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New Zealand captain Sophie Devine started her media assignments for the 2025 World Cup just like how she wants her side to play their opening game against Australia on Wednesday: with a hiss and a roar.She waltzed into the press conference room donning a White Ferns jumper in the freezing air-conditioned room. She had brought some warmth with her, it would seem. Except when she started to face some hard-hitting questions.”You haven’t beaten Australia in eight years,” she was coldly reminded straightaway of their record against the reigning champions. New Zealand have lost all their last 15 completed ODIs against Australia.Related

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“Thanks for that stat,” she retorted before quashing away such historical records. “I think it’s a great opportunity. Those stats are there and we’re aware of them, but at World Cups, it doesn’t matter. I think records and previous results go out the window for us. It’s a really exciting opportunity to take on the reigning one-day champions first up. We love any opportunity that we get to play against Australia. It’s sort of like our big sister. We’re really excited about that. And come game day, both teams start on zero. So, again, really excited for the opportunity.”Another journalist then asked something that stumped her again. “How does it feel to come out of retirement to lead your country again?” (She hadn’t, she is retire from ODIs after this World Cup).As if Devine knew that was coming, she shot back saying, “I haven’t retired. I haven’t retired,” she repeated to sear it into his memory. “Are you saying I need to retire? Is that what you’re saying? That’s okay. It’s okay.”Devine meant it all in jest though and normalcy soon resumed even when she was asked about the weaknesses in New Zealand’s middle order, which she didn’t quite agree with.Sophie Devine wants New Zealand to play ‘strong and aggressive’ at the World Cup•AFP/Getty Images

“…The middle order has been going considerably well,” she said. “Maddy Green, Izzy Gaze both scoring hundreds [in the warm-ups]. I know you’re probably talking about official one-day matches, but for us, we’ve built really nicely. We haven’t played a lot of cricket, especially one-day format, over the last six-nine months, but it’s certainly something that we’re aware of. We know that in this competition, especially on some of the wickets that we’re going to face over here in India, that run-scoring is going to be incredibly important. It’s up to everyone.”We can’t just rely on the top four, we need the middle order. There’s going to be crucial runs scored by the lower order as well at some stage during this tournament. I think if you look to the India-Australia series just before this, 400 nearly wasn’t enough. I think it’s really exciting. As batters, we certainly know that we want to take ownership and responsibility of being the ones that do the bulk of the work. We’re really excited to be able to play on wickets like this, which I think are really conducive for scoring runs.”New Zealand have the most unenviable task in this World Cup: starting their campaign against seven-time champions Australia. But even a win over them would not count for more than two points because each team plays seven league games and will need a consistent run of victories to make the semi-finals in the eight-team tournament.”I don’t think we can necessarily focus on one game,” she said about the clash on Wednesday. “I think for us, every match is going to be incredibly important. Absolutely, we want to start this tournament with a real hiss and a roar and make sure that we come out really strong and aggressive. And the fact that it’s Australia that we play first, I think for us, what we keep going back to is making sure that we play our style of cricket. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing against.2:02

McGrath on playing NZ: ‘We know each other’s game really well’

“Absolutely, everyone wants to win their first game, but there’s still a lot of cricket. It’s over a month of cricket to be played. For us, our focus is on making sure that we can execute to our skills for long periods of time. Absolutely. We want to beat these Aussies first up and get some points on the board, but it’s probably more important for us on how we play that game.”If New Zealand look at their trans-Tasman rivals as their “big sister,” their opponents also look at it as a not-so-intense rivalry.”We’ve got a really nice rivalry with New Zealand. We call it the friendly rivalry,” Australia vice-captain Tahlia McGrath said. “We’ve played each other a lot over the last 12 months and sort of know each other’s game really well through franchise cricket as well. And we just finished our prep meeting and think we match up really nicely. So we go ahead into this clash really, really confident and really excited.”McGrath agreed with Devine in saying that such records of a 15-0 streak in ODIs between the two teams became “irrelevant” in World Cups where the pressure is different and every game becomes “crucial.”But there’s no denying that the team that ends up winning by the end of Wednesday night will have its job of making it to the last four much easier.

Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani has been ruled out of Zimbabwe’s upcoming T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka due to a back injury. Left-arm seamer Newman Nyamhuri, yet to be capped in T20Is, has been named his replacement.There are no other changes to the squad that recently played Afghanistan at home, which Zimbabwe lost 0-3. Muzarabani, who had missed the last two T20Is of that series, picked up 2 for 41 in the first T20I.Nyamhuri, 19, has played four Tests and four ODIs, having made his international debut in December 2024. He was named in the T20I squad for the tri-series against South Africa and New Zealand in July but did not feature in any of the games.Led by Sikandar Raza, Zimbabwe will open their campaign against hosts Pakistan in Rawalpindi on November 17, before facing Sri Lanka at the same venue on November 19. Zimbabwe will then travel to Lahore, where they will meet Pakistan again on November 23 and Sri Lanka on November 25. The top two teams on the points table will contest the final on 29 November in Lahore.Zimbabwe squad for T20I tri-series: Sikandar Raza (captain), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Wellington Masakadza, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Newman Nyamhuri, Brendan Taylor

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has suggested that Liverpool's sharp decline in form has come off the back of the Reds partying in Ibiza before their Premier League title-winning season had ended. The Reds were deservedly English champions just over six months ago as Slot's swashbuckling team swept aside the competition. Now, the outlook is far bleaker and the Dutchman has come under fire.

• Liverpool's results spiral out of control

  After Liverpool won the league at a canter in late April, they failed to win any of their last four Premier League matches. Before the season was up, manager Slot took a trip to Ibiza, and ended up partying with Wayne Lineker. Fast forward to the present, and Liverpool are 12th in the table and have lost six of their last seven league matches in 2025-26. Now, Red Devils icon Scholes has hit out at Slot for his end-of-season actions.

  He said on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast: "I think this started towards the end of last season, do you remember when they won the league? The bad form started, they went away, went to Ibiza or something. Honestly, Arne Slot was DJing. DJing in Ibiza. But that’s before the season’s done, that’s what I mean. I think that’s disrespectful, before the season’s done. I think it’s classless."

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  Slot blames himself

  While Slot hasn't addressed the topic of going to Ibiza, the Dutchman did admit he is feeling responsible for his side's "ridiculous" slump in form. The former Feyenoord boss has a lot of credit in the bank after guiding the Reds to the title last season, especially without properly strengthening the squad. But after spending more than £400 million ($527m) on players this summer, his position in the Anfield dugout is increasingly being scrutinised. 

  Ahead of Wednesday's Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven, he said: "I would describe it as ridiculous, almost. Something I did not expect to be in. Not at any club I was going to work at, let alone Liverpool. That is unbelievable. If you can find an excuse, you will never find enough excuses to make you perform like this. Unexpected for the club, for me and everyone. But I am working at a club where if you need to face it, this is the best club to face it. The harder it gets at a club like this, the more we are together to achieve the things Liverpool usually achieve."

• Liverpool's leaky defence

  They come into this PSV test off the back of a 3-0 hiding at the hands of lowly Nottingham Forest. Captain Virgil van Dijk said the players are letting their manager down and together they have to get the club out of this "mess". Incidentally, last season, Liverpool conceded 41 goals on their way to the Premier League title. This term, they have already shipped 20 goals in their opening 12 matches. As a result, manager Slot said this was unacceptable and took responsibility for their soft underbelly. 

  "Conceding far more goals than last season. The amount of goals we have conceded and the amount of goals from set-pieces is close to ridiculous for a club like us," he told reporters. "The biggest one is the goals we concede. From open play, we are still able to generate enough chances to get a result. I take the responsibility and feel guilty for it.

  "It's difficult to say at this moment [what we can learn from these defeats]. I have said quite a lot of times, there are certain things that you can do better but this hasn't helped and hasn't been of use. You can think of quite a lot of reasons why you have lost. From our perspective, at Liverpool Football Club, it is not acceptable. It is a situation you do not want to have. Now it is time to start winning matches again but you have to do a lot to win a match. The simple things, they must do better. That is what we are not doing and that is quite easy to solve. Simple football is the most difficult thing."

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  What comes next for Liverpool?

  Wednesday's home clash against PSV provides a perfect opportunity for Liverpool to bounce back from their latest defeat. They then round off the month away to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday. If they can win both of these fixtures, the gloom may lift a touch around Anfield. If not, Slot could be under huge pressure to keep his job.

Manchester United and Ruben Amorim have been handed a transfer boost, with a La Liga star now open to an Old Trafford move.

Man Utd midfield options heading into 2026

It feels as if Amorim’s midfield is the one area that may need the most work in 2026. The Man Utd boss has gone with Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes more often than not this season, with the likes of Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte falling out of favour.

Mainoo has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, whereas Amorim criticised Ugarte in front of his Man Utd teammates following the Europa League final against Tottenham.

Casemiro is also out of contract in 2026, and it has been suggested that there is a real possibility he will leave for free at the end of the season.

This comes despite the fact Amorim wants to keep the Brazilian, however, INEOS are looking to cut the wage bill and could do just that with the £350,000-a-week top earner.

A number of midfielders have been linked with arriving in Manchester, and one name that won’t go away is Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.

There was speculation over a deadline day move in the summer, but the English “machine” remained at the Wanda Metropolitano, where he has made just two La Liga starts in 2025/26 under Diego Simeone.

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It has been suggested that Amorim has already given the green light for Man Utd to bring Gallagher back to the Premier League in 2026, and another promising update has now emerged.

Gallagher open to Man Utd move

According to United in Focus and transfer expert Graeme Bailey, Gallagher “has become increasingly frustrated at Atletico” and appears to be open to the idea of moving to Man Utd to improve his chances of making the England squad.

On around £150,000-a-week in Spain, Gallagher has been compared to some impressive midfielders across Europe in 2025, including former Red Devils man Scott McTominay.

Midfielders similar to Conor Gallagher

Club

Gavi

Barcelona

Sandro Tonali

Newcastle

Scott McTominay

Napoli

Bruno Guimaraes

Newcastle

Boubacar Kamara

Aston Villa

Now, United and INEOS need to decide whether or not to firm up their interest in the Englishman, amid rumours of a £44m January offer being lined up.

Man Utd now leading Barcelona & Liverpool in race to sign "absolute beast"

West Ham defender Oliver Scarles was hauled off in their 2-1 loss to Leeds United with what looked to be a serious injury, and insider ExWHUemployee has now shared how long he’ll be out for.

The Hammers are second-bottom in the Premier League and have conceded more goals than any other side in the division thus far.

In his last two games, under-pressure new boss Nuno Espirito Santo has gone with a centre-back pairing of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo, with both men struggling to deal with opposition attacks.

West Ham have precious few alternatives to Kilman and Todibo, with Konstantinos Mavropanos sidelined for the foreseeable future.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

Leeds 2-1 West Ham

The Greek international, who had been selected for nearly every game since West Ham’s only victory of the campaign at Nottingham Forest, faces up to six weeks out after picking up a hamstring injury at home to Brentford (GiveMeSport).

The last thing Nuno needs is another defensive injury, but according to insider Ex, Scarles has joined Mavropanos on the sidelines with the extent of his injury revealed.

The academy graduate was deployed at full-back against Brentford and started again away to Leeds, but was forced off in the opening 20 minutes after fracturing his collarbone.

West Ham have since confirmed that the 19-year-old has undergone successful surgery on the problem, with Performance Director Richard Collinge estimating he could return in December.

However, while this is the official line from the club, insider Ex believes that Scarles could be out for even longer.

West Ham dealt Scarles blow with real return timeline revealed

Writing via his West Ham Way Patreon, Ex states that Scarles actually faces as long as three months on the sidelines — meaning the teenager might not be back in action until 2026.

The England Under-20 international seriously impressed at youth level for West Ham before breaking into the first-team — even bagging three goals and 14 assists in 50 appearances for the Under-18s.

The attack-minded full-back also notched 13 goal contributions (six goals, seven assists) for the Under-21s, with Scarles since making 19 senior cameos in total for the east Londoners.

He was clearly starting to impress Nuno too, after being given the starting nod in each of West Ham’s last two Premier League games, so this layoff will be a major blow to him personally.

It was Julen Lopetegui who handed Scarles his Premier League debut last season, with Graham Potter then using the youngster on a pretty regular basis towards the end of 2024/2025.

With Mavropanos out injured too, it represents a golden opportunity for summer signing Igor Julio to battle his way into the starting eleven.

Nuno must give Igor Julio a chance amid West Ham defensive crisis

Arsenal’s terrible luck with injuries last year seems to have carried over to this season.

On top of the mountain of attacking injuries, Mikel Arteta is now set to be without Gabriel Magaheles for up to two months.

Fortunately, the squad is fairly well stacked in defensive areas, and so while it’s not ideal, the Spaniard should be able to find a way to make his backline work.

Moreover, that defensive depth is likely to get even stronger within a few years, as Hale End are currently brewing someone who could be a dream Gabriel heir.

Arsenal's next Hale End stars

It feels like every season now, a Hale End gem or two emerge and slot right into Arsenal’s first team, be that Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly or even Max Dowman.

The good news for the Emirates faithful and Arteta is that the production of incredible young talents shows no signs of stopping, with a few academy gems looking likely to make a first-team appearance or two in the coming years.

One of those who seems destined for the senior side is Northern Irish youth international Ceadach O’Neill.

The 17-year-old attacker joined the club in 2023 and has shone for the u18s.

On top of being able to play across the frontline, the “brilliantly” talented gem, as dubbed by the Gunners’ U21 coach David Horseman, has shown an eye for goal, scoring 11 and providing five assists in 32 games for the u18s.

O’Neill’s Versatility
Position	Games	G	A
Right Winger	11	2	3
Centre-Forward	7	6	1
Left Winger	7	3	1
Right Midfield	2	0	1
Left Midfield	1	0	0
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Another hugely exciting young attacker is Brando Bailey-Joseph.

The 17-year-old only signed scholarship terms with the club a few months ago, but has already been rewarded with a professional deal thanks to his sensational performances this season.

For example, in 14 appearances this season, totalling 929 minutes, he’s scored four goals and provided four assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.75 games, or every 116.12 minutes.

Hale End expert Will Balsam has described the youngster as an “explosive” attacker whose “quickness and sharp cuts” make him a “menace” for opposing defenders – which sounds like the sort of left-winger the first team could use.

In all, there are more than a handful of academy gems like O’Neill and Bailey-Joseph who could soon make it into the first team, but few are as exciting as Hale End’s best defensive prospect in years.

Hale End's future Gabriel replacement

Now, for a youngster to be considered as a future replacement or heir for Gabriel, they’ve got to be something pretty special.

Fortunately, as things stand, Marli Salmon looks to be just that.

In fact, Mattinson has gone out on a limb and described the exceptionally talented prospect as “the best CB Hale End has produced.”

What makes the 16-year-old so special, then? Well, like the big Brazilian he might one day step in for, he’s excellent at reading the game and is incredibly cultured on the ball.

For example, Mattinson has described him as “technically advanced,” and Balsam argues that he’s “different gravy on the ball” and has a perfect “mix of control and aggression.”

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

However, if he wants to one day step into Big Gabis’ shoes, he also needs to be someone who can engage in a bit of old-school defending, someone who can hold their own against the battering rams.

Fortunately, despite looking relatively slight – he is still 16 after all – the Hale Ender is already showing signs that he’s far stronger than he looks.

According to Balsam, he’s an “athletically gifted” defender who marries technical composure with “freak physical attributes.”

Finally, the last sign that he has a bright future ahead of him is that he featured in pre-season and, just like Dowman, didn’t look too out of place.

Ultimately, there is still a long way to go, but Salmon looks like he could be Hale End’s next superstar and the perfect long-term replacement for Gabriel.

A new Zubimendi: Berta makes first move to sign "Rodri-like" CM for Arsenal

The incredibly exciting prospect could be another Zubimendi for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 20, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur are now reportedly willing to launch a £70m offer to sign Rodrygo from Real Madrid after the Spanish giants weakened their sale stance ahead of 2026.

The Lilywhites are looking to make a statement move next year in a new era without Daniel Levy. They already stole headlines when they won the race to sign Xavi Simons in the summer, but signing one of Real Madrid’s attacking stars would take Thomas Frank’s side to a whole new level.

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Whether they’ll be in a position to convince Rodrygo to join is difficult to say, however. Whilst Tottenham sit as high as fifth and only four points off second place Manchester City, they’re also on a run of just one win in their last four games in all competitions. Life under Frank has simply shown promise but featured inconsistency.

Saturday’s frantic 2-2 draw against Manchester United summed things up. Spurs were toothless and then ruthless as they came from behind to lead 2-1 in the 91st minute only for Matthijs de Ligt to equalise for the Red Devils in the last minute.

The international break comes at a good time after such a dramatic game, but things don’t get any easier for those in North London. Up next, Spurs are set to square off against Arsenal in the North London derby. The Gunners haven’t lost since August and just conceded for the first time in over 13 hours against Sunderland.

Up against the best defence in the league, if not the world, questions will be asked about the star power in Tottenham’s frontline. They’ll already likely be without summer arrival Randal Kolo Muani through injury in a frustrating blow despite his goalscoring woes, and will be forced to turn to Richarlison to get their frontline firing on all cylinders.

It’s a problem that needs addressing in 2026 and one that Rodrygo could certainly help solve.

Tottenham now willing to launch £70m Rodrygo offer

According to reports in Spain, Tottenham are now willing to launch an offer to sign Rodrygo worth as much as €80m (£70m) in 2026. The Brazilian has struggled for game time under Xabi Alonso and could yet seek a move away ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Meanwhile, Florentino Pérez and co. are now reviewing the winger’s future and are more likely to accept a big-money offer for a player who is becoming less motivated sat on their bench week in, week out.

Alonso’s trash would instantly become Frank’s treasure. Rodrygo would transform Tottenham’s attack as a multiple-time Champions League winner and as one of the best wingers in world football. The Brazilian is also a player who has received incredibly high praise and comparisons with Real Madrid legend Raul – that’s the level that he’s at.

At £70m, everything points towards a player that Tottenham should go all out to sign when the January transfer window swings open.

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Jaiswal’s 58 and Washington’s 48 the only bright spots for India, with Jansen’s short-ball brilliance causing trouble

Sidharth Monga24-Nov-20253:59

Karim: India’s ultra-aggressive approach flummoxed me

Marco Jansen all but ensured the world Test champions South Africa a rare series win in India by bowling the hosts out for 201 and securing a first-innings lead of 288 on day three. On a pitch still hard to beat the defensive bat on, India collapsed from 95 for 1 to 122 for 7, losing all hopes of coming back to win and level the series. They were on the back-foot anyway after conceding 489 to South Africa, who also hold an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.Things happened quickly in the second hour of the day as the odd ball turned or bounced more than usual for spinners Simon Harmer and Keshav Maharaj. Washington Sundar and Kuldeep Yadav then batted together for nearly 35 overs without trouble to show it was just the early moisture that helped the odd ball turn.But Jansen rose above the pitch with aggressive short-pitched bowling to take his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests to go with his momentum-shifting 93 and an excellent catch to get rid of India’s only half-centurion in the series, Yashasvi Jaiswal.3:51

‘SA might set 470 target and keep 120 overs’

Nobody has ever taken as many wickets with bouncers in a single innings in India since the advent of ball-by-ball records. Those nasty bouncers took out Dhruv Jurel, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Jasprit Bumrah on an otherwise placid surface. On Ian Botham’s birthday, Jansen’s six-for went a long way towards emulating the greatest all-round performance by a visiting player in India: a century and 13 wickets in 1980 in the Jubilee Test.Before Jansen broke the game open with a spell of 8-1-18-4 with a fairly old ball either side of the first session break, South Africa benefitted from some luck and possible panic in the young Indian batting line-up. Not since the 1960s have India had Nos. 3 and 4 with just one hundred and fewer than 1000 career runs between them. That this is being played in the east, that we have lost 10 overs on the first two days because of the early sunset, might have had something to do with some of the frenetic batting from India, who need a win in this match to prevent a second home series defeat in 12 months after 12 years of none.Only four balls jumped or turned more than usual in more than an hour after the fast bowlers operated for the first half hour. India looked solid in getting to 65 without any loss, but then two of those four balls that did more than usual ended up in the wickets of openers. One long hop settled with short midwicket, and two batters fell trying to force the pace when only one batter has been able to dominate the bowling in this Test: Jansen.5:17

Best Test allrounders: Jadeja, Stokes, and… Jansen?

KL Rahul got the first of the good ones, bowled by Maharaj at 79kmph, well slower than any of India’s fingerspinners. Harmer, who has been excellent – sharp turn or not – then bowled the second one. Jaiswal had looked in control both when defending and attacking, but he checked a back-foot shot when this delivery stopped and stood up. Jansen, who had already denied him six runs on the cut with his long levers at backward point, took the catch diving forward. Not many could have even got to this on the full.B Sai Sudharsan, back as the No. 3 after being left out in Kolkata, was conscious to not get caught back to full deliveries, which has been his undoing in the past. He played two lovely cover-drives, but ended up pulling a short ball from Harmer to the left of short midwicket, where Ryan Rickelton took a rebound while diving.It was all Jansen after this – plus a little bit of chasing the game. Jurel was kept runless for 10 balls when he tried to hook a wide bouncer from Jansen. It was too high and too wide for him to be able to control. That this came about in the last over before tea made it worse.Post-tea, captain Rishabh Pant tried to counterattack by charging at Jansen. All he managed was an edge to the keeper. Reddy and Jadeja got brutes. Reddy had to throw his hands in front of his face in self defence, and Aiden Markram took a catch to match the earlier two, diving from second slip to gully. Jadeja tried to sway out of one’s line, but it followed him, hit the shoulder and then took the periscope on the way to second slip. On average, Jansen could bowl a metre fuller than Siraj for the ball to be a bouncer, giving them less time to adjust. He also bowled when the pitch had lost pace and bounce.With Jansen done, the moisture drying out and the push for a comeback win dissipating for India, Washington and Kuldeep defended with ease. No. 3 in the last Test, Washington came close to scoring only the second half-century for India this series, but was outdone by a lovely offbreak from Harmer just before the second new ball became available. Kuldeep registered his longest Test innings, turned down a single to protect Jasprit Bumrah, but couldn’t keep Jansen out. Not that Bumrah could be protected anyway: Jansen ended the innings with another nasty bouncer.Without even a full day’s rest, India’s bowlers were back on the park again. Bumrah created a chance in the first over of the third innings, but it flew wide of second slip. South Africa went into stumps 314 ahead, only a couple of sessions away from batting India out of the series.

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has not been one to shy away from his media duties this season, notably embracing his war of words with Wayne Rooney after that famous win over Real Madrid a few weeks ago.

That, however, has been the only thing they’ve really had to cheer about in the last few months. The pressure is intensifying on Arne Slot’s shoulders and just how long he remains in the Anfield dugout remains to be seen.

The Dutchman, who steered Liverpool to a remarkable Premier League title win during his debut campaign in England has made some bold calls of late, notably the decision to omit Mohamed Salah from the last two starting lineups.

The Egypt international was an unused substitute for Sunday’s win at West Ham and was on the bench again for the 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland, the first time in his Anfield career he had not started in back-to-back league matches.

It’s a shocking turn of events for the league’s player of the season back in 2024/25. Skipper van Dijk was asked for his thoughts after the draw with Sunderland.

Van Dijk speaks out on the Salah situation

“It’s not like you have unlimited credit, everyone has to perform,” said Van Dijk when asked whether Salah’s omission had sent a message to the dressing room.

“Mo has been doing that but the manager made that decision in the last two games. We all want the best for the club. I am pretty sure Mo will still be a big part of what we are trying to achieve because he is an amazing player and he has shown it consistently.

“But we are all trying to find consistency and he needs us to be in our best shape and we need him and that’s what we are all trying to find. He is still a fantastic player and we still have to remember there is a reason why he has been so successful at the club and we have to respect that.”

“I need him around as one of the leaders. I’m not worried. He’s disappointed but that’s absolutely normal as if you’re not disappointed when you’re not playing two games in a row then there is an issue as well.”

Van Dijk praises Florian Wirtz

Signed for a colossal £116m fee from Bayer Leverkusen over the summer, this has been an abject campaign to say the least for the German.

In the words of Gary Neville a few weeks ago, he’s been “really bad” and that hasn’t looked like improving. That said, he did make a big impact this week.

It looked like Wirtz had scored his first Premier League goal only to see it go down as an own goal after his effort took a huge deflection off Black Cats defender Nordi Mukiele.

Despite that, Van Dijk was full of praise for the attacking midfielder.

“There’s a very good reason why a club like us bought him – he’s an outstanding, world-class player in my eyes who can only become even better but it will take a bit of time,” said Van Dijk.

“For him he has to stay level-headed. Don’t get dragged into the outside world of when it’s very good or very bad and don’t get dragged into the numbers game. Nowadays there are a lot of eyes on if you score goals or have an assist or keep clean sheets but it is also about what you see and the contribution you have for the team, that’s not just shown in the numbers but in what you see and that should sometimes be the focus.”

Fewer touches than Alisson & only 2 passes: Liverpool flop must be dropped

Arne Slot has a huge call to make about one player after his showing for Liverpool last night.

2 ByEthan Lamb Dec 4, 2025

Nurul Hasan makes an ODI comeback following his match-winning cameo in the first T20I against Afghanistan

Mohammad Isam03-Oct-2025Bangladesh have picked batter Saif Hassan in an ODI squad for the first time, and also recalled Nurul Hasan after two years, for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi.Hassan had returned to the T20I squad against Netherlands in August and impressed with his performances, especially in the Asia Cup where he made 61 and 69 in the Super Four matches against Sri Lanka and India. Nurul made a match-winning 23 not out off 13 balls to rescue Bangladesh in the first T20I against Afghanistan. Both batters are consistent performers in the domestic List-A competitions.Litton Das missed out on ODI selection as he continues to recover from the side strain he sustained during the Asia Cup. It had kept him out of the ongoing T20Is against Afghanistan too. The Bangladesh selectors dropped Parvez Hossain Emon from the ODI squad that played Afghanistan in July.A couple of Bangladesh players have also had visa issues. Mohammad Naim, who was picked in the ODI squad, is still in Dhaka because he hasn’t got his UAE visa yet. Soumya Sarkar, who is in the T20I squad for the ongoing series, has also been unable to travel to Sharjah; he is not part of the ODI squad, though. ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam and Nahid Rana will travel to the UAE on Friday to join the rest of the squad.Bangladesh play Afghanistan in the second and third T20Is on October 3 and 5 in Sharjah, followed by the ODIs in Abu Dhabi on October 8, 11 and 14.

Bangladesh squad for ODIs vs Afghanistan

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Mohammad Naim, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana