Dewsbury-Hall repeat: PL talent ready to leave his club with Everton keen

Everton are now reportedly keeping close tabs on a Premier League gem who’s been compared to Aston Villa’s Jadon Sancho.

Everton ready to pounce in Zirkzee race

Everton’s January transfer window may well centre around Premier League talent. The Toffees already enjoyed great success in the summer when they welcomed out-of-favour stars Jack Grealish and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. Now, The Friedkin Group could look to repeat that act of genius.

Despite the fact that Thierno Barry finally scored his first goal for the club against Nottingham Forest last time out, it seems as though those in Merseyside still intend to target an attacking reinforcement.

Reports have even gone as far as to claim that they’re ready to pounce in the race to sign Joshua Zirkzee from Manchester United in January. The forward has fallen down the pecking order since the arrivals of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Benjamin Sesko, but could have his season saved by the Toffees.

Zirkzee may have struggled at Old Trafford, but Grealish and Dewsbury-Hall are living proof that a move to Merseyside can quickly revive a career.

Patrick Boyland heaps praise on "brilliant" Everton star who gave Barry first goal

The Toffees made it back-to-back wins.

ByTom Cunningham 6 days ago

Even if Barry now kicks on, David Moyes could do with that extra attacking addition, given that Beto is yet to show signs that he’ll become a viable goalscoring option for Everton.

That’s not to say Zirkzee is their only target, however. Alongside the Man United forward, the Toffees have also reportedly set their sights on signing Chelsea’s young, versatile winger, Tyrique George.

Like Zirkzee, the youngster has fallen out of favour at Stamford Bridge and is now looking to leave Chelsea when the winter window swings open in less than a month.

Everton keeping close tabs on Tyrique George

According to TeamTalk, Everton are now eyeing a move to sign George and have joined Leeds United in the early race to secure the 19-year-old’s signature.

Compared to Sancho by Italian media, George wouldn’t be the first struggling Chelsea star to find life at Everton. His former teammate, Dewsbury-Hall has undeniably thrived since arriving in Merseyside.

Ultimately, fresh faces have forced George down the pecking order in West London, but Enzo Maresca was certainly impressed by the teenager last season.

The Chelsea boss told reporters after George’s display against Man United in May: “Very good. Very good. Brave. He was a threat in behind. Not easy for him because on the other side you have Maguire, you have Lindelof, you have Shaw.

“He was fighting against important defenders. But again, we tried to find a solution with a player from the academy. Overall I think also he had the penalty moment, so he works quite good.”

Whether it’s Everton or Leeds, both would benefit from George’s arrival in the January transfer window and the striker himself desperately needs senior minutes if he is to kick on.

Carmichael, Neill, Murad sparkle on day of the debutants

Three promising players, and an umpire, made their Test debuts in Sylhet

Mohammad Isam11-Nov-2025It was the day of the debutants in Sylhet. Cade Carmichael, 23, and Jordan Neill, 19, provided a glimpse into Ireland’s future while 24-year-old Hasan Murad showed why he’s a highly-rated left-arm spinner in Bangladesh domestic cricket. Australian umpire Sam Nogajski also made a sound start to his Test career as an umpire.At the end of the first day’s play, there was no discussion about Nogajski, which should serve as good news for the debuting umpire. The three rookie players headlined the day with their strong first impressions.Carmichael scored 59 off 129 balls from No.3 while Neill made 30 off 60 balls from No.8. Murad, meanwhile, returned 2 for 47 in his 20 overs.Carmichael proved the perfect foil for the aggressive Paul Stirling during their 96-run partnership. He struck the ball sweetly to go with some flourish in his followthrough. Ireland then suffered a middle-order slump but despite wickets falling at the other end, Neill batted confidently.Gary Wilson, the Ireland batting coach, said that both Carmichael and Neill earned their places in the Test side.”I think they’re both very, very exciting talents,” Wilson said. “I think that they both performed well. They acquitted themselves very well in Test-match cricket and showed good method at times. They dealt with some pretty good bowling upfront from Bangladesh. I think they can be relatively pleased with their Test debuts.”Carmichael was born in South Africa where he attended Kearsney College, known for producing international cricketers like Andrew Hudson, Kyle Abott and Chad Bowes. Carmichael, however, played most of his formative cricket in Ireland. He was impressive in his lead-up to the ODI debut in May this year, before he made many others sit up and take notice of his talent in his first foray into Test cricket in Sylhet.Like Carmichael, Neill was born in South Africa but played most of his formative cricket in Ireland.”I think they’re the future, but I also think that they’re the now. They are playing on their own merit,” Wilson said. “Cade has come off the back of heavy scoring in domestic. He has good attributes that we like. He looked very accomplished on his ODI debut against West Indies earlier in the year.”[Carmichael] is someone that we have high hopes for. He looks like a very good player. He is only 23. Jordan is only 20 [19]. They are both players for the future and hopefully they can go and have long careers, but they’re also players for the right now.”Related

  • Ireland let advantage slip as Mehidy, Murad pull game into balance

  • Injured Ross Adair ruled out of Bangladesh T20Is

As for Murad, he showcased his accuracy and flight, skills that have fetched him a bagful of domestic wickets, when he dismissed Curtis Campher and Lorcan Tucker. Murad is one of only three bowlers to take 150 first-class wickets in Bangladesh since 2021, the others being the Test bowlers Taijul Islam and Nayeem Hasan.”I thought [the Bangladesh spinners] bowled accurately,” Wilson said. “It didn’t spin a huge amount in the first couple of sessions and then we began to see more spin towards the end of the day. They made us play if we wanted to take an attacking option. There wasn’t many freebies on board. They made us work for our runs.”Murad faces stiff competition from Taijul Islam and Mehidy Hasan Miraz who are Bangladesh’s first choice spinners in home Tests while Nayeem has been their designated understudy since 2018. There’s also hope that wristspinner Rishad Hossain will make the step-up to Test cricket soon while the likes of Nasum Ahmed and Tanvir Islam are white-ball regulars.Bangladesh, though, need to prepare for life after Taijul, who will turn 34 next February. They are already without Shakib Al Hasan for more than a year, so now it’s time to look into the future and groom Murad.

Chelsea women's player ratings vs Roma: Wieke Kaptein and Johanna Rytting Kaneryd impress as Blues blow Italians away in Champions League cruise

Chelsea cruised to an emphatic 6-0 win over Roma in the Champions League on Wednesday. An own goal set the Blues on their way to victory before Johanna Rytting Kaneryd teed up Wieke Kaptein and added a goal of her own to put the hosts in control at the break. Substitutes Sjoeke Nusken and Maika Hamano extended Chelsea's lead in the second half before Lucy Bronze wrapped up the win in some style late on.

Roma started the game in positive fashion, but went behind in unfortunate circumstances when Sandy Baltimore fired in a cross from the left which beat Sam Kerr but not defender Valentina Bergamaschi, who thumped a header past her own goalkeeper with only 13 minutes on the clock.

Chelsea promptly took control and added a second through Kaptein. A well-worked move saw Keira Walsh ping a glorious diagonal ball through to Rytting Kaneryd to head back across goal for Kaptein to drill home for 2-0.

Rytting Kaneryd was involved again just before half-time as Chelsea put the game out of Roma’s reach. Veerle Burman got the Blues going with an incisive pass through to Niamh Charles to run onto and deliver into the box. Kerr saw her shot from close range parried only as far as Rytting Kaneryd, who fired high into the net at the far post.

With Chelsea 3-0 up at the break, manager Sonia Bompastor made three changes by sending on Lexi Potter, Nusken, and Hamano and saw the Blues win a penalty in the opening minutes of the second period. Substitute Nusken won the kick and promptly despatched the penalty to extend Chelsea's lead and make it 4-0.

Yet Chelsea remained hungry for goals and simply kept on attacking. Hamano added Chelsea's fifth after good work from fellow substitute Guro Reiten before Bronze sealed the victory with an outrageous effort in the dying minutes.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Livia Peng (7/10):

Didn't have much to do in truth, but did put in a crucial challenge to deny Pandini in the first half and made a late block to preserve her clean sheet.

Lucy Bronze (8/10):

Showed her experience up against Pandini and Pilgrim, who got very little out of the right-back. Grabbed Chelsea's sixth of the night with a brilliant effort that may well have been a cross but certainly thrilled the home fans.

Millie Bright (7/10):

Solid at the back and played some dangerous balls forward.

Veerle Burman (8/10):

A really impressive showing. Very strong defensively and played a brilliant pass through to Charles to send Chelsea away for the third goal.

Niamh Charles (8/10):

Another player who enjoyed herself against Roma. Had a fine battle with former team-mate Babajide and grabbed an assist for the third.

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Catarina Macario (6/10):

Lost a few balls early on but also produced some incisive passes and put in a great cross in for Kerr who somehow managed to miss from close range. One of three changes at half-time with Chelsea already 3-0 up.

Keira Walsh (7/10):

Set up the second goal with a wonderful diagonal ball that opened Roma up. Another player given a breather with the game won at the break.

Wieke Kaptein (8/10):

Fired home Chelsea's second of the night with fine finish and might have scored a second but put an effort just over the bar.

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Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (8/10):

Teed up Chelsea's second goal in fine style with a header back across goal. Also bagged the third with an emphatic finish from close range.

Sam Kerr (7/10):

Missed a couple of good chances but was heavily involved in everything. Lovely dummy to allow Kaptein to score Chelsea's second. 

Sandy Baltimore (7/10):

Great ball in from the left which Bergamaschi headed home to gift Chelsea the lead. Caused problems down the left throughout the first half before being replaced at the break.

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Subs & Manager

Lexi Potter (7/10):

A really positive showing after coming on in the second half. Could have scored but was denied a first Chelsea goal by goalkeeper Lukasova.

Sjoeke Nusken (8/10):

Came on at the start of the second half and made a real impact. Won a penalty with her first involvement and made no mistake from the spot. Might have had a second but blazed over.

Maika Hamano(7/10):

Finished off Roma with a easy finish after good work from Reiten.

Oriane Jean-François (7/10):

Had a shot blocked with her first touch and put in some good challenges. 

Guro Reiten (7/10):

Replaced Kerr for the final stages and unselfishly set up Hermano for Chelsea's fifth.

Sonia Bompastor (8/10):

A fairly perfect evening for the Chelsea boss, who saw her team completely outclass Roma. Was able to rest players with her team already 3-0 up at the break and saw her substitutes impress in the second half. Will also be pleased to see Kerr get 70 minutes under the belt.

روني منتقدًا محمد صلاح: يدمر إرثه في ليفربول وعلى أحد التحدث معه

انتقد واين روني، أسطورة نادي مانشستر يونايتد، محمد صلاح، نجم نادي ليفربول، وذلك بعد التصريحات الأخيرة التي أدلى بها الدولي المصري تجاه إدارة الريدز والمدرب آرني سلوت.

ويعتقد روني أن محمد صلاح يدمر إرثه في ليفربول بمثل هذه التصريحات، مشيرًا في الوقت ذاته إلى أنه على أحد الأشخاص الموجودين داخل النادي الإنجليزي التحدث معه سريعًا لحل هذه الأزمة.

وخرج محمد صلاح عن صمته بعد تعادل ليفربول مع ليدز يونايتد بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز يوم السبت الماضي 3-3، حيث كان الدولي المصري بديلًا في تلك المباراة.

ولم يشارك محمد صلاح ضد ليدز  ، حيث بقى ابن ال33 عامًا كبديل للمباراة الثالثة على التوالي مع ليفربول، مما جعل اللاعب يخرج عن صمته ويصرح بأن العلاقة مع سلوت قد تدمرت، وبأن إدارة الريدز لم تفي بالوعود التي قدمتها له.

وقال روني في تصريحات لبي بي سي سبورت: “لماذا تصرون على قول ذلك؟ محمد صلاح لاعب رائع مع ليفربول، كلاعب هو هادئ، ومنعزل”.

وأضاف روني في حديثه: “في العام الماضي أعرب عن استيائه الشديد لعدم عرض عقد جديد عليه، يستحق محمد صلاح الحصول على المبلغ الذي يستحقه. لكن لا يمكن قلب الأمور رأساً على عقب والتعبير عما قاله، كان ذلك إهانة لزملائه في الفريق، ولمديره، وللجماهير”.

وأوضح: “يمر الوقت علينا جميعًا، لم يكن محمد صلاح في أفضل حالاته هذا الموسم ولم يكن في أوج عطائه، من الواضح أن سلوت لاحظ ذلك ووضعه على مقاعد البدلاء”.

وأردف روني: “إنه أحد اللاعبين الأساسيين، إن لم يكن اللاعب الأهم في ليفربول خلال المواسم القليلة الماضية، نريد رؤيته يشمر عن ساعديه، أن تتباهى بالقول إنه ليس مضطرًا لكسب مكانه الأساسي في التشكيل؟ عليك أن تكون في أفضل حالاتك كل أسبوع للبقاء في الفريق”.

وتابع روني في حديثه عن محمد صلاح: “لو كنتُ زميله في الفريق لما كنت سعيدًا على الإطلاق بما قاله. هذا هو الوقت الذي يحتاجونه فيه أكثر من أي وقت مضى. بل على العكس، لقد أساء إلى ليفربول بكلامه”.

طالع .. إبراهيم حسن: محمد صلاح سيصنع التاريخ مع منتخب مصر في أمم إفريقيا

ثم نصح روني محمد صلاح قائلًا: “إما أن يتحدث إلى المدرب ويعلن موقفه، ويحاول تصحيح الأمور، أو أن يغادر النادي، يجب حل الأمر بسرعة”.

وقال: “إنه يدمر إرثه تمامًا، الإرث الذي كان بإمكانه تركه هائلا، أساطير ليفربول الذي هو من بينهم تمامًا، سيكون من المحزن أن يتخلى عن كل شيء، لقد أخطأ تمامًا”.

وأضاف روني في حديثه عن محمد صلاح: “سيحظى بالحماية بدءًا من الأسبوع المقبل حيث سيغيب لمشاركته مع منتخب مصر، أما بالنسبة للتوقيت، فقد فعل ذلك لسبب وجيه، إنه كان يدبر لإلقاء قنبلة ثم المغادرة مع مصر”.

وأوضح: “أعتقد أنه سيكون من الجيد لليفربول أن يبعد محمد صلاح عن الصورة حاليًا، على سلوت أن يظهر سلطته ويقول له لن تسافر مع الفريق، ما قلته غير مقبول، ودع الأمور تستقر”.

وأردف: “الأمر الصعب هو أنه عندما تكون لاعبًا وتصل إلى السن الذي ينخفض ​​فيه أداؤك تبحث عن أسباب، آخر شخص تنظر إليه هو نفسك. أعتقد أن هذا ما يحدث مع محمد صلاح، لم يكن أداؤه رائعًا. أنا متأكد أنه خلال العامين المقبلين، عندما يستذكر ما حدث، سيندم على ما قاله”.

وتابع: “هو وحده القادر على مساعدته في الخروج من هذا الوضع من خلال اللعب بشكل أفضل، بدلًا من النظر إلى نفسه، هو يبحث عن أي شيء يلقي عليه اللوم ”.

واستكمل: “لقد مررت بنفس التجربة مع جوزيه مورينيو. بدأت الموسم مع زلاتان إبراهيموفيتش لكنني كنت أعرف أنه عادةً ما يلعب بلاعب واحد في الهجوم”.

وواصل: “في أول ثلاث أو أربع مباريات أشرك مورينيو لاعبين منا، كنت أعرف أنه بمجرد أن ألعب بشكل سيء، لن ألعب، وسيكون زلاتان هو المهاجم”.

وقال: ”دخلتُ وتحدثتُ بصراحة مع جوزيه. طلبت منه الانتقال على سبيل الإعارة في يناير لأنني أردت اللعب، رفض لأنه كان بحاجة لي في الدوري الأوروبي، لكن كان بإمكاني الرحيل في الصيف”.

واختتم روني في حديثه: ”وقفت وصافحته ولم أشتكِ مرة أخرى. جلست على مقاعد البدلاء ولعبت بضع مباريات، كان حديثاً صريحاً، رجلان يتصافحان، وهو ما أعتقد أنه التصرف الصحيح وليس ما فعله صلاح”.

How Shohei Ohtani’s Ordinariness Allowed Him to Shake His Slump Spectacularly

LOS ANGELES — Two hours after the best player in the history of baseball played the best game in the history of baseball, he headed home from the office. Shohei Ohtani was not holding the National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player award or the 2025 World Series swag he had earned that night; the half-dozen members of his agency and his security team trailing him could handle that. And besides, his hands were full: He was pushing a Nuna stroller containing his six-month-old daughter and, in the basket below her, his Nederlandse Kooikerhondje. 

Almost more impressive than the feats Ohtani achieves on a nightly basis—the devastating splitters, the towering home runs, the fact that sometimes, as on Friday, three minutes pass between the two—is this: He is both the most and least normal person at the ballpark. 

The former posture helps him attain the latter performance. He spent two weeks listening to reporters, fans and his own manager question whether his pursuit of pitching greatness was hindering his mastery of hitting greatness. After an excellent regular season—a league-leading 1.014 OPS, plus a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings—he scuffled at the plate in the playoffs. In the National League Division Series, he was 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts, and his swing decisions mystified his bosses. 

“We’re not going to win the World Series with a performance like that,” manager Dave Roberts lamented before the NLCS began. 

Many wondered if Ohtani simply couldn’t sustain his success both hitting and pitching after early struggles in the playoffs. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Through the first few games of the series against the Brewers, the results weren’t much better: two hits and five strikeouts in 11 at-bats. The people around Ohtani began to see frustration, which he leavened with humor, but they say that—short of taking batting practice on the field at Dodger Stadium for the first time all year, during which he parked half the pitches he saw in the stands—he did not change his metronomic routine at all. On his start days, Ohtani tends toward “a little bit more focused and quiet,” says hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, but otherwise, says first baseman Freddie Freeman, he’s “goofy.” Ohtani plays pranks on coaches, drops swears in English at the perfect moments and teases teammates and opponents alike. He practices his Spanish with Dominican right fielder Teoscar Hernández. He plays video games on his phone. He hangs out with his family and stages photo shoots with his dog, Decoy. When he joined the Angels from Japan in 2018, and again when he joined the Dodgers last season, his teammates were most astonished not by his extraordinary abilities as a player but by his seeming ordinariness as a person.

That was who they saw amid his slump. He did the same hitting drills and the same scouting work. (His participation in hitters’ meetings typically amounts to reminding his teammates to look for a pitch “middle-middle.”) He reminded himself—and anyone who asked—that opponents were attacking him with lefties, and that although he was struggling, that strategy allowed the Dodgers’ right-handed stars, among them shortstop Mookie Betts and Hernández, to hit with the platoon advantage. 

When Japanese reporters asked Ohtani about Roberts’s comments, he said in Japanese, according to the , “The other way to say it is that if I hit, we will win.”

If that confidence ever wavered, he kept his doubts to himself. And why would he change anything? “I do feel like,” he pointed out through interpreter Will Ireton before NLCS Game 3, “I was able to just have a pretty good season offensively.” Teammates began predicting he would break out in Game 4—not because anything had changed, but because nothing had. 

You already know the rest: three home runs, six-plus innings of two-hit, 10-strikeout ball to set records no one even knew existed and to help the Dodgers capture the pennant. By the fourth inning, his teammates had stopped cheering and started laughing. Fans chanted M-V-P, presumably only because they could think of no higher award to grant him.

“A lot of times when you have expectations like he has, they’re just unattainable and you just never realize them,” said Roberts afterward. “Certainly the way he was struggling this postseason and not to let it affect him and keep his psyche, his confidence the same is really impressive. So we knew that he was going to come through at some point.”

Meanwhile, Ohtani made it less than 20 minutes before he left the champagne celebration to retreat to the clubhouse, shower, don a dry 2025 World Series T-shirt and baseball cap, and address the media. “There were times during the postseason where Teo and Mookie picked me up,” he said. “And this time around it was my turn to be able to perform.”

He returned to the field to celebrate briefly with his teammates, then shouted to his wife, Mamiko, who was waiting for him in her suite above the third base line. He trotted down the steps into the bowels of Dodger Stadium to reunite with his family. They gathered their passengers, both human and canine, and left the site of his most recent triumph, at which point he turned to his next task: selecting two photos of Decoy in front of a fall-themed backdrop to add to the 67-image gallery labeled “デコ” (a nickname for the pup) saved to his Instagram profile. The superhuman part of Ohtani’s night was over. He was back to being human.

Red Sox Expose Three of Yankees’ Flaws, Push Rivals to Brink of Early Elimination

NEW YORK — All season, the Yankees have looked toward October. After a 3–1 loss to the Red Sox in Game 1 of the best-of-three American League Wild Card series, they might get one day there. 

After a regular season that felt more precarious than the numbers would indicate—94 wins, tied for most in the AL; 849 runs scored, most in the majors—the Yankees’ 2025 campaign now resides on the brink. For most of the year, their talent washed away opponents. On Tuesday, the flaws that always lurked beneath the surface broke through. 

Their best player can’t throw. Their bullpen can’t preserve leads. Their manager sometimes seems to move without sufficient urgency at this time of year. All three sank them Tuesday. 

Things started out well: Their major offseason acquisition, lefty Max Fried, did everything the team could possibly have hoped for, scattering four hits and three walks over 6 ⅓ scoreless innings and twice pitching out of jams. Well, almost everything: Perhaps he could have gotten another batter or two. After the game, he said he believed he had more in the tank. But manager Aaron Boone was committed to sending him out only for the lefthanded Jarren Duran in the top of the seventh with a 1–0 lead, and then handing the ball to right-handed erstwhile closer Luke Weaver for the righties, beginning with Ceddanne Rafaela. 

“Felt like we were lined up,” Boone said.

A year ago—or even six months ago—that might have been true. Weaver was unhittable last season and had a 1.05 ERA over the first two months of this one, but after he missed 17 days with a strained left hamstring, that figure was 5.31. In seven career plate appearances against Weaver, Rafaela has a 1.762 OPS. Weaver got him to an 0–2 count, usually a good spot against a hitter who had the 18th-worst walk-to-strikeout ratio in baseball this year. But Weaver could not close. Nine pitches later, he left a four-seamer well outside, and Rafaela trotted to first. 

Up next came utilityman Nick Sogard. With a 1–1 count, Weaver made approximately the pitch he wanted—a changeup on the outside corner—but Sogard lined it up the middle. Neither center fielder Trent Grisham nor right fielder Aaron Judge charged the ball, and as Sogard sprinted around first, Judge lobbed the ball to second. This sort of play has become routine for the likely AL MVP since he strained the flexor tendon in his right arm in July. He cannot throw at full strength. Last year, Judge averaged 88.1 mph on throws and maxed out at 95.9 mph. On the Sogard play, that figure was 73.2 mph. 

As he has been doing since he returned to the outfield in August after six weeks of rehab, he downplayed the injury after the game. “I’m just trying to make a play,” he said. 

In any case, Masataka Yoshida lined the next pitch into center to score Rafaela and Sogard for all the offense they would need. “That’s preparation,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of Sogard’s stretch for second. “We talk about their outfielders and what we can do or what we cannot do, and [Sogard] saw it right away and took advantage of it.”

Indeed, the Red Sox have found the Yankees’ weaknesses. And New York cannot turn to history for much consolation: Since the current postseason format debuted in 2022, all 12 teams that won Game 1 of the wild card series advanced. Only two teams—the Padres in ’22 and the Brewers last year—even pushed the series to the decisive third game. Meanwhile, the Yankees were 4–9 against the Red Sox this year, including 2–5 at Yankee Stadium. After a century of dominating their little brothers from up I-95, the Yankees have not beaten the Red Sox in a playoff series since ’03, when outfielder Jasson Domínguez was eight months old. Since then, Boston has taken the ’04 AL Championship Series, the ’18 AL Division Series and the ’21 wild card game. (In fact, when New York trailed the Astros 3–0 in the ’22 ALCS, the Yankees watched highlights from the Red Sox’ comeback in the ’04 ALCS. It didn’t work: Houston won Game 4 and the series.)

No, any hope will have to come from inside. Judge, who has begun to develop a reputation as a player whose regular-season success does not carry over to October, went 2-for-4 on Tuesday. Shortstop Anthony Volpe, whose lifeless bat and listless glove made him the most hated man in New York this summer who doesn’t live in Gracie Mansion, hit a second-inning home run and fielded the ball cleanly. His teammates, too, largely avoided the boneheaded defensive plays that plagued them during last year’s run. They have Carlos Rodón, an 11-year veteran who just authored perhaps the finest season of his career, taking the mound in Game 2 against Brayan Bello, who will make his postseason debut. And they have all that talent. If they hope to make it to Oct. 2, it will have to rise to the surface, and to the occasion. 

Ex-jogadores da Dupla Gre-Nal promovem jogo contra garis

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Tinga, com passagem por Grêmio e Internacional, e Dunga, ex-Colorado e Seleção Brasileira, terão um desafio neste domingo (14), na sede campestre do SESC, em Porto Alegre. Os dois ex-atletas da Dupla Gre-Nal reunirão um time de ex-colegas para jogo contra garis. O duelo tem até aposta. Se os ex-boleiros venceram, os trabalhadores da limpeza urbana assam um churrasco para eles. Se perderam, o time de ex-profissionais fará a varrição da Orla do Guaíba, ponto turístico da cidade.

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➡️Siga o Lance! Fora de Campo no WhatsApp e saiba o que rola fora das 4 linhas

Em conversa por telefone com o Lance!, Tinga contou que a ideia surgiu quando fez um trabalho com a Cootravipa, cooperativa responsável por parte da coleta de resíduos e da varrição das ruas do município. Desde então, ele e Dunga têm angariado atletas para o jogo Amigos de Dunga e Tinga x Heróis da Cidade.

Jogo contra garis

– Chamo eles de heróis da cidade porque sem eles qualquer cidade parava, né? Imagina não ter coleta de lixo. Esses caras merecem nosso respeito – comenta.

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O time de Dunga e Tinga terá Celso Roth como técnico. Por isso, explica o ex-volante, o time começou a ser montado por zagueiros e volantes:

– Começamos como o Celso gosta. Teremos Índio, Pedro Geromel, Hugo De León, Pinga, Paulãao, Léo, Vinícius. Todos esses zagueiros. Como volantes, temos eu, Dunga, Dinho, Lucas Leiva, Magrão… Na frente, tem o Jé, Luiz Mário, Cláudio Pittbiull, Diego…

Ao ser questionado que o ataque tinha poucos nomes, Tinga brincou:

– A janela segue aberta. Ainda estamos contratando!

Um dos nomes para o ataque é o ex-colorado Taison, do PAOK. Sua vinda, porém, depende de liberação do clube, que tem jogo nesta sexta (12). E a aposta, como é? Tinga explica:

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– Se nós vencermos, eles vão assar um churrasco para nós. Todas a comida já foi doada por um parceiro. Se eles vencerem, o time dos ex-atletas vai ficar responsável ela limpeza da Orla do Guaíba na segunda-feira (22) seguinte.

O ex-volante faz questão de lembrar que, como o final de semana é marcado por forte movimento na região turística, a limpeza nas segundas é sempre mais pesada.

Fique ligado

O jogo será às 10h (de Brasília) do domingo, na sede campestre do SESC, em Porto Alegre. O ingresso será 1kg de alimento não perecível, que será revertido aos cooperativados.

✅ FICHA TÉCNICA
AMIGOS DE DUNGA E TINGA X HERÓIS DA CIDADE
AMISTOSO
🗓️Data e horário:domingo, 14 de dezembro de 2025, 10h (de Brasília)
📍Local:Sede Campestre do SESC Porto Alegre, avenida Protásio Alves, 6220
💸 QUANTO: 1kg de alimento não perecível (revertido aos cooperativados da Cootravipa)

Tudo sobre

Fora de campoFutebol NacionalInternacional

Leeds star was looking “bang average” this season, now he’s undroppable

Leeds United picked up a crucial win on Wednesday night, as they beat Chelsea 3-1 to go outside of the relegation zone. With 14 points to their name in as many games, it has certainly been a struggle for Daniel Farke’s side this season.

However, they are in good form. Of course, they beat the Blues this week at Elland Road, and last Saturday were unlucky to drop points away to Manchester City.

Only a goal in the 92nd minute from Phil Foden could sink Farke’s team, who were close to the ideal week in their relegation fight.

Indeed, there have been some standout players over the past few days for the West Yorkshire side.

Leeds’ best players in their last two games

It is hard to pinpoint just a couple of players who have excelled for Farke’s side against two of the Premier League’s title challengers, with the whole squad impressing. However, one player who shone was defender Jayden Bogle.

Against City, he played as a right-back, and won 100% of his tackles and three ground duels coming up against Jeremy Doku. On Wednesday, he had more of an advanced role and made great use of it.

Operating as a wing-back on the right flank, Bogle assisted Ao Tanaka, who made it 2-0 to Leeds on the stroke of half-time.

Another standout from the impressive performances this week was summer signing Lukas Nmecha. The German striker has been in good form this term and added to his goal tally at the Etihad Stadium last weekend. He’s now bagged four times in the top flight this season.

Whilst he didn’t find the back of the net against the Blues, Nmecha still made a real nuisance of himself for the Chelsea backline.

The German was not the only Leeds attacker who stood out in the last week.

From "Bang average" to undroppable

The Whites are not short of attacking options after a busy summer. They already had the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Joel Piroe and Wilfried Gnoto, three of the players at Farke’s disposal, who all played a big role in their promotion.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Nmecha was brought in to add to that depth, as was Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton star made the move to West Yorkshire upon the expiry of his contract on Merseyside. It was a tough start to life at Leeds, though.

The 28-year-old did not exactly set the world alight with his start in a Leeds shirt. He’d only managed one goal in his first ten Premier League games, and that was away to bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It meant the England international had to face some criticism for the lack of form in front of goal.

Earlier in the campaign, defender-turned-pundit Michael Dawson said on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday he was looking “bang average”, following the defeat to Fulham.

However, that form has recently taken a huge upturn. In what have arguably been his side’s two toughest games so far this season, Calvert-Lewin got himself on the scoresheet against both City and Chelsea.

It wasn’t just his goals that made these performances impressive, but the manner in which he played. He was a handful off the ball, winning 15 duels on Wednesday night, and six at the weekend.

He won three fouls in each game, too, making an impact despite having minimal touches.

Calvert-Lewin – last two games

Stat

vs. Man City

vs. Chelsea

Touches

15

35

Shots

1

3

Duels won

6

15

Fouls won

3 (1 penalty)

3

Goals

1

1

Stats from Sofascore

His performances were enough to earn him a pair of 9/10 ratings from journalist Graham Smyth. Against the Citizens, he praised Calvert-Lewin for the fact that he ‘gave Leeds much more presence’ and said he ‘brought others into play’ superbly against the West Londoners.

With two goals in as many games and some good centre-forward performances outside of that, it is easy to see why Calvert-Lewin could be considered undroppable for Leeds. After a tough start, it seems like he has finally begun to show his best form.

It does seem unlikely that Farke will omit the striker from his starting XI ahead of the game against Liverpool on Saturday. Instead, he will be hoping he provide further troubles for Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the Reds’ defenders.

If Calvert-Lewin can replicate such a performance again, it will go a long way to helping Leeds achieve their goal of Premier League survival.

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Trescothick defends England's limited Ashes preparations

England assistant coach says lack of warm-up matches is ‘the way of the modern game’

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Nov-2025

Marcus Trescothick looks on•Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images

England have defended their limited Ashes preparation ahead of the start of their warm-up game against the Lions at Lilac Hill in Perth on Thursday. The three-day match-up is England’s only match practice ahead of next Friday’s first Test at Optus Stadium, which assistant coach Marcus Trescothick described as “the way of the modern game”.Ashes tours have historically started with a series of warm-up fixtures between travelling squads and either domestic or invitational teams, but they have been greatly reduced in recent series as boards look to streamline schedules.England have largely eschewed warm-up fixtures since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over as head coach and captain, preferring training camps and intra-squad matches, but have generally started series strongly. They have won all the first Test in each of their last five overseas tours, including in India, Pakistan and New Zealand last year.”It’s the way that the series are generally done – for us and for other opposition teams – around the world nowadays,” Trescothick told reporters in Perth on Tuesday. “With the volume of cricket that’s played [elsewhere], you don’t have the time for preparations like potentially playing two or three first-class games, which has happened in the past.”I think you generally roll with a prep game, or some facilities – whatever you have available – and you go from there. Of course, most of the guys have been playing in New Zealand for us. Some of the guys have come out from England, but it’s the way of the modern game nowadays.”Michael Vaughan, who opened the batting with Trescothick on England’s 2002-03 tour to Australia, has questioned the value in playing on a club ground which will “bounce really low” ahead of the first Test on an Optus Stadium which is expected to be fast with steep bounce.Related

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But Trescothick said England were “very happy” with their preparation: “We’ve had facilities here with the nets, and obviously then the nets out in the middle, and then we’ve got the preparation game here as well.”In my day, playing at the Waca was very unique and very different, but you prepare yourself for those sorts of changes in facilities and pitches as you go along. We’ll have three days of prep at Optus, just to get used to pitches and we go along with that, and we’ll go from there. We’re very happy at the moment.”Ben Duckett, who will open the batting in next week’s first Test, arrived in Perth last week and said that facing England’s fast bowlers in the nets has provided “pretty good” preparation following a white-ball tour to New Zealand.”I don’t know what the right answer is,” Duckett told the podcast. “We play a lot of cricket at the minute, and we’ve obviously just come off the back of our summer. We’re certainly not lacking any gametime.”I don’t make those plans, but I’m pretty happy getting ready in the nets. If we’re facing Jofra [Archer], Woody [Mark Wood] and those guys everyday, I think that will be pretty good prep.”England’s preparation has been heavily criticised by former players, with Ian Botham suggesting their slimline schedule “borders on arrogance”. It stands in clear contrast to Australia’s build-up, with 14 members of their 15-man squad for the first Test involved in the ongoing round of Sheffield Shield fixtures.

Wolves now want to sign ‘top talent’ from Man City with player set to leave in January

Wolves are now expressing an interest in signing a Man City player, with one of their squad members potentially set to leave in January.

Wolves nailed on for relegation barring Rob Edwards miracle

The Old Gold face the most perilous situation in the Premier League, rooted firmly to the bottom of the table with just two points from 14 games.

Wolves appear destined for Championship football unless Rob Edwards can orchestrate an almighty turnaround during the second half of the campaign.

Edwards arrived from Middlesbrough in mid-November, leaving a promotion-chasing outfit second in the Championship to tackle one of football’s most daunting rescue missions.

Wolves still remain winless, sitting 12 points adrift of safety – a margin that already carries significant historical weight.

No team has ever survived relegation after collecting merely two points from their opening 14 games, and at their current rate, they would finish the season with just seven points — threatening to eclipse Derby County’s infamous 11-point record from the 2007-08 campaign.

Huddersfield Town (18/19)

16

Sheffield United (23/24)

16

Sunderland (05/06)

15

Southampton (24/25)

12

Derby County

11

The appointment of Edwards represents a desperate gamble by chairman Jeff Shi, who acknowledged the club needs a complete philosophical refresh.

Edwards’ deep connections to Molineux — having made over 100 appearances as a player before serving in various coaching capacities — offer hope that he understands the DNA required to navigate this crisis.

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ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025

However, his task is monumental. Vitor Pereira managed just a 36.8 per cent win rate before his sacking in early November, inheriting a squad stripped of its best talent through successive transfer windows.

The pattern has become devastatingly familiar.

After selling Ruben Neves and Matheus Nunes in 2023, then Pedro Neto and Max Kilman in 2024, Wolves lost Matheus Cunha and Rayan Ait-Nouri last summer without securing adequate replacements.

Cunha’s departure to Man United for £62.5 million removed their most reliable goalscorer, 17 goals in all competitions last season, while Ait-Nouri joined Manchester City for £31 million.

The club’s attacking output has obviously collapsed as a result, with just seven goals scored so far — the division’s worst record and only team failing to reach double figures.

However, according to Football Insider and journalist Wayne Veysey, Shi and Fosun do have a succession plan for goalkeeper Jose Sa.

Wolves express James Trafford interest with Jose Sa set to leave

Indeed, it is believed that Wolves have expressed interest in signing Man City’s James Trafford on loan in January as Edwards searches for solutions.

The 23-year-old England youth international finds himself behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in Pep Guardiola’s pecking order after the Italian’s summer arrival, which is bad timing ahead of the World Cup next year.

After starting the campaign as City’s number one following Ederson’s departure to Fenerbahçe, Trafford has managed just three appearances since August and is eager to continue his development elsewhere.

Wolves face mounting concerns between the posts, with current number one Sam Johnstone enduring a difficult spell.

His error against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday proved costly, failing to connect properly with Omari Hutchinson’s cross and allowing the winning goal.

Meanwhile, second-choice Sa is ‘potentially set to leave’ next month, with West Ham monitoring the Portuguese ahead of a potential winter swoop.

Trafford enjoyed an outstanding 2024-25 Championship campaign with Burnley before returning to City, keeping 29 clean sheets in 45 appearances with an impressive 84.6 per cent save percentage.

His promotion-winning pedigree under Scott Parker could prove invaluable as Edwards desperately seeks reinforcements capable of mounting an unlikely survival bid during the second half of the season.

However, they’ll have to contend with competition for Trafford’s services, with Tottenham also believed to be exploring a move for the ‘top talent’.

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