All posts by n8rngtd.top

[ad_pod ]

It was always going to be a difficult task for Arsenal to go to Anfield and get something from the game against Liverpool on Saturday evening.

The Gunners had started the season positively, winning their first two games, but they were clearly second-best against the Reds and ended up losing 3-1, with Mohamed Salah scoring twice and Joel Matip bagging the other.

AFTV’s Robbie has his say on Arsenal’s owners in the video below…

Still, the Emirates outfit are unlikely to come up against many better sides this campaign and should still be able to recover from this setback, although they do face another tough fixture against bitter north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur next weekend.

However, some Arsenal fans have seen enough, especially from manager Unai Emery. There is a portion of the Arsenal fanbase who have even called for the former Sevilla boss to be sacked from his position.

The supporters have taken to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

[ad_pod ]

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Celtic are reportedly set to offer Callum McGregor a new contract to fend off “interest from Europe’s elite clubs”, per Football Insider.

What’s the story?

According to Football Insider, the Hoops want to make the midfielder one of the highest earners at the club after he has attracted interest from the Premier League and Europe.

The report claims a club source expects the 26 year-old to be offered new terms worth £35,000-a-week in an effort to award his fantastic consistency.

McGregor played the most minutes of any player in world football for club and country in 2018/19 and was heavily linked with Brendan Rodgers’ Leicester this summer.

Is it enough?

It’s about time. A new deal for McGregor is richly deserved, after the Scotland international featured in a whopping 59 games for the Hoops last season.

However, one has to question if this is enough.

He racked up six goals and sixteen assists, and delving deeper into the numbers reveals just how effective he is in his natural position.

Of those 59 games, 21 were played in central midfield, while 15 came in a more advanced role, three came deeper in midfield and there were quite a few showings from both flanks as well, with one appearance at left-back.

In the 21 appearances as an out-and-out central midfielder, he scored twice and assisted nine times, meaning he directly contributes to more than a goal every two games, a superb rate for a box-to-box midfielder.

So, while his durability and versatility are of course some of his biggest assets, how long is he going to accept being thrown all over the pitch when he is so good in his actual position?

If ever a player deserved a new contract and pay rise, it’s ‘CalMac’, but with the report claiming “elite clubs” are circling, the Hoops may have to up the price even more, or at least guarantee the fan favourite that he will play in his natural role nine times out of ten.

The man who topped the worldwide list in minutes played last season should not be “one of” the highest earners at Parkhead, he should be the highest earner. £35,000-a-week may not be enough to stave off the interest from elsewhere.

[ad_pod ]

[ad_pod ]

Some Tottenham fans have taken to Twitter to discuss a report from The Daily Mail that states Mauricio Pochettino rejected the chance to swap contract rebel Christian Eriksen for Paulo Dybala this summer.

The north Londoners were in talks to sign the Argentina international from Juventus but the move failed to materialise after the Italian champions decided that they no longer wanted to sell the 25-year-old.

In Eriksen’s case, the Dane is refusing to sign a new contract with Spurs and could still leave before the window for European clubs ends on September 2nd.

Pochettino reportedly declined the transfer proposal as he was hoping Eriksen would sign a new deal, although that now looks extremely unlikely.

The former Southampton boss may well have made a big mistake.

Juventus are now plotting to snatch the former Ajax playmaker on a free transfer next summer, as too are Barcelona.

Let’s see how some Spurs fans on Twitter reacted to the news…

[ad_pod ]

Nicholas Pooran opts out; Russell, Roston Chase and Brandon King to miss Ireland leg of tour

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jun-2025West Indies have recalled Jason Holder and Andre Russell to their T20I squad to face England, but they will be without Nicholas Pooran after he asked to be rested for the tour following his involvement at the IPL.West Indies will take on England in three T20Is following the conclusion of their ODI series at The Oval on Tuesday. They will then return to Ireland, where they began their white-ball tour last month, for another three-T20I series – although they have opted to rest several members of the playing and coaching staff, including Russell, from that leg.Holder last played T20Is for his country in February 2024, having been forced to miss the World Cup later in the year through injury. Russell’s most recent appearance came against England in Barbados in November, when he suffered an ankle problem that kept him out of the rest of the series.Related

• Carty: 'I'm not just proud to be here, it's time to be impactful'

• Shepherd, the most dangerous class of T20 finisher

The England series will be West Indies’ first since Shai Hope replaced Rovman Powell as T20I captain.Powell, who oversaw a 3-0 defeat at home to Bangladesh in his final series in charge, retained his spot in the squad but there was no room for allrounders Justin Greaves, Shamar Springer or Terrance Hinds.Sherfane Rutherford is back after missing the Bangladesh series, like Hope, while at the Big Bash League.Keacy Carty will only be involved in the Ireland T20Is, replacing Brandon King after the latter was granted leave, while new Test captain Roston Chase will also depart after the England series in order to return to the Caribbean ahead of Australia’s tour. Jyd Goolie, a former West Indies Under-19, won his first call-up in Chase’s place.West Indies will hold a Test training camp in Barbados from June 13-21 ahead of the first Test against Australia, starting on June 25. Daren Sammy, recently appointed as head coach across all formats, and assistants Floyd Reifer and Ravi Rampaul will also return home early, with Rayon Griffith taking the reins for the Ireland T20Is.

West Indies men’s T20I squad to play England

Shai Hope (capt), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

West Indies men’s T20I squad to play Ireland

Shai Hope (capt), Keacy Carty, Johnson Charles, Matthew Forde, Jyd Goolie, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Having enjoyed a decent five-month loan spell at Arsenal in the back end of last season, Mikel Arteta and Edu clearly felt that they had seen enough of Martin Odegaard to splash some considerable cash on the 23-year-old’s permanent signing, with the Gunners parting with an initial £30m – plus £4m in bonuses – for the Real Madrid attacking midfielder last summer.

It is not difficult to understand why the Arsenal hierarchy felt the Norway international would be worth this outlay, as, over his 14 Premier League appearances last term, the youngster was in very respectable form, scoring one goal, providing two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.4 key passes and taking 1.1 shots per game.

These returns saw the former Stromsgodset IF starlet average a SofaScore match rating of 6.89, ranking him as Arteta’s joint 11th-best performer in the top flight of English football last term.

As such, with £30m not exactly being ridiculous money in today’s market – Odegaard’s signing ranks him as the 113th-most expensive in Premier League history – the outlay appeared to be a fair reflection of the 23-year-old’s contributions in the previous campaign.

However, since putting pen to paper on a permanent deal at the Emirates, the Norwegian playmaker has taken his game to the next level, with Odegaard having been one of Arsenal’s most influential players in 2021/22.

Indeed, over his 23 Premier League outings so far this season, the £79k-per-week sensation has been in breathtaking form, bagging five goals, registering three assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 1.9 key passes and taking 1.2 shots per game.

These metrics have seen the player who Next Generation Arsenal dubbed “incredible” and Yannick Bolasie labelled a “baller” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as the Gunners’ joint third-best player in the league – behind only Aaron Ramsdale and Emile Smith Rowe.

As such, considering the fact that CIES now value Odegaard at a whopping £59m – almost double what Arsenal paid for him just seven months ago, it is clear to see that Edu really did strike gold on the Norwegian wizard.

AND in other news: Forget Patino: Arteta could discover Arsenal’s next Saka in “phenomenal” Hale End gem

Bangladesh, on the other hand, will be aware of how unfavourably their big-hitting appears to compare

Danyal Rasool29-May-2025

Big picture

The Mike Hesson era in Pakistan cricket began just about as well as could be expected, Pakistan’s complete performance giving them a straightforward victory over Bangladesh. More than the result, it was the mindset Salman Agha’s side took into the game that suggests it may be the start of something promising. Despite the loss of two early wickets and a sluggish start, the Pakistan batters continued to attack, and Nos. 3-6 produced scores between 31 and 56. Crucially, all of them boasted strike rates between 164 and 200, when traditionally an anchoring role in the middle may have chipped a chunk off their total.Topping it up was a complete bowling performance, too. Bangladesh were never allowed to keep pace with the asking rate as Pakistan continued to bruise them with regular wickets. The returning Hasan Ali continued the form he produced in the PSL, his career-best figures of 5 for 30 the cherry on top of a perfect Pakistan start.For Bangladesh, the picture is significantly less rosy. A bright start with the ball was a false dawn as the visitors found themselves outplayed through much of the rest of the game. Most notably, it was their spinners – a skillset Bangladesh rightly take pride in – who found themselves rendered ineffective, Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain leaking 91 in their eight overs.With Pakistan adopting a big-hitting power game, Bangladesh will also be aware of how unfavourably their own appears to compare. Pakistan’s bowling attack is by no means the most economical, but tellingly, Bangladesh appeared unable to take the attack to them early, consequently easing pressure off the bowlers. Flashes from captain Litton Das and Jaker Ali weren’t nearly substantial enough and received little support from their team-mates as Bangladesh crumpled to defeat.However, Pakistan’s new system is still finding its feet, with the variance between a good performance and a poor one likely significant. Bangladesh’s game style offers a more stable level of baseline performance, one that, should they reproduce in either of the remaining games, could see them give Pakistan trouble.

Form guide

Pakistan WLLWL (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)
Bangladesh LLLWW

In the spotlight

The only downside for Pakistan during a fairly complete performance was Haris Rauf’s figures of 0 for 36 in three. The Lahore Qalandars fast bowler had a difficult PSL in terms of economy, a poor run that appears to have continued into this series. Even when he bowled towards the tail-end of the game with the jeopardy taken out, he found himself being targeted by Jaker, and ended up as the most expensive fast bowler on either side. At his best, Haris has offered precious control in the middle and later overs of T20 innings, and for a more rounded bowling attack, Pakistan need him to rediscover that prowess.Jaker Ali is one of the few in-form batters for Bangladesh•Randy Brooks

Jaker Ali struck some meaty blows on Wednesday, once more confirming his growing stature as a gritty, aggressive cricketer. His penchant for refusing to give up in difficult situations has seen regard for him improve within Bangladesh cricket circles, and in a side where big hitting is in short supply, Jaker fills a crucial hole. He is also one of the few in-form batters in the side, and it would not be a surprise if he earns a promotion up the order.

Team news

While Pakistan may use this series to try things out, they may not want to tweak much after a well-rounded performance in the first game. If anything, Abbas Afridi may come in for Haris Rauf.Pakistan (probable): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Mohammad Haris (wk), 4 Hasan Nawaz, 5 Salman Agha (capt), 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Khushdil Shah, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Haris Rauf/Abbas Afridi, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Abrar AhmedBangladesh may want to bring Najmul Hossain Shanto back into the XI, but it isn’t who played and who didn’t that resulted in Wednesday’s defeat so much as a flat performance across the board.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Parvez Hossain Emon, 3 Litton Das (capt), 4 Towhid Hridoy, 5 Jaker Ali (wk), 6 Shamim Hossain, 7 Mahedi Hasan, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan, 10 Hasan Mahmud, 11 Shoriful IslamTowhid Hridoy rebuilt slowly for Bangladesh•Associated Press

Pitch and conditions

The weather conditions are unlikely to change, with hot and dry weather expected throughout the series. A fresh pitch will be used, but expect the same old batting-friendly conditions.

Stats and trivia

• The 201 Pakistan posted on Wednesday was their highest T20I total at the Gaddafi Stadium
• Bangladesh have only once won a T20I series where they lost the first game, against West Indies in 2018

Quotes

“I’d like to dedicate this performance, above all, to myself. The amount of hard work I’ve done, I should give credit to myself, too.”

[ad_pod ]

Tottenham endured a frustrating afternoon against Newcastle on Sunday afternoon as they were halted in their tracks by Steve Bruce’s men.

The Magpies opened the scoring through Joelinton who bagged his first for the club and Spurs fans weren’t left best pleased with the performance of one man.

That happened to be Harry Winks who was berated on Twitter for a display in which he picked up a yellow card.

Christian Eriksen didn’t start the game and perhaps he may have been a better choice judging by the reaction of some supporters.

One fan described Winks as the master of the sideways pass, seemingly unhappy with the way he plays the game.

A further individual claimed that he’d dropped a 3/10 performance in every single match this campaign. Further criticism was thrown his way as one described the 23-year-old as someone who couldn’t tackle, create or score goals.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Winks has started in all three of Spurs’ Premier League matches this term but is yet to register a goal or an assist.

Here’s what Tottenham fans have been saying about him.

[ad_pod ]

“It was a big moment,” as Stephen Fleming put it, and CSK lost it because of their batters – Dewald Brevis and Ravindra Jadeja – not being alert enough

Ashish Pant04-May-20253:10

Brevis’ late review down to lack of game awareness?

On an evening where the contest ebbed and flowed all the way through, there was also a contentious decision, which led to a long argument in the middle at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.The incident took place on the third ball of the 17th over of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) chase of 214 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Lungi Ngidi bowled a knee-high full toss on middle and leg stump. Dewald Brevis missed, and was hit on the pad. The umpire’s finger went up in a jiffy. As per the rules, the ball became dead at that point, and the 15-second timer kicked off.However, Brevis and his partner Ravindra Jadeja, seemingly unsure of what was happening, continued running the single, and the fielder fired in a direct hit at the non-striker’s end from the point region. After a bit, Brevis chatted with Jadeja and asked for a review only to be told that the 15-second time limit had elapsed.Related

• Shepherd, the most dangerous class of T20 finisher

• Mhatre has 'everything we like about a modern-day T20 player'

• Dhoni: 'I should have converted a couple of more shots'

• Dayal trumps CSK in last over again to take RCB to the top

It led to an argument with Jadeja and Brevis on one side and the on-field umpires Nitin Menon and Mohit Krishnadas on the other. Eventually, a disgruntled Brevis had to walk back for a first-ball duck. To add to CSK’s misery, replays confirmed that Ngidi’s delivery was comfortably sliding down leg and Brevis would have been saved had he taken the review on time.”Yeah, it was a big moment,” Stephen Fleming, the CSK coach said after the game. “In talking to Jaddu [Jadeja] and Brevis, there was a lot going on with running straight away. I think they saw the ball ricochet and actually went to the boundary for four. And lost in that was whether Brevis took the review in time. I don’t know the answer to that. He wasn’t sure, given that they were running at the time.”As soon as you’re given out, I understand the timer starts. There was a fair bit eaten up with the play still being completed, and whether they just ran out of time… in the umpire’s view, it did. The other part about it, because he was given out, we wouldn’t have got the runs. While we would have maintained the wicket, it certainly wouldn’t have given us the five runs, which would have been nice.”But it’s a big moment in a big game. There was twists and turns all the way through.”According to the IPL 2025 playing conditions, “The total time elapsed between the ball becoming dead and the review request being made shall be no more than 15 seconds. If the on-field umpires believe that a request has not been made within the 15-second time limit, they shall decline the request for a player review.”Dewald Brevis is struck high on the pads off a Lungi Ngidi full toss•BCCI

ESPNcricinfo’s match experts felt that it was a case of “lack of awareness” on Brevis and Jadeja’s part.”Why are you saving your reviews? Do you cash those in? Do you get some money at the end of the game?” Danny Morrison said on ESPNcricinfo’s Time Out show, while suggesting that it was a “mistake” from Brevis and Jadeja to not go for the review right away.Piyush Chawla had a similar view, especially with Brevis being an in-form batter.”You don’t need to discuss. Three-and-a-half overs left, two reviews remaining, you could have gone for the review straightaway,” he said. “When you are batting, with the angles, as a batter you also know it might slide [down the leg side] because of the rule sometimes when it hits directly onto your pads, from there they take it straight with the tracker.”Brevis had scores of 42 and 32 in two innings coming into the game. When he fell, CSK required 42 off 21 balls, but they fell short by two runs in a tense finish.

Shami came away with 4-0-75-0, the most-expensive spell by an Indian bowler in the IPL

Shashank Kishore12-Apr-20253:42

How can SRH turn it around from here?

A peerless 36-ball 82 from Shreyas Iyer, an early turbocharge from Priyansh Arya that brought him 36 off just 13 balls in a 66-run opening stand with Prabhsimran Singh were the key drivers in another dominating batting performance from Punjab Kings (PBKS) against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in IPL 2025 in Uppal.PBKS threatened to blaze past 250 halfway into the innings, but then appeared to fall well short of that mark at one point as Harshal Patel picked up the big wickets of Iyer and Glenn Maxwell in a gun 18th over – he finished with 4 for 42.Then Marcus Stoinis, who hadn’t made much of an impact with the bat until Saturday, got stuck into Mohammed Shami, hitting him for four consecutive sixes in the final over that went for 27 as PBKS finished with 245 for 6.Shami’s 4-0-75-0 is the most expensive spell by an Indian bowler – and the second-most expensive spell overall – in the IPL. This meant SRH needed to pull off the second-highest run chase in IPL history to break their sequence of four straight losses in IPL 2025.PBKS had raised their fifty in just three overs – the joint-fastest with RCB in IPL 2025 – courtesy the openers. Prabhsimran hit Shami for three back-to-back fours in his first over, and Arya followed suit when he nonchalantly flicked Cummins for six in his first.Harshal, generally used at the death, was brought on early to try and stem the run flow, and he delivered in his very first over when he had Arya hack an offcutter to the longer leg-side boundary with Nitish Reddy taking the skier at mid-on. At the other end, Eshan Malinga gave a good account of himself on IPL debut, picking up an early wicket by removing Prabhsimran, shortly after he was dropped by Abhishek Sharma at extra cover on 38.Eshan showed versatility by bowling 140kph and also dropping his pace. He also bowled reverse-swinging yorkers to Iyer, who looked in imperious form. Pulling, cutting and hitting spinners on the rise, and clearing the boundaries effortlessly, Iyer brought up a 22-ball fifty, his fastest in the IPL.Iyer made the most of a reprieve on 42 when legspinner Zeeshan Ansari was unlucky to not have him caught at long-off, where Abhishek misjudged a catch and came too far in, before running back to catch, only to palm the ball over.Iyer put together 73 off just 40 balls with Nehal Wadhera, who used the arcs behind square to good effect during his 27, before he was lbw to Malinga who finished with 2 for 45 in his four overs.Shashank Singh’s promotion ahead of a struggling Maxwell didn’t pay off as Harshal had him lbw, before Maxwell and Iyer also fell in his final over. Stoinis then muscled four sixes to give them the momentum they seemed to have lost earlier at the death.

Kylian Mbappe has warned Real Madrid’s rivals that he is “hungry for more” after opening his Liga goal account for the Blancos at the fourth attempt.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Scored on debut in UEFA Super Cup
• Then went three games without a goal
• Bagged match-winning brace vs Betis

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  After netting on his debut for the Spanish giants in a UEFA Super Cup victory over Atalanta, the World Cup winner posted a blank through three outings in La Liga. The France international attracted criticism for his toothless performances, with the expectation being that he would be a prolific presence for Carlo Ancelotti.

Advertisement

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbappe is now showing that he can be just that, with a match-winning brace recorded in a 2-0 win over Real Betis. Those efforts came in front of an adoring new fan base at Santiago Bernabeu, with the 25-year-old forward proving what he is capable of.

• WHAT MBAPPE SAID

  Having broken his duck, Mbappe will be hoping that there are many more goals to come. He believes that will be the case and has told those preparing to cross his path that he is now “hungry for more” as he looks to enjoy a productive first season in the Spanish capital.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT?

  Mbappe became Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time leading scorer before severing ties with them as a free agent, with the target found on 256 occasions for the Ligue 1 heavyweights. Having committed to a five-year contract with Real, he will fancy his chances of becoming a centurion for them as well.