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From net bowler to 'X-factor' – Matt Fisher on the cusp of a potential Test debut

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in New Zealand, 25-year-old Matt Fisher is ready to make the most of a surprise call-up

Deivarayan Muthu27-Jul-2025Matt Fisher wasn’t supposed to be in New Zealand’s Test squad for the upcoming two-match series in Zimbabwe. Having just worked his way back from injury, the 25-year-old Northern Districts fast bowler was building up his loads for the New Zealand A tour of South Africa, which begins next month, instead.But, with a number of the top-rung fast bowlers away in T20 leagues and county cricket over the winter, Fisher was called up to New Zealand’s preparatory camp in the lead-up to the Zimbabwe tour as a net bowler, and new head coach Rob Walter was so impressed with his raw pace – he can hit 140kph and is regarded as one of the fastest in New Zealand – that he fast-tracked Fisher into the Test squad, Walter’s first since taking charge. Walter had also previously coached Fisher on an A tour to India in 2022 and has been quite big on out-and-out fast bowlers.”Yeah, he [Walter] just pulled me aside for a chat. He said he was going to have a chat with me at the start of the camp,” Fisher recalled after winning his first call-up. “Had a bit to do with him with the A tour to India a couple of years ago, so I thought he was just going to catch up and see how my body was and just have a yarn.Related

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“And then just said he was interested in taking me to Zimbabwe and, yeah, to be honest, it’s probably just a blur from there. But, nah, it’s pretty epic stuff!”With tearaway Ben Sears injured, Fisher has been called up to provide New Zealand’s attack with express pace. Walter believes that Fisher can be an “X-factor” bowler.”Raw pace is highly regarded everywhere in the world, and generally it brings a point of difference to your team,” Walter said. “So, for me, that’s the main thing. We’ve got Will O’Rourke, who’s probably the top end of speed in our team, and to have someone who can then come and back him up if needs be is very important from a squad point of view. But, as we build a battery of fast bowlers, we’re very blessed in the country at the moment to have a large number of really good, strong fast bowlers.”And we’re just adding Fish into that mix now, giving them a little bit of touring experience, a bit of taste of what it means to be part of the Black Caps, and that just bodes well for our stable of fast bowlers.”Like Sears’ career, Fisher’s has been a litany of setbacks, from back issues and ankle injuries to shin splits more recently. Fisher played just three matches for Northern Districts in the 2024-25 Plunket Shield, taking 14 wickets at an average of 17.71. But New Zealand’s coaches and his team-mates see potential and a high ceiling. Overall, Fisher has picked up 51 wickets in 14 first-class matches at an average of 24.11.Matt Fisher is regarded as one of the fastest bowlers in New Zealand• Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images”Great to see Fish [in the Test side]. He’s had his injury troubles in the past, but, you know, in the last couple of seasons, at least for ND, he’s been bowling really quick and with great control,” Mitchell Santner, the New Zealand ODI captain and Fisher’s team-mate at Northern Districts, said. “I think he really impressed the boys back in New Zealand with that. When he arrives [in Zimbabwe], he will be pretty fired up and ready to go. For someone to be able to bounce back from injuries and potentially make a Test debut will be pretty cool for him.”Fisher’s emergence is a positive sign for a New Zealand attack that is in transition following the Trent Boult-Tim Southee era. With Kyle Jamieson also on a personal break for the birth of his first child, New Zealand have included two uncapped quicks in their squad. Apart from Fisher, Jacob Duffy is the other new face in the Test side. From having grown up watching Boult, Southee and Neil Wagner lead New Zealand’s line over the years, Fisher could potentially take his first step towards emulating his heroes in Zimbabwe.”Yeah, I grew up watching Bolt, Southee and Wags [Neil Wagner] and they’re just kind of all I remember,” Fisher said. “Probably started watching [them] when I was a teenager and just loved watching them bowl. You know, they’ve all different skill sets. They all just slotted in and, I suppose, worked with each other beautifully.”Yeah, they’re the reason why the Black Caps have the name they do now. I think they’re the backbone, as any cricketer, fast bowler would say. They are the engine room of the team. So, yeah, if I could have half the career they had, I’d be more than happy.”Fisher was part of the 2018 New Zealand Under-19 batch that has produced the likes of Rachin Ravindra and Finn Allen. Fisher was New Zealand Under-19s’ second-highest wicket-taker, with seven strikes in six games in that World Cup.Matt Fisher was New Zealand’s second-highest wicket-taker in the 2018 Under-19 World Cup•ICC via Getty ImagesThen came the injuries. Fisher was dealing with a stress fracture in his back through much of his time in Dunedin, where he studied law at the University of Otago. He has been contracted to Northern Districts since 2018. Over the years, Fisher has evolved, and has learnt to deal with the highs and lows of life as a fast bowler.”You’re getting injured some days. You don’t feel good some days. Everything’s going for four or six and I suppose you’re just chasing those good days,” he said. “So, in cricket, you have more bad days than good. So, I think it’s just that thought that each time you go out and play, you’re going to have a good day and, like, ‘it’s going to be your day’ and you’re going to prove yourself.”So, yeah, I love it. I wish I was a batter as well, but there’s no better feeling when you’ve got a new ball in hand and you’re just feeling nice, wind behind you, and trying to bowl fast and break the game open for your team.”It’s been five months since Fisher had experienced that feeling in a competitive game. Fit and firing at the New Zealand nets, he is now ready to make the most of his unexpected Test call-up.

England seek Mumbai magic in pursuit of World Cup lift-off

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

Return to the Wankhede brings memories of record World T20 chase against South Africa in 2016

Andrew Miller20-Oct-2023There’s been a strange and unfamiliar intruder in England’s dressing-room over the past few weeks. A haggard old demon of doubt, sitting on the shoulders of some of the most unfettered cricketers of their generation, and cramping their style with whispers of impending doom.Perhaps it’s not a fear of failure per se that’s been holding England back in their anodyne displays against New Zealand and Afghanistan, but a recognition of finality – an unconscious acceptance among this remarkable group of players that the end is nigh, no matter how well or badly they play.After November 19, come what may, many of these players will never play another ODI, let alone feature in another 50-over World Cup. Some, like Liam Plunkett after the 2019 triumph, may never play for England in any format again.Related

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  • Slow and steady England not winning the powerplay race

As such, it would be understandable if a few real-world concerns have overwritten the team’s keenest exhortations to “play our way” and “attack” the World Cup, as per Jos Buttler’s oddly manic pre-tournament pronouncement.And as the squad gathers in Mumbai ahead of Saturday’s immense clash with those inveterate World Cup worriers South Africa, the shrinks have been out in force, seeking to defankle the knots in England’s psyche.There’s Ben Stokes, the team’s “spiritual leader” in the words of head coach Matthew Mott, calling for England to “go down doing what we’re known for”. And then there’s Brendon McCullum, whose role as an ambassador of the New Zealand meat-exporting industry just happens to have given him an excuse to stay in the team hotel in Mumbai this week.England “need to stay true to their method which has brought them so much success,” McCullum told the Times this week, and seeing as it was his influence, way back at the start of their journey in 2015, that instilled the method in the first place (long before he transferred it onto the Test team), no one’s better placed to preach that particular message.Without wishing to get reductive about the mindset that has given England their superpowers across formats in recent years, the broad thrust of “Bazball” (as no one in McCullum’s presence will dare to call it) has been about embracing the joys of playing sport for a living – of casting aside the doubts and cynicism that come with age and wisdom, and just remembering how much fun it used to be to play the game as carefree kids, without a jot of expectation about the endgame.

For it was at this venue seven-and-a-half years ago, and against the same opponents too, that England’s white-ball thrusters took their first steps towards immortality

How much fun it was, to use a random example, when Joe Root sidled up to Buttler in the middle of the Wankhede on March 18, 2016 and – with 82 runs still needed from 48 balls – declared to his team-mate: “We’re cruising this – we’re absolutely cruising this.”For it was at this venue seven-and-a-half years ago, at a similarly make-or-break juncture of their first major tournament of the post-2015 era, and against the same opponents too, that England’s white-ball thrusters took their first steps towards immortality.”Embrace the naivety” was Eoin Morgan’s rallying cry in his team’s unlikely run to the final of the 2016 World T20, a seemingly throwaway slogan at the team’s arrival press conference in Mumbai, but one that took on a life of its own as his greenhorn charges defied expectations time and again (at least until their fateful ending in Kolkata, when the limits of winging it finally caught up with them).Going into that tournament, Morgan had been the only member of England’s squad with prior IPL experience. Under the directorship of Andrew Strauss, the ECB were on the brink of a new, more laissez-faire attitude to overseas franchise leagues, and in February that year, Buttler had become a notable signee for Mumbai Indians.But until that moment that Carlos Brathwaite launched Stokes’ final over of the tournament into the history books, England had cast aside any doubts about their readiness for the challenge, and simply set about enjoying the ride of their young lives. And never more so than in their group-stage clash with South Africa, where they hunted down a massive target of 230 – still to this day the highest chase in T20 World Cup history.Then as now, England’s backs had been against the wall after a shellacking in their previous group game – albeit there is a world of difference between being bested by arguably the greatest exponent of T20 batting, Chris Gayle, in an 11-sixes onslaught, and being hounded out of Delhi by Afghanistan.England must lift themselves for South Africa after a shock defeat to Afghanistan•Associated PressNevertheless, as many as ten survivors from the South Africa contest might find themselves locking horns once again this weekend – a remarkable seven from England’s ranks alone, with Root, Buttler and Stokes returning alongside Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, David Willey and even a young Reece Topley, whose second and final appearance of that campaign comprised two overs for 33 runs, and would be his last in England colours for four injury-plagued years.For Root, however, the South Africa match was his single finest hour as a T20 batter. He would play six matches in that campaign, and had the final gone England’s way, he would have been a shoo-in for Player of the Match and Tournament. And yet, for reasons of raw power on the one hand, but moreover the time constraints of his Test captaincy and ODI pre-eminence on the other, he’s only ever featured in 12 subsequent T20Is, and none since 2019.But on that night of nights, Root’s 83 from 44 balls was a declaration of his genius – a performance of incredible stillness, not unlike Aiden Markram’s recent 49-ball century against Sri Lanka in fact, in which the virtues of placement and poise transcended the blood and fury of headlong attack. In fact, until the moment of his dismissal, with 11 runs still needed from 10 balls, Root faced a mere two dot-balls out of 43 – and the first of those he would swear blind was a wide.In the course of his innings, Root even unfurled a prototype Root-scoop – a startlingly effective inverted ramp over third man for six, to bring up a 29-ball fifty. “How do players think of shots like those? Let alone execute them. What a world…” wrote Will Luke on ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball commentary. Root for his part later admitted in White Hot, the recent book about the team’s rise and rise, “my heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest … thankfully it was exactly where I wanted it”.The first sighting of Joe Root’s reverse-ramp came at the Wankhede in 2016•AFP/Getty ImagesThis contest was not the first stirring of England’s bold new approach – that had come the previous summer against New Zealand and Australia, a thrilling pair of seat-of-the-pants rides that would finish 5-5 across the ten ODIs but later be recalled by Morgan as his favourite games in their run to the 2019 title. And to all intents and purposes, the World T20 had arrived too soon to draw any long-term conclusions about England’s new-found aptitude. Even so, an early elimination from yet another global tournament would have done the rebooted project no favours whatsoever. Whether they embraced the implications or not, the Wankhede chase was a de facto stress test of their no-consequences attitude.In the final analysis, they passed it with flying colours, with Jason Roy’s thrilling powerplay onslaught providing the bugle blast. He cracked 43 from 16 balls, including five fours, three sixes and – in league with Alex Hales – 44 runs from the first two overs of the chase.Kagiso Rabada bore the brunt of the first of those – he disappeared for 21 runs, including one of the most rifled straight drives that has ever been executed on the world stage – and he’ll be one of three South Africans back for the rematch on Saturday. Neither Quinton de Kock (52 from 24 balls) nor David Miller (28 not out from 12) has any personal reason to regret their efforts on the night, and the presence of each of them will be a reminder of quite how much situational knowhow will be distilled into the coming contest.”It was a fantastic game, one of my favourite games,” Buttler said in Mumbai on the eve of the rematch. “It had a lot of value in terms of where we were going as a team. It’s a long time ago, and that style is a different format, but we want to find different ways to put the opposition under pressure. It doesn’t always mean fours and sixes, it means can we push back when the opposition is on top, or take the initiative in different ways? That’s what we want to live by as a team, and when we commit to that, that gives us the best chance of positive results.”The challenge for both teams, therefore, will be to play without fear – like the kids that they used to be – yet manage the clutch moments with the wisdom that comes from such vast tournament experience. In terms of accessing such an elusive mindset, therefore, “embracing the naivety” is clearly no longer an option for England’s weary worldbeaters, although the manner of their eventual defeat in that year’s final might yet offer them some solace in their current plight.With two global titles in 2012 and 2016, and a further run to the final in between whiles, West Indies’ T20 team of the mid-2010s is perhaps the only recent international dynasty to rival the side that England have compiled over the past eight years. And the cool-headed mugging that they instigated in the heat of the moment in Kolkata serves as timeless evidence that – contrary to the impression that England’s frazzled veterans are currently giving off – experience when the going gets tough actually counts for everything.

Falling short: Has Bumrah's bouncer lost its bite?

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Since his comeback from a stress fracture in early 2020, his shorter deliveries have not brought as much reward

Shiva Jayaraman09-Jan-2022That was the ESPNcricinfo ball-by-ball commentary when Jasprit Bumrah hit Dean Elgar with a bouncer in the Johannesburg Test.You would have expected no less from Bumrah on a pitch with as much up-and-down bounce as that one. Over the past few years, Bumrah has troubled many batters in a similar manner, courtesy his hyper-extended elbow and delayed release point.Of course, Bumrah is much more than his freak anatomy. He is smart. He is incredibly skilled. If you are in any doubt, watch his slow yorker to Shaun Marsh at the MCG in 2018. Or his spell in the second innings of the Antigua Test in 2018, where he took 5 for 7, swinging the ball both ways. With an action tailor-made to swing the ball in to right handers, he had learnt to make the ball leave them in the air as well. In just two years of playing Test cricket. Most bowlers take years to swing the ball both ways.However, something is amiss at the moment.Related

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After all, you don’t expect a bowler of Bumrah’s calibre to not take a single wicket from 17 overs on a pitch with as much uneven bounce as in Johannesburg, especially in the second innings. He did beat the bat often enough to have picked up more wickets. But he didn’t. All he got was one wicket in the whole Test from 38 overs? And he is a bowler who strikes every 50 balls.But a bit of digging gives us surprising results. Of the seven fast bowlers in the Johannesburg Test – barring Mohammed Siraj who hurt his hamstring in the first innings and didn’t bowl at full pelt thereafter – Bumrah caused the least trouble to batters with deliveries that were pitched shorter than good length. According to ESPNcricinfo’s length data, Bumrah induced false shots in 20 balls out of the 101 (19.8%) he bowled on short or short-of-good-length areas in the Test. Shardul Thakur comes in next, inducing false shots 22% of the time. Mohammed Shami was at 23.5%. Expectedly, the South Africa bowlers were a lot more difficult to handle with their higher points of release owing to their heights.The more surprising fact was that this Test wasn’t an exception for Bumrah.Ever since his comeback after the stress fracture in February 2020, Bumrah has been less threatening with his short balls according to our data. Prior to the injury, Bumrah induced false shots off 26.3% of deliveries that he pitched shorter than on good length against batters in the top seven in Tests. Since his return, that percentage has come down to 17%. That’s a drop of a whopping 35.4% – from troubling top-order batters once every 3.8 balls before injury to once every 5.9 balls since. The trendline in the chart below shows how his short balls have become increasingly less threatening. The inflection point – to apply the term loosely – came in the first Test on his return from injury, in Wellington. This was the least he has troubled batters with short balls – only three out 39 he bowled shorter than good length troubled the batters. Perhaps the pitch was flat and perhaps Bumrah, understandably so, wasn’t at his best.

ESPNcricinfo LtdNow, for Bumrah, that is not the most productive length anyway. He often uses it as a weapon to push batters back, and then lure them into playing shots at fuller deliveries. Only 34 of his 107 Test wickets so far have come from shorter deliveries. A far cry from Neil Wagner, for example, for whom it is a bread-and-butter length: 123 of 232 Wagner’s Test wickets have come from short deliveries. In fact, Bumrah clocks in at 31.8% for wickets from short balls, which ranks only tenth among the 24 fast bowlers – since his debut – who have taken 50 or more wickets.There’s strong evidence that Bumrah could have lost some bite in his short deliveries, when we look at his averages against top-order batters before and after the injury. Before the injury, he took 17 wickets off shorter balls at an average of 18.1 and a strike rate of 46.2. Since his comeback, he has taken nine wickets at 42.2 apiece and it takes him 109.5 short balls to get a wicket.His fuller deliveries have also become less incisive. It is likely he has lost some pace when bowling fuller lengths too. But the numbers when bowling full haven’t come down by as much as they have when bowling short. Before his back injury, Bumrah took 30 top-order wickets from balls landing on good length or further up at an average of 20.4, striking every 46.4 balls. After his injury, that average has gone to 31.9 for 23 wickets, and the strike rate has been 66.9. This could be because fuller deliveries are more likely to trouble batters, because of swing and seam, than short balls that lack pace to discomfort batters.ESPNcricinfo LtdThere’s more evidence pointing to a lack of zip in Bumrah’s short deliveries. The lower the pace on the ball, the more comfortable batters are in playing shots off them square of the wicket. An analysis of five shots, namely the pull and hook on the leg side and the cut, dab and steer on the off provides that evidence.According to the data with ESPNcricinfo, batters attempted 107 shots to Bumrah’s short deliveries before his injury. Batters were in control only 52.3% of the time. Since Bumrah’s comeback, 106 similar shots have been attempted by batters, and they have been in control 71.7% of the time.Moreover, batters are more comfortable than earlier leaving his short balls too. Before injury, only 28.8% of his 787 short balls were left alone. This number has increased to 36.7% since. And it’s not because Bumrah has been wayward. Out of his 787 short and short-of-good-length balls before injury, 89.2% were in line with the stumps or outside off. That percentage has not changed since, with 89% of his short balls being on target.ESPNcricinfo LtdAll this does suggest that Bumrah may have lost some pace and that could be the reason that his numbers aren’t as good as they used to be. In his first 12 Tests, he had taken 62 wickets at an average of 19.24. In 14 since his comeback, he has 45 at 28.75. These are decent numbers by any measure. But they aren’t a patch on the numbers Bumrah racked up before his stress fracture.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Saiba quando Grêmio e Internacional devem voltar a campo

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

MatériaMais Notícias

A tragédia climática que atinge o Rio Grande do Sul não poupou o futebol. Tanto Grêmio quanto Internacional foram afetados pelas chuvas que tomaram o estado. As equipes viram os seus Centros de Treinamento, assim como seus estádios, ficarem alagados por conta da cheia do rio Guaíba, que afetou boa parte da capital, Porto Alegre. Desde o mês de abril, Grêmio e Inter não entraram mais em campo.

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No entanto, a dupla GreNal, já tem data marcada para retornar a campo. Neste domingo (12), a Conmebol divulgou um comunicado confirmando o remanejamento das partidas de Grêmio e Inter válidos pela Copa Libertadores e a Copa Sul-Americana, respectivamente. Confira as informações abaixo:

Libertadores:

Partida n°84:Huachipato (CHI) vs. Grêmio (BRA)
Data:Terça, 04 de junho de 2024
Hora local:20:00h – (00:00h GMT)
Sede:Estadio Huachipato – Talcahuano, CHI

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Partida n°99:Grêmio (BRA) vs. Estudiantes La Plata (ARG)
Data:Sábado, 08 de junho de 2024
Hora local:19:00h – (22:00h GMT)
*Sede:A definir

Sul-Americana:

Partida n°70:Real Tomayapo (BOL) vs. Internacional (BRA)
Data:Terça, 04 de junho de 2024
Hora local:20:30h – (00:30h GMT)
Sede:Estadio IV Centenario – Tarija, Bolivia

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Partida n°85:Internacional (BRA) vs. Delfin (ECU)
Fecha:Sábado, 08 de junho de 2024
Hora local:21:30h – (00:30h GMT)
*Sede:A definir

Tudo sobre

Copa LibertadoresEnchentesFutebolGrêmiointerInternacionalRecopa Sul-Americana

Man City showing strong interest in £65m star who looks like the new Sane

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Pep Guardiola remains coy, but the plain truth is that Manchester City have closed ground on Premier League table-toppers Arsenal ahead of the Christmas period, and Sky Blue supporters know they would be wise to buckle in.

But then, another truth would be that this is simply not Pep’s strongest City squad. That said, there is enough quality within the Etihad Stadium to challenge for and potentially win the league title, especially with Erling Haaland in such impudent goalscoring form.

However, Haaland can’t do it alone all year long, with the list of the club’s top scorers underscoring the need for more firepower.

Erling Haaland

20

20

Phil Foden

19

9

Jeremy Doku

21

3

Rayan Cherki

14

3

Josko Gvardiol

16

2

Ruben Dias

20

2

Tijjani Reijnders

21

2

Phil Foden is going from strength to strength, and that could be a defining factor in City’s revival, but it’s understandable that Guardiola and the board are hoping to sign a new wide forward.

City's winter transfer plans

Haaland continues to defy expectations. Even his soaring expectations. But there’s no question that Guardiola’s side could pack a few more angles into their punches, and that’s something that may need to be fixed in January if the Premier League title is to return to the blue side of Manchester.

Given that the Norwegian goal machine is fixed into his starting berth at number nine, perhaps a goalscoring wideman could be what Pep needs.

According to TEAMtalk, Man City still have a strong interest in signing Antoine Semenyo despite Liverpool’s ostensible lead in the race. All the pointers suggest the 26-year-old is inching toward an exit from Bournemouth in 2026.

Semenyo has been one of the standout players in the Premier League this season, and with his £65m release clause switching on in January, City will need to pounce quickly to beat off the thick competition for his signature.

Why Pep wants to sign Semenyo

Most of the noise surrounding Semenyo and his future centres around struggling Premier League champions Liverpool, but City know they have it in their power to convince him to join their project.

A big-game player and with six goals and three assists to his name in the English top flight this term, Semenyo is riding the crest of a wave, with a skillset that looks perfect for a team fighting at the top.

His potency and pace could lead him to rival Jeremy Doku as City’s new version of Leroy Sane, who is fondly remembered to this day for his exploits in Manchester.

But, more accurately, Semenyo could actually emerge as Pep’s own version of Sadio Mane, the former Liverpool attacker.

Liverpool analyst Josh Williams has actually suggested that the Ghana international is “the closest you’ll find to peak Mane right now” , and given the terrorising of Premier League defences – including City’s – that the Senegalese winger used to inflict, Pep could do a lot worse than add a new version to his ranks.

Looking at the former Liverpool man during the 2021/22 campaign, leading to a second-place finish at the Ballon d’Or ceremony, in comparison to Semenyo this season, you can perhaps see why such a claim was made, with the Cherries star boasting a completeness that few can claim they have within their locker.

Matches (starts)

34 (32)

14 (14)

Goals

16

6

Assists

2

3

Shots (on target)*

2.9 (1.1)

2.4 (1.4)

Big chances missed

13

5

Accurate passes

23.6 (77%)

19.8 (78%)

Chances created*

1.3

1.3

Succ. dribbles*

1.4

1.6

Tackles*

1.0

1.7

Duels won*

4.7

6.5

Both players are combative and dynamic and deadly in the final third, and while Semenyo has the pace and athleticism to rekindle memories of a star like Sane, it is the one-time Liverpool icon, who he bears a more striking tactical likeness.

Two-footed and able to play across both wings, Semenyo is the real deal, and though Bournemouth are struggling for form at this moment in time, he remains a beaming beacon for Andoni Iraola in the final third, having been named the “best winger in the country” by Chris Waddle for his efforts this season.

How City could do with a fleet-footed winger in their mix like Sane right now, someone to contrast with the electric Jeremy Doku.

Semenyo, with all his hustle and bustle, could be the perfect man for the title-chasing task at hand.

Worse than Nunes: Pep must drop Man City star who "doesn't have the legs"

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola should drop this star who was worse than Matheus Nunes against Fulham.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2025

Liverpool launch approach to sign "perfect" right-back target ahead of Arsenal

by rastrear-estafeta.com Uncategorized

Liverpool have now launched their first approach to sign a much-needed right-back target, who could arrive at Anfield or in North London as a free agent.

Arne Slot admits shock at "ridiculous" Liverpool form

It has been a disastrous run for Liverpool, with their 3-0 loss against Nottingham Forest proving to be their most shocking result yet. After eight defeats in 11 games, the champions are on course for one of the worst title defences in Premier League history, despite spending over £400m in the summer.

With PSV Eindhoven up next, Arne Slot has admitted just how shocked he’s been by his side’s form and went onto describe it as “ridiculous” in his pre-match press conference.

The Champions League has often been a saving grace for Liverpool this season. Their victory over Real Madrid last time out proved to be somewhat of a false dawn before their Premier League return, but the Reds now have the chance to pick up where they left off in Europe, at the very least.

They will, however, be without an out-and-out right-back yet again following Conor Bradley’s injury to join Jeremie Frimpong on the sidelines. It is a problem that Liverpool must solve and one that could yet see Zeki Celik arrive.

Liverpool launch approach to sign Zeki Celik

According to TeamTalk’s Rudi Galetti, Liverpool have launched an approach to sign Celik in a transfer battle with Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea, all of whom have made contact.

The right-back is on course to become a free agent when his contract expires next summer and could yet provide a solution for Slot by finally replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The 28-year-old, at the peak of his powers, recently earned the praise of Turkey manager Vincenzo Montella, who told reporters: “He’s the perfect player for any coach.

“Celik is professional, reliable, does his job wherever you play him. In a locker room it is always needed to have guys like him.”

Perfect for Isak: Liverpool make £122m sensation their "dream target"

Liverpool need to make changes in the transfer market once again.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 25, 2025

The AS Roma man is also capable of playing centre-back in what would kill two birds with one stone for Slot, who currently has just three senior centre-backs to choose from which includes the injury-prone Joe Gomez.

Instead of Gakpo: Liverpool can unlock Isak by unleashing homegrown Semenyo

Mets Exec Had Savage Line About John Rocker That Fans Will Love

by n8rngtd.top Uncategorized

New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns grew up as a Mets fan in Manhattan, and after a seven-year stint as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers, returned to his hometown to run his childhood club.

As was made clear on his recent appearance on , Stearns doesn't need to prove his Mets bona fides, but New York fans who have been following the team since at least the 1990s will love what he had to say about the team's current run against their NL East division rivals.

Ahead of Monday's series opener against the Philadelphia Phillies, Stearns was asked whether he felt like the team was "waiting for the other shoe to drop" when the Mets played their more successful rivals as a fan.

His response couldn't have been better.

"So I was never waiting for the other shoe to drop," Stearns said. "I was really excited to go to Shea [Stadium] and boo John Rocker."

In 2000, Rocker—the Atlanta Braves' hotheaded closer—was public enemy No. 1 in Queens after going on an often racist and homophobic rant against the Mets and the city of New York in an infamous interview with 's Jeff Pearlman. He was suspended by commissioner Bud Selig to begin the season, and his performance began to dip on the mound when he rejoined the team that May. The Braves sent Rocker down to the minor leagues after he threatened Pearlman before a June game. He was traded to Cleveland in 2001 and out of the MLB after the '03 season.

Other players, like Rocker's former teammate Chipper Jones, plagued the Mets for years, but even 25 years later it is hard to match the animosity that New Yorkers have for a lefty reliever with 88 career saves to his name.

Carrington's "wing wizard" is another Mbeumo in the making at Man Utd

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

Manchester United have now gone four games undefeated in the Premier League, which is perhaps a sign of things changing for Ruben Amorim’s side. His first year in charge at the club has been underwhelming to say the least, and it has taken time to adapt to his infamous 3-4-2-1 system.

Well, one of the most important positions in Amorim’s system are the two number 10s. It took him some time to find the right solution in those roles. Bruno Fernandes has been operating in the pivot, with Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount two key options.

Bryan Mbeumo has also made a fast start to life at United.

Mbeumo’s exceptional October

October felt like the month where Mbeumo truly arrived at United. He had played well in the weeks before that, scoring against Grimsby in the Carabao Cup and Burnley in the Premier League, but it was last month that he began to shine truly.

Mbeumo played three games in October for United, chipping in with at least one goal or assist in each of them. In total, he contributed four goal involvements in three games last month for the Red Devils.

It is perhaps easy for United fans to pinpoint which was the most important. Mbeumo’s strike at Anfield against Liverpool just seconds into the match summed him up.

Their number 19 managed to run in behind the Reds’ defence and fire home first time on his weaker right foot.

After grabbing an assist for Mount against Sunderland at the start of the month and scoring twice against Brighton and Hove Albion, Mbeumo was nominated for Premier League player of the month.

Club legend Wayne Rooney said the Cameroonian star is “by far United’s best player of the season.”

It is certainly exciting that United are brewing the new version of Mbeumo in the academy.

United’s homegrown Mbeumo

For decades, United have produced some exceptional players in their academy. In the current crop of youngsters, there are some exciting talents. JJ Gabriel is a player who has a lot of hype surrounding him.

Another young talent United fans can get excited about is 18-year-old Shea Lacey. After overcoming injury issues in recent seasons, the Liverpool-born attacker has shown exactly how good he is this season.

In nine games across all competitions, Lacey has found the back of the net on three occasions and assisted two other goals for teammates.

They have come in just 507 minutes, leaving him with an average of a goal involvement every 101 minutes.

In The Pipeline

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

One of the best examples of Lacey’s talent came in the under-21s’ recent 2-0 EFL Trophy victory away to Notts County. Operating on the right-hand side, the 18-year-old scored one and created one chance.

The “wing wizard” – as hailed by the Daily Mail’s Chris Wheeler – was a handful for defenders all night, completing three from five dribbles and winning two fouls

Lacey stats vs. Notts County

Stat

Number

Touches

72

Pass accuracy

80%

Passes completed in opposition half

24/32

Ground duels won

8/14

Ball recoveries

7

Dribbles completed

3/5

Chances created

1

Goals

1

Stats from Sofascore

One of the striking things about Lacey is his technical ability. He thieves in tight spaces in the right half-space, which could certainly make him suitable for Amorim’s system, playing in the right 10 role just like Mbeumo does now.

The England under-20 star was described as a “creative talisman” by Academy Scoop on X, a page dedicated to the Red Devils academy sides. That is easy to understand, with the 18-year-old having passes like this in his locker.

It is certainly easy to see how Lacey can be United’s own Mbeumo. The talented youngster is comfortable on the right wing or as a number 10, just like the Red Devils’ number 19.

Both are left-footed attackers, too.

It remains to be seen when Lacey will get his first-team debut at United, but it is bound to happen sooner or later. He is a superb talent who has even trained with England’s first team this season. United have another gem on their hands.

Man Utd have a "deadly" academy star who's another Fernandes in the making

Man Utd might not have to look far to replace Bruno

ByJoe Nuttall Nov 6, 2025

Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Hit One of the Most Ridiculous Home Runs of MLB Season

by h716a5.icu Uncategorized

Shohei Ohtani never ceases to amaze.

Just one day after the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in a single season thanks to a three-homer, 10-RBI performance against the Miami Marlins, Ohtani was at it again against the Colorado Rockies on Friday night at Dodger Stadium.

Facing Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland with one runner on and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ohtani worked the count full. Freeland then delivered a 92-mph fastball at the letters, a pitch that almost certainly would have been ball four.

But Ohtani had other ideas, as he crushed the pitch 423 feet over the center field wall for his 52nd home run of the year as the Dodger Stadium crowd let out an audible gasp.

There is perhaps only one baseball player on the planet who could have hit a pitch that high in the zone out of the park—and that's Ohtani.

Ohtani made some more history in the Dodgers' 6–4 win, as he homered and stole a base in the same game for the 14th time this season, breaking the previous mark for a single season set by then-New York Yankees outfielder Rickey Henderson in 1986.

Ohtani, the presumptive National League MVP, has posted a .297/.378/.635 slash line with 125 runs scored, 52 homers, 122 RBI and 52 stolen bases in 151 games played this season.

كورتوا يكشف خطة تصديه لكرة سوبوسلاي.. ويشكك في هدف ليفربول

by h79snht.top Uncategorized

تحدث الدولي البلجيكي تيبو كورتوا، حارس مرمى الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد حول خسارة الفريق أمام ليفربول ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وواجه ريال مدريد نظيره ليفربول مساء أمس، الثلاثاء، ضمن منافسات الجولة الرابعة من مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب “آنفيلد”.

واستطاع ليفربول أن يحقق فوزًا غاليًا على نظيره ريال مدريد بهدف نظيف سجله أليكسيس ماك أليستر بضربة رأس رائعة سكنت شباك الحارس كورتوا الذي ظهرر بمستوى مميز ورائع للغاية في المباراة.

وقال كورتوا في تصريحات عقب المباراة لصحيفة “آس” الإسبانية: “تصدياتي لم تكن كافية؟ نعم للأسف، حاولت الحفاظ على تماسك الفريق لكنني أعتقد أننا ارتكبنا الكثير من الأخطاء بالقرب من منطقة الجزاء في الشوط الثاني وهم بارعون في استغلال تلك الأخطاء وهكذا سجلوا”.

وأكمل: “إنه لأمر مؤسف حقًا، لقد دافعنا جيدًا وكنا جيدين في الاستحواذ على الكرة لكننا كنا نفقد الكرة بسرعة كبيرة في الثلث الأخير من الملعب، علينا تحسين ذلك”.

وأردف: “ملعب آنفيلد صعب للغاية، هو من أصعب ملاعب دوري أبطال أوروبا وقد تخسر بسهولة هناك، من الواضح أن هذا ليس ما نتمناه ولكن من الآن حتى عيد الميلاد، لدينا مباراة صعبة ضد أولمبياكوس خارج أرضنا ثم ضد مانشستر سيتي على أرضنا، سنخطو إلى الأمام”.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشابي ألونسو يعلن إصابة لاعب ريال مدريد.. ويؤكد: مواجهة ليفربول الأكثر تعقيدًا حتى الآن

واستطرد: “كنت أعلم تميز ليفربول في تنفيذ الكرات الثابتة، بعض الأخطاء كانت غير ضرورية وأخرى كانت ضرورية، أحيانًا يجب عليك أن تعرقل اللاعب لأنها هجمة خطيرة للغاية لكن أخطاء أخرى مثل الهدف لم تكن كذلك مع أنني لا أعتقد أنها كانت خطأ من الأساس، أعتقد أنها كانت بسبب رؤيت الحكم لقدم جود (بيلينجهام) أكثر من كونها خطأ”.

وأضاف: “على أي حال، كرة جيدة وهدف رائع، التمريرات لم تكن سليمة تمامًا، عانينا من أجل الاحتفاظ بالكرة في نصف ملعب الخصم وهذا ما نحتاج إلى تحسينه ضد الفرق القوية، وخاصةً خارج أرضنا، على أرضنا نحن جيدون جدًا لكن خارج أرضنا يمكننا التحسن قليلًا”.

وتابع: “كما قلت هذا الملعب صعب للغاية، علينا أن نتحسن ونلعب بشكل أفضل لكن مباراة كهذه تُحسم بالتفاصيل الصغيرة وهذا ما حدث، علينا أن نحافظ على هدوئنا فنحن نبلي بلاءً حسنًا لكن من الواضح بعد مباريات الدوري، علينا الفوز على ملعب أولمبياكوس وإذا فعلنا ذلك فسنواصل مسيرة جيدة لننهي الموسم ضمن الثمانية الأوائل”.

وأتم كورتوا: تصدي سوبوسلاي؟ عليك أن تغطي مساحتك ورأيت ذلك، كانت الهجمة بقيادة سوبوسولاي ولاعب آخر من الجهة اليُمنى أعتقد لم يكن صلاح بل فيرتز، نعم فيرتز، كان سوبوسلاي يخترق منطقة الجزاء وحيدًا وإذا انتظرت في المرمى كانت ستعتبر بمثابة ركلة جزاء بالنسبة له ومن الصعب جدًا التصدي لها لذلك أردت المخاطرة لأن طولي مترين وعندما أفرد ذراعاي وقدماي سيكون من السهل التصدي لها، كانت لحظة رئعة”.

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