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Enzo Maresca was slammed for his "boring" tactics in Arsenal defeat as William Gallas believes Chelsea should have stuck with Mauricio Pochettino.

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Chelsea went down to Arsenal in the London derbyMaresca under scrutiny after just four wins in 13 PL gamesGallas believes Chelsea were better under PochettinoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory, courtesy of Mikel Merino’s first-half header, at the Emirates on Sunday. The win solidified the Gunners’ second-place position, while Chelsea’s ambitions of securing a top-four finish took a major blow.

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Chelsea’s uninspired performance has become a recurring theme in recent weeks. Despite boasting a squad valued at over £1 billion, the team has been struggling for consistency since the turn of the year. Their poor run of form, which includes just four wins in their last 13 league matches, has raised serious questions about Maresca’s tactics and decision-making.

WHAT GALLAS SAID

One of the biggest criticisms of Chelsea’s approach under Maresca has been their possession-heavy style that often fails to translate into meaningful goal-scoring opportunities.

Gallas did not hold back in his assessment of Maresca’s system, describing it as a throwback to a different era. He was particularly baffled by the decision to play Reece James in midfield, likening the approach to something from decades ago.

Speaking to Gallas said: "It was man-to-man everywhere on the pitch, I was surprised that Reece James played as a midfielder and it was like being back in 1980. We are in 2025, how can you ask your players to do that? The defenders Benoit Badiashile and Levi Colwill looked scared on the ball and with more pressure from Arsenal they might’ve scored the second goal, the goal they did score was from a corner.

“For me, it was boring, especially for a London derby. I played so many of those games and it was more intense. Fans want to see the players fighting, running, and challenging, but nothing happened."

DID YOU KNOW?

Gallas believes that based on Chelsea’s recent performances, Mauricio Pochettino might have been the better option to lead the club. Pochettino was sacked in the summer of 2024 after he guided the Blues to a sixth-place finish.

“Looking at the performance against Arsenal, you’d say that Chelsea would be better off with Mauricio Pochettino," the former defender opined.

“What I saw of Chelsea against Arsenal, the system and how they played, I was a little bit disappointed. But right now I think Enzo Maresca is on the right path, they are still on course to qualify for the top four. Sometimes owners at big clubs are not patient.

“The new owners have made a lot of decisions until now when they don’t see results, now it’s up to Maresca to show that he is the manager Chelsea were looking for.”

Despite Wolverhampton Wanderers’ poor start to the 2024/25 campaign, it has been an impressive individual season for a couple of their stars.

One of the players who is performing well is Rayan Ait-Nouri. The Algerian left wing-back is flying this season and has five goal involvements in 12 Premier League games already.

Summer signing Jorgen Strand Larsen has also performed well this term. The centre-forward is at the club on loan, although the deal could become a permanent move next summer. He has scored four goals and has three assists in 13 games in all competitions so far this season.

However, the star of the show for the Old Gold this term is undoubtedly Matheus Cunha.

Cunha’s stats in 2024/25

There is no denying the fact that, for the most part, it has been a dire season for Gary O’Neil’s side this term. They were without a win in the first ten games of the campaign, although have since notched up two victories. A large reason for that is Cunha’s exemplary form.

The Brazilian forward has played 12 times in the Premier League this term for the Old Gold. He already has seven goals and three assists to his name.

He grabbed one goal and one assist against Southampton on gameweek 11 to win the game, before scoring twice and registering an assist in Wolves’ most recent win, a 4-1 thrashing of Fulham at Craven Cottage.

The versatile forward is one of the most in-form players in the Premier League this season. As per FBref, his ten goal involvements place him equal third along with Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson for the most goals and assists in the English top flight.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast's In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

The only players ahead of him are Mohamed Salah with 16, and Erling Haaland, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka, who all have 12. It is fair to say that Cunha is in exceptional company.

One of the best things about the 25-year-old is his versatility. This term, he has played right across the front three and in a deeper role, and whilst his best football arguably comes as a number ten, he has still contributed to goals when playing other positions this season.

Frustratingly for the Old Gold, Cunha could soon be set to leave Molineux. Football Insider recently reported that Manchester United ‘are plotting a move to sign’ the Brazilian next summer. Whilst this would be a big blow for the club, they might have an on-loan star ready to step up.

The academy star who can replace Cunha

The player in question here is 21-year-old Welsh attacking midfielder Chem Campbell. The youngster is currently out on loan at League 1 side Reading, where he has put in some standout performances.

This term, the youngster has played 14 times in all competitions, scoring three goals and registering four assists so far. He has predominantly played as a winger, although is also able to play as a number ten.

The Welshman has already experienced first-team football at Molineux. The Old Gold academy star has played eight games so far for Wolves, featuring for 172 minutes. He made his first team debut in the Carabao Cup in 2019.

Since then, Campbell has had three loans, in order to better prepare him for a potential first-team role at Molineux in the future. As well as his time at Reading this term, the young attacker has spent time at Charlton Athletic and Wycombe Wanderers.

Club

Games

Minutes

G/A

Wolves

8

172

0

Wycombe Wanderers

25

1248

3

Charlton Athletic

16

921

4

Reading

14

944

7

He is someone highly rated at the Midlands club. Wolves pathways manager Steve Davis was full of praise for Campbell, explaining that he can “unlock a defence”, noting he has “an ability to see passes and create chances” for his teammates with ease.

Should Cunha depart the club, Campbell could certainly prove to be a good option to replace Wolves’ star man. Whilst he might need time to bed into the first team fold at first, there is no reason why he cannot eventually make that spot his own and become a prominent member of Gary O’Neil’s side.

Lage sold Ait-Nouri's replacement who's now ouranking every Wolves player

The former Wolves man is flourishing this season

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 28, 2024

Kylian Mbappe will take penalties for Real Madrid from their next match as Vinicius Junior is punished for missing a spot-kick against Valencia.

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Vinicius Jr stripped of penalty dutiesMbappe to take penalties for MadridBrazilian missed spot-kick against ValenciaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

The Brazilian winger failed to hand his team an early lead as he saw his feeble shot comfortably saved by Giorgi Mamardashvili. The penalty miss proved costly as Madrid eventually went down 2-1 against Valencia in La Liga last weekend. Now, reports that manager Ancelotti has decided to remove Vinicius Jr. from penalty duties as Mbappe is all set to take the club's spot-kicks, starting with their upcoming Champions League fixture against Arsenal.

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The blunder against Valencia was the Brazilian's second penalty miss in the 2024-25 campaign, as he had earlier failed to convert a spot-kick against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. The report also adds that if Mbappe now fails to convert penalties, the next in line to take spot-kicks is Jude Bellingham. Like Vinicius Jr, Mbappe too has missed two penalties this season, while Bellingham has missed once.

DID YOU KNOW?

Valencia goalkeeper Mamardashvili has revealed that he had offered a bet to the Brazilian winger. Vinicius was lining up to take a penalty when the custodian said he would pay the star €50 if he was to score, and Vinicius agreed to pay the same fee should he miss.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR REAL MADRID?

Los Blancos are set to visit North London to face Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final fixture at Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.

Pair drafted in for new white-ball coach Matthew Mott’s first engagement

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Jun-2022England have added Mark Alleyne and Neil Killeen to their coaching staff for the ODI tour of the Netherlands. The pair will form part of the team supporting new white-ball coach Matthew Mott in his first engagement since being appointed in May.Alleyne, the former Gloucestershire allrounder who played 10 ODIs for England, is assistant director of sport at Marlborough College and an ECB scout. He was recently also appointed men’s assistant coach at Welsh Fire.Alleyne worked previously with England’s T20I players in the Caribbean earlier this year, and is understood to have interviewed for the white-ball job that went to Mott.Related

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Killeen is currently the assistant and lead bowling coach at Durham. He has also been involved with England’s white-ball players in the recent past, working with the ODI squad during the 2020 series against Ireland.Alleyne will take charge of batting duties, while Killeen will look after the pace bowlers, joining a coaching team that includes Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson.With World Cup Super League points at stake, England have named a strong squad for the three-match series, despite the absence of their multi-format players involved in the concurrent Test series against New Zealand. The party will depart on Tuesday, ahead of the first ODI at Amstelveen on Friday.

Plays of the day from the Super 10s match between Sri Lanka and West Indies in Bangalore

Alagappan Muthu20-Mar-20164:04

Chappell: Evidence confirms Chandimal catch was clean

Pulling the plugA six off the first ball. A four to follow that. Tillakaratne Dilshan was batting like his numbers against West Indies suggested he would. Coming into the game, he averaged 55.56 in eight matches. But like a party that was shut down before it could get raucous, Dilshan’s innings came to a grinding halt when umpire Johan Cloete gave the nod to a vociferous lbw appeal from Carlos Brathwaite. The ball was angled into the pads and it appeared to be missing leg stump comfortably and the cool kids were none too happy with that. A brand new redhead, Dilshan left shaking his head and his old team-mate Mahela Jayawardene tweeted, “Come on, umps! it’s a WC and u have to be better than this.”The slow motion sucker punch
The Dwayne Bravo slower ball has had a grand old run at the IPL, and it keeps embarrassing class batsmen. Today it was Angelo Mathews’ turn. Premeditating a lap sweep, the Sri Lanka captain went down on one knee and was face to face with a big old full toss. Mathews, having given up the option of a stable base, could only flail at the ball. The outside edge looped up and fell straight into wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin’s gloves. At no point in this sequence did the ball touch the ground.The anti-climax
Bangalore made no bones about who it was supporting. Their local boy Chris Gayle was in town and every Sri Lankan wicket was cheered with gusto. So it was surprising when a dropped catch that benefited the West Indian team brought out a chorus of boos. Johnson Charles went aerial and Chamara Kapugedera hunted it down from midwicket. It should have been a dolly, but the ball popped in and popped straight out. A crowd that had been screaming “We want Gayle! We want Gayle!” when the chase began without him thought the wicket would bring their hero out. Guess they weren’t informed that Gayle had twinged his hamstring and spent too much of the first innings off the field to take strike straight away.Too much tech
It seemed it was finally time. Andre Fletcher had played a blinder in his stead, but Dushmantha Chameera claimed his outside edge in the 16th over and it seemed like Dinesh Chandimal had pulled off a fine catch. Umpire Cloete gave it out straight away, but his partner at square leg Aleem Dar wanted a second look. Third umpire Simon Fry was in the hot seat and as is the case with catches that die into the fielder’s hand, the more camera angles that were used, the more doubts crept in. The replays showed the ball bouncing, a sizeable contingent thought it did so only after settling cleanly into the wicketkeeper’s gloves, Fry wasn’t among them and ruled not out.The hometown boy deniedChris Gayle had called Bangalore his “hometown” after blitzing a century against England and his fans had thronged to the M Chinnaswamy stadium by the hordes to see him and they went back home without getting to watch Gayle bat. The man tried his best though. He was by the boundary, padded up, helmeted and armed with his big bat itching to get on the field and entertain the crowd. He had to be jovially dragged off inside by umpire Ian Gould and feeling a touch guilty, perhaps, Gayle came out sans his gear to wave to salute the crowd and indulge in a few selfies

Real Madrid will have to pay a double-digit buyout fee in order to sign Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso as manager this summer.

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Alonso heavily tipped to join MadridLaLiga outfit likely to part ways with Carlo AncelottiLos Blancos must pay a buyout fee to sign AlonsoFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Alonso is the hot favourite to replace Carlo Ancelotti as the manager of Real Madrid, especially following the Spanish giants' humiliating 5-1 quarter-final defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League. However, BILD reports (h/t Football Espana) that Los Blancos will have to pay a double-digit figure to Bayer Leverkusen in order to sign Alonso before his current deal, valid until June 2026, expires.

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Alonso is believed to have an agreement with Leverkusen CEO Fernando Cerro to allow him to leave for Real Madrid, but the German club will demand at least €10 million as fees for his release. Los Merengues are likely to negotiate the cost down, given their historical reluctance to pay large fees for managers. The timing, with the Club World Cup approaching, adds urgency to the decision. Indeed, there is just a 24-day gap between Madrid's final LaLiga fixture and the start of the Club World Cup. Not just that, but a host of Madrid players are expected to be on national duty in between, giving Alonso little to no time to work with the squad.

DID YOU KNOW?

Speculation surrounding a potential managerial change at Madrid has intensified in recent days. According to reports from Cadena SER, an intermediary from the Confederation of Brazilian Football (CBF) was spotted in the stands of the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, fueling rumours of a possible managerial shake-up. Additional reports have suggested that former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could be enticed by the prospect of returning to management with the 15-time European winners, should the opportunity arise.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR XABI ALONSO?

Leverkusen's sporting director hinted last month that Alonso could remain at the BayArena for another season. "No, he's staying, that's it. He told me that there was nothing. He has a contract with us," said Rofles.

Alonso could lead Die Werkself to a second consecutive Bundesliga title, although with five games to go and with Leverkusen trailing Bayern Munich by six points, only a miracle could see them defend the league. They will take on St. Pauli in their upcoming clash, which will be played on Sunday, April 20.

The Champions League format has changed and perhaps – whisper it quietly – this is a changed Celtic in European competition.

Of course, the trip to Dortmund may suggest otherwise, but it has been a rather solid start to this year’s edition for the Old Firm side, having picked up four points already from just three league outings.

That is as many points as the Hoops picked up from six group games in 2023/24, with Brendan Rodgers’ side no doubt beginning to dream of securing a place in the knockout rounds for the first time since the 2012/13 campaign.

The Premiership side’s latest outing away to Atalanta certainly wasn’t easy on the eye, but having rolled over on the road in the past, the Glasgow giants stood firm, repelling wave after wave of attacks from their rampant hosts.

In the thick of the action on the night for the visitors was summer signing Kasper Schmeichel, with the veteran Dane again proving just what an astute acquisition he has been for the Scottish champions.

Kasper's Schmeichel's start at Celtic

With former Manchester City colleague Joe Hart having called time on his lengthy career at the end of last season, Schmeichel appeared to be the obvious choice to succeed the Englishman, having previously worked under Rodgers at Leicester City.

Available on a free transfer amid his exit from Belgian side Anderlecht, the deal was, it must be said, a no-brainer, with the Premier League winner providing a wealth of experience to a relatively youthful Celtic side.

It is of course still early days, yet the 37-year-old has been simply masterful in between the sticks thus far, having already kept seven clean sheets in all competitions, while conceding just three goals in eight Premiership games.

The new addition was particularly impressive in Bergamo as he repeatedly thwarted the Europa League holders, notably denying Mario Pasalic’s driven effort with his feet, while also keeping out a bullet header from Mateo Retegui.

That “outstanding” performance – in the words of Hart – was vital in helping his side to claim a first Champions League clean sheet in seven years, with the decision to sign Schmeichel on a free having paid off handsomely.

The only concern will be, however, that at 37, the 109-cap Denmark international – who only joined on a one-year deal – is not a long-term solution, even if he could still have a few years left at the top level.

It is for that reason that the club’s biggest bargain of the summer perhaps came elsewhere…

Celtic's bargain summer deal

His impact has been fleeting so far, yet the measly £1m that was dished out on Dundee skipper, Luke McCowan already looks likely to be a particularly astute investment.

The boyhood Celtic fan has hit the ground running in his new surroundings, having notably chalked up his first goal for the club in the 2-0 win over Hearts back in September.

Competition in those midfield ranks is fierce following the other permanent captures of Paulo Bernardo and club-record signing, Arne Engels, yet on current evidence, it could be McCowan who is forcing his way into Rodgers’ starting lineup.

The 26-year-old was particularly impressive off the bench in last week’s 2-2 draw with surprise title rivals, Aberdeen, providing one key pass from just 14 touches as he looked to unpick the visiting defence, having also enjoyed a 90% pass accuracy in that late cameo.

The “tenacious” talent – as hailed by writer Kai Watson – is seemingly deserving of a chance to properly impress from the off in games, having previously contributed 15 goals and assists in the top-flight last season for his former employers.

8 games (3 starts)

3 goals

1 assist

0.9 key passes per game

2.2 tackles & interceptions per game

5.1 balls recovered per game

60% total duels won

63% ground duels won

9.3x possession lost per game

Hopes of the playmaker surpassing that £1m value can be boosted by his apparent likeness to one former Celtic star, with pundit Andy Walker likening him to Ryan Christie, prior to his move to Parkhead:

With Christie now valued at around £15m following his rise at Bournemouth, it showcases the kind of trajectory that McCowan could well follow – albeit hopefully at Celtic Park, rather than south of the border.

As such, while the recent window saw the Hoops splash out over £20m on the likes of Adam Idah and Engels, it could be the deals of Schmeichel and McCowan – in particular – who prove to be the biggest bargains.

Rodgers can repeat Liam Scales success with Celtic's "great athlete"

Celtic could replicate the rise of Liam Scales in 2025

ByRobbie Walls Oct 18, 2024

He landed heavily on his head after making a spectacular dive to try and save a six against Sri Lanka at the SCG

Alex Malcolm13-Feb-2022Steven Smith has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20I series against Sri Lanka after suffering a concussion while fielding in Sunday’s Super Over thriller at the SCG.Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed after the match that Smith had suffered a concussion after landing on his head following a spectacular diving attempt to save six in the final over of the second innings. He will be subject to low-level concussion protocols over the next few days and is expected to make a full recovery within a week. But he will not be available to play in the final three games in Canberra and Melbourne. CA confirmed that there were no plans to add a replacement player to the squad at this stage.Smith was fielding at deep midwicket in the final over of Sri Lanka’s chase when Maheesh Theekshana launched Marcus Stoinis’ third-last ball in his direction. Smith dived full length back and to his right to catch the ball and flick it back infield in the single motion but such was his extension that he couldn’t brace himself as he hit the ground and his head thumped into the turf.He was immediately in some discomfort and the medical staff attended to him quickly. He was able to get up and walk around the boundary without assistance but he did not field for the final two balls of the innings or during the Super Over.To add insult to injury, the third umpire awarded Sri Lanka six runs despite Smith’s efforts. Even though he was not touching the ground when he made contact with the ball as he flicked it back in, his right foot had touched the rope as he initially launched off the ground.Team-mate Josh Hazlewood, who was Player of the Match for his performance with the ball, confirmed Smith was fine despite the initial concerns.”When anyone dives and doesn’t get up straight away, it’s always a bit of concern,” Hazlewood said. “It’s good to see him walking around now. He made his way off the field and he’s walking around changing now. So early signs are good.”

An irreverent look in and around World T20 in Bangladesh. If you are looking for news, you have got lost in the right place.

Daniel Brettig18-Mar-2014Australia turn to Coach Roy
First Shane Warne ran his eye across Australia’s World Twenty20 spinners in Cape Town. Now their batsmen have arrived in Bangladesh aided by the advice of an unlikely yet somehow appropriate mentor for the bash and crash likely to ensue in Mirpur – Andrew Symonds. While commentating for local television during the T20 series against South Africa, Symonds was teed up by the coach Darren Lehmann to offer some advice to the middle-order batsmen and allrounders, spending plenty of time with James Faulkner, who shares Symonds’ knack for power and timing at the pointy end of matches.Symonds had previously been glimpsed handing a first baggy green cap to Alex Doolan before the first Test, and it was welcome to see him ushered into Australia’s team room after the regrettable circumstances of his premature exit from the team in 2009. Casting his eye back on the development of the World T20, Symonds observed Australia’s mediocre record in the tournament and offered a plausible explanation.”When I was playing T20s for Australia it was a bit of a day off really, where you could go out and express yourself but there was no pressure. Everyone had a bit of fun and enjoyed it,” he said. “Now, with the IPL, the commercial side of cricket is huge, so players are obviously very keen to become good at the game. We haven’t been very good at T20 cricket, it’s time to put that to rest, and this team is good enough to do that.”A Gayle of a time
During an Australian summer in which he hung out down under despite carrying a hamstring problem serious enough to keep him from playing for the West Indies across the Tasman in New Zealand, Chris Gayle seemed at times to be a little out of place. But there was no such problem in Dhaka when he regaled the world during a press conference that said two things – the World Twenty20 is Gayle’s oyster, and two years on from West Indies’ victory in Colmobo, Gangnam Style remains his dance move of choice.A few choice cuts from his opening chatter included the following.On Chris Gayle: “Worldwide people want to see Chris Gayle do well and entertain. That’s why they pay the money.”On bowling (and batting): “Talking about my spin bowling? I’m the best spinner in the world man. And you know what, I bat right-handed these days, done with batting left-handed.”On the Bangladeshi spin bowler Shohag Gazi: “Who’s that? The same guy I whacked for a six off his first delivery in Test cricket? He’s in the history books, I made him famous.”Gayle’s in the entertainment business, of that there can be no doubt.England’s Orangemen
If Stuart Broad’s England team are to make a swift exit from the tournament as is widely expected, they will at least have done so after winning the loud shirt contest. Seldom does a global sporting event go by without one team or another being coerced by a kit manufacturer into wearing the equivalent of the Emperor’s New Clothes, and this time it is England donning what has been dubbed “solar red” by its creators.Decked out for years in various shades of blue, the ECB began to deviate by experimenting with a red limited-overs kit in recent times, opening the way for a World T20 uniform that looks about as Dutch as Dennis Bergkamp. certainly saw the parallel, referring to “Stuart Broadkamp”, while ESPNcricinfo’s former UK Editor Andrew Miller noted on Twitter that James Tredwell now bears passing resemblance to “a bargain-basement Jaap Stam”. Broad will hope for a similar capacity to keep the scoring to a minimum.Dutch dramas
Speaking of men in orange, Netherlands certainly found a novel way to gain unwanted attention on the day of their opening match when the all-rounder Tim Gruijters contended that he had been “bullied” out of the squad under the veil of injury to make room for the late inclusion of Tom Cooper, freed up by South Australia’s failure to reach the Sheffield Shield final.Though the ICC ultimately concluded that the Dutch had followed the appropriate procedure for replacing Gruijters with Cooper, the notion of a batsman being ruled out of a tournament due to a bad back will draw knowing sniggers from a few quarters. Batting has always been a pursuit known to encourage back trouble, and while someone like Michael Clarke has had a high-profile struggle with a particularly severe form of the ailment, many others have carried various levels of discomfort or inflexibility across their careers.A snap request for all batsmen at the World T20 to undergo scans on their backs might have revealed that plenty of other supposedly fit participants are actually carrying issues of similar severity to Gruijters without any danger of being ruled unfit to play.Cricket fantasies
One way of adding notably to your interest in the WT20 is to join in our Cricket Fantasy tournament, due to begin with the main draw on March 21. The time between now and then offers a chance to shuffle your team until you feel sure of its points potential. The event format and array of competing nations offers plenty of room for inventive combinations, whether you think it will be David Warner putting his stamp on the event or Shahid Afridi whirling Pakistan to a second title. Take a look here.

Harvey Elliott admits to having held transfer conversations with Arne Slot, but the 21-year-old midfielder still considers Liverpool to be “my club”.

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Yet to start Premier League game this seasonInjuries have stunted progress at AnfieldAware of where he needs to improveFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Amid fierce competition for places at Anfield, England U21 international Elliott – who has sat out 14 games with a broken foot this season – is yet to start a Premier League fixture in the 2024-25 campaign. He admits to being left “a little bit” frustrated by limited game time.

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Elliott is, however, determined to prove his worth to Slot and the Liverpool coaching team, with an eye-catching cameo made off the bench in the Reds’ dramatic 2-0 victory over Bournemouth. The talented playmaker will not be causing a fuss when it comes to his bid for more regular involvement.

WHAT HARVEY ELLIOTT SAID

Elliott told reporters when asked if his role in the present and future has been discussed behind the scenes: “We've had those conversation but it's not just me. There are other lads in the team who maybe haven't played as much as they want and are probably doing the same thing. I just have to keep working hard, keep trying to help the team out whenever I'm needed and just wait for my opportunity. I don't expect to come in and play straight away. I want to help my team out as much as I can and the club and give everything I can.”

Elliott added on where he needs to improve in order to compete for a starting berth: “If you look at the team now, the sprints we're doing and constant running around is something I can do but I can improve it a little more. We have players in the team who are unbelievable at it. Dom [Szoboszlai], Curtis [Jones], people like that, are constantly pressing and running around. It's something I can do but I need to get into the rhythm of doing it and making it effective, not just doing it for the sake of it. I need to improve on it and I'll work as hard as I can on it.”

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

With Elliott prepared to be patient, as he remains under contract until 2027, he went on to say of shutting down any transfer talk that he may be generating: “This is my club, my team. I want to fight for my place and my position in the team. I'll do what it takes, as much as I can to help the team out when possible. It's down to me to make that achievable. I won't give up, I'll keep fighting and who knows what happens.”