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He dismissed both openers in a scintillating new-ball burst, consigning Titans to the lowest powerplay score of the season

Ashish Pant05-May-20242:46

What made RCB’s quicks so effective in Bengaluru?

” (You won’t be able to play tonight, Siraj my friend, take rest.)”These were Mohammed Siraj’s thoughts when he woke up on Saturday. He had felt ill since Friday night, and came close to opting out of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s home clash against Gujarat Titans. But he chose to fight it out.It’s the best decision Siraj could have taken, because had he not, he would have missed out on leading an RCB bowling effort that restricted Titans to the joint third-lowest powerplay score in the history of the IPL. The first six overs of Titans’ innings featured more wickets than boundaries – this at a venue where the average run rate in this phase before Saturday had been 10.27, where teams had lost just eight wickets in eight innings this season, and where Sunrisers Hyderabad had smashed the highest total in IPL history barely 20 days earlier.With flat tracks and short boundaries, six-hitting fests at M Chinnaswamy Stadium are commonplace. In IPL 2024 alone, a total of 111 sixes have been hit here in five games, only behind Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. But the theme changed at least in the first half of the RCB-Titans game and a lot of it had to do with the surface, which had a nice covering of grass on it.Related

• Du Plessis, bowlers seal see-saw win for Royal Challengers Bengaluru

• Stats – Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the powerplay battle, twice

It immediately brought the bowlers into play, and once Faf du Plessis elected to field, the RCB quicks didn’t miss a beat. The first over featured Swapnil Singh’s left-arm spin, possibly with Wriddhiman Saha’s preference for pace in mind, but it didn’t take long for RCB to realise pace was the way to go.There was movement and carry, and the RCB fast men went on an all-out attack. They didn’t attempt any slower balls in the first six overs, and predominantly bowled a good length or just short of it. The rewards were almost immediate.It was Siraj who began the Titans slide with a peach of an outswinger that Saha edged to the wicketkeeper. “When I woke up, I was thinking when Saha will be batting, I would be releasing the ball in this way, and I will get him caught behind,” Siraj said after the game. “And that’s exactly what happened.”In his next over, Siraj induced Shubman Gill to miscue a big hit, with the seaming ball doing the damage. Yash Dayal got considerable movement and carry too, before Cameron Green joined in on the fun, cleaning up Sai Sudharsan. By the time the powerplay was done, Titans had only managed 23 runs, hit two fours, and lost three wickets. Their 23 for 2 was comfortably the lowest powerplay score of IPL 2024.But what had changed from RCB’s previous games? The answer according to assistant coach Adam Griffith lay in the bowlers’ lines.Mohammed Siraj struck twice in the powerplay•BCCI”We’ve swung the ball all tournament up front,” he said at the post-match press conference. “I think what we’ve done in the last couple of games is we’ve bowled a better line. We talked a lot about bowling straighter and attacking the stumps as much as we can to challenge the batters’ defence there and make them play aggressive shots. If they want to come at us, it’s a challenge for them to do.”Tonight was one of our better ones for a while. The boys put it exactly where we wanted them. It was good to see the hard work of the boys pay off.”The RCB bowling unit has been under the pump in the tournament. Coming into this game, they had the worst economy rate for any team (10.28) and picked up the fewest wickets (45) in the tournament. To change that, they needed the leader of their attack to step up, and Siraj did so brilliantly with figures of 2 for 9 in the powerplay.”I haven’t bowled with the new ball too much this season,” he said. “But this felt great today because that new ball is my strength. Last year I did really well with the new ball, I got a lot of wickets. Today’s performance brought back memories of last year.”Siraj was RCB’s rock last season, picking up 19 wickets including 10 in the powerplay. In comparison, he had had a tough IPL 2024 up to this point: eight wickets in ten matches, and just four in the powerplay. He was also rested for their home game against Sunrisers on April 15, giving him a break that may have helped him find his groove.”I had been playing red-ball cricket for a long time, and then suddenly a shift to white ball was not easy,” he said. “I was lacking in rhythm initially. I felt something was lacking. But as I kept on practicing, I got my rhythm back.”Griffith also agreed that the short rest did Siraj a world of good, and he elaborated on why he is such a critical component of RCB’s bowling unit.”Siraj is a rhythm bowler. He’s the leader of our group,” Griffith said. “He’s our most experienced bowler, especially among our Indian quicks, but even with our international guys. Having him up and going and bowling well…but it’s not just him bowling well, it’s his aggression, it’s his body language, it’s his taking the batters on to try and get wickets. He’s such an important part of what we’re trying to do. So, having him up and going, swinging the ball again, bowling with good pace, as I said being aggressive is so important.”While the first six overs of Titans’ innings went a long way in defining the outcome of the contest, Bengaluru is one place where batters, if they find their groove, can quickly change the narrative. David Miller and Shahrukh Khan showed this during a counterattacking stand of 61 off 37 balls, but RCB’s bowlers roared back once they broke the partnership. The innings ended with a team hat-trick as Titans were bowled out with three balls to spare.It was ironic in a way that one of this season’s most maligned attacks had brought about its lowest powerplay score. It was a reminder of the quality within that attack, however, particularly the new-ball skills of Siraj in peak rhythm.

Here are the takeaways from the 2023-24 season

Hemant Brar and Shashank Kishore16-Mar-2024

Need for a better schedule

Earlier this month, Shardul Thakur highlighted the hectic Ranji Trophy schedule with just a three-day gap between matches. The schedule is harsh, in particular, on fast bowlers who get little time for recovery.Can the BCCI make it a four-day gap in the second half? Yes, but it will make the season even longer. The 2023-24 season started in late June and ended in mid-March. Rahul Dravid proposed a solution: “Maybe we need to re-look and see whether some of the tournaments that we are conducting are necessary.” Dravid did not specify which tournaments he was talking about, but he might have had the Deodhar Trophy, the 50-over zonal tournament, in mind. The BCCI had reintroduced it this season for the first time since 2019-20.The Deodhar Trophy’s red-ball counterpart is the Duleep Trophy. The players are of the view that the Duleep Trophy is an important tournament as it acted as a pathway for India A and the Test team.Related

• Gavaskar to BCCI: 'Double or triple' Ranji fees to 'look after the feeder system'

• Indian players stand to earn INR 45-60 lakhs per Test

• Shardul Thakur: 'Extremely tough to play ten games with three-day gaps'

• BCCI warns players: Don't prioritise IPL over domestic cricket

Another issue was scheduling matches in north India in January and early February. The fog over there at that time of the year resulted in so little play that nine games had to be called off even before a team achieved a first-innings lead.In Gujarat’s match against Chandigarh in Chandigarh, only 26 overs were possible across four days. Despite being the favourites, Gujarat had to be satisfied with one point. Eventually, it cost them a knockout spot.The solution, as Uttar Pradesh head coach Sunil Joshi also suggested, is simple: don’t schedule games in the north in the first half of the tournament.Saurashtra captain Jaydev Unadkat gave another suggestion. “What we can look to do is advance the Ranji Trophy so that it does not spill over into January, which is when a lot of games get fogged out,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “Try to advance the season sometime in August, start with T20s, followed by the Ranji Trophy, and then finish with the Vijay Hazare Trophy.”In any case, the Vijay Hazare is held at five venues (one for each group). Those venues can be picked based on the weather.”There was one good thing about the Ranji schedule and Harsh Dubey benefited from it•PTI

In sync with CK Nayudu Trophy

It is not that all was doom and gloom when it came to the schedule. This season, the Ranji Trophy games started two days before the Under-23 CK Nayudu Trophy games; it was the other way around last time. This meant those who did not make it to the XI for their Ranji side could be released for the CK Nayudu Trophy game. Last season, they had no option other than to carry drinks.This also meant when the teams needed those players, they were not coming in cold. For example, someone like Vidarbha’s Harsh Dubey, who didn’t feature in every Ranji Trophy match, played five games in the CK Nayudu Trophy where he picked up 32 wickets at an average of 17.50.

Review the DRS

In 2019-20, the BCCI had implemented “limited DRS” for the semi-final and the final of the Ranji Trophy. It did not have ball-tracking and UltraEdge, which meant only half the problem was solved. The board went one step ahead in 2022-23 with the full version for the final.This time, the full DRS was once again available for the final, but for only one semi-final, Mumbai vs Tamil Nadu, which was broadcast on TV. In the other semi-final, Madhya Pradesh were on the receiving end of a couple of wrong decisions against Vidarbha, which led their coach Chandrakant Pandit to say that the BCCI should implement it uniformly.In the final, as many as ten decisions were overturned on review. The board should look into having full DRS for all the knockout games, as a wrong decision can not only impact the result but also hamper a player’s career.DRS is only sporadically used in the Ranji Trophy•Childish Things / KISS ltd

Plate League performances

“The only way we can attract attention, if at all that is possible at this level, is by doing things differently.” This was Hyderabad captain Rahul Singh, talking about his team being relegated to Plate League for this season.He was not wrong. Hyderabad were always going to be a cut above the rest of the Plate League teams, which meant it was impossible to evaluate their performances. So they needed to do something extraordinary. Rahul finished the tournament with 694 runs at an average of 86.75 and a strike rate of – wait for it – 134.49.Similarly, Tilak Varma scored three hundreds and a fifty in five innings, and averaged 137.33. Tanmay Agarwal scored the fastest triple-century in first-class cricket en route to his 366 against Arunachal Pradesh. In that match, Hyderabad were 529 for 1 in 48 overs at one point. The players would be the first ones to accept that things would not have been the same in Elite Group.This has been an issue since 2018-19, when the BCCI introduced nine new teams in domestic cricket. One solution is that the five north-east zone teams – Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim – play among themselves in June and then send a combined team for the Ranji Trophy. Else the BCCI will have to wait for them to level up with older teams.

Neutral curators

This season, every pitch was signed off by a neutral curator, which meant there were fewer extreme surfaces.”Some of the pitches were flat, which I suppose is fine,” Unadkat said. “But in terms of the balance between bat and ball, I think plenty of it was restored. There were one or two problematic pitches, but the neutral curators ensured wickets were largely good.”

Hollywood superstars and Wrexham co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac both attempted in vain to contact a player they’d surprisingly let go in the summer. And the player who declined their calls, Steven Fletcher, has revealed his reasons for blanking the megastars, but how he patched up the relationship with the pair during a round of golf.

• 'Premature' exit from Red Dragons

  Fletcher enjoyed a highly successful two-year spell at Wrexham, helping the club secure back-to-back promotions from League Two to the Championship. The former Scotland international, often deployed as an effective "super sub," scored 16 goals in 77 competitive appearances, with eight in each season, including a memorable hat-trick against Barrow. His time at was widely praised by team-mates, fans, and the celebrity owners alike for his leadership and impact.  

  His exit, however, was not his choice. Following the club's promotion to the Championship at the end of last season, manager Phil Parkinson opted not to offer the 38-year-old a new contract, citing squad size considerations and the increased demands of the higher league. Fletcher expressed his disappointment, stating he would have loved to stay, but ultimately understood the decision and subsequently announced his retirement from professional football.

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  Fletcher: 'I did blank a few calls to start with'

  Fletcher said: "Looking back now, it was probably the right decision from the club with the amount of players that we had, but it took me a while to get over it. I was angry for a good few weeks. I'm quite a chilled guy, but I blanked a few phone calls for a while. Obviously, people from the club tried to call me after they found out and I was like, 'I am not ready to talk to you.' Rob and Ryan both called me after, but I did blank a few calls to start with. 

  "I got on really well with both of them, but I didn't want them to get the brunt of [my anger]. I did calm down then and Rob texted me and said, 'Let me know when you want to speak.' I think they understood. I spoke to Rob, and then me and Ryan missed each other back and forward for a while. I was missing his calls and then he was missing mine. Then I'm thinking that he's thinking I'm blanking him. We met up in person, me and Ryan, and he was like, 'Did you not want to speak to me?' I was like, 'No, of course not.' I had a good relationship with the owners. Rob was great with me and we went and played golf quite a few times."

• Splash the cash

  While the club continue to adapt to life in the Championship, they have been urged to show some faith and spend on a targeted few players, rather than casting the net wide and Sky Sports analyst Don Goodman has been forthright in his assessment. The former Wolves and Sunderland striker urged the club to act decisively but intelligently. Goodman said: "What you are seeing at the minute is loads of teams that are evenly matched and that gives a real opportunity. It could be that Wrexham might not get a better opportunity. With that in mind, I think there probably will be money available in January, if necessary. 

  He added: "Their summer recruitment was massive in terms of Championship experience and quantity, a lot of new players came in. If they go and spend money in January, I would expect it to be quality over quantity. I would expect maybe it would be a couple of players brought in that would go straight into the starting eleven and improve them rather than players brought in for the squad. When I look at that table, they are one of four teams, from 11th to 14th, on 21 points, which is four points off a play-off spot. I would expect them to have a real go, and spend some money in January."

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  Massive Ipswich test

  Wrexham, currently 13th in the Championship table, travel to Portman Road with confidence, having lost only one league game since mid-October. Victory would move them above Ipswich in the standings, closing the gap to the play-off places. Key player Kieffer Moore has bagged nine goals this season and faces a race to be fit from a hamstring injury; if he is unavailable, Sam Smith is expected to lead the attack.

MLS announced a landmark decision by switching to a fall-spring calendar, and the benefits are obvious, but there are some valid challenges the league needs to navigate through

Focus really hard, and you could almost see the relief in Don Garber as he announced the news. MLS has done the one thing it really should have done for years, and he knew it. There has been talk, stretching back to last January, that an official switch to a fall-spring calendar in North America's professional soccer setup was imminent. For a while, there were just whispers and suggestions. It was reportedly brought up at countless board meetings. It received cautious public backing from coaches. 

And, more broadly, anyone who consumed the league, followed its transfers, or even turned on Apple from time to time knew it was probably the sensible idea.

After some previous challenges, MLS, at long last, has a fall-spring calendar. The league has confirmed it. The basics are as expected. Starting in 2027, games will run from late July to early May. There will be a break in the winter. Transfer windows will align with the rest of the world. There will be no more playing through international breaks. On the face of it, this seems like the day when a still-growing, but at times conservative, league finally decided to take a bold swing. 

At the same time, there are clear caveats. Existing player contracts will need to be reworked, and the league will now find itself competing more directly with other major U.S. sports during the heart of its season. There’s also value in tradition – even if MLS’s calendar has always been unconventional. So while this move feels logical and long overdue, it won’t be without complications.

MLS 3.0 may be underway, but its success is far from guaranteed.

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  'Take our time and get it right'

  MLS has been inching toward this for years, and there was a growing sense that the shift was inevitable. This is a league in a constant state of evolution, and the move brings it into the modern era in a more convincing way. In truth, MLS delayed the change longer than it wanted to, Commissioner Don Garber admitted at a news conference.

  "We would rather take our time and get it right than be fast and get it wrong," Garber said. 

  The general idea here is to capitalize on the momentum brought about by the 2026 World Cup. The tournament is considered – and rightly so – a landmark event in the scope of the game in North America. Now is the perfect opportunity, if not excuse, for MLS to make significant changes in earnest. And what better way to convince people that MLS is legitimate than to do so around a World Cup? If this is the expression of the American game in club form, it should surely be linked to the biggest global event that soccer offers. 

  There have been extensive discussions, though, to make sure that the change is made in the right way. The league surveyed fans and other relevant parties, it said in a release, about their relative interest in a Fall-Spring calendar. Ninety-two percent of respondents supported a change to align with the European game. Discussions first started in earnest in October 2023. Just over two years later, rumor has become reality. 

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  Transfers and international breaks

  On the face of it, primarily, removing all of the noise, this is advantageous for MLS. Some would meet it with a shrug and a "duh." MLS, by working on a different schedule, is out of touch with the European world that it is so often compared to. On the face of things, this is a move toward legitimacy. Want to take us seriously? Well, here's a calendar to show you that we're for real. 

  But the most obvious benefit is the way the league functions in the global soccer sphere. For so long, transfer windows have been so awkward to figure out. MLS's primary window runs from January to April. Its secondary one stretches from July to August. That has proven to be a roadblock on two fronts. Primarily, it has made player acquisition harder, with the league forced to go after those who have either already begun their seasons at their club or are looking for a move halfway through. It's a pain in terms of recruitment. Even more difficult, though, is the midseason window where MLS teams can so often lose their best players. That July to August window has been a deadly thing for some sides, who have to kiss top talents goodbye when a good offer comes in. 

  "It allows us to be aligned with the international transfer windows, which we think is incredibly important. It gives us a wide variety of opportunities that will expand our ability to be on this path, to be one of the top and leading leagues in the world," Garber said.

  The shift won't entirely change the fact that MLS teams will lose good footballers here and there. But they can also use those windows to sign new ones, or plan ahead properly. What can happen here, then, is the fleshing out of a proper global transfer infrastructure, where players come and go – and spending can be maximized (albeit with the caveat of complicated salary cap rules). There could be more transfers like LAFC's blockbuster move for Son Heung-Min as a result. 

  There is further good news to be found in the fact that the calendar now aligns with FIFA international windows. There are a number of instances during the season where clubs lose significant chunks of their roster due to national team commitments – and still have to worry about regular season games with significant implications. That is no longer a problem.  

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  A few concerns linger

  Yet there are surely some losers. The main group, immediately, might just be the players. A switch to a fall-spring calendar would undoubtedly complicate contract negotiations. Under current MLS rules, deals expire in December. There will, surely, be some contracts to renegotiate. Garber was asked, in fact, how much of a say the players had in the decision, and his response was vague.

  "I'm sure there will be a time soon that we'll be able to, collectively with the MLSPA, have a discussion, and we can talk about all those details," Garber said. 

  There are also some questions to be asked about timing. To be sure, a break from mid-December to early February – similar to the setup currently offered by the Bundesliga – will save some fans in cold climates. But Minnesota, Chicago, and New England in early December, or even November, might not be all that pleasant. 

  There are broader questions to be asked, too, about fan attendance in general. The league very proudly announced that it welcomed over 14 million fans in the regular season alone into stadiums on matchdays. Will the march to the stadium remain the same in the dark and the cold, rather than an agreeable summer evening? These are things that simply cannot be prepared for. 

  And then there are the minutea: sponsorships, season tickets, day-to-day operations for teams. Those remain unknown. 

  "The bottom line is this change has been approved because we think it will, overall, raise the awareness, therefore the engagement with our teams, and therefore make them more valuable to the corporate community and to their fans," Garber said.

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  The North American sports calendar

  But perhaps the biggest question, writ large, is how this all fits in to the rest of the North American sports calendar. Currently, the MLS season runs from February to early December. The playoffs and MLS Cup clash directly with the middle of the NFL season, the World Series, crucial college football games, and the start of the NBA season. This is not the best time of year to get eyes on your hallmark event.

  A shift to a May MLS Cup, then, would seem to alleviate some of those fears. NFL and college football will be over. The start of the MLB season is hardly gripping stuff. And falling right before the NBA finals seems a good deal. MLS is happy where they will fit in the calendar under a new system, Nelson Rodriguez, EVP of MLS said Thursday.

  "We think this sets us up to showcase ourselves in a much better form. The competition will always be there, whether it's gridiron, hoops, or sticks and balls," Rodriguez said.

  Still, there are questions to be asked. The middle of the season will then clash directly with the biggest games in the NFL and College Football Playoff (which is now approximately 36 teams large). And whatever eyes MLS might have been able to capitalize on during the club soccer offseason are now fixated elsewhere. The theory that MLS is an alternative to boredom when Europe's top leagues aren't active will now fall apart. 

On the heels of a disappointing World Series defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the New York Yankees on Saturday announced that they've declined the 2025 club option for first baseman Anthony Rizzo.

Additionally, New York ace starting pitcher Gerrit Cole has reportedly opted out of his contract, sources told Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. The Yankees can void the opt-out by adding one year and $36 million to the current four years and $144 million remaining on Cole's deal. New York has until Sunday evening to make the decision.

The move to decline Rizzo's option was hardly unexpected, as the 35-year-old was set to earn $17 million in 2025 had the Yankees picked up the option. Now, they'll pay him $6 million via a buyout and he will become a free agent.

Rizzo, who spent 10 of his 14 MLB seasons with the Chicago Cubs, was dealt to the Yankees before the trade deadline in July of 2021. He slashed .234/.326/.409 with 60 home runs, 172 RBIs and 192 runs scored in four seasons in New York.

Meanwhile, Cole—just a year removed from winning the American League Cy Young Award in 2023—missed the first two-and-a-half months of the season due to discomfort in his pitching elbow. He returned to pitch 95 innings for New York in the regular season, recording a 3.41 ERA.

Then, Cole helped lead the Yankees to its first American League pennant since 2009 and to the World Series, where the club was dispatched in five games by the Dodgers. Save for a disastrous fifth inning in Game 5 of the World Series, Cole was masterful in the postseason. He allowed just seven earned runs in 29 innings pitched in the postseason, including just one earned run to the mighty Los Angeles lineup.

It's possible that both Rizzo—at a discounted price—and Cole return to New York in 2025. But will the Yankees want to commit an additional $36 million and another year to Cole, who already dealt with elbow troubles this past season?

That remains to be seen. The Yankees also on Friday exercised the 2025 club option for relief pitcher Luke Weaver. MLB's free agency period begins on Nov. 4.

Real Madrid head coach Xabi Alonso was not too critical of his team's display during the narrow defeat to Liverpool in the Champions League on Tuesday. Alonso says he set up his team to win the midfield battle against Arne Slot's men as he made tactical adjustments in the second half, but lamented their inability to create clear chances at Anfield.

• Alonso's Liverpool homecoming ends in loss

  Real Madrid slipped to a gut-wrenching 1-0 loss to the underperforming Liverpool in the Champions League at Anfield on Tuesday evening. The visitors came into the encounter on the back of six straight wins, including the 2-1 defeat of Barcelona in La Liga. Meanwhile, Arne Slot's side had lost six of their last eight games, including four on the bounce in the Premier League before ending that run against Aston Villa at the weekend. Los Blancos were the favourites heading into the encounter due to the contrasting form experienced by both teams.

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• Alonso explains what led to Madrid defeat

  Alonso started the game with four midfielders, including Eduardo Camavinga, Jude Bellingham, Arda Guler and Aurelien Tchouameni, while Federico Valverde filled in at full-back. Alonso opted to tweak his tactics further during the game, with winger Rodrygo taking Camavinga's place. 

  Asked what his aim was by fielding the Frenchman, he said: "A fourth midfielder. We thought Arda could cut inside from the wing, stretching Fede [Valverde]. Then we changed it because Arda had a good touch inside. These are decisions you make during the match.

  "We haven't been able to break through their last defensive line to create clear chances in the box. Fede was carrying a knock, so we substituted him. With Trent [Alexander-Arnold] and Rodrygo, we wanted to create threats. We looked for other combinations. Today we lacked a little something overall, and some details went their way."

  He also admitted that his team committed a lot of unnecessary fouls too close to the Liverpool box, which led the hosts to seize the moment and eventually find the winner through Mac Allister. "And in the second half, everything was very tight, a matter of small details. Those somewhat unnecessary fouls made us lose the initiative." he said.

• Vinicius and Mbappe ineffective against impenetrable Liverpool defence

  Kylian Mbappe had a forgettable evening at Anfield last year, when he missed a penalty and was largely uninfluential as Liverpool romped to a 2-0 win. However, things have been different for the Frenchman this season, as he has already racked up 18 goals in 15 games. On Tuesday, though, his powers were nullified by a fully locked-in Reds backline. Vinicius, who had previously never experienced a defeat against Liverpool, also lost his duel against right-back Conor Bradley comprehensively.

  Speaking on , Gareth Bale was critical of the star attacking duo. "I think it was that spark that [Thierry] Henry and I were talking about, that we didn't see Mbappe and Vinicius in the final third work a bit of magic and bring Madrid back into the game. It was a bit disappointing that in that final third there wasn't really that kind of quality that you expect from Real Madrid players.

  "It's frustrating, I think they overcomplicate things. Sometimes they just need to try and test the defender. They are clearly faster than anyone else on the pitch. But I think maybe they don't do it because there's no one else in the box waiting for the crosses. Maybe they need that reference number nine." 

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  Alonso wants Real Madrid to 'learn' from Liverpool loss

  It hasn't been a bad start from Madrid by any means this season, having won 13 games out of the 15 they've played. They also defeated Barcelona recently, putting an end to their four-game losing streak against their arch-rivals. However, there is still a feeling that Los Blancos require more time to settle in the new system under Alonso before they can start dominating in the big games. They lost 5-2 to Atletico Madrid in September, but the ex-Bayer Leverkusen gaffer believes the defeat to Liverpool was different, and one his boys could learn a lot from.

  "The match was even, with some details. There was a moment when things went very much in their favor… and there are many ways to lose," he said. "Today's loss is very different from the one at the Wanda Metropolitano. Today, we gave it our all, we competed, the attitude was good. We lacked a few things that we'll have to improve for the future, because there will surely be more matches like this. But today was the most difficult of the Champions League group stage.

  "I don't think we're going through peaks and valleys. The match at the Metropolitano wasn't a good one, but we have to be consistent with our performance, with our approach, with our standards. We don't want to experience peaks and valleys because that kind of pressure creates instability. Today we suffered a defeat in a close and competitive match, and we have to learn from it."

Premier League teams have been urged to exploit a weak link in Thomas Frank’s starting eleven at Tottenham.

Tottenham edge out Leeds United in 2-1 win

The Lilywhites, once again, were forced to display real grit as Spurs battled their way to a 2-1 win away at Leeds United in today’s early kick-off.

Goals from Mathys Tel, who was given the starting nod over Richarlison, and summer signing Mohammed Kudus edged Leeds out, despite Daniel Farke’s side battling to the last second on a very rainy afternoon at Elland Road.

Noah Okafor did make the game level before half-time, but Kudus’ deflected first ever goal for Tottenham gifted Frank’s side a hard-fought three points.

The Ghanaian’s Man of the Match display helped Spurs become the first team to beat Leeds on home turf in a league game for over a year — putting their disappointing draw against Bodo/Glimt in the Arctic Circle firmly behind them.

An ever-present in Spurs’ team ever since his £17 million move from Empoli in 2023, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, also made crucial saves in Yorkshire.

Vicario thwarted Dominic Calvert-Lewin from making it 2-1 just after half-time with a left-footed stop before denying Leeds again in the very last minutes, but the shot-stopper was left in no-mans-land when ex-Spurs defender Joe Rodon missed a gaping chance early in the first half.

The Italy international started his Lilywhites career impressively under Ange Postecoglou, putting in some excellent performances and pulling off match-winning saves since then, but Vicario has attracted criticism for his handling of crosses into the box.

Premier League rivals urged to expose Guglielmo Vicario at Tottenham

Former Newcastle and Crystal Palace midfielder Darren Ambrose, speaking to talkSPORT earlier this week, is convinced that Vicario has been “found out” because of this and has urged Premier League rivals to take advantage.

There were flashes of this issue from Vicario against Leeds, especially with Rodon’s opportunity as a result of the 28-year-old’s failure to deal with an incoming ball.

However, Tottenham’s goalkeeping coaches can always work on the keeper’s lack of confidence right now when it comes to claims.

The former Serie A keeper is still quite young in goalkeeping terms, and while there is still room for improvement, ex-teammate Fraser Forster piled praise on Vicario’s work ethic to get better behind-the-scenes.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been warned that he could lose his job if he fails to deliver the Premier League title as the Gunners have already opened up a sizeable gap at the top. After coming agonisingly close in the past three seasons, the Gunners have been told that anything less than lifting the trophy this year could mark the end of Arteta’s tenure in north London.

• Arsenal take command as rivals stumble

  Arteta's men have looked a cut above the rest so far, grinding out results with an air of confidence. Their latest triumph was a gritty 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace on Sunday. The win saw them open a four-point cushion at the top. Liverpool’s shock 3-2 defeat to Brentford was their fourth loss on the bounce, while Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City fell 1-0 to Aston Villa. Former Palace midfielder Eberechi Eze provided the decisive strike for Arsenal, slamming home in the first half. The result extended Arsenal’s unbeaten league run and made it four wins in a row, with three of those accompanied by clean sheets. Now sitting pretty with 22 points from nine matches, they lead Bournemouth by four points, while early challengers City and Liverpool are down in fifth and seventh respectively.

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  Wayne Rooney sounds a stark warning

  While Arsenal’s form has drawn praise, United legend Wayne Rooney has urged caution and dropped a big warning for Arteta. Speaking in the latest episode of the former United striker said: "The squad is good enough now and I think they've had the experiences which have got them close, but I think they're ready for it. If they don't win it now, you'd probably see a change of manager."

  Gary Neville, another Old Trafford icon, went even further, proclaiming that Arsenal have one hand on the title already. Speaking on The , he said: "This has got to be them, hasn't it? This has got to be their year. This is the fourth season on the bounce that I've had them to win the league, but they're not necessarily miles better, they're repeating their levels of consistency, and that's all they're going to have to do this year to win the league. They're not going to have to go and get 100 points, they're not going to have to get even 90 or 95 points to win the league, mid-80s, high 80s will win them this title, and they can do that.

  "I mentioned before about the other teams [being] inconsistent and unreliable, that's not this Arsenal team. They're very reliable. You can trust them. The way in which they defend is fantastic. They're all around each other. They don't concede goals. They've got a threat up front in multiple areas. They've not got a sensational centre-forward, but they've got a battering ram up there as honest as a day's long, and that can work for them. They've got [Eberechi] Eze, they've got so they've got [Noni] Madueke, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Leandro] Trossard, lots of players who can contribute goals. They've got [Declan] Rice who can obviously deliver in set-pieces. They've got four fantastic full-backs and three excellent centre-backs."

• Arsenal's defensive discipline reaches historic heights

  Arsenal’s rise has been built on a defensive foundation few teams in England can match. The Gunners have now played 100 consecutive matches across all competitions without conceding three goals in a single game, which places them alongside Manchester United. The last time Arsenal shipped three in a league match was almost two years ago during a thrilling 4-3 win over Luton Town in December 2023. 

  Neville urged the Gunners to keep their feet grounded and build on the early momentum. He added: "So there are a lot of very good things going for Arsenal. It's about making sure now they don't get carried away. It's about making sure they just keep doing the same things. They don't need to do anything spectacular here. Just keep doing your jobs. Keep doing what you do, and you will win this league. It's yours to win. This is your title, Arsenal. I've never really felt that sure before. It's so early in the season, it's madness for someone with the experience that I've got of winning titles to say that 'it's yours', but it really is.

  "They must feel it themselves. The Arsenal fans must feel it. They must know that this is the moment that Arsenal can get back on top. This is a moment for Mikel Arteta, for these players, for Arsenal to represent themselves as being the best in the country. The chance and the opportunity is there for them, they've got to go and take it."

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  A busy November for Arteta

  The next three fixtures could prove a defining stretch for Arteta’s men, who are now chasing success on multiple fronts. Arsenal face Brighton in the Carabao Cup fourth round on Wednesday. They’ll then turn their attention back to the league with a trip to Turf Moor to face Burnley, before switching to Champions League duties against Slavia Prague. However, the more demanding tests come after the international break as they are set to host Tottenham in the north London derby, followed by a Champions League date with Bayern Munich, and will then travel to Stamford Bridge to take on Chelsea on November 30. 

Dominic Solanke has struggled to match the demands placed upon him at Tottenham Hotspur after joining in a big-money transfer back in the summer of 2024.

The Englishman cost a club-record £65m from AFC Bournemouth a little over 12 months ago, but he’s failed to put a regular run together within the first team squad.

He’s made 49 appearances in his two years in North London, only two of which have come in 2025/26, with his outings only totalling a dismal 31 minutes.

Solanke may have netted 16 times across all competitions last campaign, but ultimately, such a record is way below what was expected upon his big-money transfer to join the Lilywhites.

However, the fanbase could have a reason to be excited, with the prospect of the players who Solanke replaced potentially being teed up for a return to the club in the near future.

The latest on Kane’s potential return to Spurs

Club-record goalscorer Harry Kane left Spurs in an £82m deal back in the summer of 2023, joining German giants Bayern Munich in an attempt to win trophies.

It’s safe to say he’s been a success in the Bundesliga, scoring 98 times in his 103 appearances for the club – catapulting Vincent Kompany’s side to the title last season.

However, the 32-year-old could be set for a dream return to his boyhood club in the near future, with the Lilywhites having first priority if he is to move back to the Premier League.

Such news has led to current boss Frank stating that he would welcome the talisman back to North London with open arms – but cast doubt that such a move would happen anytime soon.

Kane is likely to have a release clause worth £56.7m becoming active in the summer of 2026, further generating excitement among the fanbase – understandably so given his tally of 280 goals for the club.

However, regardless of whether he does rejoin the Lilywhites in the near future, the club already have another talent in their ranks who could emulate his success in the capital.

The Spurs star who could be the new Harry Kane

In an attempt to battle for Premier League glory, Spurs have shifted their recruitment focus over the last couple of years, subsequently targeting young talent over recent years.

Lucas Bergvall is just one example of such a talent, joining in a £8.5m deal from Swedish side Djurgarden back in the summer of 2024, subsequently having an immediate impact despite his tender age.

The 19-year-old has since racked up over 50 appearances across all competitions, starring in key moments and arguably being one of Frank’s most important players in the 2025/26 campaign to date.

However, they’ve already got another impressive youngster lined up, with Irish striker Mason Melia set to join the club from St Patrick’s Athletic in the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old has already made a name for himself in his homeland, scoring 12 times and registering three assists in his 30 league outings during this calendar year.

His latest showing against Cork City saw him bag two goals in just 64 minutes, now currently sitting as the division’s second top goalscorer despite his tender age.

Such form has seen him even be included in the Ireland U21 squad over recent times, subsequently scoring twice in as many appearances – already starring against players multiple years above his age group.

Melia himself spoke glowingly about Kane upon his agreement to join the Lilywhites, stating that the Englishman was a player he looks up to in his career.

The teenager, who’s been labelled “relentless” by analyst Ben Mattinson, is currently averaging 0.5 goals or assists per 90 in Ireland, a simply remarkable feat given his teenage years.

His tally of 1.5 shots on target per 90 further demonstrates the clinical edge he possesses when in front of goal, potentially being a key first-team member in North London for many years to come.

It’s unclear upon his transfer in January whether Melia will be a first-team player or originally link up with the academy – but it’s clear he is a talent who does possess huge amounts of potential. As noted by talent scout Jacek Kulig, he is the “Irish Harry Kane”.

If he can make the same impact as Kane in North London, he will certainly go down as one of the best talents in their history – but he could also link up with the Englishman if he returns to join Frank’s side in the near future.

The best since Kane: Spurs talent could steal the #10 shirt from Maddison

Tottenham Hotspur may already have a star who could be Thomas Frank’s new number ten.

By
Ethan Lamb

Sep 23, 2025

Paul Mullin will be auctioning off his famous customised "F*ck the Tories" boots. The boots, first unveiled in 2022, carried a message that caused uproar in the Wrexham boardroom. And now, the striker has announced that he is going to sell it off to the highest bidder.

• The boots that started a firestorm

  The bold slogan, emblazoned across his Nike Mercurials, instantly became a lightning rod for debate in football and political circles. Mullin had them custom-made as part of his personal protest against the Conservative Party’s handling of Britain’s working class. It was a stance rooted deeply in his Merseyside upbringing. But while Mullin saw it as a stand for ordinary people, his club at the time, Wrexham, saw it as a step too far. They were quick to distance themselves from the controversy once images of the boots surfaced on Mullin’s Instagram.

  A Wrexham statement read: “The club can confirm that the boots revealed by Paul Mullin on social media will not be worn tonight, or in any other Wrexham AFC fixture and that the photographs taken at the Racecourse Ground were done so without our knowledge or approval. For the record, the pictures wouldn’t have been permitted to be taken had we known, and the issue will be dealt with privately by the club.

  “The club has adopted a neutral position on many matters with a political dimension and intends to continue to do so going forward. The club also acknowledge that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whether that be employees or supporters, but would also highlight that an individual's view cannot be fairly attributed as the view of everyone or the club itself.

  “There is no more prominent example of this than the fact that the MP for the constituency within which the club is found is a Conservative seat. After this unwelcome distraction, the club hopes the focus remains on our objectives of gaining promotion on the field and creating community benefit off it, in which Paul Mullin will continue to play a significant part."

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  Boots put up for auction

  Despite being banned from wearing the boots, Mullin kept them. In 2024, Britain changed political course. The Labour Party’s landslide victory ended 14 years of Conservative rule. As Rishi Sunak handed the keys of Downing Street to Keir Starmer, Mullin was quick to celebrate.

  Posting a waving hand emoji on Instagram, he wrote on X (formerly Twitter): "If you know anyone who needs some boots, I’ve got a spare pair now!”

  Now, the man himself has confirmed on social media that the boots will officially go under the hammer. "So a few months ago I said they would be up for auction and here they are," Mullin announced to his followers on Instagram.

  @paulmulin12 Instagram

• From cult hero to outsider

  After firing Wrexham to two promotions and scoring 110 goals in 172 games, Mullin earned cult hero status in North Wales. But last season, the fairytale began to drift apart. The 30-year-old found himself sidelined as Wrexham made the leap to the Championship. With new signings and bigger ambitions, Mullin became surplus to Phil Parkinson’s plans. Now, he’s swapped red for blue as he joined Wigan Athletic on loan for the 2025/26 season.

  A few days after completing the transfer, he said on Sky Sports: "Nothing really changes for me. I’ve always said that I never want to prove anyone wrong; I always want to prove myself right. There’s many reasons why I haven’t played at League One level through my career, that was purely due to choice a lot of the time, and obviously last year didn’t go the way I wanted. I think that was from a personal point of view, but many people will say ‘oh you didn’t score goals last year’, and they will be the same people that rely on xG, which, to be honest, I don’t believe in, but if that was the case, then I only had an xG of four and managed to score three, so it weren’t such a bad season for those people. I probably started 12 games and scored five goals, so I can spin it any way you want. For me, it wasn’t a successful season. I want to play games, never mind scoring goals, I just want to play and be part of a team that’s successful, that’s the most important thing to me, being successful as a team, and last year we were."

  Mullin added on his decision to join Wigan: "It is a fresh start. People could be sad about it, like, obviously, a lot of Wrexham fans, but for me, I’m excited about the next chapter of my book. In life, you have many opportunities to change paths and go in different directions, and sometimes you’ve got to be brave to go and take the next step and see what’s next for you. I’m really looking forward to the future; it’s something I’m really excited about, and yeah, I’m fully excited about what’s to come."

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  Wrexham redemption still on the cards?

  Despite his loan spell, the door isn’t shut on Mullin’s Wrexham story. With two years left on his contract, a return to the Racecourse isn’t impossible. Even former Wrexham boss Dean Saunders believes the striker could earn a second chance in north Wales.

   “One thing about Paul Mullin is that he is a goal scorer, and he always will be," he said. "He knows where the net is, and when he is in form on a scoring streak, I’m not sure there is any forward scarier in the EFL. Wrexham have signed players from higher up and have decided to send him out on loan, which I think is fair enough, as they have Premier League ambitions.

  “One thing Paul needs to do is keep at it. He needs a manager who backs him to score goals and lead the line, which he seems to have found at Wigan. He needs to stay fit and bang in goals to show Wrexham what they are missing. I actually think Wales could still use him in an international squad. It’s hard to find natural goal scorers, and that’s exactly what Paul is. Wales could use some of his firepower."

  At Wigan, Mullin is determined to remind everyone why he’s one of the most prolific forwards outside the Premier League. With four goals in 16 appearances, he’s aiming to break his recent dry spell when the Latics face Mansfield Town on Saturday.