Alejandro Grimaldo has admitted he could have joined either Real Madrid or Barcelona in the summer transfer window, only for both moves to fall through. The Bayer Leverkusen star revealed that Los Blancos opted for Alvaro Carreras instead, while discussions with the Catalan giants and Atletico Madrid also failed to materialise.
Major League Cricket (MLC), the fledgling T20 tournament in the USA, is set to expand from six teams to eight by 2027, with a move into Canada being explored in developments that could have wider implications for the sport.Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Toronto, cities with significant South Asian communities, are on the shortlist with final decisions expected this year. Market potential and local government support in helping build stadium infrastructure will be among the determining factors.Expansion officials travelled to Chicago recently and were believed to be encouraged by the local support. Visits to the other cities are expected in the coming months.MLC co-founder Satyan Gajwani will launch one of the franchises, while fellow co-founders Vijay Srinivasan, the league’s chief executive until recently, and Sameer Mehta will helm the other. Investors are likely to partner up with them once the two cities have been selected.Three of the six teams in the MLC are owned by IPL team owners – Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings – while Seattle, the only small-market franchise in the league, have ties with Delhi Capitals. San Francisco and Washington don’t have any IPL attachments, but have partnerships with Cricket Victoria and Cricket NSW respectively.”We have options ahead of us. I don’t think we’re committed one way or the other right now,” Gajwani told ESPNcricinfo. “That’s realistically a decision we will take closer to launch.”Expansion will likely lead to more games and a longer duration of the competition. MLC power brokers do eventually want a home-and-away season – where the teams play each other twice – to underpin the tournament.Last year’s second season ran for 23 days in July and overlapped with the Hundred in the UK. This season’s scheduling has not been announced, but a lengthier tournament is expected, although it might start earlier in June.The well-heeled MLC’s emergence has become a major talking point in English cricket, heightened when Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to represent LA Knight Riders, who have the same owners as KKR.”There are many cities in America that have large populations of people who already love cricket. But the goal is to grow the game and that means expanding beyond that fan base,” Gajwani said. “America is the largest sports market in the world. It’s also very competitive, and continuing to be relevant will be a challenge.”But I think the economics of sport in America are pretty robust. The NBA and NFL are in 28 cities. We’re in six right now. We still have a lot of headroom for growth in the medium to long term.”The tournament’s first two seasons were entirely played at the 7200 capacity Grand Prairie Stadium, a redeveloped baseball ground, near Dallas and the more modest Church Street Park in Morrisville, North Carolina.Existing franchises – other than Dallas-based Texas Super Kings – have faced challenges getting suitable infrastructure off the ground. But there is confidence that San Francisco Unicorns will start playing home games this season at the iconic Oakland Coliseum, which up until recently was the long-time home of the Athletics in the MLB. The new franchises hope to play at home grounds from the start.Jason Roy opted out of his ECB contract to represent LA Knight Riders at the MLC•MLC
“In the ideal case, we firm up on the city, lock up a land deal and then build a stadium – whether retrofitted or building from zero,” Gajwani said. “The ideal outcome is that we play at home for our first game in 2027.”There is this balance of wanting to build something that’s right for where the market is, but have the flexibility to grow with the market. Every city will have its own dynamics.”The cities in the running may be further incentivised by the prospect of potentially hosting cricket matches at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Cricket will end a 128-year Olympic drought but venues have yet to be determined, with the men’s and women’s competitions possibly extending beyond Los Angeles.”There’s the added element that a fully-fledged cricket venue up and running by 2027 could possibly host matches at the Olympics,” Gajwani said. “The IOC or the LA Organising Committees will make that decision. But they openly said they’re looking for infrastructure that can host Olympic matches. It’s definitely a factor that we’re all thinking about.”The league also announced Johnny Grave as its new CEO, replacing Srinivasan. Grave is a prominent figure in cricket administration, having most recently served as CEO at CWI for seven years. He was previously the commercial director at the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) in England.”I am honored to lead the league at this transformative time,” Grave said in a statement. “Cricket is beloved globally and I am thrilled to see its fan base growing rapidly in the United States. I look forward to working with the MLC team to help elevate the league, engage with fans, and build a thriving, sustainable future for cricket in America.”
The former allrounder and national selector replaced the outgoing Martin Snedden
ESPNcricinfo staff20-Nov-2024New Zealand Cricket has elected former allrounder and national selector Dion Nash to its board.Nash fills the vacancy left by Martin Snedden, who had to step down by rotation following a lengthy service to the game as a player, chief executive, board member, chair of the board and ICC director.”It’s good to have someone with Dion’s cricket and business experience coming onto the board at a time when Martin is stepping down,” NZC chair Diana Pukepatu-Lyndon said. “Dion has a strong interest in not just the playing of the game but [also] the business of the game, and that should help stand us in good stead.”Nash played 32 Tests and 81 ODIs from 1992 to 2002, and was part of New Zealand’s title-winning squad in the 2000 ICC KnockOut, which was later rebranded as the Champions Trophy. In just his fifth Test, he scored a half-century and grabbed ten wickets at Lord’s.When regular captain Stephen Fleming was injured in early 1999, Nash stepped in as skipper for seven ODIs and three Tests. After retirement, he was appointed as selector for the men’s team in 2005, before going on to make a career in business.
Tristan Stubbs admitted that he was “proper nervous” and just tried to control his breathing as he struck an unbeaten 47 off 41 balls to shepherd a tricky chase and take South Africa over the line by three wickets in the second T20I against India.”I was just trying to breathe,” he said with a smile after the game. “It’s my favourite place to play cricket and I was nervous, proper nervous, so I was just trying to control my breathing.”Stubbs grew up in Knysna, a small town about 260 kilometres up the road from Gqeberha and has played all his domestic and franchise cricket at St George’s Park. This knock was even more special for Stubbs as it was his mum’s birthday and he had plenty of his family and friends in the crowd who had driven down to the ground to celebrate.”Normally there’s a whole bunch of them [his friends and family], probably I reckon 30 to 35 of them,” Stubbs said. “They come through normally once a year for the SA20 and they’ve made a trip now. It’s my mom’s birthday too, so it’s sort of a celebration.”Before I met the team I went and said hello to everyone at the house that they’re staying at. So yeah, it’s been a really good day.”Coming into bat at 33 for 2 in the sixth over with South Africa chasing 125, Stubbs saw his side slip to 66 for 6 in the 13th. That soon became 86 for 7 in the 16th, but he got vital support from Gerald Coetzee with whom he shared an unbroken 42-run stand for the eighth wicket off just 20 balls.”Fortunately, the run rate never got away from us,” Stubbs said about the chase. “Once we lost the wickets, I had 30 in mind off the last three and then G [Coetzee] really came and played an innings to help that out and then, fortunately, we got over the line.”He walked in and he said straight away we can win this. I believed it all the time. We were always two hits away from being back to run-a-ball and then we had the crowd behind, which was just amazing.”Stubbs was caught right in the midst of an intense Varun Chakravarthy spell, who ran through South Africa’s middle order with a career-best 5 for 17. Ravi Bishnoi also kept things tight at the other end, but Stubbs bided his time before taking on the fast bowlers at the death. He later admitted the South Africa batters were out-skilled by the two spinners on a surface that was “typically staying low” but was pleased to stay till the end to take his side home.’They got the better of us in the middle there by just outskilling us,’ Stubbs said of India’s spinners•AFP/Getty Images
“They both [Chakravarthy and Bishnoi] were doing just enough to beat you on either side,” he said. “It wasn’t easy to come in and just rotate even, let alone take them on. They are two of the best spinners in the world so when they are on, it’s really tough and they got the better of us in the middle there by just outskilling us.”So yeah, it was really nice to get the team over the line and be there not out at the end. I think as someone who bats in the middle, that’s your whole goal when chasing, get the team over the line but do it by being not out at the end.”It’s been quite the breakthrough year for Stubbs. In February, he became just the 11th batter to score a first-class triple-century in South Africa while in the last month and a bit, he’s racked up his Test and ODI centuries. Stubbs also played a key role in Sunrisers Eastern Cape’s second-successive SA20 title while he finished the IPL 2024 as Delhi Capitals’ second-highest run-getter with a terrific strike rate of 190.90.What’s brought about this maturity in Stubbs’ game?”I don’t actually know how to answer that. It’s just been nice,” he said. “I really enjoy the longer format because you can spend more time in the middle without feeling like you need to play a big ball and I really enjoy the graft of batting long.”I think the longer form cricket just naturally helps your T20 game and the batsmanship and spending time in the middle and not having to make a play really helps the rest of the formats. So I think that’s been the biggest thing.”
حضر بيدري جونزاليس لاعب خط وسط برشلونة إحدى الفعاليات في قاعة المنتدى ببرشلونة، حيث شارك الجمهور العديد من الأمور الشخصية.
وقد نظمت الشركة الرياضية الفرنسية أكبر فعالية لها حتى الآن في إسبانيا يومي الخميس والجمعة بحضور أكثر من 500 شخص للقاء لاعب خط وسط برشلونة.
ورد أثار بيدري على أسئلة الجمهور خاصة بعد تألقه ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد في الجولة الأولى بمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا.
وقد سئل بيدري عن أصعب مدافع واجهه ولم يتردد في اختيار فيرجيل فان دايك قائد ليفربول، حيث قال: “لا بد لي من القول إنه يبدو قوياً على التلفزيون لكن فان دايك أقوى في الملعب، لعبت ضده مؤخراً ومن الصعب جداً تجاوزه”.
أقرأ أيضاً.. برشلونة يحدد قائمته لحضور حفل الكرة الذهبية.. غياب اسمين بارزين
وتحدث لاعب خط وسط برشلونة عن أصعب لحظة واجهها والتي كانت خلال فترة معاناته من الإصابة وشرح من أين وجد الإسباني الدعم.
وأضاف بيدري في تصريحات نشرتها صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” :”في عائلتي الذين ساندوني دائماً، كانت أسوأ لحظة مررت بها هي فترة الإصابات، إنها ليست لحظة محددة بل تلك اللحظات، كان الأمر صعبًا لكنني تدربت بجد أكبر قدر الإمكان والآن أنا بصحة جيدة”.
وأكمل بيدري عن مشاعره عند ظهوره الأول مع برشلونة في عام 2020: “كان حلماً، منذ صغري كنت أرتدي قميص برشلونة في كل مكان وعندما أبدأ مسيرتي مع ما أعتبره أفضل فريق في العالم، يكون الأمر مذهلا”.
وختم عن طريقة احتفاله المميزة بالأهداف: “أحتفل بهذه الطريقة من أجل والدي، في أحد الأيام كنت أتناول الغداء معه في المنزل وأردت أن أهديه الأهداف فهو دائماً معي منذ صغري، ولأن جميع أفراد العائلة يرتدون النظارات فقد ابتكرنا هذه البادرة”.
Ravi Shastri believes having Gautam Gambhir as the new India head coach is “refreshing” because he is “contemporary” and has “fresh ideas”.”He’s contemporary, he just had a great season in the IPL,” Shastri said on Gambhir on the ICC Review. “I think he’s the right age where he’s young, he’ll come with fresh ideas. He knows most of the players, especially in the white-ball format, having been part of teams in the IPL. So I think it’s refreshing.”And we know with Gautam, he’s a no-nonsense guy. He’ll have his ideas as well. And the good thing for him is he’s got a mature team. He’s got a settled team, a mature team. I think even though you might think you’re mature, you might benefit from some fresh ideas. So I think it’ll be interesting times.”Related
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Gambhir takes over from Rahul Dravid after India’s victorious T20 World Cup campaign, and his first assignment will be the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka that starts with the three T20Is on Saturday in Pallekele.Gambhir takes over in all formats fresh on the back of an IPL win with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) – he was team mentor and was credited with rallying the players together, for making Sunil Narine open again with the bat and lifting the confidence of newcomer Harshit Rana, among other things. With the Indian team too, he will have the big task of managing both junior and senior players, across formats.”Obviously, player management becomes the key as a coach,” Shastri said. “So it’ll be interesting to see how he goes. I think he’s got the tools, he’s got the goods for the job and he’s got the experience.”Shastri said Gambhir’s “most important task” will be to understand his players as people and their “temperaments”.”It’s a question of just understanding his players as quickly as possible,” Shastri said. “What their strengths are, what kind of human beings they are and what kind of temperaments do they have. What are their personalities. A lot goes behind the scenes to understand a human being.0:50
Gambhir: Any team would want to have Rohit and Kohli
“I think that will be his most important task, which I think again should not be a problem because he’s contemporary. He’s seen these guys from the outside, he’s dealt with a lot of guys who might have played with KKR as well and for Lucknow [Super Giants] when he was there.”And he’s been around the circuit, the moment he finished cricket – and that was not too long ago – and he still is around, plays a lot of the legends cricket as well.”In Tests, Gambhir’s major assignments will be the five home Tests starting in September (two against Bangladesh and two against New Zealand) followed by five Tests in Australia for the Border Gavaskar Trophy. In the white-ball formats, the ICC trophies he will be eyeing are the Champions Trophy in 2025 and the T20 World Cup in 2026.Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja have retired from T20I cricket, but Shastri did not see that as a problem for India, given the resources waiting on the fringes.”I think a lot of the players that won this T20 World Cup will still be around two years later,” he said. “You mentioned the three players who were retired, but barring them, I think most of the others will be still fit to be in that T20 World Cup team two years down the line in India.”So I don’t think there’s much to be done there. In fact, you will get a problem on your hands because you’ll have to choose from the new lot that’s coming and there’s some real exciting talent there.”So I think it’s the other way around. It’s how do you get those guys in there who are bursting at the [seams] to get it. There’s a queue out there and that will be his biggest challenge, but it’s a good headache when you have that kind of talent.”
Will Kieran Tierney’s return be just the start of another busy summer at Celtic?
On Tuesday, the Parkhead side officially confirmed the left-back’s return to Glasgow, six years after he departed for £25m, which remains a joint-club record sale.
Despite this, the Scottish Premiership champions are looking to bolster their full-back options further, possibly anticipating a departure, so could Brendan Rodgers’ side be close to another arrival?
Celtic chasing another defender after Tierney
Announced to supporters earlier this week, Tierney arrived back at Celtic with a point to prove. He was sporting a beaming smile and we’re sure Rodgers was too. Speaking about the deal, the Northern Irishman said:
“We are delighted to welcome Kieran back to Celtic. He is such a talented, high-quality player and he will be a massive addition to our squad. Kieran has always had Celtic in his blood and he is excited to be coming back to the place he loves.”
That said, he’s not the only left-back who could arrive this summer.
According to a report by journalist Ben Jacobs, Celtic are ‘interested’ in a move to sign defender Josh Doig.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
Still only 23 years old, the full-back made his senior debut at Hibernian in 2020, accumulating 78 appearances for Hibs, before moving to Italy in 2022.
He spent two seasons at Hellas Verona, featuring 16 times in Serie A and then 29 times in Serie B following I Gialloblù’s relegation, before joining Sassuolo for a reported £5m in January 2024, a key figure as I Neroverdi won the second-tier title in Italy this season; only four of his teammate racked up more league minutes.
So now, could the youngster, who also made his senior Scotland debut against Liechtenstein at Rheinpark Stadion on Monday, be heading and joining the Premiership champions?
How Josh Doig compares to Greg Taylor
According to reports in Greece, PAOK have submitted an official offer to Greg Taylor, while Dinamo Zagreb have previously been noted as interested in securing the left-back’s signature.
Taylor joined Celtic from Kilmarnock in 2019, signed as Tierney’s direct replacement, and has made 216 appearances for the club, but is out of contract at the end of this month, and it seems extremely unlikely that he’ll sign an extension.
Callum McFadden of Breaking the Lines praises Taylor’s ‘consistency’, labelling him a ‘mainstay’ in the Celtic back-line during his six seasons at the club and, while Samuel Hutchinson of Total Football Analysis is impressed by his ‘reliability’, both in terms of performance and availability, they understand why the arrival of Tierney is viewed as an upgrade.
Nevertheless, Tierney has struggled for fitness throughout the entirety of his career, so a competent back-up in the form of Doig is required.
Jack Ross, who handed Doig his senior debut at Hibs, praised his “excellent” performances back in 2020. Since then, his game has reached a whole new level since making the move to Italy, scoring three goals and posting seven assists. That isn’t bad going for a defender, particularly as he only ever scored once for Hibs.
Mark Atkinson of the Scotsman believes that his ‘pace, physique and athleticism’ are his primary attributes, making him very much like Tierney in that regard, but also like Cristiano Ronaldo.
Yes, that was the view of former Hibs teammate Lewis Stevenson, who said in 2022: “He hasthe potential to go to the top level. He is 6 foot 3, fast, strong. Even just looking at him with his top off – without meaning to sound creepy – he looks like Ronaldo, with that kind of physique. He just is an athlete.”
So, let’s analyse how he compares to Taylor this season.
Appearances
31
43
Minutes
2,338
3,141
Pass completion %
77.4%
83.5%
Interceptions per 90
0.6
0.6
Tackles per 90
0.6
1.3
Clearances per 90
2
1.9
Ball recoveries
87
21
% of dribblers tackled
41.4%
77.8%
% of ground duels won
52%
58.3%
% of aerial duels won
55.6%
43.3%
As the table shows, Taylor does come out on top for a few metrics, but Doig’s statistics are comparable across the board, notably racking up more clearances and ball recoveries, as well as winning a higher percentage of aerial duels, suggesting he’d shore up the defence.
Also, according to Global Football Rankings, the youngster was doing his work at a higher level, with Serie B rated the 19th strongest league in the world, while the Scottish Premiership is down at 43rd.
Still only 23 years old, there is plenty of time for Doig to get better and, given Tierney’s injury record, should he arrive at Parkhead, there would be plenty of minutes available to him, if he chooses to swap green and black stripes for green and white hoops.
He's like Rodri: Celtic can sign bigger talent than Miller in £8m "anchor"
With Lennon Miller once again on Celtic’s radar following his full Scotland debut in Liechtenstein, should the Hoops sign an £8m anchor instead?
Jun 11, 2025
Today is the day for Tottenham Hotspur.
Ange Postecoglou and his team can make their fans forget about their diabolically poor domestic season by continuing their impressive European run and winning the Europa League Final.
However, with Manchester United having a stellar track record on the continent this season as well, it’s anyone’s guess who’ll get their hand on the trophy come full-time.
To give his team a better chance of coming away victorious, Postecoglou will have to make a number of changes to the starting lineup that lost away to Aston Villa on Friday night, like dropping Mikey Moore.
The first thing to say is that while we think Moore should be taken out of the team, that doesn’t mean we don’t think he’ll have a large part to play for the club in the coming seasons.
After all, his youth record of 21 goals and 15 assists in 34 appearances across the various levels is nothing short of spectacular, and according to respected analyst Ben Mattinson, he’s a “future superstar” in the making.
However, he is still just 17 years old, and while he has looked reasonably impressive for the senior team here and there, he’s not had a significant enough impact – three goal involvements in 21 games – to warrant a start in the club’s biggest game since the Champions League Final.
|
Moore’s game vs Villa |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
87′ |
|
Expected Goals |
0.00 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Expected Assists |
0.00 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Accurate passes |
7/9 (78%) |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Crosses (accurate) |
1 (0) |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Ground duels (won) |
9 (4) |
|
Possession lost |
7 |
|
Dribbled past |
2 |
|
Dribble attempts (successful) |
3 (0) |
|
All Stats via Sofascore |
|
Moreover, his inexperience showed somewhat at Villa Park, as he struggled to assert himself on the game and eventually came off the pitch in the 87th minute, having made just seven passes and failing in 100% of his dribbles.
Moreover, with Brennan Johnson still the team’s top scorer in all competitions this term, with 17 in 49 games, it should go without saying that he should be starting on the right ahead of everyone else.
Given the underwhelming nature of the game, there are a few other players you could bring up who should probably be taken out of the team for the final, like Archie Gray, Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and more.
Yet, in this instance, we are talking about another starter in the attack: Mathys Tel.
The young Frenchman might well be one of the more exciting players in the Lilywhites’ squad, with some at the club reportedly labelling him a “generational talent” before he arrived in February, but against the Villans, he didn’t do enough to convince us he should keep his place in the team for tonight’s monumental clash.
|
Tel’s game vs Villa |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
96′ |
|
Expected Goals |
0.00 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Expected Assists |
0.15 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Accurate passes |
12/14 (86%) |
|
Key passes |
1 |
|
Crosses (accurate) |
1 (0) |
|
Shots on target |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
Dribble attempts (successful) |
5 (1) |
|
Duels (won) |
14 (4) |
|
Possession lost |
11 |
|
Fouls |
4 |
|
All Stats via Sofascore |
|
For example, despite leading the line for 96 minutes, he failed to take a single shot on target, registered just 0.15 expected assists, failed in 80% of his attempted dribbles, completed only 12 passes, failed in 100% of his crosses, missed one big chance, lost ten of 14 duels, lost the ball 11 times and committed four fouls.
Add to that the fact that he’s scored just three goals and provided one assist in 19 appearances for the club this season, and it’s almost impossible to make a convincing argument about why he should lead the line against the Red Devils.
Moreover, Dominic Solanke, the man who should come in to replace him, has been far more effective in front of goal this season, scoring 15 goals and providing eight assists in 43 appearances.
Ultimately, Tel could still be a useful asset for Spurs in tonight’s final, but to get the most out of him, Postecoglou would be better off starting him on the bench and then bringing him on later into the match as things get stretched so that he can exploit the opening spaces with his pace.
Ange can fix Kulu & Bergvall blow by unleashing Spurs "monster" in new role
The gifted international could be the answer for Spurs.
By
Jack Salveson Holmes
May 20, 2025
Already thinking about the summer transfer window even as the race for Champions League football goes down to the wire, Aston Villa are now reportedly readying a formal move to sign a La Liga talent at the request of Unai Emery.
Aston Villa's Champions League hope
With three Premier League games to go, no one around Villa Park can complain that Emery’s side aren’t doing their bit in the race to secure Champions League qualification. The Villans have won four of their last five Premier League games in a run that includes a 2-1 victory over rivals Nottingham Forest.
Now, as the season begins to conclude, Aston Villa sit seventh and three points behind a Chelsea side that must slip up if those in the Midlands are to pull off a last-gasp push for top five. Given that the Blues face Newcastle United this weekend and then Manchester United before squaring off against Forest on the final day, however, Emery’s side should still hold plenty of hope that their fate could change.
Whilst Chelsea square off against Newcastle, United and then Forest, Villa have an easier run on paper in comparison. The Midlands club travel to Bournemouth this weekend before playing host to a Tottenham Hotspur side sat in the depths of the bottom half and then Amorim’s United side facing similar problems. Whether nine points from nine is enough to take them into the top five remains to be seen, however.
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That said, whether Villa secure Champions League football or miss out in the next three games, it looks as though sporting director Monchi is already planning for another busy summer transfer window.
Aston Villa readying formal Moleiro move
According to reports in Spain, Monchi is now readying a formal Aston Villa move to sign Alberto Moleiro from Las Palmas following a direct request from Emery. The midfielder has enjoyed another impressive campaign in Spain and could now be on his way to the Midlands.
No matter how much Emery believes that Moleiro is the perfect fit for his side, however, a deal is unlikely to come cheap this summer amid reports that the Spaniard has a release clause worth €60m (£51m) in his current contract.
The big question will be whether Aston Villa can afford that in the coming months and just how big a part missing out on Champions League football would play in pursuit of the midfielder. His ability to step into the Premier League, meanwhile, is something that should not be questioned.
At 21 years old, Moleiro has earned impressive praise from the likes of football talent scout Jacek Kulig, who praised the Las Palmas star for his “silky” touch in 2023.
Last night was arguably Tottenham Hotspur’s biggest game of the season so far, and things did not entirely go to plan.
Ange Postecoglou’s side played host to Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final, and instead of building up a lead ahead of the second leg, they played out a 1-1 draw.
Unsurprisingly, given the scoreline, it was a night of mixed performances from the hosts, with some starters putting in a real shift while others have given the manager a decision to make ahead of next week.
1
Goals
1
0.89
Expected Goals
0.36
57%
Possession
43%
2
Big Chances
1
10
Total Shots
4
1
Saves
5
9
Corners
3
8
Tackles
21
528
Passes
410
In fact, one of Ange’s own signings was particularly poor, and truth be told, they let the manager down in a game which could seriously impact his job security.
Spurs' standout performers
So, before getting to the offender in question, it’s worth going over a couple of the starters who did at least put in a real effort and arguably deserved to come away with a win, such as Micky van de Ven.
The Dutch defender was immense at the back, making his trademark lung-busting runs on more than one occasion to completely snuff out counter-attacks.
Had it not been for the former Wolfsburg gem, there is a very real chance that Frankfurt could’ve got one or two more goals, and so he’s more than deserving of the 8/10 match rating he got from the Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick.
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James Maddison was another of Ange’s signings who put in a decent performance last night.
Now, he did lose the ball that led to the visitors’ opener, but after the first 15 minutes or so, he really found his feet and looked a genuine threat for much of the game.
The former Leicester City star got the assist for Pedro Porro’s goal and could have had one of his own in the second half, which, again, justifies the 7/10 match rating he got from Kilpatrick.
Unfortunately, one of Postecoglou’s other signings was far less influential last night, and as such, they let the fans and manager down.
The Spurs star who let Ange down
While the likes of Dominic Solanke and Son Heung-min were underwhelming last night, Brennan Johnson was arguably the worst Spurs player on the pitch.
It was only on Sunday that the Welsh international scored a brace against Southampton, so it made sense for Postecoglou to start him, but unlike then, the former Nottingham Forest star was utterly anonymous against Frankfurt.
In fact, it felt like whenever the “frustrating” wide man, as dubbed by former professional turned pundit Jamie O’Hara, did have the ball, he either lost it or played it safe, and then when he had a golden opportunity towards the end, he fired the ball well over the crossbar.
It might sound harsh, but Kilpatrick shares our opinion, awarding the winger a paltry 4/10 match rating at full-time and writing that aside from his big miss, he ‘was otherwise quiet.’
Unsurprisingly, his statistics only further back up this narrative, as in 95 minutes of action, the 23-year-old ace amassed a combined expected goal plus assists figure of 0.15 and failed to have a single shot on target.
To make matters worse, the Welshman only had 32 touches, completed just 13 passes – three fewer than goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario – and failed with 100% of his crosses during a really wasteful evening.
Minutes
95′
Expected Goals
0.14
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.01
Assists
0
Shots on Target
0
Touches
32
Passing Accuracy
13/18 (72%)
Key Passes
0
Crosses (Accurate)
2 (0)
Long Balls (Accurate)
2 (1)
Lost Possession
11
Fouls
2
Ultimately, it was a middling night for Tottenham overall but a particularly bad one for Johnson, and if Postecoglou wants to see a better performance from his side in the second leg, he’d be better off dropping the Welshman.
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