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Na entrevista coletiva que sucedeu o empate em 2 a 2 entre Bragantino e Atlético-MG, o técnico Mauricio Barbieri até falou de sua equipe e pontuou a satisfação sentida em atuar com bom nível diante de um dos postulantes ao título do Brasileirão. Entretanto, diante do contexto do jogo e a penalidade marcada já nos acréscimos, a arbitragem também foi pergunta feita e respondida de maneira bastante sincera pelo treinador do Massa Bruta.

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– A gente sabia que ia ser um confronto extremamente complicado, eles brigando pela liderança do campeonato. Acho que foi um jogo equilibrado, parelho, em alguns momentos a gente conseguiu se sobrepor e, em outros, o Atlético se sobrepôs. Mas, no geral, foi bastante parelho. Sobre o último lance do jogo, o Bragantino ganhou até o último minutos, pois não tem justificativa para o acréscimo que ele deu, não fizemos cera e caiu um jogador de cada time, não tem critério para dar um minuto a mais – afirmou o técnico do Braga.

– Na minha avaliação, ele acertou a decisão de campo e errou a decisão de VAR, algo difícil e raro de acontecer, mas, infelizmente, aconteceu com a gente hoje. Pelas imagens que eu vi, o Arana já está dobrando o joelho muito antes de qualquer contato do Ramires e a sensação que eu tive é que não houve qualquer contato do Ramires, ele recolhe a perna. É uma pena, poderíamos sair com três pontos que seriam importantes pra gente, mas a entrega, o desempenho me deixam satisfeitos porque conseguimos competir com uma das grandes equipes do Brasil no momento – acrescentou.

Não foram apenas as marcações em si que deixaram Barbieri um tanto quanto incomodado. Isso porque, para ele, houve um “erro de critério” por parte da CBF na escalação do potiguar Caio Max Augusto Vieira para o embate no Nabi Abi Chedid.

– Eu sei que as pessoas estão trabalhando para minimizar os erros, só não entendo a escolha de um árbitro categoria B para um jogo desse tamanho, deveria ser um árbitro FIFA. Nada contra o árbitro, mas é uma partida que pode decidir o campeonato em termos de pontuação, acho que deveria ter um outro critério na escala do árbitro porque, pra mim, ele se equivocou tanto no acréscimo como na decisão que ele tomou.

Se no número geral de finalizações a equipe mineira teve maior acúmulo do que o Bragantino (19 a 11), o técnico da equipe do interior paulista não apenas exaltou as ações defensivas do adversário como pontuou outras estatísticas para trazer novamente a análise pensando no equilíbrio.

– O fato da gente não ter conseguido um número tão alto de finalizações é, claro, mérito do adversário que impôs muita dificuldade pra gente, tentou pressionar a nossa saída também. Houve um momento do jogo no segundo tempo em que eles estavam criando oportunidades só em erros nossos de saídas que a gente não estava conseguindo encaixar e a gente precisou verticalizar mais o jogo. Ficou um jogo muito tático, não tão aberto, mas em finalizações ao gol ficaram iguais os números, seis pra cada lado. E, em grandes chances, nós tivemos uma a mais que foi com o Morato onde o Everson fez a defesa – explicou.

A próxima partida do Massa Bruta pelo Brasileirão onde está em 13° com 35 pontos será contra o Ceará no próximo domingo (17) às 20h30 na Arena Castelão.

Chelsea have seen several generational talents slip underneath their grasp and hearing about their misfortune in that regard isn't for the faint-hearted.

Whether that is letting go of Declan Rice as a 14-year-old or having a 16-year-old Jamal Musiala get snatched from them by Bayern Munich, the Blues have endured their fair share of heartache when it comes to watching some of their academy graduates prosper elsewhere.

Rice and Musiala have since transformed into world-class talents since departing Stamford Bridge, reminding Chelsea what they could have had so to speak, which is something Kylian Mbappe has also done.

The Blues famously rejected the opportunity to sign him as a 13-year-old and now they're looking to reverse that gut-wrenching decision by miraculously signing him in January.

Chelsea transfer news – Kylian Mbappe

According to Gazetta dello Sport – as relayed by French outlet Le 10 Sport – Chelsea and Liverpool are gearing up to offer the French superstar a huge contract offer with his Paris Saint-Germain future up in the air.

Mbappe's contract is set to expire at the end of the season and unless he extends his deal with the Parisiens, foreign clubs will be eligible to begin pre-contract talks with him over a free transfer in the summer from January 1st.

Whilst Real Madrid have been long considered favourites to capture the 24-year-old, Premier League clubs are set to rival the Spanish giants for his signature and offer him close to what he earns at PSG, which is reportedly £1.2m-per-week.

If the Blues were somehow able to land arguably the best player on the planet on a free transfer, he would not only become one of their greatest-ever transfers, but he'd have an opportunity to eclipse the legacy that the sensational Eden Hazard forged at Stamford Bridge.

The Belgian – like Mbappe – began his career in Ligue 1 with Lille, but established himself as one of the Premier League's most talented players with 110 goals in 352 appearances for Chelsea, yet the Frenchman would surely blow his impact out of the water, especially in the goal-scoring department.

Kylian Mbappe vs Eden Hazard's goal record

It is difficult to put into words how good Kylian Mbappe is, but considering he's already reached 300 career goals at the age of 24, doing so quicker than the greats Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, his talents need no introduction.

Kylian Mbappe

24 years, 333 days

Lionel Messi

25 years, 125 days

Neymar

25 years, 238 days

Cristiano Ronaldo

27 years, 89 days

All stats via GiveMeSport

To put the above into perspective, when Ronaldo was Mbappe's age, he had scored 158 career goals. This is a stat that not only proves how the Portuguese superstar got better with age but one that depicts the near-unstoppable scoring talents of the PSG star.

For as long as he continues to outperform some of the greatest footballers to ever live, the plaudits will continue to stream in for the goalscoring machine, who has been lavished by many legends of the sport.

His fellow countryman, Thierry Henry, once said: “What this kid is doing is really out of this world,” while many, including his national team manager, Didier Deschamps, have labelled him as "world-class".

Given the above, it's no surprise that Mbappe, who has plundered an eye-watering 15 goals in 15 appearances for the French giants this term, has also outscored Hazard already, despite being eight years younger.

The Belgian retired this year after scoring 167 goals in 623 career appearances, which is a respectable record for any wide player, however, considering the 74-cap international has nearly doubled that particular tally, there is no doubt he'd instantly transform Chelsea into a title challenger and in turn, smash any record that Hazard set in west London.

Also a player that former PSG boss Pochettino knows well – having scored 67 goals and contributed 34 assists in just 75 games under the Argentine – Mbappe could surely flourish in a Blues jersey in the near future.

Chelsea will feel that the international break arrived at the wrong time as they had managed to build up some confidence over the previous few weeks.

The Blues are undefeated in their previous three matches, with a win against Tottenham Hotspur sandwiched between an EFL Cup victory over Blackburn Rovers and a dramatic 4-4 draw with Manchester City.

It took a last-minute equaliser to secure a share of the spoils against the current Premier League champions, and it proves that they can certainly score their fair share of goals against the top sides.

On the downside, the Stamford Bridge side have conceded 16 goals in 12 league matches, suggesting that their defence is not quite up to the required standard as of yet.

Mauricio Pochettino did bring a few new faces to the Blues during the summer transfer window and with January fast approaching, the head coach could make further additions to his side.

While recent results indicate that the club could be about to deliver some consistent form, the Argentinian may wish to bolster his squad and, if given time, he could return Chelsea to winning trophies.

Chelsea transfer news – Ivan Toney

According to talkSPORT, Chelsea have shown interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney recently as they look to add to their attacking options.

They are not the only club sniffing around the forward, however, as Arsenal are also keeping tabs on the Englishman ahead of the January window.

According to the report, the Bees are confident that he will sign a new deal at the club, with his existing deal set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban from all footballing activities due to betting offences, which means he is not able to play competitively until January, yet this has not put off clubs such as Chelsea and Arsenal as they chase a move for the player.

Brentford valued him at around £80m during the summer transfer window when clubs were circling, and it remains to be seen exactly how much it could cost the Blues this time around.

The stats that show Ivan Toney would be a good signing for Chelsea

The Blues have struggled on the goalscoring front in recent times. This season, their current high scorer is Nicolas Jackson with just seven goals across 14 matches.

Last season was even worse as they had no player break into double figures and it was no surprise that they finished in the bottom half of the league table, while in the 2021/22 campaign, Romelu Lukaku was their top scorer with 15 goals.

Finding a striker with a keen eye for goal has clearly been a problem for the club, but Toney would be an ideal signing, especially with his Premier League record.

Since Brentford were promoted to the top flight ahead of the 2021/22 season, Toney has played 66 league matches and scored 32 goals while registering nine assists.

A wonderful record and he even finished last season ranked third in the Premier League Golden Boot, proving that he belongs among the elite.

Thomas Frank has lavished one of his best players with praise in the past, saying: "He is a special footballer, I think his character is unique in terms of leadership and driving his team. His link-up play and the way he sees his team-mates around in terms of combinations and then his ability to score goals. He is an all-around football player."

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There is no doubt he could add something extra to the Chelsea attack. Not only did Toney rank first across the squad in the league for goals and assists last term (24), but he also topped the pile for shots on target per match (1.3) and penalties won (three), along with ranking second for big chances created (12), indicating how impressive he was in the final third.

His attributes would allow him to thrive in the current Blues setup, especially with a player like Cole Palmer operating just behind him in a number ten role.

Cole Palmer’s season in numbers

The Blues managed to snatch the youngster away from City during the summer for a fee of around £40m, and judging by his recent form, it could turn into one of their finest pieces of transfer business in recent years.

Having broken through at City last term, making 25 appearances across all competitions, he ended up winning the treble and his future looked bright.

His move to Chelsea was perhaps a strange one, yet he is proving that it may have been the correct choice, as he is gaining regular games in the starting XI and contributing effectively.

The Englishman currently ranks second in the squad for goals and assists in the top flight this season (six) while also ranking first for 'big chances' created (five), fourth for key passes per game (1.4) and second for shots on target per game (0.8), certainly proving his value so far.

These statistics could allow him to form a wonderful duo with Toney as he could supply him with a constant string of passes that the Brentford striker would be dying to finish off, given how often the England international can create 'big chances' for his teammates.

Palmer’s creativity makes him an extremely exciting prospect and, with his favoured position being just behind the main striker as a number ten, this could benefit Toney massively.

Whether or not a move for the 27-year-old marksman goes through remains to be seen but, as evidenced, Pochettino is not afraid of ripping up what has not worked and bringing new players into the fold.

Palmer could be a phenomenal talent if he continues to live up to his early promise, and he now needs someone in front of him who is ruthless and able to convert chances on a regular basis.

Toney has proven over the previous two seasons that he can mingle with the elite strikers in the top flight and moving to Chelsea, where he would have better players around him, could take his game to the next level as a lethal partner for Palmer at the top end of the pitch.

The next few weeks could be very interesting with regard to whom the club could sign in January.

The Trinbago Knight Riders held on to complete a nine-run win against Barbados Tridents in Port of Spain

The Report by Peter Della Penna08-Sep-2018Getty Images

Denesh Ramdin’s second half-century of the season was backed up by a tight bowling effort to guarantee Trinbago Knight Riders’ top-two finish in CPL 2018, as the defending champions held on for a nine-run win over Barbados Tridents at Queen’s Park Oval. Fawad Ahmed’s three wickets catapulted him to the top of the tournament’s wickets chart and increased the Knight Riders’ lead at the top of the table to three points. The Tridents, meanwhile, suffered their seventh consecutive loss to finish with the CPL’s wooden spoon for 2018.Chart busting MunroColin Munro had a modest night overall, comfortable enough to let his partners do the work after the New Zealand international has done most of the heavy lifting for the Knight Riders through the season. Chris Lynn blasted 29 off 10 balls in their 35-run opening stand while Ramdin did the bulk of the scoring in a 75-run partnership that gave the Knight Riders a fantastic platform through the 11th over.Munro’s 28 off 29 balls served as his third-lowest score of the season, and he had a pair of lives in the fifth over as well, dropped on 1 and 2 off Mohammad Irfan by Shai Hope and Dominic Drakes respectively. But his good fortune meant he went on to break Chadwick Walton’s single-season CPL scoring record of 458 runs set in 2017; Munro now has 464 runs on the season with a minimum of three more games to go, in what is shaping up to be a Player-of-the-Tournament campaign for the top-order batsman.Ram’s denThe Knight Riders wicketkeeper was hidden down the order earlier in the season with limited opportunities to contribute in the final overs. But Sunil Narine’s extended slump in form triggered a reshuffle that has seen Ramdin move up to No. 3 in an effort to rekindle the batting flair of both men. Ramdin responded with 90 runs over the last two matches, including 51 off 31 balls against the Tridents.Ramdin took over from Lynn to keep the Knight Riders momentum going early by bashing Roston Chase for two fours and a six over deep midwicket at the start of the fourth, then cracked Jason Holder for a pair of boundaries in the sixth to round off the third-highest Powerplay of CPL 2018 at 68 for 1. Another maximum off Chase took Knight Riders past 100 to end the 10th over and put Ramdin three away from his half-century.His departure in the 13th at the hands of Imran Khan came not long after Munro’s exit and the Knight Riders innings soon stalled, going a stretch of 33 deliveries without a boundary. It took a late burst, however, from Dwayne Bravo – with three fours and two sixes from the 16th to the 18th overs – to ensure Ramdin’s effort wasn’t wasted.All crossed upTeams bowling second at the Queen’s Park Oval have typically had difficulty gripping the ball with the nighttime dew, which is why Fawad’s three wickets stood out in a Man-of-the-Match performance.Not for the first time this season, Fawad struck with his first delivery of the night to bowl Tion Webster with a googly in the fifth over. Another googly cleaned up Sunny Sohal to end the seventh after he had cracked a pair of sixes off American team-mate Ali Khan in the Powerplay. Fawad capped off his haul in the 13th, beating Shai Hope’s charge to make it 92 for 3. The Australian said afterwards that he resorted to bowling with a scrambled seam all night in order to be able to get a handle on a very wet ball and the strategy paid off.Forty-tudeFor the third time in five matches, Nicholas Pooran made it into the forties but once again failed to cross fifty, run out by a direct hit from Bravo at extra cover at a critical moment with three overs to go. It ended a 50-run stand with Holder, but the whole scenario was emblematic of the Tridents’ lack of a finishing kick that has contributed to their seven-match losing streak.With 39 needed from 18, the onus was on Holder to get the Tridents home. But Ali Khan claimed the Tridents captain by inducing a skier to long-off at the start of a masterful four-run 19th, leaving Chase and Shamar Springer to get 24 off the last over bowled by Bravo. Springer could only muster nine from the first four balls, thereby securing Knight Riders’ top-two finish after the league stage.

Paris Saint-Germain boss Luis Enrique has explained why he is "controlling game time" for Kylian Mbappe as he closes in on a move to Real Madrid.

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• Enrique explains why he dropped Mbappe from starting XI
• Claims he has backing of club owners
• PSG take on Nice in French Cup on Wednesday

• Getty
  

  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mbappe was omitted from PSG's starting lineup for the third time in a month against Reims as the Ligue 1 leader's were held to a 2-2 draw by the ninth-placed side. Manager Luis Enrique has now explained why he has been using attacking players like Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele scarcely in the last few matches.

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• WHAT LUIS ENRIQUE SAID

  Speaking to reporters ahead of a French Cup quarter-final tie against Nice, the Spaniard said: "We study every little detail for the players individually. All matches are important, like tomorrow's matches or in the Champions League. Ousmane has no problem, he is available to the coach. We have to control the time game for very explosive players like Dembele or Mbappe. They have incredible speed which involves risks. It involves making them play more or less minutes."

  He added: "Since I arrived, since my first meeting with Luis Campos and since I knew the president (Nasser Al-Khelaïfi), I have always felt total confidence, support. The project is a bit new for the club, different from previous coaches, with a lot of young players. The idea is to see that our supporters follow us and think that we play well. I have a good time in personal terms, as a coach and that's how it is that we must carry out a football project."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It has been suggested that Mbappe and Luis Enrique's relationship has soured in the wake of the news that the World Cup winner has reached an agreement to join Real Madrid in the summer, after his contract at PSG expires. The PSG boss bizarrely sent his best wishes for the future to Mbappe after the Reims draw as he appeared to confirm that he will be moving onto pastures new at the end of the season.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PSG?

  PSG will next face Nice in the French Cup quarter-final on Wednesday before taking on Montpellier in the Ligue 1 on Sunday. Mbappe and Co also have the Champions League quarter-finals to look forward to, with the French champions still in the hunt for an unprecedented treble.

One Rangers manager candidate has apparently given his "assurance" that he is "ready" to replace Michael Beale at Ibrox.

Why did Rangers sack Michael Beale?

The Teddy Bears sacked former boss Beale nearly two weeks ago after a poor run of both form and results. The Scottish Premiership title hopefuls currently languish seven points behind Old Firm rivals Celtic, having lost three league games already – a start to the campaign which, quite simply, hasn't been good enough after a busy summer transfer window. Booed off on multiple occasions, Rangers made the big decision to relieve Beale of his duties after 10 months in charge.

Former Gers striker and club legend Kris Boyd, speaking to Sky Sports and giving his reaction to the big news, criticised both the recruitment and performances on the pitch – stating there was no other option but to get Beale out the door.

"I don't think there was any option, the way the season has started," said Boyd.

"You can't lose three of your opening league games. Even when Rangers won last week against Motherwell there were boos after the game, so the fans had just had enough. I don't think they'd seen enough improvement. I think it all comes down to recruitment again, and Jack Butland is the only one of the arrivals who can keep his head held high at this moment in time. The rest have been nowhere near it and are going to have to improve.

"Unfortunately for Michael Beale he pays the price of poor recruitment and poor performances and results on the pitch. A lot of fans had already made their minds up that Michael Beale was not the man to take Rangers Football Club forward. You look at the big games and there haven't been any results in those."

Who are the Rangers manager candidates?

Reports this week indicate that the frontrunners to succeed Beale are in fact both former AS Monaco manager Philippe Clement, who's won multiple league titles in Belgium, and ex-Gers star Kevin Muscat. There are also suggestions that Croatian boss Nenad Bjelica has thrown his hat in the ring after leaving Trabzonspor, as he eyes a late bid to beat both Muscat and Clement to the job (TEAMtalk).

Muscat is currently in charge of Yokohoma.F Marinos in Japan and makes for an interesting candidate, with Daily Record journalist now dropping a Rangers update. Sharing some very promising Muscat to Rangers news, the reporter claims that the Australian is "ready" to succeed Beale; giving his "assurance".

“My understanding is, you know, Kevin Muscat has given his assurance that ‘I’m ready to go, I will join’,” he said on PLZ Soccer.

Muscat has actually been praised by treble-winning Man City boss Pep Guardiola, who claimed he is wowed by the manager's Yokohoma side during a pre-season tour.

“I say wow,” the Spaniard explained to press.

“I watched Yokohama and I like what I see. Maybe because we are in the same football group – the City Football Group – they are doing a very good job."

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman has pieced together a side full of exciting young talents who have the potential to grow alongside the club over the years to come.

Who did Sunderland sign this summer?

The Black Cats dipped into the market to add a whopping 11 players to Tony Mowbray's squad as they attempt to build on their success of reaching the play-offs last term.

Nectarios Triantis

Permanent

Timothee Pembele

Permanent

Jobe Bellingham

Permanent

Bradley Dack

Permanent

Jenson Seelt

Permanent

Adil Aouchiche

Permanent

Nathan Bishop

Permanent

Luis Semedo

Permanent

Nazariy Rusyn

Permanent

Eliezer Mayenda

Permanent

Mason Burstow

Loan

Speakman and the English head coach have added strength in depth to a number of areas with ten permanent signings and the loan arrival of Mason Burstow from Premier League giants Chelsea after his loan spell with Charlton last season.

Sunderland reached the play-offs in the Championship at the end of the 2022/23 campaign during their first year back at that level following their promotion from League One under Alex Neil.

Whilst a host of new signings have come through the door since they were last in the third division of English football, one player who has been on this ride with the club has been goalkeeper Anthony Patterson.

How much was Anthony Patterson worth at Notts County?

The English titan came through the academy system at the Stadium of Light and experienced his first taste of professional football during a loan spell with Notts County in 2021.

He spent the first half of the 2021/22 campaign with the then-Non-League outfit and made 13 appearances in all competitions for the club, which included nine National League matches.

By the end of that loan in December 2021, FootballTransfers placed his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) at €200k (£171k), which is not a surprise when you consider that he had yet to play in the Football League at that point.

Patterson had, however, racked up 53 appearances for Sunderland's U21 side and had caught the eye at U18 level with eight clean sheets in 28 outings.

How has Patterson performed for Sunderland?

The England U21 international was eventually handed his first-team league debut by Lee Johnson in January 2021 and then became a regular under Alex Neil, who replaced the former later that month.

Patterson went on to play 23 League One games during the second half of the 2021/22 campaign and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88 as he saved 70% of the efforts on his goal.

The talented youngster kept ten clean sheets across those outings and did not make a single error leading to a shot or goal for the opposition, which suggests that he was a reliable option between the sticks for the Scottish head coach in spite of his lack of experience heading into that run of matches.

His season culminated in a terrific display at Wembley against Wycombe in the play-off final. Patterson kept a clean sheet and recorded a Sofascore rating of 7.5 as he made three saves, one punch, and completed two high claims to alleviate the pressure from his defence.

This means that his first campaign in professional football ended with him putting in a superb performance to keep a shutout at the most prestigious stadium in England to help earn his team promotion back to the Championship.

Patterson was then tasked with delivering at a higher level during the 2022/23 season and was given a show of faith by Mowbray, who came in to replace Neil in August 2022, as the former Blackburn Rovers boss stuck by the youngster instead of going for a more experienced option.

In September 2022, which was shortly after the manager arrived, Football Transfers placed the goalkeeper's xTV at €700k (£600k) as he had yet to prove himself at Championship level.

How much is Anthony Patterson worth now?

At the time of writing (09/09/2023), Patterson's current xTV is a whopping €9.2m (£7.9m) and this is a staggering 1,214% increase on the €700k he was valued at this time last year.

His market value has soared as Mowbray trusted the talented youngster to be his number one and allowed him to flourish with regular football in the second tier.

The 23-year-old colossus, whose reactions were dubbed "magnificent" by journalist Josh Bunting, was an ever-present for Sunderland last term as he played every single minute of their league season and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.88, which was the eighth-best within the squad.

He saved two of the six penalties that the team conceded throughout the season and kept 14 clean sheets for the side as they made the play-offs.

Patterson is also exceptional at commanding his area, which is surprising for such a young goalkeeper with little experience of first-team football, as he ranked within the top 9% of goalkeepers for the percentage of crosses he stopped (10.7%) last term.

This essentially means that he is one of the best in his position at dealing with balls into the box and is, therefore, able to take some of the pressure off his defenders as they do not have to deal with as many crosses due to his ability to pluck the ball out of the sky above their heads.

The shot-stopper is also reportedly earning a wage of £4.5k-per-week and 12 first-team players, including loanees Amad Diallo and Joe Gelhardt, were on more than him during the 2022/23 campaign.

This suggests that the club got fantastic value for money out of the academy graduate last term as he was the eight-highest-rated player in the squad based on his average Sofascore rating.

Patterson has also now started the current season in fantastic form between the sticks for Sunderland. He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.06 across five Championship matches so far, which is the eighth-best score in the team, and kept two clean sheets.

Therefore, Mowbray unearthed a gem with the England youth international as his decision to back the giant ace as his number one, in spite of his lack of experience heading into last term, was a masterstroke by the head coach.

Patterson's value has soared as a result of his exposure to regular first-team football as his performances on the pitch have been excellent and, hopefully, he will continue to grow and develop over the years to come, whether that is at Sunderland or elsewhere.

England’s new national selector has the challenge of trying to solve long-standing issues with the Test side

Andrew McGlashan20-Apr-2018

James Vince made 75 in difficult batting conditions•Getty Images

Stick or twistEngland were thwarted by New Zealand’s lower order in Christchurch, falling two wickets short of ending their barren run away from home. In the aftermath, there was a sense that the signs of improvement – particularly from Mark Stoneman and James Vince, who both scored half-centuries – had brought the men in the spotlight some more time. It will be interesting to see whether Smith feels the same way or whether the start of a new season is the time for a blank sheet of paper.Find the x-factorMark Wood and Jack Leach were brought into the side for Christchurch in an attempt to shake up England’s attack. It nearly worked, but the reality is that England have taken 20 wickets just once in their last 12 away Tests. James Anderson remains the attack leader and Stuart Broad looked rejuvenated in New Zealand, but high on Smith’s agenda will be finding bowlers (pace and spin) who can provide a point of difference. Names suggested early season include Olly Stone and Richard Gleeson in the pace debate, but Smith’s desire to delve into analytics may throw up some interesting new faces.Home and awayEngland’s home record has propped up their Test standing in recent years, but that can’t be taken for granted. There is a balance to strike between winning in the here-and-now and having an eye on the types of players who will be needed to arrest the decline overseas. For example, if a certain pace bowler or spinner is viewed as a likely starter in Sri Lanka or West Indies, then do they need to be playing this summer to find their feet in Test cricket? And, also, Smith will need to decide how far ahead to look. The next away Ashes in 2021-22 is likely to be high on the agenda. Players for that need to be identified now.Horses for coursesWith Smith’s emphasis on analytics and a more Moneyball approach to selection, could we see an evolution of the way Test squads are selected throughout a series – especially at home, where there is no restriction on who is available and limited distances to travel. Even if a certain team produces an impressive victory in one Test, does it mean they are the best XI for the next match? How deep will Smith look at conditions and opposition when selecting squads? This, of course, has to be balanced with the dangers of chopping and changing, and the instability it could bring.If it aint brokeRejuvenating the Test side will be Smith’s biggest selection challenge (although the T20 side has also lost some direction in the last couple of years). But the 50-over side is shaping up very nicely ahead of next year’s World Cup – an event with an importance to the English game that cannot be overstated. An era has been staked on winning that tournament on home soil. Smith is a smart man and will know what is working well, but it will be important that he doesn’t feel the need to tinker for the sake of it. Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss probably already know 13 of their 15-man squad for 2019 – things would have to go badly pear-shaped for those selection meetings to stretch Smith too much.

Glasgow Rangers secured a solid 2-0 victory over Ross County in the pouring rain at Dingwall, setting them up nicely for the trip to Eindhoven in midweek.

Michael Beale made a few changes from the 2-2 draw against PSV at Ibrox on Tuesday, and this included a start for Kemar Roofe – his first since April 2022.

Having lost their first Premiership tie against Kilmarnock and slipping immediately behind Celtic, all three points were required, and they duly delivered.

How did Rangers perform vs Ross County?

A solid, if unspectacular performance secured another win, and Beale will be pleased by how comfortably the game went by, especially in the first half.

Captain James Tavernier led by example with yet another wonderful performance, and his goal was a sight to behold.

Striding forward with purpose, the right-back looked in a menacing mood and unleashed a stunning, dipping shot that nestled into the top corner to give the Light Blues a two-goal advantage following Kemar Roofe’s opener.

Alongside his goal, the Englishman also demonstrated how effective he is going forward by making four key passes during the tie, while also succeeding with one successful dribble and taking three shots during the game.

Defensively, he won 50% of his ground duels along with making one tackle and one interception, as well as committing just one foul, which was good enough to help his team keep a clean sheet.

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But as good as Tavernier was, it was centre-back John Souttar who was an absolute rock at the back for Beale against the Highland side, and he was a major contributing factor to the club keeping a clean sheet.

How did John Souttar perform against Ross County?

Speaking to the media before this match, fellow defender Leon Balogun praised the Scot, saying:

“I think he’s a very strong player. Last season didn’t go the way he planned as he got injured early on. Since I’ve come back, you can see that he’s a good defender and there are a few things that I’ve wanted to copy from him.

“We’ve got really good defenders in the backline and there’s no point being sour because we have big targets this season. In order to achieve them, you need a strong squad and that’s what we have.”

Against County, Souttar was a rock, while also showing how comfortable he is on the ball by taking 77 touches and completing 48 passes as he looked to start attacks from the back often.

Souttar won eight of nine total duels during the match, showcasing his physicality. He also made seven clearances, three interceptions and two tackles, and wasn’t dribbled past once across the 90 minutes.

It was a commanding performance by the former Hearts defender, and he has certainly emerged as a first-choice centre-back alongside Connor Goldson.

With two tough games against PSV and Celtic to come next week, seeing the 26-year-old in this sort of form will undoubtedly please Beale ahead of tougher tasks.

Karun Nair put Karnataka in pole position•PTI

Rajneesh Gurbani extended his spectacular streak of performances with his third five-wicket haul in as many matches, but Karnataka took big strides towards the Ranji Trophy final on the back of a sublime Karun Nair century. As on the first evening, Gurbani continued to tantalise and provide Vidarbha with a glimmer of hope. But the unshakeable Nair established Karnataka’s ascendancy in the semi-final with an unbeaten 148 that thrust them into a 109-run lead on the second day at Eden Gardens.It was a day of three installments as both sides continued to trade punches. Karnataka, however, finished the day like they had begun it – by dominating. Nair began the day doing exactly what Karnataka needed him to do: soothe their nerves after what had been a topsy-turvy opening day. He did that by taking his fourth-wicket stand with CM Gautam (73) to 139 runs, taking the team score past 150. By the end of the day, Nair was still standing between Vidarbha and a shot at their maiden final. But now, he was doing it in the company of the lower order, to the great frustration of their opponents.By stumps, Nair had moved to his best score of the season and had batted out nearly 25 overs in the company of his captain Vinay Kumar. Only bad light, which ended play at 4.10pm – 15 minutes earlier than it did on the first day – could give Vidarbha respite from their misery.There was nothing slick about Karnataka’s batting for the first half hour or so when outside edges either fell short of the slip cordon or found an escape between fielders. Two of the first three fours Karnataka struck on the day came courtesy edges. It prompted Vidarbha to take the second new ball only 21 balls into the day.The heavy presence of early-morning moisture perhaps came to the aid of Karnataka as the ball came on slowly and edges didn’t carry. Equally, it impelled Karnataka to exercise caution, especially with the odd delivery climbing unexpectedly onto the batsmen.Vidarbha then found various ways to concede the advantage they had gained on the first day. Umesh Yadav was particularly disappointing as he hardly probed the batsmen. Fuller offerings on the pads of Nair allowed him to warm up with a brace of boundaries. Umesh ended his first spell with 4-0-16-0 and Karnataka collected 52 runs in the first 11 overs of the day.By the time the sun came out fully, the pitch had eased out considerably. A straight-driven four off Faiz Fazal, the Vidarbha captain, gave Gautam his fifty; Nair brought up his shortly thereafter, with a neat tuck off the hips through square leg, and followed it up with a paddle sweep to the fine-leg boundary.The sweep became an oft-employed method to counter Vidarbha’s spinners: Nair compact as ever playing his favoured shot, and Gautam slightly less so. And then, in a single moment of indiscretion, Gautam undid all of his good work over the morning, slashing Umesh to deep point off what turned out to be the last ball of the session.Gurbani’s brilliance made for the story of the post-lunch passage. It began antithetically as Nair pulled him over deep backward square leg for six. But in his next over, Gurbani produced a scorching away-drifter that found the outside edge of Stuart Binny, who was forced to play at it.Gurbani regularly found movement off the surface and kept the batsmen on their toes. He forced Shreyas Gopal to follow the line of one that was slanted across the right-hander and jagged away off the seam. The resultant edge was taken brilliantly by Fazal at first slip. With Akshay Wadkar also diving to his right, Fazal was momentarily blinded, but he flung himself to his left and grabbed it without fuss.Gurbani’s fifth wicket arrived with a legcutter that had K Gowtham pushing forward into a drive and offering a catch to gully. In the last ball of that over, Gurbani got one to cut in the other way and found the inside edge of Abhimanyu Mithun that snuck away to fine leg and brought up Karnataka’s 200.Nair remained compact at the other end, displaying characteristic traits of assured feet movement, still head and a straight bat for the most part. Occasionally, he would be ambitious, especially when it came to the sweep, but he played his shots with great control and picked his gaps brilliantly.Soon after Gurbani’s six-over third spell, which ended with three wickets, Nair raised his century with a single to mid-on and followed it up with an eye-catching celebration, getting down on one knee, pulling out an imaginary bow and firing an arrow into the sky.He then snuffed out any steam Vidarbha had gathered from Gurbani’s burst. With Vinay, too, hardly troubled by the pace of Vidarbha’s bowlers and showing good judgement outside off, the two shut out Vidarbha’s chances of limiting the lead to a marginal one.