Mohamed Salah cannot tackle Liverpool’s crisis “head on” because he is not the same type of “leader” as former captain Steven Gerrard, according to ex-Reds striker Emile Heskey. The Egypt star has received criticism for not speaking to the media during a difficult run of form which has seen Arne Slot's men win just one of their last five games in all competitions.

• Liverpool have won just four of last 10 following Sunderland draw

  Hoping last Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win over West Ham could represent a new dawn, Liverpool were stopped in their tracks once again in a disappointing 1-1 draw with high-flying Sunderland on Wednesday.

  Regis Le Bris’ visitors took the lead thanks to winger Chemsdine Talbi’s 67th-minute strike, before Slot’s side rescued a point late on when Reds midfielder Florian Wirtz saw his strike deflect in off Black Cats defender Nordi Mukiele.

  The result means Liverpool have now won just four of their last 10 games in all competitions, with the Merseysiders currently sitting eighth in the Premier League table and 13th in the Champions League standings.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Star forward Salah questioned for lack of post-match interviews

  Looking to find the right balance to resurrect his side’s fortunes, manager Slot has started Salah on the bench for the last two league games against West Ham and Sunderland.

  While Liverpool have collectively dropped off in what has been alarming 2025-26 campaign so far, Salah has been a shadow of the player who sparkled in the previous season, inspiring the club to a 20th league title after scoring 29 goals and recording 18 assists in 38 glittering appearances.

  And while Salah’s uncharacteristic performances have raised eyebrows, the 33-year-old’s leadership has also been questioned in recent weeks. 

  Having sought out the media to express his disappointment at not initially being offered a new contract by Liverpool last season, Salah is yet to address supporters amid the club’s sharp decline this term, with captain Virgil van Dijk handling the majority of post-match interviews.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Reds legend Carragher criticises Salah's silence amid poor form

  And that is something which has not gone down well with Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, who told in November: "I think Virgil van Dijk, after the game, has come out again and spoke, as he should do as a captain, he's called Liverpool a mess. 

  “I must say, on the back of all these Liverpool defeats, it's always Virgil van Dijk who comes out. And as I said, the captain should do that, but there should be other players in that dressing room coming out and speaking for the club. A year ago this weekend, Mo Salah wasn't shy in coming out and speaking about his own situation, about the club not offering him a contract. I only ever hear Salah speak when he gets man of the match, or he needs a new contract. 

  “I'd like to see Mo Salah come out as one of the leaders, as one of the legends of Liverpool, come out and speak for the team. It shouldn't always be the captain.

  “But, obviously, the manager is the one in the firing line. Any manager with results like that, as you said, if they were part of the bottom four or a promoted team, they would be under pressure. So there's no doubt the manager is under pressure now with results like that, on the back of being champions, but also on the fact of what Liverpool spent in the summer.”

  Carragher – who made 737 appearances for Liverpool, winning 11 trophies – called Salah "selfish" for publicly voicing his frustration over his contract saga last season. He subsequently went on to sign a new two-year deal in April.

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  Ex-Liverpool striker says Salah is not cut from same cloth as Gerrard

  However, one man who doesn’t quite agree with Carragher is his former Liverpool team-mate Heskey, who represented the club between 2000 and 2004. 

  While acknowledging that Salah should “stand up and face the criticism”, Heskey says he expects the former Chelsea and Roma forward to do so on the pitch, insisting he is not cut from the same cloth as Van Dijk and Gerrard, who captained the club from 2003 to 2015.

  Speaking to sports betting site Heskey said: “Liverpool are preparing for life after Mohamed Salah. I’d be surprised if they haven't been preparing for that since the beginning of the season. Because he’s probably got just under two years left in his contract and he’s well into his thirties.

  “It will be a big change for Liverpool when Salah no longer features on a regular basis. Arne Slot will be looking at different formations and styles once he’s phased out of the starting XI.

  “On the criticism he’s received recently about not coming forward to the media about the poor run of form, you’ve got to remember he’s not the same type of leader as perhaps Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard were. 

  “The likes of Virgil van Dijk or even Curtis Jones will come out and speak and tackle the situation head on – that’s not Salah. Even when he was flying, I don’t think he spoke much. But as senior player, it’s his role to stand up and face the criticism.”

The Boston Red Sox have finished at or below .500 in each of the last three seasons and the 2025 campaign isn't shaping up to be very different.

The Sox currently sit at 28-31 after snapping a five-game losing streak on Friday night and the ever-demanding Boston fans have grown restless with the team's direction. Calls from the fanbase to make a big change have grown loud in recent weeks and Alex Cora's job status is often at the center of the discussion. Speculation about whether the franchise would move on from Cora reached a fever pitch earlier this week when longtime Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaungessy asked the manager outright if he's worried about getting fired.

On Saturday, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow met with the media and was also asked about Cora's status. He gave an emphatic response that should shut down chatter about the possible change.

"We have a lot of confidence in Alex's ability to lead this group," Breslow said, via MLB.com reporter Ian Browne. "That doesn't mean that we don't have conversations every day about what we might be missing or what more we can do, but we obviously made a commitment to Alex. We're going to see that through. And right now, it's about making sure that we're doing everything we can to enable the 26 guys on our roster to help us win as many games as possible."

Cora was hired by the Red Sox in 2018 and immediately helped lead a dominant roster to 108 wins and a World Series victory. The good times of that season didn't carry over, though. Boston fell to just over .500 in 2019 before Cora was suspended in 2020 for his role in the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. The team and Cora bounced back in 2021 with 92 wins and a playoff berth but missed the postseason in each of the last three seasons.

The track the Red Sox are on this year indicates another year of no postseason baseball at Fenway Park. But Cora, who signed an extension last summer, clearly has the support of the front office.

The American and National League's Rookie of the Year awards are—even by MLB award standards—difficult to handicap.

It's May 19—deep enough into the MLB season to see trends emerging—and it's not entirely certain that the potential winners are both in the majors. In 2013, Tampa Bay Rays right fielder Wil Myers won the AL award after debuting on June 18. In 2019, Houston Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez won after a June 9 debut.

Nevertheless, now seems like a good time to start taking stock of the rookie crop. We’ll be doing this roughly every two weeks throughout the season, assessing the bodies of work of rookies currently at the game's top level. To come up with the top three first-year players in each league so far, we asked how are players faring in traditional metrics? What about OPS and FIP? WAR? Win probability added?

The result are the rankings you see before you, which don't necessarily reflect the hype afforded certain rookies. Boston Red Sox second baseman Kristian Campbell has shown flashes—but –0.1 bWAR sticks out like a sore thumb (his 0.2 fWAR isn’t much better). So it goes for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Roki Sasaki with an unsightly 4.72 ERA.

Let's dive in. All stats are updated entering Monday’s games.

American League

1. Jacob Wilson, shortstop, Athletics

What a start for the Athletics' 2023 first-round pick—suddenly the face of the team's much-maligned Sacramento sojourn. Last Tuesday, Wilson clubbed two home runs as his team romped 11–1 over the Los Angeles Dodgers. He's slashing an otherworldly .337/.369/.478 with five homers, marrying old-school and new-school sensibilities as he leads the AL in singles and ranks fifth in offensive WAR. If the Sacramento team stays over .500, he'll remain in the spotlight.

2. Carlos Narváez, catcher, Boston Red Sox

He was already one of the best defensive catchers in baseball. Now he's starting to hit—far more so than co-catcher Connor Wong, the owner of a .156 batting average. Per Chris Cotillo of MassLive, manager Alex Cora “continues to insist that catchers Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong are in a timeshare behind that plate." With Narváez slashing .382/.462/.529 in May, how much longer can that charade continue?

3. Jake Mangum, right fielder, Tampa Bay Rays

Mangum isn’t on most people’s radar for this award, and there’s good reason for that. He hasn't played since April 23 due to a groin strain, and in a quintessentially Raysian twist, he's 29 and has long been off prospect watchers' radars. However, his numbers are undeniably intriguing—0.8 bWAR in just 21 games, .338/.384/.397 slash line, eight steals, solid defense—and he’s set to begin a rehab assignment in the minors on Tuesday. Advanced metrics liked his start; let's see if healthier rookies pass him in the coming weeks.

Honorable Mention

Jasson Dominguez, LF, New York Yankees; Shane Smith, SP, Chicago White Sox; Grant Holman, RP, Athletics; Chandler Simpson, OF, Rays

National League

1. Drake Baldwin, catcher, Atlanta Braves

An avalanche of positive press surrounds Baldwin, who's raised his batting average more than 100 points in May while slashing .531/.531/.875 (not a typo). He's on a 28-home run, 84-RBI pace—numbers that invite All-Star buzz. His team has poked its head above .500 (especially impressive considering the Braves' poor start). Atlanta would gladly take a third Rookie of the Year award in eight seasons.

2. Liam Hicks, catcher, Miami Marlins

Who? Google "Liam Hicks" and click under news—seemingly the only outlet keeping tabs on him is KAIT-TV, the Arkansas State product's home outlet in Jonesboro, Ark.. We're here to change that—this is a player with good traditional numbers (a 24-home run, 120-RBI pace over 162 games), good slash line numbers (.282/.352/.487) and good advanced numbers (0.6 bWAR). That last figure, in fact, eclipses the 0.4 bWAR of … fellow rookie Marlins catcher (and designated hitter) Agustín Ramírez, the subject of a bit more award buzz.

3. Ben Casparius, pitcher, Los Angles Dodgers

The husband of North Carolina field hockey legend-turned-coach Erin Matson joins a long line of players to see considerable postseason action—6 1/3 innings in all—before his rookie year. Casparius, currently holding a 4–0 record, has been a bullpen Swiss army knife for the Dodgers even as he carries a strange mix of advanced numbers. A 3.26 ERA is softened by a 1.97 FIP—marking him as unlucky—and a dip in strikeouts per nine innings is complemented by a substantial dip in walks per nine innings. If he continues his do-it-all ways, he'll make serious noise.

Honorable Mention

Agustín Ramírez, C/DH, Marlins; Dylan Crews, OF, Washington Nationals; Yohel Pozo, C, St. Louis Cardinals; AJ Smith-Shawver, SP, Braves

Suspended Chelsea winger Mykhailo Mudryk is in line for a surprise return to action next month after not featuring for over a year, according to reports.

Mykhailo Mudryk banned for positive drugs test

Mudryk’s absence from Chelsea’s first-team setup has now exceeded twelve months, with the Ukrainian international last appearing competitively on November 28 last year before his career ground to a dramatic halt.

The 24-year-old tested positive for meldonium, a performance-enhancing substance prohibited under anti-doping regulations.

Following confirmation of his B sample analysis in June, the FA formally charged Mudryk, leaving him facing a potential ban ranging between two and four years if found guilty.

Throughout the ordeal, Mudryk has maintained complete innocence, and even voluntarily undertook a lie detector test which supported his version of events.

Ukrainian sports journalists have theorised that contaminated stem cell treatment administered during international duty may explain the adverse finding, suggesting the injection originated from cattle previously exposed to meldonium.

Chelsea sanctioned the record £88.5 million transfer from Shakhtar in January 2023, initially viewing him as a transformative attacking signing after hijacking Arsenal’s deal.

However, his Stamford Bridge career proved underwhelming even before the suspension materialised, with inconsistent performances failing to justify the enormous investment.

The club reassigned his prestigious number ten shirt to Cole Palmer following Mudryk’s suspension, signalling their acceptance of a prolonged absence.

Chelsea also reinforced their attacking options by striking deals for Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens in the summer, further blocking any potential pathway back into Enzo Maresca’s plans.

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Reports have suggested that, once Mudryk is eligible to play again, Chelsea could allow the forward to join sister club Strasbourg on loan in a bid to reignite his career.

Mykhailo Mudryk in line for January return as Sevilla eye Chelsea loan deal

Now, according to journalist JM Villalba and Canal Sur Radio, that eligibility could be as early as next month.

Speaking to the Spanish broadcaster, Villalba has reported that Mudryk will be able to play again after January 17, and this has piqued interest from La Liga side Sevilla.

The club are considering a deal for Mudryk once he comes back midway through next month, which is a surprise when factoring in how very little we’ve heard about the winger’s return timeline.

If Mudryk is indeed eligible for a January renaissance, BlueCo should certainly green-light a temporary move away for him.

He quite simply needs game time and renewed confidence following the lengthy layoff, controversy and serious drop down Maresca’s pecking order, with the Spanish top flight potentially providing that needed reintroduction to competitive action.

That being said, it should be a dry loan with no option or obligation to buy, with Chelsea poised to make a key decision about Mudryk’s long-term future.

He still has six years remaining on his current contract, giving the Blues plenty of time to do so.

The Premier League is the most watched league on the planet and home to the greatest players in the world.

Mohamed Salah cemented himself as one of the best wingers of all time last season, picking up the PFA Player of the Year award for a record third time. But who is the best player in the English top flight right now?

Ranking factors Current form Importance to team Reputation and honours 50-41

50. Samuel Chukwueze

Fulham

49. Ruben Dias

Man City

48. Omar Alderete

Sunderland

47. Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

46. Virgil van Dijk

Liverpool

45. Yankuba Minteh

Brighton

44. Ismaila Sarr

Crystal Palace

43. Gianluigi Donnarumma

Man City

42. Ruben Dias

Man City

41. Jan Paul van Hecke

Brighton

40. Josko Gvardiol

Man City

The notable fallers this week, understandably, include two Liverpool players. Salah has gone from being the best player in the top-flight to someone Arne Slot can afford to drop. The Egyptian falls out of the top 50 after a week in which he claimed the club had “thrown him under the bus”. He has been on the bench in the last three games and will be off to AFCON soon.

Times are also tough for centre-back Virgil van Dijk, who looks a shadow of his former self in defence. Against Sunderland in their 1-1 draw, he allowed Chemsdine Talbi the freedom of Anfield to get his shot away. The forward’s effort deflected off Van Dijk and flew into the net. It was a moment that summed up the Dutchman’s campaign, later going on to concede three against Leeds as well.

40-31

40. Dominic Calvert-Lewin

Leeds

39. Lewis Hall

Newcastle

38. Iliman Ndiaye

Everton

37. Martin Zubimendi

Arsenal

36. Sandro Tonali

Newcastle

35. Malick Thiaw

Newcastle

34. Jeremy Doku

Man City

33. Riccardo Calafiori

Arsenal

32. Bryan Mbeumo

Man Utd

31. Granit Xhaka

Sunderland

Dominic Calvert-Lewin deservedly shoots up the rankings this week. He has struggled to find his form in recent years but has now scored in three successive games for Leeds. Has Daniel Farke finally found someone capable of saving them from relegation?

Newcastle defenders Malick Thiaw – a scorer of two goals a weekend prior – and Lewis Hall both feature inside the top 40.

30-21

30. Pedro Neto

Chelsea

29. Nico O’Reilly

Man City

28. Rayan Cherki

Man City

27. Matty Cash

Aston Villa

26. Jack Grealish

Everton

25. Dominik Szoboszlai

Liverpool

24. Enzo Fernandez

Chelsea

23. Nick Woltemade

Newcastle

22. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Everton

21. Antoine Semenyo

Bournemouth

Antoine Semenyo is one of the biggest fallers in recent weeks. During the opening months of the term, the Cherries winger looked like one of the best players in the league. Now, however, he’s failed to register a goal involvement across his last seven matches.

Elsewhere, Nico O’Reilly soars up the rankings following an impressive few weeks for Manchester City while Everton midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is into the top 30 having netted three goals in his last four games.

20-11

20. Jean-Philippe Mateta

Crystal Palace

19. David Raya

Arsenal

18. William Saliba

Arsenal

17. Morgan Rogers

Aston Villa

16. Eberechi Eze

Arsenal

15. Gabriel Magalhaes

Arsenal

14. Daniel Munoz

Crystal Palace

13. Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

12. Elliot Anderson

Nottingham Forest

11. Mikel Merino

Arsenal

The most underrated player in world football right now is quite possibly Mikel Merino. Mikel Arteta has transformed the Spaniard from a duel-winning monster in midfield to an elite number 9. He has scored vital headers against Chelsea and Brentford across recent game weeks and features inside the top 20.

It’s been a trickier few weeks for the Gunners, hence why the likes of Eberechi Eze and Gabriel Magalhaes have both dropped out of the top ten.

10 Marc Guehi – Crystal Palace

Denied his move to Liverpool in the summer, Guehi has responded in emphatic fashion at Crystal Palace. He’s one of the finest centre-backs in the country and has even added goals to his game this term, scoring that last-gasp winner against Fulham last weekend.

9 Bruno Guimaraes – Newcastle

There are not many more influential midfielders or captains in the Premier League right now than Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes. He scored from a corner against Burnley last weekend, only cementing himself as a true icon at St James’ Park.

8 Jurrien Timber – Arsenal

Is there a better right-back in world football right now than Timber? We don’t think so. The Netherlands international has made Arsenal’s right flank his own and has been tremendous across the last few weeks, notably registering an assist in the Gunners’ big win against Spurs and then even filling in at centre-half against Brentford and Aston Villa.

7 Moises Caicedo – Chelsea

Caicedo may well have been sent off for a late challenge on Merino during Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with the Gunners but he’s still very much one of the best in the division. Red card aside, he has been phenomenal in 2025/26.

6 Igor Thiago – Brentford

Only second to Erling Haaland in the Premier League’s scoring charts, Igor Thiago is enjoying quite the season as Keith Andrews’ leading man. He has scored nine goals in his last ten outings for the Bees.

5 Reece James – Chelsea

All of the talk this season has been about how good Declan Rice and Caicedo are but James has more than proven he’s a match for both players in midfield. delivering a man of the match performance against Arsenal a few weeks ago.

4 Phil Foden – Manchester City

When Phil Foden is on, he is on it. The 2023/24 Premier League Player of the Year had a quiet campaign by his standards in 2024/25 but he’s finally rediscovering his mojo. Foden scored a brace against Leeds United and Fulham before finding the net versus Sunderland last weekend.

3 Bruno Fernandes – Man United

Put a little quality around him and suddenly you see the real Bruno. The United skipper has easily been one of the finest assets in the top-flight this term and his performance against Wolves proved it. During that game he scored twice and also registered an assist as Ruben Amorim’s side won 4-1 at Molineux.

2 Erling Haaland – Man City

While the fierce Norwegian has blanked in recent matches against Newcastle, Leeds and Sunderland, he did score in that ridiculous 5-4 win over Fulham, also assisting twice. Haaland is absolutely unstoppable and is on track to obliterate the record for goals in a 38-game Premier League season.

1 Declan Rice – Arsenal

Adding end product to his game over the last 12 months, Rice is perhaps the standout midfielder in world football at present. Adding another assist to his tally against Tottenham, Arsenal’s number 41 dominated proceedings in the North London derby and his partnership with Martin Zubimendi looks virtually unplayable.

Chelsea are weighing up the possibility of an early January move for one ‘magnificent’ forward with an agreement already in place for his arrival next year.

Liam Delap succumbs to another Chelsea injury blow

Liam Delap’s Chelsea career has descended into frustrating misfortune following another significant injury setback.

The 22-year-old suffered a suspected dislocated shoulder during Saturday’s goalless draw at Bournemouth, leaving the field in obvious discomfort after landing awkwardly following a challenge with Marcos Senesi.

Medical staff immediately applied a makeshift sling before Delap trudged directly towards the tunnel, his arm immobilised to prevent further damage.

Enzo Maresca then delivered a concerning post-match update that confirmed initial fears.

Reports suggest Delap faces approximately six to eight weeks sidelined, which comes as another devastating blow for the young forward after he was previously out of action for weeks with a hamstring injury.

Chelsea signed Delap from relegated Ipswich in June, beating the likes of Man United and Newcastle to his signature after an impressive maiden Premier League season.

The Winchester-born striker finished as Ipswich’s leading scorer with twelve goals across thirty-seven appearances last term, accounting for thirty-three percent of their total output despite their eventual drop to the Championship.

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Delap also earned a PFA Young Player of the Year nomination and convinced Maresca – who previously managed Delap during his tenure overseeing Man City’s Elite Development Squad – that he represented an ideal target man.

However, the Englishman has since struggled to establish himself at Stamford Bridge, managing just sporadic appearances whilst failing to register a single Premier League goal for his new employers.

Chelsea’s Strikers

Player

Pedro

Guiu

Delap

Games

18

8

11

Minutes

1377′

280′

453′

Goals

4

1

1

Assists

3

1

0

All Stats via Transfermarkt

His only Chelsea strike this season arrived against Barcelona in the Champions League, providing brief optimism before this latest injury.

Marc Guiu replaced Delap against Bournemouth but was rusty throughout, highlighting Chelsea’s lack of alternative options, and it has led to suggestions that Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha could arrive earlier than anticipated.

Chelsea weigh early January move for Emanuel Emegha

According to TEAMtalk and journalist Graeme Bailey, Chelsea chiefs are evaluating whether to bring forward Emegha’s arrival from their sister club following Delap’s injury blow.

The Blues confirmed a deal worth around £22 million several months ago, that was scheduled to deliver Emegha to Stamford Bridge in the summer.

However, Delap’s absence has prompted internal discussions about accelerating that timeline to January.

Strasbourg initially resisted any mid-season departure for their captain, but circumstances have shifted considerably.

Argentine forward Joaquin Panichelli has emerged as Liam Rosenior’s first-choice striker, demonstrating excellent form which suggests the Ligue 1 side could accommodate Emegha’s premature exit.

The 22-year-old Netherlands international stands at a towering 6 foot 5 and recently earned his maiden senior caps for his country, establishing himself as one of France’s most promising attacking talents.

Should Chelsea trigger the January switch, they would also likely compensate Strasbourg by funding an immediate replacement through BlueCo’s multi-club network.

Emegha, who’s been called ‘magnificent’ by critics, scored 14 French top flight goals last season and ended the campaign as one of Ligue 1’s top scorers.

He’s also bagged seven goals across 11 appearances in all competitions this season, so he’s a man bang on form right now regardless of Panichelli’s rise.

Manchester City moved to within two points of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League, until they play on Wednesday night, with a thrilling 5-4 win over Fulham.

Supporters of their title rivals may have turned off the game when Phil Foden made it 3-0 before half-time, expecting a simple victory for Pep Guardiola’s side, but the Cityzens made hard work of their three points in the end.

Some questionable game management and defensive work from City almost led to them drawing the match, and there are several players who may not be too pleased with their own contributions to the result.

Ranking Man City's worst performers against Fulham

Whilst the likes of Erling Haaland, Tiijani Rijnders, and Phil Foden shone at Craven Cottage, some of Guardiola’s players failed to deliver quality displays on Tuesday night.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was one of those players. The Italy number one conceded four goals from five shots on target against him, letting in 1.95 more goals than expected, per Sofascore.

Full-back Matheus Nunes also failed to put in a convincing performance. The Portuguese defender was dribbled past twice, per Sofascore, and found defending the likes of Alex Iwobi, Samuel Chukwueze, and Kevin a bit too difficult at times.

1

Bernardo Silva

2

Matheus Nunes

3

Gianluigi Donnarumma

4

Nico O’Reilly

5

Savinho

The same was true of Nico O’Reilly, who lost ten of his 15 duels and was dribbled past once, on the other flank, whilst at the other end of the pitch, Savinho struggled off the bench, wasting several chances to counter and put the game to bed late on.

It was Bernardo Silva, though, who was arguably the worst performer on the night for the Cityzens, which is why Guardiola should ruthlessly drop him from the side.

Why Pep Guardiola should drop Bernardo Silva

The Portuguese central midfielder should be put on the bench for the clash with Sunderland at The Etihad on Saturday after an underwhelming display against Fulham.

Chalkboard

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

Commentating for Sky Sports, former Premier League striker Chris Sutton described Bernardo’s flicked clearance that fell for Samuel Chukwueze to score his first goal of the game as “careless”.

A few minutes after that comment, Sutton added that he could not understand why the Portugal international was still on the pitch because he “doesn’t have the legs” that he once did, and that Fulham had “run around” him.

Those comments from the Premier League title winner are backed up by the fact that Bernardo failed to complete three of his four attempted tackles on the night, per Sofascore, which shows that he was a yard off the pace when attempting to challenge Fulham players.

Bernardo also struggled to get up the pitch to influence matters in the final third, with no key passes or ‘big chances’ created from 69 touches of the ball, albeit that was not as important on a night where City scored five goals by the 54th minute.

Minutes

90

90

Tackles won

3/5

1/4

Duels won

9/13

7/11

Ball recoveries

3

2

Pass accuracy

83%

86%

Key passes

1

0

As you can see in the table above, the experienced midfielder was even worse than Nunes, who won more tackles, more duels, and made more ball recoveries, whilst also making more key passes.

Bernardo did well in moments towards the end of the match with his ability to retain possession and calm the play down, but it was partially down to his struggles out of possession and defensively that City were in a position where they had to manage the game in the final minutes.

The left-footed star is, of course, still an important player for Guardiola, having started nine league games this season, but the clash with the Black Cats is one that he should be dropped for after this disappointing showing.

Guardiola could provide Rico Lewis with a chance to play in the middle of the park or play Lewis at right-back and bring Nunes back into his natural role in midfield to see if he can improve on his own underwhelming performance.

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A game on the bench for Bernardo could, also, keep him fresh ahead of the big match against Real Madrid in the Champions League next week, which is another reason why this could be a good move by the Spanish head coach at the weekend.

Australia’s stand-in captain says bowlers who nibble the ball around can be tough on the current type of pitches

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-20252:17

How important is the first Ashes Test for England?

Steve Smith has hinted England’s pace battery could be the wrong form of attack for the Ashes, believing nibbling seamers would pose a bigger threat on Australia’s lively pitches.England have arrived for the summer with their quickest bowling line-up this century, with almost the entire cartel able to reach in excess of 145kph/90mph.Spearheaded by Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, the tourists also have Gus Atkinson, Josh Tongue, Brydon Carse as support acts alongside captain Ben Stokes.Related

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Steven Finn: 'We stood up to Australia in '10-11, this England will have that attitude'

It’s a far cry from England’s usual attack in Australia, with the now-retired James Anderson and Stuart Broad long relying on swing and seam.And despite the hype around England’s quicks, Smith believes the tourists’ timing could be off and a more traditional seamer would be tougher to face on current wickets.”Those sort of nibblers can be quite tricky,” Smith, who will captain Australia in Perth, said. “So they might have got things the wrong way around, if that makes sense, in terms of the pace from previous years.”But obviously they’ve got those guys at their disposal now. They probably weren’t fit, ready or old enough a few years back.”Anderson’s Test career was brought to an end in 2024 when he was given a farewell outing against West Indies and Broad retired during the final Test of the 2023 Ashes.Chris Woakes dislocated his shoulder in the final Test against India in early August which ended his Ashes hopes and he has since retired from international cricket.Steven Smith has been in excellent from ahead of the Ashes•Getty Images

Smith joked this week that Australian wickets were now so green they “have branches hanging off them”.Asked directly if it was easier to face all-out pace than seamers on home decks, Smith indicated that was the case.”If you can do both, that’s a good skill,” Smith said. “But sometimes the slower guys are almost harder to play on those wickets where you have to make the pace.”It’s going to be different. But I think we’ve got plenty of players that play fast bowling well, and it’s going to be a good challenge.”Smith’s comments come after Mitchell Starc warned England that it would not be easy for the quicks to charge in all summer, given the harder surfaces in Australia.Smith will enter the series in form, with scores of 118, 57 and 56 not out in his three Sheffield Shield innings for New South Wales. Fresh off a six-week break in New York ahead of the summer, Smith said almost upon landing back home he would need a few hits to find his rhythm.That form is now undeniable, even if he briefly “lost his hands” while batting for NSW in their 300-run drubbing to Victoria at the SCG.”I felt awful my first 20 runs [on Wednesday],” Smith said. “Lost my hands for a little bit there and then found them back after that, so that was good.”It was more because I was changing bats, trying to figure out which one I like, to be honest. And they all felt a little bit different. I think I’ve settled on one, so it felt good.”But it was nice to just be able to spend some time in the middle, get some rhythm and feel in a good place.”

West Ham could now be back in for a former transfer target who they were on the verge of signing for Julen Lopetegui in 2024, according to a new report.

West Ham poised for active January transfer window

According to recent reports, the Hammers are poised for an active January transfer window amid their battle against relegation, and could sign a defender, midfielder and striker for Nuno Espírito Santo.

Reliable club insiders like ExWHUemployee have backed this up as we fast approach the turn of the year, while former West Ham scout Mick Brown has claimed that Nuno is planning a major overhaul.

West Ham have undergone a mini revival under Nuno recently, losing just one of their last six Premier League games, but it is clear they need strength in depth across the pitch.

Niclas Füllkrug is set to leave the London Stadium in January following his lacklustre stint in England, so West Ham are believed to be looking at strikers to replace him.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

West Ham 3-1 Newcastle

West Ham 3-2 Burnley

Bournemouth 2-2 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Liverpool

Man United 1-1 West Ham

Brighton 1-1 West Ham

In terms of the midfield area, James Ward-Prowse, Guido Rodriguez and Lucas Paqueta have all been linked with mid-season exits, so the prospect of a new name in the engine room hasn’t been ruled out either.

Meanwhile, Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell is back on the club’s radar after coming close to joining in the summer, with the Irons planning to ‘reignite’ talks for his signature (ExWHUemployee).

Sticking at centre-back, West Ham could now be back in the hunt for a familiar name — Cruzeiro centre-back Fabricio Bruno.

The 29-year-old made 51 appearances in all competitions for Cruzeiro in the recently-concluded 2025 Brazilian campaign, and his recent form has even earned him a recall to Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil squad.

Bruno featured in all of Brazil’s last three friendlies against Japan, Senegal and Tunisia, with the towering defender well in contention to be selected for next year’s World Cup.

Belief West Ham have rebid for Fabricio Bruno after near-2024 move

The former Flamengo stalwart was actually on the verge of joining West Ham in 2024.

Fabrizio Romano even gave his famous ‘here we go’ to the transfer and claimed he would be Lopetegui’s first defensive signing, but the transfer ended up collapsing.

Now, as per South American journalist Jorge Nicola, there is every reason to believe West Ham may have rebid for Bruno.

According to his information, a mystery English club has submitted a £13 million offer for the player, and Nicola theorises that the most likely candidate is Nuno’s side given their very advanced talks nearly two years ago.

Bruno’s move to West Ham apparently didn’t happen because of the player’s salary demands, but the Premier League door may now be back open following what has been a stellar 2025 for him.

Former Arsenal and Chelsea defender David Luiz, who was on the books with Bruno at Flamengo, once said he has the ‘quality to play for any team in the world’.

However, given Cruzeiro only signed him in early 2025, they may be reluctant to part ways.

كشفت تقارير إعلامية اليوم الخميس، عن آخر التطورات المتعلقة بمستقبل نجم نادي بايرن ميونخ واحتمالية استمراره أو رحيله عن صفوف الفريق البافاري خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وسوف ينتهي عقد دايوت أوباميكانو مع نادي بايرن ميونخ بنهاية الموسم الجاري ولم يتم التوصل إلى اتفاق حتى الآن حول توقيع عقد جديد.

ويعتبر أوباميكانو من بين أفضل اللاعبين في مركزه على مستوى العالم، وظهر اللاعب بشكل مبهر مع بايرن ميونخ خلال السنوات الماضية ومن قبلها مع لايبزيج.

وارتبط اسم أوباميكانو بالانتقال إلى العديد من الأندية الأوروبية الكبرى وعلى رأسها ريال مدريد وكذلك ليفربول.

وذكر صحفي شبكة “سكاي سبورتس” الموثوق فلوريان بليتينبيرج، أن أوباميكانو حال قام بعدم تجديد عقده مع بايرن ميونخ، فإن الفريق البافاري سوف يتجه إلى التعاقد مع نجم نادي بوروسيا دورتموند ، نيكو شلوتربيك.

أقرأ أيضًا .. ليس مودريتش فقط.. ميلان يتطلع لضم لاعب آخر من ريال مدريد

وأضاف بليتينبيرج في حديثه، أن أوباميكانو إذا استمر مع بايرن ميونخ خلال الفترة المقبلة وجدد عقده، فسوف يتم استبعاد فكرة ضم شلوتربيك، وسيتم البحث عن ضلم قلب دفاع يبلغ من العمر 18 أو 19 عامًا، أي لاعب قادر على المنافسة على مركز أساسي في المستقبل.

وكان أولي هونيس، الرئيس الفخري لنادي بايرن ميونخ، قد علق على مستقبل أوباميكانو في وقت سابق وتوقع أن يجدد الدولي الفرنسي عقده مع النادي البافاري.

ويرغب ريال مدريد في ضم أوباميكانو، خصوصًا مع رحيل ديفيد ألابا الشبه مؤكد عن النادي الإسباني بنهاية هذا الموسم عقب نهاية عقده، وتقدم أنطونيو روديجر في السن وتراجع مستواه.

وعلى الجانب الآخر ارتبط ليفربول بضم أوباميكانو ، في ظل عدم الاتفاق مع إبراهيما كوناتي حتى هذه اللحظة على توقيع عقد جديد.