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These are tough times for Hampshire and their coach, Dale Benkenstein, is trying to find a way to reinvigorate the season of Michael Carberry to aid a relegation fight

Freddie Wilde at the Ageas Bowl28-Jun-2016
ScorecardHampshire hope a move down the order can spark Michael Carberry’s form•Getty ImagesThere was a heavy sense of sadness about this, the flattest of days, at the Ageas Bowl. Played out in front of a smattering of barely 100 people, a crowd described by one seasoned journalist as the smallest he had seen here for at least a decade; bottom of the table, relegation-threatened Hampshire battled and blocked, nudged and nurdled and waited for the forecasted rain to fall.It is at times like these that a club needs its senior players. In Michael Carberry, Hampshire have one who stood up better than most to some of the fastest bowling in history when Mitchell Johnson ripped England apart in the 2013-14 Ashes. Shortly after that, perhaps harshly, Carberry’s international career came to an end and Dale Benkenstein, the Hampshire coach, revealed it has not been an easy adjustment for Carberry to make. This season season his average hovers around the mid-20s.As part of Hampshire’s attempt to re-motivate Carberry they have shifted him down the order to No. 4 to give him a new challenge and the management will have been pleased with the fight he showed, closing on an unbeaten 37, alongside Sean Ervine in a 52-run stand before play was halted.”We are trying to find some motivation for Carbs,” explained Benkenstein. “I think it’s tough when you don’t have England anymore. You just lose your oxygen. When you’ve had one thing as your goal and suddenly it goes, and you’ve never really thought about anything else – you’ve always wanted to play for England. I’ve seen that with a few senior players in my career as captain.””Physically and skill-wise he could play for many more years, but at this level you have got to have a real hunger to play. Especially as a batsman you have to have that hunger for runs because you are getting a year older and guys are getting faster and better and they have ambition to play for England and you tend to see guys drop off quite quickly.””We’ve found he is actually playing quite well but keeps getting out,” Benkenstein said of the move to bat him down the order. “The new ball is always tough in England and we thought maybe it’s a chance to free him up a bit and take him away from the new ball. Just changing his role gives him a bit of a mini-challenge and we are hoping that stimulates him.”Hampshire will hope Carberry can flourish in the second half of the season. Play began under a warming sun, but as the day wore on, the clouds thickened and darkened and like the looming threat of Hampshire’s relegation, they slowly closed in.When, at 3.18pm the umpires decided the light was too bad for play to continue Ervine and Carberry could hardly have left the pitch much quicker. Less than five minutes later it started to rain and the players never returned.More rain is forecast tomorrow and Hampshire could well escape this match with a draw but having been hoping for rain since mid-afternoon on day one, it will be with a heavy heart that they make the five hour drive to Chester-le-Street on Saturday.This pitch has been very slow, too slow to produce particularly intriguing cricket, and without the blanket of dark clouds under which they bowled on the first day, Somerset must have felt what it was like to bowl several overs in Hampshire’s shoes on day two as the hosts fought admirably against some accurate bowling.Unlike Somerset’s batsmen however, Hampshire’s were unable to convert strong starts into significant scores. All three of the wickets to fall were self-inflicted.Tom Alsop was the first to go when shortly before lunch he was caught at second slip having tried to cut a ball from Peter Trego that was too straight to do so to and angling in further still. Alsop’s wicket ended a stoic partnership of 89 – tellingly Hampshire’s best second-wicket stand of the season.That Alsop received a generous reception from Hampshire’s members for his 53 when he finally reached the pavilion, head bowed, bat hanging limply by his side and dragging along the turf, is perhaps emblematic of the club’s readjusted expectations. A good effort it was, but ultimately not good enough.After the interval Will Smith dragged on to Lewis Gregory and when Liam Dawson’s limp push outside off stump ended up in the hands of second slip there was a possibility Hampshire were not even going to beat the rain, let alone Somerset.After an hour of thick, miserly rain, with darkness enveloping the ground and puddles forming on the covers, the floodlights were unceremoniously switched off. Ten minutes after that, with the ground practically deserted but for a lone member of the ground staff, the PA system echoed around the stadium confirming to no one but the assembled press that play had been abandoned.And with that the lonely groundsman trudged across the outfield and disappeared into the bowels of the stadium, the only sound he left behind him was the gentle patter of rain on the covers as a melancholy day crept slowly towards its end.

The fallout continues following Manchester United's dismal defeat away to Sevilla in the Europa League on Thursday evening, with rumours abound that manager Erik ten Hag is plotting a major clearout at Old Trafford this summer.

The Red Devils have little time to dwell on that Spanish capitulation, however, with the Carabao Cup winners set to continue their bid for further silverware against Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup on Sunday afternoon.

That semi-final showdown at Wembley will provide yet another stern test for the top-four hopefuls against a side who have regularly got the better of them of late, the Seagulls notably running out 2-1 winners during Ten Hag's first game in charge back in August.

A major boost for the Dutchman heading into tomorrow's meeting with Roberto De Zerbi's men will be the return of Bruno Fernandes from suspension, with the Portugal international having been sorely missed after sitting out the trip to Andalusia.

As BBC pundit Clinton Morrison noted, United missed the influential playmaker "massively" against the La Liga outfit, with the former Sporting CP ace a player who truly "leads by example" with his quality both in and out of possession.

The £240k-per-week man's return could come as part of a midfield shake-up against the south coast side, with it perhaps time for polarising enigma, Fred, to be welcomed back into the starting XI.

Will Fred start against Brighton?

It is fair to say that the midfield trio of Casemiro, Christian Eriksen and Marcel Sabitzer simply underwhelmed last time out, with the three experienced figures having been "schooled" on the day, as per Manchester Evening News journalist Tyrone Marshall.

Eriksen, in particular, seemingly had an evening to forget despite previously shining against Nottingham Forest last weekend, with it set to be time for the Danish star – who has only recently returned from injury – to make way for the aforementioned Fred.

The latter man was only a late substitute in Thursday's shambolic performance away in Seville, having been somewhat on the periphery since the 7-0 defeat at Anfield at the start of last month.

Since that shock drubbing, the 30-year-old has failed to start a single Premier League game and was also only a late substitute in the previous round of the FA Cup against Fulham.

Even so, the Brazil international – who could be among those to depart this summer – would certainly provide a fresh injection of energy and enthusiasm to Ten Hag's midfield, having been hailed as a "mosquito" by the Ajax boss for his pest-like display against Barcelona back in February.

The £18m-rated machine has also previously been described as a "team player" who "puts in every effort that he has", as per interim boss Ralf Rangnick, with such effort and work ethic having seemingly been lacking as United merely "wilted" in midweek – in the words of The Athletic's Laurie Whitwell.

Although the speculation that the former Shakhtar Donetsk man could be sold would suggest that he is not the long-term midfield solution for Ten Hag, he could well represent the answer in the short-term at least, starting against Brighton tomorrow.

Graham Potter paid for Chelsea’s poor run of form since Christmas with his job on Sunday as Todd Boehly sacked the Englishman just seven months into his Stamford Bridge tenure.

It perhaps wasn’t a surprise, but Potter may have felt hard done by, especially considering how much he’d spent during the January transfer window.

Thoughts now turn to who could take over with Fabrizio Romano since claiming that Julian Nagelsmann – available after being sacked by Bayern Munich – is “the favourite candidate” to replace Potter.

Boehly may be ready to strike fast and secure one of the game's most talented young managers but it may not be as straightforward as that, with the 35-year-old in no rush to find a new job according to Sky Germany.

This could throw a spanner in the works and might tempt the American to go after another manager for the role and there is one who is free and ready to begin work straight away – Zinedine Zidane.

Could Zinedine Zidane take over at Chelsea?

Zidane was linked with the Chelsea job back in February as growing pressure mounted on Potter following an indifferent start and following the recent news, the Frenchman will surely once again be under consideration.

He is currently unattached so wouldn’t cost any compensation and having managed Real Madrid – arguably the biggest club on the planet – taking over at the Stamford Bridge side shouldn’t daunt him the slightest.

The three-time World Player of the Year took over at the Bernabeu in 2016 following Rafa Benitez’s sacking and led the La Liga side to their finest era since the 1950s, becoming the first coach to win the Champions League three times in a row.

Along with the three European titles, Zidane won two league titles and a handful of other trophies across his two stints at the club and this rate of success may be too tempting for Boehly to turn down.

The 50-year-old's man management skills would bring the best out of these Chelsea players with his methods having worked wonders for players such as Luka Modric, who lavished praise on him while he was coach of Madrid, saying: "Every piece of advice he gives you is like gold dust and it helps you improve on the pitch."

With a points per match average of 2.24 having staggeringly lost just 21 league matches from 183 fixtures, he is a more than adequate alternative for Nagelsmann, who has a PPM average of 1.86 across 243 matches, losing 46 matches.

It speaks volumes for the club that they are in the position to be chasing two of the finest managers in the game, the question is, who will succeed Potter? Zidane could well be the man.

Newcastle United left-back Jamal Lewis will have a big decision to make alongside Eddie Howe as to where his future lies ahead of the summer window.

Will Jamal Lewis leave in the summer?

The 25-year-old will go into the summer window with two years remaining on his current deal on Tyneside having joined back in 2020 from Norwich City.

However, the move up north has been fairly disastrous for the Northern Ireland international's career as he finds himself behind the likes of Dan Burn and Matt Target in the pecking order.

Across the 2022/23 campaign, Lewis has only made 120 minutes worth of appearances under Howe which have come across three separate games all in different competitions (via Transfermarkt).

And speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Lee Ryder has suggested Howe and Lewis will have to decide what is the best step for his career ahead of the summer:

(2:40) "But you never know he could bring something from the bench. He's certainly shown he's fit enough to play in the last few days but Eddie Howe, as I say, decision time looming on not just Jamal Lewis, a number of players this summer and I do expect Newcastle to pretty much pull off what would be a squad rebuild."

What should Newcastle do with Jamal Lewis?

Even the 2021/22 campaign did not offer much for the 25-year-old who made five appearances in the Premier League before undergoing groin surgery which kept him out for the remainder of the campaign (via Transfermarkt).

Ahead of him in the pecking order is Burn who has enjoyed the majority of the action from the left-back spot with 25 starts to his name in the Premier League alone.

And behind Burn – but ahead of Lewis – is the 27-year-old Targett who has made 11 appearances in the Premier League this season.

What is perhaps even more concerning for Lewis is the reports currently circulating suggesting the Toon are looking to bring in another left-back over the summer.

The likes of Kieran Tierney have been linked with a potential move to St. James' Park which would only cast further doubt over where Lewis' game time would come from.

With this in mind, the prospect of a loan move away for the next season would surely come with concerns as three other players could then potentially be ahead of Lewis in the pecking order.

The arrival of another left-back could see Burn slot back into the centre of defence but given the trust he's gained from Howe, if push ever came to shove it wouldn't be a surprise to see Burn play ahead of Lewis if there was an injury crisis at left-back.

So there has to be some consideration from Lewis and even the club whether he has a realistic future with the club.

Arsenal have the perfect chance to secure their first Premier League title since 2003/2004 this season, with the Gunners sitting pretty at the top of the table, five points clear of Manchester City.

Mikel Arteta has managed to develop his side over the last couple of seasons and his persistence has paid off, while his signings in the transfer market have also been excellent, with Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Martin Odegaard certainly adding something extra.

The Spaniard appears to be looking towards the future too, with the ultimate aim of building a dynasty that could dominate English football. With this in mind, the north Londoners have recently been linked with a move for Lille midfielder, Carlos Baleba.

The 19-year-old has burst onto the scene this season and the Ligue 1 side will be looking at a fee of around £30m for any team hoping to secure his signature and this could well turn out to be a bargain.

If Arteta does manage to sign Baleba, the 40-year-old could uncover his answer to a hugely influential figure in the club's history – Patrick Vieira.

Who is Carlos Baleba?

Vieira arrived at Arsenal as a young fresh-faced midfielder from the continent having impressed in his first few first-team appearances for AC Milan and Wenger saw enough talent to land the promising youngster for just £3.5m in 1996, subsequently turning him into one of the finest players in Europe.

Baleba has limitless potential and his Lille teammate Remy Cabella recently lauded the teen sensation, saying: "He's a monster, his big strength is power. On the ball, he has incredible strength (…). I think it's very, very hard to stop him."

He already appears to be embodying the qualities that Vieira had in abundance, a powerful runner who could create plenty of chances for his teammates, along with a stubborn defensive ability.

Indeed, this season, the Cameroonian has won ten tackles and 72.7% of his challenges while generating 2.62 shot-creating actions per match and completing 83.9% of his attempted passes this season in only 12 appearances.

Arsenal have been missing a player in Vieira’s mould for the previous 15 years and although there is no guarantee Baleba could hit the same heights, his potential combined with the chance to develop further under Arteta, there could be plenty of scope for the 19-year-old to turn into one of the finest talents in the country.

Liverpool laboured to an insipid goalless draw against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday night, producing a blunt and dreary performance in the wake of the hangover after a devastating home defeat against Real Madrid in midweek.

Indeed, while the Reds were spineless in their defensive resolve against Los Blancos in the Champions League, the clash at Selhurst Park illuminated the stark deterioration in a once imperious attack, and Jurgen Klopp’s men now face a more daunting task in salvaging a top-four finish from their woeful campaign.

There were errors in abundance as Liverpool failed to channel any semblance of fluidity and relied on individual bouts of attack from the likes of Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah to test the Eagles’ goal.

While Palace failed to hit the target, with the Reds doing so on four occasions, it was a deeply alarming display overall from the visitors, with Jordan Henderson at the epicentre of the Reds’ struggles.

Was Henderson at fault in the draw at Selhurst Park?

For such a limp display, the blame cannot lay solely at the feet of any one individual, but given Henderson’s stature as Liverpool’s leader and captain, it was inexcusable that he produced a performance which offered so little in the way of positivity.

As per Sofascore, the 74-cap England international’s 6.3 match rating bettered only that of Naby Keita and Cody Gakpo among the Reds’ starting XI (6.2 each), with the Guinean midfielder withdrawn at the interval after a dismal showing that the Liverpool Echo’s match ratings labelled ‘dreadful’.

Taking 103 touches of the ball, Henderson might have been expected to use his wealth of experience to make good use of at least one of those, but having made no key passes and taken no shots, his offensive impetus was conspicuous by its absence. Combine that with the concession of possession on 15 occasions and it only gets worse.

Having also won just one of his seven attempted ground duels, failed to make a successful tackle and committed two fouls, it was a wholly forgettable night for the man who has skippered Klopp’s illustrious tenure. Journalist Tony McDonough stated early in the second half that the 32-year-old “got skinned” by Michael Olise, adding that it was “time to hook him and put [Stefan] Bajcetic on.”

Liverpool’s woes were perhaps best exemplified when Trent Alexander Arnold’s first-half free-kick lifted into the air with a resounding swing of the boot, ostensibly destined for the net, but inexplicably Henderson seemed to get caught up watching the flight of the ball and diverted it away from danger.

The point gained does push Liverpool into seventh in the table by a single point and back into a potential European finish, but eighth-placed Brighton & Hove Albion hold a game in hand on the beleaguered Reds. If cohesion cannot be rekindled, the omens do not bode well for the business end of the season.

If the likes of Henderson and Keita cannot produce more convincing performances than what they showed in south London, the onerous task of European qualification of any kind might just prove to be beyond this withered crop of players.

Aston Villa full-back Ashley Young has been ‘passed fit’ for this afternoon’s trip to Manchester City, according to Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Injury scare

The veteran has played his part under Unai Emery this season, making 20 appearances in all competitions. The 37-year-old has lined out at right-back and left-back and was enjoying a run in the team in the former position in recent weeks (Transfermarkt).

However, he was forced off against Leicester City last weekend with an apparent injury, but it looks as if the experienced Villa man is in line to make a swift recovery.

The Latest: Young ‘passed fit’ for City clash

Reliable reporter Preece took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to share an update from Emery’s pre-Manchester City press conference.

He said that Young has been ‘passed fit’ to feature today, adding that Bertrand Traore could also be included in the matchday squad following his recent return to training.

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The Verdict: Good news for Villa

Young has been Villa’s best-performing defender this season according to WhoScored metrics, so knowing that he is available is positive news for Emery ahead of this afternoon’s trip to the Etihad Stadium.

He notably impressed in the meeting against Pep Guardiola’s side at Villa Park in September, with Gregg Evans describing his performance as ‘excellent’ after replacing Matty Cash. Having won four tackles and four duels and made six clearances (Sofascore), that praise was very much justified.

It’ll be interesting to see who Emery selects at right-back at the Etihad today, and having strength in depth can only be good news for the Villa manager.

The Rangers Review’s Joshua Barrie has raved about Gers-linked star Nicolas Raskin. 

The Lowdown: Close to completion

Sky Sports has reported that Michael Beale’s side are ‘close’ to landing the Belgian midfielder.

The same report also claims that the Scottish Premiership giants are negotiating other deals with ‘various targets’ as the January transfer window rapidly reaches its conclusion.

Raskin has played a total of 18 matches, scored once and produced four assists so far in all competitions for Standard Liege.

The Latest: What Rangers need

Barrie raved about the possibility of signing Raskin when speaking on the latest episode of The Rangers Review, claiming that he believes the player has the tools to succeed at Ibrox.

He stated: “Really exciting player, and I think he’s a type of player that Rangers have needed – [a] midfielder with personality, who’s young, who can break lines.

“He just always goes forward, and sometimes he loses a ball because of that, but you’d rather, I’d presume, coach a player to play the odd safe pass.

“It’s easier to do that than to coach a player to take risks, and Rangers don’t have a player like that in the midfield. So if the deal gets over the line, then I think it’s a really important signing.”

The Verdict: Has all the traits you want

We believe that Rangers may have found a future star if they’re able to bring Raskin to Ibrox, as he’s certainly got bags of potential.

His current manager – former Celtic boss Ronny Deila – has sung the praises of the player in recent times. The man in charge of Liege described Raskin as a ‘monster on the pitch’ when talking to The Herald, and believes he’s got ‘a great career ahead of him’.

Raskin is already getting recognised for his talents at international level, too. He’s been capped multiple times for Belgium’s youth sides, including five caps for the Under-21s.

The 21-year-old’s rave reviews will certainly have some Gers fans very excited at the possibility of him signing, while he will certainly inject some youth into the club’s midfield options.

Our view is that if he lives up to the hype, Rangers could end up generating a lot of income from a future Raskin sale, with Beale reinvesting that money into his future squad and get them competing in the Champions League once again in the years to come.

Aston Villa have been busy during the transfer window so far, signing Jhon Duran and Alex Moreno while also shipping out striker Danny Ings to fellow Premier League side West Ham United and Unai Emery will be aiming to conduct more business over the coming days.

Indeed, another signing could potentially be on the way, this time for Lyon striker Moussa Dembele. News outlet Media Foot claimed in December that Villa were interested in the Frenchman and now talkSPORT have confirmed that Dembele is wanted as a replacement for the recently departed Ings in order to spearhead the Villa attack.

Ings was Villa’s top scorer with seven goals this season and it’s clear that Emery requires someone who could be a lot more clinical than this, and Dembele fits the bill.

His performances at Lyon have seen him labelled as a “scoring machine” by journalist Bertrand Latour previously while he is also statistically similar to Liverpool forward Darwin Nunez and he could be a wonderful addition for Emery.

According to FBref, Nunez is the first-most similar player to Dembele across Europe’s top leagues, and given the Uruguayan’s ability and potential, it isn’t a bad comparison to have.

This season has seen the two players register similar statistics with regard to shots on target percentage (42.1% to 40%), goal-creating actions (two to one), successful dribbles (five to four) and aerial duels won (19 to 16).

Nunez and Dembele excel at finishing and headed attempts, underlining their attacking ability both on the ground and in the air and these attributes could give Villa a major boost as they look to secure a spot in the top half of the league table.

The £52k-per-week striker hasn’t been at the races this season, scoring just twice, however, this rough patch is surely temporary considering he netted a stunning 21 goals in Ligue 1 last term and a fresh start in England may help him rediscover his form.

The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season, therefore Emery could be well placed to secure himself a bargain this month, and with it some well-needed firepower in his Villa side.

West Bromwich Albion forward Brandon Thomas-Asante was praised by Lewis Cox following his FA Cup double.

The Lowdown: Cup drama

Thomas-Asante bagged a last-gasp equaliser to save Championship side West Brom’s blushes after a frustrating afternoon against National League side Chesterfield.

The 24-year-old opened the scoring for the Baggies only two minutes in to set them on their way to what they hoped would’ve been a cruise against a side three leagues lower.

However, in the spirit of the FA Cup the hosts turned a 1-0 and 2-1 losing position round to lead at half-time and all the way into deep stoppage time until Thomas-Asante rescued a replay for Carlos Corberan’s side.

The Latest: Cox’s praise

Speaking after the full-time whistle had gone at the Technique Stadium, Cox gave his brief post-match analysis on the Express & Star YouTube channel where he praised the performance of West Brom’s hero of the day.

(1:04) “He’s further enhanced his reputation today, top scorer isn’t he, Thomas-Asante now, seven I believe, he was on five before today.”

“Great effort from him today and I think he’s been just about the only one who can leave here with his head held high,” Cox said.

The Verdict: Man of the moment

Asante-Thomas is becoming a reliable figure under his new boss with five goals scored in just 11 games under the Spaniard, taking his overall total this season to 12 in all competitions following a fruitful run at Salford City in August which earned him the move to the Championship.

He took the opener spectacularly as he rifled a half-volley into the roof of the net before his injury-time jailbreaking goal was a clinically guided header in the far top corner after timing his run perfectly.

With a trip to fellow play-off rivals Luton Town to come next Saturday it’ll be interesting to see if Corberan backs the club’s top-scorer to continue his form.