Copa Libertadores: Brazil turn Green

The world might be more interested in the UEFA Champions League, but back in Latin America, Copa Libertadores draws more attention in that region and the excitement regarding the event surpasses the hype and festive-mood of the Champions League. Back in Latin America, they firmly believe that this competition creates big stars and still today is the toughest competition in world football.

This is an annual international club football competition organized by CONMEBOL since 1960. It is the highest level of competition in American club football.  

The competition has had several formats over its lifetime. Initially, only the champions of the South American leagues participated.

In 1966, the runners-up of the South American leagues began to join. In 1998, Mexican teams were invited to compete and contested regularly from 2000 until 2016.

In 2000 the tournament was expanded from 20 to 32 teams.

Today at least four clubs per country compete in the tournament, with Argentina (6) and Brazil (7) having the most representatives.

A group stage has always been used but the number of teams per group has varied.

In the present format, the tournament consists of eight stages, with the first stage taking place in late January. The four surviving teams from the first three stages join 28 teams in the group stage, which consists of eight groups of four teams each. The eight group winners and eight runners-up enter the knockout stages, which end with the final in November.

The winner of the Copa Libertadores becomes eligible to play in the FIFA Club World Cup and the Recopa Sudamericana.

Independiente of Argentina is the most successful club in the cup's history, having won the tournament seven times. Argentine clubs have accumulated the most victories with 25 wins, while Brazil has the largest number of winning teams, with 10 clubs having won the title. The cup has been won by 24 clubs, 13 of them more than once, and six clubs have won two years in a row.

This year, it was two clubs from Brazil – Santos, and Palmeras who contested for the ultimate accolade at the Maracana.

Santos boast a great history in the competition, but Palmeiras are almost like outsiders in this competition.

The last time they won the competition was way back in 1999 defeating Deportivo Cali in a penalty shootout.

Back in Brazil, it was obvious that Santos would garner more support, but in the end, Palmeiras painted Brazil green.

 Although COVID-19 restrictions dictated lockdown at weekends and evenings in the Sao Paulo state, those rules failed to tame the passion for football and hundreds of more fans gathered at the club's training ground and the airport, where their plane touched down in the early hours of the morning.

The final was originally scheduled to be held in November but the tournament was halted for six months by the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The match was played on a roasting hot afternoon in Rio de Janeiro and chances were few and far between. It failed to live up to the expectations of TV viewers in 191 countries or the 5,000 specially invited guests who watched the match live at the Maracana.

Both the teams seemed defensive – caught by the tension of the mega event and produced lackluster efforts, which only killed the joy of Latin American style.   

The match was heading towards the extra-time and it seemed like 1999 Palmeiras were heading for another penalty-shootout.

Even though Santos started took a bit sharp in the second half, but it was not to be their day.

Ten minutes of stoppage time was announced and the substitute Breno Lopes scored in the ninth minute of injury time as Palmeiras won their second Copa Libertadores with a 1-0 victory.

Little-known Lopes joined Palmeiras in November, coming from second division team Juventude and was brought on in the 84th minute as an intended target man for crosses.

The plan worked perfectly nine minutes into stoppage time when Rony crossed from the right and found Lopes, who headed the ball to the left of Santos goalkeeper John to decide the contest with the first effort on target of the game.

The result at Rio's Maracana stadium was greeted with delirious celebrations back in Palmeiras' home city of Sao Paulo.

Thousands partied on the streets around the club's stadium the Allianz Parque, even after police closed some streets to try to prevent large gatherings.

The victory means a lot for Palmeiras who has been brilliant this season.

Since the appointment of the 42-year-old coach, the Portuguese Abel Ferreira the fortunes of the club started to change.

 The club won the Paulista state championship in August and they play Gremio in the Copa do Brasil final in February.

This is the third time in four years that a Brazilian team has won South America’s biggest club competition.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 31/01/2021 Copa Libertadores: Brazil turn Green

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Levante setback for Real Madrid

 

After the match against Alaves, the fans of Real Madrid, again, started to rediscover their joy thinking that the Los Blancos have hit the form and are ready to maintain the consistency in the coming matches. But guess what, the Los Blancos are always ready to gift shocks to the astonishment of the fans.

They ended the game against Levante digesting a defeat and it was at the Alfredo Di Stefano Stadium, where the venue has become a happy hunting ground for them in recent times. The position of Levante has been bad this season and they were close to the relegation zone. Well, there was no better way to pull their socks up against a side, which remains inconsistent throughout the season – consistently make things difficult for them.

 Real Madrid started brightly - fluid with their positioning and movement off of the ball. They looked dangerous at times. But things turned out tough for them when Eder Militao received a straight red card. Levante found themselves through on goal before the ten-minute mark, and Eder Militão brought the forward down – Real Madrid were down to ten-men.

Still, Madrid then took the lead minutes later, as Asensio found himself in acres of space on the counter as Toni Kroos produced a gem of a pass, carrying the ball towards goal before picking his spot passing the goalkeeper.

It seemed that the pressure was bringing the best out of Real Madrid as they started to look sharper enough.

But the numerical advantage was on the side of the visitors as Levante exploited with a nice touch inside the box from a cross. They clawed their way back into the play and Thibaut Courtois was called upon to produce an excellent double save to keep the scores level by half time.

Real Madrid started with Eden Hazard again, but yet again, he was not at his best, rather failed to link-up with the players and exploited the spaces, and melted under pressure.

Ultimately he was substituted.

After the break Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio wasted opportunities, that toned down the tempo of Real Madrid.   

Levante had the bigger chance to score again though, as Vinicius Junior caught his man right on the line of the area to concede a penalty.

The resulting spot-kick struck the post but still went on to take the lead through a well-worked corner with just over ten minutes to go.

Mariano Diaz and Sergio Arribas were introduced, but it was Levante who left the field smiling.

Yet again, Real Madrid have wasted points against a lower-ranked side and this is not doing anything good for the morale of the team. They were expected to win in a dominating fashion against such opponents, but in turn, most of the time, they had been seen wandering around the field trying to rediscover themselves. This is pretty frustrating from a side, who are in the hot soup at the moment and consistency should have been the order of the day.

Other than that sublime pass from Kroos, nothing significant happened for the Los Blancos in this match. Their sharpness at the start became blunt –Vinicius was poor on the ball, the midfield had to spend time on the deep to shield the backline which was melting under the counterattack and the kind of determination which was needed at the back after the sent-off of Militao, was never evident. Casemiro tried his best to glue the backline, but he can’t save every day.  

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/01/2021 Levante setback for Real Madrid

Thank You

Faisal Caesar

Gabriel Menino: The next target of Real Madrid

 

The scouts of Real Madrid would be present at the Maracana for the finals of the Copa Libertadores where Santos would meet Palmeiras. The scouts would monitor the talents which include, Gabriel Veron, Marcos Leonardo, Patrick de Paula, and Gabriel Menino.  Previously, CricketSoccer posted about Gabriel Veron and Marcos Leonardo and today, let us know about the latest sensation back in Brazil – Gabriel Menino.

Born in Morungaba, Sao Paulo, Menino joined the Palmeiras youth setup in 2017 from Guarani. In his first year at the club, he was a member of the Copa do Brasil Sub-17 winning team.

On November 25, 2019, Menino was promoted to the first team ahead of the 2020 season.

Gabriel was a key factor in Palmeiras’ Paulista state championship victory at the start of 2020 and has swiftly become a regular in both Brasileirao and Libertadores campaigns.

He made his debut in January 2020, in a 4–0 win over Ituano in the Campeonato Paulista, playing the full 90 minutes.

He scored for the first time on September 17, 2020, in a 2–1 win over Bolívar in the Copa Libertadores.

Palmeiras may have sailed through their Libertadores group with ease, but their slightly underwhelming league form saw Vanderlei Luxemburgo lose his job last month.

After a protracted search, the team known as Verdao followed the current Brazilian trend of appointing European coaches and brought in Abel Ferreira.

The 41-year-old Portuguese manager comes into a squad stacked with talented youth.

From Uruguayan left-back Matias Vina to wonder-kid forward Gabriel Veron, there are a number of exciting prospects which, along with a favorable side of the draw, should bolster Palmeiras’ chances of making it big this season.

And, ultimately, they would feature in the finals at Maracana.

Perhaps the most interesting young player on Palmeiras books right now comes in the form of Gabriel Menino, whose excellent performances have earned him call-ups to the last, two Brazilian national team squads.

What has been particularly noteworthy is Gabriel’s versatility.

Typically a mixed midfielder, Gabriel actually started out as a center-back and this defensive nous, combined with his energy and positional intelligence, has seen him deployed at right-back too.

Whether it is in central midfield, on the wing, or at full-back, Gabriel is a player who gets up and down the pitch and generally likes to be on the front foot. This season he has averaged 9.69 offensive duels per 90, bettered only by teammate Gustavo Scarpa, while his figure for progressive runs (2.67 per 90) is also among the best in his position.

According to Wyscout last year, “While not necessarily known for his dribbling, Gabriel is posting a solid 4.27 dribbles per 90 minutes so far this season, which again is equally useful when playing wide or centrally and also displays his comfort on the ball.”

“Boasting a pass completion of 84.4%, Gabriel looks after the ball well and his good range of passing also helps with his flexibility to play in numerous positions. As well as keeping possession in his own third or spraying out long diagonals, he also has the creativity and vision to contribute in the final third in a more attacking midfield role, as shown by the incisive through ball below.”

“Another facet of Gabriel’s varied passing is his good crossing ability. When operating in wider positions, he can swing in a mean delivery, while his corner kicks have been the source of three of his five assists this year.”

“Returning to the defensive side of his game, Gabriel’s all-action displays show that he thrives without the ball as much as with it. Averaging 8.82 defensive duels in his own third and 6.14 recoveries per 90, it shows Gabriel’s aptitude in breaking up play thanks to his excellent positioning, reading of the game, and ability to press.”

It is this defensive solidity paired with an impressive ability on the ball that makes him such an alluring option for Tite as an alternative at right-back for the Selecao.

Rather than have the traditional full-backs bombing forward, Tite has shifted more towards inverted full-backs, able to contribute as extra midfielders in-field and play a key role in orchestrating attacks more centrally.

Gabriel’s ability to build play from deep, his tactical flexibility, and strength in both offensive and defensive duels make him a prime candidate to act as the potential candidate as the right-back for Brazil.

In September 2020, he received his first call up to the full side.

“It was an indescribable feeling. The Brazilian national team is the ultimate for any player and it was only my first year as a professional. I remember getting there and looking at players I played video games. I just couldn’t believe it. It took me a while to take in. Everyone was so cool with me and the quality of the players was something else. I learned a lot. It was incredible to be there and it made me so determined to keep getting called up,” Menino expressed his feelings while talking to FIFA.

But, right now, that memorable night in Argentina is still regarded as one of the most significant stories in his career so far.

Gabriel Menino stood out for Palmeiras as the Brazilian club took River Plate apart in the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores.

He said, “I feel like I’m in a dream. (laughs) Everything has happened so, so quickly. My professional debut, the first title, my first goal, the Seleção, that night in Argentina, reaching the [Libertadores] final – every step has felt like a dream. It seems like yesterday that I was a supporter. It’s hard to believe, but at the same time I’ve said since day one that I don’t just want to be another player – I want to go down in the history of this club.”

“When I’m at the club [headquarters] I look at the photos of legends who have made history at the club and I think, ‘I want to see my photo there’. How good would it be to become an eternal idol at one of the biggest clubs in the world?”

Menino sounded confident about the success of Palmeiras in the finals.

“I’m very confident. We’re taking Santos very seriously, they have a very strong team. The Libertadores is a great competition – it involves so much passion and emotion – and I think the final will be a great spectacle not just for Brazil, but for the world. Two great sides, both score goals, a derby. But every time I think about it I envision Palmeiras as champions. We have great players who work for each other, a great team, a great squad, a coach who gets the best out of us. We have so much heart and great belief.

The Palmeiras supporters are fanatical, unbelievably passionate. ’99, it’s been too long – I wasn’t even born. We are determined to win the Libertadores trophy for them. I firmly believe we will become champions.”

Whatever the outcome may be, Menino impressed not only in Brazil but outside Latin America as well.

He is monitored by Real Madrid and other top European clubs.

Until now, Real Madrid have been the home for the young talents from Brazil. The arch-rivals Barcelona would chase the talent, but Perez is sharper and smarter than others. He won’t let such a versatile talent sign any other club.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/01/2021 Gabriel Menino: The next target of Real Madrid

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

What is the future of Sergio Ramos?

 

Almost one month has passed after Sergio Ramos' meeting with Florentino Perez before the clash against Celta Vigo, yet the two parties have yet to reach an agreement on potential contract renewal.

Since then, several alleged parts of their dialogue have leaked but no advance has been made in the negotiations.

Ramos' current deal with Real Madrid runs until this summer and the club is aware that the 34-year-old center-back can negotiate his future with another team since January 1.

Los Blancos believe that Ramos will not receive an offer higher than that of Real Madrid. As Marca reported last Wednesday, Real Madrid stress that they will not better the offers they made either to Ramos or Lucas Vazquez.

Meanwhile, Luka Modric has accepted to renew his deal and has agreed on a 10 percent pay cut.

According to Marca, “For their part, the club are adamant that they have to adapt to the new reality following the COVID-19 crisis.”

“Sporting matters are always a priority, but they want to avoid a situation similar to Barcelona's crisis and this is the reason behind their decision to turn down Cristiano Ronaldo's high demands a few years ago.”

“Meanwhile, Ramos will decide on his future based on the contract length and salary that he will be offered in the next few months.”

The contract saga of Ramos has turned into a television drama.

Ramos always shared a close relationship with President Florentino Perez and he's never left a contract extension this late.

However, the two parties have been stuck in opposing positions throughout current negotiations, with Los Blancos not budging over their short-term renewals for older players.

Marca says that Florentino, though, has been here before. In his two stints in charge of Real Madrid, the president has let a handful of stars leave via the backdoor after a breakdown in contract talks.

Back in 2003, “Hierro will renew no matter where the club is at,” Florentino said as Real Madrid's veteran captain neared the end of his contract in that season.

Those comments were in March and, by July, Hierro had left. His relationship with the club and its president had declined in the final weeks of the season.

After being eliminated from the Champions League by Juventus, Los Blancos were fighting for the LaLiga Santander title.

Before the trophy was eventually sealed and still with so much in play, Real Madrid announced they'd reached an agreement to sign David Beckham from Manchester United.

“La Liga is more important than Beckham,” Hierro echoed the sentiments of the Real Madrid dressing room, who didn't take the announcement well.

In the end, Hierro left on bitter terms when his contract expired, alongside head coach Vicente del Bosque.

The relationship between Florentino and Hierro took a new turn after a decade and he returned to the club in a coaching capacity in 2014.

Then, Luis Figo grew impatient after Perez extended the contracts of Ronaldo Nazario, Zinedine Zidane, Roberto Carlos, and Raul.

 “The latest I've heard from my agent is that the club doesn't intend to extend my contract and I'll have to plan for my future in December,” Figo said on a pre-season tour of Asia in 2004.

Relegated to the bench in his final season with the club, the 32-year-old was allowed to leave for Inter on a free transfer.

Meanwhile, Keylor Navas was the most wanted goalkeeper around the globe after the fantastic display in Brazil, which left the legendary Iker Casillas in a bit unsecured situation.

With Navas an established first-team goalkeeper and the club after David de Gea, Casillas realized his time was up at Real Madrid in the summer of 2015.

The board tried to make his exit seamless but complications and disagreements over the goalkeeper's pay-off and future earnings at Porto meant exactly the opposite happened.

Real Madrid were due to pay Casillas 25 million euros in the final two years of his contract, which was 15 million more than had been agreed with Porto.

Problems with the Portuguese tax man also emerged, making the captain's departure from the Bernabeu a fairly tense one.

Casillas decided not to have any club officials or trophies present at his farewell press conference, during which he broke down in tears. But at present, he has returned to the club as an advisor, mending his relationship with Florentino and his other directors.

Here comes the big one – Cristiano Ronaldo.

Like with Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo's contract extensions often caused headaches for those managing them within the club.

Having watched Lionel Messi renew his contract each year at Barcelona, the Portuguese star wanted the same from Florentino and Real Madrid.

After a tetchy first contract extension in 2013, Ronaldo renewed for another five years in 2016, though he would only fulfill two of them.

When Messi signed a new contract worth 50 million euros a year at the Camp Nou, Ronaldo thought he was being reasonable by asking for 30 million euros from Real Madrid. The club didn't match his demands.

When Ronaldo too had problems with the taxman, he felt disgruntled by the lack of support shown by his club. After winning the Champions League in 2018, he asked to leave.

Florentino agreed to sell the forward for anything over 100 million euros, with Juventus forcing him to keep to his promise.

But the relationship between Cristiano and Perez is very good at present.

From the above examples, one may feel that Ramos might not be a Los Blancos anymore because Perez always preferred the club over the cult of individual players.

What is the future of Ramos?

Will this be the end of the journey for Ramos in Real Madrid?

Marca says, “No, but this possibility grows with each passing day. Ramos believes that looking for a replacement, in the event of his possible departure, could prove costly for the club.”

“Hence, he is confident that Real Madrid will better their first renewal offer, while Los Blancos insist that their captain will not find a higher salary in the market.”

“There is no one apart from Florentino Perez and Ramos who can predict the player's future, but the reality is that one month has passed after the meeting between the two men and no agreement has been reached.”

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 30/01/2021 What is the future of Sergio Ramos?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

 

Clinical Pakistan in Karachi

 

 “It was the National Stadium in Karachi (NSK) that hosted the first Test and how wonderful it was to see a big team contest in white clothes in one of the most iconic venues in world cricket – the venue which remained the fortress for Pakistan for almost 39 years and witnessed legendary clashes. Karachi did not disappoint Pakistan”

South Africa toured Pakistan after more than thirteen years. It was way back in 2007 they toured the land of music, friendly people, colourful cities, and unpredictable cricket. They won the Test series back then and also, Pakistan witnessed the legendary Inzamam-ul-Haq retiring from the format in tears. In the following years, Pakistan experienced turbulent times. For ten years, they would not play cricket at home – thankfully, things have started to change.

The teams have started to tour Pakistan again and after the tour of South Africa, one can expect England, New Zealand, and Australia to play in Pakistan.  

It was the National Stadium in Karachi (NSK) that hosted the first Test and how wonderful it was to see a big team contest in white clothes in one of the most iconic venues in world cricket – the venue which remained the fortress for Pakistan for almost 39 years and witnessed legendary clashes.

The match commenced and the visiting skipper Quinton de Kock elected to bat without hesitation after winning the toss even though in NSK those who chase down totals have experienced better results. But keeping in mind that the track would deteriorate with the progress of time the decision of De Kock is not bad at all.

But the South Africans responded poorly.

The wicket of Day 1 was still good to bat on but they succumbed against the deliveries which did not turn enough -   only one of the 10 wickets that fell was to a ball that turned. Faf du Plessis was the victim against a Yasir Shah delivery, which drifted and turned away as he pushed at it. Otherwise, the rest of the South African batters had been below-par.

A total of 220 was below-par but at the fag end of Day 1 when the South African pacers set jitters in the Pakistan top and middle-order, 220 was looking like a fighting total till the morning session of Day 2. After a testing morning session, Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam started to swell the total, and when stabilization was ensured the allrounders and tail-enders stretched the lead.

The defiant resistance of Fawad Alam was praiseworthy.

In the last 12 years, it had been a rollercoaster ride for Fawad, who was ignored consistently by the selectors despite his impressive showing in the domestic arena. Obviously, there were better options and it is hard to criticize those who had to ignore him.

The reason why Fawad was not chosen because of his unorthodox technique which was perceived as vulnerable and that the presence of a packed middle order in Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Azhar Ali, and Asad Shafiq meant there was no opening.

But Fawad never gave up and that deserves the accolade.

During this 11-year hiatus from international cricket, Fawad made 26 first-class centuries and 33 half-centuries, amassing 7965 runs at 56.48.

He was eventually recalled after 11 years in August 2020, during the tour of England. Six months on, he's now made a second hundred in the space of three Tests.

Karachi is his happy hunting ground and he lived up to the expectations under pressure.

 Fawad was at the risk of being drooped again despite the runs and records. He may have not made the New Zealand tour, but he somehow did.

He made an impact against some hostile fast bowling in the second Test in Mount Maunganui. This hundred against South Africa may have been all the more special, because it came at home, and also because he rescued the side from a precarious 33 for four.

Fawad played the anchor's role, putting together key partnerships with Azhar Ali (94 off 228 balls), Mohammad Rizwan (55 off 113), and Faheem Ashraf (102 off 152) to overhaul South Africa's 220 and give Pakistan hope of a sizeable lead and thereby a good chance of victory.

Pakistan took a big lead the response of South Africa was resolved until the spinners broke through. Yasir Shah waved his magic while at the other end an unknown spinner to the world cricket – Nauman Ali ended up bagging a 5-wicket haul on debut as the Proteas lost their way leaving Pakistan only 88 runs to get in the fourth innings.

Pakistan took the lead and while the praises are showering over Fawad, Yasir, and the fielders; well, don't forget the kind of impression Nauman made cannot be undermined at all.

At the age of 34, a cricketer reaches his peak, but Nauman made his debut, and the way he bowled it seemed that he has been around in Test cricket for ages. Neither he was gripped by the tension of the big occasion nor did he lose his authority over the bowling.

Maintaining a strict line and length is his biggest strength and in Karachi, he was playing the role of a second spinner like Tauseef Ahmed and Iqbal Qasim did to Abdul Qadir during the era of Imran Khan.

Years of hard toil in the domestic arena of Pakistan and the less-chances of getting selected hardly hampered his spirit but in turn, it kept on motivating Nauman, who proved the importance of breaking the sweat in first-class cricket. It is always better to have a performer rather than those over-hyped talents in the Twenty20 Leagues.

He was the leading wicket-taker for Khan Research Laboratories in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup, with seventeen dismissals in nine matches. He was also the leading wicket-taker for Khan Research Laboratories in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with 43 dismissals in eight matches. In March 2019, he was named to the Sindh squad for the 2019 Pakistan Cup.

In September 2019, he was named in Northern's squad for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy tournament.

He was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament, with 54 dismissals in ten matches.

 Coming from a small town Khipro, a subdivision of the Sanghar division in Pakistan's southern Sindh province, Nauman is among a handful of players from the rural areas of the province to get a chance to play for the national team.

“I was hopeful of getting a call-up after bowling well and taking wickets in the last two seasons of first-class cricket,” said Nauman, who became the fourth oldest Test cricketer to debut for Pakistan. Miran Bakhsh (47yeras and 284 days) is the oldest ever Test debutant for Pakistan while Zulfiqar Babar (34years 308 days) and Mohammad Aslam (34 years 177 days) are at the second and third place respectively.

“It has been a long journey. I was born and studied in Khipro but moved to Hyderabad to pursue a career as a professional cricketer with my uncle,” he said.

“My father works in the clerical staff of an oil factory in Hyderabad now.”

“If they show confidence I am ready to deliver anywhere not only in home series.”

Indeed he paid back the faith invested in him.

In the second innings, Aiden Markram was like a wall but Nauman used his height to extract bounce, which took Markram by surprise and the batsman failed to negotiate it and spooned a catch to Abid Ali at silly mid-off.

On Day 4, Temba Bavuma and George Linde tried to dig deep and take a competitive lead, but Nauman well-flighted another one which kissed the edge of Linde, and Imran Butt took the catch at leg slip. Then Nauman spun one through the gate when Kagiso Rabada tried an extravagant cover-drive and completed his five-for when he trapped Bavuma in front, the sweep for once failing him.

The smile on the face of Nauman said it all – the hard work over the years has paid off and the kind of determination he has shown in Karachi, Pakistan should use it smartly in the coming days.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 29/01/2021 Clinical Pakistan in Karachi

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Victorious Liverpool in North London

 

Liverpool are one of the most badly affected sides in this season – ravaged by injuries and in every match, they found it tough to surface the final XI. Their backline is missing the major players, while the nuclei at the center of the park are facing the same fate. Jurgen Klopp just could not manage to dish out fresh ideas every match; rather he had to spend enough time in managing the ideal XI.

It resulted in a lean-patch. The arch-rivals Manchester United left them sad while Burnley breached their fortress – Anfield. Klopp and his men were needed to respond as quickly as possible so that they remain in the race to defend their Premier League title.

In North London, the Reds showed that the machine might show signs of decay, but it is still working and under pressure, they work even better.

Thiago Alcantara and Gini Wijnaldum ran the show in the midfield and the way Alcantara showed his dedication with a bandage rolled around his forehead, it hinted the intention of the Reds – they are not interested to prolong the lean-patch and bounce back with a dominating victory. While the 35-year-old James Milner put in yet another performance when his team needed the most.  

Liverpool lost Fabinho courtesy of a minor muscle issue before a ball was even kicked. Thankfully, Joel Matip was back and looked extremely good in the first half despite being half-fit and gave his place to Nathaniel Phillips and fitted well alongside the skipper Jordan Henderson.

Till now, Liverpool have used 16 different center-back partnerships this season – three of their major center-backs are injured and so is their back up and for which they need to sign a center-back before Monday’s deadline.

They have played 20 Premier League games and started with 11 different combinations.

Still, the Red machine is functioning.

Sadio Mane set the tone in the second minute by cutting through the Tottenham Hotspur backline and he was clean through on Hugo Lloris’ goal – the finish was sliced and wasteful.

Harry Kane sent Son Heung-min in on goal and he finished past Alisson, who was slow to get down. The move was sparked by Tanguy Ndombele racing away from Thiago and finding Son but VAR spotted an offside against the Son at the point before he laid off to Kane.

Ndombele showcased a lovely touch and his trademark spin and burst move, although his influence would fade. Then Steven Bergwijn played in Son in the 21st minute. He was denied by Alisson.

At the other end, Mane extended Lloris after a Mohamed Salah flick, although he had looked offside earlier in the buildup, while he was denied by a last-ditch Rodon challenge and another Lloris save.

The fast, high-quality, and eventful first half entered into stoppage time and Liverpool found the way to break the deadlock.

Mane got in and around the back onto a Henderson pass at which Eric Dier felt Lloris coming for the ball and hesitated and so then did the goalkeeper. Firmino gobbled up the tap-in.

It was the first goal for Firmino in the Premier league in 486 minutes, and his fifth in six games against Spurs.  

Kane was caught early on by a slide tackle from Alcantara – he got his right foot stuck under the boot of Alcantara and appeared to roll it – while he would land awkwardly on the other ankle in the 34th minute. On both occasions, he played on after treatment but the alarm bells rang for Spurs when he did not reappear for the second half.

Mourinho tried both three and four at the back, although neither system could legislate for the individual errors that played a part in each Liverpool goal.

Salah had already fired high when Lloris patted a tame Mane shot into Trent Alexander-Arnold’s path and he ripped a drive into the bottom corner – a weak parry from Lloris indeed!

Mourinho had preferred Joe Rodon to Toby Alderweireld, having seen the value in the 23-year-old’s greater pace, but things did not o according to the plan – the body shape awent wrong when attempting to deal with an Alexander-Arnold cross. He failed to clear and Mane punished him with an instinctive half-volley. The strange thing was that prior to this game, the Spurs had conceded only five league goals in open play all season.

The Spurs could hardly have the Reds on the rope except for the goal of Højbjerg.

Liverpool beat the Spurs again and this time it was in North London.

After the determined and composed display last night one can start saying that the Reds are back – hungry for more and eager to win every match.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 29/01/2021 Victorious Liverpool in North London  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

James Anderson is ready for another Indian challenge

 

 “World cricket is gearing up for another Clash of the Titans and Anderson is ready for it”

In the second Test at Galle, James Anderson completed his 30th five-wicket haul in Test cricket – six short of the great Sir Richard Hadlee and one more than the marvelous Glenn McGrath. At the age of 38, there is no slowing down for Jimmy and he is a freak – with time and age, he seems to improve in every Test match he plays.

During the debate between Jimmy and Dale Steyn - Steyn always had the edge over his counterpart regarding records away from home and especially on Asian conditions. But, that magnificent Steyn surrendered to injury while Anderson has gone on to bag 600 Test wickets in an era where the rules, conditions, and even the willow are heavily in favour of the batters.

One cannot but praise his persistence and respect for Test cricket.

At Galle, he was challenged by the heat, humidity, and unfriendly deck, still he extracted life out of the surface to bag six wickets at the age of 38 and no seamer has taken a 5-wicket haul at this age – Sir Richard Hadlee t 37 years and 145 days, was the previous record holder.

Again, this was the first time since 2001 that all 10 wickets in an innings had been taken by the seamers in a Test in Sri Lanka, which tells about the skill and temperament of the English pacers on the Asian decks.  

Anderson would travel to India next and one cannot deny his love affair with India.

Success in the Ashes garners more attention for the Australian and English cricketers, but it’s against India that Anderson has had the most success - 110 wickets in 27 Tests at an average of 25.98, better than his overall 26.79 and far better than his record versus Australia, 104 wickets at 34.56 in 32 Tests.

Anderson has helped England win four of the five Test series against India since he transformed himself into one of the world’s best proponents of swing with a masterful performance in the 2010 Ashes in Australia, which England won.

In India, he averages 33.46 from 10 Test matches with 26 wickets – yes the numbers don’t tell the true story about his impact. During the tour of 2006, his brilliant 4-wicket haul in Mumbai helped England to level the series, and before that the 4-wicket haul in Nagpur was brilliant as well.

In that eventful Test series in 2012, he featured in just one Test and again, proved his worth on a ran-turner with three wickets in the first and second innings at Kolkata. England won and took the lead by 2-1 and the drawn roster in Bengaluru orchestrated a memorable away win for Alastair Cook and his men.

During the last tour in 2016-17, England and Anderson experienced a heavy beating, which they paid back in 2018, but right now another challenge is waiting for Anderson in India, whose confidence is sky-high after the historic series win in Australia with a second-string side.

Beating India in India is the toughest task for any team in the world.

It is the final frontier for the top Test teams in the world and Anderson is well aware of this.

But, Anderson is a fighter and over the years learned the tricks to conquer the conditions better.

A few years back, Sachin Tendulkar explained why Anderson’s deliveries were so difficult to read. Anderson, he said, is the only one who could bowl a “reverse outswinger” with a wrist position for a conventional inswinger.

“Anderson was possibly the first who bowled reverse swing also reverse,” Tendulkar said. By changing the wrist position quickly, he forced the batsman to commit to a shot. “What I experienced, over a period of time, was that he would hold the ball as if bowling outswinger but at the release, point would try and bring the ball back in… he’s shown you he’s bowling inswing but the imbalance between the two sides of the ball would take it away from you.”

“He’s got you to commit to play for an inswinger and the ball, after covering almost three-fourths of the length of the pitch, starts leaving you… That was something which was new to me. Nobody had done that.”

Anderson had great success against Tendulkar, dismissing him nine times in 27 innings, or in every third instance.

When someone like Tendulkar shower praise for a bowler you need to understand the standard of his quality.

When the Indian Test era transitioned from Tendulkar to Kohli, Anderson remained England’s constant threat.

He has dismissed Kohli five times in 32 innings. Anderson dominated Kohli in the 2014 home series, removing him four times as the batsman averaged 13.4, not managing a fifty in 10 innings.

Last year, Anderson said that he looks forward to a tough battle against India captain Virat Kohli during the tour of India next year.

“It's always tough bowling against batsmen of that quality. Obviously, I've had some success against him in 2014, and then he came back a completely different player in 2018 and it was incredible. It will be a tough battle in that respect, but that's something I do enjoy against the best players. As a bowler, you want to get the best players out.”

Asked what changes he noticed in Kohli's batting in 2018, Anderson said, “I just felt he left the ball really well [in 2018]. The first time he came over [in 2014] when I was bowling an outswinger, he might chase it early on, so that brought the edge and the slips into play.”

“I just felt like he left a lot better and he was a lot more patient [in 2018]. He waited for you to come to him because he's very strong off his legs; he got more off that shot. And once he got any start, he played a bit more expansively. His all-round game, both his mental approach and his technique, was that little bit better.”

World cricket is gearing up for another Clash of the Titans and Anderson is ready for it.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 28/01/2021 James Anderson is ready for another Indian challenge

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

Sheffield shock Manchester United

 

The Premier League title race has taken another twist because Sheffield United shocked Manchester United last night and dented the chances of the Red Devils where the contest has been tight at the top. A few days back all was well in Old Trafford, but this has been a season, where a shock is always waiting around the corner.

With the result last night, Manchester City would be extremely happy while Liverpool would start pulling up their socks.

To be honest, Manchester United of Ole Gunnar Solskjær were insipid against a Sheffield unit, which were impressive.  

Alex Tuanzebe, given a first league start since October 2019 after Eric Bailly was injured in training, had a disappointing game as the home side started strongly before fading badly.

They dominated the ball but lacked the Midas touch near Aaron Ramsdale’s goal.

There was one flowing move that shook the Sheffield backline - Pogba was the instigator with one instant no-look chip releasing Bruno Fernandes behind the lines – only for the Portuguese player’s unsure touch undermined the move.

Sheffield came close to a sucker-punch courtesy of a John Fleck pass that split the defence and gave Billy Sharp a clear shot which De Gea’s legs repelled, but only just.

Manchester United responded with Fernandes lobbing into Mason Greenwood whose right-to-left run had Sheffield on the ropes – he skipped round Ramsdale but took an extra touch and the keeper could smother the ball.

Then Fleck exposed the vulnerability of United against the dead balls - The midfielder’s corner from the right was placed into the sweet spot in front of De Gea. Both De Gea and Tuanzebe leaped yet neither could prevent Kean Bryan from heading in off the post and which meant that for the 10th time this season Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's were forced to come from behind. Again, this was the eighth league goal United have conceded from a set-piece this season.

Moments later Anthony Martial – another who disappointed – rolled the ball home but Maguire was adjudged by Peter Bankes to have fouled Ramsdale and VAR backed the referee up. United pressed until the interval but this was as close as they came to the equalizer.

Ole was frustrated! 

After the break, Greenwood did have one golden opportunity to equalize when Fernandes threaded him in but he fired across Ramsdale and wide, which indicated that the home side composure like they exhibited against Liverpool in the FA Cup tie.

Instead, Alex Telles wasted a corner, Nemanja Matic fouled needlessly and then Fernandes hit a simple pass straight out.

With the home side lacking the composure, the visitors threatened sporadically as when McGoldrick unloaded too high at De Gea.

In the meantime, Unites claimed a free-kick. Marcus Rashford took a shot from distance that Ramsdale gathered with ease. Yet far better was what came next. Telles swung in a corner from the left and a free-running Maguire headed expertly in.

United equalized, but the substitute Oliver Burke’s 74th-minute winner summing up why the home side deserved to lose.

De Gea failed to clear and instead handed John Lundstram possession near the goal, which allowed Sheffield too much time to organize and strike - even after Burke’s initial shot, and Lundstram found the player again inside the home side’s area with zero pressure –  Pogba the nearest offender – and Burke hit a first Premier League goal in off Tuanzebe.

Manchester United were punished for starting the game slowly. They began sluggishly, defended poorly throughout, conceded from a set-piece, and struggled to break down a team deploying a low block. Of course, there was no meaning to start Edinson Cavani so late, whereas the veteran striker has been hugely impactful in marshaling the young forwards.  

 Cavani had only been on the pitch 60 seconds, after finally being introduced in the 67th minute, when he showed exactly how dangerous he can be in the box by making a clever run to the near post to get on the end of a ball from Pogba.

United came 7 times from behind this season to win the game, but last night it was not possible despite having 16 shots on goal because they lacked the sharpness.

The race for the title is wide open.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 28/01/2021 Sheffield shock Manchester United

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

 

What a fiery contest it was at San Siro!

 

It was yet another Milan Derby at the San Siro and this time around the contest was a fiery one! In the age of El Clasico and the battle of supremacy between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, a couple of derbies lost their shine – meanwhile, the downfall of AC Milan and Inter played a role in killing the charm of the Milan Derbies. But nevertheless, after a long time, the heat is felt at the iconic San Siro Stadium, and in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia – Inter got past their arch-rivals in another contest to remember.

Stefano Pioli made a number of changes to the starting XI from Saturday as Ciprian Tatarusanu, Diogo Dalot, Alessio Romagnoli, Alexis Saelemaekers, and Brahim Diaz all came into the line-up.

It was Milan who had the first decent chance of the game as Theo Hernandez’s driving run ended with Ibrahimovic feeding Leao who dragged his shot narrowly wide of the left post from around 20 yards out.

Inter then began to get their wing-backs into the game more and twice whipped in dangerous balls that had to be cleared by Kjaer in what was a fairly open start to the game considering the changes made by both sides.

 Milan were inches away from taking the lead 13 minutes in when Leao crossed deep into the box and found the onrushing Ibrahimovic, who didn’t get a clean connection but ended up shouldering the ball just wide of the far post, narrowly evading a late run from Brahim Diaz.

There was a moment of confusion inside the box as Brahim Diaz blocked a free-kick in the wall and then booted his clearance at Alexis Sanchez’s back, which resulted somehow in the ball being directed on target but being caught by Tatarusanu.

Straight after the incident, Simon Kjaer came off injured and that allowed new signing Fikayo Tomori to make his debut for the club.

Lukaku was causing problems for Milan’s now reshuffled backline, and Tatarusanu was called into action to deny the Belgian with a strong save with his boot after he got separation from Romagnoli to shoot, and second, later Romagnoli did well to block an effort from Inter’s number nine.

Despite the pressure from the Nerazzurri, it was Milan who took the lead just after the half-hour mark and it was the man for the big occasion again as Ibrahimovic scored. The 39-year-old brought the second ball down after a free-kick wasn’t cleared, manufacturing some shooting distance from Kolarov and firing a low effort between his legs and in off the far post.

Theo Hernandez was on hand to rescue Milan eight minutes before the break clearing an effort off the line as a cross was stood up to Alexis Sanchez at the far post.

Tempers flared up just before the break after Lukaku took exception to a foul by Milan defender Alessio Romagnoli. Ibrahimovic stepped in and squared up to the furious Belgian, with the pair going head to head while exchanging heated words.

Lukaku could clearly be heard by the on-pitch microphone saying to the Swede, ”Well let's go inside you b*tch!” in an invitation to engage in a further confrontation in the tunnel. 

Referee Paolo Valeri attempted to regain some semblance of control by issuing both players a yellow card.

Lukaku is now set to miss out on the first leg of the semi-final against Juventus or SPAL.

Lukaku and Ibrahimovic were team-mates at one point, playing together at Manchester United during the 2017-18 campaign.

Last year, Lukaku spoke of his admiration for the Swede, saying he was impressed by his ability to remain in such good form at an age when most players have already retired.

“Ibra is a champion, I respect him,” Lukaku told Tiki Taka. “In Manchester, I could train every day with him that was the most beautiful thing for me. It will be nice to play against him. He is a great champion and professional.”

“For me, it’s not normal that he can do those things at the age of 38. He works a lot; he always gave me advice when we played together in Manchester United.

The match went on and Inter started to search the way for an equalizer.

Inter made a change at the break as Hakimi came on in place of Darmian, with Tatarusanu forced into immediate action – firstly, from a Kolarov free-kick and then from the resulting corner as Sanchez nearly snuck one in at the near post.

Tomori was tested by a fired-up Lukaku, he blocked the effort of Lukaku from inside the box after Hakimi’s cut-back.

The game was almost one hour old as the referee made a huge call and handed Ibrahimovic a second yellow card having been adjudged to have brought down Kolarov.

Pioli made an instant change as Ante Rebic came on in place of Brahim Diaz.

Perisic’s last involvement for Inter came when he headed a Vidal cross onto the roof of the net from close range, and on came Lautaro Martinez was brought on.

Inter were then given a very debatable penalty in the second half as Nicolo Barella threw himself to the floor, Lukaku dispatched it.

Inter as expected with their numerical advantage began to get on top in the game, and Tatarusanu made another excellent low save to deny Hakimi who got a shot off inside the box.

Tatarusanu’s inspired form continued with two more fantastic saves, first of all, to deny Lautaro who had been put through on goal but checked back to shoot, and secondly to deny a close-range effort from Lukaku with a superb reaction save.

With six minutes left on the clock, Pioli made a double change - Rade Krunic and Samu Castillejo came on in place of Saelemaekers and Leao.

It would be Inter who got the winner in the seventh minute of 10 added as Meite gave away a free-kick around 20 yards out, and Christian Eriksen stepped up to curl an effort over the wall and past a stranded Tatarusanu. Replays showed that it was a very contestable free-kick.

The Rossoneri were out, but still, Pioli sounded confident.

Pioli was interviewed by Rai Sport after the game, with his comments transcribed by MilanNews and translated below.

“We are sorry to have gone out; we were keen on the competition. The game told us that we can keep up with a very strong team, having ten men has complicated the situation.”

On the Ibra-Lukaku incident, he said, “It influenced [the game], the first warning caused the sending off. They are adults and vaccinated, I don’t know what they said, it can happen, you have to get over it and think about the next one.”

“With ten it became even more difficult; we became a little naive about the penalty foul. It’s a good performance; I come out of this defeat very confident about our future.”

“The difference was only the fact that there were ten of us left, in eleven against eleven the game was open to any result and we were ahead.”

“He (Zlatan) got a bit caught up in the desire to help the team, he could slow down the game a bit but he can stay on.”

In the Italian Serie A, the Rossoneri are still on top and they are expected to give their very best to keep the top spot secured enough.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 27/01/2021 What a fiery contest it was at San Siro!

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

 

What is the purpose of West Indies in Bangladesh?

Last year, since the Pakistan tour was called off due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Bangladesh hardly had any taste of international cricket except some mini shorter-format domestic tournaments here and there. Even though the threat of COVID-19 persists in Bangladesh and throughout the world, each and everyone decided to move on and allow normalcy to prevail maintaining the health hygiene measures.

West Indies decided to tour Bangladesh this year but they landed here with a third-tier side.

 Ten West Indies players have declined the opportunity to tour due to COVID-19 related concerns or personal fears. Jason Holder, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks, Roston Chase, Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nicholas Pooran have all opted out, while Fabian Allen and Shane Dowrich are unavailable due to personal reasons.

The Test squad would be led by the experienced Brathwaite, with Jermaine Blackwood as vice-captain. Former Trinidad & Tobago and West Indies A captain Mohammed will lead the ODI team with Sunil Ambris as his deputy.

Kavem Hodge, the right-handed top-order batsman, earned a maiden call-up to the Test squad, while left-handed opener Shayne Moseley and all-rounder Kyle Mayers would also be touring in the Test squad for the first time, after making trips to England and New Zealand as reserves earlier this year.  

Two players earned their first ODI call-ups – all-round left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, and Kjorn Ottley, a left-handed top-order batsman.

Indeed it was a depleted side, but the Windies coach Phil Simmons sounded confident before the start of the three-match One-day International (ODI) series.

The ODI series was the first engagement for either side in the ICC Super League where the participating teams finish in the league will determine who qualifies directly for the 2023 World Cup - the top seven teams and hosts India would be certain participants - and who must go through the playoffs, to be held in Zimbabwe again.

Simmons clarified that he had no intention to go through the qualifiers of the ICC World Cup.

“It is mighty important [to get a good start] because you have to catch up in the series. We don't want to get into the playoffs anymore. To catch up in the series is going to be really hard, so we need to start well.”

The stand-in skipper Jason Mohammed has said that his comeback into the West Indies team after more than two years, with the added bonus of being named the ODI captain, is his opportunity to get his place back when the main players are back.

Mohammed last played when Bangladesh toured West Indies in August 2018.   

“I have been out for two years now. I have a role in leading the team but personally, I look forward to the challenge. It is a good opportunity for me to have a good series, and put my hands up for when the full-strength team is back, so I can really get my place back in that team.”

“It won't be difficult to motivate myself. I want to be playing international cricket. It is a huge role being the leader of the Caribbean team. There's no added pressure because playing as a captain is something I have been accustomed to doing. I just want to enjoy the series and turn around the stats (against Bangladesh).”

“Growing up you always want to play for the West Indies but leading the Caribbean team, it is a great feeling. Sometimes things come in different ways. I just have to grab this opportunity and make the best use of it, and lead the team to the best of my ability.”

“I haven't played a game for a couple of months. We have been doing some practice with the T&T senior team. A couple of days here will be very important for preparation. I want to hit as many balls as I can, find the middle of the bat as soon as possible, and look forward to enjoy three good games of the series.”

“Inexperience or not, it is always difficult to pick your final XI. Obviously, the coach and myself and the other staff have to take the decision to put the best team in the park, which is ideal for the condition. It is going to be difficult selecting the XI for the first time. There is a lot of good exciting talent within the group. There aren't a lot of senior guys in the team. There are a lot of youngsters in the team. My job will be to try to make them as calm and relaxed as possible. I want to try to guide the young bowlers as best possible in the field. I think everyone understands their game well at this level. I have to make sure they execute the plans.”

West Indies have already missed playing the ODI series against New Zealand and the Netherlands because of the Covid-19 pandemic, making the ODI series in Bangladesh important.

But as soon as the series commenced, the poor exhibition of the Windies against Bangladesh was evident.

The first ODI saw six West Indian cricketers make their debut in the format.

 Bangladesh won the opening match by six wickets, with more than 16 overs to spare, and then won the second ODI by seven wickets to take an unassailable lead in the series. In the third ODI at Chattogram, they experienced the same fate and lost by 3-0.

From the Bangladesh point of view, it helped the Tigers to warm up for the future rosters whereas, it seemed, West Indies came here only to fulfill the formalities rather than trying to improve. The way they played it was painful to watch – meek surrenders made the victories of Bangladesh hollow.

What is the purpose of the West Indies in Bangladesh? Are they touring here to serve the purpose like Zimbabwe? Are they serious enough regarding international cricket? Or, they are focused more on Twenty20 Leagues? Do the longer-formats – Test and ODI – bear any importance for them? And, where are the exciting talents, which were endorsed by the West Indian captain?

Neither the bowling nor the batting nor the body language hinted any signs that the players from the touring party were eager to play cricket –and talk about exciting talents; those seemed a bunch of armatures handed with a cricket bat and ball.  

In Dhaka and Chattogram – the West Indian display was a total mockery.

If the West Indies were very serious about the ODI Super League then they should have landed on Bangladesh with a full-strength side. Bringing on such a third-tier sense only gave the impression that the Caribbean are not serious at all playing cricket.

At least, the inspirational words from the legendary Clive Lloyd should have inspired them.

The Test series is coming and one hope, the players motivate themselves and pay respect to the words of Clive Lloyd and the predecessors, who took West Indies to the top of the world. 

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer on 26/01/2021 What is the purpose of West Indies in Bangladesh?

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

The classic Joe Root in Sri Lanka

 

“Joe Root has been absolutely brilliant in Sri Lanka and looked assured on his technique and temperament. He made Galle his run-scoring party ground”

All is not well in the United Kingdom. At first, the COVID-19 devastated them and now the fears of the new strain in the UK consistently haunting the British. And in between the UK strain and the previous COVID-19 – the South African strain is all set to trigger the panic button. But life is moving on in the UK – the Premier League has been an exhibition of top-notch sports to kill the boredom of the sports-loving people in England and each week, a new twist in the tale consistently keeping the English alive and kicking in the Pandemic.

Football is definitely the major sport in England and they are mad about it, but cricket also has its role to inspire the British. Back in the east, Joe Root took his boys to face Sri Lanka on those typical subcontinental decks. None doubted the success of Root’s boys against a depleted Sri Lankan unit, and also, it was supposed to be the preparation for the big tour in India, which has become the final frontier for teams like Australia, England, and New Zealand.

Sri Lanka exhibited inconsistency with the bat and suffered. They simply lacked the batsman who would lead from the front and carry the team on his shoulder. Thankfully, for England, Root was there.

At Galle, England lost wickets quickly in response to Sri Lanka’s paltry first innings total. Root came at the wicket and started to graft the innings because he needed to be the fulcrum of this innings.

Since becoming the skipper of England, his average dropped significantly than it was before. The critics kept on saying, captaincy has been hampering his batsmanship and the Englishman is losing the race against the likes of Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, and Steve Smith.

At Galle, he made a statement – taking the singles and twos consistently – grooving occasionally with a boundary. The innings started to build up and Root was at the center of everything. There was no evidence of a batsman who was seen struggling for runs against Pakistan and the West Indies last summer, rather, here was a man, who came out to bat and make the conditions his own party ground.

Sri Lanka unleashed the spinners and Root’s answer was the sweep-shot as if Graham Gooch of Mumbai, 1987 was evident in Sri Lanka.

“Joe understands how to play spin really well,” David Saker, the bowling coach of Sri Lanka said.

“He looked so good, and just him being so comfortable at the crease puts pressure on the bowlers straightaway. He plays back quite deep in the crease, and it's hard to put pressure on him. As soon as you try to get the ball a bit fuller he hits you down the ground. He also sweeps very well. He's always putting pressure on the bowler and it's hard to get into a groove against him because he hits you off that.”

Root went on to script a double ton –   the fourth of his Test career and his second as captain - helped England take a commanding first-innings lead by the time they were bowled out on the brink of lunch on Day 3.

The ease with which Root amassed his runs might give a somewhat misleading impression about the track in Galle.  

After the first innings of both sides were completed, only two other men in the match had made more than 30. The last five in the England side contributed only 17 runs between them as Sri Lanka claimed six wickets in the morning session.

CricViz has suggested Root's innings in Galle contained more sweeps than any Test innings and it kept the innings moving.

Only Wally Hammond (with seven) and Sir Alastair Cook (with five) now have more double-centuries for England. Root's score here represents the second-highest score by an England player in Asia after Cook's 263* in Abu Dhabi in 2015.

At Galle, Root also surpassed 8,000 Test runs and became the seventh English player to reach the landmark and, in terms of innings (it was his 178^th), the second quickest after Kevin Pietersen, who reached the milestone in 176 innings.

England won the Test and after the Test Root said, “With the time off, the thing that's really benefited me is having a period of time to work on my game. To have time to think about things and take stock and look where I can improve. That's where I think I've benefited the most.”

“There will be occasions where I might have to miss out here and there. I'm desperate to play as much as I can. I love playing cricket, love playing for England, and feel very privileged to get the opportunity. I suppose getting the balance right is very important. But the way I thought about things in that period of time off, I will look to replicate.”

“I don't think you can ever be a finished article as a captain. I certainly don't feel it's the case with me. I will always look to improve and get better; I feel I am getting a better handle on things.”

Indeed, he was getting better and better because in the second Test at the same venue, he notched up another hundred.

In the first Test he scored 54% of the runs in the first innings and in the second Test, he scored 55% - which says, how good he had been with the bat on a deck, which was doing treacherous things. Sri Lanka doesn’t have a Muuttiah Muralitharan or Rangana Herath, but Lasith Embulduniya had been a tough nut and exploited the conditions better.   

The application of Root had been the same as before- strike rotation and occupy the crease, get accustomed and release the pressure – as soon as the conditions are mastered, play fluently and let the sweep-shots do the talking and it did.

So broad is Root's repertoire of sweep that he can hit the ball in front or behind square on both sides of the wicket – the flow of runs could never be stopped.

He was run out 14 short of yet another epic ton defying the heat and humidity at Galle.  

Root's aggregate in the series was 426. Only once has an England batsman scored more runs in a series in which he played two or fewer matches: in 1932-33 tour to New Zealand, Wally Hammond scored 563 runs in just two innings, including an unbeaten 336 in Auckland.

44.4% of England's runs off the bat scored by Root in the series: he made 426 out of the 980 runs scored by all the England batsmen. The percentage of 44.4 is the fifth-highest in the all-time list for any series of two or more Tests. On top is Hammond's 52.4%, in the series mentioned above.

Technically, Root’s batting changed a bit in Sri Lanka – his initial trigger movement had been back and across and not falling back too much, and also, he has opened his stance which allowed him to counter the turning ball square of the wicket. With shorter and sharper movement and the front shoulder engaged more into the ball more effectively - his back-lift has always been high but in comparison to a few years back, his pick-up point has been quicker and effective.   

England would need this Root in India and one can hope this less-octane series has helped Root and England a lot to prepare for the tough tour.

Note: This article has been posted in Cricketsoccer on 26/01/2021 The classic Joe Root in Sri Lanka

Thank You

Faisal Caesar  

Frank Lampard should not have been sacked

 

 “The only thing that has been quite incredible to see is that it was applied to everybody. It was applied for their dearest coach and their most successful coach.”

“So in the end, we have seen nothing different. Roman has sacked basically every coach he had and is no different - it happened even to the best.  The same criteria he applied to me, to Rafa Benitez and for all the other coaches, he has applied to Jose as well. And it's [now] a new chapter.”

That was what former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said after Chelsea boss Roman Abramovic sacked Jose Mourinho five years ago.

Mourinho was dismissed by Chelsea just seven months on from his side being crowned champions of England.

The Portuguese boss had seemed to lose the backing of his players during that time, as the Blues endured a horrendous beginning to the Premier League season, one which left them flirting with the relegation zone. Subsequently, Chelsea lost patience and hit the panic button.

Before Mourinho, it was Carlo Ancelotti, who experienced the same fate.

Despite guiding Chelsea to the 2009-10 Premier League title while scoring a record-breaking number of goals and winning the FA Cup, the absence of any trophies in the following season was enough for Abramovich to hand the Italian his marching orders.

Big Luiz Felipe Scolari had taken the team in a slightly different direction by signing Deco to play alongside Frank Lampard in midfield and while Chelsea had developed a habit of losing big games, overall results were relatively encouraging.

In fact, before a loss to Liverpool and a scoreless draw with Hull cost Scolari his job in February, Chelsea had won four games in a row and lost just one of their previous twelve across all competitions.

Then there was Claudio Ranieri, whose biggest mistake was finishing second to arguably the greatest team the Premier League has ever witnessed, Arsenal's legendary Invincibles. That being said, he was given a blank cheque by Abramovich, and yet a lot of his signings - Glen Johnson, Geremi, Wayne Bridge, and Scott Parker - proved to be largely second-rate in comparison to the raft of future superstars Mourinho brought to west London.

What about Roberto Di Matteo, who led Chelsea to win the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup? He was shown the doors even though many felt he deserved a bit more time, but Chelsea have the culture of not having patience with anyone enough.

Today, Frank Lampard has been sacked from his role as Chelsea manager and will be replaced by former Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel. Lampard had been in charge for just over 18 months but leaves following five defeats in the last eight games.

Lampard achieved a top-four finish last season, which was deemed impressive having taken over when the club was under a transfer ban. However, this season Chelsea spent £220 million ($275m) on new signings to try and close the gap between Liverpool and Manchester City.

It hasn't worked, with Timo Werner and Kai Havertz failing to flourish under Lampard while Chelsea's performances as a team were increasingly getting worse.

Club chairman Bruce Buck watched on with technical and performance advisor Petr Cech as Leicester City ran out comfortable 2-0 winners against Lampard's side in their most recent league fixture.

That defeat against Brendan Rogers’ Leicester City hurt everyone and Lampard started to feel the heat.

Chelsea have only beaten West Ham of the top 11 clubs this season while picking up the second-lowest number of points at this stage of a season since Abramovich bought the club in 2003.

Lampard earned 1.67 points per match in the league, which is the lowest of any manager appointed since Abramovich bought Chelsea.

Since Abramovich became the owner, the Blues have seen 14 managerial stints (both full time and on a long term interim basis) in 17 years. The longest anyone has lasted under the Russian’s reign has been Jose Mourinho’s first stint for just over three seasons.

The club, which has a history of brutal sackings, the sacking of Lampard is no surprise, but still, the fans and experts believe, the Chelsea legend deserved more time to regroup this team.

Lampard was bold enough to take the job during the transfer ban and took several players that had only played in the Championship the year prior and integrated them into the first team while achieving top four.

The story of Lampard this season has been no different from Mikel Arteta and OleGunnar Solskjaer. Arsenal and Manchester United experienced nightmares at the start and the lean-patch prolonged, still the respective hierarchy persisted with their managers and now the sailing seems smooth. The fate of Lampard was sad and it was not necessary. He needed time to fix this team, but in Stamford Bridge, they don’t give you time and demands results quickly – the philosophy does not make any sense, still, the owner of the club loves to persist with it.

Lampard was the ideal coach for this Chelsea side and sacking him is a mistake.

Note: This article has been posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/01/2021 Frank Lampard should not have been sacked

Thank You

Faisal Caesar 

 

The defence is letting down Liverpool

 

“There were a lot of good things and some mistakes around the goals. If you want to win here you have to be absolutely top and we were not.”

“For the first goal we had no protection, we wanted it too much. Things like this should not happen but they can happen. We had too many players in a receiving position.”

“We can take things out of this game; we try to learn from every game.”

That’s what the Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said after the match against arch-rivals Manchester United, who knocked them out of the FA Cup last night at Old Trafford. Before the clash at Old Trafford, Klopp and the Reds experienced bitterness against Burnley at Anfield and dropped points against the Red Devils at the same venue in the Premier League. It is testing times for Klopp and in every match; he seems to lose the grip.

Liverpool’s backline is letting them down.

It was almost unthinkable last season, but things change, and this season, Liverpool needed to sign one or two quality center-backs keeping in mind the unpredictability and hectic schedule.

When the match entered three minutes into the second half, Mason Greenwood produced a diagonal pass for Marcus Rashford, which Rhys Williams rumbled back to cut out, but instead, scuffed a miskicked clearance that ran straight into Rashford’s path, leaving him a clear run on goal.

Rashford made it 2-1.

Williams looked distraught.

Liverpool equalized, but went behind again and in the end, that scuffed clearance became decisive for Liverpool.

A tie between Liverpool and Manchester United would always offer a lot of excitement and last night it lived up to the billing.

Manchester United were the better and dominant force, while Liverpool simply struggled to remain composed - neither able to control the ball or deal with the pace of United.

 With the FA Cup of this season done and dusted, Klopp might focus more on the title challenge in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League, but just a solitary victory in the last seven matches does not give a very good story.

The Reds need to start winning and not let the opportunities slip.

The game was just 18 minutes old when a very clever movement from Roberto Firmino, who dropped off the front and hit a pinpoint pass into Mohamed Salah, whose chip over Dean Handerson hinted of a Liverpool return to form.

Firmino drew a foul from Scott McTominay, but Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick sailed over and moments later United equalized - The ball went to Rashford on the counter and as Salah backed off, he turned infield and lifted a 40-yard diagonal to Greenwood on the right, the ball barely missing James Milner’s head. From here the right-foot strike gave Alisson no chance.

Liverpool posed threat - Curtis Jones pick-pocketed McTominay in traffic, the movement swept left, Robertson lobbed the ball over, but there was Shaw to head away.

After the break, Williams committed a blunder and it was compensated by Salah.

Henderson fed a goal-kick to Harry Maguire, who found Cavani in midfield, but he carelessly ceded possession to Milner. The ball went left to Firmino, his delivery was dummied by an on-running Milner, and Salah again made no mistake.

Klopp brought on Sadio Mane for Georginio Wijnaldum, a move Ole Gunne Solskjær answered by swapping Donny Van de Beek and Greenwood for Fred and Fernandes.

Pogba has been enjoying his time in the United short and last night his influence was evident as he skated down the right but the midfielder spooned the ball into Alisson’s gloves. He wandered around and always looked to exploit the spaces, which the Reds left in the midfield – Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were missed so badly.

Edinson Cavani won a free-kick under Fabinho’s challenge, who was playing as the center-back and up stepped Fernandes to drill home the winner.

United celebrate after the final whistle leaving plenty to ponder about his backline.

Rashford in particular caused Trent Alexander-Arnold all sorts of problems down the United left as he worked well with Luke Shaw to overwhelm the Liverpool right-back. Andy Robertson lacked the sharpness, Fabinho did everything to c0ver the 19-year-old Willliams, sadly, and it was not enough.

Williams never matched the physicality of the Manchester United forwards and the skill to shut down a threat. Yes, he is just 19 and it is always too much expect from him, but again, in this season, where the schedule is hectic and injuries would show-up the back-ups should always need to be ready and give their best because opportunities don’t come every day in clubs like Liverpool.

Note: This article is posted at Cricketsoccer as CSdesk on 25/01/2021 The defence is letting down Liverpool  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar