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The score ended 4-1. Tottenham were rampant. Ange Postecoglou was in a jubilant mood. The Lilywhites had just dispatched Unai Emery’s Aston Villa 4-1.

That was last week, though. That result is now history. In the week since, Spurs have endured a horror few days.

Victor Osimhen dismantled them in the Europa League in midweek as the Londoners lost 3-2 to Galatasaray. On Sunday, it was Ipswich, lowly Ipswich who had yet to win a game in the Premier League this season who defeated Postecoglou’s side.

How does this keepening you may ask? Only a few weeks ago they allowed Crystal Palace to pick up their first three points of the season, defeating Spurs 1-0 at Selhurst Park.

Okay, so Tottenham haven’t been great on the road this season but they have been electric at home. The 2-1 defeat courtesy of goals from Sammie Szmodics and Liam Delap, therefore, was bizarre. In truth, it was classic of a football club who haven’t just endured an up-and-down season but an up-and-down few decades.

At the heart of their poor display yet again was centre-back Radu Dragusin. How they must long for Micky van de Ven’s comeback.

Radu Dragusin's performance vs Ipswich

When Van de Ven left the field in tears during Spurs’ win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup, it’s likely a few supporters will have shed a few tears too.

After all, the Dutchman has been one of their most consistent players since arriving during Postecoglou’s first transfer window in charge during the summer of 2023.

Full of pace, full of heart, full of bravery, it is everything Romanian Dragusin is not. You can excuse your third-choice centre-back not quite being of the quality of Van de Ven and Cristian Romero but you cannot excuse the week he has just had.

Sadly, it was the former Genoa defender who was at fault during the midweek defeat to Galatasaray. He was caught in possession for the second goal of the night, turning right into trouble and subsequently gifting their Turkish opposition a goal.

It did not get much better on Sunday afternoon for the centre-back who dismally defended Ipswich’s second of the match. A ball was played across the box and instead of clearing it first time, he knocked it straight into the path of Delap who had a simple tap in from a matter of yards out.

That said, he wasn’t the only player at fault, far from it.

Pedro Porro's performance in numbers vs Ipswich

Pedro Porro may have left Sunday’s clash with an assist to his name, supplying Rodrigo Bentancur’s consolation strike, but his overall performance at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium simply wasn’t good enough.

In truth, the Spaniard has struggled to replicate his performances of last term across the 2024/25 season, with that assist being his very first of the Premier League campaign.

While decent going forward, it was a “horror show” at the back for both Dragusin and Porro in the words of journalist Mitch Fretton.

Why? Well, he wasn’t great for either of the goals scored by the visitors. Porro and Brennan Johnson were left blaming each other after both players failed to close down Szmodics who acrobatically opened the scoring.

Then, with the second, it was the full-back who again failed to get out to Szmodics who then played the ball towards the byline where it was cut back for Delap. On that evidence, it was hardly a surprise that Football.London’s Alasdair Gold judged the right-back’s display as a 5/10.

Minutes played

95

Touches

95

Accurate passes

47/61 (77%)

Key passes

4

Successful crosses

3/10

Long balls completed

5/12

Possession lost

24x

Ground duels won

3/7

Aerial duels won

0/3

Tackles

2

Dribbled past

1

Interceptions

2

Clearances

0

The numbers didn’t exactly paint him in a great light either with the 25-year-old giving possession away a worrying 24 times. Yes, he takes set pieces, but it wasn’t great regardless.

To make matters worse, he won just three of his ten duels and succeeded with only one of his four dribble attempts.

Porro will likely keep his place post-international break but he simply has to improve defensively. In fact, Spurs as a whole must clean up their act at the back sharpish. If they can do so they will undoubtedly be in the conversation for a top-four berth. On this evidence, though, they will not.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Nov 9, 2024

Batter was rushed to a hospital after complaining of chest pain while playing a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match

Umar Farooq21-Dec-2021Abid Ali was taken to hospital after complaining of chest pain while playing for Central Punjab against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the ongoing last round of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy in Karachi.According to a PCB statement, he was taken to a specialist hospital immediately, “where he was diagnosed as a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome” or ACS. “He is under the care of Consultant Cardiologist who is liaising with PCB medical team regarding further treatment. He is currently stable.”ACS is often used to describe a range of conditions resulting from a sudden, reduced blood flow to the heart.Abid returned to his domestic side, Central Punjab, following the recent Bangladesh tour, where he was Player of the Series for the Tests after scoring 263 runs at 87.66. He was playing his sixth first-class game this season and had scored 766 runs at an average of 51.89 with three hundreds. On the last day of the ongoing game at UBL Complex in Karachi, he had crossed a half-century when he complained of discomfort around his shoulder and chest area before he was rushed to the hospital.Abid has been the highest run-getter in Tests for Pakistan since his debut in 2019, and in 2021 he is fifth in the world with 695 runs in nine Tests at 48.87, including a double-hundred against Zimbabwe in Harare. He made his debut in Rawalpindi in 2019 after spending 12 years in domestic cricket for 7116 runs in 106 first-class games. He made his Test debut at the age of 31 and began with a century, and also became the only player in history to reach three figures on both Test and ODI debuts.Central Punjab are sitting in fourth place on the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy table at the moment and are out of the finals race, with Northern and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sitting in the top-two spots. They have drawn five games, won two and lost two so far this season.

Tom Harrison meets Ramiz Raja on bridge-building visit to Pakistan after October pull-outs

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2021

England’s men will play two additional T20Is on their tour of Pakistan in September and October 2022, in compensation for the late cancellation of last month’s planned visit, following a meeting between ECB and PCB officials in Lahore on Tuesday.Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, flew to Pakistan this week with his deputy Martin Darlow, to hold talks with Ramiz Raja, the chairman of the PCB, who had hit out at what he termed cricket’s “western bloc” in the wake of England’s eleventh-hour cancellation of what would have been their first visit since 2005.The ECB were roundly condemned for their withdrawal, citing concerns about the bubble fatigue among the England players, even though the tour had been planned as a four-day detour en route to the T20 World Cup in the UAE.The decision followed swiftly on from New Zealand’s cancellation on the morning of their first ODI in Rawalpindi due to a security threat. That led Ramiz to warn that the PCB would be making contingency plans in the event of England cancelling their multi-format tour in 2022-23, which is also due to feature a three-Test series in November and December, in the aftermath of the T20 World Cup in Australia.Now, however, Harrison has pledged not only that those matches will go ahead as planned, but that the T20I leg will be extended from five matches to seven, in a gesture to thank Pakistan for their support of English cricket during the 2020 season, when they had agreed to a full tour in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.”Myself and ECB’s Senior Director Martin Darlow visited Lahore to talk face-to-face with the PCB around some of the things that have happened over the past few weeks, leading to the cancellation of our tour in October,” Harrison said in a statement.”We also wanted to discuss the future as the two boards have a historic relationship and want to move the agenda towards a forward-looking one as opposed to one looking back.Related

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“This is just to reaffirm our commitment to Pakistan cricket to getting England teams, men’s and women’s teams, eventually playing in Pakistan at home.”I don’t think there’s a cricketer in England who doesn’t want to test their abilities against the huge talent this country has and in the conditions they know best.”Ramiz added that the ECB had shown “large-heartedness” to make the trip, and welcomed England’s commitment to the tour, which follows Australia’s confirmation of their own tour in March, which will be their first visit since 1998.”We put in lot of efforts to make sure that all visiting teams are comfortable in Pakistan,” Ramiz said. “As such, it is a matter of pride for the Pakistan fans, who look forward to welcoming Australia and England in 2022.”England have got a great team and it’s mind-boggling how they’ve produced so many match-winners in a span of about five to seven years. They play very engaging and attractive cricket, which is fantastic for the fans and a big advertisement of the game.”England’s women had originally been scheduled to join last month’s tour for a pair of double-headers in Rawalpindi ahead of their own ODI series. Those fixtures have not yet been reallocated, although Ramiz added that proposals surrounding “pathway engagement” and the women’s game had also been discussed with the ECB.

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A RecordTV confirmou os dias e horários padrões de transmissões dos jogos do Paulistão e do Cariocão, que serão transmitidos pela emissora neste ano. A emissora não vai repetir a estratégia de 2021 quando mostrou jogos do Carioca no sábado à noite. Os jogos, desta vez, serão nos horários tradicionais da concorrente, nas quartas e nos domingos.

RelacionadasFora de CampoCom humoristas e Silvio Luiz, Record aposta em transmissão digital bem-humorada para bombar o PaulistãoFora de Campo19/01/2022Futebol NacionalCariocão Play: conheça as inovações, os preços e os valores repassados aos clubes com a transmissão do estadualFutebol Nacional16/01/2022Fora de CampoTá confuso? Paulistão terá exibição em seis plataformas e FPF define primeiras rodadas; veja onde assistirFora de Campo10/01/2022

Ainda não é assinante do Cariocão-2022? Acesse www.cariocaoplay.com.br, preencha o cadastro e ganhe 5% de desconto com o cupom especial do LANCE!: GE-JK-FF-ZSW

Os jogos serão transmitidos nas quartas-feiras, às 21h30, e nos domingos, às 16h. Durante coletiva de imprensa realizada nesta quarta, o vice-presidente de jornalismo da emissora, Antonio Guerreiro, confirmou os horários e falou sobre a concorrência que os jogos sofrerão nesses horários, entre eles o ‘Big Brother Brasil’, fenômeno de audiência nas noites de TV aberta.

– Essa é a riqueza da TV aberta (diversidade de conteúdos), mas acho muito difícil que qualquer outro produto de qualquer outra emissora tenha a paixão dessa equipe de entregar um excelente produto daqui pra lá. Acho muito difícil qualquer que seja nossa concorrência, mas essa vontade e determinação é só aqui – disse ele, empolgado.

Para o Paulistão, a Record preparou ainda uma transmissão nas plataformas digitais apostando nos humoristas Bola e Carioca, ambos ex-Pânico, no icônico narrador Silvio Luiz e no comunicador Zé Luiz. A emissora terá também um programa especial em todos os sábados apresentado por Fred Ring, de São Paulo, eMylena Ciribelli, do Rio.

Os campeonatos também terão ampla transmissão no streaming fora da Record. O Paulistão será mostrado por seis plataformas, já o Cariocão será transmitido pelo Cariocão Play, que pode ser adquirido por inúmeras plataformas, inclusive pelo LANCE!.

South Africa batter leaves Melbourne Stars after playing 64 games over six seasons

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Sep-2021

South Africa batter Mignon du Preez has been prized away from Melbourne Stars, signing with Hobart Hurricanes for the upcoming WBBL season.Du Preez, 32, has played in every edition of the WBBL for Stars sitting second on their all-time games list and second on their all-time run-scorers list. She played in the final with the Stars last season but has moved to Hobart as part of the Hurricanes recruiting drive for WBBL 07.”I’ve obviously loved my time playing with the Stars but am really looking forward to this new challenge with the Hurricanes,” du Preez said. “From afar, the Hurricanes have been running a great program for several years now and have been building a great list over the off-season, so I can’t wait to experience it for myself.”It’s a great competition the WBBL, involving the best group of female cricketers in the world. I think with the team the Hurricanes have built for this season, combining both old and new faces, we will really have the opportunity to make a statement on-field this year.”Hurricanes have also recruited Australia offspinner Molly Strano from Melbourne Renegades and Rachel Trenaman, who was part of Sydney Thunder’s title-winning team last season. New Zealander Rachel Priest is also part of the squad.The WBBL is scheduled to start on October 14 with a double-header in Sydney but the current Covid-19 outbreaks and lockdowns in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra will force fixture changes, with Cricket Australia still working through the logistics. Players and teams have requested to avoid being put in a hub for the upcoming season after playing last season entirely in a biosecure bubble in Sydney.Hobart Hurricanes WBBL squad: Nicola Carey, Mignon du Preez (SA), Maisy Gibson, Rachel Priest (NZ), Chloe Rafferty, Amy Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck

Former Manchester United star Jesse Lingard has been named FC Seoul’s new captain ahead of the 2025 K League 1 season.

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• Lingard named FC Seoul captain
• Joined the South Korean club last year
• Scored six goals in 26 appearances last season

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  FC Seoul have announced that Lingard will lead the club during the 2025 K League 1 campaign. Ex-United forward Lingard, who joined the South Korean club in February last year, has been handed captaincy responsibilities ahead of his second full season at the Sangam Stadium.

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• Getty Images
  

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  Lingard has had a mixed experience in the K League so far. He suffered a knee in the early stages of last season and subsequently underwent surgery. In the second half of the campaign, Lingard regained full fitness and started to gel with his team-mates, eventually finishing up with six goals and three assists to his name in 26 league appearances as FC Seoul finished fourth in the table.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The Man Utd academy graduate, who also took in Premier League spells at Nottingham Forest and West Ham, donned the captain’s armband for FC Seoul for the first time in June last year, and led the capital-based club frequently in the second half of the 2024 campaign.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR JESSE LINGARD?

  The mercurial forward will be back in action for FC Seoul next month as they take on Jeju in their K League 1 season opener on February 15.

Jofra Archer and Ollie Robinson among players to commit disciplinary breaches

Matt Roller18-Jun-2021

Sussex have been handed a suspended points penalty after five of their players were charged with showing dissent at umpiring decisions within a 12-month period.Jack Carson, Ollie Robinson, Ravi Bopara, Delray Rawlins and Jofra Archer (playing for the club’s 2nd XI) have all committed Level One offences under the ECB’s disciplinary code since the start of last summer’s Bob Willis Trophy.Related

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Notts handed suspended points deductions following CDC hearing

A virtual hearing of the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) took place on Tuesday and imposed a suspended points penalty, which will result in a deduction of 12 points in the County Championship and/or two points in the Royal London Cup and/or two points in the T20 Blast if Sussex players incur a further two fixed-penalty breaches in any competition within the next 12 months.Sussex admitted the charge and agreed with the CDC’s panel that the penalty should be no greater than that imposed on Nottinghamshire last year, when five of their players committed offences during a five-week period in the T20 Blast.The panel, chaired by Chris Tickle alongside Amrisha Parathalingam and Paul Joy, also noted that Sussex had taken “steps to address their problem”, including a meeting held in March in which “players and coaches discussed dissent and other behavioural issues with the very experienced umpire Ian Gould”.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing up a move for another midfield talent next summer as they look to solve their problem area once and for all under Arne Slot.

Liverpool seeking midfield additions

Liverpool made just one summer addition to their senior side in the transfer window, adding Federico Chiesa to their ranks in a £12m deal from Juventus late in the day. He joins an already brimming attacking corps at Anfield, which already boasts the evergreen Mohamed Salah as well as Darwin Núñez, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, as well as talented youngster Harvey Elliot.

But despite a strong start to the Premier League season – albeit one which stalled against Nottingham Forest – question marks remain over other areas of the pitch, namely in midfield.

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After a very public pursuit of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi, the Reds were burned on the transfer front once more as the EURO 2024 winner opted to remain in San Sebastian rather than make the move to Merseyside. It left Liverpool without an alternative option, and though Ryan Gravenberch has begun in fine form this season there are question marks over his long-term suitability for the role at the very highest level.

Further forward there are also questions, with Dominik Szoboszlai having failed to wow under Jurgen Klopp in his first season at Anfield, while Curtis Jones seems unable to put together a regular string of appearances without injury.

Now, they have been linked with a new option who could help take some of the creative pressures away from those already at Anfield.

Liverpool eyeing Dutch star

That is according to Christian Falk [Via Liverpool World], who claims that Liverpool are among the sides chasing a move for Netherlands ace Xavi Simons in the summer of 2025. Currently on loan at RB Leipzig from Paris Saint Germain, the Dutchman played in midfield for his nation at EURO 2024, and has already had the seal of approval from skipper Virgil van Dijk.

“He is a very talented player who has so much to give,” van Dijk said (via BBC Sport). “He can still be so much better than he is already but he has a good mentality, so I am not worried that won’t happen. I am confident in him.”

During his first stint at RB Leipzig, he was singled out for praise by teammate Dani Olmo, who dubbed him a “complete” player.

“He’s a really complete player and for us, for our system, for how we play, our ideas, the coaches’ ideas, it is perfect for us. Now he’s in a really good mood, in a really good shape so this is very helpful.”

Having starred for Leipzig and the national team, Simon’s ranks in the top 1% of stats across a massive 7 different categories when compared to other midfielders in Europe, including assists and progressive carries.

Xavi Simons vs midfielders (last 365 days)

Stat

per 90 mins

Rank (percentile)

Shots

2.67

99th

Assists

0.28

99th

Expected assists

0.31

99th

Progressive carries

5

99th

Progressive passes received

7.11

99th

Shot creating actions

6.1

99th

Expected goals and assists

0.53

99th

Progressive passes

6.04

74th

Touches in penalty area

3.57

97th

It had previously been reported that the talented youngster has already decided that his future will lie away from PSG next summer, a decision set to spark an almighty tussle for his signature when his current temporary £162k-p/w deal in Leipzig comes to an end.

And it is one that Liverpool are set to be a part of, if the report is to be believed, with another Dutchman potentially on his way to Anfield to join their growing core.

South Australia have poached the dual Sheffield Shield-winning fast bowler Brendan Doggett from Queensland among a raft of interstate additions to their squad. According to head coach Jason Gillespie, the new-look side will have a “focus on results” after four consecutive seasons at the bottom of the first-class standings and no victories at all in any competitions last season.The recruitment of Doggett, alongside the additions of Nathan McSweeney (also from Queensland), Jake Carder (Western Australia), the Sydney Thunder’s Nathan McAndrew (New South Wales) and contract upgrades for Ryan Gibson (NSW), Samuel Kerber (Victoria) and rookie Jordan Buckingham (Victoria), marks a major departure from recent seasons in which the Redbacks tried unsuccessfully to build a home-grown team.The failing fortunes of South Australia have been a talking point across the national system and were last year the subject of an independent review by Michael Hussey that panned a culture of mediocrity and conflicts of interest within the state’s high-performance wing.Hussey’s review had included the following recommendations: “Identify and try to recruit the best young talent around the country (former Australia U-19 players not contracted) and engage them through Premier Cricket making them earn opportunities at the next level. Identify quality players from interstate with first-class experience to fill holes in the current list or holes that will develop in the near future. Target the best 10th to 15th players from other states.”South Australia had already parted ways with Will Bosisto, Tom Cooper, Brad Davis, Conor McInerney, Luke Robins and Cameron Valente – all delisted – while Callum Ferguson and Chadd Sayers retired during the season after long careers with the Redbacks.”We are extremely delighted with the additions we’ve been able to make to freshen up our squad, and we’re optimistic for an improved 2021-22 season,” Gillespie said.”We have added considerable depth and increased our pace stocks, namely with Brendan who is a two-time Sheffield Shield champion, and we welcome each new player and look forward to the beginning of pre-season. We’ve shaped this new-look team with a focus on results, and we are confident that this rejuvenated list can take this proud state forward.”Doggett and McSweeney moved to South Australia as Queensland faced a contract squeeze on account of having only one Cricket Australia-contracted player in Marnus Labuschagne. James Bazley, the allrounder who delivered some eye-catching displays for the Brisbane Heat in last year’s BBL, is the only addition to the full contract list for the Bulls.South Australia contract list: Wes Agar, Alex Carey, Jake Carder, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Ryan Gibson, David Grant, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Samuel Kerber, Jake Lehmann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen, Tim Oakley, Lloyd Pope, Kane Richardson, Liam Scott, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter, Daniel Worrall
Rookie contracts: Jordan Buckingham, Bailey Capel, Kyle Brazell, Corey Kelly, Thomas KellyQueensland contract list: Xavier Bartlett, James Bazley, Joe Burns, Max Bryant, Blake Edwards, Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja, Matthew Kuhnemann, Michael Neser, Lachlan Pfeffer, Jimmy Peirson, Matt Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mark Steketee, Bryce Street, Mitch Swepson, Jack Wildermuth, Jack Wood
Rookie contracts:: Jack Clayton, Matthew Willans, Connor Sully, Will Prestwidge

A dead rat was found under a Manchester United fan's seat at Old Trafford, just days after reports of a rodent infestation at a nearby cafe.

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Dead rat found inside Old TraffordNearby railway attracts rodentsFans complain about ticket price hikesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Following reports that a United-themed cafe close to Old Trafford was recently forced to close over a rat infestation, it seems the issue has reached the club's famous stadium after a fan posted a photo showing a dead rodent underneath his seat during the Europa League tie against Bodo/Glimt on Thursday evening.

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The photo is spreading across social media, with the fan writing: "#mufc will let anyone in Old Trafford for £66, including dead animals apparently."

WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

A club source has told GOAL that United has an external contract with a pest control company, which carries out regular inspections around the grounds. The contractor works with various departments across the club, including facilities management and catering, to try to mitigate any issues.

However, Old Trafford is located between a railway line and a canal, areas that attract rodents, and the cold weather also entices them to enter buildings and covered areas to stay warm.

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DID YOU KNOW?

While Ruben Amorim celebrated his first win in charge on Thursday, it's been a difficult week off the pitch after the club announced that some prices will increase for all remaining home tickets this season. A protest will be held outside Old Trafford ahead of Sunday's game against Everton.