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Leeds United could find it hard to keep hold of Raphinha after his impressive form for Brazil, according to Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips.

The Lowdown: Raphinha on fire for Brazil

The 24-year-old has been fantastic for the Whites over the last year and his form earned him a call-up to Brazil’s squad during the current international break.

Raphinha made an immediate impression on his Selecao debut, registering two assists in his country’s 3-1 win away to Venezuela on Friday, showing exactly what he is capable of producing.

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The Latest: Leeds exit soon?

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips admitted that the winger’s performance will only increase the chance of him moving on from Leeds eventually, with elite clubs sure to be eyeing up a transfer. The former Sunderland striker said:

“His stock is rising, big time. To perform like that for Brazil, it doesn’t really get any better.

“We know the impact he has had on the Premier League. He has been amazing. But, to do it for Brazil is just brilliant. It puts his stock even higher.

“A performance like that has pros and cons for Leeds. On one hand you think, ‘Brilliant. He’s improving all the time.’

“But, on the other hand you fear that there will be a lot of interest from other clubs next year. They might try and nick him.

“It is great news for Leeds that he will come back buzzing and full of confidence though. Hopefully he can keep up that level of performance.”

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The Verdict: Tough to keep hold of him

Much like Kalvin Phillips, in an ideal world Raphinha would stay at Leeds for the rest of his career – he has been hailed as ‘incredible’ by Phil Hay – given how important he is to Marcelo Bielsa. He is their leading scorer this season with three goals and, as per WhoScored metrics, is their best-performing player by a distance.

In reality, the Whites may have to accept that a fresh challenge could appeal to the 24-year-old in the near future, with the Brazilian perhaps keen to play for a Champions League club or a team challenging for league titles.

Whether or not it is as early as next summer remains to be seen, but as Kevin Phillips has hinted, it is difficult to see Raphinha staying at Elland Road in the long-term if he continues to thrive for club and country.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided an update regarding Leeds’ January transfer business. Read more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Marcação, velocidade e disposição. Essas são as principais características de Alison no Santos, que o fez ganhar os apelidos “MMAlison” e “Cachorro Louco” dos santistas, por causa de seu desempenho em campo. E também são essas que trarão a sequência desejada pelo jovem de 24 anos.

E o que hoje o fez titular com o técnico Levir Culpi, antes o tirou a oportunidade com o ex-treinador Dorival Júnior, justamente por seu estilo de jogo mais agressivo. Mas quem sempre esteve de olho em Alison foi Claudinei Oliveira, atualmente técnico do Avaí, mas que já foi responsável pelas categorias de base do Peixe. Foi ele que treinou, desenvolveu Alison como atleta e hoje sente falta e gostaria de tê-lo no elenco do Leão da Ilha.

– Vi Alison evoluir nas categorias de base, trabalhei com ele desde o sub-17 até o profissional. Coloquei ele para atuar como titular na equipe profissional em 2013 e ele terminou o ano como titular. O Alison sempre foi muito intenso e competitivo, em alguns momentos esse excesso de vontade o rotulou de uma forma negativa. Eu discordo, nunca achei o Alison um atleta violento. Sempre foi guerreiro e intenso, mas nunca desleal. Jogar contra ele não é muito bom, não (risos). Eu preferia ter ele do nosso lado pela qualidade na marcação e de atleta que ele é, mas fico feliz de vê-lo em campo – explicou em entrevista ao LANCE!

O reencontro ocorrerá neste domingo, às 19h, na Ressacada, pela 19ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, mas desta vez em posições diferentes. Alison é titular do Alvinegro e Claudinei comandará o Avaí, que está na 18ª colocação do campeonato e precisa da vitória para sair da zona de rebaixamento.

Com a lesão de Vecchio, o volante tem a grande chance de conquistar a vaga desejada depois de marcar um golaço de fora da área em vitória por 3 a 2, sobre o Flamengo, na última quarta-feira. E ele pretende repetir o feito neste domingo.

As expected for a man whose girlfriend is a karate black-belt, Mitchell Johnson doesn’t intimidate easily. So the sight of England’s No. 3 Ravi Bopara rattling off three consecutive centuries against West Indies hasn’t worried him in the slightest

Brydon Coverdale and Alex Brown21-May-2009As expected for a man whose girlfriend is a karate black-belt, Mitchell Johnson doesn’t intimidate easily. So the sight of England’s No. 3 Ravi Bopara rattling off three consecutive centuries against West Indies hasn’t worried him in the slightest. It’s a sentiment shared by his captain Ricky Ponting, who believes England’s recent success will count for little when Australia arrive.Bopara was the standout for England in their home series against West Indies, when he scored 143 and 108, following the 104 he made during his only appearance in the Caribbean in February. He hasn’t played Australia in a Test, just as Johnson hasn’t faced England, but Australia’s new spearhead is confident his attack can get the better of Bopara.”I’ve seen Bopara in those two Tests against the West Indies where he scored those two centuries,” Johnson told Cricinfo. “He looked good, but there is a big difference between a series against the West Indies and the Ashes. There will be much more pressure out there, so it will be interesting to see how he goes.”There’s no doubt that facing Australia will be an enormous step up. For one thing, the West Indies captain Chris Gayle led by inglorious example in England, where he arrived late from the IPL and declared that he wouldn’t mind if Test cricket died out. By comparison, Ponting has plainly stated that he is desperate to win the Ashes on English soil.”They’ve obviously done everything very well in the last two Test matches against the West Indies,” Ponting said of England. “I guarantee they’ll be facing a stiffer opposition than West Indies when we arrive. It’s been made pretty clear over the past couple of weeks that their captain [Gayle] doesn’t really want to be there.”England will be a very stiff and tough opposition, we know that. They always are when we play against them. The last series out here in Australia was a 5-0 result to us but it could’ve been a whole lot different had we not done some exceptional things.”One of the men who troubled England during that series was Stuart Clark, who with 26 victims was Australia’s leading wicket-taker in a team that featured Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Clark believes England have improved since then and, in any case, will be tougher to beat at their home venues.Since the tour of Australia Matthew Hoggard and Sajid Mahmood have fallen by the wayside, Ashley Giles has retired, and Andrew Flintoff has battled ongoing injuries. Steve Harmison didn’t play in the home series against West Indies, although Clark expects him to win a recall for the Ashes. He said the England attack would be tough to dominate.”The bowling line-up is different but probably better [than 2006-07],” Clark said. “Steve Harmison is obviously a great bowler and Flintoff may come back into the team. But Graham Onions and Stuart Broad and James Anderson are doing a great job. I think from what we saw out here a couple of years ago they’ve probably improved and are at a higher level than what they were.”They’ve played some good cricket. I’m not sure they’re playing against the greatest competition in the world. They’ve still gone out and done a job. They beat the West Indies in three days, which is not an easy thing to do, even if the opposition isn’t great.”The Australians, on the other hand, are coming off a 2-1 victory in South Africa against the No. 2 side in the world. It all adds up to a group confident of overcoming anything England can throw at them.”You don’t face many tougher tasks than playing South Africa over there,” Ponting said. “That really excites me about what we’ve got coming up on this Ashes tour.”

علق محمود فتح الله مدرب نادي بيراميدز، على مواجهة الزمالك القادمة ببطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، المقرر إقامتها الإثنين.

الزمالك يواجه بيراميدز، يوم الإثنين الموافق الأول من شهر أغسطس المقبل، في إطار الجولة الـ28 من عمر بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

وقال فتح الله خلال تصريحات عبر برنامج “الريمونتادا” على قناة “المحور”: “الزمالك ناد كبير ولديه رصيد كبير من البطولات ولديه نقص في اللاعبين ورغم ذلك حصل على بطولة الكأس ويسير بشكل جيد في الدوري”.

طالع | ترتيب الدوري المصري بعد فوز الأهلي وبيراميدز على مصر المقاصة والبنك الأهلي

وأضاف: “ستكون مواجهة قوية وسنحاول أن لا نفرط في أي نقاط، مهما كان الذي سيحدث، سنعمل كل ما علينا”.

وبشأن تواجد إبراهيم عادل لاعب بيراميدز أمام الزمالك، أوضح: “أتمنى، هو لاعب مؤثر جدًا ولكن أعتقد هناك صعوبة ونسبة لحاقه بالمباراة ليست كبيرة”.

وانتصر بيراميدز علي البنك الأهلي، بهدف دون رد، في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم الأربعاء في الجولة الـ 27 من عمر بطولة الدوري.

ويحتل بيراميدز المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري، برصيد 59 نقطة، بينما يتواجد الزمالك في الصدارة برصيد 60 نقطة.

Muttiah Muralitharan is keeping everybody waiting. He began the series against India needing three wickets to overtake Wasim Akram and become the highest wicket-taker in ODIs

Cricinfo staff02-Feb-2009
Muttiah Muralitharan is poised to become the highest wicket-taker in ODIs © AFP
Muttiah Muralitharan is keeping everybody waiting. He began the series against India needing three wickets to overtake Wasim Akram and become the highest wicket-taker in ODIs. Two matches later, he’s still two wickets away, having taken only 1 for 84 in 20 overs in the first two ODIs.Murali, however, is not thinking about breaking the record. “Honestly I am not thinking of taking those two wickets much,” he told the . “The important thing is towin this game. I am going to keep playing and the record will come someday. I am pretty happy with my form. Maybe they [the Indian batsmen] are not taking too many risks against me.”Sri Lanka’s batsmen have failed to fire collectively in the series. Sanath Jayasuriya scored 107 in the first game, and Thilina Kandamby made a valiant unbeaten 93 in the second, but both did not get much support from the others. “We are not playing well,” Murali said. “Our batting has been a huge concern for us.”But having said that these guys are quality players and they have proved themselves over the years. We had a few players retiring and those slots have been filled by some new ones and we have shifted some places. So these things can happen.”Sri Lanka need to win the remaining three matches, after conceding a 2-0 lead to India, to take the series and Murali urged his team-mates to play with their natural flair. “The main thing is that we need to think that this is just another game,” he said. “You shouldn’t be putting any undue pressure. When you start thinking of what’s at stake you tend to get into a negative mindset. What’s important is to be positive and play our natural game.”Sri Lanka are fighting to avoid a third consecutive ODI-series defeat at home, after going down 3-2 to both India and England. Murali, however, was confident of a turnaround. “We didn’t lose badly. The score line says we lost 3-2, both against England and India. We will improve and get back to our winning ways. Don’t forget that India is one of the best sides in the world right now in all three forms of the game.”

Charlton have endured a difficult start to the 2021/22 campaign and currently sit 19th in the League One table during the first international break of the season.

Nigel Adkins’ side have only accrued four points from their five league games, with one win, one draw and three defeats as it stands.

They opened the season with a 0-0 draw against Sheffield Wednesday before losing three games on the bounce to Oxford, MK Dons and Wigan, conceding six goals and scoring just two. Their first win of the campaign came in a 2-0 success against Crewe Alexandra in the final league match of the month.

Despite Charlton’s struggles, there were a few shining lights to give fans, and Adkins, some hope heading into the rest of the season. Due to the unflattering results, one player whose performances may have gone under the radar is George Dobson.

The midfielder, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer, was one of only three Charlton players to average a SofaScore rating of 7.00 or higher last month, suggesting that he was one of the club’s best performers. He was an unsung hero in his four starts, as his individual performances were wasted by his team-mates letting him down and ultimately losing, bar the draw with Sheffield Wednesday.

Defensively, Dobson worked his socks off for the team and was very active in the midfield. As per SofaScore, he won an eye-catching 17 tackles in four matches, whilst also making five interceptions and two clearances. He won 63% of his duels on the pitch, six per game and 24 overall in his four appearances.

This shows that he was effective at putting his foot in and winning the ball back for Charlton. He was also secure in possession in his own half, completing 95% of his passes inside his own half of the pitch and not making many silly mistakes to gift the ball back to the opposition.

Dobson had 175 touches of the ball in the four matches combined despite Charlton failing to win any of them, showing that he was actively involved in trying to turn the game around for the Addicks. Along with his impressive passing accuracy and defensive awareness, this shows that he was one of the club’s better performers during this poor run, which is why he was their unsung hero during August – not getting the credit he deserved due to the team’s poor results.

Read more: These figures sum up one of Dobson’s best performances so far this season

Murali Kartik, the Middlesex left-arm spinner, has said that the Stanford 20/20 Super Series, “for all its glitz and glamour”, was hit by technical glitches, and that his team and Trinidad and Tobago were treated differently “like step-cousins” compared to England and Stanford Superstars, the other two sides in the competition.Kartik finds himself in the unique position of being the only cricketer in the world to have played in both the IPL and the Stanford 20/20 Super Series, and is in line to complete a treble next month when he represents Middlesex in the inaugural Champions Twenty20 League. “It’s feels strange and a bit funny. Surely, it’s not something to be overtly proud of, but still it’s something up your sleeve,” Kartik told Cricinfo.However, Kartik said “nothing can beat” another comeback to the Indian team for which he is “keeping fingers crossed”.Kartik, who many feel has been treated unfairly by the Indian selectors, has had an on-off international career since 2004, and last played for India during the 2007 ODI home series against Pakistan. He was subsequently picked for the Test series against South Africa early this year, only to be ruled out due to a freak ankle injury. “This time, for once in my life, I have been at the right place at the right time,” Kartik said.Now representing Railways at a Ranji Trophy game in Bangalore, Kartik said there were a few things that struck him as odd during the Stanford tournament last week. “For me, the Stanford series, for all the glitz and glamour, could have been handled better,” he said. “There were a lot of technical glitches. The way the teams were treated was different. Trinidad and Middlesex were like step-cousins, compared to England and the Superstars. Besides, there was not even an inaugural function before an event of this magnitude, which struck me as strange.”Asked to pick a common strand from the IPL and the Stanford Super Series, the two most talked-about Twenty20 competitions this year, Kartik said, “The only thing in common, if I can joke about it, is the bowlers were getting hit.”But seriously, the IPL is a massive thing. It’s a world event that everyone wants to be part of. Even the guys who played for England in the Stanford series wanted to be part of it. It’s become like the World Cup. It’s got the cream of international cricket with the best young talent of India and abroad getting to play under one umbrella. The crowds have been overwhelming, too.”On the other hand, Kartik said, Stanford had more to do with the fact that the “ECB had to do something to keep their players happy”.”I wouldn’t say that the quality of cricket was fantastic,” he said. “Besides, in Antigua, it was only the US$20 million game that was of importance. Although England played us (Middlesex) and the Trinidad and Tobago once each, those games didn’t make any difference. Technically, they were just warm-up games. We played the Stanford Superstars too, but it didn’t make any difference whether we won or not.”The one big game in Antigua that Kartik was involved in was against Trinidad and Tobago for a winner-takes-all US$ 280,000. “But we dropped three crucial catches and we simply dropped the money,” he said. “It was very disappointing because that money meant a lot for Middlesex.”Kartik is now looking forward to the Champions League, though he admits that Middlesex will virtually be fielding a second-string team due to the non-availability of five key players.But according to him, playing for India is all that matters in the end. “You can play IPL, Stanford, Champions League and everything else under the sun. But there’s no better feeling than playing for your country. I am keeping my fingers crossed, and hoping as I have always done, that something will happen.”

Nottingham Forest have seen a third bid for Lee Buchanan rejected.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Alan Nixon, with The Sun journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that, after submitting an improved offer for the Derby County left-back, the Rams have once again rejected their rival’s advances.

However, Nixon continues by stating that the summer transfer window is far from over, suggesting that deal could well be struck regarding the defender, as well as claiming in a further tweet that the offer made by Forest is more than fair in the current climate.

He said: “Forest. Latest offer for Buchanan at Derby bigger and with decent add ons. Derby say no just now. But window far from shut,” before adding “the Forest bid is not an insult. Pretty fair in current climate.”

Fans will be buzzing

While Derby’s rejection of Forest’s latest bid will undoubtedly come as a blow to Dane Murphy and his side, the fact that it seems as if an agreement for the 20-year-old could be found if the Reds keep pushing should well give fans of the club hope.

And, considering Chris Hughton’s lack of depth in Buchanan’s position, as well as the sheer amount of potential the England U21 international seems to possess, should Murphy manage to convince Derby to part with the defender this summer, it would have to go down as something of a masterclass by the new Forest CEO.

Indeed, over his 35 Championship appearances for Wayne Rooney’s side last season, the £2.25m-rated starlet helped his side keep seven clean sheets, as well as making an average of 0.9 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and 2.3 clearances and winning 6.1 duels per game.

The man Rooney dubbed a “top player” also impressed in a creative capacity, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.4 key passes per match.

As such, the addition of Buchanan would very much look to be a fantastic deal for Murphy to get over the line for Forest this summer, not only as he would solve Hughton’s issues at left-back, or that he is a player who boasts a great amount of talent, but pinching one of the Garibaldi’s rival’s brightest stars would undoubtedly have the City Ground faithful buzzing.

In other news: Forest transfer news confirmed on “talented” £2.5k-p/w gem, Hughton will be buzzing

ريال مدريد لا يخسر النهائيات، إنه موجز إعلامي ومؤخرًا إحصائية، ولكن يبدو أنه جزء أساسي من اللعبة، هذا وفقا للفائز 5 مرات في المسابقة داني كارفاخال.

الظهير الأيمن هو واحد من 3 لاعبين شاركوا في نهائيات دوري أبطال أوروبا الخمسة التي فاز بها لوس بلانكوس منذ 2014، إلى جانب لوكا مودريتش وكريم بنزيما.

انضم هذا الثلاثي أيضًا إلى كريستيانو رونالدو في الحصول على أكبر عدد من ألقاب دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد الفوز 1-0 على ليفربول في مايو.

في حديثه إلى صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، سُئل كارفاخال فقط كيف تمكن ريال مدريد من الخروج منتصرًا من آخر 8 نهائيات أوروبية.

وقال كارفاخال: “أعتقد أن هذا ما يشعر به المنافس أكثر مما نشعر به، نذهب من أجلها في كل مرة، نحن نعلم أنه حتى لو كنا سيئين للغاية ولم يكن هذا يومنا، فستتاح لنا فرصنا، وإذا واصلنا توزيع ضربات المطرقة، فسنحصل على مكافأتنا”.

في ذهن كارفاخال، كان هذا بالضبط ما حدث ضد ليفربول أيضًا، وأضاف: “إنه يؤثر على المنافس أكثر، لدي ريال مدريد أمامي، ريال مدريد لا يخسر النهائيات، ريال مدريد يعرف كيف ينافس في النهائيات… في باريس سجل الفريق الهدف وكانت هذه هي المباراة بشكل أساسي”.

وأكد كارفخال: “نحن نعرف ما يجب القيام به في كل لحظة، وأنهم سيتركون المساحات وهذا هو المفتاح.. إدارة اللحظات في المباراة بشكل صحيح من أجل الفوز بالكأس”.

تصريحاته تبدو صحيحة بالتأكيد عبر مسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا، يمكن القول إنه في كل مرحلة من مرحلة خروج المغلوب، نجح ريال مدريد بطريقة ما في التغلب على الضغط عندما تنهار العديد من الفرق الأخرى، مما سمح لأنفسهم بالتعادل أو الفوز بالمباراة في المراحل المتأخرة.

ويضيف كارفاخال: “نتحدث عن ذلك كثيرًا فيما بيننا، حول ما نحققه، لدرجة أنه في النهاية يصبح أمرًا طبيعيًا، لكن عندما أتحدث إلى الأصدقاء والعائلة، أعتقد أنه في غضون بضع سنوات، سيكون ما نقوم به أكثر قيمة”.

ويؤكد الظهير: “انها ليست سهلة، لم يفز أي فريق بدوري أبطال أوروبا مرتين متتاليتين وفزنا بثلاثة، إنه شيء مذهل وأقول دائمًا إنه مع مرور الوقت سيكتسب المزيد من القيمة، إنه لشرف وامتياز أن أكون هنا وساعدت النادي على صنع التاريخ في واحدة من أكثر العصور الذهبية، وبالنسبة لي، هذا أفضل شيء يمكن أن يحدث لي”.

اقرأ أيضًا | كارفاخال: الكرة الذهبية لـ بنزيما وأي مرشح آخر بعيد المنال عنه

وعن فوزه بدوري الأبطال 5 مرات، يفيد كارفاخال: “أعتقد أن هذه إحصائية لا يشاركها معي سوى كريم بنزيما ولوكا مودريتش، أنا فخور جدًا بمساعدة الفريق على الفوز بخمس مرات على أرض الملعب، في التشكيلة الأساسية”.

وتابع: “يتحدث قليلًا عن مدى صعوبة التواجد في هذا النادي والحفاظ على نفسك في التشكيلة الأساسية لسنوات عديدة، مارسيلو، إيكر [كاسياس] سيرجيو [راموس]، راؤول … اللاعبون الذين كانوا هنا منذ سنوات عديدة، مع متطلبات هذا القميص، إنه شيء يستحق”.

وحول أحداث مباريات ريال مدريد في دوري أبطال أوروبا هذا العام والعودة بالنتيجة، أردف كارفاخال: “بدأنا بشكل جيد في دور المجموعات، أصبحت الأمور معقدة بعض الشيء مع هزيمة شريف لكننا تجاوزنا البقية بشكل جيد”.

وتابع: “كنا نأمل في الحصول على قرعة أكثر إيجابية من التي حصلنا عليها، وهي باريس سان جيرمان، لم نلعب بشكل جيد في باريس، بالكاد سددنا كرة على المرمى، لم يبد الفريق أي رد فعل، وكان أفضل شيء في تلك المباراة هو النتيجة على الأرجح، الخسارة 1-0 فقط”.

وأكمل: “كان الأمر نفسه في مباراة الإياب، كنا نخسر 2-0 في مجموع المباراتين، وبعد ذلك، حسنًا، سحر هذا الجانب، وضغط كريم لفرض خطأ من دوناروما … كلنا رأينا النافذة مفتوحة، لقد أدركنا، حتى اللاعبين الأصغر سناً الذين لم يختبروا ليالي دوري أبطال أوروبا هذه، أدرك الجميع ما يمكن أن يفعله البرنابيو”.

وأكد كارفاخال: “من هناك، بدا أننا استمتعنا بالمعاناة والعودة وهذا ما حدث، أمام تشيلسي لعبنا بشكل جيد على أرضنا وخارجها، ولم يكن لديهم ما يخسرونه، هذه هي أصعب المباريات التي يجب أن تلعبها، ضد فريق يقف في المقدمة ولا تريد أن تتخلى عن شبر واحد، لم نقم بذلك بأفضل طريقة، وضد سيتي، يمكنك أن تتخيل ذلك، السحر،  في غضون دقيقتين، فرضنا وقتًا إضافيًا ثم علمنا أننا سنتأهل بالتأكيد”.

واسترسل: “قمنا جميعًا بواجبنا، أولئك الذين لعبوا أكثر، والذين لم يلعبوا بنفس القدر، كانوا جميعًا مفتاح المجموعة، كل من جاء لعب دور، يمكنك رؤيته من على مقاعد البدلاء، ضد تشيلسي انتهى بي الأمر باللعب في قلب الدفاع، لقد كان مؤقتًا إلى حد ما، ديفيد [ألابا] ولوكاس [فاسكيز] ومارسيلو وأنا، حتى لاعبو الوسط الثلاثة، كاسيميرو ولوكا وتوني [كروس] لم يكونوا موجودين، هذا يقول الكثير عن الفريق العميق والموهوب الذي لدينا”.

كارفاخال تحدث عن النهائي أمام ليفربول وفرض الرقابة على لويس دياز، وأوضح: “دخلت نهاية الموسم في حالة جيدة وأردت أن أجعل تلك النهائيات الأربعة والألقاب الأربعة تحتسب ضده، حيث كان في أول نهائي له، الأمر ليس بهذه السهولة، أردت التمسك به مثل الغراء، أعرف الخطر الذي يمكن أن يسببه وأعتقد أنني تمكنت من التفوق عليه في معظم المباراة، كان هذا أحد المفاتيح، في المبارزات الدفاعية كنا أفضل بكثير في مختلف جوانب اللعبة، ثم كان هناك أداء تيبو كورتوا، فقد أنقذنا عدة مرات”.

وأتم كارفاخال بشأن جمهور ريال مدريد في البرنابيو في حسم اللقب: “كان المشجعون والملعب أساسيين في فوزنا بدوري أبطال أوروبا والليجا، يمكن للعديد من الفرق أن تسجل ضدك في الدقيقة 75، وتحتاج إلى هدفين لتتأهل، والجميع يعلم أن ذلك يمكن أن يحدث، هذا يمنحنا أجنحة، ويمنحنا الكثير من الطاقة للعودة، وقد أتى بثماره، وذلك بفضلهم”.

West Ham fans endured and then enjoyed a frenetic opening match in the Premier League last weekend as their side beat Newcastle United 4-2.

Callum Wilson and Jacob Murphy’s goals either side of an equaliser from Aaron Cresswell saw the Magpies go into half-time with a 2-1 lead, with the Hammers fans potentially left wondering what else could go wrong in the second-half.

However, a stunning second 45 minutes from David Moyes’ team secured the three points for the Irons. Said Benrhama, Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio scored the goals, giving the Hammers a perfect start to the season with three points on the board.

On the Chalkboard

Despite the 4-2 win over the opening day, there is one change Moyes should make to his side for the clash with Leicester in the Premier League on Monday night.

Alphonse Areola joined on loan from PSG this summer to battle it out with Lukasz Fabianksi for the number one jersey. Given that Moyes will surely want his first-choice goalkeeper locked in as early as possible, to prove a solid base at the back, Areola should be unleashed against Leicester to see what he can do.

Fabianski was left rooted to his line for the first Newcastle goal as he failed to react to a cross that arrived inside the six-yard box from Allan Saint-Maximin. This allowed Wilson to head into the net with relative ease, instead of being challenged by the Poland international – who could have made an attempt to reach the cross.

He also only made one save and was given the lowest SofaScore rating (6.2) in the team. This suggests that he was not at his best and as such, Areola should now be given the opportunity to stake his claim for the shirt.

Thomas Tuchel once hailed Areola as ‘exceptional’ whilst he was the manager of PSG, speaking about the competition between the current Hammer and Italian legend Gigi Buffon at the time. He told PSG’s official website:

“Honestly, I have to admit that I have a bit of a bad conscience. The situation is not easy for both. They are exceptional. Normally, changing every other match is not the best way to get the best performance from a goalkeeper. They are amazing. We decide each week who will play.”

The £147k-per-week beast saved 7.6 expected goals for Fulham in the Premier League last season during an impressive spell at Craven Cottage. Fabianski, meanwhile, saved 4.8 expected goals for the Hammers. This suggests that the Frenchman has the quality required to be an upgrade in terms of shot-stopping, which is another reason why Moyes must unleash him against Leicester.

If Moyes alternates his goalkeepers in the opening weeks of the season, it could allow him to get the perfect view of both to analyse who is the best option to go with for the majority of the campaign. The sooner he works that out, the better.

AND in other news, Get it done: West Ham must sanction deal for “dominant” £25m beast, Moyes needs him…