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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s involvement will be a “crucial factor” in determining whether a top transfer target will choose to join the Gunners, and it is believed that talks over a transfer are advancing.

Arteta confirms Arsenal transfer plans as club "actively" chase signings

Gabriel Jesus’ season-ending ACL injury, now confirmed by the club, has exacerbated the need for Arteta to bring in a new striker – with the Premier League title hopefuls also attentive to other January opportunities.

Related Arsenal ready "concrete" new steps to sign £59m striker with meeting soon

Mikel Arteta arguably really needs a centre-forward.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jan 15, 2025

Arteta has always refused to rule out the prospect of Arsenal conducting business before deadline day on February 3, and the Spaniard is adamant that his side are “actively” looking at potential new additions.

“We are actively looking in the market to improve the squad,” said Arteta on Arsenal’s January plans.

“That’s been the same since day one. It would be naive not to do that because it is always an opportunity to evolve the team and improve the squad, especially with the circumstances. So yes, we are looking and we are trying and let’s see what we are able to do.

Arsenal’s next five Premier League games

Date

Tottenham (home)

Today

Aston Villa (home)

January 18

Wolves (away)

January 25

Man City (home)

February 2

Leicester City (away)

February 1

“When you have to recruit a player, there are three parties and you have to agree to that. We have our limitations like any other club, so we can do what we can do. We plan our squad and we have our limits to do what we want to do, and that’s it.

“So the fact that I love our players a lot doesn’t mean we’re doing nothing about improving – I am not that stubborn. We all want the same, so we use every opportunity to improve the squad daily, and when the market comes in and we can do that too, we’ll make sure that we have the best resources and the best capacities to compete in the manner we want.”

In terms of a new striker, Arsenal are believed to be targeting Juventus star Dušan Vlahović, who’s bagged 12 goals in all competitions so far this campaign and is out of contract in 2026.

In some fantastic news for Arteta, the club are also believed to be closing in on the signing of Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi – but he won’t be joining until the summer.

Arteta involved as Arsenal try to agree terms with Martin Zubimendi

Arsenal are in advanced talks to sign Zubimendi for later in 2025, with both Thomas Partey and Jorginho looking set to leave for free as things stand after their contracts expire.

The Spain international and Sociedad mainstay would be a more-than adept replacement for either of the aforementioned midfielders, but while negotiations are moving forward quickly, Arsenal still need to agree terms with Zubimendi.

Fabrizio Romano has shared an update, claiming Arteta is personally involved in attempting to persuade Zubimendi to join Arsenal, and he will be a “crucial” factor.

The £50,000-per-week ace has made 210 total appearances for Sociedad, and it won’t be an easy decision for him to depart his boyhood team, so there is still work to do for Arsenal and Arteta to get him over the line. In any case, club price won’t be an issue, as Arsenal plan to trigger his £51 million exit clause.

West Bromwich Albion supporters would have been feeling restless, when you consider the club’s inactivity in the transfer market would have worried fans, alongside the fact a successor to Carlos Corberan still hadn’t been found.

They have now found their desired man in Tony Mowbray however, who is back at the helm on a two and a half year contract, having previously been at the helm of the West Midlands club towards the beginning of his managerial career.

He will now will have to deal without Josh Maja’s expertise for a little while, unfortunately, as he navigates his return to management.

Josh Maja's injury setback

Star-man Maja now finds himself sidelined for a number of weeks with a leg injury which will require surgery, as was confirmed by West Brom’s official club website.

That is a big blow for West Brom moving forward, considering the attacker was in the form of his life for the promotion hopefuls before this unwanted setback occurred, with the ex-Sunderland striker powering home 12 league strikes from 26 appearances.

Now, the Baggies really lack a focal point up top, with Karlan Grant ranking as his team’s second top scorer this season in the league with an inferior six, whilst the only fit out-and-out striker at the club now is Devante Cole who has just 109 minutes of action next to his name in the Championship for 2024/25.

Therefore, a major priority for Mowbray now will be to bring in a game-changing attacker to soften the immense blow of Maja being sidelined, and he could well have an exact name in his head already that can come in and make an almighty difference.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Expand Collapse The Maja replacement West Brom should look at signing

The player in question here is Ben Brereton Diaz who really shone under Mowbray’s guidance when the pair were together at Blackburn Rovers.

With the Chilean subject of interest from fellow Championship outfit Sheffield United, it could well be a smart swoop on the end of the Baggies to test Southampton’s resolve with a loan bid of their own. Ineed, the ex-Blackburn number 22 would surely be delighted at the prospect of reconnecting with his old manager.

Brereton-Diaz’s improvement at Blackburn under Mowbray

Season

League

Goals

22/23

37

22

21/22

40

7

20/21

15

1

19/20

25

1

Sourced by Transfermarkt

As can be seen, Mowbray ended up getting the very best out of the Saints flop by the time he bowed out from the Riversiders, with his final campaign at the helm seeing Brereton Diaz fire home a blistering 22 strikes in the league from 37 contests.

The veteran manager’s patience paid off in the end after he had once labelled the 25-year-old as “extraordinary” even when the goals weren’t regularly flowing. Now, Mowbray’s familiar arm around the shoulder could perhaps reawaken a beast if Brereton Diaz was to don a West Brom strip shortly.

West Brom fans will be glad this saga involving a manager has now come to an emotional end, but with Mowbray re-entering followed by the added firepower of Brereton Diaz also potentially joining, the long wait would have felt worthwhile.

Related Fellows stays, Maja rival signs: Mowbray's dream West Brom XI after January

West Bromwich Albion could soon appoint Tony Mowbray to bring their manager hunt to a close.

Posts 1 ByKelan Sarson Jan 16, 2025

England white-ball coach encourages fringe players to press their case in the Hundred

Matt Roller01-Aug-2022

Matthew Mott, England’s limited-overs coach, has challenged fringe batters to score “a mountain of runs” in the Hundred to push for T20 World Cup selection and insisted that “no one has a mortgage on a spot”.England will have picked a preliminary World Cup squad by the time they play their next men’s T20I series, a seven-match marathon in Pakistan in late September, and after winning only two of their six fixtures against India and South Africa this summer, there are several positions up for grabs.Last year, Tymal Mills used the Hundred as a springboard into the World Cup squad after impressing for champions Southern Brave, while Liam Livingstone secured his starting berth thanks to a stunning run of form for Birmingham Phoenix. The Hundred’s second season starts on Wednesday, when Brave play Welsh Fire at the Ageas Bowl.Related

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“Can players come in? Absolutely they can. If they’re in form, coming off runs, and we go to Pakistan and they do well,” Mott said. “[We need to] use that Hundred as a real springboard to get that confidence back across the entire group.”Jos Buttler has struggled for runs in T20Is since becoming captain – he has managed only 87 across six innings, albeit at a strike rate of 189.13 – and will attempt to return to form while leading Manchester Originals. “I’m really excited for it,” he said.”My message to everyone in our dressing room would be that I want you to be the guy who is the best player in your team and showcase your talent. Last year Liam Livingstone was the MVP [Most Valuable Player] and has ridden that wave ever since. The guys in our dressing room have the opportunity to go on that kind of journey.”Every game is on TV, every game will have a big crowd and that should be exciting. If you can perform to a high-level in those situations, that replicates international cricket and replicates World Cups. It’s probably the best thing for everyone in the group.”The top item on England’s wish-list for the Hundred would be Jason Roy returning to form for Oval Invincibles after a lean run this summer which saw him eke out 76 runs off 98 balls across six T20I innings. Mott challenged Phil Salt – Buttler’s Originals opening partner – and Harry Brook to mount strong cases for selection after running the drinks in the South Africa series, and admitted there could be “hard decisions” to make.”That’s the one that we, as a selection group, really need to thrash out,” Mott said. “When you’ve been a great player and you’ve delivered great things on a big stage, I think you deserve a bit of loyalty. You get some currency from having delivered on the big stage.”But at certain times, hard decisions need to be made, and young players come in and add energy. Those two players are on the sidelines and they’re chomping at the bit for a game. I think that’s really healthy. They’ve now got an opportunity to go back to the Hundred, get a mountain of runs, keep putting pressure on.”No one in the team has mortgage on a spot. I think the nature of cricket suggests that at different times, players come in and out of form. There’s a bit of science behind it, but there’s also a bit of gut feeling. You try and breed confidence in a playing group: if you stick more than you flick, then you’re a better chance of breeding that confidence.”Mott confirmed that it would be “a stretch” for Jofra Archer to return from injury in time for the World Cup and while Chris Woakes and Mark Wood are more likely to be available, neither is expected to play any part in the Hundred. England conceded 190 or more in five of their six T20Is this summer and there are spots available in their bowling attack.As a result, they will be watching several bowlers closely, not least Luke Wood, David Payne, Mills (left out of the South Africa series due to a toe injury) and Tom Curran, who will make his return from injury at Oval Invincibles. They will also hope that a back-up spin option emerges after Matt Parkinson struggled against India, with Jake Lintott and Benny Howell – a self-described “fast-spinner” – among the candidates who could emerge from left field.Will Jacks, James Vince and countless other batters could push for selection with a strong Hundred, but the one player guaranteed to return to the side if fit is Ben Stokes, who Mott suggested was an option to bat in the top four. Stokes has mainly been used as a finisher in T20Is by England but is increasingly seen as a top-order option, and his return could squeeze Roy out of the side.”Obviously Stokesy comes back in to that team,” Mott said. “When you add players like Stokes into any team, it makes selection a hell of a lot easier. You’ve basically got a free hit with the balance of your team – and that’s clearly something that has probably been missed by a few people. Having a world-class bowler that bats in the top four is a huge asset to any team.”There’s the seven games [in Pakistan] and I’m sure we’ll be changing our team around a little bit there, and then we’ll get that chemistry right when we take on Australia and then play three T20s. They’ll be the big games leading into that World Cup for us and we’ll have a bit more of an idea of where we’re at as a team at that stage.”I think a lot of people reflect back on the past about how great a team this is. This is a very different unit at the moment. We need to acknowledge that and make sure we live in the present and work on what we can get better at. I think Jos is really honest about where we need to go.”

أكد الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، أن النادي الأهلي أنهى رسميًا إجراءات التعاقد مع صفقة محلية جديدة، لتدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم خلال الفترة المقبلة.

وأوضح شوبير خلال برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأحد: “الأهلي تعاقد رسميًا أمس مع محمد سيحا، حارس مرمى المقاولون العرب والمعار لـ حرس الحدود، والقلعة الحمراء أنهت كافة الإجراءات”.

وأضاف: “المقابل المادي لا أستطيع أن أقوله، هناك كلام يتردد بأنه 25 مليونًا، وفي قول 30، وفي قول 35، ليس لدي الرقم المؤكد، ولكن الخبر اليقين أن سيحا وقع مع النادي الأهلي، والذي قام بالتوقيع معه كان الكابتن محمد يوسف المدير الرياضي”.

طالع أيضًا | باسم مرسي: رفضت الأهلي و3 عروض إنجليزية بسبب الزمالك.. وزيزو تفوق على شيكابالا

وتابع شوبير: “البعض قد يتعجب من تلك الصفقة، ويقول إن الأهلي يمتلك محمد الشناوي ومصطفى شوبير وحمزة علاء ومصطفى مخلوف، لكن بالنسبة لـ حمزة علاء، سأكون أمينًا جدًا، النادي الأهلي تأخر جدًا في الحوار معه بشأن التجديد، انتظروا كثيرًا جدًا، ثم حاولوا في الفترة الأخيرة، وكلام اللاعب كان واضحًا، قال لهم إنه يمتلك عرضًا من نادٍ درجة ثانية في فرنسا، وهم مهتمون لأنهم يعرفون أنني حر، لذلك أنا لن أجدد للأهلي، لأنني لم أر فرصة سانحة للمشاركة”.

وأردف: “حتى إن المباراة الماضية لم يذهب مع الفريق إلى الإسكندرية، وحدثت أكثر من جلسة معه، لكن في النهاية قراره هو الرحيل عن النادي الأهلي، وبدخول محمد سيحا تنتهي مهمة حمزة علاء”.

واختتم شوبير تصريحاته قائلاً: “سيحا حارس جيد، تابعته الموسم الماضي، وسبحان الله اللاعب كان قريبًا من اللعب للإسماعيلي، ولولا إيقاف القيد لكان لاعبًا في صفوف الدراويش، ثم استعان به محمد يوسف مع حرس الحدود، وكان من ضمن أسباب بقاء الحدود ضمن التسع الأوائل في الدوري، والآن أصبح حارسًا في النادي الأهلي”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O empate com o Ituano fora de casa azedou o clima no Grêmio e irritou comissão técnica e diretoria.Ao chegar no vestiário depois do resultado negativo, o técnico Roger Machado não perdeu a oportunidade de cobrar os atletas e chamou a atenção do grupo.De acordo com o vice-presidente Denis Abrahão, o “bicho pegou”.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B

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– O treinador está muito indignado. Vocês não sabem o que foi dito no vestiário, no intervalo e depois do jogo. O bicho pegou e tenho que relatar porque o torcedor está amargurado, como eu estou, como o presidente está, como toda a torcida tricolor está pelo o que viu aqui. Mas eu prometo que não vai se repetir – disse Denis Abrahão.

– Faltou atitude a nós. Está faltando alma a nós. Não vai faltar mais, o treinador já se convenceu disso. É uma mudança fácil, é entender que temos que disputar cada bola, desde o primeiro segundo. Se nós tivéssemos vencido aqui, seria injusto. Nós erramos novamente – concluiu Abrahão.

Com o empate fora de casa, o Grêmio agora ocupa a 6ª colocação da Série B, com 11 pontos.

MatériaMais Notícias

O time sub-20 do São Paulo derrotou o Capivariano por 2 a 1, em jogo-treino realizado nesta sexta-feira, no estádio Marcelo Portugal Gouvêa, no CFA de Cotia, de virada.

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GALERIA
> ATUAÇÕES: Nestor brilha com gols e assistência e comanda classificação do São Paulo

TABELA
> Veja tabela do Campeonato Brasileiro e simule os próximos jogos

O time visitante abriu o placar no primeiro tempo. Na segunda etapa, o técnico Alex de Souza mexeu no time e a virada aconteceu. Aos 29, Brito deixou tudo igual. E aos 31, João Adriano garantiu a vitória de virada.

O São Paulo é o segundo colocado do Grupo 11 do Paulistão, com cinco pontos. Foram uma vitória e dois empates em três jogos.

A equipe do técnico Alex só volta a campo para um jogo oficial na próxima quarta-feira, para enfrentar o SC Brasil, às 15h, no estádio Marcelo Portugal Gouvêa, no CFA de Cotia.

تقدم منتخب مصر للشباب تحت 20 عامًا، بالهدف الأول أمام نظيره نيجيريا، في اللقاء الجاري الآن ضمن منافسات كأس أمم أفريقيا للشباب.

وتقام المباراة على ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي بالقاهرة الجديدة، لتحديد المركزين الثالث والرابع حيث يسعى المنتخب المصري إلى تحقيق الفوز وتعويض خسارته في نصف النهائي بهدف نظيف أمام المغرب، التي جرت مساء الخميس الماضي، والتي أبعدته عن المنافسة على اللقب.

طالع.. تشكيل منتخب مصر للشباب أمام نيجيريا في كأس أمم إفريقيا.. عمر أسامة يقود الهجوم

وتقدم منتخب مصر مبكرًا على المنتخب النيجيري حيث سجل عمر أسامة حسن، هدف الفراعنة في الدقيقة الثالثة.

وقد تأهل منتخب مصر إلى نصف النهائي بعد أداء قوي في دور المجموعات، حيث خاض أربع مباريات، فاز في اثنتين أمام جنوب إفريقيا وتنزانيا، وتعادل مع زامبيا، وخسر أمام سيراليون، ليحصد 7 نقاط ويتأهل إلى ربع النهائي، حيث نجح في تجاوز منتخب غانا.

ورغم خروجه من نصف النهائي، ضمن منتخب مصر مقعده في نهائيات كأس العالم للشباب المقررة في تشيلي.

Manchester United have certainly got a lot of work to do if they want to salvage the season. Ruben Amorim’s side sit 12th in the Premier League, with 29 points to their name. The Red Devils are currently 12 points outside of the top four, and if they are to reach that kind of level, it would be an impressive end of the campaign.

The Portuguese manager has a bit of an underwhelming record during his time at United so far, winning eight times, losing seven and drawing two in the 17 games he has managed. That is certainly going to have to improve if United want to qualify for Europe.

To help boost themselves up the table, United are targeting reinforcements in the January transfer window, including looking to strengthen in midfield.

Man United’s midfield target

The player in question here is Juventus and Brazil international midfielder Douglas Luiz. It has been a tough first season in Turin for the 26-year-old, and he has been heavily linked with a move away from the club in the winter.

According to a report from The Mail, the Red Devils are believed to be one of the sides interested in a move for Luiz. United are thought to be ‘ in the wings’ waiting to pounce and complete a deal for the Brazilian if the chance arises.

However, they will likely face tough competition from some of their Premier League rivals. Closest to home is Manchester City, who are believed to be ‘contemplating a loan’, hinting at a temporary switch to United, too. Nottingham Forest and Fulham are also keen.

Why Luiz would be a good signing

It has not quite been the season Luiz might have expected when he first put pen to paper in Turin, after his £42.35m move from Aston Villa in the summer.

The Juve man – who’s previously been dubbed “one of the best in the world” in his position by Sky Italia journalist Cristiano Giuntoli – has played just 18 times in all competitions, although did face a spell on the sideline with muscle fatigue.

However, he has certainly not played as much as he might have liked. Incredibly, the Brazil international has featured for just 566 minutes in all competitions, the equivalent of just 6.2 full 90-minute games. Given it is the end of January, that is an outrageously low number.

Yet, the midfielder is clearly an excellent player, as he showed during his time at Villa Park. In fact, football statistician Statman Dave described him as the “best box-to-box CM in the Premier League”, which is high praise indeed.

He played 204 times for the West Midlands side, scoring 22 goals and grabbing 24 assists. The Brazil international particularly excelled in the 2023/24 campaign, scoring nine times and grabbing five assists in 35 games, an excellent record in midfield.

Luiz could be a brilliant replacement for Casemiro, who is linked with a move to AS Roma. Like his countryman Luiz, he has not played much this season and has been an unused substitute in United’s last six games.

Jamie Carragher thought his time at the top level was up last season, famously telling the midfielder to “leave the football, before the football leaves you”, after a 4-0 thrashing away from home against Crystal Palace.

The stats on FBref suggest that a move for Luiz as a Casemiro replacement could be a smart piece of business for United. He is better in many metrics than the Red Devils’ number 18, implying he would be a big upgrade.

For example, over the past two seasons, the Old Lady midfielder averages 5.2 progressive passes compared to just 4.98 per 90 minutes for Casemiro. He also averages 1.99 progressive carries, with the former Real Madrid star averaging 0.48 each game.

Luiz vs. Casemiro key stats – 23/24 & 24/25

Stat (per 90)

Luiz

Casemiro

Progressive passes

5.2

4.98

Key passes

1.71

1.02

Progressive carries

1.99

0.48

Interceptions

0.66

0.83

Ball recoveries

5.43

6.1

Stats from FBref

If United can do a deal for Luiz on loan, it could be an excellent piece of business for Amorim’s side. Not only would they be able to offload Casemiro, who is a high earner and doesn’t play, but they have a replacement for him ready to go.

As far as United’s push for European qualification goes, Luiz could be the perfect player to help push them up the table.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Jan 28, 2025

High Performance Review may yet scupper season’s aim, as lowly Leicestershire are routed

David Hopps07-Sep-2022

Nottinghamshire 201 (Montgomery 43, Wright 3-26, Barnes 3-32) and 390 for 7 dec (Clarke 67, James 61, Hameed 60) beat Leicestershire 93 (Evans 50*, Fletcher 4-23) and 257 (Finan 58, Mullaney 3-29) by 241 runsJust as Mark Wood can ride an imaginary horse during a Test match, so Nottinghamshire fear they are again contesting an imaginary promotion race as they approach the winners’ enclosure. For the moment, they can do little else but hope. But at least in a Championship season which still has no confirmed denouement, and in a format that has no confirmed future, they have all but done what they can, stretching their lead in Division Two to 34 points with a thumping 241-run win inside three days against Leicestershire.Nottinghamshire’s nearest pursuers, Middlesex and Glamorgan, have three matches left to their two, but they play each other at Lord’s next week. Their next match, against Worcestershire at New Road a week on Tuesday, will be a promotion party. Presumably.Their latest win ended amid some drama as the players trooped out after six o’clock, the rain briefly relenting, Leicestershire nine-down, floodlights blazing, and the threat of a dodgy weather forecast on the final day. They grabbed that wicket within 10 balls as drizzle again began to fall. The Gods then are shining upon them, but the question remains as to whether they will be doubly blessed by the cricket authorities, who would have forced even Zeus to procrastinate and form another sub-committee.The bigger picture was that Nottinghamshire’s win came on the day when Andrew Strauss openly lobbied in a podcast for his oft-signalled preference for a future of three divisions of six and warned that if the counties did not accept a reduction in the amount of Championship cricket played, then more and more players would take the easy option and abandon county cricket for an ever-growing number of worldwide T20 leagues. Result: disaster.Basically, the High Performance Review message is that you old guys might want to watch wall-to-wall Championship cricket, but we young guys don’t want to play it, so you’d better get used to the idea before the walls come tumbling down.Strauss will officially unveil his proposals to the ECB Board next Wednesday, with Richard Thompson taking the chair for the first time. The Board will then decide what exactly to propose to the counties, and when, and there is every chance that a September deadline will not be met. There is also a growing sense that any changes might not come into effect until 2024. If that is so, Nottinghamshire, then your promotion might actually exist.Nottinghamshire would deserve as much. They finished fourth in the Conference system in 2021, a format introduced because of Covid-19, but when the counties voted to revert to two divisions this summer, that achievement was ruled irrelevant. Instead, they were demoted to the Second Division on the basis of their bottom-placed finish in Division One in the last pre-Covid season two years earlier.For all Strauss’s warnings, it is eminently possible that county cricket could opt to stare down the possibility of a talent drain (after all, they have suffered an ECB-approved talent drain for years) and calculate that a surfeit of short-form global tournaments will ultimately implode.But the contention that England’s professional circuit needs the best versus the best has more in its favour. One look at Leicestershire insisted as much. They can be grateful that Strauss is not trying to dismantle the 18-team professional system in the naïve belief that shrinking a game somehow makes it stronger, but their inadequacies are a powerful advocacy of a steeper pyramid system that three divisions of six would bring.They were largely dire on the third day at Trent Bridge, entirely lacking in conviction and application once their openers had departed, happy to tumble to defeat in fatalistic fashion until the merriment of a last-wicket stand of 83 put a gloss on proceedings that they did not deserve. Leicestershire’s last-wicket pair even survived a statutory extra half-hour to reach tea at 251 for 9, their stand worth 77 in 13.2 overs and the last man, Michael Finan, a 26-year-old triallist from Cheshire, finding himself the possessor of a maiden Championship fifty on debut – an innings that involved Nottinghamshire pounding the old ball at him from short of a length with a short leg and five fielders back for the catch, and Finan surviving through a mixture of luck, judgment and dropped catches.Related

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Nottinghamshire put foot firmly on Leicestershire's throat

Ben Raine bowls Durham back into contention

There followed a rain delay of more than two hours before the sides reappeared. Leicestershire had six overs plus an extra half hour to withstand. The skies were dark and the floodlights were on. From the 10th ball, Finan edged Dane Paterson to second slip where Matthew Montgomery held a low catch. Notts celebrated as if it matters, and let’s hope that this time it does.Leicestershire have not won a first-class game in 11 attempts and look as weak as when they failed to win a single match in 2013 and 2014. A threadbare squad not been helped by the absence of Wiaan Mulder, who has been called up by South Africa, and Ben Mike, who is bound for Yorkshire at the season’s end. They have competed more ably in white-ball formats, only missing a place in the T20 Blast quarter-finals when they were docked points, and reaching the Royal London Cup play-offs, but over four days they are again scraping the barrel. It is due to freakish circumstances that they are playing Nottinghamshire in this season’s Championship, but in the longer format the gulf in class has been apparent.Leicestershire’s director of cricket, Paul Nixon, sounds increasingly dismayed by their four-day failures. “There were too many soft dismissals, too many times we got ourselves out. It’s tough when the odds are against you, but that’s the mindset of a winner. You’ve got to believe that you’re the man who is going to take responsibility for your team and if people haven’t got that mindset, I don’t want them playing for Leicestershire County Cricket Club.”Their openers did resist the new ball gamely enough, albeit rendered largely strokeless. Sam Evans had batted through the first innings for 50 out of 93, no other player reaching double figures (extras contributed 17). His downfall, though, was disappointing as, foot planted a few inches down the pitch, he stretched for a drive at a wide ball from Paterson and edged to the keeper.With Hassan Azad also embedded, Notts appeared to be faced with a bit of a grind on a slow surface, only for their skipper, Steven Mullaney, to change the tone with a pre-lunch spell of 3 for 15 in four overs. He swung the ball prodigiously at times and offered subtle variations of pace. A straight one from around the wicket had Azad lbw; Louis Kimber, who has been promoted to No.3 on the back of excellent 50-overs form, checked a drive to mid-off; and a huge inducker did for Colin Ackermann, who was lbw.As Ryan Patel and Harry Swindells contrived to flick catches to midwicket, six wickets had fallen for 121. Ed Barnes, struggling for oxygen as high as No. 7, banished the doubters in a positive innings of 37, even if his eventual demise was slightly embarrassing as Brett Hutton, having loaded the legside field, banged one in that followed Barnes as he backed away, and he popped a catch to short leg in self-protection while falling on his bottom.Mullaney reckoned Nottinghamshire looked “rusty”. But only Leicestershire had disintegrated.

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Prestes a enfrentar o América-MG neste domingo (12) no estádio do Morumbi pelo Campeonato Brasileiro, o São Paulo mantém uma sequência invicta contra o Coelho em jogos disputados em casa.

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Ao todo, foram dez confrontos em domínio são-paulino, com sete vitórias e três empates. Sendo o último jogo no Campeonato Brasileiro 2021 – que terminou em 0 a 0.

Outro ponto que chama atenção é quanto ao número de gols. A diferença entre marcados e sofridos é bem explícita. O Tricolor paulista balançou as redes contra o Coelho no Morumbi 22 vezes, porém, só foi vazado seis.

Entretanto, o último encontro das equipes, na Arena Independência, não terminou em um resultado positivo para o São Paulo – que perdeu por 2 a 0, em partida também válida pelo Brasileirão do último ano.

Mesmo assim, em números totais, a equipe paulista lidera nas estatísticas. Dos 17 confrontos durante toda a história, foram dez vitórias, cinco empates e somente duas derrotas.

O retrospecto positivo pode ser bom para Rogério Ceni. O treinador vem de quatro empates consecutivos e busca garantir a vitória em cima do adversário, a fim de alavancar a posição do Tricolor paulista na tabela, com a pretensão de encostar na liderança. Atualmente, a equipe ocupa a 6ª colocação, com 15 pontos.

O duelo no Morumbi deste domingo (12) será disputado às 16h.