Tag Futebol

Jermaine Blackwood has said the match could have changed complexion had he not been dismissed in the last over before lunch

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-20161:24

‘West Indies’ decision to bat first not a pragmatic one’ – Manjrekar

Jermaine Blackwood, whose innings of 62 and fourth-wicket partnership of 81 with Marlon Samuels were rare bright sparks in West Indies’ first-innings total of 196, said the match could have changed complexion had he not been dismissed in the last over before lunch. Having been reduced to 7 for 3, West Indies had recovered to 88 for 3 when R Ashwin had Blackwood lbw with only three balls left in the session.”When I went out [to bat], he [Samuels] was just giving me a lot of advice about staying positive and running well between the wickets and try to score runs and wear down the bowlers,” Blackwood said. “As scoring chances came, I played my shots. If I had come back after lunch, it would have been a different ball game, because me and Marlon had a nice partnership. For me to get out, it set the team back and put the bowlers back on top. So I guess you have to learn from your mistakes.”Blackwood said the counterattacking approach he adopted from the time he stepped in was just his natural game. “That is just normally how I play, ever since I started playing. So that’s my natural game. I try to score my first 20-25 runs quickly, and tried to use the pace of the ball. So that is how Jermaine Blackwood plays his game.”Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, had sprung something of a surprise at the toss, when he chose to bat on a damp, grassy pitch. Blackwood said there was nothing wrong with the decision to bat, but West Indies’ batsmen simply hadn’t batted well enough.”Normally, at Sabina Park, the wicket is going to have a little bit in it for the pace bowlers for a couple hours. This track is different and has some grass, so they will get assistance right through the match for pace bowlers. It wasn’t a wrong decision to bat first, but we just didn’t bat for a long period. I guess next time we will have to do that.”

It appears that Wout Weghorst's time at Manchester United may be coming to an end, with Football Insider reporting that the club have no plans to keep him beyond this campaign.

What is the latest on Weghorst's situation at Man United?

The Premier League outfit have been desperate for goals this campaign, with the side managing only 51 in the top flight so far this season. Aside from Aston Villa, it is the worst record for goals scored in the entire top ten of the division.

With Anthony Martial managing only five efforts this campaign, it makes him the Red Devils' highest scoring 'out-and-out striker.' Marcus Rashford has 16 but is typically deployed in more of a winger role and the same can be said about Jadon Sancho, who also has five strikes to his name.

It led to boss Erik Ten Hag deciding to bring in Weghorst on a short-term basis back in the January transfer window to try and get his team firing and to help with their goalscoring woes. However, the Dutchman has not managed a single goal in the Premier League so far this campaign, despite playing in 15 fixtures. He has just one assist to his name.

Whilst Ten Hag has heaped the praise on the striker for his efforts in pressing the opposition and working hard on the field, he has now decided not to keep him at Old Trafford. According to Football Insider, United have decided not to keep Weghorst at Old Trafford beyond this campaign and will not try and tie him up to permanent terms. It means that the 30-year-old is set to return to parent club Burnley when the season comes to a close.

Should Man United be keeping Weghorst at the club?

Whilst there is no doubt a solid player in there, Weghorst is arguably not the type of striker that Man United need in their squad now.

The forward has previously proven his goalscoring ability and given the right system and team, he can thrive. With Burnley in the Premier League for example, he managed five goal contributions in 17 starts despite only coming in midway through that campaign. His showings with the Clarets also led to high praise from Ian Wright, who labelled Weghorst as "fantastic" in his positioning ability and "brilliant" in terms of his finishing back when Burnley sealed a 3-0 win over Brighton.

He's also previously hit double-digit goal tallies in Germany and his native country of the Netherlands. It proves that he can be a solid striker then but it just hasn't worked out at Old Trafford for him in terms of hitting the back of the net. Weghorst not being kept on then makes plenty of sense.

A rollicking opening stand and a Marlon Samuels special lifted West Indies to their second victory of the triangular series over an uncharacteristically sloppy Australian side in St Kitts

The Report by Daniel Brettig13-Jun-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details0:57

Samuels, openers give West Indies four-wicket win

A rollicking opening stand and a Marlon Samuels special lifted West Indies to their second victory of the triangular series over an uncharacteristically sloppy Australian side in St Kitts.From a strong platform of 139 for 1 after 27 overs the visitors’ innings lost momentum, and the target of 266 was vulnerable to an early assault on the short boundaries of Warner Park. Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher duly hurled themselves at a bowling attack that was missing Mitchell Starc, and were helped by a pair of dropped catches from Usman Khawaja.Those misses helped take West Indies to an opening stand of 74 inside 10 overs, and that early acceleration allowed Samuels to sculpt an innings in his familiar style – long periods of inactivity mixed with brief bursts of power and inspiration. Darren Bravo and Denesh Ramdin offered support, and a wobble arrived too late to save Australia from defeat.Khawaja had taken advantage of a promotion to the top of the order to help guide Australia’s innings, but he fell short of what would have been his maiden ODI century. Bogged down in the 90s, he was ultimately run out when chasing a third run for his partner George Bailey.Steven Smith, the captain, forged 74 without always looking in complete control of his game or the conditions, before Bailey played sensibly to push the visitors beyond 260. Jason Holder bowled an exemplary spell for West Indies, having started on the best possible note by surprising Aaron Finch with bounce and having him taken at slip for a duck in the first over of the match. Sunil Narine was also economical, while Carlos Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard claimed two wickets each.Fletcher and Charles clearly had boundaries on their minds when they walked out to start the pursuit, helped by the fact there was no Starc to contend with, for reasons of rest. Nine times the rope was reached or cleared in the first seven overs, and from there the required rate was never likely to drift beyond six runs per over.After Khawaja’s misses – he dropped Fletcher and Charles within the first eight overs – James Faulkner contributed an excellent cutter to deceive Fletcher, and Adam Zampa struck in his first over with a skidding delivery that pinned Charles in front of middle stump. However, their early work gave Samuels and Bravo time to get established, while Smith was unable to pressure the scoreboard through his bowlers.The boundaries briefly slowed to a trickle, but neither batsman lost his composure, and the target had been whittled down to 99 from 115 balls by the time Bravo was claimed by Zampa with a bouncing legbreak that touched glove and pad before looping up for Matthew Wade.Ramdin kept Samuels company as the equation shrank further, and it was left to the senior batsman to put the result more or less beyond doubt with a trio of sixes off Zampa in the 41st over. The first of these was almost caught by the debutant Travis Head, who did take the ball cleanly but was thrown off balance by the proximity of the rope and was unable to hurl the ball in for a successful juggle. The next two cleared him comfortably.Samuels would not be Samuels without moments to counterbalance the brilliance, and a languid single in the same over ended his innings when Wade scampered around and fired a dead-eye throw at the non-striker’s stumps. Nathan Coulter-Nile found a way through Ramdin and coaxed the thinnest of edges from Holder to keep the crowd on tenterhooks, but Pollard and Brathwaite kept their heads to collect victory with more than four overs remaining.Having lost David Warner for the rest of the tournament due to a broken finger, the Australians gave an ODI debut to the left-hander Head, who had his cap handed to him by Damien Martyn. Head’s inclusion as a middle-order batsman who also bowls offspin was a pointed message to the out-of-sorts Glenn Maxwell, who was dropped before Australia’s previous match, a victory over South Africa.That result had been built upon strong batting in the afternoon, and Smith had similar visions when he walked out to the middle. Somewhat surprisingly Holder sent the Australians in when he won the toss, but he was all smiles after getting Finch with sharp bounce and subtle away movement.Smith and Khawaja were both struck on the splice of the bat by prancing early deliveries from Holder and Jerome Taylor, but they were then able to steadily build a platform that, by 24 overs, had taken on the dimensions of 103 for 1. At that point Smith and Khawaja chose to accelerate, and in the next three overs they piled on 36.West Indies’ anxiety had risen quickly, but Holder was able to settle it with a miserly spell, conceding only 13 from three overs when the batsmen were looking to attack. The reward came indirectly when Holder brought on Brathwaite, who was the beneficiary when Smith charged wildly at his first ball and skied a return catch.A period of further stagnation followed, a previously fluent Khawaja mired in the 90s and Bailey trying to get started. Ultimately Khawaja was unable to reach three figures, and there may be some examination of his running between the wickets after he failed to make a third run from Bailey’s reverse sweep to third man.Mitchell Marsh came into bat before Head, and he was able to add 49 with Bailey in six overs before skying Brathwaite to mid-off. Bailey’s innings was replete with typical good sense and the occasional hefty blow, meaning Australia did not totally squander their earlier platform. Australia seemed content with 265, but they reckoned without the pyrotechnics of Fletcher and Charles, and the skilled insouciance of Samuels.

A number of fans online have reacted after spotting striker Wout Weghorst run half the pitch to knee slide in front of the Manchester United supporters while his teammates celebrated the penalty shootout win at the other end of the pitch.

What’s the latest on Wout Weghorst and Man Utd?

After 120 minutes of action on Sunday afternoon, a tightly fought FA Cup semi-final encounter between the Red Devils and Brighton was decided by one kick.

Indeed, regular time and extra time had failed to yield any goals and so into penalties. But after six penalties, each team had a 100 per cent success rate.

That was until Solly March stepped up for the Seagulls and blazed his effort from 12 yards way over the crossbar. This put all the pressure on Victor Lindelof but he remained cool as he slotted his penalty to send Man Utd into the FA Cup final – where they will meet bitter rivals Manchester City.

Most of Erik ten Hag’s men understandably raced towards goalkeeper David de Gea to celebrate. However, the bulk of their fans were sat at the opposite end of Wembley.

Weghorst seemed to be aware of this as he spun around on the halfway line and charged towards the United support to enjoy a moment essentially alone with his fans.

The £35k-p/w striker played a key role in the shoot-out too of course. Indeed, he buried his penalty and then appeared the give the ball some sort of kiss of death right before handing it to March who then missed.

However, it was this moment shared with the fans that has got everybody talking. Here are some of the best reactions on Twitter…

And some just seemed impressed by his uncharacteristic turn of speed…

Chelsea host Brighton in the Premier League this weekend, with the Blues looking to end their awful run of form which has seen them fail to score in their last four games in all competitions.

The arrival of Frank Lampard has so far done nothing to fix the biggest issue at Stamford Bridge, as the misfiring west London outfit have managed a meagre 29 goals in 30 top-flight appearances so far this campaign.

With three points a must against the Seagulls, if Lampard's side are going to earn a European spot for the 2023/24 campaign, the 44-year-old manager must consider handing Mason Mount a start on Saturday.

Should Chelsea start Mount against Brighton?

Although Mount has struggled to maintain the levels he produced last season, when he hit 11 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League with an average rating from WhoScored of 7.19, he has still been one of few creative outlets in this Chelsea squad so far this campaign.

The academy graduate's return of three goals and two assists might seem disappointing but when you consider that only Kai Havertz (seven goals and one assist) and Raheem Sterling (four goals and two assists) have more goal contributions, he is perhaps unfortunate to have come in for so much criticism.

The England international first established himself under Lampard at Stamford Bridge after starring for the Chelsea legend out on loan with Derby County and it has been something of a surprise to see him on the bench for the recent away games against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Real Madrid.

Even though he didn't have much time on the pitch at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday he did come the closest to scoring with a late effort that was blocked by Antonio Rudiger, and he could be the key to ending Chelsea's barren goalscoring run on Saturday.

Only three players in Chelsea's squad have averaged more shots or more key passes per game in the Premier League than Mount, which suggests that the 24-year-old is equally adept at creating chances and being on the end of them.

Joe Cole was full of praise for the young midfielder, who earns £80k-per-week, after he notched a hattrick in the 7-0 demolition of Norwich City last season.

He said:

"He's a top, top outstanding player, he's becoming one of the most important players in the country.

"But there's an unusual level of fans – I don't know if it's rival fans or whatever – who don't quite get it.

"You want to sit them down in front of a touchscreen and educate them and show them that what this kid does is unbelievable."

Mount may not be the most popular among fans right now because of his disappointing form and ongoing contract dispute but he can still be an important player for Lampard in the remaining fixtures and deserves a chance to end Chelsea's shocking goalscoring form on Saturday against Brighton.

HLTCO host Dan Cook has claimed that Brighton may be a more "attractive proposition" for Mateo Retegui amid transfer links to Crystal Palace.

What's the latest on Mateo Retegui and Crystal Palace?

The Italian striker made headlines last week as he scored on his national team debut against England and then followed this up with another effort against Malta.

The 23-year-old was actually born in Argentina – and is currently on loan at Tigres from Boca Juniors – but qualifies to play for Italy thanks to his grandfather.

After the most recent game, his national team manager Roberto Mancini was full of praise but warned that he still needed to do more to prove himself as a top player.

He told the press: "He unlocked the match, he was essential today. But I repeat: he needs time, he still needs to learn more about European football."

According to Corriere dello Sport (via FC Inter News), Retegui could be set for a move to a big team in Europe this summer with Inter Milan named as a possible option.

Beyond the Serie A team, Palace and Brighton were also linked and while speaking on the HLTCO podcast, Cook explained why it might be a hard deal to pull off for the Eagles.

He said (8:12): “I hate to say this in a Crystal Palace podcast, but I'm not sure we are necessarily anything like as an attractive proposition at the moment as Brighton and Hove Albion.

"They are upwardly mobile, there is every chance they will get into Europe by the end of this season.

"And you look at our current plight, you know, hopefully Roy Hodgson can steady the ship and keep us afloat in the Premier League.

"But without a permanent manager, and without a guarantee of even the division that we're going to be playing in next season, you do wonder whether or not he may well plump for the seagulls."

Why would Mateo Retegui want to join Brighton?

It's certainly true that Palace are struggling to maintain their status as a Premier League side sitting just three points above the bottom three with only ten games to keep themselves up.

All the while, bitter rivals Brighton have lofty ambitions as they look to bright European football to the Amex next season, currently seventh in the league, level on points with Liverpool in sixth (with a game in hand too).

With that in mind, it's not hard to see why Retegui – who has six goals in eight league games with Tigre this term – may feel as though Brighton is the more appealing destination should he seek out a move to England in the summer.

TalkSport pundit Darren Bent believes Mason Mount would fit perfectly into Newcastle United’s team.

The Lowdown: Attacking reinforcements are needed

During the January transfer window, it was reported that Newcastle wanted to prioritise signing a new midfielder, but they switched up their approach and splashed out £40m on yet another winger in the form of Anthony Gordon.

However, Newcastle not going for a new midfielder in January could well have played into their own hands as they have reportedly entered the race for contract rebel Mount by the Daily Mail.

If Newcastle are able to land a Champions League winner in the form of Mount, it would really be a statement of intent and also help them bridge the gap between themselves and the very elite clubs in England.

The Latest: Mount would be perfect for Newcastle

Despite being linked with a big-money move to Liverpool, Bent has admitted on TalkSport that Mount would be the perfect player for Newcastle to go out and sign this summer.

He said: “I’m surprised Newcastle aren’t heavily in for him, because he’d be perfect for them. Surely, if you’re trying to get to the next level, he’s exactly what you’re looking for. He’s young, he’s English, he’s an international; he’s played in big, big games, won big trophies, been a Player of the Year at his club.

“If you’re trying to build and attract players to your club, you don’t go and buy someone who’s 28, 29 that’s maybe in between whether they are going to go on to the next level, or are they going to start to fall away. He’s not even in his prime yet.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Howe would love to sign Mount

Given that Newcastle still only have four ready-made first-team options to pick from in the midfield department, if they could add Mount alongside Bruno Guimaraes, it would be a major step up.

Mount has won the Champions League and played in some of the biggest games for club and country, so it would surely be an absolute no-brainer for PIF to hand Eddie Howe someone of Mount’s ability if he was open to the move, which he could well be if the Magpies were willing to bump up his reported £80,000-per-week wage.

Given where Chelsea and Newcastle are in the Premier League table, it could perhaps be viewed as a step up in his career if they continue on their current trajectories, especially given the ambitions that Amanda Staveley and PIF have for the Magpies – although they’d face stiff competition from Liverpool for Mount’s signature if they decided to make a move.

Tottenham Hotspur are receiving interest from the Iranian billionaire Jahm Najafi over a potential takeover of the north London club but there’s an expectation Daniel Levy would look to remain involved.

Are ENIC selling Tottenham?

There has certainly been reports to suggest there are interested parties in potentially purchasing the Premier League side with a bid believed to be in the works.

The offer is said to be worth in the region of $3.75bn (£3.1bn) although the final $750m (£627m) of that fee is expected to be added onto the club’s debt.

Other reports have suggested Tottenham are likely to knock back any bids for the club unless an astronomical offer was to land at their door.

However, speaking on his YouTube channel, journalist Alasdair Gold has suggested there have been murmurs from within the club that Levy could potentially look at the possibility of staying involved in the club:

(59:50) “And also, you know, there’s some suggestion that he’s been knocking around for a while people inside Spurs other people around the club as well, that if Spurs were to sell, that Daniel Levy would maybe look at trying to remain in some kind of capacity, whether it be short term or long term, I don’t know, but would look to be involved in some capacity.”

Could Daniel Levy stay at Spurs?

The 61-year-old has now been involved at Tottenham for over two decades following ENIC’s acquisition of the club back in 2000 from Lord Alan Sugar.

So it would be interesting to see where a potential takeover could leave the Spurs chairman if Joe Lewis was to sell up over the coming months.

In recent weeks, in particular, there has been a lot of frustration voiced by large chunks of the Spurs fans who have directed their anger at Levy.

But the chairman has brought an awful lot of change to the north London side and has shown his qualities in projects such as the building of the new stadium.

Whether Spurs fans accept it or not, there has been a lot of money spent in recent transfers which has shown they may have learned from their mistakes in not signing anyone for 18 months.

However, there have been some serious issues with the club’s recruitment over recent windows.

This can be seen through the signings of players such as Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon, Sergio Reguilon and Steven Bergwijn where just shy of £200m has been spent.

So it would be interesting to see whether Levy would be welcomed by potential new owners to continue the commercial growth of Tottenham off the field.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing up a possible summer move for soon-to-be free agent Marcus Thuram.

The Lowdown: Goal-shy Magpies

Despite managing to keep an impressive four clean sheets in their last five Premier League games, Newcastle have only managed to score twice in those matches.

That defence has not been an issue at all, having conceded the fewest goals in the league with 12, but their shyness in front of goal means that the likes of Tottenham Hotspur are slowly creeping up to them in the race to finish in a UEFA Champions League spot.

Thus, the St. James’ Park outfit may look for a new poacher in the summer, in order to help take them to the next level.

The Latest: Thuram interest

According to Spanish news publication Sport, the Tynesiders are just one of a number of clubs interested in signing Thuram this summer.

The long queue includes Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and FC Barcelona.

He is out of contract at Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, meaning that he can leave as a free agent at the end of the season.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Get it done

Thuram would further elevate the quality of the North East club’s frontline following the signing of winger Anthony Gordon from Everton in the January transfer window.

Hailed as ‘world class’ on his day by Wolfsburg sporting director Marcel Schafer, and an ‘absolute beast’ by football talent scout Jacek Kulig after an impressive performance against Real Madrid in 2020, the six-foot-four striker has scored a total of 41 goals and made a further 26 assists in 122 games for Gladbach, with 17 goal contributions coming so far this season (Transfermarkt).

With plenty of European pedigree as well, Thuram would be an ideal signing for the Toon as they aim to fight on four fronts next season.

Arsenal have now been linked with a move for Amadou Onana…

What’s the word?

According to RMC Sport journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Gunners are taking a look at the Everton midfielder as he fits the profile of what they are looking for this month.

However, they face competition from fellow Premier League rivals Chelsea, as well as Newcastle United.

It’s thought that Frank Lampard’s exit from Goodison Park – coupled with the urgent need for money – has opened the door for the Belgium international to leave this window, just a few months after his £33m move from Ligue 1 outfit Lille.

Gunners’ next midfield monster

Given the speculation circulating around the press at the minute, it’s becoming increasingly clear that sporting director Edu Gaspar is trying to bolster Mikel Arteta’s engine room, whether that’s now or in the summer.

There have been some stunning links to players such as West Ham United skipper Declan Rice and Borussia Dortmund wonderkid Jude Bellingham, whilst Leicester City star Youri Tielemans has long been a target.

Over the years, the north London giants have been blessed with some absolute midfield monsters, with perhaps Patrick Vieira being the finest example and all of the aforementioned names could well follow suit, at least in terms of global reputation.

However, Onana must also be taken seriously and whilst he’s likely to cost way more than someone like Tielemans – who is available for free in the summer – he’d be a worthwhile powerhouse to add to his squad.

Since the start of the Premier League season, the 21-year-old has arguably been one of the Toffees’ only shining lights, with only two other players registering a better average WhoScored rating (15 or more appearances).

The £100k-per-week sensation has proven to be a threat at either end of the pitch, having averaged 2.97 tackles, two aerials won and 1.1 interceptions per 90, whilst also contributing 2.26 progressive passes and 1.23 shots per 90 too, via FBref; well and truly living up to the “one-man army” tag that was once bestowed upon him by scout Jacek Kulig.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, such eye-catching qualities have seen him compared to Aurelien Tchouameni and Paul Pogba by French football expert and journalist Julien Laurens, who described him as an “incredible talent.”

Indeed, Edu and co could therefore find their next midfield “monster” – in the words of Pitch Side podcast host Oliver Fletcher-Warrington (Reev) – by signing Onana before next week’s transfer deadline. If not, a move in the summer is perhaps worth waiting for, given the evidence above.

AND in other news, After Kiwior: Arsenal set for “talks” over £18m “special talent”, he’s an Arteta dream…