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Manchester United have been linked with a move for Nicolo Barella as they look to add further reinforcements to their engine room.

What’s the story?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the recruitment team at Old Trafford are already beginning to plan for the January transfer window and beyond as their troubles on the pitch continue to mount.

They claim that a new central midfielder is high up on the United hierarchy’s wishlist and the Inter Milan midfielder is their priority target after a string of standout displays from the highly-rated 24-year-old for both club and country in recent months.

Fans will be buzzing

With Paul Pogba’s future at Old Trafford far from secure, a large section of the club’s supporters will be excited to learn that the Red Devils are reportedly in the market for Barella.

The Italy international has established himself as one of Serie A’s most influential stars over the last couple of campaigns, playing a pivotal part in Inter’s first league title victory in 11 years last term.

His impressive performances have earned several plaudits in his homeland, including former Juventus star Claudio Marchisio.

Barella then carried his incredible club form onto the international stage during the European Championships, scoring one goal and laying on a further two assists in six outings as the Azzurri claimed the Euro 2020 trophy over England.

Therefore, Red Devils football director John Murtough must consider a swoop for the £58.5m-rated beast over the coming months as he’ll be providing the 20-time English champions with one of the best young central midfielders in Europe right now.

And, in other news…Reliable journo drops big update on Solskjaer’s future, Man Utd fans will be intrigued 

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O sub-20 do Santos voltou a ser eliminado precocemente, desta vez na primeira fase do Torneio de Cotif, disputado em Valencia, na Espanha. Porém, o Peixe teve um motivo para comemorar. Mesmo com a saída breve da competição, o lateral-esquerdo Emerson foi um dos escolhidos para a seleção da competição.

-Recebi a notícia quando estávamos embarcando para o Brasil, através de uma mensagem do meu pai, que me enviou a notícia do site do torneio. Fiquei muito feliz por meu trabalho estar sendo reconhecido e comemorei muito com meus companheiros. O lado ruim é que infelizmente, não conseguimos nosso objetivo, que era ser campeão, pois é o lugar onde o Santos deve estar – disse o jovem de 18 anos, que enfrentou Valencia e Sevilla.

Depois de passagens por Flamengo, Avaí e Goiás, o jovem ala sonha com um futuro no profissional do Alvinegro e já participou de treinamentos com a equipe comandada por Levir Culpi.

O sub-20 do Peixe ainda tem pela frente nesta temporada o Campeonato Paulista da categoria.

As Pakistan prepare for their return to the world stage after a traumatic period of exile, England find themselves staring into an abyss of their own making

Andrew Miller and Osman Samiuddin06-Jun-2009Match Facts
Sunday, June 7
Start time 17:30 local (16:30 GMT)Big Picture
Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul, Twenty20’s top wicket-taking pair, give Pakistan a massive lift•AFP

As Pakistan prepare for their return to the world stage after a traumatic period of exile, England find themselves staring into an abyss of their own making. A lip-smacking contest that, by rights, ought to have launched the ICC World Twenty20 has instead been turned into a do-or-die encounter. Netherlands’ stunning victory at Lord’s on Friday has blown the group wide open, and while England need nothing less than victory to keep their hopes alive, if Pakistan win they will be through.England’s attitude in the tournament opener was shameful and dismissive – they turned up without conviction and chose to rest their star players with an eye on bigger tussles. The impression they gave was one of indifference, which is an emotion that couldn’t be further from the needs of Pakistan’s hour. They need desperately to do well here, perhaps more than most other countries, given what they have and are going through.Anything less than a semi-final spot would be a disappointment for Pakistan, and winning their very first game is now imperative. At least four of the potential XI against England were in the side that lost to Ireland in 2007: they know well the dangers – and subsequent pain – of playing against a minnow and would much prefer to go into Tuesday’s game against Netherlands with a win secured.Their run-in to this contest has been poor, with two comprehensive defeats in the warm-ups, but Pakistan has never been a nation to get excited by practice games. Indeed, if 1992 is anything to go by, the worse they play in the warm-ups, the better they are later in the tournament. Above all, as seen in 2007 and a Twenty20 record of 13 wins from 17 games (three losses), the format suits them just fine.If only the same could be said for England. A desperate lack of focus condemned them in their opening game, and any more of the same will confirm their elimination. Defeat to a minnow may be the wake-up call they need, but with 24 hours to recover, they are sure to feel a bit groggy when the teams reconvene on the field.Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
Pakistan WLWWWThis will only be Pakistan’s second Twenty20 in seven months so rust will come into the equation. Though most of the side took a limited part in a quickfire domestic Twenty20 tournament, none of them were involved in the far more competitive IPL, which means effectively, the rest of the world has a headstart. They were impressive in a recent demolition of Australia but beyond that there isn’t much form of any kind of competitive cricket to fall back on.England LLWWWWhere do we start with England? Too many matches against West Indies – 17 in four months, punctuated by a friendly against Scotland – have softened them up just when a hardening of attitude was the order of the day. They, like Pakistan, played minimal parts in the IPL, though that was less for political reasons, and more because the world doesn’t rate their Twenty20 players. On Friday’s evidence, that’s hardly a surprise.Watch out for
Pakistan’s mix of fast bowlers and spinners is a potent one even in a tournament blessed with some fine bowling attacks (Sri Lanka, India and Australia to name just three). The top two wicket-takers in Twenty20s are both to be found in green: Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi. If either Sohail Tanvir finds some form or young Mohammad Aamer chooses this stage to make an impact, their attack will be difficult to overcome.Pity poor Stuart Broad, whose experiences in his last two World Twenty20 contests have been among the most chastening of his career. At Durban in September 2007, he was clouted for six sixes in an over by Yuvraj Singh; but even that paled compared to his humiliation on Friday at Lord’s, when – despite serving up about the best over he could muster – he was still England’s fall-guy thanks to a tally of three missed run-outs and a dropped catch in the final six balls of the contest. He is, however, a quality cricketer with shoulders as broad as his surname. He will be vital if England are to bounce backTeam news
Pakistan experimented heavily in the warm-up games but still seem no closer to an ideal XI. Aamer might have played himself into a starting spot with an impressive performance against India. But problems with the batting order are apparent: Ahmed Shehzad will open, but who will he partner? Salman Butt is not guaranteed a spot, in which case, Kamran Akmal may well do so. There have also been reports that the captain Younis Khan might take up the role, fuelling further uncertainty over his best spot in the order. And Fawad Alam also provides useful all-round options; in short, uncertainty is all.Pakistan: (probable) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Salman Butt, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Younis Khan (capt), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Mohammad Aamer, 11 Saeed Ajmal.England took “gambles” on Friday, in the unwise admission of their captain, Paul Collingwood. They rested Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann, and recalled Robert Key for his first international for four years when the six-hitting talents of Dimitri Mascarenhas might have been more appropriate. Expect some changes, though how far will they push it? Pietersen, surely, has to play through whatever pain he is feeling. England’s World Cup prospects hinge on his presence.England: (probable) 1 Luke Wright, 2 Ravi Bopara, 3 Kevin Pietersen, 4 Owais Shah, 5 Paul Collingwood (capt), 6 Dimitri Mascarenhas, 7 James Foster (wk), 8 Graeme Swann, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 James Anderson, 11 Ryan Sidebottom.Pitch and conditions
The weather for the weekend is grim to say the least, with torrential rain forecast throughout the night on Saturday. Nevertheless, the clouds are expected to clear before the evening, which means a full match could take place, in conditions tailor-made for swing. Step forward, Anderson and Sidebottom. Your country needs you.Stats and trivia
For players with over 12 Twenty20 wickets, Umar Gul has the best economy rate of 4.87. And he is the format’s leading wicket-taker. Pakistan possess two of the top three wicket-takers in Twenty20 as well as two of the top three run-scorers.Quotes
“We hope he’ll be fit for Sunday, but we’re obviously not going to take any major risks, simple as that. He’s involved in a big year ahead of us, but this is a must-win game on Sunday, and if he’s fit he’s playing.”

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O Vitória não deu chances à Ponte Preta e mostrou que está vivo na luta contra o rebaixamento. O Leão bateu por 3 a 1 a Ponte, nesta quarta-feira, no Barradão.

E esse triunfo do Leão animou bastante o elenco baiano, como destacou o volante Uillian Correia.

– Vencemos e tivemos intensidade, principalmente no primeiro tempo, quando definimos o placar. Tivemos atitude do início ao fim do jogo, assim como aconteceu na partida contra o Cruzeiro na última rodada. Hoje não deixamos a Ponte Preta respirar e a união com a torcida fez a diferença. Agora é focar no Flamengo – afirmou.

Ainda segundo o jogador, o momento agora é de fazer uma sequência para sair do Z4 do Brasileirão o quanto antes.

– Agora é procurar fazer uma boa sequência nas próximas rodadas para deixarmos o Z4 o quanto antes. Esse grupo vai lutar muito por isso. Nossa equipe tem batalhado bastante para tirar o Vitória dessa situação. Pedimos confiança ao torcedor, pois essa união de todos no clube vai fazer a diferença – concluiu

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Many Wolves fans are fuming with Fabio Silva’s performance in the EFL Cup defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last night.

The teenager started for the second Carabao Cup game in a row but failed to replicate his impressive display against Nottingham Forest in August, when he grabbed two assists.

In Wednesday night’s defeat to Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, Silva seriously struggled to hold the ball up, find space and even get touches of the ball. Throughout his 45 minutes of action, the striker touched the ball less than half the amount that goalkeeper John Ruddy did, with Silva only touching the ball 13 times.

He only made nine passes, completing six of them, before being replaced by Adama Traore at half-time with Wolves 2-1 down.

It was a disappointing evening for the young striker, with him winning only one of his five ground duels and failing to muster any opportunity for himself against Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez.

After making 32 appearances in the Premier League last season due to Raul Jimenez’s fractured skull, Silva’s failure to impress when called upon now Jimenez is back has caused frustration amongst the Molineux faithful.

Wolves fans fume over Fabio Silva performance

These Wolves fans have taken to Twitter to discuss Silva’s poor evening, with one fan claiming the teenager’s performance was one of the worse displays he has seen.

“Fabio Silva will never improve unless he’s playing games. Stick him in U23s then out on loan come January.”

Credit: @RodJoneswwfc

“Fabio Silva still looks like a boy chucked into a man’s game. Needs a loan and a consistent run of games to find some confidence and to step it up a level. Baffling that we spent £35m on him and he might not even make the bench when Neto is fit.”

Credit: @Kcb92

“That 1st half hour down the wolves was absolutely awful and as much as I want him to do well and succeed fabio silva is not a top level footballer slow, weak, nothing sticks with him, woeful.”

Credit: @Jameswwfc

“I get Fabio silva is 18 but I genuinely thought that was one of the worst centre forward performances I’ve seen down here in a long time”

Credit: @Wolvesjay90

“The concern from last night is the lack of progression of Fabio Silva. It ain’t the kids fault he was priced at £38m but in the time he’s been here I would of expected to see some improvement from him but on last nights showing he lacks pace & physical presence. £38m”

Credit: @Davewwfc1

“Hope Jeff has kept the receipt”

Credit: @Sandhurstwolf

In other news, Wolves fans have been left fuming at this certain player following Bruno Lage comments. Find out more here.

Aston Villa made an approach for Manchester United star Jesse Lingard in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that Dean Smith’s side were ready to rival fellow Premier League outfit West Ham in a move for the England international.

Now, The Times have delivered an update on Lingard’s situation, name-checking Villa as one of the teams who registered their interest in luring Lingard away from Old Trafford.

The report adds that the midfielder has in fact rejected a new contract offer from United over concerns over playing time this season, and that he is ready to run down his deal unless he is given assurances by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Would be superb at Villa

Lingard’s current contract comes to an end next summer, meaning that he would be able to leave on a free transfer, and what a bargain that would be for Johan Lange and co at Villa.

After joining West Ham back in the January transfer window on a short-term loan, Lingard racked up an incredible nine goals and four assists in just his first ten Premier League games for the club – it was no surprise then that he was lauded as being “absolutely phenomenal”.

The England international’s ability to score goals from midfield is something which could add a different dimension at Villa, and it’s a knack that Michael Carrick was quick to praise back at Old Trafford.

The United coach said: “He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic. How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

His performances with the Hammers showcased the kind of impact the £75k-a-week earning star can have when he’s on song and the confidence is flowing through his veins.

Giving him an opportunity to shine at Villa, where the spotlight is understandably less than somewhere like United, could offer him the kind of freedom that sees him become a really consistent performer and break back into the England side under Gareth Southgate.

He’s a player the club must surely go back in for after their initial summer approach. Given that he would be available on a free once the season ends, or for a knock-down price in January, Villa could strike gold either way.

Meanwhile, new details have emerged over Villa’s summer swoop…

A round-up of the second’s day’s play of the Ranji Trophy Plate League semi-finals

Cricinfo staff19-Dec-2008
Scorecard
Ranadeb Bose’s 5 for 33 put Bengal in command on the second day of their semi-final clash against Goa © Getty Images
On a day which saw the completion of two five-wicket hauls, Ranadeb Bose may have just shaded Saurabh Bandekar in terms of the importance. Bose’s spell of 5 for 33 on the second day put Bengal in the driver’s seat in their Ranji Trophy Plate League semi-final clash against Goa at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. He ripped through Goa’s top order and had them reeling at 34 for 5 at one stage, after Sourav Sarkar took Bengal past the 300-mark in their first innings.Resuming on 257 for 5, both not-out batsmen for Bengal, Sourav Ganguly and Dibyendu Chakrabarty, didn’t stick around for too long. Ganguly was the first to go, dismissed by Harshad Gadekar off the second ball of the day, without adding to his overnight score of 69. Bandekar then had Ritam Kundu caught by Sagun Kamat to hand him his fifth wicket of the match.When Kamat latched on to a chance from Chakrabarty off Gadekar, Bengal were 284 for 8. However, Sarkar held firm, even as Bandekar picked up his sixth wicket, bowling Ashok Dinda. A crucial 41-run partnership with Bose for the last wicket meant Bengal finished on 337. Sarkar eventually fell to Ryan Ninan, having scored 60 off 98 balls, which included eight boundaries and a six.Goa were off to a disastrous start with Bose trapping Sagun Kamat leg-before with the third ball of the innings. In his next over, he bowled captain Swapnil Asnodkar for 1. Jagadeesh Arunkumar, who didn’t play the previous league fixture against Himachal Pradesh, hit three boundaries, but was eventually undone by Bose for 16, with the score reading 27 for 3.Ajay Ratra was the next to go, lbw in the second ball of Bose’s next over. Bose struck with regular precision and finally ended Advait Katkar’s resistance, having him caught behind after he had faced 37 balls for his 9.However, Aniket Desai and Ninan ensured there was no further damage, seeing Goa through to 95 for 5 at stumps. Desai scored 43 off 71 balls, hitting six boundaries and a six, and appears to be Goa’s only hope in their bid to avoid conceding a first-innings lead.Bose said while the presence of Sourav Ganguly, playing his final first-class match, in the dressing room was “like oxygen”, Bengal had to learn how to play without him. “Wriddhiman [Saha] , Anustup [Majumdar], Avik [Chowdhury] and Ashok are good players and they have it in them to take the team to the next level, taking the baton from Dada,” Bose was quoted as saying in the . “They will not let us feel his absence.”
Scorecard
Opener Bhavin Thakkar was the star of the second day’s play at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground in Nagpur. His unbeaten 111 put Himachal Pradesh in pole position in their semi-final match against Madhya Pradesh.Resuming on their overnight score of 11 for 0, Himachal lost Sangram Singh in the fifth over of the day, caught behind by Naman Ojha off Sanjay Pandey for 6. However, there was little cheer for Madhya Pradesh from then on, with Vinit Indulkar and Thakkar putting on 154 runs for the second wicket. Both batsmen looked in control, and slowly but surely put Himachal in a commanding position.Indulkar had reached 80, which included 13 boundaries, when Madhya’s Pradesh’s batting hero Jalaj S Saxena struck by having him caught behind. Thakkar however, continued the good work and soon brought up his hundred. A 76-run partnership with Mukesh Sharma (38 not out) followed as Himachal took the all-important first-innings lead. It was slow going for Thakkar: he faced 304 balls for his knock, with a strike-rate of 36.51.

MatériaMais Notícias

Os prejuízos que os jogos do Fluminense no Maracanã deram até agora neste Campeonato Brasileiro, fizeram o Tricolor correr contra o tempo para retirar suas partidas do Maior do Mundo. Assim, a diretoria já começou a se mexer e corre atrás do laudos de segurança – em caráter de urgência – para confirmar as mudanças do mando de campo, já para o próximo confronto ao lado da torcida, no dia 3 de julho, diante da Chapecoense. Nesta quarta-feira, e no domingo, o Flu é visitante, diante de Avaí e São Paulo, respectivamente.

A ideia da diretoria é apenas atuar no Maracanã em jogos de maior apelo ou quando forem clássicos como mandante. Diante do Flamengo, foi o primeiro que o Tricolor tinha o mando de campo, já no returno deve atuar na Ilha do Urubu. Outra situação que pode se configurar jogos no Maior do Mundo é em caso do Flu estar brigando por posições acima no Brasileiro ou estar nas fases finais da Copa Sul-Americana. No confronto do próximo dia 29, por exemplo, diante da Universidad Católica, do Equador, a partida será no Maracanã, já que os laudos de Edson Passos não estariam prontos e não haverá tempo hábil para mudança.

A facilidade em aumentar seus lucros e diminuir os prejuízos longe do Maracanã, foi abordada pelo presidente tricolor, Pedro Abad. Em entrevista ao canal “Sportv”, o mandatário afirmou que o estádio em Mesquita tem totais condições, após a confirmação dos laudos, de ser a nova casa tricolor em 2017, assim como foi no ano passado.

-Esse ano, a gente vai jogar muito em Edson Passos. Dá retorno técnico, é um campo bem mais acanhado e faz uma pressão maior. Isso inquestionavelmente traz resultado esportivo. No ano passado, creio que tenha dado um crescimento no nosso rendimento esportivo bastante acentuado. O gramado lá é bom, quem cuida do gramado de lá é a mesma empresa que cuida do gramado do Maracanã, que cuida do nosso centro de treinamento, então o gramado vai estar bom – garantiu Abad

Até agora, em cinco jogos no Maior do Mundo neste nacional, o Fluminense teve prejuízo de cerca de R$ 1 milhão. Só no clássico contra o Flamengo, no último fim de semana, que teve um pequeno lucro, em torno de R$ 260 mil. Abad jáfalou que procurava um estádio alternativo para jogos de menor porte e teve a opinião corroborada por Abel Braga.

Segundo o presidente tricolor, com promoção de ingressos a um valor acessível, a média de público ideal para não se ter prejuízo e lucrar no Maracanã é de cerca de 27 mil pessoas, números considerados altos para jogos no estádio de menor apelo, como foram os confrontos com Atlético-PR e Vitória, por exemplo, logo no início da competição.

Este público, como efeito de comparação, também não é esperado para o confronto diante da Universidad Católica de Quito, no dia 29, pela segunda fase da Copa Sul-Americana.

No Brasileiro, foram cinco jogos no Maior do Mundo, com duas vitórias, dois empates e uma derrota. Na Sul-Americana, um jogo e uma vitória.

RelacionadasFluminenseTrês reforços são regularizados e ficam à disposição de Abel BragaFluminense20/06/2017FluminenseCom dúvidas no meio, Flu encerra preparação para enfrentar o AvaíFluminense20/06/2017FluminenseAltos e baixos: Fluminense tem o melhor ataque e a pior defesa do anoFluminense19/06/2017

NWFP lived up to their favourites tag for the final and finished the tournament unbeaten as Baluchistan’s last batting pair failed to hold on for a win

Cricinfo staff28-Nov-2008
Scorecard
The triumphant NWFP team © Cricinfo
Resistance from Baluchistan did not last long on the final day of the Pentangular Cup final at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. They began the fifth day needing 38 to beat NWFP, but the tenth-wicket pair of Azharullah and Zulfiqar Babar – who had added 17 runs on the fourth day – could manage only nine more.Umar Gul, the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) captain, struck a timely blow to seal the title. He bowled Azharullah for 5, his first wicket in Baluchistan’s second innings. Babar was left stranded on 21. It ended a tense, low-scoring final and denied Baluchistan a remarkable win: the province has historically been the weakest in terms of cricket talent in Pakistan and this side was made up of a number of guest players invited from around the country, including captain Misbah-ul-Haq, from Punjab.NWFP, who began the final as favourites, won all five games on the way to their first Pentangular title (the tournament has only been contested exclusively by provinces since 2005-06). They were comfortably the most stable side through the tournament, brushing aside the heavily-favoured Sind and Punjab, two provinces which have provided historically the bulk of the national team.Baluchistan’s Saeed Bin Nasir – originally from Sind – brought some cheer, finishing leading run-scorer in the tournament, with 419 at an average of 52.37, closely followed by NWFP’s Adnan Raees. NWFP medium-pacers Shakeel-ur-Rehman and Junaid Khan – with the odd Gul cameo – were crucial to their side’s success and the highest wicket-takers, taking 55 wickets between them.The Pentangular ODI cup is due to begin from December 15, with the bulk of the tournament to be played in Karachi.

Shane Watson, the Australian allrounder, has said his team has not given up hope despite being 301 runs behind India after the third day.Watson top scored with 78 in Australia’s first innings of 269, but the visitors were further away by stumps when India sped to 100 without loss. An Indian declaration is expected during the fourth day, probably in the second session, but Watson was not daunted by the potential for a huge chase.”I think we can win it,” he said. “If we’re set 430 or something in four or five sessions, I’ve got no doubt, if we bat well, we can chase down anything. The wicket is still playing well. There’s a bit of turn and the ball will go reverse. If we bat extremely well, I really believe we can chase down anything.”Watson said the bowlers were disappointed to let India’s openers, led by Virender Sehwag’s 53, to race away in the 23 overs before stumps. “We know we’re still in it, but we’ll have to play two really good days of cricket,” he said. “We’re never down and out until the game is over.”Australia will need to bat a lot better in its second attempt after faltering against the legspin of debutant Amit Mishra, who took five wickets, and the swing of Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan.During Watson’s 73-run eighth-wicket partnership with Brett Lee, the batsmen were warned by the umpires about their verbal exchanges with the India bowlers. “They [the officials] were hoping it wouldn’t get out of control,” Watson said. “It was actually a lot of extremely friendly banter, I thought. Brett and me were having a great time out there, laughing. The quicks were having a good crack, as they do. It never was going to get out of hand.”It was a breakthrough innings for Watson, who is playing his fifth Test in an injury-plagued career, and he collected his first half-century. He remained calm in the mid-innings crisis when Australia were reduced to 167 for 7 and steered a useful recovery.