Juventus have made a move for highly rated Udinese defender and Liverpool FC target Pablo Armero, according to talkSPORT.
The Italian press have reported that Juventus have made the first step in claiming Armero, by tabling an €8 million bid. However, it is thought that Udinese will hold firm for their €10 million valuation of the Columbian international.
It was thought that Brendan Rodgers was keen to bring in defensive options in January, after a less than impressive start to the Premier League season. Juventus’ swift movements will mean that the new man at Anfield will have to act quickly or risk losing his top transfer target.
Armero started his career with Columbian side Deportivo Cali before moving to Palmeiras in 2009. Impressive performances for the Brazilian side ignited interest from Italy and while a move to Parma collapsed at the last minute, in August 2010, Udinese claimed the defender.
At just 26, Armero already has 30 caps for Columbia. His position for his club tends to be at left wing back as Udinese play with an effective 3-5-2 formation. However, the South American plays left back for his country and started at centre back for Palmeiras so is versatile along the back line.
No comments have been made by the player himself but it is thought that now Italian giants Juventus have made their interest known, that will be Armero’s likely destination in January.
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In a way you have to feel a degree of sorrow for Brendan Rodgers, in what can only be described as, a nightmare start to his reign as Reds boss. Three games into the new Premier League campaign and already the vultures of pessimism are circling around Merseyside ready to gnaw a chunk out of Rodgers at every available opportunity. Question marks over his relationship with owner John W. Henry have also come into question after a misunderstanding that saw the Northern Irishman sanction a loan move for Andy Carroll only to learn he wouldn’t have the funds to bring in a replacement. It’s just another off the field distraction that has contributed to a disappointing start to the season. Rodgers’ plan to build a new Anfield dynasty is also under threat after Henry commented in the week that the days of affluent spending is over as the club battle to balance the books in the aftermath of Kenny Dalglish’s catastrophic second spell in the dugout. Altering their recruitment strategy in order to focus on cost effective signings with significant sell on value isn’t necessarily a step back but with the 39-year-old having blown a substantial hole in his budget during the summer is there enough in the pot to strengthen his squad in January?
This week on FFC is Pepe Reina becoming a liability for the Reds nowadays and which Italian superstar did the club make a last ditch bid for?
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Best of FFC
In light of Liverpool’s woe, is it dangerous to have owners who are tied up elsewhere?
Fast becoming a liability at Anfield?
Are Liverpool The First To Feel The Pinch?
Brendan Rodgers left in the mire
The criticisms show how short-sighted football has become
Are Liverpool still paying the price for his failings?
Did the Premier League miss the boat on this player?
Pignata confirms Liverpool made late bid
Liverpool ace to fight for his place at Anfield
Luigi insists they won’t budge on Damiao valuation
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Best of WEB
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Loss Highlights Lack of Tiki-Taka Experience – Live 4 Liverpool
Bravo, Brendan! You did the right thing trying to shift KD’s flops… – Liverpool Kop
“Death by football” – Rodgers explains his Liverpool vision – This is Anfield
‘He had no impact!’ – Fairclough blasts ‘ineffective’ Gerrard. Drop him? – Liverpool Kop
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Can We Ever Get Back to the Top? – The Tomkins Times
Who’s Really To Blame For Lack Of Deadline Day Dealings? – Live 4 Liverpool
The curious case of FSG: where now? – This is Anfield
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Quote of the Week
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“We are still in the process of reversing the errors of previous regimes. It will not happen overnight. It has been compounded by our own mistakes in a difficult first two years of ownership. It has been a harsh education, but make no mistake, the club is healthier today than when we took over. We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages. We have no fear of spending and competing with the very best but we will not overpay for players. We will never place this club in the precarious position that we found it in when we took over at Anfield.” John W. Henry defends Liverpool’s new transfer philosophy
Wayne Rooney is not the right man to be captain of Manchester United, according to former England and Liverpool star Stan Collymore.
The Three Lions ace was given the armband by new boss Louis van Gaal over the summer following the exit of Nemanja Vidic, in a move that was criticised by some.
Although he’s one of the club’s all-time greats in terms of goals scored, Rooney’s temperament has often been criticised down the years.
WANT MORE? >> Manchester United transfer news | Latest transfer news
His actions once again made front and back page headlines last weekend as he was given a straight red card for a wild hack at West Ham’s Stewart Downing, and although Collymore doesn’t believe that the 29-year-old should be written off for such an act, he is sure that he’s not the correct player to captain United:
“I don’t think Wayne Rooney has represented the best of Manchester United of the last four or five years, if I’m being honest,” he told Bleacher Report.
“Should Wayne Rooney be thrown under the bus for being sent off? No, not really.
“Five years is a long time between sendings off. But should he be captain of Manchester United? No, I think that Louis Van Gaal should be looking elsewhere for the longer term.”
But Collymore went on to say that Rooney is still vital for United:
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“Let’s not forget, he’s won multiple Premier Leagues, he’s a Champions League winner, he’s approaching 100 caps for England, and a very, very experienced and useful man to have in and around your team and your squad.”
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On Sunday afternoon, the Premier League title race will take its most finite and ultimate form. With Chelsea four points off the pace and Arsenal’s season amid implosion, the Anfield clash between Manchester City and Liverpool will represent the two last clubs standing, fighting it out for psychological and mathematical advantage with just a handful of fixtures remaining.
Both clubs enjoy large, militant fan-bases, but for the Premier League neutrals there is little doubt where their support will lie on Sunday afternoon. Being the pantomime spectacle the stage of the Premier League has transformed English football into, those with no personal allegiances will feel morally compelled to lend their support to the Anfield club, not only for the ninety minute title showdown but from now until the end of May.
No one can doubt the way in which Manchester City have enriched the Premier League since their sudden rise from 2007 onwards, backed first by Thaksin Shinawatra’s Thai fortunes and secondly and more predominantly by Saudi royalty. Their unprecedented financial firepower of the Etihad has made the Premier League’s summit a more intense, complex and competitive place.
But for the average football fan, there’s something almost sinisterly macabre about the Citizens’ transformation. The Manchester club have spent over £1billion on transfers to get where they are today, enduring endless turnovers of staff and playing personnel in the process. Even by the transfer market’s modern standards, in which a single player can be valued as highly as £86million, City’s fiscally-charged rise from the abyss of English football mediocrity is an incredibly unique story – even Chelsea had qualified for the Champions League and regularly claimed silverware before Roman Abramovich arrived in West London.
That narrative only becomes more prevalent when you compare it to the recent situation at Anfield. Liverpool can be accused more than anyone of irresponsible spending in the past, but since Brendan Rodgers took the helm in 2012, he’s splashed out a combined total of just £98million on new players, equating to a miserly net spend of £70million over the space of two seasons. City spent more in the summer window alone.
Rather, the Reds’ revival under Rodgers has come through abiding by football’s healthiest principles; maintaining an emphasis on youth, especially young Englishmen, and playing positive, attractive, ambitious football.
This is perhaps best illustrated by the drastic philosophical shift of the Merseyside derby this season, a fixture that had previously been lost to the realms of long-ball football and red cards. But under the Ulsterman’s purist influence, with Everton counterpart Roberto Martinez playing an equally as vital role, an aggregate total of 10 goals have been scored in both local clashes this term, a more than fair representation of the incredibly aesthetic styles of football both Mersey clubs have recently adopted. Furthermore, the average player age of both of Liverpool’s starting line-ups against the Toffees this term was just 26 years.
The result has been simply that nobody quite knows what Liverpool, and indeed Rodgers, are capable of. Whether they face Norwich City or Manchester United, there’s a unique sense of ruthless fearlessness about the Reds, as if no challenge, no matter how historically inevitable, financially restrictive or disparate in terms of quality, is too almighty for them to overcome.
No doubt however, Liverpool are unquestionably the underdogs when you compare them to the awesome strength of the Etihad. Brendan Rodgers described them as the ‘little Chihuahua’ in the title race earlier this season, and that animal analogy is certainly fitting.
Whilst Chelsea are lead by one of the best managers European football has ever seen in Jose Mourinho, Arsenal don the Premier League’s longest serving gaffer in Arsene Wenger and Manchester City’s starting XI is propped up by such world-class stars as Yaya Toure, Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Joe Hart and Vincent Kompany, Liverpool’s title hopes firmly rest upon the performances of a select few players capable of defying the odds, namely Steven Gerrard, Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and of course, Luis Suarez. Let us not forget, that barring the regular presence of Simon Mignolet between the sticks and Kolo Toure in defence, this is essentially the same Liverpool first team that finished seventh in the Premier League last season.
Be it a British, footballing or simply human characteristic, it’s an enormous rarity when a neutral, in any situation, doesn’t feel compelled to support the underdog.
Likewise, there’s no better way of getting footballing neutrals onside than scoring goals, and whilst City’s 84 in 31 matches is certainly impressive, it’s mildly trumped by their title rivals with 90 from 33. Jose Mourinho’s brand of anti-football may be more effective in affirming results, but Liverpool give the fans what they want to see – goals, and often incredible ones too. Their current average of 2.7 per match is more than any Premier League side, echoing shades of the Kevin Keegan mantra of simply; ‘We’ll score more than you’.
Gary Neville recently quipped that deciding between Manchester City and Liverpool for the title is like choosing between which man your wife should leave you for. But even Manchester United fans will be secretly hoping their ancient rivals can halt the rise of the noisy neighbours. A Citizens outfit with two titles in the space of three years is surely a far greater threat to Old Trafford’s dominance than a single, inspired campaign from Liverpool.
Furthermore, whilst Manchester City marched their way to a Premier League title just two years ago, there’s something indefinably magical about Liverpool’s rise this season, the kind of coincidental fairytale and indulgent sub-plots that only football can provide.
Steven Gerrard faces the prospect of earning his first domestic title at the age of 33, an accolade that the England centurion, former Champions League winner and seven-time PFA Team of the Year member thoroughly deserves for his contribution to Premier League football. It would be an almighty shame if he went down in the history books as the greatest player not to win a Premier League title, through his unwavering loyalty to Liverpool alone.
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Likewise, a title this season would be the Reds first since 1990, and perhaps most poignantly, would coincide with 25 years since the Hillsborough disaster, which rocked the Liverpool community at its core and has caused heart-break ever since as the quest for the ultimate truth continues.
A David and Goliath contest on Sunday afternoon, perhaps not quite. Let us not forget that Liverpool have Luis Suarez at their disposal, the Premier League’s top scorer this term with 29 goals and undoubtedly one of the most sought-after strikers in world football, and despite my recent patronisations, the Reds would not be at the top of the English table with just five games of the season remaining if their squad didn’t possess the talent to do so.
But rather, Liverpool represent football in its purest, most natural form. Far from money or resources playing any determining influence, the Reds’ rise has come from doing things the right way without the short-cuts that the power of the purse often provides. They’re a throwback to tradition, the belief that actions on the pitch can conquer all, whilst City represent the capitalist, Americanised, foreign-funded face of modern football.
Through this sense of good versus evil, underdog against monolith, purity against corruption, and all the coincidental side-stories one can fit in between, Liverpool will be privy to the lent faith of the neutrals between now and May-time, starting with Sunday afternoon.
Arsene Wenger has maintained that the January transfer window will not remedy Arsenal’s problems in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners boss instead believes that solutions will ultimately come from within the current squad rather than through the acquisition of another player in the winter, stating that it was important to “find solutions before January.”
Commenting on the competitive nature of the league, he noted that spending would have little or no impact because “it is difficult for everybody at the moment, all teams, even those who have invested a lot of money.”
The league table makes grim reading for Gunners fans, with a 2-0 loss to Swansea at the Emirates on Saturday opening a five-point gap with Tottenham Hotspur sitting in 4th spot.
The loss marked a season haul of 5 wins from 15 games in the Premier League, as Arsenal sit 10th and one point behind Stoke City. It’s the worst position for Arsenal at this stage of the season under Wenger’s guidance.
Reports later verified that approximately a thousand supporters protested after the game, in the name of the Black Scarf Movement. The BSM function as the mouthpiece for growing fan anger at the greater commercialisation of Arsenal – relating to high ticket prices and an expensive match-day experience – after their move to the Emirates coinciding with a seven-year trophyless spell.
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Some fans believe that the club’s frugal transfer policy isn’t in line with the exponential monetisation of Arsenal at the Emirates. There seems to be a huge disparity between Wenger’s transfer policy and a belief that the club have a substantially healthier balance sheet since moving to their new home with many fans believing that the financial clout is there but the desire to spend in the winter is not.
Durham completed their Friends Life t20 programme with a fourth successive win when they beat Derbyshire by 37 runs at Chester-le-Street
28-Jul-2013 ScorecardDurham completed their Friends Life t20 programme with a fourth successive win when they beat Derbyshire by 37 runs at Chester-le-Street. The Dynamos must now wait to discover whether they have qualified for the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams.Durham were penalised 0.25 points for a salary-cap breach last season, leaving them third in the division on 11.75. They now need either defeat for Glamorgan or a no-result between Warwickshire and Somerset in the Midlands/West/Wales Group, or both Essex and Middlesex to lose in the South Group, to see them through as one of the two best third-placed teams.After being put in, Gordon Muchall’s T20 best of 66 not out took Durham to 187 for 3 and earned him the man of the match award. Derbyshire were all out for 150 with seven balls unused. There were three sixes in Muchall’s 26-ball half-century and his stand of 79 in just under seven overs with Scott Borthwick virtually put the game beyond Derbyshire.They looked like making a fight of it as they sped to 42 in the first four overs of their reply, but the challenge faded after Chesney Hughes went down the pitch and was stumped for 34 in Gareth Breese’s first over. Hughes hit seven fours in his 22-ball knock, but the only other significant contribution came from Dan Redfern.He made 43 off 34 balls before falling to a stunning diving catch at long-off by Ben Stokes, who also showed his athleticism with a sharp piece of fielding off his own bowling to run out Alex Hughes.Phil Mustard, playing his 100th T20 game for Durham, contributed 24 from 21 balls to an opening stand of 54 with acting captain Mark Stoneman, who went on to make 47. His exit brought in Muchall at 83 for 2 in the 11th over and two overs later he drove two successive balls from Wes Durston over long-on for six then also cleared the rope off Redfern.Stokes, the competition’s leading six-hitter with 18, was unable to add to his tally. He made 10 not out after going in when Borthwick fell for 31 in the 18th over.
Neste sábado, às 16h30, pelo Campeonato Paulista, por conta das chuvas que afetaram a estrutura do Morumbi, o Pacaembu receberá São Paulo x Palmeiras. Mais uma expectativa de grande jogo em um estádio que parece esquecido desde as inaugurações do Allianz Parque e da Arena Corinthians, em 2014, mas que, mesmo assim, vem acumulando partidas históricas.
O LANCE! lista dez jogos marcantes na arena municipal nos últimos cinco anos:
SANTOS (6) 1 X 0 (7) ITUANO – 13/4/2014 – FINAL DO CAMPEONATO PAULISTA
Por um acordo entre Ituano e Santos, as duas finais do Campeonato Paulista de 2014 ocorreram no Pacaembu, com bilheteria dividida entre os clubes, mesmo com carga menor de ingressos para a equipe do interior. Em campo, o clube de Itu venceu a ida por 1 a 0, com gol de Cristian, ex-Palmeiras, e o Peixe devolveu o placar na volta, com Cícero convertendo penalidade. Nos pênaltis, o goleiro Vagner virou herói pegando cobrança do zagueiro Neto e o Ituano fez história ao conquistar o título ganhando por 7 a 6.
PALMEIRAS 1 X 2 SÃO PAULO – 17/8/2014 – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
No ano de seu centenário, o Palmeiras brigava para não cair e mandava jogos no Pacaembu, à espera do Allianz Parque. A partida marcava a volta de Valdivia após não concretizar a ida ao Oriente Médio e passar uma semana de férias na Disney. O chileno se machucou ainda no primeiro tempo, Alexandre Pato abriu o placar para o São Paulo, que terminaria vice-campeão brasileiro, Henrique Dourado empatou de pênalti e Alan Kardec, que não ficou no Verdão por desacerto salarial meses antes, decidiu no fim, em bola que desviou no goleiro Fábio antes de entrar. O Palmeiras chegava a nove jogos sem vencer e minava o trabalho do técnico argentino Ricardo Gareca.
SÃO PAULO 0 X 1 THE STRONGEST – 17/2/2016 – LIBERTADORES
Com o Morumbi passando por reformas, o São Paulo estreou na Libertadores no Pacaembu, e sofrendo um vexame. Aos 17 minutos do segundo tempo, Matías Alonso completou jogada ensaiada e deu a primeira vitória ao The Strongest fora da Bolívia na competição desde 1981, ano em que bateuTécnico Universitario, do Equador, por 3 a 2. O Tricolor, ao menos, se recuperou e chegou às semifinais naquela edição do torneio.
SÃO PAULO 0 X 2 PALMEIRAS – 13/3/2016 – CAMPEONATO PAULISTA
A reforma do Morumbi atrasou, e o São Paulo precisou mandar o clássico no Pacaembu. O jogo já tinha sido alterado para a manhã, por conta de protestos na capital paulista pedindo o impeachment da então presidente Dilma Rousseff, e houve uma quebra de jejum. Comandado interinamente por Alberto Valentim enquanto esperava por Cuca, o Palmeiras abriu o placar com Dudu, ampliou com um golaço de Robinho e venceu o Choque-Rei pela primeira vez como visitante desde março de 2002.
PALMEIRAS 1 X 0 CORINTHIANS – 3/4/2016 – CAMPEONATO PAULISTA
Por conta de um show da banda britânica Coldplay no Allianz Parque, o Palmeiras teve de mandar o Dérbi no Pacaembu, e ganhou a chance de encerrar um longo jejum. Bateu o Corinthians no estádio municipal pela primeira vez em mais de 20 anos – a última vitória tinha sido em17 de setembro de 1995. E com gol de Dudu, que comemorou tirando o boné de um repórter, em alusão ao “chapéu” dado pelo Verdão ao contratar o atacante quando ele estava praticamente certo no arquirrival, em 2015.
SANTOS 3 X 0 SÃO PAULO – 26/6/2016 – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
Santos e São Paulo fizeram um acordo para que os clássicos entre os clubes no Campeonato Brasileiro de 2016 fossem disputados no Pacaembu, e o primeiro deles teve ainda uma ação inusitada para promover a paz, com os dois elencos e comissões técnicas chegando ao estádio municipal no mesmo ônibus. Em campo, o Tricolor de Edgardo Bauza não teve chance, levando 3 a 0 do Peixe de Dorival Júnior, com falha do goleiro Denis ao dar rebote para Vitor Bueno abrir o placar, Rodrigão ampliou e um golaço de falta de Lucas Lima definiu o duelo.
SÃO PAULO 2 X 1 SANTOS – 28/10/2017 – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
Uma série de eventos musicais no Morumbi, em outubro e novembro de 2017, fez com que o São Paulo seguisse a briga contra o rebaixamento no Campeonato Brasileiro mandando partidas no Pacaembu. Um deles foi contra o Santos, com uma apresentação avassaladora do Tricolor. Em cinco minutos, com duas belas assistências de Hernanes, golaços de Marcos Guilherme e Cueva abriram 2 a 0 – o Peixe descontou ainda com Alison -, e a equipe do Morumbi firmou-se longe da zona de descenso.
CORINTHIANS 2 X 1 SÃO PAULO – 27/1/2018 – CAMPEONATO PAULISTA
Após a inauguração da Arena Corinthians, em 2014, o time alvinegro só voltou a mandar jogo no Pacaembu ao ceder seu estádio para compromissos da Olimpíada de 2016 e em janeiro de 2018, quando era realizada a troca de gramado em Itaquera. Uma dessas partidas na antiga casa foi um clássico vencido pelos mandantes com imposição: Jadson abriu o placar no primeiro minuto, Brenner empatou e Balbuena selou ainda antes do intervalo.
PALMEIRAS (5) 1 X 2 (3) SANTOS – 27/3/2018 – SEMIFINAL DO PAULISTA
O Santos, por opção própria, e o Palmeiras, impossibilitado de atuar no Allianz Parque devido a um show da banda inglesa Depeche Mode, fizeram os dois jogos da semifinal do Paulista do ano passado no Pacaembu, com Jailson como destaque em ambos. Na ida, com mando e torcida única do Peixe, 1 a 0 para o Verdão, com Willian balançando as redes. Na volta, com o estádio recebendo só alviverdes, Sasha abriu o placar, Bruno Henrique empatou e Rodrygo fez 2 a 1 para o time alvinegro. Decisão nos pênaltis, e Jailson, que já tinha garantido a vitória alviverde com grandes defesas no primeiro confronto, pegou a cobrança de Diogo Vitor e levou o Palmeiras à decisão estadual.
SANTOS 0 X 0 INDEPENDIENTE – 28/8/2018 – OITAVAS DA LIBERTADORES
O Santos optou por jogar a volta das oitavas de final da Libertadores do ano passado no Pacaembu, diante do Independiente. Na ida, na Argentina, 0 a 0, mas a Conmebol considerou irregular a escalação de Carlos Sánchez e decretou derrota brasileira por 3 a 0. No segundo jogo, novo 0 a 0, com Vanderlei chegando a pegar pênalti, eliminação e revolta, com bombas atiradas, depredação das cadeiras do estádio municipal e torcedores invadindo o gramado para protestar. O técnico Cuca, recém-contratado, se envolveu em confusão com policiais para evitar que um dos invasores fosse detido.
Rubro-Negro abriu 3 a 0, mas viu o Fluminense reagir e encostar no placar, neste domingo, no Maracanã. Os dois times voltam a se enfrentar nas semis da Taça Rio. Bruno Henrique, duas vezes e Gabigol abriram vantagem de três gols no placar. Dodi e João Pedro diminuíram para o Tricolor.
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Iñigo Martínez ya ejerce de barcelonista. “El Barça es el mejor club del mundo.” @JugoneslaSexta pic.twitter.com/3ODeXRGe9Y — Josep Soldado Gómez (@JosepSoldado) July 13, 2023
وقال رئيس برشلونة، خوان لابورتا، عن انضمام مارتينيز أثناء تقديمه: “إينيجو يأتي إلينا من أجل تقوية دفاعاتنا، بالخبرة التي يتمتع بها، سيحفز زملاءه في الفريق”.
ورد المدافع: “آمل أن أستغل هذه الثقة على أرض الملعب، أساعد برشلونة على أهدافه في الموسم الحالي وكل شيء يسير على ما يرام وأتمنى أن نحظى بموسم رائع”.
وأضاف: “إنه لمن دواعي الفخر والسرور أن أنتقل إلى برشلونة، لهذه العائلة العظيمة إلى أفضل فريق في العالم، يحيا برشلونة وجاهز للتنافس مع الجميع”.
وعن مشكلة عدم قدرة برشلونة على تسجيل الصفقات: “لست قلقًا بشأن تسجيلي في قائمة الفريق”.
وإصابته في كعب القدم: “معقدة بعض الشيء، مدتها طويلة، لكن أشعر بتحسن كبير، لكن نصحوني بعدم استعجال العودة، آمل أن أشارك في التدريبات قريبًا”.
وانتقاله إلى برشلونة: “لقد كنت أشعر بالتقدير الكبير من جانب فريقي السابق (ريال سوسيداد)، لكن عندما يناديك برشلونة، لا يوجد أدنى شك حول موافقتي، لقد كنت قريبًا قبل سنوات أيضًا من الفريق”.
وكشف المدير الرياضي، ماتيو أليماني، عن سبب التعاقد مع اللاعب: “في العام الماضي، كنت نعرف بالفعل أن علينا البحث عن مدافع آخر ليحل محل، جيرارد بيكيه”.
وأتم: “إينيجو مدافع سريع، يجيد تمرير الكرة وبناء الهجمات، لديه صفات كثيرة تساعدنا في أسلوبنا مع تشافي، كما يتمتع بشخصية رائعة وكان ذلك محل تقدير منا جميعًا”.
Preview of the match between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Ranchi
The Preview by Kanishkaa Balachandran25-Sep-2013Match facts September 26, 2013 Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)With heavy dew expected, the batsmen could enjoy the advantage late in the evening•BCCI
Big PictureBoth Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are coming off successful chases in their opening games. Super Kings made a chase of 186 look ridiculously easy in Ranchi, with Titans failing to control a rampaging top order with heavy dew around. The wet ball was a big factor and will continue to be so since the forthcoming game between Super Kings and Sunrisers begins late in the evening. Chasing might not be a bad idea and as allrounder Albie Morkel said on the eve of the game, the toss will be a big factor.Sunrisers’ chase against Trinidad and Tobago wasn’t as clinical, since it went down to the final over. Shikhar Dhawan played only a minor role though it was good from Sunrisers’ perspective that the lower order proved themselves when a challenge presented itself. Thisara Perera’s fearless hitting made the difference and Super Kings would have to strategise how to contain the big hitters like Perera and Darren Sammy. However, Sunrisers weren’t their sharpest in the field on Tuesday and that’s an area they need to improve on.Super Kings will be concerned that their bowlers leaked 185. They have relied on spinners to pull the run-rate back but against Titans, seven overs of spin cost them 85 runs.In the spotlightDwayne Bravo’s cameo 38 off 26 balls helped Super Kings edge closer to victory against Titans and he picked up two wickets as well as Titans looked to accelerate towards the end. However, he has struggled as a death bowler in recent one-dayers for West Indies, something he had admitted needed plenty of improvement. His first two overs against Titans went for 23, but he came back well in his next two, conceding 11 and taking those two wickets. He could use the ongoing T20s to sharpen his death-bowling skills.Sunrisers’ younger Indian batsmen have yet to shine in this tournament, starting from the qualifiers. Biplab Samantray, batting in the top order, was dropped after scores of 0 and 8; Hanuma Vihari made a cautious 18-ball 13 against T&T, and in the same match Ashish Reddy was out for a first-ball duck. Teams that aren’t overdependent on overseas players and bigger names tend to be more successful than others. If the younger players can click, it could help Sunrisers in a big way.Quotes “This is probably the most dew I’ve seen on a cricket field.”