Gary Neville has been filmed providing a bizarre pep talk to a student, who apparently failed his A-levels.
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Ange Postecoglou has unquestionably brought improvements to Tottenham Hotspur, anointed after the end of the 2022/23 campaign, but to say there is work still to be done would be an understatement.
The Australian manager took headlines back in March when he said "I don't see fourth as the prize," stating that he views the true measure of Spurs' development through collective growth and assimilation of the tactics, philosophy and commitment to the cause.
"I don't want to finish fourth if we haven't grown as a team and developed as a team. If nobody believes me then that's fine. Part of the narrative is to push you in these kind of positions where you think that fourth is some kind of achievement that gives you something for next year."
Tottenham are currently fifth in the Premier League and are just three of Aston Villa in the top four. They have a game in hand. They finished eighth last season, missing out on European competition entirely. There's everything to play for. There's everything to look ahead to.
Even if Spurs miss out on a place in Europe's golden tournament next year, Postecoglou should be content with his team's progress, even if recent contests have exposed issues in relation to hold-up play, sturdiness and collective cohesion.
Micky van de Ven was brought in from Wolfsburg in a £43m transfer last summer to restore the backline and the 22-year-old has done a stellar job in his maiden year in England, but he's not indestructible and will need time to refine his skills into something of world-class quality.
Tottenham possibly need a bit more leadership and composure, and while he had fallen by the wayside in his last days down N17, Eric Dier looks enlivened on the biggest stages with Bayern Munich.
Dier was chucked to the fringe under Postecoglou at Tottenham and provided with chances only with every alternative option exhausted, featuring just four times this season before moving to Bayern Munich in January, six months before his contractual expiry in north London.
He has been a mainstay in Thomas Tuchel's team, winning talkSPORT's Man of the Match against Arsenal as his side advanced to the Champions League semi-finals this week and leading journalist Henry Winter to praise him for "intervening calmly, defending resolutely and ensuring a clean sheet."
Against the Gunners at the Allianz Arena, the 30-year-old won all four of his ground duels, completed 92% of his passes and made four tackles, three interceptions and two clearances, as per Sofascore.
This quality, clearly dormant during his final days as a Tottenham player, would certainly make an impression on Postecoglou's side right now.
He may not have the elite athleticism of Van de Ven, and he might not be endowed with the technical prowess of the aggressive Cristian Romero, but there is no question that Dier's industriousness is glowing at Bayern, alongside Harry Kane.
|
Eric Dier: Bundesliga Stats 23/24 |
|
|---|---|
|
Stat |
# |
|
Matches played |
11 |
|
Matches started |
9 |
|
Pass completion |
92% |
|
Tackles per game |
0.6 |
|
Clearances per game |
3.1 |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
3.6 |
|
Duels won per game |
4.0 (72%) |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
But Dier was always heading for the exit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, failing to produce the kind of performances that Postecoglou demands and coming off the back of a torrid 2022/23 campaign that brutally illuminated Spurs' deficiencies.
However, Tottenham clearly need something extra in the rearguard and while Dier's departure was timely in the circumstances, perhaps even six months too late, Tottenham may not want to let Joe Rodon leave as well, with the Welshman excelling on loan in the Championship with Leeds United and boasting higher potential.
Rodon signed for Tottenham from Swansea City in a £15m move back in 2020 but he has only started eight times in the Premier League and, at 26, will not want to return to Postecoglou's squad without assurances of regular match action.
A key part of Leeds' promotion push this term, Rodon has chalked up 40 appearances in the Championship this season, keeping 17 clean sheets, completing 91% of his passes, averaging 4.2 ball recoveries and 4.6 clearances per game and coming out on top in 66% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
Daniel Farke, Leeds manager, has even praised his "warrior mentality" and rightly so, having performed with crispness and composure in the backline, robust and energetic too.
Rodon ranks among the top 4% of centre-backs across divisions similar to the Championship over the past year for pass completion and passes attempted and the top 20% for progressive passes and aerial duels won per 90, as per FBref.
He's got years of mileage left in the tank and is demonstrating his ball-playing expertise and willingness to progress the play at Elland Road.
With Tottenham's power of ball retention coming into question of late, Rodon could add that all-important extra dimension to keep Postecoglou's project heading in the right direction, especially with the expected return of continental, midweek football to challenge the squad after the summer.
However, more latterly, Dier has rekindled the solidness that earned him plaudits for much of his career – after all, the 49-cap England international played a regular role in the most successful period of Tottenham's history in several decades, albeit without silverware.
With figures of £20m being mooted and Football Insider recently revealing that Rodon is among the list of expected departures in north London this summer, might it be that Spurs would make a mistake by allowing him to drift away? After all, Dier is perhaps already proving Postecoglou wrong, and Rodon could be next to do the same.
Spurs have a "generational" teen talent who could be the new Dele Alli
This star could rival players such as James Maddison for a spot in Postecoglou’s first-team in good time.
By
Angus Sinclair
Apr 17, 2024
While Van de Ven and Romero make up the starring defensive axis at Tottenham, with Radu Dragusin signed for £27m from Genoa in January to compensate for Dier's departure, Spurs do have options – with talented youngsters Alfie Dorrington and Ashley Phillips hoping to make an impression in the years to come too.
But Rodon could be a major player next season, adding depth and dynamism to compete across numerous fronts.
Arsenal were recently named the eighth most valuable football team in the world by analytics site Sportico, which is a seriously impressive achievement considering the position the team found themselves in just a few years ago.
Since their back-to-back eighth-placed Premier League finishes, the Gunners have established themselves as one of the best teams in Europe, and their recent valuation is just another way of showing that.
This success on and off the pitch has also seen the valuations of several of Mikel Arteta's star signings soar, including one player who's now worth eight times more than Thomas Partey.
Gabriel Magalhães' Arsenal career
The star in question is defensive stalwart Gabriel Magalhães, who joined the Gunners from Ligue 1 side LOSC Lille for just £27m in September 2020.
At the time, the Brazilian centre-back was a relatively unknown name to English football fans, but he had made quite the impression in France with Les Dogues, so much so that their then-president, Gerard Lopez, described him as a "real fighter" and someone that possessed an "immense physical presence."
His full debut for the North Londoners was a memorable one, a 3-0 away win at Fulham, where he not only showcased his defensive prowess but also scored, which has since become a bit of a habit for the 6 foot 3 titan, well, by the standard of a centre-back anyway.
Starting XI on Gabriel Magalhães' full debut
Fulham 0 – 3 Arsenal: September 2020
GK – Bernd Leno
CB – Kieran Tierney
CB – Gabriel Magalhães
CB – Rob Holding
RWB – Hector Bellerin
CM – Granit Xhaka
CM – Mohamed Elneny
LWB – Ainsley Maitland-Niles
LW – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
RW – Willian
ST – Alexandre Lacazette
All Data via Transfermarkt
In the 167 appearances the 26-year-old has made for the Gunners, he has scored 15 goals and provided one assist, and in January this year, he became the highest-scoring defender in the Premier League since his arrival over three years ago.
It's not just his goals that make him a special player, though, he's also an integral part of the best defence in the league this season, starting 89% of league games and playing 90% of league minutes alongside his partner in crime, William Saliba.
Described as "absolutely unstoppable" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Brazilian might not quite get the media attention of his French teammate, but his no-nonsense and aggressive style of defending is just as essential to Arteta's incredible team, and as such, his valuation has ballooned since his arrival.
Gabriel Magalhães' transfer valuation in 2024
According to CIES Football Observatory, Arsenal's most important Gabriel – at least this season – is currently worth €80m, which converts to around £69m, or £42m more than Arteta signed him for in 2020.
The Valuations of Arsenal's Gabriels
Place
Player
Valuation
Signed For
Apps in 23/24 (Starts)
1
Gabriel Martinelli
€100m (£86m)
£6m
43 (30)
2
Gabriel Magalhães
€80m (£69m)
£27m
49 (47)
2
Gabriel Jesus
€80m (£69m)
£45m
35 (21)
All Valuations via the CIES Football Observatory
This new valuation means he is worth slightly less than Gabriel Martinelli, who is priced at €100m – £86m – by the CIES, but the same as Gabriel Jesus, who also has a valuation of €80m – £69m.
However, one Arsenal star that the defensive powerhouse is worth more than is Partey, who has recently been valued at just €10m by the CIES, which converts to around £9m, or 7.6 times less than the defender.
Thomas Partey's Arsenal record
Season
Appearances
Injuries
Games Missed
2020/21
33
3
21
2021/22
26
3
19
2022/23
40
2
6
2023/24
15
2
26
Total
114
10
72
All Stats via Transfermarkt
This shocking price tag is likely down to the consistent injury problems the Ghanaian has faced during his time in North London, which has seen him miss a whopping 72 games since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, as it doesn't matter how good a player is if they are never fit enough to play.
Furthermore, those injury problems have limited him to just 15 appearances across all competitions for the Gunners this season, so there really hasn't been a point in his Arsenal career where he has been less important to the team's overall success.
Ultimately, Arsenal hit the jackpot with Gabriel, and while his three years of impressive performances should be enough to convince people of that fact, his soaring valuation is just another way to show it.
Arsenal eye Partey replacement who's one of 'the best CMs in the world'
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ByJack Salveson Holmes May 8, 2024
Manchester United could be on the hunt for a new no.1 this summer just 12 months after signing Andre Onana for £50m, it has been reported.
Onana struggling at United
Andre Onana's time at Manchester United has, by his own admission, been poor. The Cameroonian goalkeeper's arrival was heralded as a major upgrade on David de Gea, and while that has proved the case with the ball at his feet, question marks remain about his actual ability to keep the ball out of the net.
"It was a difficult time for me", the goalkeeper explained, "It took me six months or seven months not to play good just to feel good."
But the four goals that flew past him at Selhurst Park meant that he has now conceded 81 times in all competitions this season, which is a Manchester United record since the Premier League era began, and one that neither the squad nor Erik ten Hag can be proud of.
He also made a flurry of mistakes in the Champions League, which ultimately saw his side finish bottom of their group and exit the competition at the first hurdle.
Onana's Premier League season
Appearances
35
Goals conceded
55
Save %
74.6%
Shots faced per 90
17.46
Clean sheets
8
With three games left of the season, and Premier League title-hopefuls Arsenal up next, it is conceivable that Manchester United miss out on European football altogether for next season, while the best case scenario appears to be a spot in the Europa League.
But with the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, big changes seem set to happen this summer, and one of them could well be between the posts. It had previously been mooted that Manchester United were once again keeping tabs on long-term target Diogo Costa, but now a new name has entered the fray.
A new no.1 on the way?
Now, reports in Spain have linked Manchester United with a move for a new no.1, in the shape of Real Sociedad goalkeeper Alex Remiro. The Spaniard has enjoyed another fruitful season in Sociedad, keeping 13 clean sheets and helping his side to a Europa Conference League spot as things stand, though they will need to hold off in-form Real Betis in the final games of the season to ensure that they keep it.
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ByBen Browning May 8, 2024
And his performances have not gone unnoticed, with Marca claiming that the Red Devils are interested in the 29-year-old and could line up a move for him should they decide to move on from Onana.
The shot-stopper has a release clause set at a massive 70m euros (£60m), but no-one is expecting him to move for anything like that amount should a deal materialise, though it is unclear to what extent United chiefs will be able to haggle that down in negotiations.
With Ten Hag's days at the helm seemingly numbered, the players he has backed could face tough futures at Old Trafford too, with Ratcliffe and Co seemingly plotting immediate replacements for some his underperforming stars.
Suresh Raina feels Indian cricketers without BCCI contracts should get the opportunity to play in overseas T20 leagues. The 33-year-old Raina has played over 300 international games, but hasn’t represented India since July 2018; playing in overseas leagues, he feels, will especially help older players who are looking to make international comebacks.”I hope the BCCI can get together with the ICC or with franchises and allow players who don’t have BCCI contracts to play in overseas leagues,” Raina said in an Instagram Live chat with his former India team-mate Irfan Pathan. “I feel there are a lot of players, including Yusuf [Pathan], myself, Robin Uthappa – a lot of quality players who can go overseas and learn a lot, no matter which league it is. Allow us to play in two [overseas] leagues.”We aren’t in the BCCI contracts list, some of us don’t have IPL contracts, we aren’t playing international cricket, and the competition in domestic cricket isn’t what it is at the international level. If we can get three months of quality cricket, whether it’s the CPL or the Big Bash [League] or any league, it can help us stay ready.”Players from other countries are able to play in these leagues, and a lot of them have made international comebacks after doing well in them. We play the IPL, but if these people [the BCCI selectors] have a pool of 40-50 players, they think those outside it aren’t good enough or are past it, and neglect them. We don’t have a Plan B. If we go overseas and perform, our cricket will improve and we’ll get to learn a lot.”The BCCI has not allowed active Indian players to take part in franchise leagues other than the IPL. Those that have done so – Virender Sehwag in the T10 League, Yuvraj Singh in Global T20 Canada – have only done so after announcing their retirements. Last year, Harbhajan Singh signed up for the draft of The Hundred but eventually pulled out in order to continue playing in the IPL.
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Titular do CRB e em alta no clube alagoano, o lateral-esquerdo Guilherme Romão pediu intensidade máxima do elenco na sequência de 2021. Segundo o jogador, o alvirrubro vai com tudo para crescer nesta temporada.
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– O grupo tem trabalhado muito no dia a dia para melhorar o rendimento em campo e para crescer de produção. Vamos procurar manter uma intensidade grande nos treinos e jogos para que nossos objetivos sejam alcançados.
Segundo o defensor, o Galo terá um segundo semestre intenso para que possa evoluir ainda mais em 2021.
– Vamos ter um segundo semestre muito intenso e temos que estar preparados. O grupo sabe do seu potencial e do quanto podemos crescer.
There were many positives for new coach Sonia Bompastor to take from wins over Gotham and Arsenal, but also one big negative
There is plenty of time yet until Sonia Bompastor makes her competitive bow as the new head coach of Chelsea, but the signs from the Blues' pre-season tour of the United States would certainly suggest that this winning machine is not going to let up as it enters its post-Emma Hayes era.
After 12 trophy-laden years, Hayes departed for the U.S. women's national team at the end of the 2023-24 season and she made a flying start in that job by winning an Olympic gold medal at Paris 2024. It's fitting in some ways that, in the last week, her old team have been showing positive signs on her new patch, a short pre-season tour of the States producing wins for Chelsea over NWSL champions Gotham and London rivals Arsenal.
Bompastor's first competitive game in charge won't come until September 20, when the Blues welcome Aston Villa for their Women's Super League opener, and that makes this short trip all the more promising, as there's still plenty of time to fine tune everything. That said, there are still a couple of things for the new boss to finalise and perhaps even be concerned about over the next few weeks.
So, what did we learn from Chelsea's pre-season U.S. tour? GOAL picks out six things…
The PCB will announce a 42-person touring team, comprising 28 players and 14 support staff
Danyal Rasool11-Jun-2020Fast bowler Mohammad Amir and batsman Haris Sohail have withdrawn from Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming England tour.Amir, who had retired from Test cricket last year, and was thus only eligible for selection for the three-match T20I series, pulled out so that he could be present for the birth of his second child in August, which is when the T20Is are scheduled to be played.There was a spot of confusion* regarding the exact reason for Sohail’s withdrawal. The PCB had initially said that Sohail had opted out because of “personal reasons”, but later issued a statement confirming that he had, in fact, taken “the option [given by the board to the players] of pulling out of the tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic”.The Pakistan players and the support staffers are expected to arrive in England several weeks before the start of the first match to be able to train in the country, as well as complete the mandatory quarantine period for all foreigners travelling to the UK. That means the side will spend over two months in England. The touring party will form a “bubble” where they will not interact with anyone outside of the group, and regular tests for Covid-19 will be conducted on the tour.The three Tests and three T20Is will all be played behind closed doors Additionally, earlier this week, the ICC had approved the use of substitutes if a player showed symptoms of Covid-19 during a Test match. Players’ families will not be allowed to accompany them.The PCB said they would announce a 42-person touring team, with 28 players and 14 support staff to accompany them. Pakistan will be the second side to tour England since the Covid-19 pandemic, with West Indies set to play three Tests in England starting July 8. Three West Indies players – Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Darren Bravo – withdrew from that tour, citing concerns around the coronavirus.
The unease on the red half of Merseyside is rising with Jurgen Klopp's successor at Liverpool still not identified and ostensible top targets Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim both seemingly out of the running.
The latter, Amorim, has not been wiped off the shortlist as such but after spending weeks as the clear frontrunner, the Sporting manager is understood to have been distanced away from contention by FSG's CEO of Football Michael Edwards and Anfield Sporting Director Richard Hughes.
There are a host of reasons this could be the case and the judicious bosses at Liverpool will be going through candidates with a fine comb in securing an apt heir.
One such alternative to Amorim has now risen to the top of the list, and he might just be a shrewd appointment.
Liverpool eyeing Amorim alternative
According to the Express, Liverpool could turn to Feyenoord manager Arne Slot after cooling interest in Amorim, with Edwards and Co determined to choose brave over popular in the hunt for a new leader.
Slot emphatically led his side to the Dutch Eredivisie title last season and may well prove to be a more suitable appointment than Amorim, when considering his stylistic approach and the seamless shift it may prove to be from Klopp's brand of football.
The report was added to by journalist Fabrizio Romano Jacobs who suggested he was keen on being given the hot seat at Anfield.
Why Liverpool are interested in Arne Slot
Slot might be a name of relative obscurity on English shores but to discredit him for this fact would be nonsensical: the 45-year-old has created a utopia at Feyenoord, beating financially-superior rivals Ajax and PSV Eindhoven to the title last season and crafting an excellent squad from limited resources.
Moreover, while PSV are heading toward the Eredivisie trophy this season, second-placed Feyenoord just cemented themselves as 2023/24 KNVB champions (basically the Dutch FA Cup), winning against NEC Nijmegen in the final last weekend.
23/24
Feyenoord
29
2nd
69
2.38
22/23
Feyenoord
34
1st
82
2.41
21/22
Feyenoord
34
3rd
71
2.09
Slot remarked that the Premier League "is the best league in the world" when pursued by then-managerless Tottenham Hotspur last summer and given his attacking style of high-energy play, he might indeed be perfect to succeed Klopp.
Moreover, he implements a 4-3-3 approach, much like Klopp, which could work far better than that of Amorim, whose three-man defence and short-pass movements would negate the ball-playing qualities of stars such as Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Transfermarkt's Kevin Lux has also remarked that Slot is a manager who can "transform underdogs into contenders" – ring any bells?
The self-proclaimed "control freak", who seeks possession-based dominance and slick offensive football, would of course demand a tweak in the system for the Anfield side but he has demonstrated his aptitude in similar circumstances and he might just be the shrewd appointment needed.
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Said to be "similar to Pep [Guardiola]" with an ultra-attacking style that resembles that of a "maniac" by Dutch football expert Marcel van der Kraan, it wouldn't be the first time Liverpool have thought outside the box, delved down the less-walked path, and the recent track record in that regard isn't too shabby.
انتهت أعمال الجمعية العمومية العادية للجنة البارالمبية المصرية، والتي شهدت بند انتخاب مجلس إدارة جديد يقود اللجنة في الدورة الانتخابية 2024-2028.
وتضم الجمعية العمومية للجنة البارالمبية 14 هيئة: الاتحاد المصري لتنس الطاولة، الاتحاد المصري للتنس، الاتحاد المصري للترايثلون، الاتحاد المصري القوس والسهم، الاتحاد الرياضي المصري للإعاقات الذهنية، الاتحاد المصري للريشة الطائرة، الاتحاد المصري للتايكوندو، الاتحاد المصري لرياضات المكفوفين، الاتحاد المصري للدراجات، الاتحاد المصري البارالمبي للكرة الطائرة، الاتحاد المصري للرياضات لاعبي الشلل الدماغي، الاتحاد المصري للتجديف، الاتحاد المصري للكانوي والكياك، الاتحاد المصري للفروسية.
وحضر اجتماع الجمعية العمومية العادية كلا من المستشار محمد الأسيوطي رئيس الشئون القانونية باللجنة الأولمبية المصرية، أحمد عبد العليم مندوب اللجنة الأولمبية المصرية، الدكتور أحمد مختار مدير عام الهيئات الرياضية بوزارة الشباب والرياضة، وأحمد الشافعي مدير إدارة الاتحادات النوعية، بجانب محمود جمال، محمد حسن، والمستشار أحمد سعد المشرف القضائي على الجمعية العمومية.
طالع | 7 ميداليات حصيلة مشاركة مصر في دورة الألعاب البارالمبية باريس 2024
وجاء تشكيل مجلس الإدارة الجديد كما يلي:
رئيس مجلس الإدارة
الدكتور حسام الدين مصطفى
نائب رئيس مجلس الإدارة
المهندسة أمل مبدى
أمين الصندوق
الدكتور أشرف العجيلي
أعضاء مجلس الإدارة
الأستاذ إبراهيم أمين
الأستاذ إيهاب حسنين
الأستاذ محمد يحيى يوسف
الأستاذ رامي عبد الحميد
الدكتور خالد سمير