Category Uncategorized

بدأ اليوم الأربعاء معسكر منتخب مصر تحت 17 سنة، في مركز المنتخبات الوطنية، وذلك في إطار الاستعدادات لخوض منافسات كأس الأمم الأفريقية، التي من المقرر إقامتها في المغرب خلال العام الجاري. 

واستدعى الجهاز الفني للمنتخب، بقيادة أحمد الكاس، 30 لاعبًا للمشاركة في المعسكر المغلق، الذي يستمر لمدة خمسة أيام، بهدف رفع الجاهزية الفنية والبدنية للاعبين قبل الدخول في التصفيات المؤهلة للبطولة القارية.

مدرب منتخب مصر: عشنا أوقاتًا صعبة.. والهزيمة أمام المغرب كانت لأسباب فنية

وشهد المعسكر تواجد سبعة لاعبين محترفين، والذين تم اختيارهم ضمن القائمة النهائية للمعسكر، وهم: أمير حسن (أوتريخت الهولندي)، كريم البيك (دارمشتات الألماني)، عمر أمين شاكر (برفيرشيلي الإيطالي)، جاريو وصفي (أمستردام إف سي الهولندي)، يوسف أحمد وجيه (إس سي براجا البرتغالي)، ياسين عمرو (جيل فيسنتي البرتغالي)، وعمر عبد العظيم (ليمان إف سي السويسري). 

ووصل اللاعبون المحترفون إلى القاهرة أمس الثلاثاء، حيث كان في استقبالهم علاء نبيل، المدير الفني للاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، الذي حرص على الترحيب بهم والتأكيد على أهمية دورهم في المرحلة المقبلة. 

ومن المقرر أن يخوض منتخب مصر تحت 17 سنة مباراة ودية غدًا الخميس، أمام الفريق الأول لنادي النجوم، وذلك في إطار تحضيراته الفنية والتكتيكية قبل انطلاق كأس امم إفريقيا.

ويسعى الجهاز الفني لاختبار جاهزية اللاعبين، والوقوف على أفضل تشكيل ممكن للمنافسة بقوة في البطولة القارية المقبلة.

Australia batter’s 44 is highest score as Group Three leaders shade madcap opening day

ECB Reporters Network03-Jun-2021The bowlers held sway in the LV=Insurance County Championship match between Glamorgan and Lancashire in Cardiff with 19 wickets falling on the opening day.Lancashire were put into bat and managed 173 all out with the highest partnership of the innings being the 36 put on between Luke Wood and Danny Lamb for the seventh wicket. Michael Neser returned the best figures for the hosts with 3 for 46, with the other Glamorgan seamers all chipping in.Glamorgan started solidly in reply with an opening stand of 39 between David Lloyd and Joe Cooke but from that point on, the wickets continued to tumble with Tom Bailey – who had top-scored with 31 – claiming 3 for 40 for Lancashire.Related

• James, Mullaney ride their luck to frustrate Essex once more

• Carse, Potts share eight as Durham skittle Worcestershire

• Somerset fight back on inebriating first day against Hampshire

• Emilio Gay makes hay as maiden ton puts Northamptonshire in box seat

• Harmer: 'Teams are getting smarter against us'

Glamorgan reached the close on 150 for 9, still trailing by 23 and in danger of conceding what could be a telling first-innings lead.Having won the toss and elected to field, they had started well in the first session with James Weighell the pick of the bowlers, but it was the ever-reliable Michael Hogan who made the first breakthrough from a ball that moved in sharply to the left-handed Keaton Jennings, clattering into his stumps.Weighell took the two next wickets to fall, the first from an inswinger that Luke Wells left alone and he was given out lbw. Alex Davies had looked to be finding his feet when he attempted to cut a ball that was too close to him for the shot and he spooned a catch to Andrew Salter at point for 21.It was Dan Douthwaite who claimed the final two wickets of the Lancashire innings with both Saqib Mahmood and Bailey chopping the ball on to their stumps.The wickets also fell at regular intervals in the Glamorgan innings, the first being Lloyd for a punchy 21, bowled when he left a ball from Mahmood that clipped his off stump.Bailey claimed two wickets in two balls when he had Joe Cooke bowled and Billy Root trapped lbw to leave Glamorgan 74 for 3.Marnus Labuschagne was the one player who looked well set but he also fell on this madcap day, dismissed lbw to Lamb. His 44 in this innings doubled his run tally for Glamorgan this season with the Australian yet to rediscover the outstanding form of his 2019 county campaign. With him gone there was little further resistance, as Lancashire made their way through the lower order.”There was some good bowling there, shot selection was a bit of an issue at times… there is the odd ball that nips around a bit but it is a nice wicket,” Hogan said. “After that first hour, I thought that we were in for a long old day, and it seemed like a nice wicket. 19 in the day is interesting but I suppose the game goes like that sometimes.”

Captain leads fight in the follow-on as Kent reach close with nine wickets still standing

ECB Reporters Network24-Apr-2021Kent 169 (Crawley 60, Bailey 4-46) and 209 for 1 (Bell-Drummond 108*, Cox 80) trail Lancashire 525 (Lamb 125, Wood 119, Bohannon 87, Vilas 53) by 147 runsA century from captain Daniel Bell-Drummond has given Kent a fighting chance of a draw against Lancashire, steering them to 209 for 1 in their second innings in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Canterbury.The hosts still trail by 147 at the end of day three, but a heavy defeat had looked likely after they slumped to 169 all out in their first innings. Tom Bailey took four for 46 and Luke Wood three for 38 to give Lancashire a lead of 356, but after enforcing the follow on the visitors were frustrated for the final two sessions.Bell-Drummond hit 108 not out and Jordan Cox made 80 in a stand of 176 for the opening wicket that helped take the Group Three fixture to a fourth day.Kent were 85 for four overnight and their worst case scenario occurred when Bailey had Zak Crawley caught behind for 60 off the first ball of the day.Related

• Middlesex seamers combine for stunning rout as Surrey lose their London pride

• Gary Ballance holds Yorkshire's hopes of fightback as Jack Carson hints at spin finish

• Rory Burns digs for his Test place as Surrey seek to give Middlesex fourth-innings jitters

They resisted well for the next hour, until the introduction of Matt Parkinson, who had Heino Kuhn caught by Rob Jones at square leg for 21 in his first over, after a miscued sweep.Darren Stevens was out for just one, having already been given a comical reprieve when he top-edged Parkinson to square leg. The ball was in the air for so long Stevens started walking, but he was dropped by Jones, making the fielder the most relieved man in the ground when he was lbw to Parkinson’s next ball.Bailey then removed Ollie Robinson and Fred Klaassen with successive balls, bowling the former for 21 and getting the latter caught by Keaton Jennings at first slip for a golden duck. The final ball of the session saw Miguel Cummins caught by Dane Vilas for 19, attempting to drive Josh Bohannon through extra cover, leaving Matt Milnes not out on 17.However, the contrast between morning and afternoon could hardly have been starker, as Bell-Drummond and Cox batted through to tea, scoring freely to reach 141 for nought despite constant and increasingly frantic appealing.The partnership lasted for over three hours until Parkinson had Cox caught by a diving Jones at cover but it was a fleeting success for Lancashire as Kent continued to resist. Bell-Drummond reached three figures with a single off a full toss from Parkinson and he was joined by Crawley, who was 13 not out at stumps.

Coach offers backing to Ollie Pope and Jamie Smith, says tourists aiming “stay tight, keep morale high”

Vithushan Ehantharajah08-Dec-2025

The viral clip of Liverpool’s media manager reacting to Mohammed Salah’s explosive mixed zone interaction on Saturday struck a chord over in Brisbane.Just under 10,210 miles separate Elland Road and the Gabba, where England head coach Brendon McCullum, in the aftermath of a second eight-wicket Ashes defeat, stated he thought the team had trained too much. The sentiments were as far apart as the straight-line distance, but the reaction was still the same: why, oh why, have you gone and said that?The motivation behind McCullum’s comments, which are likely to live in infamy, is far easier to unpick. For this England Test team enjoy the luxury of shelter from the realities of top-level, international sport. A bubble that may be invisible but has long been audible, with the head coach, and, up until his press conference after the second Test, the captain, Ben Stokes, the two prominent voices quipping down missiles headed for their citizens.Related

Carey expects England to 'refresh the batteries' in four-day Noosa break

McCullum: England 'over-prepared' in second Test build-up

Bazball is dead (even if England aren't quite yet)

Ben Stokes: 'We've not been able to stand up to pressure'

For England's batters, the heart seems unwilling and the mind unconvinced

Judging by the reactions, McCullum’s latest attempt has only attracted more unfriendly fire. Particularly at him. Though his contract runs until 2027, a deal which takes into account his white-ball head coach role, he will likely be first for the block if things go further south. Depending on how badly it goes – who can rule out 5-0 right now? – he won’t be the only collateral.”When you’re in positions as we are as captain and coach, you wear a lot of that burden,” McCullum said. “You wear a lot of that responsibility and that’s what you sign up for.”Of course, that coddling of their players does not seem helpful right now. In taking away the stresses and strains of Test cricket, England seem to lack the on-field appreciation that this supposed to be hard. It supposed to hurt. The struggle real, even six days into a five-match Test series.You would not wish adversity upon anyone. But in life, one way or another, it comes for us all. What you do wish, above all else, is that the people you care for are equipped to deal with such adversity.The merits of the McCullum and Stokes approach – and, by proxy, managing director Rob Key – are hard to remember at this juncture. But it’s worth trying.For starters, it is worth considering that first summer in 2022, when a team who had won one in 17 successfully pulled off four of their top 15 biggest chases. That included a new best of 378 against India, who also found themselves on the wrong end of the second-highest earlier this year.We can throw in the victory in Hyderabad and, more presciently, the comeback from 2-0 down during the last Ashes series. Ultimately, McCullum has made a home in the intersection of the sports psychology Venn diagram, nestled between what players need to hear and what they want to hear. Suggesting that five days of training leading into the Gabba Test might have been over the top plays on that idea that they wanted it too much.”There’s a fierce determination to succeed in this series, right?” McCullum said. “Sometimes that can get in your own way, clouds your judgement or affects your ability to make the right decisions in the right moments.”It’s a really fine balance between being fiercely driven, competitive and desperate to succeed, and that getting in the way of yourself.”It’s the coaches’ job to find that balance in them as well. I firmly believe it’s not training five days straight in sapping conditions as the answer. We need to keep a little bit in the tank physically, a little bit in the tank emotionally, to be able to allow yourself to embrace the conditions you’re being challenged with.”When you come to Australia, it’s such a stark contrast in each ground you go to and the surfaces you play on, you can’t just have one set preparation. You need to make sure you’re ready for whatever is coming and adapt to it. I didn’t think we were quite good enough at that in this Test with either bat or ball.”McCullum subsequently went on to back Ollie Pope, England’s No. 3 under Stokes and, from 2023 until this tour, their vice-captain. A promising 46 in the first Test at the Optus Stadium, featuring plenty of straight drives that suggested better balance and alignment, was followed by 33, 0 and 26. All four innings ended with wince-inducing dismissals that suggested in-play, in-series regressions despite a lot of hard work in the lead-up. Nevertheless, McCullum – unsurprisingly – is sticking by his man.”I think most people were frenetic outside off stump on this pitch tonight,” he said, which actually makes you wonder why England did not sit on that line during Australia’s mammoth first-innings of 511. “Popey has been number three. He’s done well. He’s averaged 40 odd [40.58] for us. He’s our number three here in Australia.”There was greater support for another Surrey man, Jamie Smith. The newest member of the top seven, the wicketkeeper’s arrival into the team at the start of 2024 was as the best of two worlds, between the glovework of Ben Foakes and the outlandish strokeplay of Jonny Bairstow. Right now, he is falling well short of both.A dropped catch off Travis Head and innings of 0 and 4 were the latest extensions of a batting decline that may be attributed to crouching behind the stumps far more than he is used to. Since the start of the summer, he has kept wicket for 1,375.3 overs across eight Tests. That amounts to around a third of what he has done for his entire first-class career for his county.Having begun the home series with India with scores of 40, 44, 184 not out, 88 and 5, he has averaged 10.14 in the next seven innings.Brendon McCullum speaks to the press•PA Photos/Getty Images

“He’s a flair player, and he likes to approach the game in a simple way,” McCullum said. “He works very hard on his game, but he also has the courage and conviction, when he feels he’s given himself the best chance. It doesn’t guarantee everything but I’m sure he’ll appreciate the conditions in Adelaide with the boundary sizes and the pitch.”That might not be music to the ears of those who feel both are problems to address, particularly Pope. But it will tell them and the rest of the squad – including those yet to see action – that the vibes, at least, remain tight.”One thing we won’t be changing is the language in the dressing room, the way we approach the game and the style we’ve tried to operate with,” McCullum said.”Ultimately, you can’t afford to flinch when come down here. This is not a country to start doubting yourself or to walk away from the challenge. You can’t have a glass jaw when you get to Australia. You’ve got to get up and go on.”The skill level among various players all around the world, there isn’t a stark contrast. It’s those who are able to handle the big moments, able to read conditions quickly and able to adapt, problem-solve situations – they are the ones to excel. If anything, our boys need a freshen up. A few days away wouldn’t be the worst thing.”As the tide goes against them, England will head to the surfers’ paradise of Noosa and try and get back on the board. That they will be joined by journalists and photographers looking for the latest pound of flesh will not deter them from cutting loose and expending the nervous energy that comes with a nine-day lead into the third Test in Adelaide.Typically, McCullum sees the pressure on himself and Stokes as something to savour. After all, it can’t go on like this, can it?”Look, that’s the thing; the captain and I, this is the fun stuff, right? Again, you don’t get to feel sorry for yourselves and both of us stress that. We’re both tough blokes who have been in this kind of pressure in your own careers or your own stages in your own lives. You’ve been in tough situations and there’s only one way to go about it and that’s to have that belief in yourself and trust those around you who you believe in. Make sure you stay tight, keep morale high within the group and keep getting towards what you’re trying to achieve.”If the coach and captain seemed worlds apart on Sunday night in the aftermath of defeat – McCullum chipper, Stokes spent – they will use the coming three-day break to realign themselves before flying to Adelaide on Saturday. The fightback starts here. The hard work, well, that will start at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.”We’ve been here before, 2-0 down,” said McCullum looking to 2023, “and we came within a bee’s dick of getting ourselves the win, so there’s no point in feeling sorry for yourselves. That ends in all sorts of trouble.”Just pick yourselves up, dust yourselves off, sharpen off a few of the rough areas and keep heading towards the target.”

While it wasn’t the perfect weekend for Manchester City, it wasn’t far off.

The Citizens claimed all three points in what was a relatively routine win over Everton, while Liverpool lost at home to Manchester United.

So, while they are still three points behind Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s side are now a point clear of the Reds in second place and look set to mount a proper challenge for the Premier League title.

Moreover, with Erling Haaland back to his very best, there is no reason they couldn’t overtake the Gunners, especially when another of Pep’s best signings is playing so well.

Pep's best Man City signings

On top of revolutionising the way the game is played in this country, Guardiola has also signed some of the very best players to grace the Premier League.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

For example, while he was already performing at a high level for Tottenham Hotspur, it would be hard to deny that Kyle Walker massively improved during his time in the North West.

During his time with the club, the Burnley ace made 319 appearances, during which he scored six goals, provided 23 assists, averaged 2.33 points per game and won everything there is to win in the club game, including a Champions League and six league titles.

Appearances

319

Starts

286

Minutes

25710′

Goals

6

Assists

23

Points per Game

2.33

Another stalwart of Pep’s best sides has been Rodri, as before his injury problems last season, he was one of the very best players in the world.

After all, the Spaniard is the only defensive midfielder to ever win the Ballon d’Or.

Moving on from defensive players, it’s hard to look past Bernardo Silva when it comes to the iconic manager’s best City signings.

The former AS Monaco dynamo moved to Manchester in the summer of 2017 and has since made an astounding 417 appearances across all competitions, in which he has scored 72 goals, provided 74 assists and dazzled fans all over the country with his mercurial abilities on the ball.

Finally, it would be impossible to talk about some of Guardiola’s best signings and not bring up Haaland.

The former Borussia Dortmund star made his way to the Etihad in the summer of 2022, and to say he has been a successful signing would be a laughable understatement.

Appearances

156

Starts

148

Minutes

12774′

Goals

138

Assists

22

Goal Involvements per Game

1.02

Minutes per Goal Involvement

79.83′

Points per Game

2.12

At the time of writing, the Leeds-born force of nature has scored 138 goals and provided 22 assists in 156 games for the club, totalling 12774 minutes.

In other words, the 25-year-old monster has averaged 1.02 goal involvements per game, or one every 79.83 minutes since joining City.

In all, it would be fair to say that Guardiola has signed more than his fair share of stars over the years, and it looks like he might have just landed his best since Haaland.

Guardiola's best signing since Haaland

Fortunately, there are a few players who could claim this title, from Josko Gvardiol to Savinho, but in this instance, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to look past Gianluigi Donnarumma.

Yes, the Italian international only joined City this summer, but he is already putting in brilliant performances for the club.

And while some may say he lacks the ball-playing ability of Ederson, he more than makes up for it with his shot-stopping, which is surely what matters most with a goalkeeper.

His game-saving abilities were on full show in the match away to Brentford, when he came out on top from a one-on-one situation with Igor Thiago.

Moreover, while it is still early on in his time at the Etihad, the numbers are already showing that he should be in the same conversations with the very best in the league.

For example, he has conceded just two goals, which works out to 0.40 per 90 and puts him just behind David Raya who many would consider to be a part of the best defensive unit in the league, if not the world.

Finally, on top of the promising start to his time in the North West, there are also plenty of examples of him putting in game-saving performances for Paris Saint-Germain and Italy over the years.

For example, in the Champions League semi-finals last season, he prevented 2.09 goals across both legs against Arsenal, which was enough to send the Parisians through and see Italy legend Alessandro Costacurta label him “the best in the world.”

Ultimately, so long as Donnarumma can keep up the form he is already showing this season, and replicate some of his incredible performances of seasons prior, then it might soon be a commonly held opinion that he’s City’s best signing since Haaland.

Man City eye South American star who may follow in Julian Alvarez's footsteps

The Citizens could follow a familiar trend in their latest pursuit.

BySean Markus Clifford Oct 19, 2025

The Plays of the day from the third day of the Mirpur Test between Bangladesh and West Indies

Mohammad Isam in Mirpur15-Nov-2012The reprieveWhen Shakib Al Hasan edged Ravi Rampaul to the wicketkeeper, Bangladesh were set back at 179 for 4. But umpire Bruce Oxenford checked for the no-ball, and the replays showed that Rampaul had overstepped by at least six inches. Shakib was on 26 and he quickly corrected himself by leaving the ball as much as possible when the seamer bowled from around the wicket. He went on to score 89.The shot out of characterNaeem Islam was a picture of calm when he took guard on the second evening. He continued to build on his innings quietly until Sunil Narine was introduced into the attack in the second hour. After defending the first ball, he slogged the next ball over mid-on for a boundary. Naeem’s intention to attack was a surprise given he had been mostly quiet for his previous 99 deliveries.The field placementDarren Sammy was running out of options when West Indies returned after lunch. With Shakib using the arc behind point and third man regularly, the West Indies captain decided to put three fieldsman deep in that area, within ten yards of each other. Soon after that, in the 69th over, Shakib threaded the gap between deep point and square third man.The frustrationIt had happened on the second evening when Tamim Iqbal got out to a “strange shot at a strange time”, by his own admission, when he was batting on 72. Shakib, on 89, would feel a little worse than the opener after he tried to chip Rampaul over Assad Fudadin at extra cover, but only hit it straight to the substitute. Shakib turned around and swished in the air, angry at himself, but there was no one else at fault but him.The private momentNaeem had spent 18 deliveries in the nineties but as soon as Tino Best gave him a freebie, he tickled one to the fine leg boundary and began celebrations in earnest. After a hug from captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem covered his eyes with his forearm, conceivably rubbing off a tear. He quickly flashed a smile at his team-mates who came out of the dressing-room to congratulate him.The long waitVeerasammy Permaul was given a bowl quite late in the West Indies innings, the 31st over, and had to wait even longer for the first wicket. It came in his 22nd over, the 103rd of the Bangladesh innings. Mushfiqur was his first victim, drilling one straight back for an easy caught-and-bowled chance. It was however not his first wicket at this venue as he toured Bangladesh only a month ago for the Sagicor West Indies High Performance team.

It may have come all too late with regard to Manchester United’s Premier League fortunes, although Ruben Amorim’s first-team squad is beginning to look far stronger, ahead of a pivotal last few weeks of the campaign.

Against Athletic Bilbao on Thursday night, the dominant visitors showcased the growing depth to their ranks, with the former Sporting CP boss able to call upon the likes of Luke Shaw, Kobbie Mainoo, Mason Mount, Matthijs de Ligt and, of course, Amad Diallo from the bench.

At one stage looking set to miss the remainder of the season, after being struck down with an ankle injury back in mid-February, the diminutive Ivorian has beaten the odds to seal a swift return to action.

Previously the shining light of 2024/25, prior to being overtaken by Bruno Fernandes in his absence, the 22-year-old has chalked up 12 goals and assists in just 21 games under Amorim’s watch, having even looked lively during his brief cameo in midweek.

The former Atalanta starlet notably evaded his man down the right flank with a breathtaking piece of skill and trickery late on, with that moment alone signifying just what United have been missing in recent months.

Capable of operating at wing-back or in a number ten berth, the £120k-per-week wizard – who recently signed a new long-term deal – looks set to be a mainstay at Old Trafford for years to come. Now it’s time to start building a team around him…

Latest on Man Utd's transfer search

If Amad’s future is to lie as a number ten, then the role on the opposite side – should Fernandes slot into a deep-lying berth – could be taken up by Matheus Cunha, with the Wolverhampton Wanderers star seemingly edging closer to a £62.5m move to Old Trafford.

That new-look frontline could then be strengthened even further with the presence of a new centre-forward, with recent reports indicating that the Red Devils remain “in the race” for Sporting’s Viktor Gyokeres.

As per Sky Sports Germany reporter, Florian Plettenberg, while it is Arsenal who are “pushing” to sign the prolific Swede, United are among the clubs also battling for his signature, alongside Chelsea and Real Madrid.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

According to Plettenberg, the 26-year-old is able to leave Portugal this summer for a fee between €60-€70m (£51m – £63m), having struck a “verbal agreement” with the Lisbon-based side already.

Previously signed by Amorim from Coventry City on a £17m deal back in 2023, Gyokeres could represent the key to truly kickstarting the new regime in Manchester.

Why Man Utd need to sign the "hottest striker in Europe"

It remains remarkable that the Sweden international was once on the books at Brighton and Hove Albion, yet never actually managed to make a league appearance for the Seagulls, having been sent out on a handful of loan moves during his time at the Amex.

As noted by ESPN’s Mark Ogden, it was actually one-time United director, Dan Ashworth, who oversaw the measly £1m sale of Gyokeres to Coventry in 2021, with the player having since gone on to become the “hottest striker in Europe”.

The in-demand marksman had actually only scored four goals during his initial loan move with the Sky Blues, although as his former teammate Jake Bidwell revealed, he seemingly returned a “different animal” following the completion of his permanent switch.

38 Championship strikes followed over the next two seasons, while Gyokeres has since chalked up a breathtaking total of 95 goals in just 98 games in his current home, including seven across his last two Liga Portugal outings.

A monster. A machine. Whatever you want to call him, the rampaging number nine – who also boasts 15 goals in 26 senior games for his country – is simply devastating right now in front of goal, with it no surprise that Amorim might well be keen on a reunion.

Manager

Games

Goals

Assists

Erik ten Hag

24

3

3

Ruben Amorim

21

6

6

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

8

1

1

Ruud van Nistelrooy

4

2

1

Ralf Rangnick

1

0

0

Michael Carrick

0

0

0

Total

58

12

9

What Gyokeres will need is quality service if he is potentially flourish at the Theatre of Dreams, with Amad – as well as Fernandes – potentially set to prove key in that regard, considering he has averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the league this season, while chalking up six assists, as per Sofascore.

Equally, the one-time Sunderland loanee also has that knack of driving at a defence in order to create space for his teammates, something which could certainly benefit Gyokeres, as he ranks in the top 9% among his European peers for progressive carries per 90.

That desire to make things happen in the final third also ensures that Amad ranks in the top 18% for touches in the opposition penalty box, again ensuring opportunities should arise for those alongside him.

A player who can press from the front with lightning speed, as indicated with his goal against Spurs after charging down Fraser Forster, Amad is simply a player who causes havoc. Someone who sucks defenders toward him.

In truth, having scored just 39 league goals in 2024/25, the Red Devils are crying out for similar talents who can win games on their own. Judging by Gyokeres’ heroics in Lisbon, he certainly fits the bill…

Imagine him & Bruno: Man Utd make £68m bid for "one of the best" talents

Manchester United could be about to land a star who would be perfect alongside Bruno Fernandes.

ByEthan Lamb May 3, 2025

Nathan Lyon will have to adopt some of his Indian counterpart’s methods if he is to set his record in Asia right; and he has been working on doing just that

Sidharth Monga in Pune21-Feb-20172:11

‘I have been studying Ashwin a lot’ – Lyon

You split the index finger and the middle finger along the seam, make sure you don’t let the ball touch the palm, and give it as much rip as you can. That’s fingerspin stripped to its essentials, but the variations within that purview make it fascinating, especially in an era when three of the top four Test bowlers are fingerspinners despite the doosra going out of favour. The traditional – correct, even – Australian way of bowling with the seam pointing to leg slip and the street-smart Asian way of mixing it up with various seam angles to facilitate natural variation provide a great contrast on the eve of a series that will pit Nathan Lyon, Australia’s most successful offspinner, against R Ashwin, the fastest man to 250 Test wickets.It is remarkable that the fingerspinners have found this resurgence after the doosra has practically been outlawed. The DRS-empowered (or awakened) umpires have made the straighter delivery lethal. No longer can a batsman afford to plonk the front foot forward and miss the ball. So they are trying to stay inside the line, which exposes the outside edge and the stumps. That makes for a role reversal.When India went to Australia in 2014-15, Ashwin tried to learn from Lyon, who won Australia the Adelaide Test with a 12-wicket haul. Now Lyon is watching Ashwin. Most important for him is to be able to threaten both edges as India’s fingerspinners do. You can’t bowl the straighter one on demand. It’s not like the legspinners’ wrong ‘un, which you actually aim to bowl. That’s what makes it lethal too: you can pick the wrong ‘un out of the hand, but there is no way you can tell from the hand that the next intended offbreak is not going to turn.Josh Hazlewood on…

The SG ball
“Haven’t bowled with the SG ball, this is my first time. Little bit different. Been training with it. The brand new ball swings a bit, and once it’s old, it reverses. Good signs there. We have three front-line quicks, that’s plenty of fast bowling for this tour.”
What has changed after nine straight defeats in Asia
“This is a really different group even from Sri Lanka. We have had a good preparation, two weeks in Dubai. Definitely we are well prepared this time. I think we have done everything we can leading in to the first Test. It is about putting those plans into action this week.”
Change in lines required in India
“In India you bowl a lot straighter. In Australia you bowl in that channel on and outside the off stump. In India you bowl a lot tighter on the middle and off. I think it’s about drying up the runs. It’s fast outfields here and runs can tick along pretty quickly. In that sense you build pressure and wickets come by bowling the dots and good maiden overs for a long period of time.”

You can’t bowl the straighter one, but you can facilitate it. It is perfectly reasonable if Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja and Rangana Herath – the leading spinners in the rankings – don’t share all their trade secrets, but conventionally they are understood to do it through different seam positions, through different release points, and through under-cutting the ball. The idea is to land the ball differently; if it lands on the seam, it turns and if it lands on the leather, it skids straight on. Under-cutting the ball is remarkable in particular because it extremely difficult to do it across 22 yards and not flex the elbow. Sometimes you just drift it away enough to land it wider than the batsman originally expects it to land.Lyon has played 11 Tests in Asia, and averages 42.57 in conditions that should help him. In less helpful conditions, he averages a respectable 32.15. This will be his fifth series in Asia, and over the years he has tried to adjust, especially in his trajectory and pace – bowling quicker to not give batsmen time to recover – but success has been elusive. Lyon can’t unlearn everything and start bowling fingerspin all over again, but he is now looking to Ashwin to help him out.Ever since his last Test, in the first week of January, Lyon has spent considerable time watching tapes of Ashwin. “I have been watching a lot of footage of Ashwin, the way he goes about it, his different release points,” Lyon said in Pune, the venue of the first Test. “He is a world-class spinner, the best at the moment in the world, there is a reason for it. Been studying him a lot, hopefully I can put it in play.”I am not going to tell you what that is, because the whole world will read it. There are a few things as spinners in the Australian team we have certainly spoken about. Hopefully we can put them in practice and hit a few pads. There are a few changes, but I am not going to change my whole action for this tour. I am aware you need to change a few things here and there. But it’s a game of cricket, if we go out there and control the process… We are playing on the same wickets as they are, so there are no excuses.”Lyon said he has “definitely changed” his approach to bowling in Asia since his last visit to India, but didn’t want to elaborate it so close to a Test series. He will need all the improvement he can manage because he doesn’t find himself in an enviable position. Outside Asia, he is mainly used as a steady bowler. Sometimes he can be just an afterthought. When he does come on, he is expected to be steady, bowl the Australian way and build pressure for the quicker bowlers.

“If you are going to come out and try to take a wicket off every ball, you are going to get hit for boundaries. For us, coming over and competing here is about building pressure.”Nathan Lyon

All of a sudden, Lyon finds himself in conditions where the opposition spinners feel like demons to his side’s batsmen, and he has to go out and try to replicate it. Not many have been able to do so; only Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann come to mind after Saqlain Mushtaq did that to India in 1999. Lyon said he needed to stay away from that mindset.”That’s where you get into trouble,” Lyon said. “If you are going to come out and try to take a wicket off every ball, you are going to get hit for boundaries. For us, coming over and competing here is about building pressure, either with quickies or spinners at the other end. Try to give minimum runs and make the Indians play the big shots. That’s where we are going to build pressure. That’s how you build pressure and take wickets. If you go out thinking that I have got 10 overs and I am going to get them in 10 overs, you are on a slippery slope to nowhere really.”With the amount of cricket played today, Lyon has another opportunity to set his record in Asia right. He is already the most capped Australia fingerspinner in Asia. When he turns out in Bangalore later in the series, only Shane Warne will have played more Tests in Asia as a spinner. Whether he likes it or not, Lyon will be in the spotlight. The Australian way of bowling fingerspin will have to merge with the Asian way if Australia have to compete in the series.

يستعد نجم فريق بايرن ميونخ السابق، توماس مولر، لخطوته المقبلة في مسيرته المهنية، بعدما رحل بشكل رسمي عن النادي الألماني نهاية مشاركتهم في كأس العالم للأندية.

وشارك بايرن ميونخ في كأس العالم للأندية، نسخة 2025 في أمريكا، قبل أن يودع على يد باريس سان جيرمان في دور ربع النهائي.

وذكرت شبكة “سكاي ألمانيا” أن توماس مولر سيواصل مسيرته الاحترافية، حيث لا ينوي اعتزال كرة القدم في الوقت الحالي.

وأوضحت أن توماس مولر سينهي تفاصيل انتقاله إلى ناديه الجديد والإعلان عنه بشكل رسمي في غضون سبعة إلى 10 أيام مقبلة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ماسكيرانو: تأثير ميسي تخطى كرة القدم

وأشارت إلى أن اللاعب صاحب الـ35 عامًا سينتقل إلى الدوري الأمريكي لكرة القدم.

وأفادت أن هناك ناديين من الدوري الأمريكي يتنافسان على ضم توماس مولر، أحدهما لوس أنجلوس إف سي، شريك بايرن ميونخ، دون الكشف عن الآخر.

ولم يتم التأكيد بعد على النادي الذي سيتجه إليه توماس مولر، ولكنه سيكون في الدوري الأمريكي.

ويلعب الأسطورة الأرجنتينية، ليونيل ميسي، في الدوري الأمريكي وتحديدًا مع نادي إنتر ميامي، بعد رحيله مجانًا عن باريس سان جيرمان في عام 2023.

وسبق أن تنافس توماس مولر ضد ليونيل ميسي أكثر من مرة، خلال مسيرتهما، عندما كان الأخير في صفوف برشلونة وكذلك باريس سان جيرمان.