Tag Futebol

“I’ve love to see it reduced a little bit and find a window where we can get the best players playing”

Daniel Brettig22-Nov-2020Adam Voges, the Perth Scorchers coach, has delivered a strong criticism of the 14-game length of the regular Big Bash League season, while opting for some cautious optimism about rule changes that have been brought in as an attempt to “spice up” the tournament after several years of declining broadcast audiences.In a week when there has been plenty of criticism of the introduction of changes including a substitute player, the splitting of powerplay overs into an initial four followed by a floating two rather than the usual six at the start of an innings, and the adding of a race for a bonus point at the 10-over mark of a match, Voges said the main issue for the league was player availability.At its current 14-game season length, Voges said that not enough of the best players – both local and overseas – were able to take part. While all clubs and players have long accepted Cricket Australia’s desire to run the tournament through the school holiday period to ensure maximum exposure to children in particular, its rapid growth from eight to 10 to 14 games has only added pressure to sustain interest in the event through the acquisition of bigger name players.”Yeah I’ve got a view on this, I think the season is too long,” Voges told . “I’d love to see it reduced a little bit and find a window where we can get the best players playing. That’s the most important part, I think that’s what makes the product, it’s aimed still at families and attracting new people to the game, so if we can do that by having the best players playing, and if that means a shorter, sharper format, then I’m all for it.”Defenders of the tournament’s length at CA have argued that at 14 games it is still shorter than an AFL or NRL season, while at the same time out-rating both in terms of broadcast audiences, despite a marked decline that began in 2017. However there is no top-tier Australian domestic league that competes with the international variant of the same game at the same time, and it is clear that the “major event” buzz surrounding the early seasons of the BBL had much to do with shorter, sharper schedules.Davie Barham, the former Ten broadcasting executive who was commissioned by CA to review the BBL ahead of its tenth season, had stated that organisers needed to be “brave” and recognise that bigger is not always better. He cited how the NFL had maintained a massive captive audience through the major events standing of an annual season that is only 18 rounds long – far fewer than the rival NBA or MLB seasons.As for the rule changes, Voges stated that while he was fearful that new followers of the game might find them difficult to comprehend, he would be doing his utmost as coach of the Scorchers to use the new tactical nuances to his advantage. “I’ll go in with these rule changes with the glass half-full mentality and try and find a way to tactically use them to our advantage in any way that we can,” he said. “But I do worry that a game and a format of our game that targets families, targets new people, that we perhaps are complicating it a little bit.”But look it hasn’t been trialled, it hasn’t been tested, we’ll all be thinking on our feet, and we’ll see how it goes.”

Aston Villa Football Club have had four of their players representing their respective nations at Euro 2024. Representing your country at a major tournament is always a proud moment, and for these players, it comes off the back of an impressive campaign with Villa, which saw them finish fourth and qualify for the Champions League.

Sadly, two of the Villa players at Euro 2024 have already been eliminated. John McGinn and his Scotland side were knocked out at the group stages in heartbreaking fashion against Hungary. Youri Tielemans of Belgium was recently eliminated by France in the round of 16 with a Randal Kolo Muani shot ricocheting off Jan Vertonghen and deflection in to send them home.

Villa’s other two Euros representatives are from England, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa. Watkins, the Premier League’s playmaker of the season for 2023/24, came off the bench against Denmark in the groups to play 20 minutes, although did not get on the scoresheet, and Konsa’s sole appearance so far was off the bench, too. The 26-year-old played 15 minutes against Slovakia in extra time as his side looked to hold onto the lead.

Now, with the transfer window open and players putting their names in the shop window, Villa have been linked with another Euro 2024 star who has impressed despite being eliminated from the tournament.

Villa target Serie A defender

The player in question here is Udinese and Slovenia centre-back Jaka Bijol, who was impressive in his country’s run to the round of 16. Following an impressive campaign for Udinese, too, he is thought to be targeted by some big clubs across Europe this summer.

According to a report Italian news outlet Tutto Mercato, the Villans have made 'concrete surveys' about signing the 25-year-old this summer. Villa could 'continue to shop in Italy', following their double signing of Juventus pair Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea.

However, the report suggests that Villa are not the only side interested in signing the impressive defender. Scudetto winners Inter, Antonio Conte’s Napoli and Lazio are all thought to be interested in a move for Bijol.

There is not currently a clarification on how much a move for Bijol would be. However, according to Football Transfers valuation tool, he is worth £14m, a fair amount given he still has three years left on his deal with Udinese.

Why Bijol would be a good signing

Bijol was part of one of the most impressive defensive performances at Euro 2024 so far, despite tasting defeat against Portugal. His side kept the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes quiet, taking them all the way to penalties before being eliminated in heartbreaking fashion.

In his post-match ratings for Goal.Com, journalist Louis Wheeldon gave Bijol a 7/10 rating, pointing out that he “battled well” for his side, before noting how well he “kept his cool” under copious amounts of pressure. Indeed, this was reflected in his stats after the game from Sofascore.

He made ten clearances, which was more than anyone on the pitch, as well as winning three out of five aerial duels and made three crucial blocks for his side. It was a simply colossal performance from the Udinese defender.

Indeed, this outing is one we saw regularly from Bijol at Euro 2024. He played every minute of his side’s campaign and helped to keep a clean sheet against Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham's England in the group stages, conceding just one goal each against Denmark and Serbia. He was also a crucial player for Udinese last season, playing 24 times, despite a long three-month spell on the sidelines with a scaphoid fracture.

The 26-year-old is a wonderful box defender, and should Villa get the deal done, he could be the ideal signing to complement Pau Torres, the Villans’ key man at the back under Unai Emery. Firstly, the pair are ideal for each other given Bijol is right-footed and Torres left-footed, making them an dream duo from that point of view.

As a pure defender, Bijol is superb, and that is reflected in his stats via FBref. He averages 6.03 clearances per 90 minutes, as well as 2.84 combined tackles and interceptions per 90. He is also dominant in the air, winning 3.62 aerial duels on average per 90.

Bijol defensive stats 2023/24

Stat (per 90)

Number

Clearances

6.03

Aerial duels won

3.62

Aerial duel win %

96.4%

Tackles and interceptions

2.84

Stats from FBref

This would work well with the Spanish defender, who missed out on a spot at Euro 2024. Torres is a great recovery defender, averaging 4.64 ball recoveries per 90. However, the 27-year-old is not quite as good of a box defender, with his best attributes coming on the ball, something Bijol is not as strong at.

The Slovenian averages just 1.81 progressive passes and completes an average of 27.8 passes per 90, a far cry from Torres’ numbers. In contrast, the Spaniard plays 4.67 progressive passes and completes 57.0 passes each game. It is fair to say there is a clear gulf between the two.

However, they can still work as a centre-back duo, given their left-foot, right-foot combination, and complementary attributes; Bijol being a far superior box-defender and Torres being the better player on the ball.

For a player valued at just £14.4m, it could be a smart move for Villa and could add to their depth at centre-back. Given Clement Lenglet’s loan has now expired, and he will not be joining permanently, they need to deepen their squad in defence, and Bijol could be the perfect addition.

Related Imagine him & Iling Junior: Aston Villa make bid for "monster" talent

Tottenham also have a vested interest in this talented wideman.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Jul 2, 2024

Former England fast bowler honoured for services to cricket and charity

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Oct-2020

Darren Gough, the former England fast bowler, has been awarded an MBE for services to cricket and charity in the Queen’s birthday honours list.Gough, 50, took 229 wickets in 58 Tests for England between 1994 and 2003, as well as playing 159 ODIs and two T20Is. He represented Yorkshire and Essex in county cricket, before retiring in 2008 and moving into a career in broadcasting. He currently hosts a radio show on talkSPORT.A Level 3 qualified coach, Gough was used as a bowling consultant by England on their tour of New Zealand last year, and was credited with helping the likes of Chris Woakes make better use of the Kookaburra ball.He has also dedicated much of his time to raising money for charity, in particular wildlife and conservation efforts. Earlier this year, he donated memorabilia to an auction for the Centre for Disaster Philanthropy in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.The Queen’s birthday honours are usually announced in June, but this year were held back in order to recognise the efforts of those helping to deal with the coronavirus.

David Warner’s long-time mentor Trent Woodhill believes the batsman remains fully motivated to continue across all formats of the game as he prepares to resume international cricket after a five-month break.Speaking recently, Warner suggested that the hub and bio-secure lifestyle of cricket in the Covid-19-ridden era, and the likelihood it will keep players away from their families for long periods of time, could lead him to reconsider his workload.Before Covid-19 brought cricket to a halt in early March, Warner gave a strong indication that he would consider moving aside from the T20 format after the back-to-back T20 World Cups, which had been originally scheduled for Australia this year and then India in 2021.ALSO READ: Back in Australia set-up, Marcus Stoinis wants to ‘change the dynamic’ of his battingHowever, the pandemic has forced a reshuffle, meaning the Australia event is in 2022, and if Warner wants another home World Cup, he would need to go beyond a 2021 cut-off.”Mentally he’s as strong as ever and as bullish as ever,” Woodhill said from Australia’s base at the Ageas Bowl. “I haven’t been given any indication he’s not hungry for more runs across all formats.”A year ago, Warner was in the midst of an Ashes series that would bring a record-breakingly low return of 95 runs – 61 of which came in one innings at Headingley – as he was dismissed by Stuart Broad seven times in 10 innings.But the 2019-2020 season brought a prolific return to form across all formats: 786 runs runs in Test cricket at 131.00, 277 runs in ODIs at 46.16 and 415 runs at 138.33 in T20Is. It was enough to earn him the Allan Border Medal as the Men’s Player of the Year.Woodhill took huge satisfaction from seeing how Warner responded to his travails in England, but the manner of the revival did not surprise him.”He has amazing mental capacity to bounce back,” Woodhill said. “I was so proud of him with the 300 in Adelaide [against Pakistan] just because of that bouncing back from adversity. That’s champions worldwide, whether it’s someone I know or someone I don’t, it’s always great to see. David worked really hard after the Ashes to regroup and he came back firing. Watching him back the other day in the trial match he’s in a really good place with his cricket.”I think when players reach early 30s, their game is about being consistent and the challenge is not short-cutting preparation and, if you watch David train, whether it’s from a skill set or physical standpoint, he doesn’t take any shortcuts.”For Woodhill this tour is a return to the international coaching set-up for the first time since he worked for New Zealand in 2012. “Being back in international colours is really good, there’s a definite edge to it; the players’ focus is on one team rather than seven or eight teams is an enjoyable experience,” he said.Warner made 42 off 35 balls in Australia’s first intersquad match of the tour on Friday before the contest was cut short by rain. They were due to play a 50-over match on Sunday before further inter-squad games early next week ahead of the opening T20I on Friday.

Harry Kane has been backed for a shock NFL career switch in the near future, with Tom Brady set to "open doors" for the Bayern and England star.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Kane has an affinity for the NFLBrady and Kane are friendsStriker backed to pursue NFL career at 35WHAT HAPPENED?

Kane celebrated his 100th international cap by scoring a brace in England’s comfortable 2-0 victory over Finland in the UEFA Nations League. However, at 31, Kane is approaching the twilight years of his football career and the NFL could be an alternative option that may keep him on the field for a bit longer.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane and Brady share a unique friendship rooted in their love for American football. Their relationship began with casual conversations on Instagram, sparked by Kane’s admiration for the NFL and its legendary quarterback. The English striker, who is fascinated by Brady’s longevity, has admitted that he has already taken a leaf out of the American's fitness book in a desire to stretch his career for as long as possible, with his idol having won his seventh Super Bowl at the age of 43.

WHAT HENRY WINTER SAID

Speaking on , journalist Henry Winter spoke about Kane’s potential transition to the NFL. He said: "I think Harry Kane will be a kicker in the NFL by the time he's 35. He's 31 now. I think he'll obviously have a good time at Bayern Munich, win some things there. But I can seriously see him doing that. Honestly, I can see Harry Kane doing that because he likes America and he loves kicking in the NFL. He's talked about it before and I'm sure Tom Brady could open some doors for him."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

GettyDID YOU KNOW?

Kane's desire to transition into the NFL has been public knowledge for some time. As early as 2019, Kane expressed his interest in becoming a kicker, telling ESPN that he would "definitely want to try" taking on the challenge within the next "ten or twelve years". More recently in 2023, he admitted that a career in the NFL would be "something very special" as he has already been receiving pro tips from Brady.

In fact, Kane has even named one of his dogs after Tom Brady, showcasing his admiration for the former New England Patriots quarterback. His other dog is named after Russell Wilson, another highly regarded NFL quarterback, further underlining his connection to the sport and its icons.

He was part of Pakistan’s historic 1954 tour of England

Umar Farooq30-Jun-2020

Khalid Wazir, part of Pakistan’s historic 1954 tour of England, has died. Wazir had been ill for some time and passed away at the of age 84 in Chester on Saturday.A tall and athletic medium-pace bowler and hard-hitting middle-order batsman, Wazir was the 16th Test cricketer for Pakistan and the second-youngest for his country at the time of his debut against England at Lord’s – only Hanif Mohammad was younger on debut until then.Wazir only played two Tests on that tour but it was a monumental one to be part of, because it announced Pakistan’s arrival as a serious cricketing nation. They drew the series against a strong England side 1-1. Wazir was the son of Wazir Ali, who – and his brother Nazir Ali – played Test cricket for India in the 1930s. After the Partition of the country, the Wazir family moved from Jalandhar to Karachi and their standing was such that one of Pakistan’s earliest, most competitive club tournaments – held during the monsoons in Lahore – was called the Wazir Ali League.Wazir was a surprise pick for Pakistan in the touring party to England with only two first-class games under his belt, and neither had he played in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy in 1953-54, the season leading up to the tour.The tour didn’t go well for him. He played the first and third Tests of the four-match series but managed only 14 runs in three innings and didn’t bowl. He ended the tour with 16 first-class games, scoring 253 runs – including one half-century – at 16.86 and taking nine wickets at 62.66.He was summoned to the Pakistan side on their next tour of England, the more disastrous 1962 visit, after a few pacemen broke down with injury. But he never played on the tour and he was already living in England by then and had become a successful club cricketer in the North Staffordshire and District League.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Athletico se prepara para a segunda rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro Sub-20. Após derrota no primeiro jogo para o São Paulo pelo placar de 1 a 0, o Furacão volta a campo nesta quinta-feira (1) contra o Sport, no CT do Caju, às 15h (de Brasília).

RelacionadasAthletico ParanaenseGoleada sobre o Fluminense foi o maior resultado do Athletico como visitante no confrontoAthletico Paranaense01/07/2021FluminenseFluminense sai na frente, mas é dominado e goleado pelo Athletico no BrasileirãoFluminense30/06/2021Athletico ParanaenseProposta de acordo feita por Tiago Nunes em processo milionário é negada pelo AthleticoAthletico Paranaense30/06/2021

>Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Camisa 10 da equipe paranaense, João Pedro esteve presente na primeira rodada do Brasileirão Sub-20 atuando até os 17 minutos da segunda etapa. Peça importante no setor de criação do Athletico, João falou sobre o próximo duelo da equipe:

– Vamos em busca da primeira vitória na competição. Sabemos que será um jogo importante para nossas ambições dentro do Brasileirão. Temos que recuperar os pontos perdidos na primeira rodada e focar nas posições de cima da tabela, temos capacidade e qualidade para isso – disse João.

Após o confronto diante o Sport, amanhã (1), o clube viaja para encarar o Bahia, fora de casa, no próximo domingo (4). O compromisso está marcado para às 16h (de Brasília) e deve ocorrer no estádio Joia da Princesa, em Feira de Santana.

MatériaMais Notícias

São três assistências e um gol nas últimas três partidas. Na ausência de vários titulares do setor ofensivo, Vitinho aproveita a sequência e, hoje, é o segundo atleta mais decisivo do Flamengo na temporada, com 11 participações diretas (seis gols e cinco assistências) em gols da equipe. O primeiro é Gabigol, que está a serviço da Seleção Brasileira, que soma 17 (15 gols e duas assistências).

O centroavante Pedro, afastado após testar positivo para Covid-19, é outro atleta no topo da lista, dividindo a segunda posição com Vitinho. São duas assistências e nove gols do camisa 21. Confira, abaixo, o ranking completo!

RelacionadasFlamengoMauricio Souza elogia Matheuzinho e destaca postura do Flamengo: ‘Todos os jogadores se doando’Flamengo16/06/2021FlamengoNa briga pela vaga de titular no Flamengo, Matheuzinho cita conversas com laterais e CeniFlamengo16/06/2021

Contratado em 2018, vindo do CSKA Moscow, da Rússia, Vitinho convive com os questionamentos desde sua chegada ao Flamengo, mas já demonstrou seu valor em outros momentos. Já são 153 partidas e 21 gols com o Manto, além dos nove títulos conquistados. Sua temporada mais artilheira foi em 2019, quando marcou nove gols. Em 2021, o atacante já balançou as redes seis vezes.

Nesta quinta-feira, Rogério Ceni voltará às atividades no NInho do Urubu após cumprir o período de isolamento por testar positivo para Covid-19 e encontrará um Vitinho confiante e em boa fase. As chances, portanto, devem seguir aparecendo para o camisa 11, elogiado por Maurício Souza, técnico do Sub-20.

– A gente pode ver o Vitinho sempre atuando. O Rogério vem sempre apostando nele, é um jogador que ele gosta muito e vem dando resposta. Ele vem mostrando uma constância nos jogos e com boaa atuações. Tem participado e se entregado muito na parte defensiva. Perto da área, ele finaliza com as duas pernas e dribla para os dois lados. É um jogador importantíssimo no grupo, tem o respeito dos jogadores. A gente vê o Rogério insistindo nele porque sabe que ele tem muito a dar – afirmou Mauricinho, substituto de Ceni.

OS JOGADORES MAIS DECISIVOS DO FLAMENGO EM 2021:

Gabriel Barbosa (17)- 15 gols e 2 assistências
Vitinho (11) – 6 gols e 5 assistências
Pedro (11) – 9 gols e 2 assistências
Bruno Henrique (8) – 4 gols e quatro assistências
Rodrigo Muniz (7) – 7 gols

There hasn't been much to criticise about Arsenal since Mikel Arteta and Edu arrived in north London but one area they need to improve in is player sales.

It's historically been an area of business the Gunners have struggled to thrive in, selling players below their market value, unable to generate many funds to subsequently spend themselves in the transfer market.

Granit Xhaka departed the Emirates to the tune of just £21.4m last summer while Rob Holding, whatever you think of him, is surely worth more than the measly £4m fee attached to his move to Crystal Palace. Alas, Arsenal have made do. You can hardly say they've spent that money in the market unwisely.

#5 Emmanuel Adebayor

Man City

£25m

#4 Cesc Fabregas

Barcelona

£34m

#3 Alex Iwobi

Everton

£35m

#2 Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Liverpool

£35m

#1 Folarin Balogun

Monaco

£38m

That said, the deal surrounding Folarin Balogun's departure has to be celebrated from a business point of view.

Why Arsenal sold Folarin Balogun

Balogun was always a prolific figure at youth level for Arsenal. For the U18s he scored 38 goals in 41 outings. For the U21s, the young striker bagged 37 in 62.

Therefore, when the American-born forward began to thrive out on loan last season it didn't really come as a shock.

Plying his trade with Stade Reims in Ligue 1, the now 22-year-old was simply on fire. Balogun found the net on 22 occasions in 39 outings. For a player who had struggled previously in senior football with Middlesbrough, scoring just three times in 21 games, it was mightily impressive.

However, Balogun wasn't happy to just sit on the bench. He wanted first-team football and with Gabriel Jesus clearly ahead of him in the pecking order was sold for a seismic £38m. It marks a huge success for the Hale End Academy, to bring a player through the ranks to then sell on for a huge fee.

Unfortunately, it hasn't all been sunshine and rainbows for the attacker since departing London on a permanent transfer.

How Folarin Balogun is doing after leaving Arsenal

The striker headed back to France last summer, moving to Monaco where great things were expected of him having thrived in France throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

Sadly, Balogun hasn't hit the same heights during an inconsistent first term in the principality. In 23 games, he has scored six goals and supplied five assists. Those aren't awful numbers, of course, but for someone who was so prolific last season you'd expect better.

Fans wanted the New York City-born star to get a chance in the Arsenal senior squad but it's safe to say they haven't missed him. They do sit top of the Premier League after all.

Such a sale has left some questioning how Edu and Co could generate a similar sum of money. Players like Aaron Ramsdale and Eddie Nketiah have been widely tipped to move away in the summer but there is a left-field option who could be used to generate a hefty payday; Mika Biereth.

Why Arsenal could sell Mika Biereth

Biereth perhaps isn't a name with as much hype attached to it as Balogun's but he's still a supreme looking forward. To suggest he could be sold for anything close to £38m would be a stretch but there is certainly a player in there.

Like Balogun, the 21-year-old, who holds Danish and British citizenship, has been on fire during loan spells away from the club.

The young forward began the campaign in Scotland with Motherwell where six goals and five assists were tallied up in 15 games, coincidentally matching Balogun's total from this season. That temporary move was cut short over the winter with Biereth moving to Sturm Graz in Austria.

He has set the Austrian Bundesliga alight, scoring eight goals in 11 outings for his new club to date. The former Fulham youth product has been particularly impressive in Europe, netting three times in the Europa Conference League.

Appearances

15

11

Minutes

1045'

773'

Goals

6

8

Assists

5

1

If this is a sign of things to come then it'll be exciting to see him develop. Comparisons to both Erling Haaland and Harry Kane should also throw a few million onto any prospective transfer fee.

Speaking to the media a few weeks ago, the Denmark youth international commented: "Like Haaland, all I really care about is scoring goals. If you’d offer me two touches of the ball and two goals I’d take that. For me, it’s all about scoring goals.

“[But] there are different aspects of the game when scoring goals isn’t possible when the ball is deep so then it’s about combining, linking the play, holding the ball up like Kane does. Those are the two different variables on the pitch.”

Whether Arsenal decide to have a look at Biereth in the summer remains to be seen but either way, he will need to prove himself in a league with more quality first, just as Balogun did.

That said, you can't totally knock Austrian football. It was a country where a certain Haaland learnt his trade, notably scoring 29 in 27 for RB Salzburg.

There is a slim chance that Arsenal's rising Hale End star reaches the same illustrious heights but they will no doubt win from his impressive development.

Biereth either becomes a first-team regular or he guarantees them a healthy slice of cash as Balogun did. That doesn't sound too bad, does it?

Moises Henriques struck a dominant century as New South Wales built a first innings lead against Queensland at the SCG.Henriques’ 116 off 158 balls, his second Sheffield Shield hundred of the season during which he passed 5000 first-class runs, belied conditions where most other batsmen have struggled to score at much of a tempo. He dominated a third-wicket stand of 133, contributing 97 of the runs, with Daniel Solway who was run out in a mix-up over a second.When Matthew Gilkes and Henriques both fell with the score on 194, Queensland had a chance to get back into the match but captain Peter Nevill and Sean Abbott put on an unbroken 68 to take New South Wales ahead by stumps.Queensland had made the early running on the second day when tight new-ball bowl kept New South Wales scoring at one run an over during the first hour. Daniel Hughes was given caught behind when Jimmy Peirson claimed a very sharp, low catch and Nick Larkin flashed an edge to the keeper to leave the home side 2 for 15 before Henriques took charge.