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Hosts pay price for underwhelming batting effort as Superchargers cruise home with 18 balls to spare

ECB Media20-Aug-2025
Northern Superchargers returned to winning ways under the lights at Lord’s to romp home past hosts London Spirit and climb to third in the table in The Hundred men’s competition.Zak Crawley took most of the plaudits for 38-ball 55, but it was a batting effort that owed a debt of gratitude to his colleagues with the ball – the Superchargers attack impressing as they limited Spirit to just 135 for 3 batting first.The win takes Superchargers to 16 points, level on points with defending champions Oval Invincibles and Trent Rockets, with a gap threatening to open up underneath fourth-placed Southern Brave on 12 as the race for qualification hots up.The Lord’s faithful might have hoped to see a performance from Aussie superstar David Warner but it wasn’t his night, departing for a four-ball duck. Jamie Smith and Ollie Pope scored 41 and 52 respectively but no Spirit batter was able to get away and really open their arms, and at the interval the visitors would have fancied their chances of chasing down the total.Crawley lay a marker down immediately, demonstrating his class against Dan Worrall’s opening salvo with a couple of stand-and-deliver boundaries through the off-side and that was much the story of the reply, with Spirit never able to build sufficient pressure with the ball.It was left to Crawley’s captain Harry Brook to slap the winning runs over mid-on, with 18 balls still remaining, to signal a comfortable win and keep Superchargers right in the hunt for qualification.Meerkat Match Hero Crawley said: “It was an important game for us to get a win tonight, so the boys are very pleased with that win and it was a good all-round performance.”I try and keep the fundamentals the same whether playing red-ball or white-ball cricket and then maybe premeditate a little bit more in white-ball cricket than I would in a red-ball game, but I try and play similar shots. I think that’s what I’ve done a bit better this year than I have done in previous years.”When you’ve got great players coming behind you, you can just be a bit free at the top and today it wasn’t as easy after the powerplay. It felt good in the powerplay – really good – and then definitely got harder. So it was nice to have that cushion behind with those boys coming in.”I’m surprised to be standing here, to be honest, I thought Rash [Adil Rashid] would be the Meerkat Match Hero. He bowled unbelievably tonight and so did all the other lads to keep them to 140. We felt like we could chase that and it definitely got easier under lights.”

Lack of fixtures against top opposition and almost no experience in T20 leagues has hindered the development of batters in these teams

Sruthi Ravindranath19-Oct-2025Bangladesh had England under pressure at 78 for 5.Pakistan had Australia struggling at 115 for 8, and had tied England down to 133 for 9.Sri Lanka had India six down for just 124.The three teams at the bottom of the women’s World Cup points table – Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – have shown they can test stronger sides with the ball. They have also shown that their batting is not good enough to win them matches against the bigger teams.This tournament hasn’t been a run fest: there have been only two first-innings scores of 300-plus, both on flat pitches in Indore and Visakhapatnam. But even when conditions have favoured batting, those three South Asian teams haven’t been able to capitalise.Related

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Against Australia in Visakhapatnam, Bangladesh stumbled to 198 for 9 before losing by ten wickets inside 25 overs. Against South Africa, Bangladesh were crawling until Shorna Akter fired them to 232, which ultimately proved inadequate.These three sides have the lowest batting averages at this World Cup. Pakistan are at the bottom with 13.55, followed by Bangladesh (19.92) and Sri Lanka (20.27). Between the previous World Cup in 2022 and this one, they had occupied the bottom three spots in batting averages among the eight teams in this tournament.

What’s holding them back?

Their limited exposure against high-quality opposition has often been highlighted as a reason their batting hasn’t developed. Bangladesh’s World Cup opener against England was only their second ODI against them. Sri Lanka hadn’t faced Australia in the format since 2019, and their fixture in this World Cup was washed out.Nilakshika Silva has been promising for Sri Lanka•Getty Images”This is a stage where we show our capabilities, so teams like England and Australia show interest in playing against us,” Nigar Sultana, Bangladesh captain, had said before the match against England.”Our girls are playing very few matches with those who are ranked top four in the world,” Bangladesh allrounder Rumana Ahmed told ESPNcricinfo. “So the fewer the number of matches they play against such teams, the less competitive matches they play, the lower their confidence will be.”Rumana isn’t at the World Cup squad this time, but she has been watching closely. She sees a team performing beyond expectations. “Yes, we lost by a very small margin [against England and South Africa] due to some inexperience. But they barely got to play enough international matches before the tournament. The way they are playing without that preparation is truly impressive. It is really good to see some batters who are batting very confidently, like Sobhana [Mostary], Supta [Sharmin Akhter], Shorna [Akter]. If the middle order had scored a few more runs, maybe our team could have put up a better fight against bigger teams.”The inexperience Rumana refers to is not just in terms of technique but also when it comes to handling pressure, with Bangladesh’s fielding costing them multiple times. There were several misfields and three dropped chances against South Africa. Sri Lanka, too, dropped Nat Sciver-Brunt on 3 before she scored a match-winning 117.0:58

Nawaz: ‘We are not being able to build momentum with the bat’

“Those subcontinent sides [Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka], I think their strengths have been with the ball,” Nasser Hussain, a commentator at the World Cup, said at a JioStar event. “Sometimes they’ve not been backed up in the field. But I do think the batting is where the improvement needs to come, if we’re going to get an upset in this World Cup. I think if there’s one area that could be improved on, it’s the power-hitting. You look at the stats of power-hitting sixes from Bangladesh and Pakistan, to a degree Sri Lanka, I think that is an area which could improve.”Sometimes it’s just a physical thing – like they have to use their wrists a bit more, they have to sweep, slog sweep, reverse sweep. With their bowling and their spinners, and Marufa [Akter] for Bangladesh, they will challenge any side, but not when you’re only getting [totals of] 150, 160, 170, because the other nations, as we saw with Bangladesh [against Australia] will stroll past that.”Power-hitting has emerged as a key skill with the rise of franchise leagues, most recently with three seasons of the WPL in India. Since 2023, India’s ODI run rate has climbed to 5.69 from the 4.47 they scored at between 2015 and 2020. Their boundary percentage has also gone up, from 41.15% in 2023 to over 52% in 2025. India also play top-tier sides regularly unlike the rest of the subcontinent teams.With this not being a high-scoring World Cup, the number of dot balls has also come in focus. Bangladesh (69.28%), Pakistan (68.85%) and Sri Lanka (60.58%) have the highest dot-ball percentages while batting. Unlike India, players from these teams barely have any presence in overseas leagues. Chamari Athapaththu remains the sole representative from Sri Lanka – and the only active player from these three nations – to have featured in the WBBL and the WPL (though players from Pakistan can’t play in the WPL). Sri Lanka have seen flashes of range-hitting from her and Nilakshika Silva but they remain the exceptions.

“With Pakistan, they had the likes of Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan and Nida Dar until a while ago, who used to play key roles for them. The players they have now used to play supporting roles for them”Former India batter Thirush Kamini

Rumana believes power-hitting needs training beyond the nets, and the lack of it once again comes down to the exposure these teams (don’t) get.”It’s very difficult to develop it just by practising. You need to use such shots tactically too,” Rumana says. “This means that you have to be involved in T20 or T10 leagues across the globe. If I take good teams like India and Australia, their development has been from the WPL and Women’s Big Bash [League]. If something like Women’s BPL [Bangladesh premier League] had been there in Bangladesh, maybe the power-hitting of the women’s team would have improved.”While slow pitches for domestic cricket at home have helped develop spinners, it has hindered batting progress. The Bangladesh men’s white-ball game began to evolve after a shift away from spin-friendly pitches. The BPL played a role in improving range-hitting.Sri Lanka head coach Rumesh Ratnayake acknowledged the need to assess domestic pitches, while also expressing concern over his batters’ inability to convert starts. “I think that’s a long-term goal of looking into the domestic level,” he said. “But when you’re here, we were well prepared for this. It’s a bit disappointing as a coach when [starts] don’t go into the 50s and to the big hundreds. The girls are aware of it. It’s a matter of how we should be putting it to them and it’s very important that we are very sensitive in putting it across so that they’ll be encouraged and not discouraged.”1:24

Fahima Khatun: We’ve lost games, but gained a lot of positives

Still, there has been some progress. In this World Cup, Sri Lanka have crossed 200 twice, while Bangladesh have once. However, Pakistan’s highest total is 159, with Sidra Amin their only player to score a fifty.”Sri Lanka’s average score used to be less than 200 at one point but now it’s improved,” Thirush Kamini, former India batter, said. “That’s what we should be seeing here – though the improvement is taking time, it’s still there, and we need to give them a little bit more time and exposure to be on par with the other teams.”These three teams have experienced spin departments. They have not changed their bowling much but that can’t be said of the batting. Their spinners have been leading wicket-takers for several years now. With Pakistan, they had the likes of Bismah Maroof, Javeria Khan and Nida Dar until a while ago who used to play key roles for them. The players they have now used to play supporting roles for them. Suddenly when you have your main players retired and have come out of the system, the pressure is on those who played the supporting roles before.”Bangladesh are set to face India, Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand across formats in the current FTP cycle, with Sri Lanka and Pakistan also scheduled to play several top sides. These series present crucial opportunities for growth, particularly with the bat, for these sides before the next World Cup.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has set his sights on a Real Madrid target who Mikel Arteta personally thinks is perfect for his system, according to a new report.

Arsenal prepare for Premier League blockbuster against Chelsea

The mood around N5 could hardly be more positive right now after a phenomenal week.

Arsenal dismantled North London rivals Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium last weekend and immediately followed that up by inflicting Bayern Munich’s first defeat of the entire campaign on Wednesday.

It was the perfect few days to set up a tantalising encounter with London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Arsenal now having the chance to go nine points clear of Enzo Maresca’s side.

Chelsea pose yet another tough test for Arsenal, especially after the Blues thrashed Barcelona 3-0 in the Champions League, but Arteta’s side go into the contest on an all-time high.

Arsenal 3-0 Nottingham Forest

Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 1-1 Man City

Port Vale 0-2 Arsenal

Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid

Arsenal 1-0 Crystal Palace

Arsenal 2-0 Brighton

Burnley 0-2 Arsenal

Slavia Prague 0-3 Arsenal

Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-1 Bayern Munich

Arsenal have also welcomed back Noni Madueke, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard from injury, with the former two getting on the scoresheet against Bayern to round off a superb win.

Viktor Gyokeres, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus missed the victory over Bayern, alongside star defender Gabriel Magalhaes, but young defender Cristhian Mosquera did a ‘superb’ job filling in for the latter.

Arsenal’s strength in depth is testament to Berta’s excellent recruitment drive last summer, with their near-£270 million outlay on new signings paying dividends for Arteta.

The Gunners could hardly be any stronger right now, but Berta will be paying close attention to unmissable market opportunities.

Arsenal star makes transfer admission and says club "want" to sign him

He’s responded to the speculation around his future.

ByEmilio Galantini Nov 14, 2025

One of them could be Elche sensation Rodrigo Mendoza, who is rumoured to have a tempting £17.5 million release clause in his contract amid comparisons to Pedri and Barça legend Sergio Busquets.

Arsenal hold 'initial talks' to sign Rodrigo Mendoza from Elche

That is according to TEAMtalk, who also report that Arsenal have positioned themselves as the frontrunners to sign Mendoza in January.

Arteta has apparently identified the 20-year-old as an ‘ideal’ addition to strengthen his title-chasing squad, with Arsenal already holding ‘initial talks’ to sign Mendoza after ‘exploratory’ contact.

TT sources indicate that Arsenal are prepared to test Elche’s resolve before Christmas as they look to bolster their midfield options for the second half of the campaign.

However, Arsenal face significant competition for his signature. Three other Premier League heavyweights have all made contact with the player’s representatives too, setting up a four-way English battle, and Real Madrid are believed to be targeting Mendoza too.

Sources close to Mendoza’s camp apparently state that, while multiple English clubs have registered interest, Arsenal’s early moves give them a distinct advantage.

The modest release clause represents exceptional value in today’s inflated market, particularly for a Spain Under-21 international who has progressed through every youth level.

Mendoza has nine La Liga appearances and one goal to his name so far this season, and helped Elche achieve promotion back to the Spanish top flight last season.

For just £17.5m, Arsenal could sign one of Spain’s newest rising stars, with Arteta’s apparent eagerness making this transfer one to watch.

They used to rule Galle Tests. This one, against Bangladesh, is going against them

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Jun-2025If you watched Sri Lanka play Tests in Galle through the 2010s, you can probably close your eyes and still see him. Rangana Herath, waddling to the crease pre-ball; Rangana Herath pivoting in his follow-through post-ball; Rangana Herath settling into one of his gentle celebrations post post-ball, the ball itself having taken sharp turn and collected an outside edge, or skimmed straight and clattered into the stumps.This Galle surface is better for batting than most Herath had bowled on. Which is partly why, six years after his retirement, the spinners trying to emulate his epic acts of second-innings match-winning here are struggling. Four days into this Test, Sri Lanka’s four spinners (two single-arm, two dual-arm) have bowled 140.2 overs between them and taken five wickets at a collective average of 97. Seamer Asitha Fernando, meanwhile, has a match haul of 4 for 117 so far. Seam-bowling allrounder Milan Rathnayake has 4 for 52. As Sri Lanka hunted desperately for wickets late on day four, Asitha seemed by a distance the greatest threat.There are two immediate problems here. Although this is a Galle deck that favours the batters most, it’s still a surface that favours spinners more than it does quicks. Seven of Sri Lanka’s first-innings wickets, for example, fell to Bangladesh spin. Even in previous high-scoring Tests at this venue, (as one example this) spinners have routinely been the greater threat.Related

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The second problem is that it should not take six years for an obvious successor to Herath to appear. We are talking about spin. For the majority of first-class seasons since 2010, only spinners appeared in the top five wicket-takers in any year. The emergence of the new National Super League has led to a healthier domestic ecosystem, which has shaped careers such as those of Milan, and Kamindu Mendis. But if Sri Lanka should have a smooth production line in any discipline, it should be in this one. Not only has Lankan spin bowling given Tests the most prolific right-arm (Muthiah Muralidaran) and left-arm (Herath) bowlers in history, Lankan spinners have also sparked little revolutions. Without Ajantha Mendis, would there ever have been a Mujeeb Ur Rahman, or Varun Chakravarthy?Beyond which – and only Sri Lanka fans can read this next section, the rest can skip ahead to the next paragraph – Sri Lanka do not have a track record of producing many other types of match-winning bowlers. Many of us are not especially tall. The tall ones tend to be skinny – through no fault of their own, this country only now coming out of our latest malnutrition crisis. And if you bowl at serious pace in Sri Lanka, there seems to be a rule that you have to be injured for many more Tests than you are available for. Lahiru Kumara is unavailable for this one, for instance. This country really, truly needs its wicket-taking Test-match spinners, whose strength is skill, rather than, you know, strength. Perhaps these should have been part of the demands in those 2022 protests.And if you look at Sri Lankan spin even in the last 15 years, Herath may perhaps be the outlier. Dilruwan Perera was effective at times alongside Herath, but averaged almost 36 by the end. Sri Lanka tried to blood other Test-match spinners – Tharindu Kaushal, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Ramesh Mendis, even Wanindu Hasaranga. For various reasons, these bowlers did not work out. Usually it had to do with them not finding wickets consistently enough, even on tracks that suited them. Malinda Pushpakumara has 980 first-class wickets, but did not impress in Tests.Schoolkids watch the cricket from the grass banks•AFP/Getty ImagesPrabath Jayasuriya is the latest potential spin-bowling matchwinner for Sri Lanka in Tests. Although he had had an excellent 2022, he has not been quite so hot since. He was the second-equal-fastest bowler – in terms of matches played – to get to 100 Test wickets. But against Australia earlier this year, he bowled 104 overs and averaged 40.44, having conceded runs at 3.50 an over. In this match, he was 0 for 154 in the first innings, and is currently 1 for 48 in the second.Right now, this track has dust exploding at almost every impact and on day five has every chance of turning into a spin fest. But where Sri Lanka used to have match-winning spinners who moved first and moved emphatically on surfaces offering them even a little bit of turn, their latest generations of spinners have tended to need rank dustbowls on which to impose themselves.The World Test Championship, for all its flaws, has put a premium on result Tests. Getting a draw out of a home Test match feels like more of a failure than it ever has before. For Sri Lanka to avoid that fate, or an even more humiliating defeat, they have to take wickets early on day five. On this pitch, it is the spinners who should be leading that charge.Sri Lanka have made gains in the batting and seam-bowling departments in the last two WTC cycles, but the same cannot be said of their spin. For years, since Herath, Lankan Test spin has just been lukewarm. If they are to make progress in the next cycle, they need it to be hot.

With India having played no ODI cricket since August, they will be looking to find a few answers in the upcoming series against England

Shashank Kishore04-Feb-20251:10

Manjrekar: ODIs the perfect format for Rohit and Kohli to get runs

Rohit and Kohli’s formThe ODI series against England is the last opportunity for Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli to find form ahead of the Champions Trophy.Both batters had difficult tours of Australia and did not make substantial scores in their one-off Ranji Trophy appearances since returning to India. Rohit was out for 3 and 28 against Jammu & Kashmir in Mumbai while Kohli, playing his first match for Delhi since 2012, was bowled for 6 in his only innings against Railways.The pattern of Kohli’s dismissals in Test cricket – nicking outside off frequently – was of particular concern in Australia and he was seen working with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar at a training facility before his Ranji Trophy match.Related

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ODI cricket, though, is their best format with Rohit providing power as an opener and Kohli prolific at No. 3. Rohit made 157 runs in three innings at a strike rate of 141.44 in Sri Lanka in August, his last productive outing before his form slump. While Kohli did not fare as well in that series, he had broken records in his previous ODI appearance- 765 runs at an average of 95.62 and strike rate of 90.31 during India’s run to the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup.Kohli’s also on course to score 14,000 ODI runs in the fewest innings. Sachin Tendulkar (350 innings) and Kumar Sangakkara (378) are the only ones to have achieved the landmark so far; Kohli is 94 away after only 283 innings. Can he get there against England?Pant or Rahul as wicketkeeper?With Rohit and Shubman Gill likely to open, Kohli and Shreyas Iyer at Nos. 3 and 4, and Hardik Pandya at No. 6, the wicketkeeper-batter is likely to slot in at No. 5. The choice is between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant against England and the Champions Trophy.Rahul has been India’s incumbent wicketkeeper in ODIs since August 2023, when Pant was recovering from his car accident. On the tour of Sri Lanka in August 2024, after Pant had made his comeback from injury, Rahul kept wickets in the first two matches – and scored 31 and 0 – while Pant played the third match and made 6.In terms of recent form, there’s little to separate the two. Rahul scored 276 runs in ten innings in the Test series in Australia, while Pant made 255 in nine innings. Rahul then scored 26 and 43 in Karnataka’s Ranji Trophy match against Haryana, while Pant scored 1 and 17 for Delhi against Saurashtra. Neither player was part of the T20I squad for the five matches against England.If India decide to stick with Rahul as wicketkeeper, they will not have a left-hand batter in their top six unless they promote one of their spin allrounders, while Pant at No. 5 gives them that variety if they deem it necessary. They could of course choose to play both, with Rahul as a specialist bat, but that would mean leaving Shreyas out of the XI.Does Jadeja fit into the XI?Ravindra Jadeja had not been picked in an ODI squad since the 2023 World Cup, until he was selected for the upcoming series against England and the Champions Trophy. While he was resting from the format, India invested in Axar Patel and Washington Sundar as spin allrounders.Axar was a key member of the ODI squad in Sri Lanka, where Washington also impressed with five wickets in three innings and an economy of 3.88. Axar took four with an economy of 3.86.Washington has the edge of being an offspinner, while both Jadeja and Axar are left-arm, if India are looking for a varied bowling attack. Washington, however, bowled only two overs in two T20Is against England, while Axar bowled in four out of five games and claimed six wickets in 14 overs with an economy of 7.07.Jadeja was in superb form for Saurashtra after returning from Australia, taking 12 wickets in their Ranji Trophy match against Delhi. However, he did not bowl at all in their next match against Assam, and is believed to have experienced minor back spasms.If he is fit, the team management have a tough choice to make between Jadeja, Axar and Washington.Bowlers fitness in focusThree of India’s bowlers are returning from injury layoffs. Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t played since he couldn’t bowl during Australia’s second innings in the Sydney Test. He’s been included in the squad for only the final ODI against England to see if he will be match-fit for the Champions Trophy.Kuldeep Yadav was out of action since October last year after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia. He only made his comeback last week, taking 3 for 124 for Uttar Pradesh against Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy. He was part of India’s previous ODI series in Sri Lanka, where he took four wickets in 30 overs with an economy of 3.40.Mohammed Shami’s previous ODI was the 2023 World Cup final, after which he had ankle surgery followed by a long period of rehabilitation. He made his comeback for Bengal in the Syed Mushtaq Trophy and the Vijay Hazare Trophy but India picked him for only two out of five T20Is against England. Shami took 0 for 25 and 3 for 25 in those fixtures, bowling only 5.3 overs across both matches.While Arshdeep Singh, who is only eight-ODIs old, and Shami will be India’s first choice quicks in the first and second matches against England, one of them is likely to be benched if Bumrah plays the third game.

Celtic dropped some shocking, yet also unsurprising, news on Monday night when they confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had tendered his resignation.

The Northern Irish head coach has stepped down as manager of the Scottish Premiership champions, shortly after his side lost 3-1 to Hearts on Sunday.

The timing of the decision came as a shock, as there had not been any prior indication that he was likely to step down from his position, at least in the public domain.

However, it was also not a surprise because talkSPORT’s Alex Crook recently explained that the manager was likely to leave next summer, saying: “I have just been hearing a lot of whispers that maybe Brendan Rodgers could decide at the end of the season not to renew his deal, and that the time is right to leave Celtic for a second time.”

Instead of waiting until his contract expired next summer, though, the former Leicester City and Liverpool boss decided to walk away from it at the start of this week.

Only Rodgers will be able to give his full reasoning behind the decision, if he decides to speak about it publicly, but it could be the right decision for the club.

Why Brendan Rodgers leaving may be the right decision

The former Hoops manager won four Premiership titles, three SFA Cups, and four League Cups across two spells with the Scottish giants, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he had a lot of success at Parkhead.

There can be no denying that Rodgers will go down as a great Celtic manager, given his achievements, but all things come to an end, and the team’s form this season suggested that it was the end of an era in Glasgow.

The Hoops lost their last two Premiership matches under Rodgers and currently find themselves eight points adrift of Hearts in the league table, which is not a position that the ex-Bhoys manager was used to being in.

As you can see in the table above, Rodgers ends his second Celtic spell with only one Premiership season averaging below 2.16 points per game, which is the current campaign.

Of course, the head coach may have turned things around and gotten over that two points per game mark later in the season, but the side’s current form shows that they were on a downward trajectory under the Northern Irishman, which is why his exit from Parkhead may be a good call for all parties.

Martin O’Neill is back in interim charge, for now, but the attention will turn to who the club are going to appoint as their next manager, and a former player has told them who to go for.

Celtic plot approach for new manager

It looks as though O’Neill will be in charge for the club’s clash with Falkirk at Parkhead on Wednesday night, but they will need a longer-term solution in the dugout.

Former Celtic centre-forward and current Sky Sports pundit Chris Sutton has urged the Premiership champions to go and bring Ange Postecoglou back to Glasgow.

The Australian boss, who left Celtic in the summer of 2023, was recently sacked by Premier League side Nottingham Forest and that means that he is available and potentially ready to step into a new job.

In fact, Football Insider reports that the Hoops may make contact with the former Tottenham Hotspur head coach to discuss a sensational return to Parkhead.

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However, Football Insider does not reveal whether or not the former Celtic manager wants to make such a quick return to the game, or if he wants to return to Glasgow for a second spell at the club.

They do appear to be planning to make an approach to speak with the Europa League winner, though, which shows that they are interested in appointing him as Rodgers’ replacement.

Why Celtic should push for Ange Postecoglou to return

The Hoops board should be pushing to bring Ange Postecoglou back to Parkhead in the coming days because he could return to Scotland as an upgrade on Rodgers.

In his two seasons in charge in Glasgow, the Australian boss, whose football was hailed as “breathtaking” by Gary Neville, racked up a whopping 192 points in 76 Premiership matches, per Transfermarkt, which works out at 2.52 points per game.

Whereas, Rodgers won 453 points in 188 games in charge of the club across two spells at Parkhead, per Transfermarkt, which is an average of around 2.41 points per game.

These statistics suggest that the former Spurs boss got even more out of the team domestically, despite both managers winning titles in all of their full seasons in charge, as his sides won more points per game on average.

Hamish Carton, in the clip above, explains how impressive Postecoglou’s achievements at Celtic were off the back of the situation that he inherited when he first arrived, as Rangers had run away with the league title in the previous season.

This means that his dominance at Celtic was even more impressive than Rodgers’ was, because the 4-3-3 boss had to turn a bad situation around, whilst Rodgers came into a club that had just won the domestic treble in the summer of 2023, and he was able to build from that.

Postecoglou’s domestic treble in the 2022/23 campaign was not repeated by the Northern Irish boss in the 2023/24 or the 2024/25 seasons, which also shows that he had more success, in terms of trophies, than the recently departed manager.

Therefore, pushing to bring Postecoglou, who Carton also described as a “better manager” than Rodgers, back to Celtic could result in the club having an upgrade in the dugout for the rest of this season, and beyond, which is why they should take Sutton’s advice and make a serious move for his services.