da blaze casino： Potentially replacing the struggling Andre Onana, Manchester United are now reportedly eyeing a bargain deal to sign a former Newcastle United shot-stopper for Ruben Amorim this summer.
Man Utd targeting Onana replacements
da wazamba： Whilst there was a brief spell at the start of the season that Onana looked to have put any problems in the past, mistakes have since crept back into his game under Amorim, who must replace his goalkeeper. The former Inter Milan man must be part of a ruthless clear-out at Old Trafford, with several names already linked with a summer switch to Manchester United to act as a replacement.
Onana has struggled ever since arriving last season and found himself at the centre of criticism from the likes of Gary Neville following some disappointing displays.
Development: Man Utd hold positive talks with "strong" £68m star over move
He’d be an instant upgrade.
ByTom Cunningham Apr 5, 2025
The Manchester United legend slammed the goalkeeper after he made a mistake against Aston Villa last season, saying: “That was a pathetic passage of play. McGinn’s delivery was awful and then Onana makes a mess of it. Onana is getting on my nerves, slowing the game down and then keeps giving it away. Catch it and stay in your box!”
If recent reports are anything to go by too, Manchester United have seen enough. Recent rumours have even indicated that the Red Devils are interested in bringing David de Gea back to the club in what would be a sensational deal. Of course, it was Onana who initially came in to replace the Spaniard two seasons ago.
Fiorentina's DaviddeGea
Meanwhile, other names such as Mike Maignan have also threatened to steal the headlines. The AC Milan goalkeeper is arguably one of the best in his position and his reported price tag reflects that, sitting at an eye-watering £67m ahead of the summer.
Whether the Red Devils can afford such a deal is the big question. The reality is that they could be forced to turn their focus towards a bargain deal to replace Onana this summer.
Man Utd eyeing Freddie Woodman bargain
According to The Sun, Manchester United are now eyeing a bargain deal to sign Freddie Woodman from Preston North End this summer. The former Newcastle shot-stopper is set to become a free agent at the end of the season, which could allow those at Old Trafford to swoop in and land a free transfer.
The 28-year-old has been in excellent form in the Championship this season and may have done enough to earn a move back to the Premier League for the first time since leaving St James’ Park on a permanent deal in 2022. Having kept as many as 17 clean sheets in the current campaign, Woodman is far from the young goalkeeper who struggled to establish himself at Newcastle.
Freddie Woodman for Preston North End.
In recent years, Woodman has instead found himself at the centre of praise at Preston, including from Ryan Lowe. The former manager told reporters after the shot-stopper kept his 16th clean sheet of the 2022/23 campaign: “Freddie made some fantastic saves and that’s 16 clean sheets for him now, which is brilliant.
“He’s got a gashed eye and had three or four stitches at half-time, but there was no way we were going to get him off the pitch.”
أعلنت رابطة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز عن الفائز بجائزة هدف الشهر خلال شهر أغسطس الماضي وكذلك الفائز بجائزة أفضل تصدي في الشهر الافتتاحي للمسابقة.
وعبر الموقع الرسمي للدوري الإنجليزي تم الإعلان عن فوز دومينيك سوبوسلاي لاعب خط وسط ليفربول بجائزة أفضل هدف كأول لاعب مجري على الإطلاق يفوز بجائزة شهرية في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.
A free-kick of pure brilliance 💫
Dominik Szoboszlai’s stunning strike is Guinness Goal of the Month for August ☄️ pic.twitter.com/aXgTBW9i2M — Premier League (@premierleague) September 12, 2025
وقد اختير هدف دومينيك سوبوسلاي المذهل من ركلة حرة مباشرة في فوز ليفربول على آرسنال كأفضل هدف في شهر أغسطس 2025.
أقرأ أيضاً.. رابطة البريميرليج تعلن الفائز بجائزة مدرب الشهر في أغسطس
وقاد سوبوسلاي صاحب الـ24 عاماً فريقه ليفربول للفوز على آرسنال بتسديدة من ركلة ثابتة من مسافة 30 ياردة، سكنت الزاوية العليا للحارس رايا.
وبالتالي فإن ليفربول قد حصل على ثاني جائزة له خلال الشهر الماضي، بعد تتويج آرني سلوت بجائزة أفضل مدرب في شهر أغسطس.
Clawed off the line ❌
James Trafford picks up @CocaCola Save of the Month for August 🧤 pic.twitter.com/MB3vcWdC1t — Premier League (@premierleague) September 12, 2025
وحصد جيمس ترافورد حارس مانشستر سيتي جائزة أفضل تصدي لشهر أغسطس 2025 بعد تصديه المذهل ضد برايتون حيث أنقذ فريقه من تسديدة يان بول من مسافة قريبة بيده اليسرى.
وتعد هذه هي المرة الأولى التي يفوز فيها ترافورد بجائزة تصدي الشهر في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز منذ إطلاق الجائزة في موسم 2022-2023 وأول حارس لمانشستر سيتي يحصد الجائزة.
The selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar will meet on Friday to pick India’s squad for the last three Tests against England
Nagraj Gollapudi09-Feb-2024
Shreyas Iyer has had a lean time of it in the first two Tests•Getty Images
Retain Shreyas Iyer or drop him? That is set to be one of the first questions for the selection panel when it meets on Friday evening to pick India’s squad for the three remaining Tests of the England series.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Iyer had informed the team management that he had experienced back spasms a day or two after the end of the second Test in Visakhapatnam, which India won to level the series 1-1. The BCCI medical staff, though, are understood to have cleared Iyer for selection.Apart from Rohit Sharma, Iyer is the only senior India batter to not register a significant score in the first two Tests – he made 35 and 13 in Hyderabad and 27 and 29 in Visakhapatnam. Considered one of India’s best batters against spin, Iyer has, however, struggled to find fluency, struggling both in his defence and in his strokeplay.Related
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Insiders believe Iyer’s struggles could be a result of him feeling stiffness in his back as he bats for long periods. A pinched nerve in his lower back flared up originally during the fourth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023. Last April, he had undergone back surgery to deal with a slipped disc, which had caused him “excruciating pain” and made him doubtful about his future.Iyer then missed the IPL, where he leads Kolkata Knight Riders, but returned to play for India in the Asia Cup. However, recurring back spasms restricted his involvement to just two matches. But a successful ODI World Cup, where Iyer played impact innings in the middle order – including in the semi-final against New Zealand – suggested he had completely recovered.Dropped from India’s T20I squad in the home series against Afghanistan in January, Iyer tested his match fitness for the England Test series by playing a Ranji Trophy match for Mumbai against Andhra, where he batted once and scored 48.2:58
Are captaincy duties affecting Rohit’s batting?
While he was in the squad for the first two Tests, there was no assurance that he would be in the XI – he was competing with KL Rahul for one middle-order slot. But once Virat Kohli ruled himself out for the first two Tests for personal reasons, and could be out for longer, Rahul and Iyer got into the XI for the first Test.Rahul, who was ruled out of second Test because of a quad niggle, is expected to be fit for the second part of the England series. Now the selectors have to decide whether they want to retain Iyer or place their faith in Rajat Patidar, who made his debut in the second Test and impressed with his technique and composure. Not to forget, Sarfaraz Khan was also in the squad for the second Test, but didn’t get into the XI.Bumrah to be rested for fourth or fifth Test?One other significant talking point for the selectors will be Jasprit Bumrah, who is the leading bowler so far in the series with 15 wickets. While Bumrah has shown no fitness concerns since resuming to play at the World Cup after undergoing back surgery last March, the selectors are understood to have acknowledged the point made by the BCCI medical staff about manging the workload of Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj, both all-format players.Siraj was rested for the second Test, but is expected to return for the third in Rajkot starting February 15. Bumrah, too, is set to play the match, but is likely to get a break for one of the two final Tests – in Ranchi and Dharamsala.
أعلن البلجيكي يانيك فيريرا، المدير الفني لنادي الزمالك، تشكيل الفريق الرسمي، لمواجهة وادي دجلة، في المباراة التي تقام بينهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.
ويلعب الزمالك مع وادي دجلة، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الخامسة من عمر مباريات بطولة الدوري المصري، ذلك على ملعب استاد السلام.
ويحتل الزمالك، المركز الثاني في جدول الدوري المصري الممتاز، برصيد 10 نقاط بعد خوض 4 مباريات حتي الآن، فاز في 3 مباريات وتعادل في لقاء.
ويشهد تشكيل الزمالك، تواجد سيف فاروق جعفر في وسط الملعب ليحل بديلًا لمحمد شحاتة المصاب ونبيل دونجا المعرض للإيقاف، يقود الهجوم الثلاثي شيكو بانزا مع البرازيلي خوان بيزيرا ألفينا والفلسطيني عدي الدباغ.
طالع | بدلاء الزمالك أمام وادي دجلة في الدوري.. كايد يجاور منسي تشكيل الزمالك أمام وادي دجلة في الدوري
حراسة المرمي: محمد صبحي.
خط الدفاع: محمود بنتايج، محمود حمدي ” الونش”، حسام عبد المجيد وعمر جابر.
da betcris： Pela última rodada do Paulistão, a Portuguesa venceu, de virada, o Mirassol fora de casa pelo placar de 2 a 1 e se livrou do rebaixamento no Campeonato Paulista. Nas duas últimas colocações da tabela, ficaram Ferroviária e São Bento, que disputarão a Série A2 do estadual em 2024.
Se antes do jogo a permanência da Lusa parecia um milagre, a situação ficou ainda mais difícil quando o Mirassol abriu o placar, aos 43 minutos, com Camilo. A esta altura, em Sorocaba, o São Bento já perdia para o Red Bull Bragantino por 1 a 0, resultado que ajudava a Portuguesa.
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Mas o drama da Lusa durou pouco: nos acréscimos do primeiro tempo, Richard empatou a partida, mantendo viva a esperança da permanência. Aos oito minutos do segundo tempo, João Victor fez o gol que garantiu a vitória da Portuguesa. Com 10 pontos na classificação geral, o time comandado por Gilson Kleina terminou o campeonato na 14ª colocação e se livrou do rebaixamento no critério de saldo de gols – o time terminou o campeonato com saldo -8, enquanto o São Bento terminou com -9.
São Bento perde para o Bragantino Em Sorocaba, o São Bento perdeu por 3 a 0 para o Red Bull Bragantino – gols de Bruno Gonçalves, Gustavinho e Bruno Praxedes – e acabou rebaixado para a Série A2 do Paulistão. Com essa derrota, os donos da casa estacionaram nos 10 pontos, mesma pontuação da Portuguesa, mas acabaram rebaixados por terem marcado apenas 5 gols no campeonato inteiro.
Ferroviária fica com a lanterna Em outra partida fundamental na definição dos rebaixados, Ferroviária e Inter de Limeira não saíram do 0 a 0. A equipe de Araraquara encerra sua participação no Paulistão com apenas 9 pontos e na última colocação. Já a Inter de Limeira se despede do estadual na 13ª posição, com apenas 11 pontos, um acima da Portuguesa.
da pinup bet： Chelsea may have a lot of work to do in the upcoming summer transfer window to build a squad that is ready to compete for the biggest trophies on offer.
da jogodeouro： The Blues only have the Conference League left to play for in the current campaign, after being knocked out of the League Cup and the EFL Cup, but they are on course to seal a place in the Champions League with a top four or top five finish.
Enzo Maresca may look to streamline the squad and move on from some of the players who either have not contributed enough on the pitch, or who have been out on loan and not done enough to earn a place in the side for the 2025/26 campaign.
Moving some of the highest earners and biggest underperformers on from Stamford Bridge in the summer could create space at the club for new signings to come in and improve the Italian coach’s team.
Chelsea's highest wage earners
The top three earners in the squad, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, and Christopher Nkunku have only started 30 of a possible 87 matches in the Premier League this season.
Chelsea captain Reece James
James is reportedly the highest earner at the club on £250k-per-week, per Capology, followed by Fofana on £215k-per-week, and Nkunku on £195k-per-week, and there may have to be decisions to be made on how much value for money the club are getting out of them.
Chelsea’s highest earners (excluding loanees)
Player
Weekly wage
Reece James
£250k
Wesley Fofana
£215k
Christopher Nkunku
£195k
Enzo Fernandez
£180k
Marc Cucurella
£175k
Pedro Neto
£160k
Moises Caicedo
£150k
Cole Palmer
£130k
Tosin Adarabioyo
£100k
Nicolas Jackson
£100k
Wages via Capology
What you cannot see in that list of the top ten earners at the club, however, is that Chelsea are still reportedly paying £75k-per-week to Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who is on loan at Bournemouth.
Why Chelsea must finally sell Kepa Arrizabalaga
Maresca must, now, finally cash in on the Spain international in the summer transfer window because the club have sent millions down the drain on the shot-stopper to date.
Chelsea reportedly smashed their club-record transfer fee to make him the most expensive goalkeeper in history with a £71m deal with Athletic Bilbao in the summer of 2018, and he penned a contract worth roughly £150k-per-week.
Kepa reportedly earned £39.1m in wages across his first four seasons at Cobham, conceding 175 goals in 163 appearances for the club in that time, which takes the total spent on him to £110.1m prior to this season.
The Spaniard, whose wages were covered by Real Madrid on loan last term, will have earned £3.9m in wages from the Blues – thanks to a 50% split with Bournemouth – this season and that takes the overall spend on him to £114m.
Kepa’s performances on the pitch for Chelsea when he was a regular in the first team did not provide good value for that amount of money.
Not only was there that ridiculous incident where he refused to be substituted but he conceded 8.9 more goals than the average goalkeeper would have been expected to based on the post-shot xG of the efforts against him in the Premier League in 109 matches.
Gary Neville heaped criticism on the £71m goalkeeper back in 2020 over his constant concession of long-range goals – 19 at the time – as he described his shot-stopping performances as a “sorry story” for a player of that value.
This shows that the 30-year-old flop, who did not win a Premier League title with the Blues, underperformed on the biggest job a goalkeeper has – saving shots.
Kepa’s contract at Stamford Bridges expires in the summer of 2026 and Maresca must push the board to cash in on him this year, to avoid losing him for nothing and to, hopefully, recoup a small amount of the £114m that has been wasted on the dud so far.
Chelsea have signed a "one-man army" who could be their next Makelele
Chelsea have signed a young star who could be their next Claude Makelele.
أجرى روبن أموريم مدرب مانشستر يونايتد مؤتمراً صحفياً قبل لقاء بيرنلي غداً على ملعب أولد ترافورد في الجولة الثالثة من الدوري الإنجليزي لكرة القدم.
وتحدث أموريم عن مشاعره بعد مباراة جريمسبي خلال مؤتمر صحفي: “بصراحة في كل مرة نتلقى فيها هزيمة مثل هذه، أكون على هذا النحو، أحياناً أقول إنني أكره لاعبي فريقي وأحياناً أقول إنني أحبهم، هذه هي طريقتي في التعامل مع الأمور”.
وأضاف: “في تلك اللحظة شعرت بخيبة أمل كبيرة وحزن شديد لأنني أعتقد أننا قدمنا فترة تحضيرية رائعة، كنا نلعب بثبات وثبات، الآن مباراة جديدة وأركز عليها، أحتاج لأن أعيش هذا يوماً بعد يوم”.
أقرأ أيضاً.. بعد خروجه المدوي في كأس الرابطة.. مانشستر يونايتد ينهي التكهنات حول مستقبل أموريم
ورد أموريم على تفكيره في الاستقالة من تدريب مانشستر يونايتد: “إذا كنت في موقف ما، إذا كان لديك هذا النوع من السلوك فعليك أن تفهم أن لديك أحياناً أمور جيدة وأخرى عكسية، أحياناً أرغب في تقديم استقالتي وأحياناً أخرى أرغب في البقاء هنا لعشرين عاماً”.
وحول كوبي ماينو الذي انتشرت عنه تقارير صحفية بأنه سيرحل عن مانشستر يونايتد: “لا أستطيع قول الكثير حتى يصبح الأمر رسمياً، أريد بقاء كوبي ماينو، عليه أن يقاتل من أجل مكانه ونحن بحاجة له، أتفهم خيبة أمل اللاعبين الذين لا يلعبون حالياً وعلينا أن نقاتل طوال الأسبوع”.
وحول ما أزعج أموريم ضد جريمسبي: “أعتقد أن هذا هو أصعب ما في الهزيمة، أحياناً لا تكمن المشكلة في النتيجة بل طريقة خسارتنا أو تعادلنا، إنها التفاصيل الصغيرة مثل القتال على الكرة والركض”.
He has not pondered what it would mean for him, or the team, if the move wasn’t a success
AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff14-Jan-20240:51
Clarke on Smith: He’ll be the No. 1 Test opener within 12 months
A reinvigorated Steven Smith has not considered what it would mean for his future if the move to Test opener does not pay off for Australia.Three days out from the first Test against the West Indies, Smith’s life at the top of the order began when he faced the new ball in the Adelaide Oval nets on Sunday.One of Australia’s greatest ever batters, Smith revealed he first flagged the idea of replacing the retiring David Warner as opener during last year’s Ashes. He mentioned it again last month, but did not believe the idea was taken seriously until talking with coaches during the SCG Test against Pakistan.Related
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Undecided at first, selectors have been won over by a history of players succeeding when going to the top.”I’ve kind of been pushing it for a few weeks, even before Perth I think, and I might have been floated in England just randomly and said ‘I’ll get up top and I’m happy to play up top’,” he said. “In Perth, I kind of said ‘you know after Davey’s done I’m actually keen to get up there’.”I don’t think they sort of took me seriously until I got to Sydney and I was like ‘I’m actually being genuine here. I’d be keen to get up top and face the new ball.’ And they were like, ‘all right, well, we’ll take that under advisement and see how it all looks.’But the move doesn’t come without risk. And the question remains that if Smith does not succeed and Cameron Green excels at No. 4, what would it mean for the former captain’s place in the side?”I don’t like thinking that way,” Smith said. “I don’t want to think negative thoughts at all. I’m not sure. If someone gets injured in the middle and the next batters in are genuine openers, then maybe they slot back in [at the top] and I go back down. I don’t know the answer. But for right now we’ve got what we believe is our best six batters playing.”Steven Smith hopes to be able to score more freely•Getty Images
Smith does see significant upside in the move, having only dropped down from No. 3 to No. 4 in 2017 to juggle the demands of captaincy.The 34-year-old believes he is at his best against the new ball. He averages 106.2 when walking to the wicket in the first two overs.Warner has also said teams would be unlikely to continue to regularly bounce Smith early in the innings, a tactic which has slowed the right-hander’s scoring down in recent years.”It would be pretty game if you’ve got a brand new ball bowling short stuff and wasting it,” Smith added. “It helps the scoring rate when you’re facing the new ball and there’s a bit more attacking going on.”Over the last few years I’ve come in after quite a lot of runs, the ball’s a bit softer. “[They] have a cover in and maybe four on the legside, guys are bowling straight and able to control the scoreboard a little bit more. That’s probably kept me quieter and made me face a lot more balls to score runs.”Perhaps that changes a bit with the new ball. You obviously have a bit more attacking fields and more gaps out there to score runs. I’m looking forward to that.”Sick of watching and waiting to bat, Smith said a desire to move was partly driven by the idea of a new challenge at this point in his career.But he also felt it unfair that Green could be forced to open this early in his career if the selectors’ desire to have the allrounder back in the team landed him there.”It didn’t sit right having him come in and bat up top,” Smith said. “I’ve played for a long time and I’m an experienced player and think it’s something that I should have done. He’s suited to No. 4. Plays there in Shield cricket, does well there.”
da bet sport： Tottenham Hotspur are no closer to climbing back up the Premier League table after they were beaten 2-0 by London rivals Fulham on Sunday.
da stake casino： Ange Postecoglou’s side remain stuck in 13th place in the division, five points behind Crystal Palace in 12th, after goals from Rodrigo Muniz and former Spurs man Ryan Sessegnon secured all three points for the hosts.
The Lilywhites, as you can see in the clips above, did have chances to take the lead before the second-half strikes from the Fulham pair, as Dominic Solanke missed two big opportunities to find the back of the net.
Tottenham’s £55m signing from Bournemouth last summer failed to step up and put his team in front, which provided the Cottagers with the chance to go on and win the match – and they did.
Solanke was far from the only Spurs player who underperformed on the day against Fulham, however, as Yves Bissouma was hauled off the pitch at half-time after his struggles in the opening 45 minutes.
Spurs' poorest performers against Fulham
Postecoglou decided to go with the Mali international as part of his starting midfield three alongside Archie Gray and Rodrigo Bentancur at Craven Cottage.
Unfortunately, however, the former Brighton & Hove Albion man did not justify his manager’s faith in him with a positive performance on the pitch against the Cottagers.
Instead, Bissouma struggled badly with his play in and out of possession in the opening 45 minutes before he was withdrawn from the action, to be replaced by Lucas Bergvall for the second half.
The central midfielder only completed 82% of his attempted passes in the first half, despite not attempting a single long pass or cross, and did not create a single chance for his teammates. This suggests that he was sloppy in possession without offering any threat to the Fulham goal.
Vs Fulham
Yves Bissouma
Minutes played
45
Touches
17
Ground duels won
2/6
Aerial duels won
0/1
Tackles + interceptions
1
Clearances
0
Fouls committed
2
Possession lost
8
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Bissouma also struggled out of possession throughout his time on the pitch for the Lilywhites, losing five of his seven physical duels.
He made more fouls than tackles and interceptions made combined, which speaks to how much of a liability the midfielder was off the ball, and his play at both ends of the pitch may have contributed to Postecoglou’s decision to take him off the pitch.
Chalkboard
The 28-year-old dud was not, however, the worst player on the pitch for Tottenham during that first-half display. Winger Brennan Johnson was also taken off after the first 45 minutes, after he put in an even worse performance than Bissouma at Craven Cottage.
Brennan Johnson's performance against Fulham
The Wales international was selected to start on the right side of the front three for Spurs, with Solanke down the middle and Bayern Munich loanee Mathys Tel on the left flank.
It was Johnson’s lack of fluidity in possession that ultimately cost him in the first half, though, as he failed to be effective with the ball at his feet for Tottenham on the wing.
The former Nottingham Forest man was substituted off at the break, with club captain Heung-min Son coming on in his place, after he was unable to cause many, if any, problems for Antonee Robinson.
Johnson ended the first half with zero shots attempted, zero crosses completed, zero long passes completed, and zero chances created for his teammates in his 45 minutes on the pitch. On that evidence, it’s hardly a surprise that he was handed a dismal 3/10 player rating by Football.London at full-time.
Vs Fulham
Brennan Johnson
Minutes played
45
Shots
0
Key passes
0
Dribbles completed
0/2
Crosses completed
0/1
Long passes completed
0/1
Pass accuracy
55%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the Welsh forward was completely ineffective at the top end of the pitch and incredibly loose with his passes, which gave Robinson a fairly easy afternoon.
Johnson also struggled to deal with the physicality of the Fulham players, losing four of his six duels, as he put in an even worse performance than Bissouma, who at least completed 82% of his passes and was not expected to make a difference in the final third.
Why Spurs should drop Brennan Johnson
Postecoglou must, now, ruthlessly bin the Welsh attacker from his starting line-up when Spurs are back in action against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after the international break, by bringing Son or Wilson Odobert back into the side.
Johnson has been in disappointing form of late for the North London outfit, with just two goals and zero assists in his last ten appearances against Premier League level or Europa League opposition.
Both of those goals came in a 4-1 win over relegation-threatened Ipswich Town, who were in League One two seasons ago, which means that the ex-Nottingham Forest man has failed to register a goal or an assist in any of the other nine outings.
The 23-year-old is not a dynamic winger who is likely to progress play with passes or dribbles to make things happen, but he does have excellent positioning and a good feel for when a chance will come his way.
24/25 PL
Johnson (per 90)
Percentile rank vs att. mids & wingers
Non-penalty xG
0.48
Top 2%
Non-penalty goals
0.47
Top 6%
Assists
0.10
Bottom 24%
Expected Assisted Goals
0.08
Bottom 11%
Shot-creating actions
2.20
Bottom 9%
Progressive passes
2.99
Bottom 37%
Progressive carries
2.73
Bottom 38%
Stats via FBref
As you can see in the table above, Johnson is exceptional at finding himself in high-quality goalscoring positions, yet leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to his use of the ball outside of his shooting opportunities.
He ranks incredibly lowly among his positional peers in the Premier League at progressing play and creating chances for his teammates, which was part of the issue with his performance against Fulham.
This is backed up by his return of just two assists, from 1.43 xA, in 26 appearances in the top-flight this season, which shows that he rarely provides his fellow attackers with chances to score.
When Johnson does not get the big chances to score in matches, the former Forest man does not offer much to the side on the right flank and that is why – amid this current dry spell in front of goal – Postecoglou should drop him from the starting line-up.
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Batter to undergo surgery after sustaining injury while fielding during Lord’s Test
Vithushan Ehantharajah04-Jul-2023
Ollie Pope has suffered two previous shoulder dislocations in his career•AFP/Getty Images
Ollie Pope has been ruled out of the remainder of England’s Ashes campaign after dislocating his right shoulder during the second Test at Lord’s last week.Pope, who has twice suffered shoulder dislocations in the past, underwent a scan in London on Monday, which revealed the full extent of the injury, He will undergo surgery and will miss the final three Tests against Australia, before beginning his rehabilitation under the guidance of the England and Surrey medical teams.Having damaged the shoulder diving for a ball on day one of the Lord’s Test, Pope aggravated the injury on day three after the umpires insisted he take the field after batting in England’s first innings, scoring 42. It was a situation that left England frustrated, with Jeetan Patel, England’s spin coach, acknowledging that England would have had to field with ten men had he not fronted up.Related
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“It’s a pretty tough situation when you nearly bust your shoulder and you’re told it was an external [injury],” Patel said. “It was always going to happen. He’s so committed to this team. He was always going to fall on something. And now he’s back off.”Pope is also England’s designated vice-captain, although that leadership gap is straightforward to fill, with Stuart Broad likely to step up as Ben Stokes’ deputy, having fulfilled the role unofficially last summer. A bigger issue, however, is who now steps into the vacant No. 3 spot at Headingley.Despite averaging 22.50 across four innings against Australia, Pope has averaged 45.25 at first-drop since Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum took charge at the start of last summer. Now, with England 2-0 down and facing a must-win match to keep the Ashes alive, there is an unwanted problem to solve at the top of the order.Speaking at Headingley on Tuesday, Joe Root lamented the loss of Pope, and did not rule out a return to No.3, a position Root has not assumed since relinquishing the captaincy before the start of last summer.
“Ollie has been phenomenal over the past 18 months. He’s stepped up as vice-captain and the more responsibility that has been given to him we’ve got more out of him as a player. He’ll be a big miss for us. He’s a hell of a player and a great mind to have in the group – Ben gains a huge amount from having him as vice-captain. Of course, it will be a big loss. He’s been an integral part of this team and will continue to be for many more years to come.”I feel like the last couple of years, I’ve got a very good understanding of my game. I’ve said many times before, it’s my turn now as a senior player to give back to everyone else that had to put up with me as captain for so long and doing it my way. I’m there to go and try to score runs in whatever position that is, and try to get us back into this series.”Dan Lawrence is the closest thing to a like-for-like replacement. He is the only spare batter in the squad, with England choosing not to name a replacement in their squad, and has also been in sound domestic form, scoring 491 runs at 44.63 for Essex with two centuries.Dan Lawrence is set to come in for Pope at Headingley•Getty Images
The last of the 25-year-old’s 11 caps came under Root’s tenure during the Caribbean tour in March 2022. A 91 in the second Test against West Indies at Bridgetown underlined his qualities. Having bided his time with squad places under Stokes, he could be in line for a Bazball debut. While Root was not in a position to reveal how England will mitigate for Pope’s loss, with Stokes expected to name an XI on Wednesday, he did champion Lawrence’s merits to step into an Ashes and perform.”He’s in good form as well,” Root said. “Got 150-odd for Essex in the last Championship match (152 against Warwickshire) He had a great touch there where he walked off the field and got in his car and came down to Lord’s, he didn’t have to field.”He’s in a good mood, in good spirits and in good form as well, which is always nice when you’ve got guys on the periphery or next in line that are scoring runs and feeling good within their own game. That’s a nice position to be in.”You’ve seen a glimpse of what he can do in Test cricket, he scored a brilliant 90-odd and got out last ball of the day when he looked nailed on for a hundred there, in Barbados. He’s got a very exciting career ahead of him whenever that opportunity arises for him. He’s got that steeliness about him where he wants to succeed at that level. He’s got a great game to go with it, so it’s an exciting prospect.”Another option could be to re-introduce Moeen Ali to the side following his finger injury as Pope’s replacement, pushing the rest of the batters up the order, which would mean Root batting at three. Harry Brook could also be considered for the role though there may be a reluctance to shift him from number six after an indifferent start to the series, with 132 runs at 33 from four knocks.