Category Uncategorized

Arsenal could look to the Championship in search of January reinforcements, and it is believed they have their eyes on a Leeds United raid in pursuit of an Elland Road mainstay.

The positions Arsenal could strengthen in January

There are a few areas of the pitch manager Mikel Arteta and the Gunners recruitment team could look to strengthen in January, as the Premier League title hopefuls look to leapfrog Liverpool and win their first domestic crown in over two decades.

Arsenal think they could strike a bargain by signing two Olympiacos stars

The Gunners see a potential double-deal opportunity.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 18, 2024

Many reports have centered around the prospect of Arsenal potentially signing a new attacker in January, with star names like Dusan Vlahovic, Raphinha and Mohammed Kudus linked within the last seven days.

Crystal Palace (away)

December 21

Ipswich Town (home)

December 27

Brentford (away)

January 1

Brighton (away)

January 4

Tottenham (home)

January 15

However, all three of the aforementioned forwards will likely command a premium fee, especially Kudus. West Ham have set the Ghanaian’s mid-season price tag at around £100 million, as his £85m release clause doesn’t become active until next summer, so Emirates Stadium officials will reportedly have to consider paying close to their transfer record for Kudus’ services.

Elsewhere, Arteta is apparently weighing up the possibility of bringing in another midfielder, with both Thomas Partey and Jorginho out of contract and set to leave at the end of this season as things stand.

CaughtOffside recently claimed that Arsenal have held initial talks over signing Adam Wharton from Crystal Palace already, and the Gunners are ready to move for him in January as they hope for a £46 million deal.

It will be very interesting to see which areas they do reinforce, if any, but Arsenal could also look to bring in a new back-up keeper. They brought in Neto from Bournemouth for the role on a season-long summer loan deal, though he was only meant to be a short-term solution to replace Aaron Ramsdale after the 26-year-old departed for Southampton.

Once the Brazilian returns to his parent club, Arsenal will need a long-term alternative to Raya, and one who can help to keep their current number one on his toes.

Leeds United mainstay Illan Meslier could join Arsenal in January

According to journalist Steve Kay, via KS1TV, that man could well be Leeds’ Illan Meslier.

The Frenchman, who is an untouchable member of Daniel Farke’s first team, starting every single English second-tier game for them so far this season, is believed to be in the sights of Arteta heading into January.

Kay, via TBR, says that Meslier could join Arsenal from Leeds in January, amid other reports that he’ll cost around £20 million to tempt away from Yorkshire.

“Arsenal are looking at a goalkeeper,” said Kay.

“Possibly a goalkeeper could come in in January. I have been given a name. The Leeds goalkeeper is someone I’ve been told. I need to look into that. It’s not from one of my top sources if you like, but it’s one we’re keeping an eye on. Illan Meslier.”

The 24-year-old, still very much in his infancy when it comes to the lifespan of a goalkeeper, is also out of contract in 2026 – meaning Arsenal have leverage to potentially negotiate a lower asking price.

Heading into the weekend as many as six points clear of the Championship relegation zone, Sheffield Wednesday have been handed an added boost by the updated return date of a summer signing who’s missed the last seven games.

Sheffield Wednesday injury news

The Owls avoided Championship relegation by just three points last season, but already look on course to make a much-needed improvement this time around under Danny Rohl. The Wednesday boss has continued to impress at Hillsborough, taking his side to a comfortable 2-0 victory against relegation rivals Hull City last time out.

With Derby County now awaiting this Sunday, the Owls have the chance to extend their recent run to three games without defeat as the Championship heads into what is always an action-packed festive period of fixtures.

As so many games begin to come thick and fast, any positive news on the injury front will be seen as a major boost, with Wednesday’s squad likely to be stretched to full capacity over the coming weeks.

With that said, Rohl has already provided a positive injury update ahead of December, stating in a recent press conference that Olaf Kobacki is now on course to make his return against Stoke City in the Owls’ last game before Christmas on 21st December.

The winger has already missed seven games, and whilst that number is set to rise to 11 before he potentially returns, he will at least have the chance to hand those at Hillsborough an early Christmas present.

Rohl updated reporters, saying (as relayed by Sheffield Wednesday News): “Olaf has a strong attitude. This is what you can expect from such a player. He can play with resilience and go through and work hard. And he worked hard. He’s now on the pitch, and I think in the next two weeks, he will be back in the team training.”

"Strong" Kobacki can make up for disappointing start

Since arriving in the summer transfer window from Polish side Arka Gdynia, Kobacki has struggled to adjust to life in the Championship, with an ill-timed injury against Portsmouth far from helping.

Featuring in 10 games in all competitions – starting just four times in league action – Kobacki is yet to score or assist for the Owls. However, when he returns from injury, he should get the chance to put that right.

Though it must be said it won’t be easy to break into Rohl’s side ahead of the likes of Djeidi Gassama. Sheffield Wednesday are currently steering clear of the drop zone and impressing. For Rohl to even consider disrupting his strongest side, he must be convinced, and the numbers suggest that Kobacki is yet to steal the spotlight in England’s second tier.

Someone with a “strong attitude” according to Rohl, the 23-year-old will certainly attempt to fight for his place, and perhaps finally discover his best form at Sheffield Wednesday in doing so. There’s no doubt that another player firing on all cylinders would act as a welcomed boost in the middle of an action-packed period for the Owls.

She is, however, confident that the experience in the squad can help them bounce back

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-2022Heather Knight feels England lost their match against West Indies by slipping to 156 for 8 in their chase of 226, and not in its dramatic final stages, when they lost their last two wickets in the space of four balls after a 61-run ninth-wicket partnership between Sophie Ecclestone and Kate Cross. It was the defending champions’ second defeat in two matches at the Women’s World Cup, and Knight hopes England can bring a “knockout mindset” to their remaining games.”It was a brilliant partnership,” the England captain said, about the Ecclestone-Cross stand. “We were obviously in a very tricky position, but we back our tail.”Sophie and Kate have worked so hard on their batting and it’s quite nice to see them get the rewards for the work they’ve done. Yeah, they did seem really calm [while chasing]. They kept it very simple and they just tried to tick off the total. We had enough time in terms of balls left. So I think the way they played was outstanding, showed real fight. Obviously, we don’t want to be in that position. But that’s cricket – it swings quite quickly, breaking that partnership and losing that last [wicket].”[It’s] just a bit frustrating, but it wasn’t that last 10-15 minutes that lost us the game. Ultimately, we’ve been in a few positions where we found ourselves with our backs against the wall, where we’ve had to go and fight and then we’ve done that. But we don’t want to be in that position in the first place.”England might be worried at the fact that they have now lost five ODIs on the bounce. But Knight believes the team has enough experience to get back to winning ways.”I think we need to have a knockout mindset now. Next game against South Africa is crucial to our World Cup hopes,” Knight said. “So we have to bring that mindset of needing to win every game and that simplifies things, doesn’t it? And hopefully, that’ll sharpen people’s minds to what we need to do because, at the moment, we’re fighting for our lives in this tournament.Sophie Ecclestone was unbeaten on 33 when England were bowled out agonisingly close to their target•Getty Images”But yeah, there’s a lot of experience in this group. We have lost games before, and we know that we can’t dwell on defeat too much. Particularly, close defeats. They can sometimes be a little bit tricky to park, but we have got to make sure we park them, take what we need to, and go into the next game and give it everything.”Two aspects Knight wants England to work on are death bowling and their fielding. On Wednesday, England dropped as many as seven chances after being asked to bowl first and ended up conceding 63 runs off their last seven overs. In their tournament opener against Australia, England leaked 79 runs in their final seven overs and eventually lost the game by 12 runs while chasing 311.”They [West Indies] didn’t score too quickly in the middle, but we struggled to take wickets, and obviously, a few dropped catches and things like that didn’t help our cause, and when there are two set batters, it can be quite tricky,” Knight said.”They squirted a few away and brought that momentum a little bit and then they finished pretty strongly but it’s something we definitely can do better. I think against Australia, the last loss, the 10 overs where they had set batters in, it was quite tough to defend. So yeah, [death bowling is] certainly something we’ll look at and look to keep improving our back-end stuff, because, in the Ashes, we didn’t really have that, that real death [bowling] issues that we probably had in those last few games. So it’s making sure, as bowlers, we’ve got clarity on what our plans are and where we want the batters to hit us.”With England set to play two nearly back-to-back games, against South Africa and India, on March 14 and 16, Knight does want to linger on the defeats too much.”We can do a lot better at the game and make sure we’re focused on the next one and not make too much of ourselves,” she said. “But in no way we’re out of this World Cup yet, so we have to focus on the next game. Get what we can from this game, park it and move on, ready for the next game against South Africa.”

“We were underdogs then too, and we had nothing to lose, so we produced our best… The pressure is on India to not let a match slip”

Andrew Fidel Fernando03-Mar-2022

Dimuth Karunaratne wants his batters to make the most of any chances they might get batting first in the series•AFP/Getty Images

Sri Lanka have played 20 Tests in India, lost 11, and won zero. Even the great Sri Lanka teams – those featuring Muthiah Muralidaran, Chaminda Vaas, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya – never really got close.Dimuth Karunaratne is leading a much-less lauded group of players, but it’s not like this group hasn’t made history before, Sri Lanka’s captain said on the eve of the series. Not even India have won in South Africa. In 2019, this Sri Lanka side did, even if that was on the drier coastal pitches in Durban and Port Elizabeth.Related

Almost invisible Suranga Lakmal not a man for the glory spells

Sri Lanka desperately need Dimuth Karunaratne to lead the charge of their building

History is stacked against SL, but India are a team in transition

Four lesser-known SL players to watch out for against India

'Whole credit goes to Virat Kohli for getting us going in Test cricket' – Rohit Sharma

Either way, this side knows what it’s about, Karunaratne said. And over the past year, they’ve appeared to be building towards something.”I actually see a lot more confidence in the players than in previous tours of India,” he said. “We’ve performed really well in Tests over the past year. We’ve got seniors and juniors who have done well, and our combination is really good.”I think we can do something in this series, just as we did in South Africa in 2019. We were underdogs then too, and we had nothing to lose, so we produced our best. We’ve never won in India before, so the pressure is on India to not let a match slip. Our job is to use that pressure to our advantage.”India’s team is great and they’ve got a young side also. It’s a different India team than we’re used to playing. I think we can be much more competitive here than we were last time.”But to make India sweat, they’ve got to do what Sri Lanka have become a little better at doing under Karunaratne – putting up a half-decent first-innings total. In the 16 Tests he’s led in, Sri Lanka have made more than 250 on ten occasions.”The first innings is huge in a Test match,” Karunaratne said. “We have to hit 300 or 350 every first innings, because the pitches wear so much here, and the bowlers have a big advantage. When it’s good the batters have to take that responsibility and do right by the bowlers. I have a lot of confidence about our team. It’s a team with a bit of experience now, and I think we will avoid the kinds of mistakes we’ve made in the past.”On the bowling front, Sri Lanka are playing their last series with Suranga Lakmal, who is retiring from Tests to play county cricket with Derbyshire. Lakmal does not bowl a lot of overs on the dry tracks Sri Lanka frequently play on at home, but has been perhaps the team’s most consistent performer away from home over the past few years. Since 2018, he has take 55 wickets away, at an average of 22.61.”I know how much of a loss Lakmal will be for me when he goes,” Karunaratne said. “We do have Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara and Vishwa Fernando to fill those shoes. But personally I’m really happy for the opportunity that he has to play county cricket. That’s not something that’s easily got.”A lot of the matches we were going to play this year were in Sri Lanka, and there are limited opportunities for him to bowl in home series. We saw in the West Indies series last year how little he bowled. He’s a big loss to Sri Lankan cricket though. As a team, we’re trying to give him a great farewell series.”

Newcastle United were dealt a sobering Premier League defeat against West Ham United on Monday evening, keeping Eddie Howe’s squad moored in tenth place after 12 matches.

It was a missed chance, no two ways about it. Victory on home turf against a struggling side would have seen Newcastle bridge the gap to the front of the table, putting them just two points behind Manchester City.

Alas, poor execution in the final third gave the Irons chances to strike an upset on Tyneside – and strike they did, through the always dangerous Tomas Soucek and unlikely marksman Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Why Newcastle lost to West Ham

As already alluded to, it was an inability to finish things off that unravelled Newcastle like a poorly wrapped Christmas present here. For large segments, especially in the first half, the Magpies were on top and showcased their well-crafted sequences.

0

2

18 (2)

15 (6)

2

0

52.4%

47.6%

8

3

21 (62%)

27 (74%)

40%

60%

It was perhaps summed up in the closing stages. St. James’ Park’s decibel levels had risen upon the glare of the minutes board, conveying to the stadium that there would be six minutes of additional time.

Soon after, with the hosts ramping up the pressure, a fizzed delivery fell kindly to Alexander Isak, who failed to score in his fifth successive game after skewing the aerial ball.

On another day, Newcastle might have had three, but it was a dreary Monday evening and it just didn’t come together for a side that had impressively won their past three fixtures in all competitions.

Isak wasn’t at his best, but he wasn’t the only forward to toil. Indeed, Anthony Gordon produced a lacklustre effort once again. the 2023/24 Player of the Season is struggling to recapture that giddying form.

Chalkboard

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

Anthony Gordon has "regressed"

It’s a damning indictment to claim that an up-and-coming superstar has ‘regressed’, but there were the words of reporter Charlie Bennett and they carried substance.

This is not the time to panic; Newcastle’s form is chequered, but the bigger picture regarding the performance suggests that things could come together and fluency could be restored.

Crafting such fluidity might mean that Gordon needs to be benched. Shields Gazette branded the England international with a 4/10 match rating following the game, commenting that he ‘lacked his usual quality and conviction at key moments as he cut a frustrated figure on the field’.

How concerning is this for the Toon? Gordon proved last year that he has the quality and determination to succeed at the highest level, but he’s been off the boil for most of the campaign and failed to rewrite his seasonal narrative here.

As per Sofascore, the 23-year-old, who was hooked after 68 minutes, failed to even attempt a dribble as he was marshalled by Wan-Bissaka, also losing 80% of his ground duels (1/5) and creating just one key pass.

Of course, Gordon also missed a glorious opportunity to put his side into the lead.

Speaking of Gordon’s performances (as well as Isak’s) correspondent Luke Edwards said that the forwards “went missing” against Julen Lopetegui’s outfit, and it’s something that will need fixing fast – especially with crucial fixtures forthcoming against Crystal Palace and table-topping Liverpool.

Harvey Barnes made a positive impression when introduced for Joe Willock at half-time and demonstrated neat link-up play with Lewis Hall down the left channel.

Barnes, contextualising this, won three of five contested ground duels and completed his sole attempted dribble. Gordon is an immense talent, but maybe he needs to take to the bench for the next one – it could provide him with the boost he so needs.

Newcastle must regret losing academy ace who's outperforming Gordon in PL

Newcastle lost an academy talent who’s now outperforming Gordon in the Premier League.

ByAngus Sinclair Nov 23, 2024

In what could finally see the Bluebirds find their next manager, Cardiff City have reportedly narrowed their options down to two final candidates, which include a Real Madrid legend.

Cardiff's managerial candidates

Since sacking Erol Bulut at the end of September, Cardiff have relied on Omer Riza on an interim basis. But whilst results have improved somewhat after Bulut took charge of their worst start to a season in 94 years, the Welsh side still sit rock bottom of the Championship table, three points adrift of safety and in desperate need of a permanent appointment.

Whoever comes in will have an almighty task, but Cardiff have at least turned a corner in their last two games, with a 1-0 victory over Millwall followed by a 1-1 draw against Bristol City last time out.

Get things right on the managerial front, and the Bluebirds may just build on those results to eventually move out of the drop zone and towards safety to put such a disappointing start behind them, especially if they make the right choice between the two reported final candidates.

"Fantastic" new coach would jump at chance to join Cardiff City – Palmer

The pundit “can see him leaving”.

By
Barney Lane

Oct 10, 2024

According to Chris Wheatley of LondonWorld, Cardiff have narrowed their candidates down to Ruben Selles and Claude Makelele, with the latter being a potential arrival to steal the headlines. The Welsh side are reportedly in talks with the Chelsea and Real Madrid legend as he prepares to become the latest star to take to the dugout in the Championship.

Leaving after just three weeks in charge of Greek side Asteras Tripolis, Makelele will be desperate for another attempt in the technical area in what would be his second spell in Wales, having been Swansea City’s assistant manager in the 2016/17 campaign.

Meanwhile, although Selles wouldn’t grab the same headlines, the Reading boss represents a solid option in his own right amid the chaos that he’s been forced to deal with in charge of the Royals amid their financial crisis.

Makelele could follow Rooney and Carrick path

In what makes a lot of us feel old these days, the likes of Tom Cleverley, Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick no longer find themselves competing or playing alongside each other on the pitch. Instead, the former Premier League players find themselves competing in the technical area to add an added element of intrigue to the Championship.

All have had varying fortunes during their time in management, and could now be joined by former Chelsea midfielder Makelele. The Frenchman, perhaps alongside Rooney at Plymouth Argyle, would arguably have the most difficult task out of the fresh crop of former players turned managers.

Keeping Cardiff afloat – particularly without extensive experience – looks a tough task on paper, but this could be the true rebirth of Makelele’s managerial career which stalled in Greece, having returned to the dugout after five years away.

As the international break goes on, the Frenchman could be one to watch with Cardiff now down to their final candidates in their search to replace Bulut.

The champions gifted the Gunners their first two goals, and from there they fell apart in north London

Manchester City showed their struggles are far from over as they suffered a humbling 5-1 loss against Arsenal on Sunday. The reigning English champions were self-destructive from the beginning, and the likes of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva didn't put up much of a fight under Arsenal's pressure.

It was the worst possible start for City as Maniel Akanji surrendered an early goal. The defender failed to deal with John Stones' risky pass and Arsenal were quick to pounce, with Kai Havertz setting up Martin Odegaard. The visitors almost gave away a second goal thanks to an awful ball from Stefan Ortega resulted in a shot from Havertz, but the German's effort went wide.

City grew into the game with Savinho and Omar Marmoush looking to create something as Erling Haaland was kept silent up front for the entire first half. The striker reminded the Gunners he should never be written off, though, when got up to meet Savinho's perfect delivery and head past David Raya.

However, just 38 seconds after the restart, Arsenal were ahead again through a deflected strike from Thomas Partey, and just six minutes later they were 3-1 up through a fantastic Myles Lewis-Skelly strike.

City hoped the humiliation was complete in the 76th minute when an Arsenal counter-attack ended with Havertz squeezing it past Ortega, but Ethan Nwaneri added a fifth late on.

GOAL rates City's players from Emirates Stadium…

• AFP
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Stefan Ortega (5/10):

  Gave Arsenal a great chance with a silly pass that Havertz wasted. Perhaps should have done better with a couple of goals, too.

  Matheus Nunes (5/10):

  A weak point defensively and didn't offer enough going forward.

  Manuel Akanji (3/10):

  Gave the ball away for Odegaard's goal in the worst possible start.

  John Stones (4/10):

  Set Akanji up for failure with his early pass and put up no resistance for either of Lewis-Skelly's or Havertz's goals.

  Josko Gvardiol (5/10):

  Had some decent moments but was exposed defensively.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Midfield

  Bernardo Silva (5/10):

  Took the sting out of City's attacks by constantly passing backwards.

  Mateo Kovacic (7/10):

  Put in a solid performance. He fought for the ball and tried his best to get something going.

  Omar Marmoush (6/10):

  Excellent dead-ball deliveries and a few good passes before he went off after 72 minutes.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Phil Foden (4/10):

  His terrible pass sent Partey on his way to a stunning goal, summing up the Englishman's performance.

  Erling Haaland (5/10):

  Was out of the game until he popped up with the equaliser in the 55th minute.

  Savinho (7/10):

  Was really lively on the wing and teed up Haaland with a fantastic cross.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  James McAtee (5/10):

  The damage was done by the time he came on, and he was kept quiet.

  Kevin De Bruyne (5/10):

  Didn't have much of an impact after his 72nd minute introduction.

  Pep Guardiola (4/10):

  His team were always second best in this game, with his key men kept quiet and others making glaring and costly mistakes.

Liverpool made it two wins from their first two Champions League games this season, thanks to a 2-0 win over Italian outfit, Bologna. Arne Slot’s side were dominant throughout the game, and never really looked troubled, sealing the points thanks to goals from Alexis Mac Allister and the inevitable Mohamed Salah.

Mac Allister, a World Cup winner with Argentina, scored a simple tap-in, but it was superb play in the buildup. The midfielder linked up play nicely, before making a late dart into the penalty box and getting on the end of a teasing cross from Salah, to give the Reds the lead.

Salah’s goal doubled the lead for the home side with 15 minutes to go, cutting inside onto his left foot and lashing it into the top corner. It was a goal that capped off a dominant showing from Slot’s men, who sit fifth in the table of the new group phase.

There were certainly some standout performances throughout the evening at Anfield. Not least from Mac Allister, who was one of the stars of the show for Liverpool. However, it will come as no surprise to hear that one of the standout players once again was Salah.

Salah’s stats vs. Bologna

It was another vintage display from Liverpool’s Egyptian king at Anfield, and he once again put on a show for the Liverpool supporters. The winger was at his brilliant best, creating chances and looking like a constant threat on the attack.

His goal was superb, a trademark Salah finish. The Reds’ number 11 cut inside on his left foot, dummying with a clever drop of his shoulder, before driving into the Bologna penalty box and firing home into the top left-hand corner, as pinpoint as you could ask for. That goal went along with his superb assist for Mac Allister in the first half.

He received an impressive 9/10 rating from Ben Fleming, a journalist for The Metro. He hailed Salah’s performance which ultimately made the difference for Slot’s side, calling him ‘the architect’ of the Reds’ dominant win.

Indeed, his superb contribution was reflected in his Sofascore stats at full-time. Salah had a surprisingly low 37 touches of the ball but managed to provide three key passes and create one big chance, as well as creating the opener and sealing the three points with his wonder strike.

Salah’s performance was mightily impressive, but there was arguably a player who stood out more than the winger. That player is Ryan Gravenberch.

Gravenberch’s stats vs. Bologna

Since he was given the task of playing as a number six under Slot, Gravenberch has gone from strength to strength in a Liverpool shirt, and Wednesday night’s performance against Bologna was no different.

It was a superb, metronomic display at the base of the Reds’ midfield from the Dutchman, who has previously been deployed in more advanced roles. However, he seems right at home as a number six, dictating play with ease, and using his 6 foot 2 frame to his advantage, gaining an upper hand physically against opposition midfielders.

His stats from the game show just how impressive he was. The former Bayern Munich midfielder had 58 touches, two more than Liverpool’s first goalscorer Mac Allister. He was effective on the ball, creating two chances and completing three out of four dribbles. The Dutch international also won four out of six ground duels.

Stat

Number

Pass accuracy

91%

Touches

58

Passes completed

41/45

Ground duels won

4/6

Dribbles completed

3/4

Chances created

2

Gravenberch received an 8/10 from Fleming for his efforts against the Italian side on Wednesday. The journalist explained he ‘continues to thrive; as a number six, and explained that he ‘bossed’ the midfield at Anfield.

Slot will no doubt be delighted with the progress his side are making; the Reds have six points from six in the Champions League and are currently top of the Premier League. They look to extend their five-match winning run against Crystal Palace on Saturday lunchtime.

Liverpool wanted to sign £50m star for Klopp but ended up with Szoboszlai

Would he have been the better fit for Arne Slot’s side?

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 2, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

O Palmeiras teve dois nomes selecionados para o time ideal da América do Sul, feito pela IFFHS. A atacante Bia Zaneratto, que participou apenas da primeira metade da temporada alviverde, e a lateral Bruna Calderan foram escolhidas para a equipe.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasZagueiro Gustavo Dulanto é oferecido ao Palmeiras, que analisa jogadorPalmeiras28/12/2021PalmeirasPalmeiras divulga lista de relacionados para Copinha 2022Palmeiras28/12/2021PalmeirasBicampeão e copeiro, Abel tem segundo melhor aproveitamento na história da LibertadoresPalmeiras28/12/2021

The @Ranking_IFFHS @CONMEBOL Women's Team of the Year voted on by journalists in that confederation: @TIANEendler; @tamires, @daniela3oficial, @Erikac_09, Valeria Colmán; @andressinha_95, @catausme, Marta; @Gabinunes11_, @vicalbuquerq, @biazaneratto Coach: @arthurelias pic.twitter.com/OFCztx072M

— Asif Burhan (@AsifBurhan) December 28, 2021

A centroavante está ao lado de Victoria e Gabi Nunes no ataque ‘titular’. Bruna, por outro lado, ficou no ‘banco de reservas’.

Bia Zaneratto e Bruna Calderan se destacaram pelo Palmeiras na temporada 2021. As duas jogadoras, que fizeram parte da Seleção do Brasileirão A1, estarão em 2022 no Verdão.

Coach credits inexperienced players for “spirit” and “enthusiasm” throughout 45 days in bio-bubble

Saurabh Somani30-Jul-20215:34

Rahul Dravid: ‘All four spinners performed really well. We’re lucky to have this depth’

After a seven-wicket thrashing in the third T20I which ended in a series loss for a severely-depleted India XI, India coach Rahul Dravid felt that all that was needed was for the young batters to adapt to tougher pitches, also pointing to the unique set of circumstances that led to a very inexperienced batting line-up taking the field for the last two T20Is.”This was a really young team. All of us have had our struggles playing quality bowling, whether it’s spin or pace,” Dravid said at the post-match press conference. “Early on in our careers, we’ve all had those struggles and we’ve all had to fight our way through that. None of us have been perfect when we started, whether it’s my generation or any generation for that matter. It needs experience.”You need time, you need to blood young players with experienced players so that they have that cushion. Obviously, over the last couple of games, we didn’t have that cushion. Most of the guys who played, other than Shikhar [Dhawan], were really young. That’s not going to happen very often.”Related

Krunal Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal and K Gowtham return home after testing negative for Covid-19

Dhawan eager to make his place 'stronger for World Cup'

Suryakumar Yadav: How I build from here is all in my hands

Kuldeep Yadav gets back in World Cup race on T20 return

“Maybe the one thing that’s slightly different is that when I was starting or was growing up, the pitches in domestic cricket tended to turn a little bit more and spun a bit more,” he added, when comparing the current generation’s challenges to his own. “To be honest, some of them were under-prepared. But I don’t think the talent is missing, either in spin bowling or in the batting. We just need a little bit more experience in being able to figure out a few more different kinds of shots when we’re challenged with these kind of pitches. We just need to figure out a couple of more options. It was tough batting for them (Sri Lanka) as well.”With nine players unavailable for selection due to Krunal Pandya testing positive for Covid-19 before the second game, India couldn’t put out a balanced XI for the final two T20Is, going in with five batters and six bowlers, and having Bhuvneshwar Kumar – whose most frequent batting position in ODIs and T20Is has been No. 9 – up at No .6. They still stretched Sri Lanka to the final over while defending 132 in the second T20I, but could muster only 81 for 8 in the third.Playing with only five batters meant tactical changes in terms of how the team would construct an innings, and the pitches in the last two games offered a fair bit to the spinners too.”I just think the balance of our team in the last couple of games meant we had a couple of batsmen short, which was always challenging. But the great positive for me was the way the guys have fought,” Dravid said. “Especially in the second game, I think we took it really close. [A] couple of balls here or there and we could have actually won that game.”We’re kind of used to playing games where the scores are 160, 180, sometimes 200. But sometimes in challenging conditions, you’ve just got to learn how to scrap and fight your way to 130-140. I think that’s a great learning for our young players.”Dhawan apart, the other four batters for India were Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson and Nitish Rana. Among them, only Samson had any prior international experience before the Sri Lanka tour; and precious little at that, with just seven T20Is.”I’m not disappointed,” Dravid said of the batting performance. “They are young batters, they have to keep improving and getting better. The Sri Lankan team’s bowling attack is their international bowling attack. They’re missing a few batsmen because of various reasons, but this is a top quality attack. So it’s a great opportunity to reflect on these performances, reflect on these conditions, and maybe come up with some slightly better strategies.India had to manage with only five batters in the last two T20Is•Ishara S.Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images

“Let’s be fair, you don’t get these sort of conditions very often in T20 cricket, but when you do, I think you need to have a response. You need to be able to play slightly better. They’re all youngsters, we just need to have patience with them, give them more opportunities so that they can develop and grow.”The last two T20Is were played on successive days, but the Indian squad had to spend a lot more time off the field than on it. From quarantining in Mumbai a fortnight before the tour to having to deal with rescheduling of matches when there was a Covid outbreak among the Sri Lankans, in a period that lasted a month and a half, there were only six days of cricket.”I must admit it’s not been easy,” Dravid said of the bubble life the team had to endure. “It’s been almost 45 days for us and the thing was we only played six matches in those 45 days for a variety of reasons. We’ve only seen the hotel and the ground, and even in the hotel it’s only certain parts of the hotel. We haven’t been able to go everywhere in the hotel as well. It’s just a credit to all the boys, the way they maintained their spirit, maintained the enthusiasm, worked really hard. I can’t fault any of the boys for their effort.”The way Shikhar and Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar, vice-captain for the tour] and the leadership group [led], the environment that they created was terrific as well. Just as much as it was tough for us and not an easy situation to be in, we’re lucky to play cricket as well. In times like this over the last year and a half, we’ve seen a lot of people go through a lot of suffering, go through some very, very difficult times. In some ways, we feel blessed to be able to do what we can and what we do. I can’t really be more proud of the way the boys handled themselves over 45 days, having only six matches to play.”