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A major European newspaper claims that a "special" manager is being talked up as Manchester United's potential next boss after Erik ten Hag.

Erik ten Hag under pressure at Man Utd

United's current boss finds himself under enormous pressure to keep his job beyond the summer, with his side continuing to struggle this season. They are now languishing in sixth place and 12 points adrift of Aston Villa in fourth, with Champions League qualification looking close to impossible.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made it clear that he is going to be ruthless since becoming part owner of the Red Devils, and it looks as though he is already considering potential candidates to replace Ten Hag if things don't drastically improve.

Impressive Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has been linked with coming in, guiding his current team to within touching distance of promotion from the Championship to the Premier League this season. The 37-year-old is not only a big talent, but he also has ties with United, managing the Under-18s and also being assistant manager for a period in the past.

Former Brighton and Chelsea manager Graham Potter is also seen as an option to take over at Old Trafford soon, with journalist Ben Jacobs saying: "One is Graham Potter, who couldn't handle the Chelsea dressing room for various reasons, perhaps some not in his control, but is still highly thought of after his time at Brighton. INEOS liked Potter with a view to Nice long before the investment was completed at Manchester United, and that's why he's been linked."

It remains to be seen what decision will be made with Ten Hag – Ratcliffe could yet decide that he is the right man for the job if the rest of the season goes well – but another name has now been thrown into the mix.

Man Utd links to "special" manager heating up

According to a front page report from Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Manchester United see Bologna manager Thiago Motta as an option to replace the Dutchman in the near future, and the links are gathering pace in Italy.

It does look as though there is more hype than anything surrounding the update however, with the report admitting that no concrete interest from the Red Devils has emerged and it could just be a case of using a huge club's name to drum up interest elsewhere.

Should Motta become a genuine managerial option for United this summer, or even before then, he would be an exciting candidate, considering what an excellent job he has done at Bologna to date.

Thiago Motta's managerial stats

Matches

Points per game

Bologna

68

1.72

Spezia Calcio

40

0.98

Genoa

10

0.90

The 41-year-old has been hailed as a "special" manager by journalist James Horncastle, and his team sit fourth in Serie A, as they close in on a place in next season's Champions League. A recent report has claimed that internal talks have happened within United, no doubt involving Ratcliffe, and he is one of Europe's most exciting young bosses currently.

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Posts ByBen Browning Apr 6, 2024

Motta prefers to play a possession-based 4-2-3-1 formation, with a report on his tactics from the Coaches' Voice adding the system "delivers more fluidity, despite still working to an overall structure", and he would represent a vibrant choice to come in and be an upgrade on Ten Hag.

Manchester United appear to be in the race for a "wonderkid" this summer, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

Ten Hag proves youth stands a chance at Old Trafford

Though it has been a disappointing campaign for the Red Devils, their bright sparks have largely come in the form of their young talents.

Alejandro Garnacho has become almost undroppable in Erik ten Hag's front line, while Kobbie Mainoo has done likewise in central midfield and has already seen his performances rewarded with an England debut over the most recent March international break.

There have also been Premier League appearances (though perhaps more due to necessity than choice) for centre-back Willy Kambwala and attacker Omari Forson.

United have previously missed out on young stars as a result of failing to offer first-team assurances, with Jude Bellingham a notable case in point when he turned down a move to Old Trafford in favour of a switch to Borussia Dortmund in 2019.

Manchester United's young talents in the Premier League

Player

Age

Appearances

Goals + Assists

Alejandro Garnacho

19

30

10

Kobbie Mainoo

18

18

2

Willy Kambwala

19

7

0

Omari Forson

19

3

1

But with Ten Hag in charge, that appears to have changed, and it is even reportedly a contributing factor in why he may keep his job at the end of the season despite finishing bottom of his Champions League group and on course to fail to qualify for next season's competition.

They remain in contention to lift the FA Cup, but that could only paper over the cracks of what has otherwise been a poor and inconsistent season. However, Ten Hag's youth policy could help them attract future stars once more.

Man Utd eyeing "wonderkid"

Now, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has given fresh insight into just that, in the form of League One sensation Baylee Dipepa, who was linked with a move to Old Trafford last month.

The 17-year-old is currently starring for Port Vale, where he has made 20 appearances this season, scoring three times and grabbing two assists in just 609 minutes of action. That has caught the eye of a whole host of clubs, and the Red Devils are firmly among them.

Speaking to Caught Offside, Romano confirmed that they have "followed and tracked" the teenage talent, but that any future move is currently uncertain.

“Finally on Man United, 17-year-old Port Vale wonderkid Baylee Dipepa has been followed and tracked by the United scouting team. Let’s see if they decide to proceed with negotiations, but it will depend on the new board they are building now, so we can just be patient on that one.”

Related Fabrizio Romano shares new Man Utd update on "great manager"

He has been linked to replace Erik ten Hag.

Posts ByBen Browning Apr 18, 2024

Port Vale chief Matt Hancock has already accepted that they may not be able to keep Dipepa should bids arrive, though he did reveal no official approaches had been made.

"We have had no official approaches or offers. We are not naive enough to think that someone who is playing ahead of Premier League forwards for England under-17s and then getting regular games and scoring in League One, won't have eyes on him. We will see what the future may hold."

That future may just be at Old Trafford.

كشف جيرارد بيكيه مدافع برشلونة السابق، عن أكثر لاعب فاجأه في مسيرته، ووصف كريستيانو رونالدو بأنه أفضل لاعب بشري.

كما تحدث بيكيه عن ناديه السابق برشلونة الإسباني وما يميزه مقارنة بالأندية الأخرى، وذلك خلال تصريحاته لصحيفة “كوريري ديلو سبورت” الإيطالية.

وعن اللاعب الذي فاجأه أكثر، أوضح: “ميسي كان دائمًا مختلفًا عن الآخرين، كريستيانو رونالدو أفضل البشر، لكن ليو كائن فضائي، لا ينتمي إلى هذا الكوكب”.

اقرأ أيضًا | كريستيانو رونالدو يوجه رسالة إلى روبن أموريم قبل مباراته الأولى مع مانشستر يونايتد

وأفاد: “لقد رأيته يتدرب كل يوم ويقوم بأشياء لا تصدق، لن يكون هناك شخص بسرعة تفكيره ونفس التصميم مرة أخرى، لقد وصل وعمره 13 عامًا، ولعب بنفس الطريقة تمامًا مع فريق برشلونة للشباب والفريق الأول”.

وعن الذي يميز برشلونة، أجاب بيكيه: “إنه نادٍ بحد ذاته، مختلف تمامًا عن جميع الأندية الأخرى في العالم، وليس فقط لأن الملكية مقسمة على 140 ألف عضو، ميلان، إنتر، يوفنتوس، يونايتد، تشيلسي، سيتي، باريس سان جيرمان أو بايرن ينتمون فقط إلى المشجعين”.

وأتم: “هدفنا جميعًا هو الحفاظ على هذا التفرد، على الرغم من أننا لسنا في وضع مالي جيد في هذه الفترة، ونقل الشعور بالانتماء”.

India are looking for a record fifth Under-19 World Cup title, while Bangladesh have never come this far before

The Preview by Sreshth Shah in Potchefstroom08-Feb-2020

Big pictureThis is about as big as it gets for the Under-19 cricketers from Bangladesh and India. For India, it’s an opportunity to defend their title and claim a record fifth World Cup crown [Australia are next with three]. For Bangladesh, it’s a chance to win their first World Cup, any World Cup.Both sides are unbeaten so far and there’s not much to separate them. If India have Kartik Tyagi and Sushant Mishra with the searing pace upfront, Bangladesh have the rapid Tanzim Hasan Sakib and the accurate Shoriful Islam to counter that. For a Ravi Bishnoi, there’s a Rakibul Hasan, for a Yashasvi Jaiswal there’s a Tanzid Hasan. They are evenly matched all right.ALSO READ: Where the Under-19 World Cup final will be won and lostThe last time the two sides played each other at an Under-19 World Cup was in 2018, in the quarter-final, and India finished victorious. But they have faced off seven times since then in other competitions, two of those games abandoned because of the weather. India do hold a 4-1 edge in the completed games, but they have been close encounters. At the 2018 Asia Cup semi-final, India sneaked through with a two-run win, while in the 2019 Asia Cup final, India won by five runs. The last time Bangladesh beat India – in England last July – they won by two wickets. If nerves don’t get in the way of skills, expect another nail-biter in the final here.Heavy rain is expected at some point on both Sunday, and Monday’s reserve day. Tournament rules say that if both days are washed out, the World Cup will be shared. How the two sides navigate their way while taking the conditions into consideration will be an interesting subplot. Fans of both countries will throng the JB Marks Oval to support their team, emotions will run high, and it’s up to the youngsters to make the occasion a memorable one, become heroes, if they can.Form guideIndia WWWWW Bangladesh WWWWWIn the spotlightKartik Tyagi, the India bowler who consistently bowls at 135 kph, can be the difference. Bangladesh’s top order has been consistent, barring the rain-hit game against Pakistan, and if India are to win, his ten overs – both with the new ball and the older one – will hold massive importance. His 11 wickets in the tournament have come at an economy rate of less than 3.50 and he has taken a wicket every 18.7 deliveries.Mahmudul Hasan Joy sweeps one fine•ICC via Getty

Bangladesh’s No. 3 Mahmudul Hasan Joy has paid his team back for backing him through the tournament. Despite a poor start to the World Cup, he has grown in confidence as it has progressed, and it was on show during the semi-final, when he struck a match-winning 100 against New Zealand. He’s Bangladesh’s highest run-scorer here and if he can produce an innings that matches his tournament average of 58.66, Bangladesh will be well placed to win their first World Cup.Team newsBoth sides are likely to stay unchanged for the final. There are no injury concerns for either team.India (possible): 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Divyaansh Saxena, 3 Tilak Varma, 4 Dhruv Jurel (wk), 5 Priyam Garg (capt), 6 Siddhesh Veer, 7 Atharva Ankolekar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Sushant Mishra, 10 Kartik Tyagi, 11 Aakash SinghBangladesh (possible): 1 Parvez Hossain Emon, 2 Tanzid Hasan, 3 Mahmudul Hasan Joy, 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Shahadat Hossain, 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Akbar Ali (capt, wk), 8 Rakibul Hasan, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Tanzim Hasan Sakib, 11 Hasan MuradPitch and conditionsThey will be playing on the same surface as the first semi-final, when India beat Pakistan. There were no demons in the surface; although Pakistan were all out for a sub-200 total, India chased it down with ten wickets in hand. Thunderstorms are expected on Sunday (and Monday) afternoon, although the morning will offer a window of uninterrupted play.Stats and trivia With 312 runs in five games, Jaiswal is almost certain to finish the tournament as the highest run-scorer. Mahmudul, the second-highest run-scorer featuring in the game, is 124 behind him. The average first-innings score at the ground this World Cup has been 201.5. India have bowled their opponents out in every World Cup game. The team batting second has won four of the last five Under-19 World Cup finals.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Brasileirão tem um novo líder. Neste domingo, em mais uma partida movimentada pela 5ª rodada da competição, o Athletico buscou a virada diante do Atlético-GO na Arena da Baixada e assumiu o topo da competição, aproveitando o tropeço do Fortaleza contra o Fluminense. O destaque do Furacão foi Christian, que marcou os dois gols do triunfo por 2 a 1.

Na próxima rodada, o Athletico encara a Bahia na quinta-feira, no Estádio do Pituaçu, em Salvador. Antes, na quarta, o Atlético-GO enfrenta o Fluminense, no Estádio Antônio Accioly.

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SHOW DO DRAGÃO
O jogo começou com o Atlético-GO assumindo o protagonismo. Depois de boa chegada de Vitinho no início da partida, Baralhas abriu o placar na Arena da Baixada. O volante roubou a bola, invadiu a grande área e chutou no ângulo de Santos. A primeira chegada de perigo do Furacão foi aos 26. Vitinho cruzou com perigo e quase enganou Fernando Miguel.

MATHEUS BABI DEIXA TUDO IGUAL
O goleiro do Dragão, inclusive, foi providencial em outra oportunidade. Aos 31, Igor Cariús desviou para trás após cruzamento. Na sequência, o Athletico chegou com Thiago Heleno, que cabeceou para fora. O placar da Arena da Baixada ficou tudo igual aos 42. Marcinho fez ótimo cruzamento da direita e Matheus Babi cabeceou forte, mandando a bola morrer no fundo das redes de Fernando Miguel. Tudo igual.

COMEÇO MOVIMENTADO
A segunda etapa voltou com tudo. Logo aos 3, Matheus Babi recebeu pela direita dentro da área e tocou para trás. Terans chegou livre para finalizar, mas mandou à esquerda de Fernando Miguel, tirando tinta da trave. Aos 7, Natanael deu a resposta. O jogador recebeu cruzamento de Oliveira e forçou Santos a sair com agilidade do gol e cortar. No rebote, Natanael, mesmo sem goleiro, errou e acertou a trave. O jogo seguiu equilibrado. Aos 12′, Zé Roberto recebeu passe de João Paulo e acertou o travessão. Na sequência, Janderson tocou para João Paulo dentro da área, que chutou na rede pelo lado de fora.

A VIRADA DO FURACÃO
O Atlético-GO criava as melhores chances, mas não tinha efetividade em suas jogadas. Com algumas mudanças, o Athletico ficou com maior ofensividade, conseguindo o segundo gol. Aos 26, Abner cruzou de esquerda, e Christian mandou a bola para o fundo das redes pela segunda vez, anotando o 2 a 1.

Foram os paranaenses quem continuaram com as melhores oportunidades. Aos 31 e 32, Matheus Babi e Richard tiveram chances de ampliar o placar, mas pararam no gol de Fernando Miguel. No apagar das luzes, Arthur Gomes teve grande chance. No entanto, a bola passou muito perto do gol, mas não entrou. Partida encerrada: Furacão líder do Brasileirão.

FICHA TÉCNICA
ATHLETICO 2 X 1 ATLÉTICO-GO
Local: Arena da Baixada, em Curitiba
Data/Horário: 20 de junho de 2021 (domingo), às 18h15
Árbitro: Felipe Fernandes de Lima
Assistentes: Guilherme Dias Camilo e Felipe Alan Costa de Oliveira
Cartões amarelos: Terans e Matheus Babi (Athletico); João Paulo e Zé Roberto (Atlético-GO)
Cartões vermelhos:
Gols: Matheus Babi (42’/1°T) (1-1) e Christian (26’/2°T) (Athletico); Barralhas (12’/1°T) (1-0) (Atlético-GO)

Athletico: Santos; Marcinho, Pedro Henrique, Zé Ivaldo, Thiago Heleno e Abner Vinicius; Richard, Christian (Léo Cittadini, 42’/2°T) e Terans (Jadson, 20’/2°T); Vitinho (Carlos Eduardo, 35’/2°T) e Matheus Babi (Renato Kayzer, 36’/2°T). Técnico: António Oliveira.

Atlético-GO: Fernando Miguel; Dudu, Nathan Silva, Oliveira e Igor Cariús (Arthur Gomes, 35’/2°T); Baralhas (Lucão, 28’/2°T), Marlon Freitas e João Paulo; Janderson (André Luis, 29’/2°T), Zé Roberto e Natanael. Técnico: Eduardo Barroca.

A points system to decide the champion of champions since the advent of one-day county cricket

Jon Hotten09-Apr-2020

Late last year, and with a heavy heart, I was rereading Bob Willis’s Diary of a Cricket Season, written in 1978. After only three paragraphs, Bob was in off the long run: “The early weeks are absurdly cluttered with one-day cricket; you either seem to be playing 55-over games or 40-over games; the Championship gets lost until almost the end of May.”It reminded me of an email I had received from Wisden. They too had been taking stock of an era passed. This one had begun in 1963 when a second competition joined the Championship, and ended in 2019, with the announcement of The Hundred, the first domestic tournament not to feature the counties. The Almanack had compiled a spreadsheet of those 57 summers, tracking the performance of every side in each competition, and awarded points to the winners, runners-up and – where applicable – semi-finalists. The system weighted the Championship above the others, but aimed to keep things simple.How had 1978 played out? County Champions: Kent. Gillette Cup: Sussex. John Player League: Hampshire. Benson and Hedges Cup: Kent. More from Bob’s diary, Sunday, May 14: “Kent have never been my favourite bunch of blokes, and I liked them even less when they beat us in the Sunday League… We had them in a lot of bother until John Shepherd saw them home.” The next April, Shepherd was one of the Wisden Five, along with Gower, Lever, Old and Radley.I looked at the spreadsheet again. Each entry, I realised, was not simply an outcome: it was a story, a day, a week, a season in the life, in many lives. Eras formed, teams rose and fell. Late-1970s Somerset, always at Lord’s, with Beefy, Viv and Joel, Dasher Denning and the Demon of Frome.
Middlesex’s three Championships in the first half of the 1980s: Brearley, Gatting, Emburey, Edmonds, Daniel – what a bowler the Diamond was.
Warwickshire in 1994 and ’95, a treble, then a double: Reeve, Small, Brown, Munton, Donald, the Smiths, Lara – greatest few weeks of batting ever.
Gloucestershire around 2000, unbeatable at the short stuff: Russell, Alleyne, Barnett, Snape, Harvey – the “Freak”, with his supernatural slower one.
Further forward, the Sussex of Mushy and Goodwin, the Surrey of Hollioake and the noble Ramprakash…The effect of overseas players was visible. Uniquely, Nottinghamshire recorded a Eurovision-style nul points decade, in the 1970s, despite the presence for several years of Garry Sobers. Then came Clive Rice and Richard Hadlee, who arrived in 1978 but landed in 1981, with 105 wickets at 14, as Nottinghamshire swept to the Championship title. There was another in 1987, when Hadlee took 97 at 11, the Trent Bridge greentop now feared throughout the country. Meanwhile, Sussex managed no Championship top-four finishes in the 1990s, when they mustered 14 points in all competitions – and then found Mushtaq Ahmed. In 85 first-class games, he claimed 478 wickets at 25, and Sussex had their first three Championship crowns.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

It tripped the memory, this chart, revealing the most successful team of each decade: 1960s: Yorkshire
1970s: Kent (by a mile, with the highest tally of any side in any decade)
1980s: Middlesex (by a hair, from Essex)
1990s: Lancashire and Warwickshire (a tie!)
2000s: Sussex (pipping Lancashire and Surrey)
2010s: Somerset (despite the agonies of a Championship blank; a sharing of power, rather than a concentration of it)There were 322 points between the bottom county – chin up, Derbyshire – and the first, but only 42 between the top four: Kent in fourth with 364, Essex with 375, Warwickshire with 393, and – breasting the tape – Lancashire with 406.Some Moneyballing of the top-line stats underlined old truths. Lancashire were not a pre-eminent Championship team, accruing only one title (in 2011), and just 114 of their points, in the longest form. On that score, they were trumped by seven counties, with Middlesex top (though only sixth overall). They, Essex and Yorkshire accounted for 22 titles, nearly two-fifths of the total.Lancashire’s power came in limited-overs cricket. According to the points system, they have been the second-most successful side in the Gillette Cup and its successors (behind Warwickshire), second in the B&H (behind Kent), third in the Sunday League (behind Essex and Kent), and joint-first in T20 (with Somerset). In all, their 17 short-form titles bested Warwickshire’s 13, and the 11 by Kent and Essex. Kent’s extraordinary record as runners-up – five times in both knockout cups, four times in the Sunday League, once in the T20 Cup – showed their depth and consistency.But it has been the Red Rose era, a dynastic span started by Jack Bond, who captained Lancashire to their first five one-day titles. Bond could call on Farokh Engineer and Clive Lloyd, the proto-one-day spinner in Jack Simmons, a blueprint of wicketkeeper-batsmen, middle-order power and containing bowlers that still holds good. The key was succession, from David Hughes in the dying of the light through John Abrahams, Neil Fairbrother, Mike Watkinson, John Crawley, Warren Hegg, the eternal Glen Chapple, a northern brew of the home-grown and the glorious import: Wasim Akram, Stuart Law, Carl Hooper. Everyone has done it, but no one has done it quite like Lancashire.Mushtaq Ahmed shows off the trophy•Chris Ison/PA Photos/Getty Images

The spreadsheet measured change, too. The prime minister during the 1963 season was Harold Macmillan, born in 1894, when Grace was in his autumn. That summer had not just the new Gillette Cup, but the first Doctor Who and Beatles album, and the Great Train Robbery. The distance between then and now seems mutable: Doctor Who and the Beatles live on, the current prime minister was not yet born. Cricket has got both longer (four days) and shorter (20 overs). There has been evolution in the competitions, and a flow of sponsors, from cigarettes to insurance, redolent of changes in how we live. There has been a revolution in playing technique, especially from 2003 and the introduction of the Twenty20 Cup. That idea has become the game’s second Big Bang, its expansion into global franchises ushering in The Hundred, and its centralisation of power and talent.In 2015, there was a refocusing of English cricket. It turned the way the wind was blowing, and won a World Cup. What a day it was, and what a team they are. But England’s Test side paid a price: 2019 was the first year this millennium they had not won a series, the cry for players with more durable skills echoing back into a Championship programme shunted to either end of what is now a white-ball season.There’s a glinting uncertainty to the summer of 2020, and those beyond. Crisp-sponsored franchises lack the hinterland that comes alive with the names and competitions scattered across decades. And yet the sport has always been in one kind of flux or other, as Bob’s Diary of a Season showed. Cricket is a slow game in an accelerating world, and things get left behind as the future rushes in. Exactly what we have lost is the question.Jon Hotten is the author of six books, including The Elements of Cricket, to be published in 2020.

يستأنف فريق ريال مدريد مواجهاته في بطولة الدوري الإسباني لموسم 2024-2025، اليوم الأحد أمام ليجانيس.

ويحل ريال مدريد ضيفًا على ليجانيس في مباراة بالجولة الرابعة عشر من الدوري الإسباني “الليجا”.

يحتل ريال مدريد المركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب الدوري برصيد 27 نقطة، وله مباراة مؤجلة أمام فالنسيا.

وتراجع ريال مدريد للمركز الثاني بعدما تمكن أتلتيكو مدريد من الفوز أمام ألافيس بهدفين لهدف.

ويتصدر برشلونة جدول الترتيب بـ34 نقطة حيث حقق تعادل أمام سيلتا فيجو بهدفين لمثلهما بالجولة ذاتها. موعد مباراة ريال مدريد وليجانيس

تنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة السابعة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت مصر، الثامنة والنصف مساءً بتوقيت السعودية.

مباشر بالفيديو.. مباراة ريال مدريد وليجانيس في الدوري الإسباني  القناة الناقلة لمباراة ريال مدريد وليجانيس

تذاع المباراة عبر قناة beIN sports HD3. معلق مباراة ريال مدريد وليجانيس

يعلق على المباراة، حفيظ دراجي.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na última quinta-feira (1), o LANCE! realizou uma enquete na sessão de duelos do site para saber a opinião dos internautas sobre qual deve ser a posição de Daniel Alves no São Paulo. O resultados as votações foi expressivo, com 92% dos votos indicando que o camisa deve jogar como lateral ou ala e apenas 8% para a posição de meio-campista.

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CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA E SIMULE OS JOGOS DO BRASILEIRÃO DE 2021!

Quando chegou ao São Paulo, em 2019, Dani Alves passou a jogar no meio de campo do Tricolor. Com algumas partidas abaixo de sua média de desempenho, muitas dúvidas sobre sua posição começaram a aparecer e o camisa 10 chegou a fazer algumas atuações voltando à sua tradicional lateral direita.

Com a chegada de Hernán Crespo, em 2021, o jogador voltou definitivamente a jogar pelo lado direito do campo, mas como um ala, em um sistema de três zagueiros. Com mais ofensividade e participação na criação, seus pontos fortes foram potencializados, enquanto menores responsabilidades na marcação deixaram o jogador com maior liberdade. Assim, seu desempenho melhorou.

Em algumas situações, porém, o atleta voltou ao meio de campo, com Igor Vinícius fazendo a ala. O São Paulo entrou em campo na última quarta-feira (30), contra o Corinthians, dessa forma, o que gerou algumas reclamações entre a torcida.

O auxiliar, que comandou o time no Majestoso, Juan Branda, garantiu que se tratou de uma escalação ocasional e individual para o clássico. A comissão de Hernán Crespo, assim como os leitores do LANCE!, prefere Dani jogando como um ala ou lateral posição na qual jogou em toda sua carreira.

Neste domingo (4), o São Paulo enfrenta o Red Bull Bragantino, no Morumbi, às 18h15, pela nona rodada do Brasileirão. Com força total, o Tricolor deve entrar em campo com Daniel Alves de volta à ala direita da equipe.

Precisando de uma vitória após passar os primeiros oito jogos do campeonato sem vencer, o São Paulo tem uma missão difícil pela frente, enfrentando o invicto líder da competição. Ao todo, o São Paulo empatou cinco vezes e perdeu três partidas. Com cinco pontos conquistados de 24 disputados, o time ocupa a 17ª posição da tabela.

Would it be an overreaction to call Liverpool's 2-0 defeat against Everton a watershed moment? Perhaps it would. The damage, if we are brutally honest with ourselves, was already done. Liverpool's Premier League title hopes hinged on overpowering, fanciful belief.

Belief that Jürgen Klopp's inborn magic, his creativity and his charisma, would prevail despite the glaring, booming issues that a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage did not get rid of.

Once upon a time, Liverpool supporters came close to a European quadruple under Klopp's guidance, only to end up with 'just' the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Once again, this year, a quadruple looked improbably attainable for this still-under-reconstruction Anfield side.

But triumph in the 2024 Carabao Cup masqueraded over a sense of overachievement that, for so long, looked fixed in place, set to stay, right up until the farewell parade, the final send-off to wave goodbye to the man who lifted an outfit of doubters and turned them into believers.

But all good things, as the proverb puts it, come to an end and Klopp's tenure is no different. The search for a successor has already proved to be a winding and frustrating road but Liverpool do now seem to be honing in on an heir.

Liverpool lining up Klopp successor

Frontrunner: Xabi Alonso became Ruben Amorim became Arne Slot. Slot, manager of Feyenoord, finally seems to be the man that Liverpool have chosen to anoint in Klopp's place and continue the journey that has lifted Anfield to silver skies.

Liverpool will be back among Europe's elite next season after finishing fifth in the Premier League last year but it is clear that summer recruitment needs to be emphatic if the club are to keep up with juggernauts Arsenal and Manchester City, who have always felt a bit more slick, stylish and assured in their respective places in this thrilling three-horse race.

But that's no disservice to the masterful job that Klopp has done in lifting his squad to such heights, having made sweeping changes to his all-important midfield last summer. Liverpool are still a team in transition, and now the reins are handed over.

Slot's expansive brand of football, emphasis on developing younger players and first-rate man-management skills make him the perfect figure to lead from the dugout next season.

He might even have the tools to bring struggling stars back from the rubble – could one such star be Darwin Nunez?

Darwin Nunez's season in numbers

Mohamed Salah is out of contract at the end of the 2024/25 campaign and was the subject of a £150m approach from Al-Ittihad last summer. Nearly 32, it's going to be one to keep an eye on during the off-season.

And while he's erratic and wasteful, Darwin Nunez is unlikely to follow the Egyptian out of the door; even though his arrival was Klopp's preference, and not that of the recruitment team, the club-record signing probably won't be moved on after just two years, what with Salah more probable to depart, Diogo Jota injury prone and Luis Diaz lacking a clinical edge, electric he may be.

And still, for all his faults, the 24-year-old Uruguayan has posted 18 goals and 13 assists in all competitions this season. He's got the trappings of a world-class star.

Nunez's poor finishing is a matter of temperament, not technical quality, as mused by analyst Raj Chohan, and under Slot, the role of centre-forward at Anfield could shift and realign with added impetus, Klopp's brand at an end.

Coveted Feyenoord striker Santiago Gimenez scored 23 times last year and has clinched 24 goals this season. It might just be worth keeping this enigmatic ace on Merseyside for a little longer…

The same can be said for Dominik Szoboszlai, who has not been at the top of his game recently but undoubtedly boasts top-class ability.

Down not out for Dominik Szoboszlai

Liverpool signed Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig last summer after meeting his £60m release clause, adding the talented attacking midfielder to the ranks following performances in Germany that had led journalist Marcel Moeller to call him a "generational talent".

And what a start to life in the Premier League, with fierce ranged strikes, elite athletic energy and undeniable spark and swagger suggesting that Klopp had his midfield general for years to come.

Injuries and a spiral in form have changed the mood significantly around the Hungary international, who has been criticised for his "stinker" efforts in recent weeks by reporter Lewis Steele.

Against Everton, the 23-year-old was branded with a lowly 3/10 match rating by The Liverpool Echo's Ian Doyle, who wrote: 'One forceful run into the box aside, the midfielder suffered a shocker of a first half and didn’t improve much after that. Subbed.'

But across the duration of the campaign, Szoboszlai has shown glimpses, quite a few, of the things still to come, and Slot could prove to unleash the £120k-per-week star in a refreshed and restored position.

Dominik Szoboszlai: PL Stats 23/24

Stat

#

Matches played

29

Matches started

25

Goals

3

Assists

2

Pass completion

87%

Touches per game

63.7

Shots per game

1.9

Key passes per game

1.8

Ball recoveries per game

5.8

Tackles per game

1.1

Stats via Sofascore

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 8% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 6% for shot-creating actions, the top 17% for progressive passes, the top 5% for progressive carries and the top 9% for blocks per 90, showcasing his forward-surging qualities as a No. 10.

Slot is an advocate of high-intensity offensive football, like Klopp in that regard, but with an added emphasis on a central attacking midfielder, Liverpool's record signing of 2023 could finally return to his favoured position, protected by the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo from deep.

There is a special skill set in there, lasting but latent quality that needs channelling and unleashing in a manner that better fits Szoboszlai's style.

Let's not throw in the towel with this one just yet. Liverpool may yet come to bask in the full scale of Szoboszlai's brilliance.

Related Liverpool must replace 3/10 flop who just ruined Klopp's farewell

Jamie Carragher singled this struggling star out for criticism after a dreadful, title-crashing display at Goodison Park.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Apr 25, 2024

He was the former head of sales and sponsor relations

Firdose Moonda14-Jun-2020Cricket South Africa has terminated the contract of Clive Eksteen, its former head of sales and sponsor relations, after finding him guilty of “transgressions of a serious nature”. Eksteen was suspended in October last year, alongside then interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl and COO Naasei Appiah and faced charges of dereliction of duty relating to unpaid commercial rights fees for players during the inaugural edition of the Mzansi Super League (MSL).Van Zyl has since been cleared and has returned to work at CSA, under new director of cricket Graeme Smith while both Eksteen and Appiah were found guilty of wrongdoing and appealed the outcome of their cases. Eksteen’s is now concluded, but Appiah’s appeal continues.That means CSA still has two ongoing cases from the seven it accumulated in 2019. Appiah and suspended CEO Thabang Moroe, who attempted to return to work this week, are both unresolved while Eksteen, financial manager Ziyanda Nkuta, procurement manager Lundi Maja, and administrator Dalene Nolan, have all been dismissed.Moroe’s case is the most high-profile with the South African Cricketers’ Association (SACA) claiming CSA’s board is deliberately delaying the matter and lack the will to move forward on it. CSA has denied this, citing its incomplete forensic audit as the reason Moroe’s disciplinary proceedings have not progressed. Moroe faces, among other charges, allegations of credit card misuse. There is no indication as to why Appiah’s case remains open.This was the second instance in which Eksteen was suspended from CSA, after previously becoming entangled in an episode of reputational damage. He was involved in the Sonny Bill Williams mask saga during Australia’s tour to South Africa and suspended in March but returned to work in May of that year. Eksteen’s role at CSA was particularly important in maintaining corporate relations, something the organisation is desperate to rebuild in the face of a financial crisis.At the end of April, CSA lost a major sponsor in Standard Bank, whom they have yet to replace while its other big backer, financial services company Momentum, had previously indicated they wouldn’t review their relationship with CSA if the current president, Chris Nenzani, remains in his role. Nenzani has served two terms as CSA’s president, the second of which was extended by a year, but he is set to step down in September. Both SACA and several sponsors lay the blame for the administrative upheaval the organisation has faced in recent months at Nenzani and the board’s door.