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Celtic have been dealt a late injury blow ahead of their upcoming Scottish Premiership clash.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report by The Herald, Celtic centre-back Carl Starfelt will be unavailable for selection against Hearts this evening, as the defender does not look to have recovered from a hamstring injury that has seen him miss the Bhoys’ last six fixtures – despite the defender being pictured in training at Lennoxtown on Wednesday.

Postecoglou will be fuming

With the fixture against third-placed Hearts tonight being an extremely important one for Celtic, with a win reducing the gap between the Hoops and the current Premiership leaders to just four points ahead of the busy Christmas schedule, the news that Starfelt will not be available for selection is sure to have left Ange Postecoglou fuming.

Indeed, the Sweden international has highly impressed over his 11 league appearances so far this season, helping his side keep five clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.5 interceptions, 1.1 tackles and winning 6.3 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £2.7m-rated man average a SofaScore match rating of 7.23, ranking him as the Bhoys’ joint fifth-best performer in the top flight of Scottish football – of the players who still remain in Postecoglou’s first-team squad.

What makes his time on the sidelines even more problematic is that since his time out, the Hoops are yet to keep a clean sheet in Premiership action, conceding to both Dundee FC and Aberdeen.

As such, the continued absence of the centre-back will undoubtedly come as a major blow to the 56-year-old manager and his side, who will be desperate to secure all three points against Hearts in order to keep pace in the Premiership title race.

In other news: Postecoglou axes £14k-p/w “terrible flop” in 2 changes: Predicted Celtic XI v Hearts

The Athletic’s Rangers correspondent Jordan Campbell pulled no punches in his assessment of Alfredo Morelos’ performance against Hibernian on Sunday. 

The lowdown

Rangers went down 3-1 against the Edinburgh outfit in the Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park, with Scott Arfield’s goal failing to ignite a comeback after a Martin Boyle hat-trick.

It might have been different had Morelos levelled with a chance shortly after Boyle’s opener, but BBC Scotland’s Nick McPheat described his finish as tame.

Campbell is not alone in his sharp criticism of the striker’s display, with Football Scotland’s Calum Woodger rating it a mere three out of 10 and dubbing it ‘abysmal’, writing that the 25-year-old ‘disappeared in a big game once again’.

Morelos has scored seven goals in 21 appearances this season, but has already fired blanks against the likes of Lyon, Celtic and Hearts.

The latest

Addressing supporters in The Athletic’s matchday discussion, Campbell wrote that Morelos had ‘maybe his worst-ever game for Rangers’.

He also appeared to question the Colombian’s attitude, adding that ‘his body language was not good either’.

The verdict

Considering that Morelos has now played 203 times for Rangers since he arrived at the club back in 2017, that’s quite some declaration from Campbell.

The Colombian averaged just shy of a goal every two matches across his Ibrox career, but this season he has slipped to one goal in three games on average.

Questions can reasonably be asked of his commitment given that, in September, he publicly stated that he hoped he would soon be given the opportunity to leave Glasgow. He also knows that his contract is up at the end of next season, potentially putting Rangers under pressure to cash in in the summer.

Morelos is a proven player, but many more performances like Sunday’s could make it easier for the Gers to move him on if a decent bid comes in for him.

In other news, a number of Gers fans slaughtered this defender’s performance at Hampden

Days after serving the ICC with a legal notice over its decision to remove Pakistan as 2011 World Cup co-hosts, the PCB has ratcheted up the stakes in its confrontation further, sending a letter to Michael Beloff, president of the ICC Disputes Resolution

Cricinfo staff12-May-2009Days after serving the ICC with a legal notice over its decision to remove Pakistan as 2011 World Cup co-hosts, the PCB has ratcheted up the stakes in its confrontation further, sending a letter to Michael Beloff, president of the ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, to refer the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS).”The Pakistan Cricket Board…has now sent a letter to Hon Michael Beloff QC, President of ICC Disputes Resolution Committee, to refer the matter to arbitration tribunal appointed in accordance with the rules of Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) to be held in United Kingdom,” said a statement released by the board today.The board has challenged the removal as being in contravention of ICC Articles of Association and also to the Host Agreement of 2006, whereby the World Cup was awarded jointly to India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, did not comment on the issue. “I believe it’s better for me to say less on it,” he told Cricinfo. “It is the subject of a dispute and we’ll have to deal with it.”The PCB said that “since the decision was taken by ICC executive board the PCB deems it appropriate that in the interest of justice, equity and fair play the matter should be adjudicated by CAS rather than the ICC disputes resolution committee.”The board has asked the ICC to expedite the matter. The letter to Beloff has been sent through Mark Gay of DLA Piper, who will be assisted by Taffazul Rizvi, the PCB’s legal advisor, the statement said.There is a feeling within the board that they have been targeted by certain members of the ICC, who have used the situation to their advantage. It is believed that Pakistan are willing to pursue the option of Abu Dhabi and Dubai as a ‘surrogate’ host for Pakistan’s matches, though no official proposal has yet been tabled.In its legal notice to cricket’s governing body earlier, the PCB called the decision to do so discriminatory and “legally flawed” after the ICC, at a recent board meeting in Dubai, decided to take away Pakistan’s share of the World Cup matches. The move came after terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team during their February-March tour, which was itself the first major bilateral contest in Pakistan since October 2007. A number of teams since then had refused to visit in the wake of an unsettled and increasingly violent domestic backdrop.

Many Manchester United fans have been left slamming the display of Luke Shaw at home to Manchester City in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

The England international left-back endured a torrid first half, as did the whole of United’s defence, as Pep Guardiola’s men went into half-time 2-0 up thanks to an own goal from Eric Bailly and one from Bernardo Silva.

Shaw was guilty of letting Silva ghost in behind him to poke the ball home for the second goal, which then gave the Red Devils an almost impossible battle in the second half.

The former Southampton man lost out on two of his duels, and also failed to record a single dribble or interception in the game, while losing possession of the ball on no fewer than on 12 separate occasions (SofaScore).

He was taken off injured for Alex Telles with around 20 minutes to go in the match, and perhaps may benefit from a spell of rest if that issue rules him out of England duty.

Man Utd fans on Shaw display

These MUFC supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that he has been ‘awful’ for the last few games:

“Luke Shaw being injured is the best thing for him right now. Awful few games”

Credit: @AlexMorley1

“Just stay out for a few months Shaw you’ve been useless anyway”

Credit: @zxctrippy_

“Luke Shaw off advantage United”

Credit: @az3_utd

“Luke Shaw is the most overrated full-back I’ve ever seen in my life”

Credit: @SamBxrnett

“Luke Shaw is embarrassing”

Credit: @eoinsmc

“Seriously done with Luke Shaw”

Credit: @UTDRoss__

In other news, find out what injury news has been bemoaned by United fans here!

The former New Zealand captain, who is also a member of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee said the games would eventually become day-night Tests

Cricinfo staff22-Sep-2009Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has come up with an idea to reinvigorate Test cricket: a knockout Test championship to be held every year with a final to be played at Lord’s. Crowe, who is also a member of the MCC’s World Cricket Committee, said the games would ideally eventually become day-night Tests.Crowe will present his plan to the ICC in November and also sent his idea to the , in which he mentioned the potential danger to the longest format. His idea was specifically designed to lift the flagging interest in contests between lower-ranked teams, as their games would become elimination matches.”If we don’t do something soon then the bottom teams in particular will wilt away and the bottom will fall out of the pinnacle format of the game,” Crowe said. “Test cricket needs a meaning and a new motivation among all these other shorter version comps that are scheduled every year. It needs a Test champion, annually.”Among the issues that could hamper the committee’s proposal is the sharing of broadcast revenue during the finals by the concerned boards. India and England are believed to have opposed the Test championship idea because it would mean splitting the profits of their lucrative television deals.But Crowe had a ready solution. ”If hosting quarter-finals is shared, then you don’t have an issue with sharing rights,” he said. “This is for the top eight teams only, which would exclude Bangladesh in the next stage. But if they get up to top eight in next stage then in they go.”For those who make the semis and finals then the pie is shared with them. Obviously, [the] ECB would demand a hosting fee for the final and semis – and why not? Or the semis can be played earlier if the two teams involved want to arrange it, higher ranking gets advantage or if the event is already scheduled in the FTP. These are smaller problems to overcome.”The ICC is keen on a Test championship in some form, but developing such a plan that is welcomed by all countries has been problematic. The ICC’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, said a Test championship could be implemented by 2012, if all the ICC’s members agreed.”I would like to convince people that the way to ensure Test cricket survives is through a championship model,” Lorgat told the . “The only two countries who do not see the argument are India and England, but debate is growing all the time. The MCC seem to have come out in favour but when I met the ECB recently it was the wrong time to tackle them in detail. They were too high on the Ashes.”The ICC would need to reconsider the Future Tours Programme (FTP), which requires countries to regularly play each other home and away in series of at least two Tests while allowing the national boards to hold longer series, such as the five-match Ashes campaigns. However, Crowe believed the good of the game must be put ahead of national interests.”There are pitfalls with the FTP scheduled years out so they must, over the next full stage of the FTP, ensure it rotates fairly and everyone gets a go to host quarter-finals,” Crowe said. “Like all good competitions, everyone starts with a fair chance. This gives incentive to the lower teams to be motivated every year. The motivation is to play the final at Lord’s. That is truly meaningful.”When a series is drawn then rankings apply – so that means every Test played has a meaning. So what we are creating here is by using an already existing schedule, we are able to use a simple knockout format to crown the Test champion each year. This we could call the Test Cricket Open.”Tony Lewis, the chairman of the MCC World Cricket Committee, which also counts Steve Waugh, Anil Kumble, Mike Atherton, Rahul Dravid and Andy Flower among its board members, said: ”We’re quite happy for this proposal to get knocked down by a better idea. But I think we all would agree that something needs to be done. As long as the ICC bring cricket sense to political bias, then things should be possible.”

Everton will be aiming to return to winnings ways when they host Watford in the Premier League this afternoon, but Rafael Benitez’s charges will have to do so without several key players.

Star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set for an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a setback in his recovery from a muscle injury, while key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure has also joined the list of absentees.

The in-form Frenchman has been instrumental in the Toffees’ early season success, bagging two goals and providing four assists in just eight Premier League outings. His enforced absence over the next month or so will be a huge blow for Benitez as he aims to keep Everton on course for a top six finish, although the solution could be a rather simple one.

Academy graduate Tom Davies has long threatened to fulfil his potential and become a top-class engine room operator without ever making the step up. Now 23 years old, it may be a case of now or never for the youngster if he wants to become an instrumental figure in the middle of the park for his boyhood club.

Under previous manager Carlo Ancelotti, Davies was in and out of the team, making just 17 Premier League starts throughout 2020/21.

However, he did show glimpses of brilliance under the current Real Madrid boss, who praised his tactical intelligence after a standout performance against Manchester United back in February.

“He cannot play No.10, in my opinion, but when you play with three midfielders he can play all three positions, no problem because tactically he is very intelligent,” Ancelotti said after that game.

However, Benitez has so far been unwilling to place his trust in Davies. The former England under-21 international has played just 35 minutes of top-flight football in the opening weeks of the campaign, with his only two starts coming in the Carabao Cup.

Nevertheless, that must change at Goodison Park for the visit of the Hornets, as the £32k-per-week Everton maestro undoubtedly has the ability to make a huge impact upon proceedings.

His work rate, tenacity and ability to win the ball back from the opposition would allow the likes of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend freedom to attack without worrying about their defensive duties too much, making up for the absence of Doucoure in the midfield. The 23-year-old notably made the second-most interceptions per game (1.4) of any Toffees player last season, illustrating his ability to stifle opposition attacks.

Therefore, Benitez must unleash Davies against Watford, giving the youngster a platform to showcase his talent and prove that he’s capable of becoming a fundamental feature in Everton’s starting XI.

In other news… Brands must seal Everton move for “outstanding” £19.8m-rated gem, Benitez needs him 

Reliable reporter Fabrizio Romano shared an update on Saturday in regards to Aston Villa defender Matty Cash.

The journalist shared an image of the 24-year-old, revealing that he was in London at the Polish embassy, with his process to switch nationalities underway. As to be expected, a number of Villa fans on Twitter were quick to react to the development.

Cash kept up his record of starting every Premier League game of the current campaign in a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal on Friday night. Less than 24 hours later in the capital, the Villa right-back began the process to switch from England to Poland at international level.

Romano claimed that the defender is open to playing for Poland, although time is still required for his new official passport to go through.

Villa fans react

Here is what these Villa supporters had to say in reply to Romano’s tweet, with one labelling it as ‘great news’ about Cash.

“Cannot wait to get the Poland shirt”

Credit: @Naathan_lowe

“Oh man”

Credit: @yougowego26

“Great news”

Credit: @jmxavfc

“POLISH CAFUUUU.”

Credit: @avfcIewis

“Matthew Cashowski is almost complete”

Credit: @Josh_Dodd1

“Good for Cashy!”

Credit: @ClaretVillans

In other news: Stinging 3/10 verdict for Villa star who lost the ball 15 times v Arsenal

Flocking to Twitter, many Queen’s Park Rangers fans have voiced their discontent with the “poor” performance of goalkeeper Seny Dieng as their side narrowly came back to beat Preston North End 3-2 on Saturday.

Mark Warburton’s men are currently sitting among the Championship high-flyers in sixth place after a solid start to the campaign and can now regroup amid the international break.

The Rs now face a long wait for their next encounter with arch-rivals Fulham – a match made even more interesting by their similar starts to 2021/22.

QPR managed to nick all three points against their Lancashire visitors on Saturday but it was by no means a smooth ride, with Lyndon Dykes’ opening goal then cancelled out by PNE’s Joshua Earl and Emil Riis.

At 2-1 down with 20 minutes remaining, Warburton’s side orchestrated a dramatic comeback, with Jimmy Dunne and Illias Chair scoring in quick succession.

After a scrappy but entertaining win, however, many supporters were left unimpressed with the performance of Dieng,who was among the lowest-rated QPR players on SofaScore.

He conceded two goals on the day and it appears fans are growing tired with his recent performances, with memories of his howler against West Brom still all too fresh.

Check out some of the fans’ verdicts on the 26-year-old below.

QPR fans shred Dieng…

“Letting Kelly and Lumley go has left Dieng with ZERO competition, mistakes week after week this season with no pressure with competition”

Credit: @L1ttlejonboy

“I feel like Dieng needed to be more aggressive on that Preston goal”

Credit: @N_G1017

“Was that Dieng at his near post again”

Credit: @Dan15Jeffries

“Dieng is a shell of himself compared to last season tbh. Still think he’s good but he’s made too many mistakes so early in the season”

Credit: @ChairSZN

“Players that were vital to our success last season just seem like completely different players this season. Johansen, Austin, Dieng all been so poor this season and I can’t for the life of me work out why. It’s worrying when Ball has been one our best players all season.”

Credit: @QPR_Kian

“What has happened to Dieng this year”

Credit: @FlamingTowers

“It’s time to go Dieng.”

Credit: @jordthomasqpr

Manchester United fell to their third defeat in their last five games after Leicester City secured all three points with a 4-2 victory at the King Power Stadium this afternoon.

Teenager Mason Greenwood put the Red Devils ahead with a thunderous strike in the 19th minute, but Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s charges weren’t ahead for long.

Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans leveled things up just after the half-hour mark with a sensational floated finish before a frantic end to proceedings in the Midlands saw four goals scored in the closing stages.

A close-range finish from Caglar Soyuncu was cancelled out by a Marcus Rashford strike on his return from injury, but Jamie Vardy scored for the Foxes just 54 seconds later from Ayoze Perez’s cross and Patson Daka added a fourth for Leicester in stoppage time.

No United player performed to the best of their ability in a hugely underwhelming performance from the 20-time English champions, but one player arguably struggled more than most.

As per SofaScore, Paul Pogba was awarded a match rating of just 6.2 out of 10 for his disappointing display, the second-lowest total awarded to any player on the pitch.

When taking a closer look at the 28-year-old’s underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. Pogba won just four of his 15 duels (73% lost), committed a whopping six fouls and was dribbled past on three occasions, as per SofaScore.

The France international was equally out of form with the ball at his feet. As per SofaScore, he failed to have a shot on target, was unable to complete a single dribble and lost possession 12 times, illustrating his hugely ineffective display.

The Leicester midfield made up of Tielemans and Boubakary Soumare dominated the 6 foot 2 lightweight in the centre of pitch and were instrumental to the Foxes’ success.

After an impressive start to the season, Pogba let Solskjaer down against the FA Cup holders today; and with fixtures against Atalanta, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur coming up, the Norwegian will be hoping that his star midfielder returns to form soon.

And, in other news…MUFC could secure their next Pogba in “devastating” £74k-p/w gem, Ole would love him 

Former Newcastle United star Steve Howey insists that the club’s fans should want Sunderland to win promotion back to the Premier League.

Sunderland are currently plying their trade in League One, having endured a horrific and lengthy fall out of the top-flight.

The club have been in League One since 2018/19, having finished rock-bottom of the Championship in 2017/18.

That rock-bottom finish came just one season after the club finished bottom of the Premier League in 2016/17.

Sunderland had been in the top-flight since 2007/08 and Toon legend Howey believes that, for the area, Newcastle supporters should be pulling for the club to return to the top-flight.

Of course, the two clubs have a long and storied rivalry, with the Tyne-Wear derby one of the most historic in English football.

Howey accepts that many Newcastle fans do not understand his take, but believes that the presence of both clubs in the top-flight would be of huge benefit to the area.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern: “It’s been a good few years of just complete and utter misery for a Sunderland fan. Newcastle fans love that and I’ve always said, I got absolutely battered on social media because I said, ‘why do Newcastle fans love it when Sunderland struggle’?

“I can understand the rivalry, I get that completely but I just think for the economy, for the area, it would be amazing if we had the two of them in the Premier League.”