Christian Pulisic scored another goal for AC Milan, helping put the finishing touches on a Europa League Round of 16 win over Slavia Prague.

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Pulisic scores in first halfEarns assist on Leao goalMilan through to quarterfinalsGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Heading into the match, Milan had already amassed a 4-2 lead in the first leg. All they would need to do was protect that advantage and they'd be through to the next round of the Europa League. No need for chaos and no need for risks.

Chaos, though, came for them.

Mike Maignan was forced out early with an injury, while Davide Calabria also was removed due to an injury after a nasty tackle. That tackle earned Slavia Prague's Tomas Holes a red card in the 20th minute, opening the door for Milan to put the game away.

Pulisic did just that with his 33rd-minute goal, his second of the two-legged tie. After receiving a pass from Rafael Leao, Pulisic wiggled the ball onto his left and picked out the far corner, putting the game out of reach.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek's strike just a few minutes later only further solidified Milan's spot. Rafael Leao's stunner just before halftime, meanwhile, was mostly one for the highlight reels as the Rossoneri ran away as 3-1 winners on the day and 7-3 winners on aggregate.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The win sees Milan through to the Europa League quarterfinals, which will be played on April 11 and 18. The Italian side will find out their next opponent on Friday when UEFA completes the draw for the next round.

The Europa League is Milan's best chance at winning a trophy, having fallen 16 points behind Serie A leaders Inter in their domestic league.

Getty ImagesUSMNT IMPACT

Pulisic is in fantastic form for Milan, with Thursday's goal adding just another to his ever-growing tally so far this season.

With the goal, Pulisic now has 11 in all competitions, with three coming in the Europa League. He also has seven assists in all competitions this season as he approaches the 20-goal contribution mark in his first season in Milan. The goal was also something of a milestone for the American as it was the 100th goal contribution of his career.

Pulisic will understandably be confident heading toward the international break. The U.S. men's national team will face Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal, and they'll be led by an in-form Pulisic, who has shaken off any doubts over his ability following his Chelsea struggles.

His USMNT teammate, Yunus Musah, meanwhile, also had a good runout. The American had a solid shift in midfield, and he too is expected to play a big part against Jamaica in the CONCACAF Nations League.

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GettyGOAL'S RATINGS

Christian Pulisic (8/10):

A fantastic finish from a player who is clearly in-form. Was credited with an assist, too, on Leao's goal, although the Portuguese star did most of the heavy lifting there!

Yunus Musah (7/10):

Was fantastic in the midfield, completing 95 percent of his passes while also winning seven of eight duels in the center of the park. Overall, a strong shift on both sides of the ball from a player that is growing week by week.

England have announced Ollie Pope will make his debut, but both teams have other selection issues

The Preview by Sidharth Monga08-Aug-20181:29

Ollie Pope ‘very mature for a young man’ – Root

Big pictureThe only team that could afford to lose the first Test did at Edgbaston. Imagine England coming to Lord’s, expected to be drier than Edgbaston, 1-0 down, sans Ben Stokes, having somehow messed up in swing-friendly conditions despite the availability of their best bowling resources. They very nearly did through a run-out and through dropped catches. Had England not closed out Edgbaston, they would have begun to doubt whether they could close this India team out at all.India, on the other hand, couldn’t go in with their first-choice bowling resources. The conditions are expected to favour them more at Lord’s, where the pitch wore a green look two days out but is expected to be drier. India have more spin options, and their best new-ball bowler is injured. Despite the failure to win the first Test, India have positives to look at. India’s bowling, while still not consistently of the match-winning variety in these conditions, looks better and deeper than it often does. If it doesn’t fall apart, it will keep them more competitive than if only their batting was working.England are possibly dangerous too. They know they weren’t even close to playing the perfect Test with the bat and in the field, and yet they have a lead in the series. They will also know from experience from their tour of India and Australia that visiting teams tend to crack sooner if they are kept under consistent pressure. They will look to do that at Lord’s. Just keep building that pressure the way they did on the final day at Edgbaston and then pounce on the opportunities that come their way.Except that England will have to do it without Ben Stokes, who brings an important complement to the correct, traditional Test-match bowling of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. He is a different challenge after you have faced that immaculate inquiry from the two quicks. His body falls away, he is not always accurate, he tends to get uneven bounce; he messes with the rhythm. His possible replacement is another correct, classic bowler, Chris Woakes, or an offspinner, Moeen Ali. It is a big hole that India might want to exploit.Form guideEngland WWLDL
India LWWLLIn the spotlightThe man most annoyed with the Kohli-is-left-alone narrative should be Ajinkya Rahane. He has played two Tests in this overseas cycle and has scored a crucial 48 on a brutish pitch in one of them, in Johannesburg. In the previous cycle, he was even more important than Kohli, waging a lone fight in Durban, setting up a win at Lord’s, counterattacking to take the pressure off Kohli in Melbourne. And yet – starting with his struggles against spin in India, continuous cricket on spin-friendly tracks, and then the scarcely believable axing in South Africa – his game looks a wreck. Then again, he has his chances now, and in the ruthless world of international cricket what is being talked about is his average of 10.72 in seven Tests in the last 12 months. The man likeliest to support Kohli has to stand up, and stand up now.You could almost see India taking a backward step the time Jonny Bairstow got into his innings. Root scored the most pristine runs, Kohli the most evocative ones, but Bairstow came closest to dominating. He has the form, the confidence and the intent that England require in the middle to negate the spin threat at Lord’s. More so, now that England’s batting is thinner in Stokes’ absence.Team newsEngland made one change the day after the Test, partly to deny R Ashwin so many left-hand batsmen to feast on, partly as a response to Dawid Malan’s form with the bat and in the slips. The 20-year-old promising right-hand batsman Ollie Pope has been confirmed to make his debut. Which one out of Woakes and Moeen plays will depend on the pitch and the forecast.England 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Keaton Jennings, 3 Joe Root (capt.), 4 Ollie Pope, 5 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 6 Jos Buttler, 7 Chris Woakes/Moeen Ali, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Sam Curran, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 James Anderson.India have never played the same XI in successive Tests under Kohli. It will be a surprise if they do so at Lord’s. The questions they have: do they need an extra batsman, do they need an extra spinner, and who should the reinforcements be?If India go for that extra batsman, it will mean leaving out Hardik Pandya, who admittedly didn’t get much to bowl but was India’s second-highest run-getter at Edgbaston. Listening to Bharat Arun, India’s bowling coach who has seen the pitch, India don’t seem ready to make the “conservative” move of going in with only four bowlers.That means if the spinner – Ravindra Jadeja or Kuldeep Yadav – comes in, he will replace either Umesh Yadav, who didn’t start off well at Edgbaston, or Pandya.Even if the combination doesn’t change, will India keep persisting with Shikhar Dhawan, in whom they have put the trust earlier teams used to invest in Virender Sehwag? And if they don’t, do they pick Cheteshwar Pujara, who hasn’t had a great time in England this year or Karun Nair, who will come with less baggage and memories of a triple-century against the same opposition?Having raised all these questions, this might well be the time India don’t change their XI under Kohli.India (possible): 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan/Cheteshwar Pujara, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Virat Kohli (capt.), 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Hardik Pandya, 9 Ravindra Jadeja/Umesh Yadav, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Mohammed ShamiPitch and conditionsThe Lord’s ground staff has worked hard to maintain a tinge of green on the pitch despite the heatwave in England. The days of the Test match itself are expected to be cooler with the odd shower around. The conditions underfoot are expected to be similar to Edgbaston, which raises the question to which we don’t have a definitive answer: will the ball swing similarly too?Stats and trivia The last time England beat an Asian opponent at Lord’s was India in 2011. Since then they have lost three and drawn two Tests with Asian teams at Lord’s. James Anderson averages 14.5 against Kohli in England and 92 in India. During the course of his five-for at Edgbaston, Ishant Sharma went past B Chandrasekhar to become India’s seventh-highest wicket-taker. He has the joint-highest number of five-fors for Indians in England: two. Alastair Cook has converted his last two centuries into doubles, but he has scored only two of those in 21 Tests now. Despite those big innings, he averages 34.71 over the period. At Edgbaston, both sides dropped four catches each. While it is near impossible to calculate the damage caused – partnerships are formed, momentum is lost, bowlers get tired – the reprieved batsmen went on to cost England 154 runs, and India 86.Quotes”One of the most exciting things about last week is that we weren’t at our best, but we found a way to win under pressure, and wrestle momentum back in our favour. That’s a sign of some strong characters in our dressing room. And having had some indifferent results in the recent past, to pull off a win like that is a really good sign for us moving forward.”
“There is good grass cover in it (pitch) and that is required basically to keep the wicket together. The pitch is going to be an all-round wicket: batsmen bat well they can get runs, obviously dukes ball in overcast conditions, and when the wicket wears off the spinners can come in. Tempting thought to field two spinners but we have to take a call on that depending on the team balance. But two spinners definitely in contention.”

Ben Stokes has told a court in Bristol he “stepped into” an altercation in the city to help two men who were the victims of homophobic abuse.Stokes, who is standing trial for affray alongside Ryan Ali, alleged the situation escalated when he saw Ali brandish a bottle at the two men, William O’Connor and Kai Barry, and Stokes’ England team-mate, Alex Hales, and he “took the decision” to get involved to “keep myself and others around me safe.”Around the time his England team-mates should have been taking the field at Lord’s, Stokes took to the witness box at Bristol Crown Court. Having denied any suggestion he mimicked or abused two gay men (William O’Connor and Kai Barry) he met outside Mbargo nightclub, he instead claimed the incident started when he came to assist them after abuse he alleges came from Ali and his friend Ryan Hale. Earlier in the day, Hale had been found not guilty of affray following direction from the judge.”I noticed there was shouting going on,” Stokes said. “There was confrontation between four guys.”Mr Hale and Mr Ali were shouting homophobic comments towards O’Connor and Barry. I stepped in and said ‘you shouldn’t be saying these things to these two men. I said ‘you shouldn’t be taking the piss because they are gay.””I was told by Mr Ali something along the lines of ‘Shut the f*** up or I’ll bottle you’.”Stokes then alleged that Ali turned the bottle he was carrying in his hand and held it by the neck. “He was waving it around,” Stokes said. “He waved it at Mr Hales.He added: “Mr Ali was running towards Alex with the bottle above his head as if he was going to hit him. I remember trying to get between Alex and Mr Ali.”Then he [Ali] turned around and swung at one of the gay couple with a bottle. As soon as I’d seen Mr Ali swing the bottle and physically hit them, I took the decision that I needed to get involved.”One of them had already told me what he would do verbally if I did not shut the f*** up. He had already run at a close friend I play cricket with with a bottle.”I was protecting myself. I took the decision to do what I did very quickly. As soon as the episode started, I knew that not just myself but other people could be a target of these two men.A court sketch of Ben Stokes•PA Photos

“Everything I did was in defence of myself. I’d say I felt under threat from these two and I had to keep myself and others round me safe.”Accepting that he had thrown punches at both Ali and Hale, Stokes insisted he did so because he feared the use of “weapons” against him.”I did throw a punch at Ali,” Stokes said. “I was trying to stop him from doing damage to anyone with a glass bottle. I would say I did connect, yes.”I remember falling to the floor and rolling around on the floor. I remember someone else coming up behind me, grabbing me. A lot of grabbing of me from behind. I was grabbed and pulled. I didn’t know who that was.”I wasn’t aware [of what had happened] to the bottle Ali had had in his hand.”When I got back to my feet I saw that one of the men we had the initial verbal altercation with was in front of me. It was Mr Hale. He was walking towards me. His arms were raised up. I immediately thought he was the individual who was trying to keep me down on the floor as well as Mr Ali. I didn’t want to give anyone a chance of doing anything to me.”I thought it could easily be the two of them coming on to me. I wasn’t going to let them do that. I was protecting myself.”I initially got involved in a verbal altercation which turned into an attack which did involve weapons. A glass bottle was used as a weapon and that turned into a fight.”Throughout the whole time I was using any force, it was in complete belief these two gentlemen who’d I’d never met were willing to use weapons again. They’d already shown they were prepared to do that. They could have been carrying more weapons on them. They could attack me at any time if I turned my back on them. I wasn’t going to let them have any opportunity to do that. I felt under threat the whole time.”Commenting on CCTV evidence, Stokes claimed it was “pretty clear” it showed him “escorting Mr Barry and Mr O’Connor” away from the fight, while he claimed body-camera footage from the police officer who arrested him showed him urging Hales to leave the scene and return to the team hotel.”I was trying to tell him to leave; to get out of here,” Stokes said. “I was saying ‘It’s on me.’ I was saying ‘Go, get away from here. Don’t get involved.'”He didn’t need to be there. I was the one stuck in the police car with handcuffs on.”The footage also appeared to show Hales telling the police officer that he did not arrive on the scene until after the fight had finished.Earlier the judge, Judge Blair, instructed the jury to enter a not guilty verdict against co-defendant, Hale due to lack of evidence.The case continues.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool project is built atop the foundation paved by Jurgen Klopp in his last hurrah.

That’s not to say that the Dutch tactician has been riding on his predecessor’s coattails; far from it. Slot has taken a talented Liverpool side and shaped it toward his vision.

He’s done it with aplomb. The Reds are eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and await Newcastle United in next month’s Carabao Cup final. They have been drawn against Paris Saint-Germain for the Champions League’s last 16 too.

And all this having barely touched the transfer market. In fact, Federico Chiesa from Juventus for £12.5m stands as the only first-team addition since the summer 2023 market. Giorgi Mamardashvili signed last summer but has stayed with Valencia on loan.

Much of this boils down to Liverpool’s midfield rebuild. Klopp’s last hurrah, he pieced a malfunctioned engine room back together, with FSG opting for several parts instead of the attractive option named Jude Bellingham.

When Liverpool missed out on Jude Bellingham

There was a point, about two years ago, when Liverpool held onto hopes of bringing Bellingham to Anfield. Spanish sources revealed in December 2022 that Real Madrid were the favourites but that Liverpool held the financial advantage. Fans waited with bated breath.

Bellingham signed for Los Blancos in a deal worth £115m, leaving Borussia Dortmund having established himself as one of the brightest young talents in the business.

Toward the end of the 2023/24 season, Joleon Lescott claimed that the robust midfielder is “the best player in the world.” Whether this is actually true is open to question, but there’s no doubt that Bellingham is in the world-class bracket.

He has lifted La Liga and Champions League titles and has racked up 57 goal contributions from 77 matches. According to CIES Football Observatory’s player valuation model, Bellingham is currently valued at £225m, making him the second-most valuable player in the world, behind only Manchester City’s Erling Haaland at £244m.

Carlo Ancelotti has described Bellingham as “a gift for football” but Liverpool ultimately hit the jackpot in investing in the aggregate. Had the Three Lions superstar been signed and resources have been exhausted, it’s unlikely that Liverpool’s midfield, maybe still comprised of Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, would be serving up a title challenge.

Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch are title-chasing Liverpool’s main options, while Wataru Endo surprised a few in helping Klopp’s team toward a resurgent 2023/24 campaign, winning the Carabao Cup too.

However, there’s another Reds midfielder who’s proving himself to be an unsung hero in Slot’s midfield, and he cost absolutely nothing.

Arne Slot's unsung hero at Liverpool

Curtis Jones has always been just outside the limelight.

A dynamic midfielder with a technical gift and selfless intelligence, he’s been a valuable asset to the Merseysiders since emerging from the academy.

His introductory goal against Everton in the 2020 FA Cup third round when he was only 18 to seal passage to the next phase illustrated the latest Merseyside sensation to come through the gates.

His ball-playing style aligns neatly with Slot’s own footballing ideology, but injuries and suspensions have kept him from nailing down a regular starting berth.

In fact, the regularity of suspension and fitness blows across his senior career so far might have proved detrimental to many up-and-comers, but his determination and self-belief have instead seen him go from strength to strength.

Below, you will see how Jones’ technical qualities have been shifted to accommodate Slot’s more control-focused system. This, for sure, serves as an accurate barometer of the nuanced tweaks away from Klopp’s set-up.

Curtis Jones in the Premier League (23/24 vs 24/25)
Stats (per 90)	23/24	24/25
Goals	0.08	0.26
Assists	0.08	0.26
Shot-creating actions	2.78	2.33
Touches	70.57	62.96
Pass completion	91.1%	93.9%
Passes attempted	59.85	52.36
Progressive passes	5.71	5.43
Progressive carries	2.39	1.12
Successful take-ons	1.16	0.78
Ball recoveries	5.55	4.39
Tackles + interceptions	2.62	2.41
Stats via FBref

Under Slot’s wing, Jones is effectively moving around less, touching less of the ball while maintaining his expertise in playing the ball. Speaking warmly of his midfielder in November, the Dutch coach hailed his all-round ability: “He has an incredibly hard work rate and we trust him in defence. He is complete. For him now, it is all about consistency.”

Praised for his “truly special” style of play by one analyst, Jones’ knack for impressing across the different central roles serves as another string to the bow. As per Transfermarkt, he has featured 14 times in an advanced role this year, 11 dead in the centre and has played four matches in a deeper-sat position, making long stroking passes to build the fluency of Slot’s team.

His glue-like quality allows those around him to flourish, and brings the best out of them. In fact, he might even have some intriguing similarities to the aforementioned Bellingham, with FBref recording the Real Madrid Galactico as Jones’ most comparable midfielder when crunching numbers across the past 365 days.

Bellingham ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for goals and assists, the top 17% for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for touches, and the top 6% for tackles and interceptions made per 90, as per FBref.

He’s the footballing paragon of midfield completeness, transcending the position and becoming a unique talent unto himself. Jones, we have to admit, isn’t operating at the same level, but he does carry a stylistic semblance and this is a treat for a Reds side blessed with such dynamic and balanced midfield proportions.

The Sky Sports pundits see something Bellingham-esque in Jones’ skill set, with Jamie Carragher remarking that he has “a bit of everything” in his game.

Indeed, Jones needs to keep his head down and prove himself worthy among his fellow midfielders. According to Football Transfers, the England international’s transfer value has skyrocketed from about £15m to £44m in just a matter of months, perfectly illustrating his progress under new Liverpool management.

Bellingham’s a showman, yes, but he’s also a warrior and a thoroughbred workhorse. Jones doesn’t quite encapsulate the same sweeping gamut, but he’s a top player in his own right, and so undervalued within this title-charging Liverpool team.

Left in 2015: Liverpool's £4m flop is outscoring Darwin Nunez in 24/25

It highlights the non-clinical edge of Darwin Nunez’s game.

By
Angus Sinclair

Feb 21, 2025

وجه نادي ريال مدريد الإسباني طلبًا هامًا إلى جماهيره في بيان رسمي بشأن صفقته الجديدة، كيليان مبابي.

وأعلن النادي الإسباني في بيان بالأمس أن مبابي سيتم تقديمه أمام الجماهير والإعلام يوم، الثلاثاء المقبل، في تمام الساعة الواحدة ظهرًا بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مبابي يقتدي بـ رونالدو.. ريال مدريد يُعلن أرقام قمصان لاعبيه في الموسم الجديد

ودعا نادي ريال مدريد أعضاءه من أجل حضور حفل تقديم مبابي بالمجان، وهناك إمكانية للجماهير العاشقة للملكي للحضور وفقًا لتوافر التذاكر للتواجد بملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

وسيبدأ طرح تذاكر حفل مبابي، غدًا، الجمعة 12 يوليو في العاشرة صباحًا بتوقيت إسبانيا بهدف الحصول على حضور أسطوري في تقديمه.

وسيوقع مبابي على عقوده الرسمية مع ريال مدريد لمدة 5 سنوات مقبلة ليستمر في الملكي حتى 30 يونيو 2029 ويبدأ مغامرة جديدة في مسيرته الكروية.

ورحل الفرنسي عن باريس سان جيرمان في 30 يونيو الماضي بعدما انتهى عقده وذلك بعد 7 سنوات داخل جدران ملعب “حديقة الأمراء”.

Arsenal maintained their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign with a 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

“They have had two bids rejected but their [Arsenal's] interest remains strong. There is optimism at the Emirates Stadium that with patience they will get this done given that the player has very clearly indicated that he would like to join them.”

These are the words of The Athletic's David Ornstein, spoken to NBC Sports in January 2023, prior to Manchester City's clash against Chelsea in the Premier League.

The esteemed journalist is delineating the high-profile transfer situation surrounding Arsenal's long-term interest in exciting winger Mykhailo Mudryk, who had been in awe-inspiring form with Shakhtar Donetsk in his homeland, and scored in Saturday's recent draw.

Sky Sports, however, revealed that free-spending Chelsea were considering entering the race for the coveted winger, and indeed ultimately snatched Mudryk from Gunners sporting director Edu's nose, signing the 22-year-old for a whopping £88.5m.

It was a moment of great poignancy at the time, for Arsenal, despite being firmly ensconced in first place in the division, had seen their prime target swiped by a Blues side who, for all their lavish opulence, were flattering to deceive, moored in the middle of the league table.

Hindsight so often proves to be a wonderful thing, as the adage goes, and the Ukrainian would contribute to the woes at Stamford Bridge with just two assists and no goals from 15 appearances during the 2022/23 English top-flight season.

Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, was relishing in the success of a transfer of a far shrewder nature, securing a £27m deal for Brighton & Hove Albion forward Leandro Trossard on the 21st of January, bolstering a fluid frontline with a Premier League-proven and dynamic player.

Trossard had been a crucial part of Brighton's ascendency over recent years, and proved to be a stroke of genius on Arteta and Edu's part, outshining his Chelsea counterpart considerably.

Impressive last season, the Belgian has been crucial this year and has already popped up with some massive moments to keep the squad on track, and he may well be the unsung hero in a squad bespecked in first-class quality.

How good is Leandro Trossard?

After posting 25 goals and 14 assists from 121 appearances for Brighton, Trossard joined the Arsenal fold with sights set on improving the ranks and increasing the depth amid a captivating title race against Manchester City.

And while Arteta's side agonisingly came up short, the £90k-per-week ace's involvement certainly aided the club in its exploits, especially given Gabriel Jesus' knee injury hampering his role across the latter half of the campaign.

Bagging a goal and ten assists from just 11 league starts after his transfer, Trossard has been a revelation and has opened up a new dimension to keep the team ticking.

This year, he has flipped the switch somewhat and harnessed his innate striking instinct, plundering four goals and an assist from eight matches so far, starting on just four occasions.

Scoring the winner against Everton and the equaliser against Chelsea last weekend, his capacity to pop up in decisive phases is part of the reason Arteta swooped for his services.

The first of those showings came off the bench against Manchester City in the Community Shield, where his goal in the late stages took the match to penalties, which Arsenal won to set the tone for the campaign. And it's so far so good.

Trossard ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues and European competitions over the past year for assists made per 90, as per FBref, with his performances leading broadcast journalist Buchi Laba to brand him as a "creative machine".

Strengths

Weaknesses

Crossing

Tackling

Passing

Finishing

Through balls

Key passes

Dribbling

This level of attacking ability is exactly what Arsenal need in their fight to take their progress up a notch this year and win either the Premier League or Champions League trophy.

Lofty ambitions, but such is now requisite at the Emirates Stadium; Arteta has instilled the correct mentality and the club is reaping rewards of this renewed quality.

Praised for his "perfect" start to the season by pundit Pat Nevin, the 28-cap revelation has been remarkable, no doubt, and in a very different way, and could be the manager's new star ahead of Declan Rice.

How is Declan Rice performing for Arsenal?

Rice's future was subject to much discussion in the build-up to the transfer window; everyone wanted a slice, but Arsenal had always been in pole position and they shrugged off late advances from Manchester City to secure his signature in a £105m move in July.

Since the summer, he has made 12 appearances and scored twice in the Premier League, and the fact that his goals came against Manchester United and Chelsea underscores his value and pedigree in the biggest moments.

Rice ranks among the top 20% of midfielders for goals, the top 21% for passes attempted, the top 19% for pass completion, the top 20% for progressive passes, the top 16% for progressive carries, and the top 8% for interceptions per 90.

Hailed as a "force of nature" by journalist Rob Blanchette for his exploits with West Ham, the England international is now thriving at the heart of one of Europe's most formidable outfits, very much capable of steering the club over the line in the search for silver-laden success this year.

And while he is the obvious example of how Arteta has strengthened his side over the past few transfer windows, Trossard's is the kind of capture to go somewhat under the radar amid the flood of exorbitant activity that dominates the market.

Where once Arsenal were the river that trickled into the sea, now they are the sea that flows into the river, creeping closer and closer still to a team of dominance at the forefront of European football.

There's a distance still to travel until Arsenal do indeed perch alongside the behemoths such as Real Madrid and Manchester City, perenially touted as the all-conquering units, but with signings such as Rice's bolstering the fold, the framework for lasting success is established.

The tough-tackling, turbo-charging midfielder is indeed paramount to Arteta's vision, but Trossard is the man to make the difference in key phases.

Arsenal will not always decimate the opposition, flaunt their attacking impetus and establish early leads to settle the nerves of the anticipating support, and components such as Trossard really do tip the odds in the London club's favour.

Hailed as a "magician" by writer Hayley McGoldrick, the 5 foot 7 phenom offers the multi-functionality to serve his title-chasing side in their endeavours.

The taste of silverware has already been handed to this Gunners side, salvaged through Trossard's late strike against Pep Guardiola's team in the dying embers, and with the interminable journey to the end of the campaign still in its early phase, you would not bet against this big-game star's pivotal part in the exploits yet to come.

After a disastrous start, Chelsea are beginning to show signs of life under Mauricio Pochettino, even after they squandered a 2-0 lead against Arsenal. The fact that they competed on most fronts against last season's nearly-champions shows that the Blues shouldn't be written off quite yet, and neither should Pochettino. If the Argentine can get certain details right within his squad, then he may just have a side capable of securing a top-four place in the Premier League.

One major recent positive has been the form of Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukraine international finally ended his wait for a Premier League goal by scoring against Fulham, before following that up with a second goal in three games with his audacious effort against Arsenal. That hasn't stopped Pochettino's pursuit of further competition in the left-wing role, however, with one particular star reportedly targeted.

Latest Chelsea transfer news

It was once again a busy summer for Todd Boehly and Chelsea, as players such as Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic, and Kai Havertz all left for fellow top-six Premier League clubs, allowing room for the likes of Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, and Moises Caicedo to arrive. It remains to be seen whether that transfer tactic will pay off for the Blues, though, having failed to cement their place among the top flight's best sides so far. Further arrivals may change that, however.

The latest Nicolas Gonzalez transfer news suggests that those at Stamford Bridge could attempt to solve their attacking problems in January. According to reports in Spain, Chelsea and Liverpool could battle it out to sign the right-winger, who Fiorentina reportedly value up to €60m (£52m). We've seen how willing Chelsea are to spend money in the last two years, perhaps making Gonzalez's price-tag no issue for those at Stamford Bridge.

Nicolas Gonzalez stats

It's no surprise that both Liverpool and Chelsea are interested in signing the Fiorentina man. After all, Gonzalez's stats so far this season show the level that he is capable of going to. Even when compared to Chelsea's current wingers, the Argentine stands out in certain areas, as per FBref.

Player

Goals

Assists

Pass Completion Rate

Nicolas Gonzalez

5

1

73.8%

Mykhailo Mudryk

2

0

61.6%

Raheem Sterling

3

0

72.7%

Gonzalez's output when it comes to goals has been particularly impressive this season, with five in seven games – six of those being starts – proving just how impressive he has been. What makes his start in Serie A this season even greater is the fact that only Lautaro Martinez and Victor Omishen have found the back of the net more times.

It's no shock, then, that the Fiorentina man has been at the centre of praise, including from statistician Opta Paolo, who posted on X back in January: "253 – Nicolás González has scored a Serie A goal as a starter for the first time since May 21st, 2022, against Juventus, 253 days ago. Jewel."

With that said, it will certainly be interesting to see whether Chelsea move ahead of Liverpool in the battle to sign Gonzalez, and secure his signature in the process.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na tarde desta segunda-feira, o STJD (Supremo Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva), em sessão virtual, julgou as denúncias em relação às recentes expulsões de Cássio e Bruno Méndez. Apesar da possibilidade de gancho para ambos, apenas o uruguaio deve ser desfalque diante do Fortaleza, nesta quarta-feira, já que pegou duas partidas de punição, mas já cumpriu uma, a automática.

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> Veja classificação e simulador do Brasileirão clicando aqui

Cássio foi denunciado pelo artigo 243, por ter sido expulso contra o Ceará pela reclamação acintosa em cima do árbitro Anderson Daronco. A procuradoria, com base na súmula, ofereceu a denúncia como se goleiro tivesse ofendido a honra do juiz. A pena, nesse caso, seria de um a seis jogos, mas a questão foi desclassificada para o artigo 258, como indisciplina e punição de uma partida, que já foi cumprida no duelo seguinte, contra o Athletico-PR.

Sendo assim, pouco menos de dois meses depois, Cássio foi julgado e está liberado para jogar pelo Brasileirão, nesta quarta-feira. O mesmo, porém, não acontece com Bruno Méndez, que teve sua expulsão contra o Furacão analisada também nesta segunda-feira pelo mesmo tribunal. Assim como o goleiro, ele não pôde comparecer ao julgamento virtual por estarem em viagem para Fortaleza, justamente por conta do duelo pela 24ª rodada do Brasileirão.

O uruguaio levou o cartão vermelho por ter desferido um golpe em seu adversário, Renato Kayzer, quando a bola já não estava em jogo. Bruno foi denunciado pelo artigo 254 do CBJD (Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva) por conta de jogada violenta. No julgamento, porém, o juízes desclassificaram para o artigo 250, que prevê a punição de ato hostil por um período de uma a três partidas. Por ser réu primário, a pena caiu para dois jogos.

Como o zagueiro já cumpriu um, contra o Flamengo, no duelo seguinte à expulsão, terá apenas uma partida a mais de gancho, que deverá ser nesta quarta-feira, diante do Fortaleza. O departamento jurídico do Timão ainda pode pedir uma efeito suspensivo para Bruno. Caso não peça ou não seja concedido, Marllon volta para a titularidade após cumprir suspensão contra o Coritiba.

Derbyshire’s young spin attack of Matt Critchley and Hamidullah Qadri carried the home side to a thrilling 39-run victory over Northamptonshire in the Division Two County Championship match at Chesterfield

ECB Reporters Network25-Jul-20181:13

Somerset silence stubborn Worcestershire

ScorecardDerbyshire’s young spin attack of Matt Critchley and Hamidullah Qadri carried the home side to a thrilling 39-run victory over Northamptonshire in the Division Two County Championship match at Chesterfield.Critchley, 21, took 6 for 106 to become the first Derbyshire legspinner to claim 10 wickets in an innings for 68 years while 17-year-old offspinner Qadri finished with 3 for 66 as Northants slipped to 274 chasing 314. Alex Wakley made an excellent 68 but his dismissal saw Northants lose their last six wickets for 47 runs as Critchley and Qadri ran through the lower order.Northants had been slight favourites at the start but much depended on Wakely, who had scored a century in the first innings on a pitch that was taking increasing spin.Wakely and Richard Levi played carefully against some accurate bowling through the first 10 overs until Critchley made the first breakthrough when he pinned Levi lbw with a short ball that scuttled through.The odds again appeared to be with Northants as Wakely and Steven Crook added 40 to reduce the target below three figures but a game that had fluctuated throughout took another turn when both fell in successive overs. Wakely’s defensive push was defeated by Qadri and in the next over, Critchley got one to spit at Crook who was caught by Alex Hughes diving at second slip.Seekkuge Prasanna drove Qadri for four and then dispatched Critchley for six over long on but the latter claimed his fourth victim when Josh Cobb missed an attempted pull. Derbyshire took another big stride towards victory when Prasanna was bowled playing back to Critchley and when Qadri span one through Brett Hutton’s defence, it was only a matter of when the win was confirmed.Nathan Buck hit Critchley for two fours but when he went for another big shot, a top edge was held by Wayne Madsen running back from first slip to seal Derbyshire’s first win at Queen’s Park since 2008.

Chris Lynn will play domestic limited-overs matches for Queensland for the first time in five years as part of his bid to play a part in Australia’s 2019 ODI World Cup campaign following his recovery from a longstanding shoulder problem.Not since 2013 has Lynn turned out for the Bulls in the 50-over tournament which is now played as a brief, pre-season affair due to the pre-eminence of the Twenty20 Big Bash League in the prime months of summer. Lynn’s previous selections for Australia in the 50-over format, playing one match in 2017 and then being picked in the ODI squad to face England at home earlier this year then ruled out through injury, have been based on his T20 showings alone.However, the new Australian coach and selector Justin Langer made it clear that performances in state-based competitions will assume renewed importance, and Lynn will duly return to Queensland ranks, having signed a contract for the 2018-19 summer. This contract is also intended to cover the Sheffield Shield, but it is unlikely that Lynn will turn out in the first-class competition.”It’s been a few years since I have been a part of the group for the limited-overs competition so I’m looking forward to getting involved and hopefully help us to play some good cricket,” Lynn said. “I’ve enjoyed training with the boys in the off-season and am keen to get into the playing side of things again, first with the (Trinbago) Knight Riders in the CPL and then the JLT Cup.”Under Australia’s previous regime led by the former captain Steven Smith and the ex-coach Darren Lehmann, Lynn had appeared to be looming as a central part of plans to rejuvenate the ODI team’s top order with his power-hitting, after the fashion now favoured by England as the world’s No. 1 ranked 50-over side. It now appears that he will have to demonstrate his abilities for Queensland before being considered ahead of the limited-overs series against South Africa that will start the home summer.Queensland have also had to deal with the loss of their first-choice wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson due to a hamstring tendon injury that has required surgery, and will rule him out of the 50-over competition and the early part of the Shield schedule. The Bulls coach Wade Seccombe, himself a former gloveman, outlined the numerous options the state team have in Peirson’s absence.”You accept that injuries are a part and parcel of the game but certainly the wicketkeeper fills a pretty specific role in the team and is not easy to replace,” Seccombe said. “Add into the mix Jimmy’s leadership and it does present us with a few challenges; but on the flipside, it also creates some opportunities to work on between now and the start of the season.”We’re fortunate that Lachy Pfeffer has the benefit of coming into his second year as a contracted player so he will get plenty of opportunities to build-up his ‘keeping workload. We also have a core of emerging keepers in Tom Healy and Lewin Malady, who are both former Australian Under-19 players, and Isiah Snell who have been involved with national and state pathway programs in recent years and have performed well at Premier Cricket level.”Another member of the Bulls squad, the 27-year-old allrounder Jason Floros, has chosen to make his exit from the game and pursue another career. Over the past decade, Floros has been a consistent presence in squads with sporadic appearances for Queensland, amounting to 15 first-class appearances and 28 limited-overs matches.”Flo has always been a consummate team man and squad member and his decision to hand back a contract and create a spot in the squad speaks highly of his character,” Seccombe said. “We congratulate him on his career with the Bulls and thank him for his dedication and generosity, especially as a leader within the group.”