Juventus manager Luciano Spalletti has delivered a scathing assessment of his side’s performance following their 2-0 victory against Pafos in the Champions League, labelling parts of their first-half display as "embarrassing". The Italian tactician lamented that his players missed "easy balls" and struggled defensively, necessitating a tactical reshuffle involving Weston McKennie to shore up a fragile backline.

• Juventus seal vital Champions League victory

  While three points in the Champions League usually calls for celebration, the mood in the Juventus camp was decidedly sombre following their latest European outing against the Cypriot side. Despite securing a victory that keeps their slim hopes of a top-eight finish alive in the league phase, the Bianconeri were far from convincing, leaving their manager fuming at the technical poverty and defensive fragility on display.
  Spalletti refused to sugarcoat the evening's events during his post-match media duties, making it clear that while the result was necessary, the method of achieving it fell well below the standards required at the elite level of European football.

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  Juventus did 'the bare minimum', says Spalletti

  The primary source of Spalletti’s ire was a disjointed first-half performance where Juventus seemed unable to string passes together or control the tempo of the game. For a coach who prides himself on fluid, possession-based football, seeing his side struggle with the basics was a bitter pill to swallow.

  Speaking to after the whistle, Spalletti offered a brutally honest verdict on the initial 45 minutes, saying: "It was fundamental to win and with victories, things are put right. I am not happy and neither are the lads, we could and should have done more. We did the bare minimum, in the first half there were also embarrassing situations. Then after the goal, we had more tranquillity."

• Defensive headaches

  Beyond the general malaise, Spalletti pinpointed specific tactical deficiencies that left his side exposed. The injury crisis in defence forced the manager into uncomfortable compromises, most notably the deployment of Weston McKennie in a defensive role and the shifting of Pierre Kalulu.

  The balance of the backline was a major concern, with Pafos finding it far too easy to create goalscoring opportunities on the counter-attack. Spalletti’s analysis of his full-backs was particularly telling, highlighting the trade-off between offensive output and defensive solidity.

  "Difficulty defending? It is true, we must also recover a right centre-back to let Kalulu play full-back and not McKennie," Spalletti explained.

  He reserved specific criticism for the defensive vulnerabilities on the flanks, noting that while Andrea Cambiaso offers a threat going forward, he can become a liability when facing dynamic wingers.

  "Also Cambiaso is very offensive and struggles against players who cut inside," the manager added. "We conceded too much and exploited our qualities little, missing easy balls. For the moment it is like this, we take the second half."

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  What's next?

  The victory provides breathing space, but it has not solved the underlying problems. Spalletti’s public undressing of the team’s performance serves as a warning shot: this level of play will not suffice in the knockout stages against stronger opposition.

  They are now 17th in the Champions League table, leaving them on track to advance as an unseeded team for the knockout play-off draw. However, with just three points separating them from the top eight, Spalletti will hope to get maximum points from their last two games of the round to ensure they go straight into the last-16.

  First of all, however, they will aim to crawl back up the Serie A table as Spalletti's seventh-placed team visit a Bologna side sitting fifth and with just one defeat in their last 15 matches in all competitions. AC Milan and Napoli are currently eight points clear of Spalletti's Bianconeri at the top of the table.

On April 11 of this year, Liverpool posted a video on their social media channels accompanied by the words 'The story continues' and a crown emoji. Nobody had to press play to understand what it all meant: after months and months of incessant speculation over Mohamed Salah's future, Anfield's Egyptian King had finally agreed a new contract with the club.

"I'm very excited," the winger said of his two-year extension. "We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team, but signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football. It's great, I had my best years here. I played eight years; hopefully, it's going to be 10." 

Right now, though, that looks highly unlikely. Indeed, former Liverpool midfielder Jamie Redknapp says that he'd be "amazed if Salah sees out the last year-and-a-half of his contract" – and it's surprisingly easy to understand why.

Getty'Gamble' pays off spectacularly

The idea of Salah leaving Liverpool just over six months after signing a new contract should be absurd. As if anyone needs reminding, he didn't just play a part in the Reds romping to a record-equalling 20th English title last season, he took centre stage by producing one of the greatest individual campaigns in Premier League history.

Salah racked up 29 goals and 18 assists, resulting in him becoming the first man ever to win the Golden Boot, the Playmaker Award and Player of the Season in the same year. As far as Salah was concerned, his numerous records and sensational stats were a direct consequence of new coach Arne Slot ceding to his request to let him focus solely on scoring and creating goals.

"The tactics are quite different [to the Jurgen Klopp era]," Salah told . "Now I don't defend much. I said [to Slot] 'As long as you rest me defensively, I will provide offensively', so I am glad that I did. He listened a lot and you can see the numbers. When you play in the Premier League you have to defend, but I said that I can gamble and somehow I can make a difference."

Unfortunately for Salah, Slot and Liverpool, the risk is no longer proving worth the reward.

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Salah is by no means the only reason why Liverpool are struggling this season: the defence is a disaster, the forwards are misfiring, while Dominik Szoboszlai is the only midfielder playing well. However, the dramatic drop in Salah's productivity is startling – and seriously hurting his side. 

For example, after 14 rounds of last season's Premier League, Salah had propelled Liverpool to the top of the table with 13 goals and seven assists. This time around, the Reds are currently languishing in eighth place, with Salah having contributed just four goals and two assists.

Worse still, opponents are now targeting Liverpool's right-hand side even more than they did when Trent Alexander-Arnold was stationed behind Salah – and to great effect.

"We know that Salah is always ready for the counter-attack," Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella told after setting up Estevao for a last-minute winner against the Reds on October 4. "So, we practiced that, and the manager (Enzo Maresca) said that the space might be there."

Getty Images SportNo longer a difference-maker

Slot initially defended the freedom afforded to Salah, arguing that in the very same game against Chelsea there were "five or six moments where Mo could have made the difference for us" because the Egypt international was still being allowed to remain so high up the field.

"And if that would have happened, then we would have had a conversation like last season, where he so many times made the difference for us," Slot told reporters. "But if that doesn't happen then you get comments like this [from Cucurella]. It's always about the balance between winger and full-backs. I want our full-backs to attack as well, so we have to find the right balance in that, but we are conceding too many crosses compared to last season, and this is something I'm aware of and we have to do better."

It seems that Slot has now decided that taking Salah out of the starting line-up is the best solution to this particular problem.

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Against West Ham last Sunday, Slot deployed the multi-talented Szoboszlai on the right-hand side, with Joe Gomez tucked in behind him. Unsurprisingly, Liverpool looked far more solid in defence and kept their first clean sheet for nearly a month. In addition, Florian Wirtz flourished in the attacking midfield role vacated by Szoboszlai.

Consequently, Slot elected to make just one change for Wednesday's visit of Sunderland, with Andy Robertson taking over at left-back from Milos Kerkez, who had gone down with a cramp at the London Stadium. However, Jamie Carragher, who has been very critical of Salah's media silence during Liverpool's shocking slump, was "surprised" by the decision not to recall the forward.

"I've said this season I don't think Mo Salah should play every game, but when I said that I was thinking predominantly away games – not so much at Anfield," Carragher explained on . "Arne Slot can dress the weekend up as Liverpool have four games in 10 days, and you have to look at which games you play him in.

"Sunderland will play deep and make it difficult so I expected this to be the one where Salah plays. For him to be on the bench doesn't feel like rest or rotation; it's dropped. But sooner or later Liverpool do have to pivot away from being the Salah team and towards being the Wirtz and (Alexander) Isak team, and maybe we saw a glimpse of that [at West Ham]."

However, if Sunday at least hinted at a brighter future, Wednesday provided an immediate reminder of the grim reality of Liverpool's present predicament.

The Miami Marlins completed a three-game sweep of the struggling New York Yankees on Sunday with a 7–3 win at home.

The in-stadium DJ seemed to have some fun at the Yankees' expense late in the game as Neil Diamond's legendary song "Sweet Caroline" was played before the top of ninth inning at LoanDepot Park.

The playing of that song has become a tradition at Fenway Park, the home of the Yankees' most heated rival. The Red Sox swept the Astros on Sunday and are now in second place in the AL East after passing the Yankees on Saturday.

Look at this scene in Miami:

That is too good.

MLB fans loved it.

The Yankees dropped to 60–52 with their third straight loss.

The way they have unraveled over the past three days is uncharacteristic of a side usually so calm, calculated and clinical

Alex Malcolm24-Nov-20242:50

Jaiswal: ‘I back myself to take brave decisions’

In an ODI at the WACA in January 1997, in the dying days of Mark Taylor’s ODI career when Australia failed to make the tri-series final that summer, a local larrikin hoisted a home-made sign in the outer during Australia’s loss to the West Indies.It read: “LOST – The Plot. If found please return to the Australian dressing room. Ask for Tubby.”That same Perth larrikin could have dusted off that same sign and hoisted it at Perth Stadium late on the third afternoon, with “Tubby” crossed out and “Pat” written instead.That might be harsh on the Australian team and their captain Pat Cummins. But it certainly seemed that way, at least momentarily, on an afternoon when Yashasvi Jaiswal and Virat Kohli plundered centuries as India charged to a declaration before Australia lost 3 for 12, including Cummins as a nightwatcher, in pursuit of an astronomical target of 534.Australia have been humiliated by India over three days, with further humiliation set on the fourth but it appears that they will be spared a fifth day. A team normally so calm, so calculated, so well planned and so clinical in their execution, have looked the exact opposite so far.It is so rare to see this team, led by Cummins and Andrew McDonald, look so out of control of a game. It is so rare to see an Australian side so completely outgunned at home.Related

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Australia need a better mental approach to their batting

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The Kohli hundred that snuck up on everybody

Jaiswal, Kohli hundreds overwhelm Australia before Bumrah caps India's day

India have thoroughly outplayed them so far. That can happen when India has as much talent as they do. They deserve all the plaudits. Australia are allowed to have an off game. Five-match series allow time to recover.But there were a series of signs from Australia that can only be seen as red flags about their state of preparedness for this series.They hadn’t played Test cricket for nearly eight months. They had all that time to prepare their players down to the minute. They carefully plotted each individual’s preparation, playing them in specific games, resting them from others. Like Christof’s direction in The Truman Show, it was perfectly stage managed down to the most minute of details.But as the lights went on and the cameras rolled it has all unraveled, at least for the moment. They bemoaned conditions changing on them on the second day, unable to adjust to the situation on the run despite claiming to bounce in and out of a number of plans.Nathan McSweeney fell in the first over against Jasprit Bumrah•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaJaiswal dominated the game, yet Travis Head, seen pre-series as a potential surprise match-up for the adventurous young tyro, bowled one over at him in the first 77 overs of the innings.Later in the day, the final overs of India’s innings summed up Australia’s muddled thinking. Marnus Labuschagne came onto bowl an over of bouncers at Kohli with three men in the deep on the legside. He bowled two chest-high long hops, one that Kohli thumped between two of those sweepers to the longest boundary on the ground, the other he pumped through a vacant mid-on.Labuschagne then decided to bowl legspin in his next over. Something he had not prepared for, having bowling almost exclusively medium pace in Sheffield Shield cricket in the lead-up and in the nets. Cummins had even said publicly he prefers Labuschagne bowling legspin. Sure enough, his first leg break from a short run was a no-ball. He had to remeasure his run-up. Four balls later, Nitish Kumar Reddy launched him into the stands. In Labuschagne’s next over, Kohli brought up his century with another boundary.Labuschagne was called into the attack because Australia’s allrounder Mitchell Marsh had run out of gas. The last three balls of his 12th over were each thumped to the fence by Reddy. One of them was a half-tracker at 119kph. Marsh has taken three wickets in the match including Jaiswal for 161 with what was a pretty gentle short and wide offering. His 17 overs across three days are the most overs he has bowled in a game in three years, having bowled just four since injuring his hamstring in the IPL in April. He played two Shield games before taking a month of paternity leave prior to this Test match, but did not bowl a ball in either of them.He was not the only one who didn’t bowl in Shield cricket. Cummins didn’t play Shield cricket. He rarely does. He likes to come into a big summer fresh as the best of Australia’s bowlers Josh Hazlewood noted, and it has been successful for him in the past.Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins put in long shifts with little reward•Getty Images”He looks his normal self to me,” Hazlewood said. “I can usually pick up with the other two quicks when they’re a little bit off and I didn’t see any signs of that, maybe a little bit of rust in the first innings. You sort of take the freshness, I think, over that and throughout this game, he obviously, I think, got better, and you’ll just see him get better as he goes along, I think. The freshness, I think, trumps playing that Shield game for him.”Cummins bowled 40.4 overs in the match, which as Hazlewood noted, was the most of all three of Australia’s quicks. But his accuracy and relentlessness was nowhere near what you expect from Cummins. No Australian quick was driven more often. Driving Cummins in Perth is usually a rarity. Kohli and Jaiswal did it twice in his 19th over in both sumptuous and dismissive fashion. For the record, Cummins has 10 wickets at 43.30 in his last four Test matches, which have mostly been played in helpful bowling conditions.Another rarity was Cummins walking out as the nightwatcher. He has never done it in his career. He has been Australia’s lower-order safety valve and match-winner at No.8 in recent times. Australia were aware of how valuable lower order runs would be in this series with Cummins their most important batter amongst the bowlers.Yet when Australia’s makeshift opener, Nathan McSweeney, was trapped plumb lbw by Jasprit Bumrah, it was Cummins and not the normal nightwatcher Nathan Lyon who strode to the crease with 20 minutes of batting to go.”We’ve just been talking the last few weeks about potentially having two options, and [Lyon] obviously put a fair shift bowling,” Hazlewood said. “So Pat put his hand up to do it tonight. I think we’ll see both guys used throughout the throughout the series.”

“Australia carefully plotted each individual’s preparation, playing them in specific games, resting them from others. Like Christof’s direction in The Truman Show, it was perfectly stage managed down to the most minute of details. But as the lights went on and the cameras rolled, it has all unraveled, at least for the moment”

If it was planned, it is a startling plan and further evidence of Australia’s uncharacteristic thinking.That a nightwatcher was needed at all so far out from stumps was also further evidence of the worries around Labuschagne. Australia’s No.3 has not needed a nightwatcher for three years despite having an occasion to use one for him in Wellington earlier this year.He was asked to bat anyway, as Cummins lasted just eight balls. And Labuschagne proved why Cummins had batted. He tried to leave a ball from Bumrah that thundered into his pads. For the second time in the match he reviewed. For the second time in the match it was smashing the stumps. Labuschagne trudged off as stumps were called having posted his seventh single-digit score in his last eight Test innings.The unfortunate Marnus Labuschagne makes for a great photograph as he lets the ball go and is out lbw•Getty ImagesThe next best No.3 in Australian domestic cricket had also been out twice lbw while opening in this Test match.Hazlewood was asked how Australia’s batters try and climb out of this hole tomorrow.”You probably have to ask one of the batters that question. I’m sort of relaxing and trying to get a bit of physio and a bit of treatment, and I’m probably looking mostly towards the next Test and what plans we can do against these batters.”You can forgive Hazlewood and Australia for looking ahead despite this game not officially being over yet. The series is far from over, with plenty of time for Australia to rectify the situation.But the road further ahead than the one immediately in front of them tomorrow looks even more worrying, unless they can find the plot they appear to have lost momentarily in Perth.

The Mets are calling up their No. 4 prospect, minor league pitching star Jonah Tong to start Friday's game vs. the Marlins in New York. Mets manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed the news when speaking to media on Tuesday.

"I think it's all about dominating the minor leagues," Mendoza said. "It's hard to keep him there."

Tong's future in MLB will be determined "one start at a time," Mendoza noted.

"Dominating" is definitely the right word to describe Tong's minor league performances this season. Tong leads the minor leagues with 179 strikeouts. On top of that, the 22-year-old has not allowed a run in 11 2/3 innings since being promoted to Triple A Syracuse on Aug. 11. He previously pitched in 20 games for Double A Binghamton. Across both stops this season, Tong is 10–5 with a 1.43 ERA in 22 starts.

The Mets just placed right-handed pitcher Frank Montas on the 60-day injured list, effectively ending his season, on Monday. Additionally, right-hander Reed Garrett was placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday with right elbow inflammation.

سلط الإعلام الإنجليزي الضوء على عودة محمد صلاح للمشاركة مع فريقه ليفربول أمام برايتون في الدوري الإنجليزي، بعد أزمته الأخيرة مع المدرب آرني سلوت.

ودفع سلوت بمحمد صلاح كبديل في مباراة ليفربول وبرايتون، عقب إصابة جو جوميز، وصنع المصري هدفًا.

وكان سلوت قد عقد جلسة مع محمد صلاح بعدما استبعده من مباراة ليفربول الماضية أمام إنتر ميلان في دوري أبطال أوروبا، بسبب تصريحات اللاعب التي انتقد فيها المدرب لجلوسه بديلاً في ثلاث مباريات متتالية.

“جارديان” 

يعود محمد صلاح ويصنع هدفًا لإيكيتيكي ليساعد ليفربول على الفوز أمام برايتون

وبشأن التقرير الوارد، أشارت إلى حضور عائلة محمد صلاح لملعب آنفيلد في مباراة بدا أنها قد تكون وداعه الأخير لليفربول، في ظل الأجواء المشحونة التي سبقت المباراة، ورغم عودته إلى قائمة الفريق، شارك النجم المصري بديلاً بعد 26 دقيقة بقرار من المدرب آرني سلوت، دون أن تظهر عليه مؤشرات واضحة تؤكد سيناريو الوداع، لكن المشاعر داخل الملعب كانت معبّرة.

وأضافت أنه عقب صافرة النهاية، بدت الدموع في عيني صلاح وهو يحيي جماهير ليفربول، في مشهد عكس ثقل المرحلة، لكنه في الوقت ذاته أظهر أن اللاعب والنادي والمدرب قادرون على تجاوز الأزمة الأخيرة.

وواصلت موضحة أن تركيز الأنظار كان منصبًا على رد فعل صلاح بعد الجلسة التي جرت مؤخرًا مع سلوت، وجاء الرد إيجابيًا إلى حد كبير.

وعلقت متابعة أن صلاح قدم أداءً نشطًا وغير أناني، وكاد يصنع هدفًا من لمسته الأولى، كما أسهم في تهدئة عودة برايتون خلال الشوط الثاني بصناعة هدف عبر ركلة ركنية نفذها بنفسه، ورغم إضاعته فرصة محققة، فإن ظهوره أكد أن لديه المزيد ليقدمه.

واختتمت بالحديث عن رد فعل الجماهير حيث لاقى صلاح استقبالًا حافلًا منهم عند دخوله الملعب، ورد على ذلك بروح قتالية وحضور مؤثر، قبل أن يشير إلى جماهير آنفيلد أثناء الاحتفال بالهدف، في رسالة واضحة عن قوة العلاقة التي ما زالت تربطه بالنادي، ومع اقتراب سفره للمشاركة في كأس الأمم الإفريقية، تبقى الحاجة ملحّة لإيجاد حل نهائي لملف مستقبله مع ليفربول.

“بي بي سي” 

عاد محمد صلاح إلى صفوف ليفربول وترك بصمته سريعًا بصناعة هدف، ليساهم في فوز فريقه أمام برايتون، في مباراة خطفت فيها عودته الأضواء بعد غيابه عن مواجهة إنتر ميلان.

المدرب آرني سلوت أبقاه على مقاعد البدلاء في البداية، قبل أن يدفع به في الدقيقة 26 بعد إصابة جو جوميز، وجاءت عودة صلاح وسط اهتمام إعلامي وجماهيري كبير، بعد الجدل الذي أثاره بتصريحاته الأخيرة.

النجم المصري رد داخل الملعب بمشاركة فعالة أمام برايتون، وكان عنصرًا مؤثرًا في عدة هجمات خطيرة، وأسهم في تعزيز تقدم ليفربول حين نفذ ركلة ركنية متقنة أسفرت عن الهدف الثاني الذي سجله هوجو إيكتيكي.

وبهذه التمريرة الحاسمة، رفع صلاح رصيده إلى 277 مساهمة تهديفية خلال 302 مباراة في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز مع ليفربول، ليصبح أكثر لاعب يحقق هذا الرقم مع نادٍ واحد في تاريخ المسابقة، ليتخطى رقم واين روني مع مانشستر يونايتد.

وأهدر صلاح فرصة محققة لتسجيل هدفه رقم 251 بقميص ليفربول في الوقت بدل الضائع، وبعد نهاية المباراة، حرص على تحية جماهير فريقه، في مشهد عزز التكهنات حول مستقبله، خاصة مع استعداده للانضمام إلى معسكر منتخب مصر استعدادًا لكأس الأمم الإفريقية.

ومع استمرار الغموض بشأن مستقبله، يبقى التساؤل قائمًا حول ما إذا كانت هذه المباراة الأخيرة له في ظهوره بقميص ليفربول، في ظل تأكيده سابقًا أن مباراة ليدز قد تكون الوداع الأخير.

اقرأ أيضًا | سلوت: جمهور ليفربول لم يصفق لـ محمد صلاح فقط.. والأفعال أبلغ من الأقوال

“ديلي ميل”

أظهر محمد صلاح أن بريقه المعهود لم يفارقه بعد، وذلك في عودته من المنفى، ليقود ليفربول للفوز 2-0 على برايتون، لكن هوجو إيكتيكي كان نجم المباراة بلا منازع، حيث سجل هدفين ليُثير حماس جماهير آنفيلد.

وفي الحديث عن مشاركة صلاح، أفادت الصحيفة أن محمد صلاح حرص على اصطحاب والدته لمشاهدة الملعب الذي شهد مسيرة طويلة من الإنجازات له، وفي استعداداته قبل المباراة بدا وكأنه يودع آنفيلد بطريقة عاطفية، إلا أن أحداث المباراة أعادته إلى مركز الضوء، وقد شارك كبديل بعد إصابة جو جوميز في الدقيقة 26.

وأفادت أن أداء صلاح لم يكن مثاليًا أو استثنائيًا، وقد أهدر فرصتين مهمتين في الوقت القاتل، لكنه أظهر نشاطًا وحيوية ملحوظتين، وسعى للمشاركة في عدة هجمات، وأبرز ما قدمه كان صناعة الهدف الثاني لليفربول.

كما أثبت صلاح أن طاقته وحماسه كما هما مع تمريرات ذكية وحركات سريعة، وأظهر تفاعلًا رائعًا مع زملائه رغم بعض الأخطاء البسيطة، وفي النهاية حرص على تحية جماهير آنفيلد معبرًا عن الاحترام المتبادل بينه وبينهم، ومؤكدًا أن علاقته بالنادي لم تنقطع رغم الغموض حول مستقبله.

“ميرور” 

محمد صلاح يحظى باستقبال حافل لدى عودته إلى ليفربول بعد تصريحاته الغاضبة

وأوضحت الصحيفة في تقريرها أن محمد صلاح عاد إلى ليفربول قبل الموعد المحدد، وحظي باستقبال حافل من جماهير الريدز لدى دخوله كبديل في الشوط الأول أمام برايتون.

وقد حلّ محل جو جوميز المصاب بعد 26 دقيقة، في أول ظهور له منذ تصريحاته الغاضبة، وقد أجرى صلاح محادثات صلح مع المدرب آرني سلوت، ولم يتردد الهولندي في إشراكه أمام برايتون.

وشغل صلاح مركزه المعتاد في خط الهجوم، بعد أن افتتح هوجو إيكتيكي التسجيل لليفربول في الدقيقة الأولى، وهو أسرع هدف في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز هذا الموسم.

واستقبل صلاح هتافات مدوية لدى دخوله، قبل أن يُغنى له من الجماهر، وكاد أن يُحدث تأثيرًا فوريًا، بتمريرة حاسمة لأليكسيس ماك أليستر بعد دقيقة واحدة فقط من دخوله.

“ذا صن”

عودة صلاح: دخل محمد صلاح بديلاً عن قلب الدفاع بعد 25 دقيقة من بداية المباراة، ليحصل أسطورة ليفربول على فرصة مفاجئة بعد خلافه مع آرني سلوت

وأشارت إلى أن فترة غياب محمد صلاح عن ليفربول انتهت بشكل مفاجئ، حيث غاب الجناح المصري عن آخر أربع مباريات متتالية للريدز.

وفاجأ صلاح الجميع بعودته إلى أرض الملعب بعد 25 دقيقة فقط، عندما أمره سلوت باللعب بدلاً من جو جوميز المصاب.

وهبت جماهير آنفيلد فرحًا بعودة الجناح، بينما كان زملاؤه متقدمين بنتيجة 1-0 بفضل هدف هوجو إيكتيكي في الدقيقة الأولى.

وعبّر العديد من مشجعي ليفربول الذين كانوا يشاهدون المباراة من منازلهم عن سعادتهم البالغة بعودته إلى أرض الملعب.

MatériaMais Notícias

Após o apito final da vitória do Flamengo sobre o Nova Iguaçu, os torcedores piraram nas redes sociais. O camisa 9 foi exaltado pelos rubro-negros. Confira abaixo.

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FlamengoPedro Guilherme

The Dodgers took both games in Milwaukee to start the National League Championship Series, getting out to a 2-0 lead on the Brewers.

As Milwaukee faces an uphill battle, their manager Pat Murphy still believes his group can beat the odds and advance to the franchise's first World Series since 1982. After the franchise's 5-1 loss in Game 2 Tuesday, he said his team "has been counted out a lot this year" and thinks they still have some fight left in them.

Murphy's 10-year-old son Austin shares that sentiment, as he perfectly explained why he thinks the Brewers can claw back into the series when asked as he sat with his dad during a press conference Wednesday in a sweet moment.

"Well, the guys respond back really good," Austin said into the microphone via the 's Curt Hogg. "They started the season 0-4, those games were not good, but they responded with the best record in baseball so I believe they can do it."

The Brewers manager smiled wide with a proud head nod, then thanking the reporter for asking the question. Murphy's interviews are always fun, often sitting next to his kids and even breaking out snacks from his pocket to munch on during the discussion.

Dodger Stadium hosts Game 3 of the NLCS Thursday as the Brewers, who owned Major League Baseball's best record over the regular season at 97-65, try to get on the board in the series. Nobody expected the Brewers to put up baseball's best record this season, just like no one expects them to get back from a 2-0 hole. Those who know the team best have seen them bounce back before, though.

Manchester United had a problem between the sticks for too many seasons prior to the signing of Senne Lemmens from Royal Antwerp during the summer transfer window.

Andre Onana was signed from Inter for a fee of £43.5m in the summer of 2023, after helping the Italian side to reach the Champions League final, with the hope that he would be the answer to their problems.

Unfortunately, like the one in the clip above, his time at Old Trafford was littered with mistakes. He made two errors that led to shots and four errors that led to goals in his two Premier League seasons, per Sofascore.

Onana also made two errors that directly led to goals for the opposition in 13 appearances in the Europa League during the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, which shows that he slipped up far too many times.

His short-term replacement, Altay Bayindir, did not fare much better. The Turkey international made two errors that led to goals for the opposition in ten appearances in the Premier League, with one in six games this season and one in four outings last term, per Sofascore.

Altay and Onana’s dismal form between the sticks convinced Ruben Amorim and INEOS to sign Lammens in the summer, and he has hit the ground running at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have already hit the jackpot with Senne Lammens

Statistics are great and can be brilliant when used correctly, as we will try to do later in this piece, but the Belgian shot-stopper provides United with something intangible: calmness.

The team looks more settled at the back and confident in their goalkeeper with situations in and around the box, because of the calmness and confidence that Lammens brings to the pitch.

Nervousness and indecision breed mistakes, as shown by Onana and Altay’s performances for United, but the summer signing looks like he will not be bringing either of those things to his performances.

Lammens, as illustrated in the post above, enjoyed a terrific debut against Sunderland in the Premier League last month, keeping a clean sheet and preventing 0.94 xG.

He has now made three appearances for United in the top-flight, winning all three, and has quickly established himself as one of the best shot-stoppers in the entire division.

Guglielmo Vicario (Spurs)

3.01

7

Robin Roefs (Sunderland)

2.94

7

Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace)

2.72

9

Nick Pope (Newcastle)

2.29

8

Senne Lammens (Man Utd)

1.97

3

As you can see in the table above, only four goalkeepers in the league have prevented more xG/goals than Lammens has, despite the fact that the Belgian star has only played three times.

His performances in the Pro League for Royal Antwerp in the 2024/25 campaign suggest that he has the potential to go and become the best shot-stopper in the Premier League, if he can hit his peak at Old Trafford.

Senne Lammens (Pro League)

+15.57

Jordan Pickford (Premier League)

+6.15

Matz Sels (Premier League)

+4.55

Mark Travers (Premier League)

+4.48

Ederson (Premier League)

+4.46

Dean Henderson (Premier League)

+3.14

This suggests that United have one of the best goalkeepers in the world in the making, given that he has the potential to be the best shot-stopper in, arguably, the best league in the world.

However, even the best goalkeepers still need a reliable defence in front of them to help rack up clean sheets to improve their reputation in the wider footballing community.

Chalkboard

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

That is why Manchester United need to move on from and upgrade on versatile defender Diogo Dalot in order to help Lammens become known as one of the best goalkeepers on the planet.

Why Man Utd need to move on from Diogo Dalot

We mentioned earlier that nervousness and indecision breed mistakes. So far this season, the Portugal international has seemed full of nerves and indecision, which has led to mistakes.

Dalot, per Sofascore, has made two errors that have led to shots or goals for the opposition across six starts in the Premier League, which shows that he is putting his team under pressure with needless mistakes.

In the recent 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield, The Sun’s Samuel Luckhurst claimed that Dalot is “their weakest player”, whilst content creator Mark Goldbridge described his performance as “awful”.

It was not a direct error that led to a shot or goal from Dalot, as shown in the clip above, but he was stationed in the centre of the box and failed to position himself to cut out the ball across that Cody Gakpo scored from.

On top of his mistakes in the Premier League this season, the former AC Milan loanee’s defensive numbers have gone down across the board in comparison to the 2024/25 campaign.

Appearances

33

7

Assists

3

1

Tackles per game

2.1

1.6

Interceptions per game

1.1

0.6

Ground duels won per game

3.2

2.3

Aerial duels won per game

1.2

0.6

As you can see in the table above, Dalot’s performances have declined this season, as he is making fewer tackles and interceptions and winning fewer duels on the ground and in the air.

This suggests that he has become a liability defensively for the Red Devils, particularly when you take his two direct errors into account, which is why Luckhurst calling him “their weakest player” may have been accurate.

United should, therefore, be looking to find an upgrade on the defender, who can play on the left or the right at full-back, because his mistakes may cost them moving forward.

Replacing him with a more reliable defender, who will not make as many costly mistakes, could help Lammens be known as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, because it would provide him with more protection and reliability ahead of him.

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This could, therefore, lead to more clean sheets, more wins, and more people talking about how impressive United’s defence is with the talented shot-stopper behind them.

Now we have a crisis. West Ham United are not doomed, but a little over two months into the season, there’s a real sense of foreboding as the relegation-threatened Hammers struggle to climb out of the drop zone.

Leeds United were well worth their win as they saw off Nuno Espirito Santo’s side on Friday evening at Elland Road, with shaky West Ham lacking any of the principled, well-drilled defensive solidness that Nuno sides come to be defined by.

Early days yet, but it’s concerning that the Portuguese tactician has failed to structure his squad effectively across his opening Premier League matches at the London Stadium, drawing at Everton on his debut but since losing three on the bounce.

Journalist Jacob Steinberg commented on the issues, criticising the manager for fielding “inexplicable line-ups” and even saying he has “botched both games this week”, having slumped to a home defeat against Brentford on Monday.

But, equally, the players needed to step up against the newly-promoted Whites, and that they did not do.

West Ham's biggest villains at Leeds

West Ham didn’t turn up. Though Mateus Fernandes claimed his first goal for the club when heading Jarrod Bowen’s whipped cross into the net late on, it wasn’t enough and the Londoners retreated with none of the spoils, and the knowledge that they have just four points from nine fixtures thus far.

Bowen was as lively as ever, nearly sealing a show-stopping moment when his bicycle kick was saved in the first half, the Hammers 1-0 down.

But this was about the extent of the positives. Tomas Soucek was particularly poor. An industrious player and one of the finest stalwarts from the illustrious David Moyes era, the 30-year-old’s lumbering limitations were exposed, and aside from that chance which went begging, he was too high too often, leaving Andy Irving exposed.

Crysencio Summerville also flattered to deceive against his former side, but in fairness, he was a victim of tactical confusion, starting on the right and then moving to the left following Ollie Scarles’ first-half injury. There was a lot of huff and puff without any end product.

The 23-year-old has looked bright this term after an injury-hit 2024/25 campaign, but he remains inconsistent and needs to be more outgoing in front of goal.

Electric and inventive, he adds something different, and though the Netherlands-born talent shouldn’t be dropped, there’s little question that he needs to offer more.

However, there’s another member of the starting line-up who has proved he’s not cut out for the task at hand, and Nuno must surely think about dropping him soon.

The West Ham star who must be axed

After the full-time whistle screeched in Leeds, it was made known that West Ham have suffered their worst start to a top-flight campaign in 52 years. Nuno has yet to win a game since replacing Graham Potter.

What, then, needs to be done? Well, for one thing, United’s messy defending needs sorting out – and quickly. And to achieve this, it might be worth pulling Jean-Clair Todibo from the starting line-up, with the Frenchman putting in another poor performance on Friday.

Todibo, 25, spent last season on loan in east London before completing a permanent £35m transfer earlier in 2025. He had been coveted by Juventus and was regarded in France as one of the most athletic and exciting ball-playing defenders in the business.

But the Premier League is a different beast, and after lacking clarity and conviction in his performances last year, Todibo has now fallen by the wayside, with West Ham Fav TV contributor Nick Marsh saying after the match that he and Max Kilman are “comfortably the two worst centre-backs in this league.”

One website even saw it fit to brand Todibo with a lowly 3/10 match rating, and this was echoed across social media, with supporters fed up with the limp and unconvincing defensive displays.

Todibo’s quality in the air must be questioned, and he leaves so much to be desired when dealing with whipped deliveries. Herein lies the crux of West Ham’s issues, and Todibo is very much a part of the problem.

Looking at it across the span of the season, he doesn’t win enough duels – albeit proving strong in the few ground battles he has won – while failing to muster the creativity and initiative on the ball that drew such acclaim while with OGC Nice in France.

Jean-Clair Todibo’s Season in Numbers
Match Stats (* per game)	#
Matches (starts)	4 (4)
Touches*	60.0
Clean sheets	0
Accurate passes*	43.8 (88%)
Key passes*	0.0
Recoveries*	3.0
Tackles*	2.0
Interceptions*	0.8
Clearances*	3.5
Ground duels won*	2.8 (73%)
Aerial duels won*	1.5 (38%)
Data via Sofascore

Standing at 6 foot 3, to be averaging success in just 38% of his aerial duels is inexcusable. Todibo must be dropped. But who comes in?

Former Brighton & Hove Albion defender Igor Julio continues to languish on the sidelines, though there are suggestions that the 27-year-old has impressed in training and could be in line for a debut soon, having only made one substitute appearance so far this term.

Meanwhile, Soungoutou Magassa has played in central defence before and has already been shown some trust by Nuno, starting twice in the Premier League this year.

In any case, changes are needed in east London. West Ham boast plenty of quality in their squad and cannot allow themselves to tumble from the first tier. If dropping Todibo is a means toward this goal, then so be it.

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