Crystal Palace look to be planning for life after Roy Hodgson, and one exciting young manager has popped up as a potential option to succeed the 76-year-old at Selhurst Park, as per reports.
What's the latest news involving Crystal Palace?
The Eagles claimed a major scalp last weekend at Old Trafford by defeating Manchester United 1-0 in front of their own supporters, courtesy of a magnificent volley from Denmark international Joachim Andersen in the 25th minute.
Unsurprisingly, Crystal Palace boss Hodgson was delighted after his side secured all three points against the Red Devils, as he stated to Match of The Day, via The Mirror: "The way the players went about the game today is really praiseworthy and has given me enormous pleasure. They have to be so disciplined and so organised. It would be asking too much to come here and dominate. Joachim Andersen is a wonderful technician. It was only a half chance. He had to quickly get his feet right and have the confidence to put his foot through the ball. I'm trying to push him forward for goal of the week!"
Football Insider report that Crystal Palace defender Andersen is being heavily courted by Premier League side Newcastle United ahead of the January transfer window. Eddie Howe's men submitted a late bid for the former Fulham man in the summer; however, Crystal Palace rejected their advances despite the Magpies being long-time admirers of his defensive work.
Cited by The Evening Standard, Andersen has indicated that he is keen to get on the scoresheet more often for Crystal Palace, stating in the aftermath of the triumph over Manchester United: "It was unbelievable to win at Old Trafford. That goal is something I’ll remember. It’s something that I need to improve on. I need to score more goals because I’m capable of scoring goals. I have the desire to score. I think I have a pretty good strike actually. I hit it really well. Amazing goal!"
Who could Crystal Palace hire to succeed Roy Hodgson?
According to journalist Alan Nixon on Patreon, Crystal Palace are considering a move for Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna following his excellent stint in the dugout at Portman Road so far.
McKenna is not the only name being lined up by Crystal Palace chiefs, with Lille boss Paulo Fonseca also believed to be on a list of potential candidates to replace Hodgson at Selhurst Park.
The Irishman has won ten of his 12 matches presided over in all competitions this term, drawing one and losing one, leaving him with a win percentage of around 83% in 2023/24, as per Transfermarkt.
Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, pundit Gary Lineker claimed that McKenna was one of the best managers active in England outside of the Premier League at present.
Responding to a question asking which manager could be plucked out of the Football League by a top-flight side, the pundit stated: "I’m going to go with Kieran McKenna from Ipswich Town. I think he’s done a brilliant job with them. He’s young, he was a youth coach at Manchester United, and was at Tottenham a bit before that."
Former Newcastle United icon Alan Shearer agreed with his suggestion, adding: "I would agree with you there, he’s doing a great job." Undoubtedly, McKenna is a talented coach and it looks as if it will only be a matter of time before Premier League clubs start to circle for him.
The Premier League is the biggest and richest league in the world. That naturally means many of the world's greatest strikers are plying their trade in England's top flight.
But who exactly is the best? That's always a tricky question, given different strikers do different things. One might be a fantastic one-v-one player, while another could be the perfect link-up man in his team's attack.
Of course, there is one category that stands out as key: goals. That's ultimately the metric you judge strikers by, and how they get those goals is important. So we're going to provide the data and let you be the judge.
With all of that in mind, Football FanCast has had a look at the numbers to see who stands out in the Premier League right now. And for those saying 'we all know who the best is, it's obviously Erling Haaland' – well, you're right. He is. But that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of interesting stuff, here.
What are the key stats for strikers?
We've primarily focused on attacking stats here and essentially how players help their team going forward. Primarily, of course, that's goals.
We're also looking at their expected goals, how they're performing against their expected goals, their assists, their key passes, their dribbling, and how many shots a player helps create per 90 minutes.
We'll explain exactly what these all mean when we get to them.
Yes, that's a ridiculous question but we wanted to comment on exactly how we're picking players. Essentially, we're focusing on players who have played at least a couple of games as a central striker so far this season. It's still early days, after all.
Some players, like Mohamed Salah, might be up there in the stats but we think you're pushing it to call them a striker. He's a winger or a wide forward – and that's a very different role.
And then there are the likes of Marcus Rashford, Son Heung-min or Julian Alvarez, who do play up top but also in wider or deeper roles. We're including them for now – but if they end up primarily in other roles, we'll stop featuring them.
Who is the Premier League's top scorer?
Manchester City's Erling BrautHaalandcelebrates with the match ball after the match
Player
Goals
Erling Haaland
7
Evan Ferguson
4
Bryan Mbuemo
4
Odsonne Édouard
4
Six players
3
No real explanation needed here – we're just judging the top scorer in the league right now. That's currently Erling Haaland, and we're going to make a wild prediction here and say we will never have to change that fact throughout the season.
Haaland is unquestionably the best goalscorer in the country and, arguably, the world. His record-breaking campaign last season is under threat this year and few would be surprised if he surpasses 36 goals.
As for the others, Evan Ferguson certainly boosted his numbers with a hat-trick already. Bryan Mbeumo and Odsonne Édouard have started well, too – but we imagine 2nd place onwards will change dramatically over the coming weeks.
What striker has the highest xG in the Premier League?
Player
Total xG
Erling Haaland
7.2
Bryan Mbuemo
4.1
Nicolas Jackson
3.3
Yoane Wissa
2.7
Odsonne Édouard
2.6
Expected goals, or xG, assigns a percentage chance of a goal to each shot taken, based on data of previous similar shots. Have an effort on the goal line? Expect 0.9 (there's still a very small chance you could miss). Trying to smash one from 30 yards through a crowd of players? More like 0.1. Add those totals up and you have the number of expected goals.
As you can see, Haaland leads the list here. This is essentially the hallmark of his play – getting chances. Haaland's positioning and ability to turn just about everything into a chance leads to plenty of high-quality efforts. Having Kevin De Bruyne supplying you helps, too, of course.
Beyond that, these are probably not the names you expected. We're still very early into the season, though, and these could change completely after another matchday. Still, some encouraging signs for a few players – notably Nicolas Jackson, who only has the one goal so far.
Who is the most clinical striker in the Premier League?
Brighton striker Evan Ferguson.
Player
Goals – xG
Evan Ferguson
+1.6
Odsonne Édouard
+1.4
Son Heung-min
+1.4
Taiwo Awoniyi
+1.2
Michail Antonio
+1.1
This one measures how well a player is scoring against what's expected. In other words, these players have more goals than their chances statistically suggest they should.
Early on in the season, it's easy to inflate this one. Score a lucky hat trick, and you'll be massively outperforming – but unlikely to sustain it.
Odsonne Édourard is one to mention. He's got one of the highest total xG scores in the league right now – and is still outperforming it. That reads very positively for Crystal Palace fans.
Evan Ferguson is certainly another to watch this season. The young Brighton striker impressed last season and has a hat trick already this time out. If he can continue to perform in and around his xG, Ferguson will dramatically increase his stock over the course of the campaign.
Which striker has the most assists in the Premier League?
Player
Assists
Julián Álvarez
3
Jean-Philippe Mateta
3
Ollie Watkins
2
Taiwo Awoniyi
2
Quite simply, the number of assists by strikers this season. An assist is a pass that leads directly to a player scoring.
This one is a little messy. Julián Álvarez, for instance, has played as an attacking midfielder at times this season. Jean-Phillipe Mateta, quite ridiculously, is yet to even start in the Premier League.
This is another that could change quite dramatically, then, as certain players cement their positions and others get more time on the pitch. For now, though, here are your leaders.
Which Premier League striker creates the most?
Player
Key passes
Julián Álvarez
17
Ollie Watkins
9
Son Heung-min
9
Erling Haaland
7
Taiwo Awoniyi
6
The big difference between this and assists is that it doesn't rely on anyone else. After all, you could create a dozen chances per game but if your teammate can't finish, you won't get any assists. Key passes, then, shows just how many times a player has set up a teammate for a shot.
Julián Álvarez clearly dominates this one, but again, he's played a little bit deeper this season. We might be moving him off the list soon.
Outside of that, it's clear that taller, physical strikers are generating chances. Ollie Watkins, Erling Haaland and Taiwo Awoniyi all fit that mould and all look creative right now. It's also worth noting that both Watkins and Awoniyi appear on the top assist list – something Haaland doesn't quite manage. Of course, there are two ways to read that – either the chances Haaland creates aren't as good, or the players just aren't finishing them.
Then there's Son Heung-min – another playing multiple positions. Tottenham Hotspur are trying him more centrally this season, though, and he's contributing a lot in response. If he cements himself as a striker, we expect him to feature on plenty of these stats going forward.
Which Premier League striker has the highest SCAs per 90?
Shot-creating actions, or SCAs, are any contribution by a player that goes on to create a shot within two more actions. It sounds more complicated than it is – basically, anything you do that leads to someone shooting. That could be the pass or dribble before someone else makes an assist. It could be a shot that's saved by the goalkeeper but a teammate has a rebound.
Everton's new signing, Beto leads the way heading into this weekend. Now, this is judged per 90 minutes, so the player benefits from not having played that much. He's managed to be involved in 10 shots, though – from passing, shooting or taking players on.
Danny Welbeck is proving to be a creative force for Brighton, too. His passes have led to 11 shots, a massive number given he's played a little over half the total possible minutes.
Eddie Nketiah is showing just how useful he can be at Arsenal. Mikel Arteta has his wingers playing off the forward – and it's working.
Which Premier League striker is the best dribbler?
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha.
Player
Successful take-ons
Matheus Cunha
14
Nicolas Jackson
11
Michail Antonio
9
Alexander Isak
7
Four players
6
This is a fairly easy one to grasp – the number of times a player has successfully dribbled past their defender. It's a fantastic way of breaking down a defence and something counter-attacking sides rely on from their usually sole striker.
That's certainly reflected here. Wolves, Chelsea, West Ham United and Newcastle United all look to break quickly with what is usually a lone striker.
Matheus Cunha is the standout in terms of numbers but it's actually Michail Antonio that we'll focus on. The West Ham striker has been successful with 69% of his take-on attempts, more than any of the others mentioned. To hit that mark with nine successes is simply fantastic.
All stats taken from Opta data on FBref; correct as of 18th September 2023.
The RCB captain said too much had been left to AB de Villiers to achieve in a must-win game against Royals in Jaipur
ESPNcricinfo staff19-May-20181:40
Why did Kohli fall so many times to spinners this IPL?
Virat Kohli criticised his middle-order batsmen for a meltdown that resulted in defeat to Rajasthan Royals and RCB’s exit from IPL 2018.Chasing 165 to strengthen their playoff chances, RCB were dismissed for 134 in Jaipur, finishing the season with six wins and eight defeats.”Too much batting stress on just AB de Villiers,” Kohli told Star Sports after the game. “I thought we were in a great position at one stage. We were 75 for 1, the way we were bundled out after that wasn’t ideal.”A guy like AB, who has the ability to hit fours and sixes, was knocking it around. We needed more smart decision-making there and guys were just not up to the mark and that is disappointing to see. It’s not something that should be repeated by five, six guys in a row. One or two guys is okay, but the others should have applied themselves and that wasn’t the case tonight.”RCB were cruising at 75 for 1 in the ninth over, with de Villiers batting fluently. Then the middle order imploded against legspinner Shreyas Gopal, trying to play expansive strokes even though the asking rate was not out of control.2:25
‘Our plans haven’t worked this season’ – Umesh
Over the years, RCB have relied heavily on their top three batsmen. Without Chris Gayle this season, Kohli and de Villiers shouldered the run-making responsibility and scored 530 and 480 respectively. The next best among the middle-order batsmen was Mandeep Singh with 252 runs. Sarfaraz Khan made only 51 in six innings.”We wanted to strengthen the middle order that hasn’t been our strength for the last few years,” Kohli said. “It’s something we need to look forward to in the next season. We need to be more smart about how we compose our team, I guess.”The bulk of the scoring responsibility and stress can’t always be on a guy like AB all the time in the middle order. Guys need to step up at the right times. We certainly want to take up the responsibility but there have to be contributions at important stages. One occasion was tonight where AB scored runs, apart from him others didn’t show enough composure.”Most of the positives Kohli picked out were in the bowling department, which Umesh Yadav led by taking 20 wickets.”Quite a few new players came in and performed well,” Kohli said. “Umesh was outstanding, Chahal was good with the ball as well, Siraj took his opportunities. Moeen contributed and gave us the balance. We have a few positives that we can take forward to the next season, but it feels disappointing to not finish this game off.”
Manchester United have been in disarray for some time now, struggling to find any consistency, suffering from poor recruitment strategy and leaving the fans with a sour taste in their mouths.
The Red Devils currently sit 15th in the Premier League after 25 games played, just 12 points off of 18th place Ipswich and 15 points off of fourth place Manchester City.
Ruben Amorim’s side are averaging 53.6% possession (sixth highest in the division), taking 13.4 shots per game (12th highest in the division) and are conceding 11.4 shots against them per game (seventh fewest in the division).
When things really aren’t going your way, you sometimes need the big characters in the dressing room to step up, lead the team, lead by example and get you out of a bad spot. The main issue with this, is Man Utd don’t seem to have many of these characters at the club anymore.
Roy Keane's record Manchester United
Roy Keane, perhaps one of the biggest types of this character, made 479 appearances for Manchester United, scoring 51 goals, providing 41 assists and totalling 40,275 minutes played.
First Impressions
In this time, Keane captained a historic United side to the famous treble, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in 1998/99.
Whilst the Irishman was hot-headed, his teammates clearly respected him, giving their all on the pitch, being led by Keane, with many regarding the United legend as the “best captain they have ever seen”.
Manchester United did sign a midfielder who was compared to Keane in the 2022/23 campaign, with Teddy Sheringham comparing the two players, but since having a brilliant first season at the club, his rapid demise has been clear for all to see.
Man Utd's new Roy Keane
Casemiro was signed for a fee of around £60m plus £10m in add-ons from Real Madrid in 2022 and has made 108 appearances for the Red Devils since joining the club, scoring 15 goals, providing nine assists and totalling 8,020 minutes played.
In his first campaign at Old Trafford, the experienced Brazilian was hugely influential – notably scoring in the club’s Carabao Cup triumph – with Sheringham highlighting the likeness between him and the talismanic Keane:
Stats (per 90 mins)
2022/23
2023/24
2024/25
Goals + Assists
0.32
0.28
0.18
Progressive Carries
0.78
0.54
0.28
Progressive Passes
6.69
5.15
4.82
Passes into Final Third
6.20
5.52
5.11
Tackles
3.46
3.72
3.97
Blocks
2.48
3.22
2.48
Interceptions
1.51
0.94
0.94
Ball Recoveries
8.82
6.32
6.17
Aerial Duels Won
2.59
1.76
1.42
You can see in Casemiro’s three years at the club, the gradual decline in all areas. The only metric Casemiro ranks higher in this season than either of his previous two seasons is tackles per 90, and that is with far fewer minutes played, slightly skewing the data.
It has gotten to the point where Casemiro’s legs are seemingly gone, the United system is becoming more and more reliant on ground covering and physical qualities, and content creator Mark Goldbridge has now labelled the Brazilian a “total waste of time”, following the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
Manchester United clearly need to get rid of players before they can buy, and not only getting the right profile but also the right mentality of players will be key if the Red Devils want to have any chance of returning to the top.
Casemiro may have indicated his desire to see out his contract – which runs out in 2026 – yet Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co need to do all they can to shift the £350k-per-week star from the wage bill.
Man Utd have unearthed their new Berbatov who "belongs to a different era"
The batsman is likely to team up with AB de Villiers, who could make himself available for the franchise next summer, despite his recent international retirement
Firdose Moonda28-May-2018Theunis de Bruyn, who has played five Tests for South Africa, will no longer captain Knights’ franchise after he opted to move to Titans for the 2018-19 summer. He joins 11 other current internationals at SuperSport Park, where discussions are still underway with AB de Villiers, who had recently retired from international cricket. The batsman, however, could make himself available for the franchise next summer.De Villiers was not listed among the franchise’s contracted players, which, apart from the eight nationally contracted players on Titans’ books, also included Farhaan Behardien, Junior Dala and Heinrich Klaasen. Rookie contracts were awarded to former national under-19 allrounder Corbin Bosch, son of Tertius, and recent under-19 World Cup success story Wandile Makwetu.Malusi Siboto, a medium-pacer who has been instrumental to the Titans’ limited-overs success over the last few seasons, left the franchise after his contract expired, while bowling all-rounder Rowan Richards was released. Instead, Tshepo Moreki, a right-arm quick from Cobras was signed up.”The squad is a good balance of youth and experience and definitely one that has the potential to defend our two trophies and possibly put us in a position to win all three competitions,” Mark Boucher, Titans’ coach said. “Theunis is a very good player and a very dominant batsman. We saw an opening in our batting line-up and believe Theunis can definitely strengthen our batting unit. Not only is it a massive benefit to have him in our batting line-up, but his pace bowling will add another dimension. Tshepo is a promising talent. I love his attitude on the field, he’s fit and is hungry to play, so I am looking forward to see what he can bring with the ball.”Titans have announced their contract list even though talks between CSA and the South African Cricketers’ Association regarding their MOU, which outlines the terms and conditions for players contracts, have yet to conclude. The MOU, which expires at the end of April, was extended with a new deadline set for June 30.Titans squad: Andrea Agathangelou, Farhaan Behardien, Corbin Bosch, Junior Dala, Henry Davids, Theunis de Bruyn, Tony de Zorzi, Eldred Hawken, Heinrich Klaasen, Heino Kuhn, Wandile Makwetu, Tshepo Moreki , Rivaldo Moonsamy, Albie Morkel, Alfred Mothoa, Grant Thomson, Jonathan Vandiar. Shaun von BergCSA contracted players at Titans: Quinton de Kock, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery masterminded a 1-0 win over Zrinjski on Thursday night to secure the club's first win of the Europa Conference League group stages.
John McGinn's stoppage-time winner was enough to seal all three points as European football returned to Villa Park under the lights in dramatic fashion.
Emery has led the Villans back to Europe and proven himself an excellent appointment, following Steven Gerrard's unremarkable spell in charge.
The former Glasgow Rangers head coach, who won 12 and lost 18 of his 38 Premier League matches in charge of the club, had his fair share of mistakes in the transfer market during his time in the Midlands.
Gerrard's most-expensive Aston Villa signings:
Diego Carlos
£26.8m
Lucas Digne
£25.9m
Philippe Coutinho
£17.2m
Leander Dendoncker
£12.9m
Robin Olsen
£3m
Whilst you could focus on some of the players he did sign, as you can see in the table above, the 43-year-old tactician may also look back with regret at some of the targets he missed out on.
One possible signing who Gerrard and Villa had a mare with was Sweden international Dejan Kulusevski, who has gone on to be an excellent Premier League performer and someone who would have been an upgrade on Leon Bailey.
Were Aston Villa interested in Kulusevski?
The Daily Mail reported that the Villans were keen on a deal to sign the Juventus forward during the January transfer window of 2022, which was the former Light Blues boss' first chance to add players to his squad.
They were interested in a deal to sign the exciting winger as he was on his way out of the Italian team after a difficult spell in Turin with the Old Lady.
He made 74 appearances in all competitions for Juventus and contributed with nine goals and ten assists from a wide position, which included one goal and one assist in 11 Champions League outings.
Former Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski.
His struggles with the Italian giants, however, came after an excellent season with Parma during the 2019/20 campaign, in which Kulusevski chipped in with ten goals and nine assists in 36 Serie A matches.
The young attacker produced 2.2 key passes per game and made 13 'big chances' for his teammates in total, which suggests that he was slightly unfortunate to end the year with less than double figures for assists.
These statistics show that Kulusevski had already proven himself to be a superb performer in a major European league, in spite of his difficulties at Juventus.
How much did Tottenham pay for Kulusevski?
Villa failed to get a deal over the line for the Swedish star and Tottenham Hotspur eventually swooped in to secure his services on an initial 18-month loan, which cost them a reported £8.3m.
They then made that deal permanent for a reported fee of £26m ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, which means that the Premier League side paid £34.3m in total for the former Serie A wizard.
Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski.
Kulusevski has produced nine goals and 16 assists in 65 matches in all competitions for Spurs to date and has proven himself to be a reliable performer at the top level of English football since his exit from Juventus.
How many Premier League goals has Kulusevski scored?
The left-footed whiz has scored nine goals in 55 Premier League matches for Tottenham so far and five of those came during his first five months on loan in London.
He hit the ground running at the start of 2022 with an average Sofascore rating of 7.21 across 18 top-flight outings, in which time the talented gem contributed with five goals and eight assists.
Kulusevski made an instant impact in the division and ranked among the top 2% of his positional peers at Premier League level with 0.57 assists per 90 during the 2021/22 campaign, which shows that he was one of the most creative wingers within the league that term.
The Sweden international followed that up with two goals and seven assists in 23 league starts for Spurs throughout the 2022/23 season, as his form in front of goal took a dip.
However, the 23-year-old magician, whose crossing ability was lauded as "ridiculous" by journalist Nizaar Kinsella, has started the current campaign in excellent fashion under Ange Postecoglou.
He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.31 across seven Premier League games and chipped in with two goals and two 'big chances' created, along with 2.9 key passes per match.
The Spurs star, who is currently valued at €80m (£69m) by CIES, would have been a big upgrade on current Villa forward Bailey, who is also a left-footed right winger.
How many goals has Bailey scored for Villa?
Since his move to the club from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer of 2021, the Jamaica international has scored ten goals and assisted eight in 64 matches for the Villans.
He has racked up seven goals and seven assists in 56 Premier League outings for Villa, which works out as one goal contribution every four games on average.
Whereas, Kulusevski has scored nine goals and provided 15 assists in 55 top-flight clashes for Spurs. This means that the Swedish ace has averaged one goal involvement every 2.91 matches for the London-based club over the last 20 months or so.
Aston Villa winger Leon Bailey.
Bailey has also failed to average a Sofascore rating higher than 6.90 in a season throughout his Premier League career, whilst Kulusevski has averaged a score of 7.21 or higher in two of his three campaigns to date – including the current one.
These statistics suggest that the £69m-rated dynamo is able to provide a higher average performance level whilst also being able to make a greater impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis in comparison to Bailey.
Therefore, Gerrard and Villa had a mare when they failed to secure a deal to sign Kulusevski from Juventus ahead of Spurs back in January 2022.
The exciting forward has gone on to be an excellent performer in the top division of English football and is now valued at considerably more than the £34.3m it would have cost them in total, whilst he has also proven himself to be a big upgrade on Bailey.
Barcelona are reportedly looking elsewhere for a Xavi successor after discovering how 'complicated' it would be to sign Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi.
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De Zerbi linked with Barcelona
Deal to sign Brighton boss 'complicated'
Search for Xavi's successor continues
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Seagulls head coach De Zerbi has been linked with the Catalan side but a report in Spanish publication Sport says it will not be easy to recruit him. Therefore, the Blaugrana's search to replace Xavi, who is stepping down from the role this summer, is likely to continue.
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THE EXPLANATION
The report states Barca are likely to be unwilling to pay De Zerbi's exit clause, which is approximately €15 million (£12.8m), due to the club's precarious finances. Moreover, Liverpool – who are keen to find a replacement for outgoing manager Jurgen Klopp – are keeping tabs on the Italian and if they were to sign the former Sassuolo boss they would need to act soon.
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DID YOU KNOW?
De Zerbi – who joined Brighton in September 2022, led them to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season and has guided them to the last 16 of the Europa League this term – has a contract that runs until 2026 at the Amex.
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WHAT NEXT?
While Barcelona continue their search for a new manager, on the pitch Xavi will hope his side, who sit third in La Liga, can beat Athletic Club on Sunday night. The defending champions can close the gap to leaders Real Madrid to six points with a win.
Massimiliano Allegri reflected on the biggest problems at Juventus in the wake of Serie A defeat to Napoli.
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Allegri reflects on Juve loss
McKennie & Rabiot missed Napoli game
Inexperience blamed overall
WHAT HAPPENED?
In a post-match interview with , Allegri pointed to inexperience as the main reason for the 2-1 defeat. He suggested his young team were too determined to play through Napoli and didn't switch up their plan when it wasn't working.
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WHAT ALLEGRI SAID
Allegri said: "Without [Weston] McKennie and [Adrien] Rabiot, [Carlos] Alcaraz did really well in his first real game. [Fabio] Miretti has 60-odd games under his belt already, so is more experienced. I don't think Napoli had many really clear-cut chances, whereas we did not make the most of our opportunities. We also got pig-headed trying to break through the centre rather than spreading it to wide areas. It is a regret that we leave empty-handed, but experience of playing at this level makes the difference. We should've been more wide awake in certain situations. It was one of the youngest Juventus starting XIs of all time, I think, and that means we are working well. Our objective is to help these young players to grow so that they will be ready next season."
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
McKennie and Rabiot both missed the game through injury, leaving 21-year-old Alcaraz to step up only a few weeks after moving to Serie A on loan from England's Championship. Juve have now only won one of their last six league outings, allowing Inter to open up a 12-point lead at the top of the table with a game in hand.
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WHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?
Returning to the Champions League is vital for Juve and they will achieve that if they remain in the top four. Their position appears to be strong, currently second and 10 points ahead of fifth-place Roma. They are also still active in the Coppa Italia, set to go head-to-head with Lazio over two legs in the semi-finals next month. That is their only realistic chance of a first trophy since 2021.
Providing Anderson comes through this fixture with no adverse reaction he will look to step up his return in the Roses Championship fixture
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Jul-2018James Anderson took two wickets for Lancashire’s 2nd XI on his return from injury as he steps up preparations for the Test series against India.Anderson has been out of action nursing an on-going shoulder problem since the series against Pakistan which finished in early June.He claimed 2 for 32 from 14 overs – the most sent down by any of the Lancashire attack as Nottinghamshire were bowled out for 126 – in the match which had been arranged to aid Anderson’s comeback.There had initially been talk that he could appear for Surrey against West Indies A this week but a short-term switch of counties did not happen.Providing he comes through this fixture with no adverse reaction he will look to step up his comeback in the Roses Championship fixture against Yorkshire at Old Trafford next weekend.Anderson’s new-ball partner, Stuart Broad, is also currently resting an ankle injury and is pencilled in for a return against Surrey in the County Championship from July 22 which would be his only chance for red-ball cricket before the first Test on August 1.There are also question marks over who will be England’s third frontline quick in the series with Chris Woakes early in his return from a thigh injury picked up against Pakistan. He has recently played for Warwickshire’s 2nd XI and will take on India A with England Lions this week. He and Mark Wood played one Test apiece against Pakistan.The series will be a test of fitness for pace bowlers on both sides – and the depth of resources available – with five matches crammed into six weeks with the longest break between matches being seven days after the third Test.
A 12ª rodada da fase de grupos da Série D teve continuidade nesta sexta-feira com 19 jogos, onde não faltou bola dentro da rede para alegria dos torcedores, que já começam a sonhar com a próxima fase.
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