انتهت مرحلة دور الـ16 من بطولة الدوري الأوروبي موسم 2024/25، بعدما انطلقت منافسات الإياب مساء يوم الخميس، وانتهت صباح يوم الجمعة.
وحسمت 8 فرق مقاعد تأهلها إلى دور الـ 8 من الدوري الأوروبي ، لهذا الموسم.
اقرأ أيضًا.. الفرق المتأهلة إلى دور الـ8 من الدوري الأوروبي
وسبق أن أجرى الاتحاد الأوروبي لكرة القدم، يويفا، مراسم قرعة مرحلتي ربع ونصف نهائي البطولة، حيث إن طريق كل فريق معروف حتى النهائي.
ومن المقرر أن تنطلق منافسات ذهاب دور ربع نهائي الدوري الأوروبي يوم 10 أبريل، في حين أن الإياب سيُقام يوم 17 من الشهر نفسه. الفرق المتأهلة إلى دور الـ8 من الدوري الأوروبي
أتلتيك بلباو الإسباني.
آينتراخت فرانكفورت الألماني.
لاتسيو الإيطالي.
بودو جليمت النرويجي.
ليون الفرنسي.
مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي.
توتنهام هوتسبير الإنجليزي.
رينجرز الإسكتلندي. مباريات دور الـ8 من الدوري الأوروبي
Unbeaten in their last three games, Derby County’s task of continuing that solid run of form has become that much harder following one major blow on the injury front, as confirmed by Paul Warne.
Derby injury news
Now back in the Championship, Derby very much look like a side ready to stay put in England’s second tier, avoiding an instant return to League One as a result. The Rams currently sit as high as 12th and just four points adrift of the playoffs after drawing twice and winning once in their last three league games. Last time out, it was Nathaniel Mendez-Laing who became the hero of the hour after rescuing a point against fellow newly promoted side Oxford United.
That recent run of form hasn’t been without its difficulties, however, especially on the injury front. With fixtures coming thick and fast, the last thing that Warne needed was to see his squad suffer a major blow. Yet, as the Rams were held by Millwall last weekend, he was handed exactly that.
As confirmed by Warne and relayed by the Derby Telegraph, Ryan Nyambe will now miss up to six months after sustaining a posterior ligament injury. Whilst the right-back looks unlikely to need surgery, he is still set to miss the majority, if not the rest of the Championship campaign.
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Warne revealed the news, saying via the Derby Telegraph: “He’s done his PCL (posterior ligament), and his recovery is four to six months. I don’t think he will need surgery, so it doesn’t affect the reoccurrence of injury.
“That is good, but obviously, it’s heartbreaking. I love the kid. I know everybody loves their players, and the fans will know I do, but he is some kid. He just wants to play and wants to do well. The first thing he did was send me a text to say I feel like I’ve let you down. And I was like, what? It’s a massive blow from a personal point of view, but from a player point of view, I think he’s been excellent.
“Kane is a very good full-back, as is Wardy, and they have different attributes, but Ryan is one of our most consistent performers. It’s a blow for him; selfishly, it is a blow for me.”
How Derby could replace "excellent" Nyambe
Featuring in all but one Championship game prior to his injury, Nyambe has been one of Warne’s key men in an excellent start to the campaign, making the enforced change all the more frustrating. Left attempting to replace the 26-year-old, the Rams are likely to turn towards Kane Wilson, who Warne mentioned, over the rest of the season.
Wilson started against Oxford and now has the chance to keep his place and build on just four league starts so far this season. What is a major blow for Nyambe is a golden opportunity for the 24-year-old.
ECB chief to meet with Imran Khan and Ramiz Raja in wake of cancelled trip
George Dobell08-Nov-2021Tom Harrison, the ECB chief executive, will meet with Pakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, as well as the PCB chief executive Ramiz Raja, in a bid to repair relations with the country in the wake of last month’s cancelled T20I tour.Officials at the PCB were incensed when England pulled out of the two-match tour at short notice a few weeks ago.Now Harrison has flown in to assure Ramiz, the new chairman of the PCB, that England remain committed to their Test tour of the country at the end of 2022. England have not toured Pakistan since late 2005.He is also set to meet with prime minister Khan, Pakistan’s greatest allrounder and World Cup-winning captain prior to his move into politics, who also serves as patron-in-chief of the PCB.Speaking in the wake of the cancelled T20I tour – which followed hot on the heels of New Zealand’s abandonment of their own tour on the morning of their opening ODI in Rawalpindi – Ramiz hit out at what he called cricket’s “western bloc”, and said that the PCB would be making contingency plans to protect their home itinerary in the event of another England pull-out next year.Related
England to play seven T20Is in Pakistan as ECB reaffirm commitment to 2022 tour
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England withdraw from October tours to Pakistan
PCB in 'shock and disbelief' after NZ cancel tour: What's next for the board?
“I am severely disappointed in England’s withdrawal but it was expected because this western bloc gets united unfortunately and tries to back each other,” Ramiz said. “This is a lesson for us because we go out of our way to accommodate and pamper these sides when they visit. From now on we will only go as far as is in our interest.”Harrison’s trip is only expected to last a couple of days. He is due in the UAE later in the week as the ICC hold their first in-person chief executives’ meeting since the start of the pandemic.The news comes on the same day that Cricket Australia announced its plans for a three-Test, three-ODI and one-off T20I tour in March 2022. If it goes ahead as planned, it will be their first tour of the country since 1998.
How much does every Wolves player earn annually and who receives the most into their account?
Wolves returned to the Premier League in 2018 after a six-year absence from the English top-flight and they have held their own since.
In the first season since their return (2018-19), Wolves finished in seventh place and punched way above their weight under the tutelage of Portuguese manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who is currently working wonders at Nottingham Forest.
They repeated the feat in the 2019-20 season by finishing seventh again, but then they lost several key players such as Ruben Neves, Raul Jimenez, Diogo Jota, Conor Coady, etc. Since the 2020-21 season, Wolves have failed to finish the league campaign in the top half of the table.
This season, the club is fighting to avoid relegation, and fans are anxiously hoping to steer clear of the drop to the Championship. However, players like Matheus Cunha, Nelson Semedo, Rayan Ait-Nouri, and Jorgen Strand Larsen have the potential to be the key to securing their survival and preserving their top-flight status.
So, who is the highest earner at the Molineux Stadium this season? And who is on the opposite end of the spectrum?
GOAL delved into the numbers from Capology and found out!
*
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Goalkeepers
The 31-year-old Sam Johnstone and 32-year-old Jose Sa share the title of the highest-paid goalkeeper at Wolves, with the duo earning £2.08m each annually.
Daniel Bentley is the third-highest paid goalkeeper, while Tom King is the lowest-paid goalkeeper and the only custodian with a six-figure annual package.
Name
Salary
Sam Johnstone
£2,080,000
Jose Sa
£2,080,000
Daniel Bentley
£1,040,000
Tom King
£520,000
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Defenders
Former Barcelona right-back Nelson Semedo, who captains Wolves, is the club's highest-paid defender with a salary of over £4m.
Matt Doherty, who is in his 10th full season at the Molineux Stadium, is surprisingly the second-highest paid defender at the club, with Emmanuel Agbadou and Craig Dawson jointly sharing the third spot.
Wolves fans won't be too pleased to find out that Rayan Ait-Nouri, who has been a force to be reckoned with offensively from the left-back role, is the second-lowest paid defender at the club.
Yerson Mosquera and Bastien Meupiyou are the joint-lowest paid defenders.
Name
Salary
Nelson Semedo
£4,160,000
Matt Doherty
£2,600,000
Emmanuel Agbadou
£2,340,000
Craig Dawson
£2,340,000
Santiago Bueno
£1,560,000
Toti Gomes
£1,300,000
Pedro Lima
£780,000
Rayan Ait-Nouri
£520,000
Yerson Mosquera
£416,000
Bastien Meipoyou
£416,000
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Midfielders
Mali international Boubacar Traore, who is yet to make a single appearance for Wolves this season due to a knee injury, is their highest-paid midfielder this season, with Mario Lemina taking the second spot.
Summer signing Andre Trindade comes in at number three on this list along with the versatile Frenchman Jean-Ricner Bellegarde.
The Gomes duo of Joao and Rodrigo, with the latter emerging as an exciting wing-back this season, are next on this list. The young English pair of Luke Cundle and Tommy Doyle are the lowest-paid midfielders, both earning under a million pounds annually.
Name
Salary
Boubacar Traore
£2,860,000
Mario Lemina
£2,340,000
Andre Trindade
£1,820,000
Jean-Ricner Bellegarde
£1,820,000
Joao Gomes
£1,560,000
Rodrigo Gomes
£1,300,000
Luke Cundle
£780,000
Tommy Doyle
£520,000
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Attackers
Matheus Cunha and Jorgen Strand Larsen have been Wolves' best attackers this season, but neither of these are the top-earning forwards, with Pablo Sarabia and Goncalo Guedes jointly sharing the top spot.
South Korea international Hee-chan Hwang, with an annual package of £3.64m, is the third-highest paid player. Cunha takes the fourth spot.
Interestingly, Strand Larsen is the second-lowest paid forward, with Enso Gonzalez lying at the very bottom of this list.
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney was blown away after seeing his team score a late winner to beat Crawley Town 2-1 in League One.
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Two late goals in dramatic Wrexham winRed Dragons come out on topMcElhenney thrilled by victoryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Phil Parkinson's side bounced back from a shock home defeat to Stevenage last time out by beating Crawley Town 2-1 on Saturday. Matty James had put the visitors ahead but they looked set to drop points again when Crawley equalised in the 90th minute. However, Wrexham refused to be denied and hit back with a winner in the fifth minute of stoppage time through Elliot Lee.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE
It's a much-needed win for Wrexham after a tricky patch of form and means they now sit four points off Wycombe in second place in the table. Leaders Birmingham remain favourites for promotion as they are eights points clear of the Welsh side and have two games in hand on both Wrexham and Wycombe.
WHAT MCELHENNEY SAID
He posted on Instagram: "That was incredible! Up the town reds!"
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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM
Wrexham now turn their attentions back to the Football League Trophy and a third round clash against Port Vale on Tuesday.
Ipswich Town hadn’t been blown away in any Premier League contest to date, with valiant displays against the likes of Aston Villa and Fulham sticking out, until their visit to West Ham United this weekend.
The Hammers, who went into this game on a poor run of form under new boss Julen Lopetegui, ended up just brushing the Tractor Boys aside, as Kieran McKenna’s side fell victim to a 4-1 bruising on their travels to London.
The popular Ipswich boss will have plenty to ponder concerning his troops after this collapse on the road, mainly whether or not he should persist with Kalvin Phillips in the middle of the park, who struggled against his former loan employers.
Phillips' performance in numbers
It was always going to be a big risk bringing the Manchester City flop in and expecting him to instantly set the world alight considering how poor he was for West Ham last season.
Phillips must have felt charitable coming up against some familiar faces this weekend, with the ex-Leeds United man inexplicably surrendering the ball within the first minute, which then allowed Michail Antonio to find the back of the net.
Moreover, after some horrible play out from the back presented an opportunity for Jarrod Bowen to run at the Tractor Boys’ defence early in the second 45 minutes, the brand new Ipswich number eight just couldn’t get tight to the ex-Hull City attacker who fired home a decisive strike to make it 3-1 on the day.
Phillips was hauled off the pitch late on consequently after failing to show to his former side his true self, as the 28-year-old continues to slip up when it comes to resurrecting his career.
Not many Ipswich players could hold their heads high after this humbling loss, in all fairness, with Omari Hutchinson notably poor too in attack for McKenna’s visitors.
Hutchinson's performance in numbers
Hutchinson isn’t quite living up to his summer price tag of £20m playing in the Premier League, after regularly coming up trumps for the Tractor Boys in the Championship.
The ex-Chelsea youngster only has a mere assist next to his name from seven top-flight games so far, with zero goals also a worrying number when looking at his output, and it was clear for all to see why he’s been so ineffective this season watching his display up against the free-flowing Hammers.
Hutchinson’s performance in numbers
Minutes played
83
Goals
0
Assists
0
Touches
44
Accurate passes
21/26 (81%)
Possession lost
17x
Shots
0
Successful dribbles
3/4
Duels won
4/12
Stats by Sofascore
As much as Hutchinson would trouble the West Ham defence on occasion with a slaloming run, the 20-year-old lacked any end product to go with a mazey burst forward, with zero shots attempted on Alphonse Aréola’s goal.
He was also poor on the ball in patches of the contest, with the former Chelsea man squandering possession 17 times in total away at the London Stadium.
It would result in a low 5/10 match rating being dished out to Hutchinson come full-time by journalist Alex Jones, who was said he was given ‘little space’ by the Hammers defenders to strut his stuff.
McKenna will be tempted to rejig his attack now in an attempt to get more out of his underperforming number 20, with the 5 foot 9 trickster perhaps moved out to the wing – where he shone last season during his side’s promotion heroics.
He could, also, just be dropped, with Phillips no doubt worried about his starting spot too moving forward.
Hutchinson does have an audacious strike like the one above up his sleeve, but the top-flight is a different kettle of fish altogether from the Championship, as many of Ipswich players are now well aware of.
Ipswich must regret not signing £16m PL star who's better than Hutchinson
The exciting star would have been incredible under McKenna.
Unai Emery will know he needs to keep his Aston Villa side fresh for challenging games to come in both the Premier League and Champions League, away from his team’s EFL Cup tie with Crystal Palace tonight.
Of course, Villa fans wouldn’t say no to progressing further after tonight’s clash, but the main focus does seem to centre in on Europe’s most prestigious competition and the top-flight, away from concerns about how far they can go past taking on Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.
Tonight’s showdown with Palace does give Emery the chance to rotate his side and throw players into the first-team mix who have otherwise been forgotten about, however, with Amadou Onana’s place one that could be up for grabs after he underwhelmed versus AFC Bournemouth last time out in league action.
Onana's game in numbers vs Bournemouth
Dropping the Belgian won’t all be performance-based though, with the ex-Everton man in need of a rest arguably, having played a part in every Premier League game he could so far this season.
Moreover, Onana also managed 62 minutes in the last round of this competition versus Wycombe Wanderers, but could find he has to sit out the tie with Palace, with his wobbly showing against Bournemouth another sign that he could do with a breather.
The Villa number 24 would only last 45 minutes on the pitch against Andoni Iraola’s men, with card-happy referee Chris Kavanagh dishing out yellows willy-nilly in the first half, as Onana fell victim to his wrath.
Therefore, it was an unconvincing display from the usually forceful midfielder when it came to imposing himself into the contest, winning just 50% of his duels on the day, alongside managing just 28 touches of the ball before being taken off.
His replacement on the day in Ross Barkley would score Villa’s only strike in the 1-1 draw, with Emery relieved that switching out Onana for the former Luton Town man worked.
Barkley could have won himself a starting spot this mid-week, therefore, with Emery also potentially prepared to give this forgotten face his first start of the season as the player in question is now back from a serious injury.
Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans
Why Kamara should start vs Palace
Boubacar Kamara was gifted a run-out versus Bournemouth last time out, with the 24-year-old finally back from a serious knee injury which has ruled him out of action since February.
Before this disastrous knock stopped him in his tracks, the ex-Olympique Marseille ace had cemented a regular role for himself in the middle of the park, having made 58 appearances in total for Villa since joining the club in 2022.
Stat – per 90 mins*
Kamara
Games played
20
Games started
20
Minutes per game
83
Goals scored
0
Assists
1
Touches*
63.2
Accurate passes*
45.7 (89%)
Tackles*
2.2
Ball recoveries*
4.9
Total duels won*
5.3
Before becoming a permanent fixture of the Villa Park treatment room, the Frenchman was beginning to make strides in the first team under Emery in the league, with an ability to be calm and measured on the ball whilst also being energetic and lively going in for tackles and duels.
He was even labelled as “outstanding” by football journalist John Townley when beginning to make a name for himself at Villa Park, with there now a growing likelihood that he could start tonight.
Boubacar Kamara in Premier League action for Aston Villa.
That could be of use to the tie with Glasner’s Palace coming up, with a re-energised presence such as Kamara keen to show to his manager that he’s deserving of more first-team opportunities moving forward away from the odd Cup appearance, after shirking off his injury demons.
Emery will know changes will have to come about in this mid-week contest to ensure his side doesn’t burn out amidst a slog of games, with Kamara perhaps benefitting subsequently.
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نجح منتخب مصر في تحقيق فوز مستحق على نظيره الإثيوبي بهدفين دون رد، خلال المباراة التي انتهت منذ لحظات ضمن تصفيات إفريقيا لكأس العالم 2026.
منتخب مصر واجه إثيوبيا، على ملعب “العربي الزوالي” في الدار البيضاء بالمغرب، ضمن منافسات الجولة الخامسة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026.
وجاء هدف مصر الأول في الدقيقة 32 عن طريق محمد صلاح، بعد تمريرة من حمدي فتحي انفرد بها لاعب ليفربول بالمرمى وسدد الكرة داخل الشباك.
طالع أيضاً.. مجموعة مصر | بوركينا فاسو تقسو على جيبوتي برباعية في تصفيات كأس العالم (فيديو)
وجاء الهدف الثاني عن طريق أحمد سيد زيزو في الدقيقة 40، بعد جملة رائعة مع محمد صلاح وضعته أمام المرمى ليسدد بالقدم اليمنى في الشباك. ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الأولى من تصفيات كأس العالم، مع منتخبات بوركينا فاسو، إثيوبيا، غينيا بيساو، سيراليون وجيبوتي.
بهذا الفوز، رفع منتخب مصر رصيده إلى النقطة 13 منفرداً بالصدارة، بينما يأتي منتخب إثيوبيا بالمركز الخامس، ولديه 3 نقاط. هدف مصر الأول أمام إثيوبيا في تصفيات كأس العالم
The 49ers Enterprises and Leeds United are said to be “keeping tabs” on a £4m international defender alongside Cheikhou Kouyate, according to a new transfer report.
Leeds looking at signing free agent Kouyate
The Whites have been linked with a move for Kouyate in recent days, with the Senegal veteran now a free agent after leaving Nottingham Forest at the end of last season.
One report earlier this week claimed that the 34-year-old had agreed a move to Elland Road, coming in on a free transfer to ease Daniel Farke’s issue of having Ethan Ampadu and Ilia Gruev both out injured for the foreseeable future. It has even been said that he completed his medical, with the transfer in its closing stages.
Cheickhou Kouyate for Nottingham Forest.
There has now been an alleged twist regarding the situation, however, with reliable journalist Adam Pope reporting that Kouyate’s move to Leeds is still in the balance, with the switch not as far down the line as had previously been stated.
While the Whites’ interest in the former Forest man is at the forefront of the club’s transfer news currently, a fresh rumour regarding a different player has now emerged.
Leeds eyeing move for £4m international defender
According to The Mirror, Leeds are among the clubs “keeping tabs” on FCSB defender Joyskim Dawa, with Premier League pair Everton and Fulham also in the mix.
The 28-year-old has won both of his Europa League games this season and his “representatives believe he is capable of playing at the top level”. The report also adds that he has a release clause of just £4m, allowing the Whites and others to bring him in for a relatively cheap amount in the modern game in 2025.
Dawa could be an excellent signing for Leeds, coming in during the January window and adding depth at the heart of Farke’s defence, giving them extra solidity for their Championship promotion push during the second half of the season.
He has made 106 appearances for FCSB, chipping in with 11 goals in that time – a solid return for a central defender – while at international level he has nine caps to his name for Cameroon.
In his two Europa League outings this season, Dawa has completed 89.5% of his passes, which suggests his quality on the ball would appeal to Farke, with Pascal Struijk (92.2%) and Joe Rodon (91.6%) impressing in that area of their game this season. He has also averaged an incredible seven clearances per game in Europe, highlighting his defensive expertise out of possession.
With Max Wober out injured and the absent Ampadu also a strong option at centre-back, there is a clear need for Leeds to make a signing in that area in January, or risk falling away in the promotion race if Struijk or Rodon suddenly suffer a setback, too.
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Dawa looks ideal in that respect, although fighting off interest from two Premier League teams won’t necessarily be easy, despite the size of the Whites as a club, and their financial power under the 49ers.
‘Checks notes’. No further injuries. Arne Slot’s a happy man. Scotland’s Andy Robertson, Conor Bradley of Northern Ireland and a whole host of South American Reds are still to play before checking back in on Merseyside, but Liverpool are in good nick.
The Reds have made a resounding start to life under Slot, who has smashed into the Premier League with a concussive boom. Anfield sits atop the pile after seven matches, in pole position and holding an ever-so slender advantage over Manchester City and Arsenal.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
First place matters little at this stage, but what is important is the seamless integration of a new system. Jurgen Klopp’s city-shattering decision to step down from his managerial position at the club looked like a portent of dark days ahead, but Liverpool’s new layer of resilience and sheen of control suggests that this iteration is capable of great things – perhaps things to rival those of Slot’s predecessor.
Some players look levels above their calibre from last season, with Ryan Gravenberch the pick of the bunch. The Dutchman hasn’t put in a poor performance all season – at least, he hadn’t until Netherlands were defeated by Germany in the Nations League on Monday evening.
Ryan Gravenberch for the Netherlands
He wasn’t the only one to founder, however; indeed, Cody Gakpo was as blunt as an overused pencil on the night, and Slot may well be concerned.
Cody Gakpo's performance vs Germany
Slot will have noted all of his players’ efforts for their country over the past several days, but especially that of his Netherlands coterie, given that he himself hails from the bustling European nation.
It hasn’t been the best of weeks. On Friday evening, Holland could only draw against Dominik Szoboszlai’s Hungary, with Gakpo actually assisting Denzel Dumfries’ parity-restoring strike after Virgil van Dijk was sent off following a sudden burst of bookings.
Gakpo did alright in that one, but he certainly didn’t add to that display against Germany, who only won by a narrow margin as debutant Jamie Leweling decided the affair after thumping home from a poorly-cleared corner. He’d bagged earlier on after some dismal Van Dijk-less defending, but Ronald Koeman’s side earned a reprieve following the flash of VAR intervention.
The Dutch’s attacking fizz was negated against an organised German backline. Gakpo foundered. There was no crackle, spark, dart, surge. Slick play, sideward, sideward. There. An opening. Slip through the lines, onto Gakpo, let him loose, breezing forward. Goal.
That didn’t happen, with Dutch media even branding the Liverpool phenom with a 4.5/10 match score, raising the bleak question that this might have been the 25-year-old’s lowest showing in orange, wasteful and ineffective. The match statistics highlight as much, with only six passes made – equating to just one every 11 minutes – and possession lost ten times without even creating a key pass or taking a single shot.
Cody-Gakpo-Netherlands-Germany
Gakpo now has plenty of time to rest ahead of Liverpool duties in the Premier League this coming weekend, but his head will be hung low and Slot will be puzzling over whether he should reprise his role on the left flank.
Why Gakpo shouldn't start vs Chelsea
Liverpool returns to action in the Premier League on Sunday. They welcome the keen-edged attacking Chelsea squad as Anfield looks to claim another three points and maintain its place at the top of the division. One week later, the Merseysiders will travel to Arsenal.
Gakpo’s performances this season have been impressive and he’ll hope to make an impact. He’s chalked up two goals and assists apiece this season, playing ten times but only handed three roles from the outset, with The Athletic’s James Pearce even praising the dynamo for being “lethal in the final third”.
One bad game hardly speaks for Gakpo’s season. He’s worked wonders from not that much action within Slot’s side and offers dynamic and singular qualities, playing regularly on the left wing too – which is clearly his best, most productive position.
Left winger
182
77
58
0.74
Centre-forward
68
26
8
0.50
Right winger
27
2
4
0.22
Central midfield
7
1
0
0.14
Attacking midfield
3
1
0
0.33
As per FBref, the £120k-per-week talent ranks among the top 7% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 2% for shot-creating actions, the top 9% for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 13% for progressive carries, the top 3% for successful take-ons and the top 2% for tackles and interceptions.
He’s got a myriad of properties that make him a custom-made fit for Slot-ball, and he’s proving as such so far. However, Gakpo, praised as a “superstar” by journalist Carl Anka in the past, must not be handed a starting berth for this weekend’s fixture; having failed to inspire, he’s not deserving of a place ahead of the fleet-footed Luis Diaz.
The caveat of all this is of course that Diaz will likely start for his nation later this evening before jetting across half the planet and digging straight into Liverpool’s pre-match preparations.
Chelsea may well present Slot’s men with their sternest test of the season, and if any rust and lassitude is on show, the hosts might find themselves in another sticky position.
Lest we forget, while Liverpool have won nine of their ten matches across all competitions this term, the sole defeat arrived at their own door, against Nottingham Forest directly after the September international pause. It’s a lingering nemesis of Liverpool’s, this pesky international disruption.
That said, Diaz is tireless and always ready to take his place on the left flank, and given the form that he’s started the term in, with five goals and an assist from seven Premier League fixtures, he should be the one to partner Mohamed Salah on the attacking flanks.
Luis Diaz for Liverpool
Gakpo has proven himself despite playing a more marginal role than he would have hoped for thus far. That said, he flattered to deceive on the left wing for Oranje and must now be placed on the bench against Chelsea.
Who knows, maybe it’ll spur him on to make a positive impact off the bench, as he has done on several occasions for Liverpool over the past few months.
Sold for £40m: Liverpool hit gold with star who's now worth millions less
This sale has had an impactful knock-on effect at Liverpool.