Liverpool have fallen from their throne at the top of the Premier League. While Arne Slot’s side have enjoyed something of a revival in recent weeks after such a shocking decline over the autumn months, they are a far cry of their 2024/25 selves.

Three successive wins have been claimed, and Liverpool are undefeated in six matches across all competitions. Still, this is a team far removed from the fluent and ferocious form of last season, and they will not catch pace-setters Arsenal in the race to the finish this season.

There are many variables at play, but after a record-breaking summer of spending in the transfer window, you’d be hard-pressed to make a compelling claim that Liverpool have hit the jackpot on a whole.

Why FSG have failed to strike gold with recruitment

Liverpool have struck gold time and time again on the transfer front, with the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk the staples, but a long list of acquisitions securing a glittering era of trophy-winning success.

The fact that Slot guided Liverpool to the Premier League title in his first year without welcoming more than Federico Chiesa to the ranks underscores both his tactical genius and Jurgen Klopp’s brilliance, assembling a team capable of hitting the biggest heights.

However, FSG’s big-money push this year has yet to prove a fruitful one, with players struggling to integrate.

With Klopp at the helm, Liverpool and FSG were widely lauded for their incredible eye for a deal. However, they did occasionally blunder, with Naby Keita a case in point.

Now, sporting director Richard Hughes may worry that he’s accidentally landed a new version of the Guinean midfielder, whose career in English football was ruined by a glassy fitness record.

Liverpool's new Naby Keita

When Liverpool forked out £125m to bring Alexander Isak over from Newcastle United before the transfer deadline in September, they did so with the knowledge that they were making him the most expensive player in British history.

Less than four months into his career on Merseyside, Isak, 26, has had a tough time, only bagging twice in the Premier League, the latter of which came against Tottenham last time out, but at the expense of his fitness, breaking his leg when challenged by Micky van de Ven and now sidelined for the foreseeable future.

The most frustrating part is that Isak has shown at the highest level – in the Premier League – that he is one of the best in the business. Liverpool know this well, having been damaged by him numerous times.

But, for all the £280k-per-week talent’s brilliance, FSG and Richard Hughes and Slot knew that he is a player who had endured setbacks on the injury front across his three years on Tyneside, and this disastrous development suggests that he is in danger of becoming the new Keita, immensely talented but impeded by flimsy fitness levels.

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Keita, who excelled in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, slumped as soon as he touched grass in England’s top flight, unable to muster a convincing run of form for pretty much the entire five-year span of action under Klopp’s wing.

Naby Keita’s Premier League Career By Season

Season

Apps

Minutes

22/23

8

292′

21/22

23

1,175′

20/21

10

521′

19/20

18

813′

18/19

25

1,395′

Data via Transfermarkt

There is hope and expectation that Isak’s woes won’t be so severe, but it’s worrying all the same, with the anxious wait for the results of the 6 foot 3 striker’s MRI scan anticipated to make for grim reading for those of a Red persuasion.

Last year, producer and content creator Lewis Bowden claimed Isak was “the best player in the world”. It was a bold and contentious claim, and one which cannot ring true on current form.

But Isak’s £125m transfer fee and his past exploits in the Premier League confirm that Liverpool have a superstar on their hands, but despite his immense quality, there’s little question that such an injury- and fitness-ravaged debut campaign will have heightened fears that the new Keita has alighted at Anfield this year.

Related An Isak solution: Liverpool agree personal terms to sign big-money PL star

Liverpool are looking to sign a forward in the January transfer window

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Somerset’s first innings ended 25 minutes before lunch on the second day when they were bowled out for 488. Top scorer Keith Parsons remained undefeated on 193, an innings which contained 22 boundaries and one 6.Resuming from their overnight 390-6 Somerset’s not out batsmen Parsons and Jason Kerr looked to seize the initiative early and elevate their side to a potentially match-winning first innings total.During the West Indies last tour of the UK in 1995 Kerr scored 80 against them at taunton. Sadly his batting has stagnated somewhat and he yet to better that score. He began confidently on the second morning though, driving Nixon McLean straight for four and then slashing high over the slips for another boundary.Those two shots helped lift the county side beyond 400, the first side to do so this summer and the first time ever that Somerset have done it against the West Indies. With Reon King off the fielding – nursing a bruised instep – and Corey Collymore also mysteriously absent, Roger Harper, the West Indies’ coach, reminded us of a bygone era with some athletic stops and fine throwing from the deep.The tourists had perhaps expected to swiftly wrap up the Somerset innings on the second day but Parsons and Kerr had other ideas as they stretched their stand past 70.Nine years ago South African Jimmy Cook hit 162, the highest individual score by a Somerset batsmen against the West Indies, and he was expunged from the record books as Parsons went past him with a clip to midwicket.With the score on 422 Nixon McLean, in his 23rd over, at last picked up his first wicket. Kerr, having made an accomplished 32, steered a sharply-lifting delivery into the bucket-like hands of Lara at first slip.Adrian Pierson hung around for 20 balls (during which he only made a single) before he nicked one to ‘keeper Phillip, again off McLean. That brought 20 year old Joe Tucker in for his debut innings, which began with a McLean ‘throat ball’. A clumsily-conceded bye enabled him to escape to the relative sanctuary of Nagamootoo’s end, allowing Parsons to smash the quickie down the ground for 4.It was from the bowling of McLean that Tucker eventually got his first run, dabbing him on the on-side for a single. His next scoring shot almost brought his downfall – a dash for the line just beating Adrian Griffith’s direct hit from midwicket. Visibly growing in confidence he then pulled McLean square to bring up the 450.After bowling 12 consecutive from the River End Nixon McLean gave way to Wavell Hinds and the switch brought instant success as Tucker feathered hi first ball to Phillip for an encouraging 14.Last man Jamie Grove hung around to add 17 valuable runs but with Parsons in sight of a double-ton he lost his middle stump to Hinds, who finished with 3-32.

Sri Lanka claimed a two-wicket win in the third Under-19 Test at Worcesterand took the series 2-1, having lost the first Test.They began the day needing 52 more runs to win with five wickets in hand andlost the crucial wicket of opener Ian Daniels early on when he had his offstumped removed by Tim Murtagh.But Malintha Gajanayake and skipper Kaushalya Weeraratne took their side tothe brink of victory with an excellent partnership of 37 for the seventhwicket.With only five runs needed for victory, Essex left-armer Justin Bishop, whotook seven for 42 in the first innings, struck twice in two balls to putEngland right back in the hunt.First he had Weeraratne caught behind and then Ranil Dhammika was wellcaught low at first slip by Nicky Peng.New batsman Akalanka Ganegama, who took ten wickets in the match, scrambleda single before Gajanayake drove Bishop through the covers for the winningruns, which sparked a pitch invasion by the entire jubilant Sri Lankan side.It was the first series England had lost at under-19 level since 1996 whenthey were beaten 1-0 by New Zealand.England manager Tim Boon paid tribute to Sri Lanka’s bowlers, saying: “Theirseamers have bowled progressively better during the series and they bowled agreat line and length here.”It was a helter skelter game of cricket on an uneven pitch and I just hopethat our players take this experience on board and learn from it. That iswhat Under-19 cricket is all about.”

Durham 459 for 9 dec and 228 for 6 dec beat MCC 162 and 214 (Murtagh 55*, Borthwick 4-57) by 311 runs
ScorecardScott Borthwick’s four wickets capped an impressive game for the legspinner•PA Photos

Durham’s bowlers wasted no time in wrapping up a comprehensive 311-run victory over MCC in the first match of the county season.The champions resumed on day four needing three more wickets and mopped up the tail in 45 minutes. While the setting, a deserted Sheikh Zayed Stadium rather than a rainy Lord’s, was unfamiliar, Durham’s status as the side to beat in English cricket is fast becoming the norm.Nevertheless, the focus has been less about the build up to the summerprogramme and more about the innovations on show, chiefly the use of a pink ball under floodlights.Durham had looked likely to wrap up victory inside three days until Tim Murtagh and Jon Lewis put on an unbroken 59-run stand for the eighth wicket last night. But having delayed Durham’s inevitable triumph and ensured their bowlers would have to return for one final push in sapping heat, Lewis (32) promptly threw away his wicket off the first ball of the day.Ian Blackwell was the bowler, but he will take little satisfaction from thedelivery, a slow long hop that Lewis somehow contrived to nick to wicketkeeper Phil Mustard.Steve Harmison took only eight balls to add the wicket of Dean Cosker (14) at the other end. The out-of-favour England bowler has looked dangerous when motivated, which has been intermittently at best, and had no problems beating the Cosker’s defences to win a clear lbw verdict.Murtagh, now with only Steve Kirby for company, quickly added the 23 he needed to reach 50 and was dropped by Mustard off Harmison moments later. He finished 55 not out as Kirby fell for 16 to 19-year-old legspinner Scott Borthwick, who picked up his fourth wicket of the innings and eighth of the match with a googly.

ScorecardMason Crane shocked Warwickshire [file picture]•Getty Images

Mason Crane bamboozled Warwickshire to become the youngest Hampshire player to take a County Championship five wicket haul on Day Two at the Ageas Bowl.Leg spinner Crane, who is 18 and 171 days, beat Alex Kennedy’s 106-year record by 21 days as he posted figures of 5 for 35. This is only his second first-class match after making his debut against Durham last month.He shared the Hampshire wickets with West Indian Fidel Edwards who also returned a five wicket haul with marginally better figures of five for 32.It wasn’t all plain sailing for Crane as he dropped a basic chance at mid-on to give Laurie Evans a life – off Jackson Bird, who was bitterly unlucky to go wicketless.The 18-year-old Crane began his wicket taking spell by bowling Warwickshire captain Varun Chopra with a well disguised googly.Then four balls latter Crane added another former Test star to his scalp list – his first professional wicket was Kumar Sangakkara – as Jonathan Trott scored a second duck in a week against Hampshire.Sam Hain and Tim Ambrose then departed in two balls to leave Crane on a hat trick – Hain caught behind while wicketkeeper Ambrose was leg before – to end a 20 ball spell of four wickets for six runs.West Indian Fidel Edwards had taken the first Warwickshire wicket before lunch when Ian Westwood edged to Gareth Berg at fourth slip.He then took over from his accomplice Crane to clean up the tail with his speedy and slingy action.Rikki Clarke was struck on the pads leaving to depart lbw, then to the last ball of the afternoon Chris Woakes edged behind.Edwards and Crane sharing all ten Warwickshire scalps, with the away side losing their last nine wickets for just 47 runs.Hampshire had 26 overs to boost their 160 run lead – after deciding against forcing the visitors to follow-on. But they lost Jimmy Adams in the fourth over as he top edged a hook to Westwood at square leg.Michael Carberry got away with a voracious caught behind appeal early on but reached 34 at the close – with captain James Vince also on 34 and the Hampshire lead up to 242.In the morning, seamer Clarke saw off the stubborn Hampshire tail to bowl the hosts out for 285, after Gareth Berg scored his fourth fifty of the summer.Italian international all-rounder Berg collected his 73 ball half century with a boundary – which also brought up the 50 partnership with Mason Crane – to continue his fine summer with both bat and ball following his winter move from Middlesex.Berg only managed eight more deliveries before he mistimed a pull shot to Boyd Rankin at fine leg – soon after changing his bat – to give Clarke his second of the innings.And the ex-England Test bowler finished the home side with his third scalp when Crane prodded a short delivery to Trott at leg slip – scoring a sedate 13 from 68 balls.West Indian Fidel Edwards was the unbeaten batsman, scoring an exciting 17 – as the hosts missed out on a third bonus point by 15 runs.

Steven Smith, the Australia batsman, regained his number one spot in ICC’s Test batsmen rankings after a strong performance in the recently concluded fifth Ashes Test. Joe Root had overtaken Smith on the rankings after the fourth Test, but a 143 in the first innings of the fifth Test helped Smith reclaim the top spot with 910 ranking points. Root managed scores of 6 and 11 in that Test and subsequently moved to third, one point behind second-placed AB de Villiers.Kumar Sangakkara finished his Test career in the seventh spot after a match tally of 50 runs in his final Test against India in Colombo. Sangakkara held the top spot for 812 days in his Test career before being displaced last by de Villiers in December 2014.Michael Clarke, who also retired from Test cricket after the final Ashes Test, concluded at No. 25. He too was the top-ranked Test batsman, for a period spanning 70 days. Chris Rogers, who also called time on his international career after the last Ashes Test, scored 480 runs in the series, behind only Smith’s 508. As a result, he leapfrogged into the top ten – moving from the 23rd spot to the tenth.In the team rankings, if India win 2-1 against Sri Lanka, they will overtake New Zealand and move into fifth place. However, a Sri Lanka series victory would see them overtake India into sixth place. In the event of a drawn series, India will remain in sixth place, four points clear of Sri Lanka.

Simon Taufel has decided to resign as the ICC umpires performance and training manager. Confirming October 31 would be Taufel’s last date in the job the ICC said it was trying to retain the Australian in an “alternate” role.”The ICC can confirm that Simon Taufel has resigned from his position as ICC Umpire Performance & Training Manager. However, the ICC is in negotiation with Mr Taufel with regards to a possible alternate role in the organisation and an announcement will be made in due course,” an ICC spokesperson said.Incidentally, Taufel would be officiating as an umpire in the three-game T20 exhibition tour in the USA in November, which is being promoted by Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne. Taufel, along with his former Australian umpiring colleague Steve Davis, and South African Marais Erasmus have been appointed umpires for the three matches to be played in New York (November 7), Houston (November 11) and Los Angeles (November 14).A role model for up-and-coming umpires, Taufel was adjudged umpire of the year for five years in a row from 2004 to 2008. Taufel stepped down from the Elite Panel after the World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka in 2012. Since then, he has been mainly focussing on training umpires around the world, and has played a prominent role in the development of Indian umpires in his role as consultant with the BCCI’s Umpires Academy in Nagpur.

If Australia and New Zealand are the big brother and little brother across the ditch, they have certainly mastered the art of the sibling insults. You’re immature. No, you are. I know you are but what am I? Such is the niggle that has crept in between the teams this year, a year in which they not only faced off in a World Cup final, but have clearly approached their cricket in different ways.New Zealand under Brendon McCullum are all about the spirit of cricket. No sledging and send-offs for them. By comparison, Australia have been widely viewed as the villains of the rivalry, the masters of the on-field verbals, the send-offs, of playing to win at all costs. They say they try not to cross the line, but in the words of David Warner: “We’ve head-butted it a couple of times”.A key case of carping this year was McCullum’s column in September, when he said that Australia’s captain Steven Smith had “showed his immaturity” by not withdrawing an obstructing the field appeal against England’s Ben Stokes in an ODI. McCullum argued that it was a chance for Smith to make a statement about the way he wanted his side to play.It was a comment that was not well received by the Australians, who in the lead-up to this week’s first Test in Brisbane have clearly not forgotten McCullum’s words. Smith told this week that he was “a little bit disappointed” and that he felt it was none of McCullum’s business; his vice-captain was less polite in his words when asked about the incident on Tuesday.”In my opinion it was something that was quite poor and immature on his behalf, to actually make the comment about Steve,” Warner said. “For one, as an international cricketer I don’t see the need or the right for a current cricket captain to write columns on another series. After I read the first one I didn’t really pay attention to what he was saying.”His opinion is going to be heard worldwide but you can’t be talking about the players the way he did. At the end of the day he’s the captain and you’ve got to respect Brendon, he’s done a great job with the Kiwis and he’s trying to make them the world’s politest team, and well done to him.”Warner was critical of what he considered to be the hypocrisy of McCullum by having his team play as the “Mr Nice Guys” of world cricket on the field, yet criticise Australia’s captain off it. New Zealand have been regular winners of the ICC’s Spirit of Cricket Award, but that is not something that interests Warner.McCullum had written that Smith had shown his immaturity by not withdrawing an obstructing-the-field appeal against England at Lord’s•Getty Images

“At the end of the day you’re not playing for the Spirit of Cricket Award are you, you’re playing for a series and for us that’s what our goal is, is to win the series,” he said. “Our goal is to be No.1 in all formats and we’re always going to fight for that. At the end of the day we try not to cross that line. A couple of times we’ve head-butted it.”Smith, for his part, said this week that if he had his time over again he would do nothing differently in following through with the obstructing the field appeal against Stokes. McCullum wondered in his newspaper column at the time whether Smith might live to regret the appeal, but Australia’s captain dismissed that suggestion this week.”I actually wouldn’t change a thing,” Smith said. “I think what happened, Starcy threw the ball and Stokes willingly put his hand out when the ball was going to hit the stumps, so for me it was just out. If I faced the same situation again you’d get the same result.”It was a nice little experience. Obviously the crowds can be quite vocal over in England, at Lord’s that day they were getting into you. That doesn’t happen too often but I think it was nice to look back and be able to say if that happened again I’d do the same thing. No regrets.”The New Zealanders can no doubt expect some choice words from the Australians when the Test series begins on Thursday, as was the case during the World Cup; after the final, Brad Haddin said he had wanted to get stuck into New Zealand because they had been so nice it made him feel uncomfortable. Fast bowler Trent Boult said sledging was not in the New Zealand make-up.”In terms of sledging, the Australians are known for that but I can’t see us wasting too much energy there and getting caught up in too much of that stuff,” Boult said. “We haven’t spoken about don’t sledge anyone or anything like that. It’s 38 degrees out there at the moment so we aren’t going to waste our energy trying to spray the Australians.”

Easter Sunday, retirement from first class cricket and a Ranji Trophytriumph. Abey Kuruvilla was a picture of contentment as he led theside off the field after they beat Hyderabad by the thumping margin of297 runs. The scenes out in the middle that followed the fall of thelast wicket were made especially emotional by the events that led upto this victory. Mumbai had a very bad season last time around and didnot even qualify for the Ranji Super League. Sachin Tendulkar handedthe captaincy of the Mumbai team to stumper Sameer Dighe and stillpulled off a spectacular win against Tamil Nadu in the semifinal.Mumbai needed just 33 minutes on the final day to knock off the lastthree Hyderabad wickets. Rajesh Pawar helped himself to career bestfigures of 7/103 on what was supposed to be a green top. Mumbai wentinto the match with four seamers and ironically it was the slow leftarm spinner who had the best returns.A disappointed Mohammed Azharuddin admitted that they were outplayedin all departments. “We batted badly, fielded badly and bowledbadly. On the first day we really should have bowled Mumbai out forabout 350.” When he was asked if travelling by train all the way toMumbai from Hyderabad made a difference he said “The boys were verytired after that journey. It was almost 12 hours long and at the endof a season it would have made sense to fly. The team has been workingvery hard all season and has been doing well. It would have been agood gesture on the part of the board to fly the players for thefinal. That’s the kind of support we expect from the board.”The contrast was obvious for all to see when an overjoyed Dighe metthe press. “We’ve played very well all season and I’m very happy thatwe won.” He was full of praise for all his teammates but reserved thebest for Tendulkar, “Sachin was a great motivating factor. What can Isay about his commitment, dedication and approach to the game?”The coach of the Mumbai team Ashok Mankad was proud of his boys. “Iam so filled with different emotions. Contentment, fulfillment and asense of redeeming ourselves for last year’s performance fills menow.”The last match of the domestic season ended on a high note for thehome team. As one journalist whispered, the Ranji Trophy has come backhome.

Another dreadful batting performance from the West Indies will see them lookingdown the barrel of a possible, but by no means certain, defeat againstGlamorgan. The WIndies were skittled for 97 on a turning pitch, leavingGlamorgan 134 runs to win the match tomorrow.Hansie Cronje believes he was led by Satan when he accepted money from an Indianbookmaker. Quite what Brian Lara is being led by at the moment is much morepuzzling. Lara appeared to have left his white stick and guide dog at homeyesterday, beginning his knock with a perfectly timed cover drive. He sauntereddown the wicket and over the top, two flashes of genius, but this was not theLara we have got to know. He laboured somewhat over his 11 runs, lasting out 32balls, before Croft nabbed him for the second time in the game, padding up to aball which, on reflection, would have probably passed by the off-stump.Lara may have been unfortunate, but the rest of the West Indians were lazy, apoor attempt to combat a difficult pitch. Sherwin Campbell was well caught byWharf, from his own bowling, after the right-hander mis-judged a pull, the ballnot coming quickly onto the bat. Hinds miscued a slash, caught at mid-on. ChrisGayle was trapped plumb in front by Wharf, his bat some way behind his pad, apoor judgement.With Lara gone, the score was 20-4, and some direct action was needed. It came,albeit too briefly, in the form of Ridley Jacobs, who crashed six boundaries inhis 43. Adams long vigil was ended by Wharf, who also picked up the wicket ofNagamootoo, for a less than elegant duck. The end came fairly swiftly, despitesome clean hitting from McLean. Wayne Phillip was well held at silly point, areaction catch from Mike Powell, who had replaced Wayne Law close in on the offside. Whilst Powell looked ready for a catch, Law cowered comically every timethe striker raised his blade. With Parkin and Croft picking up three a piece andWharf four, it was a fine performance by Glamorgan.The Welshmen too batted dreadfully earlier in the day. The pitches at SophiaGardens turn square, but there was no excuse for night-watchman Dean Cosker’sdismissal, bowled off stump, leaving one from McLean. The only real resistancecame from James, who battled for 39. Today looks set to be an interesting one,particularly as the ball is likely to be in the hands of leg-spinner Nagamootoo- who claimed four victims in Glamorgans first effort – very early on.