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No Beira-Rio, o Internacional venceu o Fortaleza por 4 a 2 e está a apenas um ponto do líder São Paulo (57 a 56), que empatou na rodada com o Athletico-PR. Foi a sexta vitória consecutiva da equipe comandada por Abel Braga. O Fortaleza, por sua vez, é o 16º colocado, com 32 pontos, a uma posição da zona de rebaixamento.

+ TABELA DE CLASSIFICAÇÃO DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO

Na quarta-feira, o Colorado irá encarar justamente o Tricolor paulista, no Morumbi, podendo, portanto, assumira ponta da competição. Já o Fortaleza recebe o Santos, na Arena Castelão, no dia seguinte.

O jogo

O Internacional entrou avassalador na partida. Com sede de vitória, o Colorado empurrou o Fortaleza para o campo defensivo e com 10 minutos vencia por 2 a 0, com gols de Yuri Alberto e Rodrigo Dourado.

A resposta do Fortaleza veio na cobrança de pênalti. Wellington Paulista bateu firme no canto direito e recolocou o Leão na partida.

Mesmo com o gol sofrido, o Colorado permaneceu no ataque e desperdiçou algumas chances. Em uma delas, Cuesta bateu falta e carimbou o poste.

O segundo tempo começou elétrico. Yuri Alberto teve a chance de marcar, mas Paulão salvou em cima da linha. Pouco depois, Romarinho aproveitou a sobra na área do Inter e de voleio mandou para dentro da rede, 2 a 2.

Válvula de escape do Inter, Patrick assumiu a responsabilidade, driblou o marcador e cruzou para Peglow entrar de carrinho e mandar para o fundo da rede, 3 a 2.

Aos 31 minutos o Internacional sacramentou o triunfo. Praxedes bateu cruzado, Felipe Alves defendeu e Carlinhos, ao tentar cortar, jogou contra o próprio patrimônio.

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Former England striker and current Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has revealed how much the criticism of one "world-class" Liverpool player irritates him.

Liverpool in Premier League title race

The Reds earned one of their most important and thrilling victories of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, winning 4-3 at home to Fulham in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp's side were trailing heading into the dying minutes at Anfield, but Wataru Endo equalised with a long-range curler, before Trent Alexander-Arnold sent the home crowd wild with a brilliant winning strike.

It was the latest example of what a huge influence the 25-year-old is having this season, as he matures as a player after being made vice-captain by Klopp during the summer. It follows his vital equaliser at Manchester City the previous weekend, and he continues to grow into his hybrid right-back role.

Despite Alexander-Arnold's vast footballing ability, there always seems to be a determination from some to overly focus on the Liverpool star's supposed weak defending, with endless criticism coming his way in recent years, in particular.

Gary Lineker defends Trent Alexander-Arnold

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast with Alan Shearer and Micah Richards [via Rousing The Kop], Lineker explained how much the negativity towards Alexander-Arnold's defending annoys him.

"It irritates me a little bit when people say he’s not very good at defending and every slight error or any goal that goes in on that side of the pitch against Liverpool.

"People have a pop at him but I think the positives of his forward play and his passing, I think he is certainly the best passer of the ball in the English game at the moment. And probably in a much bigger area than that, maybe even Europe. His range of passing, outside the foot, inside the foot, long passes and short passes and crosses, of course."

Liverpool fans will love to hear this support for Alexander-Arnold from Lineker, who does appear to be the target of a witch-hunt at times, given the level of focus on his defending – something that the Reds hero has called "lazy" in the recent past.

Meanwhile, many of his contemporaries seem to get away with plenty in comparison, with little made of Aaron Wan-Bissaka switching off to allow Anthony Gordon to score in Newcastle United's win over Manchester United over the weekend, for example, or Kyle Walker letting Raheem Sterling get in front of him and score in Manchester City's 4-4 draw with Chelsea last month.

Liverpool star who lost possession 18x almost cost them alongside Kelleher

The attacker produced a disappointing performance against Fulham on Sunday.

ByDan Emery Dec 3, 2023

Granted, there are times when Alexander-Arnold's defending can be disappointing, with a little more aggression and focus sometimes required in that area of his game, but the positives outweigh the negatives by a huge amount, with Barcelona legend Dani Alves describing him as a "world-class" player, which speaks volumes. Alexander-Arnold is a special footballer who should be a mainstay of Liverpool and England's team for years to come, and it's nice to see Lineker defending him.

Tottenham are reportedly keen on signing a £34 million star from abroad as a replacement for midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in January.

"Important" Hojbjerg could still leave Spurs

Injuries and suspensions have hampered manager Ange Postecoglou over what has been a disastrous last nine days. Summer signings Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, who've starred since joining the club, won't be seen again until 2024 – with Destiny Udogie and Cristian Romero also suspended.

Postecoglou is missing his entire favoured backline right now, and the lack of Maddison's creativity in midfield was on full display during Spurs' dramatic 2-1 loss to Wolves last Saturday. Hojbjerg slotted in for the England international in a more advanced role but couldn't quite replicate his attacking influence, and reports suggest the Dane could still leave in January despite Postecoglou's lack of squad depth.

The 28-year-old is reportedly attracting interest from Juventus and Atletico Madrid, with Hojbjerg's agent already reaching an exit agreement with these two sides. Postecoglou, though, is of real belief that Hojbjerg is still a "very important" player.

“It is obvious someone that has played regularly would have wanted to play more but ultimately our performances have been strong and he has had to bide his time," said Postecoglou on Hojbjerg.

“He has also been very important in a lot of the games that we’ve won late or had to shore up late. He has been one of the people who has helped us and it is not like he hasn’t contributed at all. He’s been a really important part for us. We wouldn’t be in this position if we were just reliant on our starting XI.

“With Pierre, he is professional and very determined."

Spurs eye Andre to replace Hojbjerg

Regardless of Postecoglou's statement, Hojbjerg's future appears far away from north London as there is still plenty of noise surrounding his future.

Before Spurs' succession of absences, the former Southampton star failed to start a single league game, with his first nod coming in a win against Fulham to replace the suspended Yves Bissouma.

Now, according to a report by 90min, Tottenham and sporting director Johan Lange by extension are keen on signing Andre but must first sell Hojbjerg before making a move.

The Fluminese star would act as his replacement, but Spurs face competition from up and down the Premier League for his signature. Andre, who has a £34 million release clause in his contract, has also been called the "best midfielder" in his country right now.

"Pressure and playing with the confidence of someone who knows they are different," said South American journalist Fernando Campos on Andre.

"Get out of the way and make the team work. André Trindade is the best midfielder in the country and is a monster of a player."

Andre strengths
Passing
Dribbling
Through balls

Andre has attracted more praise from fellow reporter Nathan Joyes, too, who called him an "unbelievable talent". The Brazil international made 26 league appearances for Fluminese over their latest campaign, amassing a pretty impressive 94.7% passing accuracy (WhoScored).

West Ham were close to signing Cole Palmer from Manchester City before Chelsea swooped in to snap up the attacking midfielder, Karren Brady revealed.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• West Ham made bid to sign Palmer
• Chelsea swooped in to snatch him
• Enjoying awesome season at the Blues

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Palmer has been a revelation at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues from City last summer. He has scored an impressive 23 goals in all competitions despite the London team's underwhelming season, marking a rapid rise to superstardom in the Premier League.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  However, his career could have taken a different turn as West Ham vice-chairman Brady says the Hammers had made a bid for Palmer that was accepted by City. Sadly for the east London team, though, Chelsea nipped in and lured him away in a deal worth £42.5 million ($54m).

• WHAT BRADY SAID

  Brady wrote in : "From all the newsreels I’ve seen, Cole is as cool a dude in front of goal as Jimmy Greaves himself. Which is probably why David Moyes tried very hard to sign him. We even had a deal agreed with City until Chelsea swooped."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR PALMER?

  Palmer will hope to upset his former team on Saturday when Chelsea meet City in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday. The winner of the tie will go on to face either Manchester United or Coventry in the final at Wembley.

Ange Postecoglou and his Tottenham Hotspur squad will know that falling to defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday will result in a four-match skid to throw their grip on Champions League qualification into the abyss.

The season is still far from reaching the crucial business end but with so many outfits pushing for prominence slip-ups could be detrimental, and falling to yet another loss in the Premier League would allow those below to potentially sink Spurs down to seventh.

Injury-hit Tottenham lost on home turf to Aston Villa last Sunday but did have their chances, with Giovani Lo Celso opening the scoring and the hosts taking 18 shots and hitting the target eight times.

City are formidable but their rearguard is not impregnable, as has been evidenced by RB Leipzig in the Champions League earlier this week, and Postecoglou will maintain a stoical belief that his side can whir into life with a galvanising performance.

Absences are rife, however, with the Australian manager set to potentially issue four changes for the trip to Manchester…

1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario

Thank goodness Guglielmo Vicario has remained steadfast in his availability and performance since joining from Italian side Empoli for an initial £17m in the summer, having been touted to become a "phenomenon" by Kosovo technical director Sami Ujkani.

He has saved 75% of shots faced in the Premier League this term, as per FBref, which is behind only Alisson and Andre Onana, and he will be expected to stand strong against the Sky Blues.

2 RB – Pedro Porro

Pedro Porro will retain his place down the right channel, providing energy and supplementing his offensive peers ahead, having posted three assists already in the Premier League this term.

The graph's delineation of Porro's skill set evidences his superlative offensive credentials, while also ranking highly within his tackling and blocking metrics.

The Spaniard will need to be on his a-game to stifle the fleet-footed Jeremy Doku, but he certainly boasts the physicality to do so.

3 CB – Eric Dier

Eric Dier has completed 362 appearances for Tottenham but has fallen by the wayside under Postecoglou's leadership, having flattered to deceive last season as his side struggled.

Postecoglou opted to field four natural full-backs in the backline last time out, but against City, this will be exposed and Dier's experience as a central defender will be needed, especially aerially, where he ranks among the top 11% of positional peers for aerial duels won per 90.

Emerson Royal must be the man to drop out, with the Brazilian winning just one ground duel and failing to make a tackle against Unai Emery's side last week.

4 CB – Ben Davies

Micky van de Ven's hamstring injury and Cristian Romero's red card have provided Ben Davies with the platform to earn some minutes, having now started three of the past four games in the top flight after missing out from the outset across all nine of the opening fixtures.

Filling in at centre-half, the 30-year-old hasn't been half bad, completing 94% of his passes and. winning 70% of his ground duels thus far, as per Sofascore.

5 LB – Destiny Udogie

Spurs signed Destiny Udogie from Udinese in 2022 but he was immediately loaned back to the Serie A outfit, finally joining the fray this summer and proving to be one of the most exciting and dynamic young full-backs across Europe.

He won seven of his nine contested duels against Villa, made four tackles and completed 86% of his passes, and given that footballJOE's Hunter Godson remarked that he "gets into nearly every team in the world already", it's a big plus that he will start against Pep Guardiola's side.

6 DM – Yves Bissouma

Absent for the Aston Villa match last weekend after picking up a one-match suspension following an accumulation of yellow cards, Yves Bissouma will be the central cog in the engine room against Manchester City, having enjoyed a meteoric rise under his 58-year-old manager's guidance.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Passing

Discipline

Tackling

Aerial duels

Interceptions

*Sourced via WhoScored

As per FBref, the Malian midfielder ranks among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 10% for tackles, the top 16% for interceptions, the top 7% for successful take-ons and the top 19% for clearances per 90.

7 CM – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

Pape Matar Sarr might be building back his fitness after missing out last week with injury but the exciting prospect might not be ready for a starting return against City, in what is sure to be a rigorous affair.

As such, the industrious Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg would be a worthy addition to the starting line-up, with the opportunity arising for the Dane after Rodrigo Bentancur's injury.

The 6 foot 1 "monster" – as he has been called by Morten Bisgaard – could provide the metronomic presence needed to fight against City's suffocating style.

8 CM – Giovani Lo Celso

Lo Celso's goal last weekend may well have secured him a place in Postecoglou's starting line-up for perhaps the most daunting fixture of the Premier League season (on paper, at least).

Enterprising and creative, the Argentinian ace also created three key passes and won seven ground duels against Villa, as per Sofascore, and he will be needed to act as the conduit between the midfield and the attack tomorrow.

9 RW – Dejan Kulusevski

Three goals and zero assists from 13 starts in the Premier League this season is a modest return but certainly not the stuff of awe, but Dejan Kulusevski's game is so much more.

Having completed 81% of his passes and averaged 2.1 key passes per game, as per Sofascore, the robust Swede's energy and penetrating presence have been invaluable for Postecoglou.

He has scored and won two of his three matches against Pep Guardiola's side, and could be the difference-maker come Sunday.

10 LW – Brennan Johnson

Signed from Nottingham Forest for £47.5m in the summer, Brennan Johnson has capitalised on Richarlison's recent pelvic injury to prove his worth in this Spurs side.

While his team has toiled over recent weeks, the Welshman, aged 22, has impressed with his directness and "frightening" pace – as has recently been noted by content creator HLTCO.

Sydney Sixers have not solved their top-order batting woes, but they might not need to if they can defend totals as well as they did to beat the Melbourne Renegades on a poor surface at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne.Defending 7 for 132, the Renegades looked in control after the Powerplay on the back an enterprising innings from debutant Mackenzie Harvey. But the Sixers spin duo of Steve O’Keefe and first-gamer debutant Ben Manenti weaved a web around the Renegades middle order and they failed to reach 100, losing their first game of the season. Manenti was Player of the Match for his 2 for 13 while Tom Curran finished with 3 for 18 in a brilliant all-round display.Offspinner Ben Manenti had a wonderful debut•Getty Images

Earlier, the Sixers overcame their worst batting Powerplay of the tournament to muster a winning score. Jordan Silk played another important innings. His 30 off 33 balls was boundary-less but priceless for the visitors. Josh Philippe and Curran played important cameos against a Renegades attack that bowled well on difficult batting surface.Kane Richardson, Jack Wildermuth and Usman Shinwari took six wickets and bowled 34 dots in 12 overs between them.Not so Marvel-lous pitchThe Docklands (Marvel Stadium) pitch has always been the most inconsistent in the BBL. Very often teams will bat second to get a look at the surface first up. Teams batting first average 155 at the venue compared to 161 across the BBL and teams have won 17 times chasing out of 30 matches. But this season it has been a lot worse. In two games, the first innings scores have been 103 and 7 for 132 and teams have no idea what a winning score is. Traditionally spin has been a big weapon at Docklands but pace has been the most effective this year. In this match, the players made particular mention of how much moisture was under this surface, and how the ball skidded from back of a length but held up when pitched fuller. It made batting incredibly difficult for both sides.Sixers Powerplay strugglesThe definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Sydney Sixers kept an unchanged top order for the fourth straight game and produced their worst batting Powerplay of the tournament of 3 for 25, to beat the 3 for 39 against the Scorchers, 3 for 33 against the Thunder, and 2 for 42 against the Stars, which later became 6 for 70. Jack Edwards played all around a straight ball from Shinwari then Daniel Hughes and Joe Denly both holed out. The surface was difficult but they have struggled to find a way to manufacture scores throughout the four games. Philippe was only top six player to strike at more than 100. He scored 20 off 13 to help the Sixers accelerate in the second half of the innings. He made three fifties in six games opening the batting in the JLT Cup (50-over competition) for Western Australia, striking at 120, yet he has been sitting at No.6 for four games in this BBL.Smooth as silkSilk was left to salvage something from the innings for the third time in four games. He has had to play patiently and rotate the strike in all three of those rescue missions. He didn’t strike a single boundary in his 30 off 33 but it was an incredibly valuable innings on a difficult surface. He got great support from Philippe and Curran, who cracked two boundaries in his 23 not out from 15 balls to ensure the Renegades needed to chase more than a run-a-ball.Spin squeezeThe Renegades pacemen dominated in their bowling innings and the Sixers loaded up with pace in their bowling Powerplay, instead of using O’Keefe. They looked to have erred. Debutant Harvey struck the ball powerfully with four fours and a six as the Renegades made 2 for 38 in the Powerplay to stay ahead of the required run-rate. But O’Keefe and debutant offspinner Manenti bowled seven of the next eight overs and squeezed the life out of the Renegades chase. They lost 4 for 33 in 48 balls with only one boundary. Manenti took 2 for 13 from his four overs, including the key wicket of Harvey cleaned bowled for 30, while O’Keefe finished with 2 for 19. The Renegades needed 62 from the last six overs and fell well short. The Sixers’ catching was exceptional to back up the miserly bowling.

As solid as Newcastle United have been this season, with their latest victory over Manchester United in the Premier League another highlight, they have been caught out at times for their lack of squad depth. The injuries have continued to pile up, including Nick Pope's most recent long-term blow to hand Eddie Howe yet another headache in an attempt to balance both domestic and European action.

As things stand, the Magpies are on course to finish outside of the top four in what could reflect badly on their summer transfer window. Keen to avoid a similar mistake next season, PIF are reportedly already eyeing up reinforcements, including one particular star defender.

Newcastle transfer news

At the time, the Magpies' summer business seemed good enough to get the job done. Ever since, however, that has not proved to be the case. Sandro Tonali is at the beginning of a 10-month ban for breaching betting rules, whilst Harvey Barnes has struggled with injuries, leaving Lewis Hall and Tino Livramento to carry the torch for summer arrivals who are impressing. Having suffered several injuries to force Dan Burn out of position and into centre-back, before he was sidelined, it's clear that the Magpies need defensive reinforcements. And they could get exactly that in the form of one star player next summer.

According to Sport via Sport Witness, Newcastle are eyeing a move for Jean-Clair Todibo next summer alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea. The deal will not be cheap, however, with Nice reportedly starting their price at €50m (£42m) and demanding more from there.

It doesn't seem as though the hefty fee will put the English clubs off, with both Newcastle and Chelsea reportedly ready to meet Nice's demands if Todibo is still at the club in the summer transfer window.

Todibo has the "quality" that Newcastle need

A former Barcelona defender who is now impressing in Ligue 1, Todibo is the type of player that Newcastle should be targeting if they want to qualify for the Champions League for a second time under Howe. Todibo's stats show that he is more than capable of going stride for stride with the current backline at St James' Park too.

Player

Progressive Carries

Progressive Passes

Tackles Won

Interceptions

Jean-Clair Todibo

10

56

12

16

Sven Botman

0

9

5

4

Fabian Schar

8

51

13

13

Jamaal Lascelles

5

24

5

3

Given the numbers, it's clear that Tobido may not just come in as cover at Newcastle, but he'd be entering with a challenge for either Botman or Schar when it comes to keeping their place. It's no surprise that Nice manager Francesco Farioli was keen to sing the defender's praises amid links with a move away in the summer, saying:

“These rumours have existed since the start, so we’ve developed antibodies against them – be it the team or myself. There are a few days left – we’ll see. There is a chance that he stays, and I would be happy because he’s a quality player and he would be very hard to replace. I hope the rumours stay rumours."

تعادل فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ليفربول سلبيًا في مواجهة لاس بالماس، على ملعب أنفيلد، في إطار استعدادات الفريقين للموسم الجديد 2024\2025.

ليفربول يستضيف إيبسويتش تاون في الجولة الأولى من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، يوم السبت المقبل، في حين يلاقي لاس بالماس نظيره إشبيلية الجمعة القادمة في أولى جولات الليجا.

طالع أيضًا.. بالفيديو | ماذا قدم محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول وإشبيلية الودية؟

وفاز ليفربول 4-1 على إشبيلية في وقت سابق من هذا اليوم على ملعب أنفيلد، قبل أن يستضيف لاس بالماس بالصف الثاني ويتعادل سلبيًا.

وشارك روبرتسون أساسيًا بجانب واتارو إندو وكورتيس جونز وكذلك هارفي إليوت، مع داروين نونيز وكودي جاكبو، من ضمن الفريق الأول، بالإضافة لعدد كبير من اللاعبين الشباب.

ثلاثي وسط الملعب جونز وإندو وإليوت، استمروا حتى نهاية المباراة، بالإضافة إلى كوناتي، بينما جميع اللاعبين قام آرني سلوت باستبدالهم.

وشهدت المباراة سيطرة ليفربول على الكرة وإهدار العديد من الفرص عن طريق داروين نونيز.

وتعتبر هذه هي المباراة الأخيرة للريدز قبل ملاقاة إيبسويتش تاون يوم السبت المقبل، في موسم جديد هو الأول لـ آرني سلوت المدر بالهولندي مع الفريق.

Minhajul Abedin said the youngsters had underperformed since making their international debuts but added Mahedi Hasan was still on the radar

Mohammad Isam16-Dec-2018Poor form has held back some of Bangladesh’s young cricketers who, at the start of the year, were touted for big things. Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said that Afif Hossain, Zakir Hasan and, to a lesser extent, Mahedi Hasan had been disappointing in domestic and representative sides since making their T20I debuts in February this year.Afif is a left-handed opener who bowls useful offspin, once snaring Chris Gayle as part of a five-wicket haul on T20 debut. Zakir is also a left-handed batsman who keeps wickets and is also known for his fielding. Both Under-19s graduates have been billed as the next big stars emerging from Bangladesh but so far they have struggled to find a spot in the senior side regularly.Mahedi, an offspinner who is useful with the bat, had impressed in the 2017 BPL along with Afif and Zakir. All three were doing well in the Dhaka Premier League List-A competition when they were picked in the T20I side in place of some senior players who were injured at the time.”We had high hopes about Afif and Zakir but they have been quite disappointing, to be honest,” Minhajul told ESPNcricinfo. “They haven’t made use of their skill development as well as given game planning much thought. Afif and Zakir didn’t do well in domestic cricket or in the Emerging Teams Cup.”Afif made two first-class centuries immediately after his T20I debut but, for Bangladesh A, he scored only 64 runs in six innings against Sri Lanka A and Ireland A. He has averaged 16.90 in the current first-class season, before making just 20 runs in the two Emerging Teams Cup matches.ALSO READ: ‘As long as he is alive, Hope will play’ – BrathwaiteZakir averaged 28.92 in 13 innings for Bangladesh A, before making three fifties in seven first-class matches this season so far. He made 69 in one of his two Emerging Teams Cup appearances.By contrast, Mahedi has done very well in this season’s Bangladesh Cricket League first-class tournament, averaging 80.50 with bat and taking 16 wickets at 26.75. “He is not out of contention,” Minhajul said. “Mehidy Hasan Miraz is playing all three formats while Nayeem Hasan made a wonderful start to his Test career. We consider him [Nayeem] as Miraz’s backup but Mahedi is also one of the offspinners in our radar.”The Bangladesh team management have instead trusted Nazmul Islam, Ariful Haque and Abu Jayed in recent times, with the trio regularly picked in the senior side. Nazmul has played all 13 of Bangladesh’s T20Is this year while Jayed has made an impressive start to his Test career. Ariful meanwhile has made debuts in all formats this year.One thing in common among Nazmul, Jayed and Ariful, as well as Mohammad Mithun who made his Test debut this year, is the length of time they have spent in domestic cricket. Afif, Zakir and Mahedi need a few more seasons in domestic and A-team cricket before they can have enough experience for their individual skills to develop, and to find consistency.It answers a long-standing question in Bangladesh cricket: do they really need to give youth a chance at the top so quickly? Perhaps, given the evidence, it is more important to let these young cricketers succeed and fail in domestic cricket for a few years before being picked at the highest level.

The team’s plan for their main threat is from out of the box: an article that suggested Kohli is susceptible to deliveries pitched on a full length and seaming into him

Melinda Farrell in Adelaide03-Dec-20182:31

How can Australia tackle the Kohli threat?

Australia are exploring a data-driven, high-risk, high-reward tactic to negate Virat Kohli in the upcoming four-Test series that begins in Adelaide on Thursday.The India captain’s peerless form heading into the series and the challenge of breaking through his formidable defence makes him the most valuable scalp in the visiting side and data produced by Cricviz may have unearthed the most likely method for capturing his wicket.A recent article by Cricviz writer Ben Jones, which analysed Kohli’s batting, caught the eye of some members of the Australian camp, including Justin Langer. The head coach distributed the article among his players before they arrived in Adelaide and ESPNcricinfo understands it has been discussed in a team meeting to establish bowling plans to each Indian batsman.Teams and coaching staff typically use a range of analytics resources and video along with personal experiences and observations to formulate their plans and, while Australia’s final plans for Kohli will ultimately be decided over the next few days – and adapted as the Test and series unfolds – the fact that such an article has even been thrown into the mix shows they are willing to search far and wide while considering ideas from outside the established brains trust.The basic premise of the theory put forward by Jones is that Kohli is most vulnerable to fuller deliveries that deviate in towards the right-hander off the seam. In the eight Tests Kohli has played away from home this year, in South Africa and England, he has been dismissed significantly more often when bowlers have pitched the ball up. Cricviz figures show Kohli averages 46.28 against full deliveries compared to 66.33 against good length balls and 69.33 when facing short-pitched bowling.Virat Kohli strikes a pose during a photo session before the Test series against Australia•Getty Images

The caveat to the approach of bowling full – and it is a significant one – is that it leaves Australia’s bowlers open to the risk of leaking runs; Kohli is brutal in punishing balls that stray a fraction onto his pads.A theory is, of course, only as good as its execution and if Australia do adopt this tactic to the India captain it may be a question of the bowlers holding their collective nerve, particularly if he starts scoring freely. Speaking in Adelaide, Josh Hazlewood acknowledged there was a balancing act in containing Kohli while trying to remove him.”It’s a good point,” said Hazlewood. “He’s one of those guys who can score pretty freely, a number of the guys can in this Indian side, but sometimes those risks bring the most rewards as well. It’s just about weighing that up and assessing how long we stay at each plan for. Wemight stay at it for 20 balls or 80 balls, depending on how we feel, and it’s about adapting once we’re on the field.”Kohli’s wicket also falls more often to deliveries that deviate more due to seam rather than swing. This factor could play to the strengths of Australia’s fast bowlers using the Kookaburra ball more than it did to England’s bowlers, who tend to exploit the more swing-friendly elements of the Dukes ball.Kohli has often countered the threat of the moving ball by batting outside his crease, even against those as quick as Mitchell Starc. In the 2014-15 series, when he made 692 runs in eight innings, including four centuries, ESPNcricinfo data logged him facing 142 deliveries that were of a full length. He was dismissed only twice.Bounce is a key factor in Australia as well, although former Australia players Ian Chappell and Jason Gillespie have warned the current set not to overdo the short-ball tactic.So, if Australia’s seamers do find success using full-length in-nippers to arguably the world’s most dangerous Test batsmen, it could go some way to swinging (or seaming) the series in their favour.