The Report by Madushka Balasuriya28-Jan-2020A disciplined performance from Zimbabwe’s bowlers ensured that Sri Lanka didn’t run away with the advantage, the visitors remaining 284 behind with eight wickets in hand as bad light brought a premature end to the second day’s play in Harare. At the crease were Angelo Mathews, the double-centurion from the first Test, and Kusal Mendis, on 4 and 19 respectively.Of the Zimbabwe bowlers, the obvious standouts were Sikandar Raza and Donald Tiripano, the pair accounting for the two Sri Lankan wickets to fall on the day, though they will count themselves unlucky not to have had more.After an uneventful post-lunch session, the action picked up after the tea break, with Raza providing the breakthrough. Dimuth Karunaratne, who had been selective with his shot-making up until that point, picked the wrong delivery to utilise the sweep, getting trapped lbw by a fuller delivery.That wicket brought Zimbabwe’s first real threatening period of play in the field. While Tiripano probed from one end, Raza nearly got another, with Mendis edging to short leg only for Prince Masvaure to spill the chance.Later on, Raza could have had Mendis caught at square leg after the batsman swept in the air, but Tiripano on the square leg boundary failed to track the flight of the ball.Tiripano, though, could be granted a little leeway, having accounted for Oshada Fernando a few overs earlier. The Sri Lanka opener had been kept quiet in the preceding overs – much of it owing to Tiripano’s discipline – and, as such, was a little too eager to dispatch a rare pitched up delivery. However, with the ball shaping away late, Fernando’s hard attempt at a drive only managed to slice the ball through to Regis Chakabva behind the stumps.The rest of the session was Mathews and Mendis attempting to consolidate as Sri Lanka were mindful of the importance of not losing another wicket before stumps. Sri Lanka though will be aware of the need to up their scoring rate – currently standing at a touch over two runs an over – on day three, if they are to force a result. Of the nine boundaries scored by Sri Lanka, only one – when Mendis danced down the track to loft a boundary to long-on – was not a result of increasingly rare profligacy on the part of the Zimbabwe bowlers.The day had started better for the visitors when left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya picked up three of the last four Zimbabwe wickets on his way to figures of 4 for 182. While Zimbabwe’s tail had done well to stick around for most of the morning, they would have been disappointed at not having added more than 54 to their overnight total.However, with runs on the board, and still three-and-a-half days’ of cricket remaining, the Zimbabwe bowlers looked patience. Tiripano, in particular, was impressive as he rarely veered from his line outside off and constantly bowled on a probing good length.While the lateral movement was limited, there was enough to keep the Sri Lanka batsmen cautious – at least early on, when keeping wickets intact was more of priority.All this meant the post-lunch session was the least eventful of the day as Sri Lanka’s batsmen took minimal risks, and the bowlers simply waited for a mistake that wasn’t forthcoming. It resulted in the only wicketless session of the match so far.Things, however, picked up after tea, before a brief rain interval and then bad light brought play to a close.

There’s no two ways about it: This week is absolutely massive for Manchester United’s campaign.

An FA Cup tie at Old Trafford against Liverpool awaits Erik ten Hag’s team, with the competition being the only trophy that the Red Devils can still win this season.

Luckily, the squad has been boosted this week with the return of Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, and Rasmus Hojlund.

That should be a welcome relief for Ten Hag and Co but they will still be without Anthony Martial who is absent courtesy of a groin problem. That hasn't necessarily been a bad thing for the Red Devils, however.

Anthony Martial’s salary at Man Utd

In short, Martial’s time at Man United has been hindered by injuries more often than not, with the French attacker unable to provide consistent availability.

Nonetheless, the number nine was rewarded with a new contract at the start of 2019, after scoring nine goals prior to that during the 2018/19 campaign.

The contract was for five years, and therefore it’s set to expire in the summer, but his weekly wage is a huge £250k, according to Capology.

This equates to an earning of £13m per year, the joint-fourth highest wage at Man United, with only Casemiro, Raphael Varane, and Marcus Rashford earning more.

Man Utd must cash in on Solskjaer flop who earns 140% more than Garnacho

The talented ace has been an utter failure at Old Trafford.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Mar 12, 2024 What Martial earns compared to Hojlund

The contrast between Hojlund’s and Martial’s impact this season is clear to see, with the Dane becoming a vital player in the United rebuild project.

On the other hand, the “invisible” Martial, as called by football creator Liam Canning, has only played 444 minutes in the Premier League, with an illness and groin surgery making him miss 12 matches.

Hojlund has also had his injury problems this season, which has left Ten Hag without a true number nine at times, but as you can see by the table below, his influence when available has been fantastic, particularly in 2024.

Matches Played

30

19

Goals

13

2

Assists

2

2

Games missed

11

12

Weekly wage

£85k

£250k

After a tricky start to life in England, the 21-year-old has been one of the most in-form players in the league since scoring against Aston Villa on Boxing Day, netting in all of his last six Premier League games, and winning the February Player of the Month award.

Whereas, the former Monaco star hasn't played since the 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth in December, and that could end up being his last game for the club depending on the extent of his most recent setback.

But, as displayed in the table, Martial still earns around three times more than the number 11, despite scoring 11 goals fewer across all competitions this campaign and clearly offering a lot less than Hojlund when playing.

With Martial being unreliable both in terms of on-field performances and availability, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co simply must let go of the 28-year-old rather than extend his contract by the optional extra year.

As a result, with Hojlund set to be the long-term answer to the striker role, a reliable backup who can take some pressure off the young attacker and act as a rotation option will likely come in for Martial.

Wage Burners

Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.

أعلن نادي الاتحاد السكندري، عن التعاقد مع لاعب من الدوري الإمريكي لتدعيم صفقة فريق كرة السلة خلال منافسات البطولة العربية القادمة.

ويستضيف نادي الاتحاد السكندري، منافسات البطولة العربية لكرة السلة، التي تقام خلال الفترة من 1 إلى 12 أكتوبر 2024.

وأتم مجلس إدارة نادي الاتحاد السكندري برئاسة محمد مصيلحي إجراءات التعاقد مع اللاعب الأمريكي الجنسية جوردان ماكراي للانضمام لصفوف الفريق الأول لكرة السلة لخوض منافسات البطولة العربية.

ويعد فريق الاتحاد السكندري هو الممثل الوحيد لمصر في البطولة العربية لكرة السلة، بعد اعتذار الأهلي عن عدم المشاركة.

طالع.. خاص | الأهلي يعتذر عن عدم المشاركة في البطولة العربية لـ كرة السلة

وأوضح نادي الاتحاد عبر موقعه الرسمي أن اللاعب جوردان ماكراي سيصل الإسكندرية منتصف شهر سبتمبر القادم للانضمام لتدريبات الفريق استعدادًا للمشاركة في البطولة العربية.

وكشف نادي الاتحاد عبر الموقع الرسمي عن بعض المعلومات عن اللاعب الأمريكي جوردان ماكراي، حيث لعب في الدوري الأمريكي بفريق كليفلاند كافالييرز وحصد معهم بطولة الـNBA موسم 2016-2017.

وفي الموسم الماضي كان ضمن فريق أيك أثينا اليوناني، كذلك لعب بالدوري الصيني والدوري الفرنسي ويعتبر اللاعب إضافة قوية وكبيرة للفريق لخبرته الفنية العالية، حيث يُجيد اللعب في مركزي 2-3.

Aston Villa slumped to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League over the weekend, and it now means the club have lost three of their previous four matches.

While Unai Emery’s men are still occupying fifth place in the table, the Old Trafford side are just five points behind and things can change quickly.

They need to dust themselves off and prepare for the clash against Fulham this weekend. A win could restore their confidence, but another top-flight defeat could see Emery’s men unravel.

#1 Liverpool

24

32

54

#2 Man City

23

21

52

#3 Arsenal

24

31

54

#4 Tottenham

24

15

47

#5 Aston Villa

24

14

46

Several players failed to produce their best against the Red Devils and Matty Cash was arguably one of the worst performers for the club.

Matty Cash’s game against Man Utd in numbers

Cash may have provided a reliable attacking outlet against United, creating a big chance, delivering two accurate crosses and making two key passes during the clash, but defensively, he was all over the place.

The English-born Poland international committed three fouls and was dribbled past twice, as Marcus Rashford clearly enjoyed playing against the 26-year-old, giving him a torrid time during the match.

With the scores tied at 1-1 and Villa looking like they had snatched a point, the right-back was beaten to the ball all too easily for Scott McTominay’s headed winner, and he could have done so much better with the goal.

To compound his misery, Cash lost possession a total of 17 times throughout the 90 minutes, won just three of his 12 contested duels and was even awarded a dismal match rating of 4/10 by Birmingham World for his performance.

Will Matty Cash be dropped?

According to Birmingham World, ‘Rashford ran rings around him’ and he was also ‘sloppy in the first half’. As a result, this display may well give Emery a slight selection headache ahead of future matches.

Cash has been the undisputed first choice on the right side of the defence this season, and he does not really have any challengers for the role after injury occurred in the camp.

Ezri Konsa has played there on 13 occasions this term, yet he will be out for the next three to four weeks having suffered an injury against Sheffield United recently.

The only other first-team player who could replace Cash is Calum Chambers, yet he has played a grand total of just 178 minutes across three matches, with none of them coming domestically.

This clearly suggests that despite enduring a dismal display against Erik ten Hag’s side yesterday, Cash will likely still be in the starting XI when they play Fulham this weekend.

Emery has built a solid starting XI at Villa since taking charge in 2022, but he must improve his squad depth across a number of key areas during the summer transfer window, otherwise if injuries set in, he will be forced to play people out of position.

The Spaniard has a lot to think about, but another poor performance by Cash against the Cottagers this coming weekend could see the former Nottingham Forest defender dropped from the starting XI and forced to regain his managers' trust.

South Africa are prepared for the reality that they may not be able to win the Newlands Test against England, but they are not quite ready to accept defeat yet. On a surface that flattened out after 18 wickets fell on the first two days, coach Mark Boucher believes a long second innings is possible, whether his men go for glory or a gritty draw.”There’s a Test match up for grabs. There are times that the characters have to come out. We understand our batters are under pressure. If we can bowl them out and look at a total worth chasing, we must do that, but good teams also manage to block out draws,” Boucher said. “Depending on how well we bowl tomorrow and if we get quick wickets then hopefully we can go for a chase, otherwise we are going to have to fight and bat out a day or a day-and-a-half.”Conditions at Newlands changed significantly on the third day when cloud cover and cooler weather prevented the cracks on the pitch from opening up and made run-scoring a lot easier than on the first two days. Then, Boucher wouldn’t have wanted “to chase anything more than 250”. Now, he thinks “anything around 330 or 340 will be great”.First, South Africa need to take six England wickets. The quicker, the better. Even though it will give James Anderson and Co more time to get South Africa out, it will also mean fewer runs to chase. That’s the conundrum the team that is not in control of the game faces, and Boucher knows it. “Let’s be honest, our backs are up against it,” he said. “If we come out tomorrow, new ball in hand, and we use it well, we believe we can pick up quick wickets but it’s still going to be a tall ask.”Especially given that batting has been South Africa’s weaker suit over the last year.With inexperience running through half the top six and no totals over 300 in their last seven innings, South Africa do not look like a side that can chase down a big target, never mind break a record. The highest successful chase in Cape Town is the 334 Australia scored almost 18 years ago, when they were the best team in the world. Since readmission, Australia are the only team South Africa have lost to at this ground, with England earning a hard-fought draw here in 2010.Boucher was part of the XI that played against England a decade ago, two years after South Africa had done what many thought was impossible and successfully chased a 400-plus target in Australia, which led to a series win. “Back when we played, we wouldn’t even think of chasing 400-odd but we did it in Perth and we took a lot of confidence out of that,” he recalled.For Boucher, the key to the Perth win was the planning that went into the chase and he will try to do approach this match in the same meticulous way over the next two days. “You have to break it down, and there’s a lot of strategic planning that needs to go into it. If we look at the way they played Keshav [Maharaj], we might have to be a little bit more positive against [Dom] Bess if we are going for the total,” Boucher said, indicating South Africa would take on the England spinner. “You don’t chase down totals like that without partnerships, big partnerships.”If one or two guys get into a position where they can bat long and get big hundreds then we can get ourselves into a position where we can think of chasing the target. There’s still a lot of work to be done. We’ve still got to bowl them out. If conditions allow us to go for the chase, I’m sure there’s a lot of guys in the change room who would love to do that.”

da fazobetai： Everton are running out of time to complete some late transfer business in January, but an encouraging update has emerged, courtesy of Sky Sports reporter Alan Myers.

Everton transfer news

da pixbet： The Blues have had a very quiet month to date during the transfer window, which may cause plenty of frustration among supporters, given the need for new faces. The ongoing takeover situation at Goodison Park is not making it easy in a financial sense, however, with Farhad Moshiri potentially not wanting to invest if his spell as owner is about to come to an end.

Everton have certainly been linked with plenty of players this month, however, with individuals all over the pitch linked with completing moves to Merseyside.

Ajax attacker Chuba Akpom is someone who has been tipped to be a late addition for the Blues, having moved to the Dutch giants from Middlesbrough last summer, struggling to make an impact in a different country and only starting three Eredivisie games this season.

Leicester City defender Harry Souttar has also emerged as a potential replacement for Ben Godfrey, should the Everton utility man seal a move elsewhere before the window slams shut, and highly-rated Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis is also reportedly being looked at as an option.

There is also a small possibility that Sean Dyche could lose players, which would be a big blow in their Premier League relegation battle, with midfield pair Amadou Onana and Abdoulaye Doucoure both linked with exits recently. The hope is that both stay put, however, with the hours ticking away.

Everton could make deadline day signing

Responding to a question from a fan on X on Wednesday evening, Myers hinted at Everton making one deadline day signing before the end of Thursday evening, saying: "Maybe one by tomorrow but don’t know who."

Blues supporters may well be buoyed by this update, with added depth something that could be so vital in the relegation fight between now and the end of the season.

Granted, Dyche's side have had to contend with a 10-point deduction in the Premier League – they wouldn't be under threat of going down otherwise – but there is arguably still a shortage of quality in certain areas.

Everton's top goalscorers this season

Total

Abdoulaye Doucoure

6

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

4

Jack Harrison

3

Beto

3

Goals continue to come at a premium at Goodison, with only 24 scored in 22 league matches this season, so snapping up someone like Akpom on deadline day could provide the manager with some priceless extra firepower.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin's fitness record makes it hard to rely on him for long periods, while Beto has struggled to convince since coming in last year, netting just once in 17 league appearances this term.

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It definitely wouldn't be a shock if a late move ended up not coming to fruition, but Myers is a reliable source and the hope is that his prediction comes true, giving Everton a boost ahead of a crucial period in the season.

MatériaMais Notícias

da mrbet： Na Arena Pernambuco, jogo de abertura da edição 2021 do Campeonato Pernambucano, o time reserva do Sport venceu de virada o Vera Cruz pelo placar de 3 a 1. O Galo das Tabocas aproveitou que o Leão estava com um time repleto de garotos para mandar no primeiro tempo e abrir o marcador. Mas a molecada do Sport voltou com sangue nos olhos na etapa complementar e virou a partida em 26 minutos.

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da dobrowin： Na próxima rodada, o Sport pega o Salgueiro, na Ilha do Retiro, dia 03 de março. Já o Vera Cruz enfrenta o Vitória-PE, na Arena Pernambuco, dia 07 de março.

A partida

VERA CRUZ VAI PARA CIMA E PRESSIONA O TIME RESERVA DO SPORT
Com o time titular em Curitiba para enfrentar o Athletico-PR na última rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro DA Série A, o Sport mandou a campo uma equipe mesclada de jogadores formados no clube e outros pouco utilizados pelo treinador Jair Ventura.

Como o Vera Cruz não tinha nada com isso, os comandados de Rômulo Oliveira foram com tudo para cima do Leão da Ilha. O Galo das Tabocas era muito superior na partida e teve várias chances para marcar, mas sempre pecava na hora da finalização.

SPORT NÃO SEGURA A PRESSÃO E TOMA O GOL DO VERA CRUZ
O Sport se segurava do jeito que dava, mas a pressão era muito intensa. O gol do Vera Cruz estava maduro e, aos 35 minutos da etapa inicial, acabou saindo. Léo Cotia desceu pelo lado direito e cruzou, o zagueiro Pedrão, do Sport, tentou afastar o perigo e acabou colocando a bola para dentro e marcando o gol contra, 1 a 0 para o Vera Cruz.

LEÃO DA ILHA VOLTA DIFERENTE DO INTERVALO E VIRA O JOGO EM DEZ MINUTOS
O Sport volta completamente diferente do segundo tempo. Ligados e com a faca entre os dentes, os meninos do Leão da Ilha foram para cima do time do Vera Cruz e fizeram uma blitz tão forte, que conseguiram a virada em dez minutos.
Aos 6 minutos, Elias cruzou, o Ítalo tentou marcar duas vezes para conseguir empurrar a bola para as redes: 1 a 1. Aos 10, Paulinho cobrou escanteio, o goleiro Serginho, do Vera Cruz, que não tinha trabalhado na primeira etapa, falhou feio e a bola acabou entrando. Gol olímpico e a virada do Sport: 2 a 1. Vale destacar que um minuto antes do gol do Sport, Matheus Serra foi expulso por dar um carrinho violento.

SPORT CONTINUA INTENSO E MATA O JOGO
O Leão não se acomodou com a virada e continuou pressionando o Vera Cruz. A pressão logo deu resultado e o gol saiu aos 25. Vinícius Popó invadiu a área e foi derrubado pelo goleiro Serginho: pênalti para o Sport. O próprio Vinícius Popó bateu e marcou: 3 a 1.

O gol enterrou qualquer chance de reação do Vera Cruz. O Sport administrou a vantagem fazendo o tempo passar até o apito do árbitro.

Vera Cruz 1 X 3 Sport
Local: Arena Pernambuco, Recife (PE)
Data-Hora: 24/2/2021 – 19h
Árbitro: Anderson Luis Marques (PE)
Auxiliares: Marcelino Castro de Nazaré (PE) e John Andson Alves Ribeiro (PE)
Público/renda: pagantes/R$
Cartões amarelos: Matheus Serra, Ramires, Serginho (VCR), Renzo, Ítalo, Pedrão e Victor Gabriel (SPT)
Cartões vermelhos: Matheus Serra (VCR)
Gols: Pedrão (contra, aos 35/1ºT), Ítalo (06/2ºT), Paulinho (10/2ºT) e Vinícius Popó (26/2ºT)

Vera Cruz: Serginho; Léo Cotia, Ruan, Matheus Serra e Wendel; Ramires (Índio, aos 23/2ºT), Daniel Santos (Everton Sid, aos 37/2ºT), Vitinho e Romarinho (Manteiga, aos 23/2ºT); Edson Pernambucano (Vitor Leão, aos 16/2ºT) e Pedro Maycon. Técnico: Rômulo Oliveira.

Sport: Carlos Eduardo; Elias Lira (Arielton, 35/2ºT), Pedrão, Renzo (Ryan, 32/2ºT) e Victor Gabriel; Pedro Bartoli (Deyvson, aos 35/2ºT), Ítalo e Marcos Serrato; Pablo Pardal, Paulinho (Matheusinho, aos 23/2ºT) e Vinícius Popó (Igor, 32/2ºT). Técnico: Ricardo Severo.