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Ruben Amorim will be travelling to Suffolk for his first taste of Premier League action confident that he can pick up a debut win as new Manchester United boss, with Kieran McKenna’s Ipswich Town his first opponent.

However, there will also be a lingering anxiety deep within the Portuguese manager that his first game in charge could also end in an unexpected defeat, considering the Tractor Boys are just fresh off a surprise away victory at Tottenham Hotspur.

McKenna will also want to get one over on his former employers, with the Northern Irishman hopeful that his top performers in North London can turn on the style again back at Portman Road.

Key players for Ipswich vs Man United

Liam Delap will be raring to go this weekend when the Red Devils come to town, with the striker’s previous Manchester City connections perhaps working in his favour in wanting to rain on the Amorim parade.

He is also Ipswich’s most potent attacker by some distance, with six strikes registered from 11 league games, which included a tap-in finish versus Ange Postecoglou’s shellshocked hosts to make it 2-0.

Moreover, the likes of Sammie Szmodics and Leif Davis will want to terrorise Man United from minute one of the contest tomorrow, with Szmodics scoring an acrobatic bicycle kick last match, on top of providing his team with some much-needed energy down the left flank.

Likewise, Davis could be key in trying to unlock Amorim’s new side on Sunday, with the attack-oriented full-back averaging an impressive 2.5 key passes per league game this season as an option that is more than comfortable playing out from defence.

He’s also more than adept at firing home first-time strikes, with the former Leeds United product hopeful that his team can pick up their first home win of the season versus Man United, despite being underdogs.

McKenna also potentially has his very own Bruno Fernandes that he could rely on versus the Red Devils to try and cause an upset, with this attacking midfielder in question at the very top of his game versus Spurs.

Chalkboard

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Ipswich's very own Bruno Fernandes

Whilst McKenna attempts to field all of the attacking players he knows could cause the away side’s defence trouble, he will also need to ensure his defenders are ready for the task of keeping Fernandes at bay.

Under Ruud van Nistelrooy’s interim reign, the experienced United head sparked back into life after struggling under Erik ten Hag this season, with two goals and one assist registered in his last two Premier League outings.

Still, the Ipswich boss won’t want his side to be overwhelmed by the quality of their opponents and simply just give in, with Omari Hutchinson acting as the Tractor Boys’ very own Fernandes in their bid to pull off an unexpected win.

Much like Fernandes, Hutchinson has also been a goal and assist machine for his side in recent times, having helped himself to 11 strikes and six assists just last season as automatic promotion was clinched.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Shots

1

Touches

56

Accurate passes

23/26 (88%)

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

5/8

Total duels won

12/23

Whilst the Jamaica international didn’t quite offer the same polished performance that Fernandes managed against Leicester – with a goal tallied up versus the Foxes – the Ipswich number 20 was still lively in the attacking midfield spot for his side versus Spurs, with a stunning five successful dribbles registered across the span of the 2-1 win.

Having played all of last season down the flanks, he has been pushed into the number ten spot that Fernandes stars in after promotion, and McKenna’s experiment with the 21-year-old looked to have finally worked in North London.

The Ipswich boss will just hope this wasn’t a one-off positive display, however, with Hutchinson perhaps acting as a crucial player – like Delap and Szmodics – in the Suffolk side collecting another Premier League scalp this weekend.

Ipswich have found a "remarkable" star who is now rivalling Saka & Palmer

Ipswich Town fans love this star whenever he struts his stuff at Portman Road.

ByKelan Sarson Nov 18, 2024

January's defiant display in north London felt like being a turning point for the Portuguese but instead proved to be a false dawn

The last time Manchester United faced Arsenal was probably the highlight of the Ruben Amorim era. Just one week after holding runaway Premier League leaders Liverpool to a draw at Anfield – and almost beating them – the Red Devils took on the second best team in the country over the past three years and knocked them out of the FA Cup on penalties.

It truly was a spirited performance, playing with one man down for an hour after Diogo Dalot's sending off. It was a day rich in narrative: Alejandro Garnacho set up Bruno Fernandes' goal days after it was revealed the club were willing to sell him, Altay Bayindir produced some stunning saves during the 120 minutes after a harrowing previous appearance in north London at Tottenham, while Joshua Zirkzee scored the decisive penalty barely two weeks after being dragged off in the first half at Old Trafford to cheers from his own supporters.

The result was hailed as the great turning point for Amorim, the platform on which the team's revival under the Portuguese coach would be built. But three months on from that defiant display at the Emirates Stadium, as United prepare to meet Arsenal again on Sunday, the great resurgence under Amorim is yet to take place. United are still 14th in the Premier League table but the gap between them and the top-four has widened to 14 points, while there are nine points between them and the top half of the standings. United have also been knocked out of the FA Cup by Fulham, with their good fortune in penalty shootouts running out.

Their only chance of salvaging the season lies in the Europa League but their chances of winning it look slim after failing to see off an unremarkable Real Sociedad in the first leg of their last-16 tie, ending a game in which they had been the better side clinging on for their lives. So why were Amorim's side unable to build on the momentum of that memorable win at Arsenal?

Getty Images SportNot delivering on Fernandes' pledge

Speaking on the pitch at the Emirates Stadium moments after the shootout win, Fernandes said the performances against Arsenal and Liverpool had proved that his side were capable of taking on anybody. The captain also urged his team-mates to show the same hunger in every match, beginning in their next game at home to basement club Southampton. "I know we want to celebrate and everything, but our focus is now on Southampton – that is when we have to back it up," he said.

"The big games against Liverpool, Arsenal, everyone steps up because it is a big game. We suffered a lot but we sacrificed as a team, and at the end you get this. You want to be in these kinds of games, you want to be involved, you want to be the best but we have to do it in Old Trafford with these fans again. We have to give it back to the club. We need to do it every week, every game."

Fernandes' team-mates could not live up to that pledge, though, and in their next 12 games since beating Arsenal United have won six, lost four and drawn twice. In the league their record is three wins and three defeats from seven.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportRelegation form

United ended up beating Southampton but it was anything but straightforward as they conceded numerous chances before falling behind to a Manuel Ugarte own goal. They were trailing until the 83rd minute and relied on a sublime late show from Amad Diallo to get them out of trouble. It was a victory but there was an air of disbelief around Old Trafford that the team had made it so hard for themselves and in their very next game against Brighton they sunk to a 3-1 defeat. They did manage to pull off three consecutive wins against Rangers, Fulham and FCSB, ending January with a creditable five victories from six games.

But February was a miserable month, beginning with a home loss by Crystal Palace which also saw Lisandro Martinez tear his knee ligaments and leave the pitch in tears. More injuries followed soon after following a disastrous week of training in which Amad damaged his ankle ligaments and was ruled out for several months while Kobbie Mainoo strained a muscle and was ruled out for several weeks.

It meant United were down to the bare bones for their trip to Tottenham, naming eight teenagers with no senior experience on the bench. Unsurprisingly, they suffered a 12th defeat of the season, their highest number of losses at the same stage since they were relegated in 1974.

GettyMissing Amad & Martinez

The most obvious explanation for why United have not been able to kick on since the Arsenal win has been the injuries, both short-term and long term. Of the 16 players that got on the pitch during the FA Cup tie, only nine were able to face Real Sociedad on Thursday. And two absences have stung more than any other: Amad and Lisandro Martinez. Amad was the team's new talisman, having contributed to 12 of the 28 league goals the team had scored when his injury struck. The timing could hardly have been worse as United had recently loaned Antony to Real Betis and Marcus Rashford to Aston Villa, leaving them with only one wide forward in Alejandro Garnacho.

Losing Martinez was also a massive blow. The Argentine is not only the team's most combative defender, he is a valuable source of passes into attack. And he is a mentality monster, his infectious thirst for winning livening up the rest of the squad. Without him, there has been a noticeable lack of hunger.

Mainoo's absence has been less significant as Amorim does not appear to completely rate him and the club are still open to selling him amid reports he will not sign a new deal. And yet he is still one of the most talented players in the squad, with his injury having deprived Amorim of a cool head in midfield and forced the coach to lean more on Casemiro.

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Getty Images SportLow confidence

United also seem to be suffering from a severe crisis of confidence. This is on an individual level, with Rasmus Hojlund on a 19-game goal drought and Alejandro Garnacho failing to score since November, and on a collective level, with the team seeming to lack belief in each other. Take Dalot failing to pass to Hojlund against Real Sociedad when the striker would have been clean through on goal, or several players growing frustrated with Andre Onana's errors and his poor distribution.

Amorim has not really helped foster belief in the squad. After the FA Cup tie at Arsenal he said: "I believe in them every time. I want to push them. Sometimes I challenge them and they don’t like because they are not used to it, but I will continue to do that." Amorim's idea of 'challenging' his players has included calling them the worst team in the club's entire history and making disparaging comments about the departed Rashford and Antony. He has also undermined players through his selection choices, such as when he fielded Mainoo up front against Palace ahead of Zirkzee and Hojlund.

The Portuguese is not exactly creating an "us against the world" mentality which underpinned Sir Alex Ferguson's great sides. Indeed, it often feels like the coach is waging a war against his own team.

Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel have all levelled up

Nagraj Gollapudi03-Mar-2022India allrounder Hardik Pandya and senior batter Shikhar Dhawan have suffered the biggest slides in the new set of annual contracts finalised by the BCCI and its selectors. Also getting demoted are the senior trio of Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara. In contrast, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj and Axar Patel have all levelled up.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe annual contracts – running from October 2021 to September 2022 – were ratified by the BCCI’s Apex Council late on Wednesday. The Apex Council also finalised former India fast bowler Abey Kuruvilla as the general manager cricket development, a position that was left vacant since February after Dhiraj Malhotra left on January 31.No fresh additions were made to the A+ category, worth INR 7 crore (USD 930,000*), with the trio of India captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah retaining their contracts.It was the Grade A slab (INR 5 crore or USD 660,000) that was trimmed severely from 10 in the last cycle to half that number. Pandya and Dhawan have dropped from Grade A to C. Pandya, who had moved from Grade B to A in the 2020-21 cycle, has suffered with fitness issues over the last two years and has not played for India since the T20 World Cup last October. Dhawan, meanwhile, has become more of a one-format player in the least year, with the selectors favouring him in 50-overs cricket and little else.Many will wonder as to why Rahane, Pujara, Ishant were handed Grade B contracts (down from Grade A last season) when none of them were considered for the two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka starting on Friday. Chetan Sharma, India’s chairman of selectors, had pointed out that he had spoken to all three players, along with Wriddhiman Saha, about how his panel wanted to give youngsters more chances without closing the door on the seniors. Barring Saha, the other three players have featured in the league phase of the Ranji Trophy, to keep their chances of returning to the national team alive.Iyer, Siraj and Axar, who featured in the last cycle in Grade C (INR 1 crore or USD 130,000), have all been moved one rung up on the back of their consistent performances over the last year. Another key player, who has featured for India in all three formats, bowling allrounder Shardul Thakur, retained his Grade B contract.* All USD values are approximations where 1 USD =75 INR

Seems a while ago that there was a wave of frustration rippling across Merseyside, with Anfield quieter than its reputation would tell you. Liverpool, maybe, were just bedding into a new era, still reserved following Jurgen Klopp’s shocking departure.

How Arne Slot has settled in, and how Anfield roars. The savvy Dutch coach is cool, cultured, and a hungry Liverpool side have absorbed his teachings. He took Klopp’s team, true, but he dissembled it and crafted it anew.

Slot’s design is reaping the richest of fruits, and while Liverpool have been impressive throughout the campaign, the past week has succeeded in proving to the world that these players are the real deal. Real Madrid? Vanquished. Manchester City in the Premier League? Reduced to helpless gnats in the wake of an all-consuming Merseyside machine.

Klopp had his strengths, how he had his strengths, but Slot does things differently; this is his park now. Were the German still at the helm, you could’ve expected Darwin Nunez or Cody Gakpo to start at centre-forward against Pep Guardiola’s team, but instead, Luis Diaz was given the nod.

Luis Diaz impresses at number nine

Liverpool sang. Anfield sang. The players responded, fuelled by the giddying din and channelling into a brilliant performance. Man City were mauled in the opening phase, throttled and overwhelmed by a team that knows when to wait and when to pounce.

There’s a tigerish quality to this Liverpool crop, whose tireless labours over the past several months have now established them as undoubted favourites for the Premier League title. They are top of the Champions League group phase too.

Slot is a master tactician, and his decision to unleash Diaz up front proved to work in his favour. Writing in his post-match player ratings, The Liverpool Echo’s Ian Doyle handed the Colombian an 8/10 match score.

He said: ‘Plenty of effort, not least in terms of pressing, but not quite able to fashion many openings first half. Better second half, particularly when shifted to left, and did so well to win penalty.’

It’s true that he didn’t enjoy his most potent performance, but Diaz played his part, working hard to allow for overlaps from Gakpo and the incredible Mohamed Salah.

Minutes played

89′

Goals

0

Assists

0

Penalties won

1

Touches

31

Shots (on target)

0 (0)

Accurate passes

14/16 (88%)

Key passes

1

Possession lost

12x

Dribbles (completed)

3 (1)

Tackles + interceptions

0

Total duels (won)

8 (2)

Diaz did very well indeed to win the penalty that Salah dispatched for Liverpool’s win-sealing second. He combined with Gakpo on the left to emphatic effect throughout, all three front-liners so assured and determined in their efforts.

However, it wasn’t a flawless display from the 27-year-old, who failed to unleash a single shot of his own while merely creating one key pass. Given that he only completed one dribble and lost six of his eight contested duels, it’s hard to claim that his grip on the centre-forward position is iron-tight.

With only 31 touches across the contest, he even failed to take as many touches as Caoimhin Kelleher between the sticks, who didn’t endure his liveliest fixture by all accounts.

Perhaps Slot should make the bold call to drop his electric-paced maverick for the forthcoming Premier League fixture.

100% duels won: 8/10 Liverpool star just outshone Gakpo & Salah

Liverpool thrashed Manchester City in the Premier League to claim a nine-point advantage at the summit.

ByAngus Sinclair Dec 1, 2024 Why Slot must ditch Luis Diaz

On Wednesday evening, Liverpool meet Newcastle United at St. James’ Park. Everton follow in a final Goodison Park showdown at the weekend. Tough times ahead.

04/12/24

Premier League

Newcastle (A)

07/12/24

Premier League

Everton (A)

10/12/24

Champions League

Girona (H)

14/12/24

Premier League

Fulham (H)

18/12/24

Carabao Cup

Southampton (A)

22/12/24

Premier League

Tottenham (A)

26/12/24

Premier League

Leicester (H)

29/12/24

Premier League

West Ham (A)

It’s easy to snuggle into the plush cushions of Liverpool’s nine-point lead, but Arsenal are a vicious team in their own right and will be snapping at the heels, desperate to latch onto any flash of weakness that Slot’s side reveal.

Chelsea are also shaping into a dangerous surprise package, and while it’s easy to write them off, just have a think about rivals’ pre-season Liverpool narrative.

Slot has a brilliant and varied squad at his disposal, and must now be prepared to send Diaz back to the bench, unleashing Nunez from the opening whistle.

Nunez made his presence known when introduced for Gakpo after 70 minutes on Sunday, slotting into a focal role in the middle that moved Diaz back into his natural left-sided role.

Despite only playing for around 20 minutes, Nunez made two tackles, won two duels and made two clearances, also making one key pass, as per Sofascore.

The Uruguayan offered energy and tenacity, and it’s for this reason that he should be unleashed from the outset against Newcastle, who aren’t in the best moment but will seek to use Tyneside to reduce Liverpool’s threat and stifle the Slot machine.

Nunez might not be producing clinical results for the Merseysiders this term, with three goals and two assists across 17 matches in all competitions, but he’s making a real impact and proving that there is value beyond goal contributions from those in the final third.

It’s definitely an improvement on the player’s overall performances across the past two years under Klopp’s wing. Moreover, he bagged a brace off the bench as Liverpool completed a turnaround victory at St. James’ Park last season and will be desperate to take the next step in his development in this new regime by springing into the ascendency, flanked by Salah and Gakpo.

Diaz is a great player, having gone from strength to strength like so many of his peers this season, but the sum of Liverpool’s brilliance is greater than its parts, and rotation is key to ensuring the wheel keeps spinning.

Liverpool are the real deal alright. We must take it match by match, but you can’t help but shake the feeling that Slot is building something special down Anfield Road.

9/10 Liverpool star proved he's a £100m player in the making vs City

Arne Slot’s Liverpool bulldozed past Manchester City to extend their margin to nine points at the top of the table.

1 ByAngus Sinclair Dec 2, 2024

Chelsea have held preliminary talks with an £83 million player via his representatives “in recent days”, as they seek to gauge information on a potential transfer ahead of the looming January transfer window.

Chelsea prioritising new centre-back for Enzo Maresca

In terms of form right now, Chelsea are arguably the best team in the Premier League right now, reigning supreme in their last six matches across all competitions whilst scoring an impressive 19 goals in that time.

Chelsea stance on selling "top" star as Liverpool and Man City now eye move

Slot and Guardiola have their eyes on a Stamford Bridge favourite.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 13, 2024

Manager Enzo Maresca has been forced to continuously bat away suggestions that his side are firmly in the title race, but if they carry on these performances, it will be near-impossible to deny that they have a real shot of clinching their first domestic crown since 2016.

Going forward, Chelsea are showcasing a real imperiousness, but that hasn’t stopped Todd Boehly, BlueCo and the club’s recruitment team from assessing new striker options.

Brentford (home)

December 15

Everton (away)

December 22

Fulham (home)

December 26

Ipswich Town (away)

December 30

Crystal Palace (away)

January 4

Reliable media sources like journalist Simon Phillips, who regularly breaks inside information from Stamford Bridge via his Substack, claim that Chelsea have made contact over signing Liam Delap from Ipswich Town, even if there is no guarantee they will make a move for the Englishman.

That same source also shared that Chelsea are actually prioritising the signing of a new centre-back, and it could become their main transfer mission, with both Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile facing uncertain futures at Cobham right now.

“The club are looking at many names, and three of the most frequent that are being mentioned to us regularly by sources right now are Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, and Antonio Silva and Tomas Araujo of Benfica,” wrote Phillips last weekend.

“There are many others on the shortlist though, and sources have pointed out to us this week that Everton and England centre back Jarrad Branthwaite is still being looked at.

“In fact, Chelsea are scouting him this season along with many of the other top clubs including Manchester United.

“The centre back area is seen as a priority, and potentially even the main priority, as they look to complete the squad rebuild.”

Chelsea hold preliminary talks with Palmeiras starlet Vitor Reis

The Blues’ pursuit of a new centre-half has taken another twist this week, as GOAL Brasil share news regarding another target in Palmeiras sensation Vitor Reis.

Brazil’s rising star defender, whose contract includes an £83 million release clause, has been linked with an array of elite clubs, including Real Madrid and Arsenal, heading into 2025 – but Chelsea are believed to be firmly in the race.

GOAL claim that Chelsea have contacted Reis’ camp “in recent days” to gain some information on a potential deal for the 18-year-old, but they’re not alone, with the Gunners, Real and Serie A champions Inter Milan doing the same thing.

The central defensive starlet is set to be one of South America’s biggest transfer talking points in the very near future, given his serious pedigree, with Reis’ sky-high potential not lost on Chelsea, who’ve developed a penchat for bringing in some of world football’s biggest talents.

Two male footballers playing in English football have reportedly escaped a sanction despite testing positive for a banned substance.

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Two footballers test positive for banned substancePlay in top four tiers of English footballEscape a sanction for 2023/24 failed testFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , two players tested positive for a banned substance during the tests carried out after Premier League and English Football League games last season. The report adds it is unclear what substances were found in the samples or why they escaped punishment.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The report adds that the number of tests carried out by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has dropped a significant amount year on year. In 2023-24, 2,176 tests across the Premier League, Championship, League One and League Two were carried out, compared to 2,546 in those four divisions the year before. That is an 11 per cent fall in testing which is a worrying statistic and raises a lot of questions.

WHAT THE FA SAID

The English Football Association told : “We take anti-doping in English football extremely seriously. We are fully compliant with the National Anti-Doping Policy of the UK government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; fund one of world sport’s leading anti-doping programmes; and input into targeted, researched and intelligence-led drug testing that is directed by UK Anti-Doping. We also operate our own dedicated social drugs programme to safeguard the physical and mental wellbeing of footballers; and to uphold the values and ethics of the sport.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

One player who is currently suspended after returning an adverse finding in a urine test last November is Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian has denied any wrongdoing and is awaiting what punishment, if any, will be handed to him.

Essex seamer Aaron Beard also makes temporary move to injury-hit county

Matt Roller28-Apr-2022Sussex have signed Mason Crane, the one-cap England legspinner, on a month’s loan to help address their ongoing injury crisis.Sussex won the wooden spoon last season and are rock-bottom of Division Two after two rounds of the 2022 season, following a draw and two defeats.They have seven bowlers unavailable for their fixture against Durham at Hove this week, including Ollie Robinson, who has been ruled out after undergoing dental treatment following a recent infection.Steven Finn, meanwhile, is unavailable due to a knee inflammation, while Jack Carson (stress fracture), Jofra Archer (elbow), Fynn Hudson-Prentice (stress fracture), George Garton (long Covid) and Dan Ibrahim (shoulder) all remain unavailable.”We’ve got seven frontline bowlers out. It’s frustrating for myself, trying to get a side together,” Ian Salisbury, Sussex’s head coach, told BBC Radio Sussex last week. “He [Robinson] is an ECB-contracted player but obviously that’s out of our hands. That’s just the way it is.”As a result of their availability crisis, Sussex have signed Crane on a month’s loan from Hampshire, as well as Essex seamer Aaron Beard for the same period of time.”I have worked with both Mason and Aaron when I coached them for England U-17s and U-19s, so I know their qualities as people and cricketers,” Salisbury said. “I’d like to say thank you to Essex and Anthony McGrath who contacted me to let me know Aaron could be of help, and the same to Hampshire. I am looking forward to working with both of them again and I know they will fit in easily with the group.”Essex will also be without Dan Lawrence, who has a hamstring injury, and Adam Rossington, who is unavailable due to the conditions of his loan, during their fixture against Northamptonshire this week.”The move will provide Aaron with some valuable first-team cricket, which has been hard to come by so far this season due to the wealth of talent we have had available for selection,” McGrath said. “We wish Aaron well and I’m sure he will excel during his short red-ball stint at Hove before returning for the Vitality Blast competition.”Crane, meanwhile, went wicketless in his only appearance of the season to date against Kent at Canterbury. He made his Test debut for England in Sydney in 2018 but has struggled for opportunities since.”This loan provides Mason with an opportunity to play first-class cricket,” Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said. “He was unfortunate to miss out on selection here but we are looking forward to seeing how he performs for Sussex.”

Arsenal are set to come up against several former players this weekend when they face Fulham. The Cottagers’ side has several players who used to ply their trade in North London rather than West London, and they are in contention to face their old club on Sunday afternoon.

One of those players is former goalkeeper Bernd Leno. He cost Fulham £8m in 2022, making the move directly from Arsenal. Two of the other players are former academy stars, Alex Iwobi and Reiss Nelson, with the latter departing the club over the summer.

Arsenal will also come up against another academy graduate who recently left the Emirates Stadium, Emile Smith Rowe.

Smith Rowe’s career before and after leaving Arsenal

The versatile attacking player has had something of a frustrating career. He was meant to be tearing things up for the Gunners alongside Buakyo Saka, but things did not quite work out how he nor every Arsenal fan had hoped.

The England international made 115 appearances for the club that helped bring him through, scoring 18 goals and grabbing 13 assists. He spent six seasons in the first team at the Emirates Stadium, intertwined with two loan spells at German outfit RB Leipzig and Huddersfield Town.

It was an impressive campaign for the attacking midfielder in 2021/22 when he scored ten goals and grabbed two assists in 33 Premier League games.

However, he did not have many opportunities in an Arsenal shirt after that. Injury was part of the reason why he played just 25 Premier League games in the two seasons that followed.

That said, the attacker’s career at Fulham so far has been fantastic. In 14 top-flight games under Marco Silva, Smith Rowe has three goals and two assists to his name. His former boss Mikel Arteta explained before the game he is “really happy” the Hale End star is playing so well because he is “a very special talent”.

Perhaps Arteta regrets letting his former number ten leave this summer and might wish he gave him one more season to get back to his elegant best. However, there is a new kid on the block for the Gunners, who could be their new Smith Rowe.

Arsenal’s new Smith Rowe

The youngster in question here is the impressive Ethan Nwaneri. It has been a real breakthrough season for the Premier League’s youngest-ever player. He made his debut in 2022/23 at the age of 15 years and 5 months old.

After fleeting performances last season, Nwaneri has become a more prominent fixture in Arteta’s squad this term. He has played 11 times in all competitions, scoring his first goals in that famous Red shirt against Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup, and his first top-flight goal against Nottingham Forest in a 3-0 thrashing.

It was a fantastic performance from the talented young winger against Preston North End, a game in which he also scored. As per Sofascore, the youngster, who played as an advanced number eight, completed 98% of his passes and two out of three attempted dribbles.

Stat

Number

Touches

73

Pass accuracy

98%

Passes completed

55/56

Ground duels won

4/6

Dribbles completed

2/3

Tackles won

2/2

Number of times hit woodwork

1

Nwaneri is a player who is highly rated amongst Arsenal fans. Football analyst and Gunners supporter Ben Mattinson described him as a “special” player after his performance against the Lilywhites in the Carabao Cup.

Interestingly, “special” was a word Jamie Carragher used to describe Smith Rowe back in 2021 after a Premier League win over Crystal Palace. Although he was a few years older at the time than the 17-year-old Nwaneri, it is fascinating to see that he was rated just as much when he began to break into the first team.

There are certainly similarities that can be drawn between Smith Rowe and Nwaneri. Not only are they both well-loved and highly rated by Arsenal fans and pundits alike, but both are products of the esteemed Hale End academy.

Gunners fans may well look back on Smith Rowe’s time at the club and wonder what could have been if he could have recaptured his form. However, with Nwaneri, they can certainly get excited about the future.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Perhaps now, with games coming thick and fast, it could be the perfect time for Nwaneri to be unleashed from the start…

Arteta has found Arsenal's new Ozil & Sanchez in unreal "future legend"

The incredible talent has a bright future at Arsenal.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 6, 2024

After holding nerve in four must-win games, England primed for tough bout with South Africa says captain

Valkerie Baynes28-Mar-2022Heather Knight believes that effectively playing “knockout cricket” throughout the latter half of the World Cup group stage will stand England in good stead when it comes to the real thing.England, the defending champions, have won four matches on the trot after defeats in the first three left their semi-final qualification hopes hanging by a thread. They take on South Africa on Thursday in a replay of the 2017 semi-final in Bristol, which England won by two wickets with two balls remaining.”We’re in a very good place,” Knight said. “We still probably haven’t played our best cricket yet, which is more exciting, I think, and something we feel like we’re building towards, hopefully at the perfect time.”The really pleasing thing is we’ve reacted brilliantly to knockout games. We’ve been playing knockout cricket since the fourth game, so to be able to deal with that is great for going into the semi-final. Having that mentality to have the pressure on you and that if you lose you’re out, we’ve had that for a while now, so I think that will be a really useful thing for us.Related

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Mignon du Preez has got her mojo working, and it's come at the perfect time

More Australian dominance, and veterans leave the building

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“The same things apply, just keeping it really simple, going into that semi-final not changing too many things and just doing what’s gone very well for us recently.”In that previous semi-final clash with South Africa, England overcame an almighty wobble in which they lost 3 for 6 in the space of 12 balls after a comfortable start chasing 219. Some 14 players from that match could feature in the likely line-ups across both teams on Thursday. However, Knight believes her team’s more recent experience of dealing with pressure will have more of a bearing against a South Africa side which has won five out of seven group games in this year’s tournament, including a three-wicket win with four balls to spare against England.”We’ve been used to dealing with the pressure of the last four games,” Knight said. “So having a process as individuals and as a team is quite important, and knowing what the stakes are, it’s just useful just to know that we’ve been successful and it’s brought the best out of us. I think that will build a lot of confidence going into Thursday.”We’ll have to bring our best cricket and we’d love to obviously have the same result as 2017. It would be a little bit nicer if it wasn’t as close because that’s probably one of the most nerve-wracking finishes to a cricket game I think I’ve ever had, to make a home World Cup final.”Heather Knight says her side are peaking at the right time•ICC/Getty ImagesKnight credits her team’s “remarkable” turnaround, which also followed a disappointing Ashes campaign in Australia immediately before the World Cup, to remaining calm and working to fix the areas that were letting them down, namely poor fielding and the conceding of too many extras.”It was just being honest with what had gone wrong and realising that a lot of it was in our control and mainly just trying to stay positive around the group,” she said. “You don’t want to go crazy and make a huge deal out of it. You’re just desperate to obviously try and turn it around and I think you do that by remembering what what has made us a very good team, what we do really well, and try and execute that.”Fielding mistakes proved costly for England in their group game with South Africa. Laura Wolvaardt was dropped three times in the process of top-scoring with 77, and she remains the competition’s leading run-maker with 433 so far, 75 ahead of second-placed Meg Lanning of Australia.England will also be wary of Marizanne Kapp, who has shown her allround match-winning ability during this tournament, dangerous seamer Shabnim Ismail and opener Lizelle Lee, even though she has only reached double figures twice in six innings so far with a top score of 36.”I think Lizelle Lee’s had quite a quiet tournament, and not forgetting how explosive she can be, and making sure we’re having plans in place for all their batters is pretty important,” Knight said. “But it’s no secret Laura’s going to be a key wicket for us, trying to get her early. We obviously had a few opportunities to do that in our first game but couldn’t take them so we have to be really on it from ball one and start quite quickly.”South Africa are no strangers to close encounters at this World Cup, their victories over Pakistan, England, New Zealand and India all coming down to the final over – the last ball in the case of India. Having lost just one match, to Australia before a washed-out game with West Indies, South Africa are unbeaten batting second in 16 matches, which could influence Knight’s decision should she win the toss.Veteran seamer Anya Shrubsole is available for selection, having been rested during England’s final group-stage match, a 100-run win over Bangladesh. While Knight was yet to see the Christchurch pitch, she expected it to be the same one on which they defeated Pakistan by nine wickets. That surface was a green-top, albeit a week before the South Africa game, on which seamer Katherine Brunt and spinner Sophie Ecclestone took three wickets each.The winner of the England-South Africa game will face in the final either Australia or West Indies, who play the previous day.

Atletico Madrid's Antoine Griezmann has matched Lionel Messi as the foreign player with the most appearances in La Liga after making his 520th outing.

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Griezmann made 520th La Liga appearanceMatches Messi recordFaced former club Barca in crucial clashFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Griezmann is a legend of La Liga and is soon to stand at the top of the appearance charts when it comes to non-Spanish players in the division. After being named in the starting XI for the crucial league match against Barcelona, he made his 520th outing in the top flight, matching the iconic Messi.

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The Frenchman starred alongside Messi at Barca between 2019 and 2022, but has played his best football at Atletico, where he hopes to win his maiden La Liga title under Diego Simeone. He is already a Europa League, Spanish Super Cup and UEFA Super Cup winner with Los Colchoneros, and has hit 197 goals across his two spells for the Madrid-based club.

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At 33, Griezmann is still flying at the top level. In the 2024-25 campaign, the former Barcelona ace has bagged 16 goals and notched seven assists, and is on course to match his respective tallies from last term. However, Atletico's title hopes suffered a major blow on Sunday as they suffered a 4-2 defeat to Barca, despite taking a two-goal lead in the match.

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The World Cup winner has been linked with a move away from Spain at the end of the season. His contract runs until the summer of 2026, but there are strong rumours circulating about a potential move to the MLS, with Messi's Inter Miami among the clubs to have been linked with his services.