New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is also in contention for the award

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Jul-2019

Ben Stokes smashes a six as he takes the match to the end•Getty Images

England’s World Cup hero Ben Stokes who ended New Zealand’s dream has been nominated for New Zealander of the Year. Yes, you read that right.The official shortlist is yet to be made but the 28-year old allrounder is an early contender among the public nominations with New Zealander of the Year Awards chief judge Cameron Bennet quoted on saying, “there’s clearly a few Kiwis about who think we can still claim him”. Stokes was born in Christchurch, but he later moved to the UK along with his family and forged a career with England.New Zealand captain and the player of the World Cup Kane Williamson was also nominated for the award. “He’s been the embodiment of the qualities we cherish as New Zealanders – courage, fairness, humility,” Bennett said.All New Zealand citizens over the age of 15 are eligible to be nominated. Film maker Taika Waititi and former All Blacks captain Ritchie McCaw are among the previous award-winners.Stokes made 465 runs in the World Cup and was named Man of the Match in the final, where, outside of top-scoring with 84, he was involved in a very bizarre play.It was the final over of the game and he was diving into the crease to complete a second run when he inadvertently deflected a throw from outfielder Martin Guptill to the third-man boundary. England were handed six runs, which raised questions about the laws of the game and set up the World Cup’s first Super Over. Stokes returned to bat in the Super Over and hit a crucial boundary against Trent Boult to help push England to 15. New Zealand, too, scored 15 in the Super Over, but England eventually won the title on boundary count.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após jejum de 17 jogos sem vencer o rival, o Vasco derrotou o Flamengo por 3 a 1 no Maracanã e se aproximou do G4 do Campeonato Carioca. Ainda durante o intervalo da partida, quando a equipe vencia por dois gols de diferença, Léo Matos destacou a eficiência do esquema montado pelo técnico Marcelo Cabo, sendo letal nos contra-ataques. O lateral-direito marcou o primeiro gol da partida logo aos 5 minutos de jogo.

> Confira a classificação do Campeonato Carioca

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalVasco encerra jejum, vence o Flamengo e segue vivo no CariocaFutebol Nacional15/04/2021VascoATUAÇÕES: Morato se destaca e Vasco é quase perfeito no Clássico dos MilhõesVasco15/04/2021VascoApós primeiro gol contra o rival, Cano comemora vitória: ‘Merecíamos porque trabalhamos muito’Vasco15/04/2021

– A estratégia foi perfeita. Fizemos o que o Marcelo Cabo nos orientou nos treinos da semana. Preferíamos o jogo posicional, mas é ser redundante falar da qualidade do time do Flamengo. Defendemos bem, em bloco baixo, e saímos nos contra-ataques. Gol no início ajudou – exaltou o lateral-direito, na saída para o intervalo.

> Confira mais notícias sobre o Vasco da Gama

Com o triunfo, o Vasco chegou a 13 pontos e encostou no Fluminense, última equipe do G4 da competição estadual. Além da moral, a vitória mostra que o técnico já tem em mente uma espinha dorsal para a sequência da temporada. Vale destacar que ele repetiu a escalação da vitória sobre o Tombense, pela segunda fase da Copa do Brasil, semana passada.

A vocação do gol! Roberto Dinamite completou 67 anos. Relembre os maiores feitos do craque com a camisa do Vasco

O Vasco volta a campo no próximo domingo diante do Boavista, em Bacaxá, às 18h30 (de Brasília), pela penúltima rodada da Taça Guanabara. Os comandados de Marcelo Cabo necessitam vencer os dois jogos que restam e torcer por tropeços de Fluminense ou Portuguesa-RJ.

The future at Liverpool has suddenly been thrown into uncertainty following the shock announcement that Jurgen Klopp will step down from his role at the end of the season.

Now forced to complete the impossible task of finding a replacement for the German, FSG have already reportedly turned their attention to handing the next man in charge a boost in the form of reinforcements.

Liverpool eyeing a true "genius" manager to replace Jurgen Klopp

FSG have their work cut out in identifying a successor to lead ‘Liverpool 2.0’

By
Angus Sinclair

Jan 30, 2024

Why is Klopp leaving Liverpool?

Announcing the news of his departure, Klopp told the club's official media channels via Liverpool.com: “I can understand that that’s a shock for a lot of people in this moment, when you hear it for the first time, but obviously I can explain it — or at least try to explain it.

"I love absolutely everything about this club, I love everything about the city, I love everything about our supporters, I love the team, I love the staff. I love everything. But that I still take this decision shows you that I am convinced it is the one I have to take. It is that I am, how can I say it, running out of energy.

"I am OK. I am healthy, as much as you can [be] at my age. Little bits and bobs, stuff like that, but nothing anybody has to be concerned about, so that’s absolutely fine. I told the club already in November.”

Now forced to plan for life without Klopp, FSG have reportedly shifted their focus to helping their next manager get off to the perfect start. According to The Mirror, FSG and Liverpool are plotting a move to sign Tosin Adarabioyo after being left hugely impressed by the defender in the Reds' recent Carabao Cup victory over Fulham. The defender is set to be out of contract this summer, which could see Liverpool land a free deal in what they hope will be an underrated bargain.

"Special" Adarabioyo can replace Matip

With Joel Matip set to leave Liverpool upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, the Reds will be in need of a replacement. And that's when Adarabioyo could make his mark, signing on a free in a similar fashion to the then understated Matip.

The Fulham man, still only 26-years-old, would arrive with plenty of room for improvement whilst also having enough Premier League experience to step into the Liverpool side. Here's how Adarabioyo's stats compare to Matip's this season…

Stats	Tosin Adarabioyo	Joel Matip
Progressive Carries	4	8
Progressive Passes	25	34
Tackles Won	5	6
Aerial Duels Won	27	28
Interceptions	14	9

A player who shoots more than 92% of defenders too, Adarabioyo can offer Liverpool an unexpected threat going forward and at set pieces, standing at 6 foot 5. The numbers make Marco Silva's previous praise little surprise, with the Fulham boss saying, via Irish News: “He is a key player for us. He is one of the leaders in our dressing room and we need these guys to step in in the right moments and he did it.

"We missed him a lot, we missed him because he didn’t play the first three months of the season. Tosin is a special player for us, I can’t hide that situation."

Manchester United opted not to dip into the market to strengthen their first-team squad during the recent January transfer window as they did not make a single signing.

The Red Devils have kept their power dry ahead of the summer but did decide to part ways with a number of players on loan deals last month.

Hannibal, Facundo Pellistri, Donny van de Beek, and Jadon Sancho were among those who had temporary moves sanctioned, whilst Sergio Reguilon was sent back to Tottenham Hotspur after his spell at Old Trafford during the first half of the season.

Jadon Sancho's falling out with Erik Ten Hag

Sancho's position at United appeared to become untenable after a breakdown in the relationship between him and Erik ten Hag, which led to his loan move to Borussia Dortmund ahead of the second half of the campaign.

The England international was reportedly unhappy that some players, namely Antony, were being selected ahead of him in spite of their – in his eyes – underwhelming performances.

Ten Hag claimed that it was up to Sancho whether or not he would return to the fold after a public disagreement between the two parties, and his loan exit suggests the forward decided not to work his way back into the manager's plans.

The club did not move to sign a replacement for the winger but they may have already fumbled a dream upgrade on him when they sold Anthony Elanga to Nottingham Forest last summer.

United decided to move the Sweden international on for a reported fee of £15m as the Tricky Trees beat off competition from Everton to secure his signature.

The 21-year-old whiz's impressive performances in the Premier League this season, in contrast with Sancho and Antony's struggles, suggest that ten Hag had a howler with that decision.

Antony's struggles this season

Some of the now-Dortmund star's concerns over the Brazilian's minutes on the pitch in comparison with his output in front of goal had some credibility.

The former Ajax gem has made 19 appearances and been selected as a starter in 11 matches in the Premier League so far this season, yet he has not provided a single goal or assist.

Antony has zero goals from 1.49 xG and this suggests he has been wasteful in front of goal. However, the left-footed flop has produced 1.48 xA, which indicates that his teammates have let him down at times.

If his fellow attackers had performed in line with the quality of chances the 23-year-old dud provided them with, then he would still only have zero goals and one assist in 19 outings.

That is not an impressive return in the final third for the £80.75m signing from Ajax, who managed four goals and two assists in 25 matches last season.

In total, Antony has produced one goal and one assist in 25 games in all competitions so far this term, and Elanga has shown far more quality for Forest.

Anthony Elanga's breakout season at Forest

The 21-year-old dynamo, who was once described as "electric" by Paul Robinson, was only handed five starts out of his 16 Premier League appearances for United last season.

He did not have regular game time to develop and find his rhythm on the pitch and it could be argued that the Red Devils missed a trick when they opted not to loan him out for the 2022/23 campaign to play week-in-week-out ahead of a return last summer.

Instead, they rarely used Elanga and then sold him to Forest, where they are now seeing him benefit and thrive from regular minutes in the top-flight.

The Swedish wizard has racked up five goals, six assists, and nine 'big chances' created in 16 Premier League starts for Forest, which is a return of one goal or assist every 1.45 starts on average.

This means that the former United starlet has 11 more goal contributions than Antony in the league this season, and nine more in all competitions.

Elanga currently ranks within the top 10% of attacking midfielders and wingers within the division for assists (0.35) per 90, and the top 16% for Expected Assisted Goals (0.29) per 90.

This suggests that he has been a fantastic creator for his teammates on the flank to go along with ruthless finishing in front of goal, as the young sensation has five goals from an xG of 4.0.

Overall, the former United prospect has showcased his quality as a scorer and a creator of goals consistently this season, which suggests that he could have been a dream upgrade on Sancho.

Jadon Sancho's struggles at United

The former Manchester City prospect's struggles came on and off the pitch before his return to Dortmund on loan during the January transfer window.

Sancho started this season with zero goals and zero assists in three top-flight appearances before his falling out with ten Hag, and that came after an underwhelming 2022/23 campaign.

The 23-year-old gem, who chipped in with three goals and three assists in 29 Premier League outings during his first season at Old Trafford, failed to deliver outstanding quality in front of goal on a consistent basis.

Starts

21

16

Goals

Six

Five

Assists

Three

Six

Big chances created

Six

Nine

Duel success rate

38%

44%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Elanga's current performances for Forest are more impressive than what Sancho managed as a fairly regular starter for United last term.

In five fewer starts, the Tricky Trees magician has already produced two more goal contributions, and created three more 'big chances' than the English winger racked up in the whole of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

This suggests that Elanga, on current form, could have been a dream upgrade on Sancho for United if they had persisted with him and offered the young talent more opportunities to play regularly.

It would have been an ideal scenario for the Red Devils as it would have been a solution to their problems from within the club, and they would not have had to dip into the market, as they might have to in the summer to find upgrades on Antony and Sancho.

United supporters may now continue to watch Elanga's superb displays for Forest in the top-flight this season and wonder what could have been.

Crystal Palace's chance of winning seems to fall in the hands of Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze recently.

Roy Hodgson's only two wins in the Eagles' last 13 matches have been when the duo have both started.

The latest of those was a 3-2 win over Sheffield United where the trio were involved in every goal scored versus the Blades. However, the boss could look to take the pressure off the creators by signing a new forward.

Crystal Palace's search for an attacker

Crystal Palace are particularly active during the final stages of the January transfer window with it revealed on Tuesday that they were closing in on an exciting new acquisition.

That happened to be Adam Wharton of Blackburn Rovers, with a fee of £22m seeing him move to Selhurst Park before deadline day on Thursday.

That being said, he's not the only new face who could improve Hodgson's ranks in the dying embers of the window.

Indeed, earlier this week, TEAMtalk revealed that Palace are among the clubs that have targeted Sunderland star Jack Clarke this month.

The Black Cats are demanding a fee upwards of £15m, with Lazio having a £14m offer rejected recently.

However, manager Michael Beale certainly doesn't want their star man to leave as they hunt for promotion to the Premier League.

January transfer window: All the deadline day deals from England and Scotland

Stay on top of all the latest transfer deals across the Premier League, EFL and SPFL as the January window closes.

ByCharlie Smith Feb 1, 2024 How Jack Clarke compares to Wilfried Zaha

The left-wing spot at Palace had been occupied for the last nine years by club icon Wilfried Zaha, but since his move to Galatasaray in the summer, the Eagles have felt the effect of not signing a replacement for the prolific 31-year-old.

The former Man United player will always be remembered as a Palace great, and he left the club as their record holder for Premier League appearances and as the club's all-time top scorer in the top flight. All in all, he slammed home 90 goals across 458 outings for the Londoners. Hodgson will be hoping that if potential signing Clarke could even replicate half of that, then the move would be a huge success.

The Sunderland star also operates solely as a left-winger, where he has been tearing up opponents all season.

His performances have been so impressive that he's been labelled a "diamond" by former manager Tony Mowbray, and the table below with statistics from this season that compares him to fellow wingers in the Championship proves why his profile is so rare and desired.

Goals

0.46

Top 1%

Assists

0.11

Top 41%

xA

0.23

Top 6%

Key passes

2.39

Top 9%

Passes into penalty area

1.82

Top 6%

Successful take-ons

3.82

Top 1%

Progressive passes received

11.02

Top 1%

Progressive carries

8.49

Top 1%

Instantly, the first attribute of Clarke's game that's apparent is his ability to have an output, unlike plenty of wingers across the top leagues.

The 23-year-old has scored 13 goals this season, the fourth-most in the Championship. The number 20 is relentless, and even though his assists don't suggest it, it isn't only his goals that make him a threat, as he is also a huge creative outlet, as shown by his expected assists (xA) being in the top 6%.

However, the reason Clarke has the potential to become elite is due to his direct approach and lack of fear when on the ball. His key passes and passes into the box show that he boasts sublime vision, but his biggest strength is his ability to continuously provide an option on the flank, receive the ball, and dribble past players as if they aren't there, with the view to unleashing a strike once in and around the penalty area. This is what makes him a "super talent," as per Mowbray and it's why he's comparable to Zaha, a notorious dribble king in his Premier League days.

The thought of having an attack with Olise, Eze, and Clarke is exciting for the Palace faithful but extremely frightening for opposition defenders. Palace must look to sign the young star, who would become their next Zaha.

Although they endured a relatively quiet January transfer window, West Ham United did at least welcome Manchester City's Kalvin Phillips on loan to help fill the boots of Declan Rice. Much of the focus was on winter exits and the controversy surrounding Said Benrahma's departure. And that could be the truth once more this summer, as the Hammers prepare to sell a forgotten man for David Moyes.

West Ham transfer news

Lyon were left furious when West Ham failed to register the Benraham deal on FIFA's Transfer Matching System, originally forcing their move to collapse. The Ligue 1 side said in a statement via Sky Sports: "In the absence of this reciprocal action on the part of the English club and following this incomprehensible behaviour, raising questions, the international transfer certificate could not be requested before closing time.

"Olympique Lyonnais deeply regrets this situation and this decision, demonstrating a profound lack of respect on the part of West Ham towards the institution and the player.

Related West Ham already have a Phillips replacement who's the next Declan Rice

David Moyes could soon hand this talented teenager a starting berth in his senior squad.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Feb 9, 2024

The deal has fortunately since gone through and reached completion, however, with the midfielder joining Lyon on loan until the end of the season with an option to buy at that point.

It is a dilemma that the Hammers will want to avoid a repeat of and it looks as though their focus has turned straight back towards further exits in an attempt to do just that. According to Brazilian outlet iG, West Ham are now hoping to sell Luizao after rejecting loan offers for the centre-back from Brazilian sides.

The London club reportedly set a price-tag of €5 (£4m) when AS Monaco made an attempt to secure his signature last month and that looks set to remain the price for their forgotten man.

"Impressive" Luizao needs move

Since arriving in January of 2023, Luizao is yet to make a single appearance for West Ham's first team and doesn't look likely to gain an opportunity any time soon. At 21-years-old, the central defender is in desperate need of consistent minutes, which won't come at the London Stadium. And, given that West Ham have reportedly rejected loan offers for the defender, he must complete a permanent exit in search of game time.

It's surprising that Luizao hasn't been handed a first-team opportunity after he impressed many for the U21s side, including X account West Ham Youth:

Yet, over a year on from his arrival and it looks likely that Luizao's West Ham spell will fall under the category of what might have been. Still only 21, he still has time to potentially find his feet back in South America, before perhaps one day proving the Hammers wrong over their unwillingness to hand him opportunities. Either way, this one was certainly a transfer to forget in last January's transfer window.

Sam Kerr has shared an update of her recovery from a ruptured ACL as the Blues striker posts video of her kicking a ball.

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Kerr posts story on Instagram about recovery Kerr injured ACL earlier in the year Blues to begin Bompastor era WHAT HAPPENED?

Kerr injured her ACL in January as the Blues were undergoing training in their winter break – an injury that ruled her out for the rest of the season and the Olympics in Paris. While her team-mates have been jetting off for the Olympics or on holiday, the superstar forward has spent the summer in rehabilitation as she fights to be fit in time for the new season.

AdvertisementWHAT KERR SAID

While Kerr's team-mates will have been posting photos and videos of them relaxing in the off season, the Matildas' striker shared that she has not stopped work this summer. She captioned a photo of the gym: "Reality of having a long term injury". Before posting a video of her tentatively kicking a ball for the first time in five months, saying: "Reality of not having a shot in five months."

Instagram (samanthakerr20)DID YOU KNOW?

Kerr extended her contract at Chelsea this month and confirmed she will remain at the Blues as they enter a new era under Sonia Bompastor. Beloved manager Emma Hayes departed the club to lead the USWNT and French coach Bompastor has been tasked with emulating the success achieved by English tactician in west London.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR KERR?

Kerr will continue her road to recovery this summer with the aim of being ready for the 2024/25 WSL season beginning in late September. Kerr has won four WSL titles in a row and will be dreaming of adding a fifth, and Champions League trophy to her already extensive trophy cabinet.

Didn’t see necessity of sending Sunil Narine to bat at 8 for 2, says West Indies captain

Peter Della Penna in Lauderhill03-Aug-20192:03

Our shot selection needs to be addressed – Brathwaite

Most of the attention after India’s victory in the first T20I against West Indies in Lauderhill was lavished on debutant Navdeep Saini, Man of the Match for his three-wicket haul that helped restrict West Indies to 95 for 9. The hidden brilliance of that effort, however, was that it nullified an opportunity for West Indies to combat the left-arm spin threat of Krunal Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, according to Carlos Brathwaite.Speaking after his side’s four-wicket loss, the West Indies captain credited Saini and the new-ball pair of offspinner Washington Sundar and fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar for wiping out a left-handed-heavy top five in the Powerplay, thus heaping pressure on the right-handed batsmen in the West Indies middle order. With the side reeling at 33 for 5 after the Powerplay, the right-handed duo of Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard were left to grind runs with the ball spinning away from them when Krunal and Jadeja did finally arrive in the ninth over.Evin Lewis lost his stumps to a knuckle ball•Associated Press”We’re very aware that it was a possibility that they would play two left-arm spinners or a left-arm spinner and a legspinner, hence the batting order was set the way it was set,” Brathwaite said. “However, none of the left-handers got out to left-arm spinners, so the match-up eventually didn’t happen. But we were cognizant of that fact and we tried to set the team and the line-up in such a way that we can combat that in the middle overs.”Brathwaite also defended the decision to keep Sunil Narine down the order at No. 8. In the time since Narine last played for West Indies in any format – a T20I against England at Durham in September 2017 – he has transformed himself, gaining legitimate all-round credentials with explosive batting on the T20 franchise circuit. That transformation has been seen most notably with Kolkata Knight Riders and Trinbago Knight Riders, and more recently with Montreal Tigers in the Global T20 Canada, where he smacked 59 off 30 balls on July 26. Against India, Narine ended up with 2 off 4 balls, out caught on the boundary.Brathwaite, however, said the team’s plan was to bat Pollard at No. 4, and he saw no reason to change that plan, with West Indies 8 for 2 after two overs and Sundar turning the ball away from left-handers at one end.”Would you send in a pinch-hitter at 12 for 2?” Brathwaite responded when asked why Narine was not brought in sooner. “Pollard was always slated to bat at four. As we mentioned, with them having two left-arm spinners, the next top-order batsman is Hetmyer, who is also a left-hand batter and Washington Sundar was on.”So to expose all four left-hand top-order batsmen to the offspinner and then expose all three middle to lower-order right-handers to the left-arm spinners wouldn’t have been smart in our opinion, hence why we stuck with Pollard at four. I honestly don’t see the necessity of sending Narine at 12 or 10 or 8, however much it was for 2.”Washington Sundar had a successful day out•Getty ImagesBrathwaite praised Pollard and Narine as the duo made their return to maroon colours. Playing his first match for West Indies since the tour of India in November 2018, Pollard top-scored with 49, on the same ground where he scored his career-best 63 not out against New Zealand in 2012.”Today, Pollard had enough time to bat himself in and get to a well-played fifty in my opinion,” Brathwaite said. “As we can see, the top order from India, I don’t think they got to fifty between the three, four or five of them. So I think we must give Pollard credit as opposed to thinking what we could have done differently. Sometimes you just got to hold your hand up. We weren’t good enough. I don’t think we were. They bowled better on the pitch than we did and we didn’t get enough runs.”It was brilliant to have them both back and obviously you see what they bring to the team, Pollard with the bat, Sunil with the ball. That experience is invaluable. He’s [Pollard] been doing it in IPL at all numbers from four straight back down to eight, sometimes nine, and it just goes to show he was able to exude batsmanship. He rebuilt it in the Powerplay. Then once the spinners came on, he stroked the ball up and down and got some boundaries in between as well. So it was a fantastic knock by him.”If the team had supported him a bit more, we’d have gotten to a bigger total and probably he’d have been able to put in a better personal performance. But congrats to him, very very well played and then to Sunil, to come with the ball and do what he did. Obviously we must commend the pacers for setting up the Powerplay the way they did and then building the platform for Sunil to do what he did with the ball.”Brathwaite pointed to shot selection and assessment as factors behind West Indies’ defeat, but insisted the side would not give up on attacking, positive cricket.”We are going to play with positive, aggressive intent, as our instinct as West Indians allows us to play. So the message will continue to be to keep the intent,” he said. “However, we need to assess better and be a bit smarter in shot selection. So it’s not about not trying to get boundaries, but knowing that if you get a boundary early in the over on a tough pitch, you can settle for 6-7-8 an over. Get deeper (into the innings) and then our power at the back end – myself, Pollard, (Rovman) Powell coming in at the back end in the last five overs or so, we can probably get up to 150 today.”

Glasgow Rangers secured all three points against Ross County at Ibrox last night, but truth be told, the evening should have been a lot more comfortable than it was made to be.

The Light Blues took a total of 43 shots, of which 23 were on target, yet only won the game 3-1. A truly remarkable statistic and it proves exactly what area of the team Philippe Clement needs to invest in during the summer.

Cyriel Dessers may have scored a brace, but he also missed three big chances during the clash, and he continues to be a conundrum.

Aside from the missed chances, the vast majority of the starting XI were excellent, notably Todd Cantwell.

Todd Cantwell’s game in numbers vs Ross County

The Englishman was once again deployed in his preferred number ten role, and he excelled during the match, despite not scoring or providing an assist.

He did create two big chances and made four key passes, however, as the attacking midfielder looked to get things going right from the first whistle and his close control was sublime, jinxing through opponents like a knife through butter.

Cantwell also completed 89% of his passes and took 89 touches during the match, showing a desire to be involved constantly, and he came so close to scoring during the second half and a goal would have rounded up his performance nicely.

Rangers TV awarded the former Norwich City ace their Man of the Match award and given how dominant he was at times, there could be no arguments.

James Tavernier was the only player who was better from a statistical point of view, as the captain received an incredible perfect 10 rating from Sofascore for his display.

James Tavernier was excellent vs Ross County

With Dessers opening the scoring in the first five minutes, it looked as though it was going to be a relatively straightforward evening.

The Staggies equalising was not part of the script, but Tavernier kept pushing his men on, and he proved to be the catalyst for the Gers claiming all three points.

Not only did he take 139 touches, but the right-back assisted all three goals, created three big chances, and managed to take six total shots – albeit he failed to get on the scoresheet.

Tavernier also made eight (yes eight) key passes during the whole match as he continued to create chance after chance for the Light Blues on what was becoming a nervy evening in Glasgow.

John Souttar scored in the dying minutes to round off a win and while the captain lost possession a staggering 32 times, it was only because he was intent on bringing the ball deep into opposition territory to generate another barrage on the County backline.

Three points is all that matters, but on an evening where the Ibrox side could have scored ten goals, it will be looked upon as a major missed opportunity for Clement and his side.

The result sees Rangers move level on points with Celtic at the top of the Premiership table and if they keep on winning, they have an excellent chance of winning league title number 56.

أدلى مدرب فريق ليفربول، آرني سلوت، بتصريحات صحفية قبل مواجهة بولونيا في أول مباراة له مع الريدز بمسابقة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2024/25.

ويلاقي ليفربول نظيره بولونيا ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من مرحلة الدوري، بدوري أبطال أوروبا، غداً الأربعاء، على ملعب “أنفيلد”.

اقرأ ايضاً.. كلوب: لست متفاجئًا مما يقدمه سلوت مع ليفربول.. ويرد على شائعات خلافة ناجيلسمان

وفي تصريحات لموقع “يويفا” قال آرني سلوت عن ملعب أنفيلد: “هناك أندية تحتاج فيها إلى القيام بالكثير من الأشياء الجيدة قبل أن تبدأ في دعمك، ولكن هنا، الملعب يشتعل منذ الثانية الأولى، كما كان الحال في فينورد أيضًا”.

وأضاف: “أعلم مدى أهمية المباريات التي نخوضها على ملعبنا أمام فينورد، ولكن المباريات التي نخوضها على ملعبنا في أوروبا كانت أكثر أهمية، ولأن الناس أخبروني أن الأمر نفسه يحدث هنا في ليفربول، فأنا أتوقع الكثير عندما نلعب أول مباراة ضد بولونيا، أنا أتطلع بالتأكيد إلى أول تجربة لي في الليالي الأوروبية”.

وواصل حديثه عن إرث يورجن كلوب مع الفريق: “ثقافة هذا الفريق، وثقافة هذا النادي، والعمل الجاد، واللاعبون الذين يظهرون كل يوم في جلسات التدريب، محاولين إخراج أفضل ما لديهم، في بعض الأحيان، إذا أتيت إلى نادٍ جديد، فأنت بحاجة إلى إدخال هذه الثقافة، لكن هذا لم يكن ضروريًا على الإطلاق هنا”.

وتابع: “لقد ورثت الكثير من الجودة، ولكن ربما الأهم من ذلك، أنني ورثت فريقًا، وناديًا كان بالفعل يركز بشكل كامل على العمل الجاد ومحاولة الحصول على أفضل ما في الفريق والأفراد كل يوم”.

وأكد: “لا أستطيع أن أقول إنني فوجئت بذلك، ولكن كان من اللطيف أن أرى أن الأمر كان تمامًا كما أخبرني يورجن، لأنه أخبرني أن هذه هي الثقافة وقد شهدت هذا منذ البداية”.

وأشار: “أرى أن المدير الناجح هو المدير الذي يتمتع بأسلوب لعب يمكنك رؤيته يومًا بعد يوم، ويمكنه الجمع بين ذلك والنجاح، بالنسبة لفريق ما، النجاح هو الفوز بالدوري، وبالنسبة لفريق آخر، النجاح هو البقاء في الدوري، ولكن تطوير الأفراد جنبًا إلى جنب مع الفريق سيحقق النجاح دائمًا”.

وأكمل: “إذا كنت تعمل في نادٍ مثل ليفربول، أعتقد أن الفوز بالبطولات، لا أعتقد أن هذا أمر متوقع، لكن في السنوات التسع الأخيرة التي عمل فيها يورجن هنا، فاز بالعديد من البطولات بأسلوب لعب معين”.

وأنهى حديثه قائلاً: “لذا، إذا كنت تعمل في أندية مثل هذا، فيجب أن تسعى دائمًا للفوز بشيء ما، ولن يكون ذلك سهلاً لأنك تتنافس مع الكثير والكثير من الفرق الجيدة، لكن هذا أمر جيد لأنه إذا كان الأمر سهلاً، فلن تقدر الجائزة التي تفوز بها بما يكفي”.