أمضى جارى لينكر، مهاجم إنجلترا السابق، بضع دقائق مع أحد الصحفيين من ملعب “أزتيكا” الذي شهد مباراة ربع نهائي كأس العالم 1986 الأسطورية بين الأرجنتين وإنجلترا، حيث فاز راقصو التانجو بهدفين لهدف.

وحققت الأرجنتين فوزًا مثيرًا على إنجلترا في تلك المباراة بهدفين لهدف، والتي شهدت هدف الأسطورة دييجو مارادونا الشهير بيده، حيث قال آنذاك: “جزء منه برأسي، وجزء منه بيد الرب”.

وقال لينكر، في تصريحاته التي نشرتها صحيفة “سبورت” الإسبانية: “لقد سجلت الهدف الذي لا يتذكره أحد في ربع النهائي (في إشارة إلى هدفه لصالح إنجلترا ضد الأرجنتين)، لم أر يد الرب لأنني كنت على الجانب الآخر من الملعب، زملائي عرفوا ذلك لأنها كانت واضحة للغاية، عندما شاهدتها على التلفاز، حسنًا، كان الأمر مؤسفًا لنا”.

ومع ذلك، أكد لاعب برشلونة السابق أنه لا يحمل ضغينة تجاه مارادونا، الذي يعتبره أحد أعظم اللاعبين على مر العصور، تحديدًا بسبب أهداف مثل الهدف الثاني ضد منتخب بلده، عندما راوغ نصف لاعبي المنتخب الإنجليزي ليسجل الهدف الأكثر شهرة في تاريخ كأس العالم، والذي يراه “الأفضل على الإطلاق”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد ابتسامة خجولة.. ميسي يكشف اللاعب الأعظم في تاريخ كرة القدم

يعترف لينكر بوجود مشاكل مع الحكام في تلك المباراة، حيث قال: “لدي مشكلة بسيطة مع الحكام، لأنني أعتقد أن مساعد الحكم شاهد الهدف، لكنهم كانوا خائفين بعض الشيء من قول أي شيء للحكم”.

وعن هدف مارادونا الآخر ضد إنجلترا، الذي وُصف بـ”هدف القرن”، قال: “رأيته من منظور مختلف، لكنه كان شيئًا مميزًا للغاية، أعتقد أنها المرة الوحيدة على أرض الملعب التي فكرت فيها بالتصفيق للفريق الآخر أو أي شخص آخر ضدنا، لكن هذا الهدف كان معجزة، إنه أفضل هدف على الإطلاق، فهناك أهداف كهذه، ولكن ليس في مباراة بهذه الأهمية”.

وعن المقارنة بين ليونيل ميسي وكريستيانو رونالدو، قال: “إنه لأمر لا يُصدق ما حققاه معًا على مدار عشرين عامًا، مع التنافس بينهما أيضًا، الأفضل على مر العصور بالنسبة لي هو ليونيل ميسي، لقد فاز بكل شيء وفعل كل شيء، يقدم أشياءً مذهلة على أرض الملعب، لكن كريستيانو أيضًا لاعب رائع، هداف مذهل”.

كما تحدث عن أحد أفضل المهاجمين في عصرنا، إيرلينج هالاند، الذي يصفه بأنه “آلة تسجيل أهداف”، قبل أن يعرب عن أسفه لأنه لم يختر أن يصبح مواطنًا إنجليزيًا.

UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall has revealed his favourite Premier League club and named the footballer he wants to train MMA with.

Aspinall preparing for first undisputed heavyweight title defence

Jon Jones earned a reputation as a ‘duck’ after showing little interest in defending his UFC heavyweight title, with the American ultimately opting to retire back in June rather than fight interim heavyweight champion Aspinall.

Consequently, the English fighter was named undisputed champion in anti-climactic fashion, with Dana White making the announcement after a UFC fight night in Azerbaijan.

While still a remarkable achievement, the Salford-born fighter would no doubt have been hoping to make a statement by defeating Jones for the belts, rather than simply being awarded them outside the octagon.

The whole saga has been extremely frustrating for the 32-year-old, who hasn’t fought since defeating Curtis Blaydes via a first-round knock-out way back in July 2024.

However, the Englishman is finally set to return to action this weekend, taking on French heavyweight Ciryl Gane at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, in what will be his first title defence.

The 6 ft 5 heavyweight is also a football fan, although he revealed he was a latecomer to the sport, being convinced to start following Manchester City at the age of 30, due to his son being a supporter.

Ahead of his upcoming fight against Gane, Aspinall was asked which Man City player he would choose to train MMA with at his gym, and Erling Haaland, of course, was the first name that sprang to mind.

Haaland continues to smash records at Man City

In his first season in the Premier League, Haaland broke the record number of goals in a season, scoring 36 in 35 games, and the Norwegian striker is currently in the form of his life, having found the back of the net in 12 matches on the spin.

Aspinall will no doubt be hoping City can reclaim their Premier League crown this season, having won their last three matches, and the 25-year-old, who is regarded as one of the world’s best strikers, will be key to their chances.

The centre-forward’s injury record may be a concern, having suffered ankle and knee problems last season, but if he stays fit (and avoids training in MMA!), anything is possible for Pep Guardiola’s side.

USMNT star Gio Reyna is setting himself an "eight good months" target as he bids to form part of Mauricio Pochettino's plans at a home World Cup in 2026. Having endured his fair share of injury issues down the years, the talented playmaker now finds himself on the books of Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach – with the plan being to catch the eye there.

• Reyna puts club struggles aside to score for USMNT

  Game time has been in relatively short supply again for the 23-year-old this season, with Reyna failing to start a game at club level since suffering a 4-0 defeat to Werder Bremen on his Gladbach debut on September 14. He has taken in five substitute appearances since then.

  He was, however, drafted into the latest United States squad and opened the scoring early on in a 2-1 friendly victory over Paraguay. Reyna is reminding those in the international arena what he is capable of, with there only 26 World Cup spots up for grabs heading towards next summer.

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  Target set to make final squad

  Reyna is desperate to fill one of those, but accepts that he needs to deliver on a consistent basis in Germany in order to earn the right to grace a major tournament on American soil. He is determined to do just that, having endured a testing time at the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

  Reyna told reporters after registering his first international goal since March 2024: "I knew it was an opportunity for me to show that I belong here. He [Pochettino] has been great with me all week, working with him, and yeah, just trying to give me the freedom and the confidence to sort of be myself. So I can't thank him enough, obviously, for the start and just for the relationship that we've really built this camp.

  "In the end, it’s performances like this that can help everybody here. I want to have, more importantly, seven or eight good months in the rest of the season with Gladbach, and then I believe if I keep performing like I did tonight, then I'll have a good chance to make the team and have an impact there too."

• Pochettino impressed by 'nightmare' Reyna

  Pochettino was pleased with what he saw from Reyna at Subaru Park against Paraguay, with the Argentine tactician saying: "So happy with him. He showed why he started. And he has confirmed that he's a player that needs to improve, because he needs to play more in his club, but we can see today that he was great. The capacity to read the game and find the free space in between the lines, I think that was a nightmare for Paraguay."

  Leeds playmaker Brenden Aaronson was another to be given an opportunity to impress in Pennsylvania, having endured selection issues of his own, and he was delighted to see Reyna take his chance.

  He said of Reyna remaining an important part of the USMNT as a so-called ‘Golden Generation’ looks to deliver on expectations: "He always shows up for the national team. Gio’s one of my best friends in football. We grew up playing against each other for a long time. I know the kind of player he is, and I'm just really happy for him. He deserves it. He’s been through a lot with injuries, with all this stuff, but whenever he plays for the national team, he's always there, and it's awesome to see."

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  What comes next for Reyna?

  Reyna made his senior international in 2020, the day before his 18th birthday, and has reached 33 senior caps. He would have expected to pass a half-century in that department by now, with frustrating fitness issues holding him back on a regular basis.

  There is no doubting his ability, with the USMNT requiring somebody to provide a creative spark in the final third, and patience has been shown with him by a number of coaches. A change of scenery at club level, having severed ties with Borussia Dortmund, could serve him well – with Reyna under contract at Gladbach through to the summer of 2028.

In the wake of a second World Series title in the last five years, the Los Angeles Dodgers appear to have locked down their manager for the foreseeable future.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is nearing an extension, according to a Thursday evening report from Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

Roberts, 52, is in his ninth season as Los Angeles's manager. Under his guidance, the Dodgers have won two World Series titles—in 2020 and '24—and four pennants.

The skipper has received National League Manager of the Year votes in every year of his tenure, winning the award in 2016.

Roberts has arguably eclipsed his profile as an outfielder, constructed during a career that lasted from 1999 to 2008. He is best known in that role for his stolen base in Game 4 of the 2004 ALCS against the New York Yankees, which kick-started the Boston Red Sox's improbable run to their first World Series title in 86 years.

Big picture: Big-ticket visit, but small beer for visitors

It’s a state of affairs that sums up the imbalances of international cricket. England and Ireland are about to play their first-ever bilateral game of T20 cricket – even though the format has consumed the sport in the course of the past two decades – at a moment in the respective itineraries of the two nations that could scarcely be more polarized.On the one hand, there’s the visitors England, girding their loins for one final push after an exhausting home season comprising a five-Test series against India, while already casting their eyes forward to the single biggest date on their 2025 calendar: November 21, and the start of their legacy-defining Ashes campaign.Despite the notable pick of Jacob Bethell as captain, they’ve arrived in Dublin with something close to their first-choice XI, or at least the version that took the field with such stunning success in their most recently completed match, against South Africa at Old Trafford last week.Jamie Smith and Ben Duckett were scarcely missed while Phil Salt and Jos Buttler were blazing England towards that record 304 for 2, but they remain in mothballs alongside the regular captain Harry Brook and Jofra Archer – each of whom, with as much respect as can be mustered in such circumstances, has bigger fish to fry in the coming months. As indeed has the head coach, Brendon McCullum, who has already flown home to New Zealand.And then, there’s the hosts Ireland – for the most part exiles in their own land, given how rarely they are able to attract the quality of opposition that justifies the outlay required to accommodate them. This three-match series is their biggest ticket since India popped over for three T20Is in August 2023 (one of which was abandoned).Sure enough, Malahide has rolled out its temporary stands (at considerable expense) to take the ground’s capacity to around 4,000 for these three games. Happily, Friday and Sunday are already sold out, while Wednesday’s series opener should be at least 80% full, with tickets still available. Given that last year’s visit by Australia was canned on the grounds that even those broadcast rights couldn’t have covered Cricket Ireland’s costs, their financial tightrope is real and terrifying.For both teams, however, this series remains a key staging post for a significant and looming peak. England’s thoughts will have to turn to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka almost before they’ve completed their Ashes comedown, and such are the reasons why experimentation for this leg has been relatively limited, even if the conditions in Malahide will be as far removed from those in the subcontinent in February as can be imagined.For Ireland, however, that focus will be nothing less than full-bore. So much of their raison d’etre revolves around ICC events, from the long and anxious qualification bids that precede them, to the crucial exposure and funding that their moments on the big stage provide. But here, in a slender weather-threatened five-day window, that stage has at long last come back to their own shores.

Form guide

Ireland LLWLL (last five T20Is, most recent first)
England WLWWW

In the spotlight: Jordan Cox and Ross Adair

All he ever seems to get are scraps from the table, but to Jordan Cox’s immense credit, he has not yet been consumed by frustration at an international career that simply cannot stick a landing. The false starts have been numerous – most gallingly the broken thumb that robbed him of three guaranteed Tests in New Zealand last winter – while his two previous T20I appearances, against Australia last year, were – just like this potential recall – tacked onto the end of a long international summer. But his belated call-up to the squad is entirely on merit, after his MVP displays for Oval Invincibles in the Hundred. Given half a chance, he is still hungry to make the most of it.At the age of 31, and having parked his previous career in rugby union, Ross Adair is a significant bolter for this winter’s T20 World Cup. His last-but-one international innings was a storming knock of 100 from 58 balls as Ireland beat South Africa in Abu Dhabi this time last year, and as he told ESPNcricinfo this week, the explosive nature of T20 cricket means there are plenty of transferrable skills from his previous incarnation as a winger.

Team news: Calitz, Baker in line for debuts

Ireland could hand a maiden cap to Ben Calitz, the 23-year-old Canada-born batter, with Paul Stirling, their captain, saying they were “crying out” for a left-hander in their middle order. Their bowling stocks have taken a hit with Josh Little and Mark Adair both absent for this series – Little has played just once for Middlesex in two months as he nurses a side injury. Matthew Humphreys is set to lead the attack once more, after impressing in his only outing against West Indies in June.Ireland: (possible) 1 Paul Stirling (capt), 2 Ross Adair, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Lorcan Tucker (wk), 5 Ben Calitz, 6 George Dockrell, 7 Curtis Campher, 8 Barry McCarthy, 9 Graham Hume, 10 Matthew Humphreys, 11 Craig Young.Sonny Baker seems in line for a maiden T20I outing, and ideally a less brutal return to England colours, after being launched for 76 runs on his wicketless ODI debut against South Africa earlier this month. Cox is the obvious replacement for Brook in the middle-order, with England likely to persevere with their spin-heavy attack in preparation for the T20 World Cup.England: (possible) 1 Phil Salt, 2 Jos Buttler (wk), 3 Jacob Bethell (capt), 4 Jordan Cox, 5 Sam Curran, 6 Tom Banton, 7 Will Jacks, 8 Liam Dawson, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Luke Wood, 11 Sonny Baker.

Pitch and conditions

Dublin in early autumn is unlikely to be the sort of batting paradise that England encountered in that Old Trafford contest. Stirling predicted conditions would be as “alien” to those at next year’s World Cup as you could imagine: “September in Ireland is going to be green, it’s going to nip a little bit, and it’s going to be slightly slow.” The weather for Wednesday is mostly set to be clear, though torrential overnight rain is anticipated, which may well influence the decisions at the toss.

Stats and trivia

• England and Ireland have played only twice before in the T20I format – at the T20 World Cups in 2010 (then the World T20) and 2022. Ireland memorably won the second of those at the MCG and might well have won the first but for a washout. England, remarkably, recovered from those set-backs to claim the title on each occasion.
• At 21 years and 329 days, Jacob Bethell is set to become the youngest captain in England’s history, beating the mark currently held by Monty Bowden, who was 23 and 144 days when he led England against South Africa at Cape Town on the Test tour of 1888-89.

Quotes

“It was fantastic viewing… Hopefully it’ll be a bit different than Old Trafford, where the pitch didn’t seem to be doing much. Coming here, it might be a bit slower, it might do a bit more, and hopefully we can catch a team off-guard that way if things go our way – maybe win the toss and go from there.”
“I’ve played with Paul Stirling myself, and I’ve seen how destructive he is at the other end. He’ll be someone we’ll be looking to target early and try to get him walking back into the sheds.”

MatériaMais Notícias

A temporada 2024 do futebol brasileiro começou, mas muitos torcedores ainda não sabem onde assistir aos jogos do clube do coração nos Estaduais. Resultado da pulverização dos direitos de transmissão, cada torneio será exibido em diferentes plataformas de mídia (TV aberta, TV fechada e streaming).

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasMercado do EsporteCOI fecha acordo inédito e cerveja será patrocinadora dos Jogos OlímpicosMercado do Esporte15/01/2024Mercado do EsporteFifa The Best 2023: três jogadores finalistas valem mais de R$ 2 bilhõesMercado do Esporte15/01/2024FinançasQuem fatura mais? Quem tem elenco mais caro? Compare finanças de Barcelona e Real MadridFinanças12/01/2024

Abaixo, o Lance! Biz apresenta um guia com a divisão dos direitos de transmissão dos principais Estaduais do país. Confira:

➡️ Acompanhe os negócios no esporte em nosso canal. Siga o Lance! Biz no WhatsApp

🌎 Campeonato Paulista

📺 Record (TV aberta)
📺 TNT (TV fechada)
💻 HBO Max (streaming)
💻 Cazé TV (streaming)
💲 Paulistão Play (pay-per-view)

DEFINIDOS OS GRUPOS DO PAULISTÃO SICREDI 2024!#FutebolPaulista #PaulistãoSicredi2024 pic.twitter.com/kD9yjtbXHf

— Paulistão (@Paulistao) November 16, 2023

🌎 Campeonato Carioca

📺 Band (TV aberta)
📺 Bandsports (TV fechada)
💻 Goat (streaming)
📺 Sportv (TV fechada)*
💻 Cazé TV (streaming)*
💲 Premiere (pay-per-view)*

*Apenas os jogos do Vasco como mandante.

FALTAM 7⃣ DIAS!

📺 Lembrando que todas as partidas do Mais Charmoso terão transmissão ABERTA e AO VIVO pela @BandTV, @bandsports e @CanalGOATBR! Já os jogos do Gigante da Colina, quando mandante, ficarão por conta da @CazeTVOficial!#CariocaBetNacional pic.twitter.com/mgUATixxYn

— Cariocão (@Cariocao) January 10, 2024

🌎 Campeonato Mineiro

📺 Globo (TV aberta)
📺 Sportv (TV fechada)
💻 Globoplay/ge (streaming)
💲 Premiere (pay-per-view)
📺 Nsports (TV fechada e streaming)*

* Apenas jogos entre clubes do interior

➡️ Quais clubes brasileiros podem virar SAF em 2024?

continua após a publicidade

Definidos os grupos do #MineiroSicoob2024! ⚽🏆

O campeonato vai começar no dia 24 de janeiro, seguindo o mesmo regulamento da atual temporada. Quem vai levantar a taça, torcedor? 👀#NósRespiramosFutebol pic.twitter.com/hj5vG5KxTF

— Federação Mineira de Futebol (@FMF_Oficial) November 28, 2023

🌎 Campeonato Gaúcho

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📺 Sportv (TV fechada)
💻 Globoplay/ge (streaming)
💲 Premiere (pay-per-view)

Confira a tabela detalhada das 3 primeiras rodadas do Gauchão Ipiranga 2024

🔗 https://t.co/m9gzvNZr8L#FGF #FutebolGaúcho #Gauchão2024 #GauchãoIpiranga2024 pic.twitter.com/Bg7LMbrI35

— Federação Gaúcha de Futebol (@OficialFGF) January 8, 2024

🌍 Campeonato Paranaense 

📺 TV Paraná Turismo (TV aberta)
💻 NSports (streaming e TV fechada)

➡️Brasileirão, Libertadores, Eurocopa… Veja onde assistir aos principais torneios em 2024?

Falta pouco! O #Paranaense1xBet de 2024 será transmitido na TV aberta e em streaming.@nsports e @tvparanaturismo são nossas parceiras pra levar o melhor do nosso futebol até você! ⚽ 📺

▶️ https://t.co/XzwjtCuq5c

São 80 jogos até conhecermos o campeão! 👀#futebolparanaense pic.twitter.com/A7HlFR6hO7

— Federação PR Futebol (@federacaopr) January 10, 2024

🌍 Campeonato Catarinense

📺 NSC TV (TV aberta)
💻 MB TV (streaming)

FCF, clubes e MBTV fecham acordo para transmissão dos jogos do Catarinense Fort Atacadista gratuitamente https://t.co/fmPSWtV1WK

— FCF (@FCF_futebol) November 24, 2023

🌍 Campeonato Baiano 

📺 TVE Bahia (TV aberta e streaming)

TABELA BÁSICA DEFINIDA!
Nosso Baianão está perto de começar e no nosso site já estão disponíveis a tabela básica e o regulamento da edição 2024. Confere a nossa rodada de abertura. Para ver a tabela completa e mais informações, acesse nosso site: https://t.co/9czHIUzhtd #FBF pic.twitter.com/cnz2BbK4et

— Federação Bahiana (@FBFoficial) November 30, 2023

🌍 Campeonato Pernambucano 

📺 Globo (TV aberta)
💻 Goat (streaming)
💻 TV FPF (streaming)

Ligue a antena de ansiedade e sintonize-se! 📺

Descubra onde a magia do Campeonato Pernambucano vai ganhar vida na sua tela🔥⚽️ pic.twitter.com/yGz3nuF5Eh

— Federação Pernambucana de Futebol (@fpfpe) January 9, 2024

🌍 Campeonato Cearense

📺 TV Verdes Mares (TV aberta)
💻 Goat (streaming)
💻 ge (streaming)
💻 FCF TV (streaming)

Uma parceria que resgata histórias!
A Federação Cearense de Futebol anuncia a volta da @tvverdesmares como detentora oficial do Campeonato Cearense Série A nos próximos três anos! A emissora tem uma longa história com o futebol do estado que marcou gerações e agora está de volta pic.twitter.com/vhfccXWczd

— FCF (@FCFutebol) November 27, 2023

MAIS LANCE! BIZ

This might be the first international break in some time that West Ham United fans can’t wait for it to end.

The East Londoners are still in the Premier League relegation zone, but following back-to-back wins, there is a sense of optimism that they can avoid a protracted fight for survival this year.

After all, Nuno Espirtio Santo took Nottingham Forest from near the bottom of the table to Europa League football in a season and a half; why can’t he achieve something similar at the London Stadium?

However, before fans get carried away, there are still a number of players who need to be moved on from the squad, including one flop previously compared to Andrea Pirlo.

West Ham's biggest losers since Nuno arrived

After a slightly rocky start, Nuno does look to have finally stabilised and improved things at West Ham.

First Impressions

What did pundits and fans alike think about their new star signing when they arrived? Football FanCast’s ‘First Impressions’ series has everything you need.

However, while the team appears to be somewhat on the up, and the fans are starting to feel justifiably optimistic about what the rest of the campaign could bring, some players have lost out due to the appointment of the Portuguese coach.

For example, while James Ward-Prowse was a constant feature in Graham Potter’s midfield, he hasn’t played a minute under the new regime.

In fact, the former Southampton captain hasn’t even been named in a single squad, which shouldn’t be too much of a surprise considering Nuno also froze him out when he was on loan at the City Ground last year.

Another Potter signing who has had no luck under the Sao-Tome-born boss is Igor Julio.

The Brazilian centre-back joined the Hammers on a season-long loan from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day, and so far has played 13 minutes of football under his new boss, which came in three short appearances off the bench.

What makes this worse is the fact that Konstantinos Mavropanos has been out injured for almost a month, and even so, he has still been limited to a bit-part role at best.

Finally, although this may be a bit harsh, the manager appears to have lost faith in Soungoutou Magassa.

The Frenchman started his first two games in charge, but has since played just 30 minutes of action across the last four league games, thanks to two substitutions.

With that said, he’s still young and clearly talented, so there is every chance Nuno will eventually use him more often, which cannot be said for a West Ham flop who was once compared to Pirlo, but now needs to be sold as soon as possible.

The West Ham flop compared to Pirlo

The midfield pairing of Freddie Potts and Mateus Fernandes, which has worked so well in recent games, has made it evident that West Ham need to get rid of their other midfield options, who have looked way off it this season: Andrew Irving.

The Hammers signed the Scotsman in the summer of 2023 from Austrian outfit Klagenfurt, and while it wasn’t really a big deal at the time, there was a hope he’d prove to be a bargain buy, especially as he’d been compared to the legendary Pirlo in the past.

Yes, while it was certainly tongue-in-cheek, he was given the nickname ‘Portobello Pirlo’ by the fans during his time with Scottish outfit Hearts, where he made 61 appearances, scoring five goals and providing 13 assists.

Unfortunately, while he was probably deserving of the comparison north of the border, he hasn’t shown any Pirlo-esque quality in the capital.

In fact, in the words of journalist Jordan Rushworth, he has looked more like a “National League standard” midfielder, adding that he “gets walked past every time an opposition midfielder has the ball.”

While harsh and probably a little over the top, the 25-year-old has looked miles off it in Claret and Blue, and was starting in the middle of the park during Nuno’s struggles against Brentford and Leeds United.

In fact, it was in the aftermath of the former that Jamie Carragher described the Hammers as “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in Premier League history!”

This lack of dynamism in the middle of the park was largely down to the once-capped Scotsman, and his statistics from that game did not make for pleasant reading.

In his 61 minutes of inaction, he played a single key pass, misplaced four of five crosses, lost 100% of his tackles, didn’t make a single interception, clearance or block, and lost 100% of his aerial duels.

Ultimately, Irving has been really quite poor for West Ham this season, and with far better options currently doing the business for Nuno, he should be sold in January.

£67m spent & no Wilson or Fullkrug: Nuno's dream West Ham XI after January

This is the dream West Ham starting line-up that Nuno could build in the January window.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 15, 2025

Southampton decided to part ways with head coach Will Still after the former Lens boss only won two of his 13 matches in charge of the club in the Championship.

Interim manager Tonda Eckert has won both of his league games in the dugout so far, including a 3-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday last time out, but it remains to be seen what the future holds for him.

Irrespective of what happens now, Eckert has delivered back-to-back wins that were much-needed after a dismal start to the campaign, which led to Still’s dismissal.

Why Will Still was unfortunate to be sacked by Southampton

The Belgian-born tactician won two of his 13 league matches and averaged 0.92 points per game, per Transfermarkt, which is why it was not a surprise to see him lose his job.

However, per FotMob, Southampton rank sixth in the table for xPTS and are currently 11 places lower in the division than they would be if every game was decided by who created the higher-quality chances.

Of course, football is not played on paper and it is, ultimately, a results-based business, but these statistics suggest that performances from individuals let him down, as the Saints have underperformed their xG and conceded more than their xGA suggests that they should have.

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Whilst it is hard to know what goes on behind the scenes, perhaps Still was unable to motivate a team to win consistently, as he finished between 11th and 8th in his three seasons as a manager in France, which means that he is not used to competing at the very top of a league.

This is why Southampton could find a major upgrade on the former Lens boss by hiring reported target Brendan Rodgers as their new manager during the break.

Why Southampton should hire Brendan Rodgers

The Northern Irish manager resigned from the Celtic job last month and he could be the dream appointment for the Saints if they can convince him to drop down to the Championship.

Rodgers, who was once dubbed “world-class” by Gabriel Agbonlahor, may have the perfect track record for the situation that Southampton find themselves in, because he has experience in the Championship, the Premier League, and the Premiership.

The 52-year-old coach won promotion via the play-offs with Swansea in the 2010/11 campaign, which is relevant for where the club is now, and helped them to stay up with an 11th-placed finish in the Premier League the following season, which should be Southampton’s long-term goal.

Premier League

312

1.56

Premiership

173

2.43

Premiership top six split

15

2.20

Championship

94

1.49

Championship play-offs

3

2.33

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers is a proven Premier League manager who has excelled at Swansea, Liverpool, and Leicester City in the top-flight, which is why he would be the perfect appointment for now and in the future.

On top of that, the Northern Irishman is also a proven winner. Per Transfermarkt, he won four Scottish Premiership titles, four Scottish League Cups, and four SFA Cups with Celtic, along with an FA Cup and a Community Shield with Leicester.

This means that Rodgers has won a whopping 13 trophies in his career as a manager, whilst Southampton have not won a major trophy since the FA Cup success in 1976.

Overall, the former Celtic manager would be a major upgrade on Still, who has only managed midtable success and has no trophies under his belt, because of his career record, his history in the Championship and the Premier League, and his proven track record of winning trophies.

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If they can convince him to take the job, Rodgers could be the ideal candidate to get the Saints out of the Championship, as well as to establish them in the Premier League.

Dickson will join from Somerset as a replacement for the outgoing Glamorgan skipper Sam Northeast

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Sep-2025

Glamorgan have moved quickly to replace outgoing captain Sam Northeast with the signing of multi-format batter Sean Dickson.Dickson will depart Somerset at the end of the summer, moving to Sophia Gardens on a two-year deal.The 34-year old has established himself as an accomplished batter on the domestic scene. Glamorgan will be his fourth county, having also represented Kent and Durham across all formats.He underlined those credentials on Saturday with a match-winning 71 off just 26 deliveries against Birmingham Bears to take Somerset through to Blast Finals Day. Dickson also has a first-class best of 318, for Kent in the County Championship. It is one of 14 first-class centuries, of which 13 have come in English cricket. Born in South Africa, he notched a sole hundred for Northerns, in Centurion, before moving over to the UK in 2015.Glamorgan are pushing for promotion to Divison One but will lose Northeast, their captain, as he returns to his home county, Kent, at the end of this campaign.Speaking on Dickson’s impending arrival, Glamorgan director of cricket, Mark Wallace said: “We’re delighted that Sean has agreed to join Glamorgan for the next two years. Sean is one of the most explosive middle-order T20 batters in the country and is a proven top four option in four-day cricket.”With Sam Northeast heading back to Kent, Sean will add to the experience of our batting unit and we’re looking forward to welcoming him to Wales.”

Sonia Bompastor has claimed the eight-minute delay caused by a technical fault during Chelsea's 1-1 draw against Barcelona was "not good enough". The French manager fumed during her post-match press conference, claiming the problem caused her side to lose momentum, and that she believed the VAR was not used to rule out Catarina Macario's disallowed winner.

Bompastor left angry by delay at Stamford Bridge

The game was paused shortly before half-time, as all streams and video feeds, including the footage used by UEFA official for VAR were not working. reports that generators which power the technology went down, causing the fault.

Bompastor claimed the delay caused her side to lose momentum, before also alleging that Macario's effort which came just seconds after she entered the game as a second half substitute, was ruled out without the use of VAR.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportBompastor: 'It's not good enough at this level'

Speaking at her post-match press conference, Bompastor said: "It was really frustrating, we were in a really good momentum, when this comes from something you can't control, I think, at this level, it's not good enough.

"I don't know if this has happened in the men's game but that's the first time I've seen that.

"To be honest with you I'm not even sure if the VAR was on in the second half. As you could see, in the first half we had almost a 10-minute break, the TV went off.

"It's something I didn't really like because we were in a really good momentum and when you have to stop the players, I think it's not good enough at this level. Maybe it's something no one can control. In the second half I'm not even sure the VAR was on.

"I think the VAR was off so they didn't have any screen to check the VAR so I think this was the reason why." 

Blues boss proud of Chelsea performance

While she was clearly angry with proceedings at Stamford Bridge, Bompastor also spoke glowingly about her players' efforts. 

Chelsea took the lead in a pulsating encounter as full-back Ellie Carpenter unleashed a thunderous finish in the 16th minute. Barcelona found a reply just eight minutes later, when Ewa Pajor powered home a close-range effort after the Blues failed to clear a corner. 

Macario's disallowed effort would have given the Blues a well deserved victory over a side that just six months ago, beat them 8-2 over two legs in last season's Women's Champions League semi-finals. Bompastor urged her side to take confidence from their performance. 

"I think we were the better team tonight, we had a really good performance and created a lot of opportunities", Bompastor said. "We scored a great goal. I'm happy but frustrated because we could have won the game.

"Any time we play with this mindset and mentality, the players need to now how good we can be. We played against a strong opponent, everybody knows Barcelona's qualities. To be able to have this performance against them was really positive.

"The team need to be proud of the performance today, but also take belief and confidence from this performance."

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Getty Images SportChelsea push for top-four finish

This performance will give Bompastor's side confidence in their push for automatic qualification for the quarterfinals of the competition. The top four sides in the league stage progress to the final eight, with the fifth to 12th-placed sides will face a play-off round. 

Chelsea currently sit in sixth, with two games left to play. On December 10, they host Roma before facing a tricky away assignment against Wolfsburg. The two-time European champions currently sit in third in the league table,