The No.2 team have a huge task ahead of them, but here’s why they can feel hopeful

Andrew McGlashan24-Dec-2019The band is back togetherWhen 255 Test wickets sit out, it is going to leave a hole. Trent Boult will be back in New Zealand’s line-up for Melbourne, bringing his experience and potency with the new ball. It means that the trio of Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner – who can lay claim to being New Zealand’s finest-ever pace combination – are in harness again.”It’s always nice to have an experienced player back. He’s a seasoned performer,” Southee said. “Not only our partnership, but Wags as well, the three of us, we’ve played a lot of cricket together and had a lot of success together and we work very well together. Trent, myself and Wags have played in various conditions and we’ve had some success in most parts of the world.”A chance to refreshThere can sometimes be two ways to want to respond to a heavy defeat; have time to reflect or get back at it straightaway. However, in New Zealand’s case, the fact that it has been the former is almost certainly a good thing, especially for the bowlers. After losing Lockie Ferguson to injury on the opening day in Perth, Southee and Wagner put in a huge workload for the remainder of the game and it would have been a struggle to get up again in a back-to-back scenario.”It would have been interesting with a three-day turnaround,” Southee agreed. “It’s been a long break and the guys are ready and keen to get back into some cricket.”They also know that some of the elements of the opening Test wouldn’t be repeated, with the traditional red-ball and daytime hours back in play.Tim Southee gets applauded by his teammates after his five-wicket haul•Getty ImagesBouncebackabilityIn recent times, New Zealand have responded well to defeats. They have not lost back-to-back Tests since 2016. In the last 12 months, they have twice answered hefty losses on the road by winning the next match. Against Pakistan in the UAE, they lost the second Test by an innings and 16 runs then claimed the series by winning the next by 123 runs in Abu Dhabi, and in Sri Lanka earlier this year, responded to a six-wicket loss with an innings-and-65-run victory. Their last win in Australia, back in 2011 in Hobart, also came in similar circumstances after a thrashing in Brisbane was turned around into a famous seven-run win. There are four survivors from that match (Williamson, Taylor, Boult and Southee), who will line up at the MCG. This New Zealand team knows how to fight back.ALSO READ: Remember the last time New Zealand played a Boxing Day Test?Element of the unknownNo, this isn’t about the pitch (there’s been plenty about that), but instead about Tom Blundell. He has been thrust into the opening position in place of Jeet Raval, which would seem quite a thankless task against this Australian attack – and it’s probably not how he planned to resume his Test career – but in many ways he has nothing to lose. He made a Test hundred on debut and also scored an excellent century in the lead-up to the World Cup against West Indies. As ever, the opposition will have done their homework, but he may just be able to catch them by surprise.Travelling supportNew Zealand won’t be short of support. Estimates have said there could be 16,000 New Zealand fans as part of a huge Boxing Day crowd, which is expected to be upward of 70,000. Because of the size of the grounds back home, that is more of their supporters than they would play in front of on their own soil. “It’s a great occasion to be a part of,” Southee said. “A lot of great New Zealand cricketers haven’t had the chance to do it so it’s something special.” Much has been made of them perhaps being overawed by the moment, but why can’t they use it as inspiration?

Whilst it still looks far-fetched, Ipswich Town did manage to breathe life back into their faint Premier League survival hopes with a mightily impressive 2-1 win on their travels to AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday night.

The away masses making the long trip to the South Coast for the mid-week clash would have been anticipating a defeat, considering the home side harbours aspirations of Europe far away from relegation trouble, but Kieran McKenna’s men would flip the script to secure their first league victory of 2025.

The game-clinching man of the hour would unsurprisingly be Liam Delap, with the ex-Manchester City striker’s price tag only increasing more and more if he can put in further displays like this before the campaign is out.

Delap's performance in numbers vs Bournemouth

Being looked at intensely by most of the Premier League’s elite sides – with Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal sniffing around just to name a few – Ipswich face a losing battle attempting to keep their 22-year-old hotshot around, particularly if an expected relegation is served up.

Still, before any major money move is signed off on, Ipswich supporters will want to bask in the goalscoring prowess of their clinical number 19 whilst they still can, with his well-worked goal against Andoni Iraola’s Cherries taking his top-flight tally to a sturdy 11.

Combining well with left-back talent Conor Townsend before slotting an effort home, it was a much-improved showing from Ipswich in the attacking areas when contrasted with their recent 1-0 loss away at Crystal Palace, with Nathan Broadhead also getting in on the act in the first half.

Whilst Broadhead and Delap managed to shine bright throughout, there were some notable underperformers on the end of the Suffolk side, including one of their attacking teammates who could now face the axe.

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Expand Collapse Ipswich's worst performer against Bournemouth

Despite the Tractor Boys being obviously jubliant at the end with their efforts, not everyone came away from the contest having put in a sterling individual offering.

Ben Johnson fits into that unwanted category, with the ex-West Ham United man noticeably wasteful on the ball with possession squandered a sizeable 21 times across a torrid 89 minutes against the Cherries.

Johnson’s performance in numbers

Stat

Johnson

Minutes played

89

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Touches

46

Accurate passes

10/17 (59%)

Key passes

1

Possession lost

21x

Accurate crosses

1/7

Successful dribbles

0/1

Total duels won

3/12

Stats by Sofascore

Indeed, the table above makes for some pretty uninviting reading, with the versatile number 18 only managing to amass ten accurate passes from his 46 touches of the ball, alongside only one accurate cross being registered down his right flank.

Moreover, Johnson – who often lines up as a defender down the right – could only win three duels all night, with a miscued clearance late on also allowing Evanilson the chance to fire home Bournemouth’s only goal.

With no Omari Hutchinson available for selection, McKenna was is in a slight pickle about who he picked on the right wing, but based off this showing on the South Coast, he would be better off not persisting with Johnson as his chosen man here.

Instead, there are other faces such as Jaden Philogene-Bidace who could work better in this role moving forward, with the former Hammers figure a body McKenna can rely on as a utility presence if needed.

As is often the case in the beautiful game, it’s the hope that inevitably kills you, but wins such as these on road will give Ipswich some drive that survival against all the odds can still be achieved, even as the season quickly ticks away to its end point.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Apr 1, 2025

Manchester United are seemingly willing to sell an Old Trafford star who Ruben Amorim isn’t sure about, with Real Madrid keen on a potential deal this summer.

Man Utd suffer another defeat as INEOS eye summer signings

The Red Devils suffered yet another Premier League defeat following the international break, losing 1-0 to Champions League-chasing Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Amorim’s side had plenty of possession and more attempts than the hosts, but former winger Anthony Elanga was the matchwinner. The Man Utd boss even brought on Harry Maguire in an attacking role in the final stages, with the centre-back almost netting an equaliser.

Talking about that decision, Amorim said: “In the end of the game, when the opponent is just protecting the box, if you look at the defenders of Nottingham, they are really comfortable. And then with a line of six, not five, a line of six, we can reach the final third but then we have to put the ball inside the box because it’s hard to make the combinations to get inside the box to score goal.

“Harry Maguire, when he’s attacking in set-pieces, is maybe the best player we have in our team, so inside the box, you are not a defender, you are a striker. So it was that idea to put I one man who is really good in the air to score a goal.”

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A move appears to be advancing.

ByCharlie Smith Apr 2, 2025

A new attacker to rival Rasmus Hojlund appears to be on the to-do list this summer, especially as Man Utd regret signing Joshua Zirkzee and want him sold, as per recent reports.

Hugo Ekitike of Eintracht Frankfurt is a Red Devils fan and appears to be a target, however, players may need to be sold in order to fund their summer business.

Man Utd ready to sell Mainoo with Amorim unsure on fitness levels

One player who could be on the way out of Old Trafford is Kobbie Mainoo. Linked with a move to Chelsea during the January transfer window, the midfielder stayed put, however, he has missed the last nine games through injury.

Now, according to a report from Spain, Man Utd appear to be willing to sell Mainoo and have set an asking price of €50m (£41.7m), with his current contract set to expire in 2027.

Real Madrid see Mainoo as ‘a serious option to strengthen their midfield for the upcoming season’, whereas Chelsea and Inter Milan are also keen.

Selling Mainoo will help generate funds for summer signing ahead of Amorim’s first full season, and it has been claimed elsewhere that the Man Utd manager isn’t the midfielder’s biggest fan.

In fact, Amorim is ‘not completely convinced Mainoo has the fitness levels to be a success in his system’, and by the looks of things, the academy product could be on the way out of Old Trafford in a matter of months.

Despite beating Real Madrid 3-0 on Tuesday night, it was another game that highlighted why Arsenal need a striker in the summer.

Mikel Arteta’s men were sensational on the night, but prior to Declan Rice’s first free-kick, there were multiple opportunities that a seasoned poacher would have likely put away.

The clearest was when Bukayo Saka played an inch-perfect ball across the Spaniards’ penalty area, and nobody was there to poke it in the back of the net.

The club clearly think the same, as there has been a near-constant stream of stories touting some of the continent’s most exciting centre-forwards for a move to the Emirates this summer, with Viktor Gyokeres perhaps the most consistent in recent weeks, although if he does join the Gunners, he’ll have to hit the ground running to see his valuation surpass one of his competitors for game time.

The latest on Gyokeres to Arsenal

Arsenal’s interest in the Sporting CP star has been relatively long held at this point, with reports coming out about it last summer and then again in the winter window, but it certainly seems to have stepped up a gear in recent weeks.

For example, it was late last month when a story claimed that the Gunners were planning to hold talks with the Swedish poacher and that he could be allowed to leave Sporting for up to £58m.

Then, earlier this week, more reports emerged revealing that the North Londoners were now the frontrunners for the 26-year-old and prepared to offer him a five-year contract worth about £192k-per-week.

Now, this is certainly a lot of money to spend on a player from the Portuguese league, but based on his performances over the last couple of seasons, it could prove to be worth it and then some.

For example, since moving to Lisbon, the Stockholm-born monster has scored 87 goals and provided 26 assists in 94 appearances, which comes out to an average of 1.2 goal involvements per appearance.

Appearances

94

Starts

83

Minutes

7689′

Goals

87

Asssists

26

Points per Game

2.23

Goal Involvements per Match

1.2

Minutes per Goal Involvement

68.04′

However, even if the Gunners get their man, they already have a forward, signed by Arteta, in the side worth considerably more than him.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Gyokeres

So, when we say Arsenal already have a forward signed by Arteta in the squad who is worth millions more than Gyokeres, that might not be an entirely accurate way of describing the situation, as Kai Havertz was initially signed as a midfielder.

Yes, the player in question is the ace who divides opinion perhaps more than anyone else in the Gunners’ squad, but he is still worth an enormous sum of money.

For example, the CIES Football Observatory prices the German international at €130.1m, which converts to about £112m or £54m more than Gyokeres could cost this summer.

Now, there will undoubtedly be many scoffing at such a valuation, and while it is on the high side, it reflects the fact that the former Chelsea star is an important part of Arteta’s squad.

For example, while his overall record of 29 goals and 12 assists in 85 appearances for the North Londoners is reasonably impressive, it becomes much more so when we look at just the games he’s played up top.

Appearances

85

47

Goals

29

19

Assists

12

12

Goal Involvements per Match

0.48

0.65

In those 47 games, totalling 3974 minutes, the “sensational” talent, as dubbed by Mikel Arteta, has scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists.

That means the 25-year-old has averaged a goal involvement every 1.51 games, or every 128.19 minutes when leading the line, which for a Premier League forward are not numbers to be sniffed at.

Ultimately, while Gyokeres would undoubtedly replace Havertz as Arsenal’s number nine were he to sign in the summer, the German would surely remain an important player in the squad, regardless of how some perceive him.

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 10, 2025

Newcastle United are on course to qualify for Europe for just the second time since the 2012/13 season.

The Champions League campaign in 2023/24 didn’t quite go to plan for Eddie Howe’s side, but if they do return, the club will be more mature in their bid to reach the knockout stages.

Prior to this, the last time Newcastle played on the continent was in the Europa League during the 2012/13 season, reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.

Their star player back then was Yohan Cabaye and the Frenchman became something of a cult icon during his spell at the club.

Why Yohan Cabaye was a cult figure for Newcastle

In the summer of 2011, the Magpies signed Cabaye from Lille for a fee in the region of just £4.3m, and it soon proved to be a bargain.

His first season was a magnificent success, registering four goals and grabbing six assists in the Premier League as the Toon secured European qualification for the first time in nearly a decade after a fifth-place finish.

While the following season saw the club drop to 16th in the top flight, Cabaye continued to impress, and he was beginning to attract plenty of attention.

This ability to both score and create chances caught the eye of PSG, who swooped to sign him in January 2014 for £20m, ensuring Newcastle made a profit on the player.

18 goals and 12 assists in 93 matches for the club was impressive indeed but has Howe now found the club’s new Cabaye?

Newcastle's next Yohan Cabaye

Newcastle have made plenty of superb signings since PIF completed their takeover of the club, notably Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes.

However, the underrated Sandro Tonali deserves his flowers too having now proven himself to be one of the best signings the club has made in years when he joined from AC Milan two years ago.

That being said, it did not start in the best possible way. Indeed, a ten-month ban came into force in October 2023 after he was found guilty of betting on matches involving Milan.

Since returning to the first-team fold earlier this season, however, Tonali has been in excellent form, proving himself to be well worth the reported £55m fee they shelled out.

Goals

3

Assists

1

Big chances created

1

Key passes per game

0.4

Total duels won per game

3.7

Tackles per game

1.5

Across 38 matches in all competitions for the club, the Italian has scored five times and chipped in with two assists, the last of which came on Sunday against United.

Cabaye was the fulcrum for Newcastle during 2011/12 as they finished fifth, and it appears as though Tonali is embracing a very similar mantle under Howe, aiming to drive the Toon towards another stint in continental football..

The £120k-per-week midfielder has been dubbed as a “big game player” by talent scout Jacek Kulig previously, and he is exuding these talents this term.

His three league goals have all come during vital wins over Southampton, Brentford and Manchester United this season, highlighting how good he is when the pressure is on.

If he continues his recent form over the final few games of the campaign, Newcastle will secure a spot in the Champions League group stages for the second time in three seasons.

It’s safe to say they struck gold on this one.

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ByConnor Holden Apr 13, 2025

Even in a frustrating season, Rangers have still had their standout stars and Gers legend Ally McCoist took the time to have his say on two particular players he’d have loved to have played with.

Ally McCoist full of praise for Rangers stars

It’s been a nightmare campaign for the Gers in the Scottish Premiership. They have been a world away from runaway leaders Celtic and are heading into the summer transfer window with it all to do. Those at Ibrox will, however, be hoping that the pending arrival of the 49ers will help turn a new leaf and bridge the gap on their Old Firm rivals once and for all.

The first take that the 49ers will need to tick off their list of priorities will no doubt be hiring a permanent replacement for Philippe Clement, but then their aim should be to keep hold of some of their stars – including two that Ally McCoist name-dropped.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast in partnership with TalkSPORTBET, McCoist was asked which current Ibrox stars he’d like to have played with.

Rangers must go all-out to keep Raskin and Cerny

Many around Ibrox will certainly agree with McCoist’s praise and it’s something that the 49ers should instantly recognise before keeping hold of the two Rangers stars. In the case of Vaclav Cerny, things are slightly more complicated than they could be, however. It’s not just a case of keeping hold of the winger, the Gers must renegotiate their loan deal into a permanent arrival with parent club Wolfsburg.

Meanwhile, keeping hold of Raskin may also prove to be difficult amid reported interest from the likes of Aston Villa and Leeds United. As McCoist mentioned, the Belgian has recently become a full international and is a player who is making “steady improvement”. Whether that’s improvement Rangers can keep up with will certainly be interesting to see this summer.

What is certain though, is that both current stars would have thrived alongside McCoist – the type of player that the 49ers would love to have at their disposal upon their arrival.

Well, it would be fair to say that Tottenham Hotspur surpassed most people’s expectations last night.

Ange Postecoglou’s side went into the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final away to Eintracht Frankfurt off the back of a dire 4-2 defeat against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League, so plenty of fans and pundits alike feared the worst.

However, the North Londoners put in a superb performance on the night, demonstrating that, when near their best, they can be a real force to be reckoned with.

In fact, there were brilliant displays across the pitch from the visitors, but a couple really stood out and are now undroppable, including Dominic Solanke.

Solanke's game vs Frankfurt

It’s been a challenging couple of months for Spurs’ record-signing, as, since returning from his knee injury towards the end of February, he failed to score in eight games across the league and Europa League until his ninth appearance last night, that is.

After James Maddison won the Lilywhites a penalty in the 38th minute, it was up to the former Bournemouth star to put it away, and with a well-placed shot down the middle, he did just that.

However, it wasn’t just the goal that made his performance such an impressive one, as the Englishman ran himself into the ground all game, be that to help craft chances for his teammates or to pressure the hosts’ backline and stop them from gaining any sort of foothold in the game.

Unsurprisingly, the watching press was equally impressed, with Alasdair Gold awarding the poacher an 8/10 match rating at full-time and writing that he ‘gave everything’ and that Frankfurt ‘never had a moment of quiet with him.’

In short, it was the sort of display that makes him undroppable for the semi-finals, which could also be said for one of his fellow starters.

The Spurs star who is now undroppable

So, there were a few other starters from last night that put in a solid showing, from Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur to Mathys Tel and Destiny Udogie, but when it comes to the other star of the night, it has to be Cristian Romero.

Chalkboard

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

As one of the club’s co-vice-captains, the World Cup winner led by example last night, and while he may have had one of his trademark moments of madness towards the end of the match, he was simply superb for the rest of the game.

Alongside centre-back partner Micky van de Ven, the Argentine restricted the hosts from gaining any serious chances at goal and then, on top of that, he also played the ball into Maddison, which won the side their game-winning penalty.

Like Solanke, the former Juventus gem left quite the impression on Gold, who awarded him a 9/10 match rating and wrote that he ‘defended well’ and put in ‘one of his best displays of the season’.

It might sound like hyperbole, but it’s really not, and the defender’s statistics help further illustrate how good he was.

For example, in his 97 minutes of action, he amassed a combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.44, made ten clearances, blocked one shot, made four interceptions and two tackles, won nine of 12 duels, lost the ball just seven times, took 71 touches, played one key pass, created one big chance and completed 100% of his dribbles.

Minutes

97′

Expected Goals

0.15

Expected Assists

0.29

Clearances

10

Blocked Shots

1

Interceptions

4

Tackles

2

Dribbled Past

0

Ground Duels (Won)

6 (5)

Aerial Duels (Won)

6 (4)

Lost Possession

7

Touches

71

Fouls Won

1

Key Passes

1

Big Chances Created

1

Dribbles (Successful)

2 (2)

Ultimately, it was a brilliant performance by Spurs last night and an even better individual performance by Romero, which makes him simply undroppable for the rest of the campaign.

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2 ByEthan Lamb Apr 18, 2025

Whilst Chelsea fans won’t fully be on board with Enzo Maresca all of the time, it has been evident this season in patches that the Stamford Bridge side are showing some signs of improvement under the ex-Leicester City manager.

Indeed, under the former guidance of Mauricio Pochettino, the Blues had to stomach a sixth-place finish come the end of the 2023/24 season, with Maresca steering his team to fifth in the overall rankings at the moment with an ambition to break into the top four.

Still, it’s fair to say the West London outfit are a work in progress when contrasted with their former Premier League title-winning glories, with one new face already being lined up to join the ranks this approaching summer to enhance the Blues.

Chelsea want to sign "one of the best players in Europe"

Much of the transfer chatter surrounding Chelsea in recent weeks has revolved around two of the Premier League’s finest young players.

Indeed, reports suggest that the Blues want to sign Ipswich forward Liam Delap and Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Not just content with raiding England for the best young talent, Todd Boehly and Co may also look towards Serie A.

Indeed, as per reports from Spain, a whole host of European giants are now looking to land Como star Nico Paz, with his ex-employers in Real Madrid holding a buy-back option of £7.7m if activated this year.

This won’t deter Maresca’s men, however, who are also named as another suitor looking at the explosive attacking midfielder, alongside further interest from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Paris St. Germain.

How Paz possesses shades of Lampard

Recently hailed as “one of the best young players in Europe” by football social media account SCOUTED, Chelsea will hope they can land the up-and-coming 20-year-old to boost their attacking options, away from over-relying on faces such as Cole Palmer in the number ten role.

Moreover, Paz even possesses shades of Frank Lampard’s terrifying attacking game, strutting his stuff for Cesc Fabregas’ Como, meaning the promising Spaniard could take to the Premier League well on his potential arrival.

Before going on further about Paz’s electric campaign in Italy to date, it’s worth reminding everyone how much of an attacking threat Lampard was during his celebrated Stamford Bridge stay.

The now-retired 46-year-old would go on to bag a startling 211 strikes for his much-loved Blues, adding in a further 147 assists along the way from 648 outings.

Paz will have to play out of his skin to ever reach this bumper total if a move to England came to fruition, but there are signs from his overall attacking game at Como now that he could take the Premier League by storm by picking up assists and goals aplenty.

Indeed, the slick 6 foot 1 attacker has certainly had a breakout season in the senior game after regularly showing off his quality in Madrid youth circles, leading to all this frenzied interest popping up from Chelsea and beyond.

Paz’s Serie A numbers for Como (24/25)

Stat – per 90 mins*

Paz

Games played

30

Games started

25

Goals scored

6

Assists

7

Shots*

3.1

Big chances missed

5

Big chances created

9

Total duels won*

5.4

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, some similarities to Lampard already begin to stick out from Paz’s blistering numbers for the season, with both the 20-year-old and the current Coventry City manager in his prime content at testing the opposition goalkeeper with many efforts on goal during a contest.

Moreover, Paz also has the firepower to find the back of the net and assist teammates away from merely looking lively, with 13 goal contributions tallied up from 25 Serie A starts, more than piquing the interest of Maresca and Co.

It’s that ability to find the net with regularity from midfield that evokes the most memories of Lampard, with Paz notably scoring five of his league goals over a spread of nine matches throughout the middle stages of the campaign. If he’s doing that aged 20, just imagine the numbers he could generate in his prime.

The Italian occupying the Stamford Bridge dugout will hope Paz can come in and be an instant success with the 45-year-old already getting the best out of some of the youngsters at his disposal, as seen in academy product Tyrique George netting versus Fulham last match.

Further, Lampard himself was only a wide-eyed prospect when he entered the building back in 2001, with Paz hopeful he can be a top star in the years to follow if a switch takes place.

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Posts ByDominic Lund Apr 21, 2025