Category Uncategorized

They will be hoping to get at least Axar back, whose batting will allow them to play a more attacking spinner in Kuldeep

Sidharth Monga11-Feb-2021With the first Test of the series being India’s second home defeat in more than eight years, it had to be a rare event. While England played excellent cricket from the moment they won the toss, they needed some good fortune to go their way too. One hundred and sixty-six Tests have been played since the start of 2017. There have been results in 146 of those. Only five times has a team made fewer errors with the bat than India’s 102 in Chennai to lose a Test. To lose 19 wickets to just 102 uncontrolled responses is terrible luck – Cheteshwar Pujara got out in the first innings despite being in full control of the shot – especially when England’s first innings alone took 136 not-in-control responses to end.Given the toss, the conditions and England’s resolute batting, India had to work harder for their wickets. It’s the opposite of what happened in Australia when it was the visitors who enjoyed some luck in the last three Tests when the ball was in play.Events in the final innings of the last two Tests in Australia and also in the recent game between Bangladesh and West Indies in Chattogram might have had some impact on England’s lack of declaration and fans’ expectations, but the Test was – as most of them are – won and lost in the first two innings. Not only did India’s first innings feature three unlucky wickets and some sensational catching, but the surge in the effectiveness of bowling was also huge.Related

• Chennai Part II – India look for right spin combination as England chase history

• Kohli: Don't jump the gun on India, or Rahane

• Kohli, Ashwin criticism brings SG ball back in focus

• Chopra: All that Root did right against India's spinners

England enjoyed at least a bonus day of batting before the ball started to misbehave at all, which is not how the other Tests in the aforementioned list played out. Four out of the five Tests mentioned earlier were typically low-scoring affairs, the fifth was between India and Afghanistan.The penalty for batting errors went up considerably day three onwards in Chennai. The first innings took 13.6 false responses for a wicket to fall, the next three took 6.8, 5.7 and 4.1 respectively. Interestingly, the frequency of false responses didn’t really follow a linear pattern: there was one false response every 10.7 balls in the first innings, and every 9.4, 4.9 and 8.5 balls in the subsequent ones. Arguably, England were batting for a declaration in the third innings and played a few shots too many, which might be reflecting in poor control percentage on the fourth day; or perhaps India saw something in how England tackled the misbehaving ball on day four, which gives them confidence for the rest of the series.This points to two factors other than dumb luck. England could afford to bowl more attacking lengths because they had the runs on the board and a more responsive pitch to bowl on. While the economy rate went up, the errors were likelier to bring them wickets. Also, on more difficult pitches, you pay more for your errors. And this pitch got really difficult after the first two days. This was perhaps the kind of pitch that MS Dhoni used to rail against because it made the toss crucial, especially when Anil Kumble had retired and he had just Harbhajan Singh as the settled spinner.Washington Sundar might have to sit out despite his batting hand in the last Test if India play both Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav•BCCIThis is not to say that this is the first time a team has enjoyed good luck in Test cricket. India did so in Australia. England did so when they were in India last time, winning three tosses and having to induce fewer false responses for a wicket, but this time they backed it up with the big runs to make any slice of luck became significant.This time around, England are more determined to grind India out if they get to bat first, which shows in their squad composition. India are missing a key bowler: with a complete and relentless attack in the past, India could contain teams to 450-500 instead of the 578 England got here. Also, India are towards the end of a long season, which began with the IPL and carried into the gruelling tour of Australia. In the absence of Ravindra Jadeja, the fitness of the other bowlers will continue to be tested should England win the toss on a similar pitch again.Good examples of how India negated the toss disadvantage by restricting the opposition to 400-450 include the Mohali Test against Australia in 2013, the Mumbai and Chennai Tests against England in 2016, and the Ranchi Test against Australia in 2017. They will be hoping they get at least Axar Patel back, whose batting will allow them to play a more attacking spinner in Kuldeep Yadav. That might mean Washington Sundar might have to sit out despite his batting hand in the last Test, but when playing a spinner at No. 7, you are looking more at his bowling than batting.Virat Kohli’s press conference after the first Test betrayed a hint of annoyance at questions looking for any larger issue with the team. Kohli himself made just nine mistakes when he batted, and was out two times. The team knows they were in a tough situation, the kind they have made look easy in the past.Should they lose the toss again and find the pitch to be similar – the latter is less likely to happen – India will ask for better control from their bowlers and a little bit more luck when they bat in the first innings. For the first time in four years, India have been properly challenged at home. The next three Tests will make for fascinating cricket.

Sometimes, you just don't have a good day at work. We've all been there. Such a day unfortunately came for future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw on Sunday during the Los Angeles Dodgers' game against the Milwauke Brewers. Kershaw cruised through three innings and looked to be on track towards earning a victory after the Dodgers spotted him a 3-0 lead.

But the wheels fell off in the top of the fourth inning.

The Dodgers defense let Kershaw down, committing a pair of errors that led to to the Brewers plating three runs. In the top of the fifth, Kershaw exited the game after hitting a batter, then allowing a single, after which the Dodgers committed another error.

The southpaw kept his cool on the mound in the midst of the errors but let his frustrations out when he got back to the dugout.

These have to be among the most frustrating days for a starting pitcher. The win is seemingly within the team's grasp, and then, because of circumstances out of the pitcher's hands, the lead disappears.

We feel your pain, Kershaw, we feel your pain.

Newcastle United have Bayer Leverkusen to overcome this week in the Champions League, but there’s a far more tantalising fixture sticking out across the busy December period.

The Premier League’s first Tyne-Wear showdown since 2016 arrives on the calendar next weekend, with Sunderland’s electric start out of the blocks in the top-flight this season no doubt ramping up the nerves on the end of the Magpies.

Eddie Howe will also be fearful of a loss when you consider Newcastle have lost their last four meetings in this tense rivalry, with Leverkusen in midweek the perfect opportunity to collect a confidence-boosting victory, before facing off against Regis Le Bris’ tricky Black Cats.

In particular, Howe will hope he sees a lot more from the likes of Yoane Wissa and Anthony Elanga at the BayArena, with both high-profile summer recruits failing to settle so far on Tyneside.

The numbers behind Wissa & Elanga at Newcastle

£250m in total was forked out on summer signings at St James’ Park, with £110m of that excessive spending landing both Wissa and Elanga.

There was a method behind Newcastle’s madness here, with the former Brentford man and the Swedish winger amassing a stunning 41 goal contributions between them last season in the Premier League.

Unfortunately for the £55m striker, though, he has only lined up for a paltry 16 minutes in Toon black and white so far, with his first appearance for the club coming last time out against Burnley, 96 days on from him signing on the dotted line.

He is far from a lost cause, however, with a hope he can add to his 45 Premier League goals shortly with sustained time in the first team, as he potentially prepares to start versus Leverkusen. If he doesn’t get up and running soon, with his hefty £140k-per-week salary also added to the equation, he will definitely be dismissed as a rash waste of money.

Elanga doesn’t have a troubling injury record to fall back on when it comes to his critics, with just two assists and no goals next to his name from 22 appearances on Tyneside, making his £55m price tag already feel extremely extortionate.

Still, there will also be a hope in the air that the £100k-per-week forward is simply a work in progress, having previously shone with Nottingham Forest, away from negative labels coming his way that he is a “massive overpay” in the words of Raj Chohan.

Staggeringly, despite £110m being dropped on the underwhelming duo in question, they’re not deemed as big a waste of money as this other high earner, who Howe must now swiftly axe ahead of key games to come in December.

Howe must now drop £120k-per-week Newcastle man

At least with Wissa and Elanga, Howe and Co would have known they were paying a premium price for talents who were consistent top performers in the Premier League.

In the case of Jacob Ramsey, though, £43m was forked out on a star who had a rollercoaster stay at Aston Villa, having only collected a mediocre eight goal contributions across his final two top-flight seasons in the West Midlands, leading to him falling out of Unai Emery’s first team plans.

Ramsey’s flashes of brilliance at his hometown club did see journalist Charles Watts once herald him as a “special” talent for the future, but eyebrows would have been rightly raised when the £43m move was finalised, with his £120k-per-week wage also making him an immediate higher earner than St James Park stalwarts such as Dan Burn, who pockets £70k-per-week, on the contrary.

In the here and now, too, it feels like an awfully long time ago since the 24-year-old was generating lots of hype at Villa Park, with a rare first-team start against Burnley last time out seeing Ramsey look rather timid.

Minutes played

90

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

73

Shots

1

Accurate passes

56/60 (93%)

Accurate crosses

0/1

Key passes

1

Successful dribbles

1/2

Penalties given away

1

Indeed, it doesn’t make for pretty reading on Ramsey’s end, with the 24-year-old’s general game going down as largely uneventful, until he gave away an unnecessary penalty via a handball, with only one shot, one key pass, and one accurate dribble registered.

With no goals or assists next to his name from 11 clashes, it isn’t the wildest shout to suggest he’s a bigger waste of money than both Wissa and Elanga, with Wissa needing more time to acclimatise, while Elanga at least has two assists to cling onto and showed what a dangerous talent he can be last season..

Moreover, with both Joe Willock and Lewis Miley also at Howe’s disposal in midfield in the reserve ranks, there doesn’t seem to be a long-standing space for the ex-Villa man in his starting XI, as the forgettable number 41 likely just turns into an expensive background figure that can’t be redeemed.

The new Anderson: Newcastle could see £13m bid accepted to sign "special" star

Newcastle United could win themselves a cut-price Elliot Anderson alternative with this £13m star.

ByKelan Sarson Dec 7, 2025

The Boston Red Sox enjoyed an exciting win on Wednesday, with Ceddanne Rafaela hitting a comically short walk-off home run around the Pesky Pole to take down the Los Angeles Angels, 11-9. But they were only in need of those late-game heroics to begin with thanks to a particularly brutal start from Lucas Giolito.

Giolito, who was signed by the Red Sox in 2024 but didn't make his first start for Boston until this season due to UCL surgery, got absolutely rocked from the moment he stepped on the mound. He lasted 1.2 innings against the Angels and gave up eight hits along with seven runs in the process. The Red Sox have already been dealing with struggles from starters to go deep into ballgames recently, and were forced to lean on the bullpen for almost the entire game.

They won anyway, but Giolito was very unhappy with his showing, as evidenced by his postgame exchange with reporters.

"It was terrible," Giolito said of his start on Wednesday. "I'm super proud of the team. Everyone came to play today. Big-time. Bullpen was incredible. A lot's being asked of them. I put them in a terrible position. Guys that are down had to throw. But everybody came to play, we were able to get that win, that's huge."

When asked a follow-up, Giolito offered a blunt NSFW review of the situation.

"There's no excuse," the former All-Star said. "I mean, it's super poor. I gotta figure it the f— out."

Giolito was an All-Star in 2019 and earned a placement in Cy Young award voting in three separate seasons with the Chicago White Sox. Now with Boston, he's had a tough go in his first few starts post-surgery; entering Wednesday Giolito had posted a 1-1 record with a 4.78 ERA in six starts in 2025.

The Red Sox themselves are floundering despite the improbable win, and currently sit fourth in the AL East with a 30-34 record. Giolito rediscovering his former form would go a long way towards turning the ship around.

Leeds United have only scored 11 goals in their 11 Premier League matches so far this season since they won promotion from the Championship last term.

The newly-promoted side have struggled to find the back of the net on a regular basis. That has not been because of a lack of creativity, though, as the Whites have created 14.7 xG in the division, per WhoScored.

Leeds’ biggest xG underperformers

Player

xG

Goals

xG differential

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

2.89

1

-1.89

Jayden Bogle

0.88

0

-0.88

Brenden Aaronson

1.79

1

-0.79

Joel Piroe

0.73

0

-0.73

Pascal Struijk

0.65

0

-0.65

Dan James

0.47

0

-0.47

Jack Harrison

0.41

0

-0.41

Stats via WhoScored

As you can see in the table above, too many players have been wasteful with the chances that have been created for them in the Premier League so far this season.

Summer signing Dominic Calvert-Lewin, in particular, has not been clinical enough as the starting number nine for the West Yorkshire outfit, underperforming his xG by roughly two goals.

With the team’s struggles in front of goal in mind, supporters may be thinking about what the club could do to solve the issue, whether that is through promoting academy talent, making signings in January, or recalling players from their loans.

One star who is currently shining out on loan away from Elland Road is centre-forward Joe Gelhardt, but he looks set to remain at Hull City until at least the end of the season.

Why Joe Gelhardt will not be returning to Leeds United in January

HullLive recently reported that the English striker is expected to remain with the Championship club until next summer, despite the Whites having the option to recall him in January.

The report claimed that Leeds do not have any plans to recall Gelhardt from his loan because they feel that he is in the best place to develop as a player at Hull, who are interested in a deal to sign him permanently next summer.

This shows that Daniel Farke and his coaching staff do not believe that the 23-year-old marksman is the answer to their current problems in the Premier League, or else they would be planning to bring him back to Thorp Arch to bolster the squad for the second half of the season.

The Leeds loanee has plundered seven goals and two assists in 13 Championship starts for the Tigers so far this season, per FotMob, which is why there may have been some supporters wondering if the club would look to recall him.

Stat

Gelhardt

Percentile rank vs STs

xG

4.59

Top 4%

xG on target

5.98

Top 3%

Goals

7

Top 2%

xA

2.48

Top 7%

Assists

2

Top 20%

Chances created

13

Top 24%

Stats via FotMob

As you can see in the table above, Gelhardt has finished his chances at an incredibly efficient rate, outperforming his xG by just over two goals, but Leeds have reportedly decided that he is not the answer for them in the Premier League.

This means that Farke will have to look elsewhere to solve his team’s goalscoring woes, and he should forget about Gelhardt to unleash a young star from the academy.

Leeds' Gelhardt replacement

17-year-old centre-forward Harry Gray made his first-team debut for the Whites against Stoke City in the Championship last season, but he has yet to make an appearance in the Premier League in the current campaign.

Derby County, Swansea City, Charlton Athletic, and Hull City are four Championship sides reportedly chasing a deal to sign the teenage marksman on loan for the second half of the season when the January transfer window opens for business.

Leeds, though, should reject their advances and, instead, look to unleash Gray in the first-team with the hope that he can provide the goalscoring touch that has eluded their current options up front.

The England youth international, who was hailed as a “powerful” player by Como scout Ben Mattinson, has been in fantastic form for the club’s academy in the 2025/26 campaign, with his most notable moment being his hat-trick against Scunthorpe in the National League Cup in September.

On top of that hat-trick, Gray has also scored five goals in six Premier League 2 games and two goals in two EFL Trophy matches, per Transfermarkt, which means that the teenage forward has racked up ten goals in all competitions this season.

The 17-year-old talent had the chance to play against a League Two first-team, Accrington Stanley, in the EFL Trophy before the international break, and showed that he can make an impact against senior opposition.

Vs Accrington

Harry Gray

Sofascore rating

8.6

Shots

3

Shots on target

3

Goals

2

Pass accuracy

71%

Fouls won

3

Ground duels won

4/8

Aerial duels won

2/7

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Gray did struggle with the aerial duels in the game, understandably as a 17-year-old against first-team centre-backs, but he did hold his own in physical contests on the deck and scored two goals in the game.

This suggests that he is ready to compete against experienced defenders, even if battling for aerial balls is not his strength, which is why Farke should look to reward him with a chance to impress in the Premier League this season.

The impressive teenager has done all that he can do to impress the head coach with his performances this season. He has scored goals at an exceptional rate in every competition for the U21s, showing that he can be ruthless in front of goal and find the back of the net on a regular basis.

As aforementioned, Leeds have not taken enough of their chances in the Premier League so far this season, which is why they need a lethal marksman who can make the most of the opportunities that are being created.

Related Bamford 2.0: Leeds chase ST with 15 goals in 25/26, he'd save Farke's job

Leeds United are interested in signing a striker who could save Daniel Farke’s job at Elland Road.

Posts ByDan Emery Nov 15, 2025

With this in mind, Farke must unleash Gray in the first-team to see if he can make the step up, whilst Gelhardt is left to see out the rest of the season with Hull.

In an early boost for Celtic, Club Brugge boss Nicky Hayen is reportedly open to replacing Brendan Rodgers in Scotland as the Bhoys step up their chase for their next manager.

Those in Glasgow were thrown into chaos when Rodgers resigned and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond had his say in brutal fashion on Monday night. Since then, a number of potential candidates have already been mentioned and veteran manager Martin O’Neill has enjoyed his first win as interim boss.

After thrashing Falkirk 4-0 to get back to winning ways in the Scottish Premiership, O’Neill told reporters: “I’m really pleased to win the game in the manner we did, and we played some delightful stuff. Could have scored a couple of more goals, too.

“I’m hoping some of the players have played today are old enough to know who I am, some of the younger lads I wouldn’t be totally sure. They see this man stepping into the dressing room and think ‘what’s happening here?’.

“I’m delighted, satisfied in the sense I thought we played very well. My anxiety has calmed somewhat, and it was really nice to win. When you get a few goals in front you can perhaps enjoy the last 10 or 15 minutes, and it kind of brought me back.”

Alas, the Northern Irishman will know more than most that the true test awaits this weekend when Celtic square off against Rangers in the Old Firm derby. With a place in the Scottish League Cup final up for grabs, the Bhoys should be desperate to get one over on their rivals.

Meanwhile, as the action continues on the pitch so does Celtic’s managerial search. So far, Parkhead chiefs have drawn up a shortlist which includes Craig Bellamy, Robbie Keane and Club Brugge boss Hayen among others.

Nicky Hayen now open to becoming Celtic manager

As reported by Belgian newspaper Nieuwslabd, Celtic now have concrete interest in Hayen and have got serious about the Brugge manager, who is also open to a move elsewhere.

Rodgers upgrade: Celtic have "kamikaze" title-winning manager on the radar

Celtic have a manager on their radar who could come in as a big upgrade on Brendan Rodgers.

ByDan Emery Oct 29, 2025

The report claims that the Bhoys would have to pay a hefty compensation fee if they did go all in on the 45-year-old, but he may prove to be worth every penny.

Having held Celtic to a 1-1 draw in the Champions League last year before thrashing Rangers 9-1 over two legs in the qualifiers back in August, Glasgow should already know all about Hayen’s quality.

Whether Celtic decide to push on and secure his arrival remains to be seen, however. He is certainly a strong candidate for the job, but is far from the only name in the running to replace Rodgers.

One Celtic star has just made himself undroppable