Jude Bellingham’s relationship with England boss Thomas Tuchel has been compared to the one that Roy Keane and Sir Alex Ferguson once experienced at Old Trafford. Wes Brown witnessed that at close quarters and has, during an exclusive interview with GOAL, been discussing Bellingham’s role in the Three Lions squad ahead of the 2026 World Cup group stage draw.
Character questions: Will Bellingham make England's World Cup squad?
Tickets to that event next summer were booked while Bellingham was watching on from afar. Despite recovering from shoulder surgery and returning to action at Real Madrid, the 22-year-old midfielder was left out of Tuchel’s plans in October.
He returned in November, as a faultless passage through qualification was completed, before more questions were asked of his character and temperament after a 2-0 victory over Albania – in which Bellingham made his first international start since June 7.
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Keane & Ferguson: Bellingham vs Tuchel likened to Man Utd legends
Tuchel has made it clear that he will not be selecting anybody that threatens to rock the boat and disturb group harmony, with a happy camp required in the United States, Canada and Mexico. That has led some to suggest that Bellingham may be overlooked, despite his obvious talent.
Asked for his take on that debate, former United and England defender Brown – speaking in association with – told GOAL: “First of all, when it comes to a player and a manager, there needs to be respect. You look over the course of my Man United career, with Keano and the gaffer – they weren’t the best of mates, but there is an understanding that they are both here to win and both can play a big part in that.
“You still need respect between the manager and the player. We all know how good Jude is and he’s a big part of the squad and a big player in the team – who the manager knows that he needs, by the way. He does need him in the team. At the same time, it comes down to making sure that the respect levels are right. Maybe that’s what it is. I’m sure it will be fine. At the same time, they have to come to an understanding. At any normal football club, if two people are not getting on then you find a way to work it out and fix it.”
Too good: Bellingham expected to get England call
Another former England international, Danny Murphy, told GOAL recently when asked if there are any concerns regarding Bellingham and his place in England’s plans: “I find the narrative around his character and any problems a little bit strange because when I have watched England – I have watched them a lot at tournaments and watched him closely, he is, by far, the best character on the football pitch when England play, in terms of producing big moments, grabbing the game by the scruff of the neck, leaving everything out there.
“If you could have 11 Jude Bellinghams, you would win most tournaments. The element of not talking to the press or not doing interviews or the odd swear word or rant or a little bit of what some people would call arrogance, that is what creates the player on the pitch. They are just rumours because a lot of the feedback from the players – Jordan Henderson recently said how much he likes him and how great a character he is – I think some of it has been exaggerated.
“From a footballing perspective, we have a much better chance of winning the World Cup if he is in the team. I don’t mean just in the squad, I mean in the team. He is a phenomenal talent. We should be – as pundits, fans, press – building him up, applauding him and being thankful that we have got him, not trying to pull him down because he is the best one we have got. He is the game-changer in our side. He is the one that can make things happen. He’s just a phenomenal player.”
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World Cup draw: Date England will discover group stage opponents
The expectation is that Bellingham, who has 46 senior caps to his name, will be handed a place on the plane heading over the Atlantic next summer. For now, he – and the rest of the England hopefuls – are waiting to discover who they will face in the World Cup group stage. All will be revealed when the draw is held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on December 5.
Are Chelsea outside challengers for the Premier League title this season?
Based on the weekend’s results, they are, as Enzo Maresca’s Blues comfortably got the better of Burnley 2-0 on the road to remain second spot in the early league standings, while Liverpool and Manchester City fell to unwanted defeats.
Maresca’s men managed to pick up that routine win, even with Moises Caicedo out of the starting lineup at Turf Moor, as Chelsea’s standout £115m midfielder was rested after a gruelling international break with Ecuador.
Thankfully, the defensive midfield partnership that did start in Lancashire in Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos rose to the occasion, with Santos stealing many of the plaudits at the full-time whistle, despite Fernandez’s late strike sealing all three points.
Santos' standout performance vs Burnley
Fernandez rightfully received plenty of praise at the final whistle, with the World Cup winner now up to 11 goals and ten assists in 2025 for the Blues as a forward-thinking midfield spark.
But, with Caicedo out of the starting XI, Chelsea also needed a talent prepared to dig deep and do the required defensive work that the South American does week in week out, with the 24-year-old averaging 5.2 ball recoveries and winning 5.4 duels per Premier League contest this season, away from also chipping in with three goals and an assist.
Thankfully, Santos stepped up into his role effortlessly against Scott Parker’s hosts, with two tackles won, seven duels won, and four ball recoveries amassed, showing off the 21-year-old’s full-blooded approach.
On top of that, Santos also ended the game with one big chance created from his 34 accurate passes, with analyst Raj Chohan even stating that he provides a “lot of value” to the team as a stellar stand-in option for the likes of Caicedo.
The promising number 17 will hope he can get more first-team minutes soon, away from being in the shadow of the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion man.
But, he isn’t the only midfield asset being directly compared to Caicedo now.
Chelsea's next Caicedo
It’s clear that Chelsea have great faith in the youngsters rising the ranks at Stamford Bridge currently, with Maresca prepared to start a whole plethora of exciting, young talents, away from just throwing Santos into the first-team spotlight.
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Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Indeed, in attack, Estevao has been handed chances galore this season to impress, with a Premier League goal and assist coming the hotly tipped Brazilian’s way subsequently.
Moreover, Marc Guiu would gift Fernandez his goal at Turf Moor on a plate, with the 19-year-old now becoming a regular impact player off the bench. Could Dario Essugo be the next starlet to make a wild impression?
Already, the £18.5m summer purchase – despite only being 20 years of age – has shone in some challenging environments for two loan sides in Chaves and Las Palmas in Liga Portugal and La Liga respectively.
His attritional, yet polished displays, have even led to scout Jacek Kulig hailing the Portuguese enforcer as a “one-man army.”
Moreover, Kulig also boldly labelled Essugo as “one of the most exciting DMs in Europe” for his continued excellence with Las Palmas, even as they succumbed to relegation.
In the current Chelsea set-up, based on his numbers last season in that relegation-troubled camp, he would surely shine as bright as Caicedo has managed in West London.
Games played
18
27
Goals scored
0
1
Assists
0
0
Touches*
40.8
48.4
Accurate passes*
24.5 (85%)
30.0 (86%)
Tackles*
1.7
2.2
Ball recoveries*
4.2
4.4
Clearances*
1.7
1.6
Total duels won*
5.3
4.9
Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Essugo will be prepared to battle and tussle for Chelsea when first-team chances eventually arrive at his door, winning 4.9 duels per game last season in La Liga action, not a million miles off Caicedo’s 5.4 tally this campaign back in England.
Unfortunately, the only drawback for Essugo so far is that he is sidelined with a nasty injury at the moment, but he did shine briefly in Caicedo’s place against AC Milan in pre-season, with 100% of his ground duels won from just 17 minutes of action.
Thankfully, Maresca has Santos to fall back on in defensive midfield for the time being, if Caicedo continues to look fatigued.
But, do not rule out Essugo exploding onto the scene when he returns from the treatment room, with Chelsea’s midfield options full to the brim with quality.
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They are turning Ahmedabad into a fortress, where they have beaten Mumbai Indians four out of four times
Sidharth Monga29-Mar-20251:40
Pujara: Good to see Prasidh developing variations
Gujarat Titans (GT) have now beaten Mumbai Indians (MI) in all their four matches at home in the IPL. A young team beating one of the most successful T20 franchises so regularly is impressive in itself, but what’s even more impressive is that they have always had sound theories on how to beat their western-Indian neighbours.The first two wins came in IPL 2023, when GT managed to win four Ahmedabad matches out of seven when batting first. Despite dew, they did so through an early window of movement for fast bowlers. They had Mohammed Shami to exploit it. Both their wins against MI that year were on red-soil pitches where they scored 200-plus when asked to bat first and broke the game open with the new ball when defending. GT could play that way because MI didn’t have Jasprit Bumrah or a fast bowler to exploit these conditions.GT won the title in their debut season and came within one good ball of defending it next year. MI, of course, went shopping and took away their captain Hardik Pandya in 2024. They also put together a side full of big hitters. Bumrah was also fit. This time GT switched to a lower par-score pitch. Now they defended 168 successfully through change-up bowlers Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore and Mohit Sharma.Related
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Cut to their fourth encounter against MI at home. Even though captain Shubman Gill said their choice of a black-soil pitch was not specific to the opposition, Parthiv Patel, the assistant coach, said during a spot interview that they wanted to play MI on a black-soil pitch. Not only would it neutralise the threat of Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar with the new ball, it would also take MI away from the comforts of red-soil pitches that they are used to at the Wankhede.It also turned out that GT have a side more suited to under-200 games rather than the 240 one they ended up losing against Punjab Kings (PBKS). They have the most efficient anchor batter in all T20 cricket in Jos Buttler, and also B Sai Sudharsan, who capitalises on the powerplay and can anchor in the middle overs. The core of their batting is good enough to adapt to slightly difficult batting conditions.Most of all, GT have tall, into-the-pitch fast bowlers who can make use of variable pace and bounce in a surface. The pitch looked like the one used for the 2023 ODI World Cup final, played like it, and brought back memories of tall bowlers stifling batters. Only Mumbai Indians, not Indian.Apart from displaying that GT know how to win at home, this win showed the synergy between the franchise and the ground authorities. Given the short duration of the contest, T20 matches can turn on events as small as losing a wet ball with a six that goes out of the stadium. The only way to come close to guaranteeing consistent success is to maximise the home advantage.Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who hardly ever miss the IPL playoffs, do so because they win twice as many matches as they lose at home, comfortably the best win-loss ratio at home among IPL teams. Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) dominant run came when they could use their spinners on low-scoring home surfaces. As early as the first IPL, Shane Warne turned Sawai Mansingh Stadium into a fortress for Rajasthan Royals (RR), winning all seven matches at home. It is no surprise that GT have become a formidable team in their short existence: they hold the second-best win-loss ratio at home overall.1:06
Pujara: Siraj looks fired up again
Because of excessive dew and small grounds, MI and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) can’t quite set out to maximise home advantage. This makes MI’s five titles an impressive feat. Outside them, the teams that generally struggle in the IPL are the ones without a stable home base, and can’t build their teams for specific conditions.Strange events are taking place in IPL 2025. CSK and KKR have gone on record about apparent tension with curators at Chepauk and Eden Gardens not maximising their home advantage. They are both set up for under-200 games for their spinners to come into their own, but the surfaces have denied them that. With administerial turmoil in Rajasthan Cricket Association and with the Jaipur stadium being under the government, and thus not looked after throughout the year, RR are now playing some of their games away from Jaipur, losing out on a home base and conditions they can dominate.In a sport as reliant on conditions as cricket is, home advantage is a valid tactic. That’s why winning away has always been special. However, IPL is a unique case. These franchises don’t keep the grounds running all year round. They are just tenants for a couple of months. They can’t feel entitled to the kind of co-operation a Ranji Trophy team might. The groundsman is well within his rights to ask the franchises to select according to the general conditions. They aren’t out to get the home side, they just loathe having to change the nature of the square.It pays to have a management and team leadership that can build good relations with the state association and the ground staff. All this makes CSK’s case particularly curious because their state association and their IPL franchise have had the closest links. Eden Gardens and Chepauk will be two grounds to watch out for in the coming games. Watch out also for GT’s use of different soils for different teams. Chances are, CSK will not get the black one.
Tottenham Hotspur have now entered talks to sign an “elite” new striker, with sporting director Fabio Paratici a big fan, it has been revealed.
Spurs looking to sign new striker amid Tel and Solanke concerns
Dominic Solanke has struggled on the injury front ever since his arrival at N17, with the striker suffering knee, thigh and ankle issues during the 2024-25 campaign, and he has been unable to put the problems behind him at the beginning of this season.
Solanke is set to be out of action for a prolonged period, with it emerging that Thomas Frank may not be particularly fond of the English striker, who was Ange Postecoglou’s first-choice option at centre-forward last season.
With the 28-year-old on the treatment table, Mathys Tel has led the line for Frank’s side in recent weeks, but Jamie O’Hara has not been impressed, and the former midfielder singled the Frenchman out for criticism after the 2-1 loss against Aston Villa.
As such, Tottenham are now ramping up their pursuit of a new striker, according to a report from Caught Offside, which states they have now opened talks over a deal for FC Porto star Samu Omorodion.
Paratici is a big fan of Omorodion’s versatility, and Spurs have held discussions over the possibility of an initial short-term deal with an option to buy, but the Portuguese club’s huge asking price has proven to be a major issue.
Indeed, the Liga Portugal side are set to hold out for a huge fee for the 21-year-old, with it being revealed they are unwilling to let him leave for below the €100m (£87m) release clause in the youngster’s contract.
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ByTom Cunningham Oct 26, 2025 "Elite" Omorodion could take Tottenham's attack to next level
Scout Ben Mattinson has made it clear he believes the Porto striker is able to play at a much higher level, having already established himself as a Liga Portugal star.
The three-time Spain international has made a flying start to the campaign, scoring eight goals in ten matches in all competitions, off the back of scoring 19 league goals, in what was a very impressive 2024-25 campaign.
With Tel struggling, and Richarlison finding the back of the net 23 times in 103 games for Tottenham, it would make sense for Frank’s side to bring in a new striker, and Omorodion has proven he could be a fantastic option.
ECB confirms central contracts for 26 players, with four more on development deals
Matt Roller04-Nov-2025Ben Stokes has signed a fresh two-year England contract, providing the clearest indication yet that he intends to play in the 2027 Ashes series on home soil.Stokes, 34, has tapered his schedule significantly due to injury, to the extent that the only side he has represented in the past 12 months is England’s Test team. He has been sidelined with hamstring and shoulder issues this year and has not played a limited-overs international since November 2023, but his new contract suggests he has no plans to stop soon.Brendon McCullum, England’s head coach, is under contract until the end of 2027 and Stokes’ new deal suggests that the coach-captain combination could continue for another two years. England have won 25 and lost 14 Tests since McCullum and Stokes took over in June 2022, but are yet to register a series win over a “Big Three” opponent ahead of the imminent Ashes tour to Australia.Related
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Stokes is one of 14 players to have signed a new two-year central contract, with a further 12 players under contract until October 2026 and four more signing development deals. The ECB announced the list on Tuesday, which director of men’s cricket, Rob Key, said reflected “the depth and strength of talent” in the English game.Five players have signed their first central contracts: Sonny Baker, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton and Luke Wood. A further six players were not offered deals after their contracts expired: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, and Chris Woakes, who has retired from international cricket.Key said that multi-year contracts – which were introduced two years ago – were designed to help the ECB manage workloads of all-format players and to ensure that, in the case of players in high demand on the franchise circuit, “England remains their priority”.England central contracts 2025-2026•ESPNcricinfo LtdThese include Adil Rashid, whose new deal implies that he will continue until at least the 2027 50-over World Cup, while Sam Curran’s two-year contract marks a return to favour after he spent the first half of this year outside England’s white-ball squads. Jos Buttler has also committed to a two-year deal despite stepping down as white-ball captain earlier this year.Notably, several members of England’s Test side have only signed one-year contracts, leaving open the possibility of a post-series clear-out in the event of a heavy defeat in the upcoming Ashes. These include Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope and Mark Wood, who is now in the final year of the three-year contract he signed in 2023.Four seamers in the England Lions squad to tour Australia have been awarded development contracts for 2025/26: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes and Mitchell Stanley. Hampshire’s John Turner, who missed most of the 2025 summer after a back stress fracture, has lost his development deal.”This structure allows us to support our players properly while maintaining strong squads across all formats as much as possible,” Key said.The most notable omissions from the contracts list are Tom Banton, an ever-present in England’s T20I side since Brook took over as white-ball captain, and Jordan Cox, who has been a regular squad member across formats in the last year.England men’s central contractsTwo-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2027) Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Ben Stokes, Josh TongueOne-year contracts: (until Sep 30, 2026) Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Phil Salt, Luke Wood, Mark WoodDevelopment contracts: Josh Hull, Eddie Jack, Tom Lawes, Mitchell StanleyLapsed contracts: Jonny Bairstow, Jack Leach, Liam Livingstone, Olly Stone, Reece Topley, Chris Woakes, John Turner
West Ham United’s unbeaten run was brought to a halt by Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Now, the good news is that the Premier League champions were miles better than the Hammers, but the bad news is that they are still level on points with 18th-placed Leeds United.
Worse than that, though, at least in the immediate, is the fact that Nuno Espírito Santo is now going to be without Lucas Paqueta for the Hammers’ trip to Manchester United on Thursday night following his sending-off for dissent.
The Brazilian’s absence is undeniably a big problem, but Nuno might have a surprise solution in the shape of a particularly exciting prospect.
The latest West Ham team news
With every game now becoming increasingly crucial for West Ham and Nuno this season, it’s equally important that players are available.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Fortunately, there are only two first-team players out injured at the moment who will miss Thursday’s game, alongside Paqueta.
Unfortunately, while nobody was expecting Ollie Scarles to be declared fit given his surgery, there was hope, at least among the fanbase, that Crysencio Summerville would be fit enough to play.
However, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Nuno revealed that “there are still some issues” with the knock that the Dutchman picked up in the game against Bournemouth.
He then added that, while the club “are still assessing” the issue, they believe “Thursday is probably going to be too soon.”
It’s a real blow for the East Londoners, as while the former Leeds United star hasn’t quite delivered in terms of output, he is still one of their most dangerous and electric attackers.
Moreover, with him out and Paqueta out, that left-hand side looks a lot weaker, that is, unless Nuno makes a bold decision and unleashes one of the academy’s most exciting products there.
The academy star who could replace Paqueta
West Ham have a proud history of developing and promoting their best academy gems, and the latest youngster who could join the likes of Declan Rice and Freddie Potts, while also stepping in for Paqueta, is George Earthy.
The 21-year-old first joined the club at the under-6 level and has since worked his way up through the age groups, impressing the right people at every step.
For example, in 60 appearances for the u18s, totalling 4804 minutes, he scored 25 goals and provided 18 assists, which is an average of a goal involvement every 1.39 games, or every 111.72 minutes.
Earthy’s Junior Record
Team
U18s
U21s
Appearances
60
55
Minutes
4804′
3703′
Goals
25
19
Assists
18
15
Goal Involvements per Match
0.71
0.61
Minutes per Goal Involvement
111.72′
108.91′
All Stats via Transfermarkt
And if that’s still not enough, he has scored 19 goals and provided 15 assists in 55 appearances, totalling 3703 minutes, for the U21S, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.61 games, or every 108.91 minutes.
Last but certainly not least, the “priceless” youngster, as dubbed by coach Steve Potts, also has four first-team appearances under his belt, in which he’s scored one goal.
In other words, the boyhood Hammer is a huge attacking threat, whether scoring goals or assisting.
Now, some might argue that he lacks enough senior experience to be thrown in the deep end by Nuno on Thursday, but they would be mistaken.
Last season saw the Havering-born gem go on loan to Championship side Bristol City, where he not only made 40 appearances but was named the club’s young player of the year.
Finally, while it is undoubtedly true that the youngster is primarily an attacking midfielder, he has spent time out wide, and it’s not uncommon for managers to stick academy products where they are needed in the team.
Moreover, Paqueta is banned for just one game, and Earthy has more than enough talent and mental fortitude to do a job in a newish position for such a brief spell.
Ultimately, losing the Brazilian for Thursday’s game is far from ideal, but if Nuno is bold enough to start him there, Earthy might just be the solution he needs.
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Despite a disastrous start to the season under Will Still, Southampton now found themselves only four points off the final playoff position in the early Championship table.
Three wins on the trot – since Still was dismissed – have helped to arrest the worrying slide, as the Saints aim to be in and around the promotion spaces now until the close of the dramatic 46-game campaign, to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking.
While the Still reign failed spectacularly, his immediate successor in Tonda Eckert looks to be a short-term figure who is now destined for long-term success at St. Mary’s, with the full-time reins perhaps handed to the transformative 32-year-old very shortly.
The latest on Southampton's manager situation
The German, who is used to managing the U21s on the South Coast, really can’t do much more right now to put himself out in front for the running to be the main Saints manager.
As has been mentioned, Eckert has led the once sorry outfit to three straight wins in league action, with a 5-1 win over ex-Southampton boss Nathan Jones last time out versus Charlton Athletic very much the pick of the bunch.
The powers that be at St Mary’s have clearly taken notice now of how much of an impressive turnaround Eckert has managed to mastermind, with Fabrizio Romano reporting – via GIVEMESPORT – that the stand-in manager has a good chance of being handed the reins permanently, amid internal talks behind the scenes at the club.
There had been other rumours suggesting Russell Martin could come back for another shot at promotion glory with the Saints, but instead of walking down memory lane, Southampton could be better off appointing Eckert right now, as he might well be Martin 2.0 for the rejuvenated Saints.
Why Eckert could be Southampton's next Martin
Martin is likely in desperate need of some time away from the pressures of the dug-out after experiencing his own Still-like failures at the helm of Rangers.
On the other hand, Eckert looks hungry and ready for a chance as Southampton’s main boss, having got a taste for it now, after largely settling for roles as an assistant manager and U21 manager during his coaching career to date.
Games managed
13
Wins
8
Draws
4
Losses
1
Goals scored
31
Goals conceded
19
Points accumulated
28
When looking at Martin’s early career as a manager, he never looked back after being handed the MK Dons gig in 2019 at just 33 years of age, which is coincidentally only a year older than Eckert currently is, who boasts some impressive numbers on the South Coast as a U21 boss and as an interim stand-in after Still.
Martin gradually rose the EFL ladder to then take on the Southampton main post and clinch promotion, with 26 wins and 87 goals accumulated over 46 games in the second tier, making the now out-of-work manager a firm fan favourite at St. Mary’s.
Off the back of such a richly successful season, Martin was rightly hailed as a figure who prioritises “exciting attacking football” by analyst John Walker.
Safe to say, the excitement levels have returned to Southampton since Eckert has been given the temporary reins, with the barnstorming 5-1 success over the Addicks also calling back to when Martin was in the hot seat, with Adam Armstrong bagging two, and possession standing in the Saints’ favour at the full-time whistle at 59%.
Moreover, Eckert is willing to give the next generation of talents at Southampton chances to shine, having worked in the U21 ranks, much like Martin showed with the likes of Tyler Dibling before his big Everton switch.
It would be a big risk, but the numbers since Eckert took over from Still are very encouraging, with the German perhaps the man to take Southampton back to the Premier League, much like Martin pulled off during the memorable 2023/24 season.
Praised by Saints midfielder Finn Azaz for being “top level”, everything is pointing in the direction of Eckert being a very promising appointment with lots more to give.
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From a young girl who loved to bat, she’s transformed into a legspinner and is a key part of Gujarat Giants’ run into the playoff
Daya Sagar12-Mar-20254:30
Priya Mishra: I feel batters are not able to read my googly
In 2005, Sandeep Mishra came to Baljeet Nagar, a locality in West Delhi, from Allahabad (now Prayagraj). The neighbourhood was home to daily-wage labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Back home, he was fed up with the unprofitable returns in farming and, having learnt the work of an electrician, had come to find some work in a big city.At the time, the expansion of Delhi’s metro network was on and the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation needed electricians, so Sandeep, a 30-year-old high-school dropout, found a job. He was blessed with a daughter just months before he came to Delhi, and brought her and the family along two years later. It was not long before that she started playing cricket in the street with the boys.That irked the neighbours and relatives, who used to taunt Sandeep. But it had little effect on Sandeep, who looked at it as a way for her daughter to get a government job via the sports quota, if nothing else. Like most of his time, Sandeep longingly looked at government jobs for the security they provided. He used to play state-level kabaddi for getting a government job using the sports quota but when that did not work, he dreamt of the same for his children.Related
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That girl now has an India cap and a WPL contract to her name. Priya Mishra, 20, made her international debut last year and has 15 wickets in nine ODIs at an average of 26.60 and a strike rate of 27. She has picked up six wickets in eight league-stage matches of WPL 2025 where Gujarat Giants (GG) have made the playoffs for the first time.”When I played cricket in the streets, I did not think of it as a career prospect; I used to play with the boys just for fun,” Mishra tells ESPNcricinfo. “People used to tease me, saying I am playing with the boys for nothing, as I will have to take care of the house [get married and be a housewife] eventually. But my family, especially my father, supported me a lot.”The Gujarat Giants players gather around Priya Mishra after a wicket•BCCIThe turning point in Mishra’s life came when her sports teacher at Salwan Girls Senior Secondary School, Priya Chandra, saw her playing cricket. Chandra, a former state-level player, advised her to go to Shravan Kumar, who has coached Ishant Sharma, Harshit Rana, Simran Dil Bahadur and Pratika Rawal among others.”When an 11-year-old Priya came to me in 2015, she loved batting,” Shravan says. “She came to the academy on foot and was also fond of medium-pace bowling. But since she was not tall, I suggested her to bowl spin, because she got the ball to spin sharper than the boys did. It did not take long for her to develop a googly, which is her main weapon now.”Most of Mishra’s international wickets have come with the googly, as have all of her six wickets in WPL 2025 so far – Tahlia McGrath, Grace Harris, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Hayley Matthews, Deepti Sharma and Yastika Bhatia. Mishra maintans that the googly is just to deceive the batters and her stock ball is still the legbreak.”I take wickets from the googly because batters can’t read me,” she says. “I try to set batters up using legspin, try and attack their feet as much as I can. This makes batters think I can only bowl the legspin, which is when I bowl a googly to pick up wickets.”Shravan Kumar suggested Priya Mishra to bowl spin instead of medium pace•Priya MishraAfter enrolling in an academy, Mishra had to travel to various parts of, and sometimes outside, Delhi to play school-, district-, state-level and age-group matches. Since she was young, Sandeep used to accompany her for those, even when he did not get leave from work.”Irrespective of what happens at work, if Priya had a game to play, I used to always go with her,” Sandeep says. “As she progressed in the sport, my seniors became accommodating and I used to get more leaves. That aside, Shravan sir also never took money for coaching and cricketing equipment, which, at that time, was difficult for us to afford.”Mishra made it to the Delhi Under-19 team at the age of 13. She picked up wickets in bundles for two seasons, which meant she made it to Delhi Under-23 team at 15, and then to the senior team at 18. Since then she has 78 wickets in 35 List-A appearances at an average of 16.48 and a strike rate of 21.79. She also has 22 wickets in 26 T20 matches at an economy of a mere 6.85. In August last year, Mishra was part of India A’s tour of Australia, where she picked up six wickets in the unofficial Test including four in the first innings. She also returned a five-for in the only unofficial ODI she played.”I took about 26-27 wickets in nine Under-19 matches in a season and was confident of going to the next level. But there is a big difference in the level of international cricket and domestic cricket,” Mishra, who considers Shane Warne her idol, says. “Balls that are a good option in domestic cricket are easily played by international players, so I try and attack the stumps now.3:53
Mithali Raj impressed with Priya Mishra’s talent
“T20 cricket is such that you have to think before every ball because batters are there to hit every ball. You have to think about the line that will trap the batter. For now, I am trying to bowl in line of the stumps as much as possible. By doing that, you don’t give batters much room and increase your chances of picking up wickets.”At GG, Mishra works with spin-bowling coach Pravin Tambe, who makes her undergo single-wicket drills for a long time. She also exchanges notes with Deepti in the India team.”I constantly talk to Deepti and I consider her my second guru. She helps me as much as she can. If she is at slip, she tells me what ball I should be bowling and where I should be bowling. Even Harman tells me not to be nervous and do what I have been doing thus far.”For now, Mishra is happy she does not have to live on rent in Baljeet Nagar. With her WPL earnings from last year and savings from domestic cricket, she bought a house and a car in 2024. Now her dream is to play long for India and help them win a World Cup on home soil.
تعرض نادي مانشستر سيتي، لخسارة جديدة هذا الأسبوع، وهذه المرة أمام باير ليفركوزن في إطار منافسات بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري.
مانشستر سيتي خسر على أرضه ووسط جماهيره بملعب الاتحاد بهدفين دون رد أمام ليفركوزن يوم أمس الثلاثاء، ضمن الجولة الخامسة من مرحلة الدوري بدوري الابطال.
وفشل مانشستر سيتي في تقديم مستوى جيد ضد ليفركوزن، والذي استحق تحقيق الانتصار على النادي الإنجليزي في نهاية المطاف.
لكن رغم الهزيمة، إلا أن وضع مانشسر سيتي في مرحلة الدوري بدوري أبطال أوروبا يبدو جيدًا حقًا.
اقرأ أيضًا .. مباريات مانشستر سيتي المتبقية في دوري أبطال أوروبا بعد الخسارة أمام باير ليفركوزن
ويحتل مانشستر سيتي المركز السادس في ترتيب دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري، وذلك برصيد 10 نقاط من ثلاث انتصارات، وتعادل وحيد وخسارة وحيدة كذلك. فرص تأهل مانشستر سيتي لدور الـ16 من دوري أبطال أوروبا
ويحتاج مانشستر سيتي إلى الوصول لـ16 نقطة، من أجل ضمان الصعود بشكل مباشر إلى دور الـ16 من ضمن الفرق الثمانية الأولى، بحسب ما أكدته صحيفة ماركا والتي تشير إلى أن هذا العدد من النقاط هو المطلوب لأي فريق للتأهل مباشرًة للدور المقبل.
وتبقى لمانشستر سيتي ثلاث مباريات على نهاية مرحلة الدوري من دوري أبطال أوروبا، بالتالي يحتاج النادي الإنجليزي عمليًا إلى الفوز بلقائين فقط للصعود مباشرًة لدور الـ16.
وسيواجه مانشستر سيتي في الفترة المتبقية من مرحلة الدوري بودو جليمت وكذلك جالطة سراي، وهما خصمين في المتناول بالنسبة للنادي الإنجليزي، وتسبقهما مواجهة ريال مدريد وهي الأصعب للسيتيزن في دوري الأبطال خلال الفترة المقبلة.
وتتأهل الفرق التي تحتل المركز الأول إلى الثامن، بشكل مباشر إلى دور الـ16 من البطولة، على أن يخوض الذين يحتلون المراكز من التاسع إلى الرابع والعشرين، مرحلة الملحق، والتي تتمثل في مباراتي ذهاب وإياب، حسب قرعة.
Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy got off to the worst possible start with a 2-1 defeat to Hearts at Parkhead in the Scottish Premiership in his first match in charge.
The Hoops head coach was thrown in at the deep end, after Martin O’Neill’s interim tenure, and failed to oversee a positive result in his debut in the dugout.
A late goal from Kieran Tierney in stoppage time was too little too late for the hosts, who created three ‘big chances’ in the match (Sofascore), as the Jam Tarts held out for all three points.
Nancy will have learned a lot about his squad in his 3-4-2-1 shape, which was immediately implemented, and one thing that he should have learned is that Daizen Maeda should not play as the striker.
Why Daizen Maeda should not play up front
The Japan international was selected to lead the line for the Scottish giants with Hyun-jun Yang and Sebastian Tounekti as the wing-backs, with Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren as the two attacking midfielders.
Maeda missed two ‘big chances’ early on in the game, per Sofascore, scuffing both efforts in presentable situations, and then struggled with the physicality of the match.
Per Sofascore, the Japanese attacker lost all five of his ground duels and three of his four duels in the air, which shows that it was too easy for the Hearts defenders to get the better of him more often than not.
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However, to his credit, it was his challenged header at the end of the game that created Kieran Tierney’s goal, so some good did come from his physical output.
His overall struggles physically, though, are why the new Celtic boss should use Kelechi Iheanacho or Johnny Kenny, natural number nines, in that position moving forward, with Maeda in one of the roles behind the striker to take some of the physical burden off him.
Maeda was not the only poor performer on the day for the Scottish giants, though, as Arne Engels is the first player who should be ruthlessly dropped from the starting XI by Nancy.
Why Nancy must drop Engels for Celtic
The new Celtic boss must drop the Belgium international from the starting line-up because he was even worse than Maeda in the defeat to Hearts on Sunday.
Like the Japanese striker in the first half, Engels was guilty of missing a huge opportunity in front of goal in the game, as he could only guide his close-range header straight at Alexander Schwolow.
The £11m signing from Augsburg was also incredibly sloppy with his use of the ball throughout the game. Per Sofascore, the central midfielder lost possession a staggering 23 times, whilst Maeda only gave the ball away seven times in total.
Engels was criticised for his “wayward” passes by Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton during the live coverage of the first half, after a couple of sloppy balls forward that went straight back to the away side.
Vs Hearts
Engels
Maeda
Minutes
90
90
Touches
86
31
Possession lost
23x
7x
Key passes
2
3
Assists
0
1
Shots
3
2
Big chances missed
1
2
Pass accuracy
76%
85%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Engels had 55 more touches and gave the ball away 16 more times than Maeda across the 90 minutes, yet created fewer chances for the team than the Japan international.
These statistics illustrate just how sloppy the Belgian flop was in the middle of the park for the Scottish giants, and why he should be the first player who is ruthlessly dropped from the team by the manager.
Their respective performances tie into how Nancy could drop him because Maeda moving back into one of the attacking midfield positions would allow Reo Hatate to drop deeper into midfield, with Iheanacho or Kenny essentially replacing Engels in the line-up.
The former Bundesliga talent should not be completely written off under Nancy already, of course, but this period of matches is about the new manager learning about his squad, which means that he needs to look at other players and see who is best suited to his style of play.
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Engels was not good enough against Hearts on Sunday, unfortunately, but he will get more chances to prove himself to the French tactician in the future.