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Following a breathtaking 3-3 draw at Brentford in their previous Premier League fixture and a convincing 5-1 win against FC Porto in the Champions League, Liverpool are set to welcome Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday.

The clash is set up to be an intriguing one with the Reds, who have scored 15 goals in six league matches, facing a City side who have conceded just one goal in six top-flight games.

Milner could make the difference

One Liverpool player who will be missing from the match is right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold after Reds manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed that he is out with an injury after missing the midweek win at Porto.

Following this news, the manager revealed that the options he has to compensate for the 22-year-old’s absence are to either play James Milner, Neco Williams or Joe Gomez there, or even change the system altogether.

In our view, it should be the 35-year-old, who was described as “remarkable” by Match of the Day host Gary Lineker last month, who gets the nod over Williams or Gomez to start in the right-back position, even though Klopp revealed that the veteran apparently doesn’t like playing there.

Liverpool signed Milner, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £140k-per-week according to Spotrac, back in 2015 from Sunday’s opponents on a free transfer.

Since then, the 35-year-old – who is currently valued at £2.7m according to Transfermarkt – has made 254 appearances for the Merseysiders, more than for any other club he’s represented, with 26 goals and 45 assists along the way.

Throughout his career, Milner has played in just about every outfield position possible, providing five assists in the 15 games he has played as a right-back. While he may not like the roles and may have more experience playing in other positions, he has shown he is capable of being very effective from there.

Looking at the Porto game, the 35-year-old won three ground duels and three aerial duels, made two key passes and ultimately earned himself a solid overall match rating of 7.1/10 according to SofaScore. That shows just how capable he is of playing as a right-back who can balance attacking and defensive duties.

In our view, that should make him the favourite to fill in for Alexander-Arnold when City come to Anfield tomorrow. His experience and ability to operate at right-back could make a crucial difference against the champions’ prolific attack.

In other news: Klopp could finally replace Coutinho for Liverpool with “talented” £40.5m-rated beast – opinion

Steven Gerrard’s fitness concerns are continuing to build ahead of their game against St Johnstone this weekend, with Filip Helander the latest doubt ahead of Rangers’ trip to McDiarmid Park.

What’s the word?

Gerrard’s squad has already been put to the test in recent weeks with injury and covid issues but they have also been impacted by the international break, with Nathan Patterson forced to withdraw from Scotland duty after picking up a knock against Moldova recently.

Now Helander looks like he could be the latest name on the list of doubts after Sweden manager Janne Andersson suggested that he could miss their clash with Greece on Wednesday due to a fitness issue.

He said:

“Filip Helander (has) run individually in the gym. Some players have been given an adapted training load and will step up gradually.”

“It’s too early to say. We can’t take it for granted.”

A blow for Rangers?

Given that Helander was the hero in Rangers’ last game as they triumphed 1-0 in the Old Firm derby thanks to his header, it would undoubtedly be a blow for Gerrard if he wasn’t fit for their game against St Johnstone on Saturday afternoon.

Whilst there is no real explanation as to why Helander is struggling, the fact that he is a doubt for Wednesday suggests that he might not be at full fitness when he returns to Ibrox after international duty, which will surely anger his club manager.

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Gerrard was full of praise for the Swedish defender back in 2019, saying:

“He did ever so well for us in Portugal and he has stepped up and been a leader for us again. So I’m delighted with what he has done this week.”

The 41-year-old manager does have plenty of options at centre-back but has generally preferred Helander and Connor Goldson at the heart of his defence during his time as Rangers boss and will be disappointed if he has to deviate from that in important upcoming fixtures, especially with a Europa League game against Lyon to come at Ibrox next week.

And, in other news… Gerrard dealt potentially big blow with “outstanding” Rangers star

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية، أن نادي برشلونة يخطط لتقديم عرض جديد لـ إشبيلية من أجل التعاقد مع المدافع الفرنسي جوليس كوندي.

تشيلسي ينافس برشلونة على ضم اللاعب الفرنسي، وكان قريبًا للغاية من التعاقد معه خلال الصيف الماضي.

صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، أكدت أن برشلونة كان يركز أولًا على تدعيم الهجوم، من خلال التعاقد مع روبرت ليفاندوفسكي، وتصريحات لابورتا الأخيرة كانت تؤكد على التحوّل الآن لدعم خط الدفاع.

طالع أيضًا.. موندو ديبورتيفو توضح أولوية برشلونة بعد حسم صفقة ليفاندوفسكي

تشيسي يعرض 65 مليون يورو وراتب سنوي 7 ملايين، ولكن النادي الكتالوني يثق في شخصية جوليس كوندي، خاصة أن برشلونة لن يتمكن من تقديم عرض أكبر من الذي قدمه البلوز.

برشلونة يجهز للعرض الأخير من أجل كوندي خلال الأيام القليلة المقبلة، وينتظر ما سيحدث، ويريد أن يتكرر سيناريو رافينها.

سيناريو البرازيلي، هو أنه رغم عرض تشيلسي وآرسنال الأكبر لضمه، لكنه فضل الانضمام إلى برشلونة، ويريد البلوجرانا نفس الأمر مع جوليس كوندي.

A reason has now been given why Newcastle United’s Deadline Day offer for Boubacar Kamara was rejected.

The Lowdown: Late offer

As per Le Phoceen, the St. James’ Park faithful made a last-minute offer to try and sign the Marseille ace on Transfer Deadline Day.

However, he would have been ‘extremely hesitant’ to have made the move to the North East.

The Latest: Deal off

As per The Athletic, Kamara decided that he wanted to stay at Marseille in the end, despite offers from both Wolves as well as the Tyneside club.

The Ligue 1 team had hoped to move him on given that he only has a year left on his current deal, and now it is anticipated that he will either sign a new contract or leave on a free transfer in 2022.

The Verdict: Shame

It is a shame that a move for Kamara to Steve Bruce’s side eventually fell through.

Once dubbed a ‘phenomenon’ by his former teammate Rolando back in May 2020, the Frenchman still has a lot of potential at just 21 years of age, and his ability to be equally as comfortable at centre-back as well as in defensive midfield (Transfermarkt) would have been a valuable asset to have in the squad.

Nonetheless, the Magpies only managed to bring in one player on a permanent deal in Joe Willock from Arsenal, and given that he was on loan there last season, fans have every right to be worried about the lack of improvement from last term.

In other news, find out why this Toon ace’s move was blocked here!

Everton have reportedly submitted a bid for Rangers defender Nathan Patterson, and it would be a huge blow for Steven Gerrard if the 19-year-old were to depart Ibrox this summer.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, the Toffees made a bid for the teenager last week, with Rafa Benitez looking to add to his right-back options at Goodison Park.

It has been previously suggested that Rangers may be forced to sell key players this summer in order to balance the books but thus far we have only seen fringe players such as George Edmundson and Jordan Jones depart.

The likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Glen Kamara had been touted as potential options to leave but as it stands, Rangers are yet to receive an acceptable bid for any of those players, so they may be forced to consider an offer from Everton if they meet the Gers’ valuation for Patterson.

Would it be a blow to lose Patterson?

Despite only making 17 appearances in his first-team career at Rangers, Patterson is highly regarded at Ibrox.

The teenage defender came into the side last season when James Tavernier was injured and he seriously impressed with his performances, to the extent where some Rangers fans were calling for him to start ahead of the captain at right-back.

His displays were enough to convince Scotland manager Steve Clarke to include him in his Euro 2020 squad, and whilst the 19-year-old is yet to make an appearance for his country, he looks to have a huge future with the Tartan Army.

Rangers’ head of academy Craig Mulholland was full of praise for Patterson last season, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“Again, we started the project five, six, years ago to get a level of player that we felt could go and compete in the Europa League, could go and compete in Old Firm games.

“And if you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

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Therefore, the vast majority of those involved with Rangers will surely be desperate for Patterson to stay at the club this summer and it would be a huge blow for Gerrard to lose him, but it may be difficult to turn Everton down if they come in with a serious offer.

In other news… Jordan Campbell reveals injury update on “superhuman” Rangers gem, fans will be gutted

Adam Gilchrist has told Sachin Tendulkar that his comments in the media were taken out of context

Cricinfo staff24-Oct-2008
Adam Gilchrist says excerpts from his book were quoted out of context © Getty Images
Adam Gilchrist has told Sachin Tendulkar that his comments questioning Tendulkar’s evidence in the Harbhajan Singh racism case had been taken out of context. Excerpts from Gilchrist’s new book, published in the , questioned Tendulkar’s sporting spirit and his role in the hearings into the alleged racist remark made by Harbhajan. In , Gilchrist suggested Tendulkar had changed his statement.”Gilchrist called me up and clarified this issue,” Tendulkar told news channel . “He said his comments have been taken out of context.” To another channel, , Tendulkar defended himself against Gilchrist’s remark that he was “hard to find for a changing-room handshake after we have beaten India”.”Before, during and after the match I don’t like to enter the opposition dressing-room as it is not my culture,” Tendulkar said. “But I have nothing against other cultures. I have never walked off a ground without shaking the opposition players’ hands.”Indian cricket officials have already criticised Gilchrist for questioning Tendulkar’s honesty. MV Sridhar, the Indian team manager on the tour, had added a twist to the saga by offering a different version to Gilchrist of what Tendulkar had said.”During the hearing in front of Mike Procter, the match referee, during the Sydney Test, Tendulkar told him that he had heard some form of abuse,” Sridhar told Cricinfo. “But Procter didn’t probe any further and left matters at that. But subsequently in front of Justice Hansen, when both parties were cross-examined by legal counsel, Tendulkar said that he had heard Harbhajan say but clarified that it was an abbreviated form of an abuse.”Sridhar was present at both hearings after the Test, first with Procter and then with Justice John Hansen. Sridhar questioned the timing of Gilchrist’s revelations and said he used the incident merely to get cheap publicity for his book.”It is absurd that he [Gilchrist] is speaking after almost a year after the incident,” he said. “It’s just a cheap marketing gimmick to sell the book. Why did he try to go public now because he realised the importance of the moment like the India-Australia series which has gained Ashes-like proportions?”He said he was surprised at how Symonds, who claimed he was racially abused by Harbhajan in Hindi, got away despite admitting that he was involved in a heated discussion with him. Symonds saw Harbhajan hitting Brett Lee on the backside so he stepped in and “had a bit of a crack at Harbhajan”, telling him exactly what he thought of his antics. Harbhajan was initially banned for three Tests but his punishment was overturned on appeal.BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla said the board would not pursue any action against Gilchrist. “I think it is better to ignore Gilchrist’s comments,” Shukla said. “The only one to lose respect will be him, not Tendulkar.”Niranjan Shah, the BCCI secretary at that time, felt Gilchrist only wanted to “sensationalise the incidents” to sell his book. “Everything was properly handled by the authorities with the appointment of proper men to conduct the hearing after a proper procedure was put in place. After the matter is over, to claim these things in the book is nothing but foolishness.”

Deon Kruis, the fast bowler who left Yorkshire last week, has been offered a new contract with the same club after both parties resolved their differences

Cricinfo staff17-Oct-2008Deon Kruis, the fast bowler who left Yorkshire last week, has been offered a new contract with the same club after both parties resolved their differences.Last week, Kruis allegedly reported Yorkshire to the Professional Cricketers’ Association after the club withdrew their offer of a new contract. Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, had sent a text message to Kruis’s phone informing him of the decision, as the club were irritated about Kruis’s delay. It was, they claimed, hampering their chances of finding an alternative.Now, however, all is forgiven and the two parties have reached an amicable decision in the shape of a fresh one-year contract.”I have spent the last few nights worrying about where I would be playing my cricket in 2009,” Kruis said. “I know the club were keen to make a decision and I understand their position in that they felt I had taken too long to make my mind up. I have spoken to them about this and both Stewart Regan and Martyn Moxon have confirmed that they want me to be part of the squad at Yorkshire.”On that basis I hope I can put the events of the last week behind me and join the squad next March to hopefully help the club win some silverware. I feel I still have a lot to offer and I cannot wait to get stuck in once again”.Regan added: “We were disappointed last week with where we ended up so far as Deon Kruis is concerned. We had made it clear all along that we wanted him in our squad; however, it appeared that he was dragging his heels and giving us the impression that he wanted to join another club. It is now obvious that this is not the case and having heard him say that he does not want to play cricket for anyone else then that is good enough for us.”We are delighted to have him back next season. His performances at the end of the season just gone were outstanding and he has got a lot to offer us going forward”.

An update has emerged on Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey, regarding Newcastle’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Goal, Newcastle have made an enquiry about Juventus central midfielder Aaron Ramsey, although talks remain informal at this stage.

The report claims that there are several clubs in the Premier League who are also interested in signing him, with his time in Italy seemingly coming to an end.

Upgrade on Almiron

Newcastle must push ahead and secure a deal for Ramsey as he could be a superb addition to the squad. Steve Bruce will surely want to improve his starting XI before the end of the window and this potential signing could do that.

Miguel Almiron started 16 Premier League games as either a central midfielder or attacking midfielder and managed two goals and zero assists whilst averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.61 in 12 of those starts in central midfield. This comes after he scored four and assisted two goals in his first 44 starts for the club in the league.

Ramsey, meanwhile, averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.87 in seven starts as a central midfielder and 7.00 as an attacking midfielder in four games for Juventus in the Serie A – scoring twice and assisting four goals in the league overall.

Whilst it is hard to compare the difference in quality between the Serie A and Premier League, Ramsey has also played in the latter. In his final two seasons for Arsenal, The Welshman provided 11 goals and 14 assists whilst averaging a WhoScored rating of 7.27 in 2017/18 and 6.70 in 2018/19 respectively.

Arsenal legend Martin Keown once lavished praise on the “outstanding technician” and highlighted his importance for the Gunners at the time. 

He said:

“Playing in a deeper role, as he did under Arsene Wenger – I think that’s the best role for him. If you want Ozil and him in the same team. He’s so important to everything they do. It’s the energy – the box-to-box energy. He’s become an outstanding technician.”

This, along with the aforementioned statistics, suggest that the £187k-per-week maestro could be a better option than Almiron if Bruce wants to persist with a three-man midfield. Ramsey has shown that he can perform consistently to a higher standard than Almiron.

Therefore, Mike Ashley should work hard to get this deal over the line. Ramsey’s late runs into the box to score goals could add another weapon to Bruce’s spide and increase the chances of Newcastle avoiding a relegation battle next season.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Wilson: NUFC could complete attack with deal for “real goalscorer”…

Manchester United have no intention of selling forward Anthony Martial during this summer’s transfer window, according to reports.

What’s the story?

The 25-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to Italian champions Inter in recent days as they search for Chelsea-bound Romelu Lukaku’s successor.

However, according to Sky Sports, Martial is believed to be part of United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s plans for the upcoming campaign, ruling out an Old Trafford exit.

Fans will be absolutely buzzing

Martial has often been a frustrating figure for the Red Devils since his arrival from Monaco six years ago, with world-class performances often coming between lengthy barren spells in front of goal.

He appeared to add a much-needed consistency to his game throughout the 2019/20 campaign, though, bagging 23 goals and laying on a further 12 assists in 48 appearances for United.

Staying true to his infuriating nature, Martial was unable to build upon that fabulous season last term. A serious knee injury ended his campaign early, limiting him to just 16 goal contributions in 36 outings.

In his place, the likes of Marcus Rashford, Edinson Cavani and Mason Greenwood thrived for Solsjaer’s charges, and the arrival of former Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho has threatened to push the Frenchman further down the pecking order.

Nevertheless, with Marcus Rashford facing up to 12 weeks out following shoulder surgery and Jesse Lingard also facing a spell on the sidelines after testing positive for Covid-19, Solskjaer is not expected to allow Martial to leave this summer.

This latest revelation is likely to leave the club’s supporters absolutely buzzing. Although he can be a constant source of frustration, Martial is still only 25 and has a very respectable record for the club considering his age.

In all competitions, the versatile forward has found the back of the net on 78 occasions in 258 games for the 20-time English champions, providing 50 assists along the way.

That’s an impressive return for someone yet to hit their peak years, and Martial could benefit from the improved support system Sancho’s arrival will bring.

Therefore, a large section of United’s fanbase will be delighted to see him pull on a red shirt next season; they’ll just be hoping it’s the Martial of 2019/20 rather than 2020/21 that turns up.

And, in other news…John Murtough plots Man Utd move for “technically savvy” £35m gem, he has “everything” 

If we really want to increase the number of players available for the national team and get guys into training, we need to do something about the drug problem in this country

Lionel Cann07-Jun-2008If we really want to increase the number of players available for the national team and get guys into training, we need to do something about the drug problem in this country.We’ve heard more talk this week about the number of players not turning out for the national squad and as someone who has been around cricket my whole life I can tell you the biggest problem is marijuana. If we could stop people smoking weed we would have triple the amount of players available.It’s a serious social issue and it’s something we really need to address. If you can’t give up marijuana to play for your country and reach the pinnacle of your sport then you have a serious, serious problem.I know for a fact that there are a lot of players who won’t give up weed to play for their country. It’s crazy. Kids as young as 13 and 14 are getting hooked on it.If we invested money into educating people and stopping the country’s marijuana problem it would do more for sport than anything. We’ve had this problem for years and we have turned a blind eye to it but we can’t turn a blind eye any more because it’s right there in front of us every day.Every football match you go to, every cricket game you go to, you have the scent of marijuana.You can’t hide from it because it’s everywhere you go.The Bermuda Sun