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He had an answer for everything Mumbai Indians threw at him and made it tough for Hardik Pandya to ask him difficult questions

Sidharth Monga02-Jun-20251:53

Moody: Shreyas Iyer identified key moments to go into the fifth gear

Shreyas Iyer was proper in the zone. The kind of space where you forget where you are. It takes time to come down from that trance.When he was walking back after leading a third side into an IPL final, as he protected a seemingly injured right hand and shook hands with his left, he saw Shashank Singh and gave him a dirty look. It doesn’t need a professional lipreader to ascertain what he said. Translated to English: “don’t come close to me”. Followed by the most common Hindi expletive.This was a man aroused by the competition. He scored 87 not out off 41 for any team – Punjab Kings (PBKS) on this occasion – to successfully chase down 200-plus against Mumbai Indians (MI) for the first time in the 18 years of the IPL. MI, whom everyone fears for their success rate in big matches. MI, who held an 18-7 record in playoffs and knockouts coming into this match. MI, who were riding high after beating the best IPL team of the last four years, Gujarat Titans (GT).Related

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But Iyer hadn’t forgotten how Shashank had left the job unfinished. That he had strolled the first half of the run that he couldn’t complete. The calm Iyer, the focusser on his own breathing, the dropper of big words one interview at a time (“stupendous” on this night, in case you were wondering), the dancer they all want to make reels with; under the surface a ferocious competitor. He was, in his words, “locked in”.

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Trent Boult can get a highlights reel of surreal catches he has taken. You can’t say that of many fast bowlers. Yet, the more you play, the more you put yourself out there, there are bound to be errors that stick to you. In the 2019 World Cup final, he ended up touching the rope when catching Ben Stokes. Here he dropped Nehal Wadhera, the left-hand batter whose presence in the middle kept Mitchell Santner from bowling his third and fourth overs.Even in the last match, GT kept holding back M Shahrukh Khan and kept promoting left-hand batters. The result: Santner bowled just one over for ten runs and a wicket. He has gone at 9.12 an over and 73 runs per wicket against left-hand batters this IPL as against 7.61 and 26.66 against right-hand batters. So there was some sound reasoning behind not bowling Santner. As their coach Mahela Jayawardene said, it was something that had worked for them in the past especially given they have had bowling options.On the night, Hardik Pandya did actually take the bolder route and bowled Santner at Wadhera. Santner would have got him out had Naman Dhir not misjudged the catch at deep midwicket and then lobbed it for a four. Then Boult reprieved Wadhera off Hardik’s bowling. We will never know if he would have found the courage to trust Santner again because just as he was possibly preparing the stage for the next bold move, Iyer happened.2:30

Why didn’t Hardik and Santner complete their quota of overs?

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Ashwani Kumar went for just four in the 11th over. Jasprit Bumrah conceded seven in the 12th after having gone for 20 in his first. With eight overs to go, we were now at two runs a ball with two Bumrah overs up MI’s sleeve. Hardik possibly felt he needed to push it just a little more before he could go shopping. He brought on Reece Topley, playing his first match of the season because of the injury to Deepak Chahar and then to his replacement Richard Gleeson.Topley had bowled two decent overs in the powerplay, but Iyer, 19 off 15 now, knew he was going to take him down. And this is where the transformation of Iyer the T20 batter became apparent. Earlier in the day, Himanish Ganjoo tweeted how batters were slogging length balls way more frequently than till 2023. In the years 2022 and 2023, Iyer played zero slogs to length balls from fast bowlers. In 2024 and 2025, he has done so to 11.39% of good-length balls.Topley’s first ball to Iyer was just there: 8.86m. Marginally short of good length. All the more reason to not slog it. Iyer, though, slogged it. It was not a powerful slog. He saw to it – borrowing from Iyer’s words – that he didn’t over-hit it. And then, the MI bowlers lost their execution . Six of Iyer’s eight sixes off the MI fast bowlers came off slot balls, pitched between 4m and 6m. Iyer was absolutely brutal on those. They offered him seven, and he missed only one.Shreyas Iyer took 13 runs off seven yorkers•Associated Press

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Those with a lot of experience of playing and coaching the sport at the highest level say there is no secret to planning. The sport is more about the execution on the day. Jayawardene was clear they didn’t execute well. All these slot balls were either length balls pitched too full or yorkers gone too short. Iyer was on top of his execution game, the bowlers weren’t. Iyer was locked in, the bowlers weren’t. The other day Sherfane Rutherford toe-ended one of these slot balls. Iyer didn’t.However, it wasn’t all cashing in on loose balls. Even when the bowlers executed well, Iyer outdid them. If they bowled seven slot balls at him, they also bowled seven yorkers. With the ball tailing a little. Iyer steered them behind square for three fours, one to the right of short third, two to the left. He took 13 runs off seven yorkers.With the efficiency of power-hitting these days, you can’t really have third back in the death overs. Iyer took the best the two big MI bowlers – Bumrah and Boult – could throw at him and turned them into fours. The one off Bumrah’s yorker was audacious. This ball swung in 0.57 degrees, just enough to make you shift from the original line you line up, and it would have landed 18cm in front of the middle stump had Iyer not dabbed it fine of short third.2:31

‘Such a big over’ – Aaron on Inglis taking 20 off Bumrah in the fifth

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Iyer hit the slot balls mercilessly, scored boundaries off yorkers, so what’s left? Ah, the short ball. Off 13 balls pitched shorter than 6m, he scored 28 runs, including the lovely nonchalant afterthought of a ramp off a slower bouncer from Hardik.It was also a great day for Iyer in the field. For the third playoff match in a row, it turned out that the side winning the toss had chosen wrongly. In the first, the ball moved around a lot more in the second innings, but Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) didn’t have many to chase. In the second, MI had to deal with huge amounts of dew, but Bumrah bowled them out of trouble.Here, PBKS – or the weather folks in Ahmedabad – had no clue it would rain when they decided to field. Between the toss and start of the match, it began to rain and kept raining on and off for more than two hours. When it did stop, they wasted no time in getting the game on.PBKS had to now contend with a wet ball. Their legspinner match-winner Yuzvendra Chahal was making his comeback, his bowling hand still not 100%. Suryakumar Yadav corrected his unfavourable match-up against Chahal with three sixes, but Iyer kept trusting his big player. In his final over, Chahal took Suryakumar with him, a wicket that cost MI about 20 runs.All through the first innings, PBKS just kept hanging in. Their coaching staff was a little nonplussed when Iyer went to Azmatullah Omarzai – 2-0-24-0 – at the death even though Vijaykumar Vyshak – 3-0-30-1 – had an over left. The bowling coach James Hopes said Iyer just went with his gut, and Omarzai gave him two overs for 19 and the wickets of Hardik and Dhir.3:14

Shreyas Iyer’s hat-trick of sixes turned the match

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It was well past midnight when Iyer finished the win to reach the final, meaning the final is “tomorrow” and not “day after”. He is the only captain [apart from MS Dhoni – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Rising Pune Supergiant/s] to have taken more than one team to the IPL final, also the only one to lead two different teams to the final in successive years. Hang on, why does he have three teams then? Why has he been released immediately after winning the title?To be fair to Delhi Capitals (DC), he was yet another anchor when they let go of him. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) didn’t quite show the desperation to retain their winning captain.”Tomorrow” they will move one pitch to the side. Onto the exact same surface on which Iyer did things that still resonate with his team. Their first match of IPl 2025 was played on pitch No. 6 in Ahmedabad, the mixed-soil pitch in the middle of the square. The first ball he faced for a new team, he made a statement by lofting Kagiso Rabada’s hard length over mid-on.If his first act was a statement for those on the outside, Iyer’s final act with the bat was a statement for his own team. He was 97 not out but not on strike when the last over began. Shashank hit the second ball to deep midwicket, was happy with one to give Iyer the strike, but Iyer pushed Shashank for the second. Iyer never got the strike back, but 23 came off that final over. PBKS won by 11. Iyer still doesn’t have an IPL century.On that same pitch, Iyer will come up against the team that has beaten them twice in their last two encounters, the vastly improved RCB. Against an India team-mate with whom he shared a profound heartbreak at the same venue in 2023. They have both improved massively as T20 batters over the last two years. Virat Kohli has been loved unconditionally by his only franchise, who are yet to win the IPL. Iyer has won the IPL, but not the unconditional love of a franchise. Or the India T20I side. In between he even lost his national contract.Only one of the two will find solace on Tuesday night.

Joyful tour of New Zealand ends in historic defeat, but buoyant mood is the ultimate takeaway

Vithushan Ehantharajah03-Mar-2023There was no big debrief following England men’s 1-1 series draw with New Zealand. The second Test was confined to the annals of history quickly – albeit very high up.Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes spoke of their pride at how the last month had gone: the professional victory in the first Test at the Bay Oval, their commitment to cause on a thrilling final day of the second at the Basin Reserve. As counterintuitive as it may sound on the outside, the message was to take pride in contributing to a spectacle that encouraged so many to attend and even more to tune in.And just like that, they were off. McCullum for a round of golf with his former Blackcaps captain Stephen Fleming, equal parts tune-up for his appearance in the New Zealand Open in Queenstown and tune-in to the wavelength of the CSK head coach, whom hope will look after the Test captain during his forthcoming IPL stint. Stokes himself went back to Christchurch to spend some time with his family. Other players set off on their own jaunts with their partners who have been a noticeable presence on tour, in keeping with a focus on making the players as comfortable as possible. Ben Duckett, off the back of another sound showing upon his return to the fold this winter, headed to Dubai with his partner before he goes back east for the T20I series in Bangladesh. The grind never stops.A lot was made of the bonhomie of this series. These two nations have come up against each other so often in the last few years, across three Test series and two T20 World Cups since the start of 2021. Even friends and family are on a first-name basis with those on the opposition. One such anecdote sums this up: two opponents were play-fighting at a joint-gathering a few tours ago, only for one of the kids to take exception and jump in, unaware the altercation was light-hearted.At the end of the thrilling Battle of the Basin, as both teams’ end-of-tour drinks merged, the number of connections rekindled through County Cricket stints alone were such that you needed the difference in attire – New Zealand were still in their whites, England mostly in training gear – to tell the two groups apart. This match, and others, proved that such inter-squad camaraderie has not affected the competitiveness on the field.Joe Root and Kane Williamson are all smiles at the presentations in Wellington•Getty ImagesTo see James Anderson’s wry smile at the end of his 179th Test with a wry smile, despite having been the last to fall in England’s one-run defeat, said it all. When both he and Stuart Broad were axed for the Caribbean tour last March, one of the reasons given was the need for the dressing-room to grow in their absence. Their status within it was deemed a problem: the two big personalities were supposedly an intimidating presence, particularly when things went wrong with the bat. However England were going to redefine themselves after the Ashes, the presumption at the time was that they would have to do it without two bowlers who had been central to the team’s positivity for most of their careers. Getting rid of them was seen as a solution.Now, both are deemed integral to both England’s present success, and their ongoing transition. Anderson and Broad took 10 wickets apiece in the series (Anderson at 16.80, Broad at 26.10). They threw themselves about in the field (uncomfortably at times), and mucked in with the wider group with renewed enthusiasm. Broad finally got to give the Nighthawk a run-out, while Anderson swapped his reverse-sweep for a charge-and-smack off Neil Wagner to bring England ever closer to the winning post in Wellington. Even if the man himself had been ambivalent about finally hitting the winning runs in a Test match, everyone in the team wanted to see it happen. Alas, the wait goes on.Back in 2014, Anderson was reduced to tears after falling in the final over on the final day at Headingley against Sri Lanka. This time his competitive fires were evident as he questioned the non-awarding of a leg-side wide, moments before he nicked Wagner low to Tom Blundell, but the fact that he could be so phlegmatic after the event was, in its own way, a reflection of a tour quietly being deemed a success.McCullum and Stokes have long preached that England must focus on playing engaging cricket for the masses and let the result take care of itself. And as much as that remains hard to square with the intensity of international sport, the reason for this approach became abundantly clear throughout February. It’s been a while since a group of Englishmen have enjoyed playing Test cricket so much, and even longer since the results have been this good. The two could not be more linked.It is why McCullum asked the group to convene in New Zealand two weeks before the first Test at Mount Maunganui, despite settling for just a two-day warm-up match in Hamilton. His plan, which he workshopped in Abu Dhabi ahead of December’s Pakistan series, was to replicate the sort of off-field VIP treatment he had seen work wonders in the IPL.Related

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Players not involved in the South Africa ODIs flew out as early as February 27 and were treated to a day of golf in Auckland before heading to the South Island for a week in Queenstown and Arrowtown. Even as cricket entered the agenda in Hamilton, McCullum, who lives an hour or so away near the town of Matamata, went into overdrive on tour-guide duties, with recommendations of things to do and places to visit for players and media. Understandably, only the former got an invite to the barbecue hosted at his place that Sunday afternoon, which was originally supposed to be day three of the warm-up match against an NZC XI at Seddon Park.”It’s been busy,” McCullum said at the time. “A lot of demands on me. It’s not one of my fortes, either, organising things.” But it was an important discomfort to endure for the greater good.Broad, on his fifth tour of New Zealand, spoke of this being the most he had seen of the country beyond “cricket grounds and airports”. “It has been the most enjoyable ten days I have had pre-tour in my whole career, which is Baz’s mantra.”Broad’s words, along Anderson’s smile, highlight a rejuvenation. It’s one thing for newcomers to be enamoured by the trappings of playing cricket at Test level. But for the two men who have been here on more occasions than all but a handful of long-retired legends, it’s a handy reminder of what a privilege this career truly is.That manifested itself in different ways. For all the extra-curricular activities on offer, England’s training sessions were often so intense that the local net bowlers spent most of their time watching from the sidelines rather than offering support, with batters keen to be tested by coaches slinging down from 18 yards instead of club players from 22.When Stokes decided upon picking Anderson, Broad and Ollie Robinson in consecutive matches – with confirmation of their fitness coming via text message on the morning before the Wellington Test – it was a statement in two parts. All three bowlers, no matter how established, wanted to show they could be trusted to go back-to-back ahead of a summer where they’ll be asked to do that with six Tests in 60 days. And that if Matthew Potts and Olly Stone were to be selected, it would be because they were in the best XI rather than as understudies. It was a far cry from previous eras where players were earmarked for specific matches rather than looking at the wares and picking the best team for right now.The competitive spirit of the Test series was plain to see even if it was all smiles off the field•AFP/Getty ImagesTherein lies perhaps the true benefit of this shift among the group as a whole. There are no clear cliques, and an appreciation of the importance of looking out for one another, whether it’s celebrating Harry Brook setting records or getting around Zak Crawley who is enduring more tough periods. And yet those in the XI are desperate to stay where they are.It was after the series that McCullum allowed himself to speak openly about the Ashes on the horizon. For the players, who had always had it in their mind’s eye, it was almost a sense of relief.England’s next Test outing is against Ireland, but Australia are the real acid test. McCullum and Stokes have created a brilliant thing, re-engaging the English public with a format that – until the start of last summer – had been going through the motions and moving further from the national consciousness.Now, though, we will find out how robust the principles of enjoyment and carefree play are, in a series when the individual’s internal emotions will be harder to shield. All this is easier when you’re winning a lot, and occasionally losing in style.So much of the messaging had been to enjoy the pressure, enjoy the struggle, enjoy the days in the dirt, enjoy the grind. The hope from Stokes and McCullum is they have given their charges the confidence to go into the next few months enjoying the anticipation and anxiety of being England’s best hope of winning the urn in eight years.

After a season hobbled by injury, the Sunrisers Hyderabad allrounder says he’s fighting fit and ready for anything the IPL might throw at him

Interview by Deivarayan Muthu11-Apr-20218:04

Vijay Shankar: “When I enjoy my game and take things as they come, I’m in a far better mental space”

After Vijay Shankar came home from the India A tour of New Zealand in late 2018, the side’s backroom staff, led by then coach Rahul Dravid, quipped that it was probably the first time the allrounder was coming back from a tour injury-free. That stint with the A team got Shankar into the senior side soon after, but injuries have stalled his progress since. He hasn’t played for India after he hurt his toe in the nets during the 2019 World Cup. He has played just one competitive match between the 2020 IPL and the upcoming IPL season – a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy fixture for Tamil Nadu against Jharkhand at Eden Gardens, where he bowled only 13 balls before suffering another injury. Shankar has since married, completed his rehab, and is now looking forward to returning to action.You have entered your thirties. Has that made you wiser and more responsible?
I’ve always been responsible with whatever I’ve done in my life so far (). I’m also married now, so there’s a lot more responsibility. It’s going to be interesting…Related

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You’ve played 98 T20s so far and will likely tick over 100 this IPL. How do you look back on a career that has had its share of highs and lows: from the Nidahas Trophy final to winning the IPL with Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016?
Actually, this number [100] was in my mind when I joined the Tamil Nadu team for the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy in January. I was thinking of playing my 100th T20 game, but then I totally forgot about it.I think most of my lows came around my injuries, which set me back in whatever I was working on, but I learnt how to come out of it and handle these situations. So, playing my 100th T20 game will definitely be a good thing for me. I think I’ve also played 90 [88] List A matches, so I thought I would get close to 100 in that as well.”I’m someone who likes spending more time at the nets, but unfortunately, due to the injuries, I’ve had to give more time to rehab”•Associated PressYou’ve had to deal with multiple freak injuries over the years. What has been the biggest learning since your T20 debut?
It has been an amazing journey. When it goes your way, things might happen quickly [for you], but sometimes you may have to grind all the way. I had to wait for my opportunity to get into the Indian side. And then injuries and all… These were all great challenges for me and I just thought I should focus on things I can control: my practice and training. Every time I come out of an injury, I’ve always focused on my own thing rather than what’s happening outside. That’s one thing that made me push myself. I don’t really compare myself with others and I don’t think about what others are doing. For me it was important to get better as a cricketer.With all the data available, it has given us a lot of cues on how we can approach a game. I haven’t had any set batting position as such. For example, even last year [at SRH], I batted at No. 5, No. 7, No. 4 when early wickets fell. In the previous season, I’ve batted at No. 3. So, with these cues, all you can prepare for is what best you can do when you walk into that particular situation. I try to [imagine] two, three different situations, prepare for it, so that when I go in, it is easier for me. I’ve learnt this over a period of time.Power-hitting has become a vital part of T20 middle-order batting. How have you improved on that front?
For me, it’s all about adapting. I don’t see myself as a middle-order batsman or a top-order batsman. Since I’ve played at various positions, it’s very important for me to be flexible. What I’ve been doing is trusting my own strength more than these things, because [be it] power-hitting or conventional batting, the end result is important. It’s about showing results and doing well.I had a very good practice session with my personal coach [S Balaji, former Railways player] before joining the SRH camp. So I’ve just started to enjoy my own batting and not think about changing my game and things like that. I think I have a lot more to offer and it’s about enhancing that. Your last IPL season was also cut short by injury. Your most recent injury came at the start of the Indian domestic season. How frustrating was that?
The injury happened on January 10. It was the Jharkhand game. The Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament was very important for me to make a mark in some way, but then the very first game, I got injured. I was pushing myself to play but I realised later there was no point [doing that] when I was not 100%. After the [2020] IPL, I did all my tests and I was fully fit, but I came back and got injured. These things are very frustrating mentally, especially when you want to make a mark and push for India selection and all that.In the last IPL, Shankar copped a nasty blow to the helmet in a game against the Punjab Kings. He then tweaked his hamstring and had to sit out the rest of the tournament•BCCISoon after that you got married. Did the celebrations at home take your mind off not being able to play?
Yes. No one at home asks me about these things. They always support me and don’t ask why this or that is happening. I do update them about my status, but they know I’m doing my best and some things are beyond my control. I went to Maldives for a few days and to Ooty, and then mentally I was much more free. Most importantly, I took the decision of backing out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. I thought I should be smart. I’ve played a lot when I’m at just 80-90% fitness before.The last few months have been different compared to the life I was leading before. I’m not expecting much now. I just want to enjoy my game.How have you been preparing for this IPL?
I’ve put a lot of work into my bowling and batting with Balaji sir. I’m someone who likes spending more time at the nets, but unfortunately, due to the injuries, I had to focus on rehab, which I did with my physio Thulasi Ram and trainer Rajinikanth. Now, I’ve been giving more time to my skills.In the last few months, pretty much all the training facilities and gyms have reopened in Chennai. There was a facility called Throttle, where I had enough space to practice and had net bowlers to bowl to me. I really have to thank all those who helped me out because it was really, really hot. My coach also came and stood there in the [mid-day] sun, so it’s important for me to do well. That’s the only way I can give back.I have also worked on my bowling run-up during this period with Palani Amarnath, who played for CSK in early 2008-09. Alternate days I was working on my bowling at Guru Nanak College. I tried to set a few things right with my stride length. If I get it right in the match, it will be at least 1% different than what I was bowling last year.You bowled your full quota of four overs for the first time in the IPL, against the Kolkata Knight Riders, in 2020. Do you see yourself doing the job as a bowler more often for SRH?
Definitely. I’m confident in the role. Last year, if you see, overall I had an economy of around 6.6 [6.22] and bowled reasonably well in the opportunities I got. Last year also I mentioned that I’ve worked on my bowling. It was about putting in more time, and I have now.Shankar bowled his full complement of overs against KKR in 2020, at an economy of 5.00 per over•BCCII’m not thinking about doing extraordinary stuff or making a comeback. It’s about enjoying myself. I started playing this game because I love it. If I enjoy the game and take things as they come, I think I will be in much better mental space.Almost every seamer at SRH can bowl the knuckleball. Have you picked up that variation?
Yes, I’m learning from them and they come up with different variations. It’s important for me to learn how they execute it, and in a way it’s good to talk with them. Even my coach says he learns now by watching the game. As a cricketer, learning is never-ending.Can you recount your tussle with Jofra Archer in Dubai, where you hit him for three successive fours?
That innings is very special [to me] because I was supposed to bat down the order. Because we lost early wickets, they asked me to pad up. I just went in. I was completely blank and had no clue when I went in – as in, I knew I had to fight that situation out and get the team to a good position. I wasn’t thinking about Archer bowling really quick and all that. I was being myself and trying to go with my instinct. I was pretty happy that it was coming out pretty well. As a cricketer, you always want to do well against the best. So that innings gave me confidence in some way.After finishing off that game, you spoke of it being a do-or-die situation for you. You had a back spasm earlier in the season and dropped down the order.
It definitely was added pressure for me. I knew that either that game or the next would have been the last for me had I not got runs. If you see the previous games I played, I hadn’t batted much – in the first match I got out first ball, and then I was out [of action] for a while. I came back and played against KKR and CSK.To walk into a situation where we were really under pressure [against the Royals] and to come out of that and do well and the team winning from that situation gives a player great satisfaction. I knew it would be the most important innings for me. If not for that, I wouldn’t have played the next game for sure.Jofra Archer was dispatched for three successive fours by Shankar in the course of his run-a-ball 52 against the Rajasthan Royals last year•BCCIGoing into the IPL, has the thought of making an India comeback crossed your mind?
That keeps coming up every now and then (). Sometimes when I’m idle in my room, I watch my own videos [of old innings]. As a player you will want to push yourself for a comeback, but I want to do it the other way. I don’t want to put myself under pressure to perform or get back into the Indian team. I just want to enjoy the game and I feel I’ve done really well when I’ve enjoyed every small thing I do. The end result will take care of itself. So, whatever happens, I’m ready to take it.You enjoy playing against the Chennai Super Kings, particularly in Chennai. Are you looking forward to playing in Chennai as a Sunriser?
I’m from Chennai and I’ve played a lot of matches here, but this is going to be really different because if you see in the last one and a half years, I haven’t played much at Chepauk. It’s going to be really new for me as well. This ground is always special because as a youngster, when I started playing my cricket – Under-13 or whatever – it was my dream to play at Chepauk. I’ll definitely look forward to it. I can see the ground from my room as well. It’s always, always special. You have Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, J Suchith, Shahbaz Nadeem in a spin attack that seems well suited for the Chepauk conditions. You could also ditch your medium pace for offspin there.
() For now, we really don’t know how the pitch is going to behave. However the wicket is, they [Afghanistan spinners] are some of the best in the world right now. When they come good, it’s going to be challenging for whoever comes up against us. As a team, we’ve been doing consistently well for the last few seasons. So, it’s important for us to keep doing that and look to get better from that.

Celtic have endured a fairly disappointing start to the 2025/26 campaign across all competitions so far, in the Scottish Premiership and in Europe.

The Hoops sit second in the league table, behind Hearts, with five wins and two draws, whilst they are still looking for their first win on the European stage.

Brendan Rodgers has overseen one point from two Europa League matches after his team were beaten by Kairat in their Champions League play-off clash.

There have been several players in the squad who have not performed to the best of their ability this season, including central midfielder Reo Hatate.

Why Reo Hatate's form is a concern

The Japan international has gone eight matches without a goal or an assist to show for his contributions on the pitch, which is concerning for a player who typically provides creativity and quality on the ball in midfield.

Hatate delivered ten goals and created 14 ‘big chances’ for his teammates in 37 appearances in the Premiership last season, per Sofascore, but he has failed to provide the same kind of quality at the top end of the pitch in the current campaign.

As you can see in the table above, the Japanese star’s output as both a scorer and as a creator of goals has decreased for the Hoops in the Premiership.

This is concerning because it shows that Hatate is not as influential or effective as he once was for the Scottish giants, but it has also provided other players with a chance to step up and shine.

Chalkboard

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

One star who has stepped up and is now looking like a Reo Hatate-type player is summer signing Benjamin Nygren in the middle of the park for Celtic.

Why Benjamin Nygren looks like Celtic's new Reo Hatate

The left-footed star was signed from Nordsjaelland for £1.3m in the summer and may have been expected by some to play on the right wing, as that was where he played the majority of his football last season and Nicolas Kuhn left to sign for Como.

Despite that, Rodgers has played Nygren as part of his midfield three more often than not, essentially taking Arne Engels’ spot in the starting line-up from the 2024/25 campaign.

The Sweden international, who was described as “fearless” by Alexander Isak, has started five of the club’s seven matches in the Premiership, which shows that the manager already trusts him to start consistently.

Nygren has also shown that he can be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch from a midfield position with four goals in five league starts, whilst no other Celtic player has scored more than two league goals for the club.

As well as being an impressive goalscorer, the summer signing ranks second in the squad for ‘big chances’ created (two) and first for key passes per game (2.6) in the Premiership.

These statistics show that Nygren has hit the ground running at Parkhead as both a scorer and a creator of goals from a central midfield position, taking on the role that Hatate played last season with his ten goals and 14 ‘big chances’ created.

The Japan international has not been at his best in the current campaign, as evidenced by his aforementioned form, but the Swedish star has stepped up to carry the team on his back at times.

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There is still plenty of football left to be played this season, but the left-footed star’s form for Celtic suggests that he can be the new midfield star in the final third moving forward.

أعلن أحمد عبد الرؤوف، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك، قائمة بدلاء الفارس الأبيض لمباراة اليوم أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في المواجهة التي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الرابطة.

ويلعب الزمالك ضد كهرباء الإسماعيلية، اليوم ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات من بطولة كأس الرابطة المصرية، على أرضية ملعب استاد المقاولون العرب.

وتقام منافسات بطولة كأس رابطة الأندية في نسختها الخامسة، بعد أن أقيمت 4 نسخ من قبل، توج بها فيوتشر في المرة الأولى وسيراميكا كليوباترا حصل عليها 3 مرات متتالية.

طالع | تشكيل الزمالك أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في كأس الرابطة المصرية

ويشهد تشكيل الزمالك، أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية، الدفع بمجموعة من الشباب والناشئين لتعويض غياب اللاعبين الدوليين المنضمين إلى منتخب مصر الأول الذي يستعد لأمم إفريقيا، ومنتخب مصر الثاني المشارك في بطولة كأس العرب. بدلاء الزمالك أمام كهرباء الإسماعيلية في كأس الرابطة

حمود الشناوي وزياد مدحت ويوسف وائل الفرنسي وأحمد صفوت ومحمد حمد وأنس وائل وحازم أسامة وأحمد حمدي وناصر منسي.

Manchester City are firmly in the Premier League title race and could bring a high-profile star to the Etihad Stadium in January after Pep Guardiola hatched a plan to land his signature.

Manchester City move on after seeing off Leeds United

Truthfully, Manchester City didn’t put on their best display against Leeds United. However, they will be delighted by the end result as Phil Foden’s classy winner prevented back-to-back defeats after losing out at Newcastle United.

Title races are never straightforward and always require steel in the face of uncertainty, albeit Guardiola reserved special praise for the scorer of the Citizens’ crowning strike as they kept on track in pursuit of the top-flight crown.

“It’s not the first time we saw that. A thousand, thousand, million times he’s done it. The quality, shooting, strong. Like his goal against West Ham to win the Premier League. Phil has to be around the box. Shoot or pass. His finishing is so quick. Phil is doing a really good season.”

Back-to-back blanks in front of goal for Erling Haaland may be a sign that more needs to be done in the way of recruiting someone to plug the gaps at the top end of the field. Still, Omar Marmoush is likely to be given more opportunities as the season continues to unfold.

Keeping pace at the top will require investment in January, especially given the Citizens’ rivals are likely to strengthen after a bruising festive period, which is set to stretch everyone’s squad to the limit.

Finding solutions when certain sources of goals dry up will be the challenge for all title contenders, not just Manchester City, but they could be the ones set to benefit early on in the January window if the Sky Blues can wrap up an exciting deal.

Elliot Anderson is one of their main targets but there are other irons in the fire.

Man City keen to activate Antoine Semenyo's release clause

According to The Times, Manchester City are exploring a move for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

They are considering activating the winger’s £65m release clause on New Year’s Day, potentially beating other suitors to sign the Ghana international.

Although not set in stone, there is a feeling at the club that bringing in the Cherries attacker could be the difference in their hunt for the Premier League title, an opinion that many will share after his flying start to the campaign.

Dubbed “talented” by Jamie Redknapp, Semenyo has also created 15 chances and completed 21 dribbles on Premier League duty, per Fotmob, showcasing his appeal to suitors keen to tempt him away from the South Coast.

Now, it will be over to City officials as they aim to convince Semenyo that moving to Manchester is the best course of action for his career. On the face of it, playing a part in a title chase could be an appealing prospect.

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Monday's spring training game was an eventful one for New York Mets pitcher Griffin Canning. Not only did the new Mets starter put together a solid outing, but also he showed off his catlike reflexes during an interview with SNY.

Canning, who had been a middling starter with the Los Angeles Angels since 2019, impressed on the mound, striking out five and surrendering just one hit in 3 2/3 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals.

While doing an interview with the Mets' booth during the eighth inning, with his teammate Huascar Brazobán facing the Cardinals' Michael Helman, he was nearly hit by a line drive into the dugout. Luckily, he had his eye on the ball and was able to evade the scorcher with his headset on.

"Oh s—," Canning said during the interview, as he dodged the ball as he was asked a question about New York's use of technology to develop their pitchers. SNY's cameras caught the moment in slow motion.

Canning won the American League Gold Glove award in 2020, and with reflexes like that, it's no surprise that he's strong in the field.

Alex Crook, chief football correspondent at talkSPORT, has provided an update on rumours linking Bruno Lage with a return to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Last December, Wolves hired Vitor Pereira to replace Gary O’Neil, who had nearly steered the club into a relegation battle. Through a strong run of form and sense of unity in the second half of the season, Pereira guided Wolves away from the bottom three, ultimately finishing comfortably within the confines of mid-table.

Across the summer, Wolves lost important players, including Rayan Ait-Nouri, Nelson Semedo and Matheus Cunha. As has often been the case in recent years, the Midlands side replaced them with players who were not of the same calibre, which has hampered their 2025/26 campaign.

After 10 games in the Premier League, Wolves remain without a win and have just two points. Pereira, despite signing a new contract just weeks ago, was sacked at the start of November, sparking a hunt for Wolves to find their new manager.

O’Neil had been linked with what would’ve been a sensational return, only to pull himself out of contention. Other names include Erik ten Hag, no stranger to the Premier League following his tenure as Man United manager. In his latest job, however, the Dutchman was sacked by Bayer Leverkusen after just three matches.

Elsewhere, a boss that Wolves are particularly acquainted with has been linked with a return to the Premier League.

Lage reportedly on Wolves' radar

In recent days, Wolves have been linked with a move for former manager Bruno Lage. The Portuguese first joined Wolves in 2021, replacing Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm. Despite a promising start, form ultimately faltered under Lage, who was dismissed in late 2022.

Since then, Lage has worked in both Brazil and his native Portugal, having last been in charge of Benfica, who sacked him in September. Given his status as a free agent, Lage’s links to a Wolves reunion are understandable, though it appears that there is little truth to the rumours.

It remains unclear who will be the next manager of Wolves, though a reunion with either O’Neil or Lage now appears impossible. Given how their respective tenures ended, it may suit the club to pursue a manager that has no prior links at Molineux.

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MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo  corre o risco de ter mais um desfalque. O lateral-esquerdo Marçal foi denunciado pelo Supremo Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva (STJD) por sua expulsão na derrota por 1 a 0 para o Corinthians, e pelos desdobramentos da partida válida pela 24ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

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Ao deixar o campo, camisa 21 se dirigiu a uma das câmeras e gritou: “Isso aqui que é roubo, Abel”, referindo-se ao treinador do Palmeiras, Abel Ferreira. Há possibilidade do jogador pegar até 12 jogos de suspensão.

+ A sua carreira no futebol pode começar hoje. Garanta a sua vaga no curso Gestor de Futebol e capacite-se!

O capitão foi denunciado no artigo 254 do Código Brasileiro de Justiça Desportiva (jogada violenta). A punição prevista é de um a seis jogos, por conta do cartão vermelho recebido após revisão no VAR, ainda no primeiro tempo do jogo.

Marçal ainda foi alvo de denúncia no artigo 243-F (ofensa à honra), que estabelece como pena multa de R$ 100 a R$ 100 mil e suspensão de um a seis jogos pela frase direcionada para as câmeras que transmitiam a partida.

O árbitro da partida, Paulo Cesar Zanovelli da Silva, relatou na súmula as declarações de Marçal com base em “leitura labial”, citando a transcrição do que o jogador falou com base em uma reportagem do “ge”. A Associação de Árbitros de Futebol do Brasil (Abrafut) informou que iria ao STJD contra o atleta. De acordo com o site Fogãonet, o julgamento acontecerá na segunda-feira (16), a partir das 13h.

Newcastle United might have faced inferior opponents, but their comfortable passage through to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup underlined the strength of Eddie Howe’s side.

It felt at times during the summer transfer window that the Magpies would teeter and fall, so intense was the noise around Alexander Isak’s future at St. James’ Park, so glum was the mood.

But in Nick Woltemade and Yoane Wissa, Newcastle have welcomed talented and contrasting strikers equipped to deal with the pressures of leading the line on Tyneside and into the Champions League, United having lost their opener against Barcelona and now in need of results.

However, they also have William Osula, who has gone from strength to strength under Howe’s wing and bagged himself a brace against Bradford City on Wednesday evening.

William Osula's Carabao Cup display

Osula came within a whisker of leaving Newcastle this summer, with Eintracht Frankfurt over in Germany actually tabling a formal £30m offer for the Danish forward.

Sources such as Sky Sports’ Keith Downie have confirmed that the bid had been slapped on the table and then withdrawn on deadline day. Some within the Toon hierarchy may be kicking themselves for not having accepted the offer sooner, but Howe may well be content with the 22-year-old Dane having stayed put, with three goals scored already in 2025/26.

It wasn’t a perfect display against Bradford in the Carabao Cup, but Osula certainly demonstrated a degree of improvement after languishing on the periphery last year, also netting off the bench in the Premier League during the 3-2 defeat by Liverpool in August.

Praised for his complete performance and for “slowly but surely” making the necessary improvements to his game, Osula is a valuable asset as United look to challenge across multiple fronts this term.

However, he wasn’t the only one to catch the eye on Wednesday, with Malick Thiaw putting in another statement showing after his summer transfer. The centre-back has some thick internal competition, but there might come a point when Howe marks him as one of the first names on the team sheet.

Malick Thiaw's start to life at Newcastle

Newcastle welcome Arsenal to St. James’ Park in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, and that’s going to be a tough test indeed for Howe’s side.

It was a bold call to field so many of his finest players, though that is a declaration of the manager’s respect for the Carabao Cup and his desire to successfully defend the crown that was so emphatically claimed last season.

Thiaw helped carry Newcastle through, and he may well have underscored his claim for another starting berth at the weekend, with fans taking to online circles after the win and voicing their excitement at a future Thiaw and Sven Botman partnership.

As per FBref, the German defender, who joined from AC Milan for £35m in August, ranks among the top 7% of defenders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion and the top 16% for progressive passes per 90.

He is not only crisp in possession, but eager to make things happen and progress the play upfield.

And, against Bradford, the 24-year-old proved himself worthy of a place in Howe’s starting line-up for the biggest occasions, energetic and secure in the defensive phases and crisp and creative on the ball.

Minutes played

90′

Touches

82

Accurate passes

67/70 (96%)

Chances created

0

Long balls

5/6

Tackles

1

Interceptions

3

Clearances

4

Ground duels

1/2

Aerial duels

2/2

There’s a certain no-nonsense style to the right-footed defender, who also carries a technical command that stretches above the capacity of most other positional peers competing in the Premier League and across Europe.

Thiaw, while still integrating into Howe’s squad and indeed the Premier League,

He’s been hailed as a “monster in the air” by journalist Martino Puccio for his efforts in Italy with AC Milan, but also “one of the most talented centre-backs in Germany” by talent scout Jacek Kulig.

While Fabian Schar and Dan Burn have been pillars of strength for Newcastle over the past several Howe-led years, it’s clear that in Botman and Thiaw, the tactician has a more dynamic and stable central partnership, and that’s something which could bear dividends in the long run as Newcastle look to build on their recent successes and reach even loftier heights in the coming years.

It would be premature to label Thiaw as undroppable already, but he’s certainly on his way to nailing down a starting spot on the big occasion, and it’s unlikely that many of a Toon persuasion would be dismayed if he were to be named in the rearguard when Arsenal come calling at the weekend.

Reared in Germany and then developed in Serie A, Thiaw has only started once in the top flight thus far, playing most of the recent goalless draw against Bournemouth and receiving a 7/10 match rating from the Chronicle Live after winning four duels, making six clearances and four interceptions, data sourced via Sofascore.

It might have been an even more generous rating, but for a yellow card which prompted Howe to make a change in the dying embers.

In any case, Thiaw is the real deal, and fans can start to get excited about his potential in the Premier League.

Osula did himself no harm in his quest for success at Newcastle, scoring twice against Bradford, but Thiaw’s display was more telling: this is a player tailor-made for a star role in Howe’s team.

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